His skin was pale as newly fallen snow, his hair was blonde as newly bloomed daffodils, and his heart was warm as a newly begun spring.
If Jeongguk was snow, then Taehyung was hail.
Yet there they were, hot and cold, yin and yang, with their heart...
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You can never run from the truth, only accept it and change it gradually.
•*•
Jeongguk was on my mind. Look for it.
I decided to listen to him and do as he advised me. That was the least I could do after lashing out on him, right?
I walked up to the attic. Each tenant had a little storage room there, although ours was probably empty. Mom wasn't the type who saved memories—they were wiped out by alcohol.
I stared into our room. There was only one box.
I walked towards it and crouched down in front of it. I roamed through the box and found old toys, Christmas stuff, and pictures of mom and me.
I looked at my mom. I let my fingers glide over the laminated paper, gently tracing her face. She was a different person back then.
My eyes drifted off to the bottom of the box and they widened. I let out a gasp as I put down the photo and grabbed the birth certificate. My eyes quickly skimmed through the paper with a rapidly beating heart and my breath hitched as I stilled.
My dad's name is Unknown father.
I knew it. I breathed out a heavy sigh as I let the paper fall. I plopped down on the floor and ran a hand through my messy, black curls in frustration.
Try again.
I opened my black eyes at the thought of Jeongguk's words. I bit my lip and looked through the pile of photos again, small glimpses of a different life coming into sight once in a while.
Two photos stick together and I carefully pull them apart, eyes growing more curious.
Mom and a Korean man. Standing with their arms around one another.
I gasped loudly and jumped up onto my feet, tripping slightly. I stormed down and into our living room with mom on her usual spot: the couch. I held the photo in front of my mom's face. "Who's this?"
She grunted and rolled her head on the red couch, just like she always did when I talked to her.
"Is he my dad?" I asked as I raised my voice slightly. She sighed.
"Answer me!" I ordered, voice deep.
"Hey, take it easy, brother." I glared over at stepdad number 15 with dark, black eyes, snarling. He quickly shut up and looked away, busying himself with something random.
I looked at my mom again, shaking the photo. "What's his name?" My voice hadn't lowered the least, only grown in volume.
She moved her hands up to cover her ears slightly as she cried out a tired groan. "Kim..."
"Kim what?" I tapped my foot impatiently.
"Kim... Sungil, I think. No, wait. 's Jangil... Kim Jangil."
I stared at her. Kim Jangil. She had known it all along.
"Why've you kept it hidden from me?" I asked, voice shaky from the feeling of betrayal.
Mom shook her head and waved a dismissive, slight hand. "We were drunk. I only met him once." She sighed and buried her face back into the couch. "It was easier to let Social Services take over."
I felt my heart clench as a lump formed in my throat. My dad was not Social Services. "So, my real name is actually Kim Taehyung?"
"I guess..." Her mumble was muffled by the cushions of the couch. I hugged the photo tightly in my hand and nodded shortly, before hurrying out of the living room, mixed emotions filling my body.
