“Alright, I’m all set,” she stated enthusiastically, expecting a reply, but all she got was silence. Frowning, she scanned the area for any traces of him. The moment her eyes landed on the swimming pool, she dropped her bag. A thud echoed around the enclosed area. In shock, she let out a scream and ran towards the swimming pool, frantically. Tears were already streaming down her face and her vision had turned fuzzy.

Without bothering to remove her clothes, she plunged into the water. She swam towards the unconscious figure as fast as she could, her heart drumming in her ears. As Hyun Ji drew closer, she lunged towards the figure and clung onto him as though he would vaporize before her. Her mind conjured the worst thoughts. Reaching the end of the pool, Hyun Ji cradled the figure in her arms and pushed him upwards, onto the cement floor.

In the midst of doing that, the side of her head hit clashed with the side of the swimming pool, striking pain into her head. Hyun Ji endured as she pushed the last of his body to safety and pulled herself out of the pool. Crawling towards his side, Hyun Ji attempted to resuscitate him but to no avail. Her cries and constant wailing fell upon deaf ears as she shook him, begging him to wake up. Hyun Ji's vision became a blur as seconds went by and she knew it wasn't due to her tears. The pain shot up to her head without any given warning, making her cry out in pain as she clung onto it. That was when she felt a sticky, liquid making it's way through her fingers, its stench traveling towards her nose.

Removing her hand from her head, Hyun Ji brought it towards her line of vision. Shock registered in her mind as blood colored her hand. Hyun Ji could feel the red fluid slowly gliding down her cheeks. Tearing her eyes away from her hand, she attempted to resuscitate him again but her efforts were not given their reward. Her head throbbed as she continued to sob. Her lungs constricted each time she tried to breathe. Her body shook, threatening to hurt her even more. Everything around her spun in circles and eventually, she out. The last thing she saw was a necklace in his hand.

Hyun Ji jolted upright as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, calming herself down. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't know who the guy in her dream was as all she remembered was a mere shadow. Hyun Ji swung her legs to the side of her bed and eyed her bathroom. The moment she got off her bed and took a step, pain coursed through her body and gathered in her head.

With a thud, Hyun Ji collapsed onto the floor, whimpering, internally begging for the pain to stop. Her limbs slowly felt numb as she kept her eyes shut tightly. Her lips quivered as more tears poured out of her eyes. Just then, as sudden as the pain had come, it left. A heavy weight was lifted off her shoulder. Hyun Ji breathed in and out, her breaths shaky. Slowly pulling herself up, Hyun Ji made her way to her original destination and stared into the mirror. 

What the hell is wrong with me?

≈♦♦♦≈

"Hyung, where's Jimin?" Jungkook asked as Jin placed his tray onto the table and settled in his seat.

"He wasn't in class this morning so I'm assuming that he's absent. Or maybe he's just late," Jin replied, taking a bite of his food as the others acknowledged his reply. Feeling a burning gaze on him, Jin turned to the seat next to him only to meet Taehyung's eyes.

"What?" Jin asked, knowing something was on the tip of the other's tongue.

"You have some sauce on the left side of your mouth," Taehyung mumbled, resisting the urge to wipe it for him. Knowing how particular Taehyung was with things like that, Jin was about to wipe his mouth with his thumb when he was stopped by Taehyung. Turning to look at him, Jin raised his brow only to have a piece of tissue handed to him. Taking it from Taehyung's hand, Jin mumbled a 'thanks' and wiped his mouth.

Just then, the empty seat next to Jungkook screeched as a figure stood next to it. Knowing fairly well who it was, Jungkook shifted his line of vision to look at him.

"Why the tardiness, Hyu - Holy , what the hell happened to you?!" Jungkook exclaimed with widened eyes as he took in the sight before him. Hearing Jungkook's words, the rest at the table looked at Jimin only to have the same expression on their faces. Jimin had indirectly gained everyone else's attention as the students in the canteen had their eyes on him, appalled by his appearance. 

Jimin was a mess. In fact, even that was an understatement. Jimin's hair stuck out in so many places. His eyes were slightly red and puffy. His eyebags were darker than they usually were and his lips looked chapped. His shirt was buttoned wrongly and looked crumpled. Being Jimin, he was rather vain so him looking disheveled was a shock to everyone. Without sparing anyone a single glance, Jimin tossed his bag onto the floor and plopped onto his seat. His gaze was focused on the table as he wore a frown, his eyebrows knitted together. Concerned, Yoongi placed his hand on Jimin's shoulder, asking him what was wrong.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay," Jimin replied, running his fingers through his hair before placing his head on the table. Hearing that, the rest exchanged glances before heaving sighs. It was a rare sight to see Jimin behaving and looking in such a way, considering his cheery personality. Then again, Jimin was never one to share about his life and he never did knew how to express himself. His communication skills were simply that limited.

Knowing the conversation had ended there, Yoongi patted Jimin's shoulder twice before everyone went back to tending to their food. The rest of the people in the canteen were already on to another topic of their conversations. Taehyung, on the other hand, had a difficulty trying to not stare at how messy Jimin looked. He was barely resisting the urge to fix Jimin's appearance but he knew that any attempt to do so would result in Jimin snapping at him. Forcing himself to take his eyes off of Jimin, Taehyung focused on his food instead.

"I'm home," Jimin called out as he closed the door behind him. Right then, his mother appeared from the kitchen.

Just as she was about to speak, Jimin said, "Oh hey, Umma. I'm going to head for the showers and I'll be down for dinner real quick okay?"

"Jimin-ah," his mum reached out for him. That was when Jimin noticed the expression she wore on her face. Sullen, despair, grief. Before Jimin could question her, he was brought to the kitchen in which he was met with his father wearing the exact same look on his face. 

"We have something to tell you," his father said, beckoning for him to sit down. Once he did, he looked at his parents, noticing their hesitation and the tense atmosphere around them. Uneasiness crept within Jimin, providing him with the worse thoughts. Fear enveloped his whole being as he silently urged his parents to continue.

"Your sister's doctor called just now. He suggested for us to pull the plug." That last sentence was enough to drive Jimin from his sanity. Slamming his hands onto the table, he stood up. Anger revealed itself from his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

"What? No! We are not going to pull the plug," Jimin exclaimed, giving the exact response his parents had expected.

"The chances of her waking up are low, Jimin. Letting her live on a life support will only extend her sufferings," his mother spoke, her voice getting weaker with every word she said.

"So you're going to just give up hope like that? How could you even consider pulling the plug? It's Ji Hae, my only little sister, your only daughter. If you're worried about the hospital bills then don't be, your bakery and my part time job is more than enough to pay for them. We are not pulling the plug," Jimin argued. A mix of emotions clouded his vision as his sister flashed through his mind.

"It's been months Jimin - "

"I don't care how long it's been or how long it takes. Ji Hae will wake up, and I'll make sure of that. I'm not ready to let her go. And you know that neither are you," Jimin said as he looked at his parents, feeling betrayed. Storming off to his room, Jimin locked the door behind him and slid down to the floor. Tears poured out of his eyes as he clutched onto his chest, pain filling his heart. Like a film, memories of him and his sister flashed through his mind, worsening his condition.

He felt mad at his parents for wanting to give up hope. He felt mad at Ji Hae's doctor for even making such a suggestion. But mostly, he was mad at himself for being the reason behind his sister's misery. Jimin would never stop blaming himself simply because he knew it was his fault. If only he had known such guilt would take its toll on him.If only he had known how much it had affected him. If only he had known that it was the cause of his athazagoraphobia. 

Ever since then, Jimin would never let himself be left unheard, in fear that it would somehow lead to an accident that could've been prevented by him. Neither did Jimin want to be forgotten, just like how his sister was slowly starting to forget him as she ventured in her own dark world. In truth, that was just his phobia speaking to him, caused by his never-ending guilt.

≈♦♦♦≈

Hyun Ji was lost in her own train of thoughts as she made her way to her next class. Being oblivious to her surroundings, Hyun Ji bumped into a figure, waking her out of her reverie. She was about to apologize when she realized just who the figure was. For seconds, the two stared at each other, incapable of any words. Jin's expression was still, scary even. With the knowledge she had of him, Hyun Ji saw him in a different light but she had issues trying to figure out if it was in a good or a bad way. The drawing of Jin and his split personality sent shivers down her spine as it flashed in her mind once more. She feared for the unknown trigger of that transition.

Behind that poker face of his, Jin was silently trying to read her. He wondered what kind of thoughts lurked through that mind of hers. Her eyes gave no hint and her expression was of no help. Jin knew that whatever was in her mind was enough to keep her from freaking out over the proximity they were at, like she usually would. For the first time ever, Jin was out of words to say. He had questions, sure, but he knew they'd fall on deaf ears and she'd be gone before he'd even finish his sentence. That was when a little voice in his head reminded him.

She wants you to ignore her existence. So do as she says, Jin. 

Being the first to break the eye contact, Jin sidestepped and decided to head to his next lesson. Just as he took his first few steps, a voice stopped him. Her voice.

"Sunbae, thank you for the umbrella." Just like that, a particular silence filled the air between the two. Taking the silence as a form of acknowledgement, Hyun Ji continued on her trip to class, up to the point she felt a hand holding onto her wrist as she was spun around to face Jin. To heck with ignoring her. I need answers.

"Why couldn't you return the umbrella to me on your own? Why did you get Namjoon to do it? Why is it that you can talk to him but not to me? What is it about me that you're so afraid of?" Jin bombarded, tightening his grip on her with every question. Hyun Ji's face scrunched up, heeding to the pain Jin brought to her. 

"Let me go," Hyun Ji uttered in a whole new demeanor. Taken aback, Jin loosened his grip and she wrenched herself free. 

Raising her head to meet his eyes, she asked, "Why can't you just live me alone? Why can't you be like everyone else and simply ignore me?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jin answered, "Because I care."

"Then stop caring." Those three words were enough to trigger his anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you only like this towards me? Each time I try to help you, each time I try to care for you, you build a wall to stop me from doing so." Jin could feel it rising within him. At that point, he knew it was easy, really easy, to let it take over. He didn't want anyone to see that side of him, especially Hyun Ji. He knew how twisted, how sinister, it could be. 

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. It wasn't an easy thing for him to do with it being stronger than he was. Clenching his fist, he forced his anger down. Jin opened his eyes to see Hyun Ji staring at him with the same look she had in her eyes earlier. Nothing changed but Jin almost did.

"You act like everything's okay so no one worries about you, but you need help." After a second of hesitation, Jin walked off, leaving Hyun Ji stunned with his last words. For minutes, she stood there, his words repeating in her head. Each time they did, it felt like a never-ending slap on her face. The sound of the school bell noting the next period brought her back into reality. As she made her way to class, Jin's words repeated in her mind one last time. 

You do the same thing too, Sunbae. But you need help as well.

≈♦♦♦≈

Hyun Ji shut her eyes and took in the cool breeze brushing past her face as a small, satisfied smile made its way onto her face. Resting her back against the trunk of the huge tree, Hyun Ji let out a sigh of gratitude as it's been a long time since the weather had been that kind of perfect. Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Hyun Ji fluttered her eyes open and met another pair of eyes.

"What?" Hyun Ji asked, only to receive a chuckle followed by the shaking of his head as he shifted his line of vision to the pond instead. If it was any other day, Hyun Ji would've shrugged off his reaction. But on such a perfect day, it was out of place. He always had something to say that would result in a hit on his head by Hyun Ji. Propping herself onto her elbows, Hyun Ji eyed the side of his face. That was when it dawned on her. He seemed different that day, distant. Under closer instigation, he looked troubled. He was present though his mind was elsewhere. Hyun Ji frowned, knowing something was being a huge weight on his shoulders.

"What's bothering you?" She asked. Turning his head to look at her, he gave her a questioning look.

"Oh don't try to hide it. You're troubled about something. It's written all over your face." She added. He scoffed into a smile.

"You know me so well," he said, chuckling only to have it replaced by a sigh within seconds.

"I'm going to miss it," he muttered, thinking Hyun Ji didn't hear him but to his surprise, she heard him fairly well.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Hyun Ji questioned, demanding an answer with the expression on her face. She could see the surprise in his eyes followed by the hesitation on his face. His reaction was enough to tell her that she wasn't going to like whatever he was hiding. He never kept anything from her. She watched as he ran his fingers through his hair, the air around them evidently turning tense. Hyun Ji grew irritated with every passing minute of silence. She knew he would tell her, she just didn't know when. Before she could prompt him further, he spoke the words she never thought she'd hear.

"Hyun Ji-ah, I'm moving away." He paused, as though he was picking the right words to say. But there were no right words. "My dad has been stationed to another outlet so my parents thought it'd be more convenient if we were to move into a house nearer to where he is stationed. So we're moving out at the end of this month." He paused again but the next time he spoke, his voice was barely audible.

"I'm transferring to another school as well." With that, Hyun Ji felt her world crashing down as tears stung her eyes. Her heart hurt with yearning and her breathing constricted. A sob came from as she tried to remain composed. Suddenly the day wasn't so perfect anymore.

Hyun Ji awoke with widened eyes as she calmed her palpitating heart as she gripped onto her comforter to pull herself up. Half expecting the pain to come, Hyun Ji braced herself for the worst. She shut her eyes tightly and drew a breath. Seconds ticked by and after two minutes of not having pain shooting up her head, Hyun Ji opened her eyes and stared into nothing as the foreign situation rendered her mind blank. 

"The dream. It was different." Without knowing why, Hyun Ji broke into tears.

A/N: I've missed writing and I've missed you guys. Wow it feels good to be able to update. I'm so so sorry for taking such a long time to update. I swear this wasn't deliberate. School has been such a pain in the . My prelims are coming in two weeks and I really should be studying but I needed to do this. I needed to write. 

Anyway, this chapter was one heck of a rollercoaster. Jimin's situation has been explained so which character is next in line for revelation? As for the confrontation between Hyun Ji and Jin, don't worry, next chapter will be good, I promise ;)

I love to hear from my readers so leave your comments below and I'll try my best to respond to them okay? Till the next update! 

-RedGuitarist