Paper Cranes | Park Jimin

10: Tug of War

A week later after the university camping, we were all back to our daily lives and the daunting season of tests and requirements came by.

With slow, deliberate movements, I flipped through the pages of my book, trying to stay focused amidst the heavy stare coming from the distance. I took a deep breath in before exhaling steadily through my nostrils, releasing my exasperation.

"If you have nothing better to do, please just go home." I grimaced, propping my chin on my palm and sketched random figures on my reviewer.

Being around Jimin a lot lately had taught me that arguing with him was a total pain in the bum. So instead of wasting time in front of my unit and pointlessly asking him to leave, I left the door wide open for him.

Yet unlike him who had all the free time in the world, I had my responsibilities to face. Still, I couldn't fathom why Jimin even bothered to waste his time with me.

"Haneul-ah, why do you live alone here?" he suddenly asked.

"Well about that..." I thoughtfully answered, not sparing him a glance. "It's because the university's much closer here and maybe to experience living independently."

He hummed in response.

"What about— Hey, don't look at that!"

On reflex, I lurched forward to retrieve my sketchbook, but Jimin raised it above his head whilst leaning on the edge of the couch, making it harder for me to reach as I only had my palm to steady myself.

I glowered at Jimin, only then realizing that we were literally an inch apart and I could feel my breath ghosting against his. Concealing the uneven pounding that reverberated on my chest, I hardened my gaze.

Jimin tilted his head, sporting a smirk that was backed up by his wrinkled eyes. "Why?"

"I'm just not comfortable with people looking at my work." I distanced myself away from him, not tearing my eyes away from my cream colored sketchbook.

"Hey, stop it," I argued as he tried to scan over the pages with still outstretched arms.

"Yah, that hurts!" exclaimed Jimin when I hit him, yet he was too busy with my sketchbook.

I held my hand out, hoping that he would return it through my rather calm approach. But he was adamant about it, so I sat up straight and held my pen again, attention back on my reviewers.

When Jimin assumed that I wasn't interested in taking back my sketchbook anymore, that was exactly when I snatched it from his grasp.

Boy, you thought.

He shot me a disapproving look and I innocently smiled, securing the object on my side.

Now... back to studying.

I twirled my pen as I read the next item on my reviewer. I was sure I had seen the answer to this question when I was going over my notes. I could just peek into the pages, but I wanted to remember on my own.

Jimin scooted beside me, leaning on the table as if he were interested in whatever I'd been doing, making it harder for me to concentrate.

Which era was it again that had a mixture of forward and backward tendencies? I'm sure it has something to do with social hopes of the revolutionary period. But come to think of it, why do I even need to know this, it's not like—

"Napoleonic," said Jimin, interrupting my rambling mind.

"Oh?" My brows shot up in amusement and I finally decided to scan my notes to validate. "You're right!"

I wrote down the answer on my reviewer, and I got to admit that I was impressed that Jimin had knowledge about this.

"How do you know this? You're majoring in business, right?" I absentmindedly asked.

"I just know." Jimin shrugged, eyes wandering to his side.

"Well, come to think of it, you've been interested in paper cranes too," I mused. "Is there any particular reason?"

"Just finish your work."

My mechanical pencil came to a halt, the led snapping into two due to the unanticipated pressure. I confusedly frowned at him for getting so cranky all of a sudden.

Did I say anything wrong?

I studied his expression for a moment, yet I could not get past through his guarded gaze, as if his eyes were of solid metal. So brushing it away, I continued with my work.

This time, the silence that consumed us was rather disturbing on my part, and pretty much both of us felt the tension within. Pretending not to be bothered, I kept shifting pages, writing nonsense and doing anything else to ease the atmosphere.

But the harshness in his tone was too evident to just dismiss it so facilely.

Jimin abruptly stood up.

"I'm leaving," he declared, the words almost too muffled to understand.

My head snapped up, and all I could do was to follow him with my eyes until he darted out of my sight in a blink.

I was more than fine with that, and supposedly, Jimin's departure would turn out as an advantage for me, now that I could study alone with undivided attention.

But this tug of war between uncertainty and worry had replaced Jimin's job of consuming my attention. I was then left wondering why my heart crunched as if it had been crashed over by a brick wall.

— ✿ —
❝안녕하셰요! it's a short update with a kinda long note hehehe (: I think majority of you are having their break from school on june while I'm here like, the next semester starts on june and I have less than a month left and I also need to go over my notes and stuff *cries*

but on a brighter note, the boys are having fun, they slayed at the bbmas and brought home that well-deserved award ♡ and namjoon's speech was just — IM SO PROUD OF THEM

anyway, I'm curious about my readers and I'd like to get to know you guys, so comment your name, birthday and where you're from and let's be chingus yaay ♡❞