65 ROSES🥀

5

Days passed and yunmi was done with her exam. She wanted to be on the top. She wanted to know about her mother. This time, she will do that no matter what. Jimin wouldn't break the promise, would he?

"Just cancel the whole goddamn event." Jimin burst into the house while speaking through his airpods.

"Yes, you heard it right." He said after a small pause, maybe the person on the other side was speaking. "It's not about the money, it's more about our reputation."

"Did yunmi take her medicines?" Jimin asked the househelp who occasionally babysitted her when needed.

"Yes sir, but she refused to sleep." The middle aged woman informed.

"Fine. You can leave." Jimin said. Maybe she was waiting for the storytime?

"I said I'll talk to the client!" He raised his voice startling the househelp.

"Sir..?"

Jimin simply signaled her that he was talking to someone and she could leave.
The househelp quietly left after closing the door.

"Just cancel the event. Yeah."

Jimin made his way to yunmi's bedroom once he was done talking.
He opened the door to see yunmi standing in the middle of the room with a huge grin plastered on her face and hihi sitting beside her. It looked like he was almost smiling too.

Jimin rubbed his face in exhaustion. Today was not only physically, but mentally exhausting and he just wanted to forget about all of that and plop on his bed.

"Why haven't you slept yet?" He asked while leaning on her door frame. Yunmi only smiled more before walking forward and standing right before him. She pulled out her hands from the back and held something out before him.

Jimin frowned a bit before taking it only to realise it was her report card. He checked the card and glanced at yunmi before pulling a proud smile.

"First in class." He wiggled his eyebrows, although even that felt like an exercise.

"Not just one, I beat Jackson with two percent!" She bragged excitedly. Of course she'd be excited. Today was the day when she would come to know about her mother's story. She topped the class and as promised, her father would tell her and she couldn't wait. It made her excited and happy altogether.

"I knew you'd do it." He squatted before her. "Congratulations, baby." Jimin said while pulling her cheeks before ruffling her hair.

"Thank you, daddy!" Yunmi exclaimed

"Daddy had a very long day. I will take a shower. Okay?" Jimin smiled before getting up.

"Alright. Come back quickly. I'm waiting." She nodded as the smile never left her face. Jimin stopped on his way before turning back to face his daughter.

"Waiting? Why?" He frowned.

"Because I'm first in the class." She said stating the obvious.

"And I congratulated you on that?" He said but it was more like he was questioning. Was he missing something?

"That's fine, but what about mommy's story?" Her face slowly morphed into a disappointed one because how could he forget about that? She has studied so hard to achieve this just to know about her mother.

Jimin on the other hand froze on his spot. Right, he thought she'd forget about it but obviously she didn't, his daughter was sharp. And while he appreciated and was proud of it, right now he wished that it was the opposite. That she just didn't remember about it or wouldn't question about something he just didn't want to face.. not now, not ever.

He gulped before looking at his daughter. Her expectant gaze made him drown in the sea of guilt, frustration and anger. Anger for himself and frustrated because of the situation.

"Didn't I tell you yunmi? Daddy is tired. I have a lot of work to do. I'll tell you some other time." There, he did it again. He was trying to get himself out of this again. When was he going to be courageous enough to face it? When was he going to tell his daughter that she rightfully deserved to know?

He felt like a failure when yunmi's small eyes lost their sparkle. Her big smile that was ready to stretch across and out of her face, turned into a sad frown. "But, daddy, you promised me? I topped the class as well." She slowly said. Her father can't break the promise... he wouldn't... right?

Jimin took a deep breath in order to calm the bubbling irritation down "I know yunmi, but please try to understand. Some other time for sure okay?"

"But you promised me!"

"What promise, promise!? Don't you understand?" Jimin finally yelled at her. Hihi barked at him as if trying to make him realise what he just did. As if mocking him and telling him how he failed as a father.

Jimin flared his nose as his eyes fell upon the protective dog. He rushed towards him before pulling him out of the room by his collar around his neck. "How many times have I told you not to come into this room?!" He shouted at hihi. "Go!" Hihi immediately followed the command and Jimin slammed the door shut before taking off to his room.

Yunmi flinched at that as her eyes glistened with warm tears. She stared at the now shut door endlessly. He promised her... why was her father being like this? Why couldn't he just tell her about her mother? He broke the promise... her father broke the promise..

_____

"Arrgh!" Jimin ruffled his hair and kicked the door of his bedroom once he entered. Realization struck him. Hard. And he knew what he did was unacceptable. But his demons didn't let him uncover the wounds that he claims to have healed because deep down he knew that they're as fresh as yesterday.

He was being selfish trying to protect himself from the pain, from the memory, the memory of someone that his daughter wants to know about so desperately.. from the person that he once loved with all his heart... from the memories that he couldn't label as worst of his life even though it hurt him like there was no end.

He was afraid of feeling it again.. he was afraid of letting her take over his senses again. There was no way he'd be sane if he recalled all that and there's no way he would hurt his daughter by telling her about her mother...

But.. how long was he going to protect his daughter? Was he really protecting her? Or was he just using her as an excuse to mask his pain.. his reality.. he was still as vulnerable as that day.. and he was just trying to protect his daughter... right..?

He didn't realise he was crying until he felt hot tears cascading down from his cheeks to his hands. He quickly wiped his tears before going to take a shower. He needed to calm the storm in his head.

Once he was done, he climbed down the stairs before walking in the direction of the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine. However he stopped on his tracks and turned his head towards the room of his daughter.

Guilt filled his insides and he turned to walk towards yunmi's bedroom instead. He slowly opened the door to find yunmi sleeping. Her cannula was tucked in her nose and the lights were dim. He sighed and lowered his eyes before closing the door back.

He had to do something to make it up with yunmi. He can't bear to see his daughter upset with him. He wouldn't let this on for long.
______

"Jimin! Jimin wake up! Jimin!!"

Jimin woke up as he felt his body being violently shaken. He abruptly sat up gasping as he saw yunmi's grandfather trying to wake him up. He sleepily frowned as he realised how tensed he looked.

"Jimin, we can't find yunmi!"
_____

Dun dun dunnnnn! Double update!

A small cliffhanger. And as promised, the new character will be introduced in the next chapter!👀

Hope you all are looking forward to it.