Caged (Jimin BTS)

XXXIV = Memories

Namjoon passed me over to Seokjin, who tended to my bruises and cuts. Some even pulled magic tricks and appeared out of nowhere on me. Seokjin could start a career of an underground rapper by the speed of his babbling while bandaging me up.

"So..." His hand halted briefly when I spoke up. "About Father's offer... What do you think? About that."

"It's ideal. Foolproof, I daresay." The snip, snip, snip of his scissors was the only sound that echoed between us. It was way past midnight, but no one even went down to the first floor. The only one still awake at the moment is the both of us and Father, Namjoon, and Yoongi.

Still intensely discussing about this new plan of theirs.

"No one will remember us and we can escape the town without casualties. He even offered to alter the memories of the mayor, so he won't chase after Jungkook and Jimin. It's... perfect." Seokjin cannot fool me with the nonchalant tone he used. Not when his hands are shaking against my forehead.

Not when I knew he had everything here, and now he's going to have to say goodbye to all of it.

I grasped his hand in mine and he sighed, before shooting me a smile. Melancholy, exhausted, bitter smile, yes. Maybe all of us are different from one another. Maybe I will never knew how Hoseok literally cried himself to sleep that night.

Or Taehyung and Jimin snuggled close together, the baker's son clinging to the Caged Boy because his insomnia is attacking again and having Jimin by his side makes it possible to actually rest.

How Jungkook stayed at the window, offering himself for night watch because of reasons he couldn't fathom neither could he describe.

"Let's get some shut eye, 'kay girl? We'll need it for tomorrow." He guided me towards the others fast asleep in one corner, far away from the still in discussion trio before patting my shoulder in a steady, lulling rhythm.

Namjoon glanced at me seconds before my eyelids drooped and closes. When I reached out to him, he smiled and reached back.

Thank God.

---

"The rain that will be pouring tonight contains the serum. It will mix with the town's water cycle and will be 100% consumed by Omelas' residents. By tomorrow, everyone will forget about your existence, and from the potency of it, no flashbacks will occur that will make them remember any of you."

Yoongi had started waking people up from their nap and telling them to get inside the truck. Namcheol even went as far as taking -as in snatching right under Omelas' noses- Jin's truck from the pound to help them out.

Namjoon didn't ask why.

After Jin had tucked Jimin and Taehyung under the cover at the back of his truck, Namjoon offered to carry his sister. With a nod, Jin joined the others at the truck.

The bags under Naomi's eyes and the way her skin looks so pale, almost translucent wrecked her brother's heart. And when the rainclouds rumbled from the sky, Namjoon stood in front of their father, holding his sister in his arms.

The only one that means the world to the men of Omelas' Healer Kim's.

"Why do you have to do it?" It was only a whisper in the dark night, those words that escaped the boy's mouth. But Namcheol heard it clear. More than the day.

"You might be surprised. It's because I have to." Execute my duty as Omelas' inner circle.

Protect my friends. I failed.

Be a father. I failed.

Save your sister from Junghan. I failed.

Spare your mother. I failed.

Big time.

"It would hurt less if the memories were gone, right?" The sky rumbled again, a reminder for the two to get under cover from the rain. But to Namjoon it felt like a curse spat down to them.

Namcheol fisted his hands by his sides, eyes downcast as the clouds drifted under the moon. Dark and silent, the night was.

"You can hold her." Namjoon broke the tranquil. His father looked up, blinked and opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he silently took Naomi and cradled her daughter in his arms, hugging her close.

Naomi stirred in her sleep, small grunts escaping her before her lips curled into a contended smile. "Da... You tickle..."

Namjoon climbed into their truck and Jungkook took his sister from him. As he slam the door close, the first pitter patter of rain fall down and hit their windshield. Hoseok and Yoongi turned back to see Namcheol standing in the rain, watching their truck speed away.

"Why'd he wanted to forget too?" Yoongi looked out the window at Hoseok's question. Tear streaks are still lining his friend's cheeks. He didn't want to add more to it.

"Maybe he feels he need to." Let's just go with the safe one. "Leave it to that. Go to sleep, Hobi."

"Okay." The boy burrowed himself into Yoongi's side and conked out seconds after that. Patting his shoulder softly, Yoongi stared at the passing streetlights, glowing and blurring in the rain. That night, just like everyday since he became orphaned and was left to the Omelas' authorities, Yoongi felt cold down to his core.

But the warmth from the others seeped into him, basking the cold boy. It's not perfect, but it is home.

"What the fuck," Yoongi scoffed under his breath, when Hoseok snored once, the sound coming out like a pig's snort, "it's brilliant."