Everybody Wants to Rule the World

37

Trigger Warning(s): none

Hurts Like Hell by Fleurie

~ Jimin's Point of View ~

8:31 PM, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2028. ZHOUZHUANG, CHINA.

"I don't want it."

"You have to eat something."

"That is barely classified as a 'something.'"

"Okay, so what if it's a bit burnt?"

"Charlisa, that's blackened. And it's pasta."

"Excuse me if I'm not accustomed to your grandparents' ancient stove."

"It's a Whirlpool stove."

She slammed her hands down on the table. "Are we going to sit here and argue all day, or will you eat your damn pasta? I slaved away to make it for you!"

"You watched it for two seconds and then spent forty-five minutes looking for security cameras. I had to put out the fire on the stove!"

We spent a moment in silence, small smiles cracking through our façades of angriness until she relinquished with a laugh and nudged the burnt noodles with a fork. "I'm horrible at cooking."

"Yeah, I know – remember our vacation to DC?"

"Vacation?" she snorted. "That's a nice way of putting it."

"A nice little vacation... to kill people."

"At least they were bad people." She stirred the noodles absentmindedly, and some were so burnt that they crumbled apart. "I only risked burning down your grandpappy's kitchen because I'm worried about you. I love Mirie to death, and I know the danger of sending her home alone while Anesa has control of God-only-knows-how-many security cameras, maybe even aircrafts. Honestly, we don't know any of her capabilities, and that should terrify me... but I'm more worried about you."

"I'm perfectly fine."

"You can't even say that without your voice cracking. And you've been staring at the table for an hour, ever since you got back from the airport. You're not perfectly fine." She tilted her head to put herself directly in my line of vision. "Mirie's safe, Jimin. And we have work to do. Just because she's safe doesn't mean that the rest of the world is. Are you with me?"

"Look, I'm fine. Did I just permanently lose the love of my life because she found out how much of a monster I was, and now she hates me? Yeah, but I'm... I'm dandy."

"Okay, I've seen Mirie hate people before, and it does not look like that."

"Well, you weren't at the airport."

"What happened at the airport exactly?"

"She told me she hated me."

"Was that her or the voices?"

I became quiet.

"That's what I thought. She really does love you, Jimin. Remember when she texted me a picture of your face, and I freaked out and called you?"

"How could I forget?" I mumbled sourly. "That's when everything went wrong."

"We were texting for almost an hour before that, and all she could talk about was how annoying you were." When I frowned, she added, "That means she loves you."

"How the hell does that mean she loves me?"

"Trust me, stupid. I'm good at reading people, remember?"

"No."

"Well, I am. And do you know what I'm reading on your face?"

"I don't want to know."

"Too bad. I'm gonna tell you." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "You feel guilty. Not for any of the actual crimes you've committed, obviously, but for 'betraying' Mirie."

"Don't put quotes like that. I did betray her."

"No. You had no way of knowing that pursuing something with her would be detrimental – not until your meeting with Anesa."

"But it was never a good idea."

"Well, of course not, but you were just being selfish. It's fine; I do it all the time."

"Okay, but you're you, and it never affects anybody else. I... I freaking slept with her, just because I was being selfish, and – did you see her eyes when I told that part? She looked like a kicked puppy."

"Oh, come on, she's not that mad. You're hot."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's like you're forgetting Mirie and I are soulmates, or something. I grew up with her. I know how her mind works because it works exactly like mine. And believe me, if I was in her position, where you'd slept with me and basically used me and manipulated me for your own sense of control... I wouldn't even care."

"You're making me feel so much worse."

She tilted her head to inspect the pasta closer. "You know, now that I've been fiddling with it for a little while, it doesn't look as bad... almost like a dusting of charcoal over perfectly good pasta–"

Jimin!

The voice came in so loud and clear that I fell out of my chair. It almost sounded like Emira was right next to me, screaming in my ear. I could hear the desperation, the pain, and in an instant, my argument with Charlisa was utterly irrelevant.

"Emira needs help," I said, already moving about the room to pack necessary supplies.

"How do you – oh, wait, nope, I feel it, too. My soulmate sense is tingling." We moved in tandem, Charlisa locating supplies and me packing them. Somehow, we both knew exactly where we needed to be, and once we were ready, we sped down the road to get there.

I knew we'd never make it time because, somehow, we needed to get all the way to Busan, back to where everything began.

~ ~ ~

A/N: sorry for the short chapter loves!! i hope y'all are having a fantastic start to your february <3

Published Febrary 5, 2021.