Finding My Way
Versions
Jimin’s POV
“Jimin?”
“Jaemi.”
I can’t believe it. The girl of my dreams is standing before me.
“Oh my god.” Her voice is shaky as I see sparkles in her eyes. As if we were two magnets attracting to each other, I wrap my arms around her lower waist, giving her a warm embrace. Her arms slide around my neck, holding me tightly. Our heads bury in each other’s shoulders and I feel tears sting my eyes. “It’s really you.”
-Flashback-
Jaemi and I walked side by side to Seoul Middle School of Dance. In one hand, I hold a furry, stuffed lion. It seemed like I never went anywhere without it. Whenever we walked together, I’d always be on the left side and Jaemi the right.
I searched around us. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He usually gets lost from time to time.” She shrugged and I grinned.
“Jimin!” Jungkook called from behind. “Jaemi! Wait for me!”
“Found him.” I snapped my fingers.
Jaemi turned right and I pivoted left to face Jungkook, who ran dramatically towards us. Jungkook’s arms wrapped around our shoulders and he pants, overexaggerating. “My bike broke down, so I had to take the bus.”
“Wouldn’t the bus be faster than a bike?” I raised an eyebrow.
Jungkook pushed my head down playfully with his left arm. “Shut up.”
-End-
------
Jaemi’s POV
“I never thought I’d see you again.” He whispers into my ear and caresses my hair gently. “Jae.”
A long gust of wind blows hard and my hair flies everywhere with the dust and dirt it picks up.
“Jaemi? What are you doing?” Byeol questions as the wind dies down. I unwillingly let go of Jimin and turn around to face Byeol. I look down, drying and covering my tears before meeting her eye to eye. When my eyes adjust, I realize Byeol isn’t alone. Taehyung, Hoseok and Seokjin stand next to her, waiting for an explanation. Jimin puts a hand on my shoulder.
“We’re childhood friends. More like family.” Jimin explains with a small grin. “We were separated because of some… conditions and unfortunate events. I thought I lost her forever… but here she is. Standing right next to me.”
“This is Park Jimin…” I slowly turn my head to his for a mere moment before continuing. “I went to school with him until we parted ways for high school. I never imagine he’d come here.”
Taehyung walks cautiously towards us and stops a yard away. Everyone anticipates his actions. He bows 180 degrees at Jimin. When he rises, a smile is smacked on his face. “Welcome to Buncheon, Jimin. I’m Taehyung.”Hoseok and Seokjin come and follow Taehyung’s thinking.
Hoseok comes first and stops a few feet further than Taehyung. “I’m Jung Hoseok. Any friend of Jaemi is a friend of mine. Welcome to the orphanage. I know we’ll make unforgettable memories here.”
“Seokjin. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Seokjin bows politely. “I hope our presence will make you more comfortable around here.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome.” Jimin’s smile warmly touches the hearts of everyone, leaving them in brief shock.
“Well! I think this calls for a celebration.” Byeol says from behind. “Why don’t you five go out and eat dinner together? Call it a welcoming party.”
“Call.” All of us, besides Jimin, say at the same time.
“Great. In the meantime, Jaemi, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind showing Jimin his room.” Byeol smiles widely. “Room 14.”
“Not at all.” I smile and take Jimin, by the hand, to his room. With time to spare before leaving for dinner, I help him unpack his belongings and set up his room neatly. When we finish, we sit on his bed, leaning against the wall. I sit on the right, and Jimin the left, our hands touching in the middle of us. “What happened?”
“You knew my uncle’s conditions weren’t great since… the death of my parents back when we were younger. He was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer a few weeks ago. There’s no one else to take me under custody after him. That’s when I was introduced to Byeol. However, I never met her in person, she was too busy. But, we contacted each other through cell phone and facetime calls. That’s how I ended up here. But, I’m not that gloomy. You’re here to brighten my days, forever.” Jimin’s eyes stay on our touching hands. “What about you?”
“My parents died in a car accident.” I heave a long sigh. “I found myself forced out of my dance career and sent here.”
Jimin fixes a misplaced strand of my hair. “If I were you, I would’ve sued the people who caused the accident.”
“It was Jungkook’s parents. No one was at fault. It just… happened.” I swallow and gaze down at my lap, my vision blurring from the unwanted tears forming in my eyes. Silence grows in the room and I close my eyes, reviewing the memories of that night. “Jungkook’s mother fortunately and relievingly survived,-”
“He just… let you leave before his eyes? He didn’t do anything to stop you from leaving Seoul, leaving your dream? Our dream…?” Jimin says, softly. “That doesn’t sound like the Jungkook I’ve known.”
“Things change, Jimin.” My head leans and rests on Jimin’s shoulder. “We both changed when you left. We couldn’t do anything about you disappearing from our lives. Jungkook couldn’t do anything to prevent me from leaving Seoul. I had no other choice. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now… watching his friends disappear… left alone with nothing.”
Jimin stays quiet. Wait… I can’t believe I just said that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that sounded a lot like… you.”
“Except in my situation, I was the one who disappeared from you.” Jimin heaves a long sigh.
There’s a knock on the door and I jump off the bed to open it.
“Jaemi.” Seokjin smiles. “It’s almost time for us to leave for dinner. If you’d like to change out of uniform…”
“I’ll see you later, Jimin.” I nod my head and bow to Jimin, then pat Seokjin on his shoulders. “Thanks for the heads up.”
------
6:25pm
Streets of Downtown Buncheon
“We’re almost there.” Hoseok smiles and notions us to keep up with his pace. “I made a reservation. Usually it’s packed on Friday nights.”
Taehyung takes me by the hand. “Let’s walk in together.”
I smile and nod my head before looking behind Taehyung at Jimin. He gives me a warm expression and puts an arm around my shoulder. He walks around me and comes to my left side. Seokjin opens the door to the diner and our ears are filled with immediate chatter and music. As we all walk in, the chatter dies down and the quiet music fills in the awkward atmosphere. Why does everyone act like this when we’re around them?
“J-Jaemi sunbaenim.” Irene says. Her eyes are glued onto my hand. The hand which Taehyung holds.
I take a deep breath. “It’s nice to see you too Irene. Where’s Namjoo-”
“I’m right here.” Namjoon comes from the kitchen. “Table for five, right this way.”
As we take our seats, the loudness in the room rises. Before I sit down, I pull Namjoon to the side. “How are you doing? Is everything okay at home?...the loan sharks?”
He blinks twice before laughing and giving me a bear hug. “Yes, I am perfectly fine. I’m here right now aren’t I? And, don’t worry. Suga helped me take care of everything. I really owe him one.”
I let go of the embrace. “I’m glad to hear everything is okay.”
Namjoon hesitates before revealing a bright smile. He walks me back to the table with hands on my shoulders. “I’ll be right over to take your orders… and just so you know, I’m only being nice for Jaemi. If she wasn’t here, that’s another story.”
With a hand, Jimin gently pulls me into the booth and sits me across from Taehyung. After ordering our meals, the awkwardness between everyone dies down.
“So,” Taehyung says, drinking his water in between his sentence. He puts the cup down and clears his throat. “How do you guys know each other?”
“Easy.” Jimin smiles. “We went to the same middle school together in Seoul. Since our first meet, we became really close friends… for those few years.”
“Just you two?” Hoseok raises his eyebrow. “Seems like your relationship back then was more than just ‘close friends.’”
I mentally roll my eyes and turn to see Jimin’s reaction. For a moment, he’s held back from Hoseok’s sudden comment, but soon creeps a smile on his face.
“Are you serious?” I put a hand on the table. “What type of question is that? We were in middle school, we’d be too young to even think about that. On top of that, we had another close friend. Jungkook.”
Taehyung’s posture grows taller and his eyes light up, staring at me. He points a finger at Jimin. “You knew Jungkook too?”
Jimin nods with a small grin on his face. “Us three… we were the three musketeers at that school. Those times were the best moments in my life.”
Hoseok leans back and crosses his legs under the table. His hands fold in his lap. “Why, did something worse happen after that to make those youthful moments incomparable, Jimin-shi?”
Jimin’s grin fades and I can tell he’s recalling the memories.
-Flashback-
“Jimin!” I called, running towards him down the sidewalk.“Let’s go together.”
I caught up to him with a relieved smile and gazed at him as we walked towards the bus stop. His eyes were dull and the bags under his eyes were puffy. I looked at him with concern. “Oppa… are okay?”
He pursed his lips, attempting to prevent a squeal and I watched as few tears stream down his face. “I’m fine.”
In a way of trying to support him, I held his hand with mine and we stopped at the bus stop. I opened my mouth to speak words of comfort, but my mind was blank. When the bus finally arrived, he pulled me on and brought me to the back. Luckily, the bus was nearly empty. However, he didn’t sit on any of the vacant seats. I stood with him in the back, facing the windows of the bus, our hands intertwined naturally.
“What happened?” I muttered as the bus started to move. “Why are you crying? It’s making me worry sick.”
“Jae…” Jimin’s voice was soft and he pulled me closer to him. A sudden push on the breaks caused him to fall onto me, but he saved himself and hugged me, pretending like nothing happened. He brought his lips to my ear and I felt his entire body shaking. “My parents are dead.”
-End-
“How come you never mentioned Jungkook or Jimin to us, Jaemi? Or, any of this in general?” Seokjin puts his elbows on the table and folds his hands together. He leans forward slightly and all eyes are on me.
I blink twice with confusion. “There was never a need to mention them… I guess. It was really none of your business… but I suppose it is now that you know.”
“No, we’re just saying… it would’ve been nice to know.” Taehyung shrugs and smiles flaty at me.
“Why do you need to know my past? It doesn’t and shouldn’t concern you whatsoever.” I shake my head with disappointment. “What about you guys? What’s your past with everyone? Suga? Namjoon? You haven’t told me any of that yet. Just secrets. All secrets. You don’t tell and yet you still want to know about my past?”
“Hey.” Jimin puts a hand on my shoulder and pulses it lightly. His touch almost immediately soothes me. My heartbeat slows down and I take a calming breath. “Don’t get so worked up. It’s alright Jaemi. I think they’re just curious because there are things you and I know that they don’t. We’re all friends, hm? The pieces of the past will come together like a jigsaw puzzle. It takes time to find the right piece and complete the puzzle. Let the past come out naturally, not forced.”
“I don’t know why I should open up to you guys about anything if you don’t do the same to me.” I purse my lips and turn my head to find Namjoon coming with our orders.
As we eat, I feel the eyes of Taehyung and Hoseok on me. Uncomfortable and irritated, my eyes stay glued to my food. After a few minutes, I dare myself and shoot a glare at Jimin. He turns his head to meet me eye to eye. He flashes me a short, but effective smile and I grin. I like this version of my Jimin, rather then the other one… that day on the bus.
“Jimin?”
“Jaemi.”
I can’t believe it. The girl of my dreams is standing before me.
“Oh my god.” Her voice is shaky as I see sparkles in her eyes. As if we were two magnets attracting to each other, I wrap my arms around her lower waist, giving her a warm embrace. Her arms slide around my neck, holding me tightly. Our heads bury in each other’s shoulders and I feel tears sting my eyes. “It’s really you.”
-Flashback-
Jaemi and I walked side by side to Seoul Middle School of Dance. In one hand, I hold a furry, stuffed lion. It seemed like I never went anywhere without it. Whenever we walked together, I’d always be on the left side and Jaemi the right.
I searched around us. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He usually gets lost from time to time.” She shrugged and I grinned.
“Jimin!” Jungkook called from behind. “Jaemi! Wait for me!”
“Found him.” I snapped my fingers.
Jaemi turned right and I pivoted left to face Jungkook, who ran dramatically towards us. Jungkook’s arms wrapped around our shoulders and he pants, overexaggerating. “My bike broke down, so I had to take the bus.”
“Wouldn’t the bus be faster than a bike?” I raised an eyebrow.
Jungkook pushed my head down playfully with his left arm. “Shut up.”
-End-
------
Jaemi’s POV
“I never thought I’d see you again.” He whispers into my ear and caresses my hair gently. “Jae.”
A long gust of wind blows hard and my hair flies everywhere with the dust and dirt it picks up.
“Jaemi? What are you doing?” Byeol questions as the wind dies down. I unwillingly let go of Jimin and turn around to face Byeol. I look down, drying and covering my tears before meeting her eye to eye. When my eyes adjust, I realize Byeol isn’t alone. Taehyung, Hoseok and Seokjin stand next to her, waiting for an explanation. Jimin puts a hand on my shoulder.
“We’re childhood friends. More like family.” Jimin explains with a small grin. “We were separated because of some… conditions and unfortunate events. I thought I lost her forever… but here she is. Standing right next to me.”
“This is Park Jimin…” I slowly turn my head to his for a mere moment before continuing. “I went to school with him until we parted ways for high school. I never imagine he’d come here.”
Taehyung walks cautiously towards us and stops a yard away. Everyone anticipates his actions. He bows 180 degrees at Jimin. When he rises, a smile is smacked on his face. “Welcome to Buncheon, Jimin. I’m Taehyung.”Hoseok and Seokjin come and follow Taehyung’s thinking.
Hoseok comes first and stops a few feet further than Taehyung. “I’m Jung Hoseok. Any friend of Jaemi is a friend of mine. Welcome to the orphanage. I know we’ll make unforgettable memories here.”
“Seokjin. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Seokjin bows politely. “I hope our presence will make you more comfortable around here.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome.” Jimin’s smile warmly touches the hearts of everyone, leaving them in brief shock.
“Well! I think this calls for a celebration.” Byeol says from behind. “Why don’t you five go out and eat dinner together? Call it a welcoming party.”
“Call.” All of us, besides Jimin, say at the same time.
“Great. In the meantime, Jaemi, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind showing Jimin his room.” Byeol smiles widely. “Room 14.”
“Not at all.” I smile and take Jimin, by the hand, to his room. With time to spare before leaving for dinner, I help him unpack his belongings and set up his room neatly. When we finish, we sit on his bed, leaning against the wall. I sit on the right, and Jimin the left, our hands touching in the middle of us. “What happened?”
“You knew my uncle’s conditions weren’t great since… the death of my parents back when we were younger. He was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer a few weeks ago. There’s no one else to take me under custody after him. That’s when I was introduced to Byeol. However, I never met her in person, she was too busy. But, we contacted each other through cell phone and facetime calls. That’s how I ended up here. But, I’m not that gloomy. You’re here to brighten my days, forever.” Jimin’s eyes stay on our touching hands. “What about you?”
“My parents died in a car accident.” I heave a long sigh. “I found myself forced out of my dance career and sent here.”
Jimin fixes a misplaced strand of my hair. “If I were you, I would’ve sued the people who caused the accident.”
“It was Jungkook’s parents. No one was at fault. It just… happened.” I swallow and gaze down at my lap, my vision blurring from the unwanted tears forming in my eyes. Silence grows in the room and I close my eyes, reviewing the memories of that night. “Jungkook’s mother fortunately and relievingly survived,-”
“He just… let you leave before his eyes? He didn’t do anything to stop you from leaving Seoul, leaving your dream? Our dream…?” Jimin says, softly. “That doesn’t sound like the Jungkook I’ve known.”
“Things change, Jimin.” My head leans and rests on Jimin’s shoulder. “We both changed when you left. We couldn’t do anything about you disappearing from our lives. Jungkook couldn’t do anything to prevent me from leaving Seoul. I had no other choice. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now… watching his friends disappear… left alone with nothing.”
Jimin stays quiet. Wait… I can’t believe I just said that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that sounded a lot like… you.”
“Except in my situation, I was the one who disappeared from you.” Jimin heaves a long sigh.
There’s a knock on the door and I jump off the bed to open it.
“Jaemi.” Seokjin smiles. “It’s almost time for us to leave for dinner. If you’d like to change out of uniform…”
“I’ll see you later, Jimin.” I nod my head and bow to Jimin, then pat Seokjin on his shoulders. “Thanks for the heads up.”
------
6:25pm
Streets of Downtown Buncheon
“We’re almost there.” Hoseok smiles and notions us to keep up with his pace. “I made a reservation. Usually it’s packed on Friday nights.”
Taehyung takes me by the hand. “Let’s walk in together.”
I smile and nod my head before looking behind Taehyung at Jimin. He gives me a warm expression and puts an arm around my shoulder. He walks around me and comes to my left side. Seokjin opens the door to the diner and our ears are filled with immediate chatter and music. As we all walk in, the chatter dies down and the quiet music fills in the awkward atmosphere. Why does everyone act like this when we’re around them?
“J-Jaemi sunbaenim.” Irene says. Her eyes are glued onto my hand. The hand which Taehyung holds.
I take a deep breath. “It’s nice to see you too Irene. Where’s Namjoo-”
“I’m right here.” Namjoon comes from the kitchen. “Table for five, right this way.”
As we take our seats, the loudness in the room rises. Before I sit down, I pull Namjoon to the side. “How are you doing? Is everything okay at home?...the loan sharks?”
He blinks twice before laughing and giving me a bear hug. “Yes, I am perfectly fine. I’m here right now aren’t I? And, don’t worry. Suga helped me take care of everything. I really owe him one.”
I let go of the embrace. “I’m glad to hear everything is okay.”
Namjoon hesitates before revealing a bright smile. He walks me back to the table with hands on my shoulders. “I’ll be right over to take your orders… and just so you know, I’m only being nice for Jaemi. If she wasn’t here, that’s another story.”
With a hand, Jimin gently pulls me into the booth and sits me across from Taehyung. After ordering our meals, the awkwardness between everyone dies down.
“So,” Taehyung says, drinking his water in between his sentence. He puts the cup down and clears his throat. “How do you guys know each other?”
“Easy.” Jimin smiles. “We went to the same middle school together in Seoul. Since our first meet, we became really close friends… for those few years.”
“Just you two?” Hoseok raises his eyebrow. “Seems like your relationship back then was more than just ‘close friends.’”
I mentally roll my eyes and turn to see Jimin’s reaction. For a moment, he’s held back from Hoseok’s sudden comment, but soon creeps a smile on his face.
“Are you serious?” I put a hand on the table. “What type of question is that? We were in middle school, we’d be too young to even think about that. On top of that, we had another close friend. Jungkook.”
Taehyung’s posture grows taller and his eyes light up, staring at me. He points a finger at Jimin. “You knew Jungkook too?”
Jimin nods with a small grin on his face. “Us three… we were the three musketeers at that school. Those times were the best moments in my life.”
Hoseok leans back and crosses his legs under the table. His hands fold in his lap. “Why, did something worse happen after that to make those youthful moments incomparable, Jimin-shi?”
Jimin’s grin fades and I can tell he’s recalling the memories.
-Flashback-
“Jimin!” I called, running towards him down the sidewalk.“Let’s go together.”
I caught up to him with a relieved smile and gazed at him as we walked towards the bus stop. His eyes were dull and the bags under his eyes were puffy. I looked at him with concern. “Oppa… are okay?”
He pursed his lips, attempting to prevent a squeal and I watched as few tears stream down his face. “I’m fine.”
In a way of trying to support him, I held his hand with mine and we stopped at the bus stop. I opened my mouth to speak words of comfort, but my mind was blank. When the bus finally arrived, he pulled me on and brought me to the back. Luckily, the bus was nearly empty. However, he didn’t sit on any of the vacant seats. I stood with him in the back, facing the windows of the bus, our hands intertwined naturally.
“What happened?” I muttered as the bus started to move. “Why are you crying? It’s making me worry sick.”
“Jae…” Jimin’s voice was soft and he pulled me closer to him. A sudden push on the breaks caused him to fall onto me, but he saved himself and hugged me, pretending like nothing happened. He brought his lips to my ear and I felt his entire body shaking. “My parents are dead.”
-End-
“How come you never mentioned Jungkook or Jimin to us, Jaemi? Or, any of this in general?” Seokjin puts his elbows on the table and folds his hands together. He leans forward slightly and all eyes are on me.
I blink twice with confusion. “There was never a need to mention them… I guess. It was really none of your business… but I suppose it is now that you know.”
“No, we’re just saying… it would’ve been nice to know.” Taehyung shrugs and smiles flaty at me.
“Why do you need to know my past? It doesn’t and shouldn’t concern you whatsoever.” I shake my head with disappointment. “What about you guys? What’s your past with everyone? Suga? Namjoon? You haven’t told me any of that yet. Just secrets. All secrets. You don’t tell and yet you still want to know about my past?”
“Hey.” Jimin puts a hand on my shoulder and pulses it lightly. His touch almost immediately soothes me. My heartbeat slows down and I take a calming breath. “Don’t get so worked up. It’s alright Jaemi. I think they’re just curious because there are things you and I know that they don’t. We’re all friends, hm? The pieces of the past will come together like a jigsaw puzzle. It takes time to find the right piece and complete the puzzle. Let the past come out naturally, not forced.”
“I don’t know why I should open up to you guys about anything if you don’t do the same to me.” I purse my lips and turn my head to find Namjoon coming with our orders.
As we eat, I feel the eyes of Taehyung and Hoseok on me. Uncomfortable and irritated, my eyes stay glued to my food. After a few minutes, I dare myself and shoot a glare at Jimin. He turns his head to meet me eye to eye. He flashes me a short, but effective smile and I grin. I like this version of my Jimin, rather then the other one… that day on the bus.
Notes
Annyeonghaseyooooo~
So I really liked writing this chapter. Incorporating Jimin brings me joy to know that ALL of the members are finally apart of my story. BUT anyways, I'm updating now to make up for the weeks I went A-wall on you guys. HERE YOU ARE!
In this chapter, little bits and pieces of Jimin's past is revealed. Like said in the chapter, I will let the past come out naturally, not forced. Therefore, I'm not putting every little detail of ANY characters past in just one chapter. BUT YEAH.
VOTE///COMMENT///SUBSCRIBE to hear more from meeeeee. I love y'all from the bottom of my heart. EVEN my anonymous readers who never comment, lol. I SEE YOU READING RIGHT NOW. I SEE ALL.
I'm REALLY looking forward to Suga's solo comeback in a few weeks. IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION, Suga is to have a solo comeback sometime in August.... ima die from his charms and voice.
See you in the next chapter~!!!
~Alexis Thao
I'm seriously fangirling it's just-
5/16/18