Jimin Protectors ' Book 1 '

Chapter 73 '✅'

Namjoon's POV:

I stared at him lying motionless in the cold hospital bed, his face pale as death itself. My chest felt crushed under the weight of guilt. How could I have been so blind? All those times he pulled away from me, all those moments when his smile didn't reach his eyes - I let them slip by like sand through my fingers. Now he was paying the price for my failure.

His fragile body told a horrifying story. Healed scars criss crossed his skin like a map of pain, some looking ancient, carved deep into his flesh years ago. I had seen them before - God, I had seen them - but when he laughed off my concerns, claiming they were accidents or marks left by his cruel parents, I believed him. I wanted to believe him. I never imagined he was the author of his own destruction. Fresh wounds, still raw and angry, screamed the truth I had refused to see. He had been drowning in silence, and I never had the braveness to open my eyes to see the truth .

His eyelids began to flutter, like butterfly wings fighting against the darkness.

Namjoon: "Jinni, can you hear me?" My voice cracked as I reached out, my trembling fingers threading through his hair with desperate tenderness. His eyes slowly opened, unfocused and afraid.

Jin: "Where am I? What happened?" Panic seized him instantly. He bolted upright like a man escaping a nightmare, his hands flying to his bandaged wrists, trying to hide the evidence of his doing .. he didn't slip in .. he is fully conscious ..

Namjoon: "Calm down, hyung. You're in the hospital. Don't worry, I'm here with you." My voice was steady, but my heart was breaking. Even now, even here, he couldn't look at me. After all these years of brotherhood, he still couldn't trust me with his darkest moments.. He didn't share this with me .. I thought i'm his safe place .. I believed that he knew I would never hurt him .. but he didn't .. he didn't trust me ..

Jin: "You... How did you... I was alone... And..." His hands shook as he pushed mine away from his face, words failing him like everything else had failed him.

Namjoon: "You don't need to hide from me, hyung.. It's me hyung .. remember !! Namjoon .. the one who you used to stand by your side .. I used to check on you guys in the middle of the night. Thank God I did. You didn't mean to be here, hyung. I know it just got out of your control." I leaned forward, desperate to bridge the gap between us.. If he can't trust me .. I will help him to ..

He stared at me with wide, wounded eyes, then roughly shoved my hand away.

Jin: "Aren't you angry with what you found out? I'm completely broken. I did something that could hurt all of you. Why are you still so gentle with me? You should hate me for doing this. I'm a cursed human being. I don't deserve you guys. " His voice shattered like glass, and tears poured down his cheeks like a dam had burst. His whole body convulsed with sobs that seemed to tear him apart from the inside.

I moved closer, my own eyes burning with unshed tears, feeling the crushing weight of his agony.

Namjoon: "Who said I'm not angry, hyung? I am, but not because of you. I'm angry at myself for not being there for you, for failing to create an environment where you felt safe to share your pain. And you just said hating you !! Never. You're the one who built this family, despite everything you were going through. Whatever you may think, you saved us from the hell we were in, hyung. Yes, you made mistakes, but who among us hasn't? Even our little kid, Jimin, makes mistakes. Are you okay with punishing him the way you're punishing yourself? No right, so what makes you feel that he can be forgiven but you are not?"

He looked up at me through his tears, his face twisted with anguish.

Jin: "I would never want Jimin to suffer like this. I just... he already had enough but me."

Namjoon: "Like you hadn't !! huh??"

Jin: "But..." The door burst open, cutting off his words.

J-hope: "How are you now hyung?" Jin's eyes went wide with terror as he saw J-hope standing in the doorway.

Jin: "Did you bring them here Namjoon??? What about Jimin, did he see me?" Pure panic consumed him. His breathing became rapid and shallow as I grabbed his hand, trying to anchor him to reality.

Namjoon: "No no I swear it's just Hobi, No one else, I couldn't bring you here alone, no one knows anything believe me." My voice was urgent, desperate to calm the storm raging inside him.

J-hope: "Nothing to worry about hyung, but the others need to know it's already morning and they're about to wake up."

Jin: "No please don't tell them, I promise I'm not doing this again but they shouldn't know about this." His voice was raw with desperation.

Namjoon: "What about Yoongi, you know how he would feel if we didn't tell him." Jin's head dropped in defeat.

Jin: "Okay but not the Maknae , they already had enough, they shouldn't see me as this broken."

I pulled him into my arms, holding him like he might disappear if I let go.

Namjoon: "You didn't do anything, hyung. And you are not broken, you just need us to share your pain. We're a family, and we'll always be there for each other, no matter what. So, let's focus on your recovery and finding healthier ways to cope. We'll walk this journey together, and I promise you, brighter days are ahead. And about the Maknae line don't worry, they don't need to know."

**

Author's POV:Jimin's room...

Yoongi: "Wake up, little one. You need to take your medicine. Your fever is starting to rise again." His voice was soft but worried as he gently shook the small figure buried under blankets.

Jimin: "Appa, let me sleep. My head is hurting so much." His voice was weak, muffled by the pillow.

The door creaked open, and IU appeared, her face drained of all color, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

Yoongi: "What's wrong, babe?" Alarm bells went off in his head at her expression. She frantically gestured for him to come out, her hands shaking.

He followed her with heavy, worried steps, dread filling his stomach.

Yoongi: "What happened? Why didn't you speak in front of Jimin?" She grabbed his hand with trembling fingers and pulled him down the hallway toward Jin's room.

Yoongi: "What the fuck? Where is hyung?" The words exploded from his lips as he stared in horror at the blood splattered across the floor like a crime scene. His whole body went rigid with shock.

IU: "He's not answering his phone. I keep calling him, but there's no response." Her voice was tight with panic.

Yoongi's legs carried him in a desperate sprint to Namjoon's room, but it was empty, cold, and abandoned.

With shaking hands, he dialed Namjoon's number.

Namjoon: "Good morning, hyung."

Yoongi: "Where are you? Jin hyung isn't picking up his phone, and his room is filled with bloodstains." His voice was sharp with fear and anger.

Namjoon: "Shit... I forgot about that."

Yoongi: "What are you talking about? Just tell me he's fine, please." The desperation in his voice was raw, unfiltered.

Namjoon: "He is, hyung, but please try to clean it up. Don't let the maknae see it. We're at the hospital, and we'll be back this evening. J-Hope is with us."

Yoongi: "What happened to him? Tell me." His voice cracked with emotion.

Namjoon: "I will, hyung, but not now, please." The line went dead, leaving Yoongi staring at his phone in stunned confusion. Just yesterday, Jin was right there beside him. How could everything have fallen apart so quickly?

IU: "What did he say?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Yoongi: "I don't know, but we need to clean this up now. He said Jin is fine, and they'll come tonight. Go check on Jimin, and don't tell him anything. I'll clean up here." His voice was hollow as he stared at the bloodstains that told a story he wasn't ready to hear.