Royalty Above All - Kim Taehyung ✔︎

#25 - A Taste Of Hell

My feet drag along the floor when I enter the big hall again. With my face showing no emotion whatsoever, my hands lay stiff by my sides.

Yoonhee and her men are gone after making a mess of everything. Her men are either dead or decided they savoured their lives and retreated back to Seoul.

But it's like I've lost any and every recognition of myself ever since I exited the cells. I've blocked out any emotion that exists. Because doing that is alot better than letting them in.

Some Daegu guards are badly injured to the point of death. Whereas a few died straight away. Now a friend of mine is dead too.

I don't even hear the King's voice yelling my name, or acknowledging him shaking my shoulders. When I do eventually snap out of my gaze, my expression is still neutral. And it worries both the King and his protector.

"What happened?" Taehyung's voice sounds like a blur in my head.

My dry lips quiver as they open, voice coming out croaked and weak with my gaze set in the distance. "He won't talk to me."

Blinking, Taehyung tilts his head. "Who?"

I feel water prick in my eyes as his name appears in my head. "Seokjin. He won't talk to me."

Jin blames me for Hoseok's death.

As soon as it happened, he refused to speak a word to me. He blocked me out and completely shut down. He's become bitter and angry that he lost his best friend.

Even though he didn't say the words - that he blames me - it's pretty obvious he's thinking it over and over in his head.

But I blame myself too. Because all of this is my fault. Denying that is pointless.

"Who the hell's Seokjin?" I hear Taehyung murmer to Yoongi.

"He's one of the prisoners." I carelessly answer, moving my shoulders out of his grasp and walking past the two of them.

Yoongi whispers something to Taehyung, probably about what I'm talking about, as Yoongi knows from entering the cells a few minutes after Hoseok died.

"Where are you going?" I hear the King's voice echo from behind me.

I'm going home.

I don't want to, but I have to.

Yoonhee won't stop doing this until she gets what she wants. Her mindset is an annoyingly complicated and a stubborn one. And now she 100% knows that I'm alive. So what's the point of hiding anymore?

"I'm going back to Seoul." I don't bother turning back around as I'm already opening the front door.

The rush of the night air greets me as it opens and I step outside. The sky's are clear, perfectly showing the stars sprayed across its dark canvass. It's ironic of how the sky is peaceful, but we've all just experienced a taste of hell.

A large hand encloses around my wrist and intends to tug me back inside before I can enjoy the darkness even more.

"Stop it." I don't have the energy to raise my voice as I shove his hand off my wrist, continuing to walk away from the palace.

Grabbing hold of my arm this time he spins me around to face him. His grip is stronger than before, and doesn't show any sign of letting go.

"I said stop!" For the first time, my eyes meet his with a glare.

"You're staying here. End of discussion." His voice asserts dominance.

Shaking my head I force his hand off my arm, stepping backwards. "No I'm not. I'm leaving."

Taehyung scoffs, cocking his head to the side. "No you're not."

"Why? Nothing good has come from me staying here. Nothing!" My voice raises, fists clenching by my sides.

That makes him take a step backwards instead of towards me. His expression somewhat eases into one of slight offence. "Really? Nothing good has happened?"

"Look around! Look at all of the things that have happened ever since I came here! Beomgyu almost died, my friend actually did die, your people have died, your protector disrespected, your palac- no, your home broken into twice."

Sighing, his head tilts with a softer voice. "Kyungmi, all of them things are nothing compared to what I've caused."

The air is tense. Even though my mind is set on leaving he's desperate to make me stay. Because I don't really want to leave. But I know I need to.

"The first day I met you I drugged and knocked you out. Then I kept you locked away for days. Then I throw you onto the streets to suffer and die in thought that you'd done something that you hadn't."

My mind travels back to them days. The days when I met the arrogant King, as he's known as. The days where I saw him as no more than this given title.

Little did I know, I'd see him for being much more than that and very misunderstood.

"And despite all of these things you still came back. You could've ran away or refused to stay here but you didn't. You somehow forgave me. And so I'm doing the same." Taehyung sticks firmly with his decision, taking a chance to step closer this time.

"But she knows." I mumble, rubbing my arm and looking down. "She knows I'm alive."

"I don't give a shit if she knows." He mirrors the lowness of my voice in his own. "Just because she knows you're gonna give yourself in?"

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" I throw my hands up in the air, then rubbing my forehead in distress.

Holding back a smile he takes my hands from my forehead and encloses them around his fingers. "Just stop and think for a moment. If you go back now you won't make it one step into the city without being killed. It isn't worth it, Kyungmi. You're not her protector anymore; you're free."

I'm free.

I never thought about it like that.

He's right; I don't owe her anything anymore. I can do as I please, go against her as much as I want. Supposedly I was allowed to do that before, but Yoonhee clearly made sure I never would.

"So can you please come back inside?" Taehyung sighs, gesturing to the palace doors whilst letting go of one of my hands.

My lips turn upwards into a pout. "You realise what you're asking, don't you? Because if I go back inside it'll to cause more trouble than what's already happened. In fact, it'll be worse."

The King simply shrugs. "I know it will. But it's nothing I haven't handled before."

As I look into his eyes, I realise something. He has no intentions of giving me up. Of letting me go where he can't be with me. And honestly, right now I'd prefer to stay by his side than leave.

I'm past the phase of feeling numb. My emotions are rushing back into my mind now, but they're not sad ones.

Because now I'm angry. I want Yoonhee to suffer like we have. I want her to get a taste of hell like she's given us. But instead of a taste, I'll serve her the whole course.

"Fine. But we're coming up with a way to get back at her or I swear to God I will go to back to Seoul just to rip her head off." I grumble, brushing past the King and back towards the palace doors.

"Oh trust me Kyungmi, we'll get our revenge. Time will come." Taehyung smiles and sighs in satisfaction, turning on his heels and follows behind.