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Chapter Sixteen

Taehyung had always had family problems. His dad was a recovering alcoholic--three years sober--and his mom was nervous, flighty, and most of all, sick. She had terrible migraines, and Taehyung once recalled that his mother had to spend an entire week bedridden because the migraines were so bad. But despite that, things weren't so bad for Taehyung when he joined the company.

Two years in, and the deaths of the other members started happening. That was when things really started to go bad for him.

Each death was a stab in the heart, a rip in an artery for me. Every day felt like getting shot in the chest when I woke up to all the empty bunks. Taehyung had a top bunk, so when I opened my eyes, it seemed as if the entire dorm was empty, like I was the last one standing. It hurt beyond expression.

But for Taehyung, it was worse. As soon as news got out that Bangtan was literally dying, his dad had started drinking again, out of stress. A drunk Mr. Kim equaled an abusive Mr. Kim. Taehyung used to tell me stories about when he was younger, when he dad hadn't yet quit drinking, he used to disappear for days on end, returning with red eyes and a bottle in his hand. That was when his mother would send him and his siblings to their friends' houses, and when they would return, the master bedroom door would be locked and his father would be passed out in front of it.

So when Taehyung's father had started drinking again, Taehyung started to get anxious and depressed. He was feeling terrible about not being able to go home and defend his family, and he wanted to help his father's drinking problem. He had become irritable and high-strung, like a tensed coil.

BigHit had organized for Bangtan to go on a hiatus after Namjoon's death, as there were only two members left. They had to spend some time to think about what to do with us two, and a breakup wasn't that good of an idea, since we were so strongly invested in by the company.

Taehyung had immediately went back home to visit his family, and I went back to mine. As I had ridden the train back home, I had wondered what would become of Taehyung and I. We had parted at the station, and I'd wondered if that would be the last time I'd ever see him.