soleil / sɔlɛj / noun.
in english : sun
meaning : the light or warmth received from the earth's sun.

"Oh gOD no this isn't ok," Minseo growned into her palms with frustration, after calming down a bit from her break down earlier.

"Chill minseo...at least you're still alive. You're just in a coma," Seokjin attempted to calm her down while soothing her back with rhythmic strokes.

"But what if this is a sign that I'7m gonna die? What if I'm already dead, brain dead, with a catatonic body? I'll be useless, I already am..." Minseo said with panic, face stricken with anguish. "My dad just left my mom. If I leave her then..."

Seokjin tried to think of something to lighten her mood, desperate to take her pain away. Seeing her like this broke his heart, especially when he knew that he was the reason this happen.

"Hey minseo, which city has the best rappers?" he asked out of the blue.

"I don't know. LA?"

"No. Toki-YO!"

Seokjin started to laugh hysterically thinking it would have an effect on Minseo. Minseo stared blankly at him like he was an imbecile, showing no sign of humour on her face that was still shiny with tears.

"You think that's funny?" she said sternly.

"Is-is it not funny...?" he tentativly asked. "I'msosorryminseoiknowthisisn'tthetimetocrackdadjokesrightnowanditsallmyfaultthatyourhereandthatididn'twantustogethe-"

"Hahhahahahahahahahhaahahahahahahahahahahahaah-"Minseo started laughing at Seokjin's awkwardness and cuteness. "Chill I was just messing with you. That joke was horrible though."

"How could you not like that joke? Even Yoongi laughed at it!"

"Sure."

******

"Being half-dead isn't so bad i guess," Minseo started as they walked towards the forest.

"Right? I mean, you could be doing anything you want and literally no one would care."

"Yeah, you feel really free!"

They chatted as they strolled down the grassy, mud-tainted lane with no direction in their heads. No specific destination in their minds. their map was unpinned. It was just the two of them and the symphony of the rustling trees, as well as the tender caress of the evening breeze. Tranquility. It didn't matter that they would've gotten lost, as long as they were together they were contented.

Ironically, their invisible footsteps ended them up at the site where Seokjin's murder took place. The sombre shadows of the protruding branches were still as dark as the memory imprinted in Seokjin's head. Leaves cascaded down the trunk, reminding every visitor that this site held a rich history that should be appreciated.

"Here? Haha," Seokjin chuckled. It was still a haunting place for him. It has been more than a month since he got murdered by his very own friend, but some part in his heart still held on to that weight. It was like an internal string attached to the center of his heart. Beneath all the tangled threads and balled-up mess, an anchor was pulling on the other end, impossible to let go of. Can you help me cut it , please?

"Let's climb ," Minseo said suggestively.

"I thought you hated climbing?"

"I changed my mind."

"What made you change your mind?"

Minseo bit her lip while turning back smirking to give Seokjin a cheeky wink. "You."

Seokjin felt his heart skip a beat, shocked at her sudden flirtatiousness. He started to fidget his hands with nervousness. "God, she's gonna be the 2nd death of me," he murmured silently so that she wouldn't hear.

"I heard that."

******

"SEOKJIN I CAN'T FEEL MY LIMBS!"

"You know you can just teleport to the top if you wanted to, right?" Seokjin who was already sitting on the tree branch said, turning his head downwards to look at the girl who was still a few feet away from him.

"No I'm not weak!"

"Well hurry up then! The sun's setting."

When Minseo finally reached the branch, Seokjin extended his arms to pull her up. "Finally," he murmured under his breath with sarcasm.

"It's beautiful," Minseo breathed out, eyes wandering over the landscape. The setting sun was a ball of orange, illuminating the forest. Making it even more magnificent than it already was. The first night they were here, minseo swore that the forest is the most alluring under the warm moonlight. But she was wrong. Twilight's kiss is the best filter for this scene of greenery. The leaves above them seemed to shelter them well, But a few sneaky rays of sun still crept themselves through the cracks.

The sinking sun set slowly down the horizon, the shadows got less and less prominent, and the vindictive darkness started to emerge from the edges.

Amidst all this beauty, Seokjin was however, debating on when and how to hold Minseo's hand.

His hand itched forward very slowly, almost unnoticeable. His palms started to sweat and his heart was beating so fast, as if it was the first time he'd ever touch someone. But just as his pinky finger was going to touch hers...

"We're adults. If you want to hold my hand just say so," she chuckled softly, and immediately rested her hand on top of his, fingers intertwining and a blaze of warmth radiating from her palm, almost warm enough to scorch his fragile skin.

Seokjin felt slightly embarassed that he appeared like a total teenage school boy to her, raising his other hand to scratch his neck. "Hahahahahahaha" Minseo laughed at his blushing cheeks.

"So um...is this our first date?" he shyly joked.

"I guess it is. As dead people."

"Talk to me," Seokjin said suddenly.

"I am talking to you."

"No i mean, tell me something about yourself. I don't know much about you yet."

"But I don't know what to say."

"Ookayy um...tell me about a favourite memory that you can never forget."

"Well..." Minseo started after taking a few seconds to think. "There was this time when my dad came to my violin recital. Which was really surprising to me since he never supported me taking violin lessons. Plus he was working. But, he walked into the classroom that day kind of late, still in his ragged clothes dirty from work. And he gave me the most serene smile. Like he was actually proud of me. He even shimmied his way to the front to record my performance on his camera. I felt so grateful to have him as a dad. I still do. I wish I told him this enough."

She started to tear up a bit but held them back in.

"You know, I'm sure your dad knows you love him. People die, but the love we receive and the love we give lasts an eternity. As a dead person I can tell you that."

"I know, thank you, Seokjin," she whispered, looking into Seokjin eyes with those glassy orbs. Seokjin returned her smile, and is his smile Minseo found a sense of love and care that she had been craving all these years. She didn't lack the love of her parents, on the contrary she was showered with parental love. But she never had someone by her side to drain her tears away and crack jokes just so the tips of her lips could quirk up, even if it was just for a second. She didn't have a shoulder to cry on, therefore she rarely shed tears. Until now.

The two of them stared longingly into each other's eyes, drifting down to each other's lips a few times. "So um...do you maybe wanna kiss me?" Seokjin suggested jokingly, quirking up his eyebrow.

Minseo clapped Seokjin's chest. "Thanks for ruining the moment, asshole."

"Hey I need to prepare before we...you know (?) kissing chapped lips is like making out with a cactus."

Minseo laughed out all uncontrollably, until it died down. Seokjin really had a way with humour.

"Just kiss me, Seokjin."

"Say no more-"

After her request, Seokjin didn't even take a second to hesitate. Gently but also quickly sliding his hand behind her neck and pulling her face towards him. Their noses touched for a moment before their lips did. And when the two locked lips, it was like butterfli- no. Fireworks.

Fireworks erupted in minseo's stomach. She had never kissed anyone before, thus the inexperience. But Seokjin's soft lips melted into hers like honey. Sweet, sweet honey. Caressing her lips and taking lead in this session. Minseo felt like she was in ecstasy, like she was flying above the puffy clouds and maybe even the fierce sun. Icarus perhaps?

But it wasn't just pleasure to her. She wasn't a hormonal teenager anymore, she was a grown woman who knew what love felt like now. Love was their interlaced fingers that kept locked while they were kissing, and not a sign stealthy hands roaming over each other's bodies. Love was the smiles against each other's lips in between hot kisses, the gasps and excitement. Love was them leaning their foreheads and nosetips against each other because they can't even stand to be an inch apart.

And just as the sun was completely pulled down the horizon, exchanging its place with the moon, Seokjin and Minseo had to separate their lips and come up for air. Both of them breathless and still in a daze.

Minseo with her eyes still closed, brought her fingertips to her lips, thinking back to that heated moment just a second ago. Seokjin's lips gave her a sensation she had never felt before. She smirked and looked up to lock eyes with Seokjin.

"Chapped my ass."

Author's Note

I'm really sorry about this late update. My school break is ending and i still have 239032 piles of homework (useless homework). I'd like to say beforehand that due to school starting again soon, and also since its gonna be the most important year in my entire high school life ( big big exams ) i won't be able to update as fast as i used to. But i promise i'll do my best in my writing to compensate for the sloth-speed. :) Don't forget to stream singularity!