Chapter 5

Symptoms

Taemin stares out of the window of the bus. It started raining and the small raindrops slide down the cold glass.

 

His mother told him to go home as soon as possible. Something was waiting there for him, but he doesn't know what. Is it possitive or negative? Who knows.

 

After 10 minutes the bus stops in his street. Taemin gets out and enters the cold, rainy world. In a hurry he runs to home, while his hair is getting sticky because of the rain that is mixing with his hairgel. In a clumsy way he pulls his keys out of his pocket and he opens the front door of his flat. He walks up the stairs, untill he arrives at the third floor. There he opens his front door. The first thing he notices is a pile of letters on the door mat. All adressed to 'Lee Taemin.'

''Mom! What is this?,'' Taemin asks to his mom who just walked out of the kitchen. ''I don't know honey. That's why I called you. It are almost 30 letters adressed to you.'' Taemin grabs all the letters from the door mat and walks to his room. He throws them on his desk and opens the first envelope. It's a handwritten letter.

 

Taemin,

Stop with all the practicing. You are a nobody and you will be one forever. It's not your time to shine.

Everybody hates you. They will forever hate you.

Just stop it.

 

Taemin stares at the letter. Who wrote it and why? Are all letters going to be like this? He sniffs a couple of times and opens the second envelope. This one contains a post-it note with one short, but very powerfull message.

 

Kill yourself.

 

Taemin throws the note on the floor and opens the third envelope that contains serveral post-it notes.

 

You're a nobody.

 

You are better of dead.

 

Nobody likes you.

 

Please, leave forever.

 

You will never be loved.

 

Taemin his eyes are filled with tears. He shoves all the envelopes of his desk. He lets his head fall down on his knees and burries his hands in his hair. He cries. Tears flow all over his cold face. He can't believe people actually wrote these letters and notes to him. Telling he is a nobody. Telling him he is better of dead. Many thoughts go trough his head.

 

What if they are right? What if I'm better of dead? What if-

 

He gets interrupted by his mother who opens the door. ''Taemin, dear,'' is all she says. She walks up to Taemin and hugs him. Not saying a word. Just a hug, while the both of them stare at the pile of envelopes and letters on the floor. After some seconds his mother lets him go and she bends over to grab one of the notes. She reads it and in a second she starts tearing up. ''K-Kill yourself? Who wrote you this? Are all letters like this?'' Taemin nods slowly. ''The kids of my school..'' His mother hugs him again. ''Why do they want you to kill yourself? Is everybody like this?'' Her voice sounds worried. ''I-I don't know.. Everybody bullies me. They tell me I'm a nobody and they say I'm not talented. I-I don't know why..'' He rubs his eyes and sniffs a couple of times. His mom doesn't reply to her son. She just stands there with tears rolling down her cheeks. ''Mom?'' Taemin starts. She stares at him. ''Am I weird?'' He lip starts trembling. ''No, you are not.'' She grabs all of the letters from the floor. ''I'm... I'm going to put these in the trashcan and make you a cup of tea.'' A weak smile escapes from and she leave Taemins bedroom.

 

Taemin stares at his wall. Thinking.

 

Nobody believes in me... They all think I'm a nobody with no talent.... I AM a nobody with no talent. The only one who believes in me is my mom...

 

He grabs his diary from under his desk and starts reading the pages. Suddenly a photo falls out of the diary. It's an old family picture. Taemin, Taesun, his mom and his dad.

 

His dad has past a way a couple of years ago. He died while fighting in the army. Taemin can still remember the last words his father told him.

 

''Take care of your mother, Taemin. Make good money and look after her.''

 

His father always was a man of buisness. He always wanted to make much money so he could spoil his family. Since he died the family got a lot poorer. Taemin wanted to be just like his father. A strong, rich man who could take care of his family. A man with a job that makes money. Idols make good money. Since Taemin was a little boy he wanted to become a famous superstar who makes much money for his family. ''When I grow up I will be very famous! And I will earn millions and millions every year! And then... I'll buy mummy a big house! And daddy will be proud of me!'' He always yelled. '' And then when the little Taemin yelled that his dad always said: ''You will be Asia's biggest superstar and I will be your biggest fan.''

 

Taemin tears up while thinking about those times. The good old times. Since his father died his family changed a lot. His mother is always home, busy cooking and cleaning. His brother lost all his motivation. He doesn't want to study or work anymore. All he does is laying on the couch and playing video games. And Taemin... Taemin got very depressed. His dad was his everything. Not only his father, but also his best friend and role model. When he died Taemin cries all the time. People called him a crybaby and they started making fun of him. Since that time all the bullying happened and Taemin got depressed. But he has never told anybody about it.

 

The door opens and his mother walks in with two cups of hot tea. Taemin kicks his diary with the photo under his desk and weakly smiles at his mother. ''Thank you,'' he says in a whispery voice. His mother smiles. ''Why haven't you told me about the bullying?'' she asks. Taemin looks down. ''I, euhm, I thought you would be dissapointed.'' His mother gasps. ''Lee Taemin, I will never be dissapointed at you! Never! If you are a professor, idol or even a garbage man.. I will always and always be proud of you!'' Taemin smiles. ''Thank you, mom.'' His mother winks. ''But I have one question... do you have any friends at school?'' Taemins smile dissapears when his mother asked that. ''You don't have any, do you?'' she asks with a dissapointed voice. ''Well.... I do have one friend,'' Taemin says. He starts smiling again, while he thinks about the friend he just made. Jonghyun.

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Seoulqueenka #1
Chapter 7: Take as much time a you need!!!!!!! It's okay!!!!!!
marimpar2 #2
Chapter 6: I hope you can keep writing soon, i really want to know what happen next!
cute jonghyun!!
Seoulqueenka #3
Chapter 6: It'll get better Taemin!!!!!!!! Ignore those hateful people!!!!!!! I'll wait as long as I need to!!!!!! Thanks author!!!!!!
milkywayyy #4
Such an interesting concept <3
Beavanity #5
Chapter 3: This is just pounds on pounds of cute!
Beavanity #6
Chapter 2: Poor taebaby! I hope jonghyun can help him.
mintsha
#7
Chapter 2: poor taemin, he's used to being hated :( jonghyun, go help him!
Seoulqueenka #8
Chapter 1: TAEMIN WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THOSE HATIN ES?!?!?!?! You're so good they feel threatened!!!!!!!!