Evenstar

47. Pain

After the guard informed him that Taehyung had exited their gate, Chung-Hee grabbed the glass of brandy he had earlier been drinking and threw it hard against the mantel above the fireplace, its fragments shattering everywhere. Everyone around him jumped. They had been on edge since the morning but he just couldn't stop. Dae Eun knew better than to drive by herself, it was a sacred rule in their family. And their staff, how was it that not a single one of them was available to accompany his daughter? He had torn Nana to shreds in front of them. Seeing Taehyung tonight had only made it worse, and he released all his anger on him. Now that he had gone, he regretted it. He had met Taehyung's parents. He was their precious son and he ground him to powder.

"Deok-Su, follow him. He's alone." Chung-Hee felt drained of all his strength and he collapsed on the couch. His head was about to split open and he closed his eyes. Now he had to worry about Taehyung, too. If something happened to this boy, it would be his fault and his daughter would never forgive him. "Cheul-Soo, send someone to follow them."

Deok-Su immediately took his keys and headed to his Volvo. He had been thinking the same thing. He knew his father could be harsh, but he was never irresponsible. Taehyung was visibly distraught. With the heavy rain, it was a dangerous combination. He was also upset about what happened to his sister, but she was safe. He could not say the same about the five girls who tried to harm her. They counter-flowed on a blind curve and a truck was coming down the opposite side. It was a direct hit and their vehicle was no match for the truck. They had been taken to the local hospital and, aside from informing the police of what they had done, he did not bother to inquire about their current state. His only concern now was to make sure that Taehyung got back to Seoul safely. It had been a crazy day and night, but he believed that everything would be sorted out when everyone had calmed down. And as long as all of them were safe everything would be alright.

As soon as he passed their gate, Deok-Su headed for the main highway going to Seoul. It was pouring hard and he drove slowly, but he couldn't find Taehyung's vehicle. It had only been a few minutes. Deok-Su hoped that Taehyung wasn't driving too fast.

*****

Taehyung couldn't stop his tears. There was a heaviness inside him that begged for release - guilt, frustration, pain. The damage he saw on the road was Dae Eun's accident. He didn't know what vehicle she was driving but it had broken the barrier. If she had gone over the cliff she would surely have died. He kept hitting the steering wheel at the thought that his fans had harmed her so violently.

When his phone rang he answered immediately. It was Jungkook.

"Hyung, you took the van? Why didn't you take the driver?" Jungkook was worried because they all had very little sleep and rest during the tour.

"Jungkook, they tried to drive Dae Eun off the road..." He was crying and angry and he didn't sound intelligible.

"Hyung? I don't understand, please calm down. Are you driving?" Jungkook sat up from the bed in his hotel room in Paris. They had just checked in and he was dead tired. He couldn't imagine how Taehyung was still standing.

"These sasaengs tried to force her off the road, Jungkook! She almost fell off a cliff! How can they do this? How has this gotten so bad?" Taehyung was sobbing openly. They had fans that stalked them and invaded their privacy, but they never encountered violence from ARMY like this.

"Hyung, calm down. Are you driving? Pull over if you're driving, please!" He couldn't hear a response over the noise in the background. It seemed like thunder. "Taehyung!"