Ava Young wasn't looking for love but when she met Kim Taehyung, love found her.
Determined to celebrate on the night of their high school graduation, Ava's best friend persuaded her to go to a house party where she would ultimately meet the only bo...
A gentle rain poured down on the plethora of black umbrellas of people walking towards the cemetery as we rode in the back seat of the black car driving slowly towards the burial sight. Taehyung held my hand tightly the entire way as he stared out of the window at his loved ones mourning the loss of his nearest and dearest uncle.
The car in front of us stops and his parents make their exit first. His dad holds his head high with his wife's arm interlocked as tears streamed down both of their faces. It's obvious to me how strong the Kim men are and how important family is to them while I watch them make their way to greet the waiting friends and family members with compassionate hugs.
While seeing his family for the first time in years at a time like this isn't ideal, the welcomed greeting I received the moment his mother and father saw me warmed my heart. Knowing how much Uncle Kim also meant to me, his mother made sure to give me the same solicitude she gave any other family member she saw today.
A first time meeting his aunt and his young cousins went as smoothly as it could and although I haven't spoken to them before, all I want to do was wrap those babies in my arms and be there for them. So when they begged for me to go play dolls with them earlier at the wake, I couldn't turn them down and Taehyung was all too happy to join us with the welcome distraction it brought.
Seeing those two little girls, no older than around seven, standing under their own personal umbrellas with their pigtails and hugging each other tore at my heart even more.
"Ready?" Taehyung questions as he grips my hand a bit tighter and jolting me out of my thoughts.
"Are you?" I ask in response.
He shakes his head, "No, but we don't have much choice."
I nod, finding it hard to move my limbs to scoot out of the back of the car while Taehyung holds the umbrella open for me. He wraps his arm around me as we walk side by side across the tar paved driveway and onto the wet grass. The funeral director bows to us both as we approach the small crowd of mournful eyes that matched the current weather conditions. Jimin and Jungkook greet us with hugs and Taehyung's dad gives him an encouraging pat on the back as we find a spot next to his parents.
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Final words and eulogies are read as we gather around in front of the closed shiny black casket waiting to be placed deep into the ground. Taehyung and his father both help translate when emotions make it harder for me to be able to understand. The cracks of despair in both of their voices tear away at my aching heart as they do their best to hold it together.
One by one, we all take turns placing a single long stem red rose on top of the casket as we take a few seconds to say our goodbyes to a man we all loved dearly. My knees shake as I walk up to the front alone, leaving the umbrella behind as I no longer cared about staying dry. Reaching down, I grab one of the roses out of the vase and hold it in my hand as I stare down at the casket.
