Starry Skies & Affection

Of all the hurt, emptiness, disappointment, and bitterness that had once filled her in and out, these emotions simply washed away once they were easily replaced with a mix of gentle warmth, comfort, and a sense of familiarity that she almost couldn’t come to comprehend right away at this very moment given to her. Her world seemed to have halted in place, steadying along with the rain blanketing over her brief moment of silence, sight heavily glazed over by her own tears.

It had been happening so fast overtime, that her head was beginning to lightly spin in motion.

Heartbeat steadily rising, the girl’s eyes remained hesitantly closed, afraid that this would all only come to an end sooner or later. Catching her shared breathe that had been exchanged with the boy standing right before her, she gently reached her arms forward, falling deeper into his soft embrace. His warmth instantly spread right through her, steering her off from the very place she had learnt to helplessly enclose herself with whenever she had had failed to pick herself back up.

Perhaps she finally no longer had to face this all alone, as much as she was becoming used to it.

This temporary feeling she was currently experiencing have already been long engraved within the depths of her shattered heart, ever since he had decided to gradually say goodbye to her all of a sudden without a single warning. That very image of him doing so, was slowly breaking her apart as her pain only managed to build up over time. It made her quickly realize that even if none of it was real, his comfort was enough to make her momentarily forget all of her hardships.

Like this, Haekyung tightly held onto him.

Eyes gently fixated on the ground beneath him, he could feel her body slightly tremble from the impact of the heavy liquid crashing down on the both of them. Jungkook instinctively pulled her closer to him, lightly resting the bottom of his chin over the tip of her head as they wordlessly remained still by each other’s side. Their accompanied breaths began to fill the upcoming silence.

Lost in his thoughts, the boy gradually softened as he directed his gaze to the girl’s soaked back.

If only he knew how she was getting by like this every single day, then he would had been there for her unconditionally, instead of letting the girl continuously break down like this. Even if he already knew her well enough to know that she’d rather depend on herself than to rely on anyone else, he had wanted to be that one person to lighten her pain away nonetheless. And seeing her like this for the first time, the boy had never felt so troubled with himself before. It almost reminded him of that time when he felt as if the entire world had been crashing down on him as well. To the point that things had turned out the way that it currently was, just because he was incapable of trying to move on and put everything behind him, as if nothing had ever happened.

Just because he simply couldn’t forget her. 

And finally knowing that Haekyung had felt the same way about him right now, a sense of bright relief and happiness washed over him as Jungkook held back the urge to break out into a genuine smile. However, that recognition was quickly dismissed just as another thought had managed to enter his mind right at the same time, rendering him to feel rather incompetent and wide awake.

Filled with his memory of empty words and promises made to her, the boy realized that he would eventually need her as much as she’d need someone to turn to, for comfort in the end as well.  He should have been that one person to stay by her side all along, someone who’d genuinely listen to her pour her heart out to him, instead of wanting to believe that everything would be fine like this in the future ahead of them. Instantly, regret started to fill him as he tightened his hold around her, just as she had lightly done the same when he felt her arms gently lock behind his back. The two remained silent, steadily listening to the sounds of their heartbeats connecting.

Not aware of how long she had been standing still like this, the girl slowly opened her eyes, arms unknowingly loosening in place as she gently freed herself from their proximity, gaze casted downwards. Haekyung then gathered the courage to face him as she tilted her sight higher, only to be met with a pair of warm and steady eyes carefully glancing back at her, no particular emotion set in place as he watched her part her lips to speak, her voice coming out as a whisper.

She breathed out in slight hesitation and defeat, still feeling rather lightheaded in the process.

He simply locked gazes with her as she trailed on with her words, tightly clasping her hands by her side as she found herself melting into his sincere gaze when she continued,  “Are you... real?”

Once her words began to set into his mind, the boy was taken aback for a couple of quick seconds.

Directly seeing the worry and disbelief played across the girl’s eyes, Jungkook approached her once more as he stretched his hands out towards her, his palms firmly fixed in place as he slightly lowered himself to meet her height, forehead lightly pressed against hers while she felt her breathe shorten in place, heartbeat accelerating when he leaned back a little to gently kiss her on the tip of her forehead. Haekyung simply froze once she snapped out of her daze, speechless.

However, what caught her attention next soon caused her to break out into a warm gaze, learning just how much she had come to miss that very expression of his after all this time. It was his smile.

Jungkook only smiled affectionately, “I’m real, Min Haekyung.”

---

Reaching her right hand over to grab an extra set of towels placed on the sides, she set the soft material above the boy’s wet hair before giving it a gentle ruffle to lightly fix it dry. The girl had been somewhat fairly focused that she hadn’t even noticed that the boy sitting directly right in front of her bed from a distance away, had his gaze fixed warmly at what she was currently doing.

Haekyung blinked as he gently placed a hand over hers, taking hold of the cotton material instead.

He then swiftly worked on towel drying her long hair, lips set into a slight smile as he watched her startled reaction. Just a moment later, she pulled back in place, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed since he didn’t really have to look out for her like this, not exactly used to some of his certain habits. Too bad Haekyung had no idea though, that she was becoming a lot of his firsts.

She mumbled softly, “It’s okay, you don’t have to do this. I’ll manage.”

Jungkook’s smile deepened, “I think it might be a lot faster if we took care of each other, right?”

He pointed it out as he casually grabbed the remaining towel laying on the other side, handing it to her as she stared at it for a couple of quick seconds before biting back an uncertain smile.

Perhaps the boy himself also had no clue that similarly, he was also becoming many of her firsts as well, since the girl didn’t even realize that she was actually drying his hair just a few minutes ago. So that’s how things were for the next fifteen minutes, with the two exchanging their roles in a comfortable round of silence as he would occasionally shift his soft gazes to her, and she’d respond with curious glances back while nervously looking off into the distance once in a while.

Stepping out of her bedroom towards the closet located at the opposite end of the floor, Haekyung made her way back in with a pile of clean clothes before she set it down in front of him. Noticing that the boy was currently blinking down at a pair of white buttoned down shirt and black trousers held in his hands, Jungkook arched his brow as he threw her a playful glance.

The girl almost gapped, raising a hand up in the air to defend what he was possibly hinting at.

“Hey, it’s not what you’re thinking, alright? Those belong to my Dad.”

Seeing her flabbergasted reaction, Jungkook lightly chuckled. Heading towards the bathroom outside the room to get changed out of his wet clothes on the way, he reached a hand forward to softly pinch her on the sides of her cheek in amusement. “Yeah, I know. I’m just playing with you. Jeez, Haekyung. Did you really think that I’d accuse you of owning another guy’s clothes?” Before she had a chance to retort to his reply, he then casually popped his head back out at the opening before shutting it closed behind him with an adorable smile, “Not a chance polar bear, that’ll have to be your second boyfriend after me. Oh yeah, which is probably never going to happen.” Hearing his childish response, she lightly rolled her eyes with a crack of a small smile.

The girl’s cheeks unknowingly grew warm since Jungkook had just claimed himself as her boyfriend out of the blue. Somehow, it kind of felt a bit strange to suddenly acknowledge him as that, well… not that she really minded though. Heck, did that mean she’d have to call that him from now on? Haekyung would actually prefer using just his own name, idiot, royal moron – “

Yup, you kind of get the point.

Lightly shaking her head to snap herself out of her thoughts, she then bit her lips. Yeah, strange.

Entering back into the room a minute later, Jungkook set his changed clothes on top of the drawers, reaching over to grab the used towels that were now folded. “I’ll help put them back, so where do these go?” Following the girl’s gaze, he moved towards the upper top drawer on the left, noting to store it there just as she had grabbed his clothes towards the laundry room downstairs, “Thanks, I’ll be back in a bit. I’m just going to put these in the dry cleaners for you.”

He nodded gratefully in reply, just before he turned back around to store the towels back into where they were supposedly placed, only to be met with what he wouldn’t have expected to see.

Jungkook blinked, a gentle smile soon reaching his lips.

Realizing that Haekyung had kept all of his presents to her after all this time, he felt strangely odd, and happy. Because he was pretty sure that by now, she would have thrown all of it away, minus his drawing of her since it wouldn’t be like her to be that harsh. His eyes wandered left to right as he studied the items placed in front of him on her desk, an idea suddenly occurring to him as he travelled over to the sides of her bed. Finished with what he was doing, he stood back up. Just on top of her bed laid the green dinosaur, and the rest of his presents neatly piled together in the girl’s stationery holder, which pretty much contained the sky blue lollipop and his drawing. Jungkook then sat back down on an empty chair by the wall, biting back a playful smile.

Haekyung almost walked back in with a mini heart attack when she looked towards her bedside.

She pointed to her bed and desk. “Uh, what are you doing?”

He simply shrugged, “Helping you decorate your room a little bit? But hey, I was surprised to see that you still have all of these things. Since when have you started liking me too huh, polar bear?”

She instantly flushed, “W-What? Hey, I’m not rude enough to actually throw away any gifts that other people get me, okay? And plus, isn’t it a little excessive to put all of your things here..? I don’t want to look like a creep, Jungkook.” Haekyung concluded with her reasoning, hands quickly reaching out to grab the stuffed animal in view. He lightly crossed his arms with a small pout, “It’s not creepy, if I’m actually okay with you thinking of me more often, don’t you think?”

“And why are you dodging my last question too, Haekyung?”

The girl blinked nonchalantly in reply, “Huh? Since when was I actually avoiding your question?”

Jungkook laughed lightly, reaching over to softly grab hold of the dinosaur in her left hand, while Haekyung held it firmly still in place as well. “I’ve liked you ever since the end of the school trip.”

She froze, surprised to see how honest he was being with her all of a sudden.

“Really..? That’s kind of early though, Jungkook.” Haekyung awkwardly bit her lips, unsure of how to entirely respond. Well, it wasn’t like she was really aware that the boy had actually liked her during that point of time. But it felt nice to know what he was thinking for once. “And you?” He asked in reply, now next to her as he playfully glanced down at her. The girl blinked once more.

Racking her brain for an actual answer, she knitted her brows, hands growing somewhat sweaty.

Seeing her like this, he could only break out into a light smile, amused. He then gently pulled her towards him when he gave the dinosaur a small tug. Realizing that the stuffed animal was now directly placed right in front of both their faces, Jungkook softly glanced at her when he gave the dinosaur a quick kiss. Haekyung let out a gasp when she turned to see how close he was, quickly letting go of the doll as she awkwardly turned her back to him, walking straight out of her room.

I guess, I’ve come to like you ever since the end of the school trip too. It just never occurred to me.

Haekyung faintly smiled in realization, “Well you’re out of luck, since I don’t really remember.”

Jungkook blinked at her tone of voice, not quite catching that knowing expression on her face as he trailed after her, following her in towards the living room. “Fine, I won’t ask you that anymore. Just keep the gifts exactly where I’ve last placed them, okay? Then we’ll have a deal, polar bear.”

She instantly turned to him with a small chuckle, “Fine, deal. I’ll make sure to always think of you. Happy?” The girl bargained, causing him to flash her a delighted grin as he squeezed her cheeks.

“Yeah, I’m actually fine with that.” Jungkook admitted brightly, lightly tousling Haekyung’s hair.

Haekyung laughed as she slightly shook her head.

“Did you know that you’re really easy to satisfy?” In response, the boy just shrugged nonchalantly at her words. He then positioned his palm over the sides of her cheek, catching her off guard as she blankly stared up at him, when he only naturally leaned forward. However, the girl made no movements to back away as she remained still at his soft touch, warmly gazing back into his eyes.

Jungkook pulled back afterwards with a gentle grin, “That only applies to you though, Haekyung.”

She quickly looked away with a noticeable smile, biting her lips.

Haekyung pointed to the grey couch lined up right next to the television. “Um, you can make yourself comfortable there. I’ll go make you some hot chocolate.” Following her gaze once more, he nodded in content as he made his way over to occupy a seat, smiling to himself as he the device. Heading towards the kitchen just outside the living room, the girl reached for a box of cocoa powder placed right above her, grabbing a clean cup on the sides while she quietly prepared the drink for him. She almost didn’t realize that her lips had curled into a sincere smile, heartbeat unstable as she gathered her thoughts. It was the simple thought of him being there with her, together. It somehow brought her back to those days far back in her memory with him.

Times when he had always been the first one to approach her unconditionally, even if the girl had to admit that she might have been a bit harsh at times. Days when he was always there to comfort her without her consent, not knowing that he was becoming the one for her to always turn to. Perhaps, she had already found herself gradually accepting his warmth along the way. If only the boy now knew, just how much Haekyung have come to love and appreciate his company.

Just as she was busy stirring the contents of the packet after adding hot water, the girl was gently pulled backwards when he softly reached out for her, locking his arms around the collar of her neck. Haekyung blinked in surprise, turning to see him lightly resting his head over her shoulders.

“Hey... what’s wrong, Jungkook?”

Noticing that his gaze was distantly warm, she proceeded to place a hand over his arm, calmly still in his embrace. In response, he only held her closer to him, letting out a small breathe of air.

Jungkook lightly softened, looking off into the distance as she listened to the sounds of his soft breathing. Unsure of what to say, she remained silent when the boy eventually parted his lips to speak, his next words coming out rather gentle and faint. Haekyung’s eyes rounded, heart exhilarating in her chest as she slowly wore a soft smile. Instantly holding onto him, it was the girl’s way of simply trying to reassure him that she’ll always there to comfort him from now on.

“I’m afraid that if I suddenly open my eyes.. I’ll wake up from my own dream to see you gone.”

---

Occupying a vacant bench by the bus stop, they sat together as they quietly waited for the next bus to arrive. Even though the two weren’t exactly having a conversation for the time being, they were accompanied by the soothing night air and the relaxing melody passing through one side of each other’s ears, from his shared earphones as he casually scrolled through the playlist on his phone. Eventually, the vehicle that they were both waiting for pulled up in front of them to a stop, opening its doors to let some of the remaining passengers on and off. The girl slowly blinked.

Jungkook turned to her with a quick smile, signalling her that it was the one they were supposed to board as she nodded and followed him onto the bus. Surprisingly, the bus was quite crowded.

Once he spotted the pair of empty seats at the back right near the windows, he shifted forward to slip into it as Haekyung settled down next to him, their shoulders gently brushing. When the bus began moving again, she turned her attention to the clear windows, curiously glancing at the passing landscape that whisked her by as it travelled further into the city. It wasn’t often that she actually took a bus to go anywhere, so the girl wasn’t too familiar with certain routes and paths.

Haekyung softly nudged him, “Are we going into another part of the city?”

Hearing the sound of her voice, the boy nodded as he checked the time on his phone before facing her with a slight grin, “Yeah, it won’t too long. And I’m pretty sure that you’ll like it there.”

She nodded with ease, not exactly worried about where he was bringing her since she knew him well enough to know that it would be worth the time and effort. In fact, she could still clearly remember that time when Jungkook had brought her to the large lake by the city, where they were both granted a rather promising view. And at the thought of recalling that memory, she gradually faltered. Instead of remembering it to be warm and pleasant, images of how hurt and disappointed he was suddenly flashed across her mind. Since then, it had always stayed with her.

“This is the second time, isn’t it? I’m sorry.. for ruining our first one.” Haekyung lowered her gaze.

Jungkook turned to her in slight surprise.

Once he recognized what she was actually referring to, he reached his hand forward to gently ruffle her hair, caressing the tip of her head lightly when her disappointed eyes briefly met his.

The boy then chuckled brightly, shaking his head. “It’s alright, you don’t have to apologize. I guess we’ll just have to create a better memory over it, don’t you think? So cheer up, polar bear. You’re making me sad.” Haekyung immediately softened, flashing him a warm smile as she nodded in reply, relieved to know that he would no longer have to keep that memory with him anymore.

Surely, it’ll be a much better one this time. Yeah, definitely.

During the single ride there, they continued to casually listen to the soft music playing from the boy’s music player, in complete ease and comfort. Fixing his attention to the device, he was about to change the song on his playlist when he felt something light hit against the surface of his left shoulder, causing him to momentarily halt what he was doing as he slowly turned around. Just right next to him, Haekyung had dozed off from the somewhat long bus ride, gently leaning in closer to him when she felt a sense of familiar warmth radiate from him, her lips set into a smile.

He only smiled softly within a heartbeat, as he affectionately gazed down at her sleeping figure.

Jungkook lightly adjusted his position, brushing his hand over the sides of Haekyung’s cheek when he had decided to pull her in closer, checking to make sure that she would be more comfortable that way. Seeing that her breathing was finally even and that she was no longer shifting around, he glanced back towards the window, enjoying the passing scenery as he leaned back on his seat.

From that point on, time seemed to have passed them by rather quickly.

By the time there was about one stop left until they would arrive at their destination, Haekyung slowly stirred awake, eyelids still half open as she studied her surroundings. Realizing that the first thing she saw in view was none other than the bottom half of the boy’s face, she froze when he grinned down at her playfully, “Had a good sleep, polar bear?” She sat up straight, flustered.

Haekyung then nodded with a small chuckle, “Yeah, did you?”

“Not really. I was too busy watching you sleep, since you look so adorable every time you crash.”

Hearing what he just said, she gaped. Had he actually been watching her all this time?! Suddenly feeling embarrassed, the girl hesitantly touched the corner of her lips, completely relieved that it was dry. Jungkook laughed softly at what she was doing, the smile on his face reaching his eyes.

At the same time, the bus had pulled over to the final stop. The remaining crowd of people hurried over to the doors, descending down the flight of stairs towards the opening of the exit.

Haekyung blinked, following Jungkook closely behind when she headed for the entrance as well.

Once she stepped onto the pavement, the cold air of the night instantly greeted her as she let out a small breathe of air, stretching her arms in place. The girl then glanced around the area they were in, captured by the view of the pleasant city lights and skyscrapers towering over her. He took a quick glance around him as well, somehow reminiscing all the other times he’s travelled all the way here by himself, or with his friends. Perhaps, the only difference was that it would finally count as his first time coming here with that one person he had considered special to him.

It almost felt surreal to him.

Since he had always wondered what it would be like, just to be able to finally stargaze with her.    

Touring down the sidewalk, they comfortably remained by each other’s side. Haekyung would occasionally find herself glancing down to the palms of their hands whenever his would softly brush past hers as they walked along. She then bit her lips with a small smile, gently looking away.

Haekyung asked, “So have you decided where we’re going to go first, Jungkook?”

The boy turned to her with a light grin, “Yeah, there’s honestly really only one place, Haekyung.”

Huh. They came all the way here to visit only one place?

She nodded in response, “Oh, did you go there often with any of your other friends?” Fixing his gaze to the light pebbles on the ground, Jungkook smiled softly to himself at her next question, feeling delighted. “I’ve never been there with anyone else before, I guess I’ve always wanted you to be the first person that I’d bring along with me. So that would make you my first, polar bear.”

Her cheeks grew a shade lighter at his answer, not at all expecting that he would reply like this.

Just a minute later when their arms accidentally brushed against each other’s once more, she gathered the courage to reach for his hand, softly grabbing hold of it in place. He blinked in surprise, turning to see that Haekyung had already gently laced them together. Instead of asking her what she was doing, he decided against it and flashed her a genuine smile, tightening his hold around her hand just as she had also done the same. However, what came out as her next reply simply caused his heart to expand in his chest, her sincerity wonderfully reaching him through.

“You’ve always been the first one to reach out for me.. so I guess it’s finally my turn, Jungkook.”

---

Laying down by the soft grass on the fields, they comfortably settled down next to each other, gradually enveloped by the brightness of the serene sky. Haekyung slowly fixed her gaze towards the view just above her, simply captivated as her eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness spilling over the canvas, a collection of stars steadily appearing right before her. The dazzling glow of it calmly greeted her back, gently clearing away the emptiness of her heart as time passed her by.

It was unexplainably mesmerizing, as if it was looking down at her with acceptance and warmth.

Just right beside her, the boy slightly turned to see that she was silently preoccupied with the wonderful view, a delighted smile lightly reaching his lips when he soon realized that she was at complete ease. Jungkook then shifted his gaze back up, falling into the comfort of the night sky.

Her eyes moved along with the constellations, coming to a stop once she found a star out of place. It was merely sitting in the sky alone, far out of reach from another pair that was visible at the opposite end. The expression on her face slowly faltered, when she eventually pinned her gaze back to that single star. Perhaps, it had been a direct representation of how she have always been feeling. Their distances have always weighted her down, rendering her heart and mind numb. Haekyung’s lips then curled into a broken smile, the light in her eyes slowly disappearing.

“It’s been almost six years since I last saw my parents.”

In the middle of counting the stars in his head, he suddenly stopped as soon as he heard the sound of her voice gently waver. The boy blinked, lips partially open in slight surprise just as he had turned towards her direction once more. She remained calmly still, hands neatly laced together when she continued. He listened to her intently, wondering if it was one of the reasons why she had looked so disappointed and shattered, when he had finally found her alone today.

“They left, promising me a better future. I’ve always believed in them and appreciated what they did for me. I’ve been waiting for them, trying to reassure myself that everything would finally be alright one day when they would come back for me. And then that’s when I realized, it’s as far as I’ll ever go from here. I’ve been so helplessly empty, that I didn’t even notice I was already slowly breaking.. to the point that when I found out nothing was going to change, I simply lost hope.”

“I guess that I just couldn’t handle it anymore.” Haekyung softly whispered, her gaze drifted afar.

Jungkook lightly froze, unsure of how to exactly respond.

He knew that he honestly wouldn’t have been able to completely understand that kind of struggle she was currently facing, realizing that he had only been growing up with a loving and considerate family, that have always been there for him unconditionally all his life. And for him to finally learn just how much pain she must have experienced all this time, it simply tore him apart to see her like this. The boy softened, gently reaching over for her hand just before he had firmly laced it together by his side. He then glanced back up at the sky, his voice finally reaching her through.

“You’ll always have me from now on, Haekyung. I’ll be right there with you, when you need me.”

It felt as if these simple word he had sincerely let out to her, was she had all had ever really wanted. It was for someone to finally tell her, that she didn’t have to fight it alone. That she could finally share a part of her heart with him instead of closing herself off with the rest of the world.

The distant look in her eyes soon melted off with recognition, a genuine smile reaching her lips.

“Right from the very first moment when we’ve both met, and just up until recently, I’ve always wondered why you were somehow always the first one to approach me when I’d only find myself taking one step back. I tried looking for the reason, when I was beginning to realize that you were always there next to me, during days that I’ve constantly been used to spending alone. That routine was a habit I couldn’t break. It was just how things were for me, I guess. And as time passed by, I didn’t want to figure out those reasons anymore. All I knew was that when I’ve come to finally open my eyes one day, you’ve suddenly disappeared. I didn’t think that everything left of you would someday fade away, as if it had never actually existed. I just couldn’t understand why it had hurt me so much to acknowledge the fact that you were no longer there with me.”

She let out a faint breathe, taking a brief moment to collect her thoughts before softly continuing.

“So I learned to hold onto our memories, even when I knew that it was all I had left of you. And If I’ve ever had the chance to let you know just how sincerely thankful and happy I was, for all those times that you’ve simply stayed with me instead of walking out like everyone else had.. it would have been a lot less painful to say goodbye to you like this. I’ve always come to regret not doing so, but if that chance was ever given to me again, then it would have been all I’ve wanted.”

“Thank you.. for always being there with me, Jungkook.”

Haekyung’s smile lightly faltered along the way, her expression soft. It felt as if she had suddenly gotten everything off her chest all at once, feeling elated. The girl was glad that she could finally let him know, although it might have been a bit late. However, she had learned to keep these thoughts and recognitions close to her, knowing it was what she would always come to treasure.

Jungkook instantly felt his heart warm at her words. He simply didn’t expect that she’d suddenly be saying all of this to him. And when she did, all his remaining traces of pain gradually vanished.

He then smiled lightly, realizing that it was his turn.

The boy found himself shifting his gaze to that single star sitting at the far corner in the sky, away from all the other ones surrounding it by a rather wide distance. He focused intently on it as he spoke. Perhaps it had easily reminded him of her, since the girl has always been out of his reach.

“I grew up not knowing what I’ve really wanted. I guess it’s strange to say that I feel as if everything have always been handed to me. And when I lived thinking that way, It felt like there wasn’t a single error in my life, as if there isn’t a thing for me to solve. It was so flawless to the point that it began to felt dull and unrealistic. So when you suddenly appeared, I began to slowly realize just how much I had finally wanted something for myself for a change. Even when it wasn’t easy for me to reach you, I learned what not giving up was. I just knew that I simply wanted you next to me, even when it seemed impossible for us at one point. Just by being with you, I’ve always felt happy and content, as if you had complete a part of me. Then at some point, all I really wanted was for things between us to stay that way. I wanted to be there for you when things go wrong, as much as I’d liked it if you remained by my side.” He paused, lightly catching his breathe.

“I honestly didn’t know what it had meant to love someone at first, but I guess I gradually learned that along the way. So when you finally cleared it up for me that it really wasn’t possible between us, I just didn’t know what to feel anymore. I felt like I was on the edge of breaking, as if I was an idiot. I was that idiot who couldn’t handle the thought of you letting me go. It felt like the world around me was meaningless from that point on, just because I couldn’t erase what we’ve had.”

He softly whispered, “You were just like a star I couldn’t reach.. no matter how hard I had tried.”

Hearing him speak like this without any confidence, she softened. The girl never thought that he would have ever felt this way about her, realizing he must have been as broken as she was at one point earlier on. That light smile of his remained on his lips, as if he had wanted to appear okay.

She shifted closer to where he was, bending over to gently kiss him on the left sides of his cheek.

Haekyung pulled back just as Jungkook had turned to face her, glancing up at her in slight surprise. Exchanging warm gazes right after, their hands remained lightly locked by each other’s side. She eventually parted her lips to speak, a hint of guilt and regret filling a part of her voice.

“I’m sorry that I made you feel that way, Jungkook.”

The boy could still faintly feel her touch linger right from the surface of his cheek, his breathe growing slightly short. It had simply felt comforting, although it wasn’t something he had ever really expected to receive. He then angled his head towards her, gradually setting his eyes on her once more. She took note of his actions, unknowingly mirroring his movements when she had briefly returned his stare. Directly facing each other from a distance, the two melted into each other’s company. The girl felt that even if he chose not to speak, things would somehow still be alright between them. Even though it might have seemed that he was focused on searching her eyes for answers, it was only his way of trying to tell her that everything was going to be okay from now on. He wanted her to believe that. Eventually breaking the silence, he found himself holding their gaze, his caring eyes filled with a touch of warmth. She listened to his words intently.

“It’s alright, you’re finally here right next to me. Isn’t that what’s more important, Haekyung?”  

She gently nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah.. I guess so.”

Haekyung slowly shifted out of her position on the fields, lightly retracting her hands back from his gentle placement when she had decided to sit up straight. She then proceeded to fold her arms over her knees, gradually looking far out into the distance. For a moment, it didn’t seem like the girl was focusing her gaze on anywhere in particular, her emotions steadily falling blank. He blinked, glancing up at the girl’s direction as he held back a warm smile, aware of her habits.

Jungkook then straightened up as well, gradually shifting his eyes towards the grass beneath him.

The boy found himself travelling his hand over to a single daisy that have already bloomed right next to him, currently swaying along with the wind. He softly brushed his fingers over it, lightly examining it. It was as if the flower had simply reminded him of Haekyung, even when she was still right beside him. He realized that even though it wasn’t extremely beautiful, captivating, or perfect, the mere existence and comfort of it had already been enough to gently move his heart.

Jungkook had somehow learnt to see it in a new perspective. To him, it was pleasantly just right.

Lost in her thoughts, she continued to lightly zone out in place. But that was only until the girl realized that he was still there with her, falling into a comfortable round of silence that she had unknowingly come to create once more. It had somehow always been like this for her in the past, knowing just how hard it was for her to truthfully let out what she had been constantly thinking or feeling. She didn’t want these topics to suddenly become a burden for him. They were fixed problems that had gradually led her on, in learning to handling it all alone. However, she finally discovered that he was no longer just someone who had briefly chose to walk out of her life just because things had eventually fallen apart, or that nothing had simply worked out at one point.

He was the one who had unconditionally stayed with her in the end, regardless to any of these occurring events. Haekyung let out a small breathe, gently tightening her arms around her knees.

“You know.. there was always a part of me that I’ve never come to like. It’s the fact that I only know how to distance myself from others, as much as I can’t wholeheartedly smile without feeling troubled. I hate that it’s so difficult for me to open myself towards someone who’d willing to. I guess I’m just afraid that if I do.. I’d only find myself right back where I’ve started. I just didn’t want to take chances anymore, so the way only way for me to not become hurt is to enclose myself. But after meeting you, I want to assure myself that I’d be the one to take a step forward.”

“I want to be the one to finally make an effort for a change.”

The boy halted his movements, gradually turning around to face her. Hearing what she had suddenly confessed to him out of the blue, he simply didn’t hesitate with the answer he was about to give her, determined. Perhaps all he had wanted right at this very moment, was to finally clear away all of her worries and insecurities. It was what he had come to set his mind on doing.

Jungkook calmly moved towards her, his left hand reaching out to lightly pin the white flower over the tip of her hair, as he focused on fixing it in place. Haekyung held his unwavering gaze, unaware that she was holding her breathe. Her heartrate picked up in unexpected strides, the focus in her vision becoming dizzy and faint. Unable to measure what she was currently feeling, she only remained acceptingly still, a sense of warmth and reassurance slowly filling her up. He then proceeded to place the palm of his hands on the ground beside her, steadily closing off the small distance between them. He smiled softly, naturally leaning forward to gently capture her lips.

“I love you just the way you are, Haekyung, you don’t ever have to change yourself for anyone.”

Author's Notes:

Yay, they’re finally together! (:

The cool thing was that I actually went stargazing with my best friend while I was still in the process of writing this chapter, haha. I guess when you’re surrounded by a pleasant and serene environment, certain feelings are bound to emerge from each of us somehow, as we’re greeted back with the calmness of the stars in the sky. It’s actually a really nice experience, and if you ever have the extra time or chance during the spring or summer to check it out, you should definitely try it! Once again, thanks for being so amazing and patient with me since I’ve always taken quite a bit of time to update! For any you who are still around, and have stuck by me for so long, you guys are honestly the best. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we? It gives me strength and motivation to continue forward and simply keep writing. But of course, any new readers along the way are always very welcomed as well! (: Lastly, I want you to know that I do read all of the lovely and encouraging comments that you’ve all been posting, and it really puts a smile on my face, so thank you for that. I really love reading your thoughts and ideas!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this chapter, and thank you so much for reading! ♡