SIDE CHARACTER || J.JK

×THIRTEEN××

THIRTEEN

Thursday afternoon, Shin Ji was walking down the aisle of the school's library, not really paying attention to the books aligned in the bookshelves but pondering about wear his suitor might be lurking around because she clearly haven't seen the guy since morning. Not long enough, all of her questions are suddenly answered when she heard girls gossiping about a certain someone she dearly knew.

"Have you heard the news?"

"Oh yeah the one that happened this morning?"

"Yes, everyone saw Taehyung carrying Jimin to the infirmary."

"What really did happen?"

"I think Jimin fainted."

A inaudible gasp left Shin Ji's mouth, her heart thumping fast knowing its must've been something serious, hell she felt trouble! Without further due, she walked out of the library and ran to where the infirmary is located. Her breathing ragged as she halted in front of the said door, contemplating if she should walk in or not.

Once she's calm, she took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. What laid in front of her eyes are two boys, one of them clad in a vibrant yellow blanket as he peacefully sleeps on the bed and another boy staring straight in her eyes, expression unreadable but his dark chocolate orbs tells a lot.

"Taehyung, wha–what happened?" she breathed.

Taehyung gave her a rueful smile before nodding at her for acknowledgement. Taehyung gestured her to sit beside him on the couch which Shin Ji – without a word did as what she's told to do.

"Jiminie had a panic attack." was a short yet more alarming words that left Taehyung's mouth. In reality, his statement did not answered Shin Ji's question, but only fueled more questions inside her head.

"What do you mean, Jimin had an at-attack... Why? What's wrong with him?" Shin Ji's voice quivered in bafflement.

Taehyung gave a loud sigh as he started explaining. "You see, Jimin has a trauma about an arboretum. The reason behind that trauma is not something I should tell you because I'm not sure Jimin wouldn't or would like you to know about that."

The word arboretum struck into Shin Ji's mind. It kept replaying like a broken plaque. She felt goosebumps run through her skin at the mere word.

"Arboretum." She repeated.

Taehyung hummed at that. His ears listening to the girl beside him but his mind is somewhere far away.

He remembered it all.

He can still clearly visualise all of the things Jimin had told them years ago after having his first panic attack. It was Jimin's birthday when they thought they should celebrate it to an Arboretum, but everything worsened once Jimin saw where they are headed. He had a serious attack and since then they took everything away that has something to do with Jimin's trauma away from him.

"Look guys he's awake! Jimin-hyung's awake!"

"Calm down, Jungkook. We can see him awake." Yoongi scoffed, lightly hitting Jungkook's head earning a small grunt from him.

"Jimin what happened ? We were all worried for you!" Seokjin asked Jimin who just woke up from a not so good slumber.

All Jimin did after that one question was cry like a child would and grab the nearest person in front of him to hug like he'd never want that person to go and leave him all alone.

That day, Jimin was left explaining everything to his six friends who he view as his real family. He confessed all of the things that he had been through knowing that the friends he have would never judge him.

"When I was eight my aunt is obliged to fetch me from school everyday. I've always been kind to her, but she never liked me because I'm our grandparents favourite child and her son isn't..." Jimin hiccups everytime he came into the middle of his sentence.

"A day comes when she did not fetch me. I was lost. I don't know the way home. I felt like crying and helpless, and that's when two men asked me if I needed any help."

"Said two men walked with me, but as we go further, I also felt like were not going to the right direction where my house is. Instead, what I last saw is a signage that were close to the Arboretum."

"Two men took me to that empty Arboretum and in the said place... N-Near the fountain... They... They... They ra-raped me."

Tears flood down Jimin's face as his breathing became unstable once again. He cried like no tomorrow and as if all air inside his lungs left. He was shaking and his lips trembling with so much pressure. He looked pitiful and nothing could take away the pain that had already been engraved inside his chest. Not even the friends he have beside him could erase the mortifying memory.

"I couldn't tell anyone... They made me believe that they will kill my family. I did try telling mom, bu-but she said I am crazy... No one believed me, they thought I was making a story..."

"Ever since that day, I drown myself in the shower, in any water, in a bath tub... Anywhere where I could cleanse off all of the sin permeating on my body."

"I was told crazy, not normal, someone who needs help, someone who needs a psychiatrist, a boy who had to lie about being sick for the comfort of my mother."

Taehyung clearly remember Jimin's crying face, his pained sobs and his quivering lips as he tries his best to tell the story which he never wants to remember again. After those, Jimin kneeled down, begging them to believe him and never leave him alone... That only made sense why'd Jimin would hit on every girl he sees — he does it to forget.