14 Days | PJM

twenty-two

Your makeup artist scolds you for your puffy face and red eyes the next day.

"I'm sorry, unnie. I had a long night," you explain.

"You couldn't wait to have a long night until after the shoot?" unnie jokes. She transforms your sad face into an attractive one.

You pose for what felt like 1,000 photos, and run to the dressing room when the last photo is taken. Checking your phone, you see a message from Jimin.

"Was sleeping when you called. I'm sorry, Y/N, for everything I made you feel."

Your heart skips a beat, and you forget to breathe for a second. Your finger hovers over the call button. He might be busy since it's midday, but you want to talk to him so badly.

You text him back instead.

"I might need to apologize, too. Can we meet again?"

After sending the message, you feel relieved and nervous at the same time. Your reaction last night was based solely off emotion and no logic whatsoever. He'll think you have a mood disorder.

Periodically checking your phone throughout the day, you see that Jimin hasn't even read your message. You wait for a response until the next day, and still nothing.

24 hours since you've sent the message, you hastily stop by one of the members' studio, ignoring the "Fuck off" signage used as a doormat.

"Yoongi?"

He spins his chair to face you. "Y/N, nice to see you."

You return the niceties and ask how his schedule is going. He says he's working on guides and you feel guilty for distracting him. "I hate to bother, but I wanted to get in contact with Jimin and he hasn't messaged me back."

Yoongi nods with his jaw momentarily hanging. "Ahh...I think he's doing a shoot right now. Then he'll be in the studio with our producers for the rest of the night."

"Oh," you say. "Well, can you tell him I want to meet with him?"

Yoongi twitches his head to the side. "Our schedules are only getting tighter. I'll let him know but it just might be a while until you can meet."

Feeling defeated and upset with yourself for getting into this situation, you thank Yoongi and wish him luck with his guides.

You focus on your own schedule for the next few days, and in your free time you prioritize yourself with affirmations and self-awareness. Before Jimin became your favorite release, your vibrator was your best friend.

You make amends with the abandoned toy and make peace with your loneliness. One night, as you clean your toy and prepare to use it, you get a call. Annoyed, you don't reach for the phone right away.

After the call is sent to voicemail, you check to see who it was. Panicking, you drop the toy and rush to call Jimin back.

"Y/N."

"Jimin."

You say each other's names with urgency but say nothing else.

He breaks the silence. "I don't know if you want to talk to me. But I have time right now, and I wanted to check on you."

You sigh in relief. He's still so kind. "Jiminie...I'm sorry. I overreacted. It took some time but now I understand what you meant. I was greedy to ask for so much of you."

Jimin interjects, "You're not greedy. I told you this, you deserve someone's 100%. A normal person who doesn't take 3 days to call you back."

You sit in silence, knowing there's truth behind what he's said.

He goes on, "I guess things will never be the same between us, but I always cared about you. I'll still be around if you need me."

"Then don't take 3 days to answer my calls," you wittily respond.

He chuckles quietly. "I'll do my best."

You feel sadness hardening in your chest, but you accept that his life is chaotic. The 14 days you spent together were small tastes of normalcy that he could never fully have. It was a teaser to a fantasy.

With nothing left to say, you wish him a good night and hope the rest of his schedule is successful.

"Goodnight, Y/N. Be happy," he says before hanging up.

———————

A week later, you lock your studio door and walk down the corridor to meet your driver in the parking lot.

Without looking up, you check your bag to make sure you grabbed everything you needed. Suddenly, a pair of arms hugs you and lifts you up. You yelp and grasp at the hands, wondering who it could be.

You recognize Taehyung's silly laugh in your ear, and you scold him, "Taehyungie, put me down!"

He spins you in a circle, and you catch a glimpse of Jimin standing nearby. Taehyung puts you down and you feel dizzy, so you hold onto his shoulders.

"Sorry, Y/N. I haven't seen you in a while so I missed you," Taehyung says cutely.

You pinch his cheek and smile. "I miss you, too."

You look to Jimin and bow. "How are you?"

He replies, "Just fine. Have you been well?"

You nod. "I'm getting by."

Taehyung sighs. "Ah... You guys are so weird today."

You blush and cover your mouth with your hand. "I should get going. My driver is waiting for me."

Taehyung hugs you and says goodbye. Jimin bows to you, but you give him a hug as well, squeezing him a little tighter and intentionally pressing your head against his chest to soak in his essence. He hugs you hesitantly with gentle hands that rest on your upper back instead of your waist like he used to do.

Feeling like the only barrier between you is also the biggest barrier that could exist, you don't blame him for choosing his career first. It still hurts, though.

You depart and meet Dongwoo at the car, catching him up on all the current details. He doesn't really share his opinions unless you ask him to, but you like that about him.

At home, you do your usual nighttime routines and lay in bed naked—the best feeling. Surrounded by your fluffy sheets, you sleep comfortably. It took a couple of weeks, but you can finally fall asleep without thoughts of Jimin keeping you up.

You were fine before you started sleeping with him. And you'll be fine now, too.