Tear

~7~

Ae Ra couldn't remember when she fell asleep. But when she felt someone shaking her, she jumped and scrambled to sit up.

"Relax, it's just me. Are you okay?" She saw her brother sitting on the edge of her bed, and she felt better.

"I'm fine. I don't know how she found out," Ae Ra sighed. "I was hoping she wouldn't find out this soon."

Her brother gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You better thank me. I convinced Mom that those were your old paintings and that I haven't seen you paint in years. I'm sorry Mom freaked out. She was looking for something and thought it might be in your room, and, um, your painting was on the floor by the bed."

Ae Ra was sure she had slid the painting under the door before she had left, but whatever the case, she had messed up.

"I'm done. You don't have to worry about me anymore," Ae Ra confessed. "I'll just be a business major and forget about becoming an artist. I should have listened to her as a child. I'll never amount to anything."

"Stop that. You have to keep painting. You promised me you would make me a painting for my birthday coming up. Are you going to go back on your word?"

Ae Ra's bottom lip trembled. She remembered how her mother had snapped her wooden brushes in half without hesitation, and a shiver ran through her heart.

"I'm not sure. I don't think I can do it. Also, where's Mom? What's she doing? I kind of want to just stay in here all day."

Her brother nodded understandingly. "I can sneak you some food. Just get all the rest you need. You think you'll be okay going to your university classes tomorrow?"

Ae Ra nodded eagerly. "Wahhh, how did I get blessed with such an amazing brother?" she ruffled his hair playfully. "Anyways, your birthday's in a few days. That still gives me time to think about whether I'll make you a painting. It's not that I don't want to. I'm just... scared."

"I understand, Noona. I don't want to see what Mom will do if she finds out I lied for your sake."

Ae Ra slumped back into her bed and drew the covers up to her chin. Her mind felt more at peace knowing her brother had her back. She ruffled his hair one more time before sliding under her blanket and sleeping the day away.

"Why isn't she picking up?" Jungkook whined as he dialed Ae Ra's number for the hundredth time.

"Aish, stop bothering her. Something must have come up," Namjoon frowned. "Let's just work on it another day." He glanced at Taehyung who was sitting on the end of the sofa, not saying a word. He had been fixated on a point on the ground for the past thirty minutes, and Namjoon was starting to get worried.

"Taehyung, are you okay?" Jin asked, waving a hand in front of his face. He looked up, and Jin stepped back in surprise. "Have you been crying? Why are your eyes so bloodshot?"

"It's allergies," Taehyung stated plainly. "I think I'm gonna head home."

"What? But you just got here?" Jungkook whined. "Hyung~"

Taehyung stumbled as he slipped his jacket back on. Namjoon had a feeling the boy was hiding something major from them, but he knew pushing him for answers wouldn't be a good idea. It would be up to Taehyung to tell them on his own.

"I need to go somewhere. I'll see you guys later." Taehyung slid into the driver's seat of his car and made a beeline for the art store. He grabbed everything he could think of- brushes, canvases, paints of every color of the rainbow.

He tried to be as quiet as possible when he got home, slowly pressing himself against the wall that bordered his room to see if he could hear anything. Nothing. He left the art supplies by his bed and decided it wouldn't hurt to visit home and see what was going on. Hopping back in his car, he drove to his mansion.

The first thing he did was shed his clothes and take a steaming hot shower before slipping into his much needed bubble bath. He had almost finished drying his hair when he heard his bedroom door being harshly opened.

Madame Kim stood there with a curious Baekhyun behind her. "Why did you come back?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I came to use the shower and see if you guys needed anything," Taehyung replied, trying to gauge the atmosphere.

The woman stepped closer, and Taehyung noticed Baekhyun's trembling form. When his mom got mad, it was never pretty.

"I kicked you out, so you could experience the real world. And here you are, sneaking back into my house?"

Taehyung scratched his head. "I wouldn't necessarily call it sneaking. I used the front door and walked right past all the maids-"

SLAP!

The boy drew a hand up to cup his stinging face. But his eyes stung more.

Madame Kim nodded. "You're going to feel far worse than that if you inherit the company in your current condition. I never remember raising my son to be so arrogant."

Taehyung felt something inside him snap. He remembered those meals he always ate alone and how instead of playing, he would be forced to read articles about business and inheritance.

"Well, I don't remember you ever raising me," Taehyung near growled and pushed past the woman. Baekhyun started to follow him, but Madame Kim requested for him to stay. Taehyung slammed the front door on his way out only to see his butler sitting in the driver's seat of his Aston Martin.

"Let me guess. This is part of getting kicked out? You're taking away my car, aren't you?" he sighed tiredly.

His butler nodded sadly. "Sorry. Madame's orders."

"Of course they are." Taehyung rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure how to catch the bus home. Neither did he want to learn.

The walk back home was long and tiresome. It gave him time to think- more time than he wanted, to be honest. He walked into his part of the house and leaned against the door once he closed it, his mother's slap replaying in his mind. Taehyung swore he could still feel his cheek tingling.

Slowly, he found himself with his back pressed against the wall that separated his and Ae Ra's room. He lurched forward when he heard a muffled sob. It wasn't the kind of cry when you were tired and had cried your eyes out for hours, and the tears kept falling. No. It was the kind of cry he was familiar with- the one where you were trying your hardest to hold back tears and keep smiling. It was the cry that stung the back of your throat from being held in, making it feel rough like sandpaper. Soon enough, he had his own fist in his mouth, and he was trying his hardest to not make a sound as the tears relentlessly cascaded down his face.

Taehyung wasn't sure what his dream was. He didn't want to take on this huge responsibility all of a sudden. He wanted to keep fooling around and hanging out with the boys. He wasn't sure if he was fit to wear a suit to work and have employees bow down to him just because he was Kim Taehyung.

The sobs quieted down, but he could still hear her uneven breathing as she tried to calm herself down. Taehyung smiled, hugging his pillow tightly against his chest. As much as hearing her cry pained him, it comforted him too. Before they knew it, they were fast asleep, back to back against the same wall with tears tattooed beneath their eyes.