"I'VE HAD SO MANY KNIVES STUCK INTO ME,
WHEN THEY HAND ME A FLOWER,
I CAN'T QUITE MAKE OUT WHAT IT IS."

The four words resonated in his mind, sending a quiet thrill through his chest. It wasn't much, but it was enough to crack through the wall of doubt and demolish it. Maybe she had let go of her grudge and changed her mind. Finally.

He offered her a slight nod before turning to say farewell to his members. They were already smirking and giving him naughty looks, having overheard Yoon Min's request. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Knock it off! Go home, all of you."

Jimin was on the verge of making a cheeky remark, but he shut the door on their grinning faces. But for now, he needed to send them off. The door clicked shut behind him as he faced her. He lingered by the door for a moment, hesitating to approach.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her softly.

Yoon Min stood still in silence. For what felt like an eternity, she did not speak, her gaze flickering from the floor to him and back again. Then, she stepped forward, her movements hesitant but deliberate and he felt his breath hitch. She stood in front of him and reached out, taking his hands in her, grounding him. He could barely control his heart out of anticipation.

"I..." she began with a sigh. "I'm sorry. That I was avoiding you. I don't know what I was thinking." She swallowed hard. "I didn't know how to make you understand, so I did what I could think of."

Seokjin's brows furrowed but his grip on her hands tightened gently. "You avoided me because you didn't know what else you could do."

She hesitated before biting her lip and nodded reluctantly. "I didn't want to hurt you. But I also didn't want you to come here and try to fix things between us. I thought I wouldn't change my mind..."

A ray of hope lit up his chest. "And now?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Blinking fast, she gave him a faint smile before looking down at their intertwined hands. "Baek Heesung made me feel so small, so unworthy of you. And he is right. I do not deserve a perfect man like you." She met his gaze for a brief moment, her eyes reflecting the heavy burden of her insecurities.

His heart clenched painfully but he patiently waited for her to continue.

"But..." she drew a deep breath, steadying herself. "After your members visited me, I felt...I don't know, important? I have never felt precious or worth loving except the times I am with you, but today, for the first time in my life, I genuinely felt like they liked me. They were very supportive of me and valued my mere existence." Her voice cracked slightly at the confession, but she pressed on. "It made me realize something. Even though I know I don't deserve someone like you, I want to try. I want to be 'made' for you. I'll do everything I can to match your level. To be someone worthy of you, so no one can make me doubt myself or my feelings for you ever again."

Her words, full of quiet determination, made Seokjin's chest swell with pride and love. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Yoon Min," he said gently, cupping one of her cheeks in his palm. "You don't need to try to be worthy of me. You already are, you always have been."

"But-"

He shook his head firmly, cutting her off. "Listen to me. I don't care if people think you don't deserve me. I fell for your big heart and your beautiful soul. You are perfectly flawed but also perfectly you. You're perfect for me, exactly as unapologetically you are."

His words left her breathless. Her lips curled into a soft smile, and she leaned into his hand more. He wondered if this was the right time to confess his feelings. He never said those special three words to her, neither did she...directly. The hundred times she proposed her love to him seemed mostly like a fan's love for her favourite artist.

But in her eyes, shining with unshed tears and something he dared to hope was love, he found all the answers he needed. He pressed his forehead against her and stayed like that for a long moment, allowing their hearts to comfort each other. The world fell behind them, slowing its pace, expanding their moment.

Yoon Min asked without breaking the intimate moment, "What happened to Baek Heesung?"

A slow, satisfied smirk spread across Seokjin's face. He pulled back and shifted his stance before lifting his hands and showing it to her. "These cuts formed after I beat the shit out of him." His voice carried a rare edge of pride, his eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Her gaze darted to his bruised knuckles, her brows furrowing with concern. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted in astonishment. "You beat him up?"

"The police didn't stop me. Let's just say he won't be bothering anyone anymore," he replied, his voice wicked but fierce. "He's where he belongs now- facing a lifetime sentence in prison."

Her expression softened after hearing that. Even a wide grin appeared on her face.

Without a word, she lifted both of his hands and pressed the gentlest of kisses to the battered skin. Her lips soft and warm, lingered against his bruises, and the simple gesture sent a wave of something deep and overwhelming running through him. It wasn't just the act itself- it was the meaning behind it. Her care, her gratitude, her trust- it was all there, wordless but profound.

His throat tightened, and he fought the urge to push her against a wall and devour her mouth. "Yoon Min," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, "You have no idea how much I..." He trailed off, unsure if he should say the words threatening to spill out.

Her lips left his knuckles, her warm breath ghosting over his skin as she lifted her gaze to meet him. There was a certain spark of boldness in her eyes that sent shivers down his spine. "Please show me," she whispered, her voice soft yet enticing.

Something in him snapped. He wasted not a second before leaning closer and claiming her lips.

It was gentle at first, a soft melding of emotions as they had been holding back some time. But as her hands slid up and wrapped around the back of his neck, her fingers roamed through his hair, pulling him closer as if she was scared he might vanish, his restraint crumbled. He responded with equal fervour, his arms wrapped around her waist, anchoring her to him. The kiss deepened, passion blooming between them like an igniting fire in the dark.

They did not break away any time soon.

✦✧✧ - ✧✧✦

Seokjin sat comfortably on the chair beside Yoon Min's bed, as they chatted about everything and nothing. He ended up staying for another three hours in her hospital room. The room, though sterile, felt cosy in their little bubble of warmth. They ate dinner together and got engaged in their endless stories.

"I had a dream about you yesterday," Yoon Min said suddenly with a wide grin.

His brows lifted in curiosity, his lips curling into an amused smile. "Oh? What kind of dream?"

She smiled shyly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't much. I just saw us walking together in silence. You were acting like my bodyguard, keeping me away from crowds. People were staring at us."

"That's very sweet of me," he teased. "Do you dream about me often?"

"More times than I can count, honestly. I've had many dreams about you even before we met. Being a fan will do that to you."

He chuckled, leaning his chin on his palm. "Tell me about those dreams."

"Well," she began, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "There were some romantic ones. Once, I dreamt you gave me a rose on Valentine's Day. Another time, our eyes met for three seconds in an event. It was too short to be considered special but too long to count it as a stranger's eye contact. Oh, I remember one time I dreamt I hugged you and you lifted me from the ground and cried. It was so melodramatic.

"There was one I'll never forget. I dreamt that you...um...laid on my body and slept peacefully. It felt so real I woke up feeling a weight over my figure."

His smile deepened, his gaze twinkling with playful intent. "Did you like it?"

She blinked, caught off guard by his question. "I-I mean...yeah. Of course. Why-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Seokjin stood abruptly and climbed onto the hospital bed. He gently placed himself over her until his whole body covered hers and rested his head on her chest.

"Like this?" he looked up at her with a cheeky grin.

"Jin-ssi!" she gasped, sounding shocked and overwhelmed.

"I'm making your dream come true," he replied simply, closing his eyes and putting his arms under her. "This feels nice. I see why dream-me did it."

Her initial surprise melted into confusion. For a moment, he felt her body rigid and frozen under him. Before he could pull away, she started to rub his clothed back slowly. After a few minutes, her fingers from her other hand ran through his hair, seemingly getting comfortable in the comfortable position.

Seokjin smiled again and asked, "Can you breathe okay? With my head on your chest like this?"

"It's the best way I know to breathe..."

They continued talking like this; him nestling against her as if he belonged there. Her affectionate cuddling and touch made him feel at home. The intimacy of that moment wrapped around them, a thousand feelings weaving through their quiet laughter and light-hearted gossip.

After a while, Seokjin's voice broke the lull. "You know... we've never gone on a proper trip together."

She hummed thoughtfully, resting her hand on his back.

Suddenly, his eyes sparkled with excitement as a brilliant thought appeared like a light bulb inside his mind. He lifted his head to look at her. "What do you think about going on a camping trip with me?"

Her brows shot up in surprise. "Camping? With you?"

He nodded his head like a child.

"But I have never gone on a trip before. My mother never even allowed me to go on school tours. I don't know anything about camping."

"Well, here is your lucky chance! You get to go on a camping trip for the first time in your life with the one and only Kim Seok Jin of BTS. How many ARMYs do you think can get this type of opportunity?" he asked. "Besides, I will be with you all the time. I will teach you everything you need to know about camping."

She raised an eyebrow, stifling her smile. "Forgive me if I find that hard to believe, Mr. Five-Star Hotels Only. Do you actually have any experience of staying in the wild?"

"Excuse me," he said, placing a hand on his chest in mock offence. "I have more experience than your entire existence! I have appeared in many variety shows that included going outdoors and staying in the wild. Not to mention, I have been in too many RUN BTS episodes where we went camping. And how can you forget the entire BTS: In The Soop show?!"

Yoon Min's mouth parted open in shame as she mockingly apologized, "I am so sorry, my princess. My head's still damaged from the incident."

Hearing that nickname, he blushed hard. But he didn't give up defending himself. "I can start a fire, pitch a tent, and cook over an open flame. I'll even teach you how to catch tuna fish!"

Her laugh broke free. "Only because they'd recognize you and leap into your arms."

"Well, I am worldwide handsome. Even fish can't resist me."

She laughed again. He tried again, "Imagine it, Yoon Min: a cosy tent, the smell of roasting marshmallows, the stars twinkling above us, and just the two of us sharing stories around the fire-"

"And tunas dancing around us," she added, giggling.

His lips twitched with a smile. "Yah, I'm serious! Just imagine it: we're surrounded by the beauty of the forest, the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze, and the soothing murmur of a river nearby. You can bring all your books, and I'll bring my guitar to play songs under the moonlight. I'll even cook for you- grilled tuna. Doesn't it sound perfect?"

Her teasing softened into something tender, and she tilted her head, her eyes warm. "That does sound nice."

He leaned closer in anticipation. "Then say yes. You always wanted to go on adventures. Let's go on one then. Just you and me."

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Really?"

"Really," she confirmed, her smile widening.

Pure joy radiated from him. He thanked her by pulling her into a smothering kiss, followed by giggles and hope.

☆THE FAULT IN OUR STARS☆

THANK YOU FOR READING
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A/N: Happy New Year, my dear readers!
We have reached fifty chapters and you'll be glad to know the story is almost at the end. Just a few more chapters left. Thank you for reading so far!