A moments peace.

That’s all Park Jimin wanted. He loved his roommates, all of them had been friends since they were kids, but sometimes he just couldn’t keep up with their endless energy, and tonight was one of those nights.

He had thrown on an over-sized hoodie, put in his earphones and told Namjoon, the oldest of his roommates, that he was going out. The older man warned him to be careful before he headed outside and let the cool night air of Seoul surround him. Despite the late hour there were many people still around.

He wandered aimlessly, letting his feet take him wherever they wanted. After wandering for around half an hour he noticed that he had seen fewer and fewer people around. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to see a call from one of his roommates. He answered the call and chuckled at the sounds of the party that was obviously still in full swing back at his apartment.

“Jimin! Where have you been?” his obviously drunken friend Taehyung asked. “I came out for a walk.” He replied. “Can you stop by a store and get us some more drinks? We’re running low.” Jimin agreed before ending the call. He sighed as he looked for a street sign to try and figure out how to get back home when he heard a noise from a nearby alley.

Curiosity got the better of him and he slowly approached the alley, making sure to keep himself hidden. He peeked around the corner and could just make out some shadowed shapes in the distance. One of the figures sprinted towards the opening of the alley but slammed into a wire fence. Jimin gasped as a girl around his age scrambled up the fence, her jacket only hanging on by one arm. Two men ran up behind her, one of them grabbing her ankle.

All rational thought left Jimin’s mind as he stepped into the middle of the alley, making the feeble light of the streetlamp behind him silhouette him. “Hey, what the hell are you doing?” he shouted, hoping that the two men couldn’t hear the quiver of fear in his voice. His whole body trembled with fear and adrenaline. He had no idea what he would do if the men approached him.

The girl on the fence took the moment of shock caused by Jimin’s sudden appearance and kicked off her attackers’ hand and launched herself over the fence. She landed in a heap with a loud curse. The two men stared at Jimin for a moment longer before shaking their heads and heading back into the darkness.

Jimin let out a long breath and examined his shaking hands. “What the hell was I thinking?” he mumbled before running his hand through his hair as he took a couple of deep, calming breaths. The girl in the alley slowly pushed herself up and Jimin rushed forward. He reached out to help her up and stopped. She has no clue who I am. He put his hand out in front of her, letting her choose whether or not she would take it.

She looked up with curious eyes, as if searching for any sign that he was going to hurt her. Just as he went to retract his hand she reached out and allowed him to help her up. Jimin took in her appearance. She looked to be around the same age as him, her short hair was badly tousled, as if someone had grabbed her by the hair. He watched as she pulled her jacket back on, hiding the beginnings of a bruise around her wrist. Jimin's heart seemed to skip a beat as he assumed about the situation he had just interrupted.

“Are you okay?” he asked tentatively. She looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Are you sure? That was a really hard fall.” She straightened out her clothes and gave him a weak smile. “I’m fine, honestly. Just a little shaken up.”

“What happened?” Jimin internally cursed at his own question. The girl frowned. “Wrong place, wrong time.” she said with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant but it was clear to see that she was shaken up. It was then that Jimin noticed the red stains on her hands. His eyes flicked up to the top of the fence and saw the razor wire. “You're bleeding.” He said, his eyes wide with shock. She quickly hid her hands behind her back. “I’m fine. Honestly.” She repeated, hoping he’d accept her words as she discreetly pulled down the sleeves of her jacket.

“There’s no way you’re fine.” He insisted. “Please, there's a convenience store just around the corner, let me help clean you up.” The girl studied him for a minute. Jimin could sense her distrust, but he held her gaze hoping she could sense his sincerity. After a tense moment she nodded. “Okay.” Jimin smiled with relief. “Let’s go” he said as he led the way out of the alley. She waited outside of the store whilst Jimin bought the things they needed.

Once he returned, he held his hand out over the small, plastic tabletop. She reluctantly gave him her hand. He quietly cleaned out all of the small cuts on her hands, wincing when he applied the disinfectant as if he were the one with the cuts. When he was almost finished, she finally broke the silence between them. “Why did you help me back there?” she asked.

Jimin finished applying the bandage and took a second to admire his handiwork before replying. “To be honest, I don’t know what came over me. I was walking by and I heard a noise from the alley, and I had to look, I had no intention of actually getting involved. But then I saw you climbing over the fence and that guy grabbed you…” he trailed off as the scene flashed through his mind again. He leant back in his chair. “My body just acted on its own. Next thing I knew I was in the middle of the alley and you and those two guys were staring at me like I was crazy.”

Jimin jumped as she chuckled. “You were crazy. What if those two meatheads had decided to do something to you?” she asked. Jimin shrugged. “I honestly have no idea, like I said, I wasn’t really thinking at the time. But at least it gave you the chance to get away.” She nodded, “I never did thank you for that.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.” Jimin said, his cheeks darkening slightly. “No, I do. You helped get me out of a tight spot there, so, thank you.” Jimin's chest tightened as she smiled at him. It was a real smile that made her face shine. “Well, I better get going, its pretty late.” She said as she stood up. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Jimin asked, jumping to his feet. “Yeah, my place isn’t far from here.” Jimin was reluctant to let her leave, he was curious about her, and worried for her.

“Okay, make sure you stick to the main roads. There are more people and streetlights… oh and CCTV!” she laughed at him again, but it wasn’t a mean laugh. “Thanks, I will.” She started to walk away and once again, Jimin's body reacted without his permission. “What's your name?” he called. She stopped and looked over her shoulder, “Siyeon.” She started walking again and Jimin called out after her again. “I’m Jimin!”

She raised her hand above her head to wave at him. “Hopefully, I see you around, Jimin.” He continued to watch her until she disappeared around the corner. The ringing of his phone brought him back to reality. “Crap, the drinks!”

Although he would never admit it out loud, he couldn’t get Siyeon out of his head. He hadn’t told his roommates about what had happened on his walk, afraid that they would overact to the situation he had inadvertently put himself in. He felt like he had a huge secret in meeting Siyeon. It had only taken him a few days before he found himself sitting outside the same convenience store that they had parted ways at. He knew he was being foolish, why would she return to the same place where she had been attacked only a few days earlier.

He sat at the table long after he had finished his instant ramyun and coffee, with a small, fleeting hope that she would appear. When the part timer in the store came out for the third time to clean up and looked at him strangely, he decided to go. He quickly took care of his trash before a familiar voice caught his attention. “Jimin?” his head snapped up at the sound of his name. He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his lips as his eyes landed on Siyeon.

After their second accidental meeting, they exchanged numbers and changed their accidental meetings into intentional ones. They made the convenience store their unofficial hang out, always meeting at the same place, neither of them questioning why the other was always available so late at night.

Siyeon told Jimin that she worked in an office, claiming to only be an assistant, nothing glamourous. But apart from the small snippets of information like that, and that they were indeed the same age, she remained incredibly private. She said that hearing about Jimin's stories with his roommates was far more interesting than her stories from her office where she spent almost all of her time.

One night, Jimin was in the middle of a story about a prank they had pulled on their high school maths teacher when Siyeon's phone rang. Her smile instantly disappeared as she glanced at the screen. “Sorry Jimin, I need to take this.” She grabbed her phone from the table and quickly got up and walked far enough away that Jimin couldn’t overhear.

Jimin waited at the table, idlily flipping through his social media accounts until she came back, the smile that her graced her beautiful face just moments before was gone. “I’m so sorry but I need to go.” She said as she grabbed her bag. Jimin gave her a concerned look, “Is everything okay?” he asked. She nodded, attempting to bring back her smile to stop him from worrying. “Yeah, it was just my boss.” Jimin's brows furrowed, “This late at night?” Siyeon nodded, “He’s a total workaholic and apparently something wasn’t done right today so he needs my help to go fix it. The glamourous life of an assistant.” She said with a chuckle. Jimin's expression eased at that. “Okay, will you be alright getting to work or should I walk you there?”

“NO!” Jimin jumped at the volume of Siyeon's voice. “I-I mean…” she stuttered, panicked with her own outburst. “My work isn’t too far from here. Plus, its already late, you should get home.” She said as she slung her bag over her shoulder. Jimin nodded, confused by her sudden outburst. “Yeah, sure. Be safe.” He said. She tried flashing him a smile, but it was weak and unconvincing as she turned and hurried away.

Jimin sat at the table for a while longer before taking Siyeon's advice and heading home, his thoughts swirling at what could have caused Siyeon's sudden change in attitude.

The next few times they met, both of them both acted like the strange evening where she had been called into work hadn’t happened. They both happily returned to their easy conversations and Siyeon's boss hadn’t called her whilst they were together again. Jimin found himself wanting to know more about the enigmatic girl, but she somehow always found a way to smoothly deflect his questions.

Nearly 3 months after they had started meeting, Jimin found himself with a million more questions.

They had arranged to meet at eleven pm, but he had arrived in her part of town a little earlier than planned. He was walking close to the same alley where they had first met when he heard Siyeon's voice. He instinctively hid himself, a feeling of Deja vu washing over him. He carefully looked around the corner, choking back a sound of shock at the sight of Siyeon flanked by two large men in black suits, facing off against the two men who had hurt her before.

Curiosity overwhelmed his mind at the scene before him. Siyeon stood, arms crossed, expression firm. The four men spoke in low voices, too quiet for Jimin to understand clearly, his attention was solely focused on Siyeon. As if sensing his gaze, she turned to the opening of the alley, her jaw dropped as she saw Jimin standing there, the lamplight silhouetting him just like the first time they had met. She glanced back at the men behind her before throwing him a desperate, pleading look.

The two men beside her suddenly launched forward both of them swiftly taking the two men that had attacked her to their knees, wheezing from the attacks. Siyeon jumped, turning back to the scene in front of her. “If you ever lay a hand on Siyeon again we’ll be back, and next time, you’ll both lose a hand.” The shorter of the two spat on the ground, grinning at the two wheezing men on the ground. “Let’s go.” The largest of the men flanking her said, his voice gruff. She nodded, praying that Jimin had the sense to not be at the mouth of the alley when they exited. Her stomach summersaulted as they walked out of the alley. Her heart thundered in her chest, panic threatening to consume her at the thought of what would happen to Jimin if he were still there.

As soon as they left the alley, she was thankful to see the street was empty. She let out a sharp exhale as the two men approached a black car parked on the road. “You should have told us about those two arseholes bothering you earlier, we would have taken care of them long before this. Now you remember, if anyone gives you even the tiniest bit of hassle, you come to us right away, you hear me?” said the larger of the two as he stood at the side of the car. Siyeon nodded, hoping he wouldn’t notice the sweat on her brow. “Yeah, I will.” She forced a smile onto her face as the two men drove off. The second they were out of sight; she grabbed her phone and text Jimin.

Siyeon: Jimin, where are you?

         Sent: 10:36pm

She waited anxiously for Jimin's reply, her phone held far too tightly between her fingers.

Jimin: At the store…

         Sent: 10:39pm

Siyeon pocketed her phone and bolted towards the store. Jimin was sitting at their usual table, his gaze unfocused as he stared blankly ahead. Siyeon slowed down and stopped a few feet away from the table. “Jimin?” she said hesitantly. It took a few seconds but Jimin finally lifted his head to look at her. She could see the questions in his eyes as he looked at her. She felt small under his gaze. “Can I sit?” she asked tentatively.

He looked at the empty chair, as if processing her question. He finally nodded and she took the chair opposite him, rather than her usual chair beside him. Words failed her as she looked at Jimin's questioning gaze. “What the hell was that?” he asked, his voice devoid of its normal joy. She fisted the material of the hem of her hoodie, she had never wanted to have this conversation with Jimin.

“Jimin… what you saw…” she stumbled over her words, not sure how to proceed. “Did you hire those guys to get revenge for you?” he asked, hoping for a simple explanation to the event he had just witnessed. Siyeon shook her head, “No. Those guys… I work with them.” Jimin's eyebrows shot up. “You work with those guys? Are they security at your office or something?” Siyeon shook her head.

“Jimin, to be honest… I haven’t told you the truth about me.” She bit her lip, worried about Jimin's reaction to what she was about to say. “I don’t work in an office. I honestly wish I did… but I don’t.” she sighed as old memories surfaced. “Those guys, they’re gang members.” Jimin stared at her. “You're part of a gang?” he said, feeling like he had just stepped into an anime or a movie. “Not by choice.” She admitted. “My dad… he has a gambling problem. It got worse after my mum left us and he kept borrowing money from anywhere he could. His debts kept on growing, he never won enough to pay them off and he didn’t work enough to either. Eventually he borrowed from the wrong people and they weren’t the type to be sympathetic… or patient.”

Her head dipped, too embarrassed to look Jimin in the eye as she continued. “The leader of the gang offered him a choice, a way to pay back his debts that wouldn’t cost him a penny.” She took a shuddering breath, “He sold me to them.” Her voice was so soft at this point that Jimin almost didn’t hear her. “He didn’t even hesitate. The leader and his goons came to our house and that’s when he saw me and gave my dad the option… he didn’t even hesitate.” Anger laced her voice as she continued. “He signed a contract there and then that he would be given a clean slate, not a single penny to pay, if I went with them.”

She wiped away a tear, enraged that she could still cry over her father’s betrayal. “I barely had time to pack a bag before they took me to their headquarters. Now, I do whatever they ask of me. I work at their bar, I pick up money from clients for whatever shady deals they don’t want to be caught red-handed in. Whatever they ask, I have to do it.”

Silence followed her confession as Jimin tried to process the information. Eventually Siyeon broke the silence. “That night when we first met. I was doing a pickup; it was supposed to be other guys there but for some reason they sent those two idiots. They decided to get a little too handsy and then there you were.” She smiled. “You looked so terrified and brave as you yelled at them, then you cleaned up the cuts on my hand.” She continued as she looked at the faint scars on her palms and fingers. “You were so innocent and kind. You didn’t want anything from me. You just helped me because it was the right thing to do. And then we met again, and I couldn’t help but latch onto your kindness and the stories of your normal, gang-free life.” She continued, unleashing all of the feelings she had hidden inside of her.

“When we were together, I could just be me. I didn’t have to pretend to be tough, I wasn’t the girl with her father’s debt hanging over her head and dictating her life. I could just be me, the girl who likes listening to music, who loves listening to all your stories about your life, who loves being with you.” She risked a glance at Jimin who was staring at her in shock. She recoiled from his gaze as if he’d physically struck her.

“I knew it was wrong, it was a fleeting fantasy that I knew I couldn’t hold onto. I never wanted you to find out the truth about me. I never wanted you to know the darkness that surrounded me. I just wanted to be in your light, for as long as possible.” She abruptly stood up, her plastic chair falling to the ground from her sudden movement.

“I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke on the last word as she sprinted from the table, tears blurring her vision as she ran. I can’t believe he found out. He probably hates me. I work for a gang for gods sake. He’s so pure and innocent. I don’t deserve to be friends with someone like him. And I definitely don’t deserve to have feelings for him. My darkness can’t taint him. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she continued to run.

Jimin sat at the table, processing everything he had heard. How… how did my sweet, kind friend manage to hide so much pain and sadness. If all of that had happened to me, I don’t know how I would have coped. Would I have been able to ever smile with all that pain in my heart?

Jimin's senses caught up with him as he jumped from his chair and took off, blood pounding through his veins as he ran through the now familiar streets. It didn’t take him long to catch up with Siyeon, he could hear the choked sobs rip their way from . He sped up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to face him and before she could react, he pulled her into a bone crushing hug. “Idiot.” He mumbled as he tightened one arm around her waist, the other raising to cup the back of her neck, her face instinctively resting in the crook of his neck. Her tears had paused from the shock of the sudden embrace. “J-Jimin.” She stuttered, her arms hanging limply by her sides, too afraid to return the embrace.

Jimin felt tears well up in his own eyes as he held his friend against him, as if his hug could take away all of her pain. “Idiot, why did you run?” he asked. “What I told you…” she started as her tears once again threatened to spill down her cheeks. “I thought you’d hate me.” He held her impossibly tighter. “Idiot. How could I ever hate you? Especially for something that isn’t your fault? You didn’t ask for any of this, so why would I hate you when you're the victim here? Your choices were taken from you and you’ve been doing what you’ve had to to survive, what's wrong with that?”

Siyeon's tears fell in earnest now. How can he accept this…accept me so easily? He really is the kindest person. She finally raised her arms and returned Jimin's embrace. Jimin held her until her tears dried up, and only then did he pull back. “You don’t have to keep secrets from me, Siyeon. You can tell me anything and I promise I’ll still be your friend.” She sniffled as the barest hint of a smile graced her face at Jimin's promise. “You promise?” she asked, needing the confirmation. He nodded, a warm smile on his own face. “I promise.” She took a step back as she gazed at the man that had come to mean so much to her in such a short time.

The light in her darkness.

The joy in her sadness.

The secret feelings in her heart.