Bangtan's Baby | 18+

twenty-one*•°✾°•*the beginning of us

TW: verbal/emotional abuse

Three Years Ago

Li's POV

"Li," Minju voiced angrily, his eyes narrowed into slits. "What the fuck did you do?"

I jumped in my spot, my fingers digging into the front of my thighs. "I'm—I don't know, I was—I just thought that I could—"

"That you could come to my apartment without fucking permission and ruin the entire goddamn kitchen?"

My eyes stung. "I didn't mean to."

"Of course you didn't mean to," he spat out. He gestured around the kitchen with a large sweep of his arms, and I took a step back whether I meant to or not. "I know you have fucking eyes, Li, so take a good fucking look at the shitshow you created."

I couldn't help the tears that burned my cheeks on their way to the floor.

His expression hardened. "I can't get one fucking day without the waterworks." He yanked the pot of food I was cooking for him and sent it flying onto the floor. In the next moment, he hurled a rag at me. "Clean up your fucking mess."

I hated myself when I couldn't stop the downpour from leaving my eyes. I choked on my apologies, trying to spew as many as possible to lessen his fury.

"Shut up," he snarled. "Pick up your fucking mess, and when you're done—" He walked until he crowded my space, and I withered under his looming frame. "You're going to leave my apartment and think twice before coming here without my permission."

I didn't know what I did wrong, but maybe I had done everything wrong. I was going to put the ingredients for the surprise meal I was making for him away, but all out on the counter, they looked jumbled. They looked messy. It was all my fault, and no amount of apologies could make up for it, but I kept apologizing in hopes that they would.

I scrambled to the floor with the rag in hand and cleaned up what was supposed to be his dinner.

"That's where you belong." He laughed harshly. "On the floor. Want to get on your knees for me next?"

I felt so sick.

I wondered how someone could be so cruel, then I wondered what I did to provoke that cruelty out of them.

That was the last time I went to his apartment. That was the last time I saw him before ghosting him, unsure how else to tell him I wanted to break up without it becoming another altercation. I was only with him for three months, but it felt like so much longer. He was so kind at first, but his interior began to show, and everything felt so suffocating. I felt so suffocated.

I found the courage to leave, and I never went back.

One day at rehearsals a few months later, I was hurrying to the vending machine near my company building. In my hurry, I almost rushed right into someone. I halted, quickly apologizing and putting distance between us.

He turned slightly, confused, but when his gaze settled on me, he seemed to realize what happened.

He offered a kind smile. "Hey, don't worry about it." He stepped back, giving me access to the vending machine. "You want to go first?"

My eyes widened, and I waved my hands around quickly. "No, no, that's—I couldn't." I motioned for him to go first. "You were here first, and I almost bumped into you. I'm so sorry."

I bowed quickly before resuming my height, taking another step back.

He pushed his hands into his pockets, tilting his head to the machine. "I'm not in a hurry..." He looked at me, and I realized he was waiting for my name, so in a hurried tone, I provided, "Li. I'm sorry, I'm—I'm Li."