Chapter 13; Where Are You Now That I Need You?

She swam in words so sweet and ensnaring, without knowing that she was closing an eye on the reality.

───── ❝ do haru ❞ ───── 

Class was about to commence, yet there was no sign of Yoongi anywhere. Jimin and Haru had already left the library and parted ways since there were only about five minutes left. 

Haru sat at a semi-empty row in the back, where she and Yoongi would usually sit together. As she bit onto her nails anxiously, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and sent him a couple of messages.

Their first lesson of the day was chemistry and they were about to have a test, yet—even when the bell rang, indicating that anyone who stepped foot in class at moment or later was a goner—he still didn't make himself seen.

Yoongi hand't replied or even seen her texts, and she was beginning to feel worried for her friend. 

Once chemistry class came to an end, Haru checked her phone again, but there was still no response, so she called Yoongi. Uselessly so because he never picked up. She had no other choice but to simply go to her clothes designing class and hope for the best. 

The presentation ahead only made her hands shakier.

...

After her clothes designing class came to an end as well, she began making her way to meet Jimin at the lockers. Her was phone pressed again her ear, ringing continuously. She was hoping Yoongi would finally pick up since it was her third time calling him that day.

However, all of a sudden, someone nudged her in the shoulder, making her turn around as she slapped a hand over her chest in shock. Her heart stopped when she made eye contact with Hae-Im and Mina. This time their other minions seemed to be absent.

'W-what do you two want?' stammered Haru, unable to mask her unease.

The two bullies smirked, but before they could reply, Haru began running away. She called Yoongi and managed to send him another message; nevertheless, she was soon caught and cornered. 

'Trying to run away?' Hae-Im chimed, tilting her head tauntingly. 'So Jimin and Yoongi were your models for the fucking project, huh? Why did you make them wear that trash? Poor boys, I bet you either paid or forced them.'

'Probably the latter, Onni! She is a poor schnorrer after all. Unless the boys would be satisfied with seven-thousand won or something!' Mina jeered, chortling even louder.

Tears blurred Haru's vision as she struggled to react, afraid that her voice would crack. 'I-I am not a s-schnorrer...'

Haru wasn't poor, she wasn't rich either, who were these snobs to assume things about her?

'Didn't we tell you to not go near them again?' Mina spoke up again, her voice slightly higher as if she saw showing her real intentions with these childish insults. 'I warned you, little fucktard. Especially Park Jimin!' 

'And why can't I-I be around them?' Haru couldn't help but stutter again, however, the rebelliance in her raw voice, this time, was clearer.

'Do you think you are that great? Jimin wouldn't want to be around people like you, he is a good person! Stop being delusional!'

'How dare you call me delusional? You are the crazy freak in here!' Hae-Im screeched, grabbing Haru's throat and lifting her hand up, ready to hit her. Nevertheless, before a slap could land on the victim's face, Hae-im was yanked away by none other than Jimin.

His look was stern. 'Go away,' he ordered and they instantly scurried away like useless dust swiped off by a fierce gale.

'Are you okay?" he crouched down in front of his friend as he cupped her cheeks tenderly, feeling her warm tears. "Don't cry, please..." he whispered as he took a few steps closer.

Haru tilted her head, trying to feel the heat of Jimin's hand as much as she could. And before they knew it, their lips had moulded together perfectly as Haru batted her eyelashes in pure and utter bliss.

When they finally pulled away, she blinked rapidly, feeling her heart thump in her chest crazily. She had never felt such an intense feeling of attachedness, and she very much feared it. However, Jimin was there to calm her down as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek soothingly. 

The look in his eyes was what made her eventually look away, not being able to take in their prettiness anymore. His hand slid off her face as he stood up, sticking it out to help her get up. 

Once she got onto her feet, Jimin dug into his pocket, taking out a small pack of dry tissues and handing it to Haru with a gentle smile. 'Are you better now?' he asked, receiving a nod from Haru who wore a pout on her face, her nose still reddish.

'What's with that pout?' Jimin tee-heed, finding it extremely dainty. 

'I feel so embarrassed,' Haru mumbled into her overused tissue before throwing it away into a nearby dustbin. Jimin patted her shoulder, shaking his head reassuringly as they walked away to the canteen together. 

...

School had come to an end, and yet Yoongi was nowhere to be seen, found or heard of. It understandably left Haru extremely bothered, so much that she couldn't focus in any of her classes.

She was with Jimin, calling Yoongi for the seventh time already throughout the whole day. 'Maybe he is busy... wasn't he with his girlfriend yesterday?' Jimin frowned, placing his hand on Haru's shoulder.

'Yoongi wouldn't ignore me over Haneul...' uttered Haru mindlessly, the tips of her fingers coming up to rest against her lips for a moment. 

'Well, maybe his phone is out of battery,' suggested Jimin, 'but what if he actually is ignoring you over her?' he raised a brow as Haru turned around hastily, looking at him with wide eyes, wordlessly asking him what he meant.

'What if she is jealous of you and asked Yoongi to be chosen over you for once?'

'B-but he'd at least warn me about it...' she looked down, feeling more upset than she had wished to be.

Jimin pulled her into his chest and let out a huff, tickling her hair.

'He said I was his first pick,' she said breathily, voice so soft that one would think of a person walking on their tippy-toes on ice. The ice was so thin and fragile that if the person took a wrong step, it'd crash right beneath them. 

Jimin gripped her shoulders gently and pulled her away from him, looking at her with a determined expression. 'You will always be my first pick,' he said, making Haru's lips part in surprise. 'Just know, that no matter what Yoongi chooses to do, I'll always be there for you.'

The girl was too vulnerable to notice the eeriness in his words, too blinded by the halo-like light shining from his golden locks and his nocuous words that sounded so lovely. She swam in words so sweet and ensnaring, without knowing that she was closing an eye on the reality.

His words came off as a reservoir with fresh and sweet water, yet the truth was that the water was non-other than the thalassic one of a bitter and salty sea. 

'Do you want me to walk you home?' he proposed, breaking the stiff silence.

It was so clear, how deeply they had already fallen for each other in barely a month. Nonetheless, it was also clear that both of them wanted to enshroud those feelings somewhere they wouldn't ever be able to get them again. 

'Yeah, let's go.' smiled Haru.

↳ TO BE CONTINUED... ❞

Published date: 15/10/2021.

Word count: 1,255.

—jiminandhisjams