The One Who Got Away // Yoonmin

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"Jimin, it's okay," his mom whispered. Her hands raked through his hair. His head in her lap. She could feel his tears soak through her jeans. She glanced at her husband who was seated in front of the couch not knowing how to comfort his son.

"It's not, though," he whispered. He closed his eyes. "He's right! If I hadn't been a coward we would be a family right now! Dad would still be able to walk!"

"Jimin," his father's hush voiced only caused another sob to rack his body. He felt guilty. If he had called him earlier the accident would have been avoided. If he had called earlier the baby would be alive. If he hadn't gotten so nerves his dad and him wouldn't have switched seats and his dad wouldn't have forgotten to put on his seatbelt. It's all his fault.

Everything was his fault.

"Don't do that Jimin. We have no idea what would have happened."

The man just cried harder. He stayed like that, crying in the couch in his mother's lap as his parents attempted to comfort him, until he finally fell asleep.

It was only an hour later that he jumped awake. His heart pounding. His daughters casket being put into the ground engraved in his mind. His eyes scan widely around the room but it was too dark to actually see anything. All he could tell was that he was still on the couch except now he had a blanket over him and a pillow where his head was.

He put his head in his hands taking deep breaths. He jumped at the sound of his phone ringing. His screen lit up the room. He squinted as he looked not recognizing the phone number. He tossed his phone to the side not bothering to answer. Not only did he not know who it was but he also was just simply not in the mood to talk. Who could possibly it be calling at this time at night anyways.

It rang again and was once again ignored. By the third time it rang Jimin was irritated as he picked up. "What? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry," he heard a voice barely above a whisper.

Jimin closed his eyes putting his hand over them. "How'd you get my number?"

"I called Jungkook," the hush voice said.

The twenty-five-year-old sighed. "You woke him up?"

Yoongi sighed. "I couldn't leave things the way we left them."

Jimin stayed silent.

____

The days that followed Byeol's death Jimin had gone silent.

He would go visit his father in his room. He would just hold the man's hand and lay his head on his lap. He still hadn't had a proper cry since that day. After she was taken from his arms he just went numb. He moved his focus to his father and helping him through this new challenge.

The man had gained consciousness not long after the death. Kiwoo was struggling rightfully so. He couldn't feel his legs proving the doctors theory of that the accident had left him paraplegic. He was seeing years of physical therapy in his future with little hope of actually gaining movement. He was upset, angry, but determined to walk again one day.

It's been hard.

Areum didn't even know what to do. She tried to stay strong but it was difficult. Her husband was paralyzed, her granddaughter passed away, and her son wasn't acting like her son anymore. The Jimin she knew was bubbly and giggled about everything. This Jimin didn't say more than three words at a time. It frustrated the woman who wanted nothing more than to do something that would fix everything but there was nothing she could do.