The fresh fragrance of dew wakes me, and I blink up at the familiar white of my ceiling, the morning sunlight making it glow.

Last night....

When I turn my face to get up, I instantly freeze when I see how close Jimin's sleeping face is to mine. I instinctively flinch back in surprise, and find that I can't.

His arms are wrapped around my waist, pulling me close to his chest. There's coldness in his hands, and I instinctively tighten my palm around his.

"Minah?"

Hearing that, my entire body goes tense as I sit up on the bed as fast as I can. I can hear Jimin yelp in surprise as I freeze in my sitting position, my cheeks warm.

"What was that for?"

"I get surprised easily." I complain as he slowly sits up as well, running his fingers through his messy hair. "What happened last night? Did you see Jungkook?"

"You collapsed." He says seriously, blinking at me slowly. "I had to get you here— you fainted because of your insomnia, didn't you? I'm sorry, Minah."

"Thank you." I say softly, my heart warming as I bunch up the blankets in my arms. "Jimin, I'm proud of you."

He looks up.

"For what?"

"For getting first." I laugh at his confused expression, before realization dawns. "It was a beautiful performance. How did you guys make up a routine for both of you that quickly?"

"It was something we were practicing in class." He explains, and I listen intently as he pulls on his fingers in embarrassment. "It was nothing, really. If it wasn't for Jungkook, I would've failed."

I smile.

"Don't you have a lesson today?"

_________________________

Jimin's POV

"Jungkook!" I hear Minah exclaim warmly, and I look up to see his familiar silhouette in the empty classroom.

As if we'd taken him by surprise, he staggers to his feet and pulls down his sleeves so low it hangs over his slender fingers.

Somehow, his face seems paler than yesterday.

"H-Hello." He replies quietly before shuffling to the corner of the room, eyes fixed blankly on the wooden floor. As he turns his back towards us, I glimpse dark red spots spreading on the black turtleneck he's wearing.

My eyes narrow.

Minah hadn't seemed to notice yet.

"Wait here." I tell her as I grip Jungkook's wrist, pulling him out of the room with my lips pressed tight. "We'll be back in like five minutes, okay?"

"Jimin?!" Jungkook snatches away his hand once the door swings shut behind us, sweat beading on the sides of his face. "What are you doing? I'm going back."

"Stop being stubborn." I say sternly as I press my hand against his back, showing him the wet red that comes off on my skin. "You want to go back in there with your shirt looking like this?"

He falls silent, eyes fixed on the smear of red on his fingertip.

"You're being disciplined." I say quietly, seeing scars that remind me of mine. When I press my hands against the skin and close my eyes, Jungkook suddenly breaks away from me.

"Y-You can't." He swallows, his face the color of ash. "He'll know. And then s-she will know too."

"Your Master?" I say, and I'm surprised at how cold my voice sounds as the blue fades from my eyes. "He did this. And who's she? For what?"

"Jimin hyung...." His expression crumbles, bottom lip trembling. Pain is clear on his face, like he had been dealing with this for such a long time. For a second, I think that I've seen his real face— vulnerable, desperate for help.

But restraint pulls back on him, and he takes a step back towards the room.

"You're not actually thinking that." I say incredulously as I squeeze myself between the door and him, my hands glowing blue again. "I'll make sure to leave some marks behind if that's what you're worried about. I can't let you leave."

"......."

"Okay."

_________________________

Minah's POV

Hoseok taps his feet as he looks at the same place we've both been looking for the past seven minutes— the door. I'd expected them to come back a while ago.

When the door finally swings open, my eyes narrow.

Was it just my imagination that Jimin seemed like he hadn't slept for the last seven days?

Besides him, Jungkook looks something like regretful. His hand is closed tightly around Jimin's shoulder, and I can see the faint green flickering in his eyes as he tilts his head towards Hoseok.

It hadn't just been me.

"You guys look like someone starved you for three days." He comments, his gaze concerned as it lands on Jimin. "Especially you. What happened?"

"Just tired." He says back, and I don't miss that Jungkook's face falls another level when Jimin slumps down to the wooden floor. "What are we doing today?"

"Sleeping." Hoseok replies, his arms crossed. "For you guys, actually. Go get some rest, alright? No practice today— but I'm going to drill you two harder tomorrow, so get ready for that."

_______________________

Minah's POV

"Are you okay?" I ask Jimin, who doesn't look really steady on his feet. Ever since that short trip outside with Jungkook, his face had been pale and he was sweating.

"I'm fine." Jimin replies, and I see Jungkook's face darken as he hurriedly bows his head and disappears towards the same direction he'd gone last time.

"Follow him." Jimin coughs, and I turn back a surprised face towards him as he pushes off his feet. "I'm feeling better already— I need to see what's happening to him."

"What's happening—"

"Scars on his back." Jimin says, and realization sets my mind straight. That explained everything— Jimin's exhaustion, their leave from the room. "A lot of them. I don't know what's happening to him."

Scars....?

"Let's go, then." I say quickly, before shooting him a worried look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

_________________________

Minah's POV

Tracing his steps are easier this time, because we've been here before. But instead of the front door that Jungkook had gone through last time, he curves around the huge house and slips into a small back door.

It's still open when we reach it.

When Jimin doesn't find any cameras, he pushes me along in heart pounding excitement as I open the door and slip in after him. The first thing I feel is that it is unbelievably cold.

I flinch.

Jimin tugs off his jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders as I look around a small dark room. There are no signs of Jungkook— and no exits, nothing except for the dark walls.

"Minah."

"This is a curtain." He whispers, and my eyes widen in shock as he pushes on one of the dark walls, watching it flutter. "Shh, okay?"

The back of my neck tingles with chills when a sudden voice echoes clearly from behind the darkness.

"You're back early."

Jimin flinches in surprise at the sharp, feminine voice, and I swallow in anxiety when I hear the sound of low, uneven breathing.

Jungkook?

"Why do you sound so scared?"

The voice comes again, and I slowly lift the curtains just a tiny bit to see. What I do takes my breath away, makes my lips purse in horror. I can feel Jimin's body ripple with a silent growl as metal brushes against metal.

"P-Please."

Jungkook is crying, his arms bound with metal chains that gleam a pale silver as tears shine his dull green eyes. My mind goes blank with shock when I see his desperate gaze.

"Please what?"

"I'm not harming you, am I? I'm not like my brother, love."

And when I see her closing the small space between them and hear a terrified breath escape Jungkook, I run.