JIMIN

It was after dark. I was walking alone on the beach. It was cold and the wind was making my hair flap against my face. I knew I should probably head back since it was getting late and I was freezing, but I couldn’t help it; this place reminded me of him.

I had heard from my mom that he was back in town – probably only for a day or two – but he hadn’t called, or mailed… he’d probably forgotten all about me already, with his newfound fame and incredibly busy lifestyle… the last time I’d heard from him was… what? Maybe 2 weeks ago? And the last time I’d seen him… what? Maybe 5 months? Ha. Who am I kidding with these maybes… it had been exactly 150 days. He had been in Japan last time he’d called. Japan. How crazy. But no crazier than the times he had mailed me from Australia, Europe, or America. 2 weeks wasn’t that long, but then again, I was supposed to be his girlfriend, wasn’t I? or maybe I wasn’t. Maybe I wasn’t anymore. He was, after all, married to his music, and his legion of adoring fans.

I sighed, looking at the waves lapping at the rough Busan shores… Did it hurt the rocks every time they smashed against them? Did it hurt like it did every time I came here and was so reminded of him? I looked up at the moon, the only light in the sky, since I’d walked so far down the beach; the lights and sounds of the city long forgotten behind me. Here there was only sand, rocks, and the sea. The moon, lovely as it was, didn’t make me feel any better, and again, I sighed deeply.

I felt like an idiot for acting so emo, but I couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was this place. Maybe I should just go home after all.

“I should have known you’d be here.”

I turned around to go back and saw a dark shape standing there, just a few steps behind me, hands tucked in the pockets of his large black parka; the bottom half of his face completely hidden under a ridiculously large scarf, yet even so, his eyes told me he was smiling.

“Jimin-ah!”

It had meant it to be a small cry of surprise, instead it came out as a moan, filled with all the longing I’d been holding on to.

“Heeyyy…” he said in a soothing tone, closing the gap between us and putting his arms around me; looking down into my eyes as if searching for what was wrong. I looked down, afraid I would start to cry if I held his gaze for much longer.

“Your cheeks are all red,” he teased, bringing an ungloved hand to touch them with his warm fingers, “How long have you been standing here?”

His voice sounded like laughter. Just hearing it again ignited a small fire inside my chest that slowly melted the cold in my limbs. It had this musicality, this adorable joyful tone that made anything he said sound like warmth and comfort.

“I dunno… a while…” I pouted, still not looking at him.

“Noona… are you upset?” he asked, his eyes suddenly filling with worry and his smile morphing into an adorable pout.

“It’s just… I didn’t even know you were coming…” I whined, “I heard it from mom, and then… you didn’t even tell me and I just felt…” I couldn’t finish my sentence, so I just pressed my face into his jacket.

“Crap… aaah… I didn’t think… sh*t. I shoulda known my mom would blab to yours…” he spat, raking a hand through his hair, “Babe, I’m sorry… I wanted it to be a surprise” he added the last part, tilting my chin up so I could look into his eyes. They were so beautiful and sparkling in the moonlight. Jimin had the tiniest of eyes, and when he smiled – which was about 90% of the time – they just disappeared into two little slits until you couldn’t even see them at all. But when he looked at me like this, they were as wide as the whole world; the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.

“Noona I’m so sorry…” he said again, cradling the back of my head with one hand and my hair. And then, as if he’d lost his train of thought, he just said, “Waah… but you’ve really gotten so pretty…”

“You think you can sweet-talk your way out of this one, Park Jimin??” I accused, putting on a stern voice.

He chuckled, a scratchy little happy note that sounded like a toddler’s laugh and gave me an embarrassed smile as he replied “I can try?”

I smacked him on the arm and he laughed, feigning pain, though I was now smiling too, quite against my will. I walked off a few steps away from him, though he quickly caught me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Come ooon…” he whined, placing his chin in the crook of my shoulder and pressing his face into my hair, “Forgive me?”

I gave him a side glance, trying hard not to smile, but it was all in vain when I saw those cute little cheeks and the little baby pout he was directing towards me. I rolled my eyes and let out a small laugh, which he seemed to take as a victory, flipping me around in one swift move towards him again and wrapping his arms around my waist. I slid mine around his neck.

“So what were you doing all alone out here in the dark anyways?” he asked, a playful smile on his lips as he tilted me from side to side without seeming to realize he was doing it. It was almost as if we were dancing.

“This place reminds me of you. I thought you might come here.” I answered with a shrug, trying to sound casual.

“Oh?” he asked, before smiling again, “That’s funny cuz I thought you might come here too.”

I smiled back at him, feeling my cheeks heat up. “I missed you Jimin-ah”

“I missed you _______” he echoed me, staring right into my eyes.

We swayed like this for a moment, looking only at each other, and then, without any warning, without any more words, he lowered his head down to kiss me. His lips brushed upon mine, softly, and he whispered “My noona…” before kissing me in earnest.

I gave up all pretense and gave myself up to him as he pulled me closer.

This was why I was dating this boy. This was why I agreed to the months apart and the weeks without phone calls. This. This was what made it all worth it.

“My Jimin…” I whispered back, as he pulled away.

He held my face in between both his hands – which were surprisingly not cold at all – and peered into my eyes as if willing me to understand how much he loved me. I did. I knew.

“I love you too.” I whispered, and his face broke into the most beautiful smile before bending down over mine again.

Under the pale moonlight, we kissed like that for a long time. And then, finally, after we’d pulled away, both breathless, he held out his hand to me and said:

“Come on. Let’s go home.”