Kim Taehyung's conscience had begun to haunt him.
Although Taehyung had safely navigated himself across the periphery of Hansung through the bicycle that he was not even acquainted with a couple of hours ago, the inexorable urge within him to just run back to the site of their miserably-failed operation was still as much fazing as a raging vortex.
After all, he had done what he, himself, feared the most— he abandoned Sangcheol and his other fellow comrades at a moment which was apparently the gravest of all.
If he had not opted to flee like a coward in the heat of the moment, and instead stayed back to brook whatever blows might have come his way, would the accompanying apprehension of losing against the Japanese have dissolved into nothingness too? What if the comradery they shared had the capacity to withstand setbacks worse than the one that they were made to face a while back, and Taehyung had just ended up losing the opportunity to witness it some day in the near future as well?
All because of his love for his own life.
Everything fell apart because of him. Taehyung's lexicon was apparently deprived of the very keyword of their unit's solidarity oath— selflessness.
Now, how could he deny that when everything had become so ostensible?
Moreover, was he eligible to disavow?
Taehyung's bloodshot eyes were very well portraying the internal disarray that he was undergoing. The vivid circuit of veins under his pale skin was keen on surfacing and further contributing to his distress, the only hurdle for it to achieve that being Taehyung's own reluctance towards shedding even a single tear. Wailing over the current circumstance would mean that he attempted to avert his reality and atone for his sin, when even he was abreast with the fact that the kind of cowardice that he had displayed was far from the scope of being redeemed.
He would have traversed through that wormhole of a tunnel if the thoughts tormenting him had not cropped up to begin with. Reaching Yeseul and deriving benefit from the usual run of luck that followed in her world— which, for a moment, also made Taehyung trust the edge he and his team was to have over the imperial forces had it not been for their untimely busting— would have definitely yielded something worthwhile.
But how was he to face even her? Had he not given her his word about bringing a change in the scenario of his time period? Would carrying forward the rhetoric be decent of him when his actions did not align with it?
The least Taehyung wanted right then was a degraded image of his in Yeseul's eyes.
So, where did that leave Taehyung?
🔹
After going back and forth the idea of owning up to the blunder that he had set loose, or just running away from it, it had become clear which alternative Taehyung gave preference to now that the erected structures of Hansung had again started to be registered by him. Strolling through the streets currently sullied with countless pamphlets and confetti, he puffed a relaxed sigh when bloodstains were not what defiled the same pathways. There may be a possibility that not every compeer of his succumbed to the Japanese blitzkrieg assault.
The hope to see those survivors despite the likelihood of them snarling at him because of his spineless conduct still blazed inside Taehyung's heart, and there seemed no dousing of it.
Wary, he approached a bunch of people circumscribing what appeared like a notice board, simultaneously praying mentally not to witness the mates whom he was seeking being publicly chagrined. A static voice—absurdly enough— roared thunderously, causing Taehyung to jump at his own spot. However, the message it entailed was certainly a lot more startling than the deafening pitch it was being rendered at.
"The Emperor's forces have successfully captured a band of insurgents who were, as it is being speculated, were planning to make His Majesty their aim. They are also associated with a foreign enemy of ours, probably the Allies since they must be feeling nervous due to our German inclination, for the considerable amount of weapons they possessed, are highly sophisticated, acquiring which would not have been possible without an external aid. The seven rebels were thus shot down to death on the spot, on the charges of highest level of sedition. Long live the Empire!"
Taehyung's expiation had been dramatically delayed— a shocker so overwhelming that the male would have required much more time than a mere minute to absorb all of it. But much to his dismay, the announcer did not look like cutting him some slack that day.
"As a punishment that would set example for those trying to embark on a path like theirs, it has been decided by the authorities not to return the bodies of the deceased. The souls of the rebels, namely Kim Taehyung, Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, and Jeon Jungkook, will therefore not find solace even after their deaths. May that be the condition of everyone who dares to rise up against the regime." The callous man finished, stepping down from the pedestal and pasting the list that he read the names from, onto the notice board which had initially caught Taehyung's attention.
The crowd gawked at the record for a while, tears debouching from the eyes of a few while others muttered curses for the so-called regime that was as ruthless to them as ever. Meanwhile people exchanged their views on the mishap that occurred, Taehyung was endeavoring not to let his stability spiral.
Why in the world was his name pronounced by the reporter and not Sangcheol's? Why was Sangcheol being framed as the deserter when it was in fact him who had done the unspeakable? How did Taehyung wind up being the martyr— or rebel, to satisfy the regime's ego— while Sangcheol became destined to be grimaced at for an eternity?
Taehyung's eyes progressively enlarged upon the realization as beads of cold sweat started trickling down the sides of his face. He was just about to lose his balance and collapse on the hard ground, when shrieks belonging to an extremely familiar voice was recognized by him. Another squint at a distance and he was able to discern who it was.
Yeoreum, his fiancee.
Han Yeoreum, of all people, was stumbling towards the same throng of people that Taehyung was a part of too, at a pace which unerringly showcased how aghast and crestfallen she must have felt when she had first come across the news. Taehyung immediately began to shuffle his feet upon locating her, still not knowing how to lay down the entire incident in words that would not instill in him disgust for his own self. And so, in the same irresolution, he hid himself behind a wall, with only one intention of keeping the female uninformed of the evident truth.
Witnessing Yeoreum crying so bitterly was shattering Taehyung's heart to bits. The customary, graceful demeanor of the female was now long-gone, and so was the hesitation regarding thumping her Hanbok-cloaked arms onto the untidy surface while lamenting. Tears welled up in Taehyung's eyes as he watched her small figure from afar, mourning the death of the man whom she loved so sincerely, but was never hers to begin with.
A matter of few hours and Taehyung had, at once, wronged the two people who adored him the most— Sangcheol and Yeoreum.
It was this moment of him shaking his head in disappointment with his own self, that a woman splashed a pile of water onto Taehyung, catching him off-guard. Well, the woman was not to blame, for he was blocking the front of her shop for quite a long time now— it was only natural of her to resort to such an expedient.
Astonished, Taehyung lurched backwards, taking a look at his garments which were now thoroughly drenched with water. A quick comb-through eventuated, which unanticipatedly served as a means for him to finally understand the mess that was behind the faulty identification process.
A swap of jackets had led to a swap of names.
Butterfly effect, indeed.
🔹
a/n
LMAO SORRY FOR MENTIONING ENTIRE BTS THIS WAY— i couldn't come up with 7 different names, man, it's tough. pls pls don't be offended ;-; and they're being referred to as martyrs here, i don't see the point of anyone being offended anyway.
so, sorry but dayum, i think this is one of the best chapters i've written down for this book. at least for me hehe. will you tell me your view on it too, pls? pls leave your votes and comments, it's legit drought in here😔
about the next chapter, you know the drill! swipe down to read the next update <3