From Oppa to Appa: A BTS Jin FF COMPLETED!

Chapter Nine

I was up for school early the next day. I texted Jongho and asked him if he could get the rest of ATEEZ, including those who weren't in school to meet me before everyone else would be there. He agreed, so I left a note for Appa explaining that I had breakfast early (I had eaten while setting things up with Jongho), and went to school early to handle something, reminding him that I would be coming straight home after school with Yuto, Wooseok, Dongmyeong, and Dong Ju as he asked. After that, I rushed out before any member of BTS could wake up and stop me with questions. 

When I got to school I found the eight members of ATEEZ waiting discreetly on the side of the school, careful not to call attention to themselves. I went over to them and without saying anything, led them to a place Jisung and I had been known to go if we needed to talk away from prying eyes in the mornings. They looked around my little sanctuary in amazement.

"Nice hiding spot," Yeosang said.

"Sometimes Jisung and I just needed somewhere to talk before school where nobody would bother us," I told him.

"What about Chenle, I.N, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai?" Mingi asked.

"The guys have come to understand that there are just some things that Jisung and I are just too awkward to talk about in front of even them. Neither of us really know how to talk to anyone our own age. They know it's not about not trusting them, they know we trust them, it's just that sometimes the only people we've been able to talk to is each other. This is the first time I've been in a real school in about five and a half years. Jisung became a trainee pretty young, so he wasn't really a normal kid. We just understood each other."

"Guys, we don't have a lot of time before the others are gonna start looking for us," Yunho pointed out. "What did you want to talk to the eight of us about, Ryu-ah?"

"Sit down, it's kind of a lot to take in," I told them, sitting on the grass, waiting for them to do the same before I continued. "There's a reason that I've only returned to school this term for the first time since I was 10 years old. My family died and that's when Seokjin went from my oppa to my appa. Most people don't realize he's not old enough to actually be my appa when they see the relationship the two of us have. Sometimes we get along great... other times, we fight like a father and daughter. The thing is, our family died in a plane crash... one I was involved in. I almost didn't survive it either. I remember the plane falling from the sky, seeing my parents and oppa, our older brother, die, before everything just went dark on me. By the time I woke up, I was in a surgical recovery ward at the hospital. And one of the first things I had been told was that I had just had a heart transplant."

"Wait, you had a heart transplant when you were 10, Ryu-ah?" San asked.

I nodded.

"It's the only reason I survived the plane crash. I had been in a coma for months. I was stable, but not waking. The doctors realized my heart was the issue. It wasn't strong enough," I replied. "After the transplant, I woke up, started to fully heal faster, found out everything I'd missed, and it was the beginning of when I realized I needed to watch how excitable I get. Too much stress on my heart could kill me."

"But the way you dance," Jongho started. "You dance at a level that I wouldn't think a heart patient could."

"Don't worry about that, Jongho. Since I've started school, I've only needed to take my emergency meds once. And honestly, that one time I felt fine. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Jisung had noticed that I was showing signs that I wasn't okay before I felt anything. They took care of me even though I insisted they didn't need to. But Appa took me to see my cardiologist last week. He did a full work-up and he said I'm healthy," I replied. "I'm partially telling you guys because you're my new friends and you should know the truth. The rest is because of how much you guys, especially you, Jongho, standing up to those jerks yesterday meant to me and Jisung. You've earned both of our trust. Just, outside of those at the table yesterday, and now the Son twins, nobody at this school knows except the staff. I want it to stay that way."