Why? || Kim Taehyung

08

"Hey Jiwoo!"

I scrunched my face up in annoyance and turned around with a expressionless face. YooJung approached me with a few of her friends- Sohyun and Saeron.

She cupped my face and examined it, "Gosh you look like a zombie today," she commented. "So how's things going so far with Taehyung?"

I pursed my lips together and decided not to answer her question.

"Yah, is there something wrong? I just asked you a question. Time's ticking you know, you need to find out before next week," she crossed her arm over her chest.

I clenched my fists tightly and looked back at her, pissed. "Look YooJung, I really don't know why you're like this to Taehyung, but I don't want to do this. I don't care if I'm going to receive hates ok? Plus, I'm pretty sure Taehyung wouldn't do that,"

I could clearly tell she was taken aback at my statement but she quickly covered it up with a sly smirk. "Oh you'll see soon," she said. "Because I'm 100% sure Taehyung is the culprit. You'll regret saying that,"

YooJung walked past me, purposely slamming her shoulder against mine. I blew my bangs up in annoyance and headed to class.

When I walked in, Taehyung's slouched blank figure wasn't at all to be seen in the classroom. I hadn't seen him since that day. Inwardly pouting, I took my seat, getting ready for class.

Our maths teacher, Mrs.Song came in soon and began the class and Taehyung didn't turn up the whole time.

I was starting to get worried about where he was. He had been here before lunch and now he was missing. But I had a hunch of where he could be.

"Class is dismissed," she finally said. "You may go eat lunch,"

Packing my things up, I rushed down the hallway and to the familiar staircase I had took a few days ago. I ran up stairs and opened the door to the rooftop hesitantly.

My eyes immediately landed on the crouched figure, who seemed to have a knife-

A KNIFE?!

Without saying anything, I rushed over to the boy and snatched the penknife that was just about to touch the flesh of his wrist. Taehyung looked up at me in surprise and tried to get the knife from my grasp. And before he could, I hid it behind my back and took a few steps backwards.

"Jiwoo, just give it back," he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

I shook my head. "No, you were going to hurt yourself,"

"Just give it back,"

"I said no, hurting yourself isn't going to do anything,"

"And why the hell do you care?! Others think bad of me and why don't you? Just go and leave me alone please Jiwoo, it's for the best,"

I was slightly taken aback from his sudden outburst but kept myself calm.

Taehyung's pained expression suddenly flashed guiltiness in them but he managed to harden his face again. He looked down at the floor with his hands shoved inside of his blazer pockets. I didn't know what was in me but I took a step forward and embraced him with my arms tightly, listening to his steady heartbeat.

I expected him to pull away instantly or something but Taehyung just stood there, his arms hanging by his sides loosely.

"Look, I know you're hurting in there somewhere Taehyung. And I won't ask for the reason. But I've been through similar situations like you and hurting yourself isn't going to help it," I pat his back slowly. "And the reason why I'm not like others is that I believe in you Taehyung, I know that you're not the ones causing all this problems in our school. I know that you're a good kid,"

"Jiwoo... Please stay away from me. It's making it harder," he mumbled and I could feel his tears dripping down onto my hair. Taehyung pulled out of my grasp and held my shoulders, keeping eye contact with me.

"Taehyung, ever since that day I saved you from suiciding, I wanted to achieve one thing. And that was to make you smile. And I'm going to try my best to do that no matter what," I said out of determination.

Taehyung's expression softened up a little and his eyes were glassy with his cheeks tear stained. I couldn't help my heart from beating a little faster than usual.

"I'm really thankful that you believe in me and want to help me, but I'm not someone who you think I am," he pursed his lips together and let me go. "So please leave me,"

Taehyung shoved something in my pocket before heading to the staircase, mumbling something I couldn't exactly make out.

I put my free hand in my pocket and pulled out what Taehyung had put in - a bandaid. I looked down at the hand I was holding the knife with and realised I had gotten myself a little cut. Ripping the small plaster open, I sucked the blood that was seeping through and placed the plaster on it.

The metallic taste of blood made me freeze, a huge wave of melancholic nostalgia hitting me. I immediately crouched down, holding my temples and tried to get the image off my mind. But before I knew it, I was pulled into another flashback.

"Eomma!" I shrieked and ran into their room.

The man was obviously drunk. My mother was sprawled on the floor, a pool of blood around her head while my dad was trying to stop the man from hitting him with a bottle of soju. I froze in spot before a hand dragged me into a closet.

When it had hit me that the man was trying to kill my parents, I tried to get out of the closet to help them. But the boy who had dragged me in tightened his grip and pulled me back.

"I don't want you hurting yourself too," he softly said.

"E-Eomma and A-Appa..." I sobbed. "I just can't let them injure themselves out there!"

"Noona..." I heard another voice speak next to me. The light that came through the little gap in the door helped me realise it was Jungkook.

"Jungkook-ah, are you hurt too? Did that man try to hurt you too?" I asked immediately, cupping his face and examining it. Tears were flowing down non stop as I heard the man shouting and cursing at my parents.

"I'm fine Noona, just a little scratch that's all," he took my hands into his tightly.

"I need to stop him," I said, stepping out of the closet.

"No don't, it's not going to work," the other boy held me back again.

I looked back at him with fury evident in my eyes. "Then what? Do you expect me to stand in here and watch them die?! I'd rather try than regret it later for not,"

The boy's and Jungkook's eyes widened and the moment he opened his mouth, an excruciating pain shot up at the back of my head. The pain seared throughout my body as black dots began to fill my vision.

"Noona!" Jungkook screamed, crouching down before me.

And the last thing I had seen before I blacked out was the dark red blood seeping on the carpet below my head.

That was two years ago when I had witnessed my parents dying. Shortly after that Jungkook and I had moved back to Korea into our uncle's house. I didn't know who was the boy that had tried to stop me that day but one thing I knew was that I despised him a lot for preventing me from helping my parents.

"No no..." I whimpered as I snapped into reality.

"Jiwoo-yah!" I heard a voice call over and the figure embraced me tightly. "Shh, I'm here. Don't be scared,"

Clenching my eyes shut, I let him pat my hair reassuringly as I buried my head into his chest. "Eomma and Appa... T-they... They-"

"Shh," he stroked my hair. "It's ok,"

Inhaling his sweet scent, I let myself calm down for now.