March 2008

Jimin yawned. He was still a bit sleepy, but he has to get used to waking up earlier since he has to fetch Seulgi so that they can go to school together.  He was about to ride his bicycle until he found Dahyun walking from her home.

It was a surprise for him to see her so early for he knew for sure that Dahyun was not a morning person. He chuckled seeing the dark circles under her eyes. She must have been up again all night searching for something in the internet. She even seemed too sleepy to even notice his presence.

“Hey, tofu,” he called her by her nickname and that halted the daze she was in.

“Mochi,” Dahyun replied by the nickname she gave him. She yawned, not even bothering how big looked like. Then, she greeted me, “Good morning.”

“Why don’t you go back and have some more sleep?” Jimin asked her, “It’s still seven.”

“It’s okay. I can sleep in the bus or in school before classes start,” she answered, “Jungkook gave me this tip to take the earlier bus so that I don’t ride the crowded one. A packed bus is pretty suffocating.”

Jimin realized then that she has to take the bus because he couldn’t offer his bicycle anymore. He stared at her before apologizing, “Sorry.”

She beamed, “I wanted to hear that apology sometime before, but now, hearing it, I guess it wasn’t your fault anyway. I just got used to depending on you.”

“Yeah. I think I spoiled you too much,” he seconded.

“Maybe,” she giggled.

“How about I at least take you to the bus station?” Jimin offered, “I have enough time, and it’s on my way.”

She grinned in the way that her eyes turned into crescent slits before she said, “I knew you just can’t stop spoiling me.”

“Old habits die hard,” he shrugged as he rode his bicycle.

Without waiting for any instructions, Dahyun also rode his bike. She screamed ‘let’s go’ and with a smile on his face, Jimin pedaled.

“Wooohoo!” she shouted with her arms in the air as we went downslope.

Jimin chuckled.

Dahyun is still the best morning energizer.

By the time that they arrived at the bus station, the bus was almost going. Fortunately, he was able to go up to the front of the door in order to call the attention of the driver. The driver opened the doors again and Dahyun successfully got inside.

There was a knock on the window, and Jimin found Dahyun waving at him. He waved back with a bright smile.

“Thank you,” she mouthed.

“Take care,” Jimin shouted, even if he knew that she wouldn’t hear him.

She nodded and pointed at me. Her lips obviously moved into a, “You too.”

The bus then started driving away, and his gaze followed her as she continued waving in goodbye. As the bus moved, he found Jungkook sitting a few seats behind her.

Ah. She forgot to mention that she was riding the same bus with him.

“Jimin-a, do you want to go somewhere this weekend?”

He turned to Seulgi and with an apologetic smile, he replied, “Sorry. I already made plans.”

She had a cute pout on her lips as she said, “Can’t cancel it for me?”

He shook his head, “I’ll just plan a better date next time.”

“That’s a promise,” she exclaimed.

He nodded before roaming him gaze around once more.

“Then, I’ll get going,” she told me, “See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow,” he repeated her words.

Seulgi then tiptoed, and like a cue, Jimin lowered his face, so that she could plant a kiss on his cheek. She giggled after doing so, then she waved her hand in goodbye. Jimin beamed as he reciprocated her actions.

Then, he quickly turned to see the hallways of the school.

Dahyun’s taking longer than usual.

Jimin walked to the lockers, for she would usually take time in getting things from her locker.

I’ve told her numerous times to arrange her locker so that her things don’t come out too piled inside but I guess, old habits die hard.

He found her, and he was about to call her name, until he realized that she was talking to the person who was left in the locker area with her.

“Jimin!” Dahyun’s face brightened upon spotting his presence, “Sorry! I just couldn’t find the notes I need to study for tomorrow.”

“It’s okay. Take your time,” Jimin assured her. He turned to the male beside her, “Hi. We were classmates last year, but in case you have forgotten, I’m Jimin. Park Jimin.”

Jungkook stared at Jimin quizzically, but the former's attention was diverted when Dahyun started complaining as she continued rummaging through her locker, “If only this man beside me would be kind enough to let me borrow his notes – “

“What would I study then?” Jungkook interrupted.

“I need to study more than you,” Dahyun argued, “You already got good grades!”

“It’s not my fault that your notes are lost,” he deadpanned as he closed his own locker.

Dahyun sighed, “I must have left them at the classroom.”

She looked at Jimin and apologized again, “Sorry. I’ll just go check the classroom.”

“I can help you look,” Jimin offered.

“No,” she declined, “Just wait for me here.”

She started speeding away, leaving Jimin alone with Jungkook. When Jimin looked at Jungkook, he found the latter staring at him.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jungkook stated, “If there is a student here that I know, it would be you, Jimin. I just can’t simply forget the name of the person who brought notes to the hospital diligently for the past school year.”

Jimin smiled at him, “I did not want you to be confronted by Dahyun right here. Knowing her, she would definitely demand an explanation. I know you wouldn’t want to get caught red-handed once again.”

“Like that time that you accidentally bumped into me in the hospital,” Jungkook exclaimed.

He nodded, “Your story is yours to tell.”

There was silence between them before Jungkook let out a sigh.

Then, in a small whisper, he said, “Thanks.”

Jungkook then started walking away but then Jimin called to him.

“Hey!” Jimin shouted. Jungkook’s steps halted, and Jimin added, “Dahyun is a precious person to me.”

Jungkook turned to face him, “And why am I hearing this?”

“Just,” Jimin shrugged, “I thought I should let you know.”

“Surely, you can be somewhere more fun this weekend,” Dahyun stated as she took the space beside Jimin.

He opened the pot which contained the freshly cooked ramyun, “What? This is fun too.”

As the smell of the ramyun filled the air, they both breathed in before letting out a contented sigh.

“I would like to have some too,” Hyunjin exclaimed.

“Of course,” Jimin ruffled his brother’s hair. He took each of their cup and filled it as Dahyun the television and the DVD player. She chose an animated film.

“Ah. Jimin-a, please lend me some pajamas,” Dahyun told him just a few minutes into the movie, “I told our moms that I’m sleeping here.”

“Your house is literally three blocks away from here, Dahyun,” Jimin answered.

“You have better warmers here,” she pouted, “I want to experience it at least once this week.”

Fortunately, he found some of her pajamas in his cabinet which Dahyun might have left on her last overnight.

His brother fell asleep the end of the film, so Jimin had to carry him into his room. Dahyun had changed into her pajamas and had also prepared her makeshift bed in their living room by the time that he joined her again.

“It’s a surprise that you’re not taking over my room,” Jimin told her.

“My mom pretty much discovered that we can no longer fit in your bed, so I make you sleep on the floor all the time,” she answered, “She said that if I would bother you with an overnight, keep it minimal or else, you’d get tired of me.”

Jimin turned off the lights before turning on the lampshade he brought from his room. The lampshade created the right kind of dim that Dahyun wanted for sleeping, and also created star shadows on the ceiling.

The lampshade was one of the few matching things that Dahyun and Jimin had.

“Me getting tired of you?” Jimin settled in the space beside her, “I wonder if that would happen.”

“I know right,” she agreed and we both chortled.

“But maybe some things can change,” Jimin stated, “Yeah. When you get married and stuff.”

“Marriage? I wonder if I can get a boyfriend though,” she replied.

He asked her with worry, “Do you think you’re not good enough?”

“More like you’ve set the bar too high,” she answered, “You got good grades. You’re kind and sociable. Most of all, you take care of me well. Park Jimin is really number one. Woah! I wonder how can anyone surpass that.”

“How about I take responsibility and marry you then?” Jimin kidded with a big smile on his lips.

Dahyun chortled with Jimin, and riding with his humor, she whispered, “Not bad. I already spent half of him life with you. I think I can spend the rest of it with you too.”

Jimin turned to her to read her expression, but her eyes were already closed. He tucked her beneath her sheets tightly and watched her sleep.

But then, Jimin averted his gaze to the ceiling for the more he stared at her, the more that a part of him grew to wish for her words to at least be half-meant.

“Chaeng!” Jimin blurted, surprised to see Chaeyoung in thei school, “Why are you here? Are you visiting?”

“What visiting?!” she scoffed, “I transferred here today!”

“Really?” he was still flabbergasted, “That’s great.”

“I heard that you were doing a pretty bad job at being Dahyun’s best friend so I’m here to take over the role,” she told him with a mischievous smile on her lips.

He just laughed at her statement, and she teasingly faked an offended expression.

“Where’s Dahyun?” Jimin asked her, “Come on. Let’s have lunch together. You can join our table.”

“No way. You’re probably sitting with your girlfriend,” Chaeyoung looked disgusted, “I’m fine sitting with Dahyun and Jungkook at the rooftop.”

“Jungkook, huh,” Jimin whispered, but it was audible for Chaeyoung for she reacted.

“Why?” she smirked, “Not used to Dahyun having a close male friend other than you?”

Jimin couldn’t answer the question because Seulgi called his name and came running towards him.

“Jimin, come and have lunch with me,” Seulgi was huffing as she held onto his arm.

“I’ll get going then,” Chaeyoung quickly turned away, possibly avoiding even being introduced or interacting with Seulgi.

“Let’s go too,” Seulgi invited Jimin, taking his hand as she pulled him towards the cafeteria.

Jimin walked with her hand in hand along the corridors, and she started talking about something he couldn’t quite comprehend.

“Do you think lunch in the rooftop is better?” Jimin asked, interrupting her monologue.

“Oh,” she seemed surprised by him out-of-the-blue question, “Rooftop? It’s probably sunny there though. Why? Do you want to have our lunch there?”

“No. It was nothing,” he shook his head and redirected their conversation, “What were you saying again?”

Seulgi beamed and started talking once more but Jimin's mind was elsewhere.

He was wondering if wanting to be with Dahyun was just an old habit that he simply couldn’t erase.

Sorry if this is going slower than I expected. I just have to introduce the characters first then we'd go back to the main story. Aaaaand I found that I am more comfortable in writing in the first perspective, so for this story, I would be back to that old style of changing POVs, but I find it more efficient if the change is synchronized with the chapters. I hope you wouldn't get confused. You can just treat the chapters as interconnected one shots. lol