The Eighth One - BTS AU (Mystery/Thriller) | Complete

Chapter 58

Joon's breath hitched. He had never in a million years thought that such a day would come. To be fair, nothing that had happened over the past twenty four hours were exactly expected events.

"You fell for him?" Hoseok asked, his mouth agape, one eyebrow raised.

"Jin hyung was in love with Joon hyung?" Tae's eyes widened.

"No, not Jin. Just me," Jin corrected Tae as he stood up with his plate in hand.

The boys watched him leave his plate in the sink as they sat rooted to their seats.

When he turned back and saw six pair of eyes observing him anxiously, Jin said,
"Don't be scared. Be it Jin or I, neither of us like dirty plates. So leave them in the sink and come on!"

After all the boys followed Jin as they placed their plates in the sink, they proceeded to the living room. While Jin sat alone on the single seater, others spread across the room keeping considerable distance from him.

"But he kept pushing you away," Hoseok pointed at Joon as he spoke to Jin.

"Always made you feel bad. But you tell me that he cared for you?"

Hoseok felt frustrated with Jin himself siding with Joon. His anger towards Joon had almost made him forget his unfamiliarity with the new one.

"Not me. Jin! And his present behaviour may be my fault."

He turned to Joon," I shouldn't have scared you like that. But you were so sweet to me that night. I couldn't control myself."

Joon stared at him wide eyed. But the others were even more shocked.

"What night?" Yoongi asked.

"Noraebang?" Jimin asked all of a sudden.

When Jin nodded with a smile, he felt nervous. He had never thought that Jin's smile could ever make him feel so nervous.

He cleared his throat.
"I had noticed a change in both your behaviours. Joon hyung was always by your side till that night. From the next day onwards you were alone. That was why I kept you company," he said.

Among other reasons which they needn't know. He thought.

"Technically you were keeping Jin company. Not me."

While Jimin looked puzzled, Jin continued,"When I explained to Jin about what had happened that night, with Kookie and Joon-"

Jin turned to Kookie,"I'm sorry I hit you Kookie, but you provoked me!"

Kookie looked shocked when Jin suddenly spoke to him. Jin continued,"-he begged to come back. He cried how he missed you all a lot and how he hadn't seen you for over three years," he sighed,

"so I let him come back from the next morning. He had promised me to not let anyone realise the difference between us considering our styles, our mannerisms and our tastes were different. He still likes them grey, his clothes. I, on the other hand, like style."

Jimin recollected the change in Jin's clothes and behaviour that morning at Hoseok's. And whenever Jin wore Taemin's clothes, he was highly uncomfortable, stumbling and stretching the fabric all the while.

Kookie remembered how Jin had hugged him and the others as if it was the first time in a long time.

Apparently it was. And this was not a lie. None of it. He isn't acting.
Realisation hit Kookie.

Eyeing Jin, Yoongi asked,"What do you mean 'hasn't seen us for three years'? All of us has been practically hanging out every single day since we came back?"

Jin sighed.
"About that. Jin couldn't handle grandpa's death. He was too depressed. So he begged me to take over and I had to deal with the funeral arrangements. Do you know how hard it was initially to pretend to be him?"

He scratched his head,"And so yes! You were spending time with me ever since. Jin has no memory of it."

"At the funeral? When we went to the lake?" Hoseok asked. Jin nodded.

Hoseok remembered how confident Jin had looked as he approached them with a radiant smile on the day of the funeral. Hoseok had felt the difference in his aura.

Even at the lake, he looked like he had worked out. And-
"So 'you' swim?"

Jin nodded again," yes! Jin can't swim. Only I can."

"At the Noraebang, you sang!" Tae pointed out.

"Yes!"

Kookie remembered how attractive he had looked. Now it all made sense.

"So that night... here..." Joon suddenly spoke.

"That was me. Though it hurt me when you ran off after hearing my confession."
Joon looked away.

"I think I need to go home. My head hurts," Hoseok suddenly stood up.

"Me too," Tae followed him while Kookie followed Tae.

"NO! NOBODY LEAVES!" Jin shouted all of a sudden.

But he calmed down in a second when the boys who had stood up to leave, remained rooted to their spot in fear. As soon as they resumed their seats, Jin smiled.

"And I knew that if I do not take any action soon, you'd leave me again," he said to Joon as he lay back and got comfortable amidst the cushions.

Joon's head snapped to his direction,"What did you do?"

Jin just smiled. Every time he smiled, Yoongi's heart raced. He could hear his pulse in his ears. He had never thought he'd be so scared of something so sweet.

"What?" Joon leaned forward.

Jin stood up and started walking around the room.

As he reached Kookie, he placed an arm on his shoulder and said,"I paid a visit to an old friend. Had some unfinished business to deal with," he snickered.

"Sucker did not see it coming. He was weaker now than he was back then."

Kookie whispered,"Juan's friend?"

"It's not like I did it for fun. I protected Jin even at school! Gave him a beating that he deserved. When he came to the bowl with Juan as bodyguard, I was surprised. What a wuss!"

Tae recalled the bruised up face of one of Juan's friends.

"What exactly did you do?" Yoongi asked already expecting the worst. He prayed for his assumption to be a lie.

"I gave him what he asked for. I gave them what they deserved," Jin shrugged as he answered. Kookie grabbed Tae's arm in a panic.

"Them?"

"Yeah. The wuss and...Juan," Jin admired his own fingers as he unwillingly let out the information.

"Juan's death was an accident," Tae looked at Jin with scrutinising eyes.

"Sure it was."
When Tae refused to look away, Jin continued,

"Jin certainly didn't push him down. But he ratted me out in front of the cops," Jin scoffed in annoyance,
"And so I had to swoop in again to save the day."

"You pushed him down? On purpose?"

A shivering Hoseok whispered as he covered his mouth with his hand,
"That's murder!"

The boys just realised, that not once did Jin admit that he had made up Jung Taemin. Taemin had existed forever, only none of them knew.

Immediately sitting upright, he pointed his fingers as he yelled,"Hey! I saved him! If not for me, Jin would have been dead by now. I'd be dead by now!"

He calmed down, leaned back and said,"But if it wasn't for him, he and all of you, would have been behind bars," he thought and nodded,"I guess he does deserve some credit."

"But why did you leave my tyre at the Bowl?" Joon's voice was calm but one could hear the anger behind it.

Jin sighed.

He spoke, his voice now calm,"I'm sorry Joonah,"
Joon flinched every time he called him that,"I was so mad at you. I didn't want you to leave me again. I thought if the cops found your tyre, you'd be here forever."

Yoongi shook his head in astonishment and disbelief.
"You are mad!"

"I know I crossed a line...I am apologizing aren't I?" Jin turned back to Joon from Yoongi,
"and if they had ever caught you, I'd admit to Juan's death as well. That way we'd be together forever!"

"Oh my god!" a muffled sound came from Jimin as he spoke through the pillow he hugged,
"This is getting worse and worse!"

Gazing into Joon's eyes, Jin spoke.

"Look, I was his best friend. It was me and Jin against the world. I had always supported him and protected him. That was my sole purpose. I was born for that. I existed for that.

But when I met you, I realised that there was more to life. While I took care of Jin, no one took care of me. Except you. You loved Jin just the way he was. You loved me just the way I was."

As he leaned back again he said,"And now I have a reason to live."