His Secret

Chapter 16

Jihoon walked out of the cafe and turned the corner to another street. Seeing no sign of Seungcheol, he leaned against the wall and let out a shaky breath. A million thoughts were running through his mind but the most prominent one was fear. Fear of rejection.

"Hello, Yoongi hyung."
"Can i crash at your place tonight?"
"It's nothing."
"Okay, i'll inform them. Thanks hyung."

Sending a text to Seungkwan telling him that he'll be back in the morning, he ran his way to Yoongi's house, wanting to forget his troubles, that he was a coward who was afraid of facing reality.

He rang the doorbell, letting himself in when Yoongi opened the door. Seeing Jihoon's haggard appearance, he placed a set of clothes in his hands. "Go wash up." Yoongi said as he walked pass Jihoon to return to his studio.

Jihoon took his time under the warm shower before returning to Yoongi's room and crawling under the covers, Yoongi joining soon after. Jihoon snuggled up to his side, searching for some warmth that the elder always provided. "Do you want to talk about it?" Yoongi mumbled. "I'll just sleep it off." After a moment of silence, he spoke "Thanks hyung. For everything." Yoongi cradled the small body in his arms and they drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Seungcheol who got left in the restaurant returned to the dorms dispirited. The members were in the living room lazing around and watching Harry Potter as he scanned the group, looking for a small boy. "Where's Jihoon?"

"He isn't back yet. Didn't we leave him with you?" Hoshi asked. Seungcheol sighed. "I... we got into an argument and he ran off. I thought he came back but it doesn't appear to be so." He sighed again before asking the kids to inform him when Jihoon was back. He retired to his room, not being in the mood for any films or conversation.

He looked up whenever his bedroom door opened but it was just his roommates entering the room one by one. When he finally saw Seungkwan walking into his room, it was with expectations of the news that Jihoon was back at the dorms. He did not expect Jihoon to stay out for the night and he certainly did not expect to feel disappointed that it turned out this way.

If there was anything Jihoon dreaded, it was being in awkward situations. Thus, at this point in his life, Jihoon dreaded going to work. He scribbled a quick note to inform Yoongi that he was leaving for work and a thank you for letting him stay over before quickly slipping on his shoes and leaving for the dorm. The boys had a day of writing lyrics and dance practice, with the melody on the right track (note the pun), they had much to do. Not to mention Jihoon had missed one day for composing and arranging. He had to catch up on lost time.

Jihoon made sure that the members were already on the way to the company before slipping in to the dorms where his equipment was. The boys had thought that for the next few weeks leading up to the MV shooting, Jihoon would not be accompanying them to their schedules but instead attending school. Hence, his 'work' was essentially producing for the boys. He still had to worry about meeting Seungcheol at home though, AND the boys, god knows what Seungcheol had told them, if he did.

He locked the door, informing Seungkwan and Hoshi once again that he would be in the dorms and plugged in his earphones, exchanging Jihoon for Woozi.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Seungcheol hadn't seen Jihoon in 3 days, or should he say, hadn't been able to speak to him. Whenever Seungcheol got a glance at Jihoon, the boy would gone the next moment. Whenever he approached the boy, Jihoon would be whisked away by either Seungkwan or Hoshi. He was getting suspicious about the relationship between the three of them and was getting frustrated not being able to resolve the conflict between them.

The three days would have been hell, if it weren't the production of the title track progressing so smoothly. Hoshi was already working on the last part of the dance and the boys had been continuous drilled by Hoshi into remembering the dance up to the chorus. Seungcheol shivered. It was terrible letting the boy take control. He was sure the performance leader was the devil incarnate.

Jihoon, meanwhile, was doing horribly. He had thought of all the scenarios that could have occurred if Seungcheol had found out. He feared that Seungcheol would treat him differently. He was sleeping badly and eating lesser than usual. His only solace was his music and conversations with Yoongi, who had been there for him when he needed it.

-Backstory-

The blood flowed freely down his nose, boy #1 smirking in front of him. His body was aching and he was sure, that if he lifted up his shirt, there would be a ugly bruise forming on the left side of his tummy. He whimpered, holding his hands up to his nose. "Show off again and we'll see what happens." boy #2 warned. Boy #3 kicked the back of his knee once more, satisfied at seeing Jihoon fall to the ground before the trio left.

Jihoon wept, not understanding why his music was his downfall. He drew his legs up to his chest and cried, curling up even further when he heard the crunching of the grass behind him. A hand touched his shoulder and he flinched. "I... I'm sorry, i...i won't do it again. I'm sorry. Please. Please stop." He was mumbling and it was almost undiscernible. Almost.

Jihoon could hear the person sigh and he flinched again, worried that he had angered someone once again. "Turn around", the person whispered gently. Jihoon slowly lifted his head and peeked behind, seeing Yoongi, a boy who never associated with anyone whilst living in the orphanage. He slowly turned his body, looking at the boy who was patiently waiting for him to turn around.

Once he was facing Yoongi, Yoongi took it as his cue to start tending to his wounds. It took no more than half an hour and at the end of it, he simply said, "If you want to be successful, be strong, strong enough that no one can bring you down, be someone that no one can reach, even if they try and try."

Jihoon took it literally and created a new him, one that no one could reach. His online persona that only he knew. And Yoongi, whom he grew close to after the incident. Turns out he wasn't as cold as everyone else said. His bullies found a new target, after Jihoon grew a backbone and stuck with Yoongi. And he watched as his bully found a new target, watched as the new boy changed from a bubbly boy to a soft spoken one. He watched until he could take it no more and that was how he was forced to leave the orphanage, with the bullies in the hospital and Yoongi accompanying him.

Being the target of bully took a toll on his innocent mind and he could never give his trust as easily as he could before. He warped up a stronger personality as Woozi, to prevent any incidents from happening again, and to keep himself level headed when dealing with issues such as collaborations and when making important decision. Such as when he decided to show his dance, exposing his body. It had been a tough decision for him. Someone observant could always find out, someone like Hoshi. And that was when Woozi would step in, he would instantly become calmer and more passive aggressive. Other times, he would remain as himself. Not saying that Woozi wasn't a part of him.

He had to say that Yoongi was his lifesaver, and his pillar, there for him whenever he needed help. Yoongi never said much over the years, yet he always knew what to say, and knew what to do. Perhaps he had gone through similar experiences, he would never know, Yoongi never talked much about himself.

Hence, now that he was in distress, he leaned towards Yoongi, even as the boy often told him to talk it out with the leader.

It's been a long time since my last update and I am finally finished with my exams. For all of you who patiently waited, I'm really sorry that this is just a filler chapter. However, the chapter is important as it shows Jihoon's past and how he came to have Woozi, both as a composer and as a personality, which will ultimately decide how he reacts to situations.