UNLOVED ( undergoing editing + rewriting )

chapter seven : mouthful

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curse

kəːs

noun

an offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance.

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The clock mercilessly ticked away at 6 a.m, signaling the start of another day in the Jeon household. The alarm went off in every room, serving as a call to duty, but one room remained different. The guest room.

Jungkook, the youngest member of the family, lays huddled on the floor, his small frame quaking in silent distress. His eyes were puffy and trembled with fear. The room bore the cruel testimony of his nightmarish existence, with dried blood on his hands and an unspoken pain etched into the fabric of the walls and his throat. he wonders what's any different from a old ragged walls with blunt scratches marks and his burning throat. 

The morning call to wake up rang out through the house, but Jungkook remained on the floor, unable to summon the strength to face another day. The voice outside the door were like daggers, cutting into his fragile emotional state, it'd lacked anything contrasted with his father's voice when it rose again.

"Okay boys! Wake up!" His father's voice boomed, the mere sound of it causing Jungkook to flinch. He pressed himself against the wall, his trembling hands clasping his mouth, attempting to stifle his agony. The pain, however, was too overwhelming, a constant reminder of his desperate situation. He barely mustered the energy to stand up and get dressed. The world seemed colorless, the mask he put on for his family hiding the true torment he felt. his bruised cheek. 

A mask to hide not only his injuries but also his emotional agony. He wished he could tell them about his pain, but the fear of rejection and isolation gripped him. Stuttering only intensified his suffering, forcing him into a silent retreat. Jungkook joined his family at the dining table, the mask still firmly in place. His siblings noticed the face mask, and their eyes held a mix of curiosity and judgment. Jimin, his older brother, couldn't resist poking fun, pointing at Jungkook's supposed shame.

"What's with the mask? Are you actually ashamed for what you did to Taehyung?" Jimin mocked, jabbing at Jungkook's most vulnerable spot. Jungkook avoided eye contact and focused on hiding his true emotions. Words seemd to be caught in his throat, the fear of stuttering keeping him silent. His brothers regarded him with disappointed and unsrue somewhat resentful expressions. He couldn't eat, nor could he engage with them or experience the shared laughter of family. Instead, he pushed away from the table, his voice suddenly stern and cold.

"I'm going," he declared, his cold exterior betraying the storm of emotions within. He grabbed his bag and hastily left the house, walking away from the judgmental stares of his family.

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School brought no respite for Jungkook. The lingering hurt from his morning encounter with his family weighed on him. Yet, school was a different battlefield where he could fight back. He faced confrontations with a group of bullies who insulted him over his choice to wear a mask. However, Jungkook's resilience was unwavering. He challenged their insults with comebacks, leaving the bullies humiliated.