trigger warning: bullying

"So, Mr Kim how did you find out that the person behind this gruesome murder was none other than your own partner, Jennie Kim?" a reporter asked forcing her mic in Taehyung's face as he walked outside the police station.

 No, the police decided that it's okay to not let him rest for even a proper day, and rather ask him to come and do paperwork. Why should they even have sympathy for a man who lost his closest friend, after all? 

Only if they cared as much, many years back, this probably wouldn't even happen. And Taehyung wouldn't have to hide his tears while walking with seven bodyguards surrounding him along with hundreds of news reporters and civilians. 

18 hours 

Only eighteen hours have passed ever since Jennie Kim got arrested and the entire country is speaking of it already. Partly due to the shock that it was Jennie herself, and partly due to the fact that the Manobans were making this appear like a thing that should be celebrated. 

As for Taehyung, he had no sense of emotions at the moment. "Mr Kim, how come the murderer was with you all along, and you never realised?" Another reporter asked, screaming the same thing for the fifteenth time. 

It felt like the detective had lost his ability to hear, there was not a single question he replied to as he finally made his way to the black limousine waiting for him. "Mr Kim, you cannot leave us without an answer, how did you find out? Why did Jennie Kim murder Lalisa Manoban?" another sound came from the crowd, waiting impatiently to be answered.

A sigh escaped his mouth, oh dear, that is a long story 

(please note all the following events have taken place in the past)

"He is waiting for you again, outside the building. How desperate this guy can be? Does he not understand you don't want to talk to him?" Cao Jieyang spoke,  closing the doors of the balcony, as she picked her orange bag up. 

A chuckle left a pair of blossom red lips, one hand busy painting the other's fingernails while another person styled those beautiful blonde locks. "I would just call that being attracted to the prettiest girl in this University," she, Lalisa Manoban, replied to her friend. 

Slumped on the queen-sized bed, Nicha Yontararak wasn't the type to be excluded from the conversation as she added, "I would just call that lack of self-respect."

Park Sooyoung laughed at the comment, but being the sympathetic soul she was, she said, "Come on guys, at least appreciate his loyalty. He waits to talk to Lisa every day, I think she should give him a chance." 

"He doesn't fit the criterion; neither he is hot, nor a millionaire. I don't see any reason to speak to him. Just because other people have high standards doesn't mean I will drop mine," Lisa immediately replied, bitter poison evident in her voice. 

Sooyoung smirked, walking closer to her, catching the attention of the other two females as well, "Not even if I tell you that Sanya has a crush on him, but he only wants you?" 

And that was Lisa's signal to talk to Kim Yeonseok.  

two months later

Lisa laughed, gulping the white wine down her throat as she and Yeonseok sat on the beach at night alone. The golden stars twinkled in the dark blue sky, making it appear like a clear signal that whatever is happening is meant to happen. While the guy believed it was because Lisa was finally getting to like him back, the actual reason was to make Yeonseok cancel the plans he had with Sanya and get her upset. 

Typical enemies, one might say

"Lisa, I want to share some things with you. We have become really close, so I think it's okay..." he started the conversation, the five glasses of wine igniting some sorts of thoughts, "I actually suffer from high anxiety and depression. I have been suicidal and there has been just so much in my life. My parents died long back, and ever since then, it has just been me and my sister. Although she is studying in Australia, so we rarely get to meet either. My loneliness just increased my anxiety, but ever since you met me, it's been so much better."

The blonde slipped her hand in his, for the drama, of course. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know about that, but I'm here now. I'm just so glad that I'm the person who makes you smile."

The man smiled, dimples appearing on his face, as his brown eyes lit with genuine happiness after years that had shown him nothing but loneliness and tears. "Let's not ruin the night now by going in deeper, let's save this for another day."

Little was known that there will never be another day.

"Hold on," he giggled, "I have done some really embarrassing things though in my life, haha, let me tell you about them."

Well, fuck the person who invented the voice recording app.

***

The next day felt blurry, and slowly it started to reveal itself. When Yeonseok opened his eyes, he expected today to be better than yesterday, which meant spending more time with Lisa. But as he walked into college, and everyone who saw his face laughed and spat at his face, his chest rose with anxiety, wondering what happened. 

A couple walked past him, first glancing at him, and then seeing each other, just to break into a burst of laughter. Several other people stood in groups, whispering to each other as they maintained their stares at him. Some were laughing, some were looking disgusted and some looked like they were judging him horribly. 

One person shouted, "Everyone, the crybaby is here! Let's welcome him, come on." The crowd broke into hoots and screams, cackling loudly.

A girl with orange hair walked up to him, staring at her iPhone and then humiliated him, "Oh god, so you're the guy whose pants ripped apart while playing volleyball in front of everyone. Poor baby, it's okay, do you want some cash to fix that?" 

He felt like the world was coming to an end, there could be absolutely no way these people knew about those kinds of incidents. Or was it really so? 

"Oh god, Hayoon don't say anything to him, what if he cries here? Aw, the poor boy doesn't even have a family to comfort him. Crybaby, do you wanna go back home? I don't even know how you even made it in here?" A boy with flashy green hair screamed. It almost looked like a comedy circus, where Yeonseok was the embarrassing clown and the others were the audience. 

From the back, came a very familiar voice, one he recognised very well but neglected thoroughly in the past two months on Lisa's sayings. Min Sanya walked past him, brushing his shoulder roughly as she clutched Jeon Jungkook's arm. Pushing her phone into his hand, she spoke in a low monotone voice, "Look, what your darling, Lisa has done."

A group chat flashed on the screen, and it took no time to understand that it was a group chat of all the rich people studying at the University. And Lisa had sent a voice recording to the group, the one recording that ignited the flame of laughter in the college. With shaking hands, he pressed the play button, and within four seconds, he understood what had happened. 

Snatching her phone back, Sanya spoke her final words, "I'm just done with you. I warned you, but seems like you learn your lessons by practicals." And with that, the aspiring actress walked away. 

In the corner, Lalisa Manoban laughed and stood with her three pals, whose reactions were quite the opposite. They clearly didn't look happy with what was taking place. "Lisa, you shouldn't have done this, this is really low of you," Jieyang said, displeased by her behaviour. The blonde looked at her best friend and just scoffed.  

Sooyoung supported the Chinese in this conversation, "Jie is completely right, this went really far. He literally told you about this mental health condition, are you heartless?"

Yeonseok glared at Lisa, with his eyes getting teary, his hands shaking and chest heaving up and down. A scene that painted his image in an extremely emotional manner as his legs felt weak and the vision felt blurry. But the Thai girl didn't care, as she shrugged and walked away, Nicha following her every step. 

That one day at college felt like a billion years in hell, all day anxiety ate him up. Balls of papers were thrown at his head, degrading names were called, and some even punched him and laughed as he did nothing to fight back. As the final class ended, Lisa got ready to walk out of the classroom, her hand digging in her purse to find that orange shade of lip gloss she wore every Tuesday, Yeonseok decided that he had a question, that deserved an answer. Lisa owned

"Why did you do this, Lisa?" he spoke, his voice croaking, the only sentence he spoke all day. He looked miserable, in fact, he felt miserable. Pathetic, disgusting, dirty, all those sorts. Lisa held his chin, "Just to make it clear that pitiful peasants like you shouldn't dream of people out of their league. It's dirty."

And suicide felt like the only option left in the world. Maybe it even was, because there are moments in life where it feels like peace can only be attained when everything ends. And no matter how much you tell a person who has lost hope in life that things will be okay, he will never believe you. Just like blood imprinted on paper, the thought that nothing ever will be okay is too imprinted in their minds. 

And so Kim Yeonseok gave his life up.

author's note:

apologies from the bottom of my heart, that I gave such a chapter and then disappeared in the midst of clouds. I have started class 10th, and along with 12th, it's the most important school year in a student's life in India. THE PRESSURE LEVEL IS HIGH ASF. 

it's been more than a year since crime in the church has been published, and i still haven't completed it (embarrassing asf, i know right) 

i know many have lost interest in this book already due to my idiotic update schedule and many won't ever read this chapter, but whatever really want to finish this book. love you guys, esp to the ones still reading.