Chapter 19 - 자부심 (JA-BU-SIM)[Pride]

"A lot's been happening Uncle. I've been given a break for once...and I'll be going to my first award nomination tonight. There's just so many things I want you to see. So many people I want you to meet. I've been taken care of well by my neighbors and they are all really nice. You'd love them...I...I want you..."

I sat on the plastic white chair, tears falling from my eyes when I stared at my Uncle in this state. He had gotten worse. His blood vessels had shrunk from the unnaturally slow beat of his heart. His hair was falling out and the sight of his body losing all its fat made it feel like a little bit of me was dying inside. He was barely anything more than a skeleton.

"I want you to know that I won't stop fighting to bring you back to me! Please...please come back. I want to hear your voice. The voice I took for granted up until now. I want to feel your hugs whenever I would cry like this. I...I want you to show me how happy you are...How proud you are and how much you want me to visit you everyday. I want you to wake up...I need you to wake up!"

As usual, there wasn't a response. Not that I was waiting for one today. There was only the beeping of machines and the soft chatter of nurses outside the room. I looked at the clock, it was about time I left so I could get some rest for tomorrow. I got up and gathered my things into my black backpack. My heavy dark purple hoodie and black leggings were slightly array from my breakdown. My face was probably tear stained so I took in a few deep breaths and put up my mask. I walked out only to bump into a person walking past my door in a hurry. I lost my balance and caught myself on a chair while the man with a mask on as well fell with his hands in front of him so he wouldn't collide with the floor. The hair looked...really familiar.

"I wasn't looking where I was going, are you okay miss?"

"Jimin-oppa?"I ask, quieter so no one would notice.

"Roxi?"he stood up, me mirroring his movements."What are you doing here? Did you get injured again?"

"No, I just came to visit someone..."I answer, closing the door with my mouth in a straight line."What about you?"

"Namjoon-hyung needs a few stitches after he accidently cut his palm...Yeah he didn't grab the knife correctly this time. But he'll be alright. I just came to drop him off."he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck."The others were at practice at the time so I don't think they know about this yet."

"Do you have a plan of getting back to the dorm?"I ask.

Realization struck him like lightning and he blushed bright red through his light foundation."Nope."

"Well, I'm heading there right now if you want to take a ride with me. I brought my motorcycle."I offer, smiling through my mask so he could see it by looking at my eyes.

"I mean if it isn't any trouble. It's no big deal, I could just ask for a ride from the manager."he excuses.

"Wow, you're really against motorcycle rides I see."I chuckle."Alright then, if you insist."

"Okay hold up."he laughs, seeing me turn around with a cocked eyebrow."I have nothing against motorcycles. I just don't want you to have the trouble of driving me home."

"So you're saying it hurts your pride?"I snicker, taking his hand and dragging him to the door."You never had pride in the first place come on have some fun Jimin-oppa!"

He sighs and surrenders, letting me hold his hand in mine. After we exited the building his fingers were already intertwined with mine.

"You're hands are small like mine..."he observes as we both walk to my motorcycle."That's cute."

"Cool, now you know how the fangirls feel about you."I tease, opening up the seat to put in my bag and take out my helmet.

I hand the helmet to Jimin who shook his head, refusing to put it on. I sighed and tied my hair up in a neat bun and taking off my face mask before putting the helmet over my head, flipping the visor up so my eyes could show. I sit at the front fraction of the seat and placed both my feet on the foot rests.

"Are you getting on now?"I ask, looking behind me to find myself face-to-face with Jimin.

"I was waiting for you."he says, wrapping his arms around my waist cooly.

His thighs gripped the side of my hips and I put up the kickstand. I reved up the engine and put it into first gear, driving away through the busy streets of Seoul. I reached the highway to get to the opposite side of Seoul where our dorms were. The highways were nearly empty, all except for a few cars here and there. We were almost at our exit when an American jeep zoomed up to us. The car was full of cat calling males that I tried to ignore.

'Just a few more minutes.'

"Hey beautiful! Nice ride! You should try riding me sometime!"

They were speaking fluent English. They had to be foreigners, the steering wheel of the car was also on the wrong side.

"Do you know them?"asked Jimin, confusion laced in his voice as he couldn't understand what was going on with the different language.

"Hey shouldn't your boyfriend be driving you?! Some man! You should raise your standards and go out with someone like me!"

My eyebrows furrow and the handgrips on the bike were squeezed by my palms. Jimin noticed this and tightened his hold on my sides.

"Hey! You're fine ass should come over here! We're having a party nearby! Do you even speak English?! Yo! Ratchet-ass bitch over here! Are you fucking deaf or are you just stupid?!"

Our exit was coming up in a minute so I swerved two lanes in a nearly horizontal line as I was right next to the jeep. Jimin clung onto me as I gave the one in the passenger seat a death glare.

"You better shut the fuck up before you end up getting embarrassed in front of your friends here! You and your retarded mind should find a girl that fits your standards, as if anyone would ever want you! My friend here is so much better than you I could barely tell you about it in words! So fuck off and go to your party alone dickhead!"I flip him off and swerve into the exit before he could shout some other random absurdities at us.

Just as we took a few turns, I returned to first gear and stopped at the bike in front of our dorm. I put up the kickstand, took off the helmet, and let down my hair. I stood up, Jimin's hands falling limply onto where I sat.

"Sorry, those guys were pissing me off."I grunt, lifting up the seat to put away the helmet and grab my stuff once Jimin got off."Are you okay?"

"Yeah just a little shaken."He chuckles,"Thanks for the ride."

We walked into the dorm and got into the elevator. I was using this thing more and more often surprisingly.

"What happened back there?"he asks."Did they say something mean to you to make you mad?"

"Wait, first off what did you catch?"I question, making sure he didn't hear anything he shouldn't have."Did you understand anything?"

"I just heard them talking about a party. And you made the same hand gesture Suga-hyung does, what does that mean?"he answers, running a hand through his hair for what felt like the tenth time today.

"Oh okay. So they kind of got me mad after catcalling me. But stuff like that isn't anything new."I addressed his last question with a laugh, telling him he should ask Yoongi about it."Are you going to practice now?"

"It's already one. I'll probably just stay in the dorm and watch something. Or I could work on a song."He checked his phone and shook his head before shifting around to face me."...Do you want to hang out until the rest of the guys come?"

I thought about it for a moment. I didn't have anything else to do this afternoon with my clear schedule. So I agreed and walked into the boys' dorm. I pulled off my shoes and followed Jimin to the tidy living room. We turned on the TV and start watching an episode of a random Kdrama. After some small talk we had a few conversations about choreography. Soon it just turned into me teasing him for his cuteness and innocence, and he fired back by talking about my cute small hands.

"No no no, my hands are average for a female for my height."I giggle."You have flat out baby hands it's so adorable!"

"Adorable? I'm your oppa! You're adorable to me!"he laughs, pinching my left cheek.

We laugh and huddle into the blanket nearby while teasing each other's weird abnormalities. The blanket covered both of us as we sat in cross-legged positions, tickling each other's sides until we couldn't breath. It was like a blast of childhood hit us straight on as we laughed like kids. The front door clicked open Jimin brought a finger to his mouth in a 'shush'-ing motion. I nod and we hear the five boys walk into the room, Namjoon must still be at the hospital. Jimin and I hide in the blanket, staying completely still on the couch as we heard Jin's voice coming closer and closer towards us.

"Jiminie, where's Namjoon?"he asks.

Jimin stays quiet, his cresent eyes and red face almost making me burst out in laughter.

"Jiminie?"

There was a tug on the top of the blanket, both of us quickly grabbed the ends of the fabric under us and kept it from getting taken off.

"Jiminie is being difficult again I see!"shouts Tae, hurrying towards us."I'll help you hyung!"

There was a bunch of deep laughter as Jimin started laughing, his contagious laughter making me laugh as well. This made the guys realize I was underneath as well as I loudly shushed at Jimin.

"You hung out with noona without me?!"gasped Jungkook."Jiminie-hyung!"

Jungkook lifted the covers up and carried me bridal style off the couch before Tae went to suddenly sit on Jimin. I giggled and rolled back onto the couch so I was laying against Hoseok, who was smiling while he watched the maknae line fool around. Jungkook hugged me from behind the couch as Jimin grunts when Tae started dancing on his back.

"So you're free today too?"asked Hoseok."Lucky!"

"Well, I've got a few more weeks of work after this before I need to write another song for a comeback in March."I whine."So much work, and I don't have any ideas for this one."

"You can write about someone you love like Jimin-oppa!"proposes Jimin, giving me a thumbs up while his head was pushing into the cushions by Tae.

"I'll think about it."I laugh, playfully pushing Tae off the couch to sit Jimin up before he broke a bone, much to the taller male's dismay."I think he's had enough teasing for one day."

"If only they were as merciful as you."chuckles Hoseok, sticking his tongue out at the pouting members.

"We should ALL go out sometime!"squeals Tae, jumping up and showing so much aegyo that he was practically a ray of sunshine in the room."Can we Roxi? Can we?"

"I mean, I'll try finding time but I'm sure there's going to be something up sooner or later."I think, hearing someone clear their throat from the front door of the guys' dorm.

Yoongi looked at me then at the door with his hands in his pockets, trying to signal me silently that he wanted to go sleep in my dorm. I try my hardest not to roll my eyes at his 'swag' and got up.

"Where are you and Yoongi-hyung going?"asked Jungkook, watching both of us put our shoes on and open the door.

"Jus-"

"None of your business."snapped Yoongi, winking at me before leading me out the door with his hand softly against the small of my back."They'd ruin the fun if you tell them."

I suddenly understand and nod, smiling and waving at the others."See you all later."