You come to a point in your life when you basically feel that until the sunset, your life will be somehow different. However, you're confused. Do you really want your life to change, that's a question that makes you feel anxious about your day so you end up wanting to run away from the hardships that you should be facing.
At least, that's what I feel right now. My brother's car has been drowned in silence ever since we left home and this is making me really uncomfortable, especially because we didn't get to talk about what happened last night. Even though I know this is something we've both been thinking about. I just don't know how to start.
And it's even worse because I could've bet he was going to mention that every day of my existence from now on. Except he hasn't.
"Are you nervous?" he asks me and it takes me a while to process the question, taken aback by his sudden words.
"I guess..." I say and sigh, thinking. "Hobi?"
"Hm?" He hums.
I stop for a second, thinking about how should I say it.
"About last night..."
He turns his head towards me with curiosity.
"What about it?" He asks.
"Why haven't we talked about it?" I question.
"Should we have talked about it?" he asks and I feel myself growing annoyed.
"Aren't you mad?" I ask.
"Why would I be-..."
"Can you please stop answering my questions with other questions?" I say and he chuckles.
"Sorry." He says. "I'm not mad, Yuna, why would you think that, though?"
I look at him, waiting for him to realize it by himself. I am not saying that out loud.
"Well?" He says and I can sense in his voice that he's teasing me.
He freaking knows what I'm talking about.
This bastard...
"The kiss between me and Jimin." I mutter. "You've seen that. Aren't you mad that-... that... I don't know, that it happened?"
He turns his head to look at me and then focuses on the road again.
"When we were talking in the kitchen, I saw your necklace around his neck." He says and my eyes widen.
Of course he did...
"I know how important that is for you so if you gave him your necklace, I can only assume it's too late to come between you two. I can only assume I can't stop it anymore."
His knuckles turn white on the steering wheel and I feel a cold shiver tickling me.
"Would you stop it if you could?" I ask and he doesn't say anything for a while.
The longer the wait, the bigger the fear in me. He's right: it's too late for him to stop anything. But I know he knows that I would give up on anything and anybody for him. So if he doesn't support me in this, thing will have to change.
"Probably not." He says eventually.
And it takes him a few seconds to continue:
"But I'm just... I don't know, I just don't want-..." he sighs, obviously unsure of how he's supposed to say his words, I look at him with curiosity.
He takes a deep breath and tries again.
"I hope you're not in love with him just because he's sick like you." He says and I inhale sharply.
Because somehow, I've never heard it being said out loud, that Jimin is sick. Because sometimes, I don't even realize he's not perfectly fine. Because when I'm with him all of our despair seems to vanish. And we become perfectly fine, even for a few minutes.
I know I do. And I can just hope that it goes the same for him.
"I trust you though." He continues. "And I know that if you catching feelings for somebody happened after all these years, it should be for real."
I nod lightly and lean my head to the window, the car diving in silence once again.
Half an hour later I find myself walking down the halls of my high-school, followed by my brother. Everybody is in class at this hour so there's nobody in the hallway, excluding Hobi and I. Our steps were echoing in my ears as the sound of bullets, making my heartbeat accelerate, especially because I knew very well where we were heading to.
Once we reach the principal's office I take a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside, where a very unhappy Danbi and a serious Jaehyun were waiting for me, alongside the principal and Jimin- it was his idea after all. I look at him though and I still can't believe that the boy standing before my eyes is in love with me, that Jimin is in love with me. It still feels unreal. And it still makes me shiver, my skin still feeling electrified each time we make eye contact.
Hoseok closes the door behind him and I step towards the center of the room, unsure of where I was supposed to stand. Jimin was looking at me, his arms crossed over his chest, leaning to the wall next to the window. The principal was sitting at his desk, looking at me over his golden rimmed glasses. Danbi and Jaehyun were sitting on two chairs, opposite from the window.
"Have a seat, kids." Mr. Hwang says and both Hobi and I sit on the black-leathered sofa opposite of his desk.
For a second, I can't hear anything and not because I've suddenly turned deaf. But because everybody stops breathing.
"We shall begin now." The principal says and I see Danbi shifting in her seat. "We are here now because I've heard there have been some disagreements between the three of you. Miss Min, you've been accused for physical aggression towards miss Jung-..."
"It wasn't just my fault-..."
"I am stating facts now, you've been accused, I'm not saying you are at fault." Mr. Hwang silences her. "Please don't interrupt me anymore. Thank you."
She throws him an icy gaze that a week ago I wouldn't have believed Danbi was capable of having.
"And I've heard that Mr. Jeong has also assaulted miss Min a few weeks ago, Jaehyun also being one of the reasons for miss Min's act towards miss Jung." He continues. "Now I know miss Jung innocent either. Sources say you've been... acting disturbing towards students of this high-school."
He takes off his glasses and runs a hand over his face, sighing.
"I understand this has to do with some sort of old grudge between you and I know this is more serious than it seems, so I would like to bring this conflict to a conclusion today." He says. "None of you are bad kids, at least not from the beginning and I want you to think about this situation, how each of you are at fault and more important, why."
I look at Danbi and Jaehyun, waiting for them to say something against their accusations. However, none of them says anything. I look at Jimin, but he was watching the two of them with caution, without tearing his eyes away from them for a single second.
"I-..."
I clear my throat and frown, thoughtful. Everybody moves their gazes towards me and I feel even more anxious than I already was.
"I can understand why Jaehyun hates me. I can understand even why you hate me." I begin, looking at Danbi. "But I don't think all of the act that you put on was necessary for this."
"Oh, please, don't act like you cared for that fake friendship-..."
"I thought you were my friend and you got me into a freaking hospital, of course I care!" I frown.
"Well that's where you belong-..."
"Miss Min." Mr. Hwang says. "Please."
Danbi crosses her arms over chest and leans back in her seat.
"I have to apologize to you because I didn't listen to you when you told me I should stop hanging around with her." I say turning to Jaehyun.
Danbi looks at him surprised and he turns to her with a serious expression, feeling her intense gaze on him. It's hard to believe these two people used to be friends a few years ago, it's hard to believe they were in love once. You just can't look at a person you used to love the way Jaehyun looks at Danbi...
Unless...
I look at Jimin and he turns his head towards, to my surprise. I know he knows. He looks away, his jaw clenching and then he moves his gaze towards the two evil birds again. Danbi looks at me again, then at Jimin and she narrows her eyes as if she's just realized something.
"You should be apologizing on your knees, considering that he has a record because of you-..."
"Shut up." Jaehyun mutters, speaking for the first time.
"Are you talking about the rape accusation?" Jimin suddenly speaks and everybody looks him, as if the others were forgot he was in the room as well. "Because I'm not sure you can blame Yuna for that."
"I don't even know who you are and I don't think you have the right to speak in this case-..."
"I'm sure you know Mr. Min from Daegu." Jimin adds ignoring her.
Her eyes widen. I throw him a frown, confused and wondering where he wants to get with this.
However, he doesn't say anything anymore, so I decide to speak instead.
"I am sorry for playing that stupid game indeed, that is a mistake I've done and I really am sorry for that." I say. "I-... I think I owe this to Jaehyun... at least."
Jaehyun nods lightly and Danbi looks at him bewilderment.
"But she's hurt you so many ti-..."
"And who exactly are you to assume what Yuna did to me exactly?" Jaehyun says, sitting straight in his seat.
"But Jae-..."
"Stop assuming things and doing stuff on my behalf, you don't know shit about me." He speaks with a hate I haven't seen before.
He turns to the principal that was watching us and mutters a "Sorry" for the curse word. Mr. Hwang nods and gestures him to continue.
"I hope you don't imagine that Yuna's presence pleases me in any particular way, but at least she knows how to assume her mistakes. At least she knows how to deal with her own self. Meanwhile you don't, more than that, you want people around you to-... to... I don't know, believe your lies?"
Jaehyun stands up and sighs. I see Jimin making two steps away from the wall.
"I was supposed to go to freaking boarding school for undisciplined boys. I could've been to jail. And that wasn't Yuna's fault." Jaehyun says. "Yes, she's acted like a bitch towards me for a while, even though that wasn't what I was exactly what I expected from her after giving her flowers."
He turns towards Jimin and looks at him carefully before speaking:
"I think I've figured out by now who has been at fault all this time." He says. "And I know her brother knows too."
"As a matter of fact, Jaehyun, Jimin is not my brother, Hoseok is." I speak, feeling weird to at the thought of Jaehyun believing the boy I'm in love with is actually my brother.
"Wait what?" He asks confused.
"Long story." I wave it off.
Jimin throws me an amused smile and I glare at him.
"The thing is, whatever you do now, one of you gets expelled for sure." Jimin says, tapping something on his phone, still trying not to chuckle. "Danbi, I know about Jaehyun's case from Daegu and I have studied it for a while because one of the girls that Jaehyun almost..."
He stops but each of us understands what he's talking about.
"...Is my friends's sister."
I hear my brother clearing his throat.
Daegu. Friend. Sister.
Wait.
In that moment, the door opens, and a bun of pink hair enters the room, with the most on-fleek eyeliner I've ever seen.
"I'm sure you know Yuri." Jimin says gesturing towards the girl who's just entered the room, slightly panting as if she'd been rushing towards here.
Yuri, or better said Lola, looks at me for a few milliseconds before turning her head towards Danbi and Jaehyun.
"Long time no see, huh?" She says to Danbi, before stepping towards the center of the room and bowing to the principal.
It's just then when I realize Lola is holding a folder with papers which she hands to Jimin, who brings it to the principal's desk.
"Here you have the details of Jaehyun's case, a folder that you should've seen a long time ago." Jimin says.
Jaehyun clears his throat but doesn't say anything. Danbi stares at the folder on the table instead.
"Neither I nor anybody else decided to press charges against him for what happened back then." Lola says. "I found out few days later that what he'd done wasn't his fault, because he hadn't been in the right state of mind."
I look at her with wide eyes. Wondering what she's talking about. Truth is it was obvious ever since Jin oppa's party that she knew some interesting things about Jaehyun. I just never thought she could actually know these because she's been involved in his case.
"The CCTVs have proved somebody has drugged him that night." She continues. "And thanks to the high-quality of the recordings, we know even the identity of that person."
She looks the principal in the eyes, but her gaze slowly drifts to Danbi, who looked paler than the snow now.
"I knew it." Jaehyun whispers. "When Mr. Min said he found out who did that to me, I refused to hear. I knew I was going to do something regrettable if he did, so I chose not to know. But I knew... I knew it was you."
"These are some really serious accusations." The principal says, trying to keep his composure.
I lost mine a while ago.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hwang, but this is what happened." Lola says. "I have the file from my father who is part of the team who's been assigned to this case back in March... Of course, these are just the copies, the original folder is at the Daegu police station..."
"I appreciate the amount of information you've brought today, Mr. Park and Miss Mi-..."
"I would really appreciate it if you called me Lola." Yuri says and I smile slightly.
And Mr. Hwang does the same.
"I understand, Lola-ssi." He says. "I suppose I'll really have to call your parents now, Miss Min, judging by the folder Lola has brought today and by your violent act towards miss Jung, I'm afraid you'll be expelled soon..."
"But... But how can you trust her?" Danbi speaks. "It's obvious they just want to get rid of me!"
"Miss-"
"Sorry but just how stupid are you to state that the daughter of a police officer would bring you fake proofs?" Lola asks her really annoyed and it takes me everything not to laugh at how well she deals with this situation.
"But she can't just get away like that!" Danbi stands up, pointing towards me. "It's all her fault!"
"If you'd like to calm down and explain how exactly all of it has been Yuna's fault, maybe we'll believe you." I hear my brother saying on a cold tone and my eyes widen.
Hobi speaking this coldly isn't a thing that you get to hear too often.
She shoots him an icy glare, but he's immune to stupidity.
"Hoseok, you're asking too much from her... Do you really think she's gonna admit that she drugged Jaehyun just because she was obsessed with him and that was the only way she could sleep with him, considering that he was in love with Yuna at that time?" Lola says as a matter of fact.
I see Jimin looking at Danbi with a superior glare. Everybody in the room goes silent. Lola has confessed in Danbi's place and this has wrecked the later's plans of escaping this nightmare. Suffer, I think. Suffer for making fun of psychos meanwhile you yourself are one.
"That's not true-..." Danbi defends herself.
"If it isn't, tell us the truth." Lola demands. "You owe it to Jaehyun if not to Yuna as well."
"I-it was a mistake!"
"Oh c'mon, nobody caries MDMA around just in case." Lola waves her off.
I look at her admiringly, wondering how she can be so confident in this situation, in the same room with a stranger, an obsessed girl and a rape-accused boy who almost abused her. I guess knowledge truly is power: the fact that she knows so many things about this case, the fact that she's studied it for a long time gives her the courage to speak up the way she does now.
But it isn't just that. I guess that's just the way she is.
Woah, I think to myself. She really is awesome.
"Just give up, Danbi..." Lola says on a sweeter tone this time.
"But she's not innocent, she-"
"Nobody said Yuna is innocent, but you're basically accusing her of being the one your crush has fallen for and flash news, that's not a crime." Lola says.
"Miss Min, I'm afraid that neither is emotional harassment." Mr. Hwang says clearing his throat.
"That's enough." Jaehyun says. "I'm pressing charges against you."
For a second, everybody goes silent. Danbi's expression proved how terrified she actually was.
It's done, sweetie. It's done.
"I'm calling my parents now." Jaehyun says, pulling his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. "You don't deserve to be protected from this."
Mr. Hwang calls Danbi's parents as well and half an hour later, they enter the office. However, Hoseok, Jimin, Lola and I exit the room, leaving them alone to receive the news. Before I leave, Jaehyun holds my wrist and whispers "I'm sorry. And thank you."
And to be honest, with those simple words, I feel like all the tangles I had with this insane story are now untied. And after so so long, I can finally say that I'm not a prisoner anymore.
I'm free.
___
I would like to say the exact number of chapters left but the next one has about 6000 words (which is about the length of 6 usual chapters) and I'll definitely have to split it in more parts.
So see you soon!❤