The Ringleader | knj

22

"What do you mean you don't sell vanilla?!?" he groaned in agony as a big 'sold out' sign hung drearily over the ice-cream van truck.

"I mean, kiddo, that all we have left are ice lollies. Sun was out so errybody sold them out early," the ice-cream man shrugged whilst scrolling through his phone, unbothered by the man's blatant annoyance.

"KIDDO?? I could literally blow you to pieces you little-"

"JIMIN!" I quickly clasped a hand over his mouth and awkwardly chuckled as the ice-cream van owner stared in shock. "It's fine, we'll take the lollies,"

Wearily, he nodded and went to grab them from the freezer.

We'd gone to the park as it was such a bright and sunny day outside, and since there was an ice-cream van present, I'd made sure to drag Jimin over there to get me a scoop.

Well, that was until they supposedly ran out.

He scoffed, swatting my hand away from his mouth and clenched his jaw up at the sight of the two frozen lollies.
I took them, smiling gratefully up at the man for enduring Jimin's anger, and wandered over to him who was now sulkily scrawled across a bench.

"$10 for frozen water on a stick," he muttered, ripping open the wrapper. I chuckled, my disappointment also getting the best of me as I'd realised that it literally was frozen water on a stick... just with extra sugar to get the cavities going.

I followed closely behind him as he walked back to the car, hands shoved deep into his black skinny jeans.

Just as I was about to reach for the door handle, the car door suddenly lifted upwards automatically like it was getting ready to take off and fly.
My eyes widened in awe.

"Like it?" Jimin hitched an eyebrow up. I nodded excitedly, clambering in to the front seat.

We both ate our ice lollies in silence, staring motionlessly out of his huge windscreen that overlooked the green hillside view.

"Do you miss your family?" He asked, his eyes softening up at the beautiful view in front of him.
"Not one bit," I shook my head, my gaze stiffly focussed upon a single oak tree in the distance.
He chuckled, nuzzling his well-conditioned hair.

"Thought so," he murmured. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Why would you think that?" I asked, curiously.

"Your family aren't exactly the nicest of people." He gritted his teeth as if he reminisced a malicious encounter he'd had with them. I nodded, sadly sighing.

"They're not human. They'd sell out their own flesh and blood for money... for their reputation," I shuddered, remembering the lucky escape I'd had from my forced-marriage.
He looked up at me, comfortingly placing a hand over my wrist.

"I know how painful it must feel," he sadly smiled, his eyes glistening within the late afternoon sun.

"You do?" I tilted my head to the side, curiously. He nodded, pressing his thumb against his bottom lip and rubbing at it.

"Jungkook," He uttered. "Jungkook was just like you when I met him. Whilst he was supposed to be learning in high school; his parents cut off his education... they were planning on marrying him off to a wealthy businessman's daughter to increase their shares. They never gave a damn about his opinions and feelings, objectifying him like he was just a little pawn in their game of life,"

My lips parted in shock.
Jungkook seemed like such a sweet and down to earth boy, yet he was more similar to me than I thought.

"But on the day of the wedding, to his luck, he found out that the woman he was meant to marry ran away. He was saved, and the wedding had been called off. But his parents deserted him, disbelieving that it was her fault, and believing that he had something to do with the cancellation, since they knew how much he'd despised the wedding. He denied them and ran away. He was one of the first people I met... the beginning of the Bangtan Boys. He was only 17" Jimin continued, solemnly.

My eyes widened up at him. 17??
The boy was younger than me at the time... and he'd had to take the biggest decision, of his life?

"I feel so awful for him, his youth was wasted... he'd had to take such a great responsibility at such a small age," I murmured sombrely watching as Jimin nodded.

"Yeah, the poor guy's been through a lot of pain. But I still find it so fascinating that he never shows it, and just continues to keep battling through it." He said wistfully. "He's always so hardworking and caring... like he truly sees us as his real family."

I smiled as I remembered him pulling Namjoon into a hug as soon as he saw him. These men weren't just his friends, they were his heart; his soul.

They were the reason he sought a new life... a new life of freedom.