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"Eonni! Will you take a picture of me in front of the ferris wheel? The colors are gorgeous!" Minju's bowed ponytail swung to and fro as she skipped like a toddler. The middle schooler made a dancer's pose in front of the blinking lights.
"Cute," I chuckled, snapping a few more photos.
"Take some with me!"
The two of us, took multiple pictures until Hyeji's family came and took Minju under their wing. After going over the rules of being out for the third time, I let her go.
I wandered a bit after that, deep in thought. I'd still been in a slump since lunch today, but I was determined to make an effort towards putting it aside. At least for the time being. Who knows? Maybe this carnival was exactly what I needed. Seokjin would be here and maybe that'd be enough to turn the day around.
"Boo!" someone's hands clapped too roughly on my shoulder. I whipped around, imagining Taehyung had found me again. Instead of Taehyung I found a laughing Jimin, unaware of just how much of a panic he sent me though. I stood clutching my chest where I could feel my rapid heart beats.
"Oh, was that too much?" his smile died into a look of surprised concern then patted my back gently. "Sorry 'bout that. You okay?"
I nodded and tried to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. You just...got me good." He chuckled and gave me a last pat before checking his phone.
"Well, Jin's still working on getting here. Did you want to just wait, or should we have fun?" he slipped his phone into his back pocket. His eyes shone with excitement and something else I couldn't quite put a finger on.
"Um..."
On one hand I thought it would've been rude to make him wait when he looked so excited to get on the rides. On the other, I had never hung out with him before. Not really anyway. There was the weekend at the spa, but Hyeji and Minju kept him busy. The heart to heart we had last week definitely counted as spending time with him alone, but I realize we mostly talked about me. I still didn't know much about him.
"Oh, come on! We should hang out a bit before Jin comes. I rarely get to have fun with you!" he grabbed my hand and playfully swung it back and forth. His bottom lip pushed out into a pout.
"Well...if you're gonna be cute about it..." I gave in with a chuckle. Jimin beamed as he took my hand and led the way.
The first ride was his pick - the ferris wheel. It wasn't as grand as the ones you saw in pictures of the world's most renowned amusement parks but it still provided a pretty view. I wished Hoseok could've seen it. I also noticed my partner got a lot of looks of admiration from the girls where ever we walked. A few noticed me only to question what our relationship was but it didn't bother me.
Next was the carousel. Also Jimin's choice. I noticed that his selfie habits were just as bad as Minju's. I had to laugh. When we got off, he told me it was my turn to pick a ride.
"What about the rollercoaster?" I suggested. His eyes went toward the large contraption. We could hear the exhilarated screams from its riders from where we were. Jimin looked spooked. "Or...we can play one of the carnival games...?" I said reassuringly.
"What about we go with the games?" he chuckled nervously. "Not because I'm scared or anything."
"Right," I hid my doubt.
We headed over to a bean bag toss game. Jimin insisted I go first since he had to step away for a call. To my surprise, I was actually starting to feel normal again. The rides and games helped. It took my mind away enough to forget. But only for a little while.
One of the hanging prizes on display was a stuffed doll of a cartoon character. It was dressed in a black and yellow checkered vest. Just like the flannel Yoongi wore that day at the Jungs. The reminder threw me off my game and I couldn't afford the prize I wanted with the tickets I earned.
"I guess I'll hold on to it until I earn more. Thank you!" I told the game host.
That's when Jimin finally rejoined me. And if I wasn't mistaken his expression seemed antsy. I started to worry that Jin wouldn't be able to join us after all. That his father had caught him trying to sneak out and barred his windows or something.
"Everything okay?" I asked him.
When he looked at me it was as though he just realized I had been there. The blonde boy ran his hand through his hair with a half smile. "I'm sure it is. I just hope Jin gets here soon."
"I'm flattered but I was hoping Yurim would be the one to say that."
We both turned in unison. Jin had just arrived. We must've looked extremely relieved because he laughed at our reactions. "Why are you two so glad to see me? Were you two at each other's necks?"
I laughed, earning a smile from him, "we're just glad you could make it."
Jin's fond expression lingered on me for a good while, making my face grow warm. Though, even then it didn't occur to me to break the stillness. His gaze was one of few I actually felt comfortable sharing.
Suddenly something moved in between us. Jimin waved his hand in between our line of sight, "Hello? Do you two want to be alone?" I blinked away, embarrassed.
"That's an interesting thought," said Jin, giving his friend a pointed look.
"Okay, okay, but not for too long now. The last thing I want is for the girls here to think I'm looking for company," Jimin flipped his phone between his fingers with stylish perfection, a playful arrogance shone in his eyes as he swaggered off.
I squirmed a bit, nervous that Jin had really requested time alone with me. When it was just us, he noticed the tickets in my hand and no prize. "Didn't you get a prize yet?" he asked.
"I didn't earn enough for the one I wanted," I shrugged. Jin hummed before leading me to the next booth. A different game but the two hosts appeared to be partnered, the prizes shared between them. My date preferred a game of balloon darts to bean bags.
"I'd like to play," he told the host, who immediately handed him five darts.
"You don't have to!"
"I want to," he smiled at me. He seemed adamant so I stepped aside and watched.
Jin seemed to breeze right though it. Bursting the higher value colors, earning more than double the amount I did. We didn't even need to combine tickets for the prize I wanted. When the round was over, I clapped and marveled at his skill. He received my praise with a bow but his ears had turned pink. Something I noticed happens when he felt flustered. "Which one did you want?" he asked, surveying the line of prizes.
I looked at the choices then had an idea. First I did the math in my head so I wasn't mistaken somewhere. In the end I asked for three small stuffed animals - a puppy, a lamb, and a bear.
"These are the ones you wanted?" he asked, puzzled.
"Even better," I beamed then held them out toward him, "there's one for each of us! Pick yours!"
Jin gave a look filled with admiration then considered his choices. "I'll take the sheep," he chuckled and claimed his prize.
"I'll let Jimin choose when he gets back."
"You should pick yours now. After all, you were nice enough to think of him."
I nodded slowly, agreeing with the logic. "Okay, well I guess I'll take the bear. I already have a puppy at home..." my voice faltered at the thought of Horim sitting on my bedside table. And more specifically my best friend who won it for me.
I must've let out pathetic sigh because Jin placed a comforting hand on my back. "Should we go for a walk?" he suggested.
I actually thought going on a few rides again would've been a better idea. That way maybe I could forget that Hoseok wasn't around. But I also knew Jin always had a way of soothing me and helping me feel stronger than I think I am. I nodded and he took my hand.
As we set out toward nowhere in particular, he was curious about what Jimin and I had done while he was gone. I filled him in on everything, assuring that we hadn't gone through too much without him. That there was a lot to do still.
"That little traitor. He knew I wanted to ride the ferris wheel with you," he said.
"We can still do it! We can go now if you want."
"It's too late," he shook his head, shutting his eyes. To add to the drama, he raised our locked hands to his chest, "he's ruined it."
I laughed at his sudden theatrical performance, "what are you- why are you doing that?" I cringed.
"I just feel that we need our own ride," he toned down the act a bit and continued. "Like how couples have a song that's theirs. The ferris wheel won't be special if you and Jimin rode it together," he delivered with despair and a hint of aegyo.
"Wow, Kim Seokjin!" I chuckled, "so you're gonna be that type of boyfriend, huh?"
"'Gonna?'" his eyes sparkled toward me.
"I..." My cheeks were blazing realizing what I said. At that moment with my hand in his, we already felt somewhat together. However, to be totally honest I'm not sure what being together felt like. I just knew that I felt comfortable with him, that I could depend on him at any moment.
That's when I realized just how close we had gotten. How far I'd gotten into trusting him completely. How close we were to being...more. Was he really just laughing at my slip up? Or was this his way of saying he wanted to be my boyfriend? Did I want it? Was I ready? Unsure of how to respond, I only stared at our feet, shyly avoiding his gaze.
"Sorry," he said. "I only meant to make you smile but I couldn't help being curious."
"Curious?"
"About what you thought about it." Jin gulped and chuckled nervously. I was taken aback at the rare sight. I'd never seen him look so nervous. It was contagious once I started making sense of his anxious tone.
"It..." I repeated, stalling.
Jin stopped and due to our locked hands, I stopped too. He brought me to face him, his eyes turned back to their normal kind selves. Though, they still held a hint of nerves. "A relationship, I mean. Officially. With...me."
I swallowed. "Oh..."
"Like I said, I got carried away. You have a lot on your mind these days so it wouldn't be fair to expect an answer now - and I don't. But..." he stepped closer. "There's something I want to ask you. And you can say no," he added quickly.
"What is it?"
Uncertainty plagued his face. Again, this wasn't something one associated often with the confident Kim Seokjin. He took a deep breath, "I wanted to ask you if I could...kiss you."
My eyebrows involuntarily hiked up in surprise before I proceeded to think about it.
Jin was my ideal. He always knew what to say to make me feel better or happy. He was kind, considerate and receptive to my feelings. And much like today, I often found myself at ease in his company. Which was why I was disappointed in myself when I thought of my answer to his question.
Too shy to speak, I nodded my head.
Seokjin looked surprised, "r-really? You're sure?"
I wasn't so much disappointed in my answer than I was in my reasoning. I thought this could be the quickest solution to everything. I could feel better about Hoseok not being here and not being around for the past week without a word. And most importantly, I could finally silence the confusing feelings I had had about Yoongi.
I just wanted to forget everything for a split second and revel in the fact that my dream guy finally sees me and cares about me. I could just be a teenager in love.
"I'm sure," I nodded.
Jin nodded in kind before leaning in. I tip toed a bit, bringing us closer. His fingers lightly trailed my forearms and settled at my elbows. His nose brushed softly against my cheek. I felt the heat of his breath on my skin. Just before our lips touched- "you're sure?" he asked once more but I didn't reply.
I hopped on my toes and pressed my lips against his. I closed my eyes - eager to forget, to absorb the moment and the feeling of him.
Having had only one experience like this, I couldn't help but compare both scenarios. His lips were softer than Hoseok's but...he didn't move like him. Why was his hands still on my elbows? Why aren't his lips moving and guiding mine? Was he waiting for me? Am I supposed to do something?
I quickly recalled Hoseok's maneuver from that day and decided to try it. Barely parting, I pushed off my toes a little more and caught his top lip. A sound I could've imagined came from the base of his throat. I wasn't confident that I did it right and thought I'd messed it up, but then he pulled me closer. His hand migrated to my waist
Then he pulled away from me suddenly. I looked up at him, startled, his eye brows furrowed with confusion. He took his hand away from my waist to rub the back of his head.
My heart thumped anxiously. At first, I thought I had done something wrong but then both our eyes fell on an object that landed and rolled on the ground next to us. It was a rubber duck.
"YA! DON'T YOU KIDS KNOW PDA IS FROWNED UPON HERE?"
My eyes grew wide. I knew that voice!
ns 15.158.61.20da2
