It had been about a week since the members had to deal with being at the police station to watch Taehyung and Jungkook identify people. The police had stopped at the house one more time to get final statements and ask a million more questions, but the two didn't have any new information that they hadn't said a million times already.
Hobi had nonchalantly asked the police if they figured out how the fires started, and they had concluded someone in the colony must've done it. Hobi looked at Jimin and they both sighed with relief, knowing that they were in the clear and wouldn't be in any trouble for it. Jimin had asked if anyone had died in the fire and the police said they hadn't found any dead bodies, so it seemed like everyone had gotten out.
Over the week it was in the news that more and more people were coming forward and speaking out against their torture, and the members were extremely happy to see so many other people had been led to freedom. All of those victims were able to identify their owns masters, so an extreme amount of arrests had been made. Unfortunately because the colony had been operating for so long, there were families who had to get the news that that's where their loved ones from decades ago had been lost, but many families found great closure in at least finally knowing what happened.
Now that things with the police were calming down and they were more focused on the criminals than the victims, it was finally getting easier for the members to focus solely on helping the maknae's with their trauma.
And today was the first day that the psychiatrist, Dr. Yun, was making his way to the house. They'd all met briefly in the hospital and everyone was extremely excited for the sessions to finally start. When he showed up to their house, the members greeted him warmly. Taehyung and Jungkook were napping in their room so Jimin ran to go wake them up.
The two strolled out together and Dr. Yun asked where they could have their session and Jin pointed to the couch in the middle of the living room. "I was wondering if we could be in these sessions too?"
All of the members wanted to be as involved as possible in their maknae's healing process, which meant they all wanted in on the therapy too. Not only so they could know how the two youngest were really feeling, but so they could also know how the psychiatrist dealt with their feelings and what techniques he would be using.
Dr. Yun gestured to Jungkook and Taehyung. "Honestly, that is completely up to them. This is their session. They're in charge here."
The maknae's said it was fine, they didn't mind their hyungs sticking around. They actually felt better about it that way. Extra protection should anything go wrong.
Everyone gathered in the living room, ready to start.
Dr. Yun began. "Well, I'll be honest and say I have seen quite a lot in the news about this entire ordeal. You two have not been specifically mentioned, but I can only assume that the things I have heard many other victims describe are some of the same things you two have experienced?"
Jungkook and Taehyung looked at eachother, and then back at Dr. Yun, nodding.
"Then the first thing I would like to know is how it started. How did you get from your home, to there?"
Jin held back his tears as he raised his hand. "It was my fault."
Everyone turned to him and Yoongi spoke up. "I know I was quick to blame you but we have already established that what happened to them was not your fault, hyung." Or mine. He knew all too well what if felt like to feel that guilt and blame considering he had already struggled before with feeling it himself.
Jin broke down crying and dropped his face into his hands. "I'm so sorry."
"Hyung you didn't do it," Jungkook frowned.
Dr. Yun put his hand up to stop everyone. "Jin, why are you thinking this is your fault?"
"I-I brought them to th-the carnival," Jin cried. The rest of the members were crying seeing Jin cry. They didn't know how to make him believe that they all got over the blame and knew all of this wasn't his doing.
"Alright, let's camp out here for a moment," Dr. Yun said. "You brought them to a carnival. How does that relate to them being taken?"
Hobi decided to speak for Jin. "Here's what happened. They wanted to go to the carnival. Jin dropped them off and we all went home, planning to pick them up when they called us that they were ready to go. The call never came so Jin expressed worry and we all got in the car to go pick them up, and everyone was gone. They were gone. The carnival was over. We located their phones which were smashed up in the woods and that's when we called the police."
Dr. Yun was still directing his conversation at Jin. "Did you know they were going to be taken?"
Jin shot up. "Of course not! How would I have known that?! I would have never brought them if I had know someone was just going to take them like that!"
"So you're telling me you brought them to a carnival to go on rides and have fun, and then come home right after?"
"Of course." Jin wiped his tears.
"Then what happened to them after you dropped them off was in no way your fault. You couldn't help what you didn't know. You couldn't control what you didn't know. It sounds to me like your motives were pure in intention. You're not the bad guy in this situation. The only people to blame are the people who took them, and everyone involved after that."
Jin was quiet and didn't know what to say. Taehyung and Jungkook were staring at him wide eyed. They had no clue that Jin was carrying so much guilt for this still.
"Not to mention, Jin is the one who saved them," Namjoon added. "He's the only one who had the intuition of what might've happened to them. We all didn't even want to believe him but he just had an instinct." The leader turned to his hyung, "You're the hero here. You have to realize that."
It wasn't the first time they had all tried telling Jin this either.
Jin couldn't help but smile. "I guess I am, huh?"
But it was the first time it had actually stuck with him.
Hobi smiled and nudged his hyung. "Obviously."
"And we can never repay you for that," Jungkook said softly.
Jin waved his hand in the hair. "Over my dead body would I ever even let you try to repay me for that. Protecting you guys is just what we do."
Dr. Yun spoke to the maknae's. "It sounds like you two have a great support system here at home, that's very good."
All of the hyungs couldn't help but blush. They felt slightly embarrassed being praised for something they did that came quite naturally.
After helping Jin with his concerns, Dr. Yun got back to asking Taehyung and Jungkook questions. It took them a moment to open up but they figured they'd told the story so many times already they may as well open up to their own psychiatrist. They started with how they had been taken, the journey through the woods, being in the colony. Dr. Yun mentioned that they needed to express all the details, even the hard ones. He could tell through their hesitation that they were holding some stuff back.
Jimin nudged them and encouraged them to talk about some of the harder details that they'd told the hyungs, like Jungkook being shot at, Taehyung being beaten unconscious, them having to stand there and watch people burn, all the really terrible stuff. "That's the only way you two will get better. You have to be honest."
"Okay." Jungkook sighed and got a lot more honest after that, finally expressing his extreme terror the moment Taehyung was dragged out of the room and he could hear him getting hurt. "I have nightmares about losing him every night." Taehyung grabbed Jungkook and hugged him tightly. "I'm right here no matter what. I'm not going anywhere."
"These concerns and fears are extremely real, and extremely valid," Dr. Yun said reassuringly. "It is okay to be this scared. My job here is to help you move past it and overcome it. I'm not saying it will take one day or even one month, it could take much longer than that, but the fact you're opening up this much is fantastic."
Dr. Yun continued to acknowledge how PTSD works and he explained to the hyungs the psychology behind why the two were still afraid of something bad happening.
Yoongi told Dr. Yun about the two's extreme separation anxiety and how they have been attached at the hip ever since coming home.
Dr. Yun looked at the two youngest. "May I ask what you think will happen to eachother if you two are out of eachothers sight?"
"The first time he was out of my sight, he almost got shot," Taehyung frowned.
"And the next time he was out of mine he was almost beaten to death," Jungkook also frowned.
"It seems as though you two are afraid that if you aren't keeping an eye on eachother, something extremely bad will happen to the other? You want to protect each other."
Jungkook and Taehyung both nodded. It was exactly that.
Jimin interrupted. "But we're here to protect you guys too."
"It's not that they don't know that," Dr. Yun started, "Their brains have been rewired to believe something bad will happen if they, specifically, are out of reach from eachother. There's a sense of guilt in that. What they're feeling is that it was their fault for the other getting hurt because they were eachothers only protection and felt as though they failed, and they don't want to fail again."
Taehyung's and Jungkook's jaws dropped, feeling like Dr. Yun had read their minds. How the hell does he know that?
"I don't like feeling like that," Taehyung admitted. "I don't like being worried and scared all the time but I don't know what to do. I don't know how to not be afraid or worried anymore."
"Me either," Jungkook also admitted. "I feel like I'm broken."
Dr. Yun saw Jungkook's eyes get wet with tears. "Jungkook, Taehyung, neither of you two are broken. You just feel broken. And I'm going to do all I can to help you two not feel so badly anymore."
Namjoon chimed in. "Do you think, in the future, they'll be able to separate? I mean with the band and schedules and stuff there will be times we can't always be together, even those two. Will it even be possible?"
"I have full faith that we can get there." Dr. Yun smiled.
"How?" Taehyung asked. He couldn't see a way around it. No matter what he did, he couldn't imagine being separated from Jungkook. Not again. Not ever. The maknae felt the same way about Taehyung. Although it worried both of them in terms of what would happen in the future, they both couldn't see a way out of the anxiety and terror that was crushing their heads.
Taehyung rested his head on Jungkook's shoulder and sighed. "How am I supposed to just stop worrying?"
"In all your recent experiences, every time you two were apart someone got hurt. What we have to work on is showing you two that being apart is okay, and that being apart does not mean someone getting hurt," Dr. Yun said. "I am not going to start with this today, as this is just our first session, but as we progress I am going to start you two on a path called Exposure Therapy."
Yoongi lifted an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"When someone is afraid of something, or afraid to do something, I start by exposing them to the problem little by little. Over time, when the person realizes nothing bad happens, the fear subsides and it becomes easier."
"So what are you going to have them do?" Namjoon asked.
"Well, we have to practice separating them."
Everyone saw Jungkook and Taehyung immediately tense up at the idea of having to do that.
"Don't worry, you two will be completely in charge, and like I said, we won't start today," Dr. Yun reassured.
They ended the session and said goodbye to the psychiatrist, he would be back next week. After he was gone the members talked about the session.
"I really like him," Hobi smiled. "He's really nice and seems to know what's going on and has ideas to help." He looked at the two youngest. "What do you two think?"
Taehyung shrugged.
Jungkook sat up. "I don't know, he wants to separate us. I don't really know what I think."
"It's not like he's going to lock you in rooms across town from eachother," Yoongi laughed. "I'm sure he will start small. As scary as it sounds it seems like it will be really good for you. I'd say don't worry about it for now."
He walked over and hugged the two. "I'm also really proud of you two for opening up and talking about things. That's a big accomplishment."
"You guys helped a lot," Taehyung replied.
The hyungs smiled, they were glad their presence could make such a difference.
Jungkook started staring at himself, inspecting his skin with a downcast gaze. "Our scars are too noticeable. I hate it."
"Actually," Jimin started, "I've been doing some research and found a doctor not too far from here who specializes in scar removal with like light therapy and creams and stuff. I was going to ask you guys if you wanted to go check it out."
Taehyung and Jungkook jumped out of their seats with excitement saying they absolutely wanted to go see this doctor. They set up an appointment for the very same day.
When they got there, the doctor inspected all their scars and said it would be a piece of cake. He prescribed a special serum they needed to put on it.
"The only thing with Jungkook is the scar on his cheek, that one might linger and never fully go away," the doctor informed.
Jungkook had a slight scar going down his upper cheek, and he was sad at the doctors news but Namjoon said he could play it off like he fell into a desk corner or something. The two underwent a special light therapy and when they were done most of their scars were practically already invisible. A few more sessions and they'd be gone. The two youngest were beyond thankful to Jimin for finding this doctor. It was a way to finally get the bad memories erased.
Once they went back home, things were quiet again. The members had a virtual meeting with the company to discuss what was to be said and not said to the public regarding their immediate cancellation and seemingly random disappearance for months.
"We do not want what happened to them released publicly. Not only for their peace of mind, but also just for safety reasons," Namjoon warned their boss. Their boss completely agreed that specific information wouldn't be released.
BigHit released a statement regarding the issue, and the members collectively decided to come up with the excuse that all of them had fallen really sick with some rare virus and that they had all been in the hospital. They couldn't help but chuckle, thinking it was one hell of a lie, yet they somewhat felt bad for lying but their maknae's came before anyone, even their fans. It was the only excuse they could think of.
To their relief, ARMY was completely understanding and wished them well, praying for healing and encouragement, telling the members they'd be there waiting for their return no matter how much time off they needed.
Another week of downtime went by where the members didn't do much but lay around the dorm and hang out with eachother. It was nice to get to simply enjoy eachothers company without the pressure of work, it was also nice getting to spend so much extra time with Jungkook and Taehyung.
The members continued taking turns sleeping in the bedroom with them at night to de-escalate any nightmares. Sometimes they were so bad the entire house would wake up to one of them screaming, but sometimes neither of them woke up at all. Those nights were always deemed a huge feat, considering when the two first came home the nightmares were every single night.
It was time for Dr. Yun to return for his next session, and this time he said they'd be starting the exposure therapy. Jungkook was shaking as soon as Dr. Yun said it.
"I promise we will start small," Dr. Yun said.
"So what do they have to do?" Hobi asked.
Dr. Yun said they could start by simply closing their eyes and not being within touching range of eachother. "It will make them feel like the other is not in their presence, if even for a moment."
He looked between Taehyung and Jungkook. "And as soon as you feel anxious or scared, you can simply open them to see that you're both right there and safe."
The two youngest scooted away from eachother on the couch and took deep breaths. The hyungs encouraged them that they were both already so brave and could do it no problem.
"Alright, now both of you just simply close your eyes for as long as you can," Dr. Yun instructed.
Taehyung and Jungkook both closed their eyes for a split second, but then they both shot open. "I don't like it," Taehyung sad sadly.
"And that's okay to not like it. As long as you're willing to try, despite not liking it," Dr. Yun said.
Taehyung's heart couldn't help but flutter at his psychiatrists constant validation of his feelings. He agreed with his hyungs, he really liked this man and was beginning to put a lot of trust in him.
"Let's try again and see if you can hold your eyes shut for two seconds." Dr. Yun got his watch ready.
The hyungs stared intently as they watched the two youngest actually close their eyes for the full two seconds.
"You guys are doing great!" Jin cheered. The two maknae's smiled and high fived eachother. Dr. Yun wanted them to practice in increasing amounts of time, and they were able to accomplish doing it for up to 30 seconds.
"You two are doing a great job," Dr. Yun cheered. "Now I want to advance this a little bit." He stood up and gestured to a door in the hallway. "I want you two to practice being on separate sides of a door."
"Uhm..." Jungkook gulped with fear. "I don't know if I can do that..."
"We have to be alone?" Taehyung asked nervously.
"Of course not." Dr. Yun gestured to the hyungs. "We can have some of you guys stay on one side with Taehyung and one side with Jungkook."
The members were more than willing to do whatever it took to help the two. They all walked down the hall and into the maknae lines bedroom.
Namjoon, Jin, and Yoongi stood with Taehyung inside the bedroom facing the doorway.
Jimin, Hobi, and Dr. Yun stood with Jungkook in the hallway, facing the doorway.
"All we are going to practice is closing this door," Dr. Yun informed.
Taehyung and Jungkook both groaned loudly.
Dr. Yun asked Taehyung and Jungkook if they trusted their hyungs. They both nodded.
"Then there is no harm that can come to either of you. Now, I'm going to close the door and count to ten, and when the alarm goes off, the door will be opened. Are you ready?" Dr. Yun waited for the two to say they were ready.
Jungkook and Taehyung both gulped and said they were.
As Dr. Yun went to close the door, Jungkook took his foot and blocked it from being shut. "I can't do it." He pushed the door back open and began crying. "I'm sorry, I can't do it."
Everyone looked to Dr. Yun for some kind of answer, and he seemed completely unphased. "Hesitation is not uncommon. Sometimes we simply need to go back to square one. Let's have you two stand in the doorway again, but this time we will practice closing your eyes again."
Jungkook and Taehyung agreed to do that. So Dr. Yun started the timer and told them to close their eyes for 30 seconds. The maknae's obeyed, and without knowing it, Dr. Yun gently and quietly closed the door between them.
When the 30 second timer went off they both opened their eyes. Expecting to see eachother in front of them, they were speechless when they were both staring at a wooden door.
Taehyung threw the door open. He couldn't help but be angry. "You said to just close our eyes!" He stepped out to next to Jungkook again.
Dr. Yun was unbothered by Taehyung's outburst. "Look at each other."
Taehyung and Jungkook looked at each other.
"Are either of you hurt?" Dr. Yun asked.
They both shook their heads no.
"Then you did it," Dr. Yun said. All of the members were a bit confused.
"What exactly did they do?" Jin asked.
Dr. Yun couldn't stop smiling. "They completely separated. If even for 30 seconds, they completely separated."
"But we didn't know the door was closed," Jungkook frowned. He didn't feel like he bravely accomplished anything if he was unaware that it happened.
"The fact you two were willing to close your eyes for 30 seconds, knowing in the back of your minds that there was a doorway between you, says a lot. Whether aware it was closed or not , you did it." Dr. Yun decided to pick at their brains a little bit. "I'm assuming both of you had a slight fear that the door would, for some reason, be closed while your eyes were not open?"
Jungkook and Taehyung looked at eachother with disbelief. They had the fear in the back of their minds but they had never said anything.
"How did you know that?" Taehyung asked.
Dr. Yun shrugged. "I've been doing this for a long time. And whether you feel like you accomplished something or not, you both subconsciously fought through the fear of not seeing eachother when you opened your eyes. And then when you didn't, what happened?"
"I panicked and opened the door!" Taehyung said.
"While that is true, look at yourself right now. Are you panicking?" Dr. Yun asked.
"No?" Taehyung replied with confusion.
"Then there you have it. You were brave enough to do something that worried you, and the slight panic you felt went away in the blink of an eye. Your bravery is overpowering your panic. The more we do this, pretty soon you two will be able to close that door between eachother and not worry at all."
Namjoon thought for a moment. He turned to the maknae's. "If we had tried this when you two first came home, you wouldn't have cooperated at all."
Namjoon smiled. He understood now. This was extreme progress.
Jungkook and Taehyung looked at eachother and smiled. They pulled eachother into a hug as they had the same thought.
We did it!