Bodyguard

Choice And Consequence

Specifically, one gun was pointed at Jin and the other was pointed at Taehyung's mom.

Seokjin was on the left, Taehyung was in the middle, and his mother was on the right.

Rumor had spread about the great Kim Taehyung since he had achieved so much in his military days. Anyone who was anyone in the business world (both in the legal and illegal part of the business world) knew about him.

They all knew him as the great Kim Taehyung, military genius turned bodyguard of the son of the most influential CEO in all of South Korea.

A lot of other influential people tried to get their hands on him by offering him a higher pay, more work benefits, and such, but he still stuck by the Kim's. Not just because they paid him extremely well already, but also because he knew Jin would find him and kill him if he ever left the younger.

Because of how well known Taehyung was, he was the one the bad guys, who had a gun pointing at Jin and his mother, addressed.

"We heard your little conversation, looks like this lady here is your mother. Your choice, give us the boy or protect your mother or we'll just shoot you all. Pick wisely" Creepy gruff sounding, unkempt man #1 asked and creepy gruff sounding unkempt man #2 chimed in "it would be nice to have the boy but we don't necessarily need him alive. Pick wisely, we're losing our patience."

"Go to hell" Taehyung spat and guy #1 chuckled before replying, "I'll see you there when I die then. Wait for me." as he undid the safety from his gun and guy number two followed suit.

In the split second before they pulled the trigger, Taehyung had a choice to make. Since he was the only one without a gun pointed at him, it was up to his to save them. Well, save one of them because there wouldn't be enough time to save them both. He could either, save Jin or save his mother. The choice was obvious, he had to save his mother. She was his mother, he could never let her die.

But why did he find himself saving Jin. He had pushed Jin out of the way and on to the ground just in time, before somersaulting into a position where one knee was touching the ground while the foot of his other leg was on the ground in front of his body as he grabbed a gun from the gun holster attached to his pants and shot guy #1 who had his gun pointed at Jin, in his lower abdomen. As all of that happened, another gun shot was heard, followed by a scream. After shooting guy #1, Taehyung turned his head in the direction of where the scream was coming from and he saw his mother laying on the floor bleeding as she clutched her chest.

Guy #2 then pointed his gun at Taehyung in attempt to take him down but Taehyung was faster, he shot the guy in his left side ribs and said guy fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Taehyung got up— and hurriedly grabbed the guns of both men seeing as they weren't dead and he didn't want them to try anything even though they were hurt— before running to his mother yelling "Eomma! Eomma! Eomma can you hear me?!"

With shaky hands, he took out his phone and called 911, all the while Seokjin was still laying where Taehyung left him when he pushed him out of the way, frightened after what just happened.

•••••

*Two days later*

The two attackers were in police custody and a temporary bodyguard was hired for Jin since Taehyung had been given a week leave from his job so he could stay with his mother. Taehyung's mom was still unconscious and Taehyung hadn't left her side in two days other than to use the bathroom. Seokjin couldn't visit because he wasn't allowed to leave the house until the police figured out who sent those two men and why.

As Taehyung sat beside his mother's bed, holding her hand and listening to the vital signs monitor beep which was the only indicator that she was still alive, he couldn't help but think to himself, why did I save Jin and not my mother?

This was the same woman who worked three jobs just to put him through school and pay off their father's debt after he died. The same woman who, when there wasn't enough food for the both of them, would go to bed hungry while he ate. And even though he would attempt to share his food—that was barely enough for one person— with her, she would refuse and tell him that she was full just watching him eat but her stomach betrayed her by rumbling. Still, she never once caved, she never once ate his food. She starved while he ate.

Yet, he couldn't save her, because in the split second that he had, to make a choice between his mother and Jin, he found himself unable to imagine his life without Kim Seokjin in it. He found himself unable to let the younger die. Not because as a bodyguard, he had to protect him, but because he wanted to protect him. It's not that he doesn't love his mother, he does. He loves her so much. She is his world. She had done so much for him and he was sure he could and would do anything for her. He could kill for her, he could die for her, he could move mountains for her, bring down entire nations for her. So why didn't he pick her? Why didn't he save her? Why did he choose Jin over her?

"How could I have let my mother get hurt?" Taehyung asked himself as he squeezed his mother's hand softly as tears began tears began to stream down his face. "I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry, I should  have picked you, I should have saved you, I'm so sorry, please don't leave me." He cried as he lowered his head onto her hospital bed.

Taehyung hated himself so much. Not just because he saved Seokjin instead of his mother, but because he knew for a fact that if he had to do it all over again, he would change nothing. That was the worst part of it all: the fact that he would change nothing. The fact that he would still choose Seokjin over his mother again, and again, and again, however many times he was in that kind of situation. Not because he wants his mother to get hurt, but because he doesn't want Seokjin to get hurt.

And he hates that. He hates himself for feeling that way, and he hates Seokjin for making him feel that way.

A/N: Sorry if the whole shooting scene didn't make sense, I had no idea how to put my thoughts into words for that scene.