Paper Cranes | Park Jimin

29: Stubborn

"Speak," I sternly said, bearing in mind that whatever he had to tell me, I wasn't going to change my decisions.

Jimin held his stare, neither of us breaking eye contact as I waited for him to speak up. His eyes were icy cold, distant and empty, and it felt like he was reading through me.

When I had enough of his unrelenting gaze, I huffed a breath out.

"I don't have all the time, Jimin." A sharp pain seethed through my chest at the mention of his name. I heavily exhaled it away. I shouldn't feel this way.

"Let's stop fooling ourselves, Haneul." His jaw clenched tightly.

I wrung my hands on my sides, clearing my mind to come up with something to say.

Now with a soft and gentle voice, he continued. "Stop doing this."

"Yes, Jimin," I snapped, shutting my eyes closed. "Let's stop doing this. Let's stop meeting each other. Let's stop talking. Everything. Let's stop."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"But that's what your words should've meant," I shot back, my voice almost breaking that when I spoke up again, it came out too weak. "You... out of everyone should know that."

My pulse drummed against my ears as blood rushed in every direction within me. Everything else was silenced.

"The thing is, I don't know anymore." He frustratedly clutched his hair away from his forehead. "But I know that I'm looking for you all the time."

I bit my lip. Perhaps too hard that I winced in pain as the metallic taste hit my tastebuds at the same time. Jungkook was still beside me, and I whipped my head at his direction, giving him an it's-okay look.

If Jimin had much to say, I should let him vent it all out now so I could cut it clean with him and get this all over with.

"Jimin, you know it's wrong."

"Why?" he challenged. "Because I have Chaerin? Don't think I haven't thought of that, I always did. But I couldn't help it."

And it's wrong! And you should stop yourself and just do the right thing, I screamed in my head, but I couldn't voice it out. Not when I knew by heart how hard it was to do so.

"And when I kissed you, that wasn't a mistake!"

I stared at him in horror, my mouth parted as I felt a sharp pulse all over my body.

"I-I— Y-You weren't drunk?"

"That's not the point!"

"But still!" I felt so betrayed and stupid—every single bit of guilt I had pushed away crawled back.

"I heard you clearly," he said. "With every single word still vivid in my mind." He huffed and the corners of his mouth twitched up, as if he was smiling with an open mouth, except that he actually wasn't.

"I'm with Chaerin but it's you. Fuck, it's always you!"

"Did I hear it all correctly?" a ridiculed voice piped in.

Now just by hearing that voice, it was evident that this messed up thing had just disintegrated into another disaster.

Chaerin's eyes went back and forth between me and Jimin, while Jimin did not even bother to face her.

"It's not what—"

"Oh come on, Haneul, don't even bother using that excuse," she quipped. "I trusted you. I trusted both of you! And to think that I actually liked you?"

Even though the apologetic side of me had dominated, I still couldn't help but feel wronged. Was this all my fault? I did my part, didn't I? And if she had witnessed everything, she should've also heard how I made it clear that I knew this was wrong.

Was it my fault she fell into a coma? Was it my fault that Jimin couldn't get his feelings straight?

"Chaerin, stop!" I heard Jimin yell amidst my rambling thoughts.

I had always been considerate. But maybe that was indeed wrong of me to do so.

My fault here was that my stupid heart was too foolish to beat for him, it was too stubborn to listen to me.

But I did everything in my hand to ignore it. I did everything to stay in my baddamn lane.

But why do I feel so small right now?

Everything happened too fast. I was now in Jungkook's arm after I was pushed away with so much force, and he was fending me away from Chaerin. My eyes were blurred with my tears, but I could still hear her harsh and shattered tirade.

"I thought I could trust you!" she croaked.

"Chaerin, that's enough." It was another voice. Taehyung.

I simply watched her raise her fist and thump it into thin air before letting it fall on her side.

"What? Is it only me who doesn't know Jimin is cheating behind me?"

"He isn't cheating!" Taehyung countered, but I couldn't vouch for him.

Was it proper to call that cheating? Basically, it was. But who was I to be the judge of Jimin? Who was I anyway to step into their lives?

Why did my life intertwine with theirs anyway?

All I know was that I wanted to get away from here. And maybe Taehyung had read my mind.

"Jungkook, take Haneul away from here."

— ✿ —
❝I said 40 votes before Saturday, but not even a full day after posting, it reached 80 votes and I'm just—you guys surprise me [sobs in a corner] thank you for the support ♡ it's too overwhelming!

well, tbh, my goal there was to encourage my silent readers to vote just so I can at least know them before this book ends, and I could say I've achieved it, plus, I was able to talk with new people in the comment sections, so yaay!

speaking of votes; pls vote for BTS on Soribada! my babbling ends here. take care and stay safe everyone!❞