Me, Myself, and Them. |TAEKOOK|

37

Trigger Warning ⚠️ : Mentions of extreme physical and sexual abuse (i.e. child molestation, domestic abuse, rape, verbal abuse)

Please read with caution or skip this chapter completely if you are bothered by such things or if you are easily triggered.

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V's hands tremble as he reaches for the door handle, knocking lightly as he pushes the door open.

The woman he sees laying in the hospital bed isn't the woman he remembers, this thin, frail, sickly woman isn't the woman he has nightmares about.

"T-Taehyung? Sweetheart, is that you?"

V wants to leave, wants to turn his back on this dying woman and he never wants to even think about turning back.

But he feels Hajoon's presence, he feels Minseok's too, and he knows he can't back out now. He has to do this.

"Mother." He says walking into the room, closing the door behind himself. "Father told me you wanted to see me."

The woman smiles weakly, waving for V to come closer. "Come here, let me look at you."

V's heart pounds against his ribcage as he steps closer.

"It's been years since we've really talked, bear." She says patting the edge of the bed. "Come here, sit down."

V shakes his head, his words caught in his throat as that nickname brings back so many memories that he never wanted to remember.

"I know you probably don't want to see me, bear~"

"Don't call me that." The brunette forces out, his throat constricting as tears form in his eyes. "Don't. You asked me here for a reason so get to the point."

"Tae..." She starts, tears filling her eyes when she sees her son's expression. "I had to see you. I'm just...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Tae. About everything. Everything."

V clenches his jaw, wiping his tears angrily as his mother cries.

"Can I t-talk to you, Taehyung? Please? I h-have to talk to you before it's too late." She cries, wiping her tears.

"Talk then." The brunette says, trying to breathe through his tears.

"Will you sit? Please? I won't hurt you, bear~"

"Don't fucking call me that again." V snaps, his eyes full of anger and hurt.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The woman says quickly. "Please? I won't hurt you. Not ever again."

V's entire body trembles as he sits down on the edge of the bed, feeling like he'd collapse if he didn't sit down.

"I don't know where to even begin." She says wiping her eyes. "I know I've hurt you in ways unimaginable, Taehyung. You were just a baby and I hurt you."

V keeps his eyes forward, focusing on Hajoon's voice to keep him grounded.

You're okay, V. He says. I know it hurts, it'll all be over soon. I promise.

"There's no excuse for what I did to you. I don't know who that woman was that said all those things and caused all that pain. I just was so depressed and I had pain of my own that I had no idea what to do with."

V frowns at that. "That sounds like an excuse to me."

"I know. I wish I could make it make sense~"

"Make what make sense? You abused me and Baekhyun for years. Then dad took Baekhyun and it was just me." The brunette says, his eyebrows drawn together.

"I was young when I had Baekhyun and when I found out I was pregnant with you it felt like my life ended. And it's not your fault it's mine." The woman says. "When you were born you cried and you cried and I just got so frustrated with you and Baekhyun and everything else that I took it out on the two of you. It didn't make things better but I still did. It was like I just...couldn't love you."

V closes his eyes, his stomach starting to hurt as she went on.

"When I divorced your father he left me with both of you. I hated my life and I hated that I had these two kids that I had no clue how to raise. It made me bitter and selfish and just...evil and I hate that person. I hate her." She continues. "Baekhyun was the oldest so your father took him. I met Changmin and we got married almost immediately. He had a son and I had a son, I thought things would finally work out but they didn't.

"You were still in diapers and I thought you were ruining my new marriage. It was sick. I was sick to think that an innocent baby was the cause of all my misfortune."

V stands from the bed, pacing back and forth to try to keep himself from dissociating.

"When Changmin first hurt you I didn't do anything. I thought you deserved it, that you needed to be disciplined. But it kept happening and the older you got the more it happened. And the more I let it happen." She says. "Your father would ask to see you but you'd be so bruised that I turned him away. I told him we were happy without him...

"When you were seven. It escalated to an entirely different level and I just sat back and let it happen. I let your step brother verbally abuse you and I let Changmin hurt you physically for years but then...when he started touching you I just... I was disgusted. I knew it wasn't right and I knew it was sick but I couldn't do anything. It was like I let things go on for so long that it was out of my control." She says, choking out a sob. "I felt powerless against him."

V stops in his tracks, feeling Minseok getting closer to front. "What?"

    "Changmin molested you for years and I let it happen. I kept letting it happen until it just escalated and escalated~"

    "You knew?" The brunette asks facing her, tears cascading down his face. "You knew?"

She covers her mouth as she cries out a mouthful of apologies. "I didn't know what to do, Taehyung. I didn't know what to do."

    "Did you know he was raping me?" V asks, but it's not his question. It's Minseok's. "Did you know that he'd been raping me since I was nine years old?"

His mother closes her eyes, dropping her head in shame. "Yes. I knew, Tae. And I'm so sorry."

    "Fuck that!" V snaps, new anger forming in his chest at the new information that he never knew. "Are you sorry because you're dying or do you actually give a shit?

    "Taehyung~" She says, flinching as his harsh words.

    "You don't get to be sorry you sick, disgusting, evil bitch." The brunette spits through his tears. "I hate you. I hate you! And no amount of sorry is going to change that. You ruined Taehyung's life and nothing you say will change that either! I don't give a damn if you die tonight, just know that you'll never be forgiven. And I hope you burn in hell you disgusting bitch."

V storms out of the room rushing down the hall.

    "V?" He hears Jungkook say.

He rushes to the nearest trash can as his stomach turns and he gets sick, his nerves still on edge.

When he looks up Jungkook is there, his expression as worried as it's ever been when he takes in V's bloodshot, teary eyes and his pale skin.

    "Son? Are you okay, what happened?" Mr. Kim says rushing over to him.

    "Leave me alone." The brunette says standing up straight, his chest heaving as he breathes heavily. "Just leave me alone."

Mr. Kim and Jungkook share the same worried expression as V rushes away in tears.

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