Empty (Punch sequel)

Part 10

Right now. She didn't.

She looked away, pulling their hands apart. The guilt took over her.

Standing up, she walked to her bookshelf and dragged a book out. She needed to do anything for Jimin not to notice how she felt at that moment and she was going to tell him about this anyway.

Jimin watched her as she returned back to the chair and pressed tightly the book in her hands.

His heart hammered in his chest and his mouth dried as he recognized the book. It was Minyoung's favorite as it was her brother's.

"Do you know what this is?" Minyoung asked him while staring at the book.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "It's... It's a book."

She snickered, rolling her eyes. "Nice try."

He laughed nervously.

Minyoung opened the book and pulled out a small paper. But the paper wasn't paper. It was thicker and glowing under the light like a card

When Minyoung showed him the card, his eyes widened. "How did you get this?"

"Who is this Jimin?" Minyoung pointed at the guy appeared next to the little girl.

Jimin knew this photo too well, but he thought that her mother had already got rid of it.

"I'm sorry Minyoung I can't." He shook his head.

"You promised Jimin." Her heart fell. She started to have hopes that she would know anything. Jimin knew who was that guy, why didn't he want to tell her?

"You asked the wrong person. Your mother would be the best one to tell who this is."

"My mom?"

"If I told you she would hate me."

"Kim Seokjin. He is a relative, isn't he?" Jimin pressed his lips together. He wouldn't speak. It made Minyoung angry and frustrated. "Jimin. Who is he?"

"I told you I can't."

"No, I need to know."

"Your mother is downstairs. Go ask her."

Minyoung stood up and swung the door open and hard. It flew and hit the wall, making a loud bang. Jimin bit his lips as he followed Minyoung downstairs and into the kitchen.

She slapped the picture onto the island table, making her mother looking at her with angry eyes.

"What was that?"

"Who is this, Mom?"

Minyoung's mother flickered over the picture. She licked her lips and looked away. Minyoung could notice the tears already forming in her eyes and the shock look over her face. "I don't know how you got this picture back. I thought I got rid of it"

"Why would you do that? Who is he?" Minyoung voice was cracking. Her throat hurt and tears started to bury her eyes.

Jimin's hand held her shoulders, trying to drag her away. It was a bad idea. He thought. "Minyoung that's enough."

She shrugged his hands off before looking at her mother. She didn't even tell her about the man who visited those weeks ago. She felt like a stranger in her family, a fool. Just because she lost her memory they were keeping things from her. "Mom."

"He is your brother Minyoung." Her mother snapped, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Minyoung blinked as she received the information. She had a brother? Where was him and why she hadn't seen him at all? Why didn't her mother tell her about him?

"I have a brother?" Her mother nodded, looking away. Minyoung noticed the tears cascading down her mother's eyes and it pained her to see her like this. But she needed to know, she needed to know her mother's grieve.

"If I have a brother, then why I have no idea about him? Where is he?"

Her mother didn't reply to her. She kept silent sniffing as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm tired, Minyoung. Sorry, food isn't ready." Her mother's hands were shaking as she closed the stove.

"Wait, mom..." Minyoung was about to follow her, but Jimin held her arm stopping her.

"Leave her alone."

"I need to know."

"And when you know what will you do Minyoung?"

"He is my brother. I want to know where he is, talk to him and see him. I want to know about our relationship with him. We look so close, Jimin."

"You can't." Jimin told her, hesitating at first. "You can't meet him. Neither can your mother."

~~

(Minyoung's POV)

It was hard to discover something and then all the effort that you had done vanishes in the air. The person who you just came to know, lost him in a blink of an eye.

I pulled my legs to my chest, crawling myself in a ball. I don't know how I should feel. I was hoping to find but never thought it could hurt like this. I just lost a brother who I had no memory about.

I took out the picture as I stared at his face, begging for any memory of him any feelings toward him, but all I felt with a deep empty hollow in my chest.

My mother wasn't trying to keep me away, she was pushing a painful memory away. I just understood her too much protection over me. She was just scared she would lose me like she lost him.

Feeling bad for pushing my mom into something this painful, tears soaked my eyes and dropped down over my cheeks, warm and salty.

Kim Seokjin.

Jimin told me that I loved him so much and that I couldn't forget even after he died. Then why I don't remember him now? This made me feel worse.

My hands reached for my phone as I went through my phone contacts. I needed to talk to someone so badly and I had no one in my mind except for him. I found myself calling.

As I heard the phone ringing, my heart was beating so fast and I wasn't sure if it would be okay to call him or not.

"Minyoung!" He sounded surprised. His breath was heavy as if he was panting and I figured out that he was training at the moment.

Trying as hard as I could not to sound like I was crying. I said, "Sorry, you seem busy."

"Kind of.... But, no. It is okay. What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I'm really sorry. I needed someone to talk to but you are busy. I didn't know who I would talk to. You are the only one whom I thought about."

I pressed my lips in a thin line. It was true what I said. I had no one else in my mind except for him. Someone who wouldn't know things that I didn't know. Someone who would listen to me and understand me. Someone who already knew my secret.

Why was my heart drumming? I felt my cheeks warming as the embarrassment engulfed me of what I had just said.

But he was a friend, right?

"Where are you? I will come over there"