Magnificent Vexation || Winrina

fourteen

Jimin thought Minjeong's curiosity would end just until that breakfast they had in the morning, but it kept continuing until it was almost noon.

"Have you been in a relationship?", Minjeong asked as she took her seat on the couch, gazing curiously at Jimin, who just came out from her bedroom after taking a shower.

"W-What?", the question took Jimin by surprise.

"Relationship. Have you been in one?", the younger woman asked again with her little smile. Eyes never leaving Jimin.

"N-No...", Jimin sneered awkwardly before she headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. Still, Minjeong keeps looking at her.

"Oh, really? That's impossible", the younger woman said, and her statement got the best interest from Jimin. "And why is that?", Jimin asked back.

"Well, look at you. I know we weren't that close back in high school, but I knew you. You are beautiful, kind, smart, and know to do lots of things. It is impossible for you not to be in any relationship", the words that keep coming from Minjeong's mouth are too much for Jimin to hear.

Sure, hearing that, her heart flutters. Who won't when your crush says that to you? "I-I...", Jimin stammered with her words. "I am not- beautiful, kind, a-and... smart!", Jimin denies before she gulps another round of plain water.

"And I like someone!", Jimin continued before Minjeong could ask even further.

Uh-uh. Wrong move, Yu Jimin.

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fourteen:
digging deeper

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"You like someone?", Minjeong jolted up from the couch with a sudden low voice, and Jimin couldn't help but realize the sudden change in Minjeong's mood.

"Minjeong?", Jimin asked as she saw how the younger woman frowns. Jimin put down the glass into the sink before she walked towards the younger woman in concern.

Both hands on Minjeong's shoulder as Jimin squeezes them gently. Eyes try to look into Minjeong's, "Did I say something wrong?", Jimin asked worriedly, but the younger woman shook her head quietly.

"It's nothing", Minjeong swatted Jimin's hand away from her shoulder before she sat on the couch again. Jimin follows right after her, sitting just right beside the younger woman.

"Minj-"

"I'm going to sleep", Minjeong cut her words as the younger woman immediately got up and walked towards their shared bedroom quietly. Watching her like that, Jimin's heart aches.

After thirty minutes, they felt like an hour to Jimin, a loud scream came from their bedroom startling Jimin to death. Worried, Jimin immediately got up and rushed towards the bedroom.

There is Minjeong, on the bed, in horror, and a crying mess.

"Minjeong. Hey", Jimin sits right next to the younger woman as she cups both of the woman's ears with her hands.

"What you saw in your dreams are all from the past. You are free now, safe, with me", Jimin tried to assure her again with her soft voice and warm gaze.

Even tho Minjeong could slowly cope with her life now after her terrifying experiences, her nightmare never left her. Even when Minjeong tried to smile after every dream, she couldn't help but wake up in horror, still feeling the beatings and the rape vividly in real-time.

"Minjeong", Jimin called her again when the younger woman kept crying. "Look at me".

Minjeong slowly lifted her head up, looking at the older woman with her mouth wavering and her eyes. "I promised to take care of you, remember?", Jimin nods her head, and Minjeong nods back slowly, desperate to assure her own self.

"As long as I'm here, no one will hurt you like that, okay?", Jimin pulled the younger woman into a hug, caressing the back of Minjeong's head gently between her hush.

Minjeong cries and slowly calms down.

She doesn't deserve this. No one deserves this. Feeling hurt, feeling terrified, feeling haunted through your life. No one deserves the hell Minjeong has gone through.

And Jimin promised that she would give the normal life Minjeong used to have again.

****

SM Entertainment.

Publishing Team.

The phone on the main clerk rang, and a woman picked up the phone like she usually did.

"Hello. SM Entertainment Publishing Team. May I help you?", the woman asked.

"Hi! I got a package for Kim Taeyeon from the Promotion Team. I'm in front of the building right now", the man on the phone said before the woman immediately went through some pages on her desk.

"I'll connect you to her team. Please wait for a minute, sir", she said as she hung up the phone call, waiting for the line to be connected to the other team.

After a few beep sounds and music, the line got connected again. "Hi. This is SM Entertainment Promotion Team. May I help you, sir?", another woman's voice said on the line before the man answered again.

"Hi. I got a package for Kim Taeyeon from the Promotion Team. I'm in front of the building right now. Could you tell her to come down and take it?", the man asked before the woman on the line answered almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, sir. But Miss Kim Taeyeon wasn't at work for the time being. She's been working from home, sir", the woman answered before she could hear the man on line somehow clicking his tongue.

"Where is she? She didn't answer my phone call either?", he asked again.

"She told us that she's staying at one of the NIS safe houses for the time being. That's all we knew. Anything we can help you, sir?", the woman on the line asked before the man happily denied her.

"It's okay. I'll try to contact her number again. Thank you", the man said before he dropped the phone call.

In front of the building, the man flashed his happy smug before he pulled his cap even lower to cover his face. A box that contained nothing except air inside it was held tightly in his arm.

A chuckle was then heard.

"NIS, huh? Interesting", he sneered before walking away in silence.