"WE, HUMANS, ARE LIKE THE STARS
CONSTANTLY BURNING
WHILE OTHERS THINK WE ARE SHINING."

Seokjin watched with a quiet smile as his family showered Yoon Min with their hugs. Everyone took their turn to give her a hug and wish her well as it was time for her to leave. He liked how this whole thing turned out better than he expected, and he was glad that Yoon Min had a pleasant time here.

It wasn't until his mother appeared by his side to remind him not to stare at her too affectionately.

"This girl..." Mrs. Kim trailed off intentionally.

He glanced at his mother. "What?"

"I'm just saying...she seems like a very good girl. She's pretty, kindhearted, gentle, caring. But she doesn't believe in herself, she thinks she's a burden to others, she thinks she is not enough and she will never be loved. She believes it was her fault her parents were like that, why they treated her badly but I know it wasn't."

His eyes automatically shifted on Yoon Min again. She was carrying Sun and Won together in her arms and saying her goodbyes.

"It just occurred to me that she is actually afraid to heal because her entire identity is centred around the trauma she had experienced. She has no idea who she is outside of that trauma. She is afraid this is all she will ever be," Mrs Kim continued.

"You got all that just by spending 5 hours with her?"

"Your mother has a special eye for this stuff, believe it or not," she snickered.

Seokjin didn't move his gaze away from Yoon Min as he told his mother, "I don't know how to help her, Eomma. It's so easy for her though. She can read my mind and she knows exactly what to tell me. She listens, she understands, she is just there for me every single day. She never believed those accusations. Even though her own heart is broken, she still tries to fix mine. Even though she feels like a disappointment and pretends everything is fine, she always smiles for me.

"But I can't look out for her like she does. I am not good at comforting others, I'm awkward and depressed, and I've lost my charms and confidence over the past years. All I want to do is help her, let her know she is safe with me, that I want to be by her side the way she has stayed all this time."

Mrs. Kim then said, "My son, just be kind to her."

Yoon Min was now shaking hands with his father.

"If you want to help her truly, then remind her she's special. She is an embodiment of goodness thus people may have been telling her she's a good girl all her life. But did she believe them? No, she didn't. Because her own mother belittled her at every opportunity. She has been carrying her mother's stabbing insults inside her heart because she believes her mother was right.

"But you are her idol. You are probably the most significant person to her. If you tell her the same words other people did, she might believe you. Maybe she has been waiting to hear it from your mouth. A tender word from you may thaw her insecurities."

He listened attentively to his mother's advice, understanding the importance of her perspective. Why didn't he think like her? That's why he believed his mother could help.

"The world will abuse her compassion. They will hurt her in their darkest moments. It has already happened in her past. So be kinder to her, tell her how important she is, let her know you are with her every step of the way. Right now, you are the only person she has got in her life."

His mother was right. Yoon Min did tell him she prioritized him the most in her childhood. He was her favourite person. She told him he saved her with his songs. Her heart was tender as a rose. His love protected her heart, as a thorn that protects the rose. It was only fair if he could fix her exactly the way she was fixing him.

Seokjin put his arm around his mother and gave her a side hug. "Thanks, Eomma."

Mrs. Kim had other plans. "Don't thank me. Instead, find a bride."

"Not again, Eomma. I told you-"

"Is it perhaps Yoon Min?" she stared into his eyes with a shocking gaze.

Before he knew it, his ears were red, as well as his cheeks. "No! I told you I was joking! She's just a fan, nothing more."

Mrs Kim was chuckling as she lightly hugged her son. "I just want you to know I will approve anyone if you love each other. Even if she's just a fan."

He was so done with his mother so he hugged her back quickly and went after Yoon Min. Fortunately, she was also finished bidding goodbyes to his family so she came along with him immediately.

They both walked to his car and for the final time, Seokjin turned around and waved his hand towards his family members. They also waved back with proud, teary smiles. His heart was filled with gratitude and infinite love for them as he felt fortunate to have the best family in the world.

Getting inside the car, he released a long sigh. He could feel Yoon Min's gaze on him. So he looked at her and asked, "Ready to go home?"

To his surprise, she replied, "I don't feel like going home already."

Her honesty came out of nowhere. He suggested then, "Wanna go to the beach?"

Yoon Min's smile returned as she nodded her head excitedly.

✦✧✧ - ✧✧✦

It took them around 45 minutes to reach Eurwangni Beach which was the nearest beach from his parent's place. It was the best beach in Seoul for a day trip. Since she just wanted to refresh her head, he thought it was the best place for that.

Seokjin tried to recall the last time he visited any beach. He was always there either with his members or by himself. He remembered the salty tang in the air, carried by the breeze that tousled his hair, he remembered the scattered sand under his bare feet, he remembered the laughter of his members mingling with the sound of the surf, and he remembered himself out in the open sea, fishing.

Coming back here after years helped him recall those evergreen memories again.

He took a little glance at her face. Yoon Min's eyes were closed, but her posture conveyed that she was relaxed. Arms dangling at her sides, shoulders relaxed, and he could swear she had a faint smile on her lips. The last rays of the sun kissed her gently, leaving golden imprints on her face.

The sun hung low in the west sky, casting a golden hue across the horizon as it dipped towards the sea. It painted the sky in hues of golden pink during the magic hour of sunset, casting long shadows across the dunes.

When the silence between them settled peacefully for a conversation, he crossed his arms over his chest and decided to ask her something.

"Yoon Min, can we talk about last night?"

She opened her eyes and looked back at him. It took her off-guard. "There's nothing to talk about. I wasn't being myself-"

"Oh yeah? I think that was the real you."

"No, it wasn't," she lied. "People suffer way worse than me and they still don't complain about their problems whereas look at me whining over missing my abusive parents."

"Hey, it's okay to miss your family," Seokjin objected. "They were a big part of your life. It's okay to think of them sometimes. But what's not okay is how they treated you. Accept that you feel upset about how you were treated. You don't have to forgive them if you don't feel so."

He realized one of her biggest flaws was she still lived under the fear of her family's shadows. She couldn't let go of them. And since she always had a pure heart, it made her think she made a wrong decision by leaving them, that she was ungrateful and selfish.

At the mention of her family, she lowered her head and stared at the sand. The waves rolled gently onto the shore, their foam glinting in the sunlight like scattered diamonds.

The next words spat out of his mouth. "And why do you constantly underestimate yourself? I get that it has something to do with your mother, but you can't possibly hate yourself this much."

Yoon Min responded, "I always feel like I'm missing so much just because of being who I am. Whenever I see someone beautiful, I wonder how it must feel to be that beautiful, or whenever I see someone confident and popular, I wonder how easy it must be for them. When I see someone my age who has accomplished so much, been to many places and experienced many things, I feel like the smallest person in the world.

"I spent all my teenage years being obsessed with beauty and people. I prioritized everyone and my biggest mistake was I thought they would prioritize me too. I know-I'm resentful about it. I tried to make myself perfect so that people would really like me. Instead of studying more or changing the world, I was busy trying to change myself. So I don't know what you are asking because being someone else always felt right to me."

Her reaction made him realize as a child, she did nothing but endure. She had believed in other stuff to find peace. But she never thought of believing in her inherent goodness or her humanity. It occurred to him that she had never truly lived her life and she would have gone on like that for the rest of her life.

The occasional cry of a passing seagull added a wild note to the symphony of seaside sounds.

"So you think that you don't deserve to love yourself just because you might not be as pretty or talented as others? Do you think that's the reason why people never seem to like you?"

"Yes."

"No! I don't care for your looks." He turned towards her completely. "I admit, you are not the most beautiful woman in the world, you are not the funniest or the strongest or the most talented. But you have still managed to attract me; with your kindness and your bravery. I wish you could see all that I see in you."

Yoon Min parted her lips as if she heard something impossible. She hugged herself tighter, his words making her feel secure. But she didn't show it.

He didn't know why he stepped closer to her. "You have taught me to free myself from my fears. You challenge me, you make me think about stuff I never knew was important. You have told me to find a way to accept the pain and let it be in the past where it belongs. When I did as you said, I felt like a child who got lost in a maze, finally found a way out."

The rhythmic crash of the waves against the shore provided a soothing backdrop. Her lips trembled, "Stop saying-"

"You made me free myself from these chains, from my fears. The world will never have enough words to help me describe what you are to me. You are perfect, Yoon Min. Please trust me on that."

In the fading light of the setting sun, he noticed her eyes welling up with tears, indicating that she was moved by his speech. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

She looked away. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like there is something in me worth looking at."

So this was the woman he fell for; a little bit messy and ruined, like a beautiful disaster, was enough of a realization that she was distinctly just like him. Both were never gonna admit they were good enough.

He chuckled lightly. "What do you want me to do then?"

She wiped her damp cheeks and gave a little smile. "You can hug me...if you want."

Something about that plead erupted a different emotion inside him. His smile was gone, his eyes became serious but only because, he never expected her to say something like that.

He didn't even show any sign of agreement. He grabbed her around the waist with trembling fingers. He had no idea why his whole body shook when he hugged her, maybe it was because he was expecting a touch of electricity. There was no denying something sparked between them at that moment.

She hugged him tightly, resting her chin on his shoulder. Hugs are so underrated, especially those hugs that are so tight that you can literally feel the other person's heartbeat. For a moment, everything feels so calm and safe, as if nothing's going to happen to you. This was exactly what he was feeling in her arms- safe and loved.

Suddenly, a greater force than their feelings pushed them out of their boundaries, and closer to each other like never before. A sort of yearning that was only felt in once-in-a-lifetime moments, that rushed heat to every part of a body. He didn't know what to call it, but whatever was happening between them, he liked it. Because it felt good and right and crazy.

He ended up blurting out, "Yoon Min..." he didn't know it would be a groan. "You're doing something. You're making me...feel."

She tightened her hold around him, her breath warm against his cheek. "I'm not doing anything."

When he felt her protective fingers, he flinched. Her gentle touch made him feel like he belonged with her. Then, he pulled away from her, not far enough to put his hands on either side of her face until she met his powerless gaze. He found himself whispering, "Stop this now."

But she didn't do anything. So he kissed her. Without any permission or warning, without even thinking of doing it. In front of the dying sun and little stars blossoming in sight, he couldn't have done anything else. He wanted to know if this was the only piece of puzzle missing from his life.

She gasped at first, not expecting it and tried pulling away. But his hand moved to her waist, the other hand stroking her cheek, calming her and pulling her closer again. This time, she didn't stay put. The space between them exploded when she kissed him back.

Seokjin couldn't bring her any closer to him than she already was. But she volunteered on her own, her hands grabbing his shoulder and holding the back of his neck before pressing her lips more passionately. His heart kept missing beats and at one point, her heartbeat merged with his.

The planets stood still when they kissed harder. Somewhere far above them, the sky laughed, the stars burned out, the moon whispered into the wind that something beautiful was happening. His thoughts were racing as he was tasting stardust on her lips, and he was thinking he had never felt so alive before. So he didn't waste a single second of that burning moment and kissed her till their knees were bucking.

At that moment, all worries and problems seemed to melt away, leaving only the simple joy of being alive in that beautiful place. And Seokjin did not know this until now that he had been waiting for this person forever.

☆THE FAULT IN OUR STARS☆

THANK YOU FOR READING
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A/N: Alright I know it was sudden and rushed😩They were not supposed to kiss in this chapter, however, I changed my mind at the last minute.
The next chapters will be back to normal length and Bangtan members will finally have their scenes!

Plus, I'm obsessed with Jimin's WHO! What did he put in it??