THE STAGE

TWO

I was staring through the old telescope. The sky seemed beautiful. It was a starry sky. Somehow I felt like crying.
It was the same sky when we first went out as friends. I slipped out from home without telling my parents for the first time. It was breathtaking as I remembered when Yoongi Hyung smiled at me for the first time, as we ran to Han river...out usual meeting spot. When Namjoon Hyung hugged me and said I'm tall. When Jin Hyung called me pretty. When Jungkook kissed me on the cheek. The day when I joined that group.

It was a childish fantasy but for us it was real. We decided to save all the youths on the world. We decided to be bulletproof, when we dreamt of saving the world. But now we are beyond it all. Dreams don't exist anymore. They don't. DREAMS ARE FUTILE! Cuz they don't come true... They change courses....

The vibration of my phone drew my attention towards it as I froze at the name that popped up on the screen.

Taehyung

The world seemed to stop and I couldn't see the starry sky again as it became dark for me.
A knot formed on my throat as I picked up the call.

"H- Hello?"

"Yah. Jimin-ah! Tell Yoongi Hyung will ya. "

"wha-what? "

"Uh... I'm coming over for a day. "

"WHAT?! "

"I know Jimin you must hate me after this.... But I'm kind of missing you all. "

"KIM TAEHYUNG AFTER BETRAYING US ALL YOU CAN'T SEE ANY OF US! THE WORLD KNOWS YOU AS THE KILLER IN H-HER MURDER CASE! IF I WANT I-I CAN..I C-CAN-"

"YOU CAN'T JIMIN you can't. You don't have guts to inform the police on my whereabouts. Besides you know they'll arrest Namjoon Hyung for being with me that night. You can't possibly let an innocent person get arrested or even executed right? You're too naive. You don't know the world. Anyways I'm coming tomorrow. You like it or not! I want to see Jungkook. "

"You know he isn't alive enough to receive you. After all you helped those dickheads to kidnap him! YOU WILL ONLY REMAIN A BETRAYER!"

"Jimi-"

"FUCK OFF! I DONT WANT TO HEAR YOU I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

I cut the call. How dare he call me?! He doesn't exist for me anymore. Kim Taehyung is dead. He doesn't exist for me. All I see is a killer.

(Namjoon P.O.V)

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my room. With Jin Hyung sitting beside me. He had a plate of rice with kimchi with him.

"Hyu-hyung "

"it's OK. Drink some water. "

He offered me a glass of water of which I took sips.

"Namjoonie...you know....... "

"what? "

"You don't have to worry always... Jungk-"

"He'll never be fine!"

"Let's try-"

"Hyung ever since day one you've been optimistic bout this but this shit is killing me! "

"I know! I know ...I know Jungkook can't be bought back but we can't break our heads over it. It won't bring him back! "

My mind shifted to that day that ill fated day when Jungkook came home panting. The thought of it made my head ring with pain and dizziness.

I was in my studio working on some music when, Jungkook barged in.

"Namjoon Hyung! Haein...!"

"what happened to her? "

"Hae-Haein...s-she isn't at home. "

"gosh Jungkook stop acting like a possessive boyfriend. She must be somewhere else? "

"NO!!! Haein's mom called me asked me if she was with me cuz they can't find her! "

"Damn...What's the time? " I asked fear taking over me..
"It already 1 am." replied Jungkook in a small voice. His face had become pale and he was sweating profusely.

"Shit where is she?! "

"Tae isn't home either."

"wait......What? "

Jungkook ran out of the house which made my heart clench with fear. Something was not right and I knew it. I ran after him. He was nowhere to be seen. He didn't take his phone either. I called Tae he said he was in 'Mark's departmental store'. I went to the departmental store. Tae wasn't there. I asked the lady if she has seen him. She said that a boy similar to my description had come but he went through the backdoor. I thanked her and went through the back door. All I knew there was a roadway leading to an abandoned factory, I was scared for the first time in my life.. I knew what Tae had been up-to lately... My fears came true I saw Tae... Walking towards that abandoned factory,..

Before entering that place he threw his cigarette and stamped it and kicked open the door of the factory. I followed him in through another small door that had been invitingly left open. As I went in I could see some rusted machinery kept all around and long pillars supporting the dilapidated building.

"Please...Taehyung hyung I never knew you--"

"Oh Shut up!"

I hid behind one if the pillars as I heard this, my heart pounding against my chest. I slowly lifted up eyes.

My eyes couldn't believe what it saw... Jungkook was chained and held by three men and close to his feet was... Haein... All bloodstained with her eyes gouged out. And close to her lifeless corpse I saw a small object with a ring on it.
I squinted my eyes trying to recognise the ring till it hit me ....

It was the ring Jungkook had given her , and it hit me suddenly as I stared at the object that held the ring. It was her finger.

I felt nauseated as I closed my eyes trying to still hope that all of this is a fucking dream. I looked up again.

I saw Taehyung pointing a gun at Jungkook. Jungkook was all tearstained and had cuts all over his faces.

"Hey! Kim, kill him! " said another man
sitting on a chair, smoking something wrapped in paper.

I moved forward to get a closer look. I couldn't even feel myself. I didn't know what to do, to stop them or to watch. Tears ran down my cheeks as my grip around the pillar tightened. 'Don't do this Tae.' I thought.

I squinted my eyes again to see, only to my horror to see Taehyung move forward towards the already collapsed Jungkook with a drill. The look Taehyung had was something I could never forget. He stared straight at Jungkook's doe eyes, as the already rotating drill pointed in the same direction. I gulped and thought of rushing to help. I moved forward thinking I could do something. The amount of men in the room scared me, but I can't let my friends die.

As I moved forward I accidentally hit a cargo box. A loud thud rang in the room.

Suddenly I felt a traumatizing pain on my head, my everything started to blur.
I could hear laughs and the sound of a rotating drill as I could see screams from Jungkook
"NA-M JOO"
My vision slowly turned black...but before the last ray of light closed in on me.

I heard  the gunshot.