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Ch 11. Hold Me Tight

Jungkook

I threw my duffle bag into the corner of my room. 

Hanging out with Jimin hyung definitely made me feel much better. It was nice to get out of the house once in a while. 

It took me a lot of courage to look at Yeo Jin's room.

I sighed in relief to find that she was alone in the room. At least I didn't have to worry about that boy she was with yesterday.

However, something about her seemed a bit off.

She was lying flat on her bed, her face buried in her pillow.

I took a closer look and realised that her body was shaking. 

My heart dropped. I could sense that something bad happened.

I rushed down and took the spare key from my parent's room.

Yeo Jin's mum gave them the key to her house just in case anything happened to Yeo Jin when her mum was not around.

My parents have always kept it in the same place since I was five, in the top drawer.

The key was for emergencies, but I used to use it to sneak into the house and play with Yeo Jin when we were young.

Now, I wasn't taking it for fun and games. This was an emergency.

The lock of the front door clicked open and I let myself in.

I ran up the stairs, skipping two steps at a time. 

Tap tap, tap tap, tap. I knocked our 'secret' knock.

I held my breath as I waited for her response. Is she going to open the door for me?

Her room was quiet. Almost mistakenably like there wasn't a living being inside.

But I knew she was inside. I saw it with my own eyes.

Seconds later, I saw the door knob turn.

Her eyes were swollen and her hair was in a huge mess. It seemed like she cried for hours. 

“Jungkook, what are you doing here?” Yeo Jin asked, her voice cracked.

“Checking up on you… Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her genuinely.

She let me into her room. I pulled a chair close to her bed as she sat on her bed but she remained silent.

She looked so vulnerable right now. I really wanted to give her a hug but I urged to control myself, remembering what Jimin hyung said to me.

I leaned forward. “What happened?” I asked calmly.

She looked at me. Only then I realised that she had a big red bruise on her face. I was quite stunned to do anything. 

She removed her long black jacket and it revealed some red bruises and scratches on her arms.

“Who did this to you?” I asked her.

“Some girls from school.” she said.

This was terrible. I didn’t like people who hurt others just to make themselves feel better.

“Stay here for a moment.” I told her.

I ran down to her kitchen to get a towel, some ice, and alcohol. I have never taken first aid before, but I read that ice would help reduce the swelling and I needed to clean cuts with alcohol. 

I returned to her room to find her in a ball hugging her knees.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I couldn't ignore this. After all, she was still my friend.

I took a seat beside her and wrapped my arms around her.

She was shaking like a scared little girl. I hated it seeing her cry.

I patted her back reassuringly. How I wished I was always here for her.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes as we embraced each other. 

Her sobs began to die down and I slowly loosened my grip around her.

“Sorry I cried on your shirt.” she said.

I chuckled at her comment. 

“You can do it anytime.” I said.

Her eyes still glistening with tears. She looked at me and smiled.

This isn't the first time I saw her cry. I used to see her cry after her father passed away when we were young. She tried hiding it but it didn't stop me from knowing. It became second nature for me to take care of her as she did for me. 

I soaked alcohol on some cotton balls. 

“This might sting a bit.” I warned her.

I tapped the alcohol on the cuts on her hands and cleaned the wound.

I could sense her were eyes on me.

“Can you hold this?” I asked her ask I gently placed the iced cloth on her face.

“Thank you, Kookie, you’re a really good friend.” she said, giving me a weak smile. 

Friend… I wish I was more than that. 

I bent over to get her some tissues. She wiped her tears and tried to calm herself down.

“I miss being here.” I blurted out unknowingly.

I made myself comfortable on her bed beside her.

“Really? I thought you would have forgotten this place with all the places you’ve travelled.” she said honestly.

I could understand where she was coming from. The glamour of stardom usually gets the better of many people. 

“I will never forget where I came from. I wished I didn’t lose my phone so I could have reminded you how much I miss this place… And you…” I whispered.

She smiled. “Is that why you stopped contacting me?” she asked

I nodded my head.

“In a way, I cannot believe that you are really here.” she admitted.

I chuckled.

“These days, I see you so often in front of a screen that its hard to believe that you’re a real person I once knew.” she continued. 

I looked into her eyes, trying to understand what she was thinking.

“And that’s why you didn’t try contacting me? I’ve become a stranger to you?” I asked her.

“Yes, but you didn’t change much, Jungkook, and I feel really fortunate we are still friends.” she said.

I thought of what she said. 

“Please don’t treat me differently just because I’m an idol now.” I said.

She tilted her head and looked like she didn’t know what to say. 

“Do you still like to watch ‘Iron Man’?” I asked her, trying to change the subject.

“Yes! I’ll never get bored of that.” she said excitedly.

I chuckled in delight seeing her smile again. 

We watched a few episodes until she fell asleep.

I closed her laptop and tucked her into bed.

She looked peaceful in her sleep.

“Sweet dreams, Yeo Jin.” I said to her as I left her room.

Author's note:

I'm sooo sorry for updating late:(

My home's WiFi is not working, so I'm depending on my limited and very slow Mobile Broadband Modem until it's fixed..

Please be patient these next few days!

*prays for good internet connection*