The Most Beautiful Moments In Life

Chapter 8: Make It Right

June 2nd, Year 22

They waited until their father left for work to start planning. The siblings were rather quiet this morning, almost as if they were afraid that uttering a word would shatter any chance they had to get this right. Eunhye helped Taehyung get pictures of all his still-fresh injuries, getting pictures of his battered face, throat, back, chest, arms, and even the dark bruises on his left leg. Eunhye took no joy in making Taehyung expose his injuries to a camera, but they both knew it was their best move.

The two of them agreed that they should also take photos of their living conditions. Eunhye's phone was the one they decided should keep all the photos they took since Taehyung was often prone to drop his phone. Eunhye took pictures of the dozens of empty bottles which had previously been filled with various kinds of alcohol, moldy wallpaper that he had neglected to replace, the dinky mattress the two of them had to share, and the near empty fridge that the two of them barely managed to put things in.

"This feels weird," Eunhye said, "showing people how bad our lives have been." Taehyung nodded quietly.

"I don't know what I'm going to do when the news gets out," Taehyung added. Eunhye hummed her agreement.

"My friends won't be happy," she said. Taehyung thought about his friends. How surprised would they be? Would they be mad at him for keeping it a secret all this time? He supposed he'd find out soon enough.

"It's good we're doing this, though. It's about time we stood up for ourselves," Taehyung tried to reassure. Truth be told, he was terrified. Ever since he'd fought back against his dad, his father's violence towards him had increased tenfold. He knew getting the video evidence was necessary. He could push past his fear for now.

"Okay, these are what I got," Eunhye motioned for Taehyung to come check her phone. He watched as she swiped through every picture she took.

"That's good," he gave her a thumbs up.

"So... how do you plan to provoke him?" Eunhye asked hesitantly. Taehyung was quiet for longer than he meant to be. Eunhye ducked her head so she could meet his eyes. Taehyung smiled.

"You look silly right now," he teased. He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Hey! You're messing it up!" She complained with a laugh as she pushed his hand away. Taehyung giggled quietly. The sweet moment was short lived, however, as the two of them remembered what they were doing. Taehyung sighed, knowing Eunhye would be waiting for his answer.

"I think the best way to provoke him right now would be to knock over one of his beer bottles. If accidentally breaking a glass yesterday was enough for him to choke me out, then it will definitely work twice. That's what I'm thinking," Taehyung explained. Eunhye listened carefully.

"Let's not do it tonight, Taehyung. Maybe you should let yourself recover a little before you do anything," she requested. Part of Taehyung wanted to just get it over with tonight, but the other half wanted to push it off as long as possible.

"Are you sure? I can do it tonight," Taehyung asked. Eunhye nodded.

"I'm sure. Let's wait a couple days," she answered. Taehyung wanted to relax, but he found that he couldn't; not when he knew what was to come. But he smiled for Eunhye's sake.

Taehyung thought about his friends. Would they forgive him for how unkind he'd been lately? Would they understand that he'd been struggling? Taehyung felt sorry. He recalled the things he said a few days ago when he pushed Jimin to the floor. He remembered how he yelled at Hoseok and how he brought up the orphanage worker who had practically raised him. Taehyung knew how sensitive Hobi was about her cancer, and yet Taehyung still used it against him. He felt ashamed of himself. What kind of friend does something like that? He knew he should apologize. Taehyung pulled out his phone and dialed Hoseok's number.