• 第二十九章 •
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Even with the heavy downpour still falling on them, all they felt at that moment was nothing else but emptiness. Or from Taehyung's aspect – guilt.
It was with his own eyes which had witnessed Hana take the bullet for him. It was also with the same pair of eyes which had watched Hoseok jump after the girl without a single hint of hesitation, ultimately leading them both to death.
Dead.
They were both dead.
Frozen, his jaw was hung opened as a single drop of fresh tear escaped his eyes as he refused to look away from the couple down below. Their blood weren't even seen as the waves kept washing it away, but even without the blood, he knew that they were already dead.
No one would be able to survive past the sharp prominent rocks which had poked through their abdomens, their bodies still locked in an embrace.
And then, as another thunder roared, he allowed himself to bawl. He cried and cried, unable to fathom that two individuals were now dead because of him.
Despite the rain cancelling out most of the noises around him, he could make out several hasty footsteps reaching his side, and they halted abruptly as soon as they saw the sight below. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but he was far too broken and guilty to glance up at whoever was trying to comfort him.
Taehyung lived like a zombie for the next few days.
He barely slept, he barely ate anything. The vampires had to check up on him from time to time as they worked together to put Taehyung's uncle into prison while handling the funerals for their friends.
Seokjin and Jungkook were the ones who had volunteered to hike down the cliff despite being in the midst of a storm to collect their bodies. They were reluctant to leave them there, afraid that the merciless waves would whisk them away; afraid that they wouldn't be able to send them away by giving a proper goodbye.
Jungkook was a crying mess as he carried Hoseok's lifeless body back to where the rest were. He was in denial that his friend whom he had spent for centuries, his brother whom he loved, his role model whom he looked up to – was gone.
Just like that. Gone.
But he did feel better knowing that this was Hoseok's way of loving Hana.
He remembered shifting his gaze from his hyung towards the limp and lifeless girl carried in Seokjin's arms, the bullet still pierced into her chest. He remembered how Namjoon had shed out tears of sorrow at the sight of his best friend gone, exactly like the way he had grieved for the past Hana years ago.
Yoongi, being the most collected one among his friends, he handled the police procedures by reporting Taehyung's uncle and filling the authorities up with what had happened, including Hana and Hoseok's deaths. He made sure to sentence Taehyung's uncle behind the bars for life, so he would spend the rest of his days repenting on his wrongdoings by just facing four white walls.
Jimin took up the liberty to drop the news to Hana's family, accompanied by Namjoon who was still in evident shock. The latter couldn't even speak, unable to explain what happened as his sobs would cut his sentences off, leaving Jimin to do the job on his behalf.
Of course, they left out the details about the existence of vampires, telling a white lie on how Hana had sacrificed herself to save Taehyung who was kidnapped as well. Hana's family broke down as soon as they understood what occurred, but no matter how devastated they were, still, they comforted Namjoon who was blaming himself for not being able to protect her as a friend.
"Don't blame yourself, Namjoon. We all know how selfless Hana was." That was what Hana's father had said through his tears.
The familiar sound of his house's doorbell echoed in the air, rendering Taehyung who was curled up on his couch to glance at the door. He knew that it was probably just his secretary or the other vampires who lived upstairs, but he wasn't ready to face anyone yet.
Not after indirectly killing two people who were in love.
The doorbell rang again. And this time, it was followed by the intercom beeping and Seokjin's voice speaking.
"Taehyung, open up. I know you're in there." Seokjin's sigh was heard before he spoke again. "It's the last day of their funerals, aren't you going to at least wish them a proper goodbye?"
Taehyung contemplated for a while. He was afraid of facing the two, still tripped with guilt, but it would be rude of him to not pay his last respect to them, right?
Hence, he decided to finally step out of his house after a few days of locking himself up.
Seokjin frowned at how dishevelled Taehyung looked, his eyebags prominent and skin no longer glowing like before, hair not styled properly with his attire messily worn. The vampire took in a deep breath, and clicked his tongue while adjusting the black tie worn simply on Taehyung's shirt.
"It's not your fault, Taehyung. You have to stop blaming yourself." Seokjin patted his back as they approached the carpark.
"I can't stop thinking it's my fault. If it weren't for me, only if Hana didn't meet me, then she would be still alive. Hoseok too." Taehyung murmured, tears ready to spill again.
Hearing his words, Seokjin let out a chuckle. Taehyung knitted his eyebrows at the unexpected reaction, feeling confused on the reason behind the chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Taehyung questioned, the back of his head leaning against the window of the car.
Seokjin smiled softly as he drove. "Cause, no matter what, it is already written in the stars for you to meet Hana again. To meet Hoseok again. To meet us again."
"Huh? Are you implying that I was part of what Hoseok told me before?" Taehyung blinked in shock.
"Yeah, I guess it's time to let you know the truth then." Seokjin then further explained and elaborated on their past lives, and all Taehyung could do was to stay frozen in his seat.
He was stunned by the information, needless to say. He didn't want to believe that he used to be a King, but with all the coincidences and his particular infatuation towards the sun pendant said otherwise.
Upon reaching the funeral hall, Taehyung found himself being unable to move his feet after leaving the car. Guilt swarmed him up again, and he felt bile threatening to leave him from the anxiety he was feeling.
Sensing his discomfort, Seokjin calmed him down by patting his upper back before forcefully pulling him towards the designated halls. Taehyung felt small as he trailed after the vampire who was now bowing at Hana's relatives, introducing him as the man whom their daughter had saved.
The CEO braced himself for shouts and probably angered punches to be thrown at him, but as he waited, he opened his eyes and straightened his posture slightly to find none of these. What he saw were two pair of sad yet understanding eyes, and as soon as he was pulled into an embrace by Hana's mother, he allowed himself to cry once again.
Hana's mother patted his back soothingly. "Aigoo, you must have suffered a lot. You poor thing."
"I-I'm s-sorry, eommoni." Taehyung choked out, and even fell onto his knees to bow at them fully. "It's my f-fault. I'm so sorry."
"Kid, stand up. It's not your fault, it's never your fault. Don't blame yourself for something you can't control of." Hana's father pulled Taehyung back up, and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "It was my daughter's choice to sacrifice herself for you, so please, for her, live on. Show her and us that her sacrifice was not in vain, okay?"
Taehyung nodded fervently, a smile growing on his face although tears were still falling down his face. "Will do, sir. T-thank you so much."
After paying his respect to Hana, he followed Seokjin out of the hall to shuffle into the one right next to hers. There were obviously less people in here, and he recognized the tired faces seated around the tables, including Namjoon who was speaking lowly with Yoongi at a side.
Jimin was the first one to see him. He grinned.
"Someone's finally out of his den." Jimin jokingly said.
"Don't make fun of him, Jimin." Seokjin scolded lightly.
"No, it's alright." Taehyung forced a smile, and moved towards the centre of the hall.
He felt pairs of eyes watching him as he bowed down fully, his own gaze trembling as another wave of guilt crashed onto him again. Interlocking his own fingers, he dared himself to look up and speak.
"I don't know what else to say except I'm sorry, Hoseok." He began, an exhausted sigh escaping between his chapped lips. "Seokjin told me everything, and now that I've fully grasped the entire situation, I finally understand why you were so protective over Hana whenever she was with me. But hey, don't you think that it's kinda unfair for you to treat me like my past self?"
Taehyung chuckled. "I know I'm not King Lee Hyeon, but I do know that both him and I have made you suffered for such a long time. We were the reasons why you lost your lover in both lifetimes, but this time, you chose to leave the world with her instead. I gotta admit, you're hella brave doing that.
We might not have known each other for a long time, but I could definitely tell that you were a man of your words and actions. You were truly admirable, so loyal. You were so loyal to your friends, so loyal to your past King, and so loyal to your one true love.
You know, if we were to meet again in our next life, let's just be friends. Maybe I'll be the one running after you, just like how you did for me in the past. I'd make sure that you'll live a happy life, and although I'm not someone who believes in fate or whatnots, I really hope we will meet again, so I'll be given a chance to repay everything I owe you properly the next time.
So, for now, please stay happy with Hana at wherever you both are until we meet again."
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Damn this chapter was heart-wrenching to write :<
Rmb, this is only a fictional au! Meaning no one really died okay!!
Also i lub u all <3
Take care~
Epilogue : 7/6/2021 (damn half a year really went by just like that)