Deadlock || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Chapter 5

“So this is Schelger Prison, huh. It’s huge,” Rob said in amazement as he gripped the steering wheel. Jimin sat in the passenger seat and gazed at the fencing that seemed to stretch on forever, feeling a mix of nostalgia and dread.

The first time, he had looked at this fence through the reinforced glass window of a prisoner transport bus. Matthew had been sitting beside him. Shortly after being admitted, he had received his violent welcoming ritual. Every day, he had faced racial slurs being hurled at him. He remembered the horrible food, the unhygienic living conditions; the days in solitary that had nearly driven him insane.

All were unpleasant memories, but what had crushed Jimin the most was being raped by BB, the second-in-command of the Black gang. He had been pinned down by multiple men in the shower room and forcibly penetrated from behind by BB, unable to put up a fight.

That incident had caused Jimin’s mental thread to snap. Until then, it had maintained a delicate tension as Jimin desperately tried to encourage himself, telling himself to keep pushing onwards no matter what hardships he encountered. But after having his body beaten and his dignity shattered, he finally came to the brink of giving up.

But V had been the one to bring Jimin back up on his feet. As Jimin blamed himself, V had held him tight and given him a sympathetic kiss on the forehead, telling him that it didn’t make him any less of a man to admit his suffering. And then―

“We’re here,” Rob said. Jimin’s reminiscence was cut short as he was brought back to reality. The car was already parked in a parking spot.

“Shall we, then?” Rob said.

“Yeah,” Jimin said as he opened the door, but his body felt heavy. It was like his body was resisting his mind – it was refusing to go back to a place that it associated with horrible memories.

“―Jimin, is something the matter?” Rob came around to the passenger side and rested an arm on the car, looking down at Jimin worriedly.

“It’s nothing,” Jimin said as he forcefully lifted himself out of the seat.

“If you don’t feel well, you can take a break.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Jimin clapped Rob’s shoulder lightly as he broke into a walk. Sure, Schelger Prison was the last place he wanted to be, but not all of his experiences here were for naught. Although he had no good memories, he wanted to think that he had at least gained some insight.

“I’m going to introduce you as FBI to the prison staff. I hope you won’t mind,” Jimin said. It was possible that the prison might refuse Rob entry if they found out that he had no investigative privileges.

“I don’t mind. The question is, do I look like FBI?”

“You look fine,” said Jimin, turning back to Rob. Today, he was dressed smartly in a suit with his hair neatly groomed. He looked so different from his usual self that Jimin almost didn’t recognize him, though Rob had claimed that this was in fact his usual look. Either way, with his appearance today, no one would doubt him if he claimed to be an FBI agent.

“Say, just wondering, is your brother always like that?”

“Aiden? Always like what?”

“He was glaring at me like I was a murder suspect or something. He must really not like me.”

Jimin remembered the events of this morning and smiled wryly. “It’s not like that,” he said. “He’s just worried because I was suddenly going on a long drive out with someone he didn’t know. He’s usually more laidback.”