Shattered Souls (BTS)

Chapter 14 - Taehyung

After throwing on a jumper, Taehyung was ready to head next door. Jimin exited the bathroom at the moment Taehyung went for the door, already dressed and ready to go. It was no secret amongst their fans that Jimin took the longest to get ready. Taehyung was surprised he got ready so quickly.

"Breakfast is in Jin's room today," Taehyung informed him, waiting for his brother.

"Did he say if he was going to order croissants?" Jimin asked excitedly. "I've been craving some since we got here."

Taehyung shook his head in amusement. He was glad Jimin could always serve as a distraction. Usually, Taehyung was pretty good at doing that but his thoughts had been running wild.

"Aish, you're starting to sound like Jungkook." Taehyung scolded, playfully.

The two of them left their room and met the others in Jin's room. Jungkook was up but dozily staring at the others. Taehyung figured the youngest had been up all night again, playing video games.

"Everyone better eat up quickly, we have a busy day ahead," Jin instructed, sitting at the large table provided. The others followed suit. Taehyung's mouth watered at the variety of food. It always astounded him how much Seokjin provided for the group. He really was their elder—someone who always took care of them.

They ate and spoke about what to expect during the interview. Taehyung knew they were all avoiding the topic of their soul mate. They were excited about meeting them but since they couldn't shake that something was wrong, they were also incredibly nervous. Even Jimin, the brightest and most hopeful in the group, was quiet about it.

The sound of a phone buzzing disrupted their light chatter. All eyes shifted to Jin—they all knew whose ringtone it was.

Jin sighed heavily, revealing a tinge of his tiredness. The issues surrounding his ex-girlfriend were affecting him deeply. She refused to let go of him.

"Don't answer, hyung," Jungkook piped up, causing all eyes to drift to his form. "She's only going to keep pestering you if you answer. Jin-Ha did the same to me until I stopped answering and blocked her number."

Taehyung felt his heart pang with worry over Jungkook's ex-girlfriend. They all remembered clearly how bad that relationship was for him. When it was over, he would sometimes wake up from a nightmare, sweating and panicked. She had scarred the golden maknae—not just from the nail marks on his forearm but also emotionally.

It took a lot of courage for Jungkook to cut all ties with her. For so long, he had been afraid that she would retaliate publicly.

However, due to her being a trainee at BigHit, she was under contract. She would be sued and get dropped if she breached it by revealing his privacy.

The situation pissed Taehyung off. In their loneliness, people had tried to take advantage of them. Taehyung hoped Jin would consider Jungkook's advice.

They all watched in anticipation as Jin turned his phone off. He smiled triumphantly, his stress dissipating.

"Wow, hyung. I'm proud of you." Jimin commented, his eyes sparkling with pride.

"I can't have her keep contacting me when we're here. Not when we're trying to find our soul mate." Jin replied, pinching his lips together. Taehyung noticed him glance down at his soul mark—the same one he had. They were all so curious to meet MS.

After breakfast, they all stood ready to leave. To no one's surprise, as Jimin rose to his feet, he tripped on the chair leg and stumbled to the side. They all smothered their laughter whilst his cheeks burned pink in embarrassment.