A lie

part 36

******

The morning dawned with an unusual stillness. The usual sounds of birds chirping and the faint hum of activity around the house were absent. Jungkook woke up with a sense of unease, the kind that tugged at his chest without a clear reason why.

He walked downstairs, his eyes scanning for any sign of Taehyung or Taehee. What he saw instead was Taehee moving quietly around the kitchen, her movements slow and deliberate, a far cry from her usual bustling energy.

“Eomma.. what happening? You okay?” Jungkook asked, his broken Korean faltering under the weight of his concern.

Taehee looked up, startled by his voice. She offered him a soft, melancholic smile. “Good morning, Jungkook,” she greeted him gently before her gaze shifted to the floor. After a moment, she added, “I’m getting ready to go to the graveyard.”

Jungkook’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Graveyard? Why?”

Taehee paused, her expression becoming more solemn. “Today is the anniversary of Taehyung’s father’s death.”

Her words struck Jungkook like a hammer. He froze, his thoughts racing. Taehyung hadn’t mentioned anything about this—no hint, no change in his demeanor to suggest the significance of the day.

“I... come with you,” Jungkook said after a moment, his Korean stumbling but his intent clear.

Taehee studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, but you should know... it’s not easy for Taehyung. He doesn’t talk about this day.”

---

At the Graveyard

The walk to the graveyard was somber. The usual chatter between Jungkook and Taehee was replaced by a heavy silence. The bouquet of white flowers in Jungkook’s hands felt heavier with each step, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.

When they arrived, the graveyard was quiet, the stillness broken only by the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Taehee led Jungkook to a secluded corner where two graves lay side by side.

Jungkook’s heart clenched as he read the names engraved on the stones.

The first one read: Kim Taehyoon, Taehyung’s father.

Taehee knelt down beside the grave, her hands trembling slightly as she placed flowers on it. Jungkook stood frozen, his chest tightening as he tried to process the moment.

“Taehyung’s father was a proud and hardworking farmer,” Taehee began softly, her voice breaking the silence. “But years ago, we suffered a devastating loss in the fields. A storm destroyed everything. The crops, our livelihood... gone in one night.”

Jungkook felt a pang of sympathy as he imagined the devastation.

“It was too much for him to bear,” Taehee continued, her voice shaking. “He felt like he had failed us, failed Taehyung. One day, he... he took his own life.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened in shock. He felt a lump form in his throat, the weight of her words pressing down on him like a boulder. It remind him the latest destruction taehyung had. Suddenly his mind drift to Taehyung, who had not talked with him or anyone about the sadness he's hiding.

Taehee wiped away a tear and gestured to the second grave. The name Kim Haerin was etched into the stone.

“And this... this is Haerin, Taehyung’s younger sister. She was just twelve. After her father’s death, she couldn’t handle the grief. She had a weak heart, and the stress was too much for her. She passed away a few months later.”