iris

[13] rose

Taehyung crept back inside being careful not to make a single sound. Not even his breath was to be heard as he settled oxygen in his throat but never dared let it leave his body. There was no one to catch him tonight, but it was a grown habit. Sneaking in and out with complete silence.

People would think after at least three times being caught sneaking out and being beaten would be enough to deter someone from repeating the action. but that was not the case for Taehyung. He'd rather be thwarted occasionally and punished regularly than be a prisoner of his own home.

Because that's what he was.

None of his extended family had any communication with him. Half of them didn't even know he existed. Not that it mattered anyway. It had only been in recent years that his father had let him go to public school, never having received a proper education. Though he hadn't been educated by a system built on discipline and memory, he was still intelligent. His father owned hundreds of books he could read to keep up with everything.

So he had taught himself. He didn't need the publicity of his freakish features. That was until his father suddenly insisted he needed to stop lazing around at home and actually do something that would serve as some distraction. An absolute astonishment to the young boy as his father had paid thousands to make sure he got into the school. Why? Taehyung didn't know, but he went with it. Finally, he was able to meet his friend he'd made years ago. The only person who seemed to accept the fact that he was a cursed child.

__________

"You're awfully quiet today," his father spoke up dryly, eyeing his so-called son warily. Taehyung kept his head lowered, as he ate small amounts of dinner quietly. The stare unsettled him, but he didnt dare make any move or gesture to provoke. "What have you been studying in school lately?" His father continued.

"Nothing interesting..." he mumbled, brushing his fringe down out of insecurity.

"Don't mutter, it's impolite and terribly childish."

"Nothing interesting," Taehyung repeated, this time with his head raised, eyes piercing into his father's. He spoke through gritted teeth, his grip was tight on the fork in hus hand as he tried bottling up his anger. Like every time he was in the presence of his titled father. "Why do you want me to go to school anyway?" He finally blurted. After two years of being schooled, he finally found the urge to know why his father had sent him to the dreaded place. "If you absolutely despise me, and want to bury me so that no one ever glances at me. Why now? If you've spent so long trying to pretend I don't exist. Why did you suddenly find it fitting for me to take up an education, which I could've easily learnt myself?"

Taehyung didn't mean to raise his voice, but by the end of his short burst of anger he was half standing, his pitch a few decibels too high.

"Sit down," his father growled, smashing his knife to the table as his eyed followed his son's movements did. Taehyung's expression stayed level, as he sat back down slowly, eyes flickering to the knife dug into the table. "You want to know why I sent you to that putrid school? Why I waste my time and money on you? You should be bloody grateful!"

He huffed, pulling the knifes blade out of the wood, and placing it back down before standing up. "Your mother blackmailed me to. She came over when you were asleep one night, threatened me until I said I'd give you a proper education. I don't know why she didn't take you, it would have been so much better. But, I kept my promise." He made the act sound like it was the most glorious thing in the world. Like he should have won the best parent award, but Taehyung simply rolled his eyes.

"You say I should be grateful, when in actual fact, I should be calling the cops on your ass. It's common curtesy to give your kids basic humanity. Maybe you should've learnt that before deciding to have one of your own." Taehyung watched his father's anger boil, watched his body tense and his fists clench up.