Heartless || •OG• ✔️

Chapter 38 - Jimin

"But daddy, I don't want to go to the park today."

Jimin chuckled and knelt on the tiled floor, placing both his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Aria, baby, I don't really want to either, but we need to get our exercise in. We haven't been out in days and you know daddy loves to spoil you with more food than you can eat."

She gave him a pout. Ah, she really was his child. He snickered as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I want a nap."

"How about this, honey. Nap now, park after?" She beamed at that, and with the new terms written out in bold, Jimin picked her up. The girl squealed from the sudden height. She adored getting picked up and twirled around, and Jimin would never get tired of holding her in his arms.

They were in their tiny kitchen that was connected to their living room, the place a bit dirty after they made brownies together. The pale fridge had a smear of fudge on it, and the magnet holding up the earliest picture of Aria he owned was crooked from where she bumped into it.

Jimin raced away from the wooden counter with a cream-colored top, ignoring the pan of brownies that was half-eaten, tin foil covering what was left. Instead, he gave her an eye smile. The same eye smile she had. As soon as it came out, he went faster and made race car noises, the wooden floor bouncing under his bare feet.

"And the Seong's race to the finish line," he said, adding a bit of a whine on his voice to make it more dramatic. "They're almost there, they're about to win first place!" He zipped down the narrow hall that led to their two bedrooms, laundry room, and the bathroom. Aria buried her head against his chest as she laughed, him kissing the top of her head. "Come on, baby girl. We're almost there."

She encouraged him the rest of the way, and he triumphantly stormed into her room, the posters of all her favorite princesses hung up around the magenta walls. Jimin placed her on her princess bed and bounced his feet on the thick carpets. As soon as he tucked her in, he knelt and placed his arms on the bed, his head resting on them.

"Story?" she asked, her baby hands bringing the covers up to her chest.

The girl grinned, and he couldn't help but return it. "Oh no, get to bed, kiddo. I'll tell you stories at the park." He reached over to her nightstand, about to flick off her lamp when she gave him another pout. At that, he shifted back to her.

"Voice?" the young girl said.

"You mean sing?" She nodded, and his heart melted at that. "Okay, I'll sing, but bedtime right after." Aria was quick to agree, and he took her Dumbo plush from off her nightstand, handing it to her. She snatched it and cuddled with it. Dumbo had been her favorite movie for all 4 years of her life thus far. They watched it together every weekend, and she'd sing along to every song. So, he stroked her dark curls and cleared his throat.

"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes," he sang, Aria shutting her eyes. Her face pressed against the plush, her chubby cheeks puffing up from the action. "Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine. Little one, when you play, don't you mind what they say, let your eyes sparkle and shine."

Her body was relaxing more into the covers, signaling she was giving in to her exhaustion. Jimin came a bit closer, dropping his voice much lower. "From your head to your toes, you're not much, heaven knows, but you're so precious to me." He almost teared up, stroking her hair one last time. "Sweet as can be, baby of mine. Oh, baby of mine."

The girl was asleep, her fingers limp and her chest rising and falling at a steady pace. Although Jimin hated the idea of taking his eyes off of her, he was exhausted too. He had worked a long shift, and he still had to take Aria to the park so she could get much needed fresh air. So, he kissed her forehead and turned off the lamp.

Jimin crept over to the door and was careful not to allow the floor to creak. It didn't, the furry carpet welcoming his toes as he went. The door hinges were old, but luck was on his side that day. They didn't make a peep as he moved it. Before he went, he looked at the peaceful form of his baby girl. Jimin grinned.

"Goodnight, kiddo. Sleep well."

~~~

"Jimin?"

Jimin turned and saw June waiting for him. The Dumbo plush was in Jimin's hands before he could process what was happening. After realizing he faded off into his memories, Jimin cleared his throat and showed June the plush.

"Sorry, but I need to get this too. Don't ask." June didn't, and he took the plush from him, same with the comics. Much to Jimin's surprise, he paid for the items with cash, throwing them all in a large bag and tying it to Jimin's wrist. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. One look and I know what this is about," June replied, pulling him out of the store. Then, he stiffened, gazing at Jimin. "I know you don't want to talk about it, let alone with me."

"Obviously, so-"

"But if you ever wanted to, it could be nice to have a new face to talk to. Someone who won't understand, but at least listen."

Jimin rubbed the bag, tracing his fingers across the Dumbo plush. "You'd listen?"

"About anything, even about you getting broccoli in your teeth or some dumb shit like that. I don't want to be on bad terms with you anymore. Not now. I know who you are, and there's no one I admire more."

"Other than Ivan," Jimin said, June chuckling.

"Okay, other than Ivan. But my point stands. I'd listen to you whenever you want me to, and I'm sorry about this mess. Theo, Asa, and Charlotte may have done it, but I didn't help. I'm so sorry."

Jimin's lips crept up in a smile. "You, Mr. Byun, continue to surprise me."

"I hope in a good way, Mr. Seong. Can you accept my apology?"

"Sure thing, just leave Charlotte alone," Jimin said, June snorting.

"You're in love."

"Fuck off."

And with that, they continued their journey through the mall. The rest of it passed like a blur. There was nothing eventful, no sights that were out of the ordinary for a mall. The fact that there was nothing suspicious was suspicious to Jimin. He marked it down as paranoia and kept moving.

The mall stretched out for hundreds of feet, and they came out the other side closer to the hotel than they were before. Jimin forgot the name of the hotel already, but June seemed to know where they were going. To be honest, June seemed to know everything. Except how to be a nice person, of course.

Stale air hit his face, his tongue picking up a taste of lobster. He turned and saw a restaurant, him observing the man out front cutting up bits of various seafood. Jimin had never been a huge seafood fan. He preferred meat such as ground beef and pork. Occasionally duck too.

"Come on, we're almost at the rendezvous point," June said. That they were. They chose to meet up in an old warehouse that wasn't far from the hotel. It was only a few minutes away from their position outside. Although it wasn't too crowded, Jimin still rubbed his arms, feeling like they were being watched. June sensed it too seeing as he increased their pace.

Every few steps, they investigated the area around them. Yet there was nothing. By the time they reached the warehouse that had walls taller than any warehouse Jimin had seen, the feeling had vanished. It still didn't sit right with him. There was nothing they could do about it now, so they waited outside, pressing their backs against the stone walls.

Streetlights went up and down the roads. There were cars, but not many. Not an overwhelming amount. Luckily for June, there weren't many people either. They had to wait for the others, make sure they weren't walking into a trap. Based on the way Jimin was uncomfortable, he figured they already walked into one. But where was the trap?

Sidewalks stretched out in front of him, the roads and concrete smooth, void of any damage. Clouds were cloaking the sky now, the moonlight going dim. It brought a stream of cool air to his figure. He shivered from the sensation. However, all that changed when he heard footsteps. Fast ones. Then, a shout.

"Jimin! June!" Charlotte's voice shouted. They both swiveled and saw Charlotte sprinting toward them, Ariel and Ivan behind her. They were holding hands, Ariel helping Ivan move. "We have incoming. Someone's following us."

"Are they shooting at you?" Jimin asked, Charlotte stopping in front of them and catching her breath. After, she shook her head. "Then you protect Ivan and Ariel. June, sweep the area and look for any sign of us getting flanked. Where are they?" Charlotte pointed, Jimin peeking at his pistol and scoffing, tucking it out of reach.

"Jimin, what are you doing?"

"You said they're not shooting at you. Looks like even the mafia wants a discrete kill. If they wanted to shoot you, they would've done it by now. You have a kid and a blind guy, it's not like you're moving fast. That means they're fighting with either knives, other tools, or their hands." Jimin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, getting into a fighting stance as he watched the endless sidewalk. "June, go. Charlotte, stay behind me and protect them. Don't get involved unless you have to."

June came over, grabbing Jimin by the shoulder. "Jimin, you can't be serious-"

"Go on. I only need a minute."

Although he waited a beat longer, June gave in and went to investigate. One second passed. There was a hotel at the end of the sidewalk. That was where Charlotte, Ivan, and Ariel came from. Two seconds. Three. Then...

A group of men came out of the shadows, around 5 of them total. He set his feet and observed them. No guns. There were knives, but Jimin smirked at the thought of a knife fight. His wish came true when they charged. There was over a dozen feet in between them, so he had time to react.

And then the fight broke out.

The first man ran at Jimin with his arm outstretched. In a blink, Jimin disarmed him by snapping his elbow and taking the knife. The blade sunk into the stranger's throat, killing him. Two of them jumped at him at once. He paid it no mind. With a side step, Jimin was able to slash through the knee of the one on the left, ducking and rolling to avoid the one on the right.

Jimin backed up to gain some space. Inhale. Exhale. Ariel needed him. That was enough to have him doing a bold move he didn't expect from himself. Jimin threw the knife into the chest of the left one, and he fell to the ground. The others charged from that action. The closest one got a knee to the balls, Jimin taking the knife and jabbing it through the eye of the next.

The last one scratched him on the cheek with his knife, leaving a gash there that bled down his face. The man spat in Jimin's face to temporarily disorient him. A gasp left his lips at the sudden intrusion, Jimin barely dodging the next strike. The knife flew toward him, but he caught it and disarmed him, the blade clattering to the ground.

Jimin choked him and was about to snap his neck when the man flailed his hands around Jimin's face. That resulted in Jimin chomping down on the fingers covering his mouth. Two fingers got bit off from the effort. Jimin returned the man's rude gesture by spitting his fingers out and onto his face. In his distraction, Jimin snapped his neck.

He blew air out of his face and turned around to face the others. Ivan was confused, but that was as expected. He had his head hung, Jimin frowning at that. If there was a way to comfort him, Jimin wished he could find what it was.

"'I don't know if I can protect you' my ass!" Ariel shouted.

"Language!" Jimin shouted back.

However, Jimin forgot something. He had been benched and out of practice so much that he forgot he didn't kill one of them, he only kneed him in the balls. And that was what caused Charlotte to shout. Before Jimin could turn around, he felt sharp pain hit the back of his head. Like he had been punched. The only problem was that as soon as the blow came, he fell to the ground.

Then everything went black.

~~~

Blood was the first thing he smelled.

His vision blurred as he took in his surroundings. There was a bright light above him. It was in a rectangular shape, planted inside the ceiling with a gray frame surrounding it. The rest of the ceiling was pale, speckles of black dots littering the space. The walls were similar, except no dots.

A groan passed his chapped lips, and feeling came back to his body. There was a softness beneath him. A mattress. There was also a hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. When he gained the strength to turn, he saw Charlotte there, sitting next to his bed.

"Hey princess," he mumbled, wincing from the pain in his head.

"Hey. We took you to the hospital and said we got jumped. They believed us and treated you for a concussion. Nothing serious."

"No biggie, just gonna deal with migraines and dizziness for lord knows how long. They say what grade concussion it is? If it was hard enough to knock me out, I can't imagine it's pretty."

"Grade 2, you're lucky it wasn't grade 3. Now come on, we need to get moving."

"Am I cleared to leave?"

"Who cares?" she asked, and he couldn't disagree. A hospital gown was on his body, him hooked up to various cords. There was a gradual beep that had him halting as he sat up. A heartbeat monitor.

The room had tiled floors, and only he was in the bed. There was an old TV hung up in the right corner of the room, curtains pulled back from the windows to allow natural light in. Not that there was much. The wooden window frames were dusty like the walls and double doors, a little fern in a pot set up on the windowsill.

Next to him was where all the equipment was. An IV, the heartbeat monitor on a metal rod that acted as a stand. There was a lime line jumping up and down with each beep. It increased when Jimin stared at it, the cream-colored plating outlining the device taunting him. There was a laugh. Aria's laugh. It came back as it always did, and Jimin had to force himself to focus.

"Jimin, I'm sorry, but we need to go. I have your clothes here," she said, placing a bag on the edge of the bed. Jimin took off the covers, staring down at the gown. Even in a gown, he looked frail. "We found the others and they're waiting for your status, I volunteered to stay. Wasn't really volunteering though, I wanted to be here. I've missed you, it feels like we haven't seen each other much recently."

He chuckled, untying the back of the gown before taking out his clothes. He slipped on everything except his shirt since he had cords attached to his chest. "I missed you too, Char. We'll have time to talk when we kill these assholes." Charlotte agreed, Jimin standing with his shoes squishing against the ground. Next was his shirt, him throwing the IV out of him before taking the cords off.

'Beep!'

Flatline. Jimin froze, Charlotte freezing with him. His hands were paused mid-air, the shirt in his grasp flailing back in forth as if there was wind inside the room. The beep kept coming. It was a shattering sound that swam through his veins, soaking his heart with grief.

"Jimin," she said, her tone a warning. It brought him back to reality, and he threw his shirt on. It hugged his skin, yet he still felt cold. Charlotte took the bag, but Jimin noticed the comics he bought were inside. So was the Dumbo plush.

Another freeze came. Charlotte glanced up at him, his breathing teetering between a pant and a hitch. Flatline. Beeping. It all hit his ears. The noise was so loud, he pondered if he could taste it. The vibrations sent down his body had him quivering, his hands curling themselves into fists. Charlotte shot him a glare that told him to come back to reality, but he couldn't. All he saw was her face. His baby girl, Aria. And all he heard was the flatline. He was transported back to that moment. That was when he made his decision.

He turned around and punched the machine.

It got thrown to the ground, Charlotte shouting something from her side of the bed. Jimin ignored her and went to the ground with the monitor, punching it over and over again until it faded to dust in his grip. Carmine liquid dripped down his skin until bits of metal were jutting out from the insides of his knuckles.

One punch. He saw Aria's face, her skin falling off her body from the flames she endured. Two punches. His scars made themselves known to him, each one having a distinct feel on his body. Three punches. A battle cry almost ripped itself from his body. Four punches. His hand was surely broken from the beating, but he kept going. Five punches-

Charlotte grabbed him from the back, and he attempted to push her off to no avail. The machine was annihilated by Jimin's wrath, no noises coming from it. Regardless, he still heard the flatline. The ding that haunted his dreams. It mocked him, reminded him of how he failed. As much as he craved to keep punching it, Charlotte dragged him off.

"Fuck you!" he screamed at it, his veins popping on his neck, spit soaring out of his open mouth. Tears clogged his senses until his vision blurred, his nose running, his tongue filling with a salty flavor that made him wish to vomit.

Charlotte pulled him back into her arms, and he collapsed into her hold. Sobs echoed around their walls. She rubbed his back and let him cry, Jimin sinking his head to her chest and cradling up against her. His whimpers and whines were the only sounds for a few moments. Then, Jimin shut his eyes and dug his nails into her back.

"Fuck you," he whispered, his voice hoarse. As he cried into her chest, she stroked his hair and listened. There was never a moment where she interrupted him. They had to leave, but she didn't let that stop his breakdown. "What do I do? What the fuck do I do?" He felt Charlotte take a shaky breath, her body trembling. That was when he felt moisture on the top of his head.

"I don't know."