They met when they were children. Their mothers introduced them to each other. As children, they didn’t understand the grins on their mothers’ faces.

It was when he heard her name did he understand. 

He thought it was meant to be.

Since then, she was always the adorable girl he wanted to protect. He would protect her from the bullies, who would pick on her for her weight. After scaring them off, he would hug her and assure the crying girl that she was pretty in his eyes.

They were children then, and time continued.  

She was thirteen. He was fifteen.

He always picked her up and they go home together. Today, he didn’t ride his bike since it needed to get repaired.

But, he didn’t mind.

This meant he could talk to her longer.

After entering high school, he’s gotten busier. She has also started to get more secretive. He thinks it must be puberty. So when they were walking down the sidewalk, he would never expect to hear such words come out of .

“I have someone I like.”

She said it so quietly that others would’ve never heard her. He heard it loud and clear. It felt like his world was crashing down. His heart took a hit that he wasn’t prepared for.

He smiled for her though.

“Oh, really? Who is it?”

He listened to the girl shyly talk about her crush. She talked about how good looking and kind he was, how easy-going and caring his personality is. She mentioned the time he helped her pick up a stack of papers she had dropped while heading to the teacher’s office.

As she talked, he noticed how her cheeks flushed and eyes shined brighter than he ever saw before. He felt guilty when he almost sighed in relief as he dropped Jimin off at her home. That night, he barely slept.

Few weeks later, he was comforting her. He was at home, studying for an upcoming exam when he heard his phone ringing. As soon as he saw the caller ID, he dropped his pencil and picked it up. He heard only sniffles from the other side and said he’d be right over. Fortunately, her house was only a few blocks away from his. He let himself through the gate and called the girl’s phone again. When he heard the sound of the locks opening, he stared at the quivering figure revealed behind the door. He saw the girl bite her cherry lips as a way to calm herself.

“Come here,” he softly said.

He opened his arms wide open and she immediately rushed into them.

He found out that she had confessed to her crush but was blantly rejected because they didn’t “match.” He was obviously pointing out the difference in their image and reputation. In short, he was jerk who need to be taught a lesson or two (he noted to himself). 

He let her cry on his shoulder no matter how wet and numb it may have felt. Instead, he felt pain, not discomfort, from just watching her cry. He hushed and patted her back, hoping to sooth her. He then woke up in the morning, finding her still in his embrace. They had moved to her bed last night and must’ve fallen asleep after all the crying. Carefully unwrapping himself from the female, he made sure he wouldn’t wake up the female and left to get ready for school.

Jimin stayed home to recover. He took his test that he didn’t study for.

He dropped ten places.

He didn’t care.

She turned fifteen and he became seventeen.

After graduating junior high, the two finally were in the same school together. Although they were attending the same school, it was still hard for the two to meet. He was popular in his own grade plus he was preparing for the college entrance exam. She prefered to stick with her close girlfriends rather than searching for him and bearing the possible glares from the girls. They had also stopped going home together. He was busy with club and student body activities, while she participated in choir and drama. Many things have changed.

One of those things was her weight.

She had began dieting as soon as she entered high school.

He was upset and voiced his disapproval. She simply argued and accused him of preventing her to became pretty.

“You’re always pretty,” he told her.

She ignored him and called him a liar.

With each month passing, she became thinner and her features became more prominent. He noticed it immediately; other guys did as well. He hated it, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly proud. Even though her diet was success, he would occasionally tell her to take a rest on her diet once a while. Sometimes, she would listen and give in. 

Although it was hard for them to see each other every day, he never failed to text her.

“You're beautiful.”

He would always message her this every night.

He meant it.

She didn’t know though.

He was a sophomore in college and she was a senior in high school.

He came back down for the holiday and greeted his parents before heading out with his high school friends. They had just finished playing pool and decided to go to their usual hangout spot at a cafe. While they were walking, he hears a familiar laughter and his eyes catch sight of a platinum blonde hair. He didn't need to squint to know that the female was her. Next to her, he notices is a tall lean male. The male wore a smile that reflected the one on the girl's face. As his eyes lowered, their hands were laced together and they continued to grow smaller the longer he stared.

“Jimin, you ok?”

He only nodded to his friends and resumed back to his usual behavior (or at least he tried to). His mind couldn't help but rewind the image of her bright smile that was meant for someone else. Once it started to get dark, he bid his friends goodbye and retreated back to his house. He closed the room of his door and heard his phone ring in his pocket. Taking it out of his pocket, it was a message from her.

“Oppa, I want to introduce someone to you.”

He sighed.

“Sure, how's tomorrow at lunch?”

In front of him sat the love of his life and the male he saw with her yesterday. The boy, he admitted, was quite handsome and held boyish charm. He looked tall and lean. His eyes wide and bright, almost like the girl.

“Let me introduce you guys. This is my boyfriend, Taehyung Oppa. Taehyung Oppa, meet my longtime childhood friend, Jimin Oppa.”

The boy named Taehyung shyly introduced himself and shook hands with Jimin. He fidgeted nervously and unconsciously bit his lip. Jamie's caring gesture by patting his lap to calm him didn't go unnoticed by Jimin.

His heart ached.

“Thank you for taking care of our Jamie,” Jimin managed to say. “I know she can be a handful.”

“Yah Oppa!” the girl retorted back, cheeks blushing in embarrassment.

Jimin’s effort to make it less awkward worked as Taehyung laughed at the joke and proceeded to join in on the fun as well. The three were able to converse throughout the whole lunch without problem. Jimin learned that the two met when attending the same academy. Taehyung was the first one to confess his feelings for her. It has been only four months since they began dating, which is quite long for a high school couple Jimin self-noted. After chatting and eating, Taehyun dismissed himself since he had classes to attend to. The two, who were left, walked back home like old times. They talked about their lives and joked just how they usually do. When the girl laughed, the boy smiled along with her.

The girl didn’t know that behind that smile, his heart was throbbing.

They reached her house first. She stood in front of her door, while he stood in front of the steps of her porch.

“I’ll see you later,” she said, waving her hand.

“Aniyo,” Jimin responded, his voice deeper than usual. “I’m heading back tomorrow.”

Shocked, the girl’s eyes almost popped out. “But you just got here!”

“I have some work to do tomorrow for the upcoming semester,” he explained. “Maybe next break I’ll come over again.”

The girl pouted and glared at the older male. “You better.”

Jimin chuckled and nodded. “Now go inside.”

“Fine,” she huffed out.

He watched, expecting her to unlock her door. Instead, she walked down the steps and wrapped her arms around his body. At first, he became stiff and hesitant. She now had a boyfriend and he didn’t know if hugging her would be appropriate. His mind and heart began to conflict with each other. In the end, his heart won and he returned the hug to her. His arms enveloped her, taking in her familiar scent and presence.

“If he ever breaks your heart, you know where to find me,” he whispers softly into her ear.

Once they let go of each other and said their good-byes, Jamie went inside her house and he returned home.

A few months later, they met each other again.

Jimin was inside his dorm, finishing up his assignment that was due tomorrow. He paused from his work when hearing the sound of phone ringing.

“What’s wrong? Where are you?” he immediately asked the person the other line.

“I-I’m in front of your dormitory,” the voice shook as it spoke.

He rushed out, not even bothering to change out of his slippers into proper shoes. Once he arrived at the entrance, he looked around frantically trying to find the only person who mattered to him. Once their eyes met, he rushed to her.

“O-Oppa,” she tried to muster up as much confidence to not stutter but failed.

He shushed her and examined her appearance. She was dressed in nothing but a dress shirt on a fall day. Her beautiful eyes swollen and face looked to be stained with tears. Without any words, he pulled her into his embrace. The girl broke down immediately and sobbed against his sweater. Although the dorms ban the opposite gender from entering, he snuck her inside his room. Not once did she let go of him once they entered his room. Her hand clung onto the edge of his shirt like a child. He was setting up the bed for her to sleep on while she sniffled behind him.

She slept on his bed and he took the floor (but not without arguing with the younger female). He found out that her boyfriend broke up with her after falling in love with his classmate. She explained how everyone around her kept telling her that they warned her about Taehyung’s spontaneous personality and feelings. The only person she knew that can comfort her the best was in Seoul. So, she went there and arrived in front of him.

After a few minutes of begging/arguing, the male got up and joined her on the bed. They cuddled like old times and slept. She slept on top of his arm and he naturally wrapped his arm around her waist.

Jimin knew how wrong this is, yet he didn't want to let her go. 

Once the morning came, the two got up and he sent her back to the subway station. The two waited till the next one will arrive. They stood next to each other in silence. Hesitate, Jimin decided now was the time to tell her.

He knew this relationship wasn’t good for the both of them and decided to be the bad guy.

“Hey Jamie,” he said. “You know how you are getting older and graduating soon?”

The girl nodded and looked at him questionably, not knowing where this is going.

“I think it’s time you should stop relying on me.”

The girl stood in shock at the statement. Her chocolate brown eyes that still need recovering from the long night of crying, stared at him. Her red lips quivered slightly as she tried to process what he said and what she should say.

“B-But-”

“You’re no longer a child Jimina.” He looked at her sadly. “I can’t always be your knight in shining armor. People will get confused by our relationship, especially our partners.”

The girl could only nod because it was only reasonable. If she were to argue, she would be the one being childish. He managed a smile and patted the top of her head.

“Be strong for me, ok?”

“I’ll try,” she replied and showed the best smile she can muster.

The bus arrived.

This time, they didn’t hug nor did they say good-bye. She entered the bus and he looked on as the bus departed.

His heart ached but he couldn’t help but feel a weight fall from his shoulder. He watched as the bus grew smaller and smaller until it was out of his sight.

The girl didn't dare look at him and held her gaze on the seat in front of her. Her breathing started to go uneven and tears fell from her eyes, but she didn’t know why. Did she hate the fact she’s growing up? But why does her heart hurt so much? She continued to ponder about her feelings till the rest of the ride home.

Their presence in each other's lives decreased. They no longer sent each other messages. She never went to him for help anymore. He tried not to think about her. She tried not to think about him. Their lives were changing without each other. 

Yet, there was only one thing that didn't change.

Time. 

Hey guys, I just wanted to say thank you for those who've subscribed and expressed their interest in this fanfic. The first chapter may be choppy since I'm introducing the story plot so I'm super sorry about that. The next chapters will be smoother! I hope you guys enjoy the first one and look forward to the next upcoming chapters! Please subscribe or comment to let me know how the fanfic is!

Thanks again!