Stand by Me

Chapter 15

~The previous night~

Jimin fidgeted with his pocket knife, twisting it in his fingers anxiously as he stood with his back pressed against one of the concrete pillars in the parking garage of Hoseok's apartment. He leaned out just a hair, tilting his head and cursing mentally when he saw Hoseok's motorcycle was still there. He'd been waiting over an hour for him to leave.

He took a deep breath, leaning his head back against the cool concrete. Should I really wait him out? What if he doesn't leave all night? Jimin sighed softly, frowning as he closed his eyes and tried to gather his courage. His heart hammered against his chest as he fought the urge to simply run.

He flinched, pressing his back harder to the concrete pillar as he heard a motorcycle suddenly roar to life. He could hear footsteps approaching, progressively getting closer to him. Jimin held his breath, eyes wide with fear as he didn't dare move or glance around the pillar to see who it was. He could only hope it was Hoseok leaving for the night.

When he heard the motorcycle revving, he dared a glance. He peered around the pillar, catching sight of Hoseok speeding out of the parking. He watched him fade from view as he left the parking garage and thankfully didn't look back.

Jimin glanced around nervously, double checking his surroundings before putting his head down and walking to the elevator. He was trying to seem as normal as possible since the apartment complex had security cameras practically everywhere. He buzzed the elevator, pulling his bucket hat down a little to cover his eyes as he waited for the elevator.

When the silver doors finally slid open, Jimin stepped inside and pressed the seventh floor button. His foot tapped anxiously against the wood flooring as he leaned against the wall. He bit at his fingernails, head lowered to conceal his anxious appearance from the elevator's security camera.

Jimin watched the elevator slowly climb, seemingly taking a million years to reach the seventh floor. He practically ran out the doors when they finally opened on the seventh floor. He pulled the little gold key from his pocket, flipping it over to see the apartment number written on it; 748. He found the nearest plaque and turned to the left, following it's directions until he found Hoseok's apartment. He hadn't visited Hoseok's apartment before. Hoseok had only purchased it about five months ago and hadn't invited him to come see it.

Jimin slid the key into the lock, smirking when the door chimed and opened for him. He dropped the key in his pocket and closed the door, locking it behind himself. He took in the smell of booze and high end cologne that tainted the air. He glanced around, noticing the entire place was decorated in a minimalist mature fashion, something very different from Hoseok's personality. He wondered if Hoseok had even bothered making it feel like a home, there weren't pictures of his family around or friends. No personality or color. The apartment looked barely lived in, almost like it was a fake and simply a showroom of what someone could get if they moved into these apartments.

He shook his head, pushing away his thoughts and wandering deeper into the apartment in search of Hoseok's bedroom. A minute later he finally found the back bedroom that was obviously Hoseok's. The exercise equipment and the stench of cigarettes gave it away along with the messy appearance. Jimin wrinkled his nose in disgust as he carefully stepped over random clothes left strewn across the floor. He couldn't imagine spending the night with Hoseok if he was this disorganized. Taehyung was a neat freak, so clearly Hoseok must've never brought him into his bedroom at the apartment.

Jimin went to Hoseok's desk first and checked his laptop, but it was locked. He knew he didn't have time to guess a passcode, so he left it and moved onto his drawers. He searched through them carefully, trying not to move anything too much. The last thing he wanted was Hoseok finding out he was here.