Chapter Text
Jimin wakes up as a bundle of nerves and excitement. There’s a jittery smile on his face as he throws the covers off. He feels the morning chill from the autumn air and shivers. It’s not too cold though. Not cold enough for him to need a jacket, but chilly enough to leave him waking up faster than usual. He quickly makes his bed, decides that today is the perfect day to keep everything organized and straight considering it’s his twentieth birthday now.
Twenty.
That held a lot of interesting new things for his life. Drinking was legal, he would be able to attend parties and drink to his heart's desire without the fear of getting caught and possibly kicked out of school for underaged drinking.
And then there was the mark.
The mark that everyone received on the day they became twenty. A mark that would potentially set them up for life.
A red marking meant that someone’s life would be average. While it isn’t easy to achieve fame or have a lot of fortune throughout their life, it isn’t impossible. Attending college could still happen but getting a full-ride scholarship was less likely to happen. It’s one reason why so many people hate that they had to wait until they were twenty to learn which marking they have.
Gold, on the other hand, was a prized marking. It meant fame, wealth, and fortune was a guarantee in life. It was the marking that everyone desired for themselves, their friends and their family. Parents dreamed of it for their kids, especially those who were unfortunately a red mark. Though the chance of Red marking parents having a child with a Gold mark was rare. It did happen though, Jimin remembers someone from their school had that happen.
For Jimin, things could go either way. His dad was born with a Gold mark. He became a world-renowned author at the age of twenty-three and has been writing ever since. It’s how he met Jimin’s mother actually. And though she was a Red Mark, Jimin’s father loved her nonetheless.
He’s not sure what he’ll be. His brother got lucky with his mark, inherited their father’s Gold mark and now he’s also living himself a life of fame. Jimin can only hope and pray it’s the same for him.
Honestly, Jimin is nervous to even head into his bathroom this morning. Luckily, today is a Saturday so he doesn’t have to worry about classes but he still has to get ready to spend the day with his friends and family. Which requires him to actually get ready for the day.
So, he does. He walks towards the restroom. Every step he takes is another spike of anxiety and fear as he wonders whether or not the mark will be Red. It’s not like he’ll be ashamed of his mark if it is Red. Even those who don’t achieve a Gold mark can make a wonderful life for themselves. But still, with his fate not set in stone, he hasn’t a clue what to do or think right now.
Except when he enters the restroom and looks in the mirror, Jimin stops dead in his tracks.
The blood drains from his face as he stares at the mark underneath his left eye. His heart begins to race, his palms grow sweaty and he’s at a loss for words.
A Blue mark stares back at Jimin.
A Blue mark with no story behind it. Or maybe there is one that Jimin just doesn’t understand.
He’s never seen or heard of a Blue mark before and it scares him.
What did it mean? What was his future? Who was he to be?
Jimin exhales a shaky breath as his phone begins to ring out next to his bed. He groans.
This is not how he planned his birthday to go.
Jimin inhales and exhales another breath. He glances towards the main part of his dorm room where his phone is currently ringing but he doesn’t have the strength to walk all the way back and check who’s calling. If it’s important they’ll call again but currently, Jimin’s situation feels like the most important thing ever.
He leans over the sink, turns the water on to its coldest setting and tries to wipe the mark off his face. Maybe Taehyung snuck in last night and attempted to play a trick on him, maybe this was all just one cruel prank and his actual mark is underneath. Yet, no matter how hard he scrubs, even with his hand soap and face wash, it doesn’t come off. It’s stuck there permanently.
This is real.
This is one hundred percent real.
His mark is Blue.
The sound of his phone ringing once again echoes throughout the room startling Jimin. He turns the water faucets off, dries his face with a towel and walks out this time to see who could be calling him. Though he doesn’t find himself surprised when the caller ID shows a photo of him and Taehyung together. He answers the phone almost immediately.
“Hello?”
“Well, good morning birthday boy!” Taehyung’s cheerful baritone voice wafts through the speaker of the device. Jimin has to hold the phone away from his ear to prevent from going deaf as he sits down on the bed. Right now, he’s grateful that Taehyung chose to call him rather than Facetime. He doesn’t want anyone to see the mark. He doesn’t know if anyone should.
Maybe this is just a flaw in the system. A system that Jimin doesn’t fully understand honestly but he’s curious about nonetheless. There’s no logical explanation for his mark to be Blue anyways. Nothing makes sense.
But what if it was something more serious? What if it’s something that no one should know about right now? Even Jimin doesn’t understand it. He doesn’t want to go around flaunting his mark when he’s not sure what it represents.
Maybe he can cover it. He knows he has some make-up underneath the bathroom sink from Halloween. It will hold him over until he’s able to go to the store and pick up some Red face paint to cover the marking up. Should he do Red? Or maybe Gold? Would that be more believable?
“Did you get your mark?” Taehyung questions. Jimin already knew he would. He knew deep down that as soon as he answered his phone that would be one of the first things out of Taehyung’s mouth. Of course he would be anxiously waiting like Jimin. They’ve been best friends since they were children, raised the same way with the same knowledge on marks. Taehyung still has two months until he obtains his.
“I did.” Jimin answers. He can’t lie. At least not about that. Everyone knows that without fail, the mark appears on someone’s twentieth birthday. Taehyung would immediately know something was wrong if he lied and tried to say no. But at least he can pretend the colour. “It’s Red, just like Mom’s.”
The sound of Taehyung sighing on the other side echoes through the phone. Jimin tilts his head to the side in confusion. What did that mean? “I totally thought you were going to be famous.” Taehyung pouts. “We could have ruled the world together!”
Jimin laughs. Of course Taehyung would say that. Both of his parents were Gold marks meaning that the chance of Taehyung being Gold was ninety-nine percent. He and Jimin used to dream when they were younger what they would do if they both had Gold marks. Unfortunately, those dreams won’t see the daylight.
Part of Jimin feels ashamed for lying about the mark to begin with. He’s not sure how he’ll tell his parents either but until he does some research. he’ll play it off as gaining a Red mark. It’s all he can do for now.
The Blue mark is now his little secret.
“Well, Gold mark or Red mark, you’re still my best friend.” Taehyung beams. There’s a little giggle that escapes him. It makes Jimin’s lips curl into a smile. “And as your best friend, I’m taking you out to breakfast before we meet up with your parents. I’ll be over in about twenty minutes, okay? Be ready by then.”
“I still have to shower but I should be ready by then. Just let yourself in if not.” Jimin replies. He stands up from the bed, unplugs his phone from the charger and walks back towards the restroom.
“You know I always do anyways.” Taehyung snorts, “I’ll see you then.”
Jimin stares at himself in the mirror as the line goes dead then. He places his phone on the bathroom counter and immediately begins stripping down into nothing. He’ll have to shower quickly in order to cover up his marking before Taehyung gets here.
He only hopes he plays his cards right.
—♡︎—
Jimin does as much research as the internet will allow him over the next few weeks. Everyday he's searching through the internet, sometimes he’s in the library trying to subtly look at books about marks without getting questioned. And everytime he comes up empty-handed. Why didn’t anything have information about a Blue mark? What did it mean? Was Jimin the first person to ever receive one? Maybe this was a new thing. Almost like when new generations come into life. It’s a new mark and he’s the first. Maybe others have the same thing and they’re all afraid to talk about it. Maybe they’re all hiding.
Or…maybe Jimin is the only one.
Either way, he’s slowly going crazy and hating that he has to wake up earlier than usual simply to cover his mark with red make-up. His supply is almost out and he really doesn’t want to take another trip to get more but he knows eventually he’ll have to.
He’s in class right now. Waiting patiently—or rather, impatiently—for class to end so he can return to his dorm and read another book he picked up from the library. He’s sure the librarian working is starting to grow concerned for him because of how many he’s checked out over the last couple of weeks.
He’s tapping away at the desk with his pencil, his mind drifting off somewhere far away when Taehyung nudges him in the arm. He almost faces plants into the desk but catches himself. Taehyung earns himself a glare but he motions towards a group of people watching something on their phones.
“Do you think this is true?” One of the students asked a question. The others surrounding the phone merely shrug as a response. Jimin tilts his head in curiosity.
“What’s going on?” Jimin asks. The question is directed towards Taehyung but it’s loud enough for the others to overhear it too. Even the professor teaching the class stops her lesson.
“Haven’t you heard the rumors?” One of the students wonders—Irene, if Jimin remembers correctly. He doesn’t pay much attention though honestly. He’s just trying to graduate.
“Or the news?” Joy, the student beside Irene, adds.
Jimin shakes his head. He’s been so focused on figuring out his mark that he hasn’t paid attention to the real world in quite some time. Whatever they’re talking about is complete news to him.
“Even I know what they’re talking about and I don’t even watch the news,” Taehyung scoffs. He shakes his head but Jimin knows it isn’t in a demeaning way. Still, he focuses on his classmates sitting in front of him waiting for some sort of explanation as to what’s going on.
“Apparently there’s new marks in the world.” Joy begins explaining. Jimin’s eyes widened. New marks? Did that mean he wasn’t going crazy? His mark was just new? It’s common. Something that he won’t have to hide anymore then?
Part of him feels overjoyed for a moment, until Joy continues.
“There’s been rumors that those who have a Purple mark have developed magical powers.”
Taehyung pouts, “Wait but that would be so cool!” He whines. “I want a Purple mark too.”
Purple would indeed be cool, Jimin thinks. But it isn’t what he has. And marks can’t be changed. Whatever you get on your twentieth birthday is the mark
you have the rest of your life.
“Any other colours?” Jimin wonders. “Like yellow? Or…what about blue? Have there been any sightings of those with Blue markings?”
“That’s the crazy part and it adds more to the rumor,” Irene speaks up. Jimin’s eyes narrow in on her. Her mark is Gold and honestly, he could definitely see her becoming a singer or something if she chose to go that route. “The new reports that someone with a Purple mark was able to tell there were other colours.”
“What do you mean?” Jimin’s mind is getting all fumbled now. None of this makes sense anymore. Maybe he really should have paid attention to the news earlier.
“Settle down, students.” The Professor speaks up. She sighs and sets her markers down on the ledge of the board. The lesson being taught is now a loose thought. “Everyone is supposed to know this anyway so I’ll explain some things. Professors like me and others who deal with students on a daily basis are meant to be on the lookout for those who have a different colour mark.”
The room quiets down immediately. All their eyes linger on the Professor as she explains things. “What Joy and Irene were explaining is true. A few months ago, the first ever sighting of a new colour mark appeared. A Purple mark. The person who holds that mark has been seen with magical abilities now.”
Gasps echo through the room. Even Jimin is amazed learning that this is true. What type of magical powers did they receive? How cool would it be to wake up one your birthday with powers? He can’t help but wish it were him.
“Luckily, the person was very helpful and has been informing the officials on how many more other colours there are. That’s what their power ended up being, almost like a messenger of sorts to prepare the world for the new marks coming.”
Taehyung raises his hand then. The Professor calls on him immediately. “So, if they can tell how many of each new colour there will be, do you also know?”
The Professor shakes her head. “The only one we’re absolutely sure about is the Blue mark.”
The Blue mark? What about it? Jimin pays attention more attentively.
“While these other colours are all surprisingly new, Blue marks have been around for quite some time now. There’s books, records that are classified, stating a few generations back about those with a Blue mark.”
Classified books? Records? No wonder he couldn’t find anything. That meant the book back at his dorm would be useless too. At least now he won’t have to spook the librarian out even more.
“A Blue mark represents Royalty.” The Professor says. “And according to the Purple Mark, there’s only going to be two people with that mark. They’re extremely rare and we need to find them.”
Jimin feels like his heart has just stopped.
He’s Royalty?
Royalty? As in…Prince Park Jimin? Is that what they’re talking about? This was absolutely absurd. It couldn’t be true and yet…yet why would they lie?
Only two people in the world have Blue marks? If Jimin is one, then who’s the other? And why are they trying to find them?
The blood from Jimin’s face drains. He’s pale as can be.
He’s never felt so sick and scared in his life.