JIMIN'S POV
We all were walking toward our tents. We had clicked a lot of pictures. Namjoon Hyung and Taehyung were talking about a lot of things, laughing in between, but nothing really reached my ears.
I was lost in my own thoughts the entire time.
I didn't even realize when I clicked pictures with all of them. I didn't realize when we started walking back either. Everything around me felt distant, as if my body was here, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.
I only came back to my senses when I was standing beside Yoon to click a picture and almost lost my balance.
I was never an overthinker.
But this...
I just didn't know how to handle this situation.
"Shit!"
I heard Yoon curse, and immediately everyone's attention snapped toward him.
He had a painful expression on his face as he reached his hand toward his leg.. his calf.
That's when I noticed the blood.
Blood was slowly flowing down from his calf toward his foot. The amount of blood was enough to tell me that it wasn't a small scratch.
It was a deep cut.
He was wearing jorts, which left most of his calves exposed, and it seemed like he had accidentally cut himself against the sharp edge of a rock.
I immediately approached him.
"Shit" came out of my mouth automatically.
Without even thinking, I crouched down on my knees in front of him.
Taehyung and Namjoon Hyung reacted quickly as well.
"Blood is flowing too much" Taehyung said.
Taehyung opened the cap of the water bottle we were carrying in case anyone wanted water.
He poured the water over the wound.
The blood washed away for a second, revealing the cut clearly. Then fresh blood started coming out again.
I looked up at Yoon's face.
He was trying not to show it, but the painful expression on his face gave him away.
It must be hurting a lot.
"It looks like a deep cut," Namjoon Hyung said as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.
Jungkook looked worried.
"Jungkook, hold his hand," I said, in case he lost his balance because all of his weight was on one leg.
Jungkook immediately grabbed his hand.
Namjoon Hyung crouched down beside me and carefully tied the handkerchief around the cut so it wouldn't keep bleeding.
"Be careful," Namjoon Hyung said.
Actually, it wasn't surprising for us to see cuts or wounds.
We treated injuries like this.. sometimes even worse ones, without a single hint of worry on our faces because this was our work. We had seen countless people bleeding and in pain.
But today... I wouldn't lie.
The very first thought that came into my mind wasn't how deep the cut was or what treatment it needed.
The first thing that came to my mind was..
'Is he hurting a lot?'
'He is in pain.'
"I'm okay now... let's go."
Yoon carefully tried putting his injured foot on the ground.
"Ahh..."
A painful hiss escaped his lips almost immediately.
The moment his foot touched the rocky surface, his whole face twisted in pain. His eyebrows knitted together, and he quickly lifted his leg again, balancing himself on one foot. One hand instinctively grabbed Jungkook's shoulder while the other went to his calf. His breathing became uneven for a few seconds.
I almost reached out to help him.
All of us looked at him.
"Can you walk?" Namjoon Hyung asked.
"I... I think so," Yoon replied, though even his voice sounded uncertain.
I know this boy. Even when he's in pain, he won't tell anyone because he's used to it.
He tried again.
This time, he carefully lowered his foot as if hoping it wouldn't hurt. But the second his sole touched the ground, his entire body tensed. He immediately shut his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.
"No..." I said instantly. "Don't do that."
Yoon opened his eyes and looked at me. There was something about his expression. He looked embarrassed more than hurt, almost guilty for getting injured.
As if he was more worried that he had spoiled things for us.
"I can walk slowly," he said quietly.
"Yoon," I said in a slightly higher voice, making it clear that I was being serious.
Still, he said nothing and just looked at me.
I sighed and stood up from where I was crouching beside him. Without thinking much, I turned my back toward him and bent down slightly.
"I'll carry you."
I looked over my shoulder.
Yoon was staring at me as if I had just said something unbelievable.
"What?" he asked.
"I said, get on."
"No." He immediately shook his head. "No, it's okay. I can walk."
"Yoon, you're injured. Don't make me say it twice." I was being damn serious.
He still looked hesitant. He glanced at me, then at everyone else, and then at his injured leg.
Before I could say anything again, Namjoon Hyung suddenly spoke.
"I'll do it."
I looked at him. "What?"
"I'll carry him."
"Hyung, it's okay. I can.. "
"No, actually, I can do it in a better way." Namjoon Hyung looked between me and Yoon before continuing, "You'll have a problem since both of your heights are almost the same."
I looked at Yoon. Then at myself.
Well... He wasn't entirely wrong.
"Besides, I'm taller and broader than both of you. It'll be easier for him to hold onto me, and easier for me to carry him."
Taehyung immediately nodded.
"Actually, that's true. The two of you are almost the same height. If Jimin tries carrying him, I feel like both of them will end up falling."
I glared at him.
"Very supportive of you."
Jungkook snorted beside me.
Meanwhile, Yoon looked absolutely horrified.
"I-I can really walk..." he said again.
"No, you can't," all four of us said at the same time.
He immediately closed his mouth.
Namjoon Hyung walked over to him and bent down slightly.
"Come on."
Yoon didn't move. His ears had turned slightly red.
"I've never been carried before," he admitted quietly.
"Oh, come on... treat me as your older brother. My younger brother is the same age as you," Namjoon Hyung told him.
How strange. The three of us were friends, and then our younger brothers happened to be the same age too.
Yoon looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him.
After standing there awkwardly for a few more seconds, he finally gave up.
Slowly and carefully, he wrapped his arms around Namjoon Hyung's shoulders. He looked so cautious, as if he was afraid of putting too much weight on him.
Namjoon Hyung hooked his hands under Yoon's legs and easily lifted him onto his back.
Yoon's eyes widened slightly.
"I... I will.. "
Before he could complete his sentence, I stared at him.
He immediately shut his mouth.
For some reason, seeing him like this made something twist inside my chest.
This boy never complains.
The first thing he kept worrying about was becoming a burden.
I looked at the handkerchief tied around his calf. It already had small patches of red spreading through the fabric.
"Does it hurt a lot?" I found myself asking.
Yoon looked at me. Then... he looked happy.
Why would he be happy? I had just asked a simple thing.
"A little."
I stared at him.
The blood soaking through the cloth said otherwise.
We started walking again.
Namjoon Hyung walked ahead while carrying Yoon on his back. Jungkook walked beside them, occasionally looking back to check on him.
I was behind them.
My eyes stayed on them the whole time.
In all this, I had completely forgotten about yesterday and his confession.
But when it suddenly came back to my mind again, I felt the urge to disappear from in front of him for some time.
At least until I figured out how to deal with this.
People say I'm very mature because of the way I talk. But I have to admit...
I don't know how to deal with things.
When I can't face a situation, I just want to disappear.
Finally, we reached our tents.
Namjoon Hyung slowly lowered Yoon to the ground while Jungkook helped him stand.
I stayed behind.
"It's almost evening," Taehyung said while looking around at the surroundings.
Namjoon Hyung crouched down again to check the leg. He touched the skin around the wound and then looked at me as I walked toward them.
"It's swollen..." he said and looked at the wound again.
I put my hands on my waist.
"Thankfully, I was prepared. I have painkillers and a medical kit in my bag. I'll treat it," I said.
He nodded while standing up.
"Jimin, you go and treat it properly with a clean bandage. Until then, me and Namjoon Hyung..." Taehyung paused and looked at Jungkook.
"...and Jungkook will start preparing dinner."
"Why me?" Jungkook whined.
"Then don't ask for a single bite," Taehyung said.
"Leave him, Taehyung... let that kid enjoy," Namjoon Hyung said, shaking his head.
I looked at Yoon and held out my hand.
He looked shocked for a second. He must have been wondering what to do.
"I'll treat your wound. Let's go," I said in a plain voice.
He finally placed his hand in mine.
I held it. I slowly helped him walk toward our tent.
I opened the zipper and entered inside before immediately opening my bag and pulling out the things I needed.
He came inside slowly, probably trying not to hurt himself.
Then he sat right in front of me, carefully stretching out his injured leg.
First, I opened the knot of the handkerchief and noticed his facial expressions. The moment I touched the cloth stuck to his wound, his eyebrows knitted together. He closed his eyes in pain and put his own hands on his knee, gripping it tightly, but he didn't say slow down or be careful.
The way he trusts me.
"Don't worry... I'll give you a painkiller. It will stop hurting," I said, trying to make conversation just to distract him.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.
I pulled away the handkerchief, which was stained a deep red and had almost stuck to the cut. Then I pulled some cotton from my medical box and poured alcohol onto it before carefully wiping the wound.
"Fuck..." he cursed, closing his eyes again.
I looked at his face for a moment. He was clearly in pain, yet he stayed completely still, letting me do whatever I needed to. He didn't move his leg away or complain once.
After cleaning the wound properly, I applied medicine and wrapped a fresh bandage around his calf.
"It's done..." I said, tying the last knot of the bandage.
He looked at his own bandaged wound and then at me, and a small smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you."
The way he said it made me remember his I like you from yesterday.
Immediately, I couldn't look at him again.
I lowered my eyes and pulled out a painkiller from my medical box before handing it to him with water. There was already a water bottle beside my bag.
He quietly took the medicine.
"You rest. I will go help them," I told him.
I was about to leave when he suddenly held my hand.
I looked down at our hands.
"Please stay with me. I don't want to stay alone."
He asked in such an innocent voice that I couldn't argue. If I can't leave him alone even for a moment just because he asked me like this, then how am I supposed to do it in the future if things turn out worse?
He slowly laid down, and I sat beside him. We didn't speak. Neither did I look at him, but I could sense his eyes on me. The tent was quiet except distant voices of the others.
"Aren't you tired?" he asked softly.
"I am," I replied shortly and laid down on my back just beside him.
After some time passed, I think he fell asleep. His breathing had become slow.
I carefully got up and came outside. It was already dark, and I could smell something delicious being cooked.
"Jimin..." Namjoon Hyung noticed my arrival, and his eyes immediately started looking for someone. "Yoongi?" he asked.
"He's sleeping... probably because of the medicine," I told him as I approached them.
"Dinner is almost ready," Taehyung said.
Jungkook also came running toward me. He had been sitting at his favorite place, that tree trunk.
After some time, we decided to eat.
"I'll wake Yoongi Hyung..." Jungkook said and ran toward my tent. Within just a few minutes, he came out with Yoongi while giving him support to walk.
"Hey, Yoongi, are you feeling alright now?" Taehyung asked.
"I'm better... thanks to you all," he said with a small smile.
I was already sitting between Taehyung and Namjoon Hyung, so he sat in front of me and Jungkook sat beside him.
I didn't look at him again.
I hate myself for how I am. I don't face things. Instead, I choose to run away.
We ate dinner, and afterward Jungkook and Yoon went to their favorite place and started playing games on their phones after using my power bank.
Taehyung was tired, so he went to sleep early. Soon it was just me and Namjoon Hyung sitting alone.
"Hyung, can I ask something?" I asked.
"Of course, Jimin. You don't have to ask me," he said, turning to face me.
"What if someone likes me and I..." I paused, struggling to put my thoughts into words. "I don't know how to face them or what I'm supposed to say to them. They don't know that I know... but I do."
I rubbed my palms together nervously.
"And before you say that I should just give them a straight answer..." I let out a small sigh. "I can't. I don't want to hurt them either."
I frowned at my own words. Nothing I was saying made much sense.
I was just blabbering at this point, throwing my feelings into words however I could, hoping somehow he would understand what I couldn't explain myself.
After finishing my thoughts, I finally looked at his face.
He had gone pale.
The expression on his face had completely changed. The color had slowly drained from his face, and he just sat there, staring at me as if he had forgotten how to blink. Even his lips were slightly parted, yet no words came out.
For a moment, he looked like someone who had been bracing himself for a storm and had just heard the first clap of thunder.
"Who likes you?" he asked.
"Yoongi."
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