Dr. Kim sighs, and Taehyung looks up to see him placing his notebook on the table and readjusting in his chair. In this moment, he looks much older than his age. He's only in his late twenties; a genius who became a psychiatrist at a young age. It's not so bad talking to him, since he's a little closer to Taehyung's age. 

"Taehyung, not being able to remember what happened that night doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. This isn't your fault. You lost your mother and your brother in a tragic accident, and this is the way you're coping. Some people are able to move on from events like this by remembering and accepting it. But maybe it's not so bad to forget? You're protecting yourself from memories that would only haunt you more."

 

 

 

"She's been great, Tae, she really has. She wanted to come with me to pick you up, but I wanted you all to myself today. She said-"

"Um yeah, I- I got it, dad."

His dad sighs, looks back at the road, and then gives him another glance out of the corner of his eyes. "I know things won't ever be the same without your mom and Jiminie," he says solemnly, fingers tightening around the steering wheel. "But Soojin has really helped to keep everything together. She's made me very happy, Tae, and I think she can do the same for you."

Taehyung stares out the window, utterly silent. 

 

 

 

"Listen, Taehyung," she starts, stepping into the living room. Her voice is too steady, much too calm. It gives Taehyung an eerie feeling. "Things don't have to be this way." She steps closer and picks up the family portrait, glancing down at it. "The day I met all of you, I knew Jimin would be trouble, but you...I thought you seemed like such a nice young boy. His death was tragic, but it’s a blessing that he was in the boat house that night, and not you. I know you’re capable of doing as I say." She glances up at him briefly. "You don't have to paint me as the evil stepmother. And you don't have to be this sad, pathetic little boy," she sneers, throwing the portrait back into the box.

 

 

 

"What are you doing, sleeping in here?"

"Couldn't sleep," he mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

His dad a comforting hand down his back. "I know you miss him...I thought about cleaning out his room- Soojin wanted to- but I couldn't do it yet. And I knew you wouldn't be ready for that."

Taehyung stares down at the bed sheets, unmoving. He doesn't reply.

 

 

 

Jeongguk is kissing him, his lips a little chapped and his tongue warm and moving skillfully in Taehyung's mouth. It's gentle, careful, while Taehyung himself is sloppy and a little uncoordinated. The alcohol is clouding his senses, impairing his abilities and making his mind wander. He's angry at himself, at everything, because Jeongguk is kissing him and he should be focusing on only that, but the dark thoughts are invading his mind anyways. He can always lose himself in Jeongguk. Jeongguk can always distract him, make him forget, but the alcohol is bringing out thoughts and emotions he didn't want to face just yet. 

He pushes against Jeongguk chest gently, pushes him away, because he feels like he might start crying any second now. He doesn't want to cry in front of Jeongguk, doesn't want to put all of his problems on Jeongguk.

"Tae, what's wrong? Where are you going?" Jeongguk follows after him, and he's grateful that he doesn't stumble, because Jeongguk really wouldn't let him leave if he thought he was too drunk. Right now, he just needs to go home, to see his mother, to make sure she's okay, to cry in his own bed, and sleep off this buzz. 

"I just- I just need to go home. I'm fine. Don't follow me." He thinks Jeongguk finally stops following after him, but he doesn't look back to make sure, because he doesn't want to see the hurt in Jeongguk's eyes.

He spots Jimin, sitting around a fire with Yoongi and Jin, laughing with them. He knows one of their friends will get him home alright, so he at least doesn't feel guilty about leaving without him. 

He hurries into the woods, eager to get home.

The walk through the woods is quiet, peaceful, but it's dark and a little eerie, so he hurries along. 

He comes home to a dark and still house, the only light coming from his parent's bedroom and the dim light of the boat house. He rushes inside and through the dark hallways, heading toward his dad's room. He wants to sleep in the boat house tonight, and needs him to know so he doesn't think he never came home.

He stops a few feet away from the closed door when he hears noises. He's frozen in place, hoping he hadn't heard what he thought he did. With careful footsteps, he approaches the door and bends down to peek into the keyhole, and it's-

It's his father and Soojin, on his parent's bed, on the sheets his mother had picked out, lewd noises drifting through the door-

There's bile rising in his throat when he jerks away from the door and stumbles back, hands fumbling for something to grab onto, something to hold so he doesn't fall over from the shock.

He doesn't- This can't be happening- His dad wouldn't do this- 

But the noises are still coming from the other side of the door, faint but still very obvious. 

He doesn't know how to process this, how to accept it, so he runs. 

He stumbles out of the house, almost trips on the stairs, as he rushes down toward the boat house with tears gathering in his eyes. 

When he gets to the door, he stops, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath and stop the sobs that are climbing up his throat. 

He glances back at the house, and the betrayal is heavy in his chest when he thinks of his father in the bedroom that belonged to him and his mother, and how he's now in there with her- 

He looks back to the door, and suddenly, he can't breathe again. There's no way he can face his mom right now. Not after seeing that. Not after becoming aware of what's happening. 

His hand still inches toward the doorknob, and he's surprised to see the lock turned. They aren't supposed to leave it unlocked in the middle of the night like this, and Soojin is the one who carries the key, but of course, she's too busy at the moment to care about Taehyung's mother's wellbeing or safety- 

"Taetae!" Taehyung's hand pulls away from the doorknob, and he turns to see Jimin approaching him, the neckline of his shirt stained with sweat from running all the way home. "What happened? Why did you leave without telling me?"

He looks away from Jimin guiltily, "Sorry," he murmurs, taking a step back from the door. 

"You shouldn't be walking in the woods by yourself," Jimin scolds him as he climbs up onto the porch. "I would've left with you if you came and got me." 

Taehyung wants to apologize again, but the words get stuck in his throat. He still feels sick to his stomach about everything and he just needs to hide away- to get away from everyone- 

"I'm going to my room," he tells Jimin softly as he passes by him.

Jimin grabs his arm before he can escape, "What? Tae, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, I can't-"

"Okay, you don't have to. Just- come check on mom with me." 

"No, I- I can't- Jimin, let go." He can't do it. He can't. He wants to tell Jimin, but more than anything, he wants to forget it completely, to forget that he ever saw it. 

Jimin releases his hold on him, and he hears the older boy sigh just before he walks away. He's half way to the house when he hears the faint sound of Jimin's voice calling for their mother, and the click of the door as it opens- 

There's an explosion of noise that causes the ground to shake under his feet, and he jerks, whipping his head around just in time to see the boat house erupt in flames. He watches in completely horror, flames dancing in his eyes as he takes in the sight of their death.

"No!" 

 

 

Taehyung sits up with a gasp, searching for air as though he'd been pulled out of water. 

"Oh god, Tae, are you okay?"

He turns to see Jeongguk kneeling next the bed, worry etched into his features, but his vision goes blurry and his head spins-

"Jeon- Jeong-" He's trying to speak, trying to breathe, but his chest feels tight and he can't get words out of his throat. He can't breathe- why can't he breathe!?

Jeongguk takes his face between his hands and lifts to sit on the edge of the bed. "Breathe, Taehyung, breathe with me." He holds Taehyung's gaze, and takes slow, deep breathes.

Jeongguk invades his senses; he's all he can see, all he can hear. He focuses on the color of Jeongguk's eyes and the sound of his voice, and then- he's able to take a proper breath. His racing heart slowly calms down, and he's breathing in tune with Jeongguk, fingers trembling as he clutches at the other boy's shirt. 

Once he's calmed down, Jeongguk takes him into his arms, and Taehyung clings to him, presses his forehead to the place between Jeongguk's shoulder and neck. He has so much to say, but all that comes out of his mouth is a shuttered breath as he lets the tears loose. Jeongguk lets him cry into his shoulder, doesn't say a word as he lets it all out. 

It's as though everything has become clearer, but even more confusing, all at once.

Jimin is dead. 

He's gone and Taehyung watched it happen and didn't even remember. He let Jimin go in there all alone, when he should have been the one to go in, to open the door and be the one to die that night. Jimin, at least, should have been the one to live. 

This can't be real, this can't be happening- These memories are nothing and Jimin will show up soon to pick him up and take him home-

He feels tears stinging his eyes again, so he swallows them back and focuses on Jeongguk, focuses on his scent and the rhythm of his breathing and his warmth. "What happened?" He asks Jeongguk, his voice trembling.

"I'm not sure. After I told about- After I said it, you got really silent and started shaking, and then you just- passed out." He feels Jeongguk's fingers on the back of his neck, warm and comforting. "You wouldn't wake up and I didn't know what to do."

"I remember," Taehyung whispers, warm breath against Jeongguk's neck. He feels oddly numb now, like this is the calm before a storm, and it scares him. "I remember everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I was...completely shutting Jimin's death out of my mind. I have all these memories that- that were different before, and now I remember how they actually happened- what was really said."

Jeongguk is silent, but Taehyung still feels his hand on the back of his neck, a light comforting touch. 

He doesn't expect Jeongguk to say anything. There isn't much to say. He's a mess and he can't figure out what the hell is going on in his own head. He doesn't expect anyone else to be able to.

He just doesn't know what's real anymore. Was it Jimin's ghost he had been seeing? Or was he just crazy? Maybe he was simply conjuring up the image of the person he needed the most? 

Were any of the ghosts he had been seeing real? 

He doesn't know if he could trust his own mind anymore.

"I know it was her," He says anyways, because these memories, that night, that is what he suspects is real. "She killed them. She was the only one with a key, and she left it unlocked because she knew- she knew one of us would go in there that night. And she did something. I- I don't know what, but as soon as Jimin opened the door, it just-"

He thinks of his mother; lying asleep and oblivious in her bed, and of Jimin; his brother, his everything- He stops at that thought. He can't grieve right now, he can't afford to sit around and cry while Soojin gets away with murdering his family.

He pulls away from Jeongguk and turns, moving to standing up on shaky legs.

"Where are you going?" Jeongguk asks frantically, standing up and approaching him as he slips on his shoes.

"Home," is all he says. He feels guilty, leaving Jeongguk like this after everything he'd just thrown at him, but he needs to take care of this. This needs to end.

"What!? You can't just leave-" 

He opens the bedroom door and Jeongguk moves to stop him, taking his by the elbow and trying to coerce him back in. "Tae please, don't do this by yourself. We can figure something out-"

"No," he says, pulling his arm from Jeongguk's hold. No one else needs to die by her hands. He can get the ring and if they investigate and find that she’s guilty, Taehyung will know he isn’t completely insane. And if not, well- He doesn't have much else to lose at this point. 

"Don't follow me."

 

 

__________________________

 

 

The house is eerily quiet when he arrives.

If Jimin is real, if any of the spirits he's been seeing are real, he doesn't know where they are now. And Soojin is nowhere in sight.

He doesn't waste any time, and heads right for his parent's bedroom. The door is slightly ajar, and the only light source he has comes from the small lamp on the edge of the vanity. It casts strange shadows across the room. 

He doesn't even know if the ring is there - she may have it on - but he can't know until he checks. 

He pushes open the door and the hinges squeak slightly in the heavy silence. Her jewelry box is open, and when he sees the ring glinting in the light, his breath catches. He starts toward it, each footstep feeling achingly slow. It's so close- It's right there- His fingers finally close in on it and-

There's a flash of movement in the reflection of the mirror and he turns, but he's too slow. Pain explodes on the side of his face and he goes crashing to the floor, his vision momentarily turning black and his head throbbing in pain.  

He scrambles to reach up to the vanity for the ring, even through the pain and dizziness, but Soojin grabs him around the middle and he feels a sharp stab in his neck. He cries out, pushes her back and she falls on her side with a pained grunt. He sees a needle fall to the floor, half empty of whatever drug was in it. He doesn't know exactly what it is, but he's already beginning to feel sluggish and weak.

No, no, this can't be happening- ha can't pass out- he has to-

He manages to snatch the ring even with his vision swimming, but Soojin is back up and lunging toward him again, rage burning in her eyes. "Put it down," she growls. She wraps an arm around his neck, squeezes, and he panics- His hands instinctively reach up to scratch and pull at her arm as he struggles to catch a breath, and the ring slips from his fingers and falls to the floor. 

"Let...go...," he pulls at her arm, digs his nails into her skin until he feels it break, and her grip finally loosens just enough for him to get out of her grasp.

He collapses into the vanity, knocking the jewelry box onto the floor, and the lamp over on its side. He knows he doesn't have much time. She might not have gotten all of the drugs into his system, but it was enough to make him almost too weak to move. And the blow to his face had made it even worse. He can hardly see now, and his limbs feel heavy. Even the adrenaline in his system can't help him now. 

When his gaze falls on the fallen lamp, he makes a split second decision, and wraps his fingers around it. He pulls and the plug rips from the wall as he whips around and swings it at her with every bit of strength he has left. With how disoriented he is, his aim isn't great, and it crashes into her shoulder, but it's enough to knock her down so he has enough time to run. "!" She clasps a hand over her bleeding shoulder and he grabs the ring while he can. There's a fireplace poker lying on the floor near it, and he grabs it too, just in case. It must have been what she hit him with, if his bleeding swollen cheek is anything to go by. 

His legs feel heavy and weak, but he goes for the door, moving as fast as he can. His heart sounds so loud in his own ears, and he's so tired, he wants to give up but he can't- He's almost there- 

Fingers wrap around his ankle and he goes tumbling to the floor, the ring falling out of his grasp again. "No!" He lands on his injured cheek, and he screams, vision going black and pain exploding behind his eyes. It hurts- it hurts- 

"Don't be scared, Taehyung," she tells him, voice sickeningly sweet. "I know what I'm doing. I'm a nurse."

The last thing he sees before he blacks out is Soojin smirking down at him.

 

 

__________________________

 

 

When he comes to, the first thing he notices is the smell of the lake. It invades his senses until he slowly becomes aware of other things. He can hear the sound of feet shuffling, and can feel pain in his back as his shirt rides up and scrapes against the ground. He's moving- Is someone moving him?

It takes him a moment to open his eyes. His eyelids just feel so heavy, he struggles to even keep them open. 

He can make out Soojin after everything stops spinning. She's above him, hands latched around his ankles as she pulls him along. His stomach drops and he feels like he might throw up if she keeps dragging him like this, over rocks and the cold ground.

His fingers and toes are numb and he can't find the energy to move his any of his limbs. He can't even talk- his tongue is heavy and clumsy in his mouth. All that comes out of his mouth when he tries is a pathetic whimper.

When she sees that he's semi-conscious, she smirks again. "Ah you're awake," she observes. She sounds a little strained from dragging his weight around, but she continues to talk. "It's a shame really, that you didn't just die with the other two. Things wouldn't have had to get this messy."

"You-" he tries to speak, but it barely comes out as a whisper.

"It was easy enough, to rig everything up so that the next person going in would set off the explosion. I had hoped it would be the both of you going to check on her, but I suppose not everything can go as planned."

He was right- he was right and he wants to scream, to hurt her, to kill her for taking everything away from him- 

"But you'll be out of the way soon enough, and I'll be here to comfort Taesun after your tragic suicide." 

No no no no- she can't get away with this- she can't do this-

He's so focused on her words, on the anger and panic building inside of him- he hardly notices when they stop moving. 

She's brought him to the small cliff out above the water, a place his mother had scolded he and Jimin for playing at years and years ago. It was too dangerous, too high up- they could get killed if they were to fall off the edge, she had told them when she was scolding them.

They're near the point of the cliff, and he's lying on his back, useless limbs sprawled out around him. She crouches next him and stares down at him, and the look in her eyes is more frightening than any spirit he's seen in these past few weeks. 

"I was going to let you live, you know? I thought maybe you wouldn't get in the way much, and you'd be out of the house for college soon enough." She brushes a stray hair from his forehead, and he jerks away from her touch, but the movement is slow and all he can really do is glare at her. Even the smallest movement causes his head to spin and the nausea climbs up his throat again. "But you had to stick your nose where it didn't belong, and cause all this trouble. I just can't have that."

"You can't...you can't do this," he says, voice weak and hardly loud enough to hear over the sound of the water. 

She stares down at him, amused. "Look at it this way: you'll be joining your pathetic mother and that useless brother of yours."

She stands up and takes him by the ankles again, dragging him closer to the edge. Panic crawls up his throat and comes out in a weak cry for help. He can't die like this- he can't let her do this- someone has to help him! Jeongguk- Jimin- his father- anyone!

"No no no no," he repeats faintly, fingernails breaking on the rocky surface as he tries to latch onto something. 

And that's when he sees it-

A hand reaches up over the edge of the cliff, the skin gray and rotten, and all too familiar. It latches onto to Soojin's ankle and she looks down with wide eyes. "What-" 

Sunyoung grabs on with another hand, and then more hands join hers, these ones blackened and burnt. Another pair of hands reaches out and wraps around Soojin's legs, and Taehyung catches sight of the face of a dead Jungah. Soojin drops his legs and stumbles back, "What the hell- what is this!?" She screams, genuine fear in her eyes as she stares down at three of the people she had murdered. 

He can hear them whispering, haunted voice echoing in the air, tormenting her. 

She finally falls, knees hitting the ground painfully hard, and then collapsing onto her front. "No! No! NO! Do something! Help me!" She pleads to him as they drag her closer. Taehyung watches with wide eyes as they all pull on her limbs and latch onto her clothes and tug at her hair until she's closer and closer to the edge. She's scratching at the ground with bloody nails, desperately trying to find something to hold her there. Her eyes are bright with absolute terror, and Taehyung can't find it in himself to have an ounce of sympathy for her. 

She's paying for what she's done.

Jungah clasps a hand over , muffling her screams, and then-

They pull her over the edge.

A deadly silence follows, and Taehyung waits to hear her hit the water. The only sound he can hear is his own quick, panicked breathing and the water splashing against the edge of the cliff below. 

He wants to move, to look over the edge, but all he can do is lift his arm for mere seconds before it falls again. He's dizzy and nauseous and he feels like he might black out again-

A hand emerges from the edge of the cliff and he screams as it catches hold of his ankle and pulls. Soojin's face appears, a spark of crazed determination in her eyes, and the spirits' hands are still holding onto her, attempting to drag her down. "If I die, you're coming with me," she snarls.

"No!" He tries to turn, tries to grab onto something, but it's too late- the spirits give one final pull and Soojin goes completely over the edge, Taehyung falling with her. 

And then he's falling through the air, looking up at the night sky, and having a split second to think about the fact that he'll be dead soon.

He hits the water with a strong force and sputters as it enters his nose and mouth, soaking his clothes and weighing him down even more. 

He panics, tries to kick his feet and move his arms, but his body is still too weak from the drugs. He's losing oxygen and beginning to see black spots in his vision. This is it. After everything, this is how it's going to end.

He sinks lower, the surface getting further and further away, and his lungs ache from the struggle of holding in his last bit of oxygen. 

Not far from him, the spirits still have a hold of a struggling Soojin, dragging her down to her death. They're getting the revenge they were seeking, they're serving their purpose here, and they won't be back to save Taehyung. He knows that. 

He's losing too much oxygen, and his lungs burn so strongly, until he finally relents and opens his mouth to breath, and the water comes rushing in. He's dying, his lungs are filling with water, and he's really truly going to die- 

There's a disturbance in the water, but Taehyung can't make out what it is through his blurry view. 

He's falling in and out of consciousness, and he thinks he sees Jeongguk's face, eyes alert, and mouth set in a determined line. Taehyung hopes Jeongguk won't blame himself for his death. He tried to help, to stop him, but Taehyung was too stubborn.

He sees Jimin too, soft eyes wide with worry as he reaches a hand out toward him. At least Taehyung will have Jimin in death. If he has Jimin, it can't be all that bad. 

The face he sees shifts and changes and he doesn't know if he's seeing Jimin or Jeongguk anymore. Are both of them there? Why are they here? He doesn't know- he can't think anymore- can't breathe- he's too tired-

He stretches his hand out with his last bit of strength, reaching for them.  He can feel warmth, arms wrapping around him, pulling him up. 

His eyes fall shut, and he lets himself fall into the darkness. 

 

 

__________________________

 

 

He's in the boat house.

It's full of boxes and old toys and it looks just like it did when he was 8 years old. It used to be somewhat of a playroom for him and Jimin before their mother got sick and they renovated it. 

He's sitting cross legged on the floor, and across from him- 

Jimin is sitting right in front of him, hands resting in his lap, patient and quiet.

"Taetae," he says, and Taehyung feels a tug at his heart with the sound of Jimin's voice. 

"Jiminie." He scoots closer until their knees are touching, and he can see the hesitance in Jimin's eyes. Jimin finally looks away from him, gaze falling to the floor.

"Jiminie..." He whispers again, and the older boys looks up, guilt shining in his eyes. "Are you really...?"

Jimin nods, expression solemn. "Yeah, Tae...I am."

"But...I don't understand- why would you- why would hide this from me? Why would you play along like you were actually still alive?" He doesn't mean to sound so angry, because he's not, he couldn't be angry with Jimin. But he's so lost and he doesn't know what to think about anything anymore. 

Jimin grabs his hands, holds them in his own, and there are tears gathering in his eyes as he looks at Taehyung. "I had to, Tae. You completely blocked out the memory of my death, and anything that had to do with it. You needed me, and my purpose there was to help you. So, that's what I did." He takes a deep breath. "I wasn't sure what would happen if I told you. I didn't know if you'd just block that out too, or if- if it would completely break you. I didn't want to take that chance when I needed to concentrate on helping you."

Jimin is right. He doesn't know what he would've done if he had to go through any of that without Jimin, or if Jimin would have tried to explain everything to him. "Okay, it okay, I just-" Taehyung whispers, voice hitching slightly. "I still don't want to believe it- I don't know if I- " He hastily wipes his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt, "You can't- You can't leave me too." His voice is barely a whimper now, as he sobs openly, letting the tears fall without bothering to wipe them away again. Jimin pulls him into his arms and lets him cry, running his fingers through his hair just like their mother used to when they'd cry in her arms. 

All of this is a dream, it's just in his head, but the pain and the emptiness feel so real- it still hurts so much- and he feels helpless and lost at the thought of living without Jimin. 

"I can't do this without you, Jiminie," he admits through his sobs. "We're always supposed to be together, right? Jiminie and Taetae." He holds Jimin closer, clutching at him desperately. "I don't want to live without you."

"No, no, don't say that." Jimin pulls away and takes his face in his hands, wiping away falling tears with his thumbs. He looks into Taehyung's eyes, "You have to live. I need you to live." His lips pull into a gentle smile. "Promise me you'll live, and I promise you I'll always be there with you, even if you can't see me. Okay?"

Taehyung stares back at him, eyes still wet with tears. He still cannot fathom living a life without Jimin, and he's pained by the thought of it, but for Jimin's sake, he would do anything. 

"I...I promise."

 

 

__________________________

 

 

When he wakes up in the hospital, he doesn't understand how he's still alive.

He's groggy and sluggish, and he feels very faint pain, but he's alive. 

His dad is sitting in the chair next to his bed, looking completely wrecked, and when the man sees that he's awake, he's on his feet immediately.

"Oh god, Taehyung, you're awake- you're okay-" 

Taehyung tries to smile, but he thinks it comes out as more of a grimace. His head is throbbing and the bright lights and white walls aren't helping. "Dad," he whispers weakly.

His father takes his face in his hands, careful of the plaster on his injured cheek, and just stares at him for a moment, a myriad of emotions in his eyes. Concern, relief, but more than anything, guilt. 

His dad leans down and buries his face in his shoulder, brushes his fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry," he chokes out, and Taehyung feels a wetness on his shoulder. "God, I'm so sorry."

 

__________________________

 

The next time he regains consciousness, Jeongguk is there, sitting in the place his dad had been sitting. 

"Hey," the other boy says, a soft smile on his face.

"Hi," and Taehyung's voice is still a weak, raspy mess, and his cheek stings with every movement of his mouth, but he knows he should feel lucky just to be alive.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he admits easily. "How long have I been out?"

"About 3 days," Jeongguk helps him sit up, adjusting his pillows and blankets. And then he sits on the edge of the bed when he's finished. He can't believe it's been that long. He's still so tired, he feels like he could sleep for a few more days. 

"Were you the one who pulled me out of the water?" The last thing he remembers is seeing Jeongguk and Jimin's faces in the water, right before he thought he would die. At the time, he thought it was simply a figment of his imagination, and image his mind was conjuring up in the last moments of his life.

Jeongguk nods, his lips pulling into a frown, "You weren't breathing by the time I got you out. I had to give you CPR, and even then- it took a while for you to start breathing again. I didn't know if you were going to make it," Jeongguk admits, voice tight with emotion. 

Taehyung takes the hand he has resting on the bed, and squeezes his fingers. "How did you know where to find me?" He'd never been there with Jeongguk before, never even bothered to tell him about it. There was no way Jeongguk could know exactly where Soojin had taken him.

Jeongguk twists the blanket between his fingers with his other hand, and there's a beat of silence before he answers, "It was Jimin."

Taehyung's eyes widen, "Jimin?"

"Soon after you left, he started giving me signs- throwing things around my room - and then, I was able to see him. I could only see him for seconds at a time, and it was faint, but I could hear him too. He led me to you."

Taehyung smiles, "Of course he did," he says fondly. Jimin is always there when he needs him most. Taehyung has to trust that he still can be, even if he'll no longer see him. He still feels helpless, lost, but he wants to believe that he can keep going, because Jimin wants him to. He closes his eyes, thinks of that last image of Jimin in his dream, his soft eyes and bright smile. And he tries to hold onto that. 

"And what about- what about Soojin?" Her name feels like poison on his tongue, and he doesn't realize he's holding his breath as he waits for Jeongguk to answer.

"She's gone, Tae, don't worry. She's dead."

 

__________________________

 

Taehyung answers whatever he can for the police, once he's well enough to speak to them. 

In the end, they'd found that Soojin had been guilty of all the murders, and Taehyung had been right. 

She murdered Choi Jungah and Choi Sunyoung, and then fled. She not only changed her name and documentation, but went as far as to get cosmetic surgery and go into hiding for years. 

She had faked everything and lied to his family about who she worked with. She'd developed the same unhealthy obsession for Taehyung’s father that she had with Mr. Choi, and rigged up the explosion to get rid of the rest of the family. She had murdered them so needlessly, and ripped everything away from Taehyung in just one night. 

When that didn't get all of them out of the way, she had to find a way to get rid of Taehyung.

But in the end, she got what was coming to her. The spirits of her victims can now find peace, and she can't hurt anyone else, ever again.

 

 

__________________________

 

 

 

"Summer's going to end soon."

Taehyung kicks his foot up in the air, flinging water out in front of him and watching as the little droplets each create a disturbance in the water. He gives a thoughtful hum, pressing his cheek into Jeongguk's shoulder. 

They're out on the dock, bare feet dipped into the cool water of the lake, and their hands clasped together between them. "School's going to start up again. Are you ready for senior year?"

Taehyung sighs, "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." The thought of it does scare him. It's his last year of high school, he's going to have to be around people again, and it's his first school year without Jimin. It's not going to be easy.

But he isn't alone.

Jeongguk gives his hand a comforting squeeze and rests his head on top of Taehyung's. "We'll get through it, together."

"Yeah," he smiles, feeling a certain warmth in his chest. He thinks of his father, who is trying so hard to gain his trust and forgiveness, and is always so supportive. And his mother, back when she was healthy and happy. And he thinks of Jimin, with a smile that could always encourage him. And finally, Jeongguk, who helps him believe that he's capable of fulfilling his promise to Jimin. 

If he reminds himself of all of this, he can get through anything. 

"Hey," Jeongguk starts. "I'll race you to the other side." Before Taehyung can even agree, Jeongguk is moving away from him and jumping off the dock, splashing him with water.

"That's not even fair! You got a head start!" He cries, wiping the water out of his eyes. He jumps into the water to follow after the other boy, laughing as he goes. "Jeongguk, wait!"

 

 

__________________________

 

 

Jimin stands at the boathouse as the sun sets, watching Taehyung splash Jeongguk in the face with water, his face bright with laughter. 

They can't see him anymore, but that's okay, this is enough.

He can go anytime now, he's fulfilled his purpose. But he just had to be sure of everything. He had to know that Taehyung could be happy. 

Jimin can see that he is now, and that's all he really needs. 

He stays for just a few more minutes, watching them play in the water and laugh, his eyes never leaving the bright smile on Taehyung's face. 

But then he knows he's ready to let go. He turns to leave, walking away from the boathouse and toward the woods. He looks back at them once more with a fond smile, and then he lets the wind take him.

 

 

__________________________

 

 

There are many things that can tie a spirit to a place. A violent death, a strong emotion, a specific purpose they must fulfill. 

They're lurking all around us, whether we see them or not. They're the draft in the room, the quiet whispers in the wind, the shadow you see out of the corner of your eye.

They’re a piece of the past that lingers, hoping to never be forgotten.