The Magic Shop [BTS] Short Story

1

He sighed as he threw the empty wallet away. Pick pocketing it is. He needed the money to survive. For his sickly sister and him to survive.
The subway were one of the best places to pick. He got a few wallets which he assumed could let him through the winter season.

The sky was orange with a hint of pink at its borders as the sun set. He entered the 7Eleven shop and started looking around for things that he can steal. Small packs of food were stuffed into his jacket pockets. The bell at the entrance rang as another customer stepped in.

"Can I leave him here for awhile? I'm just getting a few items."a female voice said. He peeked and saw a girl younger than him, with a Pug on a leash. This girl's taste was sure different from most girls her age.

The staff nodded with a smile. The girl thanked the staff and went towards the shelves. She took a box of tissue off the shelf and was a little surprised to see a guy sneaking things into his jacket. She pursed her lips,'Maybe he has no cash on him, and needs the things badly...'she thought.

She slowly made her way to the counter,where she pretended to collide into the guy as he was about to head out. The guy looked shocked when the things in his pockets fell out. The girl stood up and offered him a hand,"I'm sorry.."she gave him a small smile,"I will pay for all these."she turned to the cashier.

The guy had his eyes widened.

...

Both of them walked down the street,"Thanks..."the guy said in a hush tone, his voice almost swallowed by the wind. The girl just smile. Is that all she does? Just smile?  Her pet Pug barked happily at her feet, as if asking her to drop some of her fried chicken that she was eating.

"No problem..."she replied without looking. Her attention was on her 3-legged Pug. Only now he noticed the impairment of the dog. But look at how happy the Pug is. Can he also be as happy as this dog? Truthfully, he is very jealous of the dog.

He stopped in his tracks,"Can I...get your name? I am going to repay you for these."he asked. The girl turned to face him,"You don't have to.."she shook her head,"I hope this incident will teach you a lesson and make you change for good."

They walked silently after that and stopped in front of a huge house.
"Looks like we'll be parting here. Thank you for walking me home."she smiled and bowed slightly before turning into the house compound.
"Wait! You still haven't given me your name."

She turned and face him,"I don't like my name..How about you give me a name?"
He was taken aback by her request,"A name..?"he raised an eyebrow. The girl nodded.

"How about...Chora?"

"I love it. Chora. What's yours? Or should I give you a name?"

"Taehyung. Kim Taehyung."
...

He had his hands buried in his hoodie pocket as he walked along the street. There were some performers who performs either singing or dancing for money.

There was a new band, 6 men in a band. Isn't that too many? Anyhow, they did well. Rapping, dancing, singing. All of them did a great job and earned quite a lot in one night.
He was starting to enjoy his time watching the band play, but a sudden realization hit him.
"Shit!"

Taehyung started running,but he didn't see the wires and tripped, falling towards the pianist of the group.

"YAH! GET OFF!"the man scolded. The rest of his band mates helped them up,"ARE YOU FUCKIN BLIND? YOU SPOILED MARGRETA!! SHE COSTS A LOT. HOW ARE WE GOING TO PERFORM AFTER THIS?!!"the pianist grabbed his collar.

Taehyung managed an apology,"I promise to pay it back..."

One of the vocalist came and separated them,"It's okay. We can get another one. Besides, it was an accident."
The band started packing up into their Toyota double cab. The vocalist who intercepted the fight gave Taehyung a tap on the back,"Don't worry, he'll get over it soon enough."he smiled before joining the rest of his members.

....

Shouts and screams echoed through the whole apartment. He ran towards the open entrance,"STOP HITTING NOONA!!"he shouted.
His sister gasped when she saw her brother,"Taehyung ah! Run! Get away from here!!"she cried.

Taehyung went and hug her,"No, I can't just leave you."he told the sister. He turned to the man that has been abusing them since young,"We have no money to offer. You took everything from us. Even eomma's life. What else do you fucking want?!"

The man chuckled,his breath reeked of alcohol,"Is that how you talk to your father?"he grabbed Taehyung by the collar,"You bastard!"he threw the boy againts the wall,"I'm not that stupid. I know you have cash. You are being so selfish that you can't even give some money to your poor father."

"Selfish? Me? What about you? You were never there when we starved. You were never there when we were beaten up by the loan sharks you borrowed money from. You are a coward,hiding away from your problems. And letting your children suffer. You dare call yourself a father?!"he sneered at him.

The man punched Taehyung in his face,causing a nose bleed. He might have broken his nose.
"You are no one to lecture me. Hand me the money now."he demanded. Taehyung clenched his fist and reluctantly retrieved the cash from his piggy bank on the shelf.

Hot tears streamed down his cheeks. He was saving money to buy a birthday cake for his sister. Her birthday is around the corner, the least he can do is to let her taste a birthday cake. It has been long since they last had their birthdays celebrated. The last was when he was 5 and his sister was 8.

When he celebrated his 5th birthday, his father received a call from work that he has been fired. He syphoned the company's money and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Their mother had to work as a hawker at the market during the weekends, a part-time babysitter,a maid on weekdays to cope up with living.

Unfortunately, the pressure pushed her to the limits, causing her to develop a mental sickness.
Schizophrenia, a psychotic disorder characterized by withdrawal from reality, hallucinations, or emotional instability. The siblings would weep when they watch their mother talking to her imaginary 'friends'. A few months after that, their mother committed suicide by jumping off an overhead bridge. Her body was shattered as cars knocked into her.

By then, Taehyung was already 9 years old, his sister was 12. Since then, they had to begged for food from other people. When they were older, they had to steal and pick pockets to survive.

"It's okay... we can live through this."his sister comforted him,"Let me see those wounds."
Whatever she said, nothing could change his perspective of their so called 'father'. To him,"He is a killer. He killed mother. He killed us all."he muttered.

....

The chirping of birds woke him up the next day. Taehyung covered his sister with the thin blanket that was already tattered, consumed by time. He freshen himself up with the collected rainwater from the night before.

"I need to get a job...anything available..is good enough."he told himself.

...

"Huh,economy these days are so bad. Don't ask me to open my wallet for your pay. I'm running out of money too."the shop owner said miserably. Looks like he is also having a crisis.
Taehyung sighed heavily as he exited the shop. A familiar bark came from behind. He turned around and came face to face with Chora and her pet Pug, Choco.

Chora spotted him before he could even avoid her,"Oh, Taehyung ssi?"
She frowned when she saw his face,"What happened to you?"her tone was suddenly so hard that Taehyung couldn't believe that she was the one talking.

"Nothing..I fell from the stairs."he lied. Chora smirked,"You should get your lies straight before you use it."
He was flustered,"Sorry..."

Chora smiled,"Come on. I'll handle those for you. It's free of charge in case you wanted to argue about having no cash."