YOUTH. | JK | COMPLETE

punishment

SUPERPOSITION
DANIEL CAESAR

If I should die before I wake
Oh, please, do not resuscitate
I know I didn't live my life in vain
The rest of my life's in a state of chaos
But I know I'll be okay

Exist in superposition
Life's all about contradiction
Yin and yang
Fluidity, and things

Haneul opens her eyes at the sound of the gunshot, a raw, guttural cry of pain emitting from the depths of her stomach, tearing out her heart as it leaves her lips. No, she wasn't shot. Not yet, anyway. But she might as well be, because there's only one other person who could be on the receiving end of the barrel, and it's the one person Haneul would take a bullet for. Jeongguk. His name is on the tip of her tongue and dissolved like the salt in the tears that stream down her cheeks and embroidered on her racing heart as she struggles against the bouncer's suffocating grip around her neck.

But then her teary vision focuses and she sees him.

Standing, breathing. Eyes trained on the open door, and Haneul doesn't know what's out there, but Haneul's grandmother, who looks terrified for the first time Hanuel has ever seen, is looking at it, too. And then she sees that the gun that was once pointed at Jeongguk is on the floor, and her grandmother is clutching her hand to her chest. Crimson liquid drips down the skin of her wrist. And then, a tall, blue-haired figure cautiously walks through the door with a gun in his shaking hands.

"Taehyung." Jeongguk breathes out, and Taehyung nods to him, though his gaze doesn't leave Haneul's grandmother. Even the bouncer seems surprised to see him, because he doesn't move to defend her grandmother.

"Ah, yes. Taehyung. Nice to see you again." Mrs. Choi hisses, cradling her injured hand. Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows, probably thinking the exact same thing as Haneul: Again? Taehyung grits his teeth, a sweat breaking out on his brow.

"You lied to me." He states, trying to keep his voice calm, but it still quakes. "You said you were old friends." Mrs. Choi lets out half a laugh, clearly in pain from her gunshot wound to the hand.

"People lie about a lot of things." She says knowingly, glancing at the raven haired boy. He has been inching ever so subtly closer to Haneul, taking advantage of the lack of attention on him, but he stops when she speaks her next words. "Don't they, Jeongguk?" He stiffens visibly, trying to push all thoughts of Jimin out of his mind. He can't afford to focus on him, or more importantly, the terrible, awful, agonizing truth. Noticing Jeongguk's internal conflict, Taehyung speaks up again.

"Leave him alone. You've already tortured him enough." He protests, but Mrs. Choi just glares at him.

"How can you want to help someone like him? Disregarding the fact that he is a Wanderer, all he's ever done in his life is hurt people. He hurt you, Taehyung. You were always there for him, always cared for him. You loved him." She says, and Jeongguk turns to Taehyung, who has tears brimming in his eyes. Everything falls into place for Jeongguk then, and his heart aches for the kind boy, knowing he deserves love more than anyone and feeling guilty for not reciprocating it. "And he chose someone else over you. Don't stick up for someone like him. He broke your heart Taehyung, what don't you understand?" Taehyung is silent for a moment, long fingers readjusting themselves on the handle of the gun.

"What I understand is that revenge is never the answer. Especially not this kind—the kind where people get hurt. I mean, that guy is pointing a gun at your granddaughter's head under your command. No matter what someone does to me, I'll never stoop to your level." Taehyung says, tearful eyes cold as they rest on Mrs. Choi.