The Power Within || BTS

#BlackLivesMatter

[This is set between chapter 25 and 26, a few days after they found Jimin.]

A strong knock on my door arose me from my nap. I blinked my wet eyes open and frowned. Didn't I ask to be left alone?

"Thanda? It's Seokjin."

I smiled weakly, rubbing my eyes. "Come in!"

Seokjin walked in, smelling of debris and smoke from Namjoon trapping him under a boulder during training. He sat down by the edge of my bed and held my hand in his.

"You okay? I'd seen you look at something on your phone and you looked close to tears."

"I'm fine, Jin." I sniffled, probing my statement wrong.

Seokjin reached up to wipe a fallen tear from my cheek. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Nothing, I just..." I looked down at my hands. "I read an article that brought back some memories."

"What was it about?"

"Another crime against black people, by those who's supposed to enforce the law, no less," I muttered.

"Oh." Seokjin frowned. "Is that the #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd moment I've seen all over Tiktok and Twitter?"

I looked up at him in shock. "Wow, that fast?"

Seokjin shrugged. "Everyone's tired of the injustice. I haven't deeply searched or read up on it but I know that he was suffocated to death by police officers who refused to listen."

I felt a shiver down my spine. "Yeah, no shit."

Seokjin rolled his eyes. "It's absolutely ridiculous."

I didn't realise I'd pulled the covers up to my shoulders until Seokjin pulled them down slightly.

"Honey, I know that's not all of it. You wouldn't be bothered if it was just a simple murder. This goes a lot deeper for you."

"Obviously," I said, gesturing to my face. "South Africa doesn't have the best history with racism either, so it's just horrible to think about it."

Seokjin shifted closer. "You can talk to me about it, you know?"

"You wouldn't understand," I insisted, voice slightly shaky. "You're a wealthy, famous Korean chef. And yes, Asians face heavy racism as well, but it's... different, at least with my experiences. I don't want to downplay any of that."

"Staying silent allows the hate and injustice to continue and grow." Seokjin put his hands on my shoulder, making me look at him. "Even if it's with me, please just talk about it."

I sighed deeply. "It's a long story."

"I've got time."

"Well, South African history is deeply rooted in protests against the heavy and lethal racism the people in power enforced. It was the only country to legalise mistreating the lesser race. Many black people and other people of colour were put in jail, raped, murdered, for just existing." I could feel my anger building in my voice the more louder it became. "Most white people either didn't know or didn't care about the oppression over 80% of the population faced, or they enforced it themselves. It was horrible. I never payed that much attention in history but I know where I come from, especially as a born-free."

Seokjin raised an eyebrow. "What's a born free?"

"South Africans born after April 1994, those born in what was supposed to be a free country. With the new constitution, and Nelson Mandela being president soon after, things seem to start turning around. But that was just surface level changes. The people were still stuck in that mindset."