taehyung arrived at the spring day foster home when he was only three. it happened exactly as one would imagine: he was dropped off inside a cardboard box, wrapped in a blanket, and abandoned at the front door by his mother, who didn't have the heart to be seen abandoning her child. he was discovered by miss cheol the next morning before breakfast time. upon seeing the box, miss cheol started tearing up at the sight of the small child trapped in feverish slumber and shivering slightly from the early morning chill.
"you've been out here all night," she whispered, her voice wavering with emotion. she gently picked up the box and brought tae inside. in the box, she discovered a small bag filled with clothing, a baby bottle, some formula, a small elephant plush, and a letter dotted with tear-streaked ink:
spring day foster home—
please take care of this child to the best of your ability. his name is kim taehyung, born on december 30, 1995. he is a very good little baby and seldom cries. all he really needs to be happy is his elephant toy; he loves it a lot. i have included the formula and bottle i normally use to feed him, as well as all of his clothing. the blanket he is wrapped in is the one he normally sleeps with.
due to numerous personal circumstances, i do not feel it is safe for him to be in my care any longer. i truly love him with all my heart, but i believe in this decision wholeheartedly. i do not expect you to sympathize for me: all i ask is for you to take care of my precious baby. he does not need to know anything about me. i would prefer for him to know as little as possible about the type of person his mother is. i am too ashamed to meet him in the future. i do not think i could ever bear meeting my baby boy again. please make sure he finds the perfect family who is able to give him what i cannot: unconditional love.
miss cheol did, in fact, sympathize. she couldn't imagine being in a situation where she had no choice but to give up her own child. yet she never blamed those who did. she had no place to judge, and refused to. she had no way of knowing the mother's story, especially what extent had brought her to leaving her child in the hands of another.
——
the bangs had a beautiful home. it was located far from the foster home, many cities away, in a place tae had never been to. that first day, yongguk brought tae everywhere around the house. the cozy living room, the colorful kitchen, the dining area, the quaint little backyard, then finally, their room.
the room the boys were supposed to share had a bunk bed against one wall, a long desk with space for two that covered another wall, a large closet, a clothes dresser under the window, and three whole bookshelves, already filled with all types of literature and knickknacks. the room was painted in a plain cream shade, and the walls were bare of any decoration.
"this is actually mom and dad's room, but they figured we'd need the most space so they switched to mine instead," yongguk explained. "we can start decorating soon."
tae grinned. "wow, this is so amazing, i'm so excited!"
yongguk laughed, then grew a bit more serious. "i can't believe you're my little brother now. i never knew i'd have one."
"well...do you like me? am i good at being your brother?"
yongguk ruffled tae's hair lovingly. "of course i do, you're great, what type of question is that?"
the whole day passed by in a blur, and tae was overwhelmed with euphoria. he had so much fun hanging out with yongguk, and loved the feeling of being somewhere he's never been. it felt renewing, in a way, to breathe in fresh air under a different part of the sky. the house was situated in a quiet and peaceful area, making the stars shine brighter and the natural hues of the earth more vibrant.
for dinner, mr and mrs bang cooked up a large meal: samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), bulgogi (thin, marinated slices of beef), tteokguk (soup made with rice cake), japchae (stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables), gimbap (rice and other ingredients rolled in seaweed, similar to sushi), tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cake), and kimchi fried rice. it was the most delicious meal tae had ever tasted, and he ate until his stomach could no longer handle anymore food. tae loved the feeling of gathering together and eating a full meal, and looked forward to doing so every day with his new family.
when bedtime came around, the boys brushed their teeth and changed into comfortable pajamas. the pair tae picked out were so soft, and covered in a tiny bear pattern. mrs bang had already bought tae enough clothing to last a while, and he was so grateful for all the new clothes he now had. he was shocked upon opening up the closet and seeing so many new clothes, just for him. he didn't feel as if he deserved all this kindness.
before going to bed, tae crept downstairs, trying to find mr or mrs bang— or rather, his parents. it would require some time before he could get used to that title. he spotted mrs bang seated on the couch, reading a novel. he held the piece of paper tightly in his hands, and approached her. at the sight of tae, still a little shy and hesitant around her, mrs bang set down her book.
"what is it, sweetie? do you need something?" she asked.
"can i please call my best friend? namjoon?" he asked sheepishly, handing her his number. "i really miss him, and i wanna tell him good night. i think he's expecting a call from me, anyways."
all of a sudden, mrs bang looked a little dissatisfied. almost angry, but it dissipated before tae could be sure. "listen, taehyung, i understand, but it's only been one day. this is your new life, i don't want the memories of the foster home weighing on you forever. don't they make you sad?"
he firmly shook his head. "i miss namjoon, and miss cheol, and elliot."
"elliot?" mrs bang inquired, confused.
"my favorite elephant. i forgot him at the foster home. i really want to have him. he's one of my best friends, too," tae explained. "can we please come back and get him soon? and...um...can i please, please call namjoon?"
mrs bang became frustrated. "i don't think so, tae. i'm sorry if you're not okay with it, but i would like you to move on. i really want you to. the foster home should be in the past. you don't need to dwell on it anymore, alright? i'll get you a new elliot, don't worry."
tae nodded, trying not to cry. he didn't want to argue with his mom, and said nothing else about the subject. "okay. good night."
mrs bang smiled widely, unaware of how he really felt. "you're the cutest. good night, sweetheart."
tae climbed into the bottom bunk, and cried himself to sleep as silently as he could. it was as if someone turned the lights off on his seemingly perfect day, and it was all just an illusion. he only wanted to hear namjoon's voice. that was all he wanted. why wouldn't she let him do just that? and another elliot would never be the same. he would rather have no elephant at all if it wasn't going to be elliot.
downstairs, with no one else as her audience, mrs bang rolled up the piece of paper with namjoon's number scrawled on it, and tossed it into the trash.
——
a/n : to clear up confusion, if there happens to be any, the story is split into two, and i'm planning on doing that for most of the chapters. the first part, italicized to differentiate it from the second part, will be a memory/flashback that is important to the plot, or just a nice little something i decided to pop in the chapter. the second part is the actual story. the way i decided to write this fic is definitely not what i'm used to, but i wanted to try something new. sorry if it gets too weird, but lemme know your thoughts on this, if you have any.
all that research on korean food made me extremely hungry. i really want some pork belly now. anyway, i would love some feedback on chapter 1; i don't really like it?...
thanks for reading, hang on for chapter 2 :)))
