「sunlight 」 j.jk ✞ p.jm

七

7 : the best laid plans of vampires and bangtan

Jeongguk closed the door to the music room, his guitar slung over his back. It was nice to get some solo practice in from time-to-time. He walked down the empty corridor to the back entrance, humming 'Friendship Through the Ages', a bounce in his step.

Almost everyone else had gone home over an hour ago. Walking past the gym, he could hear the basketball team practicing inside. Beyond that, the hallways were vacant and ghostly. He stepped out into the stadium, the renovations for the Friendship Games having been removed a week prior. He kept pace along the perimeter to cut to the parking lot, but stopped when a muffled sobbing reached his ears.

Jeongguk backtracked to the bleachers, following the hushed cries. He slipped underneath them, brushing a cobweb away and keeping his head down. The crying grew louder, and Jeongguk found Park Jimin sitting pressed against one of the support beams, knees up to his chest and face in his arms.

"Hey, hyung, what's wrong?" Jeongguk knelt down and put a hand on Jimin's shoulder.

He jumped and hiccupped. "O-oh, h-hi, Jeon-hic-gguk. I was just..."

"Bawling your eyes out." Jeongguk reached into his bag and pulled out some tissues. "Here."

Jimin accepted it, dabbed at his eyes and blew his nose. "Thank you."

Jeongguk smiled. "Anytime." He took his guitar off his back and sat down next to Jimin. "So, do you wanna talk about it?"

"I... I don't know how," Jimin admitted. "Ever since the games, I've felt... and every time I walk past the statue, I keep remembering..."

It wasn't hard for Jeongguk to fill in the blanks. He scooted a little closer and wrapped an arm around Jimin's shoulder. "I know how you feel. Trust me, it isn't easy, but it goes away after a while."

Jimin adjusted his glasses. "Really? How do you know?"

"I told you: I've been where you were." Jeongguk sighed and looked down at his hands. "I tapped into magic I didn't fully understand, only, I was doing it for purely selfish gains. I just wanted power. It backfired, and turned me into a reflection of my heart." He looked back at Jimin with a sad and guilty smile. "You did some bad stuff, but at least you didn't brainwash and try to kill anyone."

"You-you actually did that?"

"I wasn't the best person back then." Jeongguk took a deep breath and brushed the hair out of his face. "But, I know how it feels to have all of that linger—have it haunt you."

Jimin shuddered. "I'm glad I didn't physically hurt anyone... but I could have... I would have if you didn't stop me. I had all that power at my fingertips—access to a wealth of knowledge." He wrapped his arms around himself and squeezed his eyes shut. "I feel bad about it now, but at that moment, I was enjoying all of it. I... I was prepared to tear the world apart just to know how everything worked." More tears snaked down his face. "P-part of me wants the power back, too, Jeongguk."

Jeongguk hugged him again and gently shushed him. "I know. I know what it's like to have all that power coursing through you. And I'm not gonna lie, the come down sucks." That got a weak giggle from Jimin. "You were pressured into making a bad choice, Jimin. But that doesn't mean you're a bad person."

Jimin wiped his eyes with the tissue again. "But what about—"

"It's a natural reaction. You feel like part of you is missing something. I felt that way too, but in time, you'll stop feeling it." He felt Jimin's shoulders slump. "Listen, I know this isn't easy, but I promise, I'll be here to help you anyway I can."