FORGOTTEN

CHAPTER 5

Jimin walked into the practice room and ignored the rest of the group. He set his mind on dancing hard for the rest of practice, and he was exhausted when the choreographer thanked them for their hard work.

"It is dedication like this that gives good results. I will see you again on Monday. Have a great weekend." The seven bowed to him, and he left.

"Date night at the carnival!" Tae squealed joyfully. "Let's get back to the house and get ready." The others nodded and rushed out, leaving Jimin at the mini-fridge drinking water. It was better this way.

Hood pulled up over his sweaty hair, Jimin headed for the door.

"Jimin?" a voice called from behind. The exhausted man turned to see Ji-hoon coming toward him.

"Yes, hyung?" Jimin smiled weakly at the man.

"Are you okay? Where are the others?"

"I'm fine, hyung. The others have already gone back to their house. They have a date night tonight, so they were in a hurry."

"Oh, and you?" Ji-Hoon asked.

"I'm heading home as well. I'm exhausted, and I could use the rest." Ji-hoon nodded at the other.

"But won't they notice you aren't there tomorrow?"

"No," Jimin chuckled sadly. "They don't notice me most of the time. It's been like that for a while, so I'm used to it. Have a good night, hyung." Jimin smiled at the older man and walked out of the building. Rather than take a company car back to his apartment, he set off walking. It was easy to avoid being noticed in the evening. The natural cover of the night allowed him to slip through the crowds with ease.

The sun was rapidly setting, and the temperature began to drop. After the workout, he'd just had it felt good.

In the distance, he could see the carnival lights. He hadn't been to a carnival since he was a child. They'd always been so much fun. But going alone was no fun. It was depressing. So was sitting home alone, so instead, he found a spot overlooking the carnival to watch other people have fun. From a distance, he could hear the music playing and the screams of delight from those who went on terrifying rides.

Jimin sat for hours smiling down at the hustle and bustle below. One day, he thought to himself, one day I'll find someone who will love me for me, messed up freak show that I am. I will be happy when that day comes, and I will never be lonely again. Just the idea of it brought a slight smile to his face. And then his stomach growled. Of course, at some point, he had to eat. He heaved a sigh and stood. It was still a fair way to walk home. A simple meal of instant noodles awaited him at home, and that was enough to keep him going. He'd only taken a few steps when the universe decided to show him how much it hated him. The rain began to fall, of course, it had. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk; he didn't have it in him to run.

-----

The bottom fell out of the sky just as the three couples got to the front of the Ferris wheel line.

"No!" Tae cried out in frustration. "Not fair!" They ran from the carnival to the waiting van.

"Ugh!" Jin shoved his soggy bangs out of his eyes. "My hair and clothes are a mess!"

"You always look amazing, baby!" Tae kissed Jin's wet forehead.

"Aw, how sweet!" Hobi squealed and threw his arms around Yoongi.

"I don't know about you guys, but all I want right now is a hot shower and dry clothes," Joon groaned.

"Same," JK and Yoongi echoed, making the other three burst out laughing.

The van sped down the road and splashed a lone figure walking down the road.

"Can you imagine being that loser?" JK cackled. "I'd hate to be someone like that."

"You don't ever have to worry about that baby," Joon pulled JK close. "I'll never let you be a loser like that."

"Exactly," Jin nodded. "None of us would ever let that happen. We have each other's back."

-----

Jimin was soaked to the bone when he dragged himself to the apartment complex and collapsed at the door. Walking in that storm was bad enough but getting splashed by passing cars made it even worse. He sat there shivering until he could catch his breath. He leaned against the brick wall, wondering if his bandmates had made it home before the rain got too bad. They couldn't afford to get sick. Especially now with a comeback right around the corner.

With a sigh, Jimin forced himself to stand and go in. He had to get dried up. His appetite was long gone, so he focused on getting showered and into some warm clothes. He'd sleep the whole weekend if he could. There were no official plans, so he didn't have to leave his apartment.

-----

"Has anyone seen the weather report? Is it supposed to rain?" JK asked at breakfast Saturday morning.

"No rain, but it will be windy, which is perfect for the kite festival." Jin grinned at the others.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Suga asked.

"Well," Jin continued. "The festival is being held in a little town about an hour away from Seoul. I have a friend who owns a hotel there, and he got me tickets to the festival and three rooms at his hotel for tonight, and we don't have to come back till tomorrow afternoon!"

"Everyone pack an overnight bag! We are going to the kite festival!" Joon cheered.

-----

In his apartment, Jimin lay in bed sweating and shivering at the same time. He'd had a raging fever since around midnight. His whole body ached, but he couldn't manage to get out of bed to get any medicine.

His chest ached from the coughing, and he whimpered weakly. This was it. This was how he was going to die. Alone and forgotten.

-----

The three couples enjoyed their overnight trip without a care in the world. Blissfully unaware of a small man curled up in bed, fighting off fever-fueled hallucinations. Moment by moment, he grew weaker to the point where he was unresponsive late Sunday afternoon.

-----

The tired couples walked into the dark and quiet house, leaving their shoes and overnight bags by the door.

"I'm starving," Jin moaned. "Let's get food delivered."

"Tae, go ask Chim what he wants," Joon told the younger.

"Hey Jimin," Tae knocked softly on the door at the end of the hall. There was no answer. "He must be napping." Tae slowly opened the door and turned on the lights."

A blood-curdling scream sent the other five running to the room. Jin knelt next to a sobbing Tae.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"G-gone," Tae sobbed, showing them the letter clutched in his hand. "Jimin left the house." he released the letter and clung to Jin.

"What?" Joon frowned and retrieved the letter.

November 3

My beloved bandmates,

By the time you read this, I'll be gone from the house. Don't worry; I'm not leaving Bangtan as a group unless you want me to. I want you to know I did not make this decision on a whim; I thought about it long and hard for several months. Now that you are all dating, I seem to be in the way or ignored. I haven't moved far from the house, and you are more than welcome to visit. Please don't feel pressured to do so if you don't want to. I'll understand. I still love you all and wish you nothing but the best in your relationships. I'll still see you around at practice and stuff if you choose to interact.

Respectfully,

Park Jimin

P.S. My address is __________ and the entry code is 2013

Tears ran down Joon's face. Guilt ate at them. They'd broken one of the most loving people on the planet.