Archive of Our Own ^beta

𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓— 🎶 Flares

Tonight was just like any other night of autumn. His blonde dyed locks were mostly covered with a black beanie and the cold numbed the tips of his fingers but he didn't really mind it. This was his passion and he treasured every single second of it. He had tuned, settled and plugged his black Martin DX Johnny Cash Acoustic-Electric guitar to his portable speakers. The area was comfortable to play and he had a seat he could use if his legs began to tire out. There was a microphone stand, also connected to his speakers and he silently began giving it some tests by clicking his fingers. The sound was great, not too high to disturb bystander but not too quiet to be ignored.

Then, he smiled to himself while eyeing the already gathering crowds of girls. He loved the attention given to him. As a musician, he felt appreciated and content with their smiles as soon as he began to play. His good looks always attracted others but his voice and hands captivated them. It was unfortunate how he wasn't scouted by any entertainment companies and he was already at the age of 23.

"I'm here for you, Jimin."

The man had oh-so-quietly heard a voice whisper to him. Maybe it was the wind because there wasn't anyone beside him. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't scared the heck out of him because he was. But even so, he began to play. His fingers adjusted to the strings and he began to play a C chord.

Jimin's lips almost met the microphone but with slow and soft movements in accordance to his fingers playing the strings. He began to sing, tone completely synchronizing with the tone of the chords. Soft and celestial, a match made in heaven.

🎶"I modeun geon uyeoni anya..."🎶

Followrd by a G chord.

🎶"Geunyang geunyang naui neukkimeuro..."🎶

There was a sudden spark flowing within his heart. He didn't understand why. A small crowd already gathered in front of him. Within them, his eyes briefly gazed upon a pair of brown doe eyes. He felt small under them. Out of at least twelve pairs of eyes, their gaze created this nervous sensation within his soul for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, he continued to play, to sing, to have fun while realizing his passion. He enjoyed the thrill of performing. Money was placed upon the extra opened case of another one of his guitars. Perhaps he could grab 3 cups of ramyeon near the Antiques' Store down 7 blocks from here.

"You'll always be my everything."

Jimin felt a shiver run down his spine with utter fear. It shouldn't be normal for him to hear someone's voice when no one was speaking to him.

But he continued to perform. Even if he wasn't a professional in other's eyes, he considered himself as one. And a musician never keeps their crowd waiting or performs half-assed. The music was his everything, a form of surviving in life, of expression. Because of this, he continued to sing and express himself amongst the strange voice whispered upon his soul.

One song.

Two songs.

Three songs.

Four songs. . .

Ten songs.

And everyone else eventually left. The night was reaching its peak. He still wanted to keep performing but now the cold was getting more bothersome. Even when he played the sang the last verses and played the sequence D#, F and G, he wanted more. This was all he had, singing and playing the guitar.

"Thank you." Jimin said on the microphone after he stood up from his seat. Then, he bowed. His heart was still heavy from wanting to continue performing but it was almost one past midnight. He had to clean up, organize everything, carry his things to his car and drive back home— and one stop at the convenience store first. With his heavy heart, he looked up and heard a small round of applause.

His heart skipped a beat and an audible gulp resonated within his throat.

Was the man with the brown doe eyes still there? He stayed the whole show?

"You're a very talented musician," the man complimented.

Musician.

This man just acknowledged him as a musician. Almost everyone called him an artist; those uneducated folks. There was a major difference between artist and musician. An artist was a creator, typically referred for drawing and painting, but a musician leveled him up for a professional instrument player. Besides from the compliment, there was some pain in the man's voice and his tone was really nasal, as if he had been crying. Jimin immediately noticed the dried tears on the man's cheeks and he felt somehow heartbroken for unsaid reasons. His songs weren't too emotional today, they were rather romantic. The man must be going through a loss or break up.

"You stayed for all of the songs?" Jimin asked with some disbelief yet a sense of devotion.

The man seemed to be taken aback and there was some panic reflected on his eyes. He shouldn't be doing this. He could break the whole cycle and change everything.

"I-I should go... I don't want to impose on your cleaning up."

The man had bowed respectfully while feeling every source within all his soul begging him to stay. This proved to be harder than he thought. He should have never done this... again. But then again, he always told this to himself.

"Oh. You wouldn't be."

Jimin felt himself showing a smile to the unknown man while he crouched down to close the guitar case filled to the top with Won bills. The man was acting so peculiar and he just wanted to be kind in order not to offend him.

"Never fall in love." The man had suddenly spoken to the artist with so much pain. He had been feeling a knife stab his heart ever since the moment he returned.

"Excuse me?"

Jimin hadn't expected the man to say that. Now he faced him while holding his guitar with one hand and the closed guitar case with the other.

"Never fall in love, Jimin-ssi. I-I beg of you. Don't." The man replied and now his eyes glistened. He had to leave, now.

"Who are you to tell me why or not should I fall in love?"

Jimin felt his heart weigh more heavier than he should be feeling when he heard the stranger's words. There was just something within him telling him that there was a very deep and powerful meaning behind them. His own gut told him that whatever this stranger was begging of him, was real.

"Good bye, Jimin..." the man whispered before sniffling and cleaning his cheeks with his left hand. There were two golden rings on the left ring finger and now Jimin immediately assumed the man was married...?

"Wait, tell me your name!" Jimin shouted as he observed the man walking away.

"Park Jungkook." Was what the man wanted to say, to shout it, to whisper against the musician's ears yet, he knew better than to trample with this. So he walked away and ignored Jimin's calls for him.

Jimin blinked perplexed. For a second, he could have sworn he was carrying his guitar and guitar case on each hand. Now everything was organized and there were some ₩50000 bills placed in front of a cozy black coat at his feet.

"I love you, Nae Sarang. I'll always love you, until the end of time."

Something struck Jimin's heart. He didn't understand what was happening. Right there, he crouched down and began to cry for some unknown reason. Was it nostalgia? Was it the way an unknown man just made his soul search for something? What was it? Why was he crying like this was an unfulfilled tragic destiny tearing him down. Why was his heart longing for something familiar that wasn't there? What in the world was happening to his emotions? Who was that man that just forced these exploding emotions to flow down as if he had just stared into the eyes of his everything. Call him crazy but that man just stared at him, gazed into him, surrendering his soul down to him but screamed love at the same time; as if he was in love.

Jungkook observed everything from the distance and felt his heart break even more. He should have listened to his daughter. Coming back was a terrible idea. His heart couldn't take this. No matter the amount of times or years that he did this, every single one hurt, more with the increasing amount. This was a never-ending torture to his heart but as much as he felt like he was drowning and being light up in fire so his skin could dissipate, it was nothing compared to the main original reason that caused this. This was just a consequence. Coming back every time made him fall in love, all over again, and then broke his heart, all over again.

"I miss you... You're not alone. You'll never be alone. She loves you. She grew up to be an amazing girl. Our baby girl looks up to you. She loves to sing. She has the same spark in her eyes as you when you perform. You're both so much alike... I can't bring her here but know that she loves you, just like I do."

There was so much longing in Jungkook's eyes as he observed the musician. He lost what won't return.

"I'm sorry, Jimin. Continue living your life how you were meant to be... for now. Don't remember me. And even if it hurts, I will come back again... I will come back just to see you... even if you'll met your end by their hands in the future, I will always come back. I promised you. Only for you... Jimin."

After five more minutes, he observed bis surroundings with a small shiver from the cold that penetrated his skin through the exposed black button up dress shirt that thinly covered his chest. There wasn't anyone left around walking from both sides and Jimin was finished organizing his stuff back into his car. How ironic was this. Here he was, bidding good bye, only for his presence to be summoned in the near future but currently, only known to him.

"Good bye, Jimin... I will always love you, past, present and future."

Jungkook took a step forward and his body disappeared into the thin air. There wasn't any remnants of him nor a mirage. His existence was completely wiped; at least his presence from the future, not the present.

"Appa, You need to stop doing this," Park Jeong Hee whispered as soon as she saw her father appear inside their living room; the results of his power.

She noticed how heartbroken he was. But she also knew her father and for the past 16 years, this was all he'd do on the same day. There were a few vague gray hairs now changed in Jungkook's appearance but his face hadn't fully aged despite the physical age of his body, 40. Despite the immortal blood coursing through his veins, he used his powers to physically look like this because it made him feel closer to the reality of what could have been but was not.

"I saw him again, Jeong Hee. I can't stop. I love him," Jungkook kissed the top of her forehead and hugged her tight. Her rosy plump lips squished against his chest were so similar to Jimin's. He saw him in her, every day, every minute, every second, with every glance, every single time. They were so much alike. From their rosy plump lips to their selfless personality. They shared a love for the music and especially, the guitar. The same ability Jimin possessed of projecting the heart filling emotion when playing a song, he passed onto her.

"I also love him but I don't remember him. I'm sorry. I know you can't take me back but if you could, I would go there with you and not let you go through this alone," she apologized, only to be held tighter.

"Never apologize, Jeong Hee. Never. I know you don't remember him. You were a baby when he... passed. I'm the one that should be sorry. You can't ever meet him even if my blood courses through your veins."

Now Jeong Hee's lips quivered silently. Every day, she heard about Jimin and every day, she comforted her father. However, the days where her father's emotions were too powerful were on this day, the anniversary of Jimin's passing. The ability of time traveling was only possible for Jungkook and his blood. However, despite Jeong Hee being his direct of kin, she was forbidden from time traveling. It was one of the consequences of the results of the fulfilled legend.

"At what time did you go back this time?" she asked.

"The night we met. I watched him perform. After he finished performing and was headed home, he would get a call from someone. Your father, J-Jimin would answer it," he explained. "T-Then his car's break would stop working and he'd end up hitting an Antique's Store. The store had the moonstone I was cursed to. I would be free from the Moon yet tied to him. But he would never know what awaited him for breaking it."

Jungkook felt his heart break again.

"He'd fall in love with the god and wouldn't be able to wield his powers. He'd be overwhelmed until he died." Jeong Hee finished for him and knew the weight of her words.

But the god would always love him.

"No matter what the legend said, I trusted your father with all my heart. It's because of me, you never got the chance to meet him. This was his destiny because he fell in love with me and we had you. But he loved you, you were worth every sacrifice. He gave you his life. You're our precious daughter."

Even if Jimin became only a memory of the past, no matter how painful and soul crushing it was, Park Jungkook would always love him, until the end of time

.