"Just go" he said. "It would be fun" he said. Stupid Zeren…Jimin hissed as he felt a slight sting ebbing from his forehead.
"Sorry" Gyuri muttered as she cautiously lifted the cold, damp cloth from his face. "Did that hurt?"
"A little bit" he grumbled.
With extra caution, Gyuri continued to dab Jimin"s forehead while she spoke. "Are you sure you don"t want to go to the sanatorium?" she asked him again. "Master Namjoon will be happy to have a good look at you."
"I am fine" Jimin insisted. "It is only a small scratch."
About an hour ago, everyone had arrived at the small field that Gulnar had told them about. It was a small plot of derelict land, overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. Jimin was sceptical about going along but ultimately went after much convincing from Zeren.
"C"mon, Chim" Zeren had told him before the match. "It"ll just be like old times."
"Zeren, you know I cannot stay long."
"Just a couple of games" his friend persisted. "Please?"
Reluctantly, Jimin gave in, unable to deny Zeren of the opportunity to showcase his hidden talent. "As long as you do not get too compet.i.tive" Jimin warned. "There are children here."
"Relax, Chim" Zeren replied smilingly. "I"ll go easy on you."
Oh, how Jimin should have known.
"Ouch!" Jimin hissed again as Gyuri lifted the damp cloth. "You are pressing too hard."
"You should clean it yourself then" Gyuri rebuked as she handed him the cloth.
Jimin scowled as he accepted it.
Currently, the pair were sitting in the sidelines, watching the others play as Gyuri tended to Jimin"s wound. Under the shade of a large tree, Gyuri sat next to him, their bodies much too close for Jimin"s comfort. Un.o.btrusively, he scooted a little further away.
"Zeren has quite the kick, huh?" Gyuri commented as she watched the orphans, Taehyung and Zeren play from afar. Presently, Zeren was in possession of the ball.
Following her gaze, Jimin scoffed in reply, "He has strong legs. The boys back at the temple used to call him a dark horse because of his leg power." He inspected the damp cloth and saw small spots of blood. "I was fortunate that the ball only scratched me."
Gyuri turned to look at him while trying to stifle a giggle. "You should have seen your face though! One moment you were standing straight and the next thing we see is you sprawled face flat on the gra.s.s!"
Jimin pursed his lips as Gyuri chortled at his misfortune.
"I"m sorry. I know it isn"t funny," Gyuri said in between gasps, "but it was just… hilarious."
A grunt escaped Jimin"s lips as he heard Gyuri snort with laughter. With his patience wearing thin, he tutted, "I feel sorry for your husband."
"Huh?" Gyuri replied as she tried to compose herself. "My husband?"
"Yes. He must have a hard time with your sense of humour."
"Hey, leave my sense of humour alone" Gyuri replied jokingly. "It"s not my fault you got hit. And anyway, what husband are you on about?" she asked. "I"m still single."
Jimin blinked. "You are?"
"Why do you sound so surprised? Of course, I am!" She playfully smacked him on the arm. "Don"t tell me you thought I was married to Taehyung!" Gyuri huffed, "I thought we already cleared that misunderstanding."
Jimin breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness… But then his face scrunched up in confusion. Huh? Why am I relieved to hear that?
"It"s too soon to think about stuff like marriage" Gyuri mused. "But what about you?" she suddenly questioned. "Are you already attached to someone?"
"No… I am not" he murmured. Not yet.
"Really?"
Jimin peered at her.
"Then, that"s great!" Gyuri"s lips stretched into a smile and Jimin"s heart stirred. It was the same feeling he had earlier but this time, it was a lot stronger.
"W-why is that a good thing?" he ventured to ask, his cheeks suddenly feeling warm.
"Oh, because you and—" Gyuri abruptly stopped and grinned bashfully. "Ah, I can"t tell you. That"s a secret." With a wily grin, Gyuri continued to gape at him before her smile suddenly dropped. Jimin watched as she pointed at his raised hand that was holding the damp cloth. "That ring…"
"Huh?"
Following her gaze, Jimin"s eyes rounded when he spotted his imperial band of jade still sitting neatly on his forefinger. Curses! I forgot to take it off! Slowly, he dropped his arm to hide his hand, silently praying that Gyuri wouldn"t ask more about it. But to his dismay, Gyuri asked in a solemn voice.
"Where did you get that ring from?"