Heaven ➳ Taegyu ✔

51. Fallen

Beomgyu looked all throughout the school, finally stopping at the small staircase that led to the roof. When he opened the door, his heart sank when he saw Taehyun sitting on the edge of the roof.

"Tae-" he inaudibly whispered, too afraid to get his attention like this. Taehyun was looking down at his hands. He didn't notice Beomgyu, and the older preferred it like this for now. He was so focused on actually finding Taehyun that he didn't think about what to say when he found him.

He wasn't good at comforting people, as much as he liked to think he was. Especially someone who was in such dire need of saving. He couldn't imagine what Taehyun has gone through. And even after all that, the little bit of hope added to his life got ripped away from him.

It wasn't Taehyun's fault he was violent. It was his father's. He grew up thinking that violence was the answer to everything. Anger, sadness, whatever it may be. He was taught that it was okay to get his anger out on other people. He only ever hurt anyone who did him wrong first, and now he was being badly punished for it.

"Taehyun," he said without thinking. Taehyun visibly stopped moving, but he didn't tense up at all or turn around, leading Beomgyu to walk over quietly and sit down next to him to give him a side hug. He didn't realize Taehyun was crying until he heard a sob and he fought with everything he had not to start sobbing with him.

"I'm so sorry," Taehyun shakily whispered. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I fucking hate myself." He kept spewing negative words, but the line "I should've fallen before you showed up" is what got Beomgyu.

He gasped and quickly pulled away to look into Taehyun's eyes. "Kang Taehyun, don't you ever say something like that again, do you understand me? I know it hurts, okay? Everything fucking hurts you and I can't stop it. You don't deserve that. You don't. So don't act like you're at fault for everything that's happened today or in your life. Please don't do that to yourself."

"He's dead." Beomgyu looked down. "Somebody killed him in prison. I just... I can never get a break, can I?"

"What do you mean?" Beomgyu asked. "Isn't it a good thing?"

Taehyun shrugged. "In some way, yeah. It was just nice to know I have a parent, even if he sucked."

Beomgyu's heart started racing and he looked at the door where Nari and Hwayoung were standing. "Taehyun, there's someone here I need you to meet." He gently helped him up, watching Taehyun's face closely when his eyes landed on the two of them.

"Nari?" He asked. "Who's this?"

Hwayoung smiled and walked over to hold her hand out. "I'm Hwayoung."

"Are you like... a therapist of some sort?"

She laughed a little bit and shook her head. "I'm not allowed to be according to the mental institution because I'm a psychopath." His eyes widened, but she just smiled to calm him down. "The only time I was ever violent though was when your father tried to hit me while I was pregnant with you. I never tried to defend myself until you came along. And then he said I hit him, and since I was already diagnosed with psychopathy years prior, they assumed I was a violent psychopath. And then they made me go to a mental institution right after giving birth to you."

Beomgyu was shocked by the story, Nari was sad hearing it told again, and Taehyun just stared at her for a while.

"You- wh-what are you talking about?"

"Your father lied. I didn't die while giving birth to you. Obviously. I'm right here!" She exclaimed happily while spinning around.

"She's telling the truth," Beomgyu said. "You may not see it, but you look just like her."

Taehyun looked down for a moment and then slowly walked forward to lean his head on her shoulder. "It's really you?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's me."

His arms immediately wrapped around her and once again, he was sobbing. Beomgyu looked at them and smiled.

Taehyun would be okay.