ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʟᴀss ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ ☑

Blessing

Jungkook entered his university and looked around the building soaking in the sun. It was extremely cold, but the bright sunshine brought some amount of relief against the students' skin. 

Taking the viva, satisfying the examiner with not only the work he has been doing in Seoul under Mrs. Sago's supervision but talking up his company and handing over a few contact numbers of his seniors, Jungkook happily finished his exam day and met his professors one by one. 

Seeing his old friends, especially Soobin and Yeonjun made him forget about the hitch in his heart for a moment for the first time since the time he arrived home. Spending time with his parents was peaceful, but guilt kept scraping against his heart like sandpaper for having hidden so much from them. When he had left the city, they had put their trust in him. 

But now, after he went through so much in six months, he returned to be a totally different person and he could only show them a piece of him they were familiar with. It suffocated him. It reminded him of Jimin who knew everything about him and still didn't look at him differently. Jimin's second text had come this morning, asking him to meet at the intersection bridge for the camping trip if he wanted to.

The black words weighed in his pocket like unrequited feelings. The only other text that the man had sent him was to ask him if he reached home safely on his first day in Busan. 

He hadn't said no to Jimin for the trip yet, because he wasn't entirely sure if he didn't want to go. 

**

Blood, sweat, and tear played, raising the car's roof up with its beat and rhythm as Taehyung drove the car. He had made Jimin come out of the unintelligible mess of pessimism due to the thought that Jungkook wasn't going to show up.

It was next to impossible for the two to take leave together from work, but their boss couldn't say no when Jimin mentioned that Taehyung had met with a small accident and needed to be taken to the hospital. 

Even if they had spent their six hours practically yelling along the songs, snacking, and talking, as they neared the intersection bridge, Jimin's smile kept dimming.

He hadn't driven the car the whole day, wanting to take over after picking Jungkook. There was something about the car rides that Jungkook loved, which the boy had told him in his drunken state while returning from the club. "I love you behind the wheel, Jimin Hyung. You look hot." He had said that right before giggling and trying to shift gears. Taehyung had to hold his hands down that night. 

The female, robotic GPS sound navigated them straight to the highway and Jimin's heartbeat sped. He was on time that he had committed to Jungkook. His thumb swayed on top of the messenger, but he couldn't open it. 

Turn left and your destination has arrived.

Taehyung slowed the car and Jimin gazed out, searching under the bus stops to spot a certain boy badly. Taehyung also peeked around, trying to catch sight of Jungkook, but he couldn't spot him either. "Call him on the phone." He asked Jimin.

"No," Jimin shook his head. "He didn't text me back."

Taehyung leaned against the steering wheel, dropping his head down.

"It's okay. Switch." Jimin stepped out and skirted to get to the driver's seat and Taehyung walked out when the former opened the door for him. They stretched and then took their new seats silently before they resumed driving, knowing that Jungkook was a no show. 

A few meters ahead, Jimin found a gas station and he skewed inside for a refill when his phone rang with a call.

His heart accelerated and he jumped out of the vehicle the moment he pressed the brakes, startling Taehyung, who understood who was on the phone, judging by Jimin's big smile which he saw in the rearview. Only half a minute had passed when Jimin leaned down to the window and yelled 'I'll be back' before he started running in the direction they came from. Taehyung pulled the car aside from the filling station queue and waited. 

The trunk opened and then closed before the backseat opened and Taehyung finally grinned. "Jungkook-ah, come at front." 

"It's okay, Hyung." The 20-year-old's one leg was inside the back compartment and one outside when Taehyung got out of the driver's seat and grabbed the younger's bicep. 

"I've been driving and handling the stereo for six hours, Jungkook," he complained. "You have to take the charge now. Jimin will drive."

Jungkook nodded, pulling the leg on the inside out. It was then Taehyung realized that Jimin wasn't around, but he was quick to spot him in the convenience store, filling the basket with snacks and drinks for the journey. Smiling to himself, he silently got into the back seat and when Jimin returned with two bags full, he directed his sheepish smile, instigating his friend silently on how whipped he was. 

Paying no heed to his friend, Jimin handed both bags to Jungkook before adjusting the driver's seat and fastening the seat belt. The depressive air was long lost, replaced with electric energy. 

Jimin was unable to stop his smile as they began. "How was your exam?" He asked, glancing at Jungkook and seeing him struggling with the bags. 

"Really good. It feels that a big weight is off my shoulders."

"Have something. You must be tired and hungry."

Jungkook smiled a little and his cheeks flushed as he found his favorite packs of chips, seaweed, and banana milk bottles. Silently, he tore open a wrapper and put one chip in his mouth.

Simply looking at Jungkook eating made Jimin at ease. An immense urge to do so much more to make his life happier and easier in any way possible washed over him. He wanted to make the 20-year-old happy, not because he pitied his past, but because he knew that no one deserved all those things more than this kind boy.

When Jungkook's face was tired during the one-and-a-half-hour drive, it slowly flipped to something akin to a fresh bloom as they laughed and hummed to the tunes of melodies. 

As they near the destination, the camping site began with a small local market where Jimin pulled the car and got down, the two following close behind. "Shopping?" Jungkook asked with a light chuckle. 

Jimin nodded at a shop across the narrow road. "You seeing that one over there?" Jungkook nodded. Ahead of them were mighty mountains and deep valleys running on one side of the road. The market was stretched on the opposite side over a few hundred square feet of area and as far as Jungkook observed, there were antiques, decors, clothes, a small cafe, and tea shops. "They sell handicrafts. The products are believed to bring good luck to the customers. The owners are the devotees of lord Buddha for generations. It is believed that they are blessed by the lords because their ancestors saved many human and animal lives in an accident decades ago."

Jungkook smiled softly. "Do you believe it?"

Taehyung slung his arms around their shoulders, interrupting the conversation. "Let's find out. Crossing the road but right before they could enter, his eyes found a weird-looking painting outside the shop and he stopped. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."

Jimin smiled knowingly and directed Jungkook inside the small shop, holding the door for him. Jungkook's body froze for a moment as he looked at Jimin, but then he hurried inside.