Trainee | 박지민

XXI

"Hello?" I answer the unknown caller in hesitance.

"Mia," the male's voice was slightly muffled, and I was curious of who it was.

"Who's this?"

"Mia, it's your dad." I hear him sniffling, having a hard time speaking. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"Dad, what's wrong? What happened?" I start to worry, wondering why he's crying. I could also hear mum's familiar tone in the background. "Is mum okay?"

"She's gone. Your grandma." My face softens. My breathing is hitched and shaky, pools of tears start to gather at the bottom.

"Wh-what? What do you mean? She wasn't even in the hospital? What do you mean she's gone? Dad-"

"She's been in the hospital for the past two weeks-"

"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" The feeling of exasperation made me yell through the phone. Tears swiftly roll down to the corner of my mouth.

"She didn't want you to know. She didn't want you to worry and be stressed especially during your most important part of reaching your dreams."

The tears burst out like a leaked dam, gushing down my face.

I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for grandma's support.

. • . • .

Author's POV

Mia ended up in the park after letting her feet mindlessly take her somewhere further away from the world.

She let her body collapse on the bench, all weak and frail, as she blankly stare onto the greens, feeling numb and lost.

She sighs heavily as tears of despair leisurely cascade. "If you just waited a little bit more, you would see that your hard work didn't go in vain."

She snaps back into the reality, wiping her tears. She notices a familiar figure heading her way.

"Fuck. Not now, go away." She mumbles to herself, clamping her eyes shut, hoping for the person to just walk past. But she feels movement right beside her, seeing a sat down person as she opens her eyes.

They both remain tranquil. Mia tries not to be obvious that she had been crying as she slowly sniffle.

"Mia.." She flinched at the sudden soothing voice that she hadn't heard for the past week.

He places his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "it's good to let it all out. Why have you been crying?"

Mia's eyebrows furrow from his change of attitude after ignoring her. "Nothing that concerns you." She coldly says, looking away as tears manage to slip from her eyes.

She secretly wipes them, clenching her jaws to make it stop. But she couldn't, no matter how much she tried to calm herself down.

"Mia," he tried to make her feel at ease .

"Please," she shrug his hand off her shoulder. "Just leave me alone.." she covers her face with both her hands.  "..like what you've always been doing." She murmurs, but he still heard.

Guilt flushes through Jimin, unsure whether to give her some space or keep her company.

Mia vigorously rubs her face, annoyed from the continuous tears.

Jimin hauls her head onto his chest. "Just cry and get it over with. You can't just be miserable on your own."

Mia reluctantly pushes him away, but is powerlessly getting tugged back onto Jimin's warm embrace. "Stop it, just go.." She weakly hits Jimin's chest, before crashing with tears as the walls that hold her up steadily collapse.

He brushes her hair in comfort, holding her in silence.

"It was too late. My grandma.. she didn't get to see me on the stage before she passed away. She didn't see her dreams for me. I didn't.." She sobs into his chest, drenching his shirt.

"Shhh.. it's not your fault. You couldn't control anything. Stop blaming yourself." Jimin wipes her tears. "Although she's not by your side anymore, she's still watching you from heaven, proud of everything you've accomplished."

Mia nods in happiness. "She's still watching you, so you can't give up, okay?" Jimin talks to her with his cute voice, making Mia chuckle.

. • . • .

Once Mia composes herself, they were both quiet, gazing at the blueness of the sky. "So, do you want to tell me about your grandma?"

Mia smiles at the thought of describing how beautiful as a person her grandma is. "She caught me crying in my room one time, about how my parents were against me with pursuing this dream. But she pushed me and motivated me to do what it takes to get here. That's when I applied for a job and started saving up. She would even give me a few extra money that she has, to add onto my savings."

Tears start to appear again on Mia's eyes. "She was my number one fan, and she was mine. I wanted to let her see me on stage. Let her see that she was behind my success. She was part of why I didn't give up despite all the hardships."

She sighs heftily, "every time I felt like giving up, her picture is the first thing I see when I open my locker, and all those doubts disappear."

"You sound so lucky to have her." Jimin clings his arm on Mia's shoulder, and she let her head fall on his shoulder, comfortably letting time pass.

. • . • .

Mia's POV

I didn't think he would be this big of a help for me emotionally. He made me feel safe. He made me feel easy to talk about my problems.

He didn't go away when I pushed him away. He stayed. He stayed and just hugged me.

That reassuring hug when he wraps his arms around me, warming me like a blanket, reminding me that everything will be okay.

And suddenly, everything was okay.

. • . • .