Mystery | Yoonmin

10. What

Jimin's POV

The morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, but it brought no warmth to the cold knot that always resided in my chest these days. I had barely opened my eyes when Taehyung's voice broke the silence.

"Hey, Jimin, it's been a few days since we became roommates, and I consider you my friend now. If something's bothering you, you can talk to me, yeah?" His voice was kind, but it carried an undercurrent of concern that made me uneasy.

I blinked, still groggy. Had I said something in my sleep again? Probably. The nightmares had been relentless lately, clawing their way into my nights like shadows that refused to be banished.

"It's just some bad dreams, nothing serious," I replied, brushing it off like I always did. I glanced at the clock. It was almost 10 AM. "Don't you have college?"

"Not today," he said, sitting on the edge of his bed. His gaze was distant, thoughtful. "I'm going to a prayer meeting for one of my classmates who passed away a few days ago."

The casual mention of death sent a chill through me.

"Oh," I murmured, unsure what else to say.

"His name was Jihoon," Taehyung continued as I swung my legs off the bed. "He wasn't a close friend or anything, but he was part of our group. His parents didn't even organize a proper funeral-it's weird, right? So one of our professors decided to at least hold a prayer meet for him."

The name hit me like a physical blow. My breath caught in my throat, and the world tilted for a moment. Jihoon. His Jihoon.

My chest tightened as memories flooded back, overlapping with Taehyung's words. How had I not put it together sooner? Jihoon had been in Daegu University. Taehyung was too. Both of them math graduates. Of course, they would have known each other. How had I missed this?

A sharp pang of grief twisted in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. This could be my chance to get answers.

"Oh... It's too early for him to die," I managed, my voice barely steady. "How did it happen?"

Taehyung sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "He jumped off the college terrace. Suicide, obviously." He hesitated. "But..."

"But what?" I prompted, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"There's this girl in our class who says he was pushed," Taehyung admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But nobody believes her. She's always high on something-drugs, alcohol, you name it. Everyone thinks it's just her hallucinating."

My mind raced. If someone said he was pushed, there had to be more to the story. "Wait," I said, my voice sharp with urgency. "Did she say who did it? Did the police investigate? What about his parents-don't they care what she saw?"

"Whoa, calm down, Jimin," Taehyung said, frowning at my outburst. "The whole thing was hushed up. His parents and the college sorted everything out the same day he died. They buried him immediately-no investigation, no police, nothing. And honestly, no one cared enough to dig deeper. Jihoon wasn't exactly... loved."

I stared at him, confusion clouding my thoughts. "What do you mean?"

Taehyung shrugged, his expression indifferent. "He was a bully. Everyone hated him. He flaunted his parents' money, and he and his boyfriend made life hell for a lot of people. Honestly, most of us feel safer without him around."

The words didn't make sense. Jihoon, a bully? No. He had been kind, gentle-at least with me. He'd told me he was loved by his classmates. He couldn't have been the monster Taehyung was describing. Could he?

"His boyfriend?" I asked, the word catching in my throat.

"Yeah," Taehyung said, rolling his eyes. "He's in our class too. A total jerk. I thought he'd at least mourn Jihoon, but he doesn't even care. He's not coming to the prayer meeting, I'm sure."

Each word was like a knife, cutting deeper into the fragile image I had of Jihoon. If his parents didn't care, his boyfriend didn't love him, and his classmates hated him... could it really have been suicide? Or was there something more sinister behind his death?

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. My chest felt heavy, as if the weight of this new information was crushing me. If there was even the slightest chance that Jihoon had been murdered, I had to know the truth.

"Tae," I said, forcing the tremor out of my voice, "I don't know why, but I feel really bad for your classmate. Would it be okay if I came to the prayer meeting with you?"

Taehyung blinked, surprised. "Uh, sure. Don't you have work, though?"

"I'll manage."

"Alright, get ready. We need to leave by 12."

"One more thing," I asked hesitantly. "Do you think that girl-the one who said he was pushed-will be there?"

Taehyung shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"

I didn't answer. My mind was already spinning with questions and possibilities. Jihoon's story was unraveling, and I couldn't ignore the sinking feeling that I'd only scratched the surface of something much darker.

If someone took him away from this world, from me... I would find them. No matter what it took.