Every Little Reason | BTS

33 | Two Worlds Collide

Taehyung had walked out of the mahogany doors of my family's mansion along with the other boys, and the moment the doors buried their cold shadows, every ounce of strength inside me instantly evaporated into the thin air.

Kai came to my rescue when I almost faltered right then and there.

"My lady, are you okay?" Kai asked, probing my condition with worried eyes.

It took a moment for me to register his words because the heaviness in my chest was still there, pressing me down and restraining any rational thoughts. My eyes still glued on the door as I couldn't believe that Taehyung had just walked out on me. For a second, it felt like the whole universe had tilted and blacked out, and I was left with absolute nothingness.

"Kai, have I not made myself clear? Hands off my sister."

Chang Wook was adamant to make Kai's unwelcome presence vanish from the residence, and strangely, this only energized me in my spot. I looked at him with a rather firm gaze, stating my words with much authority.

"Chang Wook-ssi, please. I need to have a few words with Kai," I said, holding onto Kai's arm for support and stabled myself.

My brother held onto this torn expression that caused my heart to swim in a sea of guilt and pities. It seemed like he desperately wished I could understand why he'd to act that way and be on his side instead, so in the end, when I chose Kai, he frowned and looked over at our mother with his doe eyes.

"Mom, please say something..."

At that second, I knew we had put my mother in a tight spot. The hesitance in her warm brown eyes said it all as she looked at me and my brother. There was a moment of consideration when my mother finally looked at Chang Wook with a comforting smile on her face.

"Son... If Kai can help Jinhee to remember, then I don't see any reason not to let them spend the time together. We all want Jinhee to recover, don't we?"

Upon hearing my mother's words, my brother fell into a heavy silence. His shoulders collapsed as he hauled his feet, leaving the spacious living room while trailing his hands sadly against the walls.

"Thank you, eomma." I gave my mother a small hug and smiled at her.

My mother was momentarily surprised, then her lips slowly curled up into a wide, happy smile. Probably because it was the first time I called her 'eomma'.

"Anything for my beautiful daughter," she said, caressing my head gently and turned to look at Kai. "Kai, please make yourself feel at home. I'll make some tea for you kids, it seems like there's a lot of things to catch up with."

My mother sent us a meaningful look before making her way down the kitchen, leaving Kai and me staring at each other.

Perhaps, more to Kai staring at me so long with endless questions tossing in his head.

It happened with the boys too when I just started working with BigHit. They'd pop their heads inside the waiting room and occasionally just checked on me with eyes full of wonders, and it took about three weeks for them to finally confirm that their minds were not playing tricks on them.

"Kai, what did I say about addressing me with that name?" I frowned at him, reminding him not to be so formal towards me.

Kai blinked, snapping out of his silent scrutiny when he heard me. "My apologies, my lady–" he paused and bowed, gulping down a nervous lump, "P-please understand that I'm still trying to process everything. It's been almost four years since you were gone. I'm just..."