Dark | BTS ✓

10

Jimin wakes up the next morning, content when he remembers seeing Evelyn dancing in her living room when he came home last night. At least he knows she is okay - or as okay as she can be.

After showering and getting dressed, Jimin stares at his coffee machine as if it will tell him everything he needs to know.

After a moment of hesitation, he decides to make Evelyn some coffee. He won't stay to try to talk to her; he will just leave her coffee and hope that one day, maybe she will come knock on his door instead.

After the coffee is finished, Jimin grabs his things and locks up behind him. After setting his things in his car, he jogs across the road and walks the familiar path up to Evelyn's porch, setting the coffee on the table and knocking on the front door once.

"I know you told me to leave you alone, and I promise I am. I won't talk to you anymore if that's what you want. I am going to bring you coffee every morning, though. I'll leave it on the same table at 7 in the morning Monday through Friday. I usually wake up around 9 on the weekends, so I'll bring the coffee by then on those days."

He turns without another word and jogs back across the road to his car, hoping that she heard what he said as he gets inside his car and pulls out of his driveway.

He gets to work, and though he does his best to stay focused on the paperwork he's filling out for Will, he can't help but let his mind wander to Evelyn and if she took the coffee. His nerves are going crazy as he wonders if he'll come home to see the coffee cup empty on the table.

Even if it hasn't been touched, he'll still bring her coffee every day. He won't speak to her; he won't interact with her if that is what she wishes. He just can't stand the thought of someone so physically close to him withering away all alone in a house just next to his.

~

Jimin is anxious as he drives home from work; he wonders if he will see an empty coffee cup on Evelyn's table - or better yet, Evelyn herself.

He's not expecting what he does see as he pulls into his driveway and gets out of his car, however.

Jungkook sits on the steps to Evelyn's porch, his head in his hands. Jimin decides to go see if everything is okay, so he jogs across the road and walks up to Jungkook.

The police officer must hear his steps because he glances up as Jimin approaches him.

"Oh," Jungkook says, failing to hide the tears sliding down his cheeks. "Jimin."

"Is everything okay?" Jimin asks, standing with his hands in the pockets of his white coat.

"I guess it's obvious that everything is far from okay," Jungkook says, a humorless laugh leaving his lips.

Jimin moves to sit down next to Jungkook, his hands clasping together as he turns to look at the man. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Have you heard anything about what happened?" he asks, and Jimin frowns in confusion for a moment before he realizes what the man is talking about.

"I heard that your sister lost someone very special to her six months ago," Jimin says, and Jungkook's saddened eyes confirm it.

"I told you my sister's name the day we met, but I guess you didn't pick up on the fact that she has a different last name than I do," Jungkook begins, and Jimin's mind tries to pick out the memory.

"Jung Evelyn," Jimin repeats, and Jungkook nods.

"She's married... or I guess she was married,"
Jungkook says quietly, almost as if he's afraid that his sister will hear him. "Her husband was Jung Hoseok. They had dated for a few years before marrying about a year ago. Six months ago, he died while at his job and Evelyn just... shut down."

"Wow," Jimin says.

"That's not all," Jungkook says, sniffling as he wipes fresh tears from his eyes. "Hoseok - he was my partner. When he died on the job, my sister blamed me."

"What?" Jimin asks in a breathless tone.

"She blames me for her husband's death," he says. "See, after I graduated from the police academy, I was paired with Hoseok."

Jimin nods, urging Jungkook to continue.

"He trained me from the very beginning and we became friends so fast. He was just one of those people you couldn't help but be friends with."
Jungkook wipes his cheeks, though fresh tears replace the ones he just wiped away. "That's how Ev and Hoseok met. I invited her to a banquet at work. The two hit it off, and it wasn't long after that when they announced their relationship. Everything seemed perfect for them; they fell in love and it was like a fairytale. I knew that when I fell in love one day, I wanted it to be like theirs."

Jungkook's glazed eyes glance at the cloudy sky, his tears falling now without any intervention from him. "They bought this house together just after they got engaged, and I'd never seen Ev so happy before. They got married a year ago - spent all their time making this house their home."

Jimin keeps his eyes locked on Jungkook, not daring to make a noise as Jungkook continues, the pain evident in his tone.

"Hoseok and I were called to a house fire one night, really late," Jungkook says. "The firefighters needed some assistance in crowd control, so we came to set up a barrier. When we got there, things were so chaotic. People were running everywhere, screaming about how the family was still inside. As soon as I heard about them being in there - including two children - I took off running. I wasn't thinking straight. I could only think of saving them. I got inside, and as soon as I found the family, I saw it was too late; they were already gone."

Jungkook's voice breaks, and he shakes his head and closes his eyes as if to rid himself of the painful memory.

"The house started to collapse around me. I realized how stupid I was far too late. I was going to be trapped. That is, until Hoseok showed up. He grabbed me and damn near carried me to the door. Just as the second floor collapsed in on itself - when we realized we weren't going to make it - Hoseok pushed me out the door as hard as he could... but he didn't get out in time."

Jungkook's frame shakes as he tries to hold in his sobs. "He saved my life that night, but he died doing it. I had to go to my sister's house - her perfect house that she created out of love with her husband - and tell her that he died because of my carelessness."

"Jungkook," Jimin says, his own voice hoarse as he tries to hold in his own emotions, "you can't blame yourself for that. You just wanted to help them."

"I try so hard to convince myself it wasn't my fault," Jungkook says. "Some days, I almost believe it for a second. But as long as I live, I will never forgive myself."

"Why not?" Jimin asks in a soft voice.

"Because she won't forgive me."