Jimin's Pet | Park Jimin (a hybrid story)

^.^Forty-three~~

One year later—

Jimin~
The auditorium was packed. Bodies were pressed together standing along the outer edges of the room in an effort to fit everyone inside. This was the day—the day of the Seoul International Dance Competition. It was a big deal.

Ever since I started dancing, it had been my dream, my passion, to be in this competition. I worked hard in dance school towards that goal and had earned blisters upon blisters, torn muscles, and the top rating in the school. But the chance to be an Idol pulled me in, and with the busyness of building my newfound career my chance to compete disappeared.

And yet even now, years later it still called to me.

When I felt the natural fit between Poppy and me I thought that us teaming up together could be my chance to get back into the competition. She was graceful and she learned quickly and easily—dance came naturally to her. I could teach her everything she needed to know.

But it didn't quite work out that way.

Things hadn't gone right back to normal after Mi-cha was finally arrested. Poppy and I spoke, but it wasn't like before. We didn't avoid each other, but it was awkward between us now. My feelings for her had not changed, except to intensify. I wasn't so sure about hers though; just the fact that she chose to live somewhere else said it all.

Legally, Poppy was bound to me, but shortly after she got out of the hospital I gave her the freedom she wanted. She still lived with Jiwoo and had come quite far in this short amount of time. She moved up in the dance school, and had even gotten a job teaching dance to students just starting out. She joined a support group for mistreated hybrids and became one of their counselors. Poppy was doing great things.

She had her own friends, apart from Bangtan.

She had her own interests and passions, apart from mine.

Poppy had become her own person, all on her own terms.

It wasn't easy for me—I was still praying for a miracle—but I was so proud of her that I wouldn't have changed a single thing. She was happy, and if I'd learned anything over the last year and a half, it was this—her happiness was all it took to complete mine.

There was no fight left in me; nothing else that I knew to do. I had no other choice but to try to convince myself that I didn't want her, didn't need her, didn't love her beyond all reason. I would stand on the sidelines of her life and be happy that I was still part of it, even in this small way.

So I was surprised when Poppy asked me to accompany her to the courthouse when Mi-cha and Sehun were tried for their crimes. She said we should go and encourage each other through the tedium of it all.

Every day for twenty-two days, I picked her up and we exchanged meaningless small talk on the ride to the large municipal building in the center of the city.

Every day for three weeks, I was her emotional support as we listened to the difficult evidence and testimonies, learning all of the many atrocities that the pair had inflicted on the hybrid race, more than anyone could have even guessed.

And on the last day while we were awaiting the verdict, she timidly slipped her hand in mine and nervously smiled, sending my hopes on a new rampage and rekindling the fire in my broken heart.

When an exceptionally long prison sentence was handed down, she jumped out of her seat and into my arms. We jumped up and down a few times, and out of the blue, in the excitement she kissed me. My hands flew to cup her cheeks as I deepened the kiss until the judge banged his gavel and gave us a warning about what was appropriate in court.