Unrequited || Jimin

1.9 | 햇 빛

S U N S H I N E

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If I had to describe Jeon Jungkook in just one word, it would be this:

Beginning.

With his gentle enunciation of the three syllables in my name, with the way his lips tilt up into a secret smile afterwards, with the way he absent-mindedly patted my arm to rouse me up when the bus came trundling down the road in our direction...

With his presence, everything was set in motion, a movement, a slow-burn start to a story of three entangled souls.

It started right here, in the packed bus, where the air is a living being and the spaces between us come to life as we navigate the crowded space. It's hard to move, hard to breathe in the bus.

Yet six a.m buses are still my favorite.

They brim to the full with sleep-laced faces, a quiet murmur of early morning chatter, coffee cups in hands and backpacks settled against the chairs. Strangers in enclosed spaces, minds still lost in the dreams they've woken up from, gentle exhaustion still coating their bones like warm blankets.

We sat down side-by-side near the back row, lucky enough to find two available seats.

As I did so, my eyes wandered over to the middle row, to where you would usually plop down, where you'd sigh in contentment and stare out the window as we rode to school.

Where we would talk - about anything, anything at all, and you would smile and laugh and ruffle my hair. Delicious warmth spread through me like sweet icing over a cake; the thought of seeing you at school after last night excited me.

"So, I take it we're going to the same school?"

I snapped my focus back to reality, the ghost of your smile disappearing from my mind. "Huh?"

Jeon Jungkook was smiling at my reaction. A full-blown, amused grin - slowly spreading like a flower blossoming. (He was just as beautiful as a flower, I thought to myself. A rose, perhaps, or a sunflower, petals leaning into sunlight and refracting them to the world.)

"I said, I think we're going to the same school. I mean," he gestures to our similar uniform patterns, all blue and plaid blazers and striped blue socks, before lamely finishing, "...so, yeah."

"Ah," I replied, teasing. "Well, I hope so - unless you dress like that for fun."

It was his turn to laugh his beautiful laugh, the melodious one, mellifluous and clear, his voice slightly a whisper. "Who knows? Maybe I do. Maybe this is my hobby."

My smile grew. "Oh, really? Do you not have other hobbies, you weirdo?"

Jungkook crinkled up his nose, his doe eyes widening in mock hurt. "First of all, you're the weirdo. Second of all..."

And then he leaned slightly forward.

It was a small movement - not much, really, when I think about it afterwards. He merely shifted to fully face me, legs angling to the side and torso rotating and chin tilting closer. Our lips weren't sharing a breath's space, nor did our bodies even touch.

But still, all of a sudden, it was as if he was all I can see.

And any and all thoughts of you left my mind.

"...second of all," he repeats, and in his voice I hear a little something, a little break and pause in between the syllables of his words as if he was shy and sort of nervous and all I could think about was what is this feeling in my chest, "I have other hobbies. Like, bumping into girls at supermarkets. And meeting them again at bus stops."

He paused.

"And asking for their numbers."

Dazed. I felt dazed, and my brain couldn't seem to register his words until Jungkook pulled his phone out, his hands a bit shaky, his smile tinged with nervousness.

"So, uh..."

I stared at him for a few seconds, stared at him and then to the phone in his hands and stared back again.

His face grew a bit panicked, composure slipping as he started to withdraw his outstretched hand. "Um, I- you don't have to if you don't want to- I'm sorry, I was just-"

Without thinking, my fingers encircled his wrist, stopping his rushing words. My body felt like it was hot all over, and I was sure that red had seeped into my cheeks.

"Yes, I want to."

The relief that poured into his face was evident.

But then his gaze dropped to where my hand met his, still holding his wrist in place.

I jerked my hand back, furiously blushing as I typed my number into his phone, avoiding eye contact. I could feel my heart pounding, the way it did when you held me close last night.

And when I returned the phone back to his still-waiting hand, I looked up.

His lips were parted slightly open, in awe or shock or realisation I do not know.

All I do know is that, when I bit my lip and dropped my gaze to the ground, I caught a glimpse of his expression.

In that moment, Jeon Jungkook looked as gentle as the early morning sunrise.

As if, maybe, at that exact second...

I became his beginning too.

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A/N: thank you so much for reading, i love you guys a latte!❤ i apologize for late updates, university midsems are coming up ): keep yourself healthy, too - eat well, drink lots & take care!

please leave any feedback, thoughts or any general comments! i'd love to know what you think. :)

p.s the words that are bolded do not form a secret message. i wish i'm that cryptic and intelligent, but welp. :') i only bolded the words to emphasize them, as i can't italicize (since a lot of this story will be in italicized form!)