Tear

~27~

Ae Ra sat outside the operation room next to Namjoon. Of course she was worried about Taehyung, but she was also worried about the boy beside her.

"So, you're telling me Taehyung's cousin has been behind all this? You've been suffering like this for two months?"

Namjoon held his head in his hands but slowly nodded.

"And Yoongi was in the same boat as you, but Baekhyun actually got to him? So that day we made him food, he was in the hospital?"

"Yes, I was." Yoongi walked towards them and took a seat beside Ae Ra. "Namjoon, you did a good thing filing that police report. I know it's risky, but-"

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Even if it kills me," Namjoon said with venom in his voice. He pulled his head up, and Yoongi studied his bloodshot eyes. "Why did Taehyung do that? How did he know?"

"Who knows what goes on his mind," Yoongi sighed. "I just hope he's alright."

Namjoon remembered the pool of blood that surrounded his limp figure on the road, and he shivered. That was way too much blood to lose.

"I can't lose him," Ae Ra started crying. "I love him."

Yoongi shifted his eyes to Namjoon who placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I used to hate him so much at first. But once I saw who he really was underneath, I started falling for him. I'm obsessed with his rectangular smile and his withdrawn but warm personality."

Namjoon nodded in understanding. "I met Taehyung when I was very young. But even when he was younger, he was always looking after everyone despite the cold personality he developed over the years. We'll just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best."

Yoongi was proud of his friend for being able to move on. "I'm glad the rest of the guys don't know. They'd be freaking out."

Ae Ra stared at Yoongi with a certain look. "Um about that... I texted them everything. They're on their way."

Namjoon sighed, but he decided it was for the better that they knew. With Baekhyun currently on the loose, the more knowledge the group had, the more powerful they'd be. As if on cue, Jungkook, Jimin, Hoseok, and Jin came running up to them. Jungkook's face was so pale, he looked like he was about to faint.

"Hyung's okay, right? Tae is gonna be fine?" Jungkook grabbed Namjoon's hand.

The older of the two frowned. "We're not sure. But I really hope so. If something happens to him, I'll never be able to forgive myself. If only I moved out of the way in time, he wouldn't have thrown himself in the way."

Jin studied Namjoon's appearance. His hair stuck up in places from his hands clenching fistfuls of hair in frustration and anxiety. The undersides of his eyes were swollen from crying. His palms were scraped up and caked with dried blood from having skidded across the asphalt.

"It's not your fault," Jin said slowly. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

Jungkook and Jin accompanied Namjoon to the bathroom to clean his wounds.

"I know you thought not telling us was the best decision, but was it worth facing all this pain on your own?" Jin asked as he wet a paper towel to wipe the blood off.

Jungkook winced as Namjoon made a hissing sound when the water soaked into his wounds. "Joon, you must have been so scared."

Namjoon couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He never cried in front of other people. Ever since being bullied, he felt that tears showed that he was weak. He thought crying meant admitting failure. But keeping all this stuff in and letting Baekhyun manipulate him like this was the pinnacle of weakness. It was time to pick himself up and follow the advice Baekhyun gave him on the first day they met.

"I'm sorry to everyone in our group. I put so many people in danger trying to handle this on my own. But I'm ready to turn my weaknesses to strengths."

Namjoon took the paper towel and finished cleaning his wounds. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

It was the crack of dawn, and the boys had fallen asleep on various benches around the hospital. They refused to leave. Ae Ra couldn't get a wink of sleep, however. She sat on the same bench outside the operation room, waiting for the doctor to come out and deliver the news. She wasn't particularly religious, but she prayed long and hard through that stifling night. She couldn't imagine life without Taehyung. She'd miss his teasing in class and the electric feeling he gave her when he held her in his arms.

The doors that led to the operation room slid open, and the doctor stepped out. "Are you here for Patient Kim Taehyung?"

Ae Ra scrambled to her feet and stood in front of him. Her heart raced as he parted his lips to speak.

"Everything went well. His body accepted the blood transfusions well, and we placed a cast on his arm. He fractured a couple ribs, but those will heal on their own. Just make sure he rests at home for a week or so. I recommend minimal activity once he gets back on his feet until he's completely healed."

Ae Ra thanked the doctor, breathing out a sigh of relief. She sat back down and watched as the surgeons and nurses wheeled him out of the room into a common patient room. Following them in, she felt her eyes sting with tears seeing him look so sickly. He was barely conscious, but as soon as he saw her, his eyes opened fully.

"Hwang Ae Ra," he whispered. He held out his non-injured arm and she ran to him, enveloping him in a gentle hug. "I'm glad I can still see your face. I'm really sorry for everything."

Ae Ra shook her head. "None of that matters, now. You're here next to me, and you're okay."

"Baekhyun is still out there, though," Taehyung said nervously. "For him, this is far from over."

He parked his car roughly in a parking spot of an old warehouse. Stumbling out of the car, he slipped into his hideout and grabbed some alcohol, chugging it straight from the glass bottle. Baekhyun gripped the photo frame he kept by all the monitors he used to watch Taehyung and Namjoon. In it was a picture of his mother, Taehyung, and him. It had been taken the day Madame Byun decided to take the two of them to the zoo. His mother's smile was so radiant. She had Baekhyun and Taehyung on either side of her, pulling them both close. Taehyung had lost a couple of his teeth back then and was waiting for his adult teeth to grow in. His toothy grin was more than charming, though.

"I've killed both of you," Baekhyun ran a thumb over Taehyung's face. "What have I done?"

Taehyung's innocent eyes stared back at him, and Baekhyun began to sob. To think his own cousin's blood was smeared on his car. After his mother passed away, Taehyung was the only family he was willing to acknowledge. His father became colder and isolated himself. Baekhyun immersed himself in his studies even more to try and fill the void. But the only person who could bring a smile to his face like his mom could was Tae. Maybe there was a possibility he was alive.

Baekhyun shook his head, trying not to give himself false hope. He had seen Taehyung absorb the full impact of the crash. There was no way he could have survived that.

There was only one thing Baekhyun felt like he could do to cope with the pain. He picked up his cell phone with trembling hands and made a call.

"Hello, this Byun Baekhyun, and I'd like to turn myself in."