Moonlight | Kim Taehyung

22: Taehyung

Luna may not have Haneul's beauty, but she's beautiful in her own way. She may have flaws and scars, but that doesn't mean she's any less beautiful. I promised this girl that I would move on from Haneul and I have, so here I am, falling in love with her.

I was supposed to come here with Haneul, but now she's gone. So, now I'm laying on this blanket beside Luna. Maybe fate really does exist and there's a reason to why things happen; to why Haneul is now gone and to why I met Luna. I suppose if Haneul never got into the car accident, I would still be dating her and we would have come here together, but that means I would have never have met Luna. Who knows what would happen if I never met her. Would she have survived through her struggles? Would she have taken her own life if we didn't meet?

"What are you thinking about?" Luna asks me and I'm pulled back into the moment.

"Nothing," I say, but she's looking at me suspiciously, so I sigh and say, "I'm just wondering about what would've happened if Haneul never died. We would not have met if she didn't."

Luna nods slowly, "I suppose so. Or maybe, we would still have met, but just in different circumstances. I believe that we were bound to meet at some point in life, that's just how fate works. If people were bound to meet, they would."

"I wonder what would happen if Haneul didn't die and we didn't meet, what would happen to you?" I ask cautiously.

"To me?" she asks and she seems to ponder. "What would happen to me? I honestly don't know."

"Do you... do you think you would still be alive right now?" I'm careful with my words when I ask her this.

"Yes," she says firmly and without the slightest hesitation, though I notice her eyes waver slightly, "I can't leave my younger sister."

Even though she's saying that, I know she isn't completely certain that she would be still alive right now if we didn't meet. I can tell from her expression and the guilt in her tone that she's not sure what would have happened. Her expression has betrayed her when she looks slightly upset as she forces back her tears and looks up to the sky to avoid my gaze. Yet, the tears still fall from her eyes.

"How could I? How could I have thought to take my own life when I still have to be here for my sisters and my mum... how could I have the thought to end my own life?" She says guiltily as she sobs and covers her face with her hands.

I instantaneously wrap my arms around her, so she's weeping onto my shoulder, "Shh... it's okay, Luna..."

"I'm a horrible person aren't I?" she whispers.

I shake my head, "No you're not. Why would you think that? You're a lovely and amazing girl. Your advice and your way of thinking made me fall for you. You're always thinking about others before yourself, you're the most selfless person I know. But, sometimes you have to be a little selfish, so I don't think anyone would blame you for whatever decision you choose to make. I certainly wouldn't."

She wraps her arms around me tightly as she mutters, "Thank you, Taehyung."

"You're a strong girl, the strongest person I've ever met. You even made me stronger. You made me move on from Haneul. You fixed my broken heart. I was shattering and falling apart, but you brought me back up onto my feet. So, I should be the one thanking you." I say truthfully and with all my heart.

Luna is undoubtedly an incredibly strong and selfless young girl. She's just a teenager, but she's so empowering. I'm beyond grateful that I've met her. I'm glad that she's the one who mended my heart and got me to love again.

"I can say the same thing about you. Thank you for putting together my shattering self. Thank you for keeping me alive. Thank you for being my moonlight and guiding me during the dark times." she looks up at me with her tear-stained face and smiles genuinely.

I smile back at her, "Thank you for being my moonlight."

I gently wipe away her tears with my thumb and she chuckles, "I can't believe the few words we've said to each other changed us entirely. I can't believe how much I needed the small conversations we've had and the simple advice we've given each other."

"I can't believe it either," I say with a smile as I look into her eyes. "I guess it's true that the littlest things matter. No matter how small our conversations may have been, I don't know if I would've survived Haneul's passing without you by my side and without your comforting and encouraging words."

I cup her face with my hands and press my lips against hers. Her hands move to the back of my head as she kisses me back. Her lips are warm and moist, just like when I kissed her last night. I can remember her lips ever so clearly, I think I'm intoxicated by her. My heart is beating and I can feel her's beating too when our bodies press together and we're now on the blanket once again, with me on top of her body. Her hands roam from my face to my chest and mine from her face to her waist. Our legs entangled together as our kiss grows more and more passionate.

Even though I don't ever want to pull away and end the kiss, I know I have to before things go too far. I know I'm not ready to do more than just kiss her. I'm not ready to take this to the next level, so I pull away and sit back up. She does too and she's looking at me understandingly, even though I haven't said anything yet.

I open my mouth to speak, but she interrupts me, "It's okay, I understand that you're not ready. Honestly, I'm not ready either."

I nod and say, "Then, let's take things slow."

She nods at me and smiles, before wrapping her arms around me and whispering, "Let's stay the night here?"

I reply, "Sure."

She arranges the pillows and blankets so we can rest our heads on the pillows and lay down comfortably on one blanket, then have a second blanket covering our shivering bodies. We're huddled together as we lay peacefully under the beautiful night sky.

"Don't you have to go to school tomorrow?" I ask when I realise that it's Wednesday tomorrow.

"Well, I do... but, that doesn't matter right now. I don't feel like going back home, so let's just stay here, alright? I'm tired." she replies and she's about to close her eyes and drift off to sleep.

"Okay, I never said we couldn't stay here. But, you don't have extra clothes to change into tomorrow morning though." I remind her.

"I can wear what I'm wearing now," she says with her eyes already shut.

"Shouldn't you at least text your mum or older sister that you won't be going home?" I ask and she seems annoyed when she sighs and turns away from me to face the other side.

"Mhm," is all she says before falling asleep.

I let her sleep and stop bothering her with my concerns as I wrap my arms around her and close my eyes.

Besides the sound of the water flowing in the lake and the night owl hooting in the trees, as well as the occasional rustling of plants, everything else is silent and peaceful.

I'm truly happy to be here. To be here with Luna and sleeping in nature is something I didn't imagine I would do. The sounds of nature relax me. It soothes me as I let myself unwind and drift off to sleep with my face nuzzled into Luna's soft hair that smells of fresh roses.

Now I'm absolutely sure that I made the right choice to move on from Haneul and begin a new relationship with Luna.