And we Bid Farewell to the Last of our Youth

IV

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How Yoongi managed to rush past the security will forever remain a mystery to himself, maybe it was fear, maybe it was adrenaline. His excitement and victory was, however, short lived when his eyes caught the sight of a figure he knew all to well. Manager Min Soo, the one man who ruined their maknae's precious childhood, and left him with nothing but skin full of purple and blue hughes.

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Yoongi remembers it all. He was at the studio, one of his late nights, when he heard it. A small sob, echoing the seemingly empty hallway just outside of his workplace. He was about to put his headphones on, but the sobbing worsened. He opened the door, only to be met with a red and puffy pair of big doe eyes blinking back at him, almost like a plea for help. "Jeonggugkie, what happened?" He quietly said as he knelt down to the crying boy. Jeongguk said nothing, just looked at him.

Then, without warning, Yoongi was pulled into the biggest hug, and, though rather startled, cradled his arms around the younger singer. "Shhh, Jeonggukie, it's okay. I've got you, hyung's right here." He whispered into Jeongguk's ear. "Hyung cares about you." He repeated these words over and over, like a mantra, until Jeongguk pulled away. "Thanks hyung, I'm s-sorry." He said quietly, not meeting Yoongi's eye.

"Why are you sorry Jeonggukie, you did nothing wrong." "B-but hyung, I did. I can't do anything right, I can't dance the routines right, I d-don't even look right, I-I, heck, I can't even sing right, I'm just burdening you all! All I have to show is my bruises, and my acne. They're all right hyung, I'm just an untalented person who hogs all the attention," Jeongguk cried out while looking at the ground, tears falling even more now. "Jeongguk, you are not a burden, and what do you mean you can't dance. You're apart of the dance line, and you're our main vocalist, who even gave you the thought that you can't sing or dance? And your looks are fine, your perfect just the way you are Gukkie." Jeongguk shook his head. "You don't understand hyung, I'm t-tainted, I'm dirty." He sobbed. "What are you talking about?" If Yoongi wasn't worried yet, he definitely was now. "Jeongguk, what do you mean!" He grabbed Jeongguk's shoulders, only for the younger to flinch away harshly.

"What the hell," Yoongi muttered to himself. He took Jeongguk's arm, trying to ignore the flinch that follows his actions, and rolled up the sleeves, only to be met with dark bruises that ran up to his shoulder. Yoongi covered his mouth in shock, and he could barely feel the tears forming in his own eyes. "Who?" He angrily whispered. "Damn it Jeon Jeongguk tell me right now!"

Jeongguk took a nervous swallow. "I'm so sorry hyung," He said, tears falling at a faster pace, "it's my fault, really, if my voice would stop cracking and I could just dance right, hell if my acne could just go away, I'd be ok, but I'm not. Please don't tell anyone, pleas don't make me go, I'll do better next time, I swear." Yoongi took a deep breath and closed his eyes, it hurt too much to hear his youngest dongsaeng say those words. "We have to tell management, Jeonggukie, I'm not letting my youngest member get hurt like this anymore. And cut the crap about leaving, no matter what has happened to you, we'll always love and accept you." Jeongguk looked up at Yoongi, and Yoongi could see all the pain in his face. "We can't tell management, he'll kill me," Jeongguk closed his eyes, "t-then, he'll k-kill you t-too." He forced out. "Who, Jeonggukie?" Yoongi asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"M-Min Soo hyung."

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Just like the other members, Yoongi swallowed down the memory and the name, sealed that area of his past with a do not enter sign, and left it, a part of their youth that still yearned to be opened and set free, keeping a part of themselves locked in with it. The members and himself didn't learn how to grow with it, they grew around it, and let it be. Of course, the one piece of their past was left forgotten, and they are haunted by it. Their last bit of youth is still here, keeping them trapped within their childhood insecurities.

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Seokjin awoke to the sound of heavy sobbing, and the first thing he saw was Taehyung's tear stricken face. "Tae?" Taehyung looked down at his hyung. "Hyung!" Taehyung gasped, causing Namjoon to look up. Jin tried to sit up, but he found that he couldn't. He felt, a... rope? His hands were tied behind his back, he realized. He looked around the room, and saw just Taehyung and Namjoon. "Are you two alright?" He was heartbroken to see both of his dongsaeng shake their heads. "No hyung, h-he has Jeongguk, h-he's going to hurt Jeongguk!" Taehyung cried out, sobbing. "What, who?" Jin said. "Min Soo, that damned bastard!" Namjoon looked right at Jin, and he could make out the crease of Namjoon's brow, the protective glint in his eye. Jin felt the world begin to spin, and his frown turned into a something dark, as if the man's name was something so evil it could kill.

    He knew Jeongguk was in danger, if the man had managed to get this far, then would he hurt Jeongguk. 'Yes Jin, you know he would. He's done it before,' Jin thought to himself, face darkening with every word, the world slowly drifting to a red tint as his anger and fear mixed together. "Namjoon, we've got to find a way out of these restraints." Namjoon nodded. "I have an idea, but we have to be quiet and cautious." Taehyung and Jin modded, ready to protect their dongsaeng, their members, their family.

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Facing the scene in front of him, Yoongi felt his heart sink to his stomach has he looked at Min Soo holding Jeongguk at gun point, the very scene that had plagued his nightmares. Jeongguk's eyes were closed, and there were dried tear tracks along the sides of his cheeks. "Come on Jeonggukie, time to wake up," Min Soo calmly patted the Jeongguk's cheek, and Yoongi's blood boiled, just the man patting him made him mad, he didn't want any of his members near the old manager ever again, but here they were. Jeongguk groggily opened his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days, and he looked sick, and scared. Min Soo just smiled his sickening smile as he watched the expression on Yoongi's face morph from anger into one of terror, and pushed the gun further against Jeongguk's head, making him startle and cry out. "Now, you'll do as I say, and, if you fail, I'll kill you're precious maknae, and then I'll kill you."

At that moment, Yoongi looked in Jeongguk's watering eyes, saw the slight tremble of his body, and knew he would do anything to save his dongsaeng.