Passion Meets Fear | JiMina

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Mina would never forget the way Jimin pulled her into a tight embrace, squeezed her small frame while expressing his gratitude towards her. To say she was shocked was an understatement. She never would have expected something like that, especially with the person whom she had always felt far away from. He was on a league of his own, conquering ranks and gaining so many followers at the same time; his impact was quite remarkable, knowing that it'd be rare to see a student remain on top one for consecutive years. She, on the other hand, was merely one of the cheerleaders in their university who had a course and a dream to fulfill.

It was so different, it felt so different. His embrace was one thing she, for some reason, couldn't get off her mind. Initially he was gentle, slowly pulling her close and it seemed as though he wanted a confirmation if she wanted that kind of affection, too. Unexpectedly it didn't even take her long to give in and hug him back, at the same time letting his secure arms wrap around her. As tight as it was—she found it harder to breathe at that time—she felt rather safe. She never realized it was actually something she needed.

She was grateful, but she also inevitably felt weird regarding her response, specifically how she felt. Why was she even thankful, was it something special then? She had no idea. As if that wasn't enough to confuse her, right after Jimin pulled away, she even wished it was a little longer. Why am I acting like this? She thought thoroughly, but she couldn't find an answer. She was utterly confused. That simple hug almost felt equivalent to hanging out with the girls. It was relaxing, consoling, and somehow magnetizing because at one time she wanted to have more of it. Just like the desire to hangout with her close friends, it was something she wished for more; like the freedom she'd always yearned for.

"Hey thank you for accompanying me, by the way." Mina snapped her head to the side, and saw Jimin staring at her. Her cheeks instantly burned, so she looked away as soon as she could.

"That's no problem," she said.

"Maybe I'm taking up too much of your time," he said, worried. Perhaps he was right. She could've been at the dorm already, resting and doing whatever she had to do. But here she was, walking with him, their hands almost touching.

She shook her head gently. "Don't worry about it," she responded, flashing him a smile that she never thought would melt his heart. "You know, it's fun anyway. It's been like weeks since I've hung out with someone."

His lips twitched into a faint smile. "It's fun being with me, right?" Upon hearing his response, she could only give him a look. She found it hilarious, that somehow, he wasn't wrong. His presence on stage was a complete contrast of who he was in person. To her surprise he was actually witty and playful, a guy with amazing sense of humor. It was easy to laugh with him, no forcing or faking. But she never knew that he was only like that with her. He was happier again, but with someone, with her. Even when there was nothing going on between the two of them, he certainly was becoming energetic.

"No for real I'm asking you, you seem to enjoy," he spoke, his smug smile visible in her sight. His confidence was beginning to escalate; he was aware of it, and he liked it. Mina, on the other hand, was getting flustered. She didn't know what to say in return, would she be honest and tell him he was correct, or would she deny it and keep herself safe?

After pondering, she chose the latter. "Don't be too conceited, senior," she smoothly denied. But Jimin wasn't too dumb either. By the looks on her face, he could clearly tell she was lying.

"Quit pursuing that habit," he said, smirking. "You're bad at it."

Her eyebrow raised in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"You're a bad liar." He winked at her. Winked. His beautiful eye had done such thing, and she was immediately put into what seemed like a trance. Ignoring it, she decided to react to his statement instead. But before she could, her heart skipped a beat as if it leaped out of her chest. All of those happened in a very short time, even less than five seconds, that she then only found herself stammering as she lost sense of what was going on.