Alone (Taekook) ✅

Twenty Seven

Three months later~

“Come on Tae...slow down.”

“Slow down? What do you mean?” Taehyung gave Baekhyun a wide smile, tying his shoelaces before standing and smoothing out his shirt.

“You’re overworking yourself. Don’t deny it, you know you are.” Baekhyung sighed. 

“Well of course I’m busy, Hyung.” Taehyung laughed off, shaking his head a bit. “I’m about to debut, I need to be working hard if I want to succeed, you know?”

“You don’t need to be working this hard.” Baekhyun argued back. “You’ve gotten what? Three hours of sleep in the past three days? That’s not healthy, Taehyung. Slow down, take a nap or something.”

“I have to keep moving! I’m fine, Hyung!”

“You’re going to collapse!”

“Oh please!” Taehyung brushed off the idol once more, turning to the stereo system in the practice room that they were in.

“Taehyung…” Baekhyun whispered once more, this time his voice more gentle, prodding. “I know it still hurts, but you’re only hindering your health by doing this. Please, I beg of you, slow down. Get some rest.”

“Hyung—“

“You need to sleep. You can’t keep spending the whole night in the studio or the practice rooms, only getting an hour of nap time in every so often, it isn’t healthy!”

“I keep seeing him when I close my eyes!” Taehyung suddenly shouted, exploding in Baekhyun's face. The idol, stumbled back, startled by the outburst. “I can’t...I have to keep moving. B-because when I-I stop...I-I just s-see h-him—“ Baekhyun was there, wrapping the boy into a large hug, shushing him, comforting him. 

“Taehyung...just go and see him. It’s eating away at you and—“

“No. You don’t understand, Hyung.” Taehyung whispered. He hadn’t told Baekhyun about Jungkook fully yet, only small pieces. “I told him I would leave, and I was serious. I-I just...I didn’t know it would be this h-hard.” Taehyung whispered. “He broke my heart...I trusted h-him and he b-broke that. I can’t go back to him. I-I need him to respect m-me and if I go back...h-he won’t.”

“Taehyung it’s eating away at you. I never said to go back to him. I said to go and speak with him, get some closure. You won’t have a debut if you can’t stand, if you’ve been depriving yourself of sleep and I know you’ve been skipping meals again. Stop this foolishness. I beg you.” Baekhyun placed a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “Please? For me?”

Taehyung nodded slowly. 

“Thank you.” Baekhyun breathed out. 

“I’m not going to go and talk to him.” Taehyung finally whispered, and Baekhyun found himself deflating a little. “But I’ll get some rest and eat.”

“That’s all I can really ask of you.”

Taehyung nodded. 

-

Breathe. 

Taehyung had to tell himself to remember to breath. 

Today was the day. 

The day.

Today he was going to debut.

His makeup was on, his outfit ready, his song at the ready.

It was such a huge event apparently, that they had to forgo the usual music core stage and open an arena to the thousands of fans wanting to see him. A special debut, a special performance by the unforgettable Kim Taehyung.