You Need To Survive

His Story (Part 2)

        Taehyung was lost in himself again.
        J-Hope noticed immediately. They had all gone to his favourite restaurant and started a giant food fight. They had gone to a pier where they ran and dunked Jimin into the water. They had gone to the immobile train and walked along the top of it. They spent so much time together.
        When why did Taehyung still feel like this?
        They had all done their best to cheer him up. But he was so deep inside himself that he was lost to them.
        J-Hope encountered Taehyung alone. He tried to talk to him. But Taehyung wouldn't respond.
        J-Hope sighed. "This is about your Appa, isn't it?"
        Taehyung looked up at that, tears filling his eyes. "Yes. He doesn't want me to talk to you after what happened to...to...to hyung. And Eomma's getting worse."
        J-Hope was shocked at that. Taehyung's EOMMA?
        "You're Eomma's getting worse? Is she ill?"
        Taehyung shook his head, then bit his lip and pulled up his sleeve. His scars were fully visible in the moonlight.
        J-Hope gasped, then looked right in Taehyung's eyes. "You're-you're-"
        Taehyung stepped back, aghast. "Why would you come to that conclusion? I'm not cutting. These are Appa's."
        J-Hope's hand flew to his mouth. "Oh...oh..." He then glared at Taehyung. "Why didn't you tell this to us earlier?"
        "I'm sorry...I didn't know how..."
        "Taehyung, we're you're closest friends. Okay, maybe not me, because I'm always in Seoul. But you can tell us anything."
        Taehyung pulled his sleeve back down. "Even this?"
        "Especially this." J-Hope put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder. "Look me in the eye."
        Taehyung looked straight at J-Hope.
        "We are all here for you. Always. No matter what happens. Now tell me. Is there anything else that's going on?"
        Taehung shook his head. "Nothing else." Then he smiled. "Thanks, hyung. Thanks for showing up. I know you have a lot to do in Seoul, but-"
        "Anything for my friends." J-Hope pulled Taehyung into an embrace. Taehyung smiled and patted J-Hope's back. Then they pulled away.
        "Now come on. Let's join the others."

                                                                                                              *        *        *

        "Thanks for dropping me off, Suga hyung."
        "No problem." Suga grinned and drove off. J-Hope leaned out of the window, waving to Taehyung. Taehyung waved back. Then he turned around and looked at the door to his home. Not his home, his prison. His and Eomma's.
        He pulled his hood up and walked inside. He peered through the doorway of the room and saw Appa holding up Eomma against the wall in a chokehold and screaming. A wave of guilt washed over him when he saw that, but he saw Eomma's neck turning purple.
        Appa was going to kill Taehyung's mother.
        A fire of blind fury erupted in Taehyung, and he grabbed an empty bottle. He yelled and ran towards Appa, pulling him to the wall behind him. With burning eyes, Taehyung smashed the bottle into Appa's head. Appa screamed, clutching it. But the fire hadn't died out. Clutching Appa's shirt, he thrust the broken bottle into Appa's stomach.
        As the fire burnt out, Taehyung realized in horror at what he just did. He saw his bloody hands, saw Appa convulsing on the ground, saw Eomma's shocked face. He dropped the bloody shard of glass and stared at Appa in shock. Then he turned and ran away.
        He ran and ran and ran. He didn't stop until he hit a dead end. He clawed at the wall, trying to free himself from what he just did and saw. He sank to the ground, cried, cried, cried.