JK

Sitting in a circle around the coffee table, the seven of us indulged in a leisure exchange of sentiments and adventures as we laid munching on the hot delicacies. The sun had shut down long ago and the cool breeze spilling in through the open curtains dawned upon the living room like a satin quilt. Twinkling stars stayed sprawled across the thick night sky shimmering the world with its glistening tranquility but the peace I felt from being a part of this crowd somehow went deeper. It was something I never thought I'd encounter. The very people I used to despise was now a part of my life and the solidarity intervening my silent bubble made me feel at home when I was with them.

Was I wrong to feel that way? I didn't know. But the bliss that shrouded my sanity didn't let me find out either. All I knew was that I was happy.

A very faint music sneaked up behind our loud laughters as the junior workers, security guards and the maid servants were having their own celebration in the staff quarters behind the main mansion. They were paid by the leader board to have their very own night of escape. So they made all the noises they'd been stifling behind their cold demeanor all this while.

However, on the contrary, the aura inside the mansion had become rather calm. With us seven being the only ones around, we didn't even realize when the loud sniggers dwindled down to soft smiles and genuine emotions began to resurface.

From attacking each other with savage criticism and unveiling each other's quirky secrets, we somehow ended up letting go of our hearts' deepest darkest mysteries. As the night brought us a congenial sense of security, we let go of our guards, slumping in to the flow. And just like that tears began pricking my eyes with an uncomfortable sensation as Jimin narrated his story untold.

"I was a poor kid. After mom's death, dad became too depressed to continue his job with equal sincerity leading him to lose it once and for all. Even after trying in many sectors he couldn't find himself any other decent gig and he ended up working as a gardener for a rich household. Obviously his income wasn't enough and our family of two started suffering. I somehow got into Y/N's school through scholarships but even then, the tuition fees was fairly high for me.

So I decided to earn my way through it. I had a guitar and I started playing music in front of our campus gates after school hours. I thought if I sang to my fellow classmates, they'd appreciate my efforts and help me through my tough times. However, what I didn't expect was that my actions would make my situation worse. The students started disregarding me because I was poor. People refrained from being my friends. Instead of helping me, they started throwing me looks of disgust every time I sang. They commented on my family, my background, my everything and they didn't even bother to do it behind my back. I don't know if they did it intentionally, but they broke me.

But one day, my life changed. I was on the verge of breaking down, I was about to give up when this one girl came into my life. I was about to stop my song midway and wrap things up when a girl came up and stood in front of me with a face smeared with anticipation. I stared at her with confusion for a while but then I realized, she was here for my music!

I once again hung my guitar around my neck. I remember I sang a total of five songs and she sat through all of it. And at that moment my heart was rekindled with hope. I could feel a small smile crack through like a ray of sunshine after a stormy night. I was happy. Even if she was the only audience I had, I was grateful.

That girl changed me, Y/N changed me.

She became my only friend through out my school years and hence, when Y/N was going through one of the toughest times of her life, I didn't think twice before throwing myself to her aid. Soon after, my dad died from a stroke and this Kim Mafia became my only home."

I scooched over to rain my hand down on Jimin's back as the latter teared up through his melancholic reminiscence. Yoongi wasn't kidding when he mentioned everyone having pronounced reasons for their choice of lifestyle. And that made me realize, I'd never heard Jimin sing. Did he give up on his dreams too, just like Y/N did?

"Y/N is the reason that I am alive today" spoke up a zoned out Taehyung, his eyes staring into nothing in particular. No body dared to intervene his little monologue and he continued with his tale.

"Hacking was my dream. Since childhood I'd been dreaming about dedicating my time to computers. I wanted to be a government hacker and help solve cyber crimes. And I studied so hard to make that happen, to make myself worthy. I applied for so many posts but none took me in. My parents started getting agitated of my continuous failure. They accused me of being useless and always compared me to my elder brother who chose to follow their footsteps and became a doctor. And it started to have a toll on me. I began hating my life.

Sometimes I felt like giving in and doing what my parents want but then, the mere thought of letting go of my passion scared me to wits. And amidst all the agony, I though that ending my life was the only solution.

So one fine night I went to a bridge with intentions of jumping off shining bright through my heart. But as I was contemplating on my next move with my legs dangling from the railing and eyes seeing blurry, I heard a voice behind me saying,

"So you think other people's opinions are more important than your own?"

Startled, I retrieved my feet back to safety and turning around I found a girl staring deep into my eyes, Y/N.

"You think ending your life will make things better? Say for instance, you died. The one's that did you wrong will feel guilty, just like you want them too. They'll regret their actions but for how long? Soon they'll forget the grief, they'll move on but you? You won't get a chance to do the same.

But instead if you just hold on a little longer, if you wait till the day you are capable of showing them how wrong they were to judge you, don't you think it'd be more worthwhile than just killing yourself?

No matter how bad people treat you, your ultimate commitment is with your own self. Do you really want to punish yourself for other's wrong doings?"

That day reality hit me hard. Just in an instance I started viewing life with a totally new perspective. Y/N hired me as a hacker in the mafia. This mafia became my home too. The work we do is not good, I know but I won't lose hope. I know the day would come when we'll be able actually help people with our skills, all of us. But whatever it is, I am still grateful to have found Y/N that day. Through her, I found the loving family I never had."

By now I was crying relentlessly. Behind that bright boxy smile of his lied profound pain that he effortlessly hid. It only showed how experienced they were in dealing with emotions that we fear to face.

After a few seconds of silence, all eyes turned to face the man next to Taehyung, Hoseok.

"Well, I was a thief" and he started.

"Growing up in an orphanage, I never knew my parents. Nobody adopted me and the day I turned 18, I was kicked out. All of a sudden I was out in the world, with nowhere to go and to keep up with my dear life, I reverted to stealing. I used to sneak up behind dark places, wait for naive victims to walk by and when I found one I'd follow them like a shadow and snatch away their belongings not caring what they'd go through later.

However, one day, Y/N caught me in the act.

She forced me to return the wallet to the rightful owner who was an old man. The man thought he had dropped his purse and I was a gentleman returning it to him. The deception in my eyes didn't get to him but the appreciation in his got me, and I decided to change. But I still needed help with my survival and Y/N took me in with a bright smile. Finally I had a family to call my own."

Hours passed just like that. With the pent up despair no more the once cold faces morphed into happy smiles, devoid of any latent agony. It was amusing how one could let go of all their resentments just by talking to somebody. And it made me even more determined. These guys had pure souls and I desperately wanted to do something to get them the lives they truly deserved.

Next in line was Y/N herself and catching everybody but me and Yoongi off guard, she let go of the tragedy she held closest to her heart.

"Appa didn't die of illness, he was murdered..."

With all the repressed emotions put forward on the plate out in expose, that night the group slept in peace. A gratifying composure dawned upon the Kim Mansion with the long lost smiles restored. Maybe that's what a right man coming in the right time does. All it took was a genuine smile and an assurance of friendship from his side that crumbled all the grim walls into fine dust rendering the group directly under the rays of hope.

However, unbeknownst to the happy family, two pairs of sardonic eyes lurked behind the bushes, keeping a close watch on the newly formed friends, awaiting just the precise excuse to lunge upon the innocent souls and rip them off of their happiness all over again.

"Yes sir, the intel is accurate, they know about the murder" the informant kept his phone pressed to his ears until a husky voice spoke from the other side of the line.

"That stupid doctor couldn't get his workers to keep their mouth shut, could he? Now that the secret is out, its time we rain the blow and take back what's rightfully mine..."