Chapter 2 | 220914

Being Afflicted

"Hyung, I think something is going on between Jin hyung and Hyun Ji." Upon hearing that, Hoseok, another of Jin's best friends, looked up from his phone.

"Wait, could you repeat that?" the elder asked, certain he had heard wrongly. Jimin did as told and waited for the elder to give some sort of a reaction but Hoseok simply stared at Jimin with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Define that sentence," Hoseok said as he rubbed his chin, eyeing the younger.

"I don't know about Hyun Ji, but I think Jin hyung has taken an interest in her," Jimin replied. For a moment, Hoseok waited for the younger to take back his words and say that he was joking. Instead, Jimin kept a straight face and waited for the elder's reaction.

Oh wait, he's serious. Hoseok thought.

"First things first, Jin hyung has actually taken an interest in a girl? That guy has never, and I mean never, fallen for any girl for as long as we've known him. Now he's actually into one and it's her? Jung Hyun Ji, the new girl who seems to ignore basically everyone in this school? I mean, why her? They've never talked before, and I doubt he knows a single thing about her. Knowing your hyung, it's unlikely of him to fall for a girl he barely even knows,"Hoseok said, feeling rather skeptical.

"That's exactly what I thought too,"Jimin agreed, suddenly doubting the assumption he made earlier on.

"What made you think Jin hyung likes her anyway?" Hoseok asked, tilting his head slightly. 

"He was staring at her as she walked by our classroom. You might think that it's nothing because it's normal for Jin hyung to observe people whenever he's bored. If you were to be in my place earlier on, you'd notice the look in his eyes. It was different, really different. It looked as though he actually wanted to know more about her. As though he was actually curious. Apart from that, he looked pretty oblivious to his surroundings." Jimin said, as Hoseok frowned, finding Jin's behaviour peculiar too.

"What about Hyun Ji?" Hoseok asked.

"I don't know, but when their eyes met, she immediately turned away. You should have seen the look on her face. It looked as though she was afraid of hyung." Jimin pointed out.

That's odd. Why would she be afraid of him when she barely even knows him? Hoseok thought to himself.

"Look, he's doing it again." With that, Hoseok turned to the direction in which the younger had nodded to and spotted Jin sitting at their usual table. Following the direction of his gaze, Hoseok's eyes fell upon Hyun Ji, who was making her way towards the exit of the canteen with a brown paper bag in her hand. Directing his gaze towards Jin, he watched as the elder stood up and hurriedly made his way towards the same exit, disappearing behind the doors. Both Hoseok and Jimin turned towards each other, sharing the same thoughts.

≈♦♦♦≈

"Hey, where's Jin hyung?" Yoongi asked Hoseok and Jimin as he sat at their usual table along with Namjoon, Taehyung and Jungkook. 

"Probably with Hyun Ji," the two said simultaneously as they ate. The remaining four paused and stared at the two with confused expressions.

"Why would he-"

Before Namjoon could finish his question, Jimin cut him off. "He may have a thing for her."

"Wait, what?!" The four said in unison, gaining attention from other students. Silence filled the air for a second or two before everyone went back to doing whatever they were doing before they were interrupted. 

"Thanks for getting everyone's attention, guys," Hoseok said sarcastically as he picked up a lettuce from his plate with a disgusted look plastered on his face. Almost immediately, he dumped the lettuce onto the very edge of the plate. Looking up, he raised his brow at the four of them who still had a surprised expression on their faces. 

Shifting his gaze to his plate, he said, "Jimin, please explain to the four of them."

"Earlier on, before Biology class had started, I was talking to Jin hyung only to realize that he wasn't actually paying attention to me. He was in his own world until I finally gained his attention. I asked him what he was thinking so deeply about but straight after, he went back to his own field of thoughts." Pausing, Jimin continued.

"A few seconds later, I saw him snap back into reality and I followed his gaze. He was staring at Hyun Ji, who was walking by our class. The look in his eyes was different. Really different. He was observing her a little too much. Then I saw the brief eye contact they made with one another and the reaction Hyun Ji gave. She immediately looked away and sped up her pace," Jimin paused to take in a deep breath before continuing.

"Just now, when the two of us arrived at the canteen, we saw Jin hyung staring at Hyun Ji again. When Hyun Ji left, Jin hyung immediately went after her."

Once Jimin was done explaining, the surprised looks on the other's faces were replaced with confusion, as they tilted their heads to the side. 

Taehyung said, "Wait, you are referring to that new girl, right?"

Both Jimin and Hoseok nodded. Taehyung frowned.

"Out of all girls, why would he have a thing for her? They've never once talked to each other. So, why her?" Taehyung asked as he took the lettuce from Hoseok's plate and placed it on his own. 

"That's exactly what I said earlier on," Hoseok said as he shot a look of gratitude towards Taehyung, for taking away the lettuce. At that point of time, all six of them were thinking the same thing.

What's going on between those two?

≈♦♦♦≈

Hyun Ji sat down at her seat in the empty classroom. Setting down the brown paper bag which contained her lunch, she took out her sketchbook from her bag and flipped to a new page. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled and began to draw. Within seconds, she was lost in her own world. Often, whenever Hyun Ji drew, she'd be unaware of her surroundings. She'd barely be conscious of what she was drawing. It was as though she was in a trance. Her left hand had a mind of its own as it moved about the paper.

It wasn't long before her hand had completed its masterpiece. Taking a look at the final result, Hyun Ji's eyes widened. Her left hand began to tremble as cold sweat began to form on her forehead. Her whole body tensed up as she took in the sight before her. She knew what was coming next. The pain. 

Dropping her pencil, she clutched onto her head and shut her eyes tightly. The familiar throbbing in her head sent waves of pain throughout her whole body, followed by numbness. She was unsure whether her feet were even touching the ground. Her jaw hurt from clenching too hard. She knew that if she were to stand up, she'd collapse onto the floor. So, she continued to sit down. No matter how many times she went through such pain, it still felt new and foreign to her whenever such things happened. With every bit of effort she had, she endured the pain.

It would pass. It always did.

"Hyun Ji, are you okay?"

That voice. She thought.

Looking up, she tried to get a clearer look at the person, but her vision was still a blur. Even so, she knew who the voice belonged to. It belonged to the guy she wanted to avoid the most. The guy also known as Kim Seok Jin. Not caring whether the pain had subsided or not, Hyun Ji hurriedly stood up. Closing her sketchbook, she picked it up. With her free hand, she took hold of the brown paper bag and made her way towards the door. 

Before she was even halfway through to reaching the door, her legs gave way. She expected to collapse onto the floor, but just as she was about to land, she felt a pair of hands supporting her. She didn't need to look in order to identify the owner of those hands. Slowly bringing her up to her feet, Jin made it a point to make sure she was stable before withdrawing his hands. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, but she didn't reply. Hyun Ji was trying her best to ignore the pain in her head. Though her legs still felt numb, she was able to stabilize herself, and her vision was finally clear again. Jin was about to ask again, but something else caught his attention. Without realizing, Hyun Ji's sketchbook had slipped out of her hand and fallen onto the floor. Not only that, but it also fell open to a page.

On it was a drawing of a boy.

 

Silence filled the air as both stared at the page. Jin scrutinized the drawing while Hyun Ji remained frozen. The young boy had hair that stopped right above his neck and his bangs covered his brows. His eyes were in the shape of crescent moons. His nose was elongated and his mouth was in the form of a wide smile. His cheeks were slightly rosy. Jin raised his brows, impressed.

"Wow, you drew that?" he asked, meeting Hyun Ji's eyes. Registering the current situation into her brain, Hyun Ji struggled to pick up her sketchbook and manage her stability at the same time. Once she finally managed to grasp onto her sketchbook, she rushed out of the room, without saying a single word. Jin was left in a state of confusion.

Why does she seem so scared of me? Why is she always running away from me?

≈♦♦♦≈

Hyun Ji entered the toilet in hopes that it would be empty. Fortunately, luck was on her side. Heading towards the sink, she placed both palms on its sides as she calmed her heavily beating heart. Once it was calmed, she took her sketchbook into her hands and flipped to the picture of the boy. Scanning through his features, she turned the page only to see yet another drawing of him. The same cycle repeated for at least three more pages. Hyun Ji stared at the drawn image, her eyes paying attention to every single detail.

I don't know who you are so why do I keep drawing an image of you? 

Hyun Ji thought as she touched the drawing and let out a low, exasperated sigh. Without her expecting it, a wave of pain surged through the left side of her brain. Almost instantly, she gripped onto the edges of the sink for support. Slowly, she felt pinpricks spreading from her fingertips all the way to her shoulder. Hyun Ji blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall as her vision grew fuzzy. Her body began to tremble and cold sweat formed on her forehead. With every second that went by, she only grew weaker and eventually, her legs gave out.

Losing her grip, she sunk to the cold, tile floor, unable to comprehend what exactly was happening. She brought her hand to her head and held on tight. Her heart was beating furiously. felt dry. She struggled to breathe, as she felt her lungs being constricted. Within a split second, another wave of pain knocked her unconscious.

 

"Hyun Ji-ah, what on earth are you doing up on that tree?" the boy yelled as he looked at the girl with widened eyes.

"I want to help you get back your kite," she said as though she hadn't just made a dangerous choice.

"Yah! Are you crazy? Get down from that tree! You'll fall!" he said with a hushed tone. He didn't want his mother to hear them.

"Don't worry, Oppa. I'll be fine!" she grinned widely as an attempt to reassure him, but to no avail. Being the stubborn girl she was, Hyun Ji inched towards the kite, which was stuck at the very end of the tree branch, and reached out her arm. He was hissing at her from below, but she blocked his voice out. Her attention was only on the kite. The grin on her face grew wider, as the tip of her fingers made contact with the string of the kite.

However, before she could go any further, her other hand lost its grip and she slipped from the tree branch. Even in the state of danger, she managed to tug onto the string of the kite, bringing it down with her. As she plummeted down with widened eyes, she had expected to make contact with the hard ground but instead she fell on something slightly softer and uneven. Or rather, someone.

"Oof," he let out a groan.

"There, I got your kite down," she said with a proud smile, as she held up the kite.

Scoffing into a chuckle, he said, "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I know. But where else can you find a best friend like me? I'm one of a kind," she said, giving him an eye smile.

He gazed at her, unknowingly smiling to himself.

"Hyun Ji?"

"Hmm?" she said, with a raised brow.

"I..." he bit his lower lip, reconsidering his words. "I..."

"What is it?" she asked.

"I...am starting to feel numb so will you please get off of me?" he asked, wriggling on the spot. Laughing, she apologised and stood up.

Little did she know, those weren't the words he had wanted to say.


A/N: Well, here's the new and edited Chapter 2! ;) Do let me know what you thought of it, I'd love to hear what you have to say. :)

-RedGuitarist

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Thank you!
RedGuitarist
Chapter 13 of Being Afflicted is finally up! :) Thank you so much for your continuous love and support. I love you guys

Comments

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mygenie #1
Chapter 16: I'm a new subscriber here, and I love the storyline :)
I'll be patient to wait your update, and thank you for writing this :))
MyungsooOppaLover #2
Chapter 16: OMG! I love this fic sooooo much!!!! I cannot wait for the next chapters! I’ll be patient and hope to see the end of this beautiful story! ^^
Lulasanta #3
Just found this fic again. I'm excited to see how her and Jin's interactions will grow. And Hoya is such a shady character to me. Maybe he's associated with her past? Excited to see what will come next
northlav
#4
Chapter 16: Of course!! I'm starting to think that Howon is not like a real person cus Hyunji just sees him out of nowhere.
2NE1XOXO
#5
Chapter 15: Its okay we are here for you and we will be patient. In the meantime continue to write well and stay happy alrights? :)
21RockyM
#6
Chapter 15: Thank you. Simply thank you for writing out what has been going on with your life; I'm sure it wasn't easy, but you wrote it all down for everyone to read. You're definitely not alone with what you have gone through. I recently went through the same thing (marks not being good enough, feeling worthless, etc). But you're absolutely right, things do get better. However it happens, things always come together in the end; just the process of how that end comes may be difficult and challenging. So I say thank you again, and good for you. I don't know you, but I am proud of you for pulling through, just like I am proud of myself for changing my life to get back on track. Continue to write as well, and don't worry if it is a bit on the dark side. Use your writing to express your emotions, and rid yourself of negativity; that's what I do too. Things do get better, and when you've hit rock bottom, there's no where else to go but up. :)
xadrimusicx
#7
Chapter 15: You dont know how much i needed that long note. Because ironically. Im not happy at the moment and at this point idk how to make myself happy right now. Im glad that you are doing better for your life and that you are able to move on. I can understand the feeling of resentment and all that and im glad it got better for you! Please stay happy and please stay who you are.
jwwldh
#8
Chapter 14: Update soon pleaseuuuuuu ;A;
majesticbudder #9
Chapter 14: i honestly hope she wont choose hoya and her and jin are like each others cures, medicines and help each other become the best of themselves... heol i cant...my feelzz...