Between Footsteps| p.jm

THIRTEEN| .-.. .. . ...

"H-Hey, wait," you stammered, he freezing at your touch as you grasped onto him tightly. "Don't go, we can figure this out."

"Figure what out?!" He spat, your scared eyes making his expression falter into one of guilt as he realized how harsh he had sounded without meaning to. "Look... I don't know how to explain this but..." he hesitated as he tried to find the right words and sighed. "This whole time, when I'm alone, when I'm lost in my thoughts... there's this feeling that doesn't go away. I have no memories to match it, but it's there. It's guilt. It's this feeling that I've done something terrible."

You looked at him with wide eyes at this new information as he shook his wrist out of your grip and lightly drew his tongue across his lower lip with a scared light not leaving his eyes.

"I was able to ignore it when I drank sins. I was able to ignore it when I was was with you. But it never really went away. And right now, what you're suggesting... it makes too much sense." His eyes flickered with conflict and horror. "I've done something terrible, I can feel it. And if that something is hurting you... no, not just that. Killing you. I don't know if I could live with myself."

You froze, falling silent at his words and trying to conjure any words of reassurance. Apparently that wasn't your specialty.

"Um... well, technically you aren't living with yourself persay," you tried to joke with a weak and nervous expression, not knowing what else to say. He looked at you incredulously and whirled around; moving so quickly that you were stunned as he tried to get away from you with you trailing behind. He was leaving. Your heart was racing as you realized he was getting away and sudden desperation led you to call out to him in order to stop his retreat.

"J-Jimin!" You called, he stopping only briefly upon hearing his name at the exit of the bar. You breathed out in relief when he stopped, but it was short lived.

"Don't call me that." Was all he said, the words hard to hear among the music and clatter of dishes. You heard it clearly though regardless of this, and your heart sank in horror when he disappeared. You didn't even have the strength or means to run after him.

Instead you stayed frozen; staring at where he had just been before realizing all the eyes that were on you. Although people hadn't been able to make out your conversation, it was clear to see that the other gold tiers had just stared at the two of you and the scene you had made. 28's eyes glinted smugly, and you looked away in order to shakily walk back to your table.

You needed time to think. You needed answers that were almost impossible to obtain. The table still held 62's... or rather Jimin's... camera and the picture the two of you had taken only 10 minutes prior. You gripped onto it and noticed the way your hands trembled as you realized how happy the two of you looked.

If only you had kept your mouth shut. There were so many things you didn't know while in the Between, but if there was one thing you were sure of, it was that Park Jimin wasn't a murderer. He couldn't be. You just needed a little more proof. All you had so far was that his number was lower, but for some reason that hadn't been enough for him.

It was enough for you... so why was he so sure he had killed you? Apparently he had been haunted by feelings of guilt and you swallowed hard when you recalled his fearful and broken expression. Thoughts and feelings had swarmed his head under the news of his name matching your memory that he hadn't been able to handle. You didn't even know what to think about this and gnawed at your lower lip before freezing.

There it was, the cold that flooded your bones upon a familiar presence approaching you. You knew the ringmaster was next to you without he even having to say anything.