ARROGANCE | m.yg

t h i r t y t w o - y o o n g i

   "Floor it," I instruct Manager-nim, looking at the sobbing mess that is Ah Rin in the backseat beside me. Thankfully, he obliges and hits the gas the moment Rin closes the door. I look at her and wonder what could have happened in our few and brief minutes of separation that could have done this to her. She's even worse than she was last night; her sobs are so loud and so forceful that practically the only thing I can hear is the sound of her hitching breath and her occasional attempts to get out words. It's absolutely gut-wrenching to see her like this. I unbuckle my seatbelt and move across the backseat carefully, moving to wrap Rin in an embrace I hope can at least begin to calm her down. As I slowly bring my arms around her, Rin's breath hitches sharply and she grabs onto me with a vice grip. She pulls herself into my lap and clings to me like her life depends on it, and I attempt to just do what I did yesterday. I rub her back gently and attempt to envelop her completely— to separate her from the rest of the world. If she needs a buffer, that's what I'll be.

   None of us say anything as we make the trip back to the dorm. Manager-nim drops us off at the back entrance and I carefully help Rin extract herself from the backseat, holding her hand tightly once we're in the parking lot. I use my key to unlock the back door and lead Rin up the back stairwell to the third floor, never daring to let her go. We enter the apartment and we're met with all six of my bandmates huddled around the TV. They'd been watching the showcase, clearly, and must have waited up to congratulate us on winning. Upon seeing Rin in her current state, though, all thoughts of simple congratulations seem to leave them.

   "Rin? What happened, are you hurt?" Taehyung asks, jumping up from his spot on the couch upon seeing her. She looks up at him and smiles weakly, and it feels like a stab to the gut for me.

   "I'll try and explain later," she manages. It's the first full coherent sentence I've heard from her. Seokjin looks at me and gives me a nod, clarifying that he'll be sleeping on the couch again tonight. I smile my thanks and just keep walking, leading Rin to my bedroom so we can speak privately.

   She takes a seat on my bed and I join her, looking at the girl I'd just confessed to as she slowly tries to pull herself together.

   "Lay down," I whisper, gesturing to the pillow at the head of the bed. Rin nods weakly and lays down, curling her body into a ball yet again. I'm about to lay down beside her when there's a knock at the door.

   I glance at Rin and she nods, granting permission to enter. "Come in," I say. The door opens to reveal Namjoon with a bottle of cold water. He comes over to the side of the bed and sets the bottle on the nightstand, looking at Rin with a concerned and caring expression.

   "If you ever need anything from any of us, we're here for you. Wake me up if you even think you need something."

   Rin nods, looking up at Namjoon with new tears budding in her eyes. "Thank you, Namjoon. Really, thank you." He smiles softly in return and then leaves us alone again, closing the door behind him.

   Now I do actually lay down beside Rin, placing my head on the pillow beside her and resting a hand on her arm. We face each other, and quickly I scan Rin's body. She looks both cold and exhausted, so I pull a blanket up over both of us. When I meet her eyes again she's looking at me expectantly, knowing exactly what I'm about to ask her.

   "What happened?" I say, gently stroking Rin's arm.

   "He was there," she manages, looking at me with a pained, almost desperate expression. "Juyoung was there."

   "What did he say? Did he hurt you?" I start, immediately getting riled up. Rin notices and places a hand gently on the side of my neck, tracing my jawline with her thumb.