Blood Brothers

8 | EMPTY SHELL

It was dark out when we arrived and I was not at all well rested when we checked in to the penthouse. So I spent the majority of my morning crashed in bed with Taehyung who was just as exhausted, probably because he hadn't sleep at all after his urgent phone call. I knew because when I woke up, he was still dressed in his pajamas and talking to his assistant in the lounge.

I woke up crying once again, and like everyday, he was awake before me ready to wipe away the tears.

"Lets go to the beach today," he says. "I hear there's some carnival going on as well."

I wasn't here for a honeymoon, but I had to go along with it in order for my plans to work.

"Okay," I agree.

He removes his hand from my face and gets out of bed, slowly trudging toward the bathroom. I took the chance to take out my files to review once more.

According to private investigators, Jungkook was last spotted in a village in Hua Hin before he fled the country on a boat. If I could find the village then maybe I could get more information on where that specific boat departed. The details on the photos taken didn't leave much to decipher but it was something.

I shove the files back into my purse along with the rest of the items I stored in my carryon. After Taehyung got ready, I took my turn. I coincidentally wore a white sundress that matched Taehyung's white button-up, folded at the elbows, that he paired with coordinating shorts and Gucci flip flops.

We went to breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Taehyung say himself beside me in the booth, insisting that it was safer that way rather than us sitting the opposite of one another- that way he'd be able to see any assailants if there were any. I was baffled at how much he thought about his safety to the point where even in the simplest situations, he had to plan it all out. He mapped every exit, took in every little detail, and made sure that Yoongi was updated on his whereabouts every hour of the day. It was obvious that having so much power made you a target.

But little did he know, I was the one who had the best aim.

"Hello, may I take your order?" asks the young waitress.

She caught Taehyung's attention completely. He eyeballed the girl from head to toe, taking in her every characteristic. She had long, pitch-black curls that flowed effortlessly down her to waist. Her hair had volume and it framed her face perfectly. And her appearance was nothing ordinary, she looked to be of mixed race- looking both Asian and European from my perspective. She was a petite, fragile yet fierce looking thing.

She looked like me.

"Taehyung?" I try to shake him from his thoughts with the call of his name.

He averts his gaze to me after realizing he'd been staring way too long. "I'll have what you're having," he says.

I tell her my order and she walks off.

Taehyung then unexpectedly grabs a hold of my hand. When I look at him, expecting him to drag me off like he usually would, he is looking elsewhere and isn't moving at all.

"What?" I ask him.

He doesn't look at me, instead he just continues to hold my hand. I try to pry my hand from his but he only tightens his grip.

"You're impossible," I mutter, finally giving up.

"Then stop trying," he says. He turns to look at me. "You can only resist me for so long."

Then I shall do so for as long as I can.

I won't give in until I'm sure that I've tried my hardest not to. Even if I'm at my very last breath, I will fight to resist his sinful temptations. I won't ever let him get the best of me.

To Taehyung, I was just a doll. A toy that he liked to dress up and toss around when he wanted to. To him, I didn't have feelings. I was just an empty shell that he kept because he thought it looked pretty. In the end, whatever I was to him, I would eventually get thrown away.

He had the tendency of doing that to the people he's "loved".

After breakfast, we headed out to the beach. It wasn't as busy as I thought it'd be, but maybe it was because everyone was at the festival nearby. I could see the Ferris wheel from miles away. A part of me wanted to ride it because it reminded me of the times I did with Jungkook. And because I did it with him, it was sacred.

I was going to wait until he comes back to ride it again.

"Come on," Taehyung drags me behind him as we walk up to a beautiful white horse.

I couldn't help but run my fingers along it's silky mane, captivated by its beauty. Taehyung hands the man a wad of cash before taking the reigns and nudging for me to get on.

"What? We're going to ride it?" I question.

I've never rode a horse before in my entire life. And not to mention that we're on the beach! There's so many things that could possibly go wrong in this case scenario.

"No, we're going to take it for a walk," he says sarcastically. "Yes, we're going to ride it. Now get on."

I try to hook my foot inside the little hoop and struggle to pick my weight up until Taehyung pulls me up by my waist. I gasp when I finally settle down on top of the horse, so struck by how far we were off the ground.

Taehyung then sits himself closely behind me, pressing his chest against my back as both arms of his are on my sides holding the reigns. He tugs on it, causing the horse to take off as Taehyung steadies the horse's stride as we ride along the shore.

"This is crazy," I say in astonishment.

The water was crystalline blue, so fresh and clear. We passed up massive arrays of rocks, proving the name Hua Hin to live up to its expectations. The green of the trees contrasted beautifully against the white sand, adding more saturation to the scenery. I couldn't help but become so breathless throughout the entire ride. My mouth was hurting from all the smiling the entire time.

"Look," Taehyung points in a direction.

I turn the way he's pointing only to have him sneak a kiss on my cheek. I was infuriated as I looked at him with such rage, attempting to wipe off the remnants of his kiss. I could feel a massive heat wave forming on my cheeks. Taehyung is full smiles as he watches me glare at him for the next thirty seconds, enjoying every moment of my irritation.

He leans down, bringing his lips to my ear. "I love when you're so close to me," he whispers. My heart nearly jumps out of my chest when his lips brush against my earlobe, then sensationally tugging on it with the tips of his teeth. "I want you to stay like this forever."

He fully wraps his arms around me as the horse comes to a halt, leaving us in the middle of nowhere but trees and the vast ocean before us.

Since he caught me off guard, I was too late to stop him, causing him to advance further more as he runs his lips along my neck. My body shudders at the pleasuring feel, unwillingly asking for more. The coolness of his soft lips slide down to my shoulder, he leaves a small kiss before playfully biting down. I flinch away at the action, causing him to break out in a fit of laughter.

"You think you're funny?" I slap his shoulder.

He steals another kiss from my cheek. "I know I am."