The Raven Hotel | Jikook |

Chapter 11: Remember

Instantly, Jimin pointed Jungkook's face to lock against his cryptic gaze. They locked eyes and stared further as Jimin kept his hands fixed against Jungkook's chin to keep him in place.

"Take a better look and tell me. Do you remember me?" Jimin persisted and noted how quick Jungkook was to look away. Repeatedly, the boy broke eye contact that lasted longer than two seconds. Jungkook had an urge to look at something other than Jimin's sublime appearance. "Look at me..." Jimin spoke carefully and watched Jungkook lock his gaze onto his own for two seconds before looking away so suddenly.

"I don't.. I don't remember you, I'm sorry. I've never seen you before. L-Like I said before, you have the wrong guy!"

"No, I don't... in time you will remember me. I'll tell you what," Jimin said and finally pulled away from the anxious little lamb. "If you could recall a memory of ours... a memory we shared before, I will let you go..." Jimin promised and paced away from the clueless boy.

"B-But that's not fair! I've never seen you in my life before... just kill me and get it over with! I know I'll never leave this place now so please, end my life now!" Jungkook begged as Jimin only looked back at the boy and scoffed.

"You're not even going to try? I thought you had a 'wife and kids' you missed so dearly. Don't you want to see them again?"

"I... don't... have a wife or kids..." Jungkook answered and threw his head down to look at his hands fidgeting within his own weak grip. At one point, his mind travelled to the safe thought of Namjoon and his heart pounded happily for the familiarity that graced his mind from his older brother figure, yet, he then recalled the harsh words Namjoon spoke into that call one night and let out a sharp exhale. Watching as the safe place he created in his mind surrounding Namjoon, came tumbling down. "I have... no one..." those harsh words filled his mind and left him numb. He was a broken boy from the many things that harmed him before. Words that were stuck onto his back like darts to a target, remained on his back as if he still bled from the negatives.

Jimin looked at the boy with a stare that carried a sense of worry written on the windows of his soul. Just when Jimin continued to look at the silent, lonely, and helpless lamb, he heard Jungkook's stomach rumble and tilted his head. Abruptly, he watched Jungkook tighten his grip around his stomach and continue to look around in silence as if he didn't say anything that didn't seem concerning.

"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten at all, how are you still alive?"

"I question myself that every day..." Jungkook thought and shook his head, refusing to eat what Jimin would give him. In no way did Jungkook feel safe around the mysterious man since he was now held hostage. However, Jungkook knew he would never see the light of day ever again. Everyone he trusted with his life before, turned out to be people who harmed him and stabbed him way too many times. He was bleeding on the inside after so many years of being damaged.

Jimin kept his stare at the boy; not even blinking as his stare deepened. Jungkook couldn't read any signs the man read aloud to him, but all he knew was that this was the place he was going to live in until he was to finally give in and die. No matter what, he had no hope for himself.

"You have to eat something," Jimin mentioned blankly and watched the boy turn his face away silently. "You'll get sick and die."

"That doesn't seem too bad now..." Jungkook muttered and continued to tighten his grip around his stomach to silence his stomach growls. "I'm already weak to the point where I can't even run without being limited. If this is the part where I die, I won't be surprised... I have no escape. You won."

"I'm going to make you something. You have to keep your health up, Jungkook."

Jungkook grew silent afterwards, he couldn't understand why the man who held him captive was being so kind to him. Jungkook shook his head softly and looked out to the window that was boarded up. He longed for the outside breeze to brush through his silk hair, the warm sun to kiss his pale skin and the blue skies to grace him with something new to look at. All Jungkook knew were the same beige colored ceilings and the four cold walls that kept him locked away.

After, Jimin stepped away from the boy and walked to another room where there seemed to be small kitchen. Jungkook was confused on the type of hotel room this truly was; could this just be a floor where Jimin lives? Jungkook couldn't care now and was lost in his thoughts as he looked at the door once again. Wondering if he was strong enough to escape once again. However, he knew he wouldn't make it that far. Jimin would always find a way to pop up and drag him back to this room.

"I trust that you don't find yourself longing to run again. You won't make it that far," Jimin reminded the boy, and removed his black coat.

"You don't have to remind me now... I know that already..." Jungkook thought and hugged himself. He was glued to the seat from the moment he was dropped onto it. He longed to have someone to speak to, anyone, but all he had now was Jimin and in no way did he feel comfortable to speak with him about how lonely he truly was.

Jungkook remained sitting on his seat, looking back at the many times he took others for granted and made them turn against him. Ever since the start, he refused help and turned away from them. This caused everyone he knew to get fed up and hold in many words they longed to tell him. Namjoon's cold words made Jungkook believe that he wasn't wanted. Even if there was a place for him outside of this hotel, where would it be? He couldn't return home to his parents nor Namjoon's place. He wanted to go home, but where was it when home didn't feel like the same place it was before?

Jungkook ran his hands up the frills to the white vintage shirt and let out another sharp breath. "Even if I was to die right here... Namjoon wouldn't notice. Maybe leaving that place was for the best, I now realized how cold Namjoon could be and how different the word 'home' could sound. When will I ever find a place in this world for myself? When will I ever find someone who cares?" Jungkook questioned. Avoiding his own wonders as he finally tried to find it in himself to stand up.

Jungkook got up, slowly making his way to the side of the bed where he laid back onto the bed and closed his eyes. He was too weak to do anything and realized that this was going to be his life now. He regretted not listening to Hoseok on the elevator, he regretted being curious for once and he regretted leaving home that rainy night. But with his absence, he slowly began to realize who truly cared enough to find him and that was no one. He was waiting on a hero that had yet to even come to his rescue.

Jungkook remained on the bed, hearing the sounds in the kitchen of Jimin cooking something for the boy. The man could have easily stepped out to go to the hotel kitchen for a quick meal to pick up for Jungkook, although he didn't want to let the boy have a chance at escaping at all. So there Jimin planned to keep Jungkook, alone and locked up in what appeared to be the masked man's room.

"Remember.... remember what? I've never seen him in my life! I've looked him into his eyes and tried thinking as hard as I could, but my mind turns blank when I think of him. I find nothing that involved him," Jungkook thought and softly caressed the black silk fabric of the wide bed with the tips to his shaky fingers. "I'm going to die here... I'm going to die knowing that not even my parents care enough to find me, or even try to reach out to me... I'm going to die here knowing that Namjoon hated me all along and believed I was selfish from the start," Jungkook thought in his crowded mind before he began to tear up. "I'm going to die here... unloved and alone in a world filled with many people..."