𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 | VMINKOOK

A Beautiful Fire

"I... I don't know," I said softly.

"You do," my father said, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. "Think and give me your answer."

I pursed my lips as I hesitated to tell my father the things that were really on my mind. I feared he would punish me for the truth, but there was no other option than to be honest. The man could always tell when I was lying, and he could always tell when I was holding back.

Right at that moment I was saved by Taehyung coming into the library, carrying a tray with two cups and a pot of tea. He was shaking, and the porcelain cups trembled right along with his hands, but when I looked up at him with a relieved smile, he seemed to relax just a little.

"Taehyung Kim," my father said, the skin around his eyes tightening. "It's good to see you again, boy. You're looking a bit more cheerful compared to the last time we spoke."

Taehyung shot my father a hurried smile, but it was awkward and fake in the most obvious of ways. He set down the two teacups and poured us both some tea, using two hands to make sure he didn't accidentally spill anything.

Even though the tension in the room was tangible, I couldn't help but stare at my butler in awe and admiration. When he caught my eyes he blushed, and I bit back a smirk at how dashing he looked when he actually had to do his job for once.

"You're dismissed," my father said once Taehyung was done, nudging his head for the butler to leave the library.

Taehyung made a small bow and nearly ran off, but I couldn't fault him for that. He'd just been forced to serve the man who killed his father. I couldn't even imagine the way I'd feel if it were me in his place.

"I'm having trouble finding a balance, father," I said once Taehyung was gone, spilling the truth from my lips as my father willed it. "This house... I am eternally grateful for this house and these people. But back in Calabria, things are so different. It almost feels like I'm being forced to be two people. I have to find a balance, but I don't quite know how..."

My father took his cigarette from his lips for a moment. "Mio figlio, do you think I am the same man with my co-workers, as I am with the men in our family?"

I shook my head. My father could be funny and charismatic when he had to be. And he could be cold and distant when the situation asked for it as well. "No..."

"This is your destiny, Jimin. You must train your mind to learn how to lie to itself, because that is the only way you will learn how to lie to others."

I caught my lower lip between my teeth. "But father, what if I'm not ready? What if I need a little longer to--"

My father slammed his hand against the armrest of the chair. It wasn't in a fit of rage, but it did well at grabbing my attention. It silenced me. "You are unmotivated," my father said. "That is what it all comes down to. I have spoiled you, and now you have lost sight of your future."

"F-father, no, I--"

"But you seemed to have forgotten that I can take it all away. Like a child, being stripped of it's privilege to go play outside with it's friends."

My eyes fluttered as my father's words burned their way deep into my brain. Take it away? I thought. Take them away? I shook my head as a natural response to the idea alone. He wouldn't, I thought. He wouldn't...

"My son, I need to make something very clear to you," my father said, leaning in as though I wouldn't be able to understand him otherwise. I could smell the tobacco on his breath, and it took me right back to my childhood. "There is a path laid out for you. There is a life already waiting, already crafted. All of this around you, my son, is nothing but a distraction. A little play I organised for your amusement. It's a fantasy."