Infirmitas

Chapter 23: A Lull before the Storm

Taehyung's POV

I dazedly stare at the bonfire in front of me. We were camping in a forest, three provinces away from the countryside town we left. I recalled how yesterday went. How it started with me journeying, pretending to have the intent of abducting Jungkook to it ending with me actually leaving with him. Yesterday was full of twists and turns. First, I unintentionally led Firebird and Guinea Fowl to him. I meant to direct them to a wrong place. I assumed he's at home. I never thought that he was actually there at Jung Hoseok's house.

Second, the Grim Reaper's arrival. I don't know why they were there. What happened in the city? Is Jimin alright? It was a surprise that the Grim Reaper did allow us to leave. I guess Jungkook comes first for him after all. I don't know what to feel about the Grim Reaper being my brother outlaw. I'm not ready to call him hyung. I loathed him for years. He killed my hyungs. Well, technically, he's not really the one who killed them. And I killed many of his friends too. But he cut my finger and he did not remember it!

"What are you thinking?"

Jungkook was standing beside me, holding two mugs of hot chocolate. I took both and placed it on the stool. Then, I leaned back and spread open the blanket surrounding me. Jungkook sat on my lap. I wrapped the blanket around us.

"Thinking about the G– your hyung and what he did to my finger."

His large eyes got bigger.

"He's the one who did that your hand?"

I nodded.

"How?"

I hugged him tighter.

"Five years ago, we attacked them and..." I slashed my neck with my index finger "...their boss. Well, Jimin did. Jimin is my friend. He's the Pale Man's...Yoongi's—"

"Yoongi hyung."

"Yoongi...hyung's ex."

"He's the one with the warmest hug and the sweetest voice."

"What?"

"Yoongi hyung told me that he once loved someone with the warmest hug and the sweetest voice."

"That might not be real. You know, they say love makes people blind and crazy. Jimin is cold and his voice is irritating. He's always scolding me."

He heartily giggled.

"Anyway, so during the attack, I snuck into your brother's room. We fought. I lost. And he cut off my finger."

He narrowed his eyes. "He just cut off your finger without any reason?"

"I told him that I'll shove it in his ass." I responded shyly.

"You're disrespectful!"

"How will you be respectful to someone you want to kill?"

His lips pouted.

"I'm sorry."

"Let's not talk about killing anymore."

I rested my chin on his shoulder. He gazed up the sky.

"A storm is brewing."

I looked up and saw the gray clouds overhead. He was right. The wind was cold and strongly blowing too. I noticed the fallen leaves drifting in the air. I lifted my hand to catch one. We caught the same leaf at the same time. We smiled at each other.

"It's a heart."

I excitedly showed the leaf to him. He nodded.

"It's a handkerchief tree. Its leaves are in the shape of a heart and when it blooms, its flowers look like pinched or pocket handkerchiefs."