°rooftop° | •yoonmin•

:Part 4:

i had seen you every day for a month, never really exchanging words rather than quick glances and small smiles, mostly on my half. you didn't need to speak to make me blush, maybe it was a superpower of yours to be incredibly charming. i constantly keep an eye on you, not in a stalker-ish way, i promise. you were just too beautiful to look away from.

today was one of the rare days where I didn't go to school. the color purple stains the skin around my eye, a gash was displayed across my cheekbones, and my ribs hurt so much i didn't dare to stand up. but even though all the pain, you still lingered on my mind. i wondered as to what you were doing, or if you had gone to school, if you were wondering where I was or just didn't care at all.

i rested in silence until my dad woke up from his drunken nap. much to my dismay, mom had not come home from work yet to at least try to stop him.

"why aren't you at school, boy?" he kicked open my door, voice thundering. i coward in the warmth of my bedsheets, hoping he wouldn't take another step towards me.

"i didn't feel well," i mumble under my breath, hiding my face from his burning glare. he growls deeply and exits the room, leaving the door ajar.

i exhale a deep breath that i didn't know i was holding in. i rest my head on my propped up pillow trying to steady my breath through the aching pain in my rib cage.

"if you're not going to school you can at least go get groceries!" i hear my father yell from the living room, making me jump out of my skin.

suffering and wincing in agony, i get out of my bed and make my way to the closet to find clothes. I threw on pair of sweat pants and a hoodie, not forgetting to grab my phone from the mess of blankets on my bed. i walk out of the comfort of my room and into the living room.

not to my surprise, my father sits on the couch, a bottle of soju in hand, chugging it as if it's his life source. i mumble a quick 'bye' and leave the house as quickly as possible.

the pain only worsens as i walk. It goes from an ache to a burning flame engulfing my whole body. as i reach the store, i pull my gray hood up in hopes of hiding the bruising and cuts on my faces.

careful not to worsen the pain, i grab the few things that we need, quickly paying, then exiting the store. if i had seen someone leave a store as quickly as i had, i would've thought they were being held at gunpoint. but in a way i guess I was, metaphorically. if i didn't get home quick enough my father would be livid and my condition would surely get much worse.

on my walk back, the flame of pain that had engulfed me became too much and suddenly I found myself at an inability to breathe. looking around hastily i see a park not too far in front of me. slowly but surely, i made my way to the park, collapsing in the grass under the shade of a tree, the 3 bags of groceries laying beside me.

i feel the sting behind my eyes as i curl into a small ball, trying to will the pain to disappear and the tears to stay hidden. but I'm not that lucky. two tears flow down my cheeks and jaw as the heat in my body continues to consume me.

suddenly the shadow i lay in becomes darker. my mind passes it off as the sun hiding behind the puffy white clouds in the sky...until i hear you speak.

"jimin?"