❝it hurts.❞
words slurred in the edge of midnight. words that cut through his skin.
+
in which he is helpless, watching all the scars running across her wrist.
[ book three in the BTS series ]
[ second place winner in red and gold bangtan awards ]
...
the store is empty. the light at the far end of the last aisle flickers rhythmically. the air conditioner is loud, and grunts its way through the hours loudly.
hwa yeong sits behind the counter, fiddling with the frayed ends of her sweater. the periodic tick-tock of the antique clock behind her almost drives her nuts, but she tries to block out the noise with the sound of something else.
with the sound of someone else.
taehyung; yelling. yelling. at her.
was it her fault again?
she sighs and pushes away the idle cup of coffee that had grown cold ages ago.
it was a tuesday. hot; the kind where sweat rolled down your back in beads, and there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it.
what was she thinking of that day?
ah, yes. herself.
where was she?
hiding. from him. locked in the tiny apartment she'd rented, away from the dorms she hated.
what was he doing?
banging on her door.
why?
she'd told him she was not okay.
what were the neighbors doing?
screaming at him to stop.
what was he telling them?
"she needs help." panicked and close to tears.
what did she do then?
calmly open the door.
what did he look like?
disbelieving and on the verge of exploding.
what did he ask her once he'd quietened down?
"why do you do this, hwa yeong? why do you lie?"
"i really am not okay."
taehyung. what did he do?
he grabbed her wrists. touched the sticky red liquid.
what did he do then?
cry.
kim taehyung cried.
he'd slumped to the floor, pulled up his knees and cried.
she'd bent down beside him.
what did he whisper into her hair?
"am i not enough?
am i not enough to dissolve your pain?"
what did he yell, when he stood up suddenly and knocked down all the little pots she'd bought at a flea market?
"am i not enough? what more should i do?"
what did she tell him frigidly then?
"you aren't."
-
she rubs her eyes.
she should go home.
+
Something different today.
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