19 | THE SMOKE & BUTTERFLIES

The angry flame flickered and whipped dangerously, ready to consume all that it could touch. The Hood brought his other hand up, shifting the fire from one palm to the other.

"Now, this would be the perfect time for me to tell you not to play with fire, but that would just be too unoriginal," he said with a dark chuckle. "You're bright enough to get the message."

My body shuddered as it was finally confirmed that what happened to Jimin was not an accident.

"You're a monster," I spat.

Faster than I could blink, the distance between us vanished and my chin was caught between his gloved fingers. I gritted my teeth and tried to pull away, but his grip was iron.

"I warned you not to tell anyone. I told you not to force my hand, but you did," he hissed.

"I didn't force anything. You chose to harm an innocent person. You're despicable."

A stinging heat instantly radiated from his fingertips, strong enough to pass through the leather of his gloves. My jaw clenched in refusal to show any discomfort. As much as I tried to remind myself that it was only a nightmare, the assumption that I couldn't truly be harmed was one I was afraid to make. None of what was happening made any sense, and it was risky to behave as if the rules were known to me.

"You wouldn't be talking to me this way if you remembered who I am." His face was right beside my cheek and his breath kissed my skin.

The thought of doing nothing and waiting for the nightmare to end was tempting, but the image of Jimin in that hospital bed threw out any chance of inaction.

With all the force I could manage, I shoved my hands against his chest and sent him stumbling back. My breath hitched as his hood nearly fell away, and his head snapped back to me with a pair of luminous orange eyes, bright against the dark void of his face.

I stared in horror. "What are you?"

The cloaked figure straightened up, eyes still shining hauntingly as they fixed on me.

"What I am matters less than what you are, Jangmi. Perhaps you should start asking questions about yourself instead of me." The rasp in his tone sent chills over my skin. My hands squeezed into fists.

"You must be a real coward," I said, heart drumming as he took a step forward. "What is it that scares you so much that you have to hide behind letters and dreams? You don't even have the guts to talk to me in person."

Without so much as a blink from him, the trees surrounding us were suddenly ablaze with a frenzy of red and orange. The fire devoured the forest as swiftly as the winds blew, loud cracks and snaps meeting my ears. Flaming branches and leaves fell all around us while smoke weighed heavily in the air.

As I dodged one of the fiery branches, I was yanked into a pair of cloaked arms. His body was hot, the temperature of his chest burning against my back. I fought to break free of his grasp, but he only strengthened his hold with my every attempt to flee. My gut twisted as I felt his teeth scrape along my ear.

"You like to pretend you're so strong, don't you? You act as if you're brave, but I know you, Jangmi. You're terrified of me. You hate that you know nothing and have no control. You dare to call me weak when you're the one without any power here!" His chest rumbled against me as a deep, guttural growl tore from his chest, and I cried out at the inhuman sound.

"Y-You-" I gasped for breath against his tight hold and the suffocating air, "You said you wouldn't hurt me."

Hesitantly, his arms loosened around me. With a gentleness that was absent before, he turned me around to face him. My brows furrowed as the glow of his eyes faded and disappeared. The fire around us slowly diminished, leaving behind the charred skeletons of trees.

My wavering breath filled the new silence as the back of his hand crept along my cheek.

"I'm sorry. My temper can be hard to control. It would be helpful in the future if you didn't provoke me."

Following his suggestion would have only shown weakness on my part, and I wanted to prove that I would never submit.

"Why can't you just leave me alone? You hurt the most important person to me. Do you honestly think I will ever forgive you? If you want me to come to your side, forget it. You're the last person I would ever want to be with."

He let out a low snarl and his hand fell away from my face. He swiftly turned around, giving me a view of the back of his cloak. While his body shook with labored breaths and his growls deepened, I took a step forward, reaching a hand out toward his hood.

If I could just see his face...

Right as my fingertips met cloth, he snapped around and caught my wrist, jets of pain shooting through my arm at the contact. My wide eyes went to the sharp black claws that dug into my skin and drew beads of blood. Only when I looked back up did I realize that his hood was no longer over his face. Time slowed as his features became evident, and tears filled my eyes at the sight. He truly was a monster, some kind of horrible beast.

The scream that ripped past my throat was the final thing I heard, the sound morphing into an echo while my vision blackened.

When I finally escaped the shackles of my nightmare, I was sitting up, pressed into a warm chest with a pair of arms secured around my back. Despite my racing heart and spinning head, his woodsy scent grounded me. All the fear, the insecurity that swarmed my chest slowly melted away in his embrace, and the image of The Hood's face washed away as if I'd never seen him to begin with. For the life of me, I could not recall what he looked like - only that he was terrifying.

"You're okay, it's over," Hoseok's low voice soothed by my ear. The shock of his affection left me without words, but I was grateful and let him hold me until my heartbeat slowed and the tension in my muscles eased.

Mindlessly, my hands went around his back and gripped his shirt as if holding him tighter would achor me from the impending storm.

I composed myself as soon as I could and leaned back, prompting him to let me go. My hands hesitantly left his back as our eyes met, and I felt any last semblance of suspicion for him dissipate completely. For the first time, the heavy curtains around him pulled back, and I could read him clearly.

Hoseok's gaze told me without doubt that he cared for me, not in some twisted way, but in a genuine, selfless way. It wasn't something I could explain - I just knew from his recent actions and the look in his eyes that he wanted my good.

A dull ache twinged in my chest the longer I stared at him, feeling so near yet still so distant. My arms longed to cling to him again, my hands wished to gently pull his mask away and...

My gaze parted from his as if trying to escape the unexpected urges I felt toward him. I hardly knew him but still there was that pull. It was more than an attraction, almost as though my heart recognized his. I was unsure if that recognition was something platonic or romantic.

Finally breaking free of Hoseok's allure, I found the others across the room, staring at us with shared looks of apprehension. Jin held sparking jealousy behind his frown. Beside him, Namjoon stared with drawn brows and an evaluating gaze. Taehyung was next, sitting back and looking between the two of us with a set jaw. Yoongi was already waiting for my eyes to find his, burning with an intensity that opposed his usual iciness.

As difficult as it was to ignore their watchful eyes and not wonder if one of them had just been in my head, I returned my attention to Hoseok.

It seemed he had never looked away from me, and his eyes almost brightened as mine found his again. My cheeks flooded with heat and I desperately searched for words, but he beat me to it.

"Don't mind them. They're worried about me, not you. It's hard to earn trust when I hide my face from everyone and hardly speak most of the time."

I let a few seconds pass as I took in his messy hair, his dark eyebrows and even darker lashes, and the gold irises that seemed different every time I looked at them - the same irises that could go so frigid, yet were so gentle in that moment.

"They don't want to try. I do."

His eyes softened further as he watched me speak. "I've done nothing to earn trust from you," he murmured.

A hint of a smile played at my lips. "I have a feeling you're doing more for me than I can see."

My instincts had taken over and spoken for me. In the back of my mind, I told myself it was stupid to say such things, but then the surprise in Hoseok's eyes told me I hit a mark.

"Is it true?" I asked quietly.

"Would me saying yes change anything? I'm still hiding things from you."

My hands clutched the hem of my skirt as I felt his words sink in. No matter how much I wished to trust him, even if he admitted to somehow looking out for me, I couldn't ignore the secrecy he shrouded himself in. And there were those thick curtains again, drawing shut before I ever stood a chance of reaching him.

Before I could respond, Jungkook rounded the corner and entered the room, catching my eyes briefly. I watched him go over to the others and talk to them, then Jin stood and went on his way toward Jimin's room.

"How is he? You were in there for a while," Hoseok asked once Jungkook came up to the two of us.

"He's pretty worked up. I just hope he'll be able to rest soon. I told the guys to make their visits short." Jungkook glanced at me then looked away, and I knew exactly how he was feeling.

"We just have to keep supporting him so he knows he's not alone," I said, earning a longer look from him.

"You're right."

Hoseok sighed and stood from the couch. "I'm going to head back. I probably should've left a while ago," he said while adjusting his gloves, then he turned to me. "I'm guessing you're going to stay overnight?"

I nodded. "I told Jimin I'd stay."

Neither of them seemed surprised, but I watched carefully as they exchanged what appeared to be a silent conversation.

"If you need a ride when you're ready to come back, let me know," Hoseok said to me after they shared looks with each other.

Jungkook plopped next to me on the couch, bringing an arm around my shoulders. Though his actions were intended to ease the tension, there was still weight in his tone. "I've got her. I'll take her back whenever she's ready."

Hoseok stared at us a moment longer before walking away. I watched him go, wishing he wasn't such an outcast even with his own brother. If he felt more comfortable with the group - if they would've just given him a chance and vice versa - there would have been reason for him to stay.

"Are you okay, Red?" Jungkook brought his arm back to his side, his gaze searching my face.

"Yeah, I just..."

Flashes of the nightmare blazed through my head. Why was it that the second Hoseok left, my mind fell back into a state of distress?

"I'm just worried about Jimin, that's all."

Strands of raven-black hair draped over his eyes, making them difficult to read. His hand lifted toward my face until his finger was gently smoothing over the spot between my knitted brows.

"You should really stop stressing so much or you'll end up with more wrinkles than your own grandmother," he teased.

"I'll have you know my grandmother looks magnificent for her age." I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away, matching his playful tone. "And all you're doing is making me go cross-eyed."

"No," he said softly, "I'm making you smile."

I let go of his wrist, ready to hide my smile, but he caught my hand before I could. My cheeks were burning and it was clear that he took notice as his own grin widened. Still holding my hand, he raised it to his lips and, never looking away, planted a light kiss on my knuckles.

"Something so beautiful should never be hidden."

Butterflies. Why does he have to give me butterflies at a time like this?

"Does all that smooth talk normally get you somewhere?" I asked as he let my hand go.

He laughed, and the unwelcome flutters started up again.

"It wasn't smooth talk. I just spoke my mind," he replied. "Can't help it if it naturally comes out smooth."

"There's that ego again."

"I won't deny that I can be cocky, but right now I'm just doing what I can to make you feel better."

Gratitude filled my chest, and I noted it was already the second time he made me feel that way in a single day.

I met his brown eyes with sincerity. "Thank you, Jungkook."

His smile lingered. "I think I'm growing on you, Red."

It worried me how right he was. I told myself I wanted to stop living in fear, and part of that meant dropping my guard to some degree, but was I being too careless? Was opening myself up to new relationships something that would strengthen me, or would it only serve as another weakness to be used against me?

"Looks like lover boy's on his way over here," Jungkook commented. I followed his gaze across the room to find that Seokjin had returned and was walking toward us. All I could think of was the last time we'd spoken, and nerves gnawed at my gut with every step he took.

"Mi, can we talk?" 

• • •

Author's Note:

FINALLY BACK! It feels amazing to be updating, and I am so excited to be able to interact with you guys again! I hope it wasn't so long of a break that you lost interest in the story. I'm looking forward to progressing through the plot!

So what are your thoughts on the nightmare? Did you like that Jangmi stood up to him more or do you think she should heed his advice to not play with fire?

What are your thoughts on her interaction with Hoseok? And Jungkook? Should she be more trusting of them or should she continue to keep herself isolated and only trust Jimin?

Thank you so, so much for coming back even after such a long wait. It means more than you know, and I'm happy to see you return!

Your grateful author,

-Kat

September 21, 2020