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Seoul

Autumn of 2017

It had been far too long.

The last date Hyuna had gone on, was not even a date worth remembering. It was something a friend from college had dragged her off to, during her last year. It was a double blind date which suffice to say ended up with her excusing herself to return back home and binge Netflix and fix herself a snack to munch on while she watched a kdrama.

She was nervous after a very long time. Nervous butterflies seemed to have made her stomach their new hang out place.

 It was the fall season after all, and for her it was the season of falling in love.

Falling  in love was exactly how she felt when she met Jungkook at the park where he had been playing his guitar earlier, the long white skirt she wore swaying in the light autumn evening breeze, the sky colored with hues of red-gold and orange, much like the fallen leaves on the ground.

His chocolate eyes were fixed on hers as they talked while walking together side by side, their shy hands not daring enough to entwine their fingers together. They did brush occasionally, and when they did Hyuna felt those butterflies which she used to read about.

Jimin and her had been so different than this. He was her first love, her first everything. With him, she always felt the need to be as close to him as possible to make up for lost time, felt that his arms were her home.

 Theirs was a love which threatened to burn and scorch the heart, excite her nerves and make her toes curl. It was a forever  type of love.

However, with the doe eyed Jungkook who passionately talked about music, about art and how much his brushes, easel and canvas meant to him, and about the joy he got through capturing mundane moments of his life and those around him through the lens of his camera; Hyuna felt all the feelings of a young woman being in love for the first time in her life.

What she felt for him was akin to a high schooler's crush, which had the potential to slowly bloom into a forever type of love. 

She was sure of it as she stared at his grinning face, eyes bright as he told her amusing anecdotes which made her laugh; she was sure of it as the two ate ice creams while sitting down on a bench, Jungkook endearingly trying to lick it quickly before it melted only to end up getting the tip of his nose smeared by the ice cream and Hyuna trying to hide her giggles.

She was sure of it when he shyly asked her if she would agree to be his muse for a painting he was working on, and she was sure when she agreed.

Jungkook wasn't her first, but Hyuna's heart said that he might just be her last, her forever.

***

Jungkook knew he was falling for her. 

He knew it as she sat on the sofa in the living room of his apartment which he shared with one of his friends, Namjoon who was currently in Jeju for work, eyes taking in the place he called home.

He knew it as she brushed her curls behind her ear, the electric blue dress she wore with small butterflies lining the hem of the knee length skirt making her look like one of those dolls his mother loved to collect. 

He knew it as his paint coated fingers tried their level best to capture the beauty in front of him on his canvas.

"Is it done yet?" She asked. Her voice had a breathy rasp to it, high pitched but not that much-her voice was perfect. It was also a voice which was these days playing in his mind on a loop.

Jungkook didn't mind it. If he could, he would have ingrained it permanently in his ears.

"Not yet." He bit his lip as he peered at her. Most professional models too would've been tired by now yet there she sat, with a smile on her cherry lips which made him breathless and unable to concentrate. 

Her curls were flowing down from her head to her shoulders which were wrapped up in the pastel colored top she had worn. The blue skirt of the dress stopped an inch or so above her knee along with tan boots. 

She looked so beautiful.

He didn't know what time it was, just that the sky had now turned dark outside whereas it was light and the sun was still up high when she arrived at his place that afternoon.

Rubbing his brow with his index finger, he shot her an apologetic grin,

"I am sorry that I didn't realise that this is taking too long. I tend to get carried away easily and forget keeping an eye on the time."

She shook her head and chuckled, 

"It's okay. I am like that too, once I start typing. Well, granted that I am not plagued with the terrible writer's block, whose visits even though are once in a blue moon, still manage to distress me."

"We should take a break. We can continue this some other day, I am just grateful you even accepted my request. It's getting late, do you want to eat something?" 

His words were right on cue because a moment later, both of their stomachs let out a vexed albeit uncannily synchronized grumble as if stating their agreement. 

It made them erupt into chuckles and Jungkook decided that he quite liked the way that her teeth would always made a cameo whenever her cherry lips curled up in a smile.

"I think Namjoon hyung ate all the ramen we had and I don't really know how to cook anything else...Well, I do but I am not sure if it would be edible enough." 

Jungkook scratched the side of his head while he saw her struggle to control her giggles which nevertheless ended up bubbling on her lips. 

The sound of her giggles was making her heart race these days. A lot, more than it ever had with anyone else. The sound was so melodious that an urge to trap it in a song made his fingers twitch for his guitar.

"I can try making egg rolls though..." He trailed off when he remembered that his other good friend, Jin hyung lived two floors above. 

"Wait, I'll ask Jin hyung for dinner. He always makes a lot and sends it to us anyways. Granted he is not at work," 

Jungkook tapped his phone to glance at the date and time and he realised that indeed it was Friday and that meant that his last hope for dinner was not available that day.

 "...which he is. I'm sorry." He tried to compensate her with a rueful grin.

"It's okay, we can just order a pizza." Hyuna reassured him and when he asked her for her pizza toppings preference, "I'm not choosy. I'll have anything as long as it's not pineapples"

"What?" 

It would have been a deal breaker, her not liking pineapples on pizza but the fact that he was falling for Kim Hyuna made him want to brush the teeny tiny detail aside.

"Don't tell me you're a pineapples-on-pizza enthusiast?" She arched her eyebrows, her own eyes widening when he just stared at her and she realised that indeed, he was.

"Come on! Pineapples on pizza should be illegal!" Hyuna protested.

"I'm okay with the whole mint chocolate loathing but please don't tell me you loathe the best pizza topping in the whole world?" His bambi eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Best? It's like eating chocolate with cheese tteokbokki." She shuddered and scrunched up her button nose to portray her exact emotions when it came to the idea of the yellow fruit on a pizza.

"Okay, let's agree to disagree." Jungkook sighed while the thought that she looked very cute when she scrunched up her nose filled his mind, making the brief frown on his face melt away like it wasn't even there.

"Alright." Hyuna agreed, telling him she wanted a pepperoni pizza. 

They decided to watch a movie while they waited for the food to be delivered but the two could not decide which one to watch on Netflix because they had seen most of them. 

So they decided to watch an American sitcom named Brooklyn Nine-Nine which Namjoon had been pestering Jungkook to watch since forever but the latter claimed that no sitcom could hold a candle to F.R.I.E.N.D.S, which was also one of the shows his hyung had recommended to him and he had ended up binge watching last summer.

However, Jungkook agreed to it instantly when Hyuna suggested it, mostly because he knew he wouldn't be watching the show anyways, not when she sat right next to him, her floral scent reminding him of fresh blooming flowers in the spring- Freesia with just a hint of lily.

Nevertheless, he ended up laughing at the jokes and finding the show quite funny and enjoyable. The two continued watching it even after the food arrived and they finished their pizzas. 

They hadn't realized it yet, but while watching the lives of the B99 squad, the duo had gravitated closer than they originally had been. 

Jungkook suddenly became hyper aware of their closeness when he extended his hand to grab a glass of water kept on the coffee table in front of his and his arm brushed her left leg instead.

When he did realize that their sides were right next to each other, not even a few centimeters of gap between them, he couldn't concentrate on the sitcom anymore.

Heck, he couldn't even concentrate while breathing. It was proving to be difficult.

Somehow, they made it through the tenth episode of the first season when Hyuna suddenly gasped as she looked into her phone's screen to check the time.

It was late, very much so, as evident from the dark sky with little stars adorning it which could be seen from the apartment windows whose partially drawn curtains allowed a sliver of moonlight to shine through.

"It's so late!" She exclaimed. 

Jungkook himself was surprised that it the day was already over, the clock showed that it was way past midnight. In fact, only a couple of minutes were left before the clock struck one.

He avoided having girls over this late at his place. Even though he had had his fair share of relationships, Jungkook usually hung out at their place. 

He seldom invited his past girlfriends into his shared apartment because him and Namjoon had an ironclad rule to not have any female visitors stay the night after Jungkook had an eye-gouging nightmarish experience of walking in on his hyung with his longtime girlfriend on their living room couch.

Let's just say that Namjoon had no choice but to give in to Jungkook's adamant demands to get the couch upholstery changed.

But the thought of sending Hyuna off alone in a taxi at night didn't bode well with him. Thus he found himself asking her to stay the night, albeit sheepishly, with redness creeping up on the tips of his ears as he rolled his lips together.

Him blurting the words, "You can stay over tonight, sleep in my room." out before thinking it through was strange and very much unlike him. 

Sure, he liked to be impulsive, which artist didn't? 

However, he had barely went on three dates with her and they hadn't even agreed to be in a relationship. And, the fact that he had so brazenly said those words made chagrin overcome his eyes.

Heart beating terribly fast, he waited for her answer as she mulled the thought in her mind,  front teeth sinking on her lower lip which was slightly fuller than the top.

Jungkook shook his head to dispel any thoughts about her cherry lips, even the unbidden one which wondered whether they tasted like cherries too. 

The last thing he needed was fantasizing about her lips when he had suggested that she stay for the night. 

"I'll get a taxi, it's alright." She looked conflicted, as if she was debating on what to do. 

"No, it's too late." Jungkook countered and cleared his throat to add,  "or maybe I can drop you off?" He kicked himself internally for not suggesting that earlier instead. 

Hyuna agreed, and Jungkook asked her to wait to search for an extra helmet in his closet for her to wear. When he handed it to her, she looked up at him with confusion.

"How exactly are you going to drop me off?" 

"On my bike." Jungkook grinned. His black beauty was his most prized possession, just third in rank to his acrylics and brushes and his collection of cameras. 

Jungkook loved the euphoric feeling of the wind caressing his hair and his face as he road his Hyosung on the streets of Seoul, his trusty guitar strapped to his back. 

It made him feel alive. It made all the nerve endings in his body come to life. It made him feel as if he flowing with the wind itself.

"Bike as in bicycle?" Hyuna croaked, fear swirling in her eyes as she blinked at him in astonishment. 

"No, bike as in my black Hyosung." 

The words had merely left his lips when she responded with a "Hell no!" and a vigorous shake of her head. Jungkook chuckled as he tried to assure her that his bike was perfectly safe and that she would reach her apartment in a jiffy.

"Do you trust me?" He stepped closer to lay his hands on her shoulders, making her eyes look into his. 

Even Jungkook didn't know where the sudden confidence of his came from. 

Heck, he  had to muster up all the confidence he had when he asked that part timer in Elysium to send Hyuna a cookie.

He was usually quite flustered around her, although he tried well enough to hide it. He had never felt this way with anyone before because Jungkook used to be an easygoing guy who wasn't fazed by much. Everyone always seemed to like him and he was content with what he had.

Yet one look at her was all it took for his heart to start overreacting and his eyes to get lost in the ethereal beauty that was Kim Hyuna.

"Do you?" He prodded and she nodded a yes, making fireworks erupt inside his stomach, butterflies be damned.

He didn't know if she would answer affirmatively, he wasn't sure. But when she did, he felt as if he had been placed on some sort of a throne.

"Just hold me tight."

 He asked her as he grabbed her hand. It was warm and smooth except for a silver ring that adorned her middle finger of her right hand which was cool to touch.

Jungkook saw a pink hue spread on her neck and cheeks as he squeezed her small hand compared to his, the feeling of interlinking their fingers making those fireworks burn even brighter.

They two left his apartment with his hand in hers. Hyuna was a bit scared after she hoisted herself up on the leather seat behind Jungkook, her frizzy curls entrapped in the helmet she wore and the strap of which she kept nervously tightening, till he stopped her by placing his hand on top of hers.

"Ready to feel the wind on our faces?"

 Jungkook's grin was far too wide as he gazed at her slightly anxious form behind him from the rearview mirror in front of him, eyes wide in not only nervousness but also a small hint of curiosity swirling in those orbs.

She had hesitantly wounded her arms around his waist and Jungkook decided he loved how it felt with her hands clutching him and slightly bundling up the black shirt he had on, the hem of which was spattered (a little) with paint even though he had worn a brown apron to prevent just that.

As he purred the engine on and navigated out of his apartment complex, Jungkook felt Hyuna tense up behind him. 

So he removed his left hand on the handle to place it on top of hers which was fervently clutching his shirt, her body inching closer to press against his back.

"Please keep both of your hands on the handle!" She whisper yelled, making Jungkook chuckle and wrap his fingers around both her hands.

"Okay." He conceded when he saw her glower at him from the mirror. 

Throughout the ride, his eyes kept straying to that mirror, the sight of her inky tendrils escaping the helmet and framing her face which was flushed; due to the wind or their proximity he wasn't quite sure; the sight of her eyes betraying the fact that she was enjoying the feel of the wind on her face just like him making his fingers itch for a sketchpad and a charcoal pencil to try to capture her beauty on paper.

When he felt her shyly lay her head on his back, Jungkook wasn't so sure what or who exactly to blame for the fireworks which kept exploding in his heart. 

He wasn't so sure if it was the euphoric feeling of the wind in his hair or the fact that she had tightened her grip around his waist as he felt her smile against his back which made his heart feel like it was beating just for her.

 Jungkook was sure that he had fallen hard for Kim Hyuna.

***

Winter of 2017

It was cold.

 It was the coldest winter week of the year, the particular glad tidings season had recorded the highest snowfall in the decade.

It was cold, but still Hyuna was warm. Toasty even. Nestled up in a corner of the Elysium  on the lovebird sofa with her legs tucked up underneath her, her shoes lying on the ground, she was warm from the heater inside the café.

"Here you go." Jimin placed a cup of vanilla latte in front of her, his hair which was the color of flames falling into his eyes as he plopped next to her. 

 The café was not yet open to customers but she was an exception. It was an early lazy Sunday morning and Hyuna was on her way to the train station when she heard that her early morning train to Busan was cancelled due to weather reasons- the huge amount of snowfall that winter season to be precise.

Having nothing else to do, not when it was snowing, she decided to seek solace in the warmth of the Elysium.

 She hummed in approval as she took a sip. It was just the right amount of hot, neither too scorching hot nor cold.

The caffeine made her perk up a little from the grumpy mood she had, not only due to her train being cancelled but also the fact that she had to get up early for nothing.

Hyuna loved to sleep in and the fact that her getting up early was now futile had made her very much irritated. But as usual, the coffee washed away every ounce of vexation in her body cells.

"How will you get to Busan now?" Jimin inquired, bursting the bubble of serotonin the coffee had wrapped her up in.

She shrugged, "I don't know. It's not that important anyways."

She was lying. It was important. After a few months of being together, Jungkook wanted them to spend the Christmas holiday at his parent's house in Busan, to introduce her to his family. 

Hyuna would be lying if this didn't scare her a bit. After her past experience, she knew what moving too fast in a relationship would result in and damn if she wanted to repeat the old mistakes she made when she was young and stupid.

But Hyuna had a fatal weakness when it came to Jeon Jungkook.

Even though they hadn't known each other for that long, he knew just how to persuade her. Just a mere flash of his dimpled smile or his petulant pouty lips could sway her heart and he knew this. He exploited this very weakness of hers to win her over to his idea.

Still, Hyuna had her reservations even if she had agreed and given in to his pleas. And even though she was very much annoyed that her train had been cancelled, she couldn't deny that a small part of her; a nervous, cowardly part of hers which preferred escapism and running away from everything was secretly glad.

"Liar. Weren't you going to meet that guitar nerd's family for Christmas?" Jimin called her out on her lie almost immediately, eyes narrowing.

Hyuna sighed out aloud, not noticing the bitterness in his tone because her mind was swirling  with a gazillion thoughts. 

She sometimes wished she had a switch to turn it all off.

"Well, yes but it's better this way I guess. I mean, I've only been seeing him for a couple of months anyway so it doesn't really matter."

Her frown gave her away when she said that. Jimin knew that deep down, even if she claimed it was, it wasn't better. 

She must really like him.

A sinking feeling filled his gut, a feeling worse than when he would notice her and Jungkook sit in her usual spot which had by now become a table for two due to a certain someone with an irritating bunny smile.

The sinking feeling said that maybe her being like this, wary of commitment, was because of what he had put her through. 

It seemed like regret was all which Jimin felt these days. Regret and the painful bitterness over what could have been plaguing his mind.

Regret was what he felt when he would catch Hyuna's eyes fixed on Jungkook's. Those eyes seldom looked at anything or anyone else when he was in the room.

Once upon a time, those eyes used to gaze at Jimin like that.

Regret is what he felt when he once witnessed Jungkook brushing his lips lightly on hers while they sat together, sharing a brownie, making Hyuna smack his arm for the public display of affection.

Jimin saw red during times like these, and maybe that was why he decided to dye his hair the color of bright flames; flames he desperately wished would envelope and swallow Jungkook as a whole whenever  he saw the latter slip his hand in Hyuna's.

However, a part of him knew that Hyuna liked the other young man. She liked him enough to agree going out with him; when Jimin knew that she had made up her mind not to date anyone after what transpired between them.

That annoying part of his was the one which was holding him back from telling her how much he missed her, how much he missed what they had. 

That part of his which he desperately wished didn't exist in the first place was arguing that Jimin should be happy if she was, that perhaps that guitar nerd who loved to paint was the one for her, one who could make her happy unlike him who had broken her heart.

 Jimin hated that he found himself listening to nagging voice inside him urging him to not be selfish.

"Do you really like him?"

Hyuna blinked at him, confusion swirling in her orbs as she turned her body towards him due to the seriousness in his tone. A deep furrow was forming in between her brows, one which Jimin had loved to kiss away in the past.

"Yes I do." She answered after a long beat of silence, her eyes averting from his gaze. 

Maybe it might be due to the fact that a brief flash of pain must have bubbled up in his eyes which could never hide anything from her, or maybe simply because friends or not, it was still awkward to talk about her current boyfriend with her old almost-boyfriend slash lover.

"Then it does matter." Jimin insisted. "If you like him enough to agree to go out with him, if you really like him, then shouldn't it matter?"

Hyuna didn't answer. She stared at his face for a long time.  At last she let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head rapidly.

"Are you giving me relationship lessons right now Park Jimin?" Hyuna arched her eyebrows at him, and for some unfathomable reason to him, her tone was dripping with wry bitterness and sarcasm.

The irony wasn't lost on him. 

"Yes?" His answer sounded so unsure, just like he was.

"I can't believe that we've come to this." Hyuna let out a chuckle again and Jimin followed her with a slightly awkward and nervous one of his own.

"It is weird, yes I'll acknowledge that much." He nodded, his lips tilting upwards.

 "For what it's worth, what I really want to say is that fuck, it doesn't matter at all. Dump that nerd's sorry ass and be mine again." 

Jimin ran a hand through his hair as he whispered the last sentence under his breath, one which wasn't clearly audible to Hyuna.

"What?" She asked, referring to his inaudible mumble.

"I take my words back!" He raised his palms and decided to change the topic.

Jimin plastered a smirk on his face as he leaned closer to conspiratorially whisper in her ear, something which was sure to earn him a smack on the back of his head from her.

As it did.

But his teasing words although extremely crass and flirty and blush inducing, brought a smile on her face, making him feel like he had managed to scale a tall mountain.

Moments like these when they were joking around together, their chuckles perfectly in sync, one could see that past spark reignite between them once again.

It was evident in the brightness in both their eyes, evident in the warmth which washed over their souls.

However, it wasn't enough. Clearly so,  because timing  was always a bitch.

When Hyuna glanced at her vibrating phone and picked it up with a better mood and a smile on her face, the same smile which he had endeavored to paint on those cherry lips of hers, Jimin felt mixed feelings wash over him.

"Hey, sorry I'm stuck in Seoul for the time being due to the weather... I wanted to spend Christmas with you and your family too..." Hyuna bit her lower lip.

"Oh really?! You're coming back to spend Christmas with me?"

Jimin's ears perked up at that. The grin on her face was now on full beaming mode but it vanished just a second later, concern lacing her voice when she said,

"But how...wait don't drive down! Most of the roads are blocked due to the snow. Kookie!"

Her nickname made Jimin roll his eyes, making her shower him with a mini glare. Hyuna got up and padded away to the windows.

Park Jimin only ever wanted to be selfish if it was for her, if it was regarding Kim Hyuna. But he loathed that he couldn't bring himself to be, not when she seemed to be so happy with him.

He hadn't let her go though, not in his heart.

They always seemed to find their way back to each other sooner or later and while Jimin wished that Hyuna would always be happy, he wasn't that selfless that he desperately hoped for her happily ever after to be with Jeon Jungkook.

So for now, he'd wait. He would always wait for her.