Obsession | TAEKOOK FF

Chapter 4: Hidden Chains and Silver Strands

Author's Note:

"Always have your feet firmly planted on the ground and stay humble. Don’t look down on others, no matter how less well-off they appear. Remember, the one you look down on today might be the person you have to look up to tomorrow. Such is life!" ~ Ismail Menk

​Stay strong, my TaeTae! 🥺 Things are getting so interesting now that Jaebum is in the picture. What do you think the mystery behind the lotus necklace is? Let me know in the comments, my Flowers! 🌸

​Inside the sleek, spacious interior of the limousine, the atmosphere was dead silent. Tae and Jimin sat frozen in the plush leather seats, looking tiny against the immense luxury surrounding them.

​Jimin leaned over, his voice a frantic, barely audible whisper. "Hey... Tae... is he kidnapping us? What should we do?!"

​"Shh! Would you please calm down?" Tae whispered back, shooting his friend a warning look.

​From the front seat, a smooth, deep chuckle echoed through the car.

​"I can hear you, you know," Jaebum said, looking back at them through the rearview mirror with a amused smile. "And don't worry—no one is kidnapping you."

​Tae cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Um, excuse me, sir. Please just drop us off at the nearest bus station. We can manage on our own."

​"Hmm... alright, Mr. Tae Cutie," Jaebum replied playfully.

​Tae’s eyes widened, his face flushing a soft pink. "Y-You... how do you know my name?"

​"Well, I saw it on your ID inside your wallet two months ago... when I brought you to the hospital."

​The realization hit Tae like a lightning bolt. He leaned forward, staring at the handsome stranger. "You... it was you? You're the one who saved me and paid all my medical bills?!"

​"The one and only," Jaebum murmured, turning the steering wheel smoothly. He looked back and flashed a charming wink. "You owe me big time now, Tae Cutie."

​Tae sat back, completely speechless. Beside him, Jimin’s jaw practically hit the floor.

​"Hey, I'm just teasing," Jaebum laughed softly as the luxury vehicle pulled up smoothly to the curb. "We’re here. This is your bus station."

​"Ah! Oh... okay," Tae stammered, his heart racing. "T-Thank you so much. I really want to pay you back for the bills. Can I have your Line ID?"

​"Ooh, a direct approach? I like it," Jaebum smiled, pulling out his phone. "Here you go."

​After exchanging IDs, Tae and Jimin stepped out of the limousine, watching the expensive car melt back into the city traffic. A few minutes later, a loud hiss of air brakes signaled the arrival of their transit.

​"Here's our bus, Tae! Come on," Jimin called out.

​The two friends climbed aboard, heading their separate ways toward their respective homes.

​When Tae finally unlocked the front door to his house, the warm feeling of safety he usually craved was nowhere to be found. Instead, his stepmother was already waiting for him in the living room, her arms crossed and a scowl deep on her face.

​To anyone else, this house was just a normal building. But for Tae, it was a place of endless labor.

​When Tae was only a year old, his biological mother had walked out, leaving him with his father. His father eventually remarried, bringing this stepmother into his life. Soon after came Jenny, his stepsister—a completely spoiled girl who, just like her mother, loved to spend her nights drinking and partying at high-end clubs.

​Because his father worked far away in the provinces, he only managed to visit once a month. Every cent of the hard-earned money his father sent home was completely intercepted by his stepmother, spent entirely on her own desires and Jenny’s expensive lifestyle, leaving Tae with absolutely nothing.
​To hide the financial strain from his father, Tae kept his mouth shut and took on multiple part-time jobs just to pay for his own tuition and books. To make matters worse, his stepmother would often corner him, demanding he hand over his hard-earned cash just so she could buy more alcohol.

​Tae was also the sole caretaker of the house. He cooked, cleaned, and washed everyone's clothes. His daily routine was a brutal cycle: sleep at midnight, wake up at 5:30 AM to prepare breakfast for his stepmother and sister, catch the 6:30 AM bus to arrive at school by 7:00 AM sharp, attend classes until 4:00 PM, and then run straight to the café for his 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM shift. Only after coming home late at night could he finally cook a small meal for himself, study a little, and collapse into bed.

​"Hey! You!" his stepmother yelled, her voice dripping with venom. "Where did you disappear to this morning, huh?"

​"I was applying for my corporate OJT internship," Tae replied quietly, keeping his eyes on the floor.

​"Do I look like I care about your internship?" she sneered, tossing a hand in the air. "I told you to wash Jenny’s clothes before you left! Now she has absolutely nothing to wear tonight, and she’s taking her anger out on me!"

​"I'm sorry, stepmother," Tae murmured, suppressing a sigh. "I'll go wash them right now."

​"You better," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she turned away. "Tsk... useless thing," she whispered under her breath, a cruel reminder of how she truly viewed him.

​Tae walked out to the small back area where the laundry basin was located. Because his stepmother strictly forbade him from using the washing machine to avoid increasing the electricity bill, Tae had to wash every heavy garment manually by hand. He scrubbed the fabrics until his knuckles turned red and raw.

​By the time he finished hanging the last of Jenny's party dresses on the clothesline, the moon was high in the sky. Exhausted, his muscles aching from the strain of the day, Tae finally walked into his tiny bedroom and locked the door.

​He sank onto the edge of his mattress, reaching under the bed frame to pull out a small, hidden box.

​With trembling fingers, he lifted the lid. Inside lay a torn photograph—a half-picture showing only his own face as a toddler, with the name Tae written neatly on the back. He had spent years staring at the jagged edge where the photo had been sliced, constantly wondering who had been cut out of the image, and why his mother had left it behind.

​Beside the photograph lay his only other treasure: a delicate silver chain holding a beautiful lotus pendant. It was the only real piece of his mother he had left.

​Clutching the cool silver metal tightly in his palm, Tae closed his eyes, praying for the strength to survive the corporate world tomorrow.

​To be continued...