Chapter 27 – My Loss

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There are things that leave you wish you could've held onto for eternity. 

[ BG MUSIC ]

     Taehyung and Jimin's eyes shot to each other's, panic flashing through them like lightning. It struck Taehyung about what he could really lose today. His mother. 

"We need to head back. Now!" He shouted, slamming a hand on the table as he looked at the older boys sitting across from him. They all exchanged quick glances before Yoongi pulled out the car keys. "Let's go." 

Taehyung couldn't stay still during the ride. He bit his teeth together down hard, hoping and praying that his mother had escaped the house before it was engulfed in flames. He wished that help had arrived, that the fires were being put out as they hurried back. Yoongi sped through almost five amber lights and it was just their luck that no speed cameras were present. 

     Taehyung swung the door open and jumped out of his seat even before Yoongi had hit the brakes. Jimin and Jeongkook followed right behind, all their eyes widening at the scene. Orange, red, yellow, black; the plain coloured bricks were coated, surrounded with fire. Taehyung felt tears at the edge of his eyes while the heat from the neighborhood made him feel like his cheeks would melt. It was hot. With the police, ambulance and firemen working on putting out the fires of other houses, Taehyung jerked off his thick coat and ran inside the house. He needed to find his mother, he just needed to find her. Even the sound of Jimin's voice calling out his name sounded so distant after merely entering the house. It was the smoke. Even his own voice sounded muffled as he screamed out for his mother. He ran towards the staircase and yelped at the stinging of his hand when he touched the railing. He dashed upstairs and stopped suddenly when the door of his father's room was half open. He looked inside and saw his father lying on the bed, a half drunken glass of water spilled over the floor. Taehyung glanced over his complexion momentarily, and one thought ran through his head. 

You're heartless. 

The question is, was he saying it to the man unconscious on the bed, or to himself? 

Maybe it doesn't matter, because the man probably wouldn't have survived the fire anyway. It would've taken too long to pull him out of the house and even if he did survive, the danger he would bring to all of them was terrifying to imagine. Yet even so, Taehyung later found himself wondering why he hesitated about leaving the man to perish. Was it because he was too nice or simply because the man was his own father, and he didn't want to have to lose another member of his family, however corrupted they were. 

Maybe it was all fate. But there was one thing that Taehyung never wanted to accept was 'meant to be'. 

He kept running through the hallways, pulling his sleeve up and covering his mouth so he could breathe. He felt smoke entering his lungs and knew there were only mere minutes before he would fall unconscious himself. Finally he found his mother, sitting in the middle of a room. A room with a shelf. A picture frame on that shelf. A picture of his dead brother, and another picture in her frail hands, of their once innocent family. Taehyung felt the hot tears returning; they evaporated and appeared again. He rushed over to her side and crouched down, panicked eyes running over her. 

"Mother! Thank goodness you're okay! We need to get out of here. Come on, let's go!"

He wrapped two firm arms around her, lifting her up when she pushed his support away, wet eyes staring at him. "No, Taehyung. I can't leave. Not this time."

He just stared back at her in disbelief. He wondered if it was just a joke. "What..."

"I killed Taebeom. It's only right this way. The police will track you down eventually and you'll be their number one suspect. The knife is here in the house; they'll think your father or I killed him. It's going to be okay." She stepped closer to him and grabbed his hands, pulling him close to mumble something lowly. "I gave your father and uncle sleeping pills and then I poured oil bottles all around the secret rooms. I have to make sure all the paperworks and secrets perish along with this house. You won't have to worry about Jimin being killed anymore. Even if the payer is tracked down, they're the ones who will land in jail for life. You'll all be safe. You're eighteen, you can take care of yourself. Make a new family with Jimin and Jeongkook and all of them. I know you can. You're brave, you're persistent. I always knew you would pull through." 

Taehyung wondered if he was dreaming. Just a really, really bad nightmare. This couldn't be true. She was asking him to leave her to die, to burn and pass away, taking all of his burdens with her, for his peace, for his freedom. He couldn't do it. A hand tugged at his wrist. He spun his head around and felt another piece of his cracking heart break. Jimin's wavering eyes met his own and he only wished the elder was here to wake him up, not take him out. 

"Leave. It'll all be okay. You've come this far together, and I know you'll go on forever. Take care of him for me, Jimin." She said with a warm smile, a smile that sent Taehyung's heart plummeting down at the thought of not being able to see it ever again. Jimin continued to tug on his arm as he reluctantly stumbled out of the room. The split moment his mother disappeared from his sight, reality came collapsing back onto him. The house was in flames and they needed to escape. Jimin was coughing and so was he. His senses finally took over. Survival was all he concentrated on for the following thirty seconds. He scrunched a hand on Jimin's head and kept his hyung low so he could breathe better as he lead him down the stairs. Now his eyes were filled with the almost blinding contrast of bright orange and dark black. The front door was in sight metres ahead. He took a few more steps when an explosion at the back of the house was heard and he felt the walls tremble. Jimin tripped to the floor with a muffled grunt and Taehyung used all his remaining strength to drag his hyung to his feet. Another explosion happened and the grandfather clock beside them tipped forward. Taehyung leaped to the left with Jimin in his arms and let out a painful scream when the end of the clock slammed down on his foot. 

He wasn't too sure what happened after that. His mind was too clouded to think or feel much. His eyes flipped slightly as he rolled on his back and faced the ceiling, picturing his mother's face that would collapse onto him if Jimin hadn't managed to pull him out in time. They were outside with mere seconds to spare, the house up in flames and some windows shattered due to the explosions. 

Taehyung felt a part of him die that night. As he was rushed to hospital, he dreamt. He dreamt of young Taebeom and Taehyung running across a bright green field. He dreamt of kind Taebeom giving little Taehyung a brotherly piggy-back. He dreamt of their mother waiting back at the house with cut fruit and damp towels, ready for them to run in all sweaty and dirty. He dreamt of happiness, and Jimin entered the dream. He dreamt of 'future', and nothing but Jimin filled his mind. He wished he could add his mother into the picture, but his mind had reminded him of reality. She was no longer here, and he had to live with that. With what she left him. She left him in the hands of Jimin. 

Jimin. 

He opened his eyes at the image of his hyung choking on smoke flashing through his mind, to be greeted with six people who he would learn to call 'family'. 

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Author's Note // Chapter 27. Happy Birthday to V~! Someone like you. I remember him tweeting the song and it'd been on my mind ever since for some reason and BOOM the cover comes out and it's just like :D. Also, happy last day of 2014! It was the fastest year of my life. I hope you guys have a nice 2015; we'll still be friends then right? :) (Gayo Daejun tonight; remember to stream live! BTS in sailor uniforms~!) 

This is a really sad chapter so I'm sorry to end the years with this chapter, but brighter days are ahead. :) Goodbye 2014, welcome 2015! (off to go watch gayodaejun now)

Anyway, do you guys remember me always saying in the author's notes how I planned to end this story with about 20-30 (max 35) chapters? Well I think it's coming to an end soon! Maybe chapter 30? 30 sounds nice since V's birthday is on the 30th :) Anyway, after I finish this story I'll be focusing on updating my Jikook+Taegi story Look at me, sunbae! so make sure to go subscribe to it~! You can also subscribe to my Vmin Drabble Collection to read more about Vmin! You can also visit my youtube channel and watch Vmin videos there :) Once again, thankyou to every single one of you for the support and loving comments. I've rarely got any negative comments and that's something to be grateful for. I hope you guys could still support my other work, and that I could support you guys too. Don't forget to always look after yourself and be happy, just like how Jeongkook sings in the song I linked. :)