By the next week, Jungkook never found himself growing weak again. He felt himself gain his energy back after that night but, he remained inside the hotel room. Hoping to gain Jimin's trust. Overall, the plan was right on track, but his mind wasn't. He was on edge every second Jimin's peculiar gaze latched onto his. But when Jimin wasn't around, it was as if he could organize his thoughts and strive forward with the plan. He was confused, his cowardice mindset ran away once again when he knew how the end was to play out. In his mind, he wanted to back out of the plan and not kill Jimin. Yet, he knew all the lives of the people within the hotel were now resting in his trembling hands. So, he had to make a tough decision very soon.
Jungkook sat over the singular couch; wearing the black bell bottoms slacks over his crossed legs as he wore a white dress shirt with many frills along the collar and around the cuffs. This dress shirt came with a black coat to seal the look, yet he refused to put it on and just wore the under dress shirt instead since he had no intentions to leave the room.
His life there was boring. The boy passed time reading books as Jimin excused himself for a while or even a full day. But at the end of it, Jungkook would hear Jimin walk in and lay down by his side. Not uttering another word but just laying there as still and cold like a brick. Their conversations would lead to anywhere, but at times Jimin would have to cut things short to eat somewhere else. Jungkook understood what Jimin meant by that, but played coy when Jimin would ask about what's going on in his mind before he would go to do the unexplainable.
As Jungkook sat over the couch, losing his train of thought while he read a book, he continued to re-read the same paragraph until he finally set the book down and shook his head. "I can't read this... no matter how many times I read it, I will never be interested. Hyunwon's taste in books are boring," Jungkook complained and finally stood up to approach the small shelves of books sitting and collecting dust. "Who would ever read about a chief falling in love with his mute detective sidekick? It's too boring..." Just as he began to look through it, his eyes set on a vinyl that was kept within its cover. Untouched since it was covered in dust completely.
The boy looked at the vinyl and alongside it sat the journal he would see Jimin scribble into. He was tempted to see what Jimin wrote and hoped to learn more about his relationship with Hyunwon before, yet, he knew better not to invade Jimin's privacy especially since the plan was to build a bond with the vampire. Jungkook pulled his hand away and looked at the vinyl once more before pulling it out along with the cover. His eyes scanned the black cover in hopes of reading any writings set into it.
"To my beloved..." Jungkook read out and guided his finger against the written words over the cover. Feeling the dents to every letter as he tilted his head after. "Another thing about Hyunwon, he must have been obsessed with him or maybe they were just madly in love with each other," Jungkook thought and looked around to find a record player close by, but nothing returned to his focus. "There's a vinyl but no record player... he must be trying to avoid this song..."
Jungkook continued to keep his mind busy when suddenly, the door behind him opened and listened to the masked man step inside. Wearing a black coat over his black dress shirt and matching shoes and black slacks. As the man dressed in black removed his plague doctor mask along with his top hat, he looked up to see Jungkook standing by the shelf and holding the vinyl cover in his hands.
"A little curious, Jungkook?" Jimin asked and cracked a short smirk before setting his mask and hat over a a table standing close to the entrance.
"I was bored reading the another book so... I wanted to see if there was anything else I could do here..." Jungkook mentioned as he held out the vinyl cover to the lifeless man. "I'm sorry if I touched such a personal thing."
"Oh don't apologize... It's just a vinyl. Nothing personal about that. Besides, I would poke around too if I was left with a pile of boring romance books with the same main characters used over and over again," Jimin added and hid his hands behind his back before approaching the boy slowly. "A story about a King that disguises himself as a commoner to meet his true love, a story about a chief and a mute detective... and a story about a serial killer who fell in love with his barber. How boring~" Jimin continued until he looked over the black cover of the vinyl. Reading out the words embedded into the cover as if it was scratched over the black color. "Anyway, this was a vinyl for someone special to me..."
"Hyunwon... right?" Jungkook asked and looked at the words once more. "It was him, you don't have to refer to him as someone special anymore. His name is right here..."
"I know..." Jimin whispered and paced towards a storage door to his room. "Just hearing his name doesn't sound right at times... I don't like that it reminds me of things that could have been," Jimin spoke into puzzles once more as he opened the door to the storage and took out a vintage record player without hesitation. "So, I refer to him as someone special at times... times where I don't want to spell out his name with my own lips."
"Did he... do something wrong to make you feel like that?" Jungkook wondered curiously and watched Jimin set the record player over a desk. Just then, Jimin stopped responding before letting out a sigh and shaking his head.
"He left. That's the truth there. But, there was always something that stuck to me when I felt bad about it..." Jimin added and held out his hand so Jungkook could hand him the vinyl. Once his hand carried the old disc, he blew over the surface of it and set it into the vintage record player. Of course, requiring him to crank up the handle on the side for a few seconds, flip the brake release switch at the bottom, wait for the record to pick up speed, set the needle onto the disc surface, and wait for the needle to catch the groove in order to play the music. "And it was the thought that... he would always come back to me by fate..."
Jungkook heard the static feedback of the record player until music began to play. His ears filled with the calming melody as he looked at Jimin stare at the disc spin over the record player.
🎶"Ropes"- by Scott James🎶
"He would always dance with me to this song... I've never danced with anyone else other than him after he left. So now, I hope you wouldn't mind accompanying me..." Jimin asked and held out his gloved hand with a smile.
"B-But this song is Hyunwon's..." Jungkook mentioned and turned red at the request. Desperately trying to find an excuse to escape a dance that foreshadowed the final step to the plan Hoseok told him about. "I don't want you to-"
"It's not marriage, Jungkook... besides, we're the only ones here. It's just you and me here. No one but us."
Jimin's gentle voice eased Jungkook as he finally stepped forward and set his doubts aside for once. This was all part of the plan right? Jungkook took the man by his hand and stepped closer until their own personal space meant no more. Jungkook tried not to look into the cherry hue of Jimin's eyes as it died down into a brown color, but Jimin only slid the tip of his finger underneath the boy's chin and pointed it towards his face. Looking into his eyes and building a burning tension that could keep them both warm through any winter storm.
"If you're going to dance, you'll have to look into the eyes of your partner," Jimin whispered as Jungkook looked at the man before breaking their eye contact once more. "What is it?"
"I don't know how to dance like this.... or to look you in the eyes for so long without looking away!" Jungkook added into a giggle as Jimin only smiled as the pink hues to his pale cheeks returned.
"Just put your head over my shoulder and follow my lead. I know you'll learn quickly..." Jimin assured and slid his right hand up to the back of the boy's head to guide him to rest over his shoulder. Jungkook felt as if this was all too familiar. Normally, he wouldn't lay his head onto Jimin's shoulder or torso, but the feeling of safety never felt more familiar before.
Jungkook inhaled softly and exhaled right after; letting go of his anxious thoughts when it came to confrontation and looked to the side of the room. Just then, Jimin guided his right hand up to interlock against Jungkook's left hand just inches above the man's chest, and his other to wrap along the boy's perfectly chiseled waist. Jungkook slid his free hand up to Jimin's shoulder and leaned in comfortably as the music drifted them away into the moment.
With the beat of the song serenading the two, Jungkook couldn't help but to feel guilty. He wondered how he would be able to finish the job dancing with Jimin like this at the ball and closed his eyes. Wanting to think nothing of it, but his thoughts on the plan and the pressure of saving innocent people within the hotel, was beginning to haunt him. In no way did his mind calm down as he tried to ignore it with hesitations. He was drowning but even with no air surrounding him at that moment, he couldn't help but to breathe heavily and desperately reach for anything that could save him. In which, this didn't go unnoticed by Jimin.
"We can stop now if you aren't comfortable. I don't want to pressure you," Jimin whispered to the boy's ear and felt him shake his head instantly. "You're so tense... I don't want you to feel like this. Are you alright?"
"I'm sorry... I'm just a little... nervous.. that's all..." Jungkook assured and moved his body along with Jimin's so slowly and gently. Jungkook tried to calm down and before he knew it, he felt Jimin's hands grow tighter along his waist and pull him in closer until his heartbeat began to echo within the lifeless man's chest.
"Slow down... remember to take things slow..." Jimin assured the boy and eventually, the two rocked side by side together in sync. Jungkook's breathing grew steady as his thoughts were chased away by the moment. The only thing that surrounded his mind was pure silence and a sense of safety as if he was wrapped up in a warm blanket and protected by the cruel world just outside.
"Why are we dancing like this...? Will you allow me to dance with you at the ball like this?" Jungkook asked out of nowhere and gasped at his thought that slipped out of his mouth without a warning. "I didn't mean to say that out loud..."
Jimin let out a chuckle and looked at the boy as they met each other's gaze instantly. "Now I know you hold many secrets in that head of yours..." Jimin answered and tilted his head forward as their foreheads touched closely. Not being afraid of being so close to the boy he was drawn to given his past life. "If I feel as if I can let you go to the ball and not fear you leaving me the next second, I will allow you to go," Jimin assured and slid his hand up and down softly to soothe the boy's back carefully. "And... if you long to dance with me as your request, I won't turn away from it at all. I would love it if you would accompany me to dance at the ball."
"I would love that as well..." Jungkook replied as his head couldn't help but to slide down to the man's shoulder once more. Breaking away the close tension that burned between them for a split second. "I would love that and I will be expecting it..." Jungkook answered with a sigh and closed his eyes. Trying not to plan the moment to such a beautiful song when to strike the gentle yet, cryptic man Jimin was.