Loving The Wrong Man (SD) ➸ Taekook ✓

- Forty-second -

Taehyung sank back heavily into his chair, staring at the ceiling. Mountains of documents had piled up on his desk, but that was the least of his worries. Every time he tried to get down to work, his heart clenched and his mind wandered.

One week.

It had been a week since Jungkook had left. And he hadn't heard from him since. But he'd tried everything. He'd first called him, harassing him for the first two days, without ever getting a reply. He left several messages, both written and voicemail, but the teenager remained silent.

He then went to his house. He still remembered the address to which he had driven him the night they met, but the house was empty. He'd been there twice, two days in a row, but to no avail. He'd also tried his school, but the result was the same: Jungkook hadn't been there since that famous incident. And now he was panicking.

He was worried sick about the teenager. For a week now, all he could think about was Jungkook. What if something had happened to him? What if... what if he'd done something to himself? Taehyung knew that the boy was particularly emotional, and given the way his mother had treated him, he was afraid he'd done something stupid...

"No, stop it, Taehyung." he ordered himself. "Jungkook wouldn't have done that, you're always imagining the worst..."

Especially as there was still a solution. He'd already considered it but preferred to check his other hypotheses first.

Jin.

Taehyung didn't know all the details, but he knew that Jungkook and his uncle had a close relationship. There was a good chance that the teenager had gone back to him, and if that was the case, Taehyung would be reassured. What he wanted most of all was to know that he was safe. The rest would come later.

After a moment's hesitation, the man reached for his mobile, flipping through his contacts to the one called "Seokjin". He stared at it for a moment, wondering if it was really a good idea. After all, Jin had every reason to be angry with him. He had entrusted Jungkook to him, and the boy had ended up injured, both physically and mentally. He hadn't been able to protect him or stop his mother from kicking him out. He was as guilty as she was.

But he needed it. He was prepared to take all the blame in the world if he could be sure that Jungkook was safe. Nothing else mattered.

He decided to call, bringing the mobile to his ear and inwardly praying that Jin would answer.

***

Jungkook was lying in bed, staring into space, devoid of the slightest emotion. The room was pitch black, and only the sound of his breathing broke the silence that filled it. He had hardly moved since he arrived here, and was barely eating. He had no desire to do anything, just to cry his eyes out and, when he had no more tears, disappear forever.

As he closed his eyes to try and get back to sleep, even though sleep hadn't wanted to come for several days, someone knocked on the door. Jungkook reopened his eyes and turned his gaze towards the door which, after a few seconds of waiting without any response, opened. Jin and Namjoon appeared in the doorway, concern evident on their faces. Jin had a plate in his hand and Jungkook winced as he realised what was expected of him.

"You need to eat something, Kook." sighed his uncle as he approached the bed.

"I'm not hungry..." replied the boy in a whisper.

Namjoon came over and tenderly stroked his hair.

"Just a little, sweetheart. Do it for us... Please..."

Jungkook wanted to refuse again, but his uncles' pleading looks made him crack.

"All right."

The two adults seemed delighted, and they both helped him to straighten up. Jin wanted to help him eat, but his mobile rang at the same time.

"Go on, darling, I'll take care of him..." Namjoon whispered to him, taking the plate from his hands.

"No, it can wait..."

"Jin..."

Jin gave in under his husband's insistent gaze. He kissed his nephew on the forehead and left the room with a heavy heart. When the door closed behind him, he took his phone out of his pocket. And he realised that perhaps he had done well to take that call now. Because he knew he has to talk to this person, and the sooner the better. He picked up the phone as he moved away from the door, going into his own room.

"Hello, Taehyung?"

The other didn't answer immediately.

"Jin? Am I bothering?"

The man frowned.

"Um, no... Can I help you?"

"Ah, er, yes... How can I put this... uh ..."

"Is Jungkook at my place? If that's what you want to ask, yes, he is."

He heard a sigh of relief at the other end of the line.

"You sound relieved." Seokjin remarked.

"You have no idea. I was so afraid he'd... Well, forget it. How's he doing?"

Jin bit his cheek. He could feel the concern in the thirty-year-old's voice, and he was reluctant to tell him about the boy's condition.

"Jin?"

"He's bad. He's really bad." he finally said.

Silence.

"I need to see him." Taehyung hissed at the other end of the line.

Seokjin sighed.

"He's not really up to seeing you." he admitted. "But I've got something else for you."

"W-Which is?" Taehyung asked, disappointment evident in his voice.

"I think you and I have a lot to talk about."

Another silence. It had to be said that Jin was particularly intimidating, and Taehyung was actually scared to death, both for Jungkook and for himself.

"Would you like to meet up?"

"Yes, I think that would be ideal." Jin agreed.

"Ok..."

They quickly exchanged a date and a place. Taehyung wanted to see him as soon as possible, even if it meant incurring the man's wrath. He had to convince him to let him see Jungkook. He was far too worried about him, especially after what Jin had just told him.

"Right, I'll leave you to it." Seokjin finished. "I have to go and see Jungkook."

"Y-Yes, I understand... See you tomorrow then..."

"Hm."

He hung up immediately, but didn't move. He finally rubbed his face before going back to see his nephew, and the sight that greeted him when he opened the door broke his heart.

Jungkook was in Namjoon's arms, sobbing on his shoulder.

"If you'd seen her, Joon, I'd have disgusted her!" he cried. "I-I knew she hated me, but... but it's so hard..."

Namjoon didn't know what to say, simply stroked his back, his face pained.

"I know they both hate me... He didn't say anything, but I'm sure he hates me now too... What if he thinks I really assaulted these guys...? Everything but this..."

His tears redoubled as he imagined the disgust on Taehyung's face. The pain of his injuries was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He had come to feel ashamed of living.

And Jin couldn't stand that.