Brushes And Beats
chapter 09
genre: fluff with a pinch of angst
:little miss, doesn't know where to pour her anger:
It was the usual Friday evening. I had just finished a grueling twelve-hour shoot and I was excited to get home and spend some quiet time with my boyfriend, Yoongi. Expecting him to be waiting at our shared apartment, I had even picked up a bottle of wine, thinking that we could enjoy a cozy evening together.
When I unlocked the door, I was greeted with an unusual silence. I paused, the quiet whispering an uncomfortable truth that something felt off. Yoongi was a creature of habit, always on time, and always present when expected. This situation was a stark contrast to his usual punctuality.
"Yoongi," I called, my voice echoing through the empty apartment. There was no response. I called again, but just as before, there was only silence.
That's when I noticed, a faint sound coming from the back of the apartment. A sound that was too soft, too muffled to be anything harmless.
I moved towards it, inching myself slowly towards the bedroom. As I neared the noises became clearer, distinguishable.
There was a moment of unusual stillness before the realization sunk in. My heart pounded in my chest, my knees suddenly felt weak, and my palms were cold, icy cold. Despite the turmoil of emotions threatening to swallow me whole, I mustered every ounce of strength to push open the door.
And that's when I saw them. Yoongi and an unfamiliar woman tangled amongst the sheets – our sheets. Each kiss they shared, each whisper echoed between them was like a sharp knife to my heart.
I don't know if they heard the door, heard my sharp intake of breath, or my shaky sobs - but they suddenly became aware of my presence, horror staining their faces as they saw me in the doorway.
Every corner of my once safe and comforting apartment now felt tainted, echoing loud with the screeching reality of Yoongi's betrayal. Grappling with these overwhelming feelings, I turned and fled, the image of their intertwined bodies seared in my memory, like a painful reminder of the love that was now lost. The path ahead of me lay shrouded in a haze of uncertainty and heartbreak, my world crumbling around me under the weight of his deception.
When I found the strength to face him, I stepped back into the room. "Yoongi," I began, striving to keep my voice steady. I gestured hopelessly at the scene unfolding before me. "What is this?"
He sat up, the sheets falling away to reveal his nakedness, his expression alarmingly unrepentant. "This?" He echoed, with a nonchalant shrug, "Is just exactly what it looks like, Y/n."
A cold shock ran through me at his audacity, but I fought the tears threatening to spill. "You're cheating on me? In our home?" I choked out the words, still disbelieving.
"What can I say Y/n?" He drawled, causally raking his fingers through his hair as if we were discussing the weather and not his betrayal. "It was quite impossible not to cheat on you. After all," he continued, his voice tone edged with mockery, "Every time I'm near you, I feel repulsed. You are so ... you"
A sick feeling rose up my throat at his cruel words. "Have you seen yourself, Y/n" My heart pounded incessantly against my chest, as if knocking against the hardened reality of his words. No tears, no pleading in my voice, no shock on my face would change him. The man I loved was unrecognizable, replaced with this callous stranger.
"And that's supposed to justify what you did?" I spat, venom lacing my words. "You never deserved me, Yoongi."
Without waiting for a response, I turned around, eager to leave the apartment that now bore the scars of his betrayal. As I walked away, a bitter resolution settled in my heart. Yoongi had shown me his true colors, and it was time to show him that I was stronger than he thought
"Fumi," I began, my voice barely above a whisper. "Remember Yoongi?"
Her brow furrowed in concern as she nodded, her coffee left untouched.
"Well, he wasn't who I thought he was," I confessed, the words caught in my throat. Burying my head in my hands, I managed to choke out, "He cheated on me. In our home... on our bed."
She gasped aloud, her hand instinctively reaching out over the table to grasp mine, her touch a lifeline as the words I'd dreaded to utter hung heavily in the air like a cloud.
"You could have heard a pin drop in that room, Fumi," I continued, pulling into myself, as though trying to shield myself from the sharp edges of the memory. "I was shell-shocked at the sight before me. Yoongi tangled with another woman among our sheets. The sheets he had picked out."
Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over onto the table. The quiet room where we sat seemed to shrink, the walls an echo of the betrayal I endured.
"The worst," I choked out, "was his response, Fumi. He said he was disgusted by me, that he couldn't help but cheat. That I was... I was too much me."
At this point, I sobbed openly. Fumi's grip tightened, anchoring me as waves of despair threatened to drag me under. Through blurry eyes, I could see her own tears glistening in her eyes.
"I-I can't believe he'd do this," I stammered, unable to keep the hurt from my voice, "after everything we've shared, everything we've been through."
Fumi didn’t say anything, her features mirroring my pain. She squeezed my hand again, offering what little comfort she could as the bitter truth of my story unfolded.
"I thought I knew him, Fumi, I thought we meant something," I murmured, my voice quivering, "but the man I loved evaporated, replaced by a monstrous stranger."
Our conversation drifted into silence, broken only by the noises outside this room. I was a parody of the woman I once was, caught in a storm of betrayal and loss. As I looked across at Fumi, our shared silence spelled out a promise of solidarity in my moment of heartbreaking vulnerability. "Let's get back to work, okay?" I said finally, wiping away my tears and taking a deep breath. Fumi nodded, her expression full of understanding and support.
We were shooting in a hilly area with sprawling green fields and a picturesque backdrop of the setting sun. I have a very bad habit, whenever I'm on a cliff side I always have the urge to look down and contemplate the vastness of the world below. And so, as we prepared for the day's shoot, I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff, gazing down into the depths below with a mix of fear and awe. The wind whipped through my hair, and I closed my eyes, trying to find solace in the momentary escape from reality. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" I was pulled with a sharp tug on my arm, yanking me away from the edge. "Did breaking up with your boyfriend broke your sanity too?" Jimin growled dragging me away from the cliff's edge.
" What the hell jimin?" I yanked my arm away from his grasp and glared at him, frustrated by his sudden intrusion. "And what the fuck do you mean by broken my sanity?"
"What I mean, is that you were dangerously close to falling off that cliff! plus we do not want trouble Y/n" Jimin's voice was filled with concern as he looked at me with furry in his eyes.
" Oh I am sorry Jimin," I retorted sarcastically, "I didn't realize you were my personal bodyguard now, and me falling down must have stopped the entire shooting process. My apologies," Jimin replied, his voice laced with frustration. "You know what, Y/n?" Jimin snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, please enlighten me," I replied, crossing my arms and trying to mask the hurt that his words inflicted. "Well, I forgot that you're always so self-reliant and invincible," Jimin said with a hint of bitterness. " Well at least I'm not a brat like you who gets what he wants!" his brows furrowed "What?" his voice merely came out as a whisper as he took steps back towards the green room
The moment I walked into the green room, a strange chill ran over me. His fiery gaze met mine. It was Jimin, looking as though he could set the room ablaze with a single glance. It was a never-seen-before intensity that freaked me out. I chose not to ask, opting to immerse myself in the professional routine instead.
The day trudged on, a painful contrast to our usual lively interactions. As the tension grew thicker, I snapped, the strain pushing me past my limit.
"No need to act like the world is ending, Jimin," I blurted out, my voice filled with more irritation than I'd intended.
I cringed instantly, wishing I could somehow swallow back my words. It was not my place to critique him. But it was too late. His face hardened, his eyes, once warm now set ablaze.
"Wow, really Y/n?" He retorted, sarcasm coating his words. "You think you know me well enough to judge?"
His harsh words felt like a whip against my skin. I had sparked this argument, triggered by sheer frustration. I stared at him in disbelief, regret washing over me. The familiar, playful Jimin was nowhere to be found, replaced by this stranger standing before me.
"I was just standing there, you don't have to overreact so much,!" I defended, trying to justify my outburst.
"I called your name twice Y/n, TWICE and you didn't even react!" the dim glow from the lights above made Jimin's stare sharper than it already was "I was just distracted" I need to lighten the mood. "Thank you for saving me, though I’m surprised you did." following a cheeky smile I proceeded, "I thought you’d be more liable to push me off the cliff than save me from it."
"Do you think it will be fun for me to watch you die? It will be fun for me to watch all the things these people worked for go in vain?" I stood there, stunned by his sudden honesty. My smile waned. “No,” I said softly. "I was just joking"
A muscle pulsed in his jaw. "Is everything a joke to you, or are you really that oblivious?" he demanded. " Chill out Jimin we always joke around" I tried to diffuse the situation, hoping that our usual banter would lighten the tension between us."Yes, we do, but death is not something we should joke about. You are 23 years old ACT LIKE YOUR AGE" that was a low blow.
"Your recklessness wouldn't affect just you. It also affects the people around you. But you never think about it, do you?”
His words hit me like a punch. As the realization of what I'd done dawned on me, I felt my heart sink. This wasn't banter; I had taken it too far. In the eye of the storm, all I could do was swallow down the lump in my throat, guilt and regret flooding my senses. I'd have to find a way to make amends "Jim-"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a year Jimin didn't talk to me properly, I mean he was busy with his tours which kept him occupied most of the time, but even when we did interact, there was an obvious tension between us, and here I was drinking in a club.
He is so annoying can he stop acting like a child. I hate him and why is Fumi always so late?!
"Well, well look who it is?"
I turned around to see Yoongi, smirking at me with his new girlfriend by his side.
A chilling smile played on Yoongi's lips as he spoke. "Y/n, meet my new girlfriend. Isn't she gorgeous?" he asked, gesturing to the woman clinging to his arm. She was pretty, I had to admit, with glossy hair and a figure to die for. She smirked at me, clearly enjoying the show. I know cruelty when I see it.
"Oh, Y/n looks upset, Yoongi," she cooed, her voice dripping with faux concern. "Did you tell her about us?" she asked, feigning innocence.
The sick twisted pleasure they derived from tormenting me twisted my stomach. I felt my eyes brim with tears. The humiliation, the betrayal it was too much even for me, I had to leave, instantly.
I turned on my heels and started to walk away, too overwhelmed to stay, my pulse echoing loudly in my ears. I walked as if in a trance, the scene replaying over and over in my mind like a cruel joke. It was only when I bumped into something, no someone, solid that I came out of the sea of despair that had consumed me. I looked up to see a startled Jimin staring down at me.
He frowned when he saw the tears streaming down my face. "Who did this to you?" he asked, his voice echoing in my ears like a lifeline. I just shook my head, unable to conjure up the strength to say it out loud. Jimin didn't push, he simply pulled me into a comforting embrace, his warmth a stark contrast to the icy torment I'd just left behind. "What the fuck happened Y/n?"
"Ah, if it isn't the damsel in distress and her knight in shining armor."
Jimin's calculated calmness broke. "What did you just say, Yoongi?" He spat out his name like it was a curse.
Yoongi stepped closer, smirking. "I said," he paused, looking down at me, then back at Jimin. "You're always the one cleaning up my mess, aren't you, Jimin?"
That was the final straw. Jimin swiftly closed the distance between himself and Yoongi, shoving him hard against the nearby wall. "Enough, Yoongi!"
Yoongi, looking surprised, stumbled momentarily but quickly regained his footing, lunging back at Jimin. An impromptu scuffle broke out between the two men — an epidemic of punches and outraged exclamations.
"Stop it, both of you!" I yelled out, trying to pull Jimin away from Yoongi.
Eventually, the heated altercation ended when security intervened, pulling the enraged men apart. Jimin's concluding words were as fierce as his previous actions, "Yoongi, you need to learn to respect people, finally. They're not your disposable toys. Especially not her"
The chaotic event concluded with me leading Jimin away. His face was a thunderous storm, but a grim satisfaction glinted in his eyes. Meanwhile, Yoongi was left behind, shocked and probably worst of all to him — humiliated.
"Let's get out of here, okay?" Jimin suggested, his gaze kind and protective. Not waiting for my response, he grabbed my hand, leading me away from the painful reminders of Yoongi's betrayal. We walked in silence, the only sound being our coordinated footsteps echoing in the night.
Once we escaped the clamor of the club, we eased into the quietness of Jimin's car. He turned to me, his face set in an expression of worry. "Are you okay, Y/n?" he asked softly, his eyes searching mine for any signs of distress. "I'm fine" his grip on the steering wheel tightened "Let me ask you again, are you okay, Y/n?" I looked straight in his eyes "Just what do you want me to say? Oh my thank you for saving me from my ex, I'll forever be grateful?" Jimin's lip twitched in annoyance before he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Y/n, it literally has been a fucking year since we talked properly and you are still behaving like a kid" I clenched my fist in agitation knowing that I'm pouring my anger in the wrong place but I can't help it, whatever camaraderie Jimin and I developed over the past few yearsevaporated, incinerated into ash by the firestorm of emotions whipping around us and non of us knew why
"You’re one to talk." I tilted my chin up, my eyes searing into his endless midnight ones. Our gazes locked, the tension between us palpable. "Park Jimin, the golden boy of the pop music industry, the charismatic performer who steals hearts with a pleasing smile and smooth dance moves BUT NO ONE KNOWS that you are also the guy who trembles with fear when confronted by scandals, You think I haven't heard about your fight with a backup dancer and how the poor guy lost his job BECAUSE OF YOUR ORDERS NOW WHO ACTS LIKE A FUCKING KID JIMIN" Lies stripped away, truths uncovered only to be disguised as insults. "Tough shit. That’s the way this industry works. If you make mistakes and don't take control of the narrative, you'll be forgotten in an instant." Jimin's jaw clenched, his gaze turning cold. "Are we scared Mr.Park?"
"I do not have to wish Birdy, I can make you eat your own words and beg for it" his words made the fire burn even hotter in my veins, "Birdy you are such a troublemaker...and what do you think happens to troublemakers?" his eyes twinkle as he showed me his dirty smirk while speeding up the car
"Let me get one thing clear for your bird brain—whatever happens tonight stays tonight"
