ROYAL KISAENG (Jikook FF)

47. Wounds That Were Hidden

Jimin relaxed under the apple tree's shadow which he had planted many years ago.

When he entered the palace once again after so many years, he felt a little nostalgic seeing the tree. It has grown. If a fleeting thought of his separated pup crossed his mind, we don't know. This tree was his pup's age, he thinks. He remembers planting the tree on the day he found out about his pregnancy. He wanted to do something that would remind him of his and Jungkook's love. And nothing could be more meaningful than an Apple tree. The start of their love story.

If he knew it would all be meaningless in a matter of a month's time, he wouldn't have planted it to start with.

But now that he saw the same tree, it was a calming feeling. Something about apple trees always helped him calm down.

He tentatively took a bite from the apple he was holding for Yoongi who had just left. The grainy texture with satisfying sweetness filled his taste buds. He moaned lowly at the aroma and taste until there was a hint of firewood he could smell in the air.

He opened his eyes to see Jungkook standing there, with not so his usual stiff posture. Jimin watched his in amusement as he neared him with slow steps, anticipation clear in his eyes as if he was asking for a permission to sit beside him. And Jimin wasn't rude to not give one.

He let Jungkook settle down and then looked at him in question. There wasn't even one word that has been exchanged.

Jungkook didn't know why was he here. Few minutes ago he was enraged and didn't want to see anyone's face. Aera had pissed him off utterly. So he had decided to take a break until he came across the private garden he somehow never visited. What stopped him is a pair of soft laughter he could hear from the specific garden. And then came a small hint of delicious smell of apples...

He couldn't resist and peaked inside to see Jimin with Namjoon's Omega. He remembered him since Namjoon had taken Yoongi to Jungkook to meet. He remembered him telling him that he had rescued Omega and brought from the Kisaeng house. This Omega was Kisaeng too in the past. Hearing that he had remembered a specific Kisaeng he almost forgot years ago after his "supposed" debauchery. He didn't know, these two were friends or he should've just guessed.

What hooked him there for some more time was how Jimin chattered while he picked ripened apples from the ground. It suddenly took him too many years back to his childhood, where he had stopped a small chubby cheeked Omega who wanted a few apples but Jungkook was stubborn enough to not let him. But in the end he just let him in exchange for a little help and that marked the day of their unending friendship...

And now when he came in front of him, he didn't know what to say. Thank you? Or perhaps, a Sorry?

"What are you doing here?", He asked instead and then mentally slapped himself for asking such a dumb question because Jimin did look at him with judgemental eyes. Oh right, he himself never had come here, so why would he ask someone else.

He turned back to eye the apple tree and chuckled, "So you're eating these apples?"

"Shouldn't I?", Jimin replied with expressions.

"No.. No, I mean... You said that you wouldn't be eating anything in the palace??", He tried reasoning and then did a second mental-slap himself.

"I had said 'anything that belongs to the Palace'. This tree has been planted by me back then, so practically this belongs to me. Even though I haven't grown it...", He whispered last sentence to himself. But Jungkook still heard it, but he didn't delve into it much.

The aroma of fresh apples must have been coming from the tree, Jungkook thought because he could see that Jimin still wore the leather collar to protect his scent gland. Which was absolutely useless since he had already mated Jimin way back. So why did he even need that collar...