sɪɴᴄᴇ ʜɪɢʜsᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ☑

21. Orchid Played Its Part

Jimin's POV

I sat in the playground, legs sprawled out as my spine was leaned, my hands placed on the grass while my face was basking in the soft autumn sunlight. My head whipped when Hoseok hugged my torso and I opened my eyes. "We will not go back home unless you spit everything out."

I smiled. Sometimes, the more one talks about something that was forgotten, the better one can envision it. Burying the hatchet was never the solution for me. I am more of a facing-the-storm-head-on kind of guy.

"I was on my way to Kwang's office when I heard someone yelling," I glanced at Hoseok and he knew what day I was referring to. He nodded at the ground, not looking into my eyes and I also avoided skimming at him as I continued. "It was the same day when I wasn't myself. I was going home, my father was waiting for me in his car outside."

"I know all that," Hoseok interrupted and I thought about it again. Hoseok and Jin Hyung knew everything about that day and the days that followed except about one detail. I never had the courage to speak about it, until now.

"I saw Jungkook playing with orange orchids in the field and my feet stopped to take a better look at him," I saw Hoseok was still looking at a distance, breathing calmly and I swear I could hear his heart beating calmly inside his chest. "He looked, well... He looked like himself, the uncorrupted little boy, smiling at his friend. The rush in my mind calmed for the moment I allowed his sight to be in."

"You liked him."

I heard Hoseok tease me but I didn't know what it was at that time.

"I don't know why I didn't see him in school before that day. I got curious, I asked someone to get me his name, and then it was as if destiny played its own role. He was everywhere to be found. He was participating in dances, he was projected as this brilliant kid and the limit was when I went to Bang's office and he had his picture framed and hung to the wall of fame."

I heard Hoseok chuckle. "Isn't it the indication that you should go for it?"

"I changed after that day, and I think it is safe to say we all did," Hoseok's smile vanished slowly. "I used to look at him from afar, always finding time to go to the playfield to find him by the orchids, his hands would be painted orange every day. And then... He disappeared one day," I mumbled.

"I looked for him like a fanatic. It was as if he was wiped out. His best friend didn't know about him, his parents' numbers were not in service, I tried whatever I could, but nothing worked."

"Maybe he transferred school because of his father's job?" Hoseok pitched.

"Nah, his father has his own business. He couldn't possibly have been transferred," I countered. "Unless... He decided to go somewhere on his own."

"Did you ask Jungkook about this?" Hoseok asked, and it would have been a normal thing to do. But no. I didn't do that. "Jimin?"

Shaking my head, I looked down to continue. "I found him a year and a half later in an elevator. It seemed that with time, I have forgotten his face but when I looked at him after an year, I realized I remembered every detail." I confessed.

"To this day, I don't understand how the fuck did you two end up fighting like a bunch of twerps?" Hoseok was irritable with his tone and I also wonder the same. How in the world did things go so wrong and so quickly?

"I dunno... As I said, I am not the same delinquent I was a few years ago. He pushed my buttons... Also, I fucked up." I shrugged and Hoseok stared at me dangerously.

"Could you be specific?"

"Quite literally... I-I slept with a girl." Hoseok smacked my head hard. Before I could counter-attack, I heard Jungkook call me and I forgot almost instantly why was I hitting Hoseok just now as I looked back.