Maybe he had already taken it two years ago when he jumped into the pond.
After two years of intensive training, Jungkook felt that his path in life was taking a specific direction, even though he still did not know the ultimate destination. It may have had to do with learning so much about the tree, the gems, and their hidden power. The more information you have, the more the perspectives with which you see things and life increase, thus expanding the range of decisions to be made. And although sometimes he was afraid to choose between so many possibilities, afraid of being wrong, he always ended up remembering that life was not a matter of always doing the right thing, but of living it, and for that he also had to make mistakes, to learn not to fall into the same error.
It was fucking difficult, because Jungkook was always looking to do the right thing, to be told that he had done the right thing. But who was it right for? For him or others? These questions were the ones that always tormented his mind, but while he was in his bed, he repeated to himself that as long as he felt that what he was doing was the right thing to do, everything would be fine.
Obviously, he couldn't always get it right, and that's what bothered him the most. Well, rather, it bothered him that trying to do what he knew was the right thing to do, things would go wrong and end in the worst way. However, there was nothing so frustrating and screwed up as not being able to stop things from going wrong. Because there are too many assholes in this world, and sometimes it seems like they get together to be even more idiots. The fact is that this time the one who was going to suffer the consequences was Park Jimin.
The first time Jungkook heard of Park Jimin was from his friend Park Yoonseul. She kept talking about the boy who had a reputation for being the cutest senior in high school. She had met him at summer camp that same year, and they quickly struck up a friendship. The fact that he was two years older than them and had more responsibilities made it difficult for them to even find him in the hallways.
"Of course, all of us Park are adorable," Yoonseul said as they walked towards the institute.
"You're adorable?" Jungkook asked with an incredulous face.
The answer was a sound of indignation and a punch to his shoulder. Jungkook just laughed and ran his hand over her shoulders.
"You should stop doing that if you want to remain as adorable as a teddy bear." And then he poked her cheeks, knowing how much it bothered her.
For a moment, Yoonseul stood still, her cheeks taking on a rosy colour that matched the red frame of her glasses, and her lips parted as she looked at Jungkook walking backwards with a sly smile. After blinking several times, he regained the ability to run after him while ensuring a slow and painful death.
When he finally reached it, they were near the entrance to the institute.
"Look, we have arrived even earlier than other times. 30 minutes earlier. Impressive. We've set a new record."
"How is it possible that a bum like you can run so much?" Yoonseul asked between gasps, trying to catch his breath.
"Come on, let's rest there," Jungkook said, pointing to a tree in the park they were in.
"Yah, there's a bench a couple of meters away, why do we have to sit at the foot of a tree?"
"Don't be picky. If you sit on the bench, then the sun will shine on you, and that will spoil your delicate skin."
With a grunt, Yoonseul went to the tree while muttering under her breath something like "it's not my fault that my skin is sensitive."
Already seated at the foot of the tree, the girl stopped complaining and settled against the trunk, using her uniform jacket as a cushion. Jungkook did the same, and soon the two of them were with their eyes closed, enjoying the shade provided by the tree and the light breeze that occasionally cooled them down.
Until Yoonseul put his hand on Jungkook's thigh. At first, the boy ignored it. Their relationship was only friendship, and it is not as if the hand was so high. But soon after, the pressure was more palpable. The boy opened his eyes and looked to his right, only to find his friend looking the other way, in the bank's direction. There were two students there, a boy and a girl, from the same high school, but other than that, there was nothing else that caught his attention.
Just when she was going to ask his friend if something was wrong, the girl from the bank spoke up.
"Tell Jimin. If not, we can't be together." At the mention of Jimin, Jungkook closed his mouth and leaned forward to listen more clearly.
"Nothing can stop us from being together, not even Jimin. We're soul mates, we are meant to be together."
"I know that, but at least I should know why you're going to break up with him."
"Don't worry about it." The boy replied with a wave of his hand, dismissing it. "I need not give him any explanation, we're just friends with the right to touch, as he has said until time comes."
"Well, it doesn't look like it." The girl said with her eyebrows together. "I mean, the two of you go hand in hand and everyone thinks you're a couple. Even I see it."
The boy laughed as if what he just heard was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Listen, Jimin is a very loving boy and although our arrangement is unconventional, I'm not soulless either. We all need love from time to time, so if I have to go hand in hand with him, it's not a problem for me. I've learned to love him, it's true, but I assure you he will understand. "
Next to him, the girl didn't seem to be very convinced, but she must have seen something on the boy's face that told her to trust him. Meanwhile, Yoonseul was only increasing the grip on her thigh. He was almost certain that soon the blood would stop circulating in that area, and by the time he returned home, he would be purple.
The two watched as the two students got up and went their separate ways. When they considered it safe, they got up and walked away from the tree. There were still twenty minutes until classes started, so they walked without a fixed route through the park.
"We have to do something," Yoonseul blurted, causing Jungkook to stop in his tracks.
"What do you mean we have to do something? The love life of others is not our problem."
"I know that, idiot. But it's about Jimin-Oppa. I can't let them break his heart so cruelly."
"But that guy said theirs was just an agreement."
"Are you serious?" Yoonseul turned to him in disbelief, then crossed his arms. Jungkook just shrugged. "It's not like I know him, Yoonseul."
"Okay, okay, you don't know him, but I do. I met him at the summer camp our parents forced us to go to. What a pain in the ass. Can you believe they didn't even have anti-spray for mosquitoes? I got hives and—"
"You are getting off-topic." Jungkook reminded her, to which her friend closed her mouth as if it were a fish. Then he readjusted his glasses and brushed his black hair behind his ear.
"Okay, listen to me well. Jimin-Oppa turned away a lot of guys at camp because none of them wanted anything serious. It's not like him to have an untethered relationship like that, do you understand?"
"So, are you saying that that guy from earlier was lying to that girl when he said that theirs was a compromise?" Yoonseul nodded. "Okay," Jungkook said after an inspiration. "I don't know Jimin, but I don't think it feels good to him we're going to tell him what we just heard. In fact, he would send us to hell. And if we tell the girl, she won't believe us either. I mean, would you? So there's nothing we can do." Jungkook concluded.
Yoonseul nodded throughout Jungkook's rant. When it finished, he shook his head and smiled, as if the boy were overlooking the obvious, which was likely, since before ten in the morning it was impossible to function as a normal person.
"Everything you've said is totally accurate, so we'll do none of that. God knows it would only end in tragedy and humiliation on our part." The girl linked her arm with Jungkook's and started walking towards the institute. "What we can do is support him even before anything happens. We are going to show him what a true and healthy friendship is."
At this point, they had already crossed the entire park and were entering the institute. There were a couple of students talking on the outside and a few others walking in slowly while they talked animatedly among themselves. And Jungkook had the feeling that they were walking to a different place than usual. Normally, they would wait under a tree at the entrance, in the rarest cases, they would wait directly in class. But Yoonseul seemed to have other plans today, and when Jungkook realized what he was up to, he resisted.
"Hey, I think it's very good that you want to help him, really, but you know how bad I am with plans, I always get carried away and end up ruining it—"
"Luckily for you, this plan will be the exception that proves the rule." Yoonseul interrupted him. "Do you know why? Because you are the plan and your only goal is to act as you are."
They were getting closer and closer to the basketball court, where popular students used to gather before class. During lunchtime, they changed places, each day a different one and randomly.
Jungkook did not understand what his friend's plan was, but he noticed that nervousness typical of when you meet someone important for the first time, or when you go to a job interview. Not that he had gone anywhere, obviously, but his brother Jonghyuk had already given him a preview. Despite having come out of his shell and beginning to lose his fear of interacting with the world, he still had a long way to go. The lowest part for him was the first few encounters, the pressure to make a good impression with just a couple of words overwhelmed him, therefore he always ended up being the asshole and saying the first thing that crossed his mind.
They stopped in front of the court, Jungkook still trying to calm his heart rate as the girl looked around at Jimin. And just as Yoonseul let out an annoyed sound, Jungkook thought they were going to leave, his heart beating at a calmer pace.
"Yoonseul-ah?"
This story belongs to @nometoloko on AO3. I'm just her translator.
Wow! I'm on a roll today. Enjoy my darling readers.