Part : 04 Be happy

⚠︎Warning : Kidnapping.

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Taehyung stepped out of the police station, and the heavy door thundered shut behind him with a finality so synchronized with his frustration. His thoughts flew back to the arrogance of the actor and thus set his blood on a boil. The audacity of such an arrogant actor was something else. How could he even have contemplated trying to buy his way out from under, using money as if it magically erased the pain and chaos created by his careless actions?

He couldn't help but play it over in his mind—that flashy car, the smirk of superiority, and the dismissive wave of the hand when the actor brushed off the consequences of an accident. He could have simply stopped, helped them after the accident, and given a real apology; everything would have been fine, but no, he had to show off his money, position, and fame, thinking those would save him from liability.

That memory of the actor's carelessness and nonchalance sent another shot of anger running through Taehyung's blood. A constant reminder that some people live in a bubble, without any stress from everyday struggles.

Every step towards the bus stop felt heavier than the last for Taehyung. The streets bustled with life around him, but he felt like a ghost meandering through a world full of vibrancy that no longer held his interest. With every passing moment, he could feel his head spinning, the hunger gnawing inside like a relentless beast. He had gone two days with nothing to eat, other and his stomach rumbled in emptiness now, a lightheadedness accompanying the churning that threatened to overbalance him at every step.

He tried to focus on the rhythm of his footsteps, counting them to keep his mind from spiraling further into despair, but the effort was too fatiguing. Soon, the world began to blur around him, colors merging into a dizzying swirl. The bus stop now appeared to grow further away, an unattainable destination that mocked him with its distance. Just as he thought he might gather the strength to take one more step, his vision darkened, and he felt the ground rush up to meet him.

Before he could make his way to the bus stop, his body finally gave into the extreme exhaustion and hunger, and he passed out, falling onto the pavement. The sounds of the city were very distant now, supplanted by an overwhelming silence that wrapped itself around him as he lost consciousness.

The sound of rushing footsteps echoed around him, and for a brief moment, he felt a gentle shake on his shoulder. "Hey! Are you all right?" a concerned voice pierced through the fogginess in his head. Taehyung strained his eyes open and immediately squinted at the light. Blinking several times, he made out a figure towering over him: a stranger, a man, worry etched across his face.

"Can you hear me?" the stranger asked again, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling in Taehyung's mind. He tried to muster the strength to sit up but failed—his barely clear vision turned black.

When Taehyung regained consciousness, he found himself in a clinic or hospital... he wasn't sure. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air, and the soft beeping of machines created a rhythmic backdrop that felt both comforting and disorienting. He tried to sit up but hissed when he felt a sharp pain in his hand. Dragging his gaze down, he saw a drip attached to it, the clear fluid slowly flowing into his vein, and a wave of confusion washed over him. How had he ended up here?

Just as he began to piece together fragmented memories, a man stepped into his line of sight, approaching him.

"You are up... How are you feeling?" the man asked, his voice calm yet probing, as if he were assessing both Taehyung's physical and emotional state. Taehyung puzzled at the question posed by this unknown figure. But soon, the realization dawned on him that this was the very same man he had seen moments before passing out.

"Better, I guess... Did you bring me here?" Taehyung managed to croak out, his throat dry and scratchy, as he gazed at the stranger who nodded in affirmation.

The stranger's demeanor seemed cold, Taehyung didn't dare strike a conversation and just stared at the man, who by now was unwrapping some small meal from a plastic bag. His heart had skipped a beat with cautious hope as the man passed further, a bowl to Taehyung, who then realized that it contained porridge; maybe the stranger had brought it for him, and the thought hit him as surprising and heartwarming.

Taking the bowl, Taehyung felt something warm him from the inside out; it wasn't just the food, but knowing someone actually cared. This stranger hadn't just brought him to this clinical but had stayed there looking after him and had even bought him food.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur, as a wave of gratitude overwashed him. This stranger, in his innocuous serving of kindness, reminded Taehyung that not everyone was like this actor, who so callously dismissed the after-effects of one's actions. Perhaps there was still good left in the world, waiting to be found amidst the chaos that had recently consumed his life.

The doctor came in shortly after, in his white coat crisp and bright. He attended to Taehyung's vitals, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at the drip and the bandage on Taehyung's hand. "You're stable for now, but take care of your health from here on, okay?" he said firmly with softness. Then he removed the drip out and told him to rest.

When the doctor was gone, leaving them to their own devices, this stranger kept his company, his gaze fixed intently upon Taehyung. "Want me to contact your family? They must be worried; you've been here for almost a day," he said in a hushed tone, as if afraid to break the fragile atmosphere wrapping them up.

Taehyung was shocked when he realized he had been admitted yesterday without any memory of the event. The fog of confusion lingered in his mind, but one thought pierced through the haze: the unsettling idea of Lucus being alone in hospital.

With a shaky breath, Taehyung turned to thank the stranger who had been by his side, as well as the doctor who had looked after him. He appreciated their kindness and professionalism, but his mind was already racing ahead, focused solely on Lucus. Without wasting another moment, he grabbed his belongings and rushed out of the clinic to go to the hospital.

Once he arrived, he spotted Lucus's parents sitting in front of the hospital room of Lucus, with worry and disgust attached to them at the same time. The moment he neared them, his muscles stiffened due to the coldness that always covered him whenever he was in their company. He was not close to the parents of Lucus after all; there was an uncomfortable history between them that weighed inside of his head.

Lucus's parents had always held traditional views on love and relationships, firmly believing that the path to happiness lay within the confines of what they considered 'normal.' Although they weren't the type of people to hurl hate-filled comments, they lacked the open-mindedness needed to embrace their only son as a homosexual.

When they first discovered Lucus's relationship with Taehyung, their disappointment erupted into anger, a wave of frustration that Lucus had tried so desperately to quell. He had spent hours conversing with them, his heart on his sleeve, attempting to explain how deeply he loved Taehyung, how their bond transcended societal norms. Yet, despite his earnest efforts, the chasm between their beliefs and his reality seemed insurmountable. Ultimately, the conversation reached a boiling point when Lucus stood firm, declaring he would cut ties with them if they couldn't accept him for who he was. Reluctantly, they had come to a fragile acceptance of his relationship, though it was clear they held little fondness for Taehyung, often blaming him for leading their son into what they deemed an absurd relation.

"Oh. So now you are here," Mrs. Kang murmured with venom dripping from her voice, as if gritting her teeth with cold, icy stares thrown at him.

Taehyung bowed for a greeting but all he received was a chilling silence---no reply and no nod, just their fierce eyes drilling into him like some creeper who had invaded a place he shouldn't have.

"Sold my son for mere money... as expected from you," Mrs. Kang exclaimed, her words sharp and accusatory, leaving Taehyung utterly puzzled.

"Pardon?" he said, a look of puzzlement spreading across his features as he tried to comprehend the absurdity of her statement. And before he could gather his thoughts, Mrs. Kang let out a bitter chuckle at the obviousness of it all before slapping a few photographs on his face.

He looked down and felt his heart sink. The pictures were shockingly clear, one of them showing him receiving money from someone. His mind reeled in utter confusion as he reached down to pick up the dropped picture, trying to make some sense of Mrs. Kang's accusations.

What do these photographs even mean? The chill of realization creeped over him as a flood of memories of a recent confrontation with the actor filled his head. Was it perhaps JK who was behind this? The threat he had issued earlier now came rushing to him, an impish warning that made his stomach twist in knots.

"Aunty, hear me out... It's not true. It's—" he started, but Mrs. Kang cut him off, her voice rising in fury.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you. You know what, just get lost and don't ever show your face here again!" she yelled, her words like daggers piercing through the fragile atmosphere.

"Aunty, you are getting it all wrong. This picture is not true. That JK... It's all his doing," he muttered.

Mrs. Kang chuckled again, this time more mockingly. "Oh really? Then where were you all this time? We've been here for more than a day, and you just show up now? You must have gone off to enjoy the profits from selling my son's well-being."

"Taehyung, leave," Mr. Kang said in a low tone, one that held firmness. "...please, do so while I am asking you politely."

"Uncle, at least let me explain—" Taehyung tried again, but the burning anger of Mrs. Kang drowned him out.

"Get lost! Can't you hear what I am saying? I said get lost!" she shouted, and at this moment Taehyung felt a wave of anger run through his body.

"Enough! I won't tolerate any more of your words," he exclaimed, his voice rising to match the intensity of their accusations. He turned away from them, his heart racing, and stormed toward Lucus's room, ignoring the shouts from the Kang couple demanding he stay away, insisting Lucus didn't want to see him.

But would Taehyung believe that? Absolutely not! Not wanting to meet Taehyung would be last thing Lucus will demand considering how much he loved him.

His heart was drumming with anxiety and determination as Taehyung reached the door to the room of Lucus. Each step was weighted, it seemed, with a reason of its own, as if he was walking into a battlefield rather than into a place intended for healing. Above him, the accusations from the Kangs hung like dark clouds. But he just couldn't let that stop him from all that mattered: Lucus.

He reached the door and paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself. The sterile scent of antiseptic wafted through the air, mingling with the distant beeping of machines that kept tabs on Lucus's condition. With a gentle push, he opened the door, and his heart sank at the sight before him.

Lucus lay in the hospital bed, pale against the stark white sheets, an IV drip attached to his arm. Taehyung's breath hitched in his throat; he looked so vulnerable. The anger boiling inside him began to dissipate with the view of his friend in such a helpless state, replaced by a deep, piercing sorrow.

"Hyung." Taehyung whispered, his voice barely wisper as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He approached the bedside, his hands trembling a little as he reached out to brush a stray hair from Lucus's forehead.

The moment their eyes met, Taehyung felt a weird discomfort. Lucus had never looked at him like he was looking at him at that moment. He always hold nothing other than affection, love, care but this time it seemed different, something Taehyung couldn't identify or maybe he didn't want to.

Lucus's eyes fluttered open, revealing the same discomfort as they were clouded with only pain and pain. "Why are you still here?" he croaked, his voice hoarse.

"Hyung..." Taehyung felt speechless, the smile forced down from his face

as his heart ached at the tone of Lucus. "Hyung are you angry? I'm so sorry for being late. I—"

Lucus tried to sit up, but the effort seemed to drain him. "You shouldn't have come," he murmured, his voice sound cold and distance, a tone Taehyung never heard before.

"I don't understand what you mean!" Taehyung said, his voice firm.

Just then, Lucus's parents barged in, Still wearing the furious reaction from earlier but Taehyung paid no attention to them and fixed his eyes on Lucus as if asking for answer.

Mrs. Kang's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene, her expression a mixture of anger and smug satisfaction. "Still standing here... quite shameless, aren't you?" she exclaimed, her voice slicing through the air.

Taehyung felt his stomach drop as he turned to face them, the tension in the room thickening like fog. "I am talking to hyung." he said, trying to keep his voice steady, but it came out harsh.

"Talking, were you?" Mrs. Kang shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "It looks more like you're trying to manipulate my son into some absurd fantasy."

"Mom, stop!" Lucus interjected, his voice rising in protest. "It's not like that. Taehyung is my friend, and we—"

"Friend?" Mr. Kang scoffed, crossing his arms. "Is that what you call it? This boy is nothing but a distraction—a toxic influence on you. You need to cut ties with him before it's too late."

"Enough!" Lucus shouted, surprising everyone. The room fell silent, and Taehyung felt a glimmer of hope within him. But it broke not long after when Lucus began to speak.

"Let's end it!" Lucus muttered gazing down, "... let's end everything."

It took a whole minute for him to process the words but Taehyung still couldn't understand what Lucus meant by that.

"End what, hyung?" Taehyung let out, barely above a whisper. Confusion twisted in his gut as he searched Lucus's eyes for clarity, the warmth that once radiated between them now replaced by an icy chasm.

Lucus inhaled sharply, the pain evident in his expression. "All of this, Taehyung! Let's not meet from now on… ." His voice trembled, each word heavy with a weight that felt suffocating, as if he were trying to lift a burden far too great for his frail frame.

Taehyung's heart dropped, a sense of dread creeping through him like a slow poison. "What do you mean?" he pressed, struggling to grasp the reality of what Lucus was suggesting. "You're not serious, are you?!"

Lucus's gaze shifted to the window, where the weak afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the floor. "I am serious Taehyung... it wasn't really great on first place. Let's not keep pushing it."

"What nonsense!" Taehyung exclaimed, frustration and desperation rising within him. "You are actually pulling a prank... I was not here when you woke up is that why you pulling a prank on me? It's not real... " His voice cracked, the raw emotion spilling forth as he reached for Lucus's hand.

Lucus flinched at the touch, pulling his hand away as if it burned him. "Taehyung, just go!" He looked at Taehyung, his eyes full of anguish, and Taehyung felt his own heart shatter at the sight.

"Whats wrong with you all of sudden?" Taehyung muttered, shaking his head vehemently. "Are you upset with anything? Do I did something wrong?" His voice was rising with passion that echoed in the sterile room, but Lucus merely averted his gaze, tears shimmering in his eyes.

Lucus shook his head slowly, the sorrow etched on his face like a permanent scar. "I just don't want to continue anything with you anymore..." he whispered, the words falling like lead into the silence that followed. "And you never actually loved me so this shouldn't be a problem... I want to have a partner who an actually love me."

Taehyung's heart raced, the realization of what Lucus was proposing crashing down on him like a tidal wave. It was all true. He also wanted to end that relationship but not like this... at least not when Lucus was suffering so much.

The thoughts began to occupy his mind, the thoughts and guilt that he had been feeling for far too long. That's right! Lucus deserved love, a love that could envelop him like a warm embrace, something he could never gave him.

He felt a heaviness in his chest, knowing that Lucus deserved better---so much better than the half-hearted affection he could muster.

He felt overwhelmed by thoughts and couldn't see the shadows lurking behind Lucus's cold face, the pain hidden beneath the surface.

The silence between them stretched on, thick and suffocating, filled with unspoken words that hung in the air like a dense fog. He just stood there, paralyzed, not knowing what to utter, his mind racing with a cacophony of emotions---guilt, sadness---and yet, a part of him knew that this was the right thing to do. The weight of their shared memories crashed over him, each one a reminder of the love he felt but could never fully reciprocate.

Minutes passed, and no one moved an inch, the world around them fading into a blur as he dragged his body from the spot, each step feeling heavier than the last. The ground beneath his feet felt unsteady, as if he was walking on a tightrope stretched over a chasm of his own making.

Tears glistened in Lucus's eyes while he watched Taehyung disappear into the distance. "Be happy." he whispered, almost as if the affirmation was a rope he was throwing across a troubled sea.

As Taehyung continued walking away, he could feel the sting of Lucus's gaze into his back with each step a betrayal, and finally, severing the connection that they once shared. He wanted to turn around and tell Lucus that he had been worthy of happiness, that he would find someone who could treasure him the way he was meant to be treasured. But the thought of going back was enough to send chills down his spine, reminding him of a reality they had both clung to in desperation.

Each step of his felt like dragging an anchor in sand, each grain being the moment they were spent together, laughing, whispering, a secret that seemed to fall into the past. He didn't want this. He wished to clear out all that had been, find solace in this separation, but he never did think there would ever be the day that he was not going to see Lucus again, a day that their ways would diverge this completely, that the bridge over years of friendship, built piece by piece, would crumble in on itself behind him.

And as he finally stepped into the street, the night air was stifling, full of unspoken words and unresolved feelings that seemed to wrap him in thick fog. He walked through the dim streets, while the shadows crept closer to him when the moon went dark behind a thick cloud of veil, casting an eerie pallor over everything he once thought was familiar. He shivered at how the cold breeze hit his soft skin, biting into clothes, to bone marrow, a painful reminder of how lonely he was feeling now.

He stopped at a street corner where many late night conversations had been shared with the discussion of dreams and fears. The stars had speckled the sky beneath them. The memory was like a kick in the gut, and he couldn't breathe. How did it come to this?

Though he couldn't free himself from the oppression of loss, despite this, something felt wrong. It was perhaps the sheer comfort of the familiar path that was now missing; it was perhaps the internal conflicts swirling around him, or maybe something else was just wrong.

Each sound was louder---the crunch of gravel beneath his shoes, soft whistle of the wind, and the distant hum of the city. He felt as though shivers are rippling down his spine, each breath he took becoming difficult with that smothered, washed over feeling that he feared so much. He picked his steps quicker, his fingers now ruffling over the skin on the back of his neck as he tried to work off this rising sense of unease, yet those hairs seemed to stand on end, forewarning him of a threat from which he is unconscious, something of which he cannot distinguish its presence. His instincts were screaming at him to turn back, to run, but it happened even before he could even find time to react.

A screeching van came out from nowhere, squealing the tires burning against the asphalt, its headlights cutting through the darkness like the piercing eyes of a predator. Panic hit him like a lightning strike, electrifying every nerve in his body. His heart pounded in his chest, with its rhythm pacing with the adrenaline flowing through his veins. As if he was going to dash away, two powerful hands reached out from behind, pulling him hard enough to snap him back where the air from his lungs was stolen by the impact, making him breathless for a few seconds.

"Let me go!" Taehyung gasped, his voice a desperate plea that echoed in the stillness of the night.

His words barely had a chance to clear his mouth before a cloth was rammed over his face, the pungent smell of the chemicals burning his nose and throat like some sick joke. Panic turned into frantic struggles---kicking, thrashing---any attempt to escape only tightening the grip of his captors. The hands holding him were too strong, their grip like iron, and the world around him began to spin. It seemed to work in a trice, soaking into his consciousness like a heavy fog, dulling the sharpness of his senses and muddying his eyesight until even bright colors from life faded into a dreary gray. His body went limp as the earth seemed to tilt beneath his feet and sounds of the night became muffled cacophony; he steeled himself against the approaching darkness, but it came in relentlessly like a heavy blanket. Desperation clawed at his insides, but reason slid away like sand through his fingers.

As his consciousness wavered, thoughts of his friends, his family, and the life he had just moments ago seemed to flicker like a distant candle---fading, flickering, and finally extinguished. Just as the last remnants of awareness slipped away, a final thought pierced through the haze: Who had taken him, and why?

Then, Darkness swallowed him whole, erasing all traces of light, sound, and hope.