𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 & 𝐌𝐞 || 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

Astray (2/4) || 14

"aera ?" she answers again.

"no, but where are you from? and what were you doing out there at night alone?"

"why?" she asks back.

the man breathes deeply, saying, "because we might need to send you back home? you're not needed here, in fact you shouldn't be here."

"no, don't send me back." she shakes her head quickly and turns to jungkook, pointing at his gun, "kill me. but don't send me back."

the seven sit still in their places, watching the girl pleading jungkook to kill her instead of sending her back home. an uneasy feeling crept up their bodies, acknowledging that this kid has more of history to dig in. jungkook cracks his neck and places the gun away, showing his empty hands to the girl.

"i'll ask, and you'll answer. got it?" aera nods slowly in response, and he sighs, "great, did you run away from home?"

aera nods again, "words," he says firmly.

"yes,"

"what about your parents?"

"the one i used to l-live with?" she asks.

"obviously, how many parents do you have?"

"they're not my real parents. he bought me when i was seven, and i'm living with him since then."

"bought you?" jimin questions, the frown becoming more prominent when the girl nods, letting him know that she's aware of her words. "do you mean brought, like adopted or something?"

"no, they bought me, i know." aera tells him, "he said i costed him a lot, because he got me from someone who was very rich. and they said i'm pretty so that's why i'm worth more- more money."

the guys exchange glances, aversion for the world growing visibly in their dilated, dark pupils. sighing, jimin nods, shifting a bit forward, sitting on the edge of the couch and looks at aera with sympathetic eyes on hearing such words from her despite being so young and even wishing to die.

"so you ran away from there?" the girl nods in response, "why? what did they do?"

"...he was bad and he lied to me. he said he was a good person who helps people, but he used to kill beat them and give them that... i don't what it's called but it's not good, the maid aunty said, and he takes money and buys people and guns and the bad things. he was talking about a- a big deal or something that involved my name. maid aunty said he was going to sell me again because someone is giving more money for me, and she told me to go away. so me and charley escaped from there." she says, fiddling with her fingers as she recalled how long she ran to get away from that dreadful world.

her eyes lifted up, meeting jimin's empathetic ones, "please don't send me back. he'll punish me and then give me to someone like him. you don't know how bad they are. it hurts a lot."

that was doubtful. they didn't know? the elders stayed quiet, none of that was new to them, just that a fourteen-year-old mentioning all the jobs they do nonchalantly without even thinking twice for a living, made them question their own morality. this girl sitting in front of them, is asking for help from similar criminals like the father she ran away from? irony.

jimin averts his gaze, glancing at the member next to him who sighs as well, nodding his head slowly, "who's he?"

"why?" aera questions, sounding a bit defensive to let out the name yet. as of what she has seen till now, jungkook and probably his whole gang, is a group of criminals too.

"because we wanna know." jungkook states firmly, "just answer the question."

"no," she says, "i told you about my home and that i ran away. now you tell me who are you all?"