Author's Note: 

WARNING: while this chapter contains extreme cuteness, some parts are not so cute. Beware of the death scene flashback in the chapter. It's not too bad but just in case, I'll warn you about it again.

Enjoy!

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Chaeyoung had been settled on Jimin's couch in his living room. She was looking around the apartment taking in everything she could in the time she had while Jimin was on the phone with Jin. She felt nervous, it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong, but this would be the first time she slept at someone else's home since her time with Jin and Jungkook. Chaeyoung snuggled into the blanket Jimin had draped over her shoulders, letting out a sigh and a soft smile forming on her face when she eyed the pictures of Jimin on the wall. He looked so happy and it was cute to see that he hadn't changed much from when he was a child.

Her eyes switched from the pictures on the wall to a flustered Jimin walking into the room. He was ruffling his hair with one hand and his face had turned so red that Chaeyoung was worried for him. What happened? Did Jin say something? Jimin raised his eyes towards Chaeyoung who simply stared at him in confusion. "N-no hyung...I-I don't have those sorts of intentions..." Jimin stuttered. "Remember, you can't do anything of the sort until marriage, got it? If Chaeyoung comes home any different I will torture you for the rest of your life. She's like my baby yeodongsaeng."

Jin was only teasing Jimin as he trusted his friend like his life depended on it. Jin was shocked when Jimin told him about what had happened and instantly agreed when Jimin asked if it would be okay for Chaeyoung to stay over. Jin knew that Jimin would do his very best to keep her safe and he was glad Chaeyoung was accompanied at the moment rather than going through the event alone. Jungkook was a little bit less accepting of the idea though, as he muttered profanities and insults along the lines of "probably has a small chili pepper." Jin was glad Jimin couldn't hear Jungkook as the younger male shouted threats at him, cursing his whole existence.

"H-hyung!" Jimin whined into the phone, shyly looking away from Chaeyoung. "She's in good hands...I would never think of doing anything like that. You can relax, I'll make sure to take care of her. Goodbye for now, hyung." Jimin quickly ended the conversation with his hyung after saying their goodbyes and sighed in relief, lightly patting his heated face. He turned back to a lost Chaeyoung on the couch, smiling as if the previous phone conversation with Jin hadn't happened.

"Are you feeling calmer now?" he gently asked, approaching her and sitting on the same couch as her with a bit of a distance between them. Chaeyoung gave him a small smile and nodded, "I feel so much calmer. Thank you for this, oppa. I'm sorry for intruding so suddenly on you." Jimin shook his head at her soft words. "Don't worry about it! I was the one that brought you here and suggested the idea in the first place. There is no need for you to feel sorry, I'm glad we're close enough now to even do this. I would have never imagined you would be in my apartment...ever." He scratched the back of his neck, chuckling at his statement.

Chaeyoung laughed softly at his statement as well, agreeing whole heartedly with his words. "What can I say? You won me over with your endless charms." Chaeyoung blurted out. "Is that a confession?" Jimin questioned, his smile turning into a playful smirk. Chaeyoung gasped and hid her face in her hands, embarrassed about what she had said to him. Jimin moved closer, hands reaching out to remove Chaeyoung's own hands from her face. Chaeyoung kept her face turned away from him until she heard, "look at me, Chaeyoung" in a low toned voice.

She instantly submitted to his request, eyes widening when her nose and forehead bumped with Jimin's own. Their lips were just a few millimeters away from each other and Chaeyoung felt herself frozen as their eyes bored into each other's. Jimin bit his bottom lip, thoughts of kissing her right then and there coming to him but he held himself back as it wasn't the right time for it. He moved away, heart fluttering in joy when he noticed the subtle disappointment on Chaeyoung's face as she licked her suddenly dry lips.

"Do you want something to eat and drink? I'll make something for us." Jimin informed, not waiting for a response as he headed to his small kitchen located right next to his living room. Chaeyoung remained frozen, eyes still loitering at the empty space that used to be occupied by Jimin. She finally snapped out of it when she heard the sounds of pans moving around and turned to the kitchen area where Jimin was rolling his sleeves to prepare food for them. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, throwing her body to land sideways on the couch. How am I going to survive spending a night with him alone? What the heck was I thinking? I'll die of a heart attack before anything else tries to kill me.

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The food was now served and ready to eat on a small square table off to the side that was only capable of fitting two people. Jimin and Chaeyoung sat across from each other, Chaeyoung's eyes staring at the food in both hunger and amazement. "Kimchi-jjigae?" Chaeyoung asked excitedly and Jimin chuckled at her enthusiasm. "It's one of my favorite dishes, I hope you enjoy it. I thought it could warm us up a bit after being outside in the cold with wrecked coats due to those birds." Chaeyoung thanked Jimin for the food and began to dig in, tears suddenly falling down her cheeks after she took the first bite.

Jimin panicked, dropping his chopsticks when he saw Chaeyoung start to cry. "O-oh my gosh, Chaeyoung...I'm so sorry! I-if you don't like it then you don't h-have to eat it." He was a stuttering mess as he approached her in an attempt to take her food but Chaeyoung furiously shook her head and lightly held onto his hands to stop him. "I-it's not that I don't like it. I-I just..." Chaeyoung trailed off, her hands furiously rubbing the never-ending tears coming from her eyes. Jimin sat back down, feeling lost as he stared at the sobbing girl. He wanted to comfort her but he wasn't sure what he should be comforting her for.

After a few minutes of tears, Chaeyoung was finally stable enough to speak. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional on you...i-it's just that your kimchi-jjigae tasted a lot like Jin oppa's and it reminded me of when we first met. Kimchi-jjigae was the first meal he ever gave me and I have loved it ever since." She was embarrassed that she suddenly broke down like that but the dish was something meaningful to her.

Jimin sighed in relief and stared at the girl, "Jin hyung actually taught me how to make it." Jimin admitted, amused when he saw Chaeyoung's amazed expression. "That makes sense...the taste is almost the same as Jin oppa's." Chaeyoung took another bite and smiled, expressing the wonderful taste of the food with her whole body. "D-do you mind telling me the story, Chaeyoung?" Jimin carefully asked, not wanting to upset the girl that had just stopped crying.

Chaeyoung thought about it for a few seconds, "I don't mind telling you. Remember when I told you that I got attacked by another homeless person while I was passing across a park? They left me on a bench and I ended up waking up to Jin oppa and Jungkook then all hell broke loose?" Jimin enthusiastically nodded as he picked at his food, recalling that Chaeyoung had told him that Jin would tell him the rest but he never asked him to. "Well then, let me tell you the rest of that day then." Chaeyoung began telling Jimin how the events of when she woke up went down, everything she was saying being shown like a movie in her head.

Chaeyoung's eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking a couple of times to fully wake herself up. She groaned, her body feeling the pain the person from the park had inflicted on her. She squirmed around, confused when she realized the posterior part of her body was supported by soft cushion while the anterior part of her body was covered with a warm blanket. She heard gasps of shock and soft whispers, adding to the poor girl's confusion. Chaeyoung slowly moved her arms to rest on her elbows as her body pushed itself upwards. She was met with the faces of two young males, one greeting her with a smile while the other just stared at her in awe. Chaeyoung's face contorted from confused into a hard glare as she lunged herself at the men in quick defense. 

She latched her small hands onto their heads, grabbing their hair tightly as they gasped out in shock. "W-what the hell is wrong with you?! Is this how girls say thank you now-a-days?" the assumed younger male asked while the assumed older male tried to pry her off of him. "C-calm down, we aren't going to hurt you!" the older shouted, his hands wrapping around Chaeyoung's left wrist but Chaeyoung just pulled tighter. "Don't touch me! Where the heck am I? Did you two kidnap me? You sick perverts!" Chaeyoung yelled louder when the younger released himself from her grasp and pulled her away from the older, holding onto her waist tightly with both arms. "Are you kidding me right now? We aren't perverts! In fact, I pretty much saved you from being attacked by some by bringing you here!" the one holding her exclaimed. Chaeyoung lashed around, her legs and arms flailing to get away from her captors. The older one approached in an attempt to control her but Chaeyoung kicked him on the nose with a stellar high kick that sent him tumbling backwards with a groan. 

She propelled one of her legs back, aiming right at the middle of the younger's legs, smiling to herself when she heard a grunt that confirmed she had hit his goods. Chaeyoung ran out of their reach, legs wobbling as she tried to get away. She tumbled around, dropping a few things as she made her way towards the front door of their large living space. The doorknob was right at her reach before a body tackled her to the ground, both landing on the floor with loud grunts. Chaeyoung wrestled with the younger of the two males as he tried to pin her to the ground. "Calm the hell down, girl! We aren't bad people! We aren't going to hurt you! Just look at the guy over there bleeding half to death, does he look dangerous to you?" The younger male tilted his head in the direction of the older who was covering his bleeding nose with one hand. The bleeding male smiled awkwardly, sending her a friendly wave which Chaeyoung huffed at. The younger male got up when Chaeyoung got distracted and used his tremendous strength to lift Chaeyoung up and drag her away to the kitchen. 

"Jungkook be nice! You are going to hurt her if you use too much strength, you Hercules." The older shouted at him but Jungkook just muttered a "shut up" and dumped Chaeyoung on a dining room chair that Chaeyoung had to admit was one of the fanciest things she had ever seen in her life. Jungkook held a flailing Chaeyoung with one arm as he removed the flannel he was wearing, switching arms to fully remove the shirt, leaving him in only a white t-shirt. He then tied Chaeyoung to the chair so she could stay put. "You didn't have to tie her up, now she really will think she is kidnapped." The older stated as he approached the yelling girl who Jungkook quickly shushed by covering her mouth with his hand. 

"Shut up, Jin. This was the only way." Chaeyoung bit Jungkook's hand with no remorse and even snickered when Jungkook yelped, muttering profanities as he moved away from her. "I already told you to call me by hyung, Jungkook. I'm sorry he's a bit of a grumpy teenager, you alright?" Jin sweetly asked as he shoved two small pieces of a paper towel up his nose to plug it. Chaeyoung's sense of danger produced by the two men quickly faded into nothing as she thought both males were just fools. She didn't respond to the older one and just glared at him. "My name is Kim Seokjin and the grumpy one is my namdongsaeng, Jeon Jungkook. We didn't mean to frighten you but Jungkook found you in the park and brought you here since he was afraid perverts would come after you if they saw you. You must be pretty shocked right now, please have no fear. We mean absolutely no harm. You are probably hungry, right? I'll prepare something for you." 

Jin walked away towards the grand kitchen and she remained in the dining room with Jungkook. He just glared at her, muttering how much he hated girls and that he should have left her in the park. Chaeyoung remained silent the whole time, her stomach involuntarily growling and her mouth salivating when the smell of incoming food reached her nostrils. Jin set the food down with a smile. "I made you some kimchi-jjigae. I hope that's okay. I just used whatever I had on hand." Jin approached her, making her flinch but he just untied the shirt that bound her arms to the chair and rapidly moved away from her. He kept a good distance as he watched Chaeyoung stare at the food on the table. No matter how distrustful she was of the food and the males that accompanied it, it was food nonetheless, so her stomach begged her for it. She could have just ran towards the door again but she grabbed the chopsticks in front of her and dug in, tears streaming down her cheeks when she tasted the food. It tasted like home.

Jimin had teared up along with Chaeyoung as she told him her fond memory. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Chaeyoung. I'm glad I decided to make it for you then if it made you this happy." Chaeyoung nodded, "ever since then, I guess I started to very slowly warm up to them." Jimin chuckled but only one thing was left in his mind after her story. It was a name, a name that was very often repeated but he had never asked to find out who the person was. He cleared his throat to grab Chaeyoung's attention. "D-do you mind if I ask you something else, Chaeyoung?" he asked her. Chaeyoung cocked an eyebrow at him, "go ahead." "You have mentioned him many times now and I've been curious but never found the chance to ask...who's Jungkook?" he quickly questioned.

Chaeyoung lowered her gaze, a sad smile adorning her lips which made Jimin regret his question. "Jungkook was Jin oppa's adopted namdongsaeng and my best friend." Jimin tilted his head to show his confusion at the word was but he couldn't find it in himself to ask any more questions. Jin had never mentioned to him that he had a younger brother either. "H-he passed away if that's what you were wondering. I knew both Jin oppa and Jungkook for about two years before he died...because of me." Chaeyoung swallowed the knot in her throat as thoughts of Jungkook's death came back after a long absence. How could I forget? I haven't thought of it much since I met Jimin...

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"It was my fault...I was a fool and thought my parents wanted to see me. I wasn't particularly excited about meeting them but I was happy to show them how good I was living without them. Like a slap to their face for leaving me. However, it was nothing but a trap. The voices I thought belonged to my parents became warped. The room felt hot and I started to sweat and cough out due to the smoke coming from every crack in the room. I panicked and went towards the door to escape but the handle was too hot and I burned my hands. Flames started to surround me, burning through the walls and ceiling. Everything began to collapse and I was barely maintaining consciousness. I couldn't even call anyone because I hadn't brought my phone. If the flames didn't kill me then the smoke would as I inhaled ashes into my lungs every breath I would take..."

Jimin had moved from his chair, crouching down next to Chaeyoung, holding her hand to let her know he was supporting her. He could tell that this was yet another painful memory of hers that was difficult for her to explain, yet here she was, informing him like she had promised to do so. He just wanted to make sure he was with her and that she knew he always would be, every step of the way. Chaeyoung looked down at him with a thankful smile, squeezing his hand to show her appreciation.

(A/N: WARNING: alright guys, the death scene is in this paragraph thing. Just a heads up.) 

"I-I guess Jin oppa and Jungkook knew something was up, so they followed me because all I could hear in my semi-conscious state at the time was both yelling for me. Then, I could only hear Jungkook. Everything had gone muffled and I felt like that was it, like I was a goner but Jungkook had braved the flames...I could hear his muffled screams of pain as he passed through the fire to get to me, pieces of ceiling crumbling down all around us. Jungkook had removed his clothing which had caught on fire, but his skin was blistering all over, I could feel it when he dropped to the ground and held me. His skin felt like messed up rubber, sticking to me due to the blood. He kept telling me that Jin oppa had called the fire department and he was shaking, we both were. We were suffocating, not any strength left to run away. He protected me from the chunks of ceiling that fell on us, holding back his screams with every hit. We thought we were both going to die but a ray of hope shined upon us when we heard firefighters at a distance. All I remember after that was that Jungkook had given me a kiss on the forehead, telling me to live on before he pushed me as far away from him as possible. I turned around to see him, screaming in terror when the rest of the ceiling above collapsed onto his body and then I blacked out..."

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Chaeyoung's body was trembling as the images of that horrific accident flashed in her mind. It had been a long time since she had fully recalled the whole thing and she hated every second of it. She fell next to Jimin, clinging onto his body as she cried from the memory. "I-I woke up at the hospital and he was gone...I felt so guilty over his death. It wouldn't have happened if I wouldn't have gone...that day was also my birthday. We were going to celebrate it together for the second time..." Jimin hugged Chaeyoung tighter, his hand caressing her hair. He just couldn't believe that Chaeyoung had to keep experiencing so many horrible things in life. He wanted to shelter her so that she would forever be happy after having suffered so much. How could something like that happen on her birthday?

"J-Jungkook came back as a ghost though...remember how I said I could see those just like you were meant to? Well, he hangs around me on a daily basis, Jimin. He always makes sure to let me know that it wasn't my fault and that he would have done it at any other point in life. He's another reason I was so afraid to let others into my life, after I found out the demon had caused that accident I didn't want to bring anyone else into that. That's why I was afraid of your dedication. You have the same look in your eyes as Jungkook did when you talk about protecting me." Jimin understood why Jungkook had probably done what he did. With Chaeyoung's last statement, it was clear to him that Jungkook might have been in love with her. 

"Jin oppa decided it would be best to move out from his home in Busan and start a new life in Seoul with me tagging along for the ride. He provided a home for me as if we were a true family. That is why I'm living with him, and ghost Jungkook, here. I had cried over Jungkook's death for the longest time, until Jungkook yelled at me to stop. I won't lie and say that I'm one hundred percent over it yet since it will barely be two years in about a month and a half, but I decided to be strong for him and take that as a lesson to continue on. He wanted me to live, so I will. I will live and fight until I rid myself of the demon and get to live a normal life."

"A month and a half? Wait, when is your birthday, Chaeyoung?" Jimin suddenly asked, noticing Chaeyoung's sniffles coming to a stop. "O-on the 11th of February." Jimin froze, eyes widening when Chaeyoung informed him of her birthdate. "M-my father passed away on the 11th of February in 2002, I was going to turn seven that year..." Chaeyoung pulled away from Jimin at the shocking discovery. "R-really? I-I had just turned five years old then..." Jimin couldn't wrap his head around the dark coincidence they shared. He didn't think he would ever meet a girl that shared a birthday the same day of his father's death. They both found it kind of amazing that things had turned out that way, although the events that happened on that day weren't necessarily the best thing, except for the fact that it was the day Park Chaeyoung came to existence.

"T-that was a pretty heavy conversation...how about I clean up here while you go take a shower in my bathroom. I'll lend you some of my clothes to wear since I don't have any female clothes around sadly." Jimin joked to lighten the mood which Chaeyoung greatly appreciated. "I should help you clean up, oppa." Jimin shook his head, raising himself and Chaeyoung from the floor. "Don't worry, I'll get everything clean since you are my guest." He then headed off towards his bathroom with Chaeyoung following behind. She had wiped away her tears, feeling like more weight had been lifted off of her heart now that she told Jimin absolutely everything that had to do with her dark past.

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Chaeyoung had showered after a long freak-out over being in Jimin's bathroom that he actually washed himself in. She dried off her body and put on an oversized sweater that Jimin had brought out for her, as well as some sweatpants that had a string around the waist so she could tighten them up. Jimin was also kind enough to ask a neighbor of his to buy him some female undergarments from the small necessity store located on the first floor of the apartment building. He was a stuttering mess when he had placed them in the bathroom for her before she hopped into the shower but Chaeyoung was so touched at his gesture.

She came out of the bathroom once she had brushed her teeth with a spare toothbrush Jimin had provided, heading towards the living room to find Jimin. "I-I'm done!" she shyly called out, hugging herself when Jimin turned to look at her. His face reddened at her appearance, the memory of her wearing his clothing forever imprinted in his mind. "Y-you look so cute wearing my clothes, Chaeyoung." he complimented, the recently flirty Jimin disappearing and replaced with an uncool shy guy. Chaeyoung blushed but gave him a smile, "thank you, oppa. Now where will I sleep?"

Jimin took her to the guest bedroom that was located across from his, blankets and stuff already prepared for her. "You can sleep in this room, I'll be right across from you if you need something, yeah?" Chaeyoung nodded, rushing to give him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek as she suddenly felt brave. She then abandoned a stunned Jimin and jumped to the bed, ready to knock out from both embarrassment and exhaustion. "Feeling brave are we?" Jimin chuckled, turning off the lights of the room and leaving her door open. "Goodnight, Chaeyoung. I hope you dream with me." he joked before exiting the room and going into his own bedroom.

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Chaeyoung was not dreaming of Jimin but she wished she was. Instead, the birds from earlier were haunting her dream along with the memories of Jungkook's accident. Everything was attacking her at once and she was tossing and turning, the cold she felt vanishing and replaced with heat. Sweat covered her body and she could even feel the clothes she was wearing sticking due to it.

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On the other hand, Jimin hadn't been able to sleep much because of the girl he really liked sleeping right across from him. He was about to give in to sleep until a loud scream knocked him out of his bed and into the direction of his guest bedroom. Chaeyoung was screaming her heart out, body thrashing around as if she was trying to get away from something. "Chaeyoung! It's me, Jimin. I'm here!" He placed his hands on her shoulders, the touch instantly sending a feeling of safety to Chaeyoung, making her wake up and throw herself into his arms. She softly cried until Jimin picked her up and carried her to his room.

Chaeyoung was surprised at first, but just being with him after having experienced such a horrible nightmare wasn't something she would complain about. "A nightmare?" Jimin softly asked. "I-it was about the birds, Jungkook's death, and then the demon coming to kill me in my sleep." Chaeyoung whispered. "I'm sorry, I was the reason you recalled Jungkook's death..." Jimin apologized but Chaeyoung grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it. "No, I needed to remember it in order to remember the fact that I will never stop living. Jungkook sacrifieced himself for me, so I have to keep on living like he wanted me to. I feel better now, much calmer."

Jimin laid down on the bed with her, snuggling under the covers in the already dark room, the only source of light coming from a cute rose nightlight plugged on a nearby wall. "I hope you don't mind sleeping with me in my room. I promise to protect you from the nightmares." Chaeyoung would have had a heart attack because of this but right now her heart was feeling nothing but calm and safe. "Thank you for this...I don't know how I'll ever repay you for your kindness." Jimin bit his bottom lip as his eyes fluttered towards her lips but he didn't want to be that kind of guy.

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They both laid there on the bed, huddling close for both warmth as well as to make sure the other person was right beside them. Despite Chaeyoung feeling safe, she hadn't fallen asleep yet, mainly because she was too busy staring at a sleeping Jimin in front of her. She smiled lovingly as she stared at his face, a finger gingerly tracing his soft features. She giggled quietly when her finger poked his squishy cheek, trailing its way towards Jimin's thick lips.

Her finger trailed his lips, lingering on them more than she probably should have. She remembered how she noticed Jimin looking at her lips before he fell asleep. She knew she wouldn't have the courage to initiate anything if he was awake, so she set her worries aside and leaned upwards to capture his lips with hers. The kiss was short and sweet, moving away enough to whisper a soft, "thank you" before she backed away and snuggled her head onto his shoulder in content, easily falling asleep afterwards. She was completely unaware at the fact that the sleeping boy was in fact not sleeping and that his heart was pounding like crazy at the moment. He opened his eyes, hand raising to touch his lips that had been kissed by Chaeyoung earlier. He had a heavy blush on his cheeks, arms wrapping around the girl in bed with him tightly. He whispered a quiet, "I love you" before finally drifting off to sleep himself.

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Author's Note: 

Hey guys! 

I think this has to be my favorite chapter yet. 

I really enjoyed writing out the bits of backstory left along with a bit more moments for you guys! 

Let me know what you think! 

I'll be writing more tomorrow since it's really late here now! 

See you next time!