"What?" Hoseok was taken aback by the latter's response. "Calm down, you idiot. Relax and explain everything to me."
Taehyung prepared to leave the room, dragging the befuddled Hoseok along with him.
"Do you know the number of Sang-Hoon's room?"
Hoseok shook his head, despite the fact that Taehyung couldn't see it because the boy was walking ahead of him. "I'm not sure. What's the deal with that question? You want to kick his ass?"
Taehyung hummed in a low tone as his body was pretty much completely possessed by balls of rage. "I heard a thing about Jungkook and Jimin from Layla and her friend. They also claimed to have witnessed Sang-Hoon bullying Jimin during the hiking activity."
"What? Are you sure they didn't make this up?"
"Yeah. I also asked Fang and his buddies and they said the same thing. They saw Jimin run away from someone at that time."
"Fucking assholes," Hoseok exclaimed, finally feeling the fire of Taehyung's fury. "We should absolutely kick his ass. Let's go."
"I need that much energy."
***
"Ngh.."
"Agh, f-fuck."
"Hey...I think this is e-enough."
"Shut the fuck up," Sang-Hoon said while fucking a girl named Yoon.
"You said it would just take a moment! This...Agh! Hoonie, slow down!"
"I said shut up."
"What if...W-what if we were caught?"
"No one is going to get—"
BAM!
They both gasped when the door burst open, their eyes widened in panic as Sang-Hoon immediately pulled out of Yoon and get away from the bed, telling the girl to get dressed and get out of the room.
Sang-Hoon didn't pay attention to the door since he assumed it was only a teacher. He was preoccupied with hunting for his clothes until he heard a familiar voice screwing through his soul.
"Get yourself covered right now."
He was too panicked to even move a muscle as he stood frozen in terror. He swung around abruptly, and it was the Mad Dog that kicked the door, precisely as he had expected.
"T-Taehyung-ah..."
"What are you doing?" Hoseok banged his hand on the door loudly. "Put on some clothes."
A prickling feeling ran up his spine as his heart hammered furiously. His gaze was drawn down towards the smooth and long wooden object that resembled a baseball bat and was unmistakably in Taehyung's hand.
"Where is your roommate?" Taehyung asked.
Sang-Hoon responded with trembling lips. "I told him to go outside and wait."
Taehyung gave a nod, revealing a satisfied smirk. "That's good. Then I can beat the shit out of you mercilessly."
"W-What?" Sang-Hoon instantly put his hand in front of Taehyung to defend himself. "Wait a minute, we can settle this properly. T-Tell me why are you doing this to me."
"Properly?" Hoseok snorted, "Yeah, dealing with a bastard like you isn't going to be easy if we don't use violent force against you."
"No. I'll be completely honest with you. So, please..."
"All right, first question," Taehyung said, brandishing the baseball bat at the scared boy. "Do you remember what I said about do not disturb Park Jimin?"
Sang-Hoon's skin has completely lost its pigment, turning chalk-white. His mind flashed back to what he had done to the boy. "Of course! How could I forget?"
"That's right. You shouldn't forget about it, right?" Taehyung then pointed the wooden bat directly towards Sang-Hoon's chest and shoved the boy hard, causing the boy to step to the back. "Did you do anything to him?"
"And Jungkook?" Hoseok added, crossing his arms.
Sang-Hoon hurriedly approached the desk near the bed and stooped down, grabbing Jimin's bag from beneath the bed that he had taken the day before and handing it to Taehyung. "I did nothing to him! I just took his bag."
"Why did you have his bag?" Taehyung grumbled. "Where has Jimin gone?"
Sang-Hoon shook his head, almost pleading in tears, begging for them to believe him. "I swear! I admit I messed with him a little, but then he bolted in the opposite direction. And he left this bag... I took it with the intent of returning it to him when he came back. Then... About Jungkook... I have no idea."
Taehyung cracked his neck to alleviate the stress and was ready to beat the boy to death. "I don't believe you." He then walked over to Sang-Hoon and delivered the first blow to the boy's face with his punch.
"Wait! Wait... I'm not making this up! I don't know anything about them. I told you I was only fooling around with him!" Sang-Hoon hurriedly backed away to the wall behind him, putting one of his hands in defense, fingers split wide.
Hoseok growled in doubt and closely examined the boy's face. "Can we really trust you?"
Sang-Hoon nodded his head so fast as if he was going to die if he didn't. He swallowed dryly and glanced at them both, expecting just in case an onslaught coming from them. But as his gaze rested on Hoseok's face, an unexpected thought entered his mind, causing him to unwittingly let out a gasp.
"What?" Hoseok asked after seeing the rapid shift in the boy's facial expression.
"I-I think I should tell you something."
"Hey, we're not finished yet." Taehyung grinds out the words between his clenched teeth.
"But...I must tell him about this. It's about your sister, Hana."
"What?" Hoseok's brows rose in surprise after hearing his younger sister's name. He had no idea it would be about her. "Did you do something to her?!"
"No! It's not that..."
"What are you waiting for, then? Spill it." He said while his voice had ascended into a murderous falsetto.
Taehyung then took a step back while Hoseok approached to talk with Sang-Hoon. He noticed the tremendous shift in the latter's feature, which had been clouded by worry. He looked around the room for anything suspicious as they were conversing.
"First, I'm sorry. It's not that I didn't want to tell you about it before, but I just... don't want to become involved with you two."
"Screw it. Just get to the point!" Hoseok erupted impatiently, his face grew haggard with worry.
"Byung-Ho and his friend, Hyunwoo. They did something terrible to your sister."
The word terrible had Hoseok's expression stretched into a mask of terror. The ache in the bottom of his gut told him that something wasn't right. Fear tortured him as his heart struggled to find its own rhythm.
But after hearing what Sang-Hoon said, dread raced through him, and his legs wobbled with terror. He felt as though his world had shattered around him.
"They... They raped her."
***
The bell rang across the school, indicating to students that recess time was finally over. Jimin sat at his seat, staring blankly at the sky through the window.
He had been going around the school for the whole break time looking for Jungkook but the boy was nowhere to be found. He knew that he'd fucked up really bad this time. He sighed in a complete disaster of guilt, glancing away from the sky and putting his head down on the table.
He closed his eyes and took a long, steady breath. He kept telling himself that Jungkook might have gone home. He said the same thing over and over, trying to calm himself down.
He raised his head and raked his fingers through his hair, but his hand froze as his gaze fell on an upset Jungkook. The boy was walking toward the seat next to him while trying so hard to avoid his gaze.
Once Jungkook took a seat beside him, he immediately shot the boy with bullets of questions.
"Hey, where have you been?"
"Somewhere."
"Nah," Jimin said, shaking his head, "I've been looking for you all over the school. Where did you go?"
Jungkook rolled his eyes, "Why would you care? Don't worry. I didn't do anything behind your back this time. I know this isn't my world, and I can't do anything on my own. It would be a crime if I did something."
"Fuck. Please, don't say that." Jimin grimaced as he realized the real meaning of the boy's tone. "I know you're upset about what I said earlier. I swear I didn't mean to make you feel like that."
"As you should," Jungkook responded without glancing at the latter, his face darkened and melancholy.
"Jungkook..."
"Don't talk to me."
Jimin sighed as he surrendered for the time being. He knew that his words may have caused great harm to Jungkook and that it will take some time for Jungkook to heal. He slowly drew away from the boy and turned back to face the window, his despairing eyes fixed on the sky with a single harsh breath.
At that moment, a pair of chestnut eyes owned by the main character finally moved to glance at him surreptitiously. Jimin was looking at the sky, while someone else was looking in the same direction, but at something more beautiful in their eyes, the source of their happiness.
Jeon's happiness.
***
Jimin sat in the living room, waiting for Jungkook to get ready for grocery shopping. He was fidgeting at his seat, fiddling with his fingers as his worried gaze fixated on the stairs.
When Jungkook eventually appeared, he stood up and looked at the younger in the eyes. "Jungkook, are you still mad?"
Jungkook only shook his head, hanging his head down and facing the floor. Jimin halted him, forcing a hushed sigh escaped from his mouth.
"Look, I'm sorry." Jimin began calmly. "I know what I did was wrong back then. I've realized that no matter where you are right now, even if you're not in your world, you're still a human being with feelings. That was not something I should have done to you."
"I'm not mad anymore. It's fine." Jungkook spoke almost in hushed tones. He still wouldn't look at Jimin in the eyes.
"No. I know you're still upset."
"New Face, come on. Let's get going. I'm starving. You have to cook me something."
"Not until we settle this. I don't like this version of you."
"Then? What do you expect me to do? C'mon, everything is wrong with me in your eyes, isn't it?"
"That's not what I'm saying. You're so...quiet, and it bothers me." Jimin admitted shyly, his ears turning red. "You're always picking on me and irritating me every time you open your mouth. But now, you don't even want to look at me and that makes me feel...not okay."
The abrupt statement has made Jungkook's brows to crease a bit, his heartbeat rose a level. "Does that count as a confession?"
Jimin was taken aback and immediately shook his head. "What? No. Jungkook, let's be serious."
"I am serious, and I'm wondering if that was a confession."
"Of course it is not."
"You sure? Cause it sounds like one to me. I like you, too."
"What?" Jimin's face dropped in bemusement at the sudden rise in emotion announcement. "Oh my god." He laughed halfheartedly, thinking it was a lighthearted joke. But when he caught the sight of Jungkook's expression, his smile instantly died down.
Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck while looking agitated. "You might think I'm crazy, but I really thought I could wait until the right time to tell you this. But I can't stand it anymore, with you being such a jerk to me day after day... I think I'll just be honest with you now."
"Dumbass, are you playing right now or serious? I can't tell."
"Of course, you can't." Jungkook rolled his eyes as he approached the elder and stood in front of him with nervous eyes. "Can I be completely honest now?"
Meanwhile, Jimin had no idea why he was so scared, since he was expecting whatever comes out of Jungkook's mouth at the time will be the worst thing he had ever heard from someone. He truly wish for something, that time would stop and he would be able to escape from this situation.
He looked at Jungkook in the eyes and all he could feel was a mix of emotions that the boy couldn't seem to let them out, as if they had been trapped on the inside for a long time. He was terrified all of a sudden, expecting the worst. He wanted to run away, but his body wouldn't let him.
"Can we talk?" Jungkook made a soft request and sat down near them on the couch, quickly followed by the stubborn elder next to him.
"Is it really that serious? I'm suffocating in here."
"Well... Since it's a personal matter, I'll say it's pretty serious." Jungkook stated, patiently waiting for the latter to give him the green light to begin.
It wasn't just Jimin who felt suffocated in there; Jungkook was on the verge of passing out while trying to calm his thumping heart. All of his negative thoughts suddenly surrounded him, punching him in the face with some cruel reality event.
What if New Face hates me?
What if he thinks I'm crazy?
What if he rejects me and says he already has someone?
What should I do then?
He hadn't considered it before, but now the questions haunted him, as if there was no way for him to think positively.
"Okay... I suppose nothing can be settled if we don't start here. Can I go first?" Jimin abruptly made a turn, leaving Jungkook in confusion.
"Huh? Oh, S-Sure."
Jimin blew out his cheeks tightly, his gaze falling to his hands. "You see, I don't have anyone else but my parents who look after me 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I don't have any friends and I'm frequently bullied wherever I go. I couldn't feel safe unless I was at home. But I have this one Hyung who appeared out of nowhere in my life."
The sudden mention of the hyung caused Jungkook's eyes to twitch and narrow slightly. It was abundantly obvious that he didn't like it. "Hyung?"
Jimin nodded, "He saw me...Where I got bullied the other day and stepped in to protect me. And he took care of me from that day forward, even though I didn't ask him to. He treated me as if I was his younger brother. I gradually began to feel safe whenever I was with him—"
"I'm not sure I want to hear this."
Jimin glared at the younger and whacked him on the thigh. "Don't cut me off! I'm talking! I don't care if you want to hear it or not but you have to, so shut up."
"Ow! Okay, okay, okay! I'm sorry." Jungkook scowled, rubbing his burning thigh while glaring at the elder.
"However, just as I began to rely on him heavily, he was involved in an accident." Jimin's expression darkened slightly. "I had...lost...him. Apart from my parents, the person who cares the most about me was gone after we finally got along. I never had the opportunity to thank him for protecting me and for making me feel safe whenever I was with him."
"I'm sorry."
"But I was able to get back on my feet when I remembered that he enjoyed drawing. So I thought I'd give it a shot, but I had no idea I'd become addicted to drawing. I began to put my life into the Webtoon world at that point. I made up stories and stuff, drew imaginary characters, and plotted things. It was really fun."
Jungkook noticed the difference in the latter's behavior. Jimin's voice tone had gradually approached zero. It was as if the boy was struggling to hold back his tears when expressing his past. Without much thought, Jungkook moved his hand to gently take Jimin's hand in his own.
Jimin was taken aback by the gesture, but he couldn't care less. He knew the least he could do at the time was trying to calm the elder down by holding hands.
"It's okay, I'm here. Go on." He urged the boy to let it all out.
Jimin then continued, his gaze slowly moving down towards their intertwined hands. "Then I had this one friend who came up to me and told me he liked my drawings. To cut a long story short, we became friends, and he, like that Hyung, cared for and protected me at all costs. But, once again, I lost him in an accident. He also left me behind."
Jungkook tightened his grasp gently, wanting the boy to start realizing that he wasn't alone this time.
"And then recently, I lost...t-the most important people in my life, the one who truly cares for me and surrounded me with love that I will never have again. I also lost them in an accident." A solitary tear escaped his eyes without his consent. "Cruel life has taken my parents away from me and makes me think of something."
"What is it?"
"Whoever cares for me will face death."
Jungkook frowned when he heard that. That was a lot of weight for one person to carry on their own. Jimin suddenly burst into tears. He didn't think much of it when he drew the elder to him and gave the boy a warm hug. When the past began to play in his thoughts, Jimin broke down in tears.
"It's fine. Let everything out. I'm sorry you have to go through this."
"That is why...Jungkook-ah..." Jimin mumbled at the crook of Jungkook's neck. "I'm sorry for blurting out to you earlier. This single thought always haunted me. You began acting differently towards me recently as if I am someone important in your life. I don't have anyone else that I want us to stay friends."
Jungkook hummed quietly and frowned when the word was mentioned. "I'm listening."
"When we're in Webtoon, I don't even care and think about this cause I believe that everything will be fine, just as nothing bad will happen to someone close to me. Like Taehyung, Hoseok, and you. But now... We're out of my comfort zone, my other life, and the worst part is that you're out with me right now."
"What makes that the worst? Isn't it nice that I'm with you right now?"
Jimin cleared his throat and sighed, "You're currently in my world. And, just like you did back then, those bullies, you did it all to protect me, right?"
"Of course," Jungkook said firmly as his palm formed a circle behind Jimin's back. "I don't want you to get hurt and humiliated again."
"That...Please don't do that ever again." Jimin lifted his head and drew away from the latter, his eyes welling up with tears.
Jungkook's heart broke in myriad ways. Jimin was in a miserable state, which he clearly hates. He only wanted to see his favorite smile, which can instantly relieve his pain and everything.
"Why? Is it uncomfortable to you?" Jungkook asked.
Jimin lowered his gaze to his hands. "I just don't want to lose anyone else anymore. What if you did that and also—"
"Get into an accident and leave you cause I care about you?" Jungkook interrupted knowingly, and by looking at Jimin's reaction, he knew he was completely right.
"Let's just be friends and mind our own business—"
"I will never leave you, no matter what." Jungkook stated unequivocally. "If I meant to get into an accident, I'll fight to live and come to you. I swear on everything that I will never leave you."
"No... That was what my Hyung said to me only a few days before he left. He promised me he'll never leave my side, but he—"
"Hey." Jungkook grabbed Jimin's face in his hands and forced the boy to look at him deeply in the eyes. "I'm not your Hyung. I'm Jeon Jungkook. I will never leave you, aight? Take my word for it."
"But I'm sure you will. You will leave me once everything gets to normal. You'll be back in your own world, while I'll be stuck here—"
"Park Jimin."
Jimin's body stiffened, his eyes blinking hard that tears fell from his eyes. He looked at Jungkook, surprised. That was the first time he heard Jungkook call him by his name.
"Y-Yeah?"
"As I said, I'll never leave you. I'll take you with me wherever I go."
"B-but that's not possible—"
"Make it possible," Jungkook said firmly. "I will never let the person I love standing behind my back without holding their hands."
Love?
"What?" Jimin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Was that a confession?"
Jungkook smiled and chuckled softly. He let go of the boy's face and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Do you want to hear my story before we leave?"