wish upon a star

his hand smashed against the white, flaky wall. some paint crumbled off, resembling falling snow, and a picture frame fell onto the floor, all of which she watched. the glass shattered, the sharp shards glimmering under the dim fluorescent lights.

she bit her lip down, holding back a cry. that violent hand that caused the fall of the picture frame was the very same gentle hand that always held her close, that constantly wiped her tears away tenderly, that never failed to make her feel secure. she wondered how it could differ so much in action.

she looked up at him. his head was bent down, showing the top of his dyed cotton candy pink hair, with the roots growing in. his breathing was ragged, and his body rose and fell rhythmically.

"jimin, stop," she said, voice pained and drawn out.

"stop?" jimin said, then chuckled darkly, "after what you thought of me? you couldn't trust me?"

"you were in a compromising situation!" naeun said, a hint of defensiveness in her voice, "and you didn't look repulsed, either! what would you've thought if you were in my shoes?"

"i'm a dancer, for fuck's sake!" he yelled, turning his head up to glare at her, "and i have assignments which revolve around different themes! i've told her to not be so close, and you! you accuse me of cheating with her?"

"it's because you're barely home these days!" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks, "every time i ask you where you were, you always say you're busy! when you come back home, you don't talk much! you always shut me out, so what do you think i'd think when i saw you with her?"

"i'm tired, okay?" he shouted in exasperation, running a hand through his hair, "try dancing for a few hours on repeat, and having to keep a girl away from trying to get into your pants!"

there was a moment of temporary silence. a soft sob left her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut. rage coursed through his veins, and he refused to back down. he knew very well that he should just keep his mouth shut, but his mouth worked faster than his brain did.

"fuck you, you won't understand how i feel," he cursed, venom dripping from his lips.

"i wish we'd never met," she whispered to no one in particular, as soft as a heartbreak, goodbyes, and a thousand kilometres beneath the quiet earth.

please know that i don't mean it, she said in her head, the place where only she herself could untangle the unruly knots of her thoughts without interference.

jimin said nothing in response - just stood there with the remaining embers of fury burning in his dark eyes, which were looking anywhere but at her.

she let out a shaky breath, then turned on her heel and headed straight to her own room, leaving jimin behind in the hallway.

she made sure to lock her door before kicking her slippers off and falling straight onto her bed, face-first into the sheets.

what she did not make sure of was to not wish upon a shooting star, which fell on that very night, at that very moment she said those words.

+

an alarm yelled shrilly in the morning, and her eyes struggled to crack themselves open. she reached over, half disoriented, and shut it off. she peeled her eyes open, sat up in bed, then swung her feet over to slip them into her slippers.