The day of the verdict, the one Taehyung spent lying unconscious on the bathroom floor, a lot happened without him knowing. Jungkook's frustration was suffocating those around him, even the closely standing Seokjin who kept sending death glares his way. Though he wasn't sure if they were really meant for Jungkook or himself.
The purple head was conflicted, relieved for his friend to be free but feeling guilty for not doing anything against what was obviously wrong. Though he didn't know Taehyung personally, from what he witnessed that day in the courthouse, the bubbly boy was nothing but a kind soul trapped in a mess he didn't cause.
And they ruined the kindness within a few months. Jungkook didn't answer when they asked about the blue head so they assumed something had gone terribly wrong. And how right they were. Nothing went as planned or as Jungkook expected.
As the three of them walked towards the car, none of them spoke a word. A few reporters used their chance to question them but to no avail. They skillfully dodged each and every one of them and got inside the car, waiting for the ruckus to calm down for them to leave peacefully. Soon enough, the crowd took their leave after getting some of the information from others.
However, what neither of them expected was a blonde woman running towards the car once the surroundings were cleared enough. She rushed towards the starting car and stopped it with her hands which made all of them halt. Namjoon looked from under his glasses, narrowing his eyes at the sudden sight.
“Well now that's unexpected,” Namjoon stated, sharing his thoughts with the rest of the group. Jungkook sighed and got out of the car. Why do those Kims keep running under his cars?
“Jeon, where is my son,” Mrs. Kim asked in a hurry, anger displayed on her face as her features sharpened under the weight of irritation. She was already risking so much, talking to him in the public space but she couldn't care less anymore.
“I don't know…” The words left Jungkook's mouth like a venom, sluggishly finding their way to the surface, leaving the blonde female in a shock. His calm and unbothered demeanor made her more frustrated.
“He left…” He finished before she could jump at his throat with another set of questions, leaving her speechless and rooted to the ground. She didn't understand a single thing, being a foreigner of the blooming sensation of the two, seemingly distracted by the way the raven head spoke about him.
“You know, he’s never really intended to return to you…” He concluded, looking her straight in the eye with nothing but empty gaze, suppressing the longing feeling that always resurfaced at the mention of the petite blue head. The unarmed Mrs. Kim wanted to oppose but was soon interrupted again.
“Don’t look for him if he doesn't want you to. I learned that much…” The last sentence was a bare whisper, avoiding the ears it wasn't meant for. The despair was masked by the dark eyes, carefully hiding the true emotions.
“I just want to know if he is safe.” A laughable statement in Jungkook's opinion. Though he wanted the same he would beg to differ. Mrs. Kim's intentions were anything but pure from the start.
“From what I have heard you two didn't really have a mother-son relationship. How is that even possible then,” maybe it was Jungkook's leaking frustration or he was just willing to speak to her to revive the memories of Taehyung since he would never talk to her voluntarily.
“You have no idea how hard it was to live with such a person.” Jungkook found the excuses of Taehyung's mother hypocritical. As if parenting was an easy task. Raising a child is a full time job and even if it takes a lot of nerves, no one deserves to be treated like Taehyung was. Like someone hard to handle, or something of less value.
“You are right, I don't know and it doesn't concern me. Why do you need to defend yourself in front of me?” He retorted back, growing more and more agitated from the ongoing conversation. He turned on his heel and opened the door to enter inside once again.
“Look. I don't know where he is and he obviously doesn't want you to know either. You should understand when someone cuts ties with you, they don't want to see you…”
How well he was aware of such a truth...
~
Taehyung stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the rose head to appear for their quite sudden yet inevitable interaction. Both of them were nervous and even more confused about what to expect from it after everything that happened. Taehyung kicked the nearby pebbles out of boredom, biting his lips restlessly.
“Hi,” Jimin trailed off carefully as he approached the unsuspecting blue head, unsure of how to start the conversation. The atmosphere seemed tense and awkward, unlike usual. Taehyung nodded in return, pushing away the initial surprise and looked at the rose head from under his lashes.
“What happened to you?” Jimin asked worriedly, gazing at the dressing on Taehyung’s head warily. Though the latter didn't seem like explaining much, he had to make sure he wasn’t hurt.
“Nothing, just a scratch,” the blue head brushed it off, looking anywhere but at Jimin. He felt a bit odd while speaking to him this way and even somehow guilty for giving him a cold shoulder.
“How are you holding on?” Jimin decided to ask instead, receiving an amused scoff which made his heart ache.
“I'm doing perfectly. If we ignore that I was kept in the dark for almost half a year by a person I thought I was prepared to share my deepest secrets with and then found out that he was suspected of murder and shamelessly used me. And my first ever close friend was working alongside him the whole time. But yes, otherwise I'm fine,” Taehyung smiled sarcastically.
“When you say it like this it does sound pretty bad…” Jimin spoke quietly, his voice void of usual cheerfulness. “Will you give me a chance to explain?”
The blue head kept staring ahead, feeling a rush of emotions scaling from worst to best. Was it even worth it listening to another bunch of excuses and explanations? Will he find inner peace after listening to whatever Jimin had to say? He nudged the rose head to start with a subtle nod of his head who sighed in relief.
“The truth is I came to visit Jungkook the day we met. It was all a coincidence and I was asked to befriend you and spend time with you to keep an eye on you. It wasn't a quest for me though. Becoming friends with you came naturally without me pursuing my task. It has never been like that and I hope you enjoyed our time together just like I did. What I have done is unforgivable but I don't want you to suffer the consequences. Let me help you, Taehyung…”
“How?” The blue head interrupted with a raised voice. The speech had affected him enough to make him mroe confused, mixing the already messed mind.
“You can come with me to my place.” Jimin suggested, which left the blue head shaking his head rapidly while clutching his t-shirt.
“No no no, I want to be responsible for myself for once. And I want my own place, to not be dependent on anyone anymore. Not ever again…” Taehyung's shaking voice convinced Jimin to cooperate with the blue head instead of proving his point. He could still help him differently.
“Okay, okay. We can look for one together. A place you can have all for yourself but somewhere more safe, cheaper but of good quality. What do you say?” The rose head suggested with expecting eyes.
Taehyung sighed, gazing down while thinking about his options left, which weren't really in his favor if he was to stay alone. He had to have some place to lie down after the tiring day, some place to call home and not to be afraid of it being taken away from him like it was two times already.
“I guess I can't get rid of you that easily, but…” Taehyung started, fixing the collar of his shirt he had been rumpling for a while.
“Let's get this straight. This is about the two of us and about me giving you a chance I'm not really sure about. Don't bring anyone or anything in this…” And here he was once again dropping the walls around him even though he vowed to not be the same weak and naive person ever again.
Jimin nodded, familiar with the not so mysteriously hidden meaning of Taehyung's words about a certain someone who shall not be mentioned or dragged into their redemption arc.
“I might have a few places in mind you could afford. I heard you are about to start as an assistant manager of art exhibitions. Suits you well. I bet you will do your best.” The rose head tried to lift the mood.
“I thought about quitting but throwing away such a life changing opportunity because of a temporary pain and inconvenience would be stupid,” Taehyung reasoned, walking towards the car with Jimin. Though their conversations lacked the usual warmth Jimin wasn't losing the hope of regenerating it to its previous state.
“You are right. So, should we take a look at the options I have for you?” He opened the car door, waiting for the blue head to hop in.
“Like now?” Taehyung stood a bit surprised.
“The sooner the better. If you are willing to, of course. I can contact the agency for an apartment tour.” Since Taehyung didn't want to spend the rest of his life in the hotel room he had to put his hurt self aside and focus on standing on his own feet. Which wasn't really an easy task for a person like him.
As Jimin promised, he showed Taehyung an affordable cozy apartment in a safer location for a smart amount of rent. He could cover it easily due to his low expenses on social life and other activities. The blue head didn't even want to look for another, satisfied with the place instantly. It had a comfy home vibe and coziness.
The rooms had enough of natural light, decorated in pastel blue shades, creating a calm space. The color spectrum was serene and warm, welcoming him the second he stepped inside.
“Did you do the research beforehand because you knew I would agree?” Taehyung questioned with a serious expression, folding his arms.
“Well, I already looked up a few places before all this mess even started since you mentioned you wanted to have your own home,” Jimin remembered their previous conversations about the future and plans.
“True. Nice you remember…” Taehyung felt like crying, looking outside the window as if adoring the view, though he was just hiding the way his eyes filled with salty tears.
I can never find a friend like him…
Even though he was angry with the rose head, Jimin showed nothing but a pure effort in reestablishing their friendship bond to its previous glory. It might be a long journey but he had to put up with the struggle as well for it to work out.
“I'll take it.” Taehyung informed out of the blue, turning around towards the agency manager who was standing near the front door, waiting for them to finish their tour. They settled some documents and paperwork before talking about rules and responsibilities.
After paying the rent for the three months, the blue head could get his keys and move in the minimum of things he owned. It would take a few days until he can do so though. Until then he had to stay at the hotel which he didn't mind.
“Thanks,” the blue head thanked Jimin on their way out of the apartment complex.
“I should be the one thanking you for giving me a chance,” Jimin patted Taehyung's shoulder who gave him a sigh.
“Let's not talk about it anymore okay,” Taehyung requested to which the rose head nodded, receiving a small smile.
“Can I give you a ride?” Jimin asked, motioning to his parked car.
“It's okay, I can manage,” Taehyung waved him off with a smile, bidding him goodbye while walking away. However his mind displayed a different picture he didn't want to see or acknowledge for the whole day.
He saw him everywhere.
Can you just leave my head…
His head hurt while he let silent tears roll down his cheeks.
I don't need anyone…
Yes, I can manage myself…
The words vanished into plain thin air, not reaching the particular one who stole his sanity bit by bit, solely by occupying his mind.
I can manage without you…
✩✩✩
Hey! So I have a few important things to say. One of them is the new book cover! I just think it suits it better. And the second is I'm taking a month off so there won't be any update until then because my finals are approaching...
Thank you for reading though, votes and comments are always appreciated <3