The Forbidding Hadalpelagic Zone | TaeJin

50. One Good Reason...

"I didn't believe it was you..."
 

Jin's eyelids fluttered unsteadily. He fidgeted his fingers at the hem of his shirt and had his gaze fixed on the ocean stubbornly. From his peripheral vision, Jin could see Taehyung drawing patterns on the sand with his index finger, while having his eyes on the sea as well. They were sitting at the shore, facing the sea with a comfortable distance between them. Both had remained quiet for a long time, until Taehyung decided to break the silence.
 

"Six years... huh... close to eight years now, right?", Taehyung began in a steady voice, "I woke up with a lot of dreams and desires that morning. It was an important day in my life. It was the first work assignment from my father and I was confident that I was going to sign off the deal successfully that evening. I had imagined my father introducing me proudly to the world that his only son had succeeded in getting the most profitable business deal signed off within a span of two months. How proud and happy a parent would feel!!", Taehyung smiled to himself.
 

"And... and... I believed that I had got my baby for myself that day... my Ken...", Taehyung whispered in a dreamy tone.
 

Jin flinched at the name. Among all the identities he had had in the past, Jin considered Ken as the darkest one. Out of all the crimes he had committed, conning Taehyung was his most unforgivable offence. A lot many people would call him an unrepentant sinner, as he showed no remorse or regret for what he did to Taehyung. He had not actually apologized to Taehyung for betraying him. He had never been polite or respectful towards Taehyung. Despite being the one with all the flaws, he had never once tried to make it up to Taehyung. And yet, at the end of the day, it was Taehyung who had flown across the continents to come for someone as worthless as him.
 

"I felt bad... upset, like a kid who was denied his favorite candy, because I couldn't see you the first thing that morning after we had gotten together. Then I worried about your health. I felt guilty that I had been insensitive enough to sleep peacefully, while you must have suffered in pain after our night together. I scolded myself for not taking care of you that morning and letting you go to work", Taehyung paused and clicked his tongue,
"Tsk... That's what I thought... that's what I wanted to believe that you had woken up early and left me behind in the hotel room to go to work..."
 

Jin had a vivid memory of that morning, but he wondered if he felt any pain. Oh, the pain was definitely there, unbearable even, excruciating pain indeed... the kind of pain that tore him apart inch by inch, the kind of pain that squeezed the air out of his lungs, the kind of pain that seeped through the last of his nerve ends and set his body ablaze with guilt and resentment for himself, the chronic pain that never got cured and haunted him until that very moment.  
 

Jin averted his gaze from the ocean and looked down at the sand near his feet. Tears gathered in his eyes, as the painful memories of the past rushed to his mind. Taehyung's sleeping face, which he had treasured in his memory before leaving the room, was still fresh in his mind along with the image of the happily smiling Taehyung when he had left for the contract renewal event eighteen months back. Jin bit back a choked sob, schooling his expressions on time to not reveal his sorrows.
 

"I wanted to see you so badly. I wanted to drag you back to the hotel room, so that I could pamper you and care for you. I had so much to tell you... like, how much I loved you, what kind of dreams I had for us.... I wanted to assure you that you had me henceforth, and you need not work in five different places without proper food or rest. I wanted to promise you that I would never let you feel lonely, and with me you need not fear anything or anyone, because I was going to be with you forever.... forever...", Taehyung smiled sadly, poking the sand mindlessly with his index finger, as the word tasted bitter in his mouth.