First Love

Chapter 47

The talk over dinner dragged to the night and she wasn't done in tracking all of those letters. Yoongi's parents insisted for her to stay the night to continue on her search. Jae was hesitant at first. She was thinking of returning to their house the next day if they didn't mind having her there again. Yoongi's mom objected and cajoled her into staying the night instead. She said it would save Jae the trip and since there were only both of them around at the house, they would love to have Jae as a guest. Jae then gave his mom the lame excuse of not having anything to wear to sleep. His mom went straight to the closet in Yoongi's room and pulled out a pair of shirt and sweatpants.

"It's Yoongi's, I don't think he would mind you wearing them. Now you can stay and look for your letters," said his mom, patting her back. She left Jae a bottle of plain water and went out of the room. Jae changed into the fresh pair of clothes. Yoongi's shirt was quite big for her slender frame and that just made her miss him at that moment. Shaking off her melancholic feeling, she started searching. She was done when the clock strikes 1.

She looked at the bounty she collected on the desk. Min Yoongi definitely like to slip in a lot of things in his books and comics. As a bookmark or just for safekeeping, she didn't know. She found some cash bills, old receipts, there were notice on school meetings and there were even some interesting notes that she was dying to ask Yoongi about.

Jae lay down on the bed with the box of letters next to her. She had already sorted it out according to the numbers. Just as she was about to read the first letter, Yoongi's message buzzed in.

YO: Are you asleep?

Jae grinned. Feeling lazy, she put on her earphone and called Yoongi. "I'm not asleep yet," she said as Yoongi answered her call.

"Are you back at your room now?" he asked.

"I'm still at your parents. They asked me to stay the night after we had dinner," supplied Jae.

"That's good," said Yoongi. "Have you found all of the letters?"

"Yes, I did," answered Jae. "And I was about to read it. Found some interesting stuff too."

"What is it?"

"Found some money. There's a total of ₩150,000. There are some receipts, I threw that away. And there are some notes too," said Jae.

"Notes? What notes?"

Jae cleared her throat and started reading. "Dearest Yoongi oppa, will you be my Valentine? Love, Geum Ara, chuuu," Jae read that in a cute expression. "Oh and how about this one. 'Yoongi oppa, you're so handsome. Can I be your girlfriend? Yours always, Jo Mina, heart heart heart'. You're very popular Min Yoongi-ssi, I've never peg you as a Don Juan before. I thought you went to an all-boy school. Where did those girls come from?"

"I don't know, I don't remember," replied Yoongi.

"Really?" asked Jae, not convinced. "Well, this one is interesting. 'Yoongi oppa, I'll wait for you after school at our usual place. Love, Kim Min Young, XOXO'. Usual place, huh? That's really interesting. Just who the heck is this Min Young girl?"

"Jae, that was in middle school. I don't even remember those notes," Yoongi defended himself.

"Really? Did I steal you from some poor girl that summer?" asked Jae again. "Wait, I'm way ahead of myself. We weren't even in a relationship then."

"Jae, had I remember those notes or those girls, I won't be sending you to my parents' house to look for those letters in my book rack," he reasoned.

Why did she became irrational about notes that was given nearly a decade ago? "That sound plausible. Sorry for over-reacting. So, how was your day?"

"It was fine. Went to the venue and had dinner afterwards. Had a meeting and now here I am thinking of you."

Jae just smiled. He was so sweet and thoughtful and she felt like her heart was going to burst. "I'm thinking of you too. Well at first I was missing you in a good way and then I found those notes. I was thinking about you too. Not in a good way."

He laughed. "Jae," he called.

"Yes?"

"I want you to know that I never intend for you to see those letters when I wrote it in the first place," he started.

"Okay," said Jae. "I know that. What are you trying to say?"

"The content of the letters," he paused.

"Yes?" prompted Jae.

"It was the writings of my teenage self. It may be a bit intense," he continued. "So be warned."

"I'll be prepared," Jae reassured him.

"I don't want you to get hurt too," Yoongi continued uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?"

"Before I stopped writing, I was gushing about those songs. The ones that didn't get credited as mine," trailed Yoongi off.

"Because of what Chin Hwa oppa did," she continued that for him. "I'll keep that in mind," said Jae.

"I want you to be happy reading it, not to be sad again," he said, sounding worried. "I didn't know that my mom saved those letters that I threw."

"If you knew about it, you wouldn't be sending me here straight away. Am I right?"

He sighed. "You're right. I would have sorted it out first."

"The fact that you're wanting to protect me from your young self makes me love you even more."

"I would hate myself if you're sadder after reading it."

"Don't do that. Hate is a strong word to use. I'm not that irrational. Well apart from that notes, I'm not usually irrational. What happened in the past, happened and we can't change that. Have faith in me," she comforted him.

"And Jae.... I don't want you to feel hurt seeing the letters that I didn't read. I know you wrote to me for years without fail," he voiced out. "Can you bring that back with you? I want to read it."

"I will," she then heard him yawn. "Oppa, go to sleep."

"Oh, now you have those letters, I'm not that interesting anymore," he sulked.

Jae laughed, "Someone is oozing out self-pity tonight."

"Can't help to know my girlfriend is there in my room while I'm here really far from you," he said as he yawned.

Jae laughed again. He sounded really sleepy and fighting it. "Sleep, oppa. I'll be back in Seoul on the 24th. Won't be long now and I will see you then."

Yoongi was silent on his end.

"Oppa?" Jae called and looked at her phone. The call was still connected. She smiled. Yoongi had probably fell asleep. "Sweet dreams, love you," said Jae as she disconnected the line and started reading the first letter.