𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 t𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ||T.K||

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Jungkook was quietly carrying a heavy basket of laundry through the dim hallway, careful to keep her eyes down, hoping to finish her chores unnoticed. She had almost reached the end of the hall when she heard a familiar snicker behind her. Her heart sank. She didn't need to turn around to know it was her cousins.

"Well, well, look who's here, our little housemaid!" one cousin sneered, stepping in front of her and blocking her path.

The others quickly joined, surrounding her with crossed arms and smirks plastered on their faces. Jungkook tried to shrink back, gripping the basket a little tighter, hoping they'd lose interest if she just ignored them. But they weren't going to let her go that easily.

"Do you think your dad even remembers you're still here?" another cousin asked with a mocking tilt of her head. "Or do you think he just sees you as some invisible maid, huh?" The others burst into laughter, leaning closer, clearly entertained by the hurt that flashed across Jungkook's face.

"Oh, don't look so sad, Jungkook," one of them chimed in, feigning sympathy, only to let her face twist into a smirk. "It's not like you've got anyone to care about you, anyway. I mean, your mother couldn't even stick around for you. And as for your dad... well, he acts like you're invisible for a reason, doesn't he?"

Jungkook bit her lip, fighting the sting of tears. She'd heard these words too many times, yet they cut just as deeply as the first time. Her silence only encouraged her cousins more, though. They looked her over, eyes narrowed, as though scrutinizing a strange specimen.

"Look at those eyes," one cousin said, leaning in close enough for Jungkook to see her cousin's expression of disgust. "Dark and weird... nothing like ours. Actually, nothing about you matches with us, does it? Maybe that's why you don't belong here."

The others nodded, smirking and whispering to each other as if Jungkook were a puzzle they couldn't quite figure out. She knew they were right in a way; her deep brown eyes, so different from their lighter ones, only set her apart more in a household that barely acknowledged her existence. She wished she could melt into the floor, disappear, anything to escape their judging stares.

"Such a plain look, too," another cousin added, giving her a once-over with a critical eye. "No wonder no one's ever going to notice you. Or... maybe you get it from your mother, you know?" she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "It's not like anyone misses her, either. Must run in the family."

They dissolved into laughter, not caring how each cruel word chipped away at Jungkook's already fragile heart. She wanted to respond, to defend herself, but her voice was caught somewhere between the hurt and humiliation rising inside her.

"Oh, look at her! She can't even stand up for herself," one of them sneered, noticing the tears brimming in her eyes. "What's the point of crying? No one's going to care if you do, anyway. It's not like you have anyone who actually loves you. I mean, come on, you're just here for chores."

Jungkook tried to swallow down the tears, but their words had already cut too deeply. Every reminder of her place in the family, every jab at her appearance, every reminder of her mother's absence, all felt like stones added to the weight she carried alone. With a harsh shove, one cousin pushed past her, knocking the laundry basket out of her hands. Clothes spilled across the floor, and they laughed harder, watching her scramble to pick everything up, clutching the laundry to her chest as if it were the only thing holding her together.

"Good girl," they mocked as they left her kneeling on the floor, struggling to hold back the tears. "Keep doing what you're good for—cleaning up messes, just like the little maid you are."

And with that, they left her alone, snickering as they disappeared around the corner, their footsteps echoing down the hall. Jungkook stayed on the floor for a moment, the scattered laundry surrounding her, her shoulders slumped as the weight of their words sank in. As she gathered the clothes in silence, she realized that, to them, she would always just be a shadow—a presence they tolerated only to mock, never to love.

Jungkook sat on the cold floor of the hallway, numb and motionless, her gaze blank as she clutched a piece of crumpled laundry to her chest. Outside, she looked calm, almost lifeless, but inside, a storm raged—a storm of pain, resentment, and loneliness that threatened to tear her apart from within. Every word her cousins had hurled at her replayed in her mind, each insult digging deeper into the wounds she tried so hard to hide.

Just then, her father's heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. She stiffened, quickly lowering her gaze, hoping he'd pass without noticing her. But his footsteps stopped abruptly, and she felt his cold stare on her.

"What do you think you're doing, sitting around like this?" he barked, his voice echoing harshly in the quiet hallway. "Are you really this useless? There's work to be done, and here you are, wasting time, acting like some victim. Pathetic!"

Jungkook's fingers tightened around the laundry, but she didn't dare look up. She knew better. Looking him in the eye would only make things worse.

"Do you have any idea what a burden you are?" he continued, his voice rising with each word. "If it weren't for you, my wife might still be alive. You've done nothing but bring misery and shame to this family. You're the reason she's gone!"

The words struck her like blows. She had heard them before, but they never hurt any less. Her father's resentment was like poison, seeping into every part of her, filling her with a pang of guilt she could never escape. Her mother's death wasn't her fault—she knew that, somewhere deep down. But his words, his constant blaming, made her question herself. What if he was right? What if, somehow, her existence had cost her mother's life?

"You think you can sit around and feel sorry for yourself?" he sneered, his voice filled with disgust. "No one is here to pity you, Jungkook. You're here because there's no other choice—there's no one else to take you in. And you'd better remember that."

With that, he turned and strode off, leaving her sitting alone in the hall, his words echoing in her ears. Jungkook felt the last bits of strength drain from her as tears slid down her cheeks. She wanted to scream, to release the storm raging inside her, but she had no voice left. She was trapped in a world that blamed her for simply existing, and with every word they threw at her, they pushed her further into a darkness she couldn't escape.

Clutching the crumpled laundry tighter, she pressed it to her chest as though it could shield her from the pain. But no shield would protect her here.