Chapter 78 '✅'

561 34 5
                                        

Author's POV:

Flashback 3 months earlier...

Taehyung: "kook!! What's wrong? Why are you here this early in the morning?!" Jungkook broke into Taehyung's room at 6 AM as he couldn't sleep after what he saw last night.

Jungkook: "Did you see Jin hyung last night?" Taehyung was just woken up by the sound Jungkook made when he got in the room, so he couldn't process what was happening.

Taehyung: "No, kook. I came home late and I didn't find anyone, so I just went to sleep. What's wrong with him?"

Jungkook: "I swear something is happening with him and he is hiding it from us." Taehyung broke eye contact with Jungkook. He didn't like where this conversation was leading.

Taehyung: "Did he jump into your dream, kook? It's just 6 AM. Go let me sleep." He tried to pull his cover over his head, but Jungkook pulled it back.

Jungkook: "Did you know? You did, right? Look at me, hyung." Jungkook's hand was trembling , his doubt was approved already with Taehyung's reaction .. Taehyung looked at him sadly.

Taehyung: "He is hiding this from the three of us, Jungkook - me, you, and Jimin. We can't just invade his privacy without his permission. If he is not okay with us knowing, then we can't force him." Jungkook stood up in frustration as he couldn't take what taehyung said ..

Jungkook: "Hyung!! Can you hear yourself !! He is hurting himself. He almost died, and he is still doing it. Okay, not on the same scale, but he is doing it. He needs us. How can he push us away like this?" Taehyung stood up holding Jungkook's shoulder trying to calm him down

Taehyung: "Kook .. hear me out .. He is our hyung. He will never be okay with showing up as the weak he is right now . And there are our hyungs there for him. He is not alone. If he is not okay with us knowing, we will not let him know that we found out. Let his mind rest, kook, hmm? I know how much you care about him, but what you need to do right now is to give him what he asks for - his image in your eyes. Can you do this?"

Jungkook's eyes filled with tears, but he nodded in agreement. He looked down, afraid to go further in this conversation..

Jungkook: "When... when did you get to know?" Tae turned to sit on his bed flipped his hair in tiredness ..

Taehyung: "Since the day he came back from the hospital." Jungkook looked confused at Taehyung stied still in his place ... frowning.

Jungkook: "How?"

Taehyung: "I went home late that day and Noona was talking with Yoongi hyung about what happened and that he is not okay with us knowing about this. The days went by and the cuts on his arms would show accidentally, or I could check on him when he was asleep to make sure he was okay. Sometimes the cuts would be fresh. One of your hyungs would spend the night with him after that. I chose to respect his decision and let him think that I don't know anything."

Jungkook hesitated, looking at Tae. He didn't want to hear the answer to his next question, but he needed to be sure.. He took a step closer to Taehyung's bed looking deeply into his eyes like he was searching for an answer before even asking the question ..

Jungkook: "You... you are not... you are not doing this too, hyung, right?" Jungkook pulled Taehyung's arm hesitantly , terrified of the answer Tae would give.

Tae smiled softly, pulling his sleeves up to show his wrists.

Taehyung: "No, I'm not, kook. Don't worry. If you want to check my whole body, you can, but I can assure you I never thought to hurt myself." Jungkook hugged Taehyung to his chest, thankful that he was safe and he didn't have to worry about two of his hyungs.

**

Jimin's school...

Taemin: "Is your father going to keep that camera for so long? I can't sleep in the classes anymore." Taemin and Jimin were having their lunch in the cafeteria during lunch break while Taemin was stomping his foot, bothered by the stalking Yoongi was doing with them.

Jimin: "It's better. You need to focus on your lessons." Jimin was digging into his food, not bothered at all. He had already stopped skipping his classes and he was the smartest student in his class, so the more he could praise himself in front of his parents.

Taemin: "Yaa, it's because of you I couldn't sit for a week. My poor bottom! My mother didn't let it heal until it burned red while you got sick and got all the pampering from your lovely Appa , and he just kept the punishment that will make my life worse and not yours at all." Jimin chuckled at his grumpy friend who never stopped complaining about the punishment he received because of their class skipping.

Jimin: "Okay, okay, I said I'm sorry hundreds of times. Can you stop complaining? I will not ask Appa to remove it. I don't want him to be mad with me again. If he wants to track my moves, I will let him, okay? He knows what's best."

When they were arguing, a girl came to the cafeteria, passing by them, but her bag strap caught the back of the chair, making her slip and pour all the contents on the boys' table.

Taemin: "What's wrong with you?" Taemin, who was soaked in his soda, shouted angrily.

Jimin: "Hey, are you okay?" Jimin crouched down to help the girl who got a little splash on her skirt from the drink.

The girl: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She looked at him and smiled, accepting his hand to help her stand up.

Jimin: "It's okay. Nothing happened." He took her hand to pull her up.

Taemin: "I'm the one who is soaking in soda, Jimin. Why are you helping her and not me?"

Jimin Protectors 'Re-edit'Where stories live. Discover now