My Little Dancer

seventeen // worth the wait

"Love cannot be measured by how long you wait,
it's about how well you understand why you're waiting."

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Maybe? What on earth is maybe?!

Yein stared at the fallen leaves and kicked the ground. She was sitting on a bench at the entrance of the bar they had been relaxing at the past four hours.

"Ah, you're still here?"

Jungkook was standing at the doorway. He had gone to the restroom when the group decided it was time to leave.

Yein nodded in response. "I made sure the guys sent the girls back."

"I see," he answered, looking straight ahead. After a brief moment, he asked, "shall we get going then?"

"Mhm."

As they walked in silence, Yein had a lot running through her mind. She had questions in which she wanted answers for, and she had questions in which she didn't really want answers for.

After fighting in her mind on what to say, she finally mustered her courage.

"I'm sorry."

Yein expected him to stop in his tracks but Jungkook simply continued walking in the same slow pace.

"For what?"

"Uh... you drank another drink on my behalf."

The sound of the crunching of leaves underfoot persisted, graciously filing the gaps in their conversation.

"That's my problem. I chose it. You don't have to be sorry."

Yein stole a glance at him and watched as he trudged on, hands in his hoodie, eyes looking straight ahead. He occasionally looked at the road and behind them, as if he was looking out for cars or bicycles.

Unsure of how to continue, Yein, with her hands also shoved in the pockets of her matching hoodie, quietly walked on while having her eyes trail on the ground. She was now walking slightly ahead of Jungkook.

Apart from the occasional buzz of passing cars, she could clearly hear the crunching sound from under her feet and his. So much so that it became like a melody in her head. His was heavy while hers was light.

When the crunch behind her ceased, it was replaced with his voice.

"I'm the one who's sorry."

Yein stopped and turned around to face Jungkook. What she saw surprised her. He still had his confident, Jungkook look but somehow it was laced with vulnerability.

"I was afraid. Afraid to take that step forward; that I may lose what I already had."

She watched as he anxiously rubbed his hands with his head hung low.

"But," he raised his head to look at her, "I realised that if I don't do anything now, I'll still lose it."

Folding his lips nervously, he said in a soft voice, "Yein ah, I'm sorry for taking so long but--"

Staring into her eyes, he took a deep breath.

"--I don't want to lose you."

Yein felt a lump in her throat.

"촣아해/I like you."

Yein didn't know what to do. She hadn't been confessed to in such a manner and Jungkook was smiling at her, a kind of smile she had never seen before.

It looked so special, so different from his usual and Yein knew, it was an expression filled with love. It tugged at her heart, as his smile always had. But this time, she had to admit, he made her fall for him all over again. And despite all the frustrations she went through, she felt that it was worth the wait.

Seeing how he now had a look of anticipation and worry, seemingly because she hasn't uttered a word since, Yein broke into a wide smile. He looked like a little child waiting eagerly for his present.

Closing the distance between them, she gazed into his eyes. Breaking into a shy grin and letting her gaze fall to the ground, she chuckled. It felt so surreal hearing his confession.

"Ah~ I finally hear it from you." Yein said in a playful manner.

Jungkook looked away in embarrassment. When their gazes met again, he beamed gladly.

"Yein ah, I like you."

Unable to hide her wide smile that turned her eyes into little smiling crescents, Yein replied, "나도/Me too. I like you."

As the midnight wind blew the leaves off its branches, the two of them remained standing there, like two idiots simply grinning at each other.