Hey guys! I would reread this chapter even if you read the last version, the ending has changed.
- Vio
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"Well, I'd like to personally congratulate you all on the success of your latest release," Kim SeokJin spoke out with a bright smile. Jimin kept his expression neutral, looking over to Taehyung who had his entire entrancing aura turned into freaking 11. Guess someone had to make up for the bundle of nerves that was Park Jimin.
He hated interviews.
He hated PinkBuzz.
And he had to pee. Bad.
"Thank you, we're just honored that the fans seemed to enjoy our performances so much." Taehyung answered brightly, making SeokJin smile once more, the look spreading like poison on the gorgeous man's lips. Namjoon stood with his arms crossed in front of one of the live camera's. His focus seemed to be caught on their interview rather than 4'oclock, but he'd occasionally send Jimin a furrowed eyebrow look - which Jimin did his best not to reciprocate with sass.
Sass with class, my dudes. Not ass. Although Jimin did have an amazing one of those too...
Jungkook would know.
Jimin felt his insides suddenly flush at the thought of the bunny headed boy. Shit. The card. How could I have been so stupid?!
He needed to talk to Taehyung. Now.
"Jimin? Jimin." SeokJin repeated, apparently having asked a question his way and too lost in his thoughts to hear it. The blond ran a hand through his hair, pushing back each lock as his finger's tangled in the mess of it. He leaned forward out of habit, exposing his Adam's apple as he let out a breath. Eyes closing in that adorable kitten like way which makes the fans part their legs like Moses did the sea.
"I'm sorry," Jimin chuckled, sending a panicked look Namjoon's way, their manager only rubbing his temples to release his IM GOING TO FUCKING SMACK YOU tension.
Jimin rolled his shoulder's out, trying to keep his expression level as he felt his cheeks burn and insides hallow. He knows I hate this. He knows I can't stand this place. It's not my fault if I lack common curtesy.
"Jimin? Why, you really are all up in the clouds today, aren't you?" Seokjin's melodic voice echoed in the studio. The words seemingly harmless, soaked in sweet intent, but Jimin didn't fail to notice the flicker of ice set over Jin's gaze. His jaw was clenched, and his finger's drumming on his question sheets.
Jimin felt a heavy hand on his back, knowing without having to look that it belonged to Taehyung. Jimin let out a frustrated breath through his teeth, before loosening the tension from his body.
"He's just so excited to be here that he's forgetting to listen," Taehyung chimes in with a laugh, people off stage joining in to ease the atmosphere. Jin didn't smile, his gaze locked on Jimin's own, finger's always drumming.
And drumming.
And drumming.
And the sound echoed in Jimin's ear, soaking into his mind, bringing back flashes of memories Jimin has spent very long trying to repress. He could feel his breath begin to quicken, sweat appear on the back of his neck, and hands starting to shake.
He looked Taehyung's way, lightly brushing his knuckles against the idol's thigh. Taehyung turned to him, and Jimin's eyes were wide with a look of desperation. He needed to be numb, now. Taehyung's gaze flashed with regret, and the boy shifted his leg away slightly.
Looks like he wasn't going to get a tablet in the middle of live tv.
Jimin 0 - common sense 1
Jin finally smiled. He stopped drumming his finger's on those blasted cards, and Jimin felt as if the world started turning once again. He would have fallen out of his chair were it not for the fact that he'd become a Jennifer Lawrence meme were he to do that.
The rest of the interview ended up going rather well, mostly because Taehyung answered all the questions - even dodging Jin's digs at the whole Sehun gossip. Jimin thought it was best to let people think what they wanted with that one. Jungkook knew the truth, and that was all that really mattered.
Jimin felt his nerves constantly buzz, the image of Jungkook continued to grace the back of his mind - of how his hand moving to grab the boys ass, and fingers stumbling on that God forsaken piece of crap - the card.
His card.
Jimin shut his eyes, trying to force the images into the back of his mind again, hating the racing dread of emotions that stumble in. It wasn't just a card, he should have guessed that his whole situation was due to the works of it, but he had made a deal back before his debut - the entire hey, by the way, this tiny piece of paper you sold your soul to - ya...the fame's not worth it shpeal was somehow skipped over.
He was dumb.
Naive.
It shouldn't have worked.
"You'll make sure I'm famous, right?" The old man looked up with him, eyes shining bright as a wicked smile spread across his lips. His fat tongue slid across his dry lips, picking at the flaking skin as he scrunched up his nose in anticipation. Trainee Jimin only smiled, playing with the lose strands of his sweater as he felt heat rise to his cheeks, embarrassed for this man before him, and nervous about the entire endeavor in the first place.
He was being silly.
But....
His two best friends made a pact the other night that when the three of them debut together - they'll be famous. That their hard work, endless nights, shedless tears, would all be worth something. The boys all lived away from their families, Taehyung having taken Jimin in as a brother from the start, and their third member integrated in soon after.
I'm doing this for them, Jimin had thought as he ran a hand through his jet black hair, pouting his lip adorably. He hummed to himself as he weighed the options this crazy man gave him, knowing that for the most part nothing would happen.
Jimin wasn't a superstitious guy, so it would mean anything. Right??
Okay so maybe he was a littlestitious, maybe he wanted success bad.
"What'll it be, pretty boy?" The man said as he held out an empty trading card, turning it over so that Jimin could sign his name. The boy swallowed, rolling on the balls of his feet as he felt little tears well up in his eyes from frustration over wether or not to do this.
It can't hurt, right?
Jimin huffed out finally, shaking his body which shuffled the winter coat on his shoulders. He only had a couple more minutes before training starts up again, and with their debut nearing he doesn't want to found late in case the director decides to cut him from the line up. It's happened to other's before.
For Tae and Sehun...
Jimin shifted, moving to write his name using the rusty pen the stranger provided out of the tangles of his long beard. The man giggled, making Jimin squeal on accident and drop the pen to the ground, taking a step back on his heel.
The card began to glow.
The signature bursting.
Color flooding out of it's seems, drowning away his name as it spread from the center as poison would on skin. The process was slow, and the each vein covered send sharp pain down Jimin's spine. He fell to his knees, head hammering and chest compressing as the card began to outline his face, his group, his future rank. It's shimmered, the dazzling stars of light burned in Jimin's eyes and he couldn't help but scream from the pain.
In moment, the process was over, and the man with his card were gone. Jimin's mind fogged over moments after, his recollection of these events seemed to disburse with each passing day, until the entire encounter appeared only with in glimpses of his dreams.
Jimin's eyes shot open, his chest rising and falling with heaves. Set workers at PinkBuzz moved to rush forward, but Seokjin stopped them with a single finger, inclining for the camera's to keep rolling. Jimin's hands went to his head, Jin's earlier drumming pounded against his ears as the memories came flooding back as a tsunami breaking a dam.
It hurt like a mf bitch.
"Minnie?" Taehyung's concern voice was barely an echo in his ears, but the blond idol managed to have his muscles stop shaking long enough to grab Taehyung's forearm and pull him out of the interview set. Namjoon called for them, his footsteps loud in the distance, but Jimin only quickened his pace until he found the nearest closet, tossing Taehyung inside.
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A/N - Sorry for the rewrite. I added some chapters earlier in the plot but it messed with my outline. The earlier version of this was an edit around that, but I decided going with the original idea would be better. Again, I apologize for doing a iffy author move on you guys there...
But it's cuz I love ya ❤️
- Vio