Attraction

Part Twenty Two

The kids had stayed in the living room.

They had disappeared to their second kitchen, hidden away from the rest of the house.

All leaned on the kitchen counter.

All stayed quiet.

None really knew what to say.

This was huge.

Yoongi turned his tongue in his mouth, finding it dry. He moved over to get a glass of water, taking a sip before deciding to start.

"Yosemite State Park."

That's all he said to make their hearts drop and their stomachs twist.

This is where they had gone all those years ago.

Even now, as they knew the information, it still seemed fake, not real.

A cruel joke.

"I never thought.... I never believed we would ever run into him again." Jungkook nibbled on his lips as his mouth said those words.

He felt stressed even.

"None of us did." Jimin ran his hand through his hair.

"So what now?"

"We don't know anything else Hobi." Yoongi answered.

"But we have a lead, we can try to see if we can get someone to investigate."

Everyone stayed quiet at Hoseok's suggestion.

Had they thought about it?

Yes.

Now, they could try to find out who their long lost soulmate was and find out what happened.

"Hobi, remember? We didn't want anything to do with them?"

"Jin, do you really feel no regret about what happened? Or wondered about it? Hyung, he was left bondless. We have each other while he was left alone! What happened that broke our bonds to him? What did we do? What did he do?" Hoseok finally burst, the pressure finally breaking mixed with the guilt in his chest.

They don't remember anything. They don't feel anything for their bond was complete, but in their back of their minds, they always had that 'what if.'

What if they had tried to keep in contact with them?

What if they been the ones to reach out?

"Don't you think this has eaten us alive!?" Namjoon became mad at Hoseok, "don't you think I have left this way? But Hobi we can't remember them! We don't know what happened?! We don't know if they did something or if we did! Don't you think I haven't researched to know what it takes a lot to break bonds? Don't you know I've had regrets over something I don't even remember?"

"Namjoon! That's enough!" Yoongi came up to the taller male and made him lean back into the kitchen counter.

"I'm beginning to think we were the problem. Just look at us, at how easily we dismissed them."

All six turned to look at Taehyung, his words piercing their hears, "How do you think they felt when they woke up and saw all their bonds to us were broken? Of course it fucking looks like we didn't want them anymore! Imagine being connected to more than one person and waking up one day knowing they didn't want you."

"But we don't know that Tae." Seokjin tried to reach over and grab Taehyung's hands but he pulled them away.

"But we do. How does it look when all of us are still together and they are the outsider? They are the ones left outside broken our the a bond that's supposed to love them and protect them? They were the ones casted out! Dont you think it looks like WE were the ones at fault? Why would he try to reach out to us when it was clear he was put out? Not knowing has eaten me alive all these years. Us not going after them because we didn't feel or remember anything was the stupidest thing we have ever done. Because now, after eighteen fucking years, they are still in my mind." Taehyung's voice cracked at the end if his speech with his eyes getting watery and his throat feeling like it was getting heavy.

Jimin reached over and hugged his soulmate, his heart breaking at how Taehyung broke down in his arms.

"Tae, baby," Jimin whispered, "you're not the only one that has left like this. All of us have had to carry this guilt all this time. We understand. I understand." Jimin wiped the tears that seemed never ending. He looked over at how Taehyung's lips wobbled and how his breath seemed to stop.

He was broken.

"I can't feel. All these years I've made myself believe I was happy, and you six have made me happy but I'm far from being complete." Jungkook's words made them all tear up.

They found comfort in each other. They always did.

But they had never spoken about this, not since the hospital and coming back to Korea when the tour got canceled.

Eighteen years of keeping their thoughts and feeling to themselves.

"We really are dumb and stupid. We have hid our hurt for so long even when we have felt the same." Seokjin threw his head back in frustration.

"Let's just, we don't have time to really talk today, but let's find time in the next few days. Let's go back to the kids. I'm sure everyone else is almost done getting ready." Namjoon gave everyone a sad smile before taking a deep breath and shaking his body off its nerves.

Everyone else followed.

They had masked their pain for eighteen years, a few more days won't hurt.