Chapter Nine

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Jimin tried not to burst out laughing when Yoongi looked at him in confusion and utter shock, his eyes like wide saucers as he tensed.

After meeting Mrs Park, he spent a little time in the kitchen with Mrs Kim.

He was going to run straight back to the bedroom to hide and play games with the older boy, as suggested, but the woman asked him to stay.

It wasn't a lengthy conversation, but it left a lasting impact on the teenager and thawed his cold heart a little.

She needed some information on the topics she had discussed with Mrs Park.

More specifically, the injuries he received living with the Choi family.

She didn't want details of the incident unless he felt like sharing, but Mrs Kim knew better than that. There was no way Yoongi was ready to share such personal, intimate details.

And there were other places where he was hurt too, but none were as significant and long-lasting as these.

First were his fingers.

It was hard to tell there was anything wrong with them to start with, especially when the boy hid his hands so frequently but pressed against the table, Mrs Kim could see the truth.

They were nowhere near as bad as Jin's, but the signs of trauma and breakage were still significant.

Yoongi's fingers were bent and crooked, some of the knuckles and joints were more prominent than others, and his baby fingers arched, rarely straightening unless he put conscious effort in.

Mrs Kim didn't know how his hands ended up this way because the blonde never told anyone what happened, and there were very few hospital records in his file, so most of the injuries went untreated.

Some of the fingers, if not all, had been broken or fractured over time and allowed to heal without medical intervention.

The woman didn't give Yoongi a choice when she reached out and grabbed his hand, holding one between hers, refusing to let go when he tensed and tried to pull away.

It took a while to loosen up and find a regular breathing pattern, but the feeling of her lightly ghosting her thumb over his skin seemed to help.

He didn't let people touch him often; it had been that way for a few years. But there was something about Mrs Kim, motherly and caring.

She didn't want to hurt him; that had become evident in how she apologised for scaring him, ensured he had enough money every day and always had food available whenever Yoongi needed it.

The woman always had a feathery, mild voice that soothed the blonde boy's nerves, making him less edgy and worried, even if he didn't realise it.

Mrs Kim kept his hand tightly within hers as she asked about his shoulder.

She saw how Yoongi's breath caught and his eyes glazed over, instantly flashing back to the moment in question.

The woman lightly squeezed the blonde boy's fingers, smiling when their eyes connected. She didn't want details; she wanted to know how it felt.

She didn't expect the slender boy to shift the neck of his t-shirt with his free hand, revealing a tiny pink scar below his collarbone.

It didn't hurt as much anymore, unlike the early weeks after the surgery and when his physio stopped. He tried to act like it was nothing, but she knew there were more than just physical scars that came with the injury.

Yoongi never disclosed how he ended up with a dislocated shoulder and torn ligaments, but there was a statement from the other child who was taken from the home at the same time.

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