RUTH❌

51. the last [2/2]

"The question is, where is Jimin Park?"

By now, all twelve eyes are plastered on the TV monitor.

[News Reporter]

"In the last week, police have conducted searches on foot, by helicopter, by drone, and by boat. Today, his family has gathered from around Korea to join the police in the search for their loved one. The 18-year-old Seoul High School student who is set to graduate this summer has been missing for months now."

There it was, the answer to the unasked question of what happened to their well-known, good "friend", Jimin Park. And the answer?

no one knew yet.

The guy disappeared. The day Roseanne died was the day his presence died as well. He walked out of the hospital in fiery anger—pushed those two doors open—and that was it.

That was the last sight of Jimin Park by any living person.

For some reason, every word spoken by the reporter put Jennie on edge. Her eyes wrought on the screen as she tried to take in every detail of the story that created many "Could he have..." sentence starters. Unaware, Jennie was gripping her fork so hard it began to slip from her hands.

[News Reporter]

"Jimin was last seen entering a car parked outside of his school and driving off. Since then, no sign of the vehicle, and no sign of Jimin. Police say foul play is not suspected, but they also believe that wherever he went, Jimin did not intend to harm—"

Just hearing that one sound forced every head in the booth to snap forward like the robotic doll from 'Squid Game'.

"Sorry." In a faint whisper, Jennie apologized. She picked up the fork that [she] dropped and placed it back on the table.

Everyone still stared at her, but swiftly returned their eyes back to the TV a while later. However, by the time they did, a different news story was already on the air.

Slowly but surely, and yet again, everyone looked away from the monitor and faced their front at the table. Eye contact happened naturally, but no one necessarily wanted to look at each other—or talk to each other—and they hadn't for the past hour.

The six of them didn't exactly "blend" with each other. It was worse than the personalities from the Breakfast Club.

Jennie took a stationary breath, flicking her eyes around the table for a moment: Yoongi, Nayeon, and Jungkook were in front of her, Jisoo and Taehyung to her right and left, and everyone looked just as awkward and unwilling as she did.

Her gaze first focused on Jungkook.

Unreadable. Next.

She tugged her gaze from Jungkook to Yoongi.

Also unreadable, however, she had an inexplicable urge to straighten his tousled, jet-black hair, which fell just below ear length and stuck out at odd angles all over his head. He was letting his hair grow out naturally.

Jennie did use to think the look would be pretty on him, and it was, but she knew it wasn't a look he was sprung on. It signified something deeper: he was stressed, and she sensed it more than anyone else which is why she wasn't a fan.

Could it be because of her? Jennie fixed her eyes on someone new, a girl this time.

Now Nayeon, for Jennie to put it in the nicest way possible, 'mess' would be the best word to use.