Win No Matter What

CHAPTER 22 - ALONE WITH JI MIN

Your mind frantically tries to work out how to tackle the conversation with Ji Min. There's no easy conversation starter. How have you been Ji Min? Still getting those convulsions? Well, good news is we think we know why they're happening. Bad news is, it involves the father whom your Amma never told you about, who is actually Lord Luciferous and he's coming for you because you're a Demon King.

Yeah, that is definitely not the way in, you think. Your thought process is invaded by what Yoongi said before. Why is he always curt with you? He clearly doesn't appear to have any confidence in your abilities (to be fair, he doesn't know your abilities to have any faith in them). Maybe he could hear your doubts during the meeting. Curse your over-active mind!

You decide to go to Ji Min's classroom and talk to him straight away. You see that he is currently taking a class so you politely wait outside, knowing that the Life Spells lesson will end in five minutes. It gives you a chance to admire him from afar without disturbance and without anyone reading your mind. You can hear his voice through the door; silky smooth with a rich undertone. His movements around the classroom are elegant and effortless. Without warning, he smiles at a student who involuntarily buries her hands in her face. I don't blame you kid, that smile is a killer. He continues to glide around the classroom, instructing and helping students, who in turn, give him rapt attention.

Just as your thoughts start to take an unholy turn, the bell rings signaling the end of the lesson and school day. You stand aside as students (too slowly for your liking) exit the classroom. As the last student leaves, he looks back and calls out, "Master Park, the new teacher is here to see you."

Ji Min quickly looks up to see you standing there, smiling meekly at him. He walks towards you, and, once the students are out of earshot, asks, "Rumi, what brings you here?"

"Are you free now? I need to talk to you about something," you reply.

"Oh, that sounds serious. Why don't we go to my room, where we can talk in private?" he suggests. You hope the look on your face doesn't betray your first thoughts (Your room? But anything can happen in there! Can't we go somewhere safer?).

"It's the only place where we can talk without being overheard by anyone because of the spell I have around it. You never know who might be listening," he continues, answering only some of your questions.

You hesitantly agree and walk towards his room. You are quiet during your short walk there as you're still trying to decide how to structure the information you have to relay. You are so preoccupied that you don't realise that, not only have you reached his room, you're inside it, staring at the hardwood floor, bathed in an air of sublimity. Startled at your change in surroundings, you look up and see Ji Min standing near two large armchairs facing the fireplace. He's looking at you expectantly and you go towards him until you end up standing only inches away from each other in front of the fireplace. You look into his eyes, the roaring fire creating a warm glow around him, and you can't help but raise your hand towards his face. You lightly touch his face with your fingertips and then jerk your hand away as though a bolt of electricity has just gone through it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to.....", you stammer, but he gently holds your arm and says softly, "why don't you sit down and tell me what you need to."

Quickly coming to your senses, you say, "Ji Min, it's about the episodes you've been having. I recently discovered some information about your past which I shared with Principal Bang, who filled me in on your monthly 'disappearances'. Tae has been having visions, I found a strange scripture, my mother told me about how your mother came into our lives." You pause to look into his eyes and take a breath, "Ji Min, your father is Lord Luciferous. Your mother ran away from him and she's been trying to protect you from a prophecy. It says that you are a Demon King and your time is coming closer to rule over the kingdom of malspirits. That's why you've been having those convulsions. Your body is trying to accommodate wings that are trying to come ou."

You try to read Ji Min, who is oddly calm. Sighing deeply, he looks down and says darkly, "I already know about Lord Luciferous and the prophecy. Do you think I would go through my whole life blindly accepting everything my mother told me, or rather, didn't tell me? I knew that my body would change and have been mentally readying myself to endure the physical pain to come. I didn't tell the rest of the guys as I didn't want to worry them, especially Tae Hyung who is particularly sensitive and Jung Kook who is very protective."

Shocked by this revelation, you assure him, "Ji Min, everyone knows everything now. You don't have to suffer alone anymore. We are all here for you and we will protect you. Whatever it takes, we will stop this from happening. Just because something is prophesised, does not mean it will come true. It's a future that can still be changed." 

You know you're grasping at straws, but you can't bear to think that he has been dealing with everything on his own all this time. You instinctively touch your locket, which Ji Min notices and asks urgently, "Rumi, where did you get that locket from?"

"This? Amma gave this to me when I was a child. She told me to wear it as it has a powerful protective charm. Why?" Ji Min reaches down his shirt and pulls out the exact same locket.