[ PARK JIMIN ]
"Are you sure it's just empathy? Are you sure you're not feeling... attracted to me?" There was a shift in his voice as it became more silky, pleasing to listen to. I could feel my muscles relax in response to the soothing sound. "Don...
Author's note: Hey loves! I don't usually do author's notes at the beginning of a chapter but I felt that I needed to for this one. I just wanted to warn you that the first half of the chapter does deal with death and loss, so it might get a bit depressing depending on how sensitive you are to these topics. But I promise that it is all important information, and the second half of the chapter will start picking up again! Enjoy, you beautiful humans.
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⊰ F O U R T E E N ⊱
LEFT IN THE PAST
"Hoseok... who are you talking about? Who did you lose?" I asked gently.
He sniffed, his watery eyes meeting mine.
"My sister."
"Your sister? What does she have to do with me?" My voice was quiet. I stared at the tears that continued escaping his eyes as if they'd been trapped for years. Maybe they have been.
"Her name was Dawon. She used to be part of the crew. She followed me here when I decided to become a pirate, even though I tried telling her not to. She insisted. She couldn't—wouldn't—let us get separated." Hoseok wiped his eyes and inhaled slowly. I could sense the weight his words carried, and as each one left his mouth the burden on his shoulders got a little bit lighter. "She was a good pirate. I taught her how to fight and she became a skilled swordsmaiden, just like you. She was tough but she had a gentle heart, and we all cherished her more than we would ever admit. I would have cherished her even more if I knew I was going to lose her." His voice cracked and I couldn't stop myself from pulling him into me and hugging him. He stiffened at first, but then he relaxed in my arms and returned my embrace. He let out a whimper and I felt my heart ache painfully for him.
"Let's find somewhere to sit down, alright?" I whispered gently. I stepped back and held his hand, then led him to my room so we could have some privacy. I knew he wouldn't want anyone to see him in such a fragile state. I was shocked that he was opening up to me like this after trying so hard to push me away.
We sat on my bed before he continued. It was obvious that he had bottled it up for years and now that he'd started, he had to let it all out.
"One day we ran into some other pirates. We were arrogant, and we assumed we could take them on easily. But they had more men than we did, and they were more skilled than we'd expected. Each of us had to fight two of them at a time. We were all too distracted with our own battles to notice when they overpowered her and stabbed her in the chest. Yoongi said he looked up just in time to see her fall overboard." By now Hoseok's voice was cold and numb.
I squeezed his hand in a sad attempt to make him feel better, somehow. "I'm so sorry, Hoseok. I can't even imagine losing someone I care about like that..." I said gently. But you can imagine it. You've lived it, the voice in my head reminded me. I ignored it.
