I bit the inner corner of my cheek standing backward, fidgeting with the hem of my top. Jimin's hand found mine and squeezed to provide assurance. I tried to sidelong meet his eyes, while, four pairs met ours, of figures standing on the other side of the door, not happy at all. They were quiet, but their eyes asked: "care to explain?"
"Is it actually right? I don't think y'all'll be delighted to see me now..." I murmured at Jimin. He shushed, "I'll talk."
Jungkook's the one who had peeked his head out first from behind the broad shoulder of the oldest, a smile was there on his face, "Hi, noona." I awkwardly smiled to greet back.
"Hello Y/N." Namjoon smiled showing his teeth, trying to appear as jubilant as possible, "So- it's kind of late right now and-" His eyes stared at Jimin rather than me throwing questions abundantly, waited for any of us to fill up the space he left.
Jimin spoke, sincere and clear, "Hyung, Y/N will be staying in the dorm tonight."
What?? All four of them exclaimed, not through voice but through wide eyes again. I felt the awkwardness surround me more. I lowered my gaze.
Jin said, clear irritation perceivable from his voice that he didn't yield to conceal, "We don't und-"
"Please let us in, first." Jimin almost pushed through the barrier of the standing males and escorted me inside. I stood before the couch and looked around. The dorm I had once came in as uninvited, in full light, it somehow rather appeared different, and homely.
The hyungs stood aligned, waiting for Jimin to speak.
Hoseok demanded, "You had rushed out in a jiffy a while ago. Where did you go?"
"Y/N's house." They all looked at me now.
"Why?"
Jimin took a small breath in and out and continued to speak, "They- some people intruded into her house. I was on the phone, I heard, so..." The faces darkened to a more serious expression, alert and attentive.
I said, "We should have had called the police first-"
"How many were they?" Namjoon cut me off. Jimin replied, "I don't remember, four, or three I think?" He lowered his gaze as if to gather his confidence at a place, then looked up, unequivocal he said, "I think it's better if we let her stay in with us for now," his volume lowered gradually toward the end of the sentence, almost inaudible by last two words he added, "for safety..."
There was no commencement of voice throwing a fit. I looked at all at once. Jimin was now standing as stiff as me, short and waiting for the elders of the house to speak.
Namjoon claimed a guttural rumble, then looked at me softly, "Y/N, umm...if you don't mind, would you please excuse us for a second?" I nodded quickly and walked an apparent two-meter distance away. Five were gathered in a circle, whispering a serious conversation unhearable from this side. I waited.
After what it seemed like five minutes, they stood aside, faced me with the purest fake smile on.
"So Y/N-" Namjoon said, "After discussion, we have concluded that since it's late right now and as you live alone at your house, Jimin did right. We suggest that it's better if you, uh, stay in our dorm for the night, if you find yourself comfortable."
I tried to sound guilty enough through a low voice, "I am really sorry I interrupted all of you at this hour, I would have been fine-"
"No, no, it's totally okay. You're our manager and it's also our duty to look after you too like you do. We don't have spare rooms but- Jungkook," Namjoon turned at the youngest, "move in with Jin and Yoongi. Jungkook uses to have the whole room for himself, Y/N, will you be fine staying in his?"
I hesitantly nodded.
"You must be tired. Take some rest. Jungkook, take her to your room and clean the space up beforehand." Jungkook nodded and was about to proceed, Namjoon called him back for a last word, "And come back here after you are done. Goodnight, Y/N."
Jungkook smiled at me then jogged past to inside. I silently followed him. For a moment my eyes caught onto a figure of medium ststure in the background standing near the doorway. I was caught off guard for a short second, then quickly excused myself and walked past the male. Yoongi glanced me down, his orbs steadfast as a stinger bee.
-----
"What were you thinking, Jimin?" Hoseok almost yelled. Taehyung let out a yawn, still half asleep as he tried to concentrate back in the serious conversation going on.
"It's the third time they attacked her! Do you not see this is turning into a serious issue?"
"Alright, you went for rescue. Fine until then. But that doesn't mean you won't have a second thought and bring her to our dorm!"
"She lives alone. I couldn't let her be alone the night at her house after once attacked, what if they came back with more people later? I fought with them. Yoongi hyung had fought with them before. They are so aggressive right now, they could have done anything! Y/N can merely protect herself!"
"You are so concerned for her as if-" Namjoon held Hoseok's shoulder, patting him to calm himself down.
"It's okay, Hoseok-ah. Take a breath. There's no point of yelling at him. What's done is done. Y/N is inside, she might hear us." Hoseok stopped and sat back, sizzling. It was rare for him to be angry, but when he did, there would a storm in the air of 120 decibel sound waves.
"Jimin. I get you. What you did, if I had been in your place, maybe I would have done the same." Hoseok tried to protest but Namjoon stopped him, "I said it, Hoseok. Don't talk back at me now too, please." The graveness in his voice halted Hoseok. He was talking with the leader in through, that one had to be complaisant to.
"It's night, One night. We can take care of it. Right, guys?" He demanded a nod from the rest six.
"I was thinking more than a night." Jimin said, "She's being attacked again and again, and our concert dates are soon, until then-"
"She's gonna stay with us until then??" Hoseok shouted.
"I am tabling a suggestion-"
"Well, I object! I am against it."
"Hyung, what has happened to you, today? Do you hate her so much?" Jimin pulled his eyebrows in an exasperated expression at his older.
"Argh! Stop. Both of you, press the pause." Jin slapped both their heads hissing. He turned at Namjoon, "You, preside."
Namjoon thanked him with his eyes and cleared his throat, "Let's think about this. Jimin is saying to keep Y/N with us in the dorm for her safety." The male nodded, this time confidently.
"However, this might be risky." He looked around at all other members, "She can't find out about us, our stuff's been lying around all over in the dorm, what if she finds anything out?"
Jimin looked down, knowing that what he said was relevant.
"I know Jimin's been concerned, we all should be considering what she has been going through. I won't put over my opinion in the top list, tell me what you guys think."
Jin said first, "I somewhat agree with Hoseok said. It's dangerous to keep her with us in here."
Taehyung was the only one all insouciant about the whole conversation, his droopy eyes showed concern only for going back to sleep. Yet on that, he tried to show sincerity as he spoke, "If she stays, we will have to move our things."
"And stay wary all the time. I can't afford to stay cautious even inside the dorm as outside." Hoseok stated.
Namjoon nodded to every one of them, his eyes sought Yoongi sitting at one side, "Hyung, what about you? You are not saying anything."
Yoongi's face had the all-time blank feature on, he showed no expression as he talked, it was hard to grip onto his mind.
"Let her stay."
Namjoon's brows creased up and down for once at his statement, inside even he was not willing to let a stranger stay in with them, he thought Yoongi thought it too, when he said the opposite it was unexpected to him, "You sure?"
Yoongi looked at Namjoon for once. Something clicked between the exchange of gazes, Namjoon couldn't fully perceive what he had been trying to convey.
Yoongi added, "I want to be sure about something." All looked at him with questions in their eyes.
"If she stays with us, it'll be easier to know what's up, to clarify Geun Hye's real target. And," His eyes stared grimly upon a distance, "There's something...I need to know about her more."
Silence prevailed over the living room.
With Namjoon as the leader, it was Yoongi, the second person they all followed the lead of. Even Namjoon in his position, always looked up to his elder's choice and words because like all others, he knew too, that this taciturn guy knew more. Since day one, he knew it.
Slowly he spoke up.
"One week." He said, especially directed to Jimin, "One week, she stays in. Within then, we get rid of the whole Geun Hye's matter and peace off."
"We need to move our pieces of stuff to the hideout."
"We gotta work on it soon." Namjoon said, "It's late. Let's all go back to sleep. Jin and Suga hyung, Jungkook's staying in with you two."
Jungkook whined, "Can I move into yours instead, hyung? They take too much space."
"No. You and Taehyung can't be in the same place. I need oxygen. Goodnight, everyone."
I reeled around and silently ran back to the room. In a quick span, I turned off the lights and with a jump, falling on the bed I pulled the blanket over. Low rustling sounds soon passed by the closed door of the room, along with unhearable mumbles. I sprawled on the bed and took out the sigh.
The doorknob twirling had me alerted. I immediately turned to the right side while pushing the blanket up till my face and squeezing eyes shut. A faint line of light spread over, reflecting on the mirror kept on that side of the bed. I peeped to conjecture the figure coming in. His voice showed up.
"Are you asleep?" Jimin.
I relaxed my eyes and body posture without a trace, pretending so. There was no sound for a while, perhaps he was taking his time to realize if I was awake or not. The mattress heaved down due to pressure. A weight hunched forward to my side, I gripped the edge of my sheet in stiffness as reflex, quickly releasing again.
I could feel the radiance of warmth, a body that sat silently beside mine, slow breaths huffing with no rush. My eyeballs circled around down the eyelids monotonously. I grew tense, no sooner as I felt a soft touch on my cheek, caressing gently for moments getting me numb. My breathing raced, I checked myself from biting my lips and slowly squinted one eye open. The mirror reserved a reflection, I saw a silent smile resting on the black and yellow half-lit face of the male. Almost a sign of affection, a trace of fondness was railed over there. My mind was fond of imagining things. Yet so, I found his touch relaxing, the ring in his finger left a small sensation of cold metal alongside the warmth of his small soft hands, appeasing the requirement of a lullaby to drift you off to sleep. He murmured something lightly.
"No matter how much I try, yet here we are...it's hard to stay away from you..." His cold, wet lips pressed onto my forehead, my closed eyes were struck, I almost got a shiver. A small, a bare touch and he separated them from my surface. "Goodnight." He mumbled softly and pulled the blanket closer. A door shutting sound, the small light was gone, the room was left alone with only me inside.
I waited for a minute. I waited for my irascible stormy mind to shut its windows off. I got up on the bed.
Fear and anxiety warned me of this, of myself. My heart seemed to have a mind of its own, that it held a mouth of vanity, there was a sense of relief at the back in there, but I was a hot mess. What the hell was that? What the hell was with me?
Shaking my head aggressively, I took out my phone and made a call. It took not more than two beeps before the person picked it up.
"Yeah. How did it go?"
"Task complete. I am in their dorm. Fixed and gonna be sitting for next one week."
"Goddamn it! Y/N!" Momo sparked with excitement, "I told you this would work."
I feared this would work.
"Are the guys okay? It seemed like they were thrashed a bit too hard."
"Apparently. But they'll recover. But I'm so glad that our plan worked out."
"Yeah..." I mumbled, soon spoke back, "I will cut off now. Keep in touch."
"Good luck. Your real task starts from now on. Be careful." I disconnected the call.
Through the darkness of the room, I stared at the ceiling. Stars struck and hung down from the wooden surface in an embellished decoration. A few of the male's clothes were still lying at the corner, ruffled and grubby. I looked through the small cleavage under the door. There was no light. Everybody must have gone to sleep.
Alone in the room, in the dorm of the seven boys with dual identities, and I as a tracer who was delegated to get them out, coming this far, I was an accomplishment. Sooner, this case was about to end.
But inside, I felt guilty.