RED STRING REWRITTEN

41

The room was silent — painfully silent. The kind of silence that presses down on your chest until it’s hard to breathe. Everyone’s eyes were on Gemini. He stood in the middle of the room, trembling slightly, his fingers twisting together. His heart felt heavy, almost suffocating under the weight of guilt that had been eating him alive for weeks.

Gemini finally opened his mouth, voice small but shaking with emotion.

Gemini (softly): “First of all… I’m sorry. To both of you — Taehyung hyung and Fourth. Because of my parents, you both had to suffer… so much.”

He paused, his throat tight. His eyes fell to the floor as if he couldn’t bear to see their faces.

Gemini: “I swear, I didn’t know they would go this far. I knew they were dangerous, but… not like this. Not this cruel. I’m so ashamed. I feel sick thinking about what they did to you. Please—please forgive me, hyung. Please forgive me, Fourth.”

The silence that followed felt like it could crush him. Taehyung stared at Gemini, disbelief flickering across his face. His hands curled into fists by his sides.

Taehyung (quiet, but sharp): “You’re sorry?”

Gemini looked up, startled.

Taehyung (raising his voice slightly): “Do you think saying sorry fixes everything, Gemini? You could have just stayed away. We were trying to move on, trying to forget… and then you show up again? Why now?”

Gemini took a shaky step forward, tears pooling in his eyes.

Gemini (voice cracking): “You think Jungkook hyung has moved on?”

Taehyung froze.

Taehyung: “What do you mean?”

Gemini’s lips trembled.

Gemini: “You want the truth? Then listen, hyung. Since you left, Jungkook hyung… he’s not been himself. He goes out every night, comes back in the morning — drunk, broken, empty. I asked his friends where he goes, and they told me… he spends hours alone at bars, drinking until he can’t even stand properly. Crying. Every single night. He cries and says your name, hyung. He keeps asking himself what he did wrong, why you suddenly left.”

The words hit like a punch. Taehyung’s lips parted, his breath catching in his throat.

Taehyung (barely whispering): “What… what did you say?”

Gemini’s voice wavered as he continued, desperate for them to understand.

Gemini: “He doesn’t eat properly, doesn’t work like before. He’s lost all focus, all drive. His whole world stopped the day you disappeared. He blames himself for everything. He thinks he wasn’t enough for you to stay. Hyung… I can’t even look at him sometimes. He’s… falling apart. Completely.”

Tears began to fall from Gemini’s eyes now, raw and unrestrained.

Gemini: “He never — not even for one second — believed you left for money. Everyone around him said so, but he refused to believe it. He said, ‘Taehyung isn’t like that. There must be something wrong.’ He searched for you everywhere. Weeks, months… until he broke down completely. He still looks for you in every face, every voice. Please, hyung… he needs you. I’m begging you. Come with me. Help him before it’s too late.”

The room was so quiet that even the sound of breathing felt too loud. Taehyung’s eyes were wide and glossy, his throat moving as he swallowed the lump of emotion that rose up.

Taehyung (whispering): “He… didn’t believe I left him for money?”

Gemini shook his head fiercely, stepping closer.