Chapter 24 – My Escape

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Run away. Runaway.

[ BG MUSIC ]

     There were extra blankets over Jimin and Taehyung when they woke in the morning hours later. Jeongkook got up at seven to get ready for school and tumbled off his bed to see his two hyungs sleeping shirtless beside each other. He kindly threw two more blankets onto them before heading into the bathroom, not forgetting to whack Taehyung a few times with the edge of the blanket. It was probably his fault they were cold all night and frankly, Jeongkook doesn't like staying nice for too long. 

As he returned from a refreshing shower, he glanced at his hyungs still snoozing above one another, hands and legs in all random directions. He couldn't help but let a chuckle escape his lips. They were cute, absolutely adorable to be honest, and he was finally able to see that with a light heart. He felt good; giving up on Jimin wasn't easy, he's just relieved they can still stay best of friends. That's why he hit Taehyung earlier, because "you better treat my Jiminie hyung well or I'll find you and hunt you down." 

With a gentle smile, Jeongkook went back to drying his hair. 

     Jimin didn't go to school that day. Taehyung - all of them really - convinced him not to. He spent some time walking around the dorm room before they headed for class, then he was left alone to waste the day away. He flipped through channels on the television and the news was the one that caught his attention. Taebeom had made the news. Jimin's grip on the remote control became uneasy as he watched the footage of the elder's body being carried out of the hospital with police surrounding the main doors of the hospital, speaking to the reporters and asking for any witnesses to come forward. Footage of the hospital room came next. Jimin prayed Jeongkook, along with the other person, left no indentifiable evidence behind. He did not want either of them to be caught, or worse, punished. 

     Taehyung kept his eyes focused on the textbook. He felt good that he was able to study properly despite the recent events. The issues about late homework would also come later. One step at a time right? A small smile crept onto the edge of his lips as he remembered the days when Jimin used to asked him for help. Back then, they weren't a couple yet and he would always have to secretly glance at Jimin from across the room, unlike now where he could proudly stare and be openly jealous if the elder was around other people for too long. It feels nice, and he considers himself lucky with love. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he snuck a look at the text message while the teacher was facing the board. 

His face fell. The text was from Taebeom's phone. 

School rooftop. 

He left as soon as the bell rang and bumped into Jin along the way. The elder wouldn't let him pass until he explained what happened. Watching Taehyung walk off, Jin pulled out his phone and called the others one by one quickly. J-Hope was the fourth he called, and he didn't bother with greetings. "Hey, no time to explain. Come to the school rooftop, someone's come to look for Taehyung." 

     Taehyung sped up the stairs, impatience coming over him. He had no idea what he was ascending towards. He opened the door to the rooftop with a sweaty palm and stepped out, blinking cautiously as he walked further into the middle of the open area. Nothing unusual was in sight and it made him wonder if his brother was really still alive. But that idea was proven wrong very quickly when he spun around to his uncle's cursing voice. 

"You little b****." 

The adolescent held his chin high as he faced the man that kept his brother in hiding from him for years. He had no sympathy for the man who stood before him, and it was amusing to know that his uncle would feel no guilt in hurting him either. He adjusted his feet into a better stance and waited for an attack, bracing himself as his uncle charged towards him. He swiftly ducked the kick his uncle threw sideways and slid forward so they swapped sides. Then he tripped the man over and jumped on top of him. His uncle let out a cackled laugh. "So this was how you smashed his head that night, huh? Left him unconscious...and to die."

The rooftop door burst open and Jin, Namjoon, Hoseok, Yoongi and Jeongkook rushed out. Taehyung glanced at them and that was when he let his uncle shove him off and land a hard punch to his left jaw. 

"You thought you were so smart, huh? Just because you lived away from home, you thought no one would care if you didn't follow orders did you? Well let me tell you, boy," his uncle lifted him up by the collar of his shirt, his tone lowering, "you ruined the lives of your own family. All of them." Another punch met Taehyung's right jaw this time. The same words ran through his head over and over: we'll get through this. 

Jimin suddenly appeared from behind Jeongkook and he gasped at the scene. Jin and the others were surprised to see him. 

"Wait. Why is Jimin here? Did you call him, Jin hyung?"

"No. I only called the four of you."

"Not me. I was with Namjoon hyung at the time." J-Hope said, and that's when they realised the accident. 

"You killed him, you know? If you had just eliminated Park Jimin from the start your brother wouldn't have returned and he wouldn't have died. You may not have sliced his throat with your own two hands that night, but behind all this, you're the true murderer. How does it feel to kill your own brother, Kim Taehyung?" They all listened to Taehyung's uncle, gasping in shock at the information that slipped from his mouth. Four pairs of eyes shot to Jimin, who ignored them totally. He stared at the two males ahead, afraid the elder man would say something he didn't want Taehyung to hear. 

"You think what we do is a joke? We're in a ing business, Kim Taehyung. You playing around has impacted on all of us. Your father's disappointed, your brother's dead, and you even made your most beloved mother a m-"

"Taehyung!" Jimin interrupted, gulping because the truth was this close to coming out. The boy's uncle's head turned and his eyes narrowed. "So this is the almighty Park Jimin. Our family's been through a lot of crap because of you." He got up and began walking towards the latter. Namjoon and the others created a human barrier but Jimin pushed them away and stepped forward. 

"You think Taehyung created the chaos in your family? You think he caused Taebeom's death? You're dead wrong. You're the true murderer. If you didn't separate the two boys years back, if you didn't take Taebeom away, isolate him and torture him, he wouldn't have returned as the person he did. He was such a beautiful person, you're the one who turned him into a monster." A rough hand slammed on Jimin's chest and scrunched around the shirt material as Taehyung's uncle yanked him closer. They glared at one another, both as fiercely, though Jimin was less than threatened. "That still doesn't change the fact that his mother-"

"She did what she had to to protect him. She loved him, unlike you." Jimin snapped back, no signs of fear in his eyes. 

"You should be more careful, young boy. Danger is always around the corner." The man smirked as he revealed the dagger hidden in his sleeve. Jin stepped up. "I will call the police. Don't you dare."

The man broke into loud laughter as he let Jimin go and shoved harshly past them. Taehyung was on his feet as his uncle began to leave. "Bring it on uncle. I'm not afraid." He glanced at Jimin and gave a grin. "We're not afraid. And also...I quit. From now on, I have nothing to do with the family's filthy business. Find someone else to inherit the you live with." He spat, proud of himself. He held his chin higher as he watched his uncle's shadow disappear. 

Only then did Jimin stumble back and fall weakly into Jeongkook's arms, and only then did they realise his wound had opened up again, blood soaking his clothing. 

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Author's Note // Chapter 24. Back in ch15 when Tae first meets his brother again, he recieved a text to to the address where they met, so just assume that's when he got his brother's number. I'm so sorry this chapter is so bad. It failed really badly. Let me know what you guys think would happen eventually? Anyway, as always, take care everyone and thanks for the support. Vmin Moments Part 2 will be out tomorrow~! Below is the sneak peak!