The Eighth One - BTS AU (Mystery/Thriller) | Complete

Chapter 13

Seven years.

He was a kid then. He was only nine.

Now he was sixteen.

Now he understood many a thing he couldn't before.

He was blind.
But time taught him otherwise.

It was as if he had different personalities. One at home, one at school and one at the Bowl. And he was happiest when he was at the Bowl.

At school he had Hoseok so that was good. At home he felt nothing. No pain, fear, sympathy, happiness. Nothing. As a child he considered the woman a menace, someone who tried to take over his eomma's place.

Soon he realised that she was just another victim like his eomma, trapped with him in that house. But she should have known better. Why would you willingly walk into hell, into that satan's arms?

Yoongi turned the handle and walked in the door. It was very hot inside the house. The yellow glow from the bulb made it look like an oven. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve cuff and straight away walked to the stairs.

"Yoongi-ah," a faint voice from the kitchen made him halt.

"Mm?" he produced a sound. This was the maximum he always responded.

"Appa said he'll be late today. Freshen up and come down for dinner."

"Mm."

Why was this important? Because every night that his appa would be home, they had dinner together, pretending to be a perfect family that they even remotely weren't.

Appa would read the newspaper, ask Yoongi about his day, something rehearsed to perfection. Occasionally he would get creative and ask his stepmom about her day.

That would mean,
1) He didn't like the food prepared
2) The way the house was cleaned or
3) Had a bad day so he decided to hate her existence

"If you were fine today, WHY AM I EATING THIS CRAP!?"

and then the water in his glass would be dripping down her face. Yoongi never tried to save her. He didn't have to. Even though physically weaker the woman fought back verbally.

Once when they attended a dinner at appa's company (it was compulsory to bring your family) he lost his temper and slapped Yoongi.

After a series of counselling sessions, where appa convinced them that a father is allowed to slap his son to teach him manners, a social worker asked Yoongi to contact him if anything of this sort happened again.

Yoongi needed his appa's money to graduate school and just until he was eighteen. One wrong move he could get separated from his friends.

Anyway Appa hadn't laid a hand on Yoongi or his stepmom since then. Now he throws things that physically never left a mark. Like water or his words.

He walked upstairs and opened the door to his room. Contrary to the living room it was cool in there. He grabbed his bath towel as he made his way to the bathroom.

Absence of appa at dinner would mean eating food quietly with the woman, just enjoying the silence, an understanding they had reached a long time back.