1991 | s, sk 
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he took his first breath of fresh air and forgot the suffocating feeling of imprisonment entirely. how could he?

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taehyung's first breath of fresh air is a relief.

he stands in front of the prison in a a light, faded denim jacket, denim jeans, with a wrinkled white shirt underneath. it's the very same outfit he'd been arrested in, and he figures alan had been kind enough to wash it, since the blood stains were long gone. and taehyung hasn't really grown much apparently, since the last time he's worn these clothes was when he was fifteen, the same age he had done the very thing that landed him in prison. but he doesn't want to think about that now, so he takes in the world before him with a certain humbleness. he was glad to finally be free, and he knew exactly what he was going to do with his newfound freedom.

the prison guards watch him wearily, wishing that they still had the authority to cuff him and push him around.

but they didn't anymore, because now, kim taehyung is a free man.

the prison sits behind him, a large mass of brick structure that will probably haunt his dreams forever. the barbed wire fence surrounds it, the opening being shut closed with a loud clang.

taehyung glances back, only to find alan standing behind the fence, watching him with what looks like hope. but taehyung doesn't believe in hope, though he holds no grudges against alan. so he nods his thanks to alan before looking forward and taking his first steps back into the real world.

the sky is a mess of gray murkiness, the clouds strewn amongst each other, casting an eerie grogginess over the city.

taehyung loves days like this, a sharp contrast to the boy, the one he's meant to find. instead, the boy loved sunny days, the ones where the sun grazed their skin like they were precious and delicate beings. 

the thought makes taehyung clench his fist as he thinks of the boy, the one who had been placed in the metal locker beside his, interlocking their fate in taehyung's mind. he believed that them sharing the same fate as babies meant that they were destined to spend the rest of their life together. and they had - they spent their entire childhood together, well into their teenage years, only to be separated due to taehyung's imprisonment. but now, he plans on returning the boy back to his rightful place, by taehyung's side.

"yah! taehyungie!" a loud, familiar voice greets taehyung's ears making him smile, "hurry up and get over here you bastard, i'm burning gas you know!"

taehyung takes in the sleek, black government car parked in front of the prison, and then the man in the black government official suit, waving him over with an impatient expression.

"hyung, you came." taehyung says with a smile as he approaches the car, pulling the door open and slipping inside only to come face to face with the mint haired man's dull expression.

"of course i did, who else was going to come get your dumb ?" yoongi says, rolling his eyes before reaching over and ruffling the younger's hair with a fond smile, "i'm glad you're free, tae." 

taehyung smiles back happily as he stares at his childhood friend, only for his eyes to widen when a pair of arms wrap around his neck and squeeze.

"ha! gotcha!" a loud voice exclaims before hoseok's grinning face comes into view, "man, prison has really slowed down your reflexes, kid."

taehyung flails, struggling weakly in hoseok's grasp, making the elder laugh as he holds him in a headlock playfully.

"hey, cut it out before he starts panicking for real and those ed up machines start surrounding this gotdamn car." yoongi scolds, narrowing his eyes as he mumbles, "like i need a reason to run those metal es over in the first place." 

"okay, okay" hoseok gives in, ruffling taehyung's hair as yoongi had done with a grin, "welcome back to the real world, our precious taehyungie, we've really missed you."

taehyung breathes heavily, a happy smile on his lips as he stares at his two friends.

he was thankful for them, their letters made his time in prison that less lonely. of course hoseok wrote more than yoongi did, but it was the thought that counted. during their days in the orphanage, taehyung hadn't really been that close with the two, no, he'd been too wrapped up creating happiness for that boy. but in the end, he hadn't heard from that boy since he first got arrested, while yoongi and hoseok had made sure they maintained contact, sending letter as soon as they were able to, and visiting as soon as they were allowed. and it should have hurt, that the boy he spent so much time trying to create a better world for, had gone off and become some famous singer, forgetting about him completely, but it didn't.

instead, taehyung was happy, because he hoped that in this life, whatever the boy wanted, he would get.

"where are we going?" he asks curiously as yoongi swerves into traffic, making hoseok topple over in the backseat.

"out of the way you ing recycled computer!" yoongi shouts as he nearly runs a machina over, his government lanyard swaying on his neck as he waves his hand at the machina threateningly.

"to your wife's house." hoseok answers finally, having gotten up from the car floor.

"my wife?" taehyung questions with a confused frown.

"yes, we've found someone who's willing to marry you, what the good people like a to call a ing miracle." yoongi speaks up, cutting off taehyung's attempt to protest, "and before you start with that ing weird , outer worldly philosophical bull, you actually need to get married. the government watches ex cons more closely than the regular citizens, getting married eases their suspicion of you, as they believe that having a spouse will ease your ... criminal urges, or whatever the hell they call it. so unless you want me or some other agent knocking on your door every morning at four a.m. sharp, following you everywhere you go, then you'll be real welcoming of your new bride. by the way, she has an apartment and a steady job, so you'll have a place to stay and food in your stomach. so be grateful and get ready to meet your new wife."

"and she's gorgeous." hoseok speaks up, emphasizing the word in a way that makes taehyung frown, "like a goddess."

"that sounds so vain." he says, "i don't want a beautiful woman. i want one who knows what she wants in this life and the next."

"but can't she be that way and still be beautiful?" hoseok counters with a confused look.

"it doesn't matter, she's your wife now. so congrats on being a newly wed, now sit your back and get ready to meet her." yoongi says, pushing taehyung back in the passenger side before slamming his foot on the gas, the car shooting forward through a red light.

hoseok laughs loudly as a few cars slam on their breaks, skidding to stops to avoid running into them, yoongi smirking, and taehyung smiling in a way that reminds him that there's still happiness in what's left of his world.


 

 

 

 

 

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taehyung takes in the apartments before him with a frown. they were upper-middle class ones, which meant he'd have to keep an eye out for government agents being possible residents, but for the most part, they were safe. they reminded him of prison with their dull, gray painted exterior, and the hazy clouds above them.

"here, put this on before you go in, and put it on irene when you get a chance." yoongi says, pulling two silver rings from his pocket before handing them to taehyung, "if a government official asks, your official wedding date was yesterday, the 31st, got it?"

taehyung nods, hoseok grinning widely as he claps his hands on the younger's shoulders.

"well, let's go meet your lovely little bride then." he exclaims cheerfully, pushing taehyung towards a set of stairs leading to the second floor of apartments. yoongi sighs, glancing at his watch briefly before following. the stairs creek under their weight as they climb them, and taehyung swallows nervously as hoseok pulls him along before they finally stop at an apartment at the very end of the row.


 

0033

 

yoongi knocks at the door then, the three men waiting only to receive no reply. yoongi knocks once more, only for them to be met with silence again. the mint haired man sighs impatiently before twisting the door knob, only for the door to open at the action.

"what the irene-" he grumbles at her lack of thought, pushing the door open and stepping in with ease. hoseok follows, and taehyung trails in after them much more cautiously. the apartment is dark, the only source of light coming from a sole window, curtains cracked the faintest hint.

taehyung follows his two friends through the small kitchen into the living room, taking note of the wooden floors, the moderate sized tv, and the comfy looking brown couch. the sight makes him smile until he turns around and his jaw actually drops.

there was a tank, taking up the rest of the living room. it was reminiscent of that of a children's pool, except it's border was see through, and inside the dark, murky green swamp water was what taehyung was sure was crocodiles, several crocodiles at that. seated on the edge of the tank is the woman, staring at the crocodiles with a tranquil look.

"what the hell irene, don't you know how to lock your damn door?" yoongi scolds her, confusing taehyung who isn't sure why the crocodiles aren't more concerning than her forgetting to lock the door.

"it must have slipped my mind, but the children are happy today. it must be a good day." the woman says with a monotone voice before looking back, briefly shocking taehyung into silence. she was beautiful with the brown baby hairs gracing her smooth skin, the warmth in her brown eyes, and the slight tilting of her soft pink lips. the woman tilts her head then, eyes landing on taehyung, "ah, it seems my husband has arrived. children, come greet your father."

taehyung watches with wide eyes as the woman stands, revealing the strapless, pure white wedding dress she wore. and then, the entirety of the crocodiles in the tank swim in their direction, lining up before the tank wall as if they were truly witnessing a wedding. irene steps down from the edge of the tank, heels clicking against the wooden floor as she makes her way to taehyung. she steps in front of him, ducking her head shyly when she stares at her. hoseok coughs loudly, elbowing the younger from his shock. taehyung realizes what he needs to do then. he presents the silver ring in his hand, grabbing irene's smaller hand before slipping it on her ring finger gently.

"so beautiful!" hoseok exclaims, clapping loudly and sniffling dramatically while yoongi rolls his eyes. irene looks up at him then, and taehyung loses his train of thought for the briefest second, she really was so very beautiful.

the movement of the crocodiles catch their attention then, the people in the room looking back when they begin to swim in the water restlessly.

"what's wrong? are they upset?" taehyung asks worriedly, because he just got out of prison, he didn't want to get eaten alive.

"no, it's just bath time." irene informs him calmly, before inclining her head towards him, "would you like to join me?"

"wha-" taehyung starts, only for the words to die down in his throat when irene undoes the zipper in the back of her dress in one smooth motion, the white material falling to the floor to reveal her body. she smiles faintly then, walking backwards until the back of her heels meet the edge of the tank before she holds out her arms and falls into it. the water splashes from within it, salt water sprinkling onto taehyung's face, waking him from his daze.

"what the -" he starts, narrowing in on yoongi and hoseok while irene floats peacefully among her crocodiles, "why the hell am i watching some random woman swim with alligators??"

"actually, they're crocodiles-" hoseok starts, only to shrink back when taehyung raises his fist, "woah, woah, relax. irene is a great woman, weird yes, but totally great. she'll take good care of you, or else we wouldn't have chosen her. plus, she's a great cook and you look like you could use all the food you can get-" 

hoseok grunts when taehyung punches him in the stomach, mimicking a shrill scream as he hides behind yoongi.

"yah, i need to get back to work or they'll send one of those damn machines to look for me." yoongi says, sighing before telling taehyung, "just give this a chance okay? this is all we've got right now."

taehyung himself sighs as well before nodding. yoongi was right, he didn't have anywhere else to go. he couldn't stay with yoongi considering he worked for the government, and hoseok had taken over their old orphanage, he couldn't be housing an ex con, especially not the one who had once destroyed said orphanage.

"i can manage, i just need one thing." taehyung tells them, "i want to see him."

both yoongi and hoseok look hesitant then, shuffling awkwardly and avoiding his gaze.

"he's a celebrity now, tae." hoseok says finally, giving the younger a sympathetic look, "you have to pay for his time, and none of us can afford it ... not even yoongi in that ugly suit."

"hey, this suit cost more than your entire outfit." yoongi says, smacking the other male on the arm, making hoseok laugh.

"then i'll make a way." taehyung tells them, voice calm despite the determined look on his face, "i'll make a way to see him-"

"hey, cut all that revolutionary bull out. you just got out of jail, don't get your put back in there. ing stay under the radar, just try taehyung, just try." yoongi says with a frustrated look before sparing a glance at his wrist watch that makes him curse, "i gotta go, stay out of ing trouble, you hear me?"

taehyung doesn't say anything, bitterly silent as he watches yoongi shake his head before leaving, hoseok giving him a thumbs up before following. once the sound of the front door shutting greets his ears, he clenches his fist. he hadn't lied. he would see him, even if it was the last thing he did.

he glances back to find irene petting one of the crocodiles, making kissy faces at it, making him quickly turn away. the dark haired boy makes his way to the sofa, plopping down and pressing the power button on the tv remote shortly after.

"-news of go! run! fighting! lead singer, jeon jungkook, is sweeping the nation, as apparently, the orphaned eighteen year old, will now be reunited with his mother in what's said to be a very tearful reunion." taehyung feels his breath hitch as he leans closer to the television, a video of jungkook smiling with a shorter male with a bad bowl cut being displayed, the words "heartbreaking reunion tomorrow afternoon!" flashing across the bottom of the video, "-that's right, you've heard it here. jeon jugkook will be reunited with his mother on a live television event, tomorrow afternoon at 3, available on all channels. the person behind the reunion? go! run! fighting! manager, arata nagatamaa, who apparently ran into a woman who recognized him on the seoul metro, where she then introduced herself as jeon mira, mother to jeon jungkook-"

"bull!" taehyung exclaims, throwing the remote at the television then as it displays a woman with dark hair and sharp features who looks nothing like jungkook. who was this imposter? but most importantly who was allowing her to go about making such false claims? jugkook didn't know what his mother looked like, but taehyung did. and he knew the woman on the screen wasn't her. which is why he false to his knees, clutching his head with shaking fingers as if it will stop the corruptness of the world, the world in which innocent boys were exploited for money from the greedy, and he whispers quietly, like a broken record, "bull, bull, bull!"



 

 

 

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the next day, taehyung is eating lunch with irene. they're seated on the edge of the tank, feet hanging above the water as they scrape their spoons in their bowls, the loud sound filling up the otherwise silent apartment. irene had informed him that she needed to restock on groceries, so they simply had bowls of white rice. and taehyung hadn't minded, besides how could he when she had told him with such a shy, embarrassed smile? irene was cute at times and beautiful in every moment, but taehyung simply wasn't interested in her. besides, he knew who his soulmate was, and his main goal was to reunite himself with them, not participate in some facade of a marriage.

"do you know what makes this even better?" irene says suddenly, looking up with a sudden smile. taehyung shakes his head no, wiping stray grains of rice from by , smiling at just how cute she is. irene claps her hands excitedly at this, "ah, so you do want to know my secret!"

taehyung chuckles at the excited smile on the brunette woman's lips. but his laughter promptly dies down when he watches irene smile before dipping her spoon into the tank water and pouring the swamp water over her rice. she then shoves a spoonful of the now soaked rice into , in delight at the taste.

"mm, so salty-" she says, before she looks over at taehyung with a bright smile and her spoon raised, "want to taste?"

and taehyung hesitates before shrugging because he's sure that there's worse things out there than irene's swamp water rice. that's all irene needs to see before smiling widely and shoving the spoon in the mouth. and that's when taehyung immediately regrets his decision, because the salt is too much, making him sputter as he spits it out almost immediately. irene laughs loudly at this, nose crinkling in her amusement.

"you have weak taste buds, my husband." irene says in a soft tone, rubbing his back gently with a small smile.

"irene-" taehyung rasps out, eyes locked on the swamp water below them, "do you have a gun?"

"ah, who doesn't in times like this?" irene responds, staring at the crocodiles sleeping on the opposite side of the tank, "and besides, i have to protect my children."

she then nods in the direction of a cabinet beside the television, and that's all taehyung needs to see to stand up from the tank.

"stay put, okay?" he tells irene, watching as she nods with a shy smile at the way he stares at her. taehyung smiles back, jumping from the tank and making his way to the opposite side of the room. when he reaches the cabinet, he pulls it open and is greeted with the sight of a 9mm. taehyung grabs the gun, closing the cabinet and glancing back at irene. she's dumping the rice left over from their bowls into the tank for the crocodiles with a loving look. and the sight makes taehyung smile as he heads to the front door.

"my husband, where are you going?" irene's voice greets his ears as he places his hand on the door handle.

"to make the world a better place, my wife." he replies, before pulling the door open and leaving, the slamming of the door seconds after making irene jump before she covers her hand with to hide her smile. 



 

 

 

 

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jeon jungkook takes in a shaky breath, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. he couldn't believe it, in just a few minutes, he'd be face to face with his mother, the woman who's identity haunted his dreams ever since he could remember. he's always dreamed about this day, being able to see her, to speak to her. and he thinks that perhaps, he's dreaming again. but a small part of him knows this is real. all of his prayers will be answered soon, all of his dreams will come true soon.

jungkook has never been more happy.

and he owed it all to arata.

he looks over then, to find the man beaming happily, practicing his smile as the camera crew double check their equipment.

"i could kiss you right now." jungkook tells him, smiling widely at the older man in his gratitude.

"really?" arata says with a overly eager look, staring at jungkook with wide eyes as he moves his face to give the boy better access to his cheek hopefully.

"really" jungkook says, rolling his eyes before leaning over and pecking the man on the cheek. arata gasps loudly before slumping in his chair dramatically as if he's died and gone to heaven, and maybe for him, he really has. but unfortunately, the both are very much unaware of the set of eyes watching them from beneath a baseball cap, of that of a stranger disguised as a cameraman.

"okay, we're ready!" the main man behind the camera shouts, and almost immediately, arata sits up quickly, toupee nearly toppling from his head at the action making jungkook laugh. the camera man stares at them seriously then, "in one, two, three, alright, we're live."

"hello and welcome to seul!e live. i'm jung minjun and today, we have the lead singer of go! run! fighting!, jeon jungkook, and his manager-"

"arata nagatamaa." arata cuts the host off with a bright smile, making the host stare at him briefly before he clears his throat and continues.

"their story is a touching one. jeon jungkook rose from his life in the orphanage to that of stardom, but his past still haunted him wherever he went. the singer has confessed on many occasions that the one thing he wanted in this life was to reconnect with his mother who hasn't seen since his birth. and thanks to his dedicated manager here, that's exactly what will happen today." minjun pauses for dramatic effect, arata pulling jungkook closer with a smile so wide that his eye twitches, "mr. nagatamaa claims he was on the seoul metro when ms. jeon approached him, claiming to be the mother of the lead singer of the band he managed. of course, mr. nagatamaa was skeptical, but considering the metro was the place she had abandoned jungkook, he decided to believe her. and today, we will see her reunite with her son after eighteen years in what is sure to be a tear jerking moment. mr. jeon, are you ready?"

jungkook hesitates, feeling his face flush as he realizes millions of people are probably watching him.

"y-yes." he answers finally with a shy smile before turning to arata and trying to fix his hair that stuck to his head in a damp mess from sweating so much at their concert, "do i look okay?"

"you look amazing." minjun answers before arata can with a look of barely concealed admiration toward jungkook. arata just laughs, as if wondering why that were even a question, though he does reach up and wipe at jungkook's smudged eyeliner. minjun smiles then, "and without further ado, jungkook, meet jeon mira, your mother."

and jungkook isn't sure what he's expecting, but the woman that enters the room isn't really it. for starters, she looks nothing like him. her eyes are small and beady, her nose is thin and somewhat pointy, and her lips are thin and dry. her hair was short cropped and dark, the only common trait he shared with her. but jungkook just thinks that perhaps he looked more like his father. and he smiles widely as she approaches him, gasping at the sight of his face before engulfing him in a hug. jungkook holds the small woman tightly, pulling her as close as possible, and now, his life was complete.

"so sweet." arata says, moving over to make room for the woman on the black sofa.

"jeon mira-" minjun says with a small smile, watching as the woman sits between jungkook and arata, holding jungkook's hand tightly and wiping a stray tear with her eyes with the other one, "how do you feel?"

"i-... i feel so happy." mira says, wiping at her eyes and fanning herself, only to smile when jungkook reaches over and wipes her tears gently.

"and jungkook, you? minjun asks, laughing endearingly when jungkook smiles widely.

"this is all i've ever dreamed of." he says simply, making the camera crew and minjun swoon.

"i imagine giving up a child must have been hard. mira, can you share with us your mindset at the time?" minjun asks, staring at the woman patiently.

mira wipes a few more of her tears before smiling shakily.

"it was scary."

"as i can imagine, for a girl to be going through that in-" minjun pauses suddenly, brows furrowed in confusion, "-what year was that again?"

"1971-" mira says, a bit unsurely, making jungkook frown slightly. meanwhile, arata's smile falters slightly, but he quickly fixes it a second later.

"i was born in '73" jungkook says with a confused smile at the older woman.

"oh yes, it's easy to get my dates confused as it's a day i really regret, leaving my only son like that." mira says, petting jungkook's head affectionately, making the jeon boy smile, "but yes in '73, i left my only son on that cold december, after having just given birth to him-"

"i was born in september." jungkook says with another frown, but this time the woman seems frustrated with her mistake and covers with an annoyed look. and this time, jugkook catches the way arata clutches his chest with a panicked look as if pained by the woman's stupidity, "arata, what the hell is this?"

minjun motions for the camera to cut, but the cameraman ignores him, the woman realizes she's blown her paycheck, arata avoids his artists heated gaze, jungkook glares back and forth between the woman and his manager, and the world watches it all on their televisions.

"a sham, that's what." a voice says suddenly, before another person steps into the frame, hands tucked in the pockets of their jacket, a baseball cap covering the top half of their face, "the world is full of them jungkook, that's why i'm here to set you free and bring you back to our safe world, the one i created just for us, do you remember?"

"who the hell are you?" arata demands of the stranger, glaring at the unfamiliar man.

"am i still going to get paid?" the woman, who's name probably isn't even jeon mira, asks haughtily of the manager.

"your dumb can't even memorize a simple date, you'll be lucky if you even get a dime out of me. go get a real job, ing straggler-" arata replies, waving the woman off.

"i'll sue you!" the woman shouts angrily.

"well see you in court then, sweetheart."

minjun glances back and forth between arata and the arguing woman, before he looks at jungkook. the lead singer is staring with wide eyes at the stranger. his voice, jungkook thought, was very familiar, perhaps a bit too familiar.

"it's okay, take your time. i'll always wait for you, jungkook." the man says, making arata glare when he reaches out and brushes his knuckle against jungkook's face, "in the meantime, i'll make our world safer, and i'll start by getting rid of the fakers."

and then jeon jungkook watches in absolute horror as the man pulls a gun from his coat and aims it at the woman, who's back is turned to them as she continues her argument with arata. the last thing he hears is the screams of the staff and camera crew, minjun's panicked shout as arata's eyes widen before the man pulls the trigger.

the bullet flies straight through the back of the woman's head, her body falling forward in a bloody mess on arata who screams bloody murder, all on live television.