The Eighth One - BTS AU (Mystery/Thriller) | Complete

Chapter 47

Jin and Kookie sat on the steps facing the lawn. The younger didn’t know what to say or how to start the conversation. He felt extremely guilty for his actions the other night.

He had taken out his frustration towards one, at another. Jin had to suffer while Kookie should’ve dealt it directly with Tae.

He side glanced at his eldest hyung. All the energy and radiance that was seen in him for the past few days had disappeared.

He sat slouched, in his odd clothes, an unexplained sadness on his face. His whole aura had completely changed.

Kookie did that.

In one night.

Within the matter of a few seconds.

His eyes filled with tears blurring his vision. And then Jin looked back at him.

When Jin saw his baby Kookie with glassy eyes and a face that screamed that he was about to cry any moment, his own eyes teared up. He immediately hugged Kookie who hugged him back.

“I’m sorry Kookie. I can’t believe I raised my hand at you…I am an idiot…You should punish me…you should hit me back!” he bawled.

“No hyung! You wouldn’t have hit me had I not said those horrible things…I deserved it…I deserve more!”

“But you are so small. So tiny…”
“I’m almost as tall as you hyung.”

They chuckled amidst the tears.

While they profusely apologized to each other, hugging and crying, five boys slid open the door and walked out. The hyung-maknae duo broke their hug and stood up. It was Jimin who pulled both of them together into a hug followed by Yoongi.

Then Hoseok hugged Jin, followed by Tae. After Joon and Hoseok had hugged and let go of Kookie, Tae walked up to him. They briefly met eyes and gave each other the most awkward hug ever invented.

Jimin eyed them briefly before he looked away.

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Come home at least once before you leave.

Yoongi read the text that followed a phone call he had failed to attend. Sighing, he placed his phone back in the back pocket of his jeans.

“Aah…”
Jimin let out a sound of relief. He smiled wide as he sipped again the ever famous warm cocoa that Hoseok’s eomma made.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Tae said looking at everyone. He sat beside Kookie, either of them still trying to overcome the awkwardness.

“I agree,” Yoongi seconded that. While everyone nodded, one face fell.

“About that. Uhm…” everyone turned their attention to Jimin now. He sat up straight, ready to break his news.
“I have to leave in about two days.”

Silence. No gasps. No shouts. No whines.

“We all have to go back. Return to our own lives,” Yoongi said first.

“I need to go back too. As early as possible,” Joon said as he nodded to himself.

“I’ll be here for a few more days. My classes don’t begin soon,” Kookie said in a soft voice.

“I have decided to join a dance academy.”
This statement gained gasps.

“What?”
“When?”
“Which one?”
“Why didn’t you tell us before?”

Upon being bombarded with questions, one after the other, Hoseok was taken aback.

He chuckled and said,
“I thought about it a lot in the past year. This is what I like. Choreography. I want to be a choreographer.”

“We did always plan dance routines for your parties,” Jimin did one of Hoseok’s goofy steps.

Kookie shook his head,
“It was more like this,” he set down his mug and modified the step Jimin just did that earned some laughs.

Jin hit his head with a pillow while Yoongi clutched his stomach laughing as he fell off the cushion.

“You know what we should do before we all leave?” Hoseok asked all of a sudden.

“What?” Kookie asked as he sat down again.

“Visit the Bowl.”

The boys immediately fell silent. Joon slowly sideway glanced at Jin.

After the very unmentionable incident from three years ago, none of them had ever brought up the Bowl into their conversation.

“Hyung…” Tae started speaking but then trailed off.

“Actually, I have been wanting to go there myself. It has been years,” Jimin spoke his mind.

After a silence of a few seconds, Hoseok said,
“Some of my favourite memories are from the Bowl.”

“Mine too,” Jimin supported him.

While no one said anything, they glanced at Jin, not meeting his eyes.

“Ahem,” Jin cleared his throat,

”keeping aside…” he paused,”…whatever happened, the Bowl was an important part of my life. I was there before any of you had come with your skateboards. I did want to go there sometime...I’d rather visit with all of you with me, than alone. After all, the Bowl was where it all began.”

Jin’s words surprised everyone. They felt as if they were waiting for his unsaid approval.

“Uhm…then me too.”
“Me too.”

Tae and Kookie joined in.
“Joonah…” Jin peeked at the silent one.

“Me too.”

Joon recollected how he came to the Bowl, and then into the group. He looked up at Jimin and smiled. Jimin smiled back.

“It’s settled then! Let’s go to the Bowl one last time, before we all leave!” Yoongi raised his mug of hot cocoa as he showed off his adorable smile.