"I just wanna know what you look like without a weight on your soul."
-
Not having a proper breakfast surely has it's drawbacks.
Albeit all the munching on those snacks, with only half an hour left for them to reach their destination, Sana couldn't help but grow embarrassed over the grumbling sound of her empty, angry stomach that resonated in the deafening silence of the car.
She flushed pink as Jimin chuckled, sinking further into her seat as she faced away from him, ears practically ringing with all the blood rushing to her head.
"You want to stop for a while to eat somewhere?" He asked, glancing shortly towards her, smiling widely at her embarrassed state.
"N-no, it's fine. You don't need to stop," she muttered, voice merely above a whisper, but he seemed to have heard her all clear.
"I know a restaurant in about 5 minutes from here. It's not the best out of all, but the food's exceptionally good," he spoke with a subtle wave of his hand, pointing towards the said place.
"Um, yeah sure."
Jimin seemed pretty much satiated with the response, nodding as he turned the blinker on, car swerving a road that led to the restaurant.
-
"Dwaeji Gukbap for brunch and Ssiat hotteok as dessert, side dishes included for two," Jimin finally answered after going through the vast menu, eyes leaving the booklet as he looked up to the waiter taking his order.
"Y-your order will be ready in a few moments, sir. Have a good day," the waiter all but rushed, making a beeline for the counter, staggering on his way and resulting into bumping into a table, flushing pink before setting the chair aside, leaving immediately.
"Okay so..what's going on here?" Sana questioned once the waiter was out of their space.
Sana and Jimin shared amused glances, the latter raising his brows at the unusual behavior that the waiter emitted.
"Someone's having a crush here," he spoke amusedly, wiggling his brows twice at Sana.
Sana, in return, laughed and waved her hands in a dismissal manner. "You're too much, Park Jimin. I think the case is the same, although applied on a different person."
"Different person? Who?" He asked curiously, leaning across the table, eyes wide with anticipation.
'Such a kid.'
"Oh, I don't know. Someone whose surname starts with a 'P', is sitting right across me, and is exceptionally good looking," she spoke quietly, feeling the tiny bit of tenseness seeping into her as she said the last words, but managed to swat that away.
'It doesn't matter. He knows he's handsome and the world will still spin on it's axis after me telling him that,' she concluded, proud of herself for chasing away the dread of having done something that her mind won't think right of.
"Oh? Don't be silly. It's not like that," Jimin dismissed the idea fairly quickly, roundly ignoring the amused smiles being thrown his way from the person sitting across him.
"It is like that. If you don't believe me, just wait and watch," Sana shrugged and spoke rather too confidently about the whole situation, but she said what she thought had the probability of being true.
Jimin watched her skeptically with narrowed eyes, keeping the stance until she gave up and sighed, leaning across the table to exaggeratedly whisper at him.
"He has a crush on you, Mr. Park. You seem to ignore how the poor kid's blushing around you," she spoke slyly, slumping back in her seat with a triumphant smile etched on her face.
Jimin frowned for a second, keeping quiet for a few moments before speaking up. "Wha-what? That's just stupid. I wasn't ignoring whatsoever, you're just over-observant," he remarked and Sana hummed, leaning back into the comfortable seat, musing, unbothered.
The silence stretched on for a long time– as long as Sana can remember, comfortable and easy and just assuring. Jimin was gazing outside the large window on their side, while Sana closed her eyes for a blissful, short nap.
The food arrived after a few moments, and Sana woke up by the mouthwatering aroma of the meal, sitting up straight as Jimin chuckled at her eagerness. The waiter– not the one who took their orders– politely bowed and walked back after placing each bowl and dish on the table.
They dug into the food, with Jimin groaning at the ecstatic taste and Sana nodding approvingly.
"These are the most popular dishes around here. I was sure you'd love these," he spoke in between, swallowing his bite.
"These sure are great. You seem to know this place well, huh? Do you come here a lot?" Sana asked and Jimin smiled, nodding. "Yes, once in every two months," he explained. Sana nodded too, going back on focusing on the food.
With their stomachs full and satisfied, they decided to leave and continue the drive again, asking for the bill.
Sana couldn't help but giggle at the miserable face the young waiter had, cheeks flushed and hands frantic. He slid the bill towards Jimin without even sparing Sana a glance, and Sana couldn't ruin the moment by butting in and politely telling Jimin that she'd pay.
Jimin paid, smiling up at the waiter when done, placing a tip by the side too. The waiter hastily thanked and left, awkward and embarrassed.
While it confirmed Sana's suspicion, her sly smile only heightened Jimin's confusion. She kept the same expression until Jimin noticed what was lying on the table beside his glass and he grew wide eyed, picking the paper in hands as Sana broke into a full blown laughter.
Hey handsome, call me. Xx
*insert number*
"You really didn't notice, did you?"
Jimin groaned. Picking up his wallet and keys from the table, he stood up and left towards the entrance, with a subtly laughing Sana following him, the small piece of paper in her hands.
-
Sana didn't imagine coming to Jimin's home in Busan. She didn't imagine having to stay in a place where Jimin grew, and she certainly didn't imagine Jimin bringing her there out of all places.
With the sun already setting below the horizon, the sky was painted with gorgeous hues of pink and golden, a touch of dark blue at the far ends, and orange as bright as flames. It was beautiful, so beautiful that for a moment, Sana completely set her lethargy and tiredness aside, closing her eyes as she basked in the moment, the soft breeze caressing her face.
The small house– more of a cottage– was surrounded by green fields, and beautiful flowers, and with the beautiful sunset, it possibly couldn't look anymore welcoming and homey.
Jimin stood beside her and smiled at her blissful face, picking up the luggage as he walked further towards the house. Sana heard the leaves crunching under his boats and immediately opened her eyes, following the stony, lined-by-all-kinds-of-flowers path.
Her eyes curved into happy crescents when she looked at the wooden entrance door. Jimin shot her a happy smile before opening the door with his keys, walking inside with Sana following suit.
Once inside, Jimin showed her the interior of the house. Sana sighed inwardly, appreciating the wooden mahogany furniture, the small windows and wooden floors, cozy couches and the pretty fireplace in the lounge.
He also showed her to the guest room, after which he left for his own room and Sana took a quick warm shower, changing into the fluffiest, coziest and warmest clothes she could find.
Blame her for being such a softie.
Satisfied with her attire, she stepped out of the room and walked down to the ground floor, finding Jimin perched on the couch, phone in hands as his brows were furrowed in concentration.
She walked around the other couch and sat next to him, shaking her head when he didn't even lift his head, utterly unaware of her presence.
His stance was only broken when she tapped his shoulder and he flinched, the surprise on his face quickly morphing into a small smile.
"What're you doing?" She asked once she settled into the couch, grabbing a small cushion and placed it on her lap.
"Hmm? I was, well, looking around the map, figuring out all the places we can manage to visit," he said and Sana nodded, feeling the fondness for him blooming in her chest once again.
"Let's just go with the flow. We are here for peace, not to stress over where to go next. Okay?" Sana spoke softly and Jimin nodded understandingly.
He set his phone aside and leaned back into the couch too, resting his head on the backrest and closed his eyes. Sana kept her gaze on him, taking in his peaceful and soft features, outlining the well known curves with her eyes.
"I also want you to meet someone," Jimin said with his eyes stil closed and Sana flinched out of her daze, confused for a moment.
"Who?" She questioned.
"Just someone," he replied and opened his eyes, smiling briefly before standing up, lending a hand to her.
'Why is his smile suddenly so...sad?'
Anyhow, she took his hand and let him pull her up, confused as to where he was taking her.
Walking through the kitchen, he opened a door that most likely led to the backyard. Sana gasped inaudibly when she saw the already dark sky, seeing the countless stars littered over the sky as if it were a canvas.
She only realized Jimin had let go of her hand once she noticed the lack of the warmth, and quickly averted her eyes from the sky to properly look at him.
There were a couple of lamps that lit the area, casting a dim glow on his face when she looked at him.
Seeing the soft smile on his face and his eyes strained towards something, she followed his line of vision, gasping loudly once she saw what he was looking at.
A grave.
It was neat and tended, with small plants and flowers around it, a stone with some words engraved on it.
'Park Haemin.
November, 1965 – May, 2008
May your soul find eternal peace.
You will be remembered.'
"Jimin.."
"I wanted you to meet her. I'm sorry if this is too selfish, I just–" Sana cut him off. "No, it's not selfish at all. Just that, I wasn't expecting it," she told him and he nodded, focusing his attention back on where it was before.
"I'm sorry, maa, I'm a horrible son. I haven't visited you lately, and being busy is not a justifiable excuse I could give at the moment. I'm sorry," he paused, sighing as he crouched down, running a hand on the stony pavement. "I brought someone this time. You always wanted me to have someone by my side when you're not here, and I'm not alone, maa. I'm not alone in crowded rooms anymore," he crooned, closing his eyes as he did so.
Sana's heart clenched achingly and she sat beside him, placing her hand on his as she closed her eyes too, squeezing his hand and praying silently.
Once finished with her prayer, she opened her eyes, only to find Jimin staring at her, blinking as she smiled up at him. "She's in a better place, Jimin. I'm sure she's happy about you," she spoke tenderly, as softly as she could and he still looked at her with an unwavering gaze, nodding slowly once he took in her words.
Sana sighed and tilted her head back to look at the stars, smiling softly. "Maybe she's watching you from above, proud of you."
Jimin followed her eyes and gazed upon the stars. "She loved the countryside. Despite having an apartment in the centre of Busan, she preferred staying here. I thought I had to fulfill her wish, so she was buried here, in the place where I grew, the place she loved," he went on and felt the sudden satisfied feeling of a weight being lifted from his chest from talking aloud about it to someone. They kept the silence until a small smile bloomed onto his face once he heard her giggle softly.
"You're so different, Jimin," she remarked and he turned his head to look at her. "Different?" He questioned.
Sana hummed. "Different in a good way, indeed. I've never met anyone like you," she mused, catching his interest as he raised his brows.
"Someone like me, huh?" His voice was laced with amusement and Sana laughed again, breaking her eyes away from the sky to look at him.
"Now now, don't be so full of yourself, Mr. Park," she said and stood up, walking towards the door they came from.
"Back to honorifics, I see. Do you have any requests for me to fulfill, Ms. Sana?"
"Come on, not a genie now, are you? What's more of these to surprise me further?" She looked over her shoulder.
"A lot, I'm full of surprises," he said and followed her with a grin on his face. Sana laughed loudly at this and opened the door, turning around to face him. "Surprise me with your best coffee, Mr. Park."
"Coffee sounds tempting," he grinned and watched her laugh before disappearing behind the door, shaking his own head as he followed her inside the house.
"Guess this coffee will be an act of gratitude for the uplifting of our moods?" He questioned and Sana giggled softly, handing him two cups as he smiled back at her.
"An act of gratitude? More like, a much needed boost of the caffeine I missed because of not having my breakfast," she shrugged and grinned when he cackled loudly, nodding approvingly as he accepted the mugs from her hands.
Her teeny tiny crush may or may not have escalated due to his laugh, or his caring nature, or maybe just him in general.
'Oh? Oh.'
-
Just to clear some things here, the year Jimin's mother passed away in my book is 2008, so Jimin was 18 at that time. In this book, Jimin isn't born in 1995, but 1990, which makes him 28 years old.
Furthermore, the birth year, death year, and the name of Jimin's mother is completely imaginary, and not related to the said person in real life by any means.
Have a good day, I hope you liked this! :) Xx