Finding My Way
Shifts
Jaemi’s POV
5:45 am
As I open my door, my eyes blink as it reveals Taehyung standing right in front of it.
“G’morning.” His voice is rusty and he rubs his eyes before pulling me out of the room. Without hesitation, we join hands and amble to the pond.
“Good morning, Taehyung.”
“Do you have work today?” His eyes hang low and rubs his nose.
“It’s Wednesday, of course I have work.” I pause and gaze at him. “Did you want to do something?”
“N-no… it can wait.”
I redirect my focus on the pond, only to find someone sitting alone, just a few feet from the pond. Jimin.
“Jimin.” I let go of Taehyung’s hand and pace over to Jimin, who stays seated. I sit comfortably next him, but he doesn’t move an inch. Not even a glance at me. “What are you doing here?”
Taehyung catches up and plops himself next to me.
“I’m watching the sunrise.” Jimin says, eyes bigger than usual. His gaze doesn’t meet ours. Instead, it stays glued to the mixed colors of orange, yellow and pink, painting the white clouds.
Taehyung leans forward to get a closer look at him. “How long have you been out here?”
“4:30.”
With the back of my hand, I touch his cheek. “Jimin, your freezing. You need to go inside, quickly.”
I attempt to help him stand, but he stops me. “Taehyung.”
Immediately, Taehyung comes to his aide. “Ne, Jimin… hyung.”
“Can you take Jaemi inside? Have an early breakfast. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Jimin asks.
The wind blows continuously, and I can’t stop looking at Jimin. He reverts his eyes from Taehyung to mine and smiles slightly.
Taehyung hesitates before responding. “Ne, hyung.”
------
Jimin’s POV
I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person.
The memory at the abandoned house keeps playing in my mind and the wind blows softly. A speck of guilt pins me, making me regret sending Taehyung and Jaemi away.
“Why are you staring at the pond like that.” A voice approaches me from my left side.
“My eyes are on the pond, but my mind is stuck two years in the past… at that abandoned house. Thanks to you.”
Yoongi sits himself next to me and shakes my shoulder, pulling me out of focus. “So you were here since 4:30?”
“Tch.” I laugh to myself and look down. “You on your usual morning ‘shift?’ It’s obvious eavesdropping is your best skill.”
“Shifts are for losers.”
“Says the one who started them in the first place.”
“But you were the one who helped me maintain those shifts. When I still did them.” He puts down his backpack and digs through it, pulling out a blanket. “Cha-”
With care, Yoongi wraps the blanket around me, ruffling my hair afterwards. My gaze at him is full of disappointment. “You can’t just punch me in the face, knock me out for countless hours, stick me on a train, come in to check on me the next morning and call it a day.”
“Oh, I’m not here for you.” He smirks and pats my back. “I don’t hide or play stupid games… when it comes to her.”
As an act of instinct, I grab the collar of his shirt and the blanket falls down swiftly. “Leave Jaemi alone.”
“Jimin! Suga!” Jaemi calls from behind. Her footsteps are quick and it isn’t long before she stops just a few meters away.
Yoongi exchanges a brief glance with Jaemi before reverting to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but exhales, finishing off with a smile. “You know, every single night I’m alone, I wonder what it would’ve been like in Daegu if we were to live a normal life. With our real family. But thanks to you and Jungkook, that never happened.”
Hand trembling, I release my grip on Yoongi. “That’s in the past.”
“I’m in the now.” His voice is low so Jaemi wouldn’t hear. He forces me to my feet. “Jaemi is valuable. To you. To Jungkook. To Taehyung.”
“Fighting fire with fire doesn’t do anything.” Yoongi creeps closer to me and I take a step back.
“But it makes a lot of scars and burns to the innocent souls.” Heads almost touching, I feel his hot breath on my skin. “Out of all of us, you were the purest and brightest.”
There’s a sudden tug on the back of my shirt, forcing me to catch myself and walk backwards. Jaemi steps in front of me and pushes Suga back with two hands. “That’s enough… What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
She picks up the blanket and throws it around me, wrapping it tight and snug. Taehyung comes to guide me inside. I take a last glance at Jaemi and Suga before walking through the doors. “Taehyung.”
“Ne…” He brings me to the kitchen and sits me in front of a tray of soup. “You should eat before saying anything.”
“Go back out there. It’s not safe with him on the grounds.”
“I think Jaemi knew I would do something like that. She told me if I went back for her, we’re over.” Taehyung sniffs and scratches his head. “I don’t want that to happen.”
------
Jaemi’s POV
“That’s enough… What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
“Relax.” Suga smiles and pats my head before I flick it away. “I was just passing by. I came in the morning to run an errand for my parents so-”
“Liar.”
“You don’t believe me?” Suga raises his eyebrow and starts for me.
“Jimin was missing for quite sometime yesterday.” Suga stops in his tracks and tilts his head. I got you now. “Do you know where he was?”
He scoffs and brushes his arms. “So you think I’m a liar and a ‘kidnapper?’”
I stare at him blankly and he nods his head thrice. It sounds worse when he puts it that way.
Suga leans closer to my face. “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll show you.”
My lips part as I process the words that just came out of his mouth. Within seconds, he bursts out laughing and puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Ah, I’m just messing with you. Of course I don’t know where he was. I took an all nighter to finish homework and ended up getting no sleep. I ended up getting ready for school at 2:30 in the morning and walked all the way here from Uptown Buncheon.” Suga grins, plainly.
“...So that’s where you live.” I feel a smirk grow on my face, but I immediately catch it before he sees it.
Long seconds pass between us in silence before he clears his throat and acknowledges the exit. “You want to walk to school with me? It’s only about 30 minutes, and we have the time. I’ll buy you breakfast.”
I know I shouldn’t agree to go with Suga… but something about him makes me want to trust him. He has a cold and audacious side to him, but nonetheless, I know there is a different side to him. The side Byeol and Taehyung once saw in him. I want to see it too.
“Alright. Let me go and get my school bag.” I heave a sigh, not wanting to regret my decision.
“Really? You’ll come?” The look on his face brightens with surprise.
“Wait for me outside the entrance and don’t make any noise. If they find out I’m leaving with you, they’d make up shifts just to watch over me.”
Suga’s pupil’s grow a little bigger and he purses his lips. “Right. That’d be uncomfortable.”
I walk in through the front doors and sneak into my bedroom to grab my belongings. My stomach grumbles. He better buy me a vigorous breakfast.
5:45 am
As I open my door, my eyes blink as it reveals Taehyung standing right in front of it.
“G’morning.” His voice is rusty and he rubs his eyes before pulling me out of the room. Without hesitation, we join hands and amble to the pond.
“Good morning, Taehyung.”
“Do you have work today?” His eyes hang low and rubs his nose.
“It’s Wednesday, of course I have work.” I pause and gaze at him. “Did you want to do something?”
“N-no… it can wait.”
I redirect my focus on the pond, only to find someone sitting alone, just a few feet from the pond. Jimin.
“Jimin.” I let go of Taehyung’s hand and pace over to Jimin, who stays seated. I sit comfortably next him, but he doesn’t move an inch. Not even a glance at me. “What are you doing here?”
Taehyung catches up and plops himself next to me.
“I’m watching the sunrise.” Jimin says, eyes bigger than usual. His gaze doesn’t meet ours. Instead, it stays glued to the mixed colors of orange, yellow and pink, painting the white clouds.
Taehyung leans forward to get a closer look at him. “How long have you been out here?”
“4:30.”
With the back of my hand, I touch his cheek. “Jimin, your freezing. You need to go inside, quickly.”
I attempt to help him stand, but he stops me. “Taehyung.”
Immediately, Taehyung comes to his aide. “Ne, Jimin… hyung.”
“Can you take Jaemi inside? Have an early breakfast. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Jimin asks.
The wind blows continuously, and I can’t stop looking at Jimin. He reverts his eyes from Taehyung to mine and smiles slightly.
Taehyung hesitates before responding. “Ne, hyung.”
------
Jimin’s POV
I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person.
The memory at the abandoned house keeps playing in my mind and the wind blows softly. A speck of guilt pins me, making me regret sending Taehyung and Jaemi away.
“Why are you staring at the pond like that.” A voice approaches me from my left side.
“My eyes are on the pond, but my mind is stuck two years in the past… at that abandoned house. Thanks to you.”
Yoongi sits himself next to me and shakes my shoulder, pulling me out of focus. “So you were here since 4:30?”
“Tch.” I laugh to myself and look down. “You on your usual morning ‘shift?’ It’s obvious eavesdropping is your best skill.”
“Shifts are for losers.”
“Says the one who started them in the first place.”
“But you were the one who helped me maintain those shifts. When I still did them.” He puts down his backpack and digs through it, pulling out a blanket. “Cha-”
With care, Yoongi wraps the blanket around me, ruffling my hair afterwards. My gaze at him is full of disappointment. “You can’t just punch me in the face, knock me out for countless hours, stick me on a train, come in to check on me the next morning and call it a day.”
“Oh, I’m not here for you.” He smirks and pats my back. “I don’t hide or play stupid games… when it comes to her.”
As an act of instinct, I grab the collar of his shirt and the blanket falls down swiftly. “Leave Jaemi alone.”
“Jimin! Suga!” Jaemi calls from behind. Her footsteps are quick and it isn’t long before she stops just a few meters away.
Yoongi exchanges a brief glance with Jaemi before reverting to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but exhales, finishing off with a smile. “You know, every single night I’m alone, I wonder what it would’ve been like in Daegu if we were to live a normal life. With our real family. But thanks to you and Jungkook, that never happened.”
Hand trembling, I release my grip on Yoongi. “That’s in the past.”
“I’m in the now.” His voice is low so Jaemi wouldn’t hear. He forces me to my feet. “Jaemi is valuable. To you. To Jungkook. To Taehyung.”
“Fighting fire with fire doesn’t do anything.” Yoongi creeps closer to me and I take a step back.
“But it makes a lot of scars and burns to the innocent souls.” Heads almost touching, I feel his hot breath on my skin. “Out of all of us, you were the purest and brightest.”
There’s a sudden tug on the back of my shirt, forcing me to catch myself and walk backwards. Jaemi steps in front of me and pushes Suga back with two hands. “That’s enough… What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
She picks up the blanket and throws it around me, wrapping it tight and snug. Taehyung comes to guide me inside. I take a last glance at Jaemi and Suga before walking through the doors. “Taehyung.”
“Ne…” He brings me to the kitchen and sits me in front of a tray of soup. “You should eat before saying anything.”
“Go back out there. It’s not safe with him on the grounds.”
“I think Jaemi knew I would do something like that. She told me if I went back for her, we’re over.” Taehyung sniffs and scratches his head. “I don’t want that to happen.”
------
Jaemi’s POV
“That’s enough… What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
“Relax.” Suga smiles and pats my head before I flick it away. “I was just passing by. I came in the morning to run an errand for my parents so-”
“Liar.”
“You don’t believe me?” Suga raises his eyebrow and starts for me.
“Jimin was missing for quite sometime yesterday.” Suga stops in his tracks and tilts his head. I got you now. “Do you know where he was?”
He scoffs and brushes his arms. “So you think I’m a liar and a ‘kidnapper?’”
I stare at him blankly and he nods his head thrice. It sounds worse when he puts it that way.
Suga leans closer to my face. “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll show you.”
My lips part as I process the words that just came out of his mouth. Within seconds, he bursts out laughing and puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Ah, I’m just messing with you. Of course I don’t know where he was. I took an all nighter to finish homework and ended up getting no sleep. I ended up getting ready for school at 2:30 in the morning and walked all the way here from Uptown Buncheon.” Suga grins, plainly.
“...So that’s where you live.” I feel a smirk grow on my face, but I immediately catch it before he sees it.
Long seconds pass between us in silence before he clears his throat and acknowledges the exit. “You want to walk to school with me? It’s only about 30 minutes, and we have the time. I’ll buy you breakfast.”
I know I shouldn’t agree to go with Suga… but something about him makes me want to trust him. He has a cold and audacious side to him, but nonetheless, I know there is a different side to him. The side Byeol and Taehyung once saw in him. I want to see it too.
“Alright. Let me go and get my school bag.” I heave a sigh, not wanting to regret my decision.
“Really? You’ll come?” The look on his face brightens with surprise.
“Wait for me outside the entrance and don’t make any noise. If they find out I’m leaving with you, they’d make up shifts just to watch over me.”
Suga’s pupil’s grow a little bigger and he purses his lips. “Right. That’d be uncomfortable.”
I walk in through the front doors and sneak into my bedroom to grab my belongings. My stomach grumbles. He better buy me a vigorous breakfast.
Notes
Annyeong readers... :D
SO, this is a kind of weird chapter, but it hints a few things for the next chapter. The relationship between Jimin and Suga is getting worse. Suga's got something up his sleeve, doesn't it sound like that?
I've been busyyyyyyyyyyyyy. I have dance (ballet, modern, jazz) on Monday's, Tuesday's, Wednesday's, Friday's and Saturday's, 2 1/2 hours each day. AND I'm taking two AP classes and four Honors classes. SO. Don't blame me if I can't update on the right time... just saying.
I hope this chapter wasn't... boring.
VOTE///COMMENT///SUBSCRIBE to hear more from me... really. I need some love...
See you in the next chapter~~~
~Alexis Thao
P.S. I updated my bio on kpopfanfiction... check it out.
I'm seriously fangirling it's just-
5/16/18