viridity. kth x jjk / vkook

seven

KTH || 2:05 a.m. || apartment 263

he walked into his apartment, soaked with water and shivering relentlessly.

the rain had not been forgiving.

the door opened with an agonizing creak, and taehyung tiptoed inside, taking his shoes off and hanging them off the coat rack, hoping they would be dry in the morning.

"you insolent boy, i thought i told to make dinner?"

his father's voice came ringing through the apartment, filled with venom.

"i'm sorry," taehyung said, walking into the kitchen and slipping past his father. "i had detention and the buses had stopped running by the time-"

"ah, i nearly forgot about that," his father sneered. "i got a phone call earlier. you stole something?"

taehyung pulled out carrots from the refrigerator slowly, hoping not to anger his father.

"i... i was just hungry," taehyung said. "i didn't think the ladies would notice if i took an apple-"

"so you did steal?"

"i was just hungry, dad. i thought i was going to pass out and-"

the impact of a book hitting the back of taehyung's skull sent his head jolting forwards and hitting the cabinets in front of him.

"by the time a boy turned seventeen you would have thought they would know better than to steal."

footsteps neared him, and taehyung rubbed his forehead gingerly, staying rooted where he was, his heart beating incredibly quickly against his ribcage until it ached to breathe.

"please, i'm just asking for enough money for lunch," taehyung begged. "one meal a day. that's all i need to get by." his father grabbed his shoulder and flipped him around to face him, breathing alcohol and cigarette smoke from his lips. "i... i can get by with a meal every two days, or every three days if that's all you can do for me. please, i just-"

the sound of flesh meeting flesh rang through the room and taehyung instantly brought his hands to his face to cradle his cheek.

"spoiled little brat, begging for food," his father spat. "look at you, you don't need to eat. you're fat. a few days starved wont kill you."

the floor rushed up at taehyung as he was shoved to the ground harshly and kicked.

he heard his parents' bedroom door open and from his peripheral vision, could vaguely make out his mother standing in the kitchen as he was kicked again.

"honey, don't hit him, please," his mother begged. "he's... he's already so hurt from last night, please-"

taehyung flinched when his mother was shoved across the room, and felt anger course through his veins when his father hit her. and then taehyung got up and shoved himself in between his parents, shielding his mother.

"hit me instead. just leave mom alone."

"taehyung, dont you dare-" his mother cried out desperately as she watched taehyung fall forwards from the force of a kick.

she screamed when her husband took off his belt and raised it in the air to strike the boy, and she sobbed when he did hit him, knowing full well how many welts that one whip alone would leave across the boy's back.