SAVE ME (BTS): Last Breath (Taehyung)

Prologue

“9 years old.” 

Yes, I was just 9 when everything started. I mumbled to myself while scratching my head like a little kid. “Mum, why is everyone celebrating my birthday? Even those random strangers out there.” I asked, pointing at nothing outside the window. “It’s December 30th, everybody is preparing for New Year’s Eve as well as New Year’s Day.” Mum patted my head, smiling, as she is getting ready to leave the house. “Mum, where are you going? Are you going to forget that today is my birthday again?” I asked while playing with my own fingernails, putting on my very best to make a sad face. Mum smiled again, she walked up towards me and squatted down just to see my face, “how would I forget? I even asked for a day off just to go and buy your favourite cake! Just stay at home and wait for me alright? I’ll be back soon.” Just like this, she left the house, I stared at her leaving the house, she looked even happier today. 

I knew everything. Even about those “things” that little kids shouldn’t know about. From Mum having another guy outside, to my dad always getting drunk at night and always starting to make a big fuss, I knew EVERYTHING. As a 9 year old, I didn’t dare to do or say anything, I knew I wouldn’t have the right to share my opinions especially as my mum and dad didn’t know that I know about their deepest secrets. That aside, I also couldn’t even imagine the amount of stress my mum would have to take because of my dad and kind of understand her actions and behaviour too. So I have no opinions, instead, I loved her as much as a kid loves their own parents, my mum is an amazing mother. As for my dad, we rarely talk, and if in any case we talk, it’s either, I’m going to be in deep trouble or I am trying to defend myself from that deep trouble. All I know is that my father became like this after he went jobless and it has been half a year now. That shows how much we never ever talk to each other, never once. I can’t say that I’m scared of him neither can I say that we have nothing to talk about, it’s just a son and father problem… right? I think so… 

I stood up, since it’s still early and Taemi is still sleeping, I took a peek at my parents room to check if my dad is actually at home. To my surprise, all I saw was 2 big moron luggage that I’ve never seen before. My dad isn’t at home so I just went in the room and I was shocked to see that all the shelves of clothes and things were all gone, only left with my father’s. I predicted that it is in that 2 big luggage and also predicted that my parents used to travel a lot before I was born, just by seeing the weird plastic-like transparent thin layer of protection peeling off from the luggage. I started moving the luggage feeling fascinated by how the luggage looks. Quite after a while, I left the room and made sure that the door was at the right position back to normal. Besides, my main purpose is to check whether my dad is there, not to see the luggage. 

Soon, my mum came back, but with an even frightened face. “Mum, where’s my cake?” I asked her politely as per usual. She didn’t reply to me, she looked like she had been possessed or something, running in her room and dragging out her 2 luggage and starting to squeeze all my clothes in that 2 worned-out luggage. “Mum! What are you doing?” This time, I didn’t care, I shouted at her as this is the first time seeing her looked as if we’re in deep danger. She stopped and grabbed my hands tightly that caused me to kneel painfully on the floor, “ mummy is not going to pack your favourite toys okay? I’ll buy new ones for you when we reach our new home.” NEW HOME? I thought. She then went to the other room, my sister's room, and did the same thing packing up all her clothes in the same luggage. Taemi then woke up from the noise, she was just 6 years old when this whole thing happened. “Mummy can’t hold on any longer, we must leave here soon. I just received a call from the agent…” my mum started to mumble to herself. 

6 months later…
It’s been half a year since we’ve moved to the countryside in Korea and it also has been 6 months since I stopped studying too. Even with all the ups and downs, I would say this is the happiest time of my life. I have to work at my aunties’s nearby restaurant to help my mum earn extra money and make sure my sister goes to school as per normal. My mum looked so happy that whenever I looked at her, I would just get reminded of what happened 6 months ago, that face, that face that I knew I would never see again. Still, I no longer have to worry about dad and no longer have to always look out for him to protect my sister from him.