Until

32| Next Step

Taehyung had taken a detour to reach home after having dropped Yoongi at the hospital. Quietly driving, even with the stereo on, he couldn't register the lyrics of the song that was being played. His head was filled with words and memories of his own. Some old snippets that played like monotonous films in his head. Things he'd buried too long ago and it scared him how easily they'd resurfaced yet. Just one meeting, his voice, those eyes and the hidden emotions in them, that's just all it took to break all those barriers, he'd spent years forming. It left him shaken to the core.

'Kiddo, be careful whom you associate yourself with. The world out there is trying to get their hands on you.'

'Hyung, that sounds......scary.'

'Don't worry baby bear, your hyung is always gonna be there in between you two. They'll never to able to reach you.'

'Really?'

'I promise.'

Taehyung gripped the steering wheel hard, turning his knuckles white. He didn't want to remember that. He didn't want to remember that face. The concern and fondness dripping from it, he didn't want to remember that.

Cause it was all a lie. A fake promise.

A made up world, where he got himself tangled up without knowing. Got caught in those honey laced traps like a naive and stupid animal. Fell prey to the real predators, who were disguised as his saviors.

Never.

Never would he allow for it to happen again. He isn't that stupid teen anymore. He isn't blind to their reality now. It's all in front of him now. Right before his eyes. Even if it's painful and took a lot from him before he could see it all, he's fully aware now.

He's gonna make them pay.
_

"That was totally unexpected."
Seojoon stated, thinking hard about all that he'd heard, after Taehyung was done narrating the events that had went down after Min Yoongi, himself, showed up in front of him.

He was well composed now with no signs of the panic attack he'd almost worked himself into in his car before reaching home and conveyed the things that transpired to his hyungs, as thoroughly as possible.

"Guess you had quite an impact on him from the start, itself. If Yoongi is this affected to come see you in person, the others are definitely intrigued about you, as well. You still sure they aren't on to you already?"
Hyungsik questioned Taehyung, who was sitting directly opposite to him.

"I haven't given away any clues that could make them draw such a conclusion that would connect the dots directly to me. So no, I don't think they are on to me yet."
Taehyung answered as he recalled all the things he'd said and done in front of those men.

Seojoon nodded in relief and gestured for Yeonwool to continue on with the information he'd been meaning to share with them all.

"Another important thing is, Bangtan is searching for us like mad dogs. But since we don't have an official network here, they aren't gonna get anywhere near us anytime soon."

"Why are they so passionate about it though, nothing was stolen, right?"
Minho questioned curiously.

"Like Tae stated earlier, the Southern Mansion is one of their treasured places. So, if someone was able to take it down on their watch then it's not just about their reputation but their power is questioned as well."
Seojoon answered calmly, also forming the next course of action that they were gonna take, mentally.

"That's good for us though. We've caught their attention at once. Anything else you wanna inform us about?" Seojoon inquired.

"Yeah, actually, EXO's been searching for us too." Yeonwool plainly stated, not sure if it counted as a good or bad news for them.