• Children of Winter• || NamMin

8. Nunpyobeom duty and Horanghi jealousy

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried that in the time apart, something would have happened to you."

"Namjoon took good care of me," Jimin assures with a shy smile. "It's impossible for me to have arrived here with the slightest damage or problem."

"I see..."

Jin peeks outside, finding Namjoon yawning and climbing a tree to doze off. They've just arrived, not entirely unusual in his lazy behavior. He turns his attention back to his younger brother, pretending he hasn't been trying to detect the slightest trace of scent on him that would betray closeness to the tiger. Try as he might to find it, nothing comes up. It's just Jimin in his usual unbearably hormonal self.

Yoongi and Hoseok stay in the next room to listen to the conversation. Jin and Taehyung have kept secret what will happen now that they are in "truce" with the Bulgeun Yeou. Indifferent to how hard Yoongi has tried to get the information out of his Alpha, it's impossible. Quiet and sealed like a coffin.

Jin for his part has insisted that he must talk to Jimin. An extremely strange thing. He had never been so anxious. In his favor, it must be said that there have never been serious problems with Jimin. Just a couple of kidnapping and assassination attempts, but as far as they go, they are fairly light and easy to handle.

The rest of the time, locked in his room, there was no reason to worry about him.

What had changed? Other than having spent almost four months with an unknown Alpha.

"Were there any problems?"

"Not a single one. I expected there would be, but peace was all we got," Jimin commented with a smile. "I spent it reading and writing. The usual."

"I see..." murmurs Jin and Jimin is still waiting for what he should know. His brother spoke to him with such haste in receiving him that it must be a tragedy to say the least. Jin is very nervous and even pale. "Have you eaten today?"

"No. We didn't have time. Namjoon didn't want to take too long to get here for fear of sleeping out in the open in this area." replies Jimin.

Jin raises an eyebrow and looks outside again, finding Namjoon watching him intently and repulsively. Hostile attention can be perceived. The tiger waits for any sign, however small, of an attack on Jimin to come to his defense if necessary.

He has kept away from him to avoid problems with his family. That Jin is watching him so much bothers him. Is he looking for an excuse? Any clue? There is nothing. Since before he left alone, he took good care of Jimin. His attitude is not different from usual. Sexual contact or not, he is the prince.

"I'll have them bring you in for dinner and after that, we'll talk."

"Understood." he replies quizzically. Jin gets up and leaves the room in a hurry, running away from the conversation. Jimin looks outside, Namjoon returns to his supposed nap on the tree branch.

. . .

"So how did it go?"

Jimin is left with food on his cheek by Hoseok's question. It's common for him to come join him for lunch, just like Yoongi leaving with Chaewon for not wanting to get too bored in here. He chews a couple of times, swallows and shrugs.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." he replies without looking him in the face and the Alpha smiles with mischievous dejeuner. "The one big difference, I didn't have to change out of my pajamas the whole time. It was a lovely, comfortable clothing experience."

"Yeah, I guess it was a lot of days of being naked" Jimin chokes on his food and reddens suddenly. Being most obvious in his pale face framed by pale hair, except for those two black locks falling on either side of his face. "Don't treat me for a fool. I'm not Jin. I know perfectly well you're different." hums Hoseok complacently.