That uninterested face of yours, the bored tip of your toes
Please, look at me nowPut your phone down, don't even think of turning your head awayLet me know your typeYou can pick and choose meOh, I cover your eyes with my handsOh, get closer to the secret
I'll take you to a whole new World
Yeah, open your eyes now, goMix the colors in the palette, pick your filterWhich me do you want?The one to change your world, I'm your filterOverlay me in your heart
Black Cat
Seoul is full of bright, glowing, incandescent lights and a dark sky, where nothing shines but the helicopters that fly overhead from time to time. It is a depressing, overloaded spectacle that no one appreciates because it is not worth appreciating.
You have a hard time understanding why they came here. What does this place have that Busan doesn't have. Where you could smell the sea, hear it in the distance and see the sky; escape from home in the middle of the night to go enjoy some of your time instead of wasting it at school.
The only good thing unlike Busan, is that in Seoul there are cats. Lots and lots of cats. Of all colors and shapes. Whether they belong to people who let them out of the house, escaped cats or stray cats. Whatever the reason, they are out and about, running around as if they own the world.
Jimin really likes this arrogance, this superiority.
He admires all the capabilities they possess. The flexibility, the agility, the strength and their charm that manages to melt anyone's heart. It is something he would like very much: to be able to stay with whoever and whatever he wants, moving like a cat.
Is it his parents' fault for bringing him to Seoul?
Is it his fault for being unbalanced?
Is it his parents' fault for not noticing their youngest son's obvious problems?
It is impossible to say. The only thing that is certain is that the problems were there since he was very young: Mrs. Park's jewelry was getting lost all the time. She was running out of clothes all the time, and the whereabouts? Jimin's room, who took them from the jewelry box, tried them on, looked at himself in the mirror and was fascinated by the enchanting shine they gave off against the light.
Then Jimin took his grandmother's jewelry.
From his aunts.
From his older cousins.
From the teacher when she turned around.
One day the Park couple realized that under the bed of their youngest son was not only the lost jewelry of the house, but that of many more. They did not return some of it, ashamed and greedy. They never cared about the kleptomaniac tendency of the seven-year-old at the time.
Getting worse over the years.
Accentuating over the years.
Jimin looks at it in retrospect and it is: it didn't bother them. They just wanted to get the results if they came to realize it. So they could come to Seoul. It's a vicious cycle. What they didn't expect, not by a long shot, is that it would be something that would become more pronounced over the years. That it would get bigger to the point where it is now.
Jimin wore black: he saw a gentleman with a necklace, rings and a cell phone that he really liked. He can't afford anything like that. His parents wouldn't give him the money, his cell phone works fine and he doesn't need a new one.
So Jimin would get it on his own.
Jimin got to the building and with difficulty, was able to make his way through the window and avoid the doorman, then the security guy inside the building and up to where the older gentleman lives. He has some time watching him, hearing that he occupies an apartment on the twentieth floor, it was a matter of a cursory check.
Can Jimin pick locks?
Something like that.
It's more accurate that he knows how to break them with a tool.
Wearing gloves, he knows it won't be a problem, no one will be able to frame him for this.
Jimin identifies the man's shoes and some of the man's clothes, so he goes straight into the apartment. It is huge. The view of the city is spectacular, so high that some of the light pollution has no effect. Jimin rests his hands on the glass and his brown eyes take in the wonder he had never observed before.
"So you're the kid who's been following me. Very brave of you to think I wasn't going to notice."
He turns sharply, putting his hands behind his back. His heart races and his nerves give him a headache. The man approaches, wearing barely-there light clothing. White shirt, sleep pants, barefoot. He still has a lot of things on, Jimin has impossible not to focus on that.
As if his mind has the impossible task of not seeing what shines and is gold or silver. He bites his lips and furrows his eyebrows, grumpy. He's a very tall guy. He hasn't grown up yet. He doesn't even look like he's going to grow much.
"What do you want, to rob me?" Jimin gives a snort, looking away. "I guessed as much" the man mumbles, disgusted and grabbing Jimin by the face; he scrambles around, scrunching up his face and staring at the floor. He doesn't like to be touched Why does he do it? He doesn't want to, doesn't want to, doesn't want to. "Although I'm surprised that, unlike usual, you're not the typical miserable thief..." Broad, stubbly fingers caress his cheek, soft and smooth and he releases him because of so much reluctance. "How old are you?"
Jimin bites his inner lip, puckering his face from time to time. Ending up answering irritably.
"I turn fifteen in a month." says Jimin, looking to a side.
"Too young to go into someone else's department."
"I just want that ring." he lies, mentioning the green stone ring.
Jimin likes green a lot.
Not more than black, pink and yellow, but he likes it.
"Just this?" he shows the ring. Jimin nods, staring at it. "We can fix it..." proposes cocking the head, staring at him; he notices Jimin doesn't look him in the eye. As if the teenager can't. Jimin clenches his hands tighter behind his back. "If you really came for that and wanted to leave with this in hand. I can give it to you.
Jimin mutters under his breath, curious, anxious.
┈ ⋞ 〈 ✷ 〉 ⋟ ┈
He plays with the ring on his hand, taking bouncy, dancing steps as he walks. It's such a pretty color and it's a huge ring. He inadvertently bumps into someone. "I'm sorry." Stammers the other person.
Jimin's eyes dilate. He notices the piercing on the other's lip. He is sure that person is a couple of years older than him.
"No problem." replies Jimin, stunned by that.
"Nice ring." he mentions before continuing on his way. Jimin gives a chuckle and continues on home. He has to put the ring away well, so his parents won't tarnish it.
┈ ⋞ 〈 ✷ 〉 ⋟ ┈
"You're worse than an animal." taunts his best friend, Taemin. Jimin squeals closing one eye, annoyed that he can't stay split longer and that it doesn't hurt between his legs.
Sometimes he hates his body so much. It's infuriating. He feels like he has things left over and things missing.
"I wish I was, I wouldn't get this used." he pouts and the other student laughs.
"It's just a gym class. You ask too much... Are you going back to ballet?" Jimin shakes his head, constantly slaps his hand against his thigh. "Why not? You said you liked it... Jimin." Taemin insists softly and Jimin answers without looking him in the face.
"I like it, but my parents say it's too expensive here" Jimin rolls his eyes and looks to the side, envious of the girls in their ability to pull it off. Of course, they don't have testicles nagging. "And I'd have to look for an academy too." he grumbles getting up, facing his childhood friend, but still running away from his face.
Taemin came to Seoul a year earlier. He's already better settled in. Jimin still barely knows the space.
Nothing that has stopped him from going stealing as usual.
"We can search together" Taemin proposes animated, he had the urge to hug him, but Jimin shies away. Taemin picks up the arm. "It'll be- What about that mark?"
Jimin raises an eyebrow, not knowing what he's talking about. Unconscious at the mark between his neck and shoulder. Red, small, barely noticeable. The man's fault for the night. The same one who asked Jimin to undress to take pictures. He barely touched him and with that, it was just fine. Jimin did great. He didn't have to put up with it too much and got what he wanted.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" asks Taemin, impressed and wary. Jimin pouts and looks at him with sparkling eyes. "I'm surprised... I thought you didn't want anyone- Shit, tell him to hold off on marking you."
"He's got shiny little things." Jimin mutters scratching where the mark is and furrowing his brow. Now he remembers the touch and hates it.
"Sometimes you look more like a cat than a person. Why so much effort with the shiny things?" Taemin restrains himself from mentioning the way he scratches.
In that he obviously hated being touched. Taemin has a hard time believing that Jimin has a boyfriend and mulls reporting the matter to the police What if they did something strange to him?
Jimin laughs not knowing what to tell him. Anyone who has something to give him without much effort on his part will take it. They leave gymnastics, with Jimin brooding over the subject. He doesn't care that there are naked pictures of him, that some stupid old man gets off on knowing he has child pornography or just seeing him naked in his mistress. Is it bad, he doesn't know.
That's not his problem, what is, is what Jimin will get in return for doing all that. Jimin plans to go again today, he wants another ring he saw in that man and would just have to knock on the door to get it.
And when he doesn't look, take a few more things.
"Attention all students!" Both are stopped by the appearance of a teacher in the hallway, Jimin covers his ears with both hands, there's a lot of commotion here. "Classes will be suspended due to a national problem: please everyone go get your things and make your way in an orderly fashion to the school parking lot" As she speaks, some grumble, others run for their things, in general, it's an unbearable tide of people. The teacher is barely visible by this time. Taemin manages to get Jimin to a wall so that way, he doesn't get overwhelmed or complain about pushing, noise, people in general. "There will be buses there to take them home."
On the bus, sitting in the middle and amidst the slight bustle they make as they talk, Jimin and Taemin catch a glimpse of the problem:
"A man with genetic alterations was the cause of more than thirty deaths at the Boom Kkott Hotel in downtown Seoul. Despite being an isolated incident, the culprit warned of his intentions to attack The Blue House and cause a shake-up of the entire Korean government. Should you encounter this individual, you should call ASCAR immediately."
"Genetic alterations?"
"Some call them Altered" comments Taemin pulling out his headphones and handing one to Jimin. "In America they're like super heroes, but they say it happens everywhere here without permission and without anyone noticing. Most of them have super strength."
Jimin drums his fingers on his leg. Genetic alterations... sounds curious.