21 | THE FORGOTTEN
"You've got to be joking."
"Why would I be joking?" Jungkook asked lightly while I took in his full appearance.
His onyx hair was styled away from his face, leaving a small section on the side to curl over his forehead. Two sets of silver hoops dangled from each of his ears. The short sleeves of his black shirt clung to his biceps, and his round collar dipped just enough to reveal a silver chain around his neck. The deep blue jeans that stretched tight over his thighs were ripped at the knees and the bottoms were rolled up to sit just above his black combat boots.
"You're the epitome of a cliché bad boy," I said, unable to keep myself from laughing. Our eyes met and I found him smiling along with my laughter.
"Guess I just have to hope that bad boys are your type," he teased, still resting his arms on the handlebars.
I caught myself relaxing around him yet again, overly aware of how he continued to charm me. There was a hint of chemistry there that I couldn't deny, and it was all too easy to fall into that playful banter with him, but I was still hesitant. If not for Jimin's words, I would not have considered hopping onto a motorcycle with him. But Jimin had never led me astray before, and he was the sole person that was entirely trustworthy to me. Going with Jungkook was not out of faith in him but out of faith in my best friend.
Eyeing the bandage on his arm and hand, I asked, "Are you sure you're good to be driving like that? Doesn't it hurt?"
He shrugged. "My arm is fine when I drive since it's covered, and I'm not setting my palm on the handle." Jungkook sat up and smirked. "So are you down or are you too scared?"
This is your opportunity to get answers out of him.
I let out a faint breath of amusement, crossing my arms. "I'm not scared. Seokjin had a motorcycle too while we dated, so this is nothing new to me."
His lips pursed while his ego visibly deflated. Brushing it off, he leaned back to grab the two black helmets that hung on the tail end of the bike, handing one to me. Taking it from him, I glanced over his features a final time before putting the helmet on. Though the face shield tinted my vision a shade darker, Jungkook's satisfied smirk still caught my attention. He easily brought the kickstand up with a swift motion of his foot, then placed his boot on the asphalt to keep the bike steady for me.
Rolling my eyes at the way his confidence so quickly returned, I went to sit behind him on the small seat. My feet naturally went to the footholds, bringing my thighs flush with his. Just as the engine revved up, I wrapped my arms around his waist, and my chest pressed against his back.
Before I could reevaluate my decision, he threw his helmet on and peeled out of the parking lot, swiftly merging onto the main road. As soon as traffic spread out, Jungkook gassed it and we were speeding off, weaving through the scattered cars.
It was true that Seokjin had taken me on his motorcycle a few times while we dated, although it was rare. He'd always been hesitant to let me ride it, and the few times I did, he was sure to drive cautiously, which made more sense after he explained why he was so afraid of losing me. Riding with Jungkook was an entirely different experience, though, to the point where it did feel new to me.
The wind was cold on my bare skin as it blew back the hair that hung out of the helmet. Prompted by the darkening sky, the buildings around us lit up and turned to streaks of golden yellow as we whizzed by.
My heart raced with excitement, veins igniting with life. The demand to hone in on the present and just absorb all that was around me - the strong wind, the bustling city and its bright lights, the dwindling splash of sunset, the warmth of Jungkook's body - was enough to free me of the incessant feeling that I was suffocating.
The farther we went from the hospital and from the university, the more my shoulders lightened and my lungs truly breathed. It became painfully apparent that the one place I'd dreamt of attending for so many years turned out to be the place I most needed to escape.
Despite Jungkook's brazen driving, my muscles slowly relaxed, all the pent-up tension vanishing to be replaced by a much-needed sense of freedom.
Soon enough, we were off the main road and slowed down as we navigated tighter, windier streets. Jungkook brought us to a town near the ocean, driving until we made it to a long stretch of road. Both sides were lined with a variety of vendors that stood at food stands and booths with hand-crafted items. The street wasn't overly crowded but still lively.
Jungkook pulled the bike to the side of the road just before the booths began, killing the engine and bringing the kickstand out. I easily dismounted and took off my helmet, placing it in his outstretched hand. After he hung both helmets on the bike, he got off and sent me a smile.
"So what do you think?" he asked as he gestured to the line of vendors.
"Too soon to say. I haven't had the food yet," I replied.
He chuckled. "That's fair."
As we started walking down the street, I said, "I have to admit, I'm relieved that you took me here instead of some fancy restaurant."
He kept his eyes trained ahead, but his lips pulled back in a grin. "Did you think I was going to wine and dine you?"
"With how flirty you are, I wouldn't put it past you."
While following Jungkook, I quickly sent a text to Jimin letting him know who I was with and that I would be back later that night.
As we continued walking down the street and weaving through the small crowd, savory scents wafted through the air and met my nose, making my mouth water and my stomach growl.
"Is it okay if I order for us?" Jungkook asked as we came up to one of the stands.
"Go ahead. I'm hungry enough that I'll be happy with anything."
He nodded. After waiting for the person ahead of him to get their food, Jungkook began speaking kindly to the vendor, asking for an order of tteokbokki and eomuk. It was odd to see him with such a polite demeanor after growing used to his bold attitude.
Once he paid and received the bag with our food, he turned to me and smiled. "Alright, let's go."
My brows furrowed. "Go where?"
"I know the perfect place to eat. Now come on," he said, finding my wrist to pull me along.
A short while later, I was hopping off the motorcycle and staring in awe at our surroundings. He had driven us up a dirt road to a cliff with a wonderful vantage point of both the ocean and the city - one a sea of endless, swelling blues, the other a galaxy of glowing neon colors. Where emerald grass met the dirt path were three wooden picnic tables that overlooked the view. The moon and the streetlights below illuminated the area in a bluish hue.
"Wow," I breathed, gazing up at the silver stars in the night sky. Finally, I turned to face Jungkook and found him walking toward me with the bag of food in his hand.
"I know it's beautiful, but you should really close that mouth of yours before you swallow a fly," he teased as he came up to place his fingers under my chin, softly closing my previously gaping mouth. Instinctively, I whacked his arm away, and he laughed while lifting his hands in surrender.
Something about the exchange was strangely comforting when normally it would have made me uneasy. I considered that perhaps Jungkook really had grown on me, or maybe I was used to those sort of actions from Jimin.
"Let's sit."
Joining him at one of the weathered tables, I sat on the bench across from him. The beach was just near enough to hear the faint sound of crashing waves. The scent of salty ocean mixed with the aroma of our food as Jungkook took the boxes out of the bag.
"So why drive all the way to this place? Is the food really that good?" I asked, peering at the seemingly typical food.
"I guarantee it'll be the best you've ever had. But aside from the food, I also thought you'd appreciate this view." Jungkook's eyes danced over mine, and I lifted a brow.
"So this is a wine and dine tactic after all."
Jungkook rolled his eyes, though a small smirk played at his lips. "Just eat."
I did as he said, and the flavor that graced my tongue certainly made good on his promise. "Alright, I'll stop giving you a hard time about taking me here," I said as I took another bite.
He chuckled. "You're welcome."
We made small talk as we ate, but once we were nearly finished with the food, Jungkook's voice shifted into a more serious tone.
"You can go ahead and ask now."
I stopped mid-chew. "What?"
Jungkook looked at me carefully as he quit eating. "I know you have questions about me and my brother, and you're far more likely to get answers out of me than out of him."
His words prompted me to recall what he said in the hospital when I found out about their relation: "At least I'm being honest with her."
"And why is that? What makes you more willing to tell me the truth than him?"
Jungkook shrugged. "We disagree when it comes to you and what's best."
A frown pulled at my lips. "You make it sound like I'm involved with you two somehow."
He remained quiet for a moment as he contemplated his next words. "It's more like we're the ones involved with you."
I knew the relaxed state I was in would only be temporary, but it was frustrating to lose it so soon.
"What does that even mean?"
Jungkook took a deep breath. "Hoseok's going to be pissed at me, but you deserve to know... just please, try not to freak out or jump to conclusions."
"Just say it," I replied quickly.
He tapped his fingers on the table before finally speaking. "Me and Hoseok know what's happening to you. We know that there's someone tormenting you. We know about the dreams, Jangmi."
As my body began to panic, I was plastered to my seat. Lost on what to think. Questioning if Jungkook was trustworthy or if he knew because he was the one behind it all. Wondering if Hoseok was in on it too, and for that matter, maybe even Jimin.
"How... How do you know? How can I be sure that you're not the one doing it?"
He shook his head, eyes dimming with sympathy and pain. "I know you feel like you barely know me, but you can trust me. You can trust Hoseok, too. We are just trying to figure out who exactly is doing this to you so we can put a stop to them."
"Jimin told me to trust you. Why did he say that? What does he know?" The hurricane in my mind refused to let up.
"Look, I know I said I'd be honest with you but there are still a couple things I can't explain fully. Not yet. There are certain things you have to figure out on your own, and I can't be the one to tell it to you. But Jimin knows enough to be sure it's not me or Hoseok. You can trust all three of us."
"You're not giving me enough to put my trust in you. All you've told me is that you know about something that I haven't told to anyone except Jimin. That makes me trust you less, not more," I said, fighting the burn in my heart that feared Jimin might've broken my trust in him, too.
Jungkook frowned, shaking his head. "I know. I know how this looks, but I promise that we are only trying to protect you. We know you more than you think," he sighed, clenching his jaw. Then he whispered, "It's so hard trying to tell you without really telling you."
"Tell me why Jimin trusts you," the demand came out firm. I needed to hear a solid answer. I needed something to base my judgment on other than confusing non-explanations.
"He knows a lot about me and Hoseok. He knows who we are, and he learned to trust us before you ever came to the university. When you arrived and things started happening to you, I told him we knew about it and that we needed his help to protect you."
"This makes no sense," I whispered to myself. Too on edge to be still, I stood from the table. He copied my movements, following me at a distance as we went toward his motorcycle. With crossed arms, I paced in front of him. "How could you possibly know about it? And why would you care enough to protect me?"
He ran a hand over his face and let out a frustrated groan. "I'm starting to see why Hoseok didn't want to tell you. I thought I could avoid this, but... try to remember."
My feet paused. I turned to him skeptically. "Remember what?"
His brows knit together in sorrow. "I can't say anything more. You have to remember on your own."
"How am I just supposed to remember something without you giving a single clue about whatever it is that I'm forgetting?" I asked in anger, the faint sting of tears building in my eyes.
"I can try one other thing, but I don't want to scare you," he said quietly.
"I'm already scared."
Before I could protest, Jungkook stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, murmuring into my shoulder.
"Don't forget me, Jangmi."
I braced myself, ready to feel the same burn I felt whenever The Hood touched me in my nightmares, but Jungkook's presence felt nothing like that. Rather than the unmistakable heat, fear, and weakness that came with the night-visitor's hold, Jungkook's embrace brought with it a sense of refreshment, comfort, and strength. It made not a single ounce of sense to me, but as I was prepared to push him away, an image painted itself out in my head.
While the setting was blurred and unclear, the young boy standing in front of me was strikingly vivid. He seemed to be around thirteen years old, had dark ebony hair, chocolate brown eyes filled with tears, a round nose, and thin red lips turned down in a frown. He stepped forward and embraced my small frame.
"Please don't forget me, Jangmi."
I let out a gasp as several other snippets of memories drifted through my mind. I saw the boy again, walking up to me with a bright, bunny-like smile. He reached out and placed his fingers under my chin.
"Close your mouth, dummy. You'll let a fly get in!"
Another scene briefly flashed by where the boy was running up to me with two other boys on his heels. While the closest one remained clear, the other two had indistinguishable features, almost like a haze of fog served as a barrier between them and me. The one I could see, however, had features that were undeniably familiar despite their youthfulness.
I finally parted from Jungkook, backing away. A tear began to fall as I stared at him, suddenly seeing him in a new light. I couldn't remember much - how we met, how long we knew each other, what happened to him - but my body and my mind recognized him as a person who was once very important to me. Though whatever had torn us apart was unknown, the sense of heartbreak and loss carved into my chest relentlessly as if experiencing it for the first time. I couldn't even remember what had taken him away from me, all I knew was that it hurt.
"Do you... remember?" Jungkook asked hesitantly. The moonlight caught the glistening in his eyes, and my head had to reel my heart back from reaching out to him.
I nodded, trying to find my voice. "I don't remember it all. I just saw flashes."
"Did you see anyone besides me?"
I nodded. "There were two other boys. I couldn't see their faces."
"Okay, look... I can't tell you who they are or you may never be able to remember their faces. I know that doesn't make sense to you but as you keep remembering, we'll be able to explain. But one of those two boys that you can't remember is the one who is obsessed with you."
As much as I knew I should have been fearful of Jungkook, my body no longer felt afraid. Still, I would not decide on what to believe until speaking with both Jimin and Hoseok.
"He told me I needed to remember who he was to me, and right now I only remember you, so I hope you can see why I can't just trust what you're saying. Not until I talk to Jimin and Hoseok, and not until I remember more."
Jungkook nodded, never once stepping closer to me. He seemed aware of my need for space as I tried to make sense of everything.
"I'll take you back if you want me to. If not, you could take the bus. I would feel better if I could take you myself, but it's up to you."
His offer may have been a way to gain my trust, but I still found it unlikely that he would do so if he was, in fact, The Hood. He had me alone, far from campus, and nobody knew where exactly we were. If he had any sinister intentions, he would have taken advantage of the situation.
I was tempted to take the bus, but I wondered if isolating myself would be any safer than staying with him. It felt like I no longer had good options, only ever faced with decisions that held different risks.
In the end, my gut made the choice for me. "I'll go with you."
So Jungkook began driving me back to the hospital, and on our way there, I got another single flash of the past.
The identity of one of the other two boys should have been obvious as they were brothers, but I still felt shock jet down my spine as I saw him in the reflection of a mirror, watching a younger version of me dance. He had a black bandana tied behind his head to cover the lower half of his face, but his bright eyes and reddish hair were nearly the same as I knew them to be.
Then came that same image of Jungkook and the two other boys behind him, only the fog dissolved from the one on the left. A young Hoseok was revealed, the same bandana over his nose and mouth, but the third boy remained shrouded in heavy mist.
Was I to trust Jungkook, Hoseok, and Jimin? Or were all three of them scheming against me for something I had long forgotten?
• • •
A/N: Finally getting a few answers, even if they're vague, and there's more to come!
Next chapter will have Hoseok return :)
So do the majority of you still think it's Jungkook? Or has this chapter changed anything for you? Do you think he's telling the truth about him and Hoseok wanting to protect Jangmi?
Thanks for the patience on this one. Had a busy week and then a few things to deal with this morning so I didn't get to post bright and early like I hoped. Still happy to get it out for you now, though!
Thank you for reading, commenting, and voting! Your support means so much.
-Kat ❤
October 12, 2020