This chapter is inspired by EXO's song, 'Lucky'. :)

Journey 24

Everything was a daze after Joonmyeon left her on the hilltop. It was a miracle how Jinri still successfully found her way back towards the trail when everything around her was blurry and watery. She did not care if ferns scratched her legs or if mosquitoes feasted her neck. All Jinri wanted at that moment was to go somewhere - anywhere - just to let her forget the pain.

She found her gift lying on the space where Joonmyeon's car was parked earlier. Jinri shakily knelt on the ground and picked the unopened parcel. It breaks her heart how she will never smell Joonmyeon the way she dreamt him to be - a scent between mint and pine.

How much longer she stayed there, she did not know. She lets time ticked by, she lets her feet drag her by instinct. Later on, she found herself in front of her apartment. She did not even how she got there.

* * *

It was already nine in the evening and Jinri was still not home yet. Chanyeol paced around the room and looked at the wall clock every now and then, growing more worried for Jinri as time ticked on.

But why must he be worried? She's with Joonmyeon after all. He can never mistaken those firm grips Joonmyeon gave to Jinri, his affectionate stares and loving smiles. Joonmyeon, unlike him, is protective and mature. And Chanyeol has to admit that he has the assurance that she'll be safe in Joonmyeon's presence.

Giving up, Chanyeol decided to eat dinner all by himself. He opened the fridge but only a half carton of milk and frozen pasta were inside it. He searched the cupboards as well but found it empty. He made a mental note to remind Jinri to visit the grocery store once she came home.

Chanyeol jogged outside the apartment, deciding to stop on the convenience store nearby. He ordered packs of ramen, bread, new cartons of milk and sachets of black coffee for Jinri. He took his time on his way back to the apartment. He whistled leisurely, swinging the bags of new short groceries while doing so.

"Jinri?" he stopped in front of the apartment, staring at Jinri's figure. Her shoulders were shaking and through the moonlight's glow he can visibly see the tears that are flowing down her cheeks. He was thunderstruck to see a person crying... what are tears for humans? How can they easily let it fall from their eyes?

He slowly approached Jinri with caution, not knowing what to do in these occasions. Kyungsoo had not taught him how to handle fragile girls in tears. So he stood beside Jinri and listened to her sobs instead.

"Jinri..."

Jinri snapped her head towards Chanyeol with defiant eyes. She balled her fists and punched Chanyeol's chest repeatedly. The punches were hard but soft at the same time. It's like knocking on Chanyeol's chest, only with pressure and frustration and pain that she was feeling right now.

"Why are you crying?"

Jinri responded with hiccups and sobs. She continued punching Chanyeol's chest harder and harder. Then she stopped, leaning her forehead on Chanyeol's chest.

"Joonmyeon broke up with me." she gurgled through her sobs. "He broke up with me you idiot!"

Chanyeol jumped from Jinri's outburst. Fresh tears were flowing down her puffy eyes and it made Chanyeol sad. He reached towards her and touched her face. She did not cringe however, and so he took it as a cue to wipe her tears through his thumb.

"Hold my hand, and whatever you do, never let go." Chanyeol said. Jinri looked at him in confusion but he gave her a reassuring smile. "Close your eyes Jinri." he said softly.

Jinri did so. She hold Chanyeol's hand tighter, breathing the chilly air around them. Then fierce wind slammed her face prompting her to open her eyes.

"OH JESUS CHANYEOL!!!!!" Jinri shrieked out loud. She closed her eyes again and gripped Chanyeol's arms tighter. "You know I'm afraid of heights!"

Chanyeol chuckled lightly and touched Jinri's cheeks.

"I thought you've overcome your fears before? Look down Jinri, the scene's beyond amazing."

Jinri took deep breaths before daring herself to look down - and she never regretted doing so. The city of lights left her breathless for words to describe its beauty. They were like stars among the stars, only she and Chanyeol shined the brightest. Slowly, a smile crept her lips.

"Welcome to the city of love!!!!!" Chanyeol greeted with open arms. "Close your eyes Jinri! Feel the wind!"

Jinri opened her arms wide too and closed her eyes. She breathed the fresh air, she welcomed the new sensation of peace inside her.

"CHOI JINRI DON'T CRY ANYMORE!!!!!!" Chanyeol shouted out loud. The loud swish of the wind made it almost impossible to hear Chanyeol. Jinri chuckled and imitated him.
"PARK CHANYEOL I'M NOT CRYING NOW!!!!!!" Jinri shouted too. She looked at Chanyeol and Chanyeol looked at him, and they stared at each other with smiling eyes.
"Chanyeol." Jinri suddenly said.
"Yes?"
"Should we be here?"
"No." Chanyeol laughed.

Jinri laughed as well.

"WE ARE SO FREAKIN' DEAD!!!!!" Jinri shouted again.
"Not before they catch us." Chanyeol winked. "Where do you want to go next?"
"Anywhere?"
"Anywhere."

And so Jinri grasped Chanyeol's hand tightly for the rest of the night. They visited the pyramids in Egypt, Malaysia's Petronas Towers, New York's Time Square, Arizona's Grand Canyon, India's Taj Mahal, Japan's Mount Fuji, and so on.

"I'm hungry." Jinri pouted one time they were strolling in Philippine's outskirts.

Chanyeol clicked his fingers as a newly-cooked burger appeared out of thin air.

"Here you go my lady." he said, bowing low and offering the piece of burger for her.
"Where'd you get this?" Jinri asked, laughing.
"Where the heck did my burger go?!" an old man shouted not far from them. Jinri and Chanyeol peeked sneakily and giggled.
"Let's go before he sees his burger!" Chanyeol urged, holding Jinri's hands again.

Jinri clasped it tightly. They ran as fast as they can with no direction to go. She and Chanyeol just ran, never letting go of each other.

* * *

Jinri smiled as she stared on the full moon above her. She and Chanyeol were back in Seoul, but before they go home Chanyeol decided to make one last stop to his secret place.

They were in a meadow surrounded by bleeding hearts. The white and pink flowers blossomed marvelously from the moon's shade, creating a magical sanctuary for Chanyeol and Jinri. 

Chanyeol picked one bleeding heart and played it around his fingers.

"Lamprocapnos spectabilis." he said.
"Huh?"
"It's this flower's scientific name." Chanyeol grinned. "I read its Japanese legend. Do you want to hear it?"
"Okay."
"There's this man who tried to win a girl's heart." Chanyeol gave the flower to Jinri.
"Go on." Jinri prompted, twirling the flower in her own fingers.
"He gave a pair of rabbits as a gift, followed a pair of slippers and finally, a pair of earrings. The white color resembles the rabbits, the slippers on the other hand, were the first two pink petals and the earrings signifies the middle part of the flower. But the girl continuously rejected him. Heart-broken, he pierced his heart with a sword, and that's how bleeding hearts existed."
"Poor man." Jinri said sadly. She sympathized with him because he had to suffer from a broken heart. Maybe if the girl just gave him a chance... maybe they can be happier and the man doesn't had to take his own life. Maybe if Joonmyeon gave her another chance she doesn't have to suffer from a bleeding heart as well. Maybe...

Chanyeol glimpsed at Jinri and saw her crying again. He sighed, and nudged her playfully. She jumped in alarm and looked at him.

"What?" she asked.
"I'll teach you a trick. Whenever you cry, arch your head backwards and pinched your nose at the same time."
"Like this?" Jinri did what Chanyeol instructed her to do. "What's this for?" she asked.
"So you can stop your snot from falling. Ow!"

Jinri tugged his hair and scoffed. Silence followed after that, and she remembered Joonmyeon again. She arched her head backwards and pinched her nose, hoping that it would do the trick of stopping herself from crying.

"I'm sorry." 

Jinri stopped pinching her nose and looked at Chanyeol. He was bowing his head and chewing his lower lip, his eyes filled with genuine sincerity. "I know I'm the reason why you two broke up. It's because of my tactless words, isn't?"

Jinri only stared at him in response. Chanyeol slowly looked at her, ready to face her angry eyes.

But when he locked gazes with her, it was only filled with understanding.

"The issue in our relationship isn't your words Chanyeol, but my actions. I lied, and trust is the biggest ingredient of building a relationship. That's how important trust is that it can even overlap love. That's how I took Joonmyeon for granted, because I always thought that he'll stay for me and be understanding despite of my lies. Obviously, I was wrong."
"But -"
"I'm not saying that what you did was right." Jinri smiled. "You are so tactless and oblivious that you never noticed another person's feelings. But I have my part of mistake as well, so you don't have to say sorry at all."

Chanyeol fonded on Jinri's smile. The moonlight glistened her beauty further but what makes her more beautiful was her pure heart.

"My princess is so kind." he said affectionately.
"P-princess?" Jinri widened her eyes.
"Yes. Luhan and Kai told me that I'm their prince. So I need a princess right?" Chanyeol flattened Jinri's hair and curled a strand of her hair on her ears. "Joonmyeon lost such a precious person like you."

Jinri blinked back. She paid attention on Chanyeol's touch on her hair, and when he curled a strand of it on her ear, she felt her heartbeat pounced faster. She can see her own reflection in his deep eyes and hear his heartbeat in symphony with her own.

It was on that night on the meadow filled with bleeding hearts when Jinri's heart will change forever.