· ————— · · 『• ⚜️ •』· · ————— ·

I'll come to see you,

not to be seen.

· ————— · · 『• ⚜️ •』· · ————— ·

The grey clouds loomed over the midnight sky as Jimin gazed onto the horizon through the tint of the glass in his hand which was filled with his favourite choice of wine. The red colour gave the skyline a horrible crimson colour as if it was tainted with fresh blood. A cold breeze suddenly gushed past him and he put down his glass in hurry as goosebumps started to arise on his skin. Well, he did only wear a robe out in the cold for some reason. Maybe it was to wear off the alcohol, maybe he needed a push towards the reality.

In his other hand held a ring pop, dated years before to when he was still a kid with a broken front tooth and hair covering his forehead like a pair of new curtains. His plump lips stretched into a small smile as he recollected the memories that were attached to this toy. To others, it may seem like a pointless souvenir from the past, but for Jimin, it was a reminder of an old friend that he absolutely adored.

Even more than Taehyung.

He raised the glass and let the liquid push past his lips and indulge his senses into waves of temporary saccharin as his features scrunched up due to the unsettling sweetness. He wasn't even sure that why did he even like it in the first place, maybe because it was out of the ordinary? Perhaps, that could be one of the plausible reasons.

Then Jimin's eyes averted towards the toy in his hand and instantly, the disgust from the taste of the wine was replaced with a strange warmth. His fingers caressed the edges of the plastic as if he was reminiscing about the moment when he was bestowed upon with this gift.

He still remembered that it was a middle-of-the-road summer. His new friend Taehyung had invited him to his house to play. Now young Jimin didn't know him that much, he only introduced himself because his mother taught him to be around good kids if he wanted to grow as a person too. So, truth to be told, he was alarmed when the the little boy marched up to his mother yesterday when school ended, and asked her politely if he could invite him to his house for a playdate. And his mom agreed. Just like that, with no communication with his son. She didn't even ask for the her son's opinion and young Jimin felt too heartbroken and neglected to even reply back.

"What are you waiting for?" His mother crouched down to his height and ruffled up his hair with a smile, "Taehyung must be waiting. We don't want your new friend to be sad now, do we?"

To this, Jimin hesitated before finally nodding and they both entered the mansion's premises.

Holding the hand of his mother while they both walked on the sandstone path which was decorated with precisely trimmed lush, green bushes drove the young boy into a different kind of ecstasy. Only if he hadn't been pressurized down by the thought of definitely making the rich boy his friend, this would have been the best day of his life.

When the duo reached in front of the grand, Mahogany door, his mother took the little boy's hands in hers and gently caressed his cheek, "Don't think about it too much and enjoy your day. Forming social relationships is my job to do, and your job...is to play of course. Don't miss mom too much, okay?"

Jimin nodded his head, "I won't." He smiled.

"Good, now run along."

Just then, the giant door opened and inside was the heavenly architecture welcoming him. The little boy's jaw dropped in amazement as the caretakers who opened the door deeply bowed down to him and his mother. Knowing nothing about what to do, Jimin bowed too and he stayed in that position when he saw that none of the caretakers were unmoving. Soon, a boy with a window inbetween his teeth came running down the stairs accompanied with one of the most enchanting girl next to him. The boy dashed towards him and engulfed him in a one, big hug while the girl hid behind one of the caretakers of the house. Jimin was fairly timid compared to Taehyung's tall and lean physique so he couldn't see anything except for the rich boy's checkered shirt.

"Come this way, ma'am." One of the caretakers smiled and drove his mom away from him and Jimin couldn't help but feel helpless at the sudden loss of familiarity. It was strange, spending time with a completely new set of friends consisting of a boy with an overly physical sense of affection and a girl he couldn't take his eyes off of.

His mother gave him one last warm smile before the doors closed on her and Taehyung pulled his hand only to run towards the garden with the girl following closely behind.

"Is she your sister?" Jimin asked him once they were seated on the naturally green carpet while Taehyung was busy threading a crown of wild daisies. The said boy looked up and nodded, "Yeah." He affirmed with a sigh.

"She's really pretty," Jimin whispered into his ear when he was sure that she was nowhere near them.

To this, Taehyung scrunched up his nose, "Ew, you can take her away if you want. I don't really like her. She gets all the love from mother and because of this, I don't get any!"

Jimin frowned, "Your mother must've really loved pretty girls. She's one herself." He said as his eyes darted towards the two figures sitting on chairs on a patch of grass, miles away from where they were. He recognised his mother sipping tea and laughing but the figure next to her reminded him a lot of the girl that enticed him.

"You're true on that one. So if I want to recieve love from mother, would I have to look pretty also?" Taehyung had finished making the crown and was now inspecting it for a flaw.

Jimin looked away from the chatting women and stared up at the boy sitting close to him, "Hmm, I guess."

"Then do I look pretty enough?" Taehyung placed the crown on his head and giggled.

"No, you don't." A feminine voice interrupted before Jimin could even get a word in, "You look really ugly with that thing on."

Jimin winced internally. So harsh.

"And you," the girl directed her gaze towards the stout boy, "come hither. You'll catch his ugliness if you stay with him for long."

"See!?" Taehyung took the crown off, "That is why I don't like her."

Jimin had no choice but to follow when the girl swooped in and tugged him along. He made an apologetic face saying that he was sorry but Taehyung sighed and nodded in understanding.

The girl had pulled him to a place where there was no one in sight. Not a gardener, not Taehyung or even their mothers. It was an unsettling silence that took over as the girl reached for her pockets and rummaged through it and finally took out a ring pop with a smile identical to his new friend.

"You see, I find you verrrry pretty," She slurred and took Jimin's right hand in hers. Shock waves convulsed through the boy's body when she touched him and his toes curled and he even felt imaginary droplets of sweat rolling down from his forehead, "So," she carefully slid the ring onto his ring finger and handed a daisy ring to him, "I want you to marry me when we grown up because I'm marrying you now. And I don't have another ring pop because mother says that I'm only allowed to have one sweet per day so there's a ring made of daisies to compensate for that."

Jimin carefully held the thing made of nature and her hand resting by her side. He gulped and contemplated his decision for a time because he was practically signing his life away at this point.

"You know," She began, disrupting his thoughts, "When that dumb duck said that you were coming. I didn't think that you'd be this pretty."

A warm shade of pink enveloped Jimin's cheeks.

"What are you waiting for? Marry me! Fast!"

Jimin gazed upon the ring for the last time before closing his eyes and inserting the ring on her ring finger. The girl squealed and jumped around before finally settling down by giving a kiss on his cheek.

The shade on his cheeks turned hot pink.

And when on their way back home, his mother inquired about the ring on his finger and Jimin had nothing else to offer than a shy smile as a response.

That was eighteen years ago and the Jimin now was nothing like that but he promised himself that he would make her remember him.

No matter what.

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Jungkook felt lethargic.

That was strange, never in his life had he had felt so tired to even lift a finger. He tried twisting his neck but he immediately felt a sharp current of pain travelling from the beginning of his spine to the back of his head. He shut close his eyes as a low grunt escaped from his throat.

"Oh, you're awake? How you're feeling, kid?" A voice resounded in his ears as the said boy slowly nodded his head but he quickly opened his eyes only to be met with a sight of a blurry man looking down on him with an eager smile. The blur slowly subsided and he found a man in his late-twenties looking at him with a proximity too close for his liking.

So in a groggy voice, he asked, "Do you mind to move away a little? I am breathing in your carbon dioxide."

The man nervously chuckled and drifted away while scratching his nape, "Oh, I am- I am sorry," He laughed, "Do you feel...okay, though?"

"Yeah, I guess, my head feels a bit wonky but it's alrigh- hold on," the boy paused as his eyes raked the man up and down and then accross his surroundings. The presence of the smell of the disinfectants suddenly invaded his nostrils and then it hit him- he was at the hospital.

"How did I get here," Jungkook sat up alright as his eyes got smaller in scrutiny, "and who are you?"

"Oh," the man was take aback at the sudden question, "apparently, I found you, unconscious, in the road in front of my car. I didn't hit you, of course but you passed out in the middle of the road when you should've been at school-" The man explained while putting stress on the word 'school'.

At this, Jungkook winced. The man might have taken his school uniform into account while making that statement. Cursing mentally, Jungkook diverted his eyes to his hand in embarrassment and was not at least a bit shocked on seeing the most of the arms covered in white bandages contrasting against his otherwise tanned skin.

"-and as a gentleman that I am, I couldn't just leave you there when you were cosplaying a corpse and now you're here. As I have answered your question, can you answer mine? Where were you going in midst of your school and why are there bruises on your body?" The man's voice softened at the end of his sentence.

Jungkook let out an accidental chuckle at the joke but his lips pursued again at the mention of his bruises, "That's two questions and you still haven't answered one of mine."

"And what was it?"

"Who are you?" The man stilled at the question. He thought that he would be able to dodge this question if he beated around the bush and eventually make him forget all about it but it seemed like the boy had held onto it. Now his only hope was the boy not recognising him, if he did, then it was over for him. After all, most of the people were unemployed because of his father.

"I..." the man began as Jungkook drew in closer, "I am..." the man licked his lips and looked away from the awaiting young man, "I am...Kim Taehyung." His name had never felt so heavy on his tongue and now that was out, he couldn't help but cower in guilt as the evident glint in the kid's eyes dissipated and his lips, which were curled up in an eager smile, turned upside down in a scowl.

"So you're," Jungkook clenched his jaw as his hands fisted underneath the sheets and a single vein popped out on his neck, "are the son of the Chairman of the Haeron group? The same Chairman who liquidated Dohui and eventually destroyed the whole country's economy?"

"You don't have to put it that way-!"

Taehyung got up as soon as Jungkook ripped the IV drip attached to his hand and briskly stood up while he pressed the red button on the top of his bed, "I think I've heard enough, Mister Kim." There was a foreign edge to his words as the man felt an axe tearing apart the closet of his patience.

"Look," Taehyung began with a low voice, "I don't what happened to your family because of my father but please, try to understand that I'm not here to trouble you."

"Well, I think you're here to do just that." Jungkook shot menacing words at the adult just when a nurse came in with a clipboard in hand, "Excuse me, but I'd like to discharge." The nurse simply nodded her head, "Sure thing, follow me." And Jungkook complied but not before shooting another nasty glare to Taehyung in his way out.

A sigh escaped his lips as his shoulders slumped down as soon as the high-schooler exited the room. He didn't understand the boy's behaviour for even a bit. Was his father's fault supposed to ruin his social relationships as well? Good thing Jimin didn't show colours like that.

Maybe Jimin was mad but he didn't show it.

Maybe he hated him just as much.

Taehyung shook his head and glanced down from the hospital window to see the student just about to leave the premises when a sudden desire engulfed his heart and before he even knew it, he was dashing down the stairs, shocking everyone in the process, till he reached the gate and ran towards the boy with an alarming velocity.

Just as Jungkook was about to reach for his nokia in his pocket, a strong grip clasped on his shoulder and briskly turned him around. His features adorned pure shock but was soon filled with fury upon the sight of the man whom he loathed the third most.

"I thought I made it very clear that I want to do nothing with you. It is enough that you destroyed me and my family and the other households. So please," He sighed, "go away."

"I thi-think-" Taehyung panted, "that you hav-have the wrong idea here. I want the country to go back to normal juh-just as much as you want." He grasped onto the wall of the hospital entrance to keep himself up, "You could be lying for all I care, after all, your father wasn't the most purest man alive." Jungkook scoffed and was about to turn away when Taehyung clasped on his hand.

"If I say that I would help you restore your family's financial sector, would that make you believe me?"

Jungkook looked into the latter's eyes for a long time, "But would money bring my mom back?" Taehyung stilled, "No, right? Just as I thought."

Just as he was about to leave, Taehyung scrambled over to him and pressed a card on his palm. Perplexed, he looked at him like he was crazy, "What's this?"

"My number's on it. Call me if you change your mind. I won't be able to take down Haeron only by myself." Taehyung lightly bowed his head and left the scene.

Curious as to say, the student flipped the card over and on that was the man's name with his occupation below and his contact information. And on the top left corner was the name of a trade company that had closed down.

"Did something happen at school?" His father had asked as soon as he entered the house. He was seated on the floor with his head leaning against the wall while his hand had a green bottle with a few similar bottles sprawled all across his legs.

"No," He lied, "Just fell down while playing basketball with friends."

His father nodded and Jungkook resumed his journey to his room when a gruff voice sounded out behind him, "Everything's...fine at the school right?"

Jungkook smiled, "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

"Nothing, I'm just asking. Go back to your room and study or something. Dad will take care of the money, okay?" The man looked up to him but due to his intoxicated state, he couldn't make out his son's glossy eyes.

Jungkook vigorously nodded, "Sure, you'll take care of everything. We'll be...fine."

Throwing his bag on the makeshift bed, the boy ruffled up his hair and plopped down on the mattress. His gaze matched with the cracked ceiling and just then, his stomach rumbled.

"Mom! I'm hu-"

No.

She isn't here anymore.

His stomach rumbled one again, demanding attention but Jungkook looked over to the photo frame near the mattress. A strange feeling of emptiness weighing down his heart enveloped him and suddenly he felt shortness of breath. The photo became blurry and tears escaped past the corner of his eyes as he shut his eyelids close and imagined the same photograh in his mind since the tears won't let him see it.

His mom, him and his dad, grinning in front of the vast, blue sea behind them. The wind pushed past their locks and there were several broken and demolished sand castles behind them with various anonymous confessions of love carved on the sand but amongst all, he could only stare at his mother's smile that he won't be able to witness anymore.

A strangled gasp went past his lips and he felt an imaginary stone of burden weighing his chest down more and more when his fingers were met with a thin strong material with a smooth surface in his pocket.

It was that guy's card.

He took the card out and stared at it, scrunitizing the design. Sure, whoever designed it was probably horrible at it and just wanted to take that cheque home but strangely, whichever way he looked at that guy's number, he couldn't help but feel comprehensive about it.

At last he took his phone out and softly tapped the respective buttons while holding the card in his other hand. Finally when he was done, he looked at the numbers that would change his life for once and for all. Clicking the call button, he pressed the phone against his ear. The gradual ringing sounded defeaning as he contemplated to cut the call.

"Hello, who's this?"

Well, it was too late.

"Did you forget me so soon?" Jungkook whispered out, his voice still breathy from his little crying escapade earlier.

The line fell silent for a moment but then a chuckle resounded on the other side of the line, "Of course not, how could I?"

Jungkook slowly turned around to face the photo frame again.

I hope I'm making the right decision, mom.

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A/N: I watched Dream

And I'm... speechless

I love IU so goddamn much