fallen dynasties ➶ bts.

two.

THREE YEARS AGO
HANNAM-DONG, YONGSAN-GU, SEOUL

               BROKEN PIECES OF glass, shattered furniture, and blood-inked debris surrounded the apartment floor. Taehyung's glossy pair of eyes due to the threatening tears by the edges stared by the scene. Perhaps a new sight to capture with Seokjin's camera; a sight filled with cuts, wounds, and blood. An echo of the same question filled his mind: What's happening?

               Seokjin lunged as he tried to catch Yoongi's fist by the air, only to end up being pulled away by Namjoon's fear of him being involved with the mess. Namjoon wanted to believe the two could settle this misunderstanding, but hope was lost as soon as Yoongi swung up his fist, landing on Jeongguk's lips.

               The bleeding and falling sight of Jeongguk made Hoseok's palms cover his ears. He was getting anxious, it was worsening yet he can't do anything. He felt so lost; he wanted to do something to stop the chaos yet someone was stopping him. Taehyung's grip around Hoseok's arm tightened, his own tears finally betraying him as it streamed down his cheeks.

               "I'm... I'm sorry, hyung. I didn't... I didn't mean it, I swear—" stuttered Jeongguk, only to flinch as Yoongi's scoff roared against his whimpers.

               "The first thing you did as you entered the apartment was to fucking smash my guitar against my piano, and now you're telling me you never meant anything of those? Then what was it for, Jeongguk? What did I lose my mother's gift for?" Yoongi tried calming himself to no use, his gaze caressing the broken strings of his guitar, together with the fallen keys of his piano. His fist crumpled, once again having the urge to punch someone in the face.

               Yet as soon as he saw Jimin's kneeling figure by Jeongguk's side, together with the youngest's sobbing shoulders, his anger faded away. He saw how Jimin gripped his palms around Jeongguk's arm as he tried encouraging him, "Talk to us, Gguk. Please. What's wrong?"

               Jeongguk sniffed, shaking his head no. "Nothing's wrong, I swear. Nothing's wrong! I swear, I promise, everything's fine—" His words were sooner cut as he broke into sobs, his own fists pulling strands of his hair. Jimin knew something was wrong; he had noticed it by the time Jeongguk entered and slammed the apartment door when he had arrived.

               It appears that Taehyung had also witnessed the change with Jeongguk's demeanor. His breathing was hitched, he was frantically pacing around the floor, until his eyes landed its attention towards Yoongi's silent instruments. Within a flying second, Jeongguk's hand was already reaching for the guitar, hitting its curved figure against the piano. Everything shattered; no piece was spared for Yoongi's delight. And up until now, things had happened without them knowing the reason why.

               Hoseok stood up as soon as Taehyung's grip loosened and tried to pick up the piano's broken pieces. With Jeongguk's silence, Yoongi frustratingly stopped Hoseok from doing so, kicking the broken keys away, "Don't," fisted Yoongi. "The damage has been done. Leave it dying."

               The latter had the hope inside of him, that he could at least retrieve some of its pieces and help Yoongi with his pain, yet he understood how his elder reacted. The piano shattered like a fragile piece of glass, with no chance of fixing it as one, once again.

               Yoongi stayed despite of the pain. He's patiently waiting for Jeongguk to tell him—to tell them something. For an understandable reason as to why everything his mother and his lover had given to him before their deaths were all of a sudden gone now. He'd be willing to understand the younger, he'd be willing to stay by his side despite of what he did if he'd explain himself.

               But no. Jeongguk stayed silent, having no intentions of telling them what the hell was wrong for him to do such thing. This fueled up something inside of Yoongi, causing him to march out of the apart, slamming the door behind him. Seokjin flinched with the sound, and so did the others.

               Taehyung walked towards Jeongguk's curled figure and knelt in front of him. "Talk, Jeongguk. Tell us what's wrong."

               "I told you there's nothing wrong."

               "And yet, here you are, crying over the mess you made that you never usually do. You talk things out, Gguk. You're never driven by your own emotions," Taehyung paused. "We've been living under the same roof for years for us to know you better. Talk to us."

               Taehyung's words were all greeted with Jeongguk's creeping silence. He tried to be patient, tried to understand what the youngest may have been going through for days—maybe even for weeks. Yet Taehyung's temper got the best of him.

               "Just fucking talk to us, Jeongguk!" His volume made the latter flinch, enough for Seokjin to react and push Taehyung away.

               "You're not helping at all, Taehyung."

               "Neither is he! How can we fix this if he won't even try to tell us anything, hyung? Are you not determined to fix this? Can't you noticed how this argument destroyed everything in less than an hour?"

               Seokjin did. Everything that tried mending and destroying their beautiful bond was something that Seokjin would always notice. He wanted to treat this conflict as something redeemable, if only he could get Jeongguk to talk. Yoongi is already forgiving enough, it's time for Jeongguk to do his job.

               And as soon as the thought crossed Seokjin's mind, Jeongguk wiped his tears, stood up, and stormed out of the apartment. Even before he could open the door, Taehyung ran after him and gripped his wrist, stopping him. "Tell us what the fuck has been going on with you, Jeongguk."

               Jeongguk shot him a cold look before pushing Taehyung's hold of him away. "You would never understand."

               The apartment was filled with an eerie silence no one hoped for. Sooner, the apartment walls echoed a series of sobs from Jimin. It pained him to see them like this. It pained him how shock, anger and pain flashed by Yoongi's eyes the moment he had seen Jeongguk's doing. It pained him how Jeongguk refused to talk to them like he used to, as if they had done something wrong for him to lock secrets within.

               Namjoon shook his head out of disappointment. Hoseok stayed knelt beside the broken instruments. Seokjin's gaze lingered through the door where Jeongguk and Yoongi left. Taehyung had his head down, palms fisting open and close. Jimin's eyes had finally witnessed how fate was way too determined to destroy the bond the seven of them had. Once had.