Red Revenge ✓ tk

Hiding Underneath

Jeongguk detested going home. He didn't have to go home, Taehyung made sure of that, but Jeongguk didn't want to spend every night at his boyfriend's place because he knew that no matter how many times Taehyung told him it was fine for him to be there every day, Jeongguk couldn't help but find himself a nuisance.

Taehyung had taken over his father's job in the gym and had been promoted to the owner of the place. He had a degree in business and was well known in the boxing business, something which drew a lot of customers. Sometimes he'd stay after hours, training youngsters for their upcoming matches.

Taehyung himself had quit boxing during his studies after ending up with a bad ankle after one rough match. Even after hospital visits and getting his ankle in a plaster and cared for, it was still a weak point in his body and so he decided to call it quits when he was on a high point in his career.

Jeongguk didn't compete in any boxing matches. It wasn't his style and he wasn't half as passionate about the sports like Taehyung was. It was just something to get his energy out, to relieve his anger and knock his body out cold. Passion didn't exist in Jeongguk's life. He disliked most things and could stand a few things, like boxing or working out or eating.

Of course, he was passionate about Kim Taehyung. But he could not get a job out of that.

Taehyung tried helping him with his studies, being quite a smart person himself. He had concluded that Jeongguk was not utterly stupid, like most students thought, he was just utterly unmotivated. Jeongguk didn't like any school subject. Even PE was not his forte because he shared it with the jocks and often spend more time riling them up than actually following the coach's orders.

But anyway, Jeongguk detested going home, but tonight he was spending it in that exact place. Maybe home wasn't the right word but he liked to think it was still a bit of a home to him. Then again, home was were his mother was, and most of the time she wasn't there. So maybe his home was with Taehyung, though he sometimes felt like a bother there.

The door to the flat creaked when he stepped inside and the ever so prominent layer of dust on the counter top was illuminated by the half closed blinds in the living room. They were useless blinds, so terribly thin that they could've been gone and you wouldn't notice the difference.

The television wasn't on; was the first thing he noticed. Then, the fridge was almost empty, another vital part of Jeongguk's investigation. Whenever his mother would be home – in not many cases that was – the television would be playing in the background and there would be moldy food in the fridge.

The television was a coping mechanism to his mother. It would make her feel less alone, less shut out from the world. She'd sometimes talk to the damn thing and it would freak Jeongguk out when he was younger – thinking she had lost her mind after being inside for too long.

If the television wasn't on, his mother wasn't around. That's why the silence in the apartment was the first clue to his mother's disappearance.

His mother also loved canned food. It was the only thing that didn't expire throughout the year and it could be bought in large numbers and then you'd never have to go out into the supermarket again. His mother, especially, hated anything related to big crowds. Jeongguk had spend the last of his teenage years eating canned food until he started eating take out before coming home so he could let his plate run cold at home.

She'd always make food for two, even though she knew Jeongguk wasn't coming home after school. She'd always put his share in the fridge and then forget about it, letting it grow moldy in the corners of the refrigerator until Jeongguk would come along and throw it out. Since there were no newer addition to the spoiled dishes, it meant that his mother hadn't cooked in a while and so she hadn't been home in a while either.

So she was out again, disappeared off to god knows where. For a slight second Jeongguk wondered what would've happened if his mother had actually birthed the baby two years ago. He wondered if he would have taken the role as the baby's caretaker when his mother wouldn't be able to cope with life again and grab for her savior: alcohol.

Would Taehyung have helped him? Or would Jeongguk have hated his new sibling? Maybe he would have gotten an anger attack and hurt the baby or the baby would've been killed in one of his mother's drunken hazes.

It was better the child had not been born. It had not survived in the mess that was his mother's alcohol ridden body. After three months of pregnancy she had a miscarriage. It was better that the child had not seen the light of day. This horrible horrible world they'd end up in, filled with an irresponsible mother with an alcohol problem and a messed up big brother with anger issues.

It was for the better.

Jeongguk opened up one of the windows, stained with finger prints and dust. The fresh air entered the apartment in a flood of haste, as if it knew its presence was needed in the stuffy old flat. He parted the blinds and then sat himself down onto one of the leather brown couches they had gotten with the apartment. They were faced towards the television, a huge block of technology that was made twenty five years ago and wasn't supposed to last this long.

His fingers immediately itched for his phone. He placed his hands in his lap and wrung them together, willing himself to stay put. It had become a habit to reach out to Taehyung whenever he felt lonely or on the verge of becoming upset. He knew the second he'd ring Taehyung, the male would be inviting him over or asking if he'd have to pick him up. But Jeongguk also knew that Taehyung was busy right that moment, practicing with another boxing trainee and he didn't want to interrupt the lesson.

As if Taehyung had been able to read his mind, the phone started buzzing. Jeongguk's eyes lit up at the mere buzzing sound and he fumbled around for his phone. Taehyung's name flashed on the screen and Jeongguk quickly accepted the call.

"Darling?"

Jeongguk unconsciously smiled at the familiar soothing voice of his boyfriend. "Tae? Why are you calling me? Aren't you training someone tonight?"

"They cancelled because they had forgotten about their test tomorrow", Taehyung chuckled. "So I was wondering what you were doing. Everything alright there little one?"

"I'm fine", Jeongguk mused as he stared around the quiet flat. "Mom's not home."

A click of a tongue and Jeongguk could image the frown falling on his boyfriend's lips. "Unbelievable", Taehyung muttered from the other side of the line. "Are you staying there?"

The younger boy bit his lip. He knew what Taehyung was implying but he wasn't sure if he wanted to give in. He was already staying at his boyfriend's place six out of seven days. "Why wouldn't I?", he replied.

Taehyung disregarded the question entirely, something he often did when Jeongguk was being like this; stubborn and faking his nonchalance. "Did you eat already?"

The younger boy stood up from the couch and wandered back to the windows. He didn't need to reply. Taehyung knew what his answer would be.

"Come over darling. I'll make us something", Taehyung spoke. "Or we can go out and grab something to eat. Whatever you wish."

Taehyung was seriously too good to him. Jeongguk knew this and he had no intention on ever forgetting this fact.

Jeongguk gazed out of the window and watched how the sun pooled down into the horizon. The orange glow seeped into the cold flat, knowing the loneliness would become ever so prominent after sunset. He let out a deep breath and turned around, eyes now fixed on the front door.

"I'll be there in half an hour." 

I wrote this chapter at 1 am in the morning because I couldn't sleep. Sometimes you just got to write the energy out of you before you can go to bed! Anyway, hope you enjoyed. This was to show a little more insight in Jeongguk's life ♡