MATCHMAKER || K.TH ♕

⤿ 80 | moon belonging with the star !

🗒 ❛ LXXIX : moon belonging with the star ༉‧₊˚✧

» [ perfect - ed sheeran ] «

2:11 ——〇—— 4:23
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

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"ᵇᵃᵇʸ, ⁱ'ᵐ ᵈᵃⁿᶜⁱⁿᵍ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵏ
ʷⁱᵗʰ ʸᵒᵘ ᵇᵉᵗʷᵉᵉⁿ ᵃʳᵐˢ.
ᵇᵃʳᵉᶠᵒᵒᵗ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍʳᵃˢˢ,
ˡⁱˢᵗᵉⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵒᵘʳ ᶠᵃᵛᵒᵘʳⁱᵗᵉ ˢᵒⁿᵍ.
ʷʰᵉⁿ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᵃⁱᵈ ʸᵒᵘ
ˡᵒᵒᵏᵉᵈ ᵃ ᵐᵉˢˢ,
ⁱ ʷʰⁱˢᵖᵉʳᵉᵈ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳⁿᵉᵃᵗʰ ᵐʸ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵗʰ.
ᵇᵘᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ʰᵉᵃʳᵈ ⁱᵗ,
ᵈᵃʳˡⁱⁿᵍ, ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗ ᵗᵒⁿⁱᵍʰᵗ."

┊         ┊       ┊   ┊    ┊        ┊
┊         ┊       ┊   ┊ ˚❀ ⋆｡˚❃
┊         ┊       ┊   ✿
┊         ┊       ❁⋆
┊ ๑      ┊
✾ ⋆       ┊. ˚.
˚✽

{ no one's pov }

the blue and red lights are a little more than smudgy illuminations in the misty winter air. but beneath their glow is the white bodywork of multiple police cars. their yellow-white headlights spotlight the dense hedgerow to the side of the lane leading to the kangs' house.

the blaring sirens of the police cars filled the whole neighbourhood, waking up most of the neighbours as some of the particular nosy ones had stepped out of their house in nothing but their pyjamas with a winter jacket thrown mindlessly over. a group of them craning their necks to take a look at the man who was being taken away into one of the police cars, as a few policemen were keeping them behind a tape.

jinhee held her little sister closely in her arms in front of her, both of their eyes completely swollen and so were their cheeks, the corner of their lips bruised. they stood in front of their house gate as their eyes trailed towards the man who was stepping towards the police car, their gazes burning holes into him.

they watched him get into the police car, his bloodshot eyes staying fixated on his two daughters as the corners of his lips curled upwards into a maniacal grin, or what seemed like a condescending sneer.

through gritted teeth, jinhee's jaw clenched as she kept her burning eyes locked with her sorry excuse of a father, refusing to break her eyes away from him as she didn't want to show cowardice and she wanted him to see the burning hatred she had for him in her eyes—and also her eyes telling him to rot in prison for eternity.

the sound of wheels rolling against the rough concrete ground and also crushing the ice beneath it was heard from a distance as the sound of the neighbours murmuring and whispering to each other grew louder.
their nosy necks craning even further, curious to see who was on the stretcher that the paramedics was hastily pushing out.

'OPPA!'
the sound of jinah's desperate shrieks caused jinhee to blink her eyes away from the man as they shifted to their brother who seemed to be unconscious on the stretcher.

jinhee wrapped her arms around jinah's shoulder, holding her back as the paramedics rushed jinhyuk into the ambulance. jinhee felt tears burning her eyes as a lump formed in her throat, trying her hardest not to let her tears fall as she hears jinah's broken cries for their brother.

jinhyuk had been heavily wounded, the monstrosity of a human had used a chair and hit the back of his head with it, not to mention using another heavy object to crush his side with—jinhee didn't know what exactly and she didn't want to know.

all she wanted to know was if her brother was going to be okay.

'let go—LET GO OF ME!'
jinah forcefully tore jinhee's hands away from her, rushing towards the stretcher as she was still breaking out into gut-wrenching sobs, placing her little hands onto the side of the stretcher and looking helplessly at jinhyuk whose eyes were half-closed.

jinhee immediately ran after jinah, standing by the stretcher as the two of them walked together with the paramedics with jinah frantically calling out to jinhyuk.

'oppa...oppa, can you hear me? it's j-jinah...'
hot tears flowed uncontrollably down her bruised cheek as every word escaped her mouth, as she spoke through hiccuping sobs.

'oppa, talk to me. i-i promise i won't switch off the lights while you're showering anymore if you wake up and talk to me. please, i p-promise...'
jinah cried out desperately, shaking the side of the stretcher and causing the paramedics' eyes to widen as they reached their hand out and gave her a sign of disapproval—if not, jinhyuk could fall off.

jinhee bit her lip, refusing to say anything because if she does, she would simply break down at the sight of her brother in this state as she gingerly placed her hand on top of jinah's shaky ones, shaking her head at her.

'b-but...jinhyuk can't leave us...i want him to come home too...'
jinah was absolutely devastated, jinhyuk had not only been an older brother to her—he was like a parent that jinah never had. their mother passed away when jinhee was a child, and jinah was barely brought into the world. she never knew the feeling of having a mother figure, she couldn't even remember how she looked like.

and let's not talk about their father.

jinhee's eyes fluttered shut, a lone tear escaping from the corner of her eyes as she smiled sadly. 'he'll be home, jinah. but he needs to get better first.' her words came out in the softest hoarse whisper, her throat still hurting from how their father almost strangled her to death earlier on.

and that's when she felt the warmness of their brother's hand envelope hers, causing her eyes to slightly widen as they shifted from jinah to jinhyuk. feeling an extra weight on top of her hand, jinah's eyes bulged as well, turning to jinhyuk who was trying to open his eyes as he smiled weakly at his two sisters.

and that's when jinah couldn't hold it in anymore—she could not hold the heartbreak and fear of losing her only brother as she felt her legs weaken, almost dropping to the floor if she wasn't holding on to the side of the stretcher in a disheveled heap as both grief and relief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears.

his hand was large enough to wrap around both of their hands, as jinhee and jinah felt his hand tighten around theirs.

his eyes flickered back and forth to both of their faces—swollen and bruised, and stained with tears. his heart clenched and ached so hard at the sight, salty liquid shaking in the corner of his eye.

'i'm sorry.'
his voice sounded so soft and weak, as though he was in a lot of pain—and he was. but somehow the pain he felt emotionally far outweighed the physical hurt that had been inflicted upon him.

jinhee's head lowered immediately as she hears those words escape his mouth, she still couldn't find it in her to speak as jinah profusely shook her head, crying out loudly.

'no no no, oppa why are you sorry?'
her small hand reached over to his face and cupped it, tracing carefully over the little fresh cuts on his face as she thought about how much pain he must've been in right now.

jinhyuk's eyes shifted to jinhee who couldn't look back at him as he turned back to jinah, looking at her bruised lip again. 'because i let him touch you—the both of you.'

jinah continued to shake her head, and beside her, jinhee bit on her lip so hard to prevent herself from making so much noise from how much tears she was letting escape her eyes right now.

'excuse me, apologies to you two ladies but, he has to get to the hospital. we need to get him into the ambulance now.'
jinhee hears the paramedic say, sympathy lacing his voice as jinhee looked up to meet the paramedic's eyes with her glossy ones as she shakily nodded.

jinah heard it too, simply responding by gripping her hand tighter around jinhyuk's finger, shaking her head. 'no, i want to go with him.'

jinhee gently tried prying jinah's hands off. 'jinah, hyuk needs to get treated at the hospital as soon as possible. you want him to get better, don't you?'

jinhee's words hit jinah like a ton of bricks, a spear piercing through a tiny body as she felt absolutely sick at the thought of her brother not being home with her for the first time in her life.

and then her little fragile heart literally fell apart when she saw jinhyuk's eyes on the verge of closing, he looked so tired.

her lips parted as she desperately tried taking in air from how much she had been crying. and without much thinking, she threw her light body as gently as she could over jinhyuk's, wrapping her arms around his weak body as she let her tears fall on his shoulder.

'come home soon, please.'

and despite jinhyuk feeling like his whole world was spinning and that he was so fatigued that he was about to pass out, her littlest sister's words were clear as day to him, as he closed his eyes and placed his chin onto her shoulder.

but time was of the essence, and so jinah pulled away shortly after.

jinhyuk was still holding onto both of their hands, his eyes fixated on three of their hands placed together—as one.

staring at the three of their hands held together, he realised.

'i'm already home.'

•┈┈┈••✦♥✦••┈┈┈•

with her hands behind jinah's head, jinhee tugged her face gently into her chest as she let her little sister bury her face and sob her heart out as much as she wanted, while jinhee's eyes followed the vehicles—the ambulance and the police car that had her father inside—that were driving away from her house gate.

jinah's little fragile heart couldn't take the sight of the ambulance his brother was in driving away from her, and redness rimmed jinhee's swollen red eyes, the corners of her eyes drooping, every single ounce of happiness, hope, or sparkle that once glinted in her eyes long gone—sucked away.

from afar, standing on the opposite side of the road and also watching the vehicles drive away, the raven-haired boy kept his gaze on the girl he cared so much about.

he watched as a lone tear escaped the drooping corner of jinhee's empty eyes, streaming down her bruised and swollen cheek. her eyes fluttered shut, letting another tear fall. she was so numb, so ripped apart, distraught.

and because taehyung's heart was with jinhee, he felt like he was being ripped apart seeing jinhee in this state. he felt like his whole world had caved in seeing the lack of sparkle glinting in her beautiful eyes and also the colour draining from her lips that formed a smile that was always so endearing to him.

taehyung's eyes then shifted to jungkook who was standing on the same side of the road as jinhee and jinah as well, just a distance away from them, as jungkook felt his heart drop seeing the sadness in taehyung's eyes. he felt guilty.

guilt threatened the tear him apart—run away from the world again because he didn't know how he was going to face his friends from now on.

taehyung's eyes found its way to jinhee again, he didn't know how much time had passed but time always seemed to be too short when he was focusing on jinhee. the vehicles had all driven away and the nosy neighbours had all reluctantly returned to their dwellings, whispering and gossiping amongst themselves while doing so.

leaving the four of them outside the house alone.

jinah had stopped crying—well, almost. she was hiccuping and sniffing nonstop from the aftermath of crying so much, her throat and chest had an aching feeling which was often the result of shedding too much tears, it was just too much for her little heart to take.

jinhee now had her arm around her little sister's shoulder, as the pair turned towards the house, with jinhee guiding jinah back in.

jinhee was in a really bad state physically as well, but she mentioned to taehyung really briefly that she didn't want to get it checked out. and even if she did, she would get it checked out tomorrow because tonight, she just wanted to go back home and be there for jinah the whole night.

she thought about how young her sister was—she was way too young to be going through all these at eleven. jinah needed her tonight.

the night was serene and comfortable.  The sun had sunk beneath the sea and now stars were peeking out from behind clouds. It was a nice night, for once in a very long time and it was something you could only dream of having in real life.

it was ironic how much damage was done in such a comfortable night.

taehyung jogged across the road, catching up the jinhee who was about to enter her house as he stopped in his tracks, maintaining a distance away from her—she looked like she didn't want anyone by her side right now.

hearing his nearing and concerned footsteps, her tired eyes found its way to taehyung's, and for the first time since she felt something for the boy, she didn't feel her heart flip when their eyes met.

her heart was so painfully exhausted, aching, a cruel feeling of anguish and hurt shrouding and overwhelming her whole heart, it felt so fucking painful that it seemed like it could no longer beat for anyone. it hurt, so much.

taehyung's heart shook in his chest as every second of jinhee staring into his soul with those tired lifeless eyes of hers went by—a frosty bitterness, fatigue, and what was described as a 'broken soul' washed all over her once glinting orbs.

the light had left her eyes.

what hurt most was that jinhee wasn't even crying, her cheeks were tear-stained but it just seemed like she was holding everything in, suffocation just pooling up in her lungs as all she wanted to do was scream and shout and kill the man who did this to her and her family.

but she couldn't, so she silently prayed that she just disappeared—right now, here and then.

seeing taehyung's concerned expression towards her, her heart didn't feel touched or anything, it just ached even more—it felt like another spear filled with agony and shrouded with needles of hurt pierced her once again right through her heart.

she hates how taehyung was seeing her like this.

she felt the energy slowly and painfully slipping out of her, but managing to flash taehyung a subtle smile with her quivering lips. she was tired, ashamed, embarrassed—but above all, she was still thankful.

and taehyung wanted nothing more than to run over and wrap his arms around the girl, bringing her face to his chest as he rubs her back in small circles, assuring her that he would be here for her. as someone who had been living in a nightmare for so long, he understood how things might actually never be okay.

but at least—at least, he wanted jinhee to know he would be here for her, every single step of the way.

taehyung's shoulders slumped, throwing her back a smile as he nodded reassuringly, telling jinhee that there was nothing for her to worry about anymore, and him and jungkook would take care of everything else.

'take care.' he said.

with that, jinhee took the little girl beside her as they walked back to their dwelling, with jinhee limping slightly but trying to make it subtle as she bit her lip, feeling a sense of shame wash over her whole chest as she recalled how the man pressed her down by her leg.

she felt fucking weak.

her eyes squinted slightly as they entered the house, the light from her once-peaceful living room shone on her face. her shaky hand reached over to push the door, before it closed behind her and jinah.

and only when the door fully closed, and she was sure the two boys outside would not be able to see her—only then, her knees gave way as she dropped onto the lacquered wooden floor, her back pressed against the door.

only then, she let her tears fall.

jinah came rushing to her side almost immediately, slightly surprised at her sudden breakdown but cried with her anyway. but jinhee didn't pay much attention to jinah by her side, it didn't bring her any sort of comfort at all.

she couldn't even hear jinah—the feeling of hurt shrouding all over her body and her head was far too much. anguish felt like thick syrup running through her veins, sadness weighing her whole body down that she probably was going to stay on the floor the whole night.

her face was buried in her trembling hands, her fingernails digging into the side of her throbbing head as if to stop her thoughts from plaguing her head and spreading throughout her body. her grip so tight it was almost cutting off the circulation.

she didn't know what to do to make it stop hurting.

perhaps, a part of her died that day.

•┈┈┈••✦♥✦••┈┈┈•

— time skip to a month later —

she walked through the short corridor, her hair tied lazily into a short low ponytail as some of her hair in front managed to slip out—covering the side of her face.

her eyes fixated on one particular wooden door that was the second last from the back—she had already memorised the position of the door, since she had been entering it for the past month or so.

she halted in her steps as she arrived in front of the door.

DR. LEE. the golden metal sign attached to the door read as she looked at the reflection of her eyes.

with a small smile on her face, her fingers curled into a loose fist, knocking light on the door three times.

'come in!'
she heard the lovely lady say on the other side of the door. her voice was light, soothing, particularly feminine and most importantly—warm. with a rounded feel, something that feels cozy, like a blanket that wrap around you on a cold winter night.

the girl gently turned the doorknob as she slowly walked inside, bowing about thirty degrees before meeting the doctor's eyes, her lips tugging upwards into a pleasant smile.

'hi dr lee.'

'haish, i told you not to be so formal with me. it's been a month already, we're friends. call me jieun.'
dr lee playfully frowned, jokingly glaring at her as she laughed in reply.

'alright alright, jieun.'
she rolled her eyes, politely dragging the chair in front of jieun out as she plopped herself on it.

'so, how are you feeling today, jinhee?'
jinhee looked down, her eyes shifting to her feet as she smiled slightly at her question.

a month had passed since that man showed up at her and her siblings' house unannounced and wrecked havoc, made them feel utterly helpless under his wrath, pushed jinhee back into the dark void in her mind that took her so much to get out of.

their father had been arrested, and put into prison for good. jinhee wasn't sure how long, they hadn't officially gave him a sentence yet as the law trials were still going on—with jinhee and jinhyuk having to show up as the main first-hand victims. not jinah though, since the two of them agreed to not let her see that man ever again, in her life.

he also turned out to be the mastermind and boss of the whole organisation that jungkook had got himself warped into, and jinhee only managed to find out through jimin who had so reluctantly told her ever since jungkook came clean to both him and taehyung.

but jimin thought that jinhee deserved to know.

she also learnt that her father disbanded the organisation right before he went back to them, for some sick reason, he decided to get caught on purpose but not leave until he had terrorised them for the last time. it gave him some sort of sadistic satisfaction that jinhee would never understand.

he said he could now die peacefully in prison and go to hell in delight.

what have they done to him? what did she do to deserve this? why did she not deserve a father?

when jungkook found out jimin had told jinhee, he ran to her house and was literally on his knees—on the verge of breaking down because of the sheer guilt that was overwhelming him. he had thought it was entirely his fault, that it was because of his cowardice and involvement in the organisation, it caused jinhee to relive her nightmare.

but jinhee had thought about it, and knew for a fact that jungkook was just an excuse for her father to come back—that no matter what jungkook did, he would've come back and made their life hell in every possible way he could anyway.

because that's what he found joy in, he thrived knowing the fact that he could inflict pain on his children.

jinhee could tell—tell from his eyes that dug holes in hers when he stared at her while she was underneath him, almost suffocating to death.

so jinhee didn't blame him one bit—she never blamed him. but although, it did send her into a slight state of shock seeing jungkook so distraught, and it took her a while to get him to stand up too.

taehyung, on the other hand, didn't speak to the younger for a week straight after he mustered up every courage he could find in him to own up to his mistakes to jimin and taehyung. and poor jimin was left on the fence, being the middleman as he tried to fix things between the two and get the two to talk things out (mainly taehyung though).

jimin wasn't there physically on the day of the incident, so he didn't witness it with his eyes—how utterly terrible the whole memory was for jinhee and her siblings. but he knew it must've been far worse than his imagination, from how taehyung came back that day and how he wouldn't eat properly for three days straight after.

it was now the end of february, time
passes by so fast.

jinhee's thoughts were interrupted by the loud whispers outside the room she was in, as she arched her eyebrows and turned her head towards the door, shaking her head as she laughed.

'sorry about that, my friends just don't know how to shut up.'
she turned back to jieun, waving her hand in the air nonchalantly.

haeun and sujin had taken time out of their day to follow jinhee all the way here, they made sure to always be there for jinhee—like they always have.

jinhee and jinah had been visiting the psychiatrist for almost a month, they started almost immediately after the incident. jinhee really wanted jinah to go visit on since she was still so young, so young when she saw so much unfold right in front of her eyes.

it was just too much for a child to take, and something like this would've definitely inflicted enough emotional damage and trauma to taint someone's life—and jinhee didn't want jinah's childhood to be ruined because of all these dark thoughts, she didn't want her little sister to have the same childhood as her.

jinhee had refused to visit on at first, but jinah had made it clear to her that she wasn't going to go if jinhee didn't go with her. she was scared, afraid to be lonely, she wanted someone to be with her every step of the way too.

and so jinhee agreed—also as a result of the continuous persuasion from haeun and sujin. therapy was never something to be ashamed of, and they made sure jinhee knew that.

jinhyuk fully supported the idea of both of his sisters going to seek the help and treatment they needed, and he said he would do his best to save up money to pay for them.

him, on the other hand, refused to visit one himself no matter what jinhee told him. he thought he was old enough to deal with it himself, even though jinhee knew that was far from the truth. jinhyuk was the oldest in the family, their only brother, the parent figure for the both of them since their parents both left them.

his childhood was equally or even more ruined compared to jinhee's, and he also had the biggest weight on his shoulders—to support all three of them. he claimed he didn't have time, but jinhee knew all he does is suffer in silence.

but jinhyuk reassured her that he would definitely heal by himself, with time. and with the thought that the man was gone from their lives for good, healing would be much easier for him now—for all three of them.

'you seem to be doing much better compared to last month.'

jieun glanced at her watch for a second.
'today marks exactly a month since you first visited me, jinhee-ah. i don't even have to ask you if you feel better, because i can tell. your face has so much more colour now.'

jinhee's heart warmed at her words.

she smiled, slightly laughing as her pearly white teeth appeared behind her warm tinted lips, her eyes forming into lovely crescents, and her whisker dimples on display.

jieun smiled when she smiled. 'your smile is lovely, i love seeing that big bright smile of yours. has anyone told you you have a really beautiful smile?'

jieun's eyes were warm and extremely friendly, her eyes were like glass, lustrous and large as the bright ceiling lights played in them. she was listening and paying attention to jinhee—like genuinely, as though she was really interested in what she had to say and also sincerely cared about her.

not like other psychiatrists that listened because it was their job to do so.

and so jinhee regarded jieun as a friend, who was also her therapist.

as the question escaped jieun's mouth, jinhee instantly recalled how taehyung always looked at her with eyes full of ardour and fondness, happiness washing over his eyes whenever he saw that big bright smile form on jinhee's face.

how he felt happy when she was happy.

'you know you've got those little dents on the top of your cheekbones when you smile? like dimples, but higher up? like...whiskers!'

she recalls his rectangular grin when he shared the observation he made to her.

'you look really pretty when you smile.'
his gentle voice rang through her mind, her cheeks burning as she recalls how he cups her face as he says that.

'and you're just smiling wider now—it's the smile when you think about that particular someone, you know?'
jieun's voice snapped jinhee out of reality, as she met her eyes again who winked back at her.

jinhee scoffed, trying to make her flustered state. 'how would you know?'

jieun chuckled. 'jinhee-ah, i didn't get a PHD in psychology and specialise in this area of work for nothing.'

'right.'

'so, back to my question, i assume by your giddy little smile that someone has told you you've got a lovely smile?'

jinhee pursed her lip as she smiled, looking down. 'yeah, there is someone.'

'i see that he's why you look so much happier nowadays?'

she thought for a minute after hearing jieun's words—thought about how he was so incredibly patient with her after the incident. she was a complete wreck for almost two weeks after what happened.

but taehyung, he never stopped trying.

he never stopped trying to make jinhee see the hope in life again, see that the future wasn't bleak, see the light at the end of the tunnel.

but to jinhee, taehyung was her light at the end of the tunnel.

he had been an integral part of her whole recovery process, telling her nonstop and assuring her that she does not have to be ashamed of herself.

it was the way taehyung always looked at her with every star in the universe in his eyes, how his gaze could make jinhee's heart beat so fast but yet make her feel so relaxed and soothed at the same time. it was how his presence just sent a dazzling comfort across her the cavern of her heart, her mind, and her body.

'what do you find in him?'
another question rolled off jieun's tongue, a gentle smile staying on her lips.

there was a short moment of silence, as jinhee lifted up her head and smiled softly.

'comfort, and home.'

•┈┈┈••✦♥✦••┈┈┈•

'ward a?'

'yeah, ward a. we had to place the patient there because in the state she's in—she's considered dangerous to anyone around her and also to herself.'

'so what do you do to patients in ward a?'

'well, twenty-four hour attention and special treatment are given to ward a patients. and also, they're either heavily sedated by medication or strapped down on the bed.'

'what?'
taehyung's voice unintentionally rolled off his tongue in a cracked whisper as his heart dropped.

'it's for safety purposes—her safety.'
the nurse said in defeat, slightly sighing as though she had seen too many of such patients working here.

'n-no yeah...i-i get it....'
his voice trailed off, before the nurse nodded with drooping eyes as she led him to ward a.

his heart was palpitating harshly against his ribcage. he thought about how he received the news about her condition a few days ago—it was the first time he had ever heard anything about her in months. he didn't want to be here, he didn't need to be here, he wasn't supposed to be here.

but with no feelings attached, he wanted to see her for the last time.

to say goodbye.

the corridor to the ward was painfully dull, the walls and flooring of the hospital was an off-white colour—nothing but white. it lacked colour. the ceiling lights were either poorly functioning or of low quality, because even with them, the corridor appeared dimly lit.

every now and then, taehyung could hear loud banging against the doors, or what seemed like someone screaming in sheer agony or anguish. taehyung's eyes fluttered shut every now and then, trying to ignore how every scream filled with so much pain and banging was like a needle piercing into his chest—shrouding his whole heart with dozens of them.

he tried to focus on his own footsteps, but even then, the sound of his footsteps just sounded like a ticking time bomb that was going to explode the moment he entered her ward and sees her, after so long.

he didn't want to face it, his heart dropped thinking about how one of the screams may belong to her.

'TAEHYUNG-SSI.'
the nurse voice had slightly raised, calling out to him for the fifth time as only then, he blinked out of his daze, his eyes snapping to her.

'you okay?'
taehyung's eyes shifted from her to the closed door they have now halted in front of, another shrilling scream escaping from the other side. his eyebrows furrowed.

his lips parted, wanting to say something but his words were stuck in his throat as he noticed how the nurse was so nonchalant about all the loud happenings around. it was as though she was so used to hearing the sheer pain in her patients, how most of them were beyond their own family's and loved ones' help—that they had to be sent here.

he sighed, shoulders slumping. 'yeah, i'm fine.'

the nurse gave him a sad knowing smile, before placing her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring pat. 'that's her ward over there, right towards the end.' she gestured towards the door that looked identical to the rest along the corridor at the end, just that it look duller because the ceiling lights didn't shine all the way towards the end.

taehyung shot her a forced smile. 'thanks.'

'remember the rules, don't touch or say anything that might provoke the patient. or we would have to drag you out.'

'i know who you are to the patient, i'm the nurse who tend to her the most. and although she's now in this state, your name somehow rolls off her tongue every time i tend to her. i can tell you have enough significance to her for you to say something that may provoke her.'

taehyung held his breath, his jaw clenching, he didn't say anything in response.

'so i suggest, you don't say anything to her at all.'
he swallowed thickly at the nurse's words, nodding quickly. he didn't plan to say anything anyway, he didn't even know what to say.

noticing taehyung's slight uneasiness, but mostly his expression remained as unrecognisable as ever, the nurse just sighed before gesturing to the door once more. 'alright then, you can just go in whenever you're ready. i'll leave you alone for now.'

she then turned and walked away, not forgetting to leave a small sympathetic smile before she did.

with a final exhale, taehyung relaxed his clenched fingers before walking towards the closed door at the end, his slightly shaky hands weakly turning the doorknob as gently as he could, trying to make as little noise as possible.

when the door opened, right away he could notice a shift in the smell profile. it's antiseptic, a little bitter, with undertones of the artificial fragrance contained in soaps and cleaners. he could feel how stale the air was in the room against his skin, the walls were the same shade of white as outside, dull and lifeless and...sad.

his eyes immediately found its way to the familiar long hair belonging to the girl whose back was directly facing him. her knees were hugged against her chest, her arms wrapping around them so tightly as though she was holding on for dear life.

she was slightly rocking back and forth, in a certain rhythm as taehyung took notice of the white cloth straps that were tied around her ankles and her wrists, they moved back and forth simultaneously as her body.

she was slightly shaking, trembling. it was so subtle and covered up by her bigger rocking movement though, and as taehyung hesitantly walked closer but not too close, he could hear the sound of her teeth softly gritting against each other.

there was a small window situated right in front of her, her seemingly-black straight long hair appearing slightly brown as it illuminated under the sunbeam that penetrated the transparent window.

the girl seemed to be mindlessly looking out at the window, although taehyung wasn't sure what exactly she was looking at, but her eyes didn't leave it once. it was fixated on the window, or whatever was outside of it—unblinking.

perhaps taehyung wanted to call out her name for the last time, perhaps he wanted to look into her eyes for the last time—he didn't want himself to remember how her eyes were bloodshot staring back at him the last time he had saw her.

perhaps he wanted at least a bittersweet memory of what was history.

somehow the girl noticed someone behind her, someone that was worth ripping her attention away from the window, or maybe she somehow knew taehyung was there to visit her—but her head slightly turned around, her dark eyes staring straight into him.

it was a sure fact that taehyung had lost every ounce of feeling he had for the girl, but it didn't change the fact that she once meant the world to him, and she was once his everything—and he was once her everything.

so when his eyes bored back into her jet-black orbs that held a large void of nothingness, his throat turned dry as he almost gasp but didn't.

her eyes were ripped of all humanity and emotion, her cheeks and lips were even paler and duller than the walls of the hospital, the bottom of her eyes were sullen. she looked like an empty shell—alive but not living.

taehyung recalled how the nurse also told him that she could barely hear what people were saying to her, and that her condition had gotten so bad to the point that she had lost contact with her senses and the world. but if it was taehyung, she may be able to listen, and that's why the nurse told him not to speak.

this was the result of her getting kicked out of her archery club and getting her contract terminated because she was getting so stressed that it was not only mentally damaging her, it was physically breaking her too. her skills exponentially deteriorated and despite many chances and warnings for her to get her shit together, she failed to.

and so, her only dream and passion in life was stripped away from her—how she sacrificed everything, including taehyung, for archery—it was all in vain.

and together with her withdrawal symptoms she had regarding taehyung, everything made her absolutely lose her mind. and that was how she ended up here.

mira's eyes only burnt holes into taehyung's for about ten seconds, before she turned her head away from him and continued staring at the window, her body had stopped rocking back and forth, the room was dead pin-drop silent.

a frosty bitterness washed across his chest, as taehyung licked his dry lips, his clammy hands reached for his pocket. he held the two objects gently on his hand, his eyes fixating on them as his eyebrows arched ever so slightly.

how mira smashed the sun and the moon charm that were the only last reminder of them into broken pieces of shards—taehyung had picked them up. both of them.

he had carefully placed the bright orange and silver shards together, attaching them together to form two beautiful bracelets.

as his eyes stayed on the two bracelets he made himself in his palm, he felt the tears shaking at the corner of his eye, threatening to fall before he reached his free hand up to wipe it dry before it did.

without much of a thought, he took a few steps closer to the girl, his eyes shifting from the bracelet to her back.

his fingers traced the broken pieces gently, it reminded him of how his heart got shredded into pieces like this when she landed her hand on him, when she took advantage of his love for her to use him as an outlet for all her frustrations.

how the same girl was sitting right in front of him right now, reduced to a state like this.

it didn't have to end this way.

perhaps for them, they always had to end, because maybe they never belonged together. but for mira, she didn't have to end this way.

'i forgive you.'
those three words escaped through his chest but somehow made his knees weak, like he had just forgave the girl who had been the cause of all his nightmares, his traumas, his fear to love, his scars.

but from the beginning, taehyung could never find it in him to detest her, to hate her for what she did.

all the way, until the end.

mira had no reaction to his words at all, but it was okay, taehyung wasn't expecting anything anyway. he reached his hand out to place the two bracelets on the space on the bed behind her gently, making absolutely no sound when he did.

'goodbye for real this time, mira.'
this was probably going to be the last time he was addressing the girl directly by her name, and he couldn't help but let a lone tear fall from the corner of his eye as those parting words rolled off his tongue.

and then, he turned around and walked away, there was no more reason to stay. it was the end of them.

he would never see her again.

and as a single tear streamed down his cheek as he closed the door behind him, a lone tear escaped mira's empty doe eyes at the same time as she stared out of the window.

the yellow dazzling beam shining onto her gorgeous but ghostly face—the sun.

the sun that hung so brightly and beautifully on the blue sky like a bright yellow lantern, the sun that would set and disappear to make way for the moon at night.

the sun and the moon that would never be in the same place at the same time.

like how they were never meant to be together.

•┈┈┈••✦♥✦••┈┈┈•

'i've been feeling happier lately, i've been starting to believe that happiness can be attained after all.'

jinhee paused for a while, her eyes shifting to the ceiling as she thought for a while.

but not before she clicked her tongue before shaking her head, muttering a soft 'nevermind.' and causing jieun to frown.

'i'm happy that you're starting to finally believe in true happiness, jinhee-ah. but i can tell there are still thing's weighing in your mind and chest, and i'm here to listen to you, so you have to be honest with me.'

'tell me what's weighing you down.'

jinhee nibbled on her bottom lip.
'it's just...i'm not lying or anything when i said things have been much better for me, like i have amazing friends, a much better school life, the best siblings but worst at the same times, and also someone special but...'
she paused again, as jieun didn't say anything in response but kept her soft gentle gaze on her, nodding subtly and assuringly.

telling her she could take her time to gather her thoughts before telling her about it.

'i still...get those flashbacks.'

'those flashbacks from the day itself, and they're still pretty fresh in the back of my mind. when they do, i feel myself relapsing all over again, and it's horrible and it feels so painful and it makes me scared even though i know he's in jail but what if he gets out and ruins us all again—'

'hey hey, it's okay, relax.'
jieun's hands were lightly tapped on jinhee's that were placed on her desk, as she swallowed thickly in response before nodding, her throat turning dry.

jieun's eyebrows were slightly raised, as though she was trying to read the look on jinhee's face. 'tell me slowly, tell me about your feelings—your feelings when those flashbacks wash across your mind. tell me what happens to your body when they do.'

jinhee nodded shakily.
'i feel scared, terrified. my body starts breaking out into cold sweat and my hands would shake uncontrollably, my knees too if it's particularly bad. it can get to the point where my legs can't carry my body's weight as i fall onto the floor hyperventilating. my chest gets so tight, it's like there's a string tugging super hard around it. and then my throat would seize up, because i remember...i-i r-remember...'

her eyes shut forcefully, her forehead crinkling as she recalled that particular detail. 'because i remember how his hands were near my neck and almost strangling me on that day.'

jieun nodded attentively as she took it every single word jinhee said, simultaneously writing stuff down on her mini yellow notepad but mostly she was keeping her gentle eyes on jinhee.

'alright jinhee, i hear you. so here's what we're gonna do, just listen to me, i'm gonna make this very simple and easy to follow, okay?'
and jinhee nodded in reply.

jinhee had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when she first visited doctor lee.

and after, jieun taught jinhee skills to address her symptoms, help her think better about herself, others, as well as the world. she also made sure she learnt ways to cope if any symptoms arise again. jieun had also been talking to jinhee thoroughly, trying to subtly search for other symptoms and problems that may relate to her ptsd.

she did manage to find other problems, such as anxiety and slight depression.

but jieun assured jinhee that it was all going to be okay, and that she will be there for her every step of the way, helping and treating her, as both her doctor and her friend. she also told jinhee that her friends, family, and taehyung would be there for her—which jinhee already knew.

'thank you for today again, doctor lee.'
jinhee chuckled jokingly as the formal name escaped her mouth once again, causing jieun to roll her eyes.

'alright then, jinhee-ssi.'
she formally said back, waving her hand, jokingly shooing her away as jinhee laughed in reply.

'bye doctor!'

'i'll see you next week again, miss kang.'

and with that, she got up from her seat, gently and politely pushing the chair in as joy washed over her chest, wanting to get out of the room and hug her two best friends that were once again waiting for her outside.

haeun and sujin were really the people she was going to be friends with her whole life, they would do everything and anything for each other.

as she opened the door, she expected the certain brunette to jump her and throw her arms around her excitedly, but her eyebrows arched as she was greeted by no one. didn't they say they were waiting right outside?

her head turned, as she closed the door behind her. and the moment she did—her fucking breath hitched.

there taehyung was, his shoulder leaning against the wall by the corridor as he stood so still like a god-sculpted statue, his arms were crossed as his eyes were closed.

but if his presence weren't enough to send jinhee's heart doing little somersaults in her chest, it was how she noticed his previous raven black hair being replaced with a bright coral pink, which complimented and highlighted his tanned honey skin rather nicely despite the colour being an unusual and rather bold choice.

jinhee noticed how his skin looked fairer than usual, and how his lips were a shade of rosy red—basically, he looked so pretty with his head leaning against the wall as he slept.

she didn't even know he would be here, waiting for her. taehyung was usually unable to pick her up after her therapy sessions since it clashed with most of his photoshoots.

yes, photoshoots.

taehyung was a freaking model now.

it was no surprise to jinhee when she first heard it from jimin who immediately called her once he received the news, he had been with taehyung when they were walking casually on the streets and his greek god ass got scouted and chased around by a model company staff.

taehyung had been reluctant to accept at first. when the casting staff gave him the company's business card and told him to get back to him in three working days, he had planned to throw it away the moment he saw them walk away.

but jimin had stopped him, and talked him through how he was practically jobless right now, and that since they were out of high school, he could just do this for fun and part-time. it didn't have to be his permanent job, and it wasn't like taehyung wanted it to be anyway, but he could finally put that face of his to good use and earn some cash—those were jimin's words.

jinhee thought it would be interesting to see him in magazine covers too, she would probably freak out because taehyung would probably look even better than he did in everyday life—which jinhee just couldn't fathom how that was possible—so model taehyung would probably be the death of her.

of course, she kept that fact to herself.

being a light sleeper, the sound of the door closing caused the now pink-haired boy's eyes to flutter open, blinking slightly as the corners of his lips tugged upwards immediately at the sight of jinhee.

jinhee's knees nearly gave way when the latter opened his eyes.

was he wearing contacts?
ground, swallow me hold. she thought to herself.

'hi.'
the monosyllable rolled off his tongue in a really subtle teasing manner, eyes gleaming with anticipation on how jinhee would react to his new hair.

'hey.'
jinhee said rather quickly, finding herself growing flustered again as her eyes were flickering everywhere but his drop-dead gorgeous eyes as they landed on his earring.

wait, earring?
was he wearing a fucking earring?

'you're staring.'
jinhee's mouth clammed shut as she realised her jaw had been slightly hanging open. of course she was fucking staring, he looked like...that. how the fuck does he expect someone not to stare?

jinhee coughed, telling herself mentally to calm the fuck down. 'what's with the new look?'

'you don't like it?'
taehyung didn't sound disappointed or anything, it was more like a subtle teasing inclination underlying his otherwise normal tone, with one of his eyebrows raised.

jinhee's eyebrows arched, her face was on fire right now. the single hue of ceiling light right above them glittered in taehyung's serene eyes, his subtle gaze radiating the fondness in his eyes.

but despite her heart drumming so rapidly against her chest, she still found herself able to muster the courage to make the boy as equally flustered as she was.

'no, i love it actually. you know you look good in everything you wear, right?'
she rolled her eyes playfully, it was taking everything in her not to break out into a giddy smile and bang her head against the wall for saying something this bold but no, she had to stay strong.

taehyung's smile dropped, and then he felt the blood rush to his cheeks and ears like warm syrup rushing through his veins. the rosy tint hue appearing almost immediately on his cheeks and ears. at the sight of that, jinhee couldn't help it anymore, as she broke out into a sheepish grin and chuckled.

'you're blushing.'

's-shut up.'

'woah, did you just s-s-stutter?'
jinhee mocked, running her fingers through her hair as she pushed her short hair back. taehyung thought she looked so pretty, or was it just him? he didn't know, but jinhee looked so pretty.

ignoring jinhee's laughter, taehyung cleared his throat. 'anyway, this right here, isn't permanent.'
he diverted the topic to his hair, as his finger pointed to it.

jinhee raised her eyebrows, ignoring how she was slightly bumped by that.
'it's not?'

'yeah no, it's hair spray. stupid company needed a soft cotton candy themed magazine shoot, i refused to dye my hair pink. i told them if they made me, i would quit.'

'and lemme guess, they didn't want you to quit so they just got you hair spray instead?'

'how did you know?'

jinhee scoffed, crossing his arms.
'you little shit, you've got them all wrapped around your little finger.'

he rolled his eyes. 'whatever, i'm gonna quit in like two months anyway.'

jinhee nodded, she was aware that taehyung wanted to pursue something else. but again, she was certain taehyung could actually go far in the modelling or entertainment industry with that face of his.

but maybe not the taehyung in this universe, maybe in another universe, he would be the face of the world.

'so, your pink hair's gonna be gone when you wash it off today?'

taehyung gave jinhee a look, slightly smirking. 'why, you seem disappointed.'

'no i'm not! i was just...asking. yeah, just asking.'

'yeah okay, just asking.'
he teased, before reaching his hand back to take something out from his bag.

a rose.

'what the fuck.'
jinhee said out loud, those three words were meant to be said in her head but they came out deadpanned anyway.

taehyung chuckled.
'i'm giving you a rose, and you're cursing at me. that's brutal.'

he leaned forward, placing two of his longer fingers underneath her chin, closing her mouth shut. 'don't look so shocked now, kang.'

jinhee blinked stupidly, as taehyung nonchalantly handed her the pink rose that was the same shade of pink as his hair, tilting his head playfully as he did.

she then frowned, rolling her eyes as she tried to hide how incredibly panicked she was right now. she then took the rose from his hand. 'thanks.' she said always too quickly.

'where did you even get a rose? it's literally the middle of winter right now.'

taehyung shrugged. 'did you really think i plucked that from a growing plant i walked passed? i took it from my photoshoot set, it got cancelled last minute, that's why i could make it here and pick you up.'
he booped her nose gently when he said 'you', causing jinhee to flinch back slightly as she processed what the fuck taehyung just did. lord, she needs to get away from him asap.

her eyes then softened. 'you didn't have to come all the way here after sitting down for hours getting your makeup and outfit done. i mean, it must've been tiring.'

taehyung frowned, giving her a look. 'i know, but i wanted to.'

jinhee scoffed, turning her head slightly away from him as she subtly smiled. she gazed down to the pretty flower in her hand, her heart warming at the thought of taehyung's gesture. her eyes then looked up again, finding its way to his enchanting gaze.

she didn't know what came over her, when she reached her hand up and tugged on the boy's sleeves, gently pulling him closer to her which he happily obliged. although, jinhee didn't miss the way his ears redden once more at her bold gesture.

god, he was so fucking cute.

'thanks for the rose.'
his hand reached up to his gorgeous face as she lightly booped it like what he did to her earlier on, causing taehyung to blink in a daze, his smile dropping as his cheeks tinted.

oh, he was so in love with this girl.

and then jinhee did the unexpected, as she leaned further it, planting her soft lips onto taehyung's cheek.

taehyung's eyes immediately widened like plates, the blood from all over his body rushing simultaneously towards one direction like wildfire—his cheeks. it was always something taehyung was kind of embarrassed about himself. he rarely got flustered, but when he does, his cheeks would look like they had the reddest blush applied on them and his ears would turn bright red too.

this occurrence just got way more common ever since jinhee.

it was just a soft and quick peck—it was gone as soon as it came, leaving taehyung with the sensation of her soft lips burning into his skin. as before he could even react or process it properly, jinhee chuckled at how he was practically looking like a tomato now, before she let go of taehyung's sleeves and playfully walked away, humming happily to herself with the rose in her hand.

taehyung's large hand immediately cupped his burning cheek, the corners of his lips tugging upwards into the widest rectangular grin as his eyes formed into crescents.

jinhee just kissed his cheek.

with a giddy smile, taehyung turned around and briskly caught up to the girl, his hand brazenly taking her hand to intertwine with his, as they walked out of the hospital hand-in-hand.

jinhee smiled at that. 'so, what are we doing now?'

taehyung pursed his lips into a straight line, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement.

'i have somewhere to bring you.'

•┈┈┈••✦♥✦••┈┈┈•

the restaurant was beautifully and lavishly decorated, it looked beyond the word fancy. combined with the low and slightly dim lighting which gave an orangey hue, it set the mood for a rather romantic ambience. fresh flowers were placed in a pretty ceramic vase that had a luxurious-looking chinese dragon design on it as the vase was placed in the middle of the table.

the table was covered with a white silk cloth, two candlelight were lit up, one sitting opposite of the other. classical and slow piano music played at the background, as the girl kept an eyebrow raised as her eyes were wide and judgemental while she scanned the whole venue.

and then her eyes shifted to the table again, the tablecloth and napkins were linen. just then, the waitress came with two sets of napkins as she placed it across haeun's lap for her, bowing after she did so before moving on to the person sitting opposite her.

her judgemental eyes followed the waitress as she couldn't help but find this whole situation extremely ridiculous. only when she thought the waitress was going to leave, she then took a deep sigh before shaking her head.

that's when she noticed the waitress never really left, as she stood politely by their table—her posture painfully straight as she kept her hands held together in front of her, one placed on top of the other. she stood a distance away though, so it wasn't like it was invading their personal space.

her eyes dramatically shifted from the waitress standing beside their table to the boy opposite her.

'what the fuck is she doing?'

'her job, of course.'

'yeah, no shit. but why the fuck is she standing beside us like a fucking—oh my god, did you hire a female bodyguard?'

'what? NO! she's our table's personal waitress. i requested for one.'

'i'm sorry, what?!'

the boy opposite her gulped, noticing how the girl's eyebrows arched as she looked at him in disbelief before throwing hands. she leaned her back against the seat as she crossed her arms, throwing him a deathly look.

'okay so, what's the purpose of bringing me to a fancy ass restaurant where water costs 10000 won? you tryna feed me holy water to butter me up or something?'
she raised an eyebrow.

the boy nibbled on his bottom lip, rubbing his eyes as he sighed before leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table.

'haeun, we need to talk.'

'yeah, i can tell you're fucking desperate to. waiting outside my archery training center like some dog.'
haeun rolls her eyes, taking a sip out of the ridiculously priced sacred water.

it's been a few weeks since jungkook had been visiting the archery center that haeun trains in, waiting for her outside in the harsh korea winter weather—waiting for her to step outside and pestering her to talk.

haeun had been training almost everyday, in preparation for her scholarship to germany. she believed that there was nothing for her to say to jungkook, and there was absolutely nothing to talk about.

which explains why haeun consistently ignored jungkook's presence even though he stood brazenly right at the entrance of the center, but haeun would see him and sigh in her head, before walking right pass him and acting like she never saw him.

or during a few rare occurrences, she would stay and hear jungkook out without even looking at him. jungkook would ask her the same thing over and over again—if they could sit down and just talk.

but that's what they've been doing all along—talking, sitting down, chatting, fighting, and then talking again because haeun would forgive him.

no more. haeun realised she simply deserved better.

it hurt, of course it hurt. it hurt haeun greater than it ever hurt him.

haeun placed the cup on her table, hard—causing the waitress' eyes beside them to widen before she lowered her head again. it was probably unheard of for a customer in this kind of place to slam a cup on the table.

'alright, so talk. this is my lunch break, mind you.'

after weeks of pestering her every other day, haeun decided to give in and hear what he had to say for himself...for the last time. although, haeun did leave that last part out.

jungkook took a deep breath as his eyes fluttered shut. he wasn't going to beat around the bush anymore, not this time. he had stalled for so long, kept haeun on the hook and tested her patience for so long—and they've ran out of time.

there was no more time left.

haeun was leaving in a week.

'i'm sorry for what happened at the party, i'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you after that—'

'jungkook.'
haeun's voice escaped her mouth in a softest whisper, so fragile, that if she were to talk louder than that her voice would break.

she shook her head. 'say what you want to say without apologising, you know i hate it when you apologise.'

jungkook swallowed thickly, ignoring how his heart cracked a little for her. haeun was right, jungkook wasn't going to see her for a really long time and he didn't want to be leaving her with words full of regret and negativity. perhaps...he should tell her the good things—the good things about her and what he was thankful for.

'okay, i wanted to say thank you.'
haeun blinked at that, slightly thrown off before jungkook watched her eyebrows arched. but she didn't say anything in reply, her eyes slightly anticipating for jungkook to go on.

'thank you for being my life's constant, for being there for me when no one else was, for helping me take care of my wounds when i refused to go to the hospital because i'm fucking stubborn. you're the most patient person i know, thank you for waiting and waiting for me.'

'i know it's not worth it and it's tiring for you, but i just really wanted to say thank you for always being there. when i felt like i had no one, it was assuring to know that you were always there.'
jungkook didn't stumble or stutter on his words at all, he was genuinely meaning every sincere world that rolled off his tongue.

jungkook stared into haeun's doll wide eyes, finding it a shame he couldn't see the sparkle that mostly gleamed in her eyes, especially under bright light. but the lighting of the restaurant he chose was dim and orange, so he couldn't see it.

or perhaps, drowning in jungkook's presence was enough to cause the sparkle in her eyes to distinguish—all that she could associate with the boy was heartbreak and disappointment. it was cruel, all too cruel.

'but you took advantage of that, jungkook. you knew that i was a pussy like you, with no backbone, that i would stay with you and wait like a fool despite you disappointing me again and again and also leading me on.'

'and you know what? i'm going to germany, i'm not going to be there for you anymore.'
a sense of bitterness gleamed in jungkook's bottomless doe eyes as haeun's sharp words cut right through jungkook's chest like a spear shrouded with needles.

'you're leaving? you're really leaving?'
and when jungkook's words hunted the fact that he didn't want haeun to leave his side at all, haeun couldn't find it in her to be angry with him anymore. being angry was draining—and if she were to be honest, she was never really mad at him.

all this while, haeun had just been gaslighting herself into staying mad at him, because she no longer wanted to be someone pathetic and stupid, a girl who ran towards a boy who would never treat her right. no, she deserved better.

but despite it all, jungkook did make her happy. all the moments where they spent together, from the hospital room when jungkook got himself injured and ran over by a car, to their scandalous convenience store runs behind everybody else's backs. even if jungkook never liked her that way, his company was her happiness.

how incredibly bittersweet their nonexistent love story was.

haeun smiled sadly. 'i'm going, gamer boy. i'm definitely going, you won't see me anymore in a week's time.'

jungkook breath hitched, his heart drumming rapidly against his chest as a foreboding feeling set in, he felt absolutely sick in the gut—it dawned upon him, the realisation dropped upon him like a brick bashed straight into his skull. his world felt like it was falling apart.

'can we still talk online? call?'
his voice was now reduced to a hoarse whisper as he swallowed thickly once more, his throat was running dry from the fear of losing haeun. his heart—it was wrapped in threads of desperation and dread. his eyes were slightly panicked, pupils dilating but not obvious under the dim lighting.

haeun's smile dropped slightly, but it was still there subtly, her head lowered as she did, before shaking her head. 'i've had the past month or more to think things through—really think things thoroughly through.'

'i can't keep going back to you. staying in contact with you from the other side of the world is just going to make me continue expecting something from you, it's going to make me continuously think about you and feel about you in the way i no longer want to feel about you.'

haeun leaned forward as she plopped her elbows gently on the table, the light from the candle shining upon her gorgeous small face, highlight her small nose as the candlelight played in her lustrous doll-like eyes that were like glass—so transparent that jungkook could see the reluctance and hurt in her eyes.

her orbs bored into jungkook's doe ones, her gaze pouring into jungkook's eyes gently but seriously. he noticed how tears began to well up in the corner of her eyes, shaking and threatening to fall but haeun wasn't letting them fall.

'jungkook, i-i don't want to keep thinking about you. i don't want you to occupy my mind every fucking day, i don't want to feel the happiness you made me feel because i know it's all temporary. i don't want you to occupy the space in my heart anymore.'

'it's not letting me experience the things i wish to experience—which is the ability to fall for someone who would treat me right, someone who would like me as much as i like them.'
jungkook tore his guilty eyes away from the brunette the moment he sees a lone tear stream down from the corner of her eye, feeling his own tears pooling up in his eyes as his heart clenched so hard.

he didn't say anything in response to that, because he knew—he knew that haeun was right and that she deserved better. he couldn't hold her back, not anymore.

'jungkook, you can tell me anything in the world, you can tell me how much i mean to you or whatever bullshit, but you just can't say it.'
haeun paused for a while, causing jungkook to wonder why she suddenly stopped talking as he lifted his head up, his doe glossy eyes locking with hers once more.

'you just can't say you like me the way i like you.'
it was painful how a sentence that escaped from her own mouth could make such a cruel feeling of disappointment filling up her lungs once more as she watched jungkook bite on his lip and lowering his head in shame again.

what a fool haeun was to have that small flicker of hope in her heart that jungkook would correct her after so long, after having not talk to her properly for over a month. what a complete utter fool she was.

jungkook never liked her, he didn't like her in that way. he didn't like her back—the results and the ending, remains unchanged.

her breath creased as she nodded, tears following the movement of her head.

'and because you can't say it, i know that you just don't feel that way. and it's not your fault, you can't force yourself to like someone.'
the corners of her lips painfully tugged upwards again, the feeling in her chest so absolutely cruel and burning her from inside—this was the last time she was ever going to let someone make her feel this way again.

'i want to start thinking of myself now, put myself before others, stop thinking about the good of you because it's hurting me.'

'haeun—'

'no.'
haeun instantly cut the boy off, as jungkook didn't realise he had reached out for her hand on the table, attempting to grab it as haeun instantly pulled her hand away when he touched her. his mere touch left a burning sensation on her hand—something she craved so badly but it ate her alive from the inside to want something that wasn't hers.

'i don't want to think about you anymore. i want to have a good life in germany, chasing my dreams and becoming a hot archer that kicks ass and maybe find a hot german boyfriend that would love me back. i...no longer want to think of you.'

jungkook's eyes prickled with tears as every word that rolled off the girl's tongue was painfully agonising for him to hear, the small flame of hope in his chest that he could maybe convince haeun to stay distinguished as the smoke from the distinguished flame tickled at his aching chest.

'so please, don't text or call me. if you really care about me, if i really mean that much to you, you would act like i never existed.'
haeun deadpanned, despite feeling her throat seize up as she was about to choke up into gut-wrenching sobs. but she couldn't break down in front of jungkook, not when it was the last time in a long time before she sees him again.

jungkook hated the feeling he felt in his chest right now, the feeling of desperation and wanting to reach out to the brunette and hold her back and keep her by his side for longer and even longer, if only they had all the time in the world.

it was selfish, he knows. but was it worth it to be selfless right now? it ached, he couldn't confirm whether he had feelings for the girl, he didn't even know himself. it was toxic, leading haeun on, holding her back from her greater dreams, wanting to keep her selfishly by his side despite being unable to promise anything to her.

'do you really?'

'what?'

'do you really have to go?'

'jungkook, that's enough. i need to go. both you and i know, this has been my dream, this is my moment. i'm leaving, and that's final.'

there was a painful silence between the duo after that, both of them just drowning in each other's presence for the last time. and although it wasn't enjoyable, haeun try to relish the last moment she was going to be with the boy like this, one-to-one, remembering the moments they spent together.

why did it have to end this way? haeun questioned in his head, but she guessed, some questions just never had answers. and fate was just a cruel game of chess, and the two of them were its pawns—with haeun being the greater one who got utterly checkmated.

'may this be the last time we see one another, jungkook.'

haeun's tears had stopped falling, she was going to end this even though there was nothing to end in the first place without breaking down and being a weakling in front of him. redness rimmed underneath her eyes, her cheeks were stained with tears.

jungkook's heart had stopped beating rapidly from the fear of losing haeun, because now it had dawned upon him that he had already lost her. and she was going to be gone from his life, for good.

'i wanted to thank you as well, thank you for showing me what it felt like to feel the thrill and excitement of liking someone, thank you for me showing me what happiness felt like when you spent time with somebody you like.'

'and as much tears you have caused me to shed, i'm still happy to have met you. you taught me many things, helped me learn many things, introduced me into your small little gamer world that i didn't want to admit but, it was actually nice and entertaining.'
jungkook let out a genuine but at the same time, forced laughter as it just came out hoarse and choked up. haeun kept her glossy eyes on the boy who was just actively wiping away his tears as he listened.

'so yeah, i'm happy to have met you, even though we're not going to be together in the future—even as friends. and i'm glad i stumbled upon your almost-dead body in the middle of the road that time. because if i hadn't, i wouldn't have been your regular in the hospital ward.'

'and we wouldn't have had our mini convenience store runs behind everyone's backs.'

'and i wouldn't have experienced my first love.'
and that's when jungkook felt the rough pounds of his heart against his ribcage again, his head lifting up so fast as his doe eyes widened in shock at her words. haeun was in love with him?

his breath creased, and the desperate beats of his heart for her to elaborate on could even be felt in his ears.

haeun smiled sadly at jungkook's reaction. 'yeah, you probably didn't know. because i kept telling you about how many people i've kissed before you.'

'well, that wasn't a lie though. kissing is fun, i like kissing people. but it's just that, no feelings were attached i guess.'
she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, before taking a sip out of the sacred expensive water once again.

she plopped the cup back down on the table, gently this time. her eyes found its way back to jungkook's captivating ones, shamelessly staring at him as she took in every last moment she could to see his face again, as she studied the details of his gorgeous face for the last time.

he really is gorgeous.

'so yeah, i guess this is it.'
she said, her elbows leaving the table as she leaned back against her chair.

jungkook's heart was still palpitating quickly in his chest from haeun's earlier confession, suddenly having a foreboding feeling of dread wash upon him as he knew what haeun was about to say.

haeun's eyes shifted down to the legs of her chair as she spotted her handbag, bending down to reach it as she slung it over her shoulder.

'i guess this is goodbye.'
jungkook's mind was sunk in darkness the moment he heard the last word—goodbye. he never imagined himself throughout his whole friendship with the girl to ever part ways with her, to never see her again, to say goodbye to someone who meant so much to him.

jungkook wished he could say something valid—a reason valid enough to get the girl to stay, that he could take back the malignant fate he'd initially set. He yearned for the power to go back and change the ending they were sold.

the weight of the situation only seemed to dawn upon him now, crashing down at deafening velocities and taking him head-on.

but it was too late.

time had ran out.

the sound of his beating heart was so loud and overwhelming his eardrums that he could only snap out of his trance and focus on the sound when he heard the sound of haeun's chair pushed backwards. he blinked before his eyes shifted upwards to haeun who had stood up, she was going to leave.

she still had a smile on her lips, a smile that appeared bittersweet as the corners of her eyes were telling that she wasn't smiling genuinely. because if she had been, her eyes would've crinkled into crescents. jungkook knew this because he knew the girl had smiley eyes.

'goodbye, gamer boy.'
those three words hit jungkook like a truck, as haeun didn't wait to see the look on the boy's face when she said her parting words, afraid that she would be too distraught at his reaction and choose to stay instead.

a whining sound rang through his ears at high frequencies, as if an explosion had just hit and settled in. his world had seemed to be caving in on him at that moment, folding and crumbling around his body within seconds of cognisance.

haeun was walking away, she was leaving.

and all jungkook could do was sit back and watch it unfold, silent tears trailing down his cheeks in seamless streaks. all he wanted was to run over and pull her back, let his hand encircle her wrist and never let it go. but he couldn't, he had no right to.

they were nothing, they had nothing, jungkook made it that way, jungkook made sure they stayed that way. and now they couldn't even stay as friends, they were going to be strangers that once drew the colours in each other's monotonous lives.

and as haeun exited the restaurant, only then she let her hot tears stream profusely down her smooth and perfect skin. her gorgeous mascara absolutely smeared by her tears, she once again let herself cry over jungkook.

but who could blame her? she liked him so much.

and it tore her apart when she realised jungkook wasn't chasing after her. it was not like she expected him to, but it still hurt regardless. her body was on fire.

in the end, haeun realised she had been holding on to the two ends of the same rope, never once being connected to jungkook.

and so she let go, she had to let go.

and when she did, she let go of a part of her heart in the restaurant—leaving it with the boy she left behind probably for a lifetime.

how bittersweet their story was.

it was the end of something that never started.

•┈┈┈••✦♥✦••┈┈┈•

'UNNIE!'
jinhee felt the tiny arms of a little girl wrap around her waist, as she buried her cheek into her clothes, hugging jinhee tighter.

'oh hey, it's little taesoo!'
taesoo had released jinhee before jinhee carried her up by her armpits, lifting her up above her head as she gently swung the girl around, both of them laughing together.

as taehyung stepped into the house shortly after, he immediately noticed the two duo's interaction, with taesoo screaming for jinhee to put her down but the smile on her face was telling her otherwise.

'oh it's tae oppa!'
taesoo said, as jinhee's eyes shifted to the pink-haired boy before she gently put the little girl down—who immediately ran into her older brother's arms.

as taesoo was lifted off the ground with taehyung carrying her with one hand, her big doe eyes curiously eyed his vibrant hair as her little fingers played with them, slightly messing and ruffling his hair up. she then moved on to his face, scanning his face and his eyes that had contacts in them.

'woah~ you look like an idol!'

taehyung let out a light-hearted chuckle before putting taesoo down, not noticing the few strands of his pink hair that jutted out from the top of his head—due to taesoo's handiwork.

jinhee's eyes shifted to him upon hearing taesoo's words, noticing again how his fluffy pink bangs covered his forehead, as the ends touched right above his eyelids, she was silently grateful that they didn't cover his pretty eyes.

taehyung hadn't realised that she had been staring, but that's when she blinked her eyes away from the boy, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks as she realised that she had once again been shamelessly staring at the ethereal-looking man—her eyes unintentionally finding its way to taesoo as she always jumped when she realised taesoo was eyeing her with a subtle grin.

her eyebrows arched as her head tilted. 'why are you looking at me like that?' jinhee mouthed as a corner of taesoo's lips curled upwards into a small knowing smirk.

'are you checking my brother out?'
jinhee choked on her saliva, as taesoo heard something drop loudly behind her, before she turned to see that taehyung had dropped his entire bag onto the ground as he stared at taesoo with wide eyes.

jinhee's mouth hung wide open, she couldn't believe she just got caught staring at taehyung by his little sister. she wanted the ground to swallow her whole at the moment, or crawl into a fucking hole and hibernate in there for the rest of eternity.

taehyung's wide eyes dramatically shifted to jinhee who was standing behind taesoo, the scene looked like it was straight out of a romcom right now, as jinhee immediately defended herself by mouthing 'I WAS NOT!'

the way the corners of his lips so subtly curled up into a almost unrecognisable smile, but the mischievous glint in his eyes just told jinhee that she was never going to leave this one down. knowing taesoo for his whole life, taesoo wasn't one to lie or just say things for fun—she was blunt and sometimes a menace, wonder who she got that from.

he broke his eyes away from jinhee as he threw taesoo a look. 'yah, you can't just say shit like that. you're eleven.'

taesoo shrugged. 'i'm just stating the facts.'

jinhee blinked stupidly, jaw just dropping wider. 'okay taesoo, go back to your room and get changed. kook's coming to pick you up later, remember?'

taesoo's eyes immediately sparkled at the mention of the boy who she probably liked more than her own brother. 'O-M-G! HE IS? oh my god, okay see ya two lovebirds i'm gonna go get changed.' she was absolutely unbothered, turning away before she could make fun of the way taehyung's cheeks slightly tinted at the word 'lovebirds' again.

they still weren't official or anything, but it had been a month since they knew about each other's feelings towards one another, it just made things a little more special between the both of them.

when the door closed behind taesoo, it left the two of them alone in the living room.

their eyes met again, and eye contact with taehyung never failed to make jinhee's breath crease, making her feel breathless—but in a good way, as her heart pounded violently against her ribcage. she was never going to get used to his gaze—it was captivating.

that's when taehyung's eyes shifted from her eyes to the rose in her hand, smiling at the sight. 'come on, i have something to show you, remember?'

jinhee thought that taehyung would tease the fuck out of her after hearing what taesoo said, but he didn't. and so she silently thanked him for that, she probably wouldn't have been able to live it down if otherwise. but who could blame her? he had fucking pink hair and had his makeup done like a professional model in a photoshoot and he had grey contact lenses on. yeah, if only jinhee could knock herself out there and then.

taehyung nudged his head slightly towards the door on his right, walking towards it before turning the doorknob, his eyes shifting back to jinhee.

jinhee took her bag that she had placed on one of the chairs near the dining table, slinging it over her shoulder as her hand still encircled the stalk of the rose. she raised an eyebrow, 'i thought you had something to show me?'

'oh yeah, it's in my room.'

jinhee's mouth formed an 'o' shape at that. taehyung had never invited her to his room, she rarely came to his house anyway—and even if she did, she only stayed in the living room or go into taesoo's room when the little girl was excited to show her what's in her room.

but never taehyung's.

but she didn't question it anyway, trying to hide her nervousness to enter his room since she didn't really know what to expect.

taehyung switched on the lights before he pushed the door all the way open, pressing his back on it to hold it open for jinhee to enter before he did. maybe jinhee was just someone who lacked love when she grew up, but her heart fluttered at the small gesture.

the moment jinhee hesitantly entered, her eyes flickered in all directions, noticing immediately how simple yet aesthetic his room was.

a small wooden bookshelf almost filled to the brim was placed near the door, the walls  were painted a smooth mint-green colour, and in the corner of his room was his bed—the headboard and blankets an off-white colour.

and beside his bed, he had a white bedside mini table with a digital alarm clock with neon blue text, a small fluorescent night lamp, as well as what seemed like a bluetooth speaker.

he had a wardrobe placed right opposite his bed, but it was closed so jinhee couldn't ses what was in there—she just assumed they were his clothes anyway. his room was ordinary, simplistic.

but what stood out to her were the fact that his room were filled with different kinds of art, paintings, and photos. on his mint-green wall is a black outlined photo frame of a picture of him, taesoo, and their lovely parents who adopted the both of them. taesoo and taehyung weren't blood-related, nor were their parents their biological parents—but they were happy together, his parents raised them right and were always there for them since they were small.

and that was what mattered, wasn't it?

jinhee's heart warmed at the sight, she noticed how taehyung had a big wide grin in the picture, he looked so happy there—with his family.

a family that was complete, a sense of home.

jinhee felt a tug in her heart, acknowledging how she missed out on such a thing every since she was a child. how did it feel having a loving family with both parents by your side, caring about you until you grew up? she wouldn't know, she would never know.

her eyes then shifted to the few paintings taehyung had hung on his wall, most of them were paintings of picturesque backgrounds—and they were all in black and white. something that taehyung always appreciated.

the room smells like fresh vanilla because of the bowl of dried petals and shells that have been smothered with air freshener.

jinhee had been so focused on noticing what was around taehyung's room, that she didn't realise she was kind of in a trance—although she was snapped out of it the moment she heard taehyung slide his wardrobe door close.

she turned to see that taehyung had taken something out from there.

her eyes shifted to the strange-looking object in his hands—it was kind of in a pentagon sphere shape, which is five-sided face pointing to all directions. its colour was somewhere between black and grey, its glossy surface reflecting the ceiling light in them.

'what's that? is it some kpop lightstick i don't know about?'
jinhee questioned genuinely, it literally looked like a lightstick minus the flat base that was attached to it.

the corners of his lips tugged upwards as he looked down, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement to show jinhee what the little object in his hand could do. he had gotten it as he thought about her, and he was certain she was going to love it.

he chuckled. 'it's not a lightstick, jinhee.'

she raised an eyebrow, still eyeing the object which taehyung was trying to attach together, his eyebrows furrowing as he focused.

she heard a click shortly after, before taehyung's eyes brightened. 'you don't know what this is, do you?'

jinhee blinked, shaking her head hesitantly. was she supposed to know what it was?

'no, i don't.'

there was a short moment of silence.

'so show me.'

taehyung smiled at her words, not saying a word in response as he walked pass jinhee towards the door, causing jinhee to turn her head in confusion. she watched as taehyung reached his free hand out to flip his light switch, he then proceeded to close the door completely, all sources of light being cut off as the room immediately darkened—jinhee couldn't even see her own hands in front of her.

jinhee couldn't see it, but taehyung turned towards her, both of their hearts palpitating rapidly in their hearts in anticipation.

'i'll show you.'

it was so dark, as jinhee couldn't even see where taehyung was at this point of time, until she flinched slightly the moment she felt a hand grab hers gently—his hand. she immediately relaxed at his touch, interlocking her fingers with his as she felt him guide her somewhere, as she felt the soft material of what seemed like a floor carpet underneath her feet.

jinhee didn't question anything, she was way too distracted by the loud pounding sound of her heart in her chest as well as the sensation on her hand that taehyung was holding—holding his hand always felt like a fucking fever dream. it was so warm, so comforting.

that's when she felt taehyung shift slightly beside her, before she felt him gently tug her downwards to sit down on the carpet.

'close your eyes.'
her breath hitched the moment those words rolled off his tongue in the deepest whisper, but she listened accordingly anyway, closing her eyes in anticipation.

she heard another click—a click that sounded slightly different, it was more like a flip of a switch.

'okay, you can open them now.'
she hears taehyung say, and that was when her eyes fluttered slowly open, her pupils slightly dilating as they were instantly hit by the bright light, her eyes squinting a little as an immediate response.

but not even a second after, her eyes widened in disbelief at the literally ethereal sight in front of her.

what she thought was a kpop lightstick lookalike—turned out to be a LED star light projector, as the pentagonal sphere shot yellowish-golden specks of light in all directions, the design of constellations and mini dazzling stars pouring all over the walls.

the way the star patterns exploded all over the room, like fairy dust—the moment jinhee took in the sight, her heart exploded with both joy and disbelief, and gratitude.

the way the lights shone against the wall, it made it seem like taehyung and jinhee were stuck in a box filled with pixie dust together—stuck in their own little world. just them, and no one else.

dozens of stars danced in all directions, causing jinhee's eyes to flicker everywhere, she just didn't know where exactly to look. it was just too pretty, beautiful. her lips were parted as her jaw dropped even wider the more she looked at the lights the projector was emitting. it was just like a fairytale.

it really felt like a dream come true, being surrounded by the stars with her special someone. but this was jinhee's reality, how did she become so lucky? she could never figure that one out. did she deserve this? to her, not really. but to taehyung, he wanted to give the girl everything she deserved—which was the whole fucking world, and all the good things.

taehyung's melancholic eyes drifted from his walls to jinhee, who looked so peaceful with the fairy dust-like stars reflecting in her eyes. he notices how her eyebrows perked up whenever she was excited, her lips slightly parted whenever she was in awe of something—letting out small breaths that were soft and slow.

her eyes gleamed under the starlight, the corners of her lips tugging upwards even more as the stars glinted more and more, taehyung's heart warmed at the sight of jinhee having the brightest smile on her face. he loved her smile so much, she looked so happy, happiness looked good on her.

the golden hues of light glittered in her sparkling eyes, as the stars danced in them.

'you're so beautiful.'
the words rolled off taehyung's tongue purposely, it wasn't an accident or in the moment kind of thing, he genuinely found jinhee beautiful at this moment—the light illuminated her face and highlighted every single part of her face, as taehyung noticed a strand of her hair falling in front of her ear, and grazing onto her cheek.

the moment those words escaped his mouth, maybe it was because there was a moment of comforting silence between the pair, but his voice was deep and sent jinhee's heart into a state of frenzy—a good kind of frenzy.

the booming was furious and incessant, seeming to swell into a mallet and swung against her ribcage, a drum full of dirt that might burst at any given moment.

her breath creased as her attention immediately turned away from the starlight, eyes shifting to the boy beside her as she felt herself literally stop breathing when taehyung reached a hand out, tenderly tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear.

and that's when jinhee's eyes widened like plates, as taehyung surges in and carefully closes the distance between the both of them, pressing his lips over jinhee's soft ones.

it was simple—just a short but sweet peck, a gesture from taehyung because he couldn't help it but kiss her, the way jinhee looked right now was just so endearing to him, he was just so...enchanted and in love.

and be it short or slightly longer, feeling their lips against each other's was always refreshing, the sensation of each other's lips always sent the adrenaline flowing through their veins and towards their heart and head at a rapid speed, causing both of theirs hearts to beat quickly as one, and the blood to rush to their cheeks.

whenever taehyung felt jinhee's lips against his, he always felt flushed and red.

and jinhee found that really endearing too.

as taehyung's lips left jinhee's, he innocently stared at jinhee's wide eyes—she was clearly not expecting that. it was not like they hadn't kissed ever since the new year's party, but kissing taehyung was never something jinhee could get used to. kissing taehyung always made jinhee felt like she was kissing him for the first time, the butterflies and electricity surging throughout her gut and her body, making her scramble to savour every second before her lungs gave out.

'what was that for?'
jinhee was whispering, her voice kind of hoarse as she was still flustered.

taehyung shrugged, biting his lip as he moved further from her and leaned his head against his bed that was behind them. 'nothing, just wanted to kiss you.'

'what the fuck, you can't just say shit like that.'

'why not?'

jinhee's mouth clammed shut, her eyes breaking away immediately from the boy as it flickered in all directions except for him.

'do i make you nervous?'
his voice brought her back to reality, as her eyes widened again as they snapped back to him. his eyes were glinting, anticipating—he was giving her a look that was kinda smug at the same time, because he knew so well the kind of effect he had on the girl.

'stop looking at me like that.'

'like what?'

'like THAT.'

'like i wanna kiss you again?'

jinhee slapped both of her hands over her mouth, trying to hide her panicked smile and also just in case taehyung would suddenly kiss her again, because she didn't know if her fragile heart could take it.

taehyung chuckled, before he reached a hand out, grabbing jinhee's hand and gently tugging it down from her mouth.

and when he did, he took her warm hand in his, as an unrecognisable look washed over his eyes as he looked at her palm. jinhee's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she was about to open her mouth to speak before she felt his finger gently trace the palm of her hand.

she tensed a little as her eyes trailed down, noticing how his finger was grazing over her scar.

her three weeks' old scar.

she had the scar on her palm when she was a child, on the exact same place. but when that man came back to their house, wrecked havoc and decided to ruin their lives all over again, he used a shard to carve it into jinhee's palm, reopening her old wounds.

jinhee's breath was getting slightly heavier, as she tried to focus more on her breathing so she could control it, her heart beating fast with the reminder of her father's vile deeds.

she didn't say anything in response to taehyung's actions, she trusted him so much. she watched as he placed his other hand that wasn't already holding hers beside her scarred hand, as he opened it, revealing a similar scar that was etched deeply into his palm as well.

'taehyung, what are you doing?'

jinhee watched as taehyung's eyes fluttered shut, his forehead crinkled as though he was in pain but trying to suppress it, as though he was angry at something but refused to lash out.

'we've both been hurt...'
his voice trailed off as he started speaking again, his voice so soft that jinhee wouldn't have been able to hear it if the room wasn't pin-drop silent.

'it's been hard, so hard for the both of us.'
his fingers continued to trace over jinhee's scar, her heart clenching so hard at his words as she felt the tears well up in the corner of her eyes.

'we have scars, that perhaps cannot be erased for a lifetime. but everyday i think about your words—you know, what you told me on my birthday.'
jinhee was nibbling on her bottom lip so that she wouldn't let her tears fall, she took in the sight of the pink-haired boy as he said all these words under the dazzling starlight from the projector.

she wanted to take in every moment.

'as you draw the stars around my scars, i want to be the moonlight shining around your scars, i want to be your light at the end of the dark tunnel.'

she inhaled quickly, almost coming out as the most subtle gasp, she noticed how the reflection of one of the constellations on the wall bounced of his eyes as they twinkled in them.

'i want to be yours.'

her lips parted, the tears that were once shaking at the corner of her eyes seeping out, streaming slowly down her cheek the moment those words escaped his mouth.

and then she let out a more obvious gasp when taehyung took her hand and placed it on his face—his cheek.

inaudible soft protests escaped her lips from the shock, blinking as she was thrown off by how taehyung let her touch his face. she was never supposed to touch his face, it was a part of him that had been scarred and tainted, and that's why he never wanted jinhee to touch it.

but he learnt—he learnt that loving was letting who you love help you embrace what haunted you in the past, and that her touch was like the stars being drawn around the scarred memory on his cheek.

red tints adorned the pink-haired boy's cheeks the moment he felt jinhee's touch on his face, his eyes that held the constellations in them boring deeply into the eyes of the girl he loved.

'jinhee.'
he called out to her again, his heart beating so fast, he loved her so much that he felt like he was going to explode like the stardust all over his walls.

'can i be your boyfriend?'

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

author's note—

and finally, the last official chapter of matchmaker—the almighty chapter 80. i listened to 'i see the light' while writing the last part of this last chapter, you know the tangled soundtrack? :, i am so overwhelmed with every single emotion right now

this chapter is 16.5k words long, a monster chapter. but i put my entire heart and soul in this—because it's the last chapter uk 🥲 all my heartfelt words of gratitude, explanations etc will be in the author's note at the very end, but for now, just wanted to thank everyone who has read all the way up to here.

there is an epilogue after this, and also a hk special chapter ;) keep a lookout for both of them!!

i love you all so much, and this has been MATCHMAKER from your amazing author shay🫶🏻

thanks for reading! &&votes are created appreciated