Chapter 32
"Do better"
Jimin felt the sweat pour off of his body as he kept moving around on the floor to the music blasting out of the speakers. His heart was beating fast, working hard to pump enough blood through his veins for him to keep dancing at this speed and with this intensity. With his breathing quickening, his mind started waving and his vision became blurry. The music melted together and he had trouble following the beat of the song. Not letting himself stop and breathe for even half a second, it looked like his body wouldn't be able to take anymore soon enough, but then suddenly, his deep concentration was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing.
He walked over to look at his phone and when he read the caller ID he quickly answered the call.
"Hi dad," spoke Jimin over the phone, trying not to sound out of breath.
"Good evening, son," said Ha Jun, seeming a bit worried, "it is late, aren't you home yet? Have you eaten dinner?"
"Of course I have eaten, dad," lied Jimin while trying to calm down his heart, "I just decided to practice a bit before going to bed, that is all."
"Really? You aren't working yourself too hard?"
"No, I wouldn't do that!" replied Jimin, "I am happy that I am able to spend all of my time dancing."
"Hopefully, not all your time. What about that sweet girl you were seeing?"
"Ha Na Noona?" said Jimin nervously, "yes… well… we have both been a little busy lately, so we haven't seen each other as often."
"Really?" said Ha Jun, still sounding a little worried, "I hope you will find some time soon. Even if you are both busy, it is important to make time for one another."
"I know," said Jimin, "thank you dad."
"You are welcome. So, when are you coming home?" Jimin forced himself not to sigh, but just counted to ten before replying.
"I am not sure, I am still really busy because I joined the company at my age, so I have to pay close attention and I can't miss out on anything."
"Okay, sure… I understand," said Ha Jun and tried to not sound too disappointed, "but, just tell me as soon as you have a weekend off. I can come pick you up so you don't have to take the train or anything like that."
"I will, but right now I have to finish my practice before I go to bed."
"Okay, don't work yourself too hard and remember to call me sometimes."
"I will, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Jimin hung up the phone and put it back on the windowsill before turning on the music again, ready to practice for several hours. The small break he had from talking to his dad meant he would have to sacrifice at least half an hour of sleep to catch up.
As he turned around, he took in a deep breath, but before he could make even one move, the door opened with a loud bang as it hit the wall and Hakyeon walked inside, looking absolutely furious, glaring at Jimin with bloodshot eyes.
"YOU. WORTHLESS. PIECE OF GARBAGE!"
Jimin felt a pair of hands grab the collar of his shirt and he was pushed up against the wall, his feet barely touching the ground.
"What is wrong with you?" yelled Jimin, struggling to get free of Hakyeon's grip, "let me down!".
"Why should I do that?" yelled Hakyeon back, not loosening his grip for even one second, "I should just beat you up, you waste of air!"
"Hey, calm down for a minute!"
"Don't ´Hey´ me! I am 6 years older than you!"
"Fine, then put me down so we can talk about this like two adults." Hakyeon glared at Jimin who glared back, not showing any sign of fear or weakness and Hakyeon then let go of Jimin so he plopped back down on the ground.
"I wouldn't call you an adult, walking around making your girlfriend cry," mumbled Hakyeon and walked a bit away from Jimin.
"If you are talking about Ha Na Noona, then you should stay out of it. It is something between me and her," said Jimin while he walked over to turn off the music which had been continuously playing in the background.
"So you are saying it is not my business?" said Hakyeon.
"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," said Jimin as he looked at Hakyeon, "she is my girlfriend."
"Then why was she crying and saying you didn't like her anymore?"
"She is overreacting, we just had a small fight-" Jimin stopped talking and moved back, just before Hakyeon could grab him again.
"I thought we would talk calmly about this?" yelled Jimin angrily.
"A small fight? It sounded like you humiliated her in public and then left her alone to cry by herself. She walked all the way home, a complete mess because she was so emotional. What if she was hit by a car or something else happened?" Jimin looked at Hakyeon and felt his heart drop, a bit worried as he listened to the words spoken.
"I… I never told her to walk all the way home," Jimin defended himself, "she could have easily taken the bus."
"She wasn't able to think, she was too upset because of the things you had said."
"She shouldn't have come to the company in the first place!" yelled Jimin, trying hard not to get affected by his bad conscience.
"Then you should have been a proper boyfriend instead of neglecting her the way you have been doing. She didn't want to be a nuisance to you, so instead she thought of something she could do to show her affection, that is why she made that lunchbox."
"I have been neglecting her? Rather, she has been acting clingy the last few weeks."
"Because she misses you!" yelled Hakyeon, the words he spoke hurting himself in the process, "if you are going out you should spend all the time you can with each other."
"It sounds like you are the dating expert here so why don't you just date her instead! Just take h-"
The hit came like a raging bullet and landed directly on Jimin's face which made him fall backwards and land on the ground with a thud. His vision blurred and he groaned in pain before sitting up a bit, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Did you just hit me?" asked Jimin, but his question was answered as he felt something on his face, when he reached up and touched his nose, he winched in pain again. After removing his hand, he noticed a little blood and he looked at Hakyeon in anger.
"You did hit me, you jerk!" yelled Jimin.
"You deserved that punch!" yelled Hakyeon back while Jimin was struggling to get back up on his feet, "what you just said, I can't even imagine how devastated Ha Na would be if she heard it."
"But if I am not good enough then she shouldn't be with me! What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to do better!" yelled Hakyeon, "I didn't let Ha Na go just so she could be with a scumbag! She is too good for you and I would take her right now if it wasn't because she is in love with a scumbag like you!" Jimin was shocked by the words coming from Hakyeon and he didn't know how to respond, which didn't matter since Hakyeon just continued.
"Ha Na is at my house right now, being cared for by my mom because she was too scared to go home."
"Why was she scared?" asked Jimin a little hesitant.
"She was scared that her parents would force her to break up with you if they found out you made her cry." A sudden tightening feeling in Jimin's chest appeared and he looked at Hakyeon without saying anything.
"Ha Na has gone through so much in her life that I can't believe she is still the happy, trusting person she is. Do you have any idea how many people bullied her or mistreated her because of her disability? She always tried to befriend people, but every time she was left disappointed and she still never lost her trust in others, only her parents did. Eventually they started acting over-protectively towards her and they never allowed her to be with anyone besides me or Jung Hwa. But in the end, they bloody let you in anyway, so now you better show them that you are worth trusting!"
"How?" asked Jimin, not feeling very feisty anymore, his conscience having the complete overtake on him.
"By getting your act together, apologizing to Ha Na and being a better boyfriend." Hakyeon looked at Jimin who diverted his gaze and sighed. Taking in a deep breath himself, Hakyeon laid his hand on Jimin's shoulder, which made his eyes shoot up.
"You know, I actually think you are a good person and you are a good dancer too, which makes it really hard for me to hate you. I also think you want what is best for Ha Na, but you need to pull yourself together. Don't let your career stand in the way of your relationship."
"Thank you," said Jimin and looked at Hakyeon for a short moment, "I will do better, I promise."
Hello everyone!
A short but eventful chapter for you all, how did you like it? Please let me know through the comments down below. Let me know if your opinion on Hakyeon in the beginning and your opinion on him now, has changed. I am curious to find out!
Please take good care of yourself and stay safe, wherever you are!
Love, Annalise~