Chaerin's and Taehyung's parents had died on that plane that fell into the open sea, due to the disastrous storm of those days. Chaerin and Taehyung now, were without parents.
The last time they saw Chaerin was at their parents' funeral. After that day, she disappeared. Without warning anyone, except Hwasa.
She left a letter to Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook, where she asked them not to look for her and to forgive her but she needed to be alone. She would've spent a short time with other relatives in another city. Finishing the school year with them and also the summer.
After the news of the parents, the world of Chaerin and Taehyung collapsed on them. They found themselves alone. The police arrived at their doors communicating the news to them and that, unfortunately, the bodies were not found, like those of the other victims.
It was a sad and heartbreaking funeral for everyone. Neither Chaerin nor Taehyung would have ever imagined themselves living that day. Chaerin remained silent all the time, without a tear, a scream, nothing. Hwasa stood by her side the whole time, she didn't want anyone else, not even Taehyung. And that hurt him a lot.
Yoongi, Jin, Namjoon and Hoseok also came to the funeral, but everyone ignored them.
Taehyung tried to control himself all the time. He needed to be with Chaerin. But he was on his own during the funeral, Jimin and Jungkook stayed by his side.
[...]
《Hwasa, where did Chaerin go?》 Taehyung blocks Hwasa on the way to school. She tried to avoid them all this time.
《I won't tell you. I promised.》
《Please ... 》Taehyung's pleading voice, broke 《I'm going crazy without knowing where she is ...》
《Sorry, Taehyung.》Hwasa looked at him apologetically.
《I need her ... Hwasa, please.》 Taehyung felt his throat tighten, he needed Chaerin. He had to know if she was okay. He was suffering. He had lost his father. He had no one in this world but Chaerin.
And not having her next to him was destroying him.
《I'm really sorry ...》 Hwasa frees herself from his grip, continuing to walk in her next class.
《None of them give up, I see.》
Hwasa shakes her head at Wheein, who joined her soon after.
《I promise her. I will never betray her.》Wheein smiles at her, stroking her back 《you are a fantastic best friend. But as a girlfriend, you're even better.》gives her a wink, Hwasa laughs, giving her girlfriend a quick kiss.
《It has already been 3 weeks since she left ... do you know when she will come back?》 Hwasa shakes her head 《I don't know, Chaerin doesn't even know. Perhaps when she feels ready.》 she says with a shrug.
《Yoongi also came to me begging to tell him where Chaerin is ...》 she laughs sarcastically 《he is the last person I would tell.》she says with a grimace.
《Wow ...》 Wheein is stunned 《so everyone has already asked you?》 Hwasa nods as they enter the classroom.
[...]
Yoongi enters his house throwing his jacket on the coat rack, frustrated snorts.
《You found out where she is?》 Hoseok asks as soon as he sees him enter the salon.
Yoongi shakes his head 《her friend didn't want to tell me ...》
《What do you plan to do?》Namjoon asks adding to the others. They were all already at Yoongi's house, as always, after school.
Yoongi smiles, moving his eyes to Jin 《hyung, by chance, does your father still work in the police?》 The older nods, already understanding where he wants to go.
《Great. Can you do me a favor?》 Jin nods.
[...]
The mint-haired boy gets out of his car, stretches his body after his long journey to reach it. His gaze scanned the area, it was a residential place, houses all the same and large, well-kept trees, like gardens.
It smelled fresh and with a hint of flowers. A very relaxing place. With a big breath he lets the air fill his lungs, feeling more relaxed.
Slowly he approaches the door checking the number of the house. It was this. He licks his lower lip, feeling a little anxious, before ringing on the bell, after a while the door is opened.
These she is, in front of him, again. She looked tired. Dark circles frame her eyes, she seemed taken aback.
《Yoongi ...》 her voice sounded so raspy.
《Hello, Chaerin.》 Yoongi smiles happily when he sees her face.
Eyes fall down on Chaerin's belly. Yoongi opens his eyes wide, he didn't expect to see her ... like that.
《You're beautiful.》Is the only thing he can say. She really was.
She immediately touches her belly, where a small swelling popped out. Looking down, a faint smile forms on her slightly chapped lips.
《Can I come in?》
Unsure, Chaerin opens the door and lets him in. He smiles, without thinking twice, and enters.
[...]
The three boys were all together in Taehyung's house, since he was alone, they both moved there. They didn't want to leave him alone, he was too fragile.
Two months had passed since Chaerin had left and her parents had died. He didn't think of anything else all the time, the pain was digging into him. The first thing he thought of when he went to sleep was her, even when he woke up, he hoped to see her down in the kitchen making, breakfast.
Slowly he accepted the death of his father and Chaerin's mother, he had grown fond of her, very much. She was a good and kind woman, she treated Taehyung as if he were her son. And that meant a lot to him, since his mom had abandoned him.
That is why he is afraid of abandonment, he still remembered well the day when his mother left, he cried and prayed on his knees, a little 8-year-old boy who begged his mother not to leave him.
He had never understood why she left him and his father. It was a wound that had never healed, it is still deep and vivid.
The abandonment of Chaerin brought back all those feelings and pains of the past.
She was gone.
Taehyung turns in bed, can't sleep, one of the many nights he couldn't sleep. He was used to it by now. Not even sleeping pills helped him.
He thought of Chaerin, the tears starting to fall down the sides of his eyes. He holds a sweatshirt she had forgotten here. He brings it to his nose, smells it with all the air he can carry in his nostrils.
The fabric of the sweatshirt was losing her scent.
He snorts, gets up from the bed and remains seated. There was silence throughout the house. Sometimes it seemed strange to him that there were no parents and not even Chaerin. But his friends.
He turns to the side, looks at them as their torsos rise and fall slowly. They slept deeply.
Jungkook's blanket was most on the floor, Jimin's leg dangling out of bed.
A smile escapes from Taehyung's lips. He was grateful to his friends.
《Trouble sleeping, Hyung?》 Jungkook's sleepy, raucous voice broke the silence of the night.
Taehyung winced, Jungkook looked at him with shining eyes that reflected the moonlight outside, giving that particular sparkle.
《Yeah ... 》 he ruffles his hair with his hand, frustrated.
Jungkook sits on his bed 《wanna talk?》
In response Taehyung shrugs, which the minor receives as a consensus. He waits for him to say something.
Jungkook leans with his elbows on his knees 《how are you?》 It's a stupid question maybe, but it's important to ask sometimes.
The older breathes through his nose, he doesn't even know how he is. He only feels an enormous emptiness within himself, an unbearable heaviness in his heart.
Jungkook approaches, sitting next to his hyung, rests his hand on his thigh, stroking slowly.
《What are you doing?》 Taehyung is surprised by his sudden physical contact.
《Trying to comfort you.》 He says awkwardly. His eyes were half open, perhaps from sleep, his movements were slow and strange.
Taehyung stares at him, mouth slightly open, the younger approaches his face, Taehyung remains still, swallows. He feels Jungkook warm breath on his skin.
He takes his chin in his fingers, Jungkook jerking his lips into the corner of Taehyung's mouth, his eyes wide in reaction. The smaller one kept them closed.
He breaks away from the older boy who had an expression mixed with amazement and confusion.
He gets up and goes back to sleep, Taehyung watches him, hears him snoring after a while. Remains motionless for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out if what happened was a hallucination or reality.
[...]
《Oh! Morning Hyung!》the younger wears a big smile.
《Mor-morning ...》 Taehyung enters the kitchen, walks over to the fridge to get something to drink.
《Do you want eggs too?》 Taehyung shakes his head.
He sits down and watches the maknae as he prepares the eggs for himself, suspiciously. Taehyung feels agitated, what happened last night is strange, it was very strange. But all he did was think about it all night. It made him forget even about Chaerin.
He bites his lower lip, he didn't understand why he didn't say anything, he didn't say a word about it, it made him feel anxious.
《Jungkook-ah ...》
《Mh?》 Turns to Taehyung with the plate in hand sitting, ready to eat.
《Last night, uhm ... 》he starts to talk uncertainly, he stops scratching his neck before starting again, but Jungkook interrupts him
《Did you sleep well?》
《Hm-um ... yes, you?》 Taehyung answers uncertainly.
He nods happily 《yes! It's been a long time since I slept so deeply.》
《Memories from last night?》
Jungkook wrinkles his forehead putting the cutlery on the plates in the sink 《what should I remember?》 He opens the water and washes the dishes he used.
《Nothing》 He says nonchalantly.
《Good morning.》 A half-asleep Jimin enters the kitchen, taking something from the fridge.
The others respond to him in turn.
Taehyung stares at his cup with the juice, turning it inside. He felt confused.
He doesn't remember?
Maybe he's a sleepwalker.
[...]
Taehyung's mind was on the other side, everywhere, except in class, listening to the lesson, he had a lost look, and Jimin noticed it.
《Yah, you are silent all day, more than usual ... 》 Jimin gives a slight nudge to his friend sitting next to him.
Taehyung reflected on whether to tell him what had happened, not that it was serious ... but it had left him feeling strange. Neither bad, nor good, just difficult to explain.
《I'm ok.》 Decided to keep it for himself, it wasn't a big deal. Maybe he was thinking too much about it.
The morning ends, and Taehyung starts to go to his house, there were only a few days to the end of the school year, the summer was near, months of sweat and loneliness would arrive ready to grab Taehyung. He was afraid.
Probably Jimin would go to his grandparents on vacation, and Jungkook with his parents out the city. Taehyung ... he didn't have a single soul to be with. He had no uncles, the grandparents were all dead, he was alone.
This thought haunted him, his greatest fear was to be alone. And this had come true.
Taehyung returned to his house, empty, silent, without Chaerin's loud music, without her off-key voice he was used to, there was no longer the burning smell of her attempts to cook something, failing, he would no longer enter in her room to wake her up, he would no longer tease her.
No more skin to skin. He remebers the way she moved over him. Remember how her breasts moved as she rode him, he held her hips, pushing from below. He remembers every time they had sex. He looks down, to his crotch, a bugle coming from his pants. Damn memories.
All of this disappeared with her.
But for Taehyung it wasn't just sex, not anymore. Yes in the beginning there was a strong physical attraction. He wanted just to have a quick and good fuck whenever he wanted. Chaerin is a beautiful girl, not even she knows how it affects people.
He comes in, take off your shoes and put his bag down, snort between himself and ruffle his hair. He takes something to drink, and goes upstairs, to his room. But his head was floating in the clouds, he doesn't realize that he actually enters Chaerin's room.
It's the first time he enters since she left.
He hangs in the entrance, observes her room, she didn't take everything, many of her things were still here, including her loved headphones. He smiles when he sees them on the desk.
He lies down on her bed, it no longer smelled like her. Think back to all the nights they spent together ...
Or to the quiet days spent together.
He thought she trusted him, he thought she would lean on him to get through this period, like he would have done with her. One for the other. Maybe not even as lovers or who knows what, but also just as friends.
He thought he was important to her. Illusions have been made. He cared about her, really, and still cares, but she doesn't reciprocate in the same way. He wants to forget everything, he really wants to do it, for himself.
He hears the front door open, surely they must have been Jungkook and Jimin, they have the house keys since they live here with him. Taehyung left before from school, they had to do research in the library. He took the opportunity to be alone for a while.
《Hyung, he is here.》 Jungkook calls Jimin pointing to Taehyung, they both enter Chaerin's room, looking around 《what are you doing here?》 Jimin sits on the floor, next to Taehyung, who was still lying down.
He shrugs 《Nothing ...》
《Jungkook and I were talking about something.》 Taehyung sits, turning his attention to his friends.
《About Chaerin, more precisely.》 Continues saying Jungkook.
《We realized that the situation was becoming toxic.》Jimin starts talking.
《We are all in love with the same girl, but we were forgetting about our friendship.》
He goes on to say that they were ruining their friendship, they were becoming obsessive towards her.
They understood it. But they know that the feelings they feel for her are true. The heart does not lie.
But was it worth it? Do they risk their friendship like this? At that moment yes. But now, maybe not.
The three vent themselves, tell their thoughts and their feelings, open up completely, that was the intention. But ... they still keep some secrets for themselves, they can't really tell each other everything.
《I feel much better, thanks guys.》 Taehyung offers them his classic smile. The talk had helped everyone. They felt lighter and even closer.
《Ah hyung, would you like to come with me and my family on vacation?》 Jungkook approaches Taehyung.
Perhaps, a glimmer of hope lit up for him, he would not be completely alone.
He smiles, and willingly accepts.
Everyone had a different way of reacting to the abandonment of Chaerin, yes, because for them it was like abandonment. Taehyung drowned in grief over the loss of his entire family.
Jimin was back the boy he was, a fuckboy. He fucks to relieve himself with other girls, he fucked anyone he wanted, he didn't care about feelings, just like he was before. He was hurt and kind of hated Chaerin, especially after the night they had spent together, thought he would have a hope. For the first time in his life, he really cared for someone, and that someone had used him. The only fixed point was his friends, he could return to them and he knew they were there for him.
Jungkook, he relied on his friends. He suffered in silence, he didn't think he had the right to suffer in front of Taehyung, he was the real victim. So he preferred to cry alone. But he missed her, sometimes he tought he was going crazy. He tried to call her, desperately sending a hundreds messages to her number, but he knew she would never answer, she had deactivated this number. But Jungkook continued. Hearing her voice from the voicemail was his only painkiller.
The three boys have tied even more, their friendship has become really strong. They trust each other, slowly, everyone manages to move forward, even if a small part will always remain behind. Will that small part be strong enough to come back and destroy everything?
[...]
[7 months later]
It's been nine months since Chaerin left. It was summer, and the last school year was upon. Chaerin was preparing her last things, while calling Hwasa. She felt better, much better. She went through a lot, but she did it, she was ready to come back. Hwasa answers the phone.
《Hwasa, I'm coming back, today.》
《W-what? Really!?》 Her friend screams on the phone happy 《When ?!》
《I will probably arrive tonight.》she replies with a smile. She couldn't wait to see her best friend again. Her house. And all the others too ... who knows how they will be. She thought about them every day, she felt guilty about how she had left them. But it was necessary, she hoped they would understand.
《Chaerin ... but first, there is one thing you need to know.》 Chaerin is silent, waiting for her friend to continue, she felt anxious.
《Nothing is like before. Everything and everyone has changed.》
[...]
Chaerin gets out of the car, takes her suitcases from the back of the car, a white hand comes right away to help take the weight.
《Thanks》she gives him a smile 《let's go.》she says pointing at the door with her head.
Chaerin watches her house.
With large eyes, scrutinizes every detail, like the vase of flowers at the entrance, dead. It was usually her mother who took care of it. Her heart tightened.
The white door, but it wasn't so white anymore. She smiles bitterly when she sees the names of everyone still attached, including her parents, in the letterbox.
With slow steps they approach the door, and she rings the bell. After a while, someone comes to open.
The two stare at each other for endless seconds, endless moments, their hearts beat wildly. She hears him swallow. His cold gaze immobilizes Chaerin. She had never seen a look so passive and icy.
She was disappointed by his reaction, but she didn't even hope he would be the happiest to see her again. She forces a smile.
《I'm back, Taehyung.》
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
Hi everyone! I want to ask you something, I want to know how you feel about the characters, what you think about them, what kind of people are they, in your eyes?
I realized that, even if I'm writing them, they lack of personality, cuz I don't even know them well. I'll improve that. I promise. 💜 ty for reading❤