Filler chapter sorry if it's boring...
I need something to happen before the next chapter oops.
Jungkook Focus
I woke up with a small headache. It was cold. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then looked down at Taehyung. One problem. Where's Taehyung? I groaned. "Tae?" I called out. Maybe he was in the bathroom? I called his name again. No answer. I stood up, suddenly feeling worried. How long has he been gone? Why haven't I woken up? Where is he? Who took him? Is he just wondering around? Maybe he's checking on Jimin and Yoongi.
I walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button to go in. When it opened, I ran into Jimin and Hoseok. "What are you guys doing? Where's Tae?" I asked. The two shared an alarmed glance and I stepped into the elevator, pressing the medical wing button. "Uh, no idea," Jimin said. Hoseok nodded. "You mean he's gone?"
"Yeah."
"Weird. Have you checked with Yoongi?"
"S'where I'm going."
"Good." Jimin said. "What?" I asked. "What do you mean good? He's gone and I don't know where he is. That's never a good thing. What if he's-"
"Look, Jungkook." Hoseok said. "Calm down. Why are you worrying so much? It's not like he was kidnapped or something." He said. I rolled my eyes, looking at the wall. I couldn't tell him about Taehyung's dream. I didn't know if it was just a nightmare or if something like it was actually going to happen, but it was still necessary to worry about it.
"Did he leave you a note?" Jimin asked.
"Don't think he would have," I replied. "And honestly, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. As soon as I knew he wasn't in the room, I came to the elevator." The doors opened and I walked out. Isn't there a sound for whenever the elevator doors open? I wondered. I looked back at the two in the elevator and blinked. "You coming?" I asked. Hoseok shook his head. "We'll check other places," Jimin nodded. "Yeah," Hoseok added.
"Okay, but hurry," I said. "I need to know whether he went wandering or if he was taken." I turned back around and almost ran to Yoongi's room. Instead, I froze. Wait a minute... I turned around, a question flying out of my mouth before I could realize the elevator doors closed and Jimin and Hoseok were gone.
What are they doing up so early?
I slammed Yoongi's door open, waking up the half asleep human. "Where's Tae?" I demanded. "Have you seen him?" Yoongi glared at me grumpily and rubbed his eyes slowly. "Subway crash, front car, under railing." He said. I frowned. Is that where Tae is? I wondered.
I headed quickly back to the door and opened it. "Cryptic my ass," I heard Yoongi mumble. "Guess who doesn't give a shit." I rolled my eyes, not even going to wonder what he was talking about. Later. I thought. There was only one problem I intended to worry about at that moment, and that was finding Taehyung.
I made it back to the elevator and went to the subway station. As soon as the doors opened, I busted out to the train car and checked under the railing. There was a bright green envelope that stood out against the dull grey of the rocks and old train parts. I grabbed the envelope and the tinybox next to it. What's this? I wondered.
I opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside. It was small and the handwriting was neat and pretty.
Jungkookie,
Happy Birthday my lil bunny dongsaeng! I'm so tired of raising you. You're such a little butthead sometimes. Now you're grown up enough to not need my scoldings. This is a scavenger hunt. You'll probably find a number of things you like as you go along. Good luck, I love you.
Hoseokie Hyung
I sighed in relief. Does that mean Tae is a part of this hunt? I wondered. I looked at the box and opened it. There was a polished piece of blue glass inside with a crack down the middle. I smiled at the fond memory I got just by looking at it. I knew where to go just by seeing the rugged edges and the pale blue tint of the clear, shiny glass. I closed the box, stood up, and put the object in my pocket.
About three and a half minutes later, I was walking through the hallway of the dorms until I reached Hoseok's. I walked in and closed the door quietly behind me. The ornament was sitting on the nightstand on Yoongi's side. I walked over to it and picked it up, turning around to look at the broken side. I smiled when I saw the missing piece. The piece I had just recieved.
I put the decorative piece down on the night stand and pulled out the box. I opened it and grabbed the blue glass piece, then fit it to the decoration. Perfect fit. I remembered the day that Hoseok and I were messing around and broke it. I remembered when my father had walked through the door and scolded both of us. I was eleven when it happened, Hoseok being fourteen. It was a miracle that the only piece of the glass decoration that was broken was the piece I had.
I put the piece back into the box and into my pocket before looking around the room. Where's my next clue? I wondered. I looked in the nightstand, under the blankets, behind pictures, and under the beds. I found a large item wrapped in tape under Hoseok's and blinked. It looked huge. I knew better. "Must be from Jimin." I thought aloud. I pulled it out from under the bed and set it down on the nightstand to look for my knife. I pulled out a good one from my other pocket and immediately got to work on the gift.
I was able to tear that thing open easily. It took a little time, and I had to admit that Jimin really tried hard, but not hard enough. I grinned, knowing Jimin would be disappointed later. I took a look at the smaller box in my hands at that moment. I tore it open and inside was a black case. I pulled open the buckles on the front and opened the lid. Of course it's a gun. I thought. Cause I definitely needed one of those.
Except I knew exactly why Jimin gave me a gun. It was a clue and I knew it. The gun was the very same model as the one that killed my father. I sucked in a breath and held it for a few seconds, knowing it meant I would have to go down to the tomb next. I put the gun back in it's case and shoved it under the bed. I would probably go back for it later. I left the room and walked back down the hallway, poking my tongue through my cheek. Great. It has to be down there. And little did I fucking know what I would find down there as I hopped into the elevator and hit the button for the -9th floor.
The doors opened a while later, and the first thing I saw was Taehyung, sitting on the floor, glaring at me. "What the fuck?" I asked. "What are you-" I saw the ropes holding him back and rolled my eyes. "Oh my- did they seriously-"
"Jungkook, sometimes, I hate your friends. Get these fucking ropes off of me. They hurt." Taehyung said. I kneeled down behind him and began to work at the ropes on his wrists. "They said you would explain?" He said. "Yeah," Was my reply. "Stupid childhood thing. Did they forget to tape your mouth? They normally go all out with these things so when tape is missing..."
"I've done this for years. I got it off easily."
"How?"
"Duct tape doesn't stick when it's wet."
"Oh," the ropes were finally off and Taehyung rubbed his wrists. "So why did they-"
"Childhood fairytale we all heard when we were small."
"Fairytale?"
"Mhm. About a goddess who had her kids with this one dude a very long time ago and long story short, there's legend of a family who has magical healing powers running around somewhwere in this world."
"And what the hell does that have to do with tying me up in your dad's basement?" He asked. I blinked. "Ouch." I said. Taehyung untensed and turned around. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be so blunt."
"I get it. You're just annoyed. I would be too."
"So... Again. Why did they tie me up?"
I shifted uncomfortably, poking my tongue through my cheek again. "Uh, that's another long story. I'll explain it later. Let's go find Hoseok and Jimin and beat their asses." I said. Taehyung nodded. "Yeah, I'm not too happy about their act there," He said. "But I still want to know how in the world that goddess thing relates to me." He said. I nodded. "Later. Okay? I promise."
Is he not aware? Is he playing dumb?
Taehyung pointed to a box in front of the casket holding my father. "That's Yoongi's gift, apparently." He said. I kissed him on his head and scooted over to pick up the box. "I'm kind of scared to open this. You know?" I said. Taehyung shook his head. "Why?"
"It's Yoongi's gift. I am always worried about surprises when they come from him."
"Just open it."
I looked back at the box and opened it. Inside was something that really did surprise me. A note. "He's not the sentimental type." I said. "I wonder if it's just a clue." I pulled the note out without looking at the contents of the box and unfolded it.
The roof is where you go next. By the way, hope you enjoy the gift. There's only enough for one go, cause I don't want Hoseokie to get mad at me, but yeah. Happy fucking birthday bro. -Yoongi the Most Awesome Brother You Will Ever Have Even Though I have Three Friends and sleep too much
I chuckled at the note and showed it to Taehyung. "Maybe he's a little sentimental," I said. "He wants friends," Taehyung laughed too. "Now what did he give you?" He asked. I shrugged and picked the box back up. It only took one look before I covered it immediately with one hand and started blushing madly.
"What? What's in there?" Taehyung asked. I glanced at him before turning even redder. I couldn't show him what it was- That was just... Yoongi, I hate you sometimes. I thought. Taehyung frowned. "Uh, Jungkook?" He asked. I laughed nervously.
"I-It's nothing, really," I said, searching my brain for an excuse. Taehyung raised an eyebrow. "Let me see," He said. "What did he give you?" I held the box away from his hands when he tried to reach for it.
"Kookiiiieeeeee," He whined. I laughed at his cuteness. He jabbed me in the stomach really hard and I keeled over. Ouch. I thought. He grabbed the box and looked inside it. "Oh," He said. He too, began to blush. We were both a mess after that. Quiet, but awkward.
It was a condom. And lube.
"He doesn't think we're gonna use that, I hope," I said, trying to start some talking after a while. Taehyung looked down at his wrists and began to rub some of the burns softly.
"Don't mess with them," I said. "It will get worse." Taehyung stopped touching his wrists and looked at me. I set the box down and grabbed his hands. I turned his wrists over to examine the scars left by months of being tied by a rope. "Why don't you ever treat them?" I asked him. He shrugged. "It's the least of my problems." He said. "I didn't want to worry about it because it wasn't important."
I shook my head and sighed. "Well, now it's my priority." I said. "Before we do anything else, let's go treat them."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now." I stood up, pulling Tae with me. I grabbed the box and put the lid on it. "I'll come back for this later."
"What are you gonna do with it?"
"Put it somewhere other than my father's tomb."
"Oh."
The elevator ride up was almost silent. Other than a few coughs here and there. After a few moments of the painful silence, I had to speak. "So..." I began. "Y-You know I'm not going to-"
"Yeah," Tae said. "It's just really awkward in here." I explained. He nodded. "Well I mean, Yoongi gave you a condom for your birthday. He didn't know, I'm guessing, so I can understand and stuff."
I shrugged. "Oh well. We won't be using that for a long time."
"Long?"
"Long."
I didn't know what it was, but the air was still a little awkward. I didn't know how or why, but I got the feeling off Taehyung that he was... Disappointed. I shook my head, trying to think about something else. "How do you treat rope burns?" I asked. Taehyung looked at me and shrugged. "I'm just going to put on some ointment and wrap my wrists. Simple, but effective."
"Is it the best treatment?" I asked.
"Probably not, but it's the most I can do with the supplies you have here."
"Are you sure?"
"Y-Yeah," Taehyung said. I nodded. "Okay, then let's do that," I confirmed. "Do you know why I have to go to the roof? I'm genuinly curious and feel like there may be something up there I should be cautious of."
"I don't know," Taehyung replied. "All I know is who the gift is from, and I'm not telling."
"Oh?" I grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know what it is?" I asked, curious. I leaned closer to him. "I don't know... do I?" Taehyung asked, playing along. I stopped when I was mere centimeter away from him. "Oh? You're going to play that game?" I asked. I placed my hands on his waist and pushed him into the wall of the elevator. I leaned in close to his face and whispered, "I don't like it when I'm being teased."
Taehyung giggled. "You're one to talk," He retorted happily. "You remember yesterday?" He asked. I nodded, smiling . "It's fresh on my mind." I replied. "And I think I should be allowed to tease you."
"And I can't tease you?" He asked. "Unfair. I feel cheated."
I slipped a hand under his shirt and moved my thumb along his ribcage. I didn't have any more words, nor did I want to speak any. I rested my chin on top of Tae's head and closed my eyes. We stood like that until the elevator doors opened. Cool air seeped into the elevator and I removed my hand from Tae's shirt, leaving the other on his waist. "After you." I offered.
Taehyung smiled and walked out of the elevator. We headed to an empty hospital room and Taehyung looked for the generic cabinet identical to all the others. I sat down on the same bed and waited for him to be ready. He pulled out a few bottles of stuff and a roll of bandages. He brought it all over to the bed and set it down. "What do you want me to do?" I asked, knowing the he would probably want to do it alone. He was very independent, especially when it came to his skill field.
Taehyung poured out a bit of the first ointment on one of his wrists and rubbed it in. "Maybe help me put the bandages on when I need them." He said. He finished rubbing in the ointment and poured out another one onto his fingers. He sucked in a breath and held it, then touched his skin with it. He visibly tensed up and gritted his teeth. "It stings," He said. "But it will do the trick."
I stroked Taehyung's hair. Comfort thing. It became a natural tendency. I didn't speak though, cause I felt like that the silence was better. He knew what he was doing and how good a job he was doing. After a moment of slow and light movement, Taehyung gave up and shoved his wrist under my face. "Help me," He ordered. "Please. It hurts and I'm being to light. Too careful. Can you rub it in?"
"Yeah sure," I said. "Tell me if it hurts worse."
"Nothing you can do about that. It's supposed to hurt. I'm just afraid that I won't do it well enough because of it." I nodded, understanding. I knew what he meant, I just didn't really relate to it. I was used to just dealing with everything and pushing through the pain. I poured some more of the liquidy ointment on my fingers and grabbed Tae's wrist.
"Okay," I said. "Just do it," Tae responded. I spread the ointment onto his wrist and rubbed it in, being careful, but not too careful. I continued to help Taehyung apply the pastes onto his wrists to cool them down and ease the burn pain, then put on the bandages. I had to wrap them around his thumb because they would fall off if I didn't.
After that, I kissed his forehead and hugged him, then brought him with me to the elevators. "Now let's go see what awaits us on the roof." I said.
We took the elevator up and once it opened, Taehyung put his hood up. It was a different hoodie. "Is that Jimin's?" I asked. Taehyung nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't wearing one at the time and we needed to be safe just in case someone just happened to be up at around three in the morning."
"Okay," I said, thought my thoughts were different. Clearly mine looks better on him.
We made it up to the main level, where a few people were roaming around aimlessly. This gang wasn't really a dangerous thing like the gangs people talked about in the older generations. We were more like a clan. A family of people who couldn't live in civilization because we were related to a really old mafia- and we still did some illegal things- so we hid out in a place where money and stuff never mattered. Not the most luxurious, but life wasn't always perfect. There was always going to be danger.
Not to mention the war that ended all wars, but that was another story for another time.
I kept Taehyung close by my side as we walked to the doors leading out of the "abandoned" subway station. We made it out safely away from the eyes of others and headed to the side of the building where we went the last time I brought him to the roof. Taehyung pulled his hood off when we reached the ladder. I laughed at his frizzy hair and smoothed it down. "Go on," I said. "I'll follow you."
Taehyung took the ladder rungs and started climbing up. His hands were a little shaky, but he did it without complaining. After he was about seven feet up, I grabbed the rungs and climbed up after him. It wasn't long before we both reached the top and saw Hoseok standing there with Jimin, waiting.
"Happy birthday!" Jimin said excitedly. Taehyung stood, smiling warmly, Hoseok's arms slung across his shoulders. "We have something for you," Jimin said. "From your father."
That caught my attention. The smile on my face disappeared and I widened my eyes a little. "You mean, he left me a-"
"Yes. He did," Hoseok said. "Told us in his will never to tell you until your seventeenth birthday." I felt tears rise to my eyes. His death was still fresh on my mind, it being not all that long ago, and the fact that he had a gift set out for me to recieve at a certain point in life was... It felt like he was always still a part of my life even after death. He was still raising me from the grave. This gift I was about to receive must have been important.
Hoseok set his backpack on the ground and backed up. "It's all you, Jungkook, " He said. I looked at him. "Do you know what's in it?"
"No."
"Any idea?"
"None whatsoever. Only he knew, and now you will." I knelt down next to the backpack and reached my hand inside. There was a box about the size of Jimin's present when I unwrapped it. I pulled out my pocket knife and cut the tape along the top, sides, and corners of the box. I opened it a little and peeked inside. There was a white paper with my name on it and another box underneath it. There were other items, too. One being a ball, one being a bullet, and lastly, a picture of a woman.
I opened the envelope and pulled out the slip of paper in it. I unfolded it with shaky hands.
Jungkook,
I know that by now I am dead. I am making this card at the age of forty two. You just turned nine. This gift is something I wanted to be able to give my son at the age of seventeen, until I learned that that was not going to be possible. I want to share an important piece of information with you, but first, look at your gifts. The ball was the first one I ever played with, and the first one I ever showed you. The day I recieved the ball was the day I met your mother. That is a whole other story though. There is a picture in this box from when we had prom together. I don't know if you know this, but she and I were both born in civilization. We joined the gang life to lead better lives than we had. We had a friend that came with us. My best friend. He fell away though. He was corrupted by the idea that the other gang- the Tiger gang- was the most powerful one. He joined them instead, while your mother and I stayed here in the Trijudong gang. The roof that you are hopefully on right now was where I proposed to her. Take out the box. Open it and look at the ring inside.
I peered inside the box and pulled out the smaller one inside. It was a black velvet box with glass set in the top like a window to see into it. It was a ring with a single, simple diamond inset in it. Simple. Pretty. I looked back at the note.
Your mother seemed a little off for about a week before I decided to cheer her up and pop the question I'd wanted to ask for so long. But little did I know. When I proposed to her, it was in broad daylight under the sun on this very roof. It was I positioned my self in a spot where the sun would shine through the glass on the top and hit the ring. It was perfect. Everything worked. Except when she looked at it, she cried. Not the happpy cry, though. She cried sad tears and told me she couldn't say yes. I was heartbroken that day. She left me on the roof where I sat there, not understanding what had just happened. That night, my best friend came to visit me in my room. At the time, I had just become leader, so you know this room. He handed me a bullet and told me to leave the woman alone. He said I wasn't allowed to go near her and threatened to shoot her. I wasn't phased by this, but the next morning, your mother was gone.
Now I can tell you. I want to remind you that I always thought of you as the best son. The son I didn't deserve. You were perfect. A year after your mother was taken, she came back, and that's how you came along. I am not your father. Your mother had a kid with my best friend without a choice. She was lucky to escape with you when you were only weeks old.
I looked up from the note and tangled a hand in my hair. I felt tears pool in my eyes again and they threatened to spill out. He wasn't my father? Why didn't I know? I had to finish the note though. I wanted to know the whole story before I got upset.
She told me to keep you safe and ran away, back to the other gang. Before she left, she explained that she wasn't safe within the Tiger gang, and neither were you. I want you to know that you were always viewed as my son. I felt the bond that a father should have with his son. I felt proud of you for everything you did and are doing. I love you and congratulations for making it to seventeen! I love you and remember I am always with you.
Dad
The tears spilled. I shoved the letter back into the envelope and put it and the ring into the box. I didn't know why I was so upset, why I was crying. It was something that wasn't all that bad, given that he was still a good father. Along with that, there was still so much in the letter left unanswered. What happened to my mother? Dads best friend? Why wasn't I safe? Am I safe now?
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "What's it say?" Taehyung's voice. I shook my head. Who is my father then? I never knew my dad's "best friend," so how will I know where to find him? I stood up and wiped the tears off my face, sniffling. I looked Taehyung in the eye, smiling weakly.
Then I turned around, not saying a word to anyone and left the roof. This was something to talk about later. When I'd cooled down. At the moment, I just needed to shut down. I left for my room and spent thirty minutes down there, letting out a few silent tears and thinking about what this meant for me.
At the end of that thirty minutes, Taehyung walked in and sat down on the bed. "Mind telling me about it?" He asked. I didn't say anything. I didn't want to talk, but I did want to tell him about it all. My father wasn't even my father. My mother probably didn't even love him. My real father was in the Tiger gang. What if he was one of the people who hurt Taehyung? I wondered. The gang isn't that big. None of the gangs are. If he hadn't done anything to him, he at least heard of him.
Taehyung laid down in front of me and looked me in the eyes. "What's going on? What was in the note? Or can you not tell me?"
"My father is alive," I said. Taehyung frowned. "Wait, really? That's great! We can go find him and-"
"No, we can't," I interrupted, whispering. "Who I was raised by, who I thought was my father... He died. The note told me that he is not my biological father."
"Do you know who he is? Can we find him?"
I felt more tears rise to my eyes. "N-No. I don't know wh-who he is. But I know where he is."
"Can we find him?"
"I don't think I want to."
"Why?"
"He lives in the Tiger gang."
"Oh," Taehyung's voice suddenly got quieter. I continued to explain. "If he lives there, then I don't know what kind of a person he is. I-I don't know if he knew you when you were there." My tears started to spill. "I don't know if you knew him as-as one of th-them. He could have been just as bad as the rest of them."
"Shh," Taehyung pulled me into a hug, bringing my face into his chest. "You don't know. He could have been a really good person in that sea of bad people." I shook my head. "I already know he isn't. He threatened to kill my mother, then raped her. I don't want to know him."
Taehyung shushed me again and stroked my hair until eventually, I was pulled into a much needed sleep.
Yeah I know. Shut up.
[future me again: wow why the heck did I put this in this is so... *shudders* unnecessary]