Jin ripped open the third envelope of birthday cards he had received from the party. What he had expected to be a couple letters turned out to me more than he could ever imagined. Most of them were either from people at the magazine studio, his friend’s families, his brother, Minji, and many more.

 

Dear Seokjin,

 

Hope you have a happy birthday. Take care of your family.

 

Love, Mrs. Chang

 

My Dear Jinnie,

 

Have a wonderful birthday. Make sure you have fun with Namjoon ;)

 

Love, Soyou

 

Dearest Seokjin,

 

We love you and we hope that your birthday is full of happiness.

 

With Love, Umma, Appa, Hyosang, and Minji

 

Jin hyung,

 

No one can make a heavenly jjigae better than you. I’m gonna miss you and your cooking.

 

From, Taehyung

 

Seokjin (aka Pink Princess),

 

Part of me is gonna miss hearing your ringtone blaring at seven in the morning, but at the same time part of me doesn’t ㅋㅋㅋ. Nevertheless, have a happy birthday.

 

Min Yoongi

 

Jin shook his head, as he chuckled to himself. Carefully gathering the first dozen cards all together, he placed them in a floral cardboard box. He then took out the last few cards that were given to him.

 

Dear hyung,

 

I’m gonna miss you and your smile. You know you’re like an umma to me. Happy Birthday

 

From, Jeon Jungkook

 

Dear Jin,

 

Happy Birthday. Remember to always keep smiling (don’t smile too much or someone else might flirt with you!).

 

From, Park Jimin

 

Dear Jin,

 

Know that I love you from the bottom of my heart. I can’t wait until Spring. Be ready for more hairstyles and clothes xoxo.

 

Love, Hoseok (I’M YOUR HOPE)

 

That was the last letter. Jin placed them in the box as well, along with the others. He placed the lid on top, picked up the box, and placed it underneath his bed. He stood up and rubbed his arm. Now that it was official that he was leaving, those were probably going to be the last memories he would ever make with his loved ones.

 

What saddened him even more was that he was leaving the day after tomorrow. Which was after his birthday.Time flew so fast, that Jin wished time itself could just stop.

 

Before he could even bat a lash, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Jin slipped his phone out of his pocket and checked the message sent to him.

 

Namjoonie: hey baby, you free tonight? There’s one last place I want to take you before you have to leave.

 

Jin couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips. He texted him back.

 

Seokjin: Yeah, I’m free. What were you thinking?

 

Waiting for his reply, he went downstairs and found his brother packing his things in a suitcase, which was what he should’ve been doing. There were more important matters to take care of though.

 

“Hyung, are you busy? No, well then could you drive me somewhere?”

 

Hyosang looked up at him with a confused expression. “Mwo-what are you talking about? Where?”

 

Seokjin fidgeted. “I was thinking of picking up some things to take with me to Hong Kong. You know, as a sentimental value.”

 

Hyosang arched a brow. “Are you even done packing?”

 

“Almost…” Jin lied. “That’s why I need to pick up some things. So please?” He asked, batting his doe eyes.

 

Hyosang sputtered a laugh. “Jesus, hyung, you must be pretty desperate to use aegyo on me if ya just want to see your boyfriend.”

 

Jin’s face flushed in embarrassment. Who better else than tell he was beating around the bush than none other than Kim Hyosang. Jin pouted in defeat.

 

Hyosang smirked, then ruffled his hair. “Come on lover boy. I’ll take you to your man.”

 

~

 

After bidding his brother a farewell, Jin jogged over to Namjoon’s apartment. Just as he got to the front door of the building, Namjoon opened the door and stepped out, almost hitting Jin in the process.

 

“Wh-woah!” Namjoon managed to catch Jin’s arm to keep him from tripping. “Sorry about that,” he apologized, smiling sheepishly.

 

“It’s fine,” Jin smiled, giving him a quick embrace. “So where was that place you wanted to show me?”

 

Namjoon’s smug smile became more apparent. “Right. If you’d follow me, the walk is not that long.”

 

Jin giggled at how gentlemanly his boyfriend was acting, but didn’t mention anything. Instead he just looped his arm around his boyfriend’s and laced their fingers together. The couple walked down the sidewalk into the area that contained most of the stores and cafes.

 

Namjoon stopped in front of a cafe that smelled like hazelnuts and marshmallows when you stepped in. Jin walked inside and took in the surroundings. The cafe wasn’t too crowded, but house a large quantity of people.

 

He turned to Namjoon. “A hot chocolate shop, is this where you wanted to take me?”

 

Namjoon shook his head, planting a soft kiss on his temple before whispering, “this is just part one.” He walked over to the cashier and held up two fingers. Jin didn’t hear what he had ordered.

 

 

 

Pretty soon, Namjoon came back holding two cups in his hand. He handed one of them to Jin. Seokjin accepted the drink and blew on the small opening of the lid to cool it off, then tilted the cup to take a sip. He winced when the hot drink burned the tip of his tongue, much to Namjoon’s amusement.

 

Taking another careful sip, he finally managed to swallow the beverage. It wasn’t the same traditional hot chocolate he was used to. It was sweeter, but there was another flavour he couldn’t put his finger on. Something light and refreshing. Whatever it was, it tasted nice.

 

“What kind of hot chocolate is this?” Jin asked.

 

Namjoon sipped his own drink. “White chocolate lavender. Do you like it?”

 

Jin nodded, before taking another sip. So that’s what I was tasting.

 

Pretty soon, after the boys had finished their hot chocolate, Namjoon pulled Jin out of the cafe. “Now for part two.” He paused. “But first, I need your consent.”

 

Jin cocked his head to the side. “My consent for what?”

 

Namjoon took a deep breath. “For me to let you dye your hair.”

 

“M-my hair?” Jin blurted out. “Why would I need to-”

 

“Hear me out,” Namjoon interrupted. “Whenever I’m with you, and I’m playing with that soft hair of yours, I always catch that little strand of blonde hair.” The latter emphasized his point by flicking his bangs to the side, making the lock visible.

 

Jin covered his hair with both of his hands. Namjoon laughed at his boyfriend’s childish reaction.

 

“Did you have blonde hair before, or were you born with it?” He asked.

 

“I meant to dye only the tips of my hair blonde, but clearly I wasn’t a master at that and ended up dying my entire head.”

 

Namjoon nodded. “And you’re ashamed because…” he let his sentence trail off as he tried to make out Jin’s expression.

 

Jin looked away. “It wasn’t like I was ashamed. I went out and people start to actually notice me, started thinking I was somebody who was eccentric and bold. But that wasn’t it, I didn’t want any of that attention.”

 

“Well,” Namjoon started, grabbing his wrists so he could carefully pry his hands from a top his hair. “Would you rather have people notice you by the makeup on your face, by your clothes, or your hair?

 

“Because quite honestly, none of those seem to matter. You’re perfect just the way you are. I’m only suggesting the hair dying part because if I were to travel a thousand miles across the worlds, I’d make a statement.”

 

Jin gazed up at his tall boyfriend. Now that he thought about it, Jin was sick of his typical chocolate brown hair. He’d been through so much change in his life, that he would rather do something spontaneous, like get a tattoo, piercing, or a new hair color. On second thought, a new hair color seems less painful.

 

Chewing his lip in contemplation, Jin finally gave him a nod, giving him his consent.

 

~

The two walked to the closest salon they could find. It wasn’t long until Jin was seated in one of the chairs, staring back at his reflection with a black smock draped over his body. Namjoon was standing right next to him, watching him with excited, but nervous expression.

 

“Are you sure you’re alright with that color Jin?”

 

Jin gave him a nod. “I’m sure baby, I’m sure.”

 

Finally, after pulling on her gloves, the hair dresser returned with a bottle of peroxide. She squeezed the cool liquid into the roots of his hair then combed it out, making sure to coat his locks evenly.

 

Namjoon retreated to the waiting room so he wouldn’t be a distraction. Jin closed his eyes and allowed the soothing music in background lull him into a small nap.

 

After settling the dye in his hair, the hairdresser gave him permission to move while the color setted. She placed a timer on the vanity just in case. Jin got up to use the bathroom. When he stepped in, he caught his reflection. His hair wasn’t even done and already, he started to look like a new person.

 

Jin released an incredulous. Needless to say, the color was looking nice.

 

After a total of twenty to thirty minutes, the timer buzzed and the hairdresser called Jin back over to the sinks. She the water, grabbed the retractable faucet, and started washing away any of the stray dye that was in his hair.

 

She helped Jin dry his hair, then led him to where the mirror was. “Well, what do you think? Pretty, right?”

 

Jin’s eyes nearly bugged out of his eyes. His hair, no longer chocolate brown, was now a plum purple color. The color was vibrant, yet subtle.

 

“The best part about the color I used is that when it fades, it turns into this gorgeous lavender shade. Of course, you don’t have to worry about fading, it usually tends to stay for up to five to eight months.”

 

Jin practically missed every single word she just said as he continued toying with his hair. He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open and a soft “wow.”

 

He turned around and saw Namjoon staring back at him with the same excited expression. He walked over to him and his hair. Pressing his lips forward, he gave him a soft kiss. “You look beautiful.”

 

Jin blushed, but this time, he believed him.

 

After paying the salon for their work, the two started walking hand in hand through the town. By then, the sun had already set, and the moon was out. Namjoon admired how vibrant his hair was, even in moonlight. Everything was peaceful, until Seokjin stopped walking.

 

Namjoon looked over his shoulder. “Baby, what’s wrong?” He noticed that Jin appeared to be fixated on something. Following his initial gaze, he finally realized what he was looking at.

 

Jin slowly walked over to the fountain Namjoon had taken him on their first date. Since it was already close to December, the water was turned off. However, that didn’t mean there was nothing to look out. Christmas lights were looped around the width of the fountain, as well as the neck, where the water was suppose to flow out.

 

Curious, Jin peeked over the edge, as if hoping to see the lotus flowers floating in the water. Instead of lotuss’ however, there were roses. He sat down on the ledge, and poked one of the roses, causing it to bump into one of the other roses.

 

Namjoon sat down next to him. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

Jin nodded, then looked back up at him. “Did you, did you plan to take me here?”

 

Namjoon just shrugged in response. “Maybe, who knows?” He laughed when Jin gave his shoulder a playful shove. Smiling sweetly, he scooted closer to him and rested his head on his shoulder.

 

The younger individual held his hand and caressed his hair down to his cheek. He grazed his lips on the smooth skin before giving him a kiss. Jin tilted his head at an angle, giving him more access to his mouth. The plum haired male cupped his cheek and only kissed him more fervently.

 

The two soon pulled away from one another, Namjoon’s hand still resting on his cheek. “I wanted you to see this Jin. Where it all began.” He gave his lips another kiss when he heard his boyfriend’s breath hitch. “Only this time, you’ve finally realized how much you mean to me.”

 

Taking his hand in his own, he started grazing his lips on his knuckle. “Remember what I told you on our first date?”

 

Jin tried to remember. When he shook his head, Namjoon playfully rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, it was literally like three months ago.” He smiled. “Anyway, what I meant to say was, you’re worth it, Kim Seokjin. You deserve my love, your friends, your family, everything.”

 

After placing one final kiss on his hand, he gazed up at him with a look so tender, Jin swore he felt his insides melt. “I love you, my gorgeous Jin” he whispered.

 

Jin couldn’t bite back the grin on his lips. He pressed their foreheads together and gave the hand that he was holding a squeeze. “I love you too, my lovely Namjoon."

 

~

 

Jin didn’t want to get up from bed that morning. First, it was a Monday, second, it was time for him to leave. Two days after him and Namjoon’s date, he just couldn’t bare the thought of him leaving his side.

 

A light knock resonated from his door. “Seokjin? Are you up bro?” Hyosang’s voice echoed through the wood of the door. For a moment, Jin was suddenly brought back to the many times his brother had almost knocked down his door just to wake him up. He missed that.

 

“I’m up hyung, I’m up,” he said in a soft voice.

 

“Well, I just wanted to let you know that the taxi is supposed to pick us up in an hour so…”

 

Jin reassured him that he’d be down. Hearing the soft pitter patter of his footsteps, he knew his brother had walked away. Instead of getting up, the twenty-two year old just stared at the ceiling with an empty look in his eyes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jin sat up and got out of bed.

 

After showering and getting dressed, he grabbed his phone and called Yoongi.

 

“Hey Yoongi, it’s me. I was wondering if you could, if you could call the others for me and, well, tell them to come here. Y-you too of course,” Jin stutterd.

 

“Yeah, I know, I... Hyung, I’m not even there, and I’m already crying!”

 

Jin laughed sadly. “Save it for when you get here.” He sighed. “I’ll see you soon”

 

Once their call ended, he scrolled through his contacts to look for Namjoon’s when he suddenly got a call, under the name Namjoonie.

 

“Yoboseyo?”

 

“Hey baby, how are you?”

 

“Fine, I guess,” Jin answered vaguely.

 

Namjoon released a deep chuckle. “Mind if I come over?”

 

“Yeah!” Jin replied a bit too excitingly. “I mean, if you’re okay with that.”

 

“Be there in five!” And with that, he hung up. Jin held the phone close to his ear for a couple seconds, as if hoping to make that call last. It would be the last one he’d be having.

 

As promised, Namjoon arrived at the restaurant in exactly five minutes. Running up the stairs, he found Jin in his bedroom, pulled him into his ensuite and closed the door.

 

It was then that Jin noticed that Namjoon had brought his makeup kit. He watched as he set it down on the counter and opened the lid, revealing the array of makeup brushes, shadow, lip gloss and other cosmetics.

 

“Namjoon, what are you doing?”

 

The taller male looked at his boyfriend. “Well, I figured since you’ll be seeing your relatives of which you haven’t seen since you were an adorable little child, I wanted to have your makeup done. And no offense babe, you look like death,” he said, gesturing to the puffy eye bags under his eyes.

 

Jin ‘pfft.’ “Never knew my boyfriend was so blunt.”

 

Namjoon smiled, then got to work. He grabbed a cushioned powdered BB cream and started patting that all over his face, giving his complexion that luminous glow. Then, after applying some concealer, he went ahead and started brushing on some light pink eyeshadow.”

 

“Since your hair is purple, it’s only appropriate that we add pink, since it’s not that bright. It’ll add a warmer tone,” Namjoon stated in his makeup artist voice.

 

He picked up a gold eyeshadow and started swiping the sheer shade underneath his lower lashline. Namjoon picked up a navy blue eyeliner and took out his lighter.

 

“That’s, to make it easier to apply,” Jin said a matter of factly.

 

Namjoon froze, then lit the liner. “Mmhm,” he hummed.

 

Telling Jin to look up, he started applying the cosmetic stick on his water line. It was only when he was on the second eye when Jin started to feel his hand tremble. He looked down and realized that tears were streaming down his lover’s face.

 

“Namjoonie, wha-”

 

“I can’t,” Namjoon said in a voice higher than usual. “I can’t do this Jin.”

 

Jin watched as the eyeliner slipped from his hands and clatter onto the floor. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Next thing he knew, he was engulfed in Namjoon’s arms, who started releasing small sobs.

 

“Jin, I can’t function without you. I-I can never look at another person while I’m doing their makeup without thinking of you. You’re my everything baby, my muse.”

 

Jin speechless. He clutched the fabric of Namjoon’s black t-shirt and buried his nose into his neck, inhaling the familiar husky scent of his shampoo, cologne, and softener. “Namjoon, I…” He bit back a sob. “I don’t...I-I can’t…” He only clutched tighter to his body, crying into his broad chest.

 

The two stayed in their position for what seemed like forever, until Jin reluctantly gave Namjoon a weak push. He stared into his eyes, trying to see what he was feeling. All he saw was sadness. Pure sadness. “Namjoon, being your muse, your everything, or whatever you want to call it means more to me than the sun or moon. If anything, you’re my everything.”

 

Namjoon released another quiet sob as he embraced Jin again. “No matter what,” Jin whispered. “I’ll come back. I promise. Okay?”

 

The latter was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Okay.”

 

~

 

Everyone gathered in front of the restaurant to see Jin off. Jin gave his father a big hug. “Bye Appa, I’ll see you in five months.”

 

Jinyoung nodded, fighting back the tears. Jin watched as he went over to give his wife a kiss and hug. He then went over to Minji and wrapped his arms around his cousin. “I’ll miss you Min.”

 

“Me too,” Minji whispered as she his hair. “I’ll miss you too.”

 

“Please, take care of appa while I’m gone.”

 

Minji nodded, “I promise.”

 

Jin then walked over to Jungkook. “Bye Kookie, I’ll see you and Jimin soon.”

 

Jungkook threw himself in Jin’s arms, crying nonstop. “Kookie, Kookie, please don’t. Please don’t cry,” Jin said, even though he was crying himself.

 

“H-hyung, please just, d-don’t forget about us,” Jungkook sniffled in between his sobs. Jin felt tears start to stream down his face.

 

“Never Kookie, I’ll never forget about you.” He pressed a kiss to his forehead, then went over to embrace Jimin.

 

“Take care of him Jimin,” he whispered.

 

Jimin nodded. He pulled away and wiped away his tears, still nodding. Jin pressed his lips to his forehead as well.

 

Next was Yoongi. The shorter individual avoided eye contact. “Yoongi?” Jin asked, trying to catch his eyes. “Come on Suga, don’t leave me han-”

 

He was suddenly pounded into a tight hug by Yoongi, almost falling over. Erratic sobs left the boy’s lips as he clutched onto his shirt.

 

“Y-yah, Yoongi, it’s only five months, it’s...it’s only..” Jin bit his lip. He knew that it wouldn’t just be five months.

 

With a little struggling, Hoseok pried his body off of Jin’s body and wrapped his arms around him. Jin watched as he continued to comfort him. He rubbed the shorter male’s back then squeezed Hoseok’s shoulder. “Take care of him, okay?”

 

Hoseok nodded, then scrunched up his face, releasing tears of his own. “I-I promise, Jin.”

 

Jin walked over to the next person and wrapped his arms around Taehyung, who was in the same state as Yoongi. “I’ll come back Tae, I promise.”

 

When they pulled away, Taehyung presented a plushie. A plushie of Mario. “Y-Yoongi hyung told me you, you liked, M-Mario, hyung.”

 

Jin felt his heart shatter. “Oh Tae,” he pulled him onto another hug, muffling his cries into his shirt. When they pulled away, the moment of truth came. Jin shuffled slowly over to where Namjoon was.

 

He clutched the plushie in his hand. “N-Namjoon, I..” He couldn’t even finish his sentence as he muffled his cries into the plush. Namjoon nodded in understandment, and just pulled him into a much needed hug. “Remember what you told me, you’ll come back to me. Back in my arms.”

 

Jin nodded repeatedly. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “I love you Namjoon,” he started releasing more loud sobs. “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…” He said on a loop.

 

Namjoon could only nod, squeezing his eyes as if forcing himself to not cry. “I know baby, I know. I love you too, more than anything. More than life.”

 

He pulled away from their hug, then smashed his lips against his. Namjoon pulled Jin closer by the waist, causing their kiss to deepen. They poured everything they had into that one kiss, causing Jin to lose all reason to listen to anything. He didn’t miss the sound of the taxi horn however.

 

“Jin,” Hyosang said in a hushed voice. “It’s, it’s time to go.”

 

Pulling away from their kiss, Jin continued to pepper his face with butterfly kisses. “I’ll come back, I promise.”

 

Namjoon nodded. Just as Jin was about to walk away from him, he felt a tug on his wrist. He looked down and realized that Namjoon still had a tight grip on him.

 

“N-Namjoon, you have to let go.”

 

Namjoon shook his head. “Don’t leave me, please,” he said. “Please, please, please don’t go.” His voice increased in volume as he said that. “I don’t care if it’s five months, two weeks, or even a day! I don’t want us to be apart.”

 

“Baby please,” Jin started. But it was too late, Namjoon was practically down on his own knees begging his lover not to go. He crouched down in front of him and wrapped his arm around him.

 

“I know baby. I want you here by my side. When I’m sleeping, I want to you to wrap your arms around me. When I wake up, I want you by my side. Whenever, wherever, I want you here with me.”

 

He released a shuddering breath. “Five months,” he nodded. “Five months, I’ll be in your arms. Five months, I’ll be there with you. Spring will come Namjoon. Please believe that.”

 

Jin gave his forehead another kiss, then helped the two of them stand up. Holding his hands in his own. His eyes circled over to where his friends, father, and cousin were, then turned their attention back to his boyfriend. “I’ll be back.”

 

And with that, he let his hands slipped away from Namjoon’s grip. He got into the cab with his mother and brother, and closed the door. Rolling down the window, he blew a kiss to his boyfriend, who only clenched his fist in response.

 

The driver started to engine of the car, then started driving away from the restaurant. Jin’s eyes never left his boyfriend as he watched him shrink into the distance. Jin started releasing short, erratic gasps, almost as if he was hyperventilating.

His mother and brother looked at him in concern. Then, without even thinking, Jin threw himself into his brother’s arm, and started bawling non stop into his chest. He didn’t stop on the way to the airport, when they got to the airport, or when they waited for the plane. He didn’t stop crying even when they were already on the plane, flying away from Seoul.

 

Not gonna lie loves, I started crying when I was typing this scene. Also, fun fact, listening to BTS's RUN while writing is probably not a good idea. Anyway, subscribe, comment and upvote and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!