“They’re actually really nice,” You blurt out before you could stop yourself.

“How would you know, you weirdo” You hear a kid shout from the back of the classroom.

You clearly remember the day you were thirteen, sitting in middle school physics, when your science teacher was teaching the chapter on the Yang dimension. She was going off about how different the people are, and how we could never get used to such a warm, heated world in our current bodies. Some students were commenting on how people from the Yang dimension are probably monsters, not even understanding the ways of the cycle. You were so annoyed by their childish jokes that you couldn’t stop yourself from voicing your frustrations in the middle of class.

“Minseok, we don’t call other students those kind of names” The teacher, Ms. Lee, had scolded the boy at the time.

But the accumulation of comments like that over the years made you conscious of your own personality. You really didn’t have that many friends in middle school, and was deemed a loner by all the popular students. You were introverted and found social interaction to be mentally and physically exhausting at times. There are people who crave company, but you weren’t one of those people. You definitely preferred being alone, the times you could get lost in your own thoughts was what appealed to you.

What if he thinks I’m weird and doesn’t want to come see me anymore?

A wave of panic would always hit you whenever the thought of Jungkook abandoning you crept up your spine. He was your only true friend, the only person that did not drain any energy from you but instead refueled your desire to truly live like how passionate dreams would spark world-changing inventions.

The thought of him not showing up at your usual yearly meeting spot terrified you more than anything. And you had long started to question if it was dangerous to get so attached to something so out of your own control.

It was your eighteenth birthday and you found yourself, yet again, standing in the same spot in the middle of the park. The grassy flower field that held mixed feelings derived from the miraculous collision of universes that maybe weren’t meant to collide, the place that tasted of hopeful beginnings and bittersweet endings. You close your eyes and listen for his voice.

“Hey”

You finally hear the familiar, soothing sound that was music to your ears.

Opening your eyes, you see the young man standing in front of you in an oversized white t-shirt and blue jeans. He’s smiling at you, eyes sparkling under the sunlight and brown hair ruffling in the breeze.

“Hey” You say back, shyly walking up to him, that familiar feeling of nerves firing up in your system yet again.

“How was your…ugh…how was your year?” You ask, noticing that he looks leaner and slightly tanner than the previous year.

Jungkook laughs a little. “It was surprisingly boring,” He says with a grin. “But yeah, I’m back in college, so no more work I guess” He scratches the back of his head, a habit you’ve noticed he has.

“Aging backwards seems so weird” You comment, finally realizing that you’re entering college soon and Jungkook’s going “back” into college. The concept of losing knowledge that you used to have seems mind-blowing.

“Aging forward doesn’t seem all that normal either” He jokes. “I mean, think about it. How hard would life be, not knowing the future? Like how do you guys even choose majors and careers if you don’t know what kind of life you’ll enjoy living?”

You think about what Jungkook says, and realize, surprisingly, he has a point.

“I guess it just depends on how you look at it,” You finally say, making Jungkook laugh and ruffle your hair. You had gotten taller over the years, but you were still tiny compared to the fully matured Jungkook. He was reaching his prime and even perfection could not describe how mesmerizing his physical appearance was.

“You want to go to the lake?” Jungkook suggests. He looks around and takes in a long breath of fresh air; you seize the opportunity to trace his sharp jawline with your eyes. Damn, sharp enough to cut cheese. His presence never failed to captivate you in the most breathtaking and awestruck way; provoking emotions you didn’t even know you had.

You nod, excited to go to the lake your city was famous for. The natural wonder attracted tourists from all over the world every year, and today was the perfect sunny spring day to go.

The lake was an incredibly gorgeous site to see. It’s water clear and blue with a mirror-like surface that glistened under the sun’s bright beams. The flowers were starting to bloom, their white petals creating a stark contrast with the background of blue-green grass. The weeping willow trees arched over the edge of the water, gently sweeping it’s calm smooth surface.

Walking on the sidewalk that curved along the lake’s outline was so relaxing, you could hear some birds chirping in the bushes and some people chatting in the distance, time was almost slowing to a stand still.

The two of you walk side by side, in the most comfortable type of silence. Jungkook’s body was so close to yours you could feel his warmth spread over to your own body. Then his hand slightly brushes over yours, and you wonder if you should make the first move and grab a hold of it because the urge was definitely there. After a moment of inner debate, you sum up the courage to reach for his hand. His soft smooth skin soon comes in contact with yours, and the moment your hands are interlocked, you feel him squeeze your hand tightly, signally that he’s been wanting the same contact. You can’t help the smile that’s spreading over your entire face, and you notice the slight upward curve of Jungkook’s lips as well.

“Hey, let’s ride one of those pedal boats” You suddenly suggests when you see the couples sitting in them side by side and having a blast figuring out how to maneuver through the water.

“Sounds great!” Jungkook chirps, expressing pure joy.

His bunny smile was coming out again as the two of you try to balance and get on the boat. It was wobbly at first, but the two of you soon get settled in comfortable positions.

Getting into the pedaling rhythm was quite the struggle though. Jungkook was much stronger than you, so the boat kept curving in one direction. Laughter fills the air as the boat swerves in awkward circles, but the silliness of it all doesn’t even bother you.

“Jungkook, take it down a notch” You had to continuously remind him to pedal slower because he would often lose track of how hard he was pedaling as he pointed out the various plants and the beautiful scenery around the lake.

“Oh, sorry” He would apologize, and then laugh when he saw the playful pout that showed up on your face.

“You workout a lot don’t you?” You ask, despite knowing the answer was obvious, but you wanted to know just how he managed to get so toned and lean.

“Yeah, I go to the gym sometimes, but I spend more time in the dance studio” He replies, making eye contact as he focuses his attention back on you and away from the scenery.

“Whoa, you dance?” You ask, surprised because the idea of Jungkook being a dancer had never crossed your mind.

“Yup, I like the feeling of expressing emotional urges with my body” He clears his throat as you cough a little, almost choking on your own saliva at his comment. “As you can see, I’m not exactly eloquent.” He laughs and you join him.

“Yes, I can see that now” You say in between spouts of laughter.

The hours tick by and soon the sun is setting behind the mountains again. It wasn’t until the two of you were getting off the boat that you noticed Jungkook was still holding your hand. He never let go. It felt so natural that you weren’t even aware of it until you looked down. Jungkook notices you looking at your still interlocked hands and quickly lets go, while clearing his throat nervously again.

You hear him mumble a quite “sorry” and you can see the burning flush in his cheeks. You attempt to suppress a giggle at his cute reaction.

~

A couple of days later, Jungkook tells you it’s almost time for him to leave again. He takes a deep breath as he promises you he’ll be back, and you could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest paired with the sincerity in his eyes, knowing these goodbyes have become one of the hardest things for you because of his visits. You should be used to it by now, because he’s never able to stay long, but it’s always hard to accept the fact that the next time the portal opens will be a year from now.

There’s only hours left, and time relentlessly ticks by as the two of you relax under the large branches of the park’s oak tree. You lean back on Jungkook’s chest and watch the wind pick up speed, as the sound of ruffling leaves fill the air.

“Jungkook?”

“Hmm?”

“Do I eventually have to start going through the portal…or…”

“There’s a scientist who researches dimensional universes that you’ll have to visit soon. He’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

You sit up and look at Jungkook.

“You’ve met him already?”

He nods, lost in his thoughts again.

Normally it would frustrate you when someone tried to be mysterious and hinder your thirst for knowledge, but you wholeheartedly trusted Jungkook, putting more faith in him than anyone you’ve ever known because you knew he had his reasons.

It was not long before Jungkook stands up, signaling that it's time. He helps you up off the ground, and hesitates as he looks at you and back at the ground, biting his lower lip, seemingly nervous for some reason. He then takes a cautious step closer to you, so close that your bodies were almost touching, and tentatively wraps you in a warm embrace.

“I’ll miss you,” He whispers in your ear, as you breath in the wonderful scent of his cologne mixed with the natural fragrance of his body.

You can feel your heartbeat pulsing up to your neck, but the warmth of Jungkook feels so comforting, the world around you just sort of dissolves. You tightly hug him back and the two of you stay in that position for as long as the ticking clock allows for.

When Jungkook finally releases you, you quickly wipe away a tear that has slid down your cheek. There was still so much you didn’t understand, but none of it mattered because the only thing you truly wanted was to be with him.

His charming doe eyes, deep enough to hold several universes, never lose contact with yours, even as the image of him standing in the open grass field surrounded by lavender wild flowers gradually begins to fade. You wave goodbye, feeling that familiar sense of longing saturate your heart once again as you watch him disappear into thin air.

Another year to go before you meet again, but even when he was gone there wasn’t a single second you didn’t think about him.

Jungkook, the name that would float around on top of the fluffy clouds during the day and amongst the shiny stars at night

Jungkook, the boy whose doe eyes you saw every time you closed your own

Jungkook, the indescribably feeling that no book, song, or movie in the Yin Dimension could even come close to conveying

Jeon Jungkook--- the missing piece to your puzzle

…

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