~

Jimin clutched the armrests, fingers straining against the plastic material as the plane lurched downwards. His knuckles were white and he forced his tired eyes to open — not from any fear of flying, but quite the opposite.

He chanced a glance out of the window to take in the picturesque landscape of Busan that enlarged with every drop in feet.

Busan had always been Jimin's favorite place to go to whenever he felt overwhelmed. The city was a perfect mix of Seoul's dynamic and vibrant city vibe and Jeju's relaxing atmosphere and gorgeous subtropical landscapes.

A dazzling view of the sparkling blue waters below greeted Jimin as the seatbelt sign flickered on. He stared out the window, stomach lurching more due to excitement than the turbulence as the plane descended lower and lower. He could now see the black tarmac of the runway. As the wheels touched down and the plane bounced the slightest bit before speeding down the runway, Jimin felt his ears pop. He was instantly reminded of when he was a little boy and would cry in pain whenever his ear got blocked while the plane took off or landed.

Some passengers did not bother waiting for the seatbelt sign to switch off before they sprang out of their seats and started taking their bags from the overhead bins. Jimin rolled his eyes and regretted having traveled in economy. He had reasoned that there wasn't much distance from Seoul to Busan and had deemed a business class ticket unnecessary. But as he watched the passengers struggle to leave the aeroplane faster, he wished he had traveled in business after all.

"Sir," Jimin turned from his seat to face a stewardess who was giving him a concerned look. Her burgundy lipstick suited her maple skin tone. Her chestnut hair was drawn back into a tight bun and a cyan cap rested atop her head. "May I help you with your luggage?"

Only then did Jimin realize that he was the only one still seated and that the line of passengers had considerably decreased. He smiled politely at the stewardess and shook his head, bowing a little bit. He noticed her eyes trail down to his mouth for a split second before she averted her gaze and smiled back. Her burgundy lips stretched apart, revealing her pearl-white teeth. Jimin had to admit, she had a pretty smile.

"Thank you for flying with us," Jimin heard her speak as he grabbed his laptop bag from the overhead cabin and joined the line.

It was midday, perhaps the worst time to arrive. As he stepped out of the plane, Jimin could feel the heat reflecting off the tarmac. It was hard to breathe. The air was heavy with humidity and smelled of diesel. He was sweating before he even reached the last stair, and the arrivals lounge proved to offer not much relief. Part of the air-conditioning was broken and Jimin soon found himself trapped in a confined space with three hundred people and no windows. The terminal building was more like a futuristic mall than an airport building.

All around Jimin was a cacophony of noises. He heard the voices of little children, running behind each other with happy grins on their faces while their parents stood waiting for the luggage. He heard suitcases being dropped onto the conveyor belts and the soft music that played in the background.

A matte black Louis Vuitton suitcase came into Jimin's sight and he lifted it off the conveyor belt with a soft grunt. When he was packing he thought he had only put in absolutely necessary items and that his suitcase wouldn't weigh much, but boy was he wrong.

Jimin stepped out of the sliding doors of the arrival lounge to be hit in the face by a warm breeze. He could almost smell the salty waters of the sea nearby, accompanied with the sight of his grandmother waving at him from the waiting area. When he was an arm's length away from her she reached forward and pulled him into a hug. Her frail arms felt soothing as they rubbed his back and her clothes smelt of her favorite cinnamon perfume — Jimin knew he was truly home.

"You've lost weight Minnie," she said as she looked him up and down, placing a soft palm on his cheek. Her worried eyes met his own and he smiled, turning his head to kiss the inside of her palm. "I understand your passion for work but take care of yourself dumpling."

Jimin rolled his eyes at the embarrassing nickname and let go of his suitcase as his grandmother tried to snatch it out of his hands. He watched with an affectionate smile as she rolled his suitcase towards her car.

"Jesus," she scoffed, turning to face him once they reached the car. "What did you even carry in this suitcase boy? The whole of Seoul?"

Jimin lifted the suitcase and stumbled, causing his grandmother to reach out for him, but he successfully managed to put the suitcase in the trunk. He closed the trunk of the car and turned to find his grandmother staring at him, hands on her hips and eyebrows drawn together. He rubbed the back of his neck, flashing her an embarrassed grin.

"You're going to have a nice time getting it off the trunk when we reach home," she remarked, unlocking the car and getting into the driver's seat. Jimin opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and slid himself into the passenger's seat instead. As he buckled up the seatbelt, his grandmother smiled cheekily at him. "You made a good decision not trying to argue with me on who should drive. Grandma always wins."

Of course, Jimin thought to himself, the smile on his face portraying his amusement at her words. She started driving and Jimin decided to keep himself busy by looking out the window. Their house was far from the airport and he knew it would take them at least an hour to get home. Jimin, not having slept a wink on the plane, felt drowsiness consume him as he watched trees whiz past. He struggled to keep his eyes open, not wanting to fall asleep on his old grandmother. He wanted to keep her company as she drove.

"Go to sleep dear," he heard her speak, as if she knew what was going on in his head. "I'll wake you up when we reach." With the assurance of her words, Jimin let his eyes flutter shut.

When Jimin awoke, it was to find out they were away from the city, cruising through the small beachside towns that Busan comprised of. The tires made their monotonous hiss over the dry roads and the air that made its way through the small gap in the window was meadow-sweet and salty. Jimin stared at the people walking in and out of small shops, walking their pets across the park, kids waiting in line to play the newest game released in the arcade, youngsters much like himself dressed in suits and nice skirts rushing back to work after their lunch break — the world outside continued like some choreographed dance.

His grandmother fiddled with the radio to fill the silence of the car with some of the latest popular tunes, starlets, the new pop idols. Jimin closed his eyes and leaned back into the headrest, fingers tapping along to the beat of the song that was currently playing. His grandmother looked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled.

"You like this song?" Jimin gave a nod in response, eyes still closed as he enjoyed the music. "Grandma has good taste in music right?" Jimin did not respond to that and he heard his grandmother laugh. Then a wrinkled arm reached out to hit his chest, trying to seem offended but he knew she would never take it to heart. He laughed along, one hand cupping his mouth in the process.

The ticking of the blinker resonated in his ears as the car turned right and came to a stop in front of a cozy house. Jimin undid the seatbelt and was about to step out when he felt his grandmother's hand wrap around his wrist. He turned to her with raised eyebrows, wondering why she had stopped him.

"You should laugh more often," she smiled, leaning forward to peck his cheek. "You look so beautiful when you laugh Minnie."

Jimin felt his heart hurt. He wanted to tell his grandmother how much she meant to him, how much her words meant to him. He wanted to whisper little words of affection to her from time to time, to tell her that despite being old and wrinkled she was still so young and lovely at heart. But all he did was hug her tight in his arms, burying his face into her neck. Her hands rubbed his back almost knowingly and Jimin bit his lip, trying to hold back his tears.

"Don't you dare," she whispered softly. "I love you just the way you are, my little dumpling."

Jimin disregarded the nickname this time around. His heart felt better just listening to her utter those words, maybe even the stupid nickname. She always knew just how to make him feel better.

"Now come on, get your suitcase and freshen up. I've baked you a whole batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies." Jimin's eyes automatically lit up and his grandmother chuckled. "Yes, a whole batch just for you. You're here to spend time with grandma and we don't have time to dawdle around being emotional over nothing."

Jimin stepped out of the car and sighed, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Ah, the smell of home, he thought as he made his way to the car's trunk. He opened it up and stared with narrowed eyes, the Louis Vuitton suitcase staring back at him almost mockingly.

"Hurry or I'll eat up your cookies," his grandmother joked as she locked the car and stepped into the house. Jimin scoffed, cursing his suitcase as he reached out to pull it out.

~

note:
okay so i was really excited about publishing this book and i couldn't contain it any longer. so here is the first chapter of a series of amazing ideas in my head.
this plot is something that i'm hoping will be detailed and emotional and somehow pertaining to reality, the darkness each one of us has faced or is facing.
i'm really excited for you guys to read this arghhh! i know i said updates every saturday but i couldn't hold myself back any longer sksksk.
the next chapter will be released on saturday and from then on i will follow the schedule as promised.
please let me know what you guys think, i'd love to hear what you guys think about this story uwu. ❤