make it right.

v.

It had been three days since the warehouse incident. Yet things went as normally as they were. Taehyung was working his way out through this week's pile of workload, walking out the room to get a stronger signal for the call he currently on. Subconsciously, he swept a glance downstairs, and noticed Minra and Minwon, seated on the table, eating in silence. Not paying much thought, he returned his attention to the call.

Finishing the last of his tasks, he came down a little late than usual for dinner. The three maids went about the kitchen, rehating food. He heard the eldest, Miwoo instruct the others, "Don't keep it inside, somonim hasn't eaten yet."

"Wait a minute.", all three women looked up at him. "I'll eat some time later, along with her.", they nodded unquestioningly. He was grateful they ddin't question his decision. Besides, he didn't want them to reheat everything twice. It was for the better.

To kill time, he walked across the corridor, adorned with several photographs hung on the walls. Heavy, dark greyish-golden frames of all sizes showed different glimpses of people.

He saw Jisoo in her teenage years, a sharply contrasting twinkle in her eyes, a carefree joy painted on her face. There was a click of Minwon and Minra not long after their birth. Taehyung's brows furrowed in realisation. He turned back once, unsure but decided against it. Yet, the younger maid, Hajin, noticed and walked over.

Seeing her he slowly worded his question, "There are no pictures of Jisoo-ssi's husband?"

He noticed the colour drain from her face, "Jisoo somonim never married." Taehyung stepped back a little, registering it fully. "I see." So she wasn't married? Then had she adopted her kids? Only to deprive them of affection? No, there were pictures of the newborns. Then did the actual father leave before the wedding? Could he be that imbecile Jiwoo mentioned?

"Her parents, where do they stay?"

"The older madam passed away last year. And so master moved away to Norway, dealing with his Laboratories there. He couldn't sit in the same house where he'd seen his beloved wife give up her last breath. Since then it has been only madam and the kids here." Taehyung nodded as a sting of sadness crept up his chest. He knew that pain, it had been five years since his father left him behind but the wound in his heart seemed fresh as ever.

Could it be that the grief caused Jisoo to become so isolated?

Confused, he continued pacing past the pictures in the corridors. There were three to four recurring faces, but he recognised and concentrated on only one. Slowly, he noticed something. Something about Jisoo. In pictures only 3 years ago, he examined her face—it was fuller, softer and chubbier. Then the picture from from year ago: her features grew sallower, sharper.

Since around the time her parents left.

His heart twisted. This was not natural, clearly. It was her. Jisoo has been doing this to herself—not giving a damn about herself, not taking proper rest, not even eating adequately.

Ten minutes later Jisoo came out her room, and Taehyung pretended he'd come out a few minutes ago. At mealtime, Taehyung paid extra attention to Jisoo's meal. And truly, there was so little of everything! She consumed everything in minute portions; how did that even sustain her?

He wanted to scold her, and make her eat up more food, but who was he? Why was he so excessively worried about her? He might know, deep inside. But what would Jisoo interpret? And so, with fists clenched, he contained himself.

He looked up intently at her. His mouth opened up twice as he contemplated to ask at least one of the million questions he wanted her to answer. Jisoo noticed his hesitancy and mustering courage, spoke up. She somehow wasn't so hesitant in telling the truth to the man in front.

"What is it that you want to ask me?", his figure sagged a little at being caught, Wordlessly, he lowered his eyes and licked his lips.

"About how I behaved that day? Why I seem uncaring about everything? What exactly makes me such a cold bitch to my son and daughter?"

His eyes stared into hers. There was no burning curiousity to hear her whole narrative like the one she usually came across. His silence made her skin crawl.

"I want to know why you seem so hard on yourself. Why it seems to me you have huge pains behind that facade.", his words were so soft, it nauseated her. She scoffed slightly, "The answer's same anyway."

"Three years ago, I was raped.", she was surprised at how flat her voice came out. She had hardened herself well, appearing unaffected in reminiscing the incident.

Taehyung's cutlery clattered against the ceramic plate. His face was aghast. All words crammed up in his throat, not even one making its way out. Something sickly stirred in his stomach.

Jisoo noticed and half-scoffed and smirked. She was faced with the same reaction too many a times. To the point where she didn't know if the person in front faked sympathy or genuinely meant it. Taehyung stared hotly into nothingness, she could almost hear his mind whizzing.

"Yes, around the place we went that day. I was snatched by a gang of ruthless fuckers."

Around an year of my life went to ruin in recovery and pregnancy. Everything was a big hot mess. My studies, career plans, social life, everything was damaged. I'm still making amends."

Taehyung wondered why she didn't let go of the kids then itself, but she answered herself. "My parents forced me, they couldn't let two lives get extinguished so easily. They said the kids were my blood." He noticed how she gritted her teeth.

"How do you think I am supposed to love them when they crumbled everything of mine by simply taking birth?"

"My mother used to take care of her grandchildren till about an year ago. She passed away. My dad moved to Norway to handle his business better from the headquarters there.", she then gave a light shrug as if to say 'and that is how I'm in this current state, a complete mess'. Jisoo's face fell at the mention of her mother. Her very sweet, very beautiful, very caring, very serene, and very dead mother. She missed her painfully with every breath she took.

"I don't really care anymore now.", she said, referring to her incident from three years ago.

Taehyung was frozen, stuck in his position. The eerie silence was tarnished by the muffled screeching of the plate on the table. "Ah, but my appetite's dead now.", she said with dry humour and left.

Taehyung badly wanted to tell her that was no reason to hate her children, no explanation to punish them with a lack of warmth. But he could see she tried. Putting himself in her shoes, he tried to figure out her mindset. And the pain he felt was only a thousandth of what she must have experienced. At such an age of uncertainty and confusion, she was pushed into literal gates of hell. He could draw out one conclusion: she needed healing, guidance and most importantly,

warmth; love.

And somewhere in his deepest conscience he already knew,

he would willingly end up doing that.

published: 22/08/23

1197 words

~sid.