Red String | VMIN

58

The flatlining noise is still ringing in Tae's ear. It's almost as if he has lost his hearing. The doctor in front of him is talking and Tae hears nothing. The doctors say a few words and Tae walks out the building while the nurses try and follow him, asking him to stay. Tae has no reaction and gets in his car and drives all the way home.

-

Jimin walks into the hospital with a bag filled with food. He smiles as he hopes this will help cheer up Tae. It was his favorite meal after all. He reaches the front desk.
"Hi, I'm here to see Kim Jojo."
Jimin takes out his ID since they always ask him for it.
"Oh, I'm sorry sir."
The woman looks at her computer then looks up to Jimin.
"Kim Jojo died an hour ago."
Jimin stands there for a moment. His heart starts to pound quickly.
"I— what? She's dead?"
Jimin wears a worried expression.
"Where did her son go?"
"Oh, he just stormed out the room. He didn't even want to talk to any—."
Before the lady could finish her sentence Jimin was already rushing out the door.

-

Tae arrived to the house not to long ago. He walked in and stood in the middle of his empty house, feeling cold in his own skin.
Tae screams, loudly.
He starts going in a rampage.
He kicks over a glass table and flings books out the way. He knocks over a bookshelf, ripping pages of his books. He kicks all the stuff on the floor. Pots of dirt are laid out of the floor. Tae grabs one of his heavy books and starts smashing things.
Awards, photos, art collections.
He stabs his paintings and everything. He sees the frame photo sitting on the table at the far end of the room.
He walks up and picks it up. There in the photo is his mother, Jimin, and him. He lifts the frame above his head and forcefully smashes it against the floor. The glass shatters and goes everywhere, grazing his skin.

Jimin comes bursting into the room. Jimin looks at the mess and his heart clenches tightly.
Tae screams before falling to the ground with a loud thud. Jimin scrambles over go Tae.
He embraced him into a hug but Tae is still not done. Tae hits Jimins chest harshly.
Jimin just stays there and takes the blows.
Tae cries harder and eventually gives up.
He falls into Jimin's chest.
"She's gone Jimin."
Tae feels tired from all the fighting and messing things up.
Jimin says nothing.
He just sits there and holds his boyfriend. He calmly massages Tae's scalp.
"She left and I didn't even properly say goodbye."
Tae's eyes grow tired. Eventually he falls asleep.

-

Tae wakes up the next morning feeling sluggish. Remembering all the things from last night he just sits up and stares at the walls of his room. A room that reminded him too much of the ones in the hospital. Tae wears a blank expression. He feels nothing.
Empty.

He looks down at his arms that have little patches and band aids. Tae pulls the cover up and he lays back down.
"I hate this."
Tae whispers. He eventually gets tired of staying in his cold room. He walks over to the living room.

-

The boys are all sitting in the living room, speaking in whispers. They all wear the same sad expression. Jimin looks the worst of them all. Dark circles formed around his eyes. Blood shot eyes and sadness were the only words you could use to describe this once happy Jimin.
"Yah. Go to sleep. We'll stay here and wait for Tae to come out."
Yoongi says to Jimin.
"I'm fine, really. I'll just wait for Tae to get up. I can't sleep without knowing how he's doing."
"He's going to be ok. We will all be here for him. We always have been we always will be."
Jin plants a hand on Jimin's shoulder.
"How can you support him when you don't get enough sleep."
Namjoon looked at Jimin.
"I'll be ok. It's not like I haven't been sleeping in weeks. Tae is going through so much right now. I want to be there for him every moment."
Jimin looks at Namjoon with sad eyes.
The rest of the boys don't know what to say.
"Go to bed."