Author's Note: Hello, I'm going to go ahead and make the general statement that none of the character's in the Between (besides Jimin of course) are K-Pop idols or influenced off of such. They are all OC's, and the boys we all know and love have been confirmed a long time ago to be alive and well. Thanks!
The sound of your repetitive footsteps filled the empty room as your brain tried to keep up with your own thoughts and you paced along to them. There was a light tremor to your form as the two men in front of you stayed rather still in comparison.
Jimin was laying on his couch facing the ceiling as his wide eyes wavered and he remained shocked.
The shadow form of his brother was standing next to the lamp, seemingly staring at Jimin's stilled form on the furniture and at times turning to face your pacing motion instead.
"A-Ah, wait," Jimin finally spoke through parted lips, a far away look in his eyes as they glinted in slight madness and he sat up. "I just got the joke. Sorry peanut, your sense of humor isn't very-"
"Lay back down Jimin," You instructed, shaking your head and continuing to walk in circles as his body collapsed in obedience back to the previous state he was in. "I know you may not believe me, but this is definitely..." You looked towards the shadow, who was now staring at you. You swallowed hard. "Your brother."
Jimin released a light breath and stared upwards before his lids lowered. He abruptly sat up once more and ran a hand through his hair while facing you.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He questioned, this causing you to stiffen. "That you had seen shadow's memories before I mean."
"I-I'm not sure," You admitted, feeling slightly nervous under his tired eyes. "I guess I didn't think much of it and wasn't sure of it myself. But just now, I saw his memories so clearly. It was you and him as kids."
Jimin rested his face in his hands with an anxious sigh before you heard his muffled voice.
"I received a paper memory once that told me I had a brother. But... how is this possible? Why would he be here..."
"Dead?" You quietly finished, Jimin meeting your eyes upon hearing the words.
"Yeah. Dead."
"I don't know. I didn't see much, basically all I know is that he's your older brother. And his name is Dohyeon."
At the sudden mention of his own name, the shadow seemingly became more active and perked up to walk over to Jimin's slouched form. Jimin watched wearily before it turned away and began to circle around the couch; looking around the room with an odd sort of life it hadn't seemed to have had before.
"And you!" Jimin suddenly exclaimed in exasperation, seething lightly as his eyes trailed his brother's movements. "Why are you suddenly so expressive, huh?! You haunted me everyday and would usually just stand around like a creep, but now you're actually walking around and not moving all slow and scary like anymore. What's up with that?!"
The shadow turned towards Jimin, who suddenly released an enraged gasp before turning back to you and extending his arm up as if wanting to be called on by a teacher in order to tell on someone.
"PEANUT! I'M PRETTY SURE HE JUST FLICKED ME OFF BUT IT WAS HARD TO TELL!"
"Jimin, your dead ghost brother did not just flick you off," you spoke with an exasperated tone, your words causing him to slouch back into the couch in defeat with eyes still narrowed in on the form to the side.
"A-Anyway, how come I've never seen any weird memory visions?"
You bit your lower lip.
"I-I don't know."
Suddenly, the shadow burst to life and quickly moved to the lamp sitting on the side table next to the couch. You and Jimin watched with wide eyes as it held up it's hands and moved them through the lamp shade and over the bulb.
To your surprise the lights began to flicker, and you momentarily jumped as they flickered on and off. He was... controlling the light?!
"Hey!" Jimin exclaimed in a bit of an irritated huff, "Can you stop being so creepy? Also, I don't know how electricity works down here but the ringmaster won't be happy about the bill if you-"
"Shh!" You shushed your pink haired friend, intently focused on the flashes as your eyes wavered in recognition. "W-Wait..."
The shadow of Dohyeon stopped making the lights flash and looked your way as if waiting. You could tell it wanted confirmation of your understanding, and you caught on the moment the questioning words left your lips.
"Morse code?"
The shadow turned back to the lamp and focused in on it once more in order to make the lights flash. This time you paid attention to the flashes and your lips followed along as you decoded.
"Morse code?" Jimin echoed quietly, also watching the lamp but quickly realizing he was unable to decode it. He didn't remember much of what you had taught him, most likely because he had been so distracted at the time.
"J, I, M, I, N," You rehearsed along with the flashes, your heart skipping a bit in recognition of your friends name. "He's saying Jimin... C, A, N, T. Jimin can't."
"I can't what?" The male who owned the name spoke in exasperation, not following as well as you and feeling a bit frustrated.
You pursed your lips as you tried to focus while ignoring Jimin's questioning. Dohyeon continued to rest his hands on the flashing bulb as a way of communication.
"I, T, R, I, E, D."
The shadow lowered his arms and looked your way in almost an expectant manner. You weren't a hundred percent sure, but you now thought you knew what he was trying to say.
"I think he means he tried to show you that he's your brother, but he couldn't."
Jimin's eyes flickered darkly in a way that almost scared you as he released a tired laugh.
"OK, so what, then it's only you that can see the shadow's thoughts and memories?" His tone was slightly mocking, and your eyes widened upon hearing his serious taunts. "Are you supposed to be special or something?"
Your lips parted slightly as you tried to hide the sudden pang of hurt and confusion you felt. Jimin seemed to realize his words were too strong and immediately regretted them. His gaze softened.
"Ah... sorry I, I didn't mean- I mean, you are special, it's just-"
"I understand," You quickly interrupted, looking away from the guilt and unease Jimin was portraying in his eyes. His cheeks were still tear stained and his lower lids showed both dark under circles and pink swelling.
This was a lot all at once, and he was trying to cope with both the emotions he kept hidden from you and the fact that his brother was dead with him in the Between. He seemed frustrated, tired, and... a bit on edge. As if he was fighting his breaking point.
"Umm..." Jimin awkwardly looked down and laced his fingers together. "So... then do you think he can tell you more?" Sudden hope glimmered in his eyes. "Maybe about him and me? And my life?"
"I can try," you were quick to agree, and reached out towards the shadow. Unfortunately the third party wasn't as enthusiastic. Dohyeon stepped back and quickly placed his formless hands on the light bulb once more to began relaying new flashes over and over again.
N O. N O. N O. N O.
"Now what's he saying?" Jimin questioned in his slightly strained but light voice. "I keep seeing 'N' I think." You blinked towards the shadow's sudden energy and defiance before biting your lower lip in the awkward air.
"Um, he says no."
"No?" At this point all Jimin could do was laugh as he seemed so taken aback. "No as in he won't tell me anything?! Wow, that's great. What a great brother."
"M-Maybe there's a reason," you tried to argue against Jimin's growing desperation and madness, eyes flickering to the window to catch the time as you felt your anxiety rise upon acknowledging it.
"Yeah, I bet there is." His eyes remained dark. "Like because I'm a-" He stopped himself quickly when he saw the look you were giving him. "N-Never mind."
There was a silence as you looked to the floor and felt unsure of the situation. You felt as if the sobs he had emitted the night before would never leave your ears. Jimin's gaze softened before his eyes wavered upon looking out the window then back at you.
"Peanut,"
His voice dripped with the usual honey that seeped from it like a sweet tune, as if using it's power to convince you all was well. He smiled then, and you knew for sure he was trying to, in a way, hypnotize you.
"You need to go to work now, right?"
You did. You really did, but at the same time you had just been served a massive bomb of information not only regarding the Between, but Jimin himself. He wasn't doing well coping with it either. You needed to stay with him, you needed to help him figure things out. And yet-
"You should go. I'll stay here and talk to my brother, when you get off work just come back. Everything is OK, and we have plenty of time to get more information from him."
You were hesitating, but Jimin's power was great. Much too great. He was fine, wasn't he? His friendly tone was convincing, and against your will your shoulders loosened.
You smiled wearily back at him.
"OK."
Everything is OK.
~~~
You looked out at the vastness of the Between and allowed your fingertips to drum on the counter. Anxiety filled the pit of your stomach and you continued to regret every decision you had ever made.
Why had you left Jimin alone? He had literally been crying his eyes out the night before only to wake up and find out the shadow in his room was his brother. How foolish were you to believe his smile and assurance that he was fine?
It's because I want to believe it.
You inhaled sharply and rested your head on the counter; staring at the time on the large clock from the corner of your eye and counting down the seconds for when you could return back to your friend.
You hadn't wanted to abandon your duties for the sake of your coworkers, but now you were starting to realize that you may have just abandoned someone who needed you much more.
"Little miss?" A voice cut through your thoughts, and you quickly brought your head back up and stood straight. It was 26, and his dark friendly eyes were peering at you in curiosity. "You doing alright?"
"I'm fine, sorry," You practically squeaked, and noticed 52 in the corner of the truck with his arms crossed. He seemed to be purposefully ignoring the scene in front of him.
26 hesitated and used his larger hands to rub his equally large neck before grunting in acknowledgment.
"You know, you seem a bit off today miss. Seeing as there isn't much business, I think we would all be OK if you want to leave early today."
Immediately your heart lit up in excitement, and you grinned from ear to ear. Just before you could express your excitement however, 52 scoffed and struck through your happiness.
"Don't mind her. She's always got that far away look in her eye. It's just her thinking about that guy, and to be honest I'm tired of her always getting out of things just because she has a crush."
Your heart dropped, and a confused heat touched your cheeks. You weren't even startled towards his claim of you having a crush, but rather his harsh tone and the slight truth to his words regarding you getting out of things.
The air grew awkward and 26 laughed a bit on his own towards the gained information.
"Ohhh, that dancer she's always with? I guess that makes sense then." His bright smile didn't outshine the dark atmosphere 52 was letting off, and the two of you remained silent.
19 often used to let you off the hook for messing up or wanting to get off early just to spend time with Jimin. In reality, it truly wasn't fair. Not to mention you already had half days to begin with. Your embarrassment grew, and you felt ill as 52 turned away and focused on sweeping the back.
You properly waited until the end of your shift, and didn't say a word when you left. You only waved to 26, who wished you a good evening before turning back to the fryer.
You no longer felt a strong determination to get back to Jimin. You just felt... tired. Were you giving up? If you had learned more about shadows even weeks prior, it would be all you thought about.
But even new revelations could kick start your excitement. Everything that was going on was pulling you down further to feeling more dead than alive. You were loosing your life, and watching those around you loose theirs as well.
How did 19 do it? Somehow he had kept a certain life to him and had made it contagious. You wanted that, and you wanted it not only for the sake of yourself but also those around you. Even the cheerful 26 couldn't give off this aura. Somehow his happiness only seemed skin deep.
The cold air caught your breath, and you gripped onto the sleeves of Jimin's hoodie that was wrapped around your body.
Out of instinct, the moment you felt cold you looked towards the dark outskirts of the Between. The places the lamp lights didn't touch. The unknown, and the feared.
You didn't know what was out there, but even your natural curiosity was quenched upon noting the darkness. Your lower lip trembled, and you almost looked away before your eyes caught something.
Movement. Movement in the dark.
Your body froze out of instinct, and your heart stopped. Before you could back up, move forward, or react in any way, a sudden whisper touched your ears.
There were other's behind you walking about and struggling to earn their daily memories, and you turned to them even though you knew the whisper wasn't coming from that direction. It was coming from the darkness.
At first the whisper had been unidentifiable, but when it touched your ears again, you listened more closely.
"Hey! Peanut noona!"
Your fear dropped, and recognition touched your frantic heart when the rushed whisper was identified to sound like the voice of...
"Noona!"
"H-Hun?!" Your voice trembled, taking a step closer to the darkness but still hesitating. There were people around, so the child didn't fully show himself, but you could now clearly see his form that was just slightly illuminated by the faint lighting in front of him.
He seemed on edge and his eyes looked about frantically as he held a finger to his lips.
He wanted you to be quiet. You quickly clamped your mouth shut and stared at the boy in awe as he found you had finally taken notice of him.
Hun didn't say anything else, but quickly motioned for you to come closer. Your eyes widened. He wanted you to go... out there?!
You didn't want to, but suddenly you recognized the fear in his eyes. As afraid of the dark as you were, Hun was more afraid of the others in the light finding him. You swallowed hard. He was scared, and he was finally motioning for you to come to him.
It didn't matter how freaked out you were, you had to take that opportunity. For his sake.
After quickly glancing behind you to make sure no one was looking, you placed a trembling hand on the light post and stepped into the darkness.
Hun motioned for you to keep quiet as you stood hidden from the light, and you jumped when he lightly grabbed your hand.
The old bandages you and Jimin had applied brushed against your skin as he led you away from the light. You didn't know what was going on, but you allowed him to lead you.
Why was he calling for you? You stiffened when you realized this may not be Hun at all, but rather a demon leading you to death, but the warmth of the child's hand led such thoughts away. It didn't stop your tremble however, and you shook in fear as you could no longer see anything around you.
All you could do was put your faith in the kid whose hand was in yours as your breathing quickened.
Hun soon noticed your fear, and when the two of you were far away enough from other people, his voice spoke up.
"Hey, aren't you too old to be scared of the dark?"
Your mouth fell upon upon hearing his bluntness, and even though he was a kid you couldn't help the sudden embarrassed anger that rose to your face.
"I'm not!" You blurted out quickly, and even though you couldn't see him, you figured the kid was smirking.
"Not too old?"
"Not afraid of the dark," You corrected, wondering if it was worth helping a kid that was secretly so snarky. He hadn't talked in such a way in front of Jimin, but that was probably because he clearly adored the male. You huffed. "Hey, if you're going to be like this then why did I even come out here? And why were you calling for me? I thought you didn't trust us?"
The kid stopped walking, and you blinked upon realizing you could once again slightly see him. But how? Where was the light coming from?
He looked even dirtier than before, and his bandages were ragged and dirty. The kid quickly let go of your hand, and you took note of his pink but dirt smeared cheeks.
"I... I guess I should trust you, since you leave food everyday and so far no one has caught me. But not just that," he seemed hesitant to say his next words, but eventually stood determined. "My guardian angel told me I should show you."
You blinked for a moment as you looked down at the kid. At first, you didn't know what to think. Then, the dam that had been holding your questioning broke as your mind began to whirl.
"G-Guardian angel?" You spoke, eyes wide. "Who? And show me what?"
Hun shook his head, then looked forward. You followed his eyes to see the source of the sudden light. It was a distant structure that you couldn't quite make out, but there seemed to be a flickering light from within it.
"He doesn't come around much, but he's my friend. That's all that matters. And... he said I should show you where I stay."
You couldn't help but gaze at the kid and truly attempt to take in everything you knew about him. He was fast, stealthy, and scared. He definitely had an intelligence to him that radiated through his words and actions, but also a desperation.
"Try not to forget."
"So come on."
The kid began moving towards the structure, and you followed him without hesitation.
As the two of you neared the lone place that stood alone in the darkness, you began to be able to better identify it. It seemed to be a large striped tent, but one that was broken down. Parts of it were caved in, and the entrance itself was broken down to where one would have to go out of their way to enter.
You stopped walking as Hun looked to you expectantly.
"This... this is where you stay?" You spoke aloud, and he nodded.
"Yeah, it's not so great, but it's OK." He reached forward to move the torn fabric of the entrance and motioned for you to enter.
Upon doing so, your eyes caught the things that occupied Hun's apparent living space.
There were three lit candles that flickered and sat on the floor. They were the only source of light, and they illuminated the tent area. There were other candles laying about, but they were the only ones lit.
Wrappers of food and water bottles you had left for Hun in the past lay about the floor, and torn tent fabric seemed to make a sort of bed in the corner. You swallowed hard upon noting his living situation and felt guilt eat at your stomach.
Something strange you immediately took notice of however was the fact that this small area couldn't possible make up the entirely of the tent. It was too small. Your thought was answered upon you taking note of another part of the tent that was closed up with curtain like blinds.
Glass littered the floor in front of the area.
"I regret running," Hun spoke quietly, sitting down on his make shift bed and bringing his knees to his chest. You blinked and looked towards him.
You weren't good with kids like Jimin, but you knew right now was your chance to help him and get to know his situation just a bit better.
"What do you mean?"
He lowered his face and sniffed a bit.
"I was scared, so I ran. But now after watching the other people here, I feel like it's not so bad in the Between. Everyone is alone, but I think that's OK. It's better than being lied to that people care about you. But I have to keep running, because it's too late, and if they find me, they'll get rid of me."
"Hun," you sternly cut in, feeling exasperation and worry all at once. "I need you to tell me what you mean. Why will they get rid of you, and who lied to you?" You paused. "Because we didn't. We care about you, and that's why I'm here now."
Hun looked up at you in curiosity.
"We?" He scrunched up his nose before coming to a conclusion. "Oh, you mean singing hyung. The one you kiss."
"NOT USUALLY!" You quickly exclaimed, heat touching your face as you once again experienced the true snarky nature this kid possessed. You released a sigh of exasperation. "Look, a lot of people have been hiding things from me, Hun. And what hurts me is that they're people I care about and I want to help. And I want to help you, so let's talk. Let's talk everything out."
Hun hesitated before eventually nodding.
"OK. But only because my guardian angel said I should."
"Which is who?"
"My guardian angel. That's who he is."
You didn't think you'd get anywhere with that part.
"OK, why are you running and why do you think the ringmaster wants to get rid of you?"
Hun hesitated once more but began playing with his fingers. the 100 on his neck matched the shadow's the candle light gave off.
"Well, I heard them say it. When I was sitting in the offices, the lady signing me in left me there. I heard through the door that they were going to get rid of me. So, I ran because I was scared."
Your eyes wavered, confusion and curiosity washing over you. Hun's eyes flashed towards the area of the tent that was closed off, and you followed his gaze before he quickly looked away once more.
The glass on the floor caught your eye once more, and suddenly you remembered something. The glass. Hun had had glass embedded in his skin.
"What's back there?" You quickly questioned, and Hun's eyes suddenly widened in fear before he turned away from you.
"Bad memories," Was all he said in a muffled voice, and for some reason the words made your heart stop.
"Bad memories?" You laughed in a confused way, swallowing hard as you tried to tolerate his confusing answers that weren't straight forward. "What do you mean? You're going to have to explain, Hun, because there aren't bad memories anywhere. We're in the Between after all. The only memories are on paper."
Confusion danced in the eyes of the younger as he turned back your way.
"What do you mean?" He questioned, now turning the question on you. You parted your lips to explain, but before you could he continued on with his statement, his next words stopping you from talking completely as shock coated your form.
"I have all my memories."
~~~
Jimin felt ill as he continued to stare at the being that was supposedly his older brother. Water droplets fell from the sink in his kitchen like a rhythmic echo that filled the room in the silence.
Everything is OK.
The warmth you had supplied him the night before was slowly fading away like a lingering but distant dream that no longer stood ground in the grips of reality. And now even reality itself was uncertain.
This formless creature that had been beside him at his worst moments and had acted as an inner demon was... apart of his past? Jimin didn't know what to believe. After all, he couldn't see the proof you had claimed to have seen yourself.
Apparently he lacked the ability. That, or his own brother was hiding information from him on purpose.
A bitter taste danced on Jimin's tongue as he took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"So... then apparently you're my hyung... right?" He began, still feeling silly talking to a being that could only respond by using his lamp and talking in a code he still couldn't fully understand.
Apparently the shadow was aware of his weak abilities and didn't move towards the lamp in order to answer. This made irritation slightly rise in the pit of Jimin's stomach but he pushed it down and ignored it.
"I guess I'm sorry," he continued, "Because I don't remember you. Not even a little bit." Jimin brushed the pink strands away from his forehead and allowed the pads of his fingers to rest there. "I have no memories, and the ones I get back are just facts on paper with no substance. So, I knew about you. But I don't remember you. Not the way you remember me."
The shadow tilted his head and Jimin laughed in a dry sort of way.
"Which is why you scared me when you hung around. I didn't understand why you seemed so interested in me. I guess you recognized me, even when I couldn't recognize you. That must have felt horrible."
The shadow continued to stay silent, and this made Jimin's hands begin to tremble. The unfairness of it all and the situation at hand... why did he have to deal with it?! Slowly the thoughts towards his brother shifted, and his breathing got heavier when he recalled the day before.
"I recently learned something about myself," he muttered with the rise of powerful emotions in his chest, "And now I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't even know if I can believe peanut. I don't even know if you're actually my brother."
His fingers became laced through his hair as his breathing became more rapid and a throbbing heat touched his face.
"I don't know anything! And I haven't this whole time, because I've been fed either useless information or uplifting inspiration to stay in the dark. I just... I just want to know the truth so I can finally be at peace with whatever it is." His voice shook. "A-And maybe I want proof just to know that it's not true, or to see who's really right in this situation, but regardless I crave the ability to know for myself. It's been missing, and I want it."
Desperation coated Jimin's throat as he swallowed hard and looked up at the shadow with pleading eyes.
"So if you could just show me my past, anything, it would be helpful. Any sort of proof to pair with the words on those papers, or any sort of proof that peanut is right in trusting in who I am without my memories. Please, I need it! P-Please..."
Without realizing it, Jimin had reached out in desperation and now his fingers shook only an inch away from the form of his brother. You had mentioned that reaching out and touching fingers with the shadow had triggered the vision, so out of instinctual knowledge, Jimin attempted then to do the same.
"I think he means he tried to show you that he's your brother, but he couldn't."
I don't care if you think you can't. Try again, please.
At first it felt as if time had slowed down, but Jimin soon realized it hadn't. Time hadn't slowed, it was just that the scene in front of him was unmoving. Unlike when you had reached out, the shadow refused to acknowledge the advance and stayed rather still even under his pleading.
Jimin's outstretched fingers trembled more violently before he harshly bit his lower lip and blinked tears away.
"PLEASE!" He begged so strongly his throat burned, "PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO SHOW ME! SHOW ME SOMETHING, ANYTHING!"
Nothing. No reaction.
Jimin lowered his aching arm and abruptly stood to kick over the small table beside the couch. The lamp fell to the floor with an unnerving crash; the lightbulb not shattering but the lampshade colliding harshly with the wood.
His breathing was heavy and ragged, and he refused to face the shadow that was supposedly his own blood.
"Fine. Fine then." Jimin's eyes wavered as he tried to overcome the turmoil he felt. "You won't help me. The ringmaster won't. Peanut can't." An odd chuckle slipped from his lips as he arched his head back to stare at the ceiling. "I think peanut is right about the memories in the Between being useless. Just reading about yourself without knowing the truth behind it is enough to drive anyone crazy. I know what I want now."
He shook his head, the strands of his hair moving with the motions as his heart beat reached his palms.
"I want memories. And not paper ones, real ones. Ones in my head that belong to me. I-I need them."
Jimin managed to rub the gathering tears from his lower lids before they fell and stiffened in determination. He refused to turn back and even look at the shadow behind him.
"And I think I finally know who can help me get them."