timelines | j.jk × k.th

CT chapter: 38

Current Timeline: Taehyung's POV

The boy sat huddled up in his room with his head buried in his knees while he tried to sleep but the only thing haunting him was the figure of the one he missed the most. The paper clutched between his fingers, one could see the tear droplets stained on it.

He was a pitiable sight but inside he felt far from pitiable. He felt useless. He couldn't do anything to bring him back. 

Nothing to reverse time and to never see that horrible scene like the one he had seen on the night of his failure. 

Time. 

Time is what he hated the most. 

Time was what others said would heal him. 

But, he hated time. 

It made no exceptions and was always running. 

Never stopping for anyone. 

He wondered when his own time would run out. 

For time only runs out when hope has. 

He had no hope. 

He couldn't trick himself to think that this was all just a horrible nightmare.

He closed his eyes hoping that he would never wake up.

***

"Yes sir."

"No, it can't be true."

The man held his chest staggering behind. 

The young man in front of him remained kneeling avoiding eye contact with the old man in front of him. 

Another boy, younger than he was, stood next to him, his eyes on the ground, crying silently. 

"How? How did it happen?"

The old man asked him, voice wavering. 

"Suicide."

There was silence before the old man's voice started with a pitiable whisper.

"No. No, it can't be."

Everyone remained silent with their eyes not even daring to meet the old man's. 

Then he grabbed the younger boy's collar and held it desperately.

"Where is he? Where is my son?"

He shook him desperately while the younger just cried, tears streaming down his face. 

"You were with him, weren't you? What happened? Why didn't he come back with you?"

The old man was starting to lose control of himself as he shook the boy as if he would be able to bring his son back. 

Oh, how that boy wished he could.

"Sir."

The man kneeling called to him to let go of the boy. 

But, he was ignored. 

"WHERE IS HE?!"

He broke down letting go of the boy's collar only to clutch his clothes and sink to the ground sobbing. 

The boy looked ahead with the tears blurring his vision. 

He could no longer look at the old man. 

He wanted to go far away. 

Far away from anything that reminded him of this place. 

"Where is he?"

He continued to cry and clutch the cloth of the boy's pants. 

The boy shook with overwhelming emotion while his mind went blank with the only thought that he was the cause of everything. 

He was the reason why their family was now torn apart. 

He was the reason why this old man who was now at his feet, had lost everything.

He was the cause of sadness.

He had never felt more worthless. 

He had never felt more like a sinner. 

'You should've never loved me.'

***

The boys sat out on the deck, watching the stars up in the sky and feeling the ship rock beneath them. 

The sound of the sea soothed their ears and each other's presence lessened the pain of their wounds. 

They held each other in their arms just simply wishing they could be like this forever. 

After a while the boy could feel the other's even breathing on his neck. He looked at him, taking in his features and painting a memory, forever ingrained.

He brought his finger towards his face and traced lightly, the outline of his eyebrows. 

It moved towards his closed eyes and over his nose. 

Tracing his 'flaws' and beauties, the boy simply soaked in the sight in front of him. 

Then his finger felt the boy's lips. It was slightly open and blew air as he breathed. 

He stopped for a moment, not thinking of anything but the person in front of him as he stared at his lips.

Then he leaned in, closing his eyes, desperately waiting for the familiar feeling of their lips against one another's.

But he never felt it. 

His lips only felt the soft breeze blowing and nothing else.

He didn't want to open his eyes.

He knew that he was gone.

***