Goodbyes hurt

Chapter 40

The duo walked in silence while Yoongi's fingers were busy typing away messages to Hoseok,a small smile lingering over his lips.Jimin was by him,hands neatly folded into his shirt and head bent against the night breeze that took rounds through the campus.Yoongi pocketed his phone and lazily kicked his feet against the gravel road.
"Hyung",Jimin started and Yoongi turned at him.

"Can I ask where Taehyung is?",Jimin asked out of the blue and Yoongi pressed his tongue against the hollow of his cheeks and Jimin caught the action and quickly cleared,"No,don't worry.I am not going to go look for him..I just..wanted to know",Jimin stopped and as an afterthought added,"I'll understand if you don't want to tell me cause everyone might think I wanna go back to Taehyung"

Truth to be told,Yoongi felt called out cause he was the 'everyone' Jimin mentioned but Jimin didn't actually mean him,he thought of no ill.Yoongi buried his hand deep into his pocket to brave against the chill riding on his back,"Taehyung is in Daegu".
Jimin wasn't expecting Yoongi to share anything about Taehyung,let alone his whereabouts,Yoongi wasn't finished,"He has applied for a course in Thailand,waiting for his scholarship procedures to pass"

Jimin did feel a sharp pang of guilt and couldn't help feel bad that he was the reason Taehyung was leaving and a small of a voice escaped him,"He shouldn't have to leave"

Yoongi didn't reply to that but Jimin seemed to be thinking a lot and soon his thoughts were out his mouth,"5 years I kept blaming him for everything.I loved him and didn't think I need to voice it out cause we always knew some way or another that it will always be us but then one day when he just left,I couldn't take it.I didn't understand anything,he left a message for Jisoo but not for me..I was hurt and thought if I hated him enough,I'd get over him fast but it didn't help.The moment I saw him again,I wanted him back..as a friend,as someone more or anything  in whatever ways I could have him.Last week my mother told me what really happened 5 years ago and why he had to leave-",Jimin stopped for a second as if trying to push past that incident but Yoongi was shocked.

Lips parted and eyes wide he tried to keep his eyes on Jimin,pressing away their respective floors on the elevator key pad.Yoongi wasn't aware that Jimin never knew it before.
"It was all me..I gave him pain for loving me..but,but he could have told me..before he chose to take that train ,he could have said something"

"What could you have done,Jimin? You were just 15 too",Yoongi said as they came to halt infront of the second floor and the doors opened with a ding.Jimin stepped out leaving Yoongi alone in the elevator for a floor up.
"I..I could have stopped him or..or I would have left with him to Daegu", Jimin had a disappointing smile,"Cause there was noone but him..I didn't know the world except him"

A beat of silence and the elevator door started closing and Yoongi held out a hand to hold the doors from closing.Jimin looked up at him and waited and Yoongi sighed heavily,"am sorry..I judged your pain"
But Jimin was quick to put his hands up and wave it away,"No,hyung..You obviously saw what he went through,it was only natural for you to take his side.And you are right.But don't worry...I am not going to look for him.I just want him happy and that's more than enough.I wanted to apologize to him for what happened, that's why I kept bothering you but knowing Tae,I know..I know that he would never hold it against me.He is a fool like that",Jimin let out a light laugh and stepped back,"Goodnight hyung,I won't ask you about him anymore" and then he was gone.

And days later, when final semester exams were over, Jimin was on the first KTX home,not to Ilsan to his mother but to Busan,he thought back to the whole conversation.Jimin couldn't quite put a finger on how his heart was right now,if it was at ease or was it hurting and he didn't dare venture on it.Let life take him where it want him.Jisoo had suggested him that he wait for one more day so Jisoo could finish her exams and both of them could go home together but Jimin needed this.He would argue he needs time on his own but that was all he ever had for the whole month,before he knew it days had all tumbled down by his feet.Jisoo,instead,made him promise to show up at her sister's wedding for the coming weekend.Jimin half-heartedly agreed to it ,thinking he could bail later.

Days back at Busan weren't very liberating,the day he reached home he spend the whole day cleaning up.His childhood home was a mess and suddenly the thoughts of what had happened there didn't help him spend more time there and the next morning he found himself packing up again and heading to Jisoo's home.He cursed the fate that he had thought of not attending the wedding and now he was right where Jisoo wanted him.Jisoo had gotten home and she was in ecstasy since her family met Namjoon and had decided he is the best thing to ever happen to her.Everything was fine with the world,everything except for Jimin's world.He was barely carrying himself and he was just blanking out for the rehearsal dinner.

"Hey",Namjoon said as he sat near Jimin and nudged a little to bring him back.Jimin straightened up and whined almost immediately,"Can I go to bed yet?"
"Sadly,not yet.The guests are only arriving",Namjoon checked his watch for good measure and then he adjusted himself to completely face Jimin,"You don't have to be sulky,it's a beautiful evening"
Jimin visibly scoffed and replied,"The problem with people in love is that they think even the gutter is some heaven"

"True,cause it's not the place that makes the heaven,it's the people",Namjoon countered and it didn't help Jimin's case at all.

"Go take a walk by the beach then,everyone's headed back after sunset.It's empty",Namjoon pointed.
"Ways to add to my melancholy",Jimin threw his head back.Namjoon had already gotten up and pulled Jimin up along.
"I'll get us some drinks,you go ahead",He pushed and Jimin had no other way around this and thought maybe it'd help him a bit to hear about Namjoon's take on quantum theory or something.He kicked his feet against the sand and walked down the slope.Namjoon was right,the beach was empty now and only the lapping of waves against the shore clouded over the distant music from the wedding hall.Jimin's hair danced off his forehead and he sighed before taking a turn to sit on a bench nearby.But someone was already standing by it and he contemplated whether to have more humans around him,it wasn't his favourite thing but he was tired.Maybe if he doesn't acknowledge,it'd all go smooth but then he knew this person.The silhouette was too familiar.He could pick them out in any crowd.

"Taehyung-?",He tried.

A/n:Oh god!! It's coming to an end..This journey was so wonderful.3 more to go..love you all loads for giving me this chance.