Park Soomi

I'll explain everything soon.

Every time I remembered those words, the more irritated I became. Soon? What does he think "soon" means? But despite how annoyed the message made me, I couldn't help but read it out over and over to myself, like a parasite latching on to its only source of food. In the absence of his presence, his voice, it was all Yoongi had left me to work with this last week. It was the only thing I could cling to as I weathered the storm alone, through restless days and sleepless nights.

"Soomi? You feeling alright?"

I glanced up at the sound of a concerned voice. Jungkook and Jimin both stared with worry-filled eyes as I likely zoned out into my untouched plate of food. They reminded me that I wasn't truly alone, not physically anyway.

But maybe that's why it feels even more isolating. Seeing those around me moving past a dark period of our lives, reaching new heights, and experiencing new milestones, while I remained left behind in the dust, unable to expel my worries for those I loved.

"I'm fine. I think I was just dozing off a bit," I responded with a laugh. How could I tell them I'm getting progressively more drained and distressed by the day when they've been thriving and happy? "Sorry, were you saying something?" I continued, navigating the focus away from me.

The two exchanged glances before Jungkook silently gestured towards him as if in reassurance, encouraging him to continue speaking.

"Yeah, there's something I need to tell you. I've just been putting it off," Jimin muttered, and I found myself fully turning towards him, listening intently. "I'll be going on an overseas business trip soon. It won't take long, just a few days. I didn't know the best time to tell you."

"Overseas? You're leaving? B-but—"

"Jungkook promised to stay close to you. You won't have to be scared. It's been weeks, and nothing has happened. You don't have to be afraid anymore." Jimin got out of his seat, approaching me to hold my hand. But I couldn't find comfort in this simple gesture.

"I-I'm not worried about me. What about you? Who's gonna watch over you? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you, and I'm not there?"

Jimin somehow smiled at my rambling concerns. "I've already put this off for months. Don't worry about me. Things have been quiet these last few weeks, almost back to normal. And Jungkook could attest to it too, the few times he's been around. There hasn't been anything suspicious going on anymore. I think we just have to let ourselves accept that we've actually beat this thing, okay?"

"I still don't think—"

The doorbell rang at that moment, preventing me from arguing any further.

"Huh, saved by the bell," Jimin joked. "You expecting anyone?"

Could it be?

"Yeah, sure hope so," I muttered before making my way towards the door. Only one thought occupied my mind as I reached out to the doorknob and twisted it open.

"Yoongi." Our eyes immediately locked, and it felt like ages since we last stood together like this. Even the idea of him being here was a foreign concept, a mind-boggling situation to wrap my head around.

"Hi." A short, simple response. His voice still managed to remain familiar. I wanted to scream at him, scold him. But yet, I also wanted to hug him, hold him, and pretend that time never passed.

"Yoongi? It's been a while!" Jimin greeted Yoongi as he and Jungkook soon joined us at the door. Yoongi dropped his arm to his side and greeted the two with a light smile. It was only then that I noticed the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Hey, it's nice to see you both," Yoongi said with a nod. "I'd love to catch up, but could me and Soomi have some time alone? There's something we need to talk about. It's important." He looked me dead in the eye, and suddenly it was like we were the only two people in the room. I could only assume that the others wordlessly agreed as I found myself mindlessly guiding him to the other room.

"Where the hell have you been, Yoongi? And why didn't you tell me what was going on with Seokjin?"

"I'm sorry," Yoongi responded. I could feel the sincerity in his voice, but I stubbornly couldn't let him off and pretend to forgive him that easily.

"That's it? 'I'm sorry?'"

Yoongi lifted up the bouquet in his hands, extending it to me with an apologetic expression. Hesitantly, I accepted the flowers, but not once did I break eye contact, insisting that he give the explanation he promised to deliver.

"I wanted to be here sooner, but I just got so caught up with work."

"Jungkook still found time to be here..." I mumbled in response. I knew it was a petty argument to make, but I couldn't help myself.

"I know, and I asked him to check up on you while he was here. But you're right. I should've been here too," Yoongi admitted. "I'm ready to make it all up to you. I'll tell you everything."

"What happened to Seokjin?" I asked. I had so many questions about his disappearance. Did it have something to do with us? Did he get caught up in something because he was too close to us? Or was it something else entirely? Either way, there was no winning. Just guilt and worry.

"I don't know much either, unfortunately. After our suspicions that something happened to him, we visited his apartment again. There was no sign of him. We've alerted local authorities, and it's in their hands now."

"That's it then? But you have to help him!"

"I know you're worried. I am too," Yoongi said, gently placing his hand on my arm. I realized just how much I missed the warmth of his comforting touch and the warmth. "The local police usually handles general missing person cases. We'll just have to wait. But there is something else I came here to talk to you about..."

"What is it?"

"It's about Jimin's brother, Siwoo. And your father. Did he ever talk about any of his friends from law school?"

"Friends?" I repeated in confusion. "I didn't even know he had any friends."

"Well, I couldn't find things out for sure, but if anything he'd be more like an ex-friend. His name's Kim Minjun. He was charged with the murder of Kim Jangmi, Jimin's birth mom."

My mouth gaped open in shock from Yoongi's unexpected news. "My dad's friend did this? B-but why would he do something like that?"

"He wasn't just a friend of your dad and Jimin's mother. He was also her husband. They had a child together, which would make him—"

"Siwoo's dad," I muttered in realization. He's the father of Jimin's stepbrother. Yoongi was giving me all the puzzle pieces, yet I still couldn't figure out what the puzzle was. This entangled mess wasn't getting any easier to comprehend. "But that makes even less sense. Why would he kill his wife? The mother of his child?"

"People do crazy things for love. Even crazier things when the ones they love hurt them," Yoongi explained, and I could already see where things were going. "From what I gathered, Jangmi cheated on him with your dad years before the murder happened. They had a child together."

"That's when Jimin came into the picture," I muttered, mostly to confirm that I was following along with this new influx of information. He nodded before proceeding.

"The court argued that Minjun's motives had to do with his wife cheating and leading him to believe that Jimin was his son. Clearly, he wasn't happy to find out years after the fact."

"So...what exactly happened to Jimin's mom? And his older brother?"

"That's where things get a bit hazy. There's still a lot of holes to fill in, and I wanted to talk to you to see if you could fill anything in."

"Me?" I asked in surprise, taken aback by his request. "Why would I know anything? My dad never talked about this. Surely, I'd know if he did, and I would've told you."

"I know, but is there anything, anything at all, that could be helpful? Does he keep any records or journals that would give us any info during that time?" Yoongi continued with any questions formulating in his head, practically grasping at straws for anything of use.

"No, not that I could think of. I-I really don't think I'm the right person to be asking. Isn't there someone you can reach?"

"I haven't been able to get visitation approved for Minjun since he's opted for selective visitors, and I don't have an official case to receive questioning rights. I've also been trying to contact both your parents to get some answers. Neither has been very responsive or easy to get a hold of."

"My mom too? She said Jimin's mom died before even meeting my dad. She probably doesn't know anything," I said, recalling the bombs she had dropped on us before leaving.

"I don't know...maybe she doesn't know much about her. Maybe she was lying. But one thing's for sure she did not meet your dad after Jangmi's death. Jimin's mom was killed in 1999, and your mom was a witness at the scene of the crime."

"She was there? And this happened in 1999?" I stood there in utter shock by the discovery of such events during my parents' past. The timeline of it all became hazy too. Up until this point, I had this preconceived notion that all of this was ancient history, events that had occurred long before I was born. But 1999? It was strange to think that this was technically an untapped piece of my history too.

What were we even doing in 1999? Those years were supposed to be the happier years, the childhood moments we thought back to as an easier time. And with a childhood already littered with so many difficult memories, having those years taken away from me too felt like a part of me being ripped away.

"B-but why would my mom lie about it? I mean, I get it if it were my dad. He's always been more distant and unresponsive. But we already caught her lying about Jimin's mom for all these years. Why wouldn't she just come fully clean? Something else must've happened too. I just know it. They must be hiding something important."

Yoongi remained unusually quiet, not mumbling even a single word of agreement or disagreement. It was as if he were deep in thought or contemplating something. I waved my hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his trance.

"Yeah, you're right. They're probably hiding something," Yoongi finally muttered out.

I squinted my eyes at his suspicious behavior. "You're hiding something from me too, aren't you?"

No response. Just silence.

"You know something, right? Yoongi, you said you would tell me everything. You owe me that much."

He let out a deep sigh before finally looking me in the eye again. I immediately noticed the worry, the reluctance in his eyes.

"They're definitely hiding things we need to figure out. It could be the key to uncovering everything. But...maybe they did have a good reason for hiding some things. Because you're better off not knowing."

"Yoongi...you're scaring me. What aren't you telling me?" I stepped closer to him, placing a hand to his chin so that he would have to meet my gaze.

"I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do, but some things are better left unsaid. Y-you were just a kid."

"What's going on, Yoongi?" I couldn't stand to wait any longer. It felt painfully slow as Yoongi visibly gulped, hesitating for just a few moments longer. But he knew I wasn't going to back down.

"You were there, Soomi, at the scene of the crime. You were there the night it happened."

——
{a/n}

Thanks for reading! I'm planning to release the next chapter sooner since I have a bit more time to write right now, so stay tuned for that! And happy holidays everyone!