“Kayei!!! Come here!!!” she heard someone call her. It was a kid who had a messy hair and big nose. His doe eyes were sharp and the gaze of happiness drenched it.
She ran to him in excitement, she felt the happiness of meeting him, maybe she knew him or he was her family, she didn't know yet.
“Come here, let’s go to the park” he pulled her hand and she ran alongside laughing with him. He looked more like family but couldn't recognize for some reason and she felt she was safe with him. She wanted to be with him forever but slowly it faded. Her laughter never sounded so full and euphoric, his gaze vivid and sparkling as they both ran holding each other's hands...
The vision faded into a hole of nothingness.
She was tearing out as she slowly opened her eyes from the dream that entangled her conscious. Her head was aching but she managed to sit up.
“Uh… where am I” she mumbled as her sight fell on the room she was in. She was on a bed that she hadn’t seen before and the room looked new.
“Did someone kidnap me??!” her mind went on a toss, that’s when she realised what she was doing last and where.
“Oh god!! Did he kidnap me??”
“YES” a voice came from the door now and it opened to reveal a man.
“Jungkook!?” she exclaimed
“Yes, kidnapping is true" he came forward and was carrying a breakfast tray in his hands, “but not him it was me”
“Why would you kidnap me” she asked in an annoyed tone.
“Huh… I didn’t kidnap you kayei, you fainted” he sighed and placed the tray in front of her “eat up”
“I’m not kayei, it’s Choi Rijin” she gritted her teeth.
“Okay sorry, Miss. Choi. Ri. Jin” he rolled his eyes.
“What happened”
“I don’t know, I was thinking I'll ask you that” he sat beside her and stirred the soup on her tray for her to drink.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember exactly. Wait! Where’s minah? Did we find her?? Where are the others, Jimin? Ravi?” she straightened up.
“Oh! Take it slow, we couldn’t find minah. But we got some clue leading to the murderer” he said sadly.
“Clue?? What?”
“We found her broken phone, we tried to fix it to get the last location recorded or atleast something in the call log but nothing could be traced. Still we gave it for some fingerprint analysis” he lifted a spoon of soup gesturing her to drink.
She looked at him worriedly and sipped in the soup.
“Where’s Jimin” she spoke still fighting the heat of the soup on her tongue.
“He’s downstairs. The Dumpling is fuming” Jungkook mumbled.
“What! Fuming? You mean he's angry, Why?” she asked “did you fight with him??” she slit her eyes in suspicion.
“Come on, you think it’s my all time duty or something? I have no interest to fight with a dumpling” he said but suddenly lowered his gaze after seeing her angry look.
“Then why is he angry”
He looked around him, “Its my home your in right now. Do you get it” he asked her gesturing her to realise that this wasn't where she was supposed to be according to Jimin.
She looked too and then sighed,
“I need to talk to him” she got up hurriedly but he held her back,
“wait, eat first, I got up early today to make it just for you”
“Did he eat?” she asked right away.
“No. He said he’ll eat later” Jungkook shook his head.
“Then I'll eat later too” she walked out making him sigh in disappointment.
As she walked down she could hear the volume of the TV being loud and the sound of channels constantly changing.
Jimin kept knocking on the remote like he never wanted to watch it but had to anyway.
She knew for once that he was pissed and that’s why he was acting like this. She sneaked behind the sofa and winded her hands around his neck digging her face on him.
He knew she was coming but didn’t look desperate, her touch made him feel warm but he should be angry with her so he remained stiff controlling his emotions.
“I’m sorry” she mumbled tightening her grip around him “won’t you talk to me Jimin”
"Why should I be angry, when people take me for granted why should I be" he mumbled looking gaze-fixed elsewhere.
"Jimin... You know your my only pal, how can I take you for granted. Don't be angry... Hmm?" she rocked him in her grip and rubbed her cheek affectionately to console him.
He sighed and rubbed her hand,
“Fine I lost, I can’t be angry with you Rijin but I’m still upset” he pulled her hand making her sit beside him.
“I know your upset that Jungkook brought me here”
“No, I’m upset because you fainted” he said making her look down guiltily.
“I.. I. Didn’t…” she stammered.
“Rijin” he cupped her face “this is why I didn’t want you to come here” he said
“But I’m fine Jimin, I was tired maybe, from the journey and all that”
He stared at her seriously, she pursed her lips and held his hand.
“Jimin, I’ve been in more dangers than this. I’ve lived a fight my whole life, I’ve gotten kidnapped so many times and my uncle was threatened a trillion times for money, property and sometimes me itself” she was tearing out but she tried to hold it in making her voice quiver.
Jimin then hugged her, “Rijin please don’t cry”
She felt even more bad when he embraced her but it was warm, this was what she wanted ever since she was a child, this comfort and this affection is what she had missed since childhood, now she felt like her whole world was brought back, she was elated despite sorrow. Her hands trailed to his masculine back.
“But I would never want you to get hurt, in any of these situations” he said as he patted her head.
“I know you won’t, which is why I agreed to come, because you're there, I feel safe when you are around” she cupped his hands and rubbed her thumb gently on his palm back.
“And even Jungkook is there with us, he is not bad he’ll never leave me in trouble” just then Jungkook walked down with her tray and went straight to the kitchen after eyeing them.
Jimin slit his eyes and pursed his lips,
“I don’t want to talk about him, he didn’t even tell me you fainted, that jerk” Jimin cursed angrily eyeing him back at the kitchen.
“Jimin please, right now we three are the only ones for each other. So don’t fight and make me feel bad all the more” she looked at him in the eyes.
He nodded slowly and hugged her again.
“Please be safe” he said caressing her back “I won’t let anything happen to you, trust me”
“Yes right, that’s why you didn’t even care when she fainted today” Jungkook’s voice walked near them.
Jimin made a fist ready to pounce on him but Rijin held him back and shook her head. He got up and stumped out angrily.
“How are you feeling” Jungkook sat beside her.
She was angry with him and crossed her arms in front of her chest,
“yeah I was good until you came” she rolled her eyes.
He sighed and took her hand in his, “Kayei, I am sorry if I’ve been a bother to you”
“Im not kayei” she snatched her hand back “stay away from me”
She got up and went upstairs without another word. He sat there not wanting to force her to talk anymore.
Later that evening she was asleep, exhausted on her bed. The window door cluttered for the strong breeze that blew outside and the curtains waved mid air. Her blanket despite being draped on her felt like being pulled away, she pulled it back and tucked her head inside it, feeling the warmth and fell asleep. She was sweating even though the fan ran in high speed and the lamp on her bedside flickered slightly. She became fully conscious and she could see it through her shut lids, making out the brightness fade and brighten again. It kept dragging her attention but she held her eyes tightly shut in fear.
Again her blanket felt like it was being pulled and this time she was sure someone was standing near the leg end of the bed, pulling it.
She opened her eyes shivering slowly and
*
*
*
her gaze fell straight onto a black hoodied man wearing a mask with bright blue eyes and a dead gaze falling right into hers, his voice creeped up into a whisper-
"Hi"