𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷

Gradually

A few days later at Soobin and Yuna's house...

Jimin sits gloomily on the sofa. From a distance, it appears like he's watching television, but from a close distance, his eyes are staring into empty space. Soobin strolls into the living room. He picks up the remote controller and turns the TV off. Jimin still looks like he's attentively watching TV.

This is not good.

Yuna appears from behind Soobin, walking past him to sit next to the quiet older brother.

"What's wrong?" she asks Jimin. He's been like this for a few days now and seems to be getting worse.

Soobin walks closer to them and answers instead, "Mr. Jeon probably ignored him again. Jimin hyung, didn't you say you don't care about him? You're only doing all this for Minkook. Then why are you letting what he does or doesn't do get to you? Didn't you say you're heartless? Just contin— "

"I don't understand what you're saying." Jimin looks up at Soobin emptily.

"I'm not saying you deserve it, but I understand Mr. Jeon's actions. You can leave and return as you want while he doesn't know anything about what you're doing. He just stays at the same place, waiting endlessly."

Soobin adds, "You know well why you go to J Corp every day, trying to do something for him when you don't have to."

"Yeahh..." Jimin murmurs motionlessly.

Soobin shakes his head. "You still love him. Just admit it."

"Mnn. I still love him." Jimin's voice begins to tremble. "I still love him. Are you happy now?" His eyes redden, and out of nowhere, tears come out, rolling down his cheeks. "You know, I really wanted to be heartless. You think that's easy?"

Jimin lets himself cry. It doesn't matter anymore. He lost Jungkook—and now, he's losing Minkook. "You think it's easy for me? To leave my whole life behind and live in a country where I have nothing. Do you think it's easy for me to leave him? He's the one person I ever love."

Tears pour down his increasingly red cheeks, and his feelings pour out uncontrollably as he speaks. "I was afraid of attachments because I don't want separations. I don't want to hurt. But for him, I can risk anything. So what if my love for him hurts me? I'm fine. I can hurt. I love him. I'm fine with everything. The good, the bad. The pretty, the ugly. His gentleness, his rage. I can take any of that."

Jimin's voice trembles along with his lips. "I saw a future so beautiful with him. All my love, hopes and dreams were there. Everything was within the grasp of my hand. Safe and secure." His voice shatters along with his heart as he painfully recalls, "But suddenly, it's crushed. My entire world crumbled down in a day."

Jimin shakes his head; his eyebrows knit together as he tries to control his emotions. "I know I'm wrong that I took away his right to have any say, and for that, only he can bash me. Only Jungkook can criticize me!" Jimin's breaths fasten with each word. "No one else has the right to say anything to me. And I don't care what anyone says. I love the one I love. Why should I be ashamed?! Who is uncle to criticize me?! What did I do so wrong?! Uncle, President Moon, you or anyone else has no right to criticize me. Only Jungkook can! Only he can!"

But Jimin, Jungkook doesn't care anymore.

His feelings are gone.

That's reality.

Jimin's head lowers, his shoulders hunching down; heartbreakingly, he cries, "All these years, I hold on tightly to Minkook. The only thing I have left of our love. But now... I'm all alone again. And I don't think I can bear it again. I can't go through that again. I can't... I can't."