Taehyung's father passed away at eight seventeen am without waking. He and his siblings left the room while their mother said her last goodbyes. Eonjin and Jeonggyu stood outside the room, small and lost until Taehyung gathered them gently in his arms and let them sob their grief into his chest. While tears tracked silently down his face, he pressed kisses atop their head.
When his mother finally emerged the two younger ones broke away from him with twin expressions of guilt. He was the pariah, they were not supposed to find comfort in him.
"Thank you for letting me stay. I know it was difficult for you." He said thickly, swallowing down his tears as he addressed his mother. "I'll leave you in peace now. But, if it's alright, I'd like to come to the funeral?"
"Taehyung..." Her tear ravaged face looked further pained.
He'd done that. Hurt her more when she was already grieving. He could be so selfish! "You're right." He nodded jerkily, trying to mask his pain so he wouldn't inflict it on her. "I'll just go."
"Mama!" Eonjin scolded. "Oppa wait..."
But he just gave her a sad smile and shook his head. He turned to leave but his mother's voice called to him. "Taehyung, wait."
He paused, shoulders hunched as he tried to gather all his pain and grief and longing and shove it down into that box inside him where it couldn't hurt anyone else before he turned his head.
"Of course you can come. Eonjin's right. You were his son too. Despite everything. Just..." She paused, seeming to flounder for her next words. "It will be a conservative affair. I trust you'll respect that?"
He closed his eyes at the unspoken implication. Don't embarrass us. Taehyung gave a short, humourless laugh, barely more than a expulsion of breath. "Of course, Eomma." He'd spent most of his life supressing every desire or instinct he'd ever had to fit into his parent's conservative box. Why should that change now?
After the hospital he made his way home. He didn't know why he'd packed clothes. He didn't have money for a hotel and he should have known better than to think he'd be welcome in his old family home. Still, things could have been worse. Not by much, but they could have.
He stumbled into his apartment, exhausted from grief and lack of sleep. He took a minute to send and email to his professors and the university administrators explaining his position and asking for a week's compassionate leave. Then he rang Mrs Kim.
"Taehyung, this is unexpected. How can I help you?" She must have been at work.
"Mrs Kim, I'm sorry to bother you but I won't be able to make our next few appointment. I umm.. My.. M-my f-father..." He cleared his throat. "My father passed this morning."
"Oh Tae, I'm so sorry." She murmured sympathetically.
"Thank you. Um, can you let Jeongguk know? Tell him I'm sorry. I'll make it up to him."
"Nonsense, he'll be fine. You take all the time you need, ok?"
He was glad she was so confident but Taehyung wasn't so sure. But he would be useless to him as he was.
"Thank you, Mrs Kim." He murmured before hanging up.
Then he staggered to his bed, barely managing to kick off his shoes before he fell atop it and sank into a slumber so deep not even dreams could find him.
When he awoke it was to complete darkness, his phone buzzing atop his bedside and for a moment he thought the past twenty four hours had been some kind of awful dream. But when he answered the phone to the cold, business tones of his father's personal attorney he knew it had been all too real.
"Kim Taehyung?"
"Yes." He mumbled, sitting up and rubbing a tired hand down his face.
"I'm ringing to inform you that your father, Kim Hojin, passed away yesterday." Yesterday? How long had he slept?
"Yeah." He replied awkwardly. "I know."
"It seems you were mentioned in his will and your presence is requested tomorrow morning at ten am."
"Oh." He said, his mind blanking in shock. He'd thought he'd been disowned and disinherited two and a half years ago.
"Can I text through the details? Is this the best number to contact you on?" The lawyer asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. This number is fine."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Right." He agreed, and the line went dead. He took it away from his ear and looked at it for a long moment.
Taehyung took the bus to the law firm his father employed, arriving thirty five minutes early. Most of his clothes had been left at his family home when he left so Taehyung didn't own much business attire. But he'd managed to find a white button up shirt and a pair of dark jeans that might have passed for trousers at a distance. He hoped to pick up a jacket from an op shop on his way home to wear to the funeral tomorrow.
When he reached the floor of their office, he introduced himself to the receptionist. "Kim Taehyung to see Mr Choi. I'm running a little early, sorry." He gave a brief, apologetic smile.
"Yes, Mr Kim. That's quite alright. Would you like to take seat? Can I get you anything while you wait? Tea? Coffee? Water?"
"No, thank you, I'm fine." He assured her, as he took a seat where she indicated.
"Mr Choi will see you now." The receptionist broke into his thoughts some fifteen minutes later.
"Really?" He looked around, noting he was the only one in the office.
She merely smiled and indicated the closed door with Choi's name adored on a small gold plaque.
"Taehyung." Mr Choi stood, reaching across the table to shake his hand.
"Mr Choi. Where is everyone? I thought we all had to be here for the reading."
"I think you've seen too many movies, Mr Kim." He smiled politely.
"Oh. Right." Taehyung felt a faint flush of embarrassment.
"Take a seat and we'll get started." He invited.
Once Tae was seated in one of the two plush, grey chairs opposite Choi's desk the man picked up a sheaf of papers from his desk.
"Would you like me to read the whole thing or just the pertinent passages? I will of course give you a copy to take with you. Some people find it easier to read the more personal messages in the comfort of their own homes."
"Um, sure. Just the relevant stuff is fine. I don't want to take up too much of your time." Taehyung agreed.
"Very well." He cleared his throat and began to read out loud. "To my eldest son, Kim Taehyung, I leave the property unit xx/xx xxxx, Busan. And control of the trust kept in his name by Bhak, Choi and Associates." Choi put the papers down. "Then it goes on to list account details and the like. There is a personal message for you. I have indicated it's place with the tab."
Taehyung sat in shock, just staring dumbly at the attorney.
"So there's a bit of paperwork to be done which is why I called you in. I have everything here read, you just need to sign where indicated and the property will pass to you."
"Okay." He agreed numbly, signing where Choi indicated with barely a glance at the documents.
He made his way home in a daze, having completely forgotten about buying a jacket. On the bus he pulled out the paper turning it to the orange tab Choi had indicated earlier.
"Taehyung, I hope that by the time you read this we have reconciled our differences. My illness has taught me that family is too important to throw away, no matter their past transgressions. No matter your choices or mistakes, you are and will always be my son. I love you and wish the best for your future."
Tae felt his eyes fill with tears for the innumerable time that day. For his taciturn father, this was practically a sonnet. He'd loved him. In the end, that was all that mattered. His father had loved him. He brought the papers to his chest and silently wept.
A/N Ok, so I x'ed out the address cos dang it, I try to do my research on stories. I researched rabbit behaviour and anatomy, legal stuffs, Korean culture and geography but my hangul is not good enough to read the street names and fake a believeable address so just indulge me.
Oh btw, the story is set in Busan. But like magic, au hybrid fantasy Busan, so don't expect much accuracy. I never mentioned it before but, yeah, that's where it is.
Anyways, it's missing Jeongguk hours for Kim Taehyung atm. But all this pain will be worth it in the end.
Remember to vote.
Oh and tell me what colour hair Taehyung has when you read this, cos I don't think I ever said...
Don't forget I purple you!