CHAPTER EIGHT
RETURNING LOVE

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     You'd been lying against the same tree for about an hour and a half now. It was probably late afternoon, as you assumed by the sky. You could've gotten up and left, but what was the point. You came to search for Jimin, and along the way lost the one and only present he ever gave you. You let your slightly heavy eyes open wider and stretched your arms in front of you. Your lips were chapped and you ran your wrists over your head, burying your mind in yourself. Why were you still here? Why does it mean so much just to see him? What if you were unable to bring his memory back? Why the hell did you even leave your front door this morning? Look where you've got yourself now. You felt slightly useless, and dumb. Who the hell stubbornly climbs a mountain for two hours just to see someone? Dumb dumb dumb. You rolled your eyes at yourself mentally, feeling failure in how naive you were. 

You rubbed the region of your legs between under the knees to the ankles. They were sore. Damn Park Jimin for being so physically active and fit, 99% of people can't keep up with him. Hearing a bird squawk just above, you decided you were going to have to get down the mountain soon before it got dark. But you were going to find a way down to the lower ground, and find your necklace first. You rubbed your skin at any place that hurt and pushed off the tree behind you to get to your feet. 

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     "Damn, how the hell am I supposed to find her here? It's massive." Jimin would've ruffled his hair if he wasn't wearing a beanie. He stood on the steps that went on for metres on ahead. He stopped an older man who  was jogging down the many steps on this partly sunny afternoon. 

"Sorry sir, did you perhaps see a girl about my age who came here a few hours earlier?" His eyes were quite desperate. A bit like a little kid who was asking a stranger where their favourite blanket was. They wanted the stranger to say "Yes, son! It's just over there!" because they wanted it close to them; they wanted to be able to hold it and know it'll always be by their side through thick and thin. This was Park Jimin in this exact point in time. 

Unfortunately, his child-like dreams were not answered. The man shook his head. 

"Sorry, kid. But I suggest you don't go up now, you won't make it back before it gets dark. I can tell you're fit enough to run up it, but still, not worth the risk of spending a night up here. It gets pretty cold." 

I know that, Jimin mumbled under his breath. 

"How about this, you see that bench just up ahead there?" Jimin looked at where the man was pointing, "Beside that bench is a short walkway that goes along the side of the mountain. Why don't you go up there, hang out for a bit, and when you get bored, just easily walk down before sunset." The man patted Jimin's shoulder before continuing his exercise. Jimin sighed and glanced up at the bench less than 150 steps ahead. He took a moment to glance at its simplicity. An illusion of you sitting on the bench appeared before him, and he pulled his backpack straps tighter before heading up. He wasn't going to let go any chance of finding you. If he trusted in how you felt well enough, one thing he could confirm, was that you were still on this mountain, and he wasn't leaving until he found you. 

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     The sound of tiny chains rang in Jimin's ears like diamonds falling from the sky. He stepped back and ruffled through the leaves under his feet until he pulled out the necklace. A breath of relief came out from his slightly dry mouth. He lifted his head sharply and looked around. 

"you! you! Are you around here?" He called loudly, feeling hope rise inside him. There was shuffling from somewhere close, and when Jimin responded to the voice that called him ever so tenderly, all his insides were filled with flutters. Despite the life-death feeling he had a few minutes earlier, he couldn't help but blush. It wasn't until his cheeks turned into tomatoes that he realised he was so openly showing his feelings, and that made him terribly shy. 

"Jimin?" You walked close to the edge and saw his beautiful, sweaty face before you. "It is you!" You exclaimed; a bright smile on your face. Weirdly, you lifted an arm and waved to him. You watched yourself waving and let out a small chuckle - how the hell were you so high when a few minutes ago you were in depression mode. Haha. 

He cleared his throat and loosened his collar. "H-hi." You looked back at him and slightly smirked - he was... blushing? Your stomache flipped. You were ecstatic to see him, though he seemed as if he came to see you instead. 

"Are..." You blinked and waited for him to continue, "Are you okay?" Your excited face turned a bit serious. You nodded sharply before smiling back. "You?" He waited a moment, in which your eyes didn't leave each others'. "I am now." 

     "Wait there, I'll come up." "No, I'll go down." You attempted to step back when the dirt beneath your feet slipped down, and you went down with it. "you!" Jimin's scream was the last thing you faintly heard as you lost the feeling of ground below you. 

     The moment you were able to recognise your pumping heart, your squeezed eyes slowly opened, and you felt the material that was tightly in your grip. There was breath on your neck and it wasn't until a moment later that you realised you were in Jimin's arms. He'd catched you after you dropped from four metres above. Holy crap. 

You let out a deep breath before pushing off the leaves on the ground (beautiful, solid ground), and you were on your knees, staring down at Jimin's face that was staring right back at you. Breathing became the only sound the two of you registered, among the atmosphere that was filled with only shaking glances into each others' eyes. "Thanks." You said before getting off him, and getting rid of the slightly too mature mood that was almost created. You were only 18 for goodness sake, first love's are supposed to be fluffy. 

He got up and sat beside you, his elbows resting near his knees. "Sorry... for getting you into this. Boyoung lied." 

"Maybe, but I don't blame her. I actually want to thank her." 

"...Why?" The tone Jimin used told you that he was surprised, not because you didn't blame her. He was surprised because he didn't blame her either, and he wanted to know why you felt the same. "Because she did us a favour, didn't she?" 

"If you count sweaty, dirty clothes as a favour then yes, I agree." He joked, and the laughs you shared lightened the mood. Yeah, that was the feeling. That was how first loves are supposed to be. That innocent atmosphere that no matter where, no matter what time, can be comforted by the simple presence of two people who have admirations and special feelings for each other. 

"We're going to be here for the night, are you okay with that?" He looked up at the sky and pouted. "Yeah, guess I am." 

Jimin then smiled gladly before pulling his backpack off and ping it to reveal the extra clothing and small snacks. "What the... what's all this?" He smirked at you, "I always come prepared. Here." He pulled off his beanie and put it over your head, "I was keeping it warm for you." He added before sitting down and looking away. You both blushed at his warm action. Usually in this type of situation, people would say that it would be a long night. But for now, it wouldn't be long enough. 

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     "Do you know stories?" 

Jimin paused at your question. "Stories go well with a night out in the wild," you smiled. The two of you leaned against a taller and wider tree beside each other, with Jimin's handy backpack in the middle. But it wasn't long until your forehead started to heat up, and that was when the endless packets of tissues in Jimin's pack really helped. 

"Here." He pulled out a red,white and black jacket. No.4 was printed on the back in big writing. You smiled as you held it up. 

"No.4 jacket. I didn't know you still kept it." You glanced over and saw him smile lightly, his features in the night light came to life. "Well... I just found it in the wardrobe and pulled it out." 

You smiled. The No.4 jacket - it was the jacket he wore the first time you watched him play basketball. It was since then that you started to look out for him more, and eventually... came to like him. 

You chuckled deeply to yourself, earning a playful glance from him. "What?" He grinned, eager to hear what was on your mind. 

"Mr. JuJu, remember?" You gleamed. He chuckled and rubbed the back of two fingers under his nose as he unconsciously nodded. The nickname came once you properly began getting to know Parkma and Parkju better. Park Ahjumma and Park Ahjussi's child is Mr. Juju - that's how you got the name. But it was outdated now, it only lasted about two weeks anyway. 

Jimin smiled, he nodded to himself once again. Yeah, he was with the right girl now. Only she knew the nickname. Little laughs, stories of young dreams of adventure, and past embarrassing moments were shared between the two of you, until the nature of night time took over and you fell asleep. 

Yeah, that was the feeling. That was how first loves are supposed to be. That innocent atmosphere that no matter where, no matter what time, can be comforted by the simple presence of two people who have admirations and special feelings for each other. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just for your information: when Jimin thought "he was with the right girl", it was because back in Ch 6 "Let Me In" he was looking forward to Boyoung calling him by his nickname (when he thought she was his girlfriend), but she couldn't. 

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