Tear

~20~

Namjoon rushed to the hospital. He knew it would be dangerous if Taehyung tagged along. He needed to stay home and keep an eye on Ae Ra. When he set foot inside, he felt his breathing grow uneven. It'd been a while since his last time in a hospital.

"Shhh, stop crying. Everything will be okay."

Namjoon bit down on the handkerchief the older boy had given him to erase his tears. "They called me a nerd," he blubbered. "What's wrong with knowing stuff?"

Baekhyun held his small, broken form. Namjoon was propped up in a hospital bed with a broken leg, a black eye, and enough bruises for a lifetime. Baekhyun held in his tears as he comforted the ten year-old who didn't deserve any of this.

Namjoon was always a pupil. He was the top of his class and studied in his spare time for fun. And because of it, he was bullied. It would be on his way home or even at school in a dark, musty stairwell. He always felt watched. He always felt like prey.

Every night, he'd come home and cry, using his pillow to smother his heart wrenching sobs. His friends meant everything to him, but he didn't want to worry them with his problems. There was a reason he was being treated this way. And he brought it upon himself. If only he didn't always carry around a book or stay behind after class to learn a little extra, maybe he would've been fine.

In those dark and restless moments, it was Baekhyun who had appeared in front of him. He offered a hand and helped him out of what seemed like a bottomless pit, showing him that life wasn't always going to be this rough. Namjoon believed him. He trusted those words so much. On the weekends, he would look forward to Baekhyun swinging by and taking him out for ice cream. His favorite flavor was Dulce de Leche. Namjoon remembered trying it and gagging at the more grown-up taste. They would sit in that ice cream shop and talk for hours. Namjoon talked about his dreams, his ambitions, and the regrets he no longer held. And Baekhyun would open up about the company and how he was learning everything possible so that one day, he'd be worthy enough to take over and bring the family honor.

"He preyed on my weakness," Namjoon mumbled as he pushed open the sliding door to Yoongi's room.

His friend lay propped up with an arm in a cast, a black eye, and enough bruises for a lifetime. But still, Yoongi flashed Namjoon a weak gummy smile.

"What has he done to you?"

Yoongi shook his head. "He knows I shared information with you. He knows where your loyalty lies. He told me if I didn't give him information-" He stopped himself, choking back mangled sobs. "Namjoon, he had this crowbar-"

Namjoon sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped Yoongi in a reassuring embrace. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"How can you say that? You're doing what you feel is best. This is Baekhyun's fault."

Namjoon stared at his friend. "I think he's targeting Ae Ra. She called me saying she was being followed."

Yoongi sat up slowly. "What? You think Baekhyun would really go that far?"

"I believe so. She has to be watched at all times. I found a way to tell Tae about the situation. He's going to keep an eye on her." Namjoon bit his lip in frustration. What if Baekhyun targeted the rest of his friends? If something happened to Jin, Jimin, Hoseok or innocent little Jungkook, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Baekhyun is the worst," Yoongi huffed. "You think you could get me some water. It hurts to move."

Namjoon grabbed the bottle of water on his nightstand. Even though all these horrible things were happening to the people he loved, he felt bad for Baekhyun. He's just misunderstood. And he's using every mechanism he's got to defend his treasure.

Taehyung knocked on the door that led to Ae Ra's room, and it slowly creaked open.

"Hey, did you need something?" she asked. Her skin looked paler than usual, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

"Just bored. Have you been worrying about something? You look awful."

Ae Ra rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. Um, nothing really. It's nothing you need to know about."

"Being followed is a 'nothing really' to you?" Taehyung raised a brow and smirked when he saw Ae Ra's surprised expression. Ever since that moment they shared in the kitchen, he noticed how antsy the girl was around him.

Ae Ra glanced around before sliding into his room and closing the door quietly behind her. "How did you find out? Did Namjoon tell you?"

"Of course." Taehyung coughed. "Just curious, but why did you call him instead of me?"

Ae Ra had been thinking that too. Why had she instinctively gone to Namjoon's contact and called him when she felt like her life depended on it? She stared at Taehyung, and her heart started beating faster.

"I didn't want you to worry," she spat out quickly.

Taehyung smiled. "And why's that?"

"I just feel like I bother you a lot. I didn't want to add to that."

The boy laughed. "I guess I come off colder than I realize, hmm? Well, I just wanted to ask if you were okay. Being followed is kinda scary. We should start walking to and from school together now."

"I guess. But I'm honestly fine."

Taehyung crossed his arms, and Ae Ra's eyes were drawn to how tightly the fabric was pulled across his chest.

"You may be fine, but I'm not! Imagine what Mrs. Hwang will do to me if she finds out I could have prevented something bad from happening to you." A shudder ran through his body. "What if she grounds me up to make kimchi?"

Ae Ra pushed him away playfully. "Fine, we can start walking together. Also, I need to go to the art shop to get some supplies with the money Manager Kwon gave me. Want to come with?"

It was the first time Ae Ra had invited him to do something with her. Taehyung felt all warm and tingly inside. He could already picture Ae Ra's excited expression.

"Yeah, I think I'm free," he replied coolly. "I need to get some sleep because I've got a long shift at the coffee shop tomorrow."

"It'll be a long one for me, too. I'm starting on one of the paintings tomorrow," Ae Ra giggled. "Alright, I'll stop bothering you. Goodnight, Tae."

"Night, Ae Ra. See you tomorrow bright and early. You better not walk to school without me!"

She stuck out her tongue before disappearing behind her door. Taehyung collapsed in his bed and began rolling around in excitement. Tomorrow was going to be a great day.

Or so he thought...