"Don't leave the thoughts and demands of the world in front of me, this is my home, leave me alone. Just don't come in here..."
~Home-Tablo
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When Mrs. Park called them downstairs, the first thing she did was hug Taehyung. Tightly, for kind of a long time, she didn't let go until Taehyung hugged her back, and when he hugged back, she squeezed tighter before letting go, only to brush Taehyung's bangs out of the way and kiss his forehead. What are you doing? Don't play games, don't lead me on like this.
Taehyung was confused. He liked it. It was exactly what he wanted, someone to care, actually care, not pretend to give a damn, then turn around and damn him. But he didn't want to hope for this, didn't want to get his hopes up that maybe Mrs. Park cared, that she loved him, and that he wasn't just a job, because he wanted--He wanted so much to call her Eomma.
Taehyung found himself crying again when she took a step back and looked at him. "You're a sweetheart, Taehyung, don't cry." She said with a sad smile.
Taehyung nodded, but couldn't really help the hot tears that went down his face, in slow, painful succession. Don't do this, then leave me. Don't do this, then hurt me. Please. Please... He thought of that word again. Adopt.
He thought of all those times a couple would play with him and talk with him at the orphanage, then adopt someone else. Every time it broke his heart to know that he just wasn't good enough to meet their standards, that nobody wanted a child like him. He remembered thousands of nights he'd cried himself to sleep, he remembered seeing dozens of kids come and go, people he liked, people he didn't like, boys, girls, babies--all of them, going to loving families.
Mrs. Park hugged Taehyung again, rubbing his back, then went to Jimin and hugged him to. "You're right, protecting someone is human nature." She kissed his forehead too. "Just, please, in the future, try to use restraint, I don't want you coming home beat up like this."
Jimin smiled slightly. "Yeah, okay, Eomma."
"Good boy." Mrs. Park said, ruffling Jimin's hair. "Wanna bake cookies?"
Jimin nodded and pulled Taehyung closer by the arm, volunteering him. "We'd love to, right?"
Taehyung looked over at Jimin, his lip was split and he could see a bruise or two forming. He'd gotten those actually doing something when Jae-hwa did those awful things. The thought brought up that picture briefly, and he frowned, but then since Jimin was waiting for an answer, he nodded.
I wonder what Mrs. Park had to think over...
~~~
The next day, since Jimin was suspended until Monday, he sat with Taehyung when Jin came over to tutor him. Jin was trying to make it interesting again, telling puns as he went along, 'Can't helium, or curium, so you'll have to barium.' or, 'If we want to find the value of AB, we'll have to account for all that honey.' He had a lot of those to tell, and each made Taehyung smile a little, but it felt like he was treating him like a little kid. I'm 18, treat me like I'm 18.
Mid-lesson, Jimin groaned. "Where are you getting all these lame jokes?"
Jin pouted. "The Internet. I'm trying to make it fun, when you go tutor teenagers, tell me about how many I've-got-no clue-what's-happening-and-I'm-about-to-fall-asleep faces you get, then tell me you won't crack bad jokes every once in a while."
Jimin shrugged. "Okay, maybe, but really? You had to use the lamest jokes you could find?"
"What? My jokes aren't lame! That's like saying eating is lame!" Jin said, absently going to get the math book.
So Jin continued with his puns the rest of the lesson. He'd decided Jin wasn't that bad by the end of the lesson, he was babying him the way he was teaching him, but Taehyung wondered if he just did that with everybody.
As Jin was neatly stacking the text books and getting ready to leave, Jimin poked Taehyung's shoulder, a mischievous look on his face. "Let's dye your hair."
Taehyung hadn't meant to at all, but he looked at Jimin like he was speaking Romanian all of a sudden. Then he frowned. "Why...?"
Jimin pouted, "You're telling me you don't think that would complete the look? Dude, right now, sure, you're sexy, but you're also what girls would consider 'cute', right?" Jimin took a tuft of Taehyung's brown hair between his fingers. "This is about Hana, this is about proving that you don't care what Jae-hwa says, and I think you could scare her if you appear confident, and the most confident you could look is with your hair some crazy color."
Hana... Taehyung chewed his lip. He didn't want that b*tch to touch her, he couldn't threaten Jae-hwa, and he really didn't want to. She'll make them take me back to that room, they'll put me in a straight jacket again. He needed something passive aggressive, Jimin's idea wasn't bad for the purpose. But he didn't think he could do it. He wasn't mean, had never hurt anyone except...Appa. And he didn't want to even act like he was going to hurt anyone else. Not after what happened, not after the blood, and the screaming and that terrible cold feeling. I don't want anyone to be scared of me, I just want them to accept me, I just want someone to love me.
"Which color?" Taehyung asked tentatively.
"Like I said, something crazy." Jimin said with a wink.
Crazy. I don't want to be crazy. Taehyung looked down at his hands as they gripped his pant legs tightly. Please, not crazy. I'm not crazy, I don't want anyone to think I'm crazy.
Jimin rubbed Taehyung's shoulder. "Chill, dude, I didn't mean it like that." He said, apparently realizing what he'd said. "You know I wouldn't ever mean it like that."
Taehyung sucked in a deep breath, and Marshmallow came strutting up to him, jumping up on his lap. No, I don't know, Jimin. You haven't gone through hell because of people who said the same thing.
Jimin took out his phone when it buzzed. Looking at the screen, the first thing he said was, "Sh*t." Then he sighed, handing Taehyung the phone. "You're not going to like this."
He knew he wasn't, but he looked anyway. It wasn't a picture, at the very least it wasn't a picture. It was a few texts from Jungkook, each one in rapid succession of the last.
Jimin, I don't what to do, Hana's crying.
She's locked herself in the girl's bathroom, I don't know what's wrong with her...
I think everyone's been picking on her about the pic...
It's been like 5 minutes, she's still not coming out.
Girls keep coming out and laughing.
Taehyung swallowed. Hana-ssi. He couldn't imagine her crying, but that had settled it. If Jae-hwa was going to make her cry like that, he'd do this, he'd protect her. "Jimin...I'll do it..." He said quietly. Hana's more important. I won't let you mess up her life like you messed up mine.
~~~
Saturday, a nurse from the mental hospital stopped by with files. Taehyung honestly didn't like how she tried to get in the house when Mrs. Park answered the door, she pushed her way past her, going straight to Taehyung, who was sitting on the floor, playing with Marshmallow. The dog barked when she came close.
She'd leaned close to Taehyung, looking straight in his eyes, saying. "Are you doing well, Taehyung? Been taking your medicine?"
Taehyung had nodded. He just wanted her to leave. Go away, don't talk to me, I don't want you near me. Mrs. Park had ushered her out, going on about how she was supposed to take the file to the police station, but the nurse said she'd already brought it by them, and she was bringing over a spare copy.
He hoped that meant that had meant he wasn't locked in the house anymore. He didn't like not even being able to go outside, it felt like those terrible memories, and he couldn't take the confinement.
Mrs. Park walked off with the papers upstairs, passing Jimin as she went up and he went down. Jimin came running into the living room, vaulting over the back of the couch one handed and sitting.
"Today's the day, we're dying your hair. Excited?" Jimin asked, grinning big. "I invited Kookie over to help, would have invited Hana, but I don't know her number, and I think it should be a surprise for her too."
Taehyung nodded, stroking Marshmallow's soft white fur. "Do you think...she'll like it?" He didn't want to change himself in a way she wouldn't like.
He wanted to be friends with Hana, though, Jimin seemed to think Taehyung wanted more then that, and he couldn't say that he didn't feel a little like he might want more then that, but, he couldn't commit to anything more then friends.
Jimin grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at Taehyung. "Trust me, I know women, she'll love it, she'll want to eat you up, just don't let mom see the hickeys" Jimin tilted his head, his tone turning serious. "It'll make Hana forget about it, you know."
Taehyung nodded. The thought brought on a solemn feeling. He wasn't sure if it was pity, or maybe that he was just sad that Hana had to go through hell just because he was there. She'd made him smile, he wanted to make her smile, he wanted to make her laugh, and he didn't care if it was at him or not.
The doorbell rang, and Jimin went over to answer it, but not before hitting Taehyung on the shoulder lightly, "Get your jacket, bum."
Taehyung smiled to himself for a second, then helped the poodle off his lap and went up the stairs, he passed Mrs. Park on the stairs, and she smiled at him.
"Are you going out? You should be okay...They probably finally got off their lazy asses and looked at the file." She rolled her eyes. "But just in case, take the document with you, okay? I don't want you sitting in a cop car again, alright, Taehyung? It's in the top drawer of my desk."
Taehyung nodded, then continued up the stairs, going down the hallway and glancing at Kyung-mi's door. She didn't make a lot of noise, if she was home, she was reading, when she was at school, Taehyung hadn't seen her around at all, as soon as they walked in the door, she disappeared and he wouldn't see her anymore. She wouldn't play violin, he didn't even see her read that much, the door was always closed. What does it matter? She treated me like an animal.
He hadn't realized he'd stopped in the middle of the hallway staring at her door until there was a loud thump. It sounded like she'd thrown something against the door, but he knew it couldn't have been because of him staring, the door was completely closed, she wouldn't be able to see him standing there, let alone get upset about it.
He hesitated for a second, then continued to his room, going to the closet and pulling that leather jacket Jimin had picked out from the hanger, just because it was the first thing he saw, then he went from there to Mrs. Park's bedroom.
The walls were a light cream, and the carpet a subdued sort of light grey. It was simple. Her dresser was a light red, almost like deep blush, a mirror over it, with makeup, a music box, and a bottle of perfume on it, and he guessed the perfume smelled flowery, like how the room did. Her queen sized bed was done up neatly in plum coloured sheets, at the foot of it was a bench, or maybe a wooden storage chest, on top of it a white teddy bear holding a heart that said, 'Hug me'. The white curtains were open and light streamed into the room, hitting the stuffed light pink bunny sitting in rocking chair in the corner. Eventually, Taehyung's eyes found the desk she was talking about, the shelves on it loaded with books and the surface cluttered with paper.
When he came closer to it, he could see that most of the paper on it was about patients, diagnosis forms, and notes, and medication they should take. He opened the top drawer, in it on top was a paper stamped with the mental hospital's name, so he took that one.
He glanced over it. It had his name on it, he didn't bother reading the rest, he didn't care what they thought he was, or they thought he should be taking, all that mattered to him was that it said he could go outside, that the police couldn't just take him anywhere.
He was going to close the drawer, when he saw another paper stamped with the same mental hospital name. He dismissed it at first. Of course she'd have more, she works there.
But then he saw a word, a few sets of letters that looked familiar, and he looked through it a little closer.
Name: Choi Kyung-mi Date released: 6/27
Diagnosis: Bipolor II Disorder, Residual Schizophrenia.
This patient has permission to be under the care of guardian Park Soo-young and she has any and all--
Taehyung stopped reading. He'd read enough. Kyung-mi... He set the paper back in the drawer. He shouldn't have read it, that was personal, he shouldn't have touched it. Kyung-mi's not well? But she seemed fine... She may have almost killed him, but it seemed to him that she was... She couldn't be...She couldn't be...
But then why does it say that?
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A/N: I don't put specific years in writing :3 Unless I'm saying that the story took place in 1887, I don't put years because the year can change entirely what the story may mean. Like IF I were to say it was 2013, that would be two years ago, right? YEAH, SURE NOW IT IS. But next year? it'll be 3, then 4, then 5.
So I'll just put it out there, the document is dated 6/27 three years before Mrs. Park took in Taehyung xD
I did so much reading on mental disorder for the next chapter and part of this one~ Mini voluntary studying right there~ I don't like to write about things I don't know about :\
^0^)/ = (LO_O)
~Neri~ (^^^ Identify that ^^^^, because I don't know what I was trying to convey~)