“There is never a time or place for true love.

It happens accidentally,

in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.”

- Sarah Dessen, The Truth about Forever

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She met Jimin three months before she was scheduled to leave for London. Sangjoon had just gotten accepted into the London bar and they were going to move there. She was going to continue her studies there and after that, spend their time between London and Korea. Sangjoon was a planner, and from the first year they started dating, he had drafted that future for them both. Never mind that she didn’t intend to marry until she was twenty six. It was enthusiastically endorsed by her parents, because Sangjoon is such a nice guy and he takes such good care of her. And everything would have gone according to plan without a hitch if she hadn’t met Jimin. Hadn’t gone for that fansign which Ae-young had dragged her to because she needed company and she was free since she had deferred her studies and was going to continue her next semester in London.

The first thought she had when she got to the fansign was how scary it was. All those prepubescent girls screaming at the top of their lungs with their too-large DSLR cameras shoving into each other. “Oppa! Oppa!” She had to tiptop to see the 7 boys which inspired all these chaos and frenzy. Ae-young had given her a copy of her CD and she had never gone to such things before. She held the CD in her hand, palms sweating and she remembered Jimin was at the first seat. She stood there, legs strangely frozen to the spot and Ae-young gave her a gentle push from behind.

“Go.”

She walked over, back straight and CD ed out with both hands. She must have stuck out like a sore thumb. All the other girls were on their knees, so they were at eye level with the boys, and she clumsily got to her knees due to the skirt she had on. She remembered Jimin asking for her name, half-smile on his lips, head propped carelessly on his hand as he leaned forward. “I’ve never seen you before at any of the fansigns.”

She doubted he could remember the faces he met since there must have 300 girls at the fansign today but she still replied. “I’ve never gone for any of the fansigns before.”

He pressed a hand to his chest, a mock flattered expression on his face. “I hope this won’t be the last.” It was funny, how he was trying hard to be flirtatious and all she could think about was how cute he looked, with those half-moon eyes which crinkled to lines when he smiled.

She could feel Ae-young by her side and she knew it was time to move to the next boy in line. She was about to take the CD with both her hands. “Wait, wait.”

Jimin took the cd and continued writing in a secretive manner, his other hand cupped to shield his words. “Ok, here you go.” He said, handing her the CD back. The rest of the line happened in a blur. She remembered Taehyung with the shock of orange hair and the wide toothy infectious grin and the slick, smooth Rapmon with the deep baritone voice. But it was Jimin with his boyish demeanor that left an impression on her. When she was on the subway with Ae-young, Ae-young had flipped through both CD photobooks.

“On my god! Look at what Jimin wrote.” Ae-young grabbed her arm.  And she could make out a string of numbers and the words “Let’s have a second meet-up” in a childish scrawl with a distorted smiley face.

“Oh my god.” She said, holding the cd photobook in her hands.

“You have to meet him! You must have left an impression on him!” Ae-young was practically hyperventilating as she gushed over how greasy and flirtatious Jimin may be, but he’s a harmless sweetheart. And those abs, those abs. Towards the end, she felt like Ae-young was practically talking in CAPS LOCK as she gave her a rundown of how Jimin is her bias and she would be a fool to not call him, and Sangjoon need not know.

It took her one week before she finally relented and called Jimin. Some part of her was curious, another part of her strangely flattered. Jimin was 2 years younger than her, but there was something very adult and knowing in those eyes which she had seen drifting over to her when she was at her turns with the other boys.

She dialed the number, her heartbeat an erratic stattaco. On the second ring, she heard a tentative, reserved voice.

“Hello?”

“Hello. I’m Sora.” A pregnant awkward pause.

“The girl you met at the Seoul fansign. I…Oh god, I’m sorry. I should hang up.”

“Wait, wait. Give me some time.” She heard muffled voices, the close of a door and then silence.

“Sorry, I was at practice.” Soft panting, followed by quick indrawn breaths. “I remember you. You’re the first-timer right?”

She laughed into the receiver. “Yeah I am.”

“Sorry, you have to give me some time. My brain doesn’t work that well. Too many dance steps and lyrics inside.” His voice was so gentle and soft, as though he was afraid of frightening her away.

“I’m almost done with my practice. You wanna meet up for supper?” She heard him over the line, slightly unsure, as though he was braced for rejection.

“I….” Her voice trailed off and his reply came almost too fast, too rehearsed. “It’s okay, it was way too last minute anyway.”

“Wait, wait. Give me some time too.” Her reply elicited a laugh from him and his laughter had a high-pitched lilt to it almost as though he was out of breath. She remembered thinking it was so cute, just like the rest of him.

“I can’t do supper but how about coffee?”

“Coffee is good too.” He said, joy bubbling over his voice. He rattled off the address of a café which he said he frequented. When she hung up the phone, she wondered what she had gotten herself into because this was so unlike her. She thought about calling Ae-young and getting her to join her but in the end she didn’t.

When she walked over to the café, which is really not too far from her house, Jimin was already there. His hair was partly damp and tucked under a cap, the brim low over his face. His oversized tee-shirt looked one size too big for his frame and he was flipping through the menu. He looked similar to that day at the fansign, except his face didn’t seem to be caked with that much make-up. He looked so much younger than his actual age of nineteen and she remembered he was so full of contradictions. She had searched for some clips, and his onstage persona was so confident and assured but offstage, he looked strangely vulnerable. There was a ruddiness to his face, like he had just come out from strenuous physical activity. She stood there, some distance away from the glass paneled storefront, looking at him.

She could still walk away. She would go back and share this with Ae-young, and laugh about it because this was not what a twenty-one year old with a boyfriend will do. She was far too sensible, far too cautious for this sort of thing. Meeting a stranger in the middle of the night. Things like this only happen in dramas. The mental debate was still going on in her head, when Jimin looked up. He waved to her. And the smile he gave her disintegrated any misgivings she may have. It seemed like it always happened like this with Jimin. She would dig her heels in and all he had to do was give her a playful tug, some aegyo to cajole her and she was done.  

Ae-young had said Jimin was a harmless sweetheart. She was so wrong.