Shamans Kim

Chapter 23: Jungkook's perspicacity

"No, eomma, come back, don't leave me..."

Seokjin's weak voice contrasted with that of Jungkook's memory. He remembered a loud and commanding voice, often angry with him or even mocking. It suited him better, Jungkook realized.

He wondered why he asked his mother to stay in his dream and by crossing Jimin's face and Taehyung's face, he tried to imagine what she could possibly look like. But all his mind was willing to show him was a woman with a face covered in a hahoe mask, like Seokjin, but with a smiling, not angry, expression, and he gave up with a sigh.

 He realized that he had never questioned the absence of Jimin's parents at the sanctuary and the fact that his two brothers had to run the sanctuary at such a young age. If Seokjin asked his mother to stay, that meant she abandoned them? 

"Jin hyung didn't even have a mom when I met him," Bae said. He used to talked a lot about her and his dad too." 

"Wow, really?" 

He couldn't imagine Seokjin willingly talking about his parents with anyone and he wondered how old he was when his parents left. At least he remembered them, Jungkook thought with a pang of jealousy that he immediately regretted and found sickening. But what was he thinking?

"Yes," Bae nodded, "and he also said that his brother had killed them."

"W-What?" Jungkook stammered.

He looked at Bae who was watching Seokjin with concern. Did Taehyung really kill his parents? Is that why he and Seokjin hated each other so much and everyone was afraid that Taehyung's dark side would take over on his next birthday? Because he was a murderer? He remembered the insensitivity that emanated from him and he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

"He hasn't talked about it for a long time. Hana and I are the only ones who know for years but we haven't told the others," Bae added. "Otherwise they would have hated Jimin and Jin hyung didn't want the chomyeons to have such feelings after their death."

Shocked by what he had just heard, Jungkook said:

"Did you say Jimin?! Not Taehyung?!"

"No, not Taehyung, Jimin," Bae agreed.

Was that what Seokjin said to Jimin? He couldn't believe it. Was that why the twins hated Jimin so much? Not because he didn't have magic but because he killed his parents? But it seemed inconceivable to him, Jimin didn't have an ounce of malice in him!

"No way, Jimin can't have done that, he's the nicest person I know!" he retorted.

Bae shrugged.

"You must not know many people then."

Even if he wasn't wrong, Jungkook wanted to slap this little impertinent who allowed himself to say bad things about Jimin but he restrained himself and instead asked, intrigued:

"Bae, how long have you known Seokjin? You said you knew for years and seokjin confided in you shortly after his parents died years ago!"

"I know him since a long time. Jin hyung had just become the guardian of the gate of light when I arrived here." 

"When was it?" Jungkook insisted.

"I no longer count the years that pass because I no longer grow up but hyung was a child like me. When I arrived, there was no other soul than me, I'm the first soul he took care of. So in the pavilion of light, there was only him and me. We became friends and since then, we haven't left each other's side, even though he grew up and I didn't."

"You've been here all this time?! You've never passed through the door of light?!" Jungkook asked, stunned.

"I wanted to, but Jin hyung didn't want to. So I stayed, and eventually stopped asking to leave."