－ LOST · K.TH

t w o / b o x e s .

 
盒 子
b o x e s
 

T A E H Y U N G . <
 
 

  Serenity.

  An example of word that has been tragically banned from his dictionary. One amongst many others. Taehyung had lost these concepts. Perhaps that was why he was trying so desperately hard to find and to know them again. Taehyung couldn't tell whether he was escaping from the scratch line or reaching for an end that was out of his view, yet the only program that he could execute was to run and to never stop. Just to simply carry on this endless marathon no matter how tired he felt. After all, maybe he should have banned "tired" too.

  He was unable to remember how late it was when he founded himself in that place, nor how exactly did he get there, but he knew he was already far away from what he was escaping from. Or at least that was how he felt - and hoped. Taehyung had a vague souvenir of the moon being hanged in the nightsky. Was it a full moon? He couldn't remember. Maybe there was a few stars shining here and there as well, but who cared.

  The only thing that mattered was that it was all behind him now.

  Being alone never felt so good, so liberating. It was different from the multiple times when he locked himself up in his bedroom and still heared his parents arguing over something that wasn't worth the hype, or even knocking at his door while trying to brainwash him with their irrelevant and pitifully egocentric philosophy. The worst part of it was that they were deliriously convinced about the fact that they were playing the role of the hero when in reality they incarnated the evil itself. And his sister...

  Fuck all that.

  It's over now.

  The creaking of a door being pushed open savagely pulled Taehyung out of his slumber. His body was leaning against the brick wall, shadowed by a pile of empty boxes in an impasse which he didn't know - or more likely couldn't remember - the name of. Taehyung had no idea what time it was, but the sunlight wasn't exceptionally bright. It was more like a delicate almost-misty veil. Everything appeared softer, just like after a spring rain. It seemed like the morning fog still hasn't completely dissipated yet.

  Only half-awaken, Taehyung caught a brief cut of what sounded like footsteps mixed with a sigh. He still hasn't tacked his consciousness together when a violent crash resonated in the impasse, successfully making Taehyung's body react on his behalf.

  "What the-"

  A silence reigned while none of the two dared to make a sound. Taehyung cautiously threw a glance over the shadow, and then he met her stare. Dark and intense, yet so fragile and tired. Without thinking further he retreated out of her view. There was no actual point in doing so, since she had already seen him anyways, but he simply didn't have any wish to maintain an eye contact with the stranger that had unintentionally disturbed his rest.

  － H-hello?

  Taehyung didn't respond. Her hesitant voice contained a pinch of surprise and...
 
 

  ... was it...
 

 

  sadness?
 

 

  No, not sadness. It was anger, hatred, and sorrow. But what for? All these emotions could cause severe damages when mixed together, and Taehyung knew it only too well.

  － Sooah! What's taking so long?

  － Uhhh nothing! I'm coming!

  It was obvious that she gave up unwillingly, but the girl ended up nonetheless by leaving with the cargo behind her. The sound of the door smashing closed confirmed her departure, giving Taehyung the green light to slip out of his improvised hideout.

  "Sooah."

  So Sooah it was, and Sooah was not in a very positive state. Sooah was not only sad, but angry, hateful and sorry.

  Taehyung wasn't even given the opportunity to proceed these informations when the sound of running water and plates hitting each other suddenly echoed in the impasse. Someone must have been doing the dishes. Taehyung lifted his eyes and landed on the pipes that were ramping against the brick wall. Without even realizing what he was doing, his feet followed them through the mini-maze made of metallic tubes.

  － Can you pass me the sponge, please? Thanks.

  The words travelled to Taehyung's ears through a ventilation grid that he was just passing by. Sooah's voice made him stop and stare at the wall. He noticed that he could see her by the sink through the tiny openings, so he walked a step closer to the building. It was indeed the Sooah that he had seen a matter of minutes ago, with her hair was tied in a hurried ponytail and her sleeves were messily rolled up, exposing her forearms...
 
 

  ... covered by scars.
 

 

  Just like Inhye's the last time he saw her. Except that Sooah could still move them.

  The army of memories came back, along with the thoughts, invading the already chaotic land that was his mind. What will happen next? Was she going to end it all like Inhye did? No no no no no...

  The nightmare couldn't happen again...

  "Damn it!"

  He ran away. He did the only thing that he knew. Run. As far as possible from what was haunting him. Taehyung thought he had lost it, but reality proved him wrong. It came back and found him, only to continue the torture more cruelly than ever. Devouring his soul and setting fire to his mind. Sadly, it was a fire that was unable to burn away the painful past.

  He could save a life, but at what cost? What if the police caught him and forced him to go back home? And-

  "No!"

  No. It couldn't happen again. She didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody did. He knew he wouldn't forgive himself if he just stayed there watching.

  And Inhye for sure wouldn't either.

  "What would you do if it was Inhye?"

  Nobody was there to catch him if he fell, but that didn't matter. Taehyung had signed a pact with himself. A pact agreeing to protect his late sister at all costs, a pact agreeing to not repeat the same mistake and let a life that had slipped through the hands of God fall into hell...


  But how much was he ready to risk for it?