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My Guardian Angel - Part 3 (Final)

Fandom: BTS Paring: Min Yoongi x Female Reader Genre: Angst Warning: Age gap, mc being a brat, traumatic past, mention of abusive household, a little depressing, I’m sorry it ended this way. Word Count: 2k Words Note: Since the reader is only 15 years old, I reduced Yoongi’s age to be 22. Please keep the age gap in mind before diving in to read. I must say there is nothing explicit in here.

Summary: When things are bound to fall apart, You find out how powerless you are to the destiny...

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 [Complete]

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I was beyond angry. Yoongi just informed me that today was the last day in town for me till next month. He was going to be working on the weekends as well with only a day off per month. That meant, no more coming to the town for grocery shopping.

"But I won't forget to buy you a present, kitten. Also you can buy more than one thing when you're coming to the store yourself once a month."

"I don't want your stupid gifts." I angrily said, "I want you. At least, on a weekend."

"Kitten," Yoongi sighed, unable to deal with my raging state, "I'm sorry. You see, it's not something that I can control."

"Fine." I yelled, "get out of my sight. I'm not going home with you."

"Kitten…" He tried to speak but was interrupted by a lady.

"Is everything alright, dear?" The question was directed toward me.

"Yeah, everything's fine. We're just having a discussion. Thank you." Yoongi dismissed her concerns which seemed to be irritating her somehow.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked me again. When I nodded my head the lady further asked, "Who is he? Do you know him?"

"Excuse me!" Yoongi said, "I don't see why you need to know that."

The lady still asked me without bothering to look at him, "is he threatening you?"

"What?" was Yoongi's reply.

I shook my head. Then, the lady turned to Yoongi and said, "Sir, I'm very concerned about this child. Please state your relationship to her."

"That's none of your business." Yoongi answered bitterly. He grabbed my wrist and walked straight to our car.

"Sir…" the lady called from behind but we simply speeded our walk and got in the car.

I wanted to apologize for reacting like that in the store earlier and for gaining unwanted attention. Somehow I couldn't manage to do it as I felt a growing lump on my throat.

Yoongi, on the other hand, looked disturbed. I wasn't sure if it was because of the lady or myself.

In the evening, I sat on the bed while Shelby lay beside me. She stayed too quiet as if she understood the dull atmosphere of the house. I ran my hand through her. She moved closer to me and relaxed in a more comfortable position.

Yoongi was cooking outside. I dared not to go to him at the moment. I felt that something wrong was going to happen and I dreaded its arrival. I tried to plan the best way I could apologize to lift his mood. After all, it was my fault that the day went to ruin.

Then I heard a car being pulled up outside. I froze.

Could it be…

I peeked through the window and got a glance of a police car. “Why are the police here?” I thought to myself. Unconsciously I started biting my nails.

I could sense that Yoongi was talking to them outside. A dull ache was twisting within my stomach.

After a few minutes, Yoongi came inside, his face unreadable. He spoke quietly, “Kitten, you need to come out for a moment. Here’s an officer to meet you. Please talk to him nicely.”

I nodded slowly and, almost in daze, walked outside. The man in a police uniform greeted me. He asked me to sit down. After we’re both seated at the patio, the officer asked Yoongi to leave us alone.

“No!” I immediately opposed it. “He’ll stay.”

Yoongi said, “I won’t interrupt, sir. I’ll just stay beside her so that she doesn’t feel too nervous about this whole situation.”

The officer nodded and turned to me. He said that he had to ask me some questions and I was required to answer them honestly. I needed not to be  scared. When I approved, he proceeded to ask me where I came from, who was my guardian, what happened that made me run away from home, how I met Yoongi, how long had I been living with him, if I considered him to be a dangerous man etc.

I answered him truthfully. I told him how abusive of a man my step father was. I told him all the evil things he had done to me. I told him how my life was a living hell before I met Yoongi.

Every now and then, whenever I faltered in between, Yoongi would softly squeeze my hand. It was hard for me to bring up the nasty past. But I had to do it. I had to convince the police that it was my own decision that I ran away and still my own that I stayed with him.

Finally, the police said that I could go. Yoongi took me inside and whispered to me, “you did bravely, kitten.”

Then, he went out to have a last chat with the police. I waited patiently and prayed that the man would leave us soon.

The man, to my horror, did not leave us soon. In fact they were talking for so long that my anxiety got the best of me and I had to eavesdrop from inside the door.

Luckily, they were talking loudly enough for me to hear them. Unluckily, it sounded as if they were arguing over something.

Yoongi's voice was deadly, something I never heard before, "you heard everything!"

"I know, I know," the officer spoke in a frustrated manner, "But what you're asking is against the law. I can even arrest you right now for keeping her for so long without any legal rights over her."

"Will you?" It wasn't even a question. Yoongi said it as if he knew the police won't do that.

"Yoongi," the man spoke softly, "I know you very well. I know what you've been through. I also know from how you're treating her that you truly care for her. I still ask you to give it a rational thought. She doesn't belong here."

"What do you mean by here?" Yoongi argues further, "she clearly loves this place."

"She might love the place. I only meant she doesn't belong with you. She deserves a family."

Yoongi looked him dead in the eye and said, "I'm not letting her go back to that monster, you hear me!"

At this point, I was really getting scared. I didn't know if it was because of the idea that I might have to go back to my stepfather or about the fact that Yoongi was so mad, which was really unlikely of him.

"I assure you. She's never going to see him again. We're gonna call the social service. They'll arrange a nice Foster home for her."

"Oh, shut up!" Yoongi retorted, "I know how those Foster systems work. She might never be adopted. Especially at this age."

"At least, she'll have a chance for a real family. This is only for her own good."

"I don't trust anyone."

"You know you're only saying that because you don't want to lose her, right?"

Something about this confrontation with the police made Yoongi go silent. He didn't reply. It neither looked like he's going to argue any longer.

After the brief moment of silence, it almost took my utmost willpower to stay put at my place and not run straight to them begging Yoongi to say something in my favor, the police finally spoke.

"I'll give you tonight to say a proper goodbye. But I'm coming back tomorrow, along with the social service. I hope you won't resist, then. Otherwise, you're gonna be in trouble, I tell you."

The man finally left without waiting for a reply.

"I heard everything." I said after waiting for a minute for Yoongi to settle in bed. When he looked like he wasn't going to say anything back, I proceeded further. "I'm sorry I made a scene at the shop. I know it's all my fault. Oppa, please, don’t stay mad at me."

Yoongi finally looked back at me and said, "rules are rules. I don't have any control over this situation. They're gonna be here tomorrow and you'll have to go."

"Oppa!" I yelled at him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was giving up on me. He wasn't fighting to keep me anymore.

On the verge of tears, I asked, "Are you punishing me for what I did earlier?"

"No!" Yoongi stood up from the bed and came towards me, "You know, I'll never punish you for anything."

"Then, why are you doing this to me?"

"It's for your own good, kitten. Out there, you can at least dream for a new home. A new family. Here, you have nothing to even dream about."

"But you are my home."

I took a step forward and rested my head on his chest. "You're the best thing that I can ever wish for. You are my only family."

Yoongi slowly shook his head. He pushed me away by holding me by the shoulders. He made me look into his eyes and spoke very politely.

"It wasn't me who saved you but the other way around. You showed me everything that my life was lacking. Thanks to you, I felt like I truly lived. No, kitten. I can't be so selfish to keep you in this boring life of mine and take advantage of you like that. You deserve a chance in life. Unlike mine, you have a whole future ahead of you."

I couldn't understand what was going on. How suddenly everything changed in Yoongi. How willingly he was pushing me away.

"But I don't want to go."

"You're too young to understand that."

As I opened my mouth to argue further, Yoongi shook his head to shut me up. He said, "please, kitten, I want you to do better than this. I'm tired. I'm going out for a drink. Sleep tight till tomorrow."

Then, he went out with a bottle of whisky in his hand. I wasn't allowed to leave my room when he drank out on the patio. So, like always, I stayed inside. I stayed and cried. I cried on my pillow throughout the night till sleep took over my messy mind.

The next morning, we didn't talk much. We were just busy packing my bag. At one point, Yoongi came up to me with his guitar and said, "Since you love it so much, I want you to keep it."

I didn't say that the reason I loved the guitar so much was because he played it. I loved the fact that he played the guitar for me whenever I asked him to.

I decided to leave behind the little fox plushie. So Yoongi could have something to look at whenever he thought of me.

When I saw the car approaching from far away, I felt like I would break down anytime and cry. Surprisingly that didn't happen.

I scratched behind Shelby's ear and gave her the last piece of treat. I hugged Yoongi for the last time too. After that, without a fight I climbed inside the car.

As we were driving away, I thought I would take a good look for the last time at the place I called my first home. The place looked hauntingly empty. I looked at the familiar window, the front patio, our jeep, trying to take in as much as I could. 

My eyes finally stopped at Yoongi. His head was bending towards his feet so that I couldn't make out his face. I noticed that his shoulders were shaking.

I didn't need to try. Tears automatically flowed through my cheeks. All this time I had been at my worst, Yoongi was always there beside me, offering the warmth that I just needed. And the one time of him being vulnerable, I couldn't be there beside him, offering the same warmth that he had given me.

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Tag List: @idkjustlovingbts,  @lisabyers,  @a-sweetdreamywoman,  @yoongsexual,  @tatakaee,  @borareadsfic,  @sailorjoonies,  @futuresoffantasies, 

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My Guardian Angel - Part 2

Fandom: BTS Paring: Min Yoongi x Female Reader Genre: Fluff and slight angst Warning: Age gap, sorry but Yoongi spoils our little mc too much, nightmares, implication of abusive parents, running away from home, kissing (on the cheek), sickness, crying etc. Word Count: 2.8K Words Note: Since the reader is only 15 years old, I reduced Yoongi’s age to be 22. Please keep the age gap in mind before diving in to read. I must say there is nothing explicit in here.

Summary: You start to find happiness in the little things of your everyday routine bound life with the not-so-stranger in your shared home...

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 [Complete]

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"Kitten, I'm home." A familiar voice greeted me from the outside while I was inside hiding beside the closed door.

My three most favorite words coming out of the mouth of my favorite person were enough to make even my worst day better. I tried hard to stop myself from giggling and giving away my position to him.

“Shelby, don’t!” I angrily whispered to our dog to stay quiet at her place. But she kept looking in my direction with her tail wagging behind her. I glared at her to stop. There was no time to bring Shelby beside me. Because I could already hear Yoongi opening the door.

And “Bwagh!!!” I yelled at his face right away.

“Ahh!” Yoongi sighed irritably. His eyes closed with a visible frown on his forehead. “How long will you keep this up?” He asked finally.

“Long enough for you to get used to it.” I replied happily. I wondered how stupid he could be for falling for the same old trick dozens of times. Nevertheless, this simple silly act made both of our days better.

As for most of my days, there was nothing exciting going on. Yoongi left everyday early in the morning even before I was awake. He always prepared both breakfast and lunch so that I really had no work to do. The only thing that kept me busy in this house in the middle of nowhere was our dog, Shelby. I would pet her, feed her, play with her and even talk to her from time to time to pass my lonely hours.

And Yoongi would be busy doing carpentry in the nearest town. He would have his lunch outside and would be home before it's too dark. His coming home was the time I wait for everyday since I started living with him. Because everyday I missed his presence beside me terribly.

As soon as he was home, I was happy again. I would start talking about how boring my day went and how much I missed him and what a new trick I had taught Shelby and what an interesting story I read from one of his old books and what a unique insect I had discovered outside and many more.

Despite being exhausted from his work earlier, Yoongi never complained. He listened attentively while doing his usual household chores with me. He rarely interrupted me while I talked but I knew for sure he was listening.

On a normal night, we would go to bed as soon as we were done with our dinner. But sometimes I would make a request to Yoongi to play the guitar for me. And he would be already on the couch ready to play my favorite tune as soon as I rested my head on his lap. Sometimes I would fall asleep and Yoongi would carry me to the bed without waking me up.

He let me have the bed for myself. It was too small for two people. So Yoongi would sleep on a sleeping bag on the floor beside it. I had asked him to let me sleep there instead since it was practically his house. But he refused and stayed firm in his decision.

Even with all the happiness that I never imagined I could experience, it would be a lie to say that I never feared losing it all. I often did. Actually more often than it could be counted as often. Every time I could hear Yoongi’s soft snoring through the quiet night, I would think about my life before him.

I knew that I was a burden on my step father who, after my mother’s death, had clearly shown me in every single way possible that I was unwanted in his house. But he was also very strict and possessive in nature. What if one day he decided that he would search for me?

I dreaded that my step father would find me somehow and all of this would be over. I would no longer be able to see Yoongi. I would no longer know what happiness truly feels like. I would no longer have a place to call home.

"Don't go anywhere far. I don't have the energy to look for you around the whole town." Yoongi yelled at me as I sprinted out of the grocery store.

"I won't." I replied louder as I went closer to one of my favorite places.

The gift shop.

It was a regular thing at this point. Every weekend, Yoongi would bring me with him to the town to do the week's grocery shopping and after that I was allowed to look through the cheap gift shop nearby. I would find something I liked and Yoongi would buy that for me in the hope of keeping my mood lifted throughout the whole week.

I walked around the small shop and carefully looked for the one thing that could bring me some comfort at times when Yoongi’s not there for me. And the little fox plushie, I assumed, recently came into the shop because I never had seen one here, caught my attention.

“Aren’t you a cutie?" I took the sleeping fox in my arms and cradled it slowly. I realized I had never had a stuffed animal my entire life. Not that I had always wanted one. But the sudden realization made me want to have a stuffed animal for myself.

I sensed Yoongi coming into the shop and I looked back, holding the fox towards him to see.

"So, you've already made up your mind, kitten?" Yoongi took the plushie from me to check it. But there was a frown on his forehead.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Umm... I think we can find something better than this." He returned the baby fox back to its family.

That was a really unexpected reply. Yoongi had never refused to buy me the thing I always chose for myself. I couldn’t even see any defect on it for him to say that. As he walked away from the plushie section, I took the little fox again and the price tag caught my eyes this time.

Hell, no!

"How come something that is too costly ended up at a cheap shop like this one?" I thought to myself. I could tell that my face went red from the embarrassment.

I should have been more understanding. Just because he said he'd buy me anything I liked didn't mean that I could ask for just about anything. That's asking a little too much from him considering how generous he was to me.

So, I picked a colorful key chain and showed it to Yoongi, pretending to be very hyped about it. He simply nodded and got that for me.

On our way home, I couldn't bring myself to talk like I usually did. Yoongi, too, remained too quiet.

The next weekend, Yoongi had to go to work. He said that it was the only time I had to miss going to the town and that he would make sure that it would never happen again. Despite the reassurance, I was kinda mad at him the whole day and decided not to talk to him when he came home.

He came home later than usual, called "Kitten, I'm home" as usual and asked me to put the groceries at the right places.

I, intentionally sulking at his presence, took the bags from him and got to work without any words. Judging by the heavy atmosphere that I had created around the house, he seemed to have understood how I felt. But he stayed quiet nonetheless.

My head was burning at that point. Maybe that was why I made unnecessary noises while doing the simple tasks Yoongi had assigned me to do.

"Oppa!" I couldn't help exclaiming as I noticed the small bag. I had been to the place too many times to know where it came from. And there it was. The little sleeping fox plush, waiting for me to embrace it in my arms.

I waited no longer. I ran towards Yoongi and immediately pulled him in a hug. Unable to say how happy he had made me, I kissed his cheek impulsively instead.

"Aish!" That usual sound of Yoongi whenever he was irritated or at least wanted me to think that he was.

But in a split second, his face beamed and he accidently flashed a gummy smile. Not to be exaggerating but it was a sight worth dying for. Yoongi's face changed, with that his whole demeanor changed as well. He looked like a completely different person when he smiled like that.

So, I had to say it, "Had I known it before, I would have kissed you all day and night, only for you to smile like that."

The only time I remembered going on a vacation was when I was a child and my father was alive at the time. We had gone to stay by the sea for a week. Even though most of the memories were faded, I could still see my father’s happy face in my mind sometimes.

This time it was the desert in contrast to the sea. Yoongi had planned to take a few days off from work and take me on a hike. I had never been so excited to look forward to something. We packed our stuff, got in his jeep and drove off.

The place looked so lively with many plants of vibrant colors. There were small and big mountains. The huge golden field stretched ahead of us. Yoongi parked his car at a side and we got off with our bags. After some hours of walking past the rocky mountains we found a suitable place to camp for the night.

I was excited at the prospect of sleeping in the open sky. Something about seeing the galaxy all night told me that it was a rare experience only a few fortunates could afford. I got another new reason to be grateful to Yoongi for the rest of my life.

“Oppa!” I called to check if he was already asleep since we had a long day.

“Hmm?” he replied.

“What does it feel like to look at the sky and you can see a part of eternity ahead of you?”

“Umm…” He thought for a moment before answering, “I don’t know! What do you feel about it?”

“I feel small. I feel insignificant. I feel…” I stopped and glanced at him, expecting a reaction.

He was still looking at the sky earnestly but hummed quietly at my response. It felt like I didn’t need to explain it further. Yoongi understood.

“Oppa!” I hesitantly called again, “Would you mind if I ask you something?”

“Ask away!” He shot me a pretending-to-be-annoying look and turned back to the sky.

I gulped before asking, “Why do you live alone?”

“For peace.” He sighed.

“I don't think I understand.”

Yoongi stayed quiet for some time and I felt like I shouldn’t have pushed the boundary. So, I turned on the other side and closed my eyes.

As I was dozing off, I could hear Yoongi’s deep soothing voice. He talked as if he was living the memory that he was speaking of. My tired eyes couldn’t cooperate. But my ears were all awoken.

“I was about your age, kitten, when I ran away from my parents seven years ago. Until now I never regretted that decision even though there were times I actually missed them. Because it was the only way i could bear to live with a sane mind. Solitary life offers you a kind of peace you wouldn’t know you needed until you can experience it. But…”

He stopped suddenly. I wanted to ask him to continue. I wanted to know what could be the ‘but’ when he himself said that he didn’t regret it. Apparently I didn’t need to. Because Yoongi spoke the rest of the words in a muffled voice as he fixed his posture to a comforting sleeping position.

“I never realized that it was happiness that I lacked in my life apart from peace. That was until I met you.”

His words kept me up through most of the night.

The next morning, it turned out I had a severe dust allergy. So, I woke up with a swollen face and a tight throat. The horror in Yoongi’s eyes as he realized something was wrong with me was another new thing I discovered his neutral face could do.

My feet were blistered from walking in the heat last day. So, after walking almost half of the way, Yoongi had to give me a piggyback ride until we reached his jeep.

I rested my head on his shoulders as he walked slowly carrying my weight on his back. And I spoke quietly in his ears.

“It was the same for me too, Oppa. I realized I can finally rely on someone without having to feel like a burden.”

I could hear the usual sound of the car being parked outside. I sprinted out of my room in no second to greet Yoongi. But instead I saw the man I was the most scared of before me. It was my step father.

“Long time, no see, huh?” He grinned at me with his disgusting rotten teeth.

“H… how d… did you find me?” I stammered as I took a step back.

“C’mon, now! Is that the way you greet your father?” The man began to walk towards me.

“Stop!” I yelled. “You’re not my father.” I wanted to scream it on his face but couldn’t bring myself to do so.

“Quit the game. It’s time to go home.” He quickly grabbed onto my wrist before I could turn back to run.

“Let go of me.” I screamed. “I’m not going anywhere from here.”

No matter how much I screamed or pleaded, he seemed to take no notice of that. He kept dragging me towards his van. I tried hard to fight him. But he was way too strong.

“Oppa!” I tried calling for Yoongi in vain. I knew he wouldn’t be able to hear me. He was miles away at work. He didn’t even know anything about the existence of my cruel step father.

As soon as he threw me inside his van I tried to get up and escape. But he grabbed onto my hair and pulled me back inside. I screeched my lungs out as a sharp pain ran through my head.

I woke up panting and drenched in sweat. I must have screamed in real life because Yoongi was already beside me, trying to read from my face just how bad of a nightmare I had.

I tried to speak but my breath was hitched, as always, whenever I cried. Yoongi moved a little closer and I threw myself at him, hugging him by his neck and sobbing loudly on his chest.

My grip on him tightened as he tried to move. I couldn’t let him go from my sight. I couldn’t let my nightmare come to reality.

Yoongi hugged me back and stayed that way for quite some time before whispering softly in my ears.

“Kitten!” He said, “I’m not going anywhere. Just give me a minute, okay?”

I sniffed and nodded my head as I released my hold on his neck. Yoongi went to the patio and came back quickly with his guitar. I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

Yoongi started to play a soft tune. It was a new one. I hadn’t heard him playing it before. I grabbed a pillow and leaned on the side of the bed. Then I closed my eyes to absorb the music. I noticed that it made me feel relaxed within a minute and I was able to speak again. He really knew how to calm me down.

Something that I had come to notice was that Yoongi never talked unless he knew for sure I was ready to speak again. So I had to make the first move. And I calculated just what to ask for in my head before I spoke.

“Oppa! I have a favor to ask for.” I stated quietly. I knew Yoongi wouldn’t be able to refuse.

He stopped the music and looked towards me. I said, “Can you please lie beside me until I sleep? Just tonight? I swear I won’t ask again.”

Yoongi closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration, “Aish! This girl and her whining. Yah!” He scolded me, still speaking softly though, “Don’t you think I’m spoiling you a little too much? You’re always asking for favors. How old do you think you are?...”

His rant went on about as much time as it took for him to make the bed. Then he lied in the corner, making an irritated face. I smilingly joined him without a word. Even though he would say that he didn’t like to be touched, he was undoubtedly the best cuddling partner one could ever wish for.

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My Personal Masterlist

Tag List: @kpopppy,  @mimislovee,  @cutubabyyy,  @pinnk-bvnny,  @just1xn,  @take-u-2-an0ther-w0r1d,  @mamamobluehaypka,  @moonyoon5839,  @laisalia,  @rabreu1414,  @fqky,  @miaaa1122,  @legendarydreamqueen

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My Guardian Angel - Part 1

Fandom: BTS Paring: Min Yoongi x Female Reader Genre: Fluff and slight angst Warning: Age gap, running away from home, starving, lots of crying (I’m sorry but the mc cries a lot), panic attack, implication of abuse etc. Word Count: 2.7K Words Note: Since the reader is only 15 years old, I reduced Yoongi’s age to be 22. Please keep the age gap in mind before diving in to read. I must say there is nothing explicit in here.

Summary: You decide to follow a kind hearted stranger to his house in the middle of nowhere after you ran away from your abusive household...

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 [Complete]

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I couldn't even keep track of the time. Who knew how long I had been sitting here all alone. The passers by kept throwing glances at me every now and then. But nobody really cared to ask me if I was okay or what I was up to even if my get up suggested that I wasn't a local in this place.

I had been observing my surroundings carefully. It seemed like I had taken my refuge in a complete foreign land. It was a rocky desert. It shouldn't be called a desert I suppose. Because there were enough plants to make it look livelier, at least to me. I was under a tree myself and secretly grateful for it because it was sheltering me from the heat of the sun. Even though it was winter, the heat had been bothering me since I had walked a long way to reach where I was now. Losing my energy completely, I collapsed beside this old friendly tree.

There was a grocery store beside me. People were going inside occasionally and coming out of it with huge bags. There might be a month's worth of groceries in them. Some of them would walk past me while biting into their snacks. It wasn't making me feel any better since I was starving for a whole day.

Even with the hunger, I was still dozing off because my body couldn't afford to keep me going any longer. That was when he came to me.

I heard someone clearing their throat. But I didn't bother to look up. Not gaining my attention, the person next to me let out a cough next. I looked up this time.

I saw before me a young man, probably in his twenties, carrying a grocery bag on one hand and a whiskey bottle on the other. He was wearing bright but dark blue clothes with a vest on. I noticed that his boots below the baggy black pants were a different shade of blue. All in all, I didn't like his outfit at all.

But there was something I couldn't say I didn't like. It was his hair. Bright fiery red hair. But as I checked out his facial features, I wasn't very glad that he had approached me. He looked really intimidating. Even the beautiful hair was making it worse.

I fixed my sitting posture as I felt a little uncomfortable around the stranger. To my relief, he looked away from me immediately but asked nonetheless, "where are you from? I haven't seen you around."

I didn't reply. So, he asked again, "do you have a home?" He then glanced at me once more.

Again, I remained quiet. He nodded his head as if he got the answers. "I'll just assume you ran away from your place. Seeing you in a state like this, it's most likely." He got it right. But I still didn't want to talk to him.

He leaned a little forward to me and asked in the most gentle voice, "Do you want to eat something? Are you hungry?"

The mention of hunger suddenly made my stomach growl. I nodded slowly. He tried to take out something that he had bought from the store earlier and a tangerine fell from the bag as he was doing so. When I moved to pick it up he went for it first and said, "uh-huh, that's for me." I immediately backed away.

Then, he handed me a sandwich. I grabbed it quickly and started to gobble it up. At that moment, the cold sandwich tasted like the best thing in this world. I couldn't help but let out a sound of satisfaction after the first bite.

He sat a little further from me and started to peel his fruit. I was done eating in a matter of a minute. He offered me a bottle of water. I took it gently this time and bowed my head to show him my gratitude.

He asked while feeding himself a piece of the tangerine, "How long have you been out and not eating?"

I noticed that though he talked with a heavy accent, his voice has a natural calmness. His ordinary questions sounded like music to my barren ears. Instead of answering, I kept staring at him in awe.

He looked back at me and tilted his head a little before saying, "So, you want this too?" He extended his hand towards me to offer two pieces of his little round ball of a fruit and I gladly accepted them, this time, with a little smile.

“I’ll get going now! I hope you figure out what you’re going to do next. Sitting here all by yourself won’t help you.” He said as he stood up and rubbed the dust away from his clothes.

I looked at him earnestly. I didn’t want him to leave. I wished he stayed a little longer so that I could get comfortable enough to talk to him. He looked down at me and said, “Don’t worry! I won’t advise you to go back home.” Then he muttered to himself, “I doubt if it was even a home.”

He looked back at me and said, “I hope you know the stranger danger rule already. That’s a good tactic that you didn’t talk to me just now. But I hope you won’t accept food from any strange man in the future. And don’t stay at a place long enough for people to notice that you need help. Get moving.”

Then he bowed his head a little before walking towards his jeep. He was going away. Suddenly, all the uncertainty regarding my future hit me hard and I started to panic. What should I do now? I had to stop him.

I jumped on to my feet and pulled my backpack on my shoulders before running towards him. He was about to open the door to his car when he realized I was behind him. He looked back with a confused face, “What happened?”

I cleared my throat to say, “I wish to go with you.”

His small eyes grew larger at my response. “Wha…what do you mean?”

“I meant what I said. I want to go with you. Where are you heading to?”

I knew I wasn’t the best judge of character. But I decided to listen to my intuition. Something told me that he was a guy (perhaps the only one) I could trust.

He shook his head and said, “Didn’t you hear a word I said? Don’t talk with strangers let alone get in their car. Are you stupid or what?”

His words sounded harsh enough to make my eyes prickle. I shifted on my legs and said quietly, “But I’m really scared. I don’t know what I was thinking when I ran away. I have no experience of the real world out here. I’m afraid something might go wrong. Please, don’t leave me alone here.”

“I know the world’s terrifying.” He said with a gentler tone than before, “I’m pretty sure you’re aware of it too. But I could be just as terrifying. How are you so sure to trust me, huh? Do you even know my name?”

I shook my head and asked, “What’s your name?”

He let out a frustrated grunt and said, “Just go away, please.”

I tried to smile, “It’s okay! I can just call you ‘oppa’!”

He looked at me as if I just swore at him. He shook his head again, opened the car door and got in. He signaled me to move away from his path so that he could drive. That was when I couldn’t control  my tears anymore. I stood there, looking at him while tears poured down my face like a waterfall.

His brows knitted together to form a frown. He closed his eyes, shook his head and sighed heavily. Then, he looked at me and said in a way that suggested he was really pissed, “Alright, c’mon! Hop in.”

I smiled and wiped away my tears as I ran to sit beside him. I pulled him into a hug and said, “Oppa! Thank you so much.”

“Aish!” He spoke while pushing me away, “Stop making a fuss.” Then he went on muttering to himself, “I don’t even know why I’m doing this. I doubt you're ever going to listen to me.”

And he was right to have doubted that.

"Don't ever call me Oppa. My name's Min Yoongi and you'll call me by that name only. Understood?"

"But I like Oppa more."

"And don't do that again. Don't hug me. I'm intolerant to touch."

"But I can't help it when I get excited."

“Don’t talk back like that either.”

“But I…”

I stopped myself quickly and nodded my head enthusiastically. I needed to show him that I could be a good girl if I wanted to. Yoongi didn’t talk further and kept his eyes fixed on the road.

I noticed that we were driving away from the small town of the desert to… well, it could be said that his house was in the middle of nowhere. It was a cube shaped small one room house with a large patio in the front. Everything around it clearly suggested that Yoongi lived here all alone. But nonetheless the place was neat and clean for a bachelor living here. The best thing about the house was that it looked like a place that could be called home.

My chest swelled up with overwhelming emotions. I was already in love with it all. I could never imagine living in a place like this. Not even in my wildest dream. But then, a sudden thought crushed my dream into pieces. Yoongi never said I could stay at his place.

When the car was parked, Yoongi got down quietly. I followed him to his house. He nodded at the big couch on the patio for me to be seated and I sat down obediently. I had to make sure he found my behavior tolerable enough to let me stay.

He went inside the room and there was the barking of a dog. I could guess that he was walking around placing his groceries at convenient places. After a long time, when the sun was almost setting down, he came out with food ingredients. The dog also followed him out.

“It won’t take long. I hope you’re not too hungry.” He said while lighting up the stove. I shook my head. He nodded and continued to cook.

The dog came towards the couch to inspect me. I smiled and patted its head carefully. The dog didn't retreat. Instead, it climbed onto the couch beside me. It made me laugh with its adorable behavior.

Yoongi finally arranged the hot food on the table. I tried to help him but it didn’t seem like he needed any. When everything was done, we sat down opposite each other. The smell was delicious. But I still couldn’t bring myself to eat. I needed to let out the uneasy feeling I was having.

Yoongi definitely noticed that I was struggling to say something. He didn’t start eating but didn’t urge me to talk either. Instead, he waited patiently for me to open up first.

“Oppa!” I stuttered as I said, “I was won… wondering if you’re going to… I mean let me…” I shook my head before stating directly, “Please, let me stay with you.”

“I think we can decide upon the matter after dinner.” he replied politely.

I shook my head again, “Just give me one chance. Just the one. I promise, you won’t regret it. I will be a great help to you. I’ll do all of your house chores. I can wash the dishes and your clothes. I will wipe the floor clean. I can learn to cook if you want me too. Please, keep me as a maid. Don’t send me away.”

Yoongi handed me a pair of chopsticks and said, “Eat before it gets cold.”

With a lingering fear in my heart I had to withdraw.

I got up immediately after Yoongi finished his food. I decided I would give him a demonstration of my will and the hard work. I started to take everything inside the house to the sink. Yoongi silently joined in to help.

“I’ll do the dishes tonight.” I announced and proceeded to get the job done as quickly as I could.

Yoongi didn’t complain either. He sat down on his bed and moved his attention to a comic book. I started with the small things like spoons, chopsticks etc and gradually took the bowls and the plates.

“I have years of experience in household work, you know.” I boast about myself. But Yoongi didn’t budge. So I said louder, “I’m sure you’ll find me a useful maid.”

Yoongi turned to the next page to read. I tried to joke, “Who knows, maybe you’ll have to start paying me for the…” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

The plate slipped through my fingers and shattered on the floor making a piercing sound. I froze in my place. Yoongi looked up from his book. The barking of the dog was deafening my ears.

“Oh no!” I thought to myself, “I had done it again.”

I saw Yoongi placing the book on the bed and slowly walking towards me. I tried to defend myself, “I’m so sorry. Please… Listen to me. I… I didn’t mean to. It won’t happen again.”

Yoongi walked past me. I saw his hand reaching the sink to grab something. I shrieked and fell on my knees. I shielded my head with my hands as I begged him to not hurt me.

“Please… I’m sorry. I… please.”

Tears streamed down my face as I paced to and fro. My head was still bowing towards the floor. I could feel my whole body shaking. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jerked away from him as I yelled, “No! Don’t!”

“Hey!” I heard him say, “Calm down.”

I looked up at him slowly. He was kneeling down beside me. His expression confused me for a while. He didn’t look angry. What was it again? Yeah! Worry. I saw worry in his eyes.

I slowly raised my head to face him when the dog stopped barking. He spoke carefully, “It’s just a plate. You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll take care of it, okay?” He was moving a little closer to me with each sentence.

Finally, he reached to rest his hands on both of my shoulders. My tensed muscle relaxed at his touch. I leaned forward and he caught me before my head could touch the ground.

I sobbed on his shoulder while he gently patted my back, whispering reassurance that it was really no big deal. I tried to bring myself to say something. But my breath was hitched. It made me cry even more.

“Don’t say anything. I understand.” He whispered softly.

I wiped my tears away to look into his eyes clearly. I didn't know how I had believed that these eyes could hold rage. There was nothing but comfort in his deep black twinkling eyes. I knew immediately that I had made the right choice to have put my trust on the bearer of these eyes.

Minutes later. I sat quite motionless at one corner of the room watching him do all the work. Yoongi carefully picked out the pieces of the plate, broomed the place, did the remaining dishes and made the bed.

At last, he walked to me and kneeled down to say, “You need to sleep. You must be exhausted. Come.” He extended his hand towards me. Hesitantly, I took it and he led me to the only bed in the room.

Carefully tucking me in the soft blanket, he asked, “Do you want me to turn the lights off?” I nodded my head. He turned it off and walked to the door.

He stopped and turned to me. He looked as if he was deciding how to put his thoughts to words. Then, he carefully spoke, "Next time, anything goes wrong again, you don't have to freak out. Instead, you can help me make it right. Okay?"

My eyes started to get blurry. I barely managed to let out the words, "Next time?"

Yoongi replied with a ‘hmm’ almost inaudible to my ears.

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Star-Crossed

Fandom: BTS Pairing: Human!Seokjin x Mermaid!Reader Genre: Fantasy/Fluff/Angst Warning: Disturbing dream, mc questioning his sanity, mention of killing, death, mention of clash between humans and mer-people, light teasing and bullying, some angsty moments, some dumb moments (sorry people), slight smut, kissing, mc dying, heartbreak. Word Count: 5.5k Words Note: A reincarnation love story between a mermaid and a ship captain. It is a dual POV story; one for Seokjin and the other for the reader. The story contains two different timelines; the 18th century and the present. The parts in italics indicates the past timeline.

Summary: The dream is repeating for many times for it to be called just a dream. Seokjin wants to find the answer while you wait patiently for him to come back to you as he had once promised...

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Jin’s POV:

I assumed her to be an ordinary girl the first time she appeared in my dream. I was only a teenager at the time. It had been seven years since then. I was experiencing the same dream on repeat. Now, I knew that she was no ordinary girl but a mermaid.

It might sound ridiculous that an adult was dreaming an unhealthy amount of time about a mythological creature. I used to get mad at myself too. There were even times I thought I had gone crazy. I even had a theory that my obsession with the sea and fishing could have something to do with it.

But after years, I had come to a specific conclusion. It was not just a dream. I believed it to be a vision. A vision that was supposed to lead me somewhere. But where to, I didn’t know.

The content of the dream was always the same. She would ask me the same two questions every time. “How long should I wait for you? When will you come back to me?” And the dream would always end up with her calling my name, “Jin!”

I would wake up frustrated even if it was the same dream I’ve been having for the past seven years. I wanted to change something, anything, from it desperately. I would readily sell my soul to the devil to get an idea of her true identity or the whole purpose of this dream.

Surprisingly, I had never talked about it to anyone. I had planned to visit a psychiatrist once. But the idea of me telling them that I believed in her existence sounded too absurd to be told. They would immediately diagnose me as insane. Maybe, they were right to do so.

Today, I woke up in the middle of the night. It took me some minutes before I could make out my surrounding properly. I was on my ship, which was on her way back home. It had been a long week of us fishing on the west and the results were quite satisfactory.

I wasn’t really happy about getting back to the land. I was a man born to be on the sea. I could call it my one true home. I could relax and be surrounded by my own thoughts whenever I was on the sea. Whereas the only thought that occurred to me on the land was when we were going back to sail again.

But the comfort of the sea came along with a price. I couldn’t deny it even if I wanted to. The sea had brought this dream to me, whatever the reason behind it was.

Reader’s POV:

I knew, he would find his way to me one day. He told me that himself. He would have never lied to me. I knew, he was a man of his words. He would most definitely come back. Until then, I could wait.

Waiting was not very hard for me. It was probably the simplest task I had ever been given. It literally meant to not do anything. I was glad that I was not asked to do something much more complicated that humans do in their everyday life. Like; cooking or knitting.

So, I had been waiting for a long time. 300 years could be called a long time for humans, I suppose. Because, being an immortal didn’t allow me to have a good sense of time.

Yes! Mer-people were immortals. It didn’t necessarily meant that we could never die. It only meant we could not die by natural causes. Of course, murder could be a way of killing mer-people. And it had been done too.

But being an immortal had also given me an opportunity to be reunited with my lover who had been death for more than 300 years. Even though I missed him more and more with all the passing moments, I was a patient being by nature.

The mer-people community had decided to migrate from the sea of the ‘Mariachi Island’ to the deep water of the Pacific so that the humans could no longer interfere in their lives. I was the only one who had stayed behind.

I had to. Or else, how would my Jin find me when he would be reborn?

Jin’s POV:

“This is interesting!” Yoongi said eyeing the newspaper on the table while sipping on his coffee. “Hyung, you should see this.”

Yoongi was an old friend. We used to go fishing together when we were younger. Yoongi never had any passion for the sea. The only reason he would accompany me was because it made me happy. He never said it out loud obviously.

Somehow he ended up being on the crew of the ship I was the captain to and our journey of the sea had continued. But it was not an unknown fact that Yoongi liked it better on the land whenever we were on a break.

“What is it?” I asked him suspiciously.

“A mermaid had been spotted.”

My eyes grew larger at the mention of it. Yoongi noticed that at once and laughed, “Chill! It’s just a rumor. They print stuffs like this every now and then.”

“What do you mean every now and then?” I snatched the newspaper from the table to read the article myself.

“Mariachi Island, it is. Nothing interesting goes in there. So, they had made up this tale of a mermaid living near it.” Yoongi informed.

I checked the location carefully and put the newspaper down, “Shouldn’t we go there to check it ourselves before judging?”

It was Yoongi’s time to grow his eyes larger. “Hyung, it’s just a stupid conspiracy theory.”

“Be it, then. We’re on a break anyway. Spending the time at a resort in the famous ‘Mariachi Island’ doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”

Yoongi shook his head fervently. I knew, it would take a lot of time before I could convince him to go with me. But I was still confident of doing so.

I couldn’t let this news slip away so easily. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. It could be a stupid story. But it could also be not. Who knows? I might get closer to my answer to the unknown question.

Reader’s POV: (The Past)

There was a secret cave at the end of the ‘Mariachi Island’ near an abandoned forest. The forest was said to be haunted by spirits. So, people usually avoided going there. Jin had fixed that cave to be our meeting place. So that nobody could find out about us. Every day during the sunset, Jin would come to meet me away from both the humans and the mer-people.

Since the beginning of time, humans never got along with the mer-people at all. Humans were considered to be our enemies. And the pirates were worst of them all. But Jin and I had managed to found a kind of love in each other despite being a pirate and a mermaid. And that was enough for us to disobey all the made up rules to be together.

But there were times when Jin would have to go away to the unknown sea with his beloved ship and her crew. I wasn’t allowed to travel with them. Jin told me that he had many enemies who would not think twice before hurting me for their benefit.

I still came to the cave and wait patiently for Jin every sunset. Today, I had been sitting on the sand for a long time. It made me dizzy and I didn’t notice when I had fallen asleep.

I woke up suddenly by someone’s touch. It was Jin. He was running his hand through my hair. He smiled as soon as I opened my eyes and I sat up, smiling myself.

“Oh, Jin! You’ve come back. I missed you.”

Jin sighed, “The same old words. Can’t you say anything different?”

“But I really miss you when you’re away.” I tried to prove my sincerity.

“Don’t get too used to me. I can’t be with you forever.”

I frowned at his words, “Are you going to leave me for good?”

“No, jagi!” Jin shook his head, “But I’m not an immortal.” I couldn’t digest the bitter truth that I have known since the first day I met him. Then, Jin added, “Anyway, I’m back now. Stop being over dramatic, you pathetic fish.”

Jin took out something from the pouch attached to his waist. It was a line of pearls attached by a string together and it looked beautiful.

“What is it?” I asked eagerly.

“I made it for you.” Jin said, “It’s a gift.”

I was surprised by the word. I had never been gifted before. Among mer-people, only the king was allowed to gift the most precious thing to his queen at the day of their wedding. It was a tradition we all followed.

“What happened?” Jin frowned, “Didn’t you like it?”

“I like it very much. But I don’t know what to do with it?”

Jin chuckled, “You wear it, silly.” He proceeded to go sit behind me. The pearls were sat around my neck.

He came back to face me again, “It’s called a necklace, jagi. People wear them to look beautiful. Since you’re uglier than a pig, this will make you look a little more bearable!”

Then, he started to laugh. The sound that it produced was very interesting to hear. It never failed to bring a smile to my face.

Jin’s POV:

We reached the island two days ago. Yoongi was sleeping in his room while I sneaked out of the hotel to enjoy the dawn. I was too excited to get a proper sleep these past nights. I hadn’t found anything unusual so far other than the fact that my dream had returned. It was the first time of me experiencing it on land. Perhaps it was because the island was a part of the sea.

The cold air of the dawn was not comfortable. But I was too tired to go back to the hotel and grab my hoodie. Instead I kept standing still on my boat which was rocking to and fro by the waves.

“Jin!” someone called me from behind.

I froze. I knew this voice well. I heard it calling my name thousands of times before. But I still found it hard to believe. “Was I hallucinating due to lack of sleep?” I thought to myself.

“Jin!” It had to be her. There was no way I could be mistaken twice. I slowly turned around with an unknown fear in my heart.

It was indeed her. I was relieved to have found her finally. But the greatest was the relief of knowing that she was real. And I was not crazy to have believed in her existence.

The mermaid was floating. Her waist met the water from where the tail had started to be visible. She had long and thick hair that covered her upper body. It covered not just her bare chest and the back but also most of her face. I still knew that it was her.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” I said walking toward the railing of my ship to get a closer view, “I’m not dreaming.”

She nodded frantically as if she was excited to meet me as well. A part of me was telling me to be afraid of the new discovery I had just made. But another part of me was always aware of the fact that we were destined to meet someday. Surprisingly, I let the latter get the hold of me.

“Do you know me?” I asked.

As much as I could make out from her hair covered face, I could tell she was frowning at my question. So I asked further, “How do you know my name?”

She didn’t say anything. Rather she was backing away as if she was suddenly scared by me. I tried to convince her that I was harmless.

“No!” I said, “Don’t go away. I won’t hurt you. I have been looking for you for a long time. I believe there is a connection between us. And I’m willing to figure it out. Please help me. I promise, you can trust me.”

She kept looking at me with the same frustrated look on her face but didn’t utter a word. I wondered what else I could say to make her comfortable around me. I decided that the dream can wait. I should rather start by making a small talk.

“Um… My name’s Jin, you know!” I said to which she nodded with enthusiasm once again. I was encouraged to make another move. So, I asked her, “What’s your name?”

“We don’t have names.” She replied. I noticed that her voice was low but it was also beautiful.

“Oh, is it so?” I continued, “then, what should I call you?”

“Jagi!” She said without even thinking, “You always call me jagi.”

“Um… Can I call you something else?” I said, not sure if I could call a stranger by such an intimate term.

To my surprise, she shook her head with even more emphasis.

Reader’s POV:

My long waiting had come an end. Jin had finally found me. For some reason, I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be. In fact I was miserable. Meeting Jin for the first time made me realize that the waiting was more beautiful than the meeting itself.

I tried to reason with my own mind. Why was I feeling this way? Wasn’t meeting Jin the only thing that I longed for all these years? Hadn’t I been dreaming about finally being reunited with my lover?

Maybe, the reason behind my disappointment was that I had never gave a thought about how the Jin I was going to meet would not be the exact Jin I used to know. He was the reincarnation of my past lover. That didn’t mean he would be reborn with all of his past memories or feelings.

The new Jin didn’t know me. He didn’t remember the moments we shared. He didn’t know just how much I loved him and how much more he had loved me back.

And that realization was painful to accept. What could I do now? I couldn’t just give up on him completely. Jin was my life. He was the reason I kept going forward. If I had never met him in the first place, things might have been different. I would have been satisfied by living like an ordinary mermaid.

But that wasn’t the case. I had met Jin and he had made me realize a lot of things I was unaware about before. He had showed me what love really was. Even if he didn’t mean it to happen, I grew used to him. Too much that I couldn’t accept his death and had been waiting for him ever since.

Now, my waiting was over. Jin had finally found me. Even if my own feelings were hurting me, I still decided to take a chance with the new Jin and see where it would lead me to. After all, I had no one else other than him.

Jin’s POV:

The mermaid was too impatient to stay. I practically begged her to meet me again so that I could finally talk to her about my dream. Hesitantly, she told me about an abandoned forest at the end of which was a cave. And I was to meet her there during sunset.

I didn’t have any trouble finding the place she had mentioned. I was glad that she had kept her promise. She was already on the surface busking in the sun when I reached there. For the first time, I got a complete view of the mermaid I had been dreaming obscurely about these past years.

And just like that, I kept meeting her every day. It became a routine. We would talk for some minutes, the sun would set and she would dive back to the water.

I couldn’t describe exactly what we talked about. It was mostly nonsense. Because I knew, it wasn’t time to raise the most obvious questions. At first, she was hesitating to be around me. I could tell that by her body language. By the time, she was comfortable enough to ask me random questions you would mostly hear a toddler ask.

I noticed that slowly she was growing very fond of me. She started to act quite happy and wouldn’t want to leave even when the sun was down. Honestly, I started to like her too. She was probably the only person I could talk to for hours and still couldn’t have enough.

But I didn’t forget about my dream. It was true that the dream had stopped ever since I met her in real. I was still curious to know how exactly we were connected. And I knew for sure, she had clues about it.

I approached her about the topic very carefully. Once I asked her how she had known my name without my telling her. She didn’t respond and went silent for a while. It wasn’t the only question she was avoiding. There were other things I asked her about to which she either stayed silent to or changed the topic immediately.

For instance, I asked her about the other mermaids and she told me that they had all gone to the pacific to hide from the humans. When I asked what she was doing here all alone, she was frustrated and mumbled something inaudible.

When I asked about the pearl jewelry she always wore around her neck, she avoided that topic as well. She even refused to tell me why she was trusting me so much whereas she was really afraid of the other humans.

I believed all these things had something to do with me. And she was keeping some real secrets. And she was doing it on purpose.

Reader’s POV:

It was the little things that he did. It reminded me of my Jin. The Jin I was familiar with. The Jin I had loved.

The new Jin had the same kind of way of talking. I didn’t really understand how people talked in different ways. But I could certainly understand the way my Jin used to talk. Jin would say things which should usually hurt but they never did actually hurt. Jin used to say that was his sense of humor and I was too dumb to understand that. But he didn’t know that I did understand.

The new Jin laughed just like my Jin too. His laugh would make that very interesting kind of sound which made me laugh along with him.

The new Jin would talk a lot about the sea. Even if he wasn’t a pirate like my Jin, I learned that he also owned a ship of his own. His love for the sea, my own home, always fascinated me.

The new Jin would actually care about me even if he never said it out loud. He thought that I didn’t notice him struggling to ask me about things he was dying to know. But actually, I did.

I knew, the new Jin was confused about some things. He wanted to know the answers. The answers only I could offer him. But I was scared.

“Is it too early to trust him?” I had been asking myself every day. But I had been wrong about him too. He was in a different body in a different time period. But there was no denying that he was indeed my Jin. And he deserved to know the truth.

Jin’s POV:

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” The mermaid suddenly said one day.

“Umm… Okay!” I said, now very nervous to know it all.

“The truth is I knew you from a long time ago.” She said flatly. “You are reincarnated.”

“What?” I said. Among all the wild theories I had, this one was, perhaps, the wildest. “Reincarnation?” I thought, “Is that even a real thing?”

She remained silent again, giving me the time to process the information she had just thrown at my face. Looking at her serious face, I knew that she wasn’t lying.

“It’s not a big deal, right?” I tried to convince myself, “If mermaids could be real, so could be reincarnation.” But the idea of me living a complete different life before and in which this mermaid was a part of, sounded too much to take in.

“Did I die?” as soon as I asked that, I knew it was the dumbest thing I could have possibly asked in this situation. Well, my head wasn’t really working properly.

But she wasn’t the kind to judge. She simply nodded her head and said, “You promised you’d come back for me. That’s why, I have been waiting for you.”

She was speaking as if it was actually me. I wanted to correct her by saying that it wasn’t really me but my past self. But then I remembered how her eyes were twinkling with happiness and hope the first time she saw me. The next moment, it transformed into despair as soon as I showed no sign of recognition.

I didn’t want to ruin her new found hope once again. So, I smiled at her instead and said, “And I did, jagi. I came back just for you.” She smiled back.

We sat across the surface and were facing each other, with genuine smiles on both of our faces. After a while, I shivered as a sudden cold air blew past us.

“What happened?” she asked.

“It’s cold.” I said while rubbing my hands together to produce some heat.

She gently took my hands in hers and hold it. It had the kind of warmth that could melt my whole freezing body right at the spot. I realized that I wasn’t regretting coming here at the island at all.

Reader’s POV: (The Past)

He came to sit closer to me. His hand reached for the hair on my face, softly touching it first, then he tucked it behind my ear. I could feel the heat rising on my face at his sudden touch.

He leaned on slowly and carefully. I was a little confused by his actions. Before I could say anything, his soft lips were already upon mine. His hands grabbed my head from behind to pull me closer so that our lips smashed onto each other’s with more friction. He opened his mouth, letting my lower lip slide inside while his tongue did crazy things inside mine.

The hands those were tangled up on my hair all this time were let loose. He made it run through my back before it made it’s way to the front, pushing my thick and long hair to the back. For the first time in my life, I felt the cold air of the surface touch my bare chest.

His mouth travelled further onto the side of my face, rubbing his lips on my cheek and mumbling sweet nothings on my ear. Then, it went slowly down through my neck to my chest.

The more his lips were touching my skin the more I wanted him to do so. I felt something very foreign inside me going on. But I didn’t complain. Whatever it was that he was doing to me, I was loving it. Maybe this was how humans treated others they loved.

Jin’s POV:

The sun was already going down. As I looked at my companion, I suddenly felt an urge to see her face clearly without her hair’s interruption. “Could you please move your hair out of the way so that I can see you properly?”

She was startled by my sudden request but immediately nodded. Then, she proceeded to move all of her hair covering her body instead.

“No, no, no!” I yelled, making her jump out of fright. “I’m so sorry!” I apologized. I tucked the hair out of her face behind her ear myself and said, “I only meant to see your face, that’s all.”

She looked down for a while and remained silent as if she had been thinking about something. Looking at me, she made an unusual request, “Can you do those things people do to show they love each other?”

I was taken aback. What could she possibly mean by that?

“Umm… Sure!” I said, “What do you want me to do?”

She simply shrugged as if to say that I was the one who should have known that. I thought for a while. Perhaps, she was asking me to caress her hair to show affection.

As I was about to touch her head, she moved away slightly and said, “Let’s do it in my place this time. You can swim, can’t you?”

She jumped into the water as soon as I nodded in affirmation. I was dumbfounded. Not sure what I should be doing, I took a deep breath before following her to the water as well. Thankfully the water was warm. But it was darker inside. It took some times for my eyes to get adjusted to the surrounding. And then, I saw her.

She looked ten times more beautiful than she ever did on the surface. Even though it were comparatively darker inside the water, I could still make out her smiling face in front of me.

The next thing that caught my attention was her hair. They were floating above her head. It almost looked like a fancy crown.

“Wait a minute! Does that mean…” my thoughts trailed away as my eyes travelled down to her bare chest. I would have said that the sight took my breath away. But I was somehow still able to hold it.

She swam towards me, closing the distance between us. Her smiling lips parted a little before it came crushing down onto mine. She was kissing me. But what surprised me more was that I was kissing her back. We hold onto each other while we did what she had meant by people doing to show their love.

When I came back to the hotel it was already dark everywhere. Yoongi came running to me. He had noticed that I was soaking. He asked, “Did you fell into the water or something?” He looked genuinely concerned about me.

I smiled at him instead and said the most unexpected thing I had ever imagined I would say. “Yoongi-ah!” I said, “I think, I’m in love.”

Yoongi raised one of his eyebrows suspiciously, “Hyung! Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want me to take you to the doctors?” To which I only replied with my infamous laughter that sounded like a windshield wiper.

Reader’s POV: (The Past)

There was a fight, not so far away from where I lived. It wouldn’t have bothered me as much because I was used to the pirates fighting all the time. But this time, one of the ships was Jin’s. So, I couldn’t stay still and not interfere, even if it was exactly what Jin would have wanted me to do.

Unfortunately I was too late to arrive. I could tell that the fight was already over and the winning party was definitely not my Jin. Some were already dead on deck by the time I had reached them while the others were held prisoners. Perhaps the most frightening thing I saw was how they blew the knife through Jin’s chest and kicked him into the water as if they didn’t care at all.

But I cared. I got hold of him and took him to our most familiar place. There was still a little life left in him by then.

Jin spoke to me as if he wasn’t in agonizing pain, “I’ve never told you this but, jagi, you’re beautiful.”

I felt like I wanted to cry. But I still managed to reply, “No! You always told me that I was ugly.”

Jin laughed through the pain, “I only joked about it, silly. I would never have loved you if you were ugly.”

“But you do love me.”

“That’s because you’re beautiful.” A moment of silence. Then a sigh left his mouth, “I can’t believe this is what we’re talking about when I’m literally dying.”

I panicked at his words. “No, Jin! Please don’t die.”

“It’s okay, jagi.” He smiled warmly. He raised his hand to touch my face and said, “I promise, I’ll come back to you in my next life. Wait for me till then, will you?”

“Yes! I’ll wait for you.” I nodded.

“And don’t get caught.”

“Okay! I won’t get caught.” Another moment of silence, “But how long should I wait for you? When will you come back to me?”

Silence.

”Jin?”

Jin’s POV:

Yoongi was lying on the couch and peeling a tangerine as I entered the room. “Hyung, there’s good news for you.” Yoongi smirked. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “The scientists, too, have started to believe in the existence of mermaids.”

I didn’t mind the teasing at all. So, I shrugged, “See! I told you it was possible.”

“I mean, yeah, well, theoretically.” Yoongi looked annoyed, “But I’ve never thought they would go so far as to search for a real one to experiment on.”

“What do you mean? Search for?” This time, I took it seriously.

“Aren’t you seeing the news?” Yoongi asked, “It’s all over the place. They are going to send the first search team here by tomorrow.”

“Here?” I was beyond shock, “You mean the ‘Mariachi Island’?” When Yoongi nodded in affirmation, I shook my head in denial, “It’s absurd.”

“I know right! I mean, why bother spending the money and time on a mythical creature? Specially, in this economy…” Yoongi trailed off as I ran out of the room without paying a heed to him.

I needed to alert her. She was in real danger.

“No! I’m not going away from you.” The first thing she said as I explained her the whole situation and asked her to leave the place for good to join her community at the pacific.

“You are not understanding. It’s really dangerous. There are people out there who are determined to cage you. And God knows what they’ll do to you.”

She still refused to see the risks. “But you had promised you’ll come back to me. So, I’ve waited for you. Why are you asking me to leave you now?”

“Because it’s… Oh God! Jagi, I wish I could explain it better.” I was mad at myself for not being able to say the right words.

“Then, explain it to me.” She almost screamed at me. It was the first time I saw rage in her eyes which left me silent for a while.

“I’m so sorry, jagi.” I began to speak slowly, “The past me was a selfish and an asshole. I shouldn’t have asked you wait for me in the first place. It’s so messed up.”

“But it’s okay now.” Her voice softened, “The dreams have brought you to me again so that we can finally be together. It’s our fate.” The desperation in her voice made me tear up.

“No, Jagi!” I shook my head, “The day we were born as two different species was the day it had been destined; we were never meant to be.”

Reader’s POV:

I couldn’t understand why Jin was so eager to send me away. I knew the humans were dangerous. So, I had been hiding from them well. I didn’t see any problem in staying in the island for some more time. I was sure I could manage this much for my Jin.

But one thing had stricken me like a lightning blow. Something that Jin had said. And I knew I would never be able to forget it for the rest of my life.

Jin told me that we were never meant to be. This line was enough to make me realize there was no point in staying in this island. Not even for my Jin. So, I decided I would grant his wish and leave for good.

“Why are you crying, Jin?” I asked as it was the first time I ever saw tears in his eyes. But there was no reply.

I took the pearl necklace off my neck. It didn’t shine as much as the way it used to and looked very old. But it still was the most precious thing to me.

I handed it to Jin, “Will you promise me something?”

“What is it, jagi?” He asked in a whisper.

“Promise me that you’ll never forget about me.” I requested.

Jin shook his head, “It’s impossible to forget you.”

I turned towards the water. “So, this is how we part.” I thought to myself.

The sun was setting already. The sunset, I realized, was my most favorite time of the day. I knew, it would no longer be. I couldn’t bear to look at it anymore. Because, every time I did so, it had reminded me of my Jin. But once, there was hope. And that hope was gone now.

I took a good look at the setting sun for the last time before diving into the water. Away from the danger. Away from the people. Away from my Jin.

Special 8 Photo-folio Masterlist

My Personal Masterlist

Tag List: @niverred, @aytenlii, @mmooggyy, @ttipa, @blubb7, @ezzie0861, @zshenbi, @bangtandoll20, @sparklingplumsoju, @dangerousbatfish, @harmony991721, @salobsarai, @un-requitedloove, @soifde-vivre, @bts-ruu, @ellaisreading, @jkkookie, @fannficblog, @minimoni-m, @kami20d, @2112sthings, @21ducklings, @nathchx, @scenesroland, @lottie395, @kittyscupcakeandbunny, @yourgirlcin, @ally-trash, @mia61313, @gggggg78hhh @zaenurath, @feetlicker999, @flowergirlpower17-blog, 

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Special 8 photo-folio: Masterlist

Jeon Jungkook

Careful What You Wish For

When you’re stuck in a deserted road surrounded by wilderness, you have no other choice but to enter the huge mansion you see before you. The man you meet inside is mysterious. But he is too alluring for you to stay away from...

Kim Namjoon

True Self: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Meeting Namjoon while you take your sister to the park proves to you that he is the kind of man you’ve always fantasized about...

Park Jimin

Dweller of the Dark

You are adopted by one of the richest persons of your country at the last stage of your teen. At your new home, you meet a silent and reserved boy of your age and become attracted by him instantly. But they introduce him as your step-brother...

Kim Seokjin

Star-Crossed

The dream is repeating for many times for it to be called just a dream. Seokjin wants to find the answer while you wait patiently for him to come back to you as he had once promised...

Kim Taehyung

Coming soon...

Jung Hoseok

Coming soon...

Min Yoongi

My Guardian Angel: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

You decide to follow a kind hearted stranger to his house in the middle of nowhere after you ran away from your abusive household...

Tag List: @niverred, @aytenlii, @mmooggyy, @ttipa, @blubb7, @ezzie0861, @zshenbi, @bangtandoll20, @sparklingplumsoju, @dangerousbatfish, @harmony991721, @salobsarai, @un-requitedloove, @soifde-vivre, @bts-ruu, @ellaisreading, @jkkookie, @fannficblog, @minimoni-m, @kami20d, @2112sthings, @21ducklings, @nathchx, @scenesroland, @lottie395, @kittyscupcakeandbunny, @yourgirlcin, @ally-trash, @mia61313, @gggggg78hhh @zaenurath, @feetlicker999, @flowergirlpower17-blog, 

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Dweller of the Dark

Fandom: BTS Pairing: Jimin x Female Reader Genre: Mystery/Horror/Angst Warning: Jimin and the reader are step siblings, gothic atmosphere, mention of car accident, death, slight swearing, scary mannequin figures, nightmares, questionable behaviors, mention of bullying, anxiety, insanity, murder, blood, heartbreak and a never ending sexual tension in the air. Word Count: 5k Words Note: This is a fictional piece based on Jimin’s ‘ID: Chaos’ photoshoot. Some contents of it are disturbing. Please, read it at your own risk.

Summary: You are adopted by one of the richest couples of your country at the last stage of your teen years. At your new home, you meet a silent and reserved boy of your age and become attracted to him instantly. But they introduce him as your step-brother.

*************************************************

I stood in front of the huge stairs I saw before me. It still felt like a dream when I was told that I had been adopted. I had spent my whole life at the orphanage. I saw all of my friends getting adopted one by one until I was the only one left of my age. But now, when all of my hope of being adopted was left far into the past and when I was counting my days till I was 18, I learned that I was finally being called to live with a family. Standing in the middle of their huge mansion, I realized they were much richer than I could ever comprehend.

The old couple came, after a few minutes, and started to introduce themselves to me. They were Mr. and Mrs. Park and I was to call them by that name; not ‘mommy’-daddy’. I was to learn about their etiquette and manners, their way of clothing, eating, walking, basically everything one needed to live.

I realized they were being very formal to me. So, I decided not to have my hopes up on their affection. I reminded myself that I was going to be 18 in a few months. Then, I would be able to leave the house to go live by myself, the way I wanted to.

While I was getting acquainted with my new adoptive parents, I noticed a boy, about my age, standing above the stairs. He was leaning on the railing and looking directly at me. When our eyes met, he didn’t bother to look away. Instead, it felt like he was looking at me more intensely than before, as if he was reading me like a book.

Mrs. Park observed us for a few seconds and cleared her throat. My attention instantly came back to them. Then, she called the boy to come downstairs.

“Lovely,” she called, but it wasn’t a loving tone at all, “Come down and introduce yourself. Don’t you know, it’s bad manners to eavesdrop?”

The boy walked down the stairs slowly while his gaze was still on me. I had looked away from him in fear of disappointing the elders. But still, I couldn’t help catching a glance of him staring back at me every now and then.

The boy stood in front of me but didn’t say anything. Instead, Mrs. Park said, “This is Park Jimin, our only son.”

Son? I was shocked at the revelation. He looked much younger to be their son. But why the fact that he would be my step brother was bothering me more, I couldn’t understand.

I noticed that the boy was wearing a peculiar all black outfit. He raised his hand in front of me to shake mine. He was also wearing peculiar black gloves in his hand.

His mother saw me hesitating and informed that it was for medical purposes. He was allergic to the sun and required to wear black at day time to block the sunlight. I nodded and took his hand. I didn’t know if it was my imagination but I felt like he squeezed my hand a bit before letting it go. The boy left without saying a word to me.

Then, Mrs. Park told me something I didn’t expect, “You see, Jimin is an only child and he gets very lonely at times. So, we decided to adopt a son last year. But he was killed in a car accident.”

“I’m so sorry.” Automatically came out of my mouth.

Mrs. Park nodded and said, “I hope Jimin likes you as much as he liked his brother.”

I was given a huge room decorated uniquely all for myself. I was relieved to be alone since I came into the mansion. I decided to sleep early being exhausted after the long journey from the orphanage.

As soon as I went to bed, the thought of Jimin squeezing my hand for a split second came to my mind. Then, I thought of how strange his features were. His jawline was sharp but with chubby cheeks above. His eyes looked tired but pleasant with dark brown iris. And his lips were so puffy and pink.

From the next day onward, I started to have busy days. I met my governess and she handed me a routine I was to follow for a week. I was appointed for many lessons such as sewing, table manners, history, speaking etc. I was told to eat separately until I learned my basic lessons on behaviors. I didn’t even meet my parents let alone Jimin for a whole week. My new home felt like hell to me already.

But fortunately, my governess was taken ill and I got some free days to spend without any lessons. One such day, I decided to explore some territories of the house.

I came to an empty room with some mannequins in it. They were all dressed in matching outfits. I got inside to get a closer look at those. As I was about to leave after finding nothing much to look at, I saw Jimin standing between me and the door.

I yelped immediately. Then, I tried to give some valid reason for my presence in that room. “I was lost.” I said.

Jimin nodded and said, “It’s not surprising to be lost in this huge mansion.” My eyes were opened wide. It was the first time I heard Jimin speak and his voice was definitely not what I had imagined. It was high pitched and I dare say, angelic.

Jimin went to one of the mannequins and fixed its mask. I noticed that other than those masks, Jimin was wearing the same clothes as the mannequins. I was curious to know its purpose but couldn’t muster up the courage to say so.

Jimin looked at me for a while as if reading my mind. Then, he said, “I, myself, dress them every day.”

“Why?” I tried to ask, but my voice sounded scratchy. So, I cleared my throat and asked again, “What are these?”

“These?” Jimin asked, raising his eyebrows, “These are the memories of my dead siblings.”

Dead siblings? But I thought he had lost only a step-brother. I didn’t want to interfere with their family issue. So, I didn’t inquire about the matter. Instead, I habitually said, “I’m sorry for your step-brother. I heard what happened.”

“But I’m not.” Jimin casually said while fixing the mannequins’ clothes.

Another mysterious answer. I decided to take my leave without diving into an unwanted conversation. So, I said, “I forgot that I had some homework left. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”

I got out of that suffocating room as soon as Jimin nodded.

That night, I had the weirdest dream. I saw myself in that mannequin room again, surrounded by more mannequins than there originally were. I tried looking for the exit, but there wasn’t any. Suddenly the figures started to move. They started to crowd around me. I kept screaming in fear but there was no sound coming from me.

Then, the scene changed. I was in a dark room with a window at the ceiling. The large moon was throwing its light, but not enough to illuminate the room. I tried to get up. But I was chained to the bed by both of my hands. I tried to get rid of it by force. Then, both of my hands got sliced up.

I woke up with cold sweat. My room was dark just like my dream. As I kept panting, my eyes got adjusted to the dark and I could make out my surroundings clearly. I looked at my door and saw that it was open. I couldn’t remember keeping it open before going to bed.

Without thinking much about it, I walked up to it and closed the door and afterwards came back to my bed. I lied on one side and forced my eyes shut to go back to sleep.

Then, I felt someone sitting beside me on the bed. I looked through the corner of my eyes and saw that it was Jimin. I sat up right away.

“Don’t be afraid.” He said softly, as if entering someone’s room while they sleep was no big deal, “It’s just me.”

I stammered, “How d-did you come…come to my room?” This time, I remembered clearly to have locked my door before I came to sleep.

Jimin smiled, “I have my ways around the house.” Then, he stood up and poured a glass of water from my bedside table. He sat down much closer to me again and handed me the glass.

I was questioning his sanity at that point. I didn’t dare shout out to call anyone for help. My room was on the furthest corner of the house. So, it was possible that no one would hear me anyway. Even if they did, they would definitely side with their son over me.

“Take it.” Jimin now took my hands and placed the glass in between them himself.

My hands were shivering. But I still managed to gulp down the water. Jimin carefully caressed my hair and whispered, “You can rest all you want. The governess won’t show up anytime soon.” Then, he smiled in a way that gave me Goosebumps.

He took the empty glass from me and put it back at the table. He looked at me and said, “Now, go straight to sleep like a good girl.” He patted my head a little more. But he was still sitting by my side.

I didn’t know what to say or do. I sat there dumbfounded for a long time. But I noticed something different in Jimin. He was not covered in garments from his head to toe. He was in his night clothes; a beautiful loose white satin shirt showing his bare chest.

With the change of clothes, his attitude seemed to have changed as well. He looked more free and mischievous now contrary to his bold and short spoken self of the day.

I also noticed tattoos on him; which I found surprising considering how much of a rule maniac these people were. There was one on his neck which said ‘Tailor of Chaos’ while another a little lower above his chest called ‘Artemis’.

Jimin finally got up and said in an offended way, “I’m sorry, I thought you might want a company.” Then, he abruptly left.

Next day I was asked to have breakfast with the family. When I arrived at the dining room, Mr. Park announced that I should join them in every meal from then on. The conversation at the breakfast sounded lifeless to me. Jimin was back in his all black outfit covering most of himself. With that, his serious attitude was back as well. Looking at him, I felt like the Jimin from last night was just my imagination.

Few more days had passed since my nightmare. I didn’t have any weird encounters with Jimin anymore. I saw him every now and then. But he never said a word to me. He passed me like I was invisible. If I had thought that nothing could go wrong till I became 18, then I had never been more wrong in my life.

One night I woke up from my disturbed sleep. I could clearly hear people singing downstairs. It was the kind of singing we hear at the church when people sing hymns together.

“What time is it?” I thought. I checked the clock on my bedside table and saw that it was 12:07 a.m. I was curious. So, I got out of my bed to check out what was going on.

At the last few steps of the stair I stopped promptly. There were almost a hundred people gathered in the living room, facing the window. The huge velvety curtains were drawn and the full moon of the night shone brightly at their faces. All of these faces bore the same expression, singing the same syllables at the same time.

Never in my life had I experienced anything such as this. I was too surprised to move. But I didn’t need to stand there for too long because someone already grabbed my waist and pulled me into a dark corridor.

A scream out of fright wanted to leave my mouth. But the person grabbed my mouth tightly, not letting a single sound escape. I was pinned to the wall and so I couldn’t move. As I calmed down, I saw it was Jimin again. His gaze was intense in my eyes. He put one of his fingers to his lips to show that I was not to make a noise. I nodded slowly to indicate that I understood. So, he let go of his hand grabbing onto my mouth.

He peeked at the living room to check if they had noticed us. He was relieved to see that the other party was unaware of our presence. He looked back at me again. His piercing look sent butterflies inside me. I was still pressed between Jimin and the wall, our chests going up and down as we breathe in union.

Then, Jimin’s hand slowly ran through my arm to hold me by the wrist. He pulled me slightly and led the way upstairs. I followed him without any hesitation. We finally reached the very top in front of the door to the attic.

The attic was filled with some old furniture and they were quite dusty. Jimin gestured to me to sit on a clean stool, still not saying anything aloud. I understood that we were still not safe to make noises. So, I sat down as quietly as I could.

Jimin had his attention outside, putting his ear closer to the door to hear what was going on. I sat there staring at his slim but seemingly strong figure without knowing what else to do. He was in his night white shirt again, showing his bare chest and looking extremely attractive for me to look away.

After what seemed like half an hour the singing stopped. There were faint sounds of footsteps, the front gate opening and vehicles starting. Silence again. Then came the clear sound of footsteps in the second floor corridor and the locking of the door. Everything suggested that Mr. and Mrs. Park had gone to bed after the guests had left.

Jimin stayed silent for a few more minutes. Then, he said, “Alright! They’ve gone to bed. As far as I know, this sleep will last until tomorrow evening.”

I still remained quiet because I didn’t know how to react just then. Jimin came closer and stood before me leaving only an inch of space between us. I looked up at his face. He smiled; which was very rare of him as I didn’t see him doing that these days after the night intrusion incident.

He bent a little forward and said, “Do you want to go out with me?”

I nodded almost immediately. It had been a month since I came into this house far away from the nearby town. And I wasn’t even allowed to leave, not even to take a walk outside. In my knowledge, I had never seen Jimin going out as well. How could he? He was allergic to the sun!

We sneaked out through a door I had never seen before into the tangerine garden at the backyard. It was larger than a regular backyard. In fact it was huge. We could be lost at this place if we weren’t careful enough as to where we were heading to.

We were walking side by side in the moonlit light. Our arms were touching for a split second every now and then. Finally, Jimin said out loud, “Can I hold your hand while we walk?”

Blood rushed to my face immediately. Hesitantly I nodded. I was glad about the fact that he was at least asking me before going for the hand directly. After how he had entered my bedroom while I was asleep, it was possible for him to grab my hand without my concern.

After some moments, Jimin asked, “Why are you so quiet?”

“I...I don’t know what to say.” I replied.

“But I know, you want to ask something. Why are you hesitating? You should know by now that you are free to talk to me about anything.”

So I decided to ask, “Who were they?”

“So straight forward! Alright! I’ll allow it.” Then, Jimin chuckled, “They were my parents’ family and friends.”

“What were they doing?” I asked directly once again. I didn’t have the patience to wait.

“Well, you see,” Jimin continued, “It is a kind of ritual, very traditional and ancient. They do it at full moon every month to show their devotion to the virgin goddess of the Moon, Artemis.”

“I don’t believe you.” I said as I found it hard to believe. But the mention of Artemis sent a shiver down my spine.

“Oh!” Jimin said, as if he was shocked, “Didn’t you know we are in a cult?”

I stopped walking and my eyes grew larger at his unusual reply. Jimin started to laugh. I shook my head. He was probably messing up with me.

But his face grew serious again. He looked at my eyes for a while. Then, his gaze travelled to my lips and stopped there. He whispered, “Can I kiss you?” while still staring at my lips.

My own attention went to his puffy red lips and I nodded. Jimin slowly came forward and kissed me softly. He pulled away a little but again pressed his puffy lips on mine, this time going harder than before. My hands were running through his soft fur like hair while he held me firmly by the waist.

I can’t tell how long our kiss lasted. But when he let go, I felt an urge to pull him back again. Then, Jimin said something which didn’t make sense to me. He said, “I'll give you a chance to run away right now.” His voice sounded dead serious which kind of scared me.

So, I said instead, “Please, let’s go back. You’re scarring me.”

A few more days passed. Jimin started to act distant in front of his parents again. And I didn’t make any move either. I was too embarrassed about the night’s incident in the tangerine field.

However, when his parents had gone out and not to be returned for the next two days, Jimin made the first move. He came to my reading room while I was reading a book. I noticed that today, he was wearing an all-white outfit contrary to his black one. Seeing him, I put the book aside.

“Hi, Jimin!” I tried to sound as normal as I could.

“I have something for you.” He handed me a bag.

I looked inside and saw that there was a lump of white clay that is used to make sculptures. I gasped in excitement, “How did you know I like to make sculptures?”

Jimin sat down on a chair beside me and shrugged, “Your Governess told me.” So, he had been inquiring about me all this time while ignoring me all the same.

“Can I try it now?” I asked, not wanting to waste a single minute.

Jimin smiled at me and said, “I don’t see why not.”

Jimin sat across the floor watching me attentively as I did what I liked to do best. Making big and small figures with clay was something I found comforting. It had been my escape in my earlier days at the orphanage.

I asked him how he got them and he informed me that his step brother liked to play with clay as well. I remembered about the accident Mrs. Park had mentioned and how close Jimin was to him. I asked him, “Do you miss him?”

“Who?” At first Jimin looked confused, then he seemed to understand whom I was directing the question to, “Oh, no! Not really. I barely remember him.”

“But I thought you liked him.”

“If I’m being honest, I despised him. That’s all.” Jimin said it so casually as if he wasn’t talking about someone who was dead. I was taken aback. I didn’t expect that answer at all.

Jimin seemed to understand it from my expression. So he further said, “He used to mock me a lot. He never called me by my name. Instead he liked to call me a ‘girl’. He seemed to enjoy calling me that.”

“I’m really sorry for that.” I said.

Jimin let out a chuckle, “Don’t be. Because all I heard was him calling me pretty and beautiful.”

“I don’t think you should despise him for that though.” I said, “You see, it’s only natural for him to be jealous of you. You were probably someone he had always dreamed to be.”

Jimin looked at me so earnestly that I wondered if I had said anything wrong. Then, he said, “Wow! I’m surprised by your take on the matter. How come I’ve never thought about it like that?” I shrugged and continued to do my work.

“So, tell me,” Jimin asked, “Are you jealous of me?”

I shook my head and said, “I’m not. But…” I stopped there. I thought of confessing the thing that had been nagging me for a while.

“But?” Jimin urged me to continue.

“I’m more uncomfortable about the fact that you are my step brother.” I finally let out the burden.

“Why?” Jimin asked, as if he didn’t get it.

I decided not to answer. Because by then, I had realized that it would be impossible to explain to Jimin why siblings shouldn’t be sexually attracted to each other.

I was preparing my bed to go to sleep early when I heard a knock on my door. I opened it immediately thinking it was Jimin and so it was. But there was an expression in his face which I had never seen before. It was fear. He barged into my room and closed the door behind.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

Jimin kept shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath. He was sweating and his movements suggested that he was worried. I tried to calm him down. I said, “Hey, Jimin, slow down. Would you like a glass of water?”

Jimin sat down on my bed promptly. Then, he looked at me and said, “You should have run away when I gave you the chance.”

“What is he talking about?” I thought.

Jimin continued, “Tonight is the night. There will be no exception. They will come. They will take you. They will…” He couldn’t finish and started to shake his head fervently.

I went to sit beside him, “Who are coming?”

“You remember the rituals, right?” He asked. “The real event is tonight. It’s a lunar eclipse. Artemis is waiting for a soul, a soul that belonged to a virgin.”

“That’s enough, Jimin!” I said. I was wondering if Jimin had actually lost his mind.

Jimin shook his head in desperation, “I’m not making this up. They had been doing it for a long time. They did the same to my previous siblings.”

“What did they do exactly?” I asked, trying to keep up with the nonsense conversation.

“They killed their earthly bodies. They called it a sacrifice for the Moon goddess.” Jimin stopped for a while and said it almost in a whisper, “Tonight, it’s you.” In the dim light of my room, Jimin looked like a lunatic.

I said, “Please, Jimin. I beg you to stop. You’re scaring me.”

“Don’t you understand, it is something you should be scared of.” Jimin screamed at me. I was too stunned to say anything anymore. This time, I was sure that Jimin was not in his right mind.

Jimin suddenly realized what he had done. He buried his head in his hands and started to cry. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state was painful. I desperately wanted to comfort him, to say something to make him feel safe.

There was a revelation in my heart at that precise moment. I realized for the first time that I was in love with him. Even if he was an insane or a dangerous man, I didn’t care about any of it. All I cared about was being there with him, through everything.

I sat there silently while Jimin cried. This continued for a while. Then, Jimin came back to his senses. He looked at me with so much sadness in his eyes and said, “Can I sleep with you tonight?” I nodded.

We climbed on to the bed together, wrapped in a blanket. I placed his head on my chest while Jimin held on to me tightly like a scared child. I kept caressing his soft hair slowly. At first, I could feel him shaking slightly. But it stopped after a while and his breathing was even. I was glad that he was asleep.

I woke up due to the sound of people singing downstairs. I looked around me. My room was empty and Jimin was nowhere to be found. As I tried to get up, I realized that I was being chained to my bed by one hand. Suddenly Jimin’s warning rang in my mind. Maybe it was all true. These people were going to sacrifice me in the name of Artemis.

I started to pull my hand as hard as I could. The sound of the people singing was surrounding my head. This time, the song sounded more melancholic than the one I heard before. I pulled and pulled until my small thin hand came out of the binding of the chain.

I moved straight to the door. It was locked. “Shit!” I swore. But I remembered about the extra key on my wardrobe and went to get it. I threw away everything out of it in search of my precious key. When I finally found it, I opened the door as noiselessly as I could.

I headed towards Jimin’s room without any delay. He was the only one who would help me in this situation. As I reached his room, I found that it was just as empty as mine. Suspicion started to grow on me. Maybe, Jimin was one of them. Intentionally or not, he would hurt me as well.

At that moment, the singing stopped. I heard the opening of the gate and footsteps of people going out just like the previous night. Only now it sounded clearer as I was not in the attic. I wondered if their so called ritual was over. I decided to go check on it myself.

At the foot of the stairs, I found that most of the people had already left and the others were on their way to leave. I sighed. So, it was just a prank Jimin was playing on me. There was nothing such as the sacrifice to the Moon goddess, even if the rituals were true.

But what I saw next, changed my mind immediately. The reddish light of the moon was glowing on a bed placed near the window. Someone was lying on the bed surrounded by blood. I was horrified to find that that someone was Jimin, himself.

“Jimin!” I screamed as I ran to his bed. Some of them were glancing at me as they went out. But they didn’t seem to care about me at all.

Jimin hadn’t died yet. He squeezed my hand with a little force as I grabbed his. He looked at me with the same sad eyes that I had seen a few hours ago. His lips were shaking. He was struggling to say something. But not a single sound escaped his mouth.

“Stay with me, Jimin.” I said, while sobbing, “Stay with me, please.”

Jimin’s body gave a violent shake for a second. Then, it was still, announcing that he had left and no matter how much I pleaded, he was not coming back to me again. As the realization kicked in, I couldn’t cry anymore.

Mrs. Park came behind me and bent down on her knees to say, “My lovely boy! How brave of him to take your place in the sacrifice willingly. You mustn’t cry, dear. He made the right decision. He is now with the goddess and a part of her hunters.”

I remained quiet. My mind couldn’t bear the fact that a mother was happy to sacrifice her only son for the pleasure of a goddess. Then, Mrs. Park left.

I sat there motionless, all alone with Jimin for quite a long time. I found that his body had grown cold. I slowly leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his cold lips. I tasted and swallowed a drop of his blood from there. Then, I looked up to the blood red moon. I whispered, “I love you.”

After months of diligent labor, my greatest creation was made. Looking at the finished face of the sculpture, for the first time in a while, a smile grew on my face. It was finally done. Now, I could rest.

“Lovely,” Mrs. Park called me, “Are you done with your work?”

“Yes, mother!” I replied, “It’s all done perfectly. Come, take a look.”

Mrs. Park walked towards the face I had created and looked at it intensely for a long time, as if she had forgotten where she was. Finally, she looked back at me. I could see tears forming in her eyes.

“It’s beautiful!” she said, “We should have her in the living room.” I nodded in agreement.

Like I had imagined, all she would see in my creation was the face of the moon goddess, Artemis. Only if she had taken a much closer look, a look from her heart and not just the eyes. She could have seen the distinct features; the sharp jaws with chubby cheeks, the tired looking pleasant eyes and puffy lips.

It was the face of my Jimin. The Jimin who was no less in beauty compared to that of any mortal or God. The Jimin whose bravery was far better than the hunters of Artemis. The Jimin who was the representation of love in a human form.

Why would I be devoted to a mere goddess when I had already seen something much more beautiful in a mortal?

Mrs. Park made her appearance once more as I was showing no sign to break my attention from the sculpture. “Your sister has arrived.” She announced, “You have to welcome her.”

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Don’t forget to put on your best dress.” She reminded me for the millionth time, “You are allergic to the sun, remember?”

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