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

Chapter 50

They sat on the steps, quietly.

Apart from a few muffled voices, they couldn’t hear the discussion going on inside. Tae didn’t want them to hear their own conversation either. Hence he had closed the front door and they sat outside.

“Why did you get so angry?”

Kookie remained silent.

“Just because of a single toy tyre? You have to trust him!

We have been together for almost ten years Kookie. We’ve stuck with each other through unimaginable situations!”

Tae continued.

“Or are you projecting your anger at the wrong people again?”

Kookie turned his head at Tae’s words. His attempts to calm himself down disappeared in a second as he said,
“Would you like to explain what you meant?”

Feeling his own temper rise, Tae turned towards his friend.
“Sometimes at Jin hyung! Sometimes at Joon hyung! You get angry at whatever living object you have closest to you! If you have an issue with me, get angry at me! Not at them!”

“FINE!” Kookie yelled,

“I don’t like it when you don’t express yourself either! That night when you got angry and left,” he took a deep breath,

”I couldn’t wrap my head around what had happened. You have never behaved like that with me! When you went off to college, it was as if you had disappeared from my life!

Ever since you’ve come back, you are so different! And then I get to know that you went to Jimin’s after fighting with me!”

“Argh!” Tae was frustrated. He stood up, walked two steps,

“Again with dragging Jimin into this!” he turned around to face Kookie,

“Why do you bring him up all the time? I am not your property Kookie! I am allowed to have other friends like you do! The excessive need to latch onto me is just-“
He pulled his hair in frustration as he stopped his words.

He sighed.

As he resumed his seat by his silent friend, he took a deep breath. He said,

“Look Jungkookah, you are…” he trailed off. Tae didn’t know what to say anymore. It was the same fight over and over. He felt exhausted, mentally and physically.

“Why?” he sighed in desperation.

As he watched his favourite hyung lose his mind within a matter of seconds, Kookie’s felt his anger subside.

And then he decided. It was time.

“Hyung?”

Tae raised his head, sensing a calm Kookie speak to him.

“I…I...” he stuttered.

He felt a lump in his throat. His eyes filled with tears, and his face hurt as he struggled not to cry.

Tae couldn’t digest this mumbling form in front of him. Dejavu hit him as events from a day three years prior rushed to him. He did what he could. He hugged the crying boy.

“Please don’t hate me hyung,” he cried.

The events were repeating.

“Why do you keep saying that?” Tae tightened his hug,
“I won’t. I can never ever hate you. I promise.”

Kookie took a deep breath to calm himself down as he hugged back. He decided not to let go, no matter what happens. Unlike last time when he cried, this time he gathered all his courage and confessed in a calm voice,

“I love you hyung.”

The body in his arms became stiff. The arms around him loosened. Tae moved back from him. Tae’s eyes wide with shock, mouth slightly open in a gasp. His hand came in between them, on Kookie’s chest and slightly pushed him away.

This was what Kookie prepared himself for. This is what he pictured for the whole two seconds until Tae said,

“I love you Jungkookah…”

His heart skipped a beat followed by running at a thousand miles an hour.

“Really?” he asked still unable to believe his ears.

“Of course!” Tae replied.

Kookie tightened his hug more, if that was possible, and rested his forehead on the other's shoulder.

“Of course I love you! I could never hate you! So please tell me what is bothering you…”

Kookie’s eyes shot open. His own body stiffened. He moved away from Tae when he realised that Tae had not understood his confession.

He looked at the boy who still had his arms wrapped loosely around him.

Watching Tae’s eyes search his own for answers, Kookie decided to give them verbally.

“No hyung. I love you.”

Confusion could be clearly read on Tae’s face. Kookie spoke again, slow and clear.

“I am in love with you.”

-----

Reality had hit Tae like a wave in a heavy storm. It was chaos but everything had fallen into place now. All doubts were cleared with that one statement.

His obsession with Tae. His neediness. Making him jealous using Hoseok. His own jealousy towards Jimin.

“Sohyun…” Tae said inaudibly. However, in the silence of the night, Kookie heard it.

Though initially he was unable to meet the eyes of the boy he confessed to, now he couldn’t stop watching him. Tae sat at the other end of the step, leaning against the pillar, lost in his thoughts.

“Since when?”

“What?” Kookie realised he himself had zoned out.

Tae turned his face to look at him, and repeated his question,
“Since when?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“But,” Tae breathed in just enough air to keep going,” but I’m your hyung!” he squeaked.

Kookie immersed his face in his hands and shook his head. Too tired to even feel sad anymore he said,

”I guess to me you were always my best friend. More than my best friend. The person I was closest to. The one whom I shared everything with.

Everything!”

Tae stared into the horizon as his thoughts travelled back to their childhood. He remembered how Kookie initially used to kick him off the bed, how he hated sharing things or space. How that transformed to being unable to sleep unless on the same bed.

When he came back to reality, he realised he was smiling at the memory. Kookie continued,

“I have loved you. Always. I just never realised how I fell in love…” Tae looked at Kookie and saw him looking back,
”…with you…”

Tae opened his mouth to say something. But approaching muffled voices caught their attention. So instead he said,
“We’ll talk about this later.”

Just then the door opened and Yoongi walked out followed by the other four boys. They looked at the boys sitting on the steps.

While Jin and Hoseok looked scared, Jimin and Yoongi seemed determined. Kookie glanced at Joon who refused to meet his eyes.

And then Jimin said,

“We are going to open the time capsule tonight.”