He's already moved forward and clasped a hand over my mouth.
"Shhh, don't scream," he whispers.
"MMmmmMMM!"
"Y/n please don't make this harder than it already is, it took me forever to find you guys and now you're flailing around and screaming in my hand -"
"Mm mmm MMMM mmmm MMMM MMM -"
"Okay okay! I'll let go if you stop yelling! Just please stop!"
"MMMMMMMMM-"
He sighs and holds me tighter. My back, hugged against his chest, suddenly feels fuzzy. The feeling travels through me and smoothly settles into my head where everything starts to feel... foggy.
So foggy.
It's somehow familiar - a peaceful, fluffy, empty freedom.
"Shhhh... aren't you happy to see me?"
I blink.
I'm about to retort with something sarcastic but another wave of it - whatever it is - settles into me. My defiance melts away. I find myself hesitating instead, losing my grip on those thoughts and nodding. I quietly pry at his fingers.
Seeing that I'm listening to him, he lets go - but his other hand holds onto my wrist. I step back as far as I can.
"Jimin?"
"Yeah, it's me," he mumbles. I try freeing my hand but he's got an iron grip on it. "I haven't seen you in awhile. Where's everyone else?"
I catch my breath as I try to wrap my mind around what's happening. "Uhh... Jungkook's in the forest," I say. "If you wait long enough you can see him too. And everyone else is waiting for dinner. Do you want to... you could join us...?"
Jimin shakes his head sadly. "That's the thing Y/n. I can't let them see me."
"Then why did you ask me where they are?"
"To make sure I have you alone."
"... oh."
That sets off alarms in my head. I try to take a step back again, painfully aware of how defenseless I am and how dominant Jimin can be. The power dynamic is nowhere near equal.
"You're after me," I say.
I thought he wouldn't. None of us thought he would. Jimin stands, motionless, and when I look up at him to figure out why he hasn't replied, we make eye contact.
The sadness in his dark orbs...
Seeing him like this takes my breath away. His soulful persona is so intense, molten eyes carrying so much weight, raw emotion written in every aspect of his being, lips parted with words left unsaid. He's longing for something, but he's drowning in agonizing helplessness.
"You're afraid of me."
I consider the words, then give him the slightest nod.
He sighs. His breath casts a cloud of mist that vanishes to thin air. His shoulders slump, head lowering too.
As if his breath was his spirit... as if the cloudy mist had carried his spirit away.
"I'm sorry."
My vision starts to blur. "Sorry for what?"
"You wouldn't understand," he shakes his head. "I don't want to do this, I never wanted you to be afraid of me. Ever. But I can't go back there."
He's on their side.
I try pulling my hand away, more desperately this time, but he only tightens his grip.
"Y/n, we're running out of time. I'm running out of time," he says urgently. "I hate that I have to do this but it's my life or yours. Please understand and just come with me, there's no other way out of this and I can't go back there. Not now."
My life or yours.
My life or yours.
All the pieces snap into place. 'I can't go back' - that must be how they're blackmailing him!
Jin's suspicion was right.
"Wait! We know you're being forced!" I say quickly. "They're blackmailing you right? Into kidnapping me? Is that it?"
Jimin nods.
Okay. Now all I need to do is work around this and stall for time. Surely I can persuade him out of it. Surely Jungkook will come back anytime now...
"Well Namjoon has a plan! You don't have to do this Jimin, you have us! We've missed you. We've been thinking and worrying about you everyday. We're your friends remember?"
"But what's the use of friends if I have to live in fear?" he counters. "My life's on the line. The moment they get me it's over."
"Well I'm in the same exact situation!" I exclaim. "Don't you see? We can work through this together. All eight of us."
Jimin shakes his head before I even finish. "Then we're both doomed if they find us. Along with everyone else." He starts tugging me away. "If I turn you in, only one person is harmed. It's for the greater good, Y/n."
I huff.
'Greater good' my foot. What's gotten into him?
Letting him drag me away is not an option. And I can't bring myself to imagine the look on Jungkook's face if he comes back to see that I've disappeared. Which means... I need to get help the only way I know how.
"JUNGKOOK! NAMJOON!" I scream. "JIMIN'S BACK -"
But no sound comes out.
I turn back to Jimin in a panic. The sound waves are being blocked and he's the only other human around. Air too?!
"Imitation," he says in a low voice. "You were about to amplify your voice, but I can't let you do that or it's mission failed. Don't give me that look. Now come on."
I dig my heels into the dirt to gain traction.
"Don't make me force you."
I glare at him. I'm not going.
"I'll give you one more chance," he growls. "I don't want to do this the hard way but if you leave me with no choice, then I will."
The setting sun casts the faintest hint of remaining daylight over us. It sends distorted shadows across Jimin's face. It transforms him - my perception of him.
This isn't the soft, comforting Jimin I came to know. All I can see in this moment is the sheer amount of resemblance with the soldier from the parking lot. The shadows, the bleak orange light. The anger and confusion and frustration that boils inside me at the sight of... an enemy.
This Jimin is dangerous.
The fuzzy feeling starts spreading from the tips of my fingers. Time is ticking.
The moment the fuzz reaches my head, it's game over.
Quick Y/n!
I panic. I can't use my powers. I can't call for help. I'm defenseless. What do I do?!
"You'll stay with us," Jungkook shrugs. "When the government people chase us down, we run. And if we can't run, we hide."
I gulp. "... and if we can't hide?"
"We fight."
I exhale and look up. Directly into Jimin's eyes.
I cannot use my powers because he'll fire back. The only option left now is close combat.
I muster up all the physical strength inside me, controlled, in cold calculation, as I throw my free hand at Jimin.
I feel everything. The air around my fist, the charged tension as Jimin realizes what's happening, the widening of his eyes that happen in slow motion, the heartbeat that thumps in my ears, the anticipation that thrums through my whole being, the bracing of pain.
THWACK.
Jimin blocks it with his free hand.
He smiles.
"Wow Y/n," he taunts. "I wasn't expecting that from you."
Whoosh!
I dodge his punch. He pulls on my hand to throw me off balance, but I tug back and force the air currents to keep me on my feet. Jimin cancels the currents and follows with a kick that I barely manage to block in time.
He doesn't stop.
Left jab, right uppercut, left hook, right punch - I block the first two, step away from the others. Turning kick - dodged. Leg sweep - I jump over. Triple jab - deflected. I move in to land a punch on his exposed side.
But Jimin's already moved out of the way.
I've got stamina from tag practice, but it's not enough. My technique is bringing me down.
Jimin's moves are efficient. Elegant. Effortless. How is he so good at this? He's flowing through the chaos, dancing through my fruitless responses. I'm forced to play defense and struggling to keep up.
Jimin senses my hesitation. He uses the newfound time to generate more wind power and pull me toward him.
His hands grab mine and, with dread growing inside me, the fuzzy feeling returns. It travels through my arm faster than ever and reaches my shoulders... up my neck...
If we can't hide, we fight.
But what if I can't fight?
What happens then?
The fuzz reaches my head. My body feels distant. So distant, like I'm watching a movie through fog, and I have no sense of my own will. I can't see very far.
Jimin pulls my hand with a simple "let's go". I follow him through the woods without a second thought.
Robotically. Naturally. Effortlessly. I obey his commands. He runs faster and I do, too. Because Jimin knows best, right? Jimin just wants to make sure I'm safe... the sunset is so pretty... and the night is so quiet...
We get further away from... wherever we were... and we're going to... wherever Jimin's taking me...
Away from... Jungkook...
Jungkook...
Wait... why didn't we take him with us?
"Y/N!"
Jungkook!
The fog lifts.
I blink and come to my senses. We're in a clearing. Unfamiliar. I want to yank my hand away but Jimin maintains his grip. I steel myself and try running in the opposite direction.
To Jungkook, to Jungkook...
Jimin whirls around and hugs me from behind, sending another wave of fuzz through me. I try blocking it from entering my head by focusing on Jungkook's voice.
But Jimin just holds me tighter. My will slips away again.
"Y/N! WHERE ARE YOU?"
Right here, Jungkook. Right... here...
"In the clearing, to the right!" A new voice. Lower register.
"This way?"
"That's what the tracks show."
"Hurry!"
I see figures. Three of them. Or are there four? Shadowy and hard to make out. That's all I have time to see before I'm dropped to the ground, hard. My vision tumbles. I feel shaky and weak. Cold grass presses against my right side.
I didn't realize how cold it was till now.
Nor how dark the sky has become.
How much time has passed? It feels like I was still playing tag just minutes ago...
"Y/N! You're okay!"
Someone rushes to my side. Followed by others. I'm not sure who they are, but when Jungkook comes by I know it's him. The air spins around his unmistakable presence.
"I- I'm s-so... cold..." I mumble.
"Did we bring a blanket?"
"We didn't have time."
"Jungkook, I thought she was with you!"
"She was."
"Then how -?"
"A field of three-leaf clovers."
"Huh?"
Jungkook shakes his head. "Not now, Jin. We need to figure out what happened here first."
I feel warmth - Jungkook. He's picked me up and he hugs me tightly against him. I flinch away from the touch at first, scared that maybe it's still Jimin and that the terrifying fuzzy feeling would come back.
"What happened?" Jungkook whispers. His voice overflows with worry. "Who was that?"
The fuzzy feeling doesn't come back, so I relax into him as I point to a general direction behind me. "Over there," I mumble. "In the clearing. I don't know where we were going. It was -"
It was Jimin.
We've lost Jimin.
I open my eyes and get up in a flurry of movement. It makes me light-headed for a second, causing the others to yelp in surprise, but I quickly regain my balance and scan the open grounds around us urgently.
Grass, trees, frost, and an ink black sky.
My shoulders slump in defeat.
No trace of Park Jimin.
Only silence.