The Shop Assistant [Completed] ✅

Chapter 22

Twitter trends:

1. #LiarV
2. #TaeIsaCriminal
3. #KickVoutOfBTS

Taehyung's POV

Once again I woke up to my name trending on Twitter but this time, there was nothing positive about it. I scrolled through the hashtags and tried to find the reasons behind the backlash until I found a link to a story on KoreaNewsNow.

BTS Kim Taehyung  aka V, a criminal?

I clicked on the link and read a report on an incident that happened eight years ago. A hateful episode that I wished I could erase from my memory and my life. I pulled my hair in frustration as I read the explicit details of my life that had been so blatantly published and on display for the world to dissect.

No!!! This can't be happening! Where? How? Who? How did they get this information? The records were sealed.

I'm starting to panic. I can feel an anxiety attack coming on. Breathe Taehyung. Breathe.... I can't! I feel like I'm suffocating. My whole life, my career, my Seokjin. Everything is over. How did I have the audacity to think that I could have a better life? It's all over for me now. Everyone will know the truth.

There's nothing for it, I think, as I start to pack up my life in the dorm. I was so happy here. The tears start to flow without my consent. I can't be bothered to wipe them away as the door to our shared room opens and in walks the love of my life and soon to be ex, Kim Seokjin.

I don't look up from my task but I can feel his eyes on me. A good minute passes before he deliberately clears his throat to get my attention. I stop my packing and dread looking up into those beautiful doe eyes knowing that I will find hate and disgust glaring back at me.

When I finally look up, he is glaring but not with what I had thought. He's fucking pissed at me. My eyes travel up his body. His legs are slightly apart, hands firmly grasping his petite waist, chest heaving in anger. I'm afraid to look at his face but I bravely lift my eyes to meet his. Our eyes lock and I can see so many things in them, anger, pain, disappointment and love?
Why do I see love and not hate? I must be losing my mind.

"What the fuck is this Taehyung?" He's beyond angry. He's thundering at me and I can feel myself cowering under his demanding gaze. I just stand there, impotently, my tears my only companion. I can't face him. I can't face anyone.

When he sees that I'm uncooperative, he thunders, "Family meeting now! Get your ass in the group room!" and leaves without another word. As I wipe my tears away unsuccessfully, I drag my feet out of the room. Might as well get over this now. Better to have them all hate me together and be gone.

I make my way to the couch, and plop down without registering anything else. I'm unaware of a presence next to me until I hear his voice close to my ear, whispering, "Goodbye little V," as he chuckles to himself. I spin out of my reverie and my eyes lock on his malevolence. Everything clicks into place in my puzzled brain and I realise I was no match for his schemes afterall. I lower my gaze and accept defeat. He won. I was always a loser anyway.

The meeting begins and Namjoon drabbles on about Twitter and other social media sites. I barely register what he's saying until I hear the silence and realise he must have asked me something since six pairs of  eyes are now locked on me.

I look at them stupidly.

"Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself Taehyung?" Namjoon questions me.

What do I even say, 'I'm sorry', 'I'm a liar', or maybe, 'Yes. I'm a criminal'? There's no easy answer so I just go with the truth. I stand up and look at them all. Namjoon looks at me and decides to take a seat, giving me the floor.

"I guess you all know so there isn't much else to say, besides, Yes, I did commit a murder. I was young and I defended myself and my father in a bar fight 8 years ago. My father is a raging alcoholic who has ruined my life since I was born. I grew up hating him every second of my life. That day, I couldn't find him. He had been in the bar for two days straight. My eomma and I looked for him everywhere until we found him passed out in the corner of the bar.

My eomma tried to get him up but he was angry at her. He started hitting her right there, in front of everyone. When a man tried to stop him, he fought with him. Soon the whole place was one big fight scene out of a bad b-movie. Punches were flying, men were screaming abuses at one another. In all the ensuing chaos, someone broke a bottle and lunged at my father, only to have my eomma step in the way, and stabbed her instead."

I was openly bawling right now. I couldn't care less. The truth was all I had so went back for it.

"I ran to my eomma and the man then tried to stab me. I picked up a shard of glass and plunged it into him. I watched as he bled out and died. My eomma was dead and I was arrested for murder. Because I was underage and the witnesses claimed it as self defense, I was given a stint in juvi and my records were sealed. But I know I had committed murder that day. It wasn't self defense. I'm a murderer."

There was a stunned silence until Jimin got up and hugged me tight. Soon, Jungkook and Hoseok joined. We just stood there like that, holding on to each other until Namjoon's voice broke the silence.

"But that's not what's being reported Tae. Your story is contradictory. They're reporting that you did it in cold blood because you hated the guy and your father is a witness."

I know. I had read the articles online. But what can I do when my own father is stating these lies. They probably paid him for it so he's juiced up the story. My eyes lock on Yoongi again and I know it's all him but I have no proof.

"Listen guys. I'm sorry. No one is going to believe me. It's my father's word against mine and the evidence is against me. I'm leaving so the group and the company doesn't have to bear anymore embarrassment because of me. I've been nothing but problematic to you all since I joined anyway."

There's a stunned silence as I exit the group room as I leave to pack up my life. When I'm done, they're all still there, except now, Jimin is huddled up inside Jungkook's embrace and Hobi is holding onto Namjoon. Jin is standing by the huge bay window, his back turned to them, while Yoongi is sitting on the couch, playing on his phone.

I take a last look at them and walk out of the dorm, sighing heavily.

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The plot thickens..... who's telling the truth?

I've missed you my swties 😙💞

I purple you 💜

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Love Swty 😘