The Hanes Enigma

Chapter Nine: Confidante

Kim Namjoon

As I step off the bus, I already know this is going to be a whole new side of Yoongi that I've never seen before. The town is reasonably small, a lot of greenery surrounding it. No wonder the Jeon's live here. In the not too far distance, I can see the blue of the ocean. There is a main street, but on it are few shops: a bakery, sweet dairy smells flowing across the road every time a person enters; a grocers, colours of fresh fruit and vegetables like an enormous paint pallet; a corner shop with anything handy you might need from Sellotape to screwdrivers; a sweetshop and a florists. There are other roads, of course. But the main road says a lot about a place, and this town is small and cheerful. The butchers aren't located where people have to see it every day, the post office is only a section of the corner shop meaning people don't tend to feel the need to write outside of the town itself. I imagine Jimin and Jungkook running around as children and playing on the street. When did Yoongi come along? Did Jungkook know? And if this was Yoongi's childhood, why the hell did he turn out so screwed in the head? I love him! But he is messed up...

I stop an old lady and show the address Jimin had written for me. I still think he should have come, but he said Yoongi wouldn't want that. I guess he's probably right.

The lady beams. "That's Yoongi's house! You know him?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend." I smile. This old lady knows Yoongi?

"Oh, how lovely! I hate how he's always so lonely.. Always chasing after that Park boy, poor dear..." She hums to herself and begins walking down a much smaller street. "This way, dear, follow me!"

I do, quickly catching up with her and then slow down to walk her pace. "Sorry, if you don't mind me asking.. I don't know much about Jimin. Except that he and Yoongi ended badly..."

"Well, yes. 'Badly' is certainly an understatement... Such a cute pair, as well! Always meeting up in my old shop, you know. I had to sell the thing, of course. Legs aren't quite what they used to be. A nice woman owns it now and she still gives me free daff's in the springtime!" The woman beams.

"But how did they meet? Jimin and Yoongi.." I pry, knowing I should wait for Yoongi to tell me, but my curiosity is currently winning the inner battle.

"Well, it was in my florists, of course! That's where all the romances blossom." She giggles at her own play on words and I smile too. "Jimin would come in every Tuesday because I'd told him that's when Yoongi gets his flowers. He missed by minutes a few times... Eventually, they cottoned on to each other, though. It was always sweet smelling things. They could be there for hours trying to find my nicest smelling bunch! Most of the time they'd end up picking one of the first they'd found. I think they just made excuses to stay near each other, if you ask me. But always sweet! His dear aunt was blind, you see, but she never stopped loving the smell of a fresh vase of flowers. Until she died, of course. I can't forget that day.. Eyes as red blood, Yoongi. And sweet, little Jimin clinging to his hand. They wanted lilies that week. Not even for the funeral, just for the house. Jimin said he couldn't stand the sight of the empty vase... Then it was just Jimin for a bit, picking up flowers for his boyfriend. Everyone felt so awful for him! He'd only just found her again! The parents gave him up, I think. Something like that... He was only here for two or three years before she left us, bless him. I always saw little Jiminie running down the road and up to Yoongi's. Oh, they were sweet!"

"What happened?.. What made them break up?" I frown. Turns out, I knew very little of Yoongi's life at all. When I think about it, I knew nothing. Just that he had a crush on Jimin...

"Well, no one knows for sure. You probably know more than the rest of us, being his best friend and all... But one day Yoongi walks back all black and blue. No one knows where from! And then they avoided each other, like the plague. Just like that! No tears, no fighting. And then he left to study, of course. We don't see much of him now... But I was always the first to know when he was town!"

"Oh? How come?.." I smile as the lady slowly down in front of a tiny cottage.

"He has to pick out some flowers, of course." She carefully makes her way up the steps and wraps sharply on the door. "Yoongi? Yoongi, dear!"

The door creaks open and my mouth drops. Yoongi is bleeding. From practically everywhere. His entire body is like a pincushion! "Hyung.."

"Oh.. Hey, Joon. What are you doing here? Hi, Mrs Ricolli." He bows awkwardly to the lady then flinches.

"Min Yoongi! Get inside at once." The woman ushers him inside and gently taps the backs of his legs with her walking stick. "What on earth have you done now, silly boy?"

***

Min Yoongi

Namjoon shuts the door behind us and I smile as the old lady starts rummaging through my drawers and cupboards for a first aid kit. Namjoon reaches it down for her and I she beams at him.

"Why thank you, dear." She gets to work, sitting me down and disinfecting every wound. "I should send you to the hospital to get stitches for some of these, but I know you too well, Min Yoongi."

I chuckle and apologises but the woman is smiling affectionately at me, I know she's not really mad.

"Joon, is Kook okay?" I look up at the warlock, lips a thin line from worry.

"Yeah, he pulled through. Mainly Brynn's work, but I guess Tae and Jimin helped a little. The two of them wouldn't shut up when they were telling me all about it.." He laughs.

"Weren't you there?" I frown, he was setting off to Glanis House when I left.

"I should have been.. Got stopped by a few Kongs... They've been expelled now, by the way. Well, the process is underway, but they're not allowed access to the instate anymore."

"Jimin and Kook?.. You're talking about Park and Jeon, are you?" Mrs Ricolli's eyes widen as she stares at each of us in turn. "You're talking to Jimin again?"

"Barely.. We're at the same Institute, though, so we can't exactly avoid each other." I purse my lips and look away.

"Nonsense. I was just telling Namjoon about how you two managed to avoid each other in this little town. You're talking again because you want to." She grins.

"Oh were you..?" I glare at the warlock who purposefully does not meet my gaze.

"You two were so good for each other... What happened, dear? What broke that?" I look into her kind eyes and my eyes begin to sting. Don't cry. Please don't cry.

I'm crying. Mrs Ricolli wraps her arms around me and rocks me gently. Namjoon, confused as hell, sits the other side of me and just waits patiently. I mentally thank him for that. "His dad.. His dad found out."