Butterfly | Park Jimin [Book II]

22: Night Sky

THIRD PERSON

Two days had rolled by since the appointment at the boutique. Two long days of Haneul seeing less of Jimin, and two long days of her convincing herself that there was totally nothing wrong with that.

The unintentional separation rooted from ladies having different agendas from the gentlemen. For Haneul, her two days had been occupied with visiting health spas and relaxation centers, and traveling around Busan. She appreciated every moment and truly enjoyed her time, but her mischievous emotions kept emphasizing that tiny void in her heart.

Haneul tossed herself to the other side of the bed, hugging her pillow tighter. Sighing to herself, she glanced at her best friend, already deep in slumber on the other bed next to hers.

And she was supposed to be the one who loved sleep here.

She stared at the ceiling, wondering to herself why she was still wide awake at this hour. A grumble escaped her lips as she buried herself under the pillow.

You're not getting married tomorrow, you have no reason to be up at this hour like an anxious and excited to-be bride. She mentally rolled her eyes.

A vibration spread through the mattress, and Haneul lazily let her hands roam through the sheets in search for her phone. She brought it in front of her face and squinted subtly at the light, only for her eyes to widen later on because, of course, Jimin just had to call her at eleven at night.

"Hello?"

Haneul bit her lip and lowered herself under the blanket. It felt like a sudden caffeine buzz all over, just by hearing his voice. Realizing what she was doing, she slapped her forehead and grimaced at herself.

"Did I wake you up?" asked Jimin after not getting a response.

Haneul faked a yawn and murmured something incoherently. "Mhmm..."

"Really?" Jimin teased her. "It takes more than one phone call to wake you up if I remember correctly."

"Okay, so maybe I couldn't really sleep," she admitted and he chuckled.

"You still up for a walk?"

"You mean right now?" Haneul sat up instantly and glanced at her sleeping friend.

"Only if you're not that tired yet."

"Then I'm up," chirped Haneul, keeping her voice down.

"I'll meet you in front of your door then," said Jimin, his tone giving it away that he was smiling. "Oh, and Haneul?"

She hummed for Jimin to continue whilst she hopped out of bed.

"Don't forget to wrap up. You might catch a cold."

"Yeah, because I definitely don't want to go out in pajamas and fluffy bunny slippers." Haneul snorted, dragging herself to the cabinet and Jimin chuckled. "I'll be out in five. I'm hanging up."

Before Haneul left the room, she left a note on the bedside table indicating that she would be out for a while and that her friend need not to worry since she'd be back shortly. Well, just in case Hira would wake up.

Immediately after opening the door, Haneul saw Jimin standing right outside the doorframe. He had his hands behind him and a wide smile he couldn't seem to suppress. None of them said a word but simply exchanged knowing looks and started down the hallway.

On their way up, Haneul couldn't help but break the silence in her curiosity of where they were heading to. But then, Jimin only replied to her with a simple, "You'll see."

She didn't argue nor question him again. The memories of when Jimin brought her, for the second time, somewhere whilst she was clueless surfaced on her mind. She remembered dumbly following him despite suspecting him of murdering her that night at the campsite when she barely knew Jimin and even hated his guts and practically every inch of him for some sort of reasons.

"Are we even allowed here?" Haneul asked as they reached what seemed like the hotel rooftop — but not really, because she knew that there was an actual rooftop meant for the guests since she had been there before.

"I'm not so sure about that," mused Jimin, flashing her an open-mouthed smile.

"Well, you sure find the best sceneries," she commented, reaching for the ledge of the high railings, "the relaxing ones at that." From where she stood, she had an overlooking view of the city below her whilst the cold night breeze embraced her.

"Maybe I just really love the sky, I look for places where it gives a better view of it."

Haneul nodded her head absentmindedly, yet little did she know while Jimin was saying those words, his gaze was nowhere else but her.

Her attention went back to Jimin shortly, perplexed with the way he was looking at her. Haneul mustered a small smile, raising her brows at him.

"Is anything wrong?"

Jimin shook his head, lips curled up on both sides as he kept his gaze far ahead of him. "I just feel like I'm closer to the sky now, I don't think I'd ever let it escape from my grasp this time."

She didn't get it at first. A frown landed on her lips as she tried to decipher what he had meant, only for her eyes to widen the slightest when it hit her. Her cheeks blushed a tint of pink and she pushed her head back to admire the vast blanket above them once more.

Jimin closed the gap between them, his arms wrapped around her waist, her back pressed against his chest, followed by a chin resting on her shoulder. Haneul swallowed hard and breathed in to compose herself.

Cautiously, she glanced sideways, observing Jimin's side profile. He had his eyes closed, a soft smile dangling on his lips. It only took a mere second for her to have the same expression painted on her face. Haneul mustered the courage to speak up, despite her voice almost fading away with the silence of the night.

"Maybe the sky feels just the same, Jimin."

Jimin leaned closer to her ear, grinning wide in amusement. "I'm sure I heard that right," he whispered, voice hushed and husky at the same time. "And I'm definitely holding on to that."

— ✿ —
❝so I recently published a short story titled One Moment — it's not a fan fiction, sadly — but if you could check it out, that would be awesome. There are only 16 short chapters and it's already completed. Thank you if you decide to check it out ♡ have a great day ahead everyone!❞