Break The Silence

Jimin climbed the creaky stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. At the top, he noticed a narrow hallway with three doors. One of them, slightly open, seemed to be his.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was small and plain, a single bed with a thin mattress, a simple wooden desk with a wobbly chair, and a small closet in the corner.

A dusty lamp sat on the desk, giving off a weak yellow light that barely brightened the space. The window overlooked the front yard, its glass smudged with dirt.

Jimin looked at the two Large luggages on the floor, suddenly, his face lit up with excitement, as if he remembered something impossible. He quickly approached the luggages and opened them, one by one.

After a few seconds of digging in his stuff, tossing his clothes out, Jimin finally discovered his youth size doll, he named as Bella.

Jimin was eight when he bought the doll and gave a nickname. Ever since, he got attached to it. It felt like Jimin earned a best friend, whom he could talk with hours and hours.

Mr. And Mrs Park had almost forgotten about Jimin having a doll, as he kept secret.

"Hi Bella! Did you miss me?" Jimin said, looking at the doll, he pressed his lips into an endearing smile.

"Hi Jimin! I missed you so much." Jimin said in a baby voice.

He stood up, and scanned his room, "Alright let's make you sit on the couch." He muttered, heading to the small couch placed at the corner of the room.

His eyes twinkling like the stars, as Jimin carefully placed the doll on the couch, and sat on the floor.

He wrapped his hands around his knees, tears falling down from his eyes. "Mom and Dad, hates me a lot." Said Jimin his voice trembled, "They think I killed Jisun, but you know I didn't." He swallowed, suppressed his tears. "I tried to tell them, but they don't believe me....but you have to believe me...Huh." He talked with a doll, as if it was a human.

Jimin wiped his tears and sniffled, looking at Bella with a sad smile.

"I just want them to understand," he whispered softly, his voice shaky. "I never meant for anything bad to happen. I wish things could go back to how they were before... when everything was okay." He stood up on his knees and hugged Bella tightly, feeling the warmth of the doll in his arms as if it could somehow comfort him. "You're the only one who listens..." He said lowering his voice.

Suddenly, a faint voice of someone's footsteps echoed from outside. Once again, fear gripped his heart. Jimin detached himself from the doll. He stood up slowly approaching the door.

Each step, he took at the moment, felt so heavy. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, ready to jump out of his ribcage. His curiosity reached at the peak, as Jimin hesitantly twisted the lock and opened the door.

The light in the hallway flickered, Jimin heard the footsteps again, coming out of the other room. Standing at the doorway, he thought to check, but his fear stopped him first.

A long breath escaped his lips, as Jimin encouraged himself, Petrified and confused, he took few steps closer to the room, where the footsteps were coming from.

His heartbeat raised, echoing wildly in his chest. Sweat prickled down to his forehead, and the back of his neck. His breath began to get slower.

The door was slightly opened, it creaked as Jimin pulled to opened. The room was drowned into the darkness, he momentarily shifted his gaze to the chair, placed near the window.

A figure sat on the chair, staring outside of the window. Jimin swallowed, he covered his mouth through his hands and widened his eyes in fear.

"Ji-Jisun!" Jimin muttered.

"Do you think I'll disappeared if I die." Jisun said in a cold tone.

\_\_\_\_

**Present time:**

Jimin opened his eyes with a long deep breath. His back made an arch, a little agonizing groan escaped his mouth, fear wandered over his pale face.

The beep sound echoed in his ears, he felt the warmth of crisp sheet under his palms, finding himself laying on a hospital bed, in a same room painted white.

IV tubes attached to his veins, sharp pain shooted through his wrist. Jimin languidly diverted his attention towards his side, confused and puzzled. Ms. Nawol, a woman in her sixty's, and the only nurse who was supposed to take care of Jimin, stood near the bed injecting the syringe in the drip.

"Thank God you finally wake up." Ms. Nawol said in a disappointing tone. "A glass shard? That's a cost you assumed of your life." She scolded.

Jimin looked at the elderly woman with wide, innocent eyes, like a lost child looking at an adult. He tried to understand what she was saying, but his mind felt too tired and confused. The words she spoke seemed to blur together, making no sense at all.

A sense of helplessness filled his gaze as he struggled to grasp her meaning, the confusion on his face growing with every word. He failed to remember anything, why he ended up in an emergency room, why his wrist felt intense pain.

"I don't understand how did you get a glass shard to cut your wrist? when you didn't step out of your room for years." Ms. Nawol said in a frustration.

Jimin didn't respond. He didn't care about anyone or what had happened. The questions of how and why things occurred felt too difficult to think about. Instead, he lazily turned his attention to the window, which was secured with thick iron bars.

The thick, gray clouds covered the sky, blocking out most of the sunlight. They made everything look dull and gloomy, like his hopeless life.

Ms. Nawol sighed solemnly, knowing that, Jimin would never answered and nobody would pay attention to him, she gave up on her thought, about how Jimin got his hands on a glass shard that slit his wrist, although the question kept bothering her.

Without saying anything further, Ms. Nawol made her way to outside.

Jimin kept staring to the sky, not caring about how long the time had passed, how long he had been living in a hell. He had loosened all his hopes, life seemed nothing but an endless path to him.