Like a Hostage

Prologue: Live For Me

"They hate me, don't they?" you sigh in defeat, hesitant to look back at your boyfriend whose fingers have gently intertwined with yours. Standing outside his childhood home you hoped for tonight to end differently, preferably with less undertones of passive judgement.

"They hate everyone, so I wouldn't give it much thought," Jungkook assures with a sly grin, wrapping his arm over your shoulders as the two of you walk down to his car.

"But they're your parents, Koo. Don't you want them to like me?" you turn to face his lowered gaze, hands on his chest as your back presses against the door frame.

"Trust me, y/n. I've been fighting for their love my whole life. So, no. I don't really care what they think." he snickers before noticing the pout on your lips.

"And anyways, isn't my love enough for you?" whispers of his voice touch your skin as he leans closer, broad shoulders towering over your form.

"You know it is. But, it would be less nerve-racking if we had their blessings as well," your furrowed gaze looks up at Jungkook's honey-brown eyes that softened at the sight of your flushed cheeks.

"Just give them some time, sweetpea. Okay?" he places a soft kiss on your forehead before tucking a few curls behind your ear.

"Mmhm,"

"Now please get in, I'm starving,"

"What? Are you serious? We just ate," you laugh from disbelief, eyes glued on the boy as he sprints to his seat.

"Y/n, baby, you're too nice. My mother can't cook to save her life. Everything you saw on that table was bought and reheated an hour ago," Jungkook huffs impatiently, turning on the engine before glancing back at your puzzled expression.

"It wasn't that bad. I'm sure she tried her best, Koo. You gotta be more grateful,"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, love. Now please buckle up," he replied with a dimpled grin before finally driving off, his free hand intertwined with yours.

To be honest, you never understood how someone could show disinterest in their parents. Growing up in foster care, you were deprived of every childhood memory. Reaching for your mother's arms as you took your first steps, feeling the warmth of your father's embrace as he comforted your tears after a boy broke your heart. None of that was ever real. Nothing more than a constant reminder of the void in your heart. The shattering pieces of your younger self who cried every night, carving the blame deeper into her tiny wrists for not being good enough. Not worth the trouble of being in your life. So you grew paranoid of being viewed as an inconvenience, craving that lack of parental love from anyone who has shown even a glimpse of affection.

Meeting Jungkook saved you from your breaking point, the night you thought you would go to sleep forever. Sitting on the rails of the Han River Bridge, you thought about the people whose life would be impacted by the loss of yours. In the moment, it was like your mind went blank, consciousness completely obscured by the lack of significance you brought to the world. Unable to fold even one pathetic finger, you felt the tears run down your face as your body shivered in fear. Losing sight of how deep the water went, your breaths became irregular, chest heaving up from the rush of adrenaline in your system. Knowing that this would be your last jump, made it all go away. In the end, nothing ever matters because we all die anyway. Some of us just choose to push their luck and see the afterlife faster than others.

Closing your eyes you whispered a silent goodbye to your parents, wherever and whoever they were. Thanking them for the opportunity to experience life, however shitty it turned out to be. And as you felt your fingers slowly let go of the metal pillars, you took in your last breath before finally finding peace.

"Are you out of your mind?" a male voice pierces through your senseless state as you feel your arm being yanked back.

"What the fuck man? Let go," you snap, body dangling midair as his other arm latches onto you.

"Hold on for fuck's sake," he growls in frustration, digging his fingers deeper into your blue-ish skin as you fight back the friction.

"I don't need your saving." you cry out, unable to control the stream of mixed emotions.

"I'm not doing this for you." his gaze furrows, clenching his jaw as his hand cushions the back of your head before your back hits the cement pavement.

It's true. In the moment, he wasn't saving you. While holding onto your dangling body, all he could see was the sadness in his sister's hollow eyes. He could feel the fear that rushed through her veins as she jumped off of their apartment complex. Alone. Consumed by the darkness of the cold winter night. No one heard her screams, and no one rushed to ease the pain. Unable to swallow down his antidepressants, Jungkook decided to stay the night at his friend's house in hopes of muting the sound of his parent's endless fights. Clueless to the reality of it all, his selfish act of leaving behind the only person who shared his misery. His sweet girl, Jieun. Now, they only see each other in his nightmares. The ones in which he begs for her forgiveness, wishing he could hold her one last time. Hear the laughter coming out of her room as he walks down their shared corridor, only to find it buried with white sheets of dust.

"I was so close ..." you whispered under your breath, bloodshot eyes filled with tears.

"What's the point? The pain never ends," he sighs, resting his head on one of the pillars with his arms around his knees.

"I have no one else. Who do I live for now?" you cry out with a trembling chin.

"Live for me," he whispers, tears running down his cheek as he pictures Jieun in the back of his mind.