A Fractured Mind | 민윤기

Nineteen

1 July 2018

Hoseok would not stop calling her and she was fed up.

It was one thing to say your peace and move on, but every call, every text was him begging to see her again and talk to her and 'explain'. So when her purse buzzed with the familiar vibration and she dug it out to read his caller ID, she declined the call and finally blocked his number.

She hadn't done it before because she didn't like to think she was that cruel, but it was getting annoying and she was still hurt over the whole ordeal. Of course, she didn't speak a word of it to Jimin or Yoongi. She knew that it would only get them angry and cause redundant conflict.

Victoria was on her way to their apartment after hearing that she had gotten the job. The two insisted that they celebrate, so she decided to walk there. It wasn't far and she liked that the complex was surrounded by nature—something that was hard to find in the city.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement and turned to a bunch of bracken beneath a tall birch. Brilliant golden eyes stared back at her through the greenery. They were unblinking and almost sparkly as they reflected the summer sun.

She tilted her head at the creature and crouched down so as to not alarm it, wincing at the way her purse hit the ground. It blinked at her slowly. Cautiously, the reached out her hand and made little clicking noises. She always loved cats. Vernon had a cat back at their parent's house and the two were thoroughly disappointed when they found that he couldn't take her with him.

It didn't hesitate to step out from the green shield and reveal its ginger tabby coat. It approached her hand and sniffed once before rubbing its soft head against her skin. Victoria laughed as the cat became almost immediately comfortable, circling around her legs and pushing her head into the fabric of her jeans.

"Well, you're a friendly one, aren't you?" she asked, not caring that the creature couldn't understand her. She scratched the cat between the ears and smiled when it began to purr. "I'm gonna name you Sunset." That was the first word that came to mind once she saw the pale orange pigment of its fur.

Victoria stood and sighed. "Well, Sunset, I have to get to Jimin and Yoongi's. I've blown them off too much in the past few weeks."

But the cat wouldn't let up. Even when she tried to walk away, it would weave between her legs and rub her ankles with every step she took. With a huff, she placed her hands on her hips and stopped again. "Do you understand what I've done?" The cat only looked up at her with its sparkly eyes before rubbing against her leg again.

"I chose a stupid guy over my best friends. I have to fix that—don't you agree?" It let out a long, high-pitched mew at her words and continued rubbing against her. "Let's just pretend you said you do."

She hopped away and began briskly walking, intending to leave the cat behind—she would probably see it again later. But when she turned back, the ginger tabby was following her. She slowed. Maybe she could keep it? Her apartment didn't allow pets, but Jimin's did. That's when an idea popped into her mind.

-

Victoria entered the passcode and entered the apartment, holding the door open and checking to see how far back Sunset was. The feline was close, and Jimin was already greeting Victoria at the door with a hug. Sunset trotted through the entrance to stand by her.

Jimin tilted his head and pointed at it, but before he could say anything, Yoongi's disgusted voice came from the couch where he was lounging. "What the fuck is that?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at the man who was relaxing on the plush fabric and looking quite handsome—though she was used to that from he and Jimin by now. "That is Sunset, jerk," she said as Jimin crouched down to scratch her head. Sunset rubbed her head against his palm and he smiled before looking up at the older woman.

"She's so friendly," he remarked with a giggle.

Victoria closed the door and made her way to the kitchen counter to set her purse down. "Right? That's what I said! And I'm not sure if it's a girl, but I'll find out once I take her to the vet."

"Are you gonna keep her, noona?" Jimin asked as he picked up the purring cat, who didn't seem opposed to it at all and relaxed in his arms.

She laughed nervously and sat on the arm of the couch where Yoongi's feet brushed her thigh. "I was actually going to ask you...well, you see, my apartment complex has a 'no pets' policy—"

"There is no way in hell we are keeping that thing here," Yoongi interjected

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows and set Sunset down. "Hyung, why not?" Sunset looked up at Yoongi's sprawled-out figure and seemed to ponder something before jumping onto his stomach, tail waving back and forth.

"Because—hey—what the fuck—get this thing off of me!"

He moved to shove her back to the floor, but Victoria reached out to grab his wrists, falling to sit on his legs at the same time. "Don't you dare!"

Yoongi tore away from her and pouted. "This isn't fair. I'm gonna have cat hair all over me, now." Sunset purred and rubbed her head in the crook of his neck.

"She likes you!" Jimin said excitedly. "We have to keep anything that likes you, hyung," he teased. "That's why we kept Tori-noona."

Both Victoria and Yoongi's faces flushed deeply at the comment, but she cleared her throat. "If you don't want her, I at least need to keep her here for a few days while I find her a home. I know my brother's friend Josh likes cats."

"I don't like cats," Yoongi muttered as Sunset continued to rub against him.

She chuckled and started into Yoongi's office. "Yoongs, can I use your laptop to look up veterinarian services?"

"Sure," he called. "While you're at it, look up all the ways to skin a cat."

"You're so funny!" she yelled dryly once inside and opened the laptop sitting on his desk. She entered the password to his laptop that, in order to acquire, she had to call Yoongi 'oppa' for the entire day. She hated that word in general and they were the same age, but he insisted that if she really needed the password and really loved him and Jimin and was truly sorry for ditching them for Hoseok, she would do it.

So, of course, she had to. He still tried to get her to do it sometimes.

As soon as the password registered and unlocked the screen, she heard a panicked "Shit! Wait!" from Yoongi and feet hit the floor before rushing in. He sprinted in and shut the laptop, breathing heavy from the adrenaline and exertion.

But it was too late. She had seen it. He stared at her warily while she just continued to look at where the screen had been open. The google search that changed everything. And she had seen it. She knew exactly why it was there and everything. Everything made sense in that moment, but she didn't want to face it.

Even so, she found herself turning to him slowly and asking in a quiet voice. "Who are they?"

Yoongi swallowed hard and licked his lips nervously that had somehow become chapped in the past few seconds. "No—nobody. It—it's none of your fucking business, okay?" he stammered, finishing harshly. "Don't look at my shit."

"But you said—"

"I know what I said."

They only stared at each other for a few more moments that felt like years. She could see fear in his eyes, but he gave away nothing else. Afraid that he would say something especially mean that would hurt her, she passed him to leave the room.

Yoongi went about the rest of the day as if nothing had happened, but Victoria couldn't stop thinking about the google search. That damn question that connected all of the dots in her head.

Is it possible to love two people at once|