Heartbound Enemies

2|Pairs

"Is money and grades all that matters to you?" Taehyung's voice was cold and challenging as he pushed his chair back, the legs scraping against the marble floor with a harsh screech.

Mr. Kim didn't even bother to look up from his papers. "What did you just say?" His voice was calm, but the underlying threat was unmistakable.

"I said, is money and grades all that matter to you?" Taehyung repeated, louder this time, his eyes narrowing as he glared at his father. "Because it seems like you care more about that than you do about your own son."

A tense silence filled the room. The bodyguards, stationed by the door, tensed, ready to step in if things escalated. Taehyung's father finally looked up, his expression as hard as stone.

"Careful, Taehyung," Mr. Kim warned, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "You're walking a fine line."

Taehyung scoffed and threw down the piece of bread he had been holding. It bounced off the table, landing on the floor near one of the bodyguards' feet. "I don't care. Go ahead, tell them to come over here and do whatever you want. It's not like you haven't done worse." His tone was defiant, eyes flashing with frustration and a hint of hurt.

The bodyguards took a step forward, but Mr. Kim raised a hand, stopping them in their tracks. "Leave him," he commanded, his eyes not leaving Taehyung's. "If you continue this way, I'll throw you out myself. Don't think for a second I won't."

Taehyung's heart pounded in his chest, but he refused to back down. "Maybe I should leave, then. I'm tired of this. Tired of you treating me like I'm just another one of your investments." His voice cracked slightly, betraying the deep pain behind his words.

Mr. Kim stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. His face flushed with anger as he slammed his fist down on the table, making the dishes rattle. "You ungrateful brat!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the spacious dining room. "Do you have any idea how hard I've worked to get to where I am? How much I've sacrificed for this family?"

Taehyung flinched, but his eyes remained locked on his father's, filled with a mixture of defiance and desperation. "You think I don't know that?" he shot back. "But I'm not a machine, Dad. I'm not perfect. I got a 34 out of 40 on my last exam because I tried. I'm doing my best, but sometimes it's just not enough for you."

Mr. Kim's eyes blazed with fury. "Trying isn't good enough, Taehyung! Not in this world. Not in this family. You have one job: to succeed, to uphold the Kim name. If you can't do that, you're useless to me." He pointed a finger at Taehyung, his voice dripping with venom. "If your grades don't improve, you'll lose your credit card and your place in this house. You'll be on your own, with nothing."

Taehyung's chest tightened, his breaths coming out in short, shallow bursts. The weight of his father's words pressed down on him, suffocating him. For a moment, he felt like he was drowning, the pressure of his father's expectations too much to bear.

He swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in his throat. "Fine," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "Maybe I'm better off without all this." Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the dining room, leaving his father seething behind him.

As he walked through the grand, cold halls of his family's mansion, Taehyung's anger gave way to a deep, aching sadness. He felt like a prisoner in his own home, trapped by the weight of his father's expectations and his own desire to be free. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill over.

He would prove his father wrong. He would find his own way, no matter what it took. But for now, all he could do was keep moving forward, one step at a time.