even though taehyung doesn't remember a thing about his biological parents, his past follows him around wherever he goes. unlike everyone else in his family, he doesn't know their names or what they looked like. they weren't even the ones who put him up for adoption. he was an abandoned child, left to die on the side of a road. a newborn left squalling in the cold night air, swaddled in a blanket on the side of a deserted road without anything to survive on. it was a miracle he was found.

sometimes, taehyung wishes his adoptive parents had lied when they'd told him where he came from. because all that news has brought is trouble. when he confided his secret to a friend, it was all over the school the next day and names followed behind. in school, he was mocked for being unloved and unwanted. while it was easy to put on a blank face and be silly, it hurt, and at 20 years old, taehyung still finds it hard to believe that he really is loved.

and honestly, his siblings aren't the most helpful. a common joke that's passed around is how aimee doesn't love them and how mean she is, and sometimes, she pretends to be that way -- especially towards taehyung, the goofy alien. and although he tells himself that she's just joking, some comments get to him, adding to the insecurity that festers inside of him. out of everyone, he and aimee are probably the most distant, and it's because taehyung's scared of her. he questions how much she really loves him.

at the grocery store one sunday afternoon is when taehyung cracks. this is one of their rare seven-person trips, as usually only seokjin goes. but after having to deal with six other snack requests thrown at him in the doorway, seokjin gave up and made them all come along.

taehyung grabs a pocky box and throws it into the box, the eighth one they've grabbed so far. jimin took two, j