cherry blossoms || ot7 [#Wattys2017]

[no more dream]

Taehyung finds himself on a park and he fills up with excitement. He knows he went to the park the other day with Jimin but it feels like it's been forever since he's been to one. Plus, it's a brand new park, a park he's never been to. Tae doesn't exactly know why he's drawn to parks, considering the most traumatic event happened on one, but they just bring him joy. He loves being a kid for a little bit and forgetting about all the responsibilities he has to take on.

He feels a sense of déjà vu and nostalgia being in the park, but specifically this one. As he takes in his surroundings, he realizes it's the same park him and Kookie went to when they were younger. It's the same exact park that Kookie got kidnapped in. Taehyung gasps in shock. However, he continues to go around the park and play with each contraption.

Taehyung runs around and let's everything fall off his shoulders. He goes down on the slides and stands on top of the seesaw. He maneuvers his way through the monkey bars and finally, he sits down on a swing. Looking up towards the sky, he says, "I'm going to reach for the sky today." Taehyung starts swinging his legs back and forth and right next to him, he sees Kookie.

Seven-years-old Kookie is sitting right next to him with a toothy grin. He exclaims, "Tae, we're so close to touching the sky! Just a bit more!"

Taehyung is extremely confused but he continues to swing and the next time him and Kookie make eye contact, Kookie isn't there anymore, but JK takes his place. "JK?" The older boy swings next to him with a huge grin on his face.

"Tae..." There's a light nudge on Taehyung's shoulder. "Taehyung, can you please wake up now? It's getting a bit late and I need you to eat dinner. Please wake up."

Taehyung hears someone whining in his ear and he thinks it's Jimin so he complains as well. "ChimChim, give me a couple more minutes. I don't want to get up."

There's a chuckle that he would recognize anywhere. "I'm not Jimin but wake up anyways."

Taehyung's eyes flutter open and he's greeted with the messy brown hair and the boyish bunny grin that all belong to... "Kookie?"

He laughs. "You know, it took you long enough."

Taehyung's eyes widen and tears start forming in the ducts. He sniffles. "Kookie, is it really you?"

"Tae," he takes the doll out from behind his back. It's the same one Taehyung has back home. "We're the best of friends," he starts singing their song they made, their first song ever. "I'll be there when you're down and I'll be there even if I'm gone." He wipes the tears going down Taehyung's cheek. "Tae, please don't cry. You're gonna make me cry."

Taehyung chuckles a bit. "What do you mean? You're crying too!" He pokes his hyung's tear-stained cheek. "H-how'd you know my name? How'd you know it was me?"

"Well first of all, your name tag back at the café has Taehyung on it," he laughs. "Second, Jimin spilled it when we were hanging out. And I've known it was you all along. This is gonna sound really creepy, but I've been following you and I've watched you grow." Kookie sobs and his hands shake. "I'm upset that I couldn't help you. I couldn't save you. I-I'm so sorry Tae. Mian haeyo. I tried. I really did."

"It's okay. I'm sorry that I gave up looking. I tried; I really did, but recently, I've lost hope and I just thought you were...dead."

"Tae, it's okay. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

"Pinky promise, hyung?" Tae sticks his pinky out.

"I swear to you that I'll never leave you ever again." Kookie hooks his pinky to the younger's.

Phase 2: completed.

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