2010, AUGUST 2nd.

Jimin was turning ten years old when he finally convinced himself that it's okay to have no friends. That it's okay to only have his father by his side. There is Aunt Park too, the older sister of his father. She visits them from time to time, giving them fruits and homemade dishes, and babysits him when his father is not home. She's an awesome cook and a good aunt. She would like to spoil Jimin if only Jimin would ask for it.

Jimin doesn't ask for anything though. Love and support are enough.

But that doesn't mean he would beg to have friends.

(Sometimes Aunt Park would lightheartedly scold him for thinking and talking like an old man.)

He doesn't care anymore. He no longer minds the side-eye he gets almost every day. The whispers and chatters about him, even. He couldn't change feeble and gullible minds anyway, so what's the point?

(They also lived in a small town. Jimin doesn't have any other people to meet but only his few classmates, which are also his neighbors. The town lacked diversity, and they all seemed to judge the Park family. Jimin accepted his fate.)

The brunette convinced himself that there is also good stuff about not having a friend. He's not obliged to share his sweet snacks during recess. His toys are not easily broken as he's the only one who uses them. He can always have his peaceful, alone moment anytime he wants.

Just like during this one windy summer day. The sky shone brightly because of the sun as the trees subtly dance around him. He found himself wandering around a field, which is two blocks away from their house, chasing a butterfly.

Jimin loves butterflies. They look so pretty, and free in the sky. Jimin wondered if life could be easier if he was born as a butterfly.

"Gotcha!" Jimin beamed, after catching one between his two hands. He has a huge grin on his face – the largest one he had that week. If only he could keep them and make them pets, he would have, but his father always tells him that they belong to the field where they could be happy and free. Jimin agrees (and he wonders if he would have his own field too someday). He actually wants to become a butterfly whisperer someday - even though he's unsure if that's even a thing.

He was planning to release the butterfly right away, but then he heard a cry in all of sudden. To say he was shocked was an understatement.

"Oh?" He put his hands near his ear. Thank God. It wasn't the butterfly that's crying. Jimin moved his hands forward and then opened it. He watches the butterfly detach from his palms.

(He loves watching them fly away. Sometimes he pictures himself as them. What would it feel like if Jimin could fly away from being trapped in the darkness?)

It wasn't long before he heard the same cry again.

Jimin turns around, his eyes wandering everywhere, looking for the source of that strange noise. It sounds like a boy asking for help.

At first, he thought he should go to the nearby river, maybe the boy was drowning. But the noise is coming from the opposite direction.

Jimin walks to where he thinks the noise comes from. Then he stopped. He thinks for a moment. He couldn't be hearing a ghost, right?

The brunette quickly picked up a stick nearby. It's dangerous, he knows, but his innocent mind didn't think of how unsafe it could be. He just wants to help whoever it was. He tightened his grip around the stick, its rough surface pokes his amble palm but he didn't mind it. Jimin narrowed his eyes into crinkled slits, trying to look behind the trees. The crying boy couldn't be that far anymore, Jimin could hear him clearly now. He could also hear running water from the river nearby.

Jimin really hopes it's not a ghost –

"H-here!"

Jimin tenses when he heard the boy speak, the sudden voice sent chills down to his spine, it made him stutter. "W-where are you?" Jimin's glance flickered from one place to another, inspecting the area, looking for the said boy.

"Look up!"

He did so. Then there the boy was, his full body hugging a thick tree branch, clinging for his life up the tree next to Jimin. While the said boy shivers, relief washes over Jimin because it wasn't a ghost, thank God.

Jimin stared at the boy for a moment. The boy has a face that Jimin is unfamiliar with. He hasn't seen him anywhere before.

"Help me, please." The same boy with a bowl cut and a large nose begged. The boy looked down for a moment and instantly regrets it. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Please!" He squeaked.

Brows knitted, Jimin queried. "What are you doing up there?" Jimin squints his eyes to take a better look at the boy above him.

"I... I was trying to get my kite." The boy stammered.

There was indeed a blue kite stuck at the top of the tree. The tree wasn't that tall for a full-grown adult, but it was a double Jimin's height.

Jimin blinks in his confusion. "You know how to climb a tree, but you don't know how to go down?"

"I got scared!" There are tears in the boy's eyes. "Please, help me."

A sigh escaped Jimin's lips. Then he thinks, eyebrows furrowed as he nibbles his bottom lip. "Uhm... just... relax there – and don't panic! I'm going to call for help." Just when Jimin was about to turn his shoes, the boy yelped again.

"Wait!"

The branch made an alarming noise.

"It's... it's going to break!" The boy blurted, squeezing his eyes shut even more. The tree branch might snap any minute now, and the way the boy shakes on his place doesn't help.

Jimin couldn't follow his own advice. He starts to panic as well. He fidgeted. He could no longer think straight. Should he step forward or backward? The boy could fall anytime and break his head if Jimin leaves to call for help.

Without further thinking, Jimin decided to move forward and extended his arms up.

"Let go of the branch!"

The other boy opened his eyes – eyes bulging in surprise. "What?"

"Don't worry. I'll catch you!"

That's how Jimin got his broken right arm, a week before middle school.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

2010, AUGUST 9th.

It turns out that the boy who has a bowl cut and large eyes, the same boy who 'broke' his arm, is Jeon Jeongguk. He's the youngest son of the Jeon family who just moved into their small town not so long ago. They lived two blocks away from the Park's.

Jeongguk's parents are really thankful and kind. (maybe they haven't heard about Jimin's 'curse' yet.) They paid for all Jimin's medical expenses and they would let Jeongguk visit the brunette from time to time. Among them, Jeongguk is the most thankful and apologetic, to the point it kind of annoys Jimin.

(Well, a miracle it is that Jeongguk only got a few but painful scratches, while Jimin got a bone dislocation.)

Jeongguk follows him everywhere like a puppy, helps him to do anything even though Jimin doesn't ask for it. Even in middle school, Jeongguk did everything for them to become classmates. He would help him write notes, feed him his snacks, and carry his backpack for him because he promised Jimin that he would protect his broken arm at all cost. Jimin would reject him once in a while, but Jeongguk is stubborn because, as he said, Jimin saved his life and he must be protected at all costs. Jeongguk even told him what he had learned online, that every year, there are hundreds of people who die from falling down from a tree and he could have been one of them if not because of Jimin. Jimin scoffed and told him to stop exaggerating things, but Jeongguk still calls him his lifesaver.

Jimin tried to be cold towards the bowl cut boy, but Jeongguk would pout and Jimin would end up rolling his eyes and give up.

Even so, Jimin kind of likes it, even though he won't admit it. It sure feels nice to have someone your age to be by your side, to invite you to play whenever they see you lonely or sad. Jeongguk is a funny friend too, he likes to crack a joke every time and he blames his cousin Kim Seokjin whenever it turns out to be corny. Jeongguk is talented too, he's good at arts and sports, Jimin learns a lot from him. They would go and bath to the river near the tree where they first met, or just hang out there while lying on the green grass, staring at the sky and Jeongguk would make Jimin laugh like he never did before.

Jimin cannot deny it anymore. Jeongguk is his friend, one and only.

But then one day, just when Jimin himself was about to ask the bowl cut boy to play, not the other way around, the latter was already talking with a group of boys in the school's playground. The same group who likes to gossip about him.

Feeling his sudden presence, they all looked at Jimin in unison. Jeongguk always had round and big eyes that sometimes Jimin finds himself staring at, secretly. But this time it was different. Jeongguk's doe-eyes that were filled with wonder are now staring at him in shock.

Jeongguk has learned it. Jimin's curse.

Of course, he would. Jimin had let his guard down. He didn't even realize that they were talking about him behind his back again, that the rumor that once has died down would emerge again. Jimin stepped backward, hands tightened into fists. He thought Jeongguk's going to be his friend forever. But of course, who would want to befriend Jimin? A kid who killed his mother. Jimin took one last glance from Jeongguk, the latter looks terrified still, before Jimin stepped away.

He heard Jeongguk call his name, but he only walked faster. Jimin wants to go home. What's the point of turning back when the latter is scared of him? But then Jeongguk is faster. He caught Jimin's hand right on time.

Jimin quickly snatches his own hand, while Jeongguk held up his own, surrendering.

"Why did you walk away?" Jeongguk asks, his voice cowering. "And why are you gawking at me? I didn't do anything." He says, pouting at the end.

The bowl-cut boy sounded so sad, the brunette couldn't help but soften his gaze.

"You're scared of me."

"What?" Jeongguk frowned, "Why would I- well I was scared that you caught me talking to the people you dislike- but I swear! They're the ones-"

"You already heard about it."

"About what?"

"Don't act clueless."

Jeongguk opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"You already heard about my... curse." There's a bitter taste in Jimin's tongue whenever he says or hears about that word. "You should go. What if it's true?"

"I don't believe it!" Jeongguk instantly swore.

"But what if I..." Jimin lets out a deep breath, his lips trembling. "What if I tell you it's true?"

Jeongguk stares at him fixedly. Jimin wanted to avoid his gaze like he usually does, but he also wanted to completely see his honest reaction, so he stares back. Jeongguk is clearly bewildered and confused about what he just heard, but he's trying to stay calm.

And to be completely honest, Jimin doesn't want to end their friendship here. He's not ready. He could never be ready when it comes to Jeongguk.

Emitting a sigh, Jimin's shoulders sagged. "Let's talk later –"

"No." But Jeongguk cuts him off, taking his hand in his, making him look at him once again. "Let's talk now."

And Jimin doesn't know what to say. He let Jeongguk talk it all out.

"What if it's true?" Jeongguk repeats his words, getting defensive, "Nothing will change. You're my friend." He firmly announced. "They don't know you the way I know you. I know you didn't intend everything that happened. I trust you because you're my friend!"

Jimin is speechless, but Jeongguk is still has a lot more to say. They are still holding hands.

"They can say whatever they want about you – us – but they can never make me hate you. You're the one who saved me from death last year, not them. You're the one who would comfort me every time my parents would pick my older brother over me. You're the one who would teach me math whenever I feel hopeless about it. And whenever I feel shit–" Jeongguk cuts himself and cleared his throat. He must have realized that he talked too much. Little did he know Jimin wants to listen more. "Y-you're the one who's there for me, not them."

Jimin blinks at that, he couldn't believe what he just heard. An unstoppable smile spread on his lips.

Ears reddening, Jeongguk broke their eye-contact. "D-do you get me?"

Jeongguk's heart skipped a beat. He was taken by surprise when Jimin suddenly embraced him. It's the first time for the latter to hug first.

But Jeongguk understood him right away.

Jimin is thankful.

"You could be a rapper." Jimin stifles a laugh.

Raising an eyebrow, Jeongguk pulled away from the embrace. "Really?" Jeongguk deadpans, amused, "After all the things I said that's the only thing you got out of it?"

They both chortled.

Jeongguk sighed in relief and hugged him again. He rests his chin on Jimin's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"You should have tried to talk to me first before walking away. And you should not care about them. They're just a bunch of assholes, trying to move like a cult. They tried to convince me to hate you too. But never in the million years, they could never make me hate my lifesaver."

Jimin also laughed at that.

Finally, he can breathe again.

Or so he thought.

A/N Both Jimin and Jungkook are 2000's liners in this story. Hence, in 2010, they're 10 years old.