A MAN TO HONOR

chapter ten

Taehyung

I wake up abruptly from falling down a sofa, I remain motionless on the floor

Where am I?

I blink in confusion cause this place is not my house

I sit down and a strong headache hits me like it's trying to tear my brain in two parts

I massage my forehead as I bite my lower lip cause of the pain

I have no clue where I am and what happened

I slowly stand up to familiarize with the place

My disoriented gaze meets a cacophony of vibrant colors and patterns, unmistakably maximalist with a strong Mexican vibe. The walls are adorned with tapestries depicting intricate floral motifs in fiery reds and oranges, interwoven with geometric designs in deep greens and purples

Bunch of flowers in vases or still in their bouquets spread out on the floor and the table , I notice the bouquet of Texas bluebell that I sent her as well on the table with the lame note that I wrote just for fun

It wasn't even that funny after careful thought

This small living room itself has more decorations, flowers and furnitures than my whole family mansion

My mother would've lost her mind living in a cluttered place like that

And she hates vibrant colors and patterns

It's not giving elegance in her world

I walk towards the wall where a lot of photo frames, certificates and paintings are hanging

Thanks to the soft glow of the mismatched lamps with fringed shades in the room, I can differentiate the shapes and faces in the portraits

on the first photo I discover what appears to be a family photo, a couple sitting on colorful ceramic steps, at their feet are five boys and a little girl, they all look the same, there is no doubt that they all have the same genes

the second photo is the same little girl from the photo before, but a little older, on her face is a radiant smile as she bends down in front of a black foal

" Kailah...Rio " I say in a low voice when I realize

Each frame on this wall immortalizes a moment of happiness in the life of their owners, birthdays, the six little children dressed up for carnival, photos of horses, graduations, competition finals where we see a young, joyful teenager holding her trophy, I find myself smiling at each photo, wondering what it was like to grow up in such a big, happy family

Me and my sister grew up in a family where we always had to stand up straight, we rarely played, we only had to concentrate on school and even at home, we had lessons in good manners, music, dance, literature...we didn't really have a childhood like other children, even if I close my eyes I wouldn't find a moment from my childhood where my mother held me in her arms to cuddle me,  elsewhere, I rarely saw her at home

She was always too busy for me and Tae-hyi, always somewhere in prestigious social events

All our family photos are pre-planned photos, taken in studios on a white background... you will never find a photo of me or my family taken spontaneously like the photos on Kailah's wall

I glance at my watch and it's almost five AM

My eyes widen, surprised

I have to go, I should be at the office by six for a very important meeting

I look around me and there's no way to find my jacket

I guess, I have to go home with just my shirt on