Caged (Jimin BTS)

XXV = Three Decisions

I woke up with something scratching my palm. My first thought was of a cockroach digging into my flesh when the stiffness in my back registers in.

Namjoon and the gang found out about Jimin. Me getting arrested. Mayor Jeon confronting me.

"Hey, buddy." I grasped the fingers on my palm, yawning as I heard him do the same. "Good morning. It's a nice morning, just we can't see it. You woke up early today."

Jimin just squeezes my hand back in reply. Ever since we got into this dungeon-like cage, he never say a word at me. We only communicated using hand squeezes. At first, I thought that Jimin was mad that I got him involved in this mess, but then my mind reverts back to what I told him months ago.

"Don't talk to anyone else, only me. And only talk to me when only we are alone. That way, we will not be separated if anything happens. Okay?"

He held onto my words, even after I had dragged him into this hellhole. If that isn't loyal and cute at the same time, I don't know what is.

We depend fully on my body clock to determine the time. I force myself to wake up every morning so I wouldn't lose it and it really helps, especially during times like these.

Food came thrice a day, but it barely kept use from hunger. I gave almost all of my portion to Jimin, he needs it more than I do. Yet I noticed that Jimin sometimes left a slice of bread or a chunk of meat on the tray before curling into a ball and dozes off.

Not going to trick me, though. But it was nice of him.

We have nothing to do, so most of the times are spent with me retelling the adventures of Namjoon and me as kids. Jimin would listen attentively as I describes how I scraped my knee chasing my brother when he snatched my drawing book about cats. And how I almost set his hair on fire while trying to cook breakfast and he had been dozing off on the kitchen's counter.

In all seriousness, I'm glad that they decided to put Jimin and me in the same place, although quite far away from each other. My sanity will shed itself on the third day down here if I was left alone. Jimin didn't say anything about having neighbours, but I can feel that he's relieved to have a friend.

But how in the hell are we going to escape from here?

---

Namcheol opened his front door only to be yanked inside of his own house. In a matter of seconds, his coat was off his shoulder, his cellphone lay in smithereens on the floor and six furious faces are glaring down at him. Yooshin's son is the closest to his face.

"I fucking hate pleasantries. Where's Naomi?" He gripped the old doctor's collar tighter, and Namcheol choked. Namjoon turned a blind eye at the immorality of his friend's action. It's only Naomi that he cares about now. And so does the others.

Grappling for something on the table, Namcheol grabbed a pen and uncapped the lid before scribbling something on his palm. He showed it to the group and they frowned in confusion.

Flip over every electronic device in the room. I'll explain.

They looked at Namjoon for confirmation and he stared straight into his father's eyes. The older brother only see remorse in his old man's orbs, nothing else. "Do it." And they all get to work.

Yoongi held him down as the group swept the whole room. Namcheol was rather surprised at the leadership his son was showing. They trusted him a lot. A wave of nostalgia hit him and Namcheol's heart shattered for the umpteenth time.

"Now, spit." Yoongi growled and let him go, as Namjoon instructed him to. Namcheol took his time scrutinizing every young face in front of him, finally stopping on his son's face. The weary father looked down.

"Even if I told you where Naomi is, there's nothing you can do-"

He didn't get to finish his words. Namjoon punched him, square on his face. Taehyung and Hoseok held him back as Jungkook and Seokjin rushed at Namcheol.

"Don't tell me what to do! You betrayed Naomi, you betrayed us!" His pupils shake as Namjoon tries to bottle his heart in.

But he failed. He fell down to his knees, clutching his hair in grief. "You failed Mother. Naomi. Us."

"Hyung, we can get through this." Taehyung whispered to him, hugging his friend tight. "If anyone can outsmart the government, that's you. We can get Jimin and Naomi back."

"Joonie, look at me." Taehyung was roughly pushed aside as Hoseok seized Namjoon's collar and stared at his wreck of a friend in the eye. "I won't stop you from being a pathetic bitch and start bawling your eyes out, but use your blessed brain for times like this. Do you think Naomi and Jimin- Do you think any of us have time for your self pity right now?"

Namjoon raised his head and glared down at Hoseok, his glossy eyes hardening. "I beg you pardon?"

"We knew about the Caged Boy, but only Naomi was caught by the police. They knew how much Naomi means for us, and how much we will fight in order to get her back."

"And Jimin." Yoongi cuts in. "Jimin is the key to exposing all of Omelas' shit for a hundred year's back. They'll make sure to silence both of them, them came back for us."

"What do you guys mean?" Seokjin's question made a silence in the room. Then Namjoon stood back on his feet, glaring at his father. "They're going to kill them, don't they?"

All of them stare at Namcheol as he try to push back the hideous truth. But he nodded. "That's the decision. I was offered two before Naomi provoked the mayor- There was nothing I could do-"

"Get straight to the point." This time, it was Jungkook who growled at him.

"She can get her life back, if she got her memories of The Caged B- Jimin, erased." Namcheol quickly changed his word usage when the gang glared at him. "That's the deal. But now they wanted to kill them."

"We're going to add the third decision." Namjoon patted Taehyung's shoulder as the other five grouped behind him, staring defiantly at Namcheol. "Naomi and Jimin will escape from there."