The Hanes Enigma

Chapter Two - Instigation

Kim Seokjin

My knuckles turn white as my hands ball into fists. I raise one to the door and wrap harshly on the painted wood. My heart beats faster and I feel my stomach churning, threatening to rise into my throat.

The door opens. Beom blinks at me, confused.

"Do I know you?" His eyebrows raise nonchalantly, almost bored.

"I-... No. But I know you." My jaw is clenched tight, teeth grinding against each other.

"Oh?" He chuckles, amused.

For a second I wonder how this man is Jimin's father. How on earth did he raise the boy who went through months of torture and didn't break once, purely because he thought it could help Yoongi.

"I think you're underestimating us." I glare, anger pulsating from every inch of my very being.

"Am I, now?" He laughs again. "And how might that be?"

"You think we'll give up, but we won't. We will take you down or die trying." I spit, nails beginning to dig into the skin of my palms.

"Then I suggest you go for a coffin fitting, boy." I could punch that smirk right off his face.

"Jin!" Laila. My heart immediately calms to a normal pace, hands relaxing and shoulders sinking back to their normal position. "Come on, let's go."

Beom raises his eyebrows, sadistic smirk still plastered over his features.

"Lai-"

"We are going. Now." She glares at me. I gulp. I've never seen her this pissed off.

I let her drag me away, only looking back at Jimin's old home a few times, enough to see Beom walking back inside and smiling to himself.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?." She spins around, hitting my chest hard.

"I.. You don't understand, Laila. Everything is going wrong because of him!" I feel my eyes getting warm, filling up with the stress of the last two years.

"So you try to get yourself killed?!" She glares.

"You don't get it!" I flail my arms in exasperation.

"I understand, Jin. We're all feeling it." She strokes my cheek, stepping close that her body brushes against my chest. "But that doesn't mean you ca-"

"It was Namjoon's." I blurt out, not thinking, not caring, needing to share this with someone.

"The.. The book? He uses dark magick?!" She gapes at me.

"Apparently so. And inside it was... He's protecting him, Laila. Anything that can trace Beom back to the clanless! He has it all locked in there." I let the tears fall, I know she doesn't mind. "I don't know who he is. I thought we were like brothers but clearly-"

"Jin, stop. You don't know that's why he had them!" She wipes at my cheeks and kisses them softly, one after the other.

"But why else would he keep that all to himself?! He's let his best friend suffer in jail through god knows what for months! And okay, no one's telling us what he's going through but my room is just down the hall from Jimin's and I can hear him sobbing himself to sleep most nights!"

"Jin, we need to hear his version. We can't just make assumptions!" She pulls me into a tight hug and holds me together while I attempt to calm my breathing.

"But that doesn't sound like Namjoon. He would tell us straight away. At least, I thought he would... I just have no idea who he is..." I let myself calm down in her arms and my hands snake themselves around her waist. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Laila."

"Luckily, you'll never need to find out." She grins pecking me softly on the lips.

I pull her closer, not letting her lips leave mine. I'm suddenly very glad that no one tends to leave their houses before 6am, otherwise we would likely have an audience.

Laila hums into the kiss and tangles her hands in my hair, pulling me closer. "Jin.." She pulls away slightly, earning a pout from my contact-longing lips. "I don't want to find out either..."

I breathe in deeply and let it out at a slow pace. I knew this conversation was coming soon. "Isn't it still too early to decide that?" I frown.

"I don't think so..." She shrugs. "I know I love you. I know you love me too. I know I haven't ever felt this way about someone before. What more do I need to know?"

"It's just... It's a big decision. You can't stop being a person's guardian angel. It's serious..." I purse my lips slightly, hands sliding into her jeans' back pockets.

"And I'm serious about you." She looks intently into my eyes, not even slightly hesitant. She's clearly thought about this a lot.

"But you'll shorten your life by like two thirds at least! Probably more..." I frown, still very unsure.

"Then I guess I'll have to pack a lot into the time we have. Because the time I would have without you wouldn't be time worth spending." She looks away, blushing slightly. "Don't you want me to do this? I thought you'd be happy..."

I blink, meeting her eyes and gulping my nervousness down my throat. "I am happy, love. I'm happy you've chosen me to want this with. I just think we need to take a little longer to be definite, that's all. We've only really talked for a year. And even though it's been one hell of a year, it's still not that long. I don't want you to rush into a decision and then regret it later. I don't want either of us to regret it."

"Do you think you will?" She steps back, shocked.

"No! Not at all! But I know how much it would hurt both of us if one of us did. I don't want that to happen. I've only seen you cry a couple of times, and they were the worst moments of my life. Not being able to do anything to help you... One touch and you can calm me down, but all I can do is hold you through it. So, I'm thinking ahead instead. I'm making sure that doesn't happen so you don't feel that way in the first place." I smile, stroking her silken cheek with my thumb.

"Okay... That's probably sensible, actually. Since when did you become the adult in this relationship?" She grins cheekily, the tip of her tongue sticking out from the side of her lips.

"Yah. I love you." I smile, pulling her into me and looping my fingers through hers as she cuddles into my arm with her spare hand.

"I love you too." She beams up at me as we begin to walk back down the road, away from Beom. "We'll talk to Namjoon tonight. Okay?"

"Okay.. Laila, don't worry the others with this. Not yet. Not until we know for sure." I furrow my brow, glaring at the tarmac beneath our feet.

"Of course." She nods solemnly, squeezing my hand gently. "Would it help if... I mean, would you want me to make him?"

"Make him what?" I frown, confused.

"Tell the truth." She looks away, not meeting my gaze.

"But you hate doing that. Ever since Jimin..."

"I know. But this is important. And I'm sick of not being able to help too." She looks up at me again and I see her eyes shining more than usual.

I stop us both and let our lips connect gently, pulling her closer by her waist. "If you're sure. I do think it could help."

~~~~~

Hey, peaches!

Should I start writing after every chapter? I'm not sure... Honestly, I always felt like people aren't interested in the authors, just the story itself. But all of my favourite Wattpad writers say a little message at the beginning or end so I dunno!!

Have a great day. You're beautiful.

xx