A Butterfly's Wings | 박지민

구

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last night

"Jimin, all your sins are forgiven." I stated, rubbing my full stomach.

"Oh, really?" he laughed.

I nodded, eyes closed.

We were watching Train to Busan, and when it went off, the news came on. My eyes shot open and I quickly sat up and faced the TV. Jimin stopped laughing and he looked at me.

"Chae-eun?"

"Turn the TV off." I popped.

"What? Why?" he asked worriedly.

"Can you just---"

"A child the age of five reported missing from Gwangju by the name of Eun-bin. Her mom says she was shopping with her daughter, but when she let go of her hand to get a basket, her daughter disappeared."

I sat there, clenching my stomach hard, trying to settle down my urge to puke. I clenched my jaw, and strained my neck.

I can't just run to the bathroom like I normally do. I have a roomate now..plus, I finally got food into my belly.

"These kids...why are they always being targeted these days?" Jimin started. "The disappearences in children has accelerated since....since...." 

Kirimi.

I jumped up from my seat and raced to the bathroom. I busted the door open so hard two of the hinges broke. I threw my face into the toilet and puked all of what I just ate.

No. Stop. Please.

I kept puking. My stomach wouldn't listen to my head, my head wouldn't listen to my heart, my heart wouldn't listen to my stomach, nothing of mine listened to anything. And I was alone. No one to help me through this. It was always just me, throwing up, alone. But those thoughts disappeared when a large, warm hand landed on my back.

Jimin.

As my puking began to slow down, I could feel Jimin's bottom lip lightly touch the back of my neck, his hot breaths grazing my cold skin.

Eventually, the puking stopped and Jimin's hand wrapped around my waist. His torso touching my back and, me, awestruck and content with the thoughts spiraling through my head right now.

"Why didn't you tell me you were like this? Is this why you're so skinny?" he questioned.

"It's none of your business," I spat pushing him off of my back and reaching for my toothbrush.

When I grabbed my toothbrush, Jimin placed his hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face him forcibly.

His eyes were cold and hard, jaw clenched.

"J-Jimin you-you're hurting me－"

"None of my business??" he shouted. "None of my business?? What do you mean, 'none of my business'??? YOU'RE MY ROOMATE FOR PETE'S SAKE!!! I THINK THAT MAKES YOUR HEALTH MY BUSINESS!!"

My eyes pricked back with tears as I saw him there hollering at me.

"Why're you yelling at me? I didn't do anything to you!"

"I'M YELLING," he started. "....I'm yelling...." his voice wavered as it trailed off.

"I'm yelling because you make me worried. I'm sitting here asking you why you're like this and you respond back with 'none of your business'. Do you know how much that hurts me?"