Unpunished/Vkook ff

Chapter 40: Falsity

Taehyung P.O.V

"Taehyung! Taehyung! Where are you?" Jungkook ran out of the noisy restaurant, one of his hands holding my apron. "Our boss is looking for you. What happened?"

"Did you see them...?"

"Are you crying?" He sat down on the road, next to me, hurrying to lean for a closer look. "What's going on?"

"They..." Jungkook's big, shiny orbs were gazing directly into mine, full of worry, begging for an answer. I buried my face back in my knees, unable to handle the sight. "They kissed..."

The other gasped. "No, this can't be..."

"I know what I saw!" The boy's eyes danced around while his mouth failed to utter a single word, and as I clenched onto my legs, his arms wrapped around me. "Dad gets better because he has the will to fight..." I said. "If he... I-If he finds out..."

Jungkook brought me closer. "It's okay, Tae—"

"He'd stop! He'd stop fighting and... I-I'll never get my father back..." My chest, head, and throat hurt as I busted into another hysterical cry. Jungkook picked up and sat me on his lap. He held onto me tightly, letting me keep wetting his shoulder. I felt gross and heavy.

Miserable, when my whole world came tumbling down, I could only stand and watch. No, not miserable, I thought, maybe, pathetic.

"I'll request to end our shift early, and we'll get you away from here," I heard him.

Still, I could not move. Weak and exhausted, Jungkook was carrying me further on his back as I continued sobbing.

"Where do you want me to take you?" he asked.

"I don't know..."

Jungkook sighed. "Is there any place you wish to go to?"

"I don't care..."

"Somewhere you don't want to go to...?" he asked.

"Home."

Time did not stop for me, and it'd left me paralyzed. I was pathetic. I could feel it; Jungkook was growing sick of my self-pity. "I'm taking you to my house, is that alright?" he said.

"Okay..."

Midway, he stopped, putting me down on a street-bench. "God, Taehyung, I'm so sorry..." He lifted my chin. "I have no idea how you feel right now, I have no clue how to fix this, but I promise, I'm here, you're not alone, and all isn't lost yet."

"How can you say that?!"

"There is hope, Tae," said Jungkook. "I can't explain it now, let's get home and warm you up, I'll provide you with some hot chocolate, and we might talk about it there. I need you to be calm. This whole situation is too messy and complicated to discuss while you're so overwhelmed with emotions."

I bit my lip, hard enough to taste blood. "I bet you wouldn't be too rational if you had to watch one of your parents kissing a stranger..."

"You are overwhelmed, and that's perfectly understandable. Right now, I'm here so you'd have somebody to cry on, that's all. Scream, curse, fight if you must." He held me up, bridal style. "Be my guest."

I stopped crying, and as Jungkook was moving forward, I did nothing but stare right at him. Somebody needs to pay. I clenched onto my sleeves. Him. If only he didn't get me to work in that restaurant, I wouldn't have had to see it... The affair had turned my mind into a mess. However, at the time, even though I understood it had, the impact was easy to underestimate.