Collateral | Taekook

1. First day

Seokjin's pov :

There are two types of people in this world: those who wake up early and those who sink into their beds like stones, refusing to move until well into the afternoon. While my youngest brother, Jimin, and I see ourselves in the first group, but then there's Taehyung, our middle sibling-he exists in a category all his own.

He's the third type of person, the one who, every night, vows to rise with the sun. Armed with the maximum allowable number of alarms on his phone, he sets them to go off in a relentless rotation. Yet, when morning arrives, he achieves a feat of sorts, pretty excelled in his ability to turn them all off one by one before returning to his dreamland, blissfully unaware of the chaos he leaves in his wake.

This is the first day at university for Taehyung, yet he is still asleep, painting the walls of our home with the grating melodies of his alarm. Blaring and buzzing, the sounds seemed to meld into his slumber like an annoying soundtrack he had long grown accustomed to.

"Tae, wake up! You've only got one hour to get ready," I called out, reaching over to silence the alarm. I tugged at the blanket, hoping to coax him awake. But he clung to it as if it were a life raft amidst a storm, groaning out his usual bargaining line, "Ugh, hyung... just five more minutes! Pleeeassse...? I promise I'll wake up after that."

He had made this promise a dozen times already this morning, like clockwork.

"Why bother setting an alarm for 6 AM if you're still in bed at 8?" I shot back, though I knew the question was pointless.

With a frustrated grunt, he silenced yet another alarm that just went off and rolled onto his side, drifting back into the comfort of sleep. His pattern was almost impressive; alarms every fifteen minutes seemed to be his very own crafted art form, a masterclass in denial.

If it weren't for this infuriating habit, I would have called him the perfect brother. Taehyung has a heart of gold, always understanding, and never troubling me for anything. I already have enough struggles to deal with and I am grateful to this little brat for not making things hard for me.

He is like a thin layer of a warm blanket during the harrowing winters of life. I would have frozen to death long ago if he wasn't there for me. Although he can't take away all my burdens, he is a gentle beacon when everything feels heavy.

But right now, at this moment, this oversleeping idiot is pushing all my buttons. I don't want to deal with his regretful sobbing session when he returns home after a tough day at University because of being late on his first day.

"Tae! Jimin asked Grandpa to drop you off at the bus stop so you don't have to walk. Get up before he changes his mind!" The mention of Grandpa's help seemed to do the trick. In an instant, he shot up like a jack-in-the-box, wide-eyed and startled. Because it is a miracle Grandpa agreed to help us, particularly Taehyung.

"Ugh... Why did Jimin ask him? We should have asked him when we really needed his help in the future." He grumbled a complaint as he tossed his sheets aside and got out of bed. I couldn't help but sigh softly, feeling a mix of exhaustion and understanding as I stepped out of the room. What he said was spot on-if Grandpa helps us out today, we might not be able to ask for his help again for quite a while even if it is an extreme emergency.

I chuckled a little, watching Taehyung shuffle sleepily toward the common bathroom with his eyes still closed. I really hope he manages to get ready in time; we all know how Grandpa can be if he has to wait too long. But seriously, what takes an hour in the shower? I'm just curious about what he gets up to in there!

Just then, I heard Jimin at the door, always right on schedule for school as usual. "Hyung, I am going. Tell Tae to make it on time."

"First learn to call me Hyung, Chim," Taehyung shouted on his way back to his room. "No... Hyung is the only Hyung for me... you are always Tae to me, Tae." Jimin shot back and dashed out the door without waiting for Taehyung's response.