-chapter four-

You woke up pretty early the next day. Even though you had a good feeling when you fell asleep and didn't even think of your ex boyfriend once, he showed up in your dreams.
You couldn't remember all of it, it was more of a blurry mess, but some images where clearly stuck in your head; like him embracing the girl he was with in a long hug, their lips interlocking for an intimate kiss and you having to watch it all, for some reason not being able to turn away. So naturally you didn't feel very good this morning. Sighing you picked up your phone, as you remembered, that you promised, to message Eunji first thing in the morning.
You didn't feel like texting so you just quickly shot her a message telling her that u felt a little hungover but besides that you were fine. After that you put your phone away, deciding that today was the day, that you'd allow yourself to drown in self-pity. That's how you had always gotten over heartbreak, one day of the full program. Tearjerker songs, cliché love movies, lots of ice cream and all this without changing out of your pajamas for the whole day. Also: No phone!

With this plan set your day went on. You cried a lot, but somehow it felt good. Even though you had cried a lot on the first day, you kind of kept it low, pushing the pain away the other days. So it felt good to get it out today.

By noon you where almost finished with one liter of your favorite strawberry ice cream, when your stomach decided, that it was time for food. Annoyed you noticed, that you didn't have anything left in your kitchen and going grocery shopping was definitely not on your to-do list today. Due to this you broke the no-phone rule to order McDonalds. Obviously nothing anyone would call specifically “good” food but it was definitely soul-food, at least for you.

After ending the call, you allowed yourself to check your phone for messages, just this once. You didn't want anyone to worry about you, right?
Your phone showed you, that you had five new messages in two chats. Curiously you opened them up. The first three were by Eunji.

“I'm glad you're doing fine. What are your plans for today?”

“Sojin? Are you having your self-pity day?”

“... alright, good luck!”

You couldn't help yourself but smile. She knew you so well, it was unreal. You decided not to reply, she wouldn't be too worried, she knew your ritual and that you usually kept away from your phone for a day like this.
The other two messages though where by.. Jimin.

“I hope you're doing okay, just wanted to check in!”

was the first one, shortly after you got up in the morning, not checking your phone afterwards. Again you smiled.

“I will be at the playground tonight again.. I'd be happy to see you. I just want to make sure you're okay, nothing weird, promised. If you don't want to come: I'd understand! If you come.. bring an umbrella, it's supposed to rain. ㅋㅋㅋ”

Your head tilted you thought for a while. This wasn't part of your plan. Today was supposed to be your self-pity day. No one around you. Not getting ready, not leaving the flat! But still.. Irritated you realized that you really wanted to go and see him. While still thinking about it your legs carried you into your bedroom. Finding yourself in front of your wardrobe. “So, apparently I already made a decision, huh?” you mumbled to yourself, opening the closet door and looking through everything you own.

Just as you had finally decided what to wear your doorbell rung, making you flinch. You had totally forgotten, that you had ordered food. Quickly you accepted the food and payed for it. It was still too early to go anyway, it was just early afternoon, Jimin wouldn't be there before evening. So with your outfit picked you decided to continue “A Moment to Remember” which you had stopped midway through earlier while eating.
 

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As the sun began to set you were totally ready to get out of your flat, if it wouldn't be to meet Jimin, you would've definitely went for a walk. All these sad movies did their job of making you cry but now your head hurt and you really needed some fresh air.

Silently humming a song that you must've heart recently somewhere, you started to get ready. Quickly you put on a pair of ripped, black jeans, a loose and soft beige, knitted sweatshirt, and a fitting big, warm scarf. It has gotten really cold out by now, so you also put on a warm, but still chic coat.
For your hair you decided to wear it down this time, curling it into loose, slightly messy waves. Your make up you kept simple, just a bit of mascara, a bit of rogue and a slightly pinkish lipstick, that almost looked .

When you were finally done and ready to leave the house it was already dark outside. Jimin had been right, it was raining, so you took your umbrella with you this time. You decided not to hurry though, he shouldn't get the idea that you were desperate to see him. You weren't. You just didn't want him to worry. That was all, right?

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Due to the bad weather and the cold the little plaza had been almost empty again. A few people had been walking around, their umbrellas pulled deep into their faces. None of them wanted to stop, all of them seemed eager to get home. Everyone but one figure. A rather slim figure was leaning against a street lamp near the playground. He was dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a dark shirt and a dark gray coat. You couldn't see his face, due to the light blue umbrella he was holding, which was a complete contrast to the rest of his styling.

Without even noticing it yourself, a smile appeared on your lips, but suddenly you got nervous. What now? Just go over to him?

Before you could decide, the umbrella suddenly got lifted a few centimeters and your eyes met. He wasn't wearing a snapback or mask today, so it was easy to see, that he smiled brightly as soon as he saw you. Taking the pressure of making a decision off your shoulders he pushed himself off the street light to come to you.

“I wasn't sure if you'd come.” he said as a greeting, as soon as he stopped in front of you.

“Me neither..” you smiled a little, knowing that this was an utter lie. You were sure you'd come, so sure, that it almost confused you.

“You didn't reply today, I was worried..” unknowingly he made another step into your direction, decreasing the distance between the two of you.

“I'm sorry.. I didn't want you to worry. I didn't check my phone until afternoon.. I had a..” you stopped, thinking. “a.. me-day?” You ended your sentence lamely. He tilted his head.

“A me-day? I didn't know. You didn't have to come.. I don't want this to be a burden to you.” He almost whispered, making it a little hard to hear due to the rain, that was pounding onto your umbrellas. This time it was you, who made another step into his direction. You were so close now, that your umbrellas touched.

“It's not a burden. I wanted to come. It was getting.. confining in my flat, alone with all these sad movies.” you smiled halfheartedly.

For a moment it seemed like he was conflicted, just like the last time, when he left you in the café, but quickly he made a decision. Slowly he lifted his free hand that was not holding the umbrella, to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, slightly brushing against your cheek and ear with the tips of his fingers.

“I don't like it when you're sad. You look so much cuter when you smile, I know it 'cause I've seen it.” He smiled, slowly lowering his hand again. “And if you have to be sad, don't be alone.. Have someone by your side.”

As his fingers touched your skin, your stomach felt like it was making a little jump and after his words you were sure, that your cheeks where a little flushed pink. Since you didn't reply, Jimin cleared his throat and -apprently suddenly aware of the situation- made a step back.

“I'm sorry, I don't want to be pushy or anything, I..”

“You're not pushy.” you quickly interrupted him. His eyes widened a bit in surprise, just for a short moment, before he showed a genuine, charming eye smile. “I.. like being around you.” It came over your lips before you could actually think about it. Why did you say that? You didn't even know him.. But seeing his cute, bright smile, noticing how he closed the distance again that he had created before, feeling his warm gaze on you made you feel, like he thought the same. Suddenly he changed the topic though.

“I actually.. prepared something. In case you'd come. I didn't want for you to stay in the cold because of me. It's a wonder that you're not sick after the last time anyway.. Would you allow me to take you somewhere.. nice?” He smiled almost shyly. There was no way you could've said no to this.

For a second it seemed like he wanted to take your hand to lead you, but then he seemed to have decided differently. Instead he made a few, careful steps, making sure you'd follow him before leading the way rather confidently.

A nice silence came over the two of you, filled with the sound of the rain on your umbrellas. It didn't feel weird at all, to not talk. After a few moments he started to hum. As you listened for a while, you suddenly realized, that it was exactly the same song, that you had hummed in your flat earlier today, that you weren't sure where you had heard it before. You were really bad with remembering stuff like that.

“Jimin..? Where have I heard this song before? What song is this?” you asked after a while. You weren't sure, since you couldn't see his face fully due to the umbrella, but he seemed a little.. stiff.

“It's just one of these.. popular songs on the radio. It's by a band that has gotten a bit of recognition lately.. You really don't know it?” He looked at you out of the corner of his eyes, still giving off an uneasy vibe.

“I don't.. think so. I might have heard it at one point? Maybe at a coffee shop? I don't really keep up with music..” You mumbled. “Is that bad? It's not that I don't like music.. All these new bands are just so.. much..” you felt like you needed to defend yourself, but looking at him again you noticed, that he was smiling.

“That's not bad at all. It's unusual, but I like it.”

Before you could ask what he meant by this, he suddenly stopped walking.

“Please don't laugh. Give it a fair chance, okay?”

Confused you looked around, to realize, that the two of you were standing in front of a rather large tree. What was going on?
“Look up.” he whispered, shockingly close to your ear, as he had leaned down to you. With a fast beating heart you looked up, seeing a corded ladder at first, which eventually led up to what seemed like a tree house.

“Are we.. going up there?” Heights had never really been something you liked too much.

“I will keep you save. Trust me, okay?” Not knowing why, you immediately nodded. You trusted him. A stranger you met four days ago for the first time.

“You go first, I will be right behind you.”

You nodded rather stiffly, closing your umbrella and looking up again, a few rain drops hitting your face as you did. As you started climbing you could feel, that Jimin was holding the ladder so that it wouldn't shake and with that you got up there with no problems. Just seconds later Jimin had joined you on the little porch in front of the door of the tree house. Just now you had realized, that it was pretty.. fancy. But the boy didn't give you a lot of time to look around, as he put a hand onto the little doorknob and opened it, an excited smile on his face.

“May I invite you in?” He grinned, waiting for you to enter. Slowly you went past him to enter into a completely dark “room”. Jimin entered shortly after you.
You heard a little fumbling around in the darkness, before he seemingly found a switch, because suddenly the whole house lit up with the light of fairy lights.

“Wow..” you whispered as you looked around. It was beautiful. Finally your eyes found Jimins, who stood right next to you, watching you carefully, a huge, proud smile on his plump lips as soon as he realized, that you really liked it.
It was a rather big room for a tree house, you hadn't guessed how big it was from below.

“Have a seat.” he said, pointing to a corner in which a lot of pillows and blankets created a cozy seating area. Smiling you sat down, still looking around.
Jimin went off into another corner for a few moments, before coming back with a little basket. As he sat down next to you cross-legged, your knees touched. For a second it seemed like both of you where holding your breath, but since no one made a move to back of a little, Jimin got comfortable again, keeping his knee leaned against yours, his attention back on the basket in his hands.

After he opened it a little display of fruits and other light snacks came to light. Also a few different drinks and two glasses of which one he handed over to you.
When he was finally done setting everything up he leaned back, obviously feeling good about himself, smiling at you.

“When did you get all of this..?” You finally asked, taking a sip out of your glass, that he had previously filled with some kind of juice. You couldn't really make out what it was, but it was sweet and really good. He smiled mysteriously, not replying.
“What if I wouldn't have come?”

Now his smile faded for a second, as he looked at you, his head tilted.
“I didn't allow myself to think like that.” he replied after a few moments of thinking. “And I don't want to think about it now. You're here, aren't you?” He smiled again and you nodded. He was right. You where here.
 

“So..” he took a grape and put it between his lips. “How are you? After recently..?” He was probably speaking about the coffee shop.

“I am.. okay.” he just looked at you, waiting. “Okay, to be honest.. I have been miserable.” Somehow he made you want to tell the truth. At least to him. This time he didn't hesitate, as he carefully reached for your cheek, caressing it with his thumb. You could see pain in his eyes. You really wanted to take it away, you didn't want him to look sad. Especially not because of you.

“But..” you whispered, after he had lowered his hand again, resting it in his lap.

“This may sound stupid... No it definitely sounds stupid, but.. When I'm with you.. even when we just text like the other night, I feel at ease.. It's stupid, right? We don't even know each other. I don't know anything about you other than your forename, that you live in a dorm with your friends and that we share a love for cats..” the last thing was an information that you had gotten out of your late night chat. “But still.. you have this effect on me.” An insecure laugh came over your lips. Why did you tell him all this? Slowly you lowered your gaze into your own lap. Your face was probably red as a tomato.

Silence had come over the two of you for a few seconds, before suddenly you could feel his hand under your chin, carefully lifting it up, so that you would look at him again. His eyes were so warm and gentle when he looked at you.

“I feel the same way. My life is pretty hectic. Sometimes I feel like I don't have it in me to continue. I've been feeling like this lately again, but after meeting you I felt like I had another source of energy again. Just the thought of your smiling face gave me the energy to continue and to work hard.” His thumb caressed your cheek again as he spoke. “Both of us must be stupid then, hm?” She smiled gently.

The whole time that he spoke, that his hand touched your skin you had hold your breath. Now, as you let out a small giggle you realized that. How was it so easy for him to take away all your doubts, all the bad feelings? It shouldn't be possible for a stranger to be like this, to make you feel this way. Especially not after the “love of your life” had just broken your hear but.. here he was. Even a gentle, short touch made your heart skip a beat.

For a few moments the two of you just looked into each others eyes, before he eventually lowered his hand again. This time though, he didn't put it back into his lap, but let it sit lightly on top of your hands. Without giving it much of a thought your fingers intertwined, making him generally move closer to you, to still sit comfortably. By now not only your knees touched, but also your thighs, creating an even stronger tension in the air, which was just spurred on by the silence that still lingered on, after the two of you had kind of confessed strange, confusing feelings for a stranger.

“You know..” he whispered after a while, slowly and probably unknowingly moving closer to you. “I was really scared, that you might think I'm a weirdo. That I was the only one who felt like this about a complete stranger.. “
As he leaned in further and further, your eyes kept wandering to his plump, full lips and you caught yourself wondering, how they would feel on your lips. By now his face was so close, that you could feel his breath on your skin.

“I even imagined this, you know..” the thumb of his other hand brushed over your lips for a mere second, before he leaned in even closer, making you close your eyes. Your heart was beating so fast and loud by now, that you were almost sure, that he could hear it.

Just before his lips touched yours, you suddenly heard a loud, obnoxious sound, that made the both of you flinch and move away from each other. It took you a few seconds to realize, that it was your phone. Not being able to hold back a curse, you pulled it out of your pocket. Oh how much you hated this thing right now. Jimin giggled though, leaning back into the pillows, still holding your free hand in his own.

Eunji called you, even though it was almost 11:30pm by now. Your stomach dropped immediately. Something must've happened. With an apologetic expression on your face you picked up.

“Eunji? Is something wrong?” you heard a snivel as a reply.
“Sojin, it's.. my mom. We're at the hospital. She fell down the stairs.” You gasped in shock, slightly squeezing Jimins hand. Quickly he sat up straight again, a concerned look on his face.

“Is she alright?”

“She is stable now, everything is okay, but I was so scared.. Sojin, I know today is your day, but.. could you please come over? I'm on my way home now, but I don't want to be alone. My mum has to stay for a few nights and..”

“I'm on my way. Do you need something?” you interrupted her immediately.

“N..no.. I have everything, I just need my best friend. Thank you..”

“Don't mention it, I am on my way.” Both of you hung up and you caught Jimins questioning look.

“Jimin I.. I'm so sorry, I really have to go now.. My best friends mother is in the hospital. She's okay now but my friend really needs me..”

He quickly nodded, helping you get up.
“Don't worry about me, your friend is important now. I will bring you. I don't want you to walk alone at this time.”

Thankfully you smiled at him, before both of you quickly climbed down. He went first to keep you save but you didn't even think of your acrophobia right now.

Again hand in hand the two of you walked quickly through the dark streets. It turned out that the tree house wasn't that far away from where Eunji lived, so after roughly about 15 minutes you reached her house.

Quickly and without properly thinking about it you hugged him. He seemed a little surprised at first but immediatly embraced you into a warm hug himself, gently your hair.
“Let me know if there is anything I can do for you or your friend, okay? Please message or even call me, it doesn't matter what time it is.” He whispered against your ear. You nodded, your head leaned against his chest. A few seconds the two of you remained in this position, before he released you.

“Your friend is waiting..” he whispered, trying hard to hide, that it was really hard for him to let you go right now.

It was hard for you, too, but you were really worried for Eunji, so you finally nodded and turned around, hurried up the way to her house and knocked on the door. Looking back you saw Jimin, making sure you got in safely. At this moment though the door opened and your best friend fell into your arms.

“Oh Sojin, thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course! You're always there for me and I'll always be there for you.” With that you entered her house, without being able to look back at Jimin one last time before the door closed behind you.

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Author note:
First of all: You all need to watch "A Moment to Remeber" because it's one of the best movies (and definitely the best korean movie) I've seen in my 25 years so far. Don't make the mistake and watch the trailer first because hoenstly, it's garbage! But be prepared to bawl your eyes out!

Secondly: I'd be happy if you guys could quickly take the poll down there, so that I know what you guys think as we get further into it. Thank you in advance! ♥