✔ || Save Me [[SEQUEL to DISTRACT ME]]

Chapter 29

{A/N: shout out to @haneulthesheep and @F_royal for the name suggestions! I really really appreciate it!}

"Whatcha doing?" Ara asked excitedly.

Taehyung didn't even look up as he responded, "Waiting."

"Oh," Ara pouted, but then grinned again. "Well, when you're done with that, you should play with me!"

Ruffling her hair, Taehyung relented, "Sure, kid."

She shook his hand off her head - she was ten now and was much too big to be coddled by her oldest brother - and skipped off down the hall.

Taehyung turned back to the family laptop, chewing his lip. A presence by his shoulder made him jump in surprise, and he turned to find Donghae. The thirteen-year-old poked his shoulder. "Wanna play video games, hyung?"

"Not right now, bud," Taehyung said apologetically. "I'm waiting for that email, remember?"

Donghae huffed, "How do you know you'll get it today?"

"I don't," Taehyung admitted. "But you never know."

"Hyung," Donghae tugged on his sleeve insistently, "just relax a little!"

The front door swung open and closed and the boys turned to find their father in the entryway, unzipping his coat. He waved to them, kicking off his shoes, and then crossed to look over Taehyung's shoulder. "Anything?"

"No, Appa," Taehyung sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. "Donghae here thinks I should give it a rest for the day."

Their appa rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Just because he wants to play, right?"

"Right."

"Hey!" Donghae cried indignantly, "That's not the only reason, hyung! You're hogging the laptop!"

"I thought you were going to play video games," Taehyung raised his eyebrows.

"I was going to play them with you," Donghae grumbled.

The man standing over them tapped Donghae's shoulder and said, "Well, why don't you go play by yourself for a bit?"

His tone held an authoritative edge, and Donghae obeyed. Taehyung eyed the man who had become equivalent to a father over the past seven months, wondering at his thoughtful expression. Finally, the man sat down beside him and sighed, "You're really worried?"

Taehyung nodded, chewing his lip. It was Halmeonim who first decided he had a distinct voice, and Ara who convinced him to send an audition clip somewhere.

Of course that "somewhere" had been BigHit Entertainment.

But now, the boy was regretting ever sending anything anywhere. It had been over three weeks since he clicked Send on the email, and he still had received nothing. Not so much as a rejection.

He must have been zoning out because Appa suddenly gripped his shoulder. "If it's any help at all, your eomma and I really believe in you. Halmeoni too."

Taehyung smiled, his heart swelling, and he considered just how lucky he'd been to fall into this family's field.

After Halmeonim introduced him to the two other adults, they all were quick to invite him into their home. Though Appa made most of the decisions, it was obvious that this was a matriarchal household, and Halmeonim was at the top of the totem pole. If she decided this strange boy with two bleeding wounds in his back would join their family, then by god he would.

The wounds hadn't ever healed - they kept reopening - so Taehyung was constantly in pain. But after months of dealing with it, he grew used to the feeling. Eomma asked every day for weeks to bandage them, but he always refused. Something about the prospect of them being touched was too terrifying.

And that's another thing - Appa asked at first what the wounds were from, but Halmeonim told him to mind his own business and the matter was instantly dropped, never to be discussed again. Taehyung appreciated that, and it made him open up to the kind family even faster.

He helped out in any way he could - this was a farming family, so he was fully prepared to carry on their tradition after all they'd done for him, just like a real son. But then Halmeonim caught him singing as he was washing dishes one night, and she insisted that he shared his apparent gift more often. And the more he sang, the more confident he became, until Ara found out he liked the same idol group she did - BTS - and demanded he send in an audition clip. Even Appa and Eomma insisted that his destiny was not to be a farmer, so with their permission, he recorded a grainy video of him singing his heart out and crossed his fingers.

Suddenly, the laptop chirped and Taehyung's head whipped around. Appa grinned and stood, leaning over the boy's shoulder. "Is that it?"

Taehyung nodded. Wetting his lips, he mumbled, "Can we wait for everyone else? I - I need some support."

Understanding, Appa pulled out his phone and tapped on a contact - presumably his wife's. Taehyung waited agitatedly as his father explained the situation, nodding and humming as the woman on the other end of the line responded. After hanging up, Appa turned to Taehyung. "She'll be home in ten minutes. Want to go round up your dongsaengs and Halmeoni?"

Taehyung hopped to his feet, filled to the brim with nervous energy, and stumbled off.

Ten minutes later, the entire family was crowded around Taehyung as he sat in front of the laptop, the New Mail message taunting him. He wanted to open the email, but what if it only had bad news? What if his heart was about to be broken? What if -

Halmeonim suddenly dropped a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and Taehyung did his best to slow his breathing as he clicked on the email icon.

The Subject line read, "Congratulations! Welcome to the BigHit family, trainee!" and Taehyung almost collapsed out of his chair.

Though his head felt like he was a thousand feet underwater, he could still hear the cheers of his family. Ara flung herself into his arms, squealing, "Oppa's in BTS! Oppa's in BTS!"

"Not yet," he mumbled, but he was smiling. "I'm just a trainee."

Still, the title filled him with excitement. I'm a trainee!

Eomma and Halmeonim wrapped their arms around him, cooing and fussing. Even Donghae, who was at the age where he was too cool to express anything that resembled affection, was grinning from ear to ear. Appa ruffled Taehyung's hair, "I knew you could do it! I told you!"

Taehyung let his family crowd around him, smothering him in hugs, a small smile playing across his lips.

I'm a trainee.