The Hopeless

💛One💛

  JaeEun always thought that one day she would become famous, be up on a stage, singing a song that she wrote in a studio surrounded by band mates or friends from an entertainment.
But no.
This dream was only how she met her childhood friend Kim Taehyung.
  They had bonded over it in their freshmen year and JaeEun decided to go and audition in Daegu their Sophomore year, they were both 16 years old, they were strong in their dreams to pursue music, but Taehyung had said that he really hadn't talked about auditioning to his father.
Audition time came and a producer from BigHit saw Taehyung, asked what he was there for.
  Tae only said he was watching a friend but soon was urged by the producer to try and audition. He called for permission, and next thing he knew he was up on the stage.
  Taehyung was the only person who passed auditions that day, and while JaeEun wasn't jealous, it was hard to keep in contact with her best friend since he was a trainee now.

  By JaeEun's Junior year her and Taehyung hardly ever talked, and half way through the year communication dropped to nothing. She never forgot about her best friend though, and she hoped that he hadn't either. He was only busy at BigHit. Or maybe they didn't really let him talk to people anymore, which would make sense if his group was close to Debuting.
  Senior year rolled around and by now JaeEun had almost completely given up on her dreams of being an idol, three failed auditions later, no money, and a dead mother left her with only a stepfather, two siblings and the hope to finish highschool. She knew she couldn't run off and become an idol when her younger brother and sister needed her so much.
  Graduation day came, and it went. She heard around the school that Taehyung had finished school somewhere else, and she was sad to find out. 24 hours later she was at her graduation party one of her other (slightly acquainted) friends had thrown and a text from an unknown number appeared on her phone.
  Sitting on her friends couch, uncomfortable and needing an escape, opened the text and read it as tears came to her eyes.

Jae, I hope you remember me, it's Taehyung. I know today is your graduation day, I wish I could be there with you but things are different for me now. I hope your dreams are coming true and maybe I'll see you soon, congrats on Graduation.

  She collected herself and wrote a simple reply 'thank you Tae, miss you in Daegu'
She sent it, hoping for a reply. That day passed, she shrugged it off. Before another day, another day, another week, another month.

  One year after graduation, sleeping still at her step-fathers house. Her dreams didn't come true, and she was attempting to work two jobs to help support her family, since her stepfather had recently been fired, and had no interest in a new job.
Tired, bags under her eyes, malnourished and caring for her middle school siblings, the 19 year old was basically their mother.

Another two years and a familiar, yet matured face was on the TV.
Taehyung had his debut with six others in a group called BTS. This made her smile, but she turned off the TV.
She had to go make dinner for her siblings.

  Her step father was (by the rest of society) called a drunk now. Though he said he only drank occasionally. JaeEun blamed the loss of her mother for the slippery slope that the man had fell down, and she didn't think he would ever be the same.
  He caused more struggle, spending so much of her earned money on alcohol to down it all in at most a week.
  Soon he blamed her, she didn't work hard enough, she cost too much money, and was old enough to be on her own.
  A Thursday night, at 12:36 am her father came home dead drunk and came after JaeEun in the living room. She was still in her movie theater work clothes since she had just recently got off.
He grabbed her, talking about how he could finally get money from her that was worth something. He threw her into the car, child locked the doors and sped off to a business building.

And that's how she ended up here.

21 years old, handcuffed, staring back at 20 different nicely dressed men, and about 6 women as well. Tears on her cheeks and heart broken as she heard the numbers being called out.
Sold into human trafficking, she spent the next two and a half years living in terrible conditions as a slave for a 54 year old man.
  Her stepfather back at home with her siblings, who she cried for everyday.

  Soon the old man died, cause from his drinking and smoking habits. No one saved her and she left to the streets, dirty, broken, homeless and lost.
  She hated her life, hated her world, hated how one person from her same beginnings could end up so successful and she became scum living alone on the streets. She was jealous of Taehyung now, and she knew that, and deep down she hated herself for hating her once upon a time best friend.

  Another year, two months and 17 days later. She was dying. Who wouldn't be? No work, no place to hire her, no food besides what the few restaurants threw out. The bones in her elbows, knees, ribs and face stuck out in ugly ways and her matted hair was stained with dirt. She hated herself.

That night, she went out late, limping against each building to desperately find food, though she was in the complete wrong place of the city.
  She cried, endless tears fell and she sobbed as she started slowing down. Her fragile body heaved as she suddenly fell to the ground, laying in a heap on the outside an unknown building. She stared at the pavement underneath herself and cried more. Cried for hours. Cried until she didn't even have the energy to do that anymore.
Then she only shook, freezing and scared, she shook.

One hour later, 5:00 in the morning. Two hotel workers came outside yelling disgusting words at her and shoving her awake with a foot. She got onto her hands and knees and then wobbled as she stood up, fear in her eyes as she scrambled to get away while they shooed her.

And she limped again, not looking at any person that passed, for two hours she struggled, two hours of pain she endured, thirsty and hungry beyond what she was imagined. Her lips were cracked and dry. And she started moving at impossibly slow paces, hoping to get anywhere.

The buildings got taller, more important looking, and the looks of hatred became stronger as she pulled herself along the streets of Daegu.
She knew of a place that could have food, and she could probably make it by tomorrow afternoon even if she rested somewhere tonight.

Her feet dragged and she hummed to herself as she tried to keep herself distracted from her pain.
  Two women that worked at a nail salon shooed her this time, one waving a broom at her, telling the scum to get lost, telling her to leave the street before they called the police. And they chased her, angry and disgusted, down the street. Her feet heavy, she still ran, tripping and panted as she rounded a corner and lost the two ladies.
She hyperventilated, struggled breaths coming out of her mouth as her limbs burned and her legs wobbled beneath her.
She felt hot and cold at the saw time, and she coughed endlessly, her knuckles white in fists as she banged on the wall, angrily letting out a pained scream and strangling out a cry as she slid, or rather collapsed to the ground, her coughs raking at her lungs and burning her from the inside out.

Blood dripped on her lips and she sobbed as she watched the red saliva mix pool onto the ground.
And she only stared then until she couldn't even stare anymore, and she fell unconscious at 7:43 am that day. She was left there, dirty and bloody-faced, her body suffering the heat all day and the cold ground through the night. Not once did she wake up.