warning: harassment
(not sexual)

—

"What are you doing?" Taehyung gasped out, cornered against the powder vanity counter. Bogum took a step forward and chuckled lowly, his tall slim body having changed little and the model scolded himself for not realizing earlier.

"Stop," Taehyung held out a shaky hand, a pathetic attempt to resist the man who still towered over him.

"Oh, is that any way to greet an old friend?" He pouted, trying to draw some guilt out of Taehyung but the model felt nothing but hatred for the man. "You look good."

"And you're still disgusting." He muttered, finding a dangerous way to fuel his spite for the man. "You can't touch me."

"I can't?" The mocking tone made his anger disappear into fear again, like a snap of his fingers. Taehyung's eyes teared up as Bogum took another step towards him and became close enough to reach for his hand. Taehyung was too slow to pull his hand away and the other grabbed it, Bogum's fingers chilling his burning one and Taehyung's stomach flipped in discomfort.

"S-Stop, please, stop—"

"Tell me I can't touch you again."

"B-Bogum," Taehyung was already trembling, wanted to crawl under the vanity counter and hide in his own arms, away from the monster that haunted him. "Please—"

"You can't do anything," the ex-celebrity sneered, letting go of his hand. "Can't make a scene, won't lash out at me, don't have cameras in here to catch me— so tell me why I can't touch you?"

"Stop!" Taehyung cried again and tripped over the vanity chair, Bogum snapping his hand out again to grab Taehyung from falling. The model pushed the man away, but the other simply turned him around so that Taehyung's back was pinned against his chest, arms entrapping and immobilizing him. "Let go of me! LET GO—"

Taehyung whimpered weakly as Bogum reached a hand to grab his jaw and force his gaze forward. The model cried again, eyes squeezed shut while shaking his head in protest.

"What are you going to do? Call your sweet little Jungkook? He's miles away, hoping you have an amazing evening." The man jeered. "Now, look."

"N-No, I won't, I w-won't— shit—" The spike of pain in his stomach made his eyes snap wide as he gasped for air. Taehyung couldn't see past his teary eyes and Bogum pressing a painful fist up into his abdomen wasn't helping him breath. "That hurts— Bogum, it hurts— please—"

"Look at yourself." He hissed and Taehyung gasped for any available air as he shuddered in pain. Eyes still shut, Bogum's sick hand wiped his tears with a nuzzle of his nose against his cheek. "So pretty even when you cry, but open your eyes."

Disgusting. Taehyung felt disgusting. So useless and weak in the man's arms.

He opened his eyes and kept them trained on the gold glimmer of his suit, head spinning with the pain while Bogum forced his jaw up again.

"Look into your own eyes."

Taehyung wanted to disappear. He wanted so badly to not exist in that moment. He hadn't looked into his own broken eyes for ages. He wasn't ready for that, he wasn't—

Bogum didn't care. His fist pierced into him harsher and Taehyung cried out in pain again.

"Look into your eyes and see how worthless you are." The man growled. Taehyung sobbed out protests as the pain became unbearable, the lack of oxygen through his hyperventilating making all his senses numb... all except the pain.

Everything just hurt. His throat from crying, his stomach from being attacked, his heart from it all.

His eyes opened, Bogum wiping his tears so his vision was clear and forcing his gaze to the mirror where he locked eyes with his own reflection's.

He was writhing in protest, but Bogum kept his face there, eyes locked on the broken void that linked him directly to his destructed soul.

"Worthless." Bogum engrained in his brain. "That's what you are, Kim Taehyung. Nothing."

The hands suddenly left from around his body and he crumbled to the ground without the prior support. Gasping for air and falling against the wall with a harsh hit to his head, Taehyung couldn't breathe. He was scarred. He didn't want to see. He didn't want to ever see himself again.

The clatter of the janitor cart was faint and distant, the wash of clamoring outside the bathroom dull and then gone all together as the door shut again.

Taehyung saw his reflection in the black void of his tormented mind, the weak figure trapped in his nightmare's hold. He was a coward and he was weak.

Worthless, worthless, worthless.

Taehyung was warm and sweaty, feeling disgusting in the expensive suit he didn't deserve to wear. He felt like an imposter in his own expensive skin that was cared and tended to by the best products in the world.

His whole body trembled as he shoved the chair aside and fumbled forward for his phone. Every movement agitated the pain in his abdomen and made his already suffering breaths hitch.

"P-Phone—" he cried softly, clutching his chest as his hand finally landed on the device and he pulled it down, hands shaking so badly the screen blurred before his eyes. "J-Jung—Jung—"

He could hardly understand his own wishes through the sobs that left his aching mouth. He could feel bruises on his face from where Bogum had gripped it, more most certainly tainting his mid region as he shifted up against the wall.

His eyes were blurry as he tried finding any contact to call on his phone and called the first one on his contact list.

His cries were dimmed and soft, energy drained from the occurrence moments ago as the painful ring went on and on.

It was on the last ring that the line connected and Taehyung gasped a shuddering breath past his muddled thoughts.

"Taehyung? How are— you're crying— what the fuck, why are you crying?" The urgency in Jungkook's voice, the clatter of objects getting carelessly knocked over mace Taehyung break more.

Why did the younger care? Why did Jungkook, why did anyone for that matter, care about him? He wasn't worth any love and he wrongfully had everything he could ever want.

"Taehyung," the younger's voice was pained. "What happened? Where are you? Aren't you at the gala?"

Every syllable of hurt in Jungkook's voice made his heart ache ten times more. "I-I'm sorry, B-Bogum— he— I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"Bogum? He what, Tae? Why are you sorry? Taehyung, talk to me— Taehyung— Taehyung! Hello? Taehyung, p-please what's wrong, please just—"

The world faded away as the model fell limp against the cool tile wall, tears staining his face like blood that held all the pain of his heart.

"I messaged him ten minutes ago and he's still not here." Jin pushed past the crowd that was shifting to the ballroom for the fashion show event set to begin at 7:15. He searched for the restroom where he had last known of Taehyung going and sighed in relief when he found the door not far away, sign small and pinned to the left of the entrance.

He pushed it open as the background announcements to "find your seats and take them for the show" blared in his ears.

"Taehyung, are you in here— holy shit— Taehyung!" Jin ran forward and fell onto the ground beside the unconscious model. He checked for a pulse and shuddered in relief when he found a faint one clashing with his erratic rate. "Tae, wake up, Taehyung— fuck, what the hell happened?"

Jin grabbed his phone and opened it, eyes widening as he saw nearly fifty messages from first Jungkook on Instagram, then some from Hoseok who had heard from Jungkook and also some from Yoongi saying they were already on their way there.

"H-Hobi," Jin fumbled into the phone speaker as he hugged Taehyung and hoisted him up to sit on the vanity counter's chair. "I don't know, I found him in the bathroom unconscious and I don't know— I don't—"

"Yoongi Hyung and I are on our way to the venue. Stay put and stay with him." Hoseok's voice was shaking, too. They couldn't possibly call an ambulance straight to the scene, the utter, tangled mess it would create wasn't worth it— and why bother ruining the night for the oblivious?

Jin hung up the line and went to his messages to find Jungkook's heavy dump of them sitting in his notifications. He scrolled to the last few and tried catching up on anything the younger knew. If Jungkook was the first to message him, Taehyung must have called or reported something to him.

jjungkookie
jin hyung please answer

jjungkookie
im so scared he just stopped talking

jjungkookie
he sounded in so much pain

jjungkookie
he said bogum's name but nothing more

jjungkookie
hyung please help him please

wwh_youknow
call my number

wwh_youknow
01X-XXXX-XXXX

"Jin Hyung!" Jungkook's call came almost immediately after sending the message. "Is he okay? Are you with him? I'm so worried, he just-just—"

"Yes, Jungkook," Jin took a deep breath. "He's with me. Found him unconscious in the bathroom. What do you mean he said Bogum's name?"

"He called me like fifteen minutes ago." Jungkook cried. "He just kept apologizing and said 'Bogum', but then he passed out!"

"I'll try getting him awake." Jin mumbled. "He will be okay, Jungkook. Don't worry."

"Please keep me updated," the photographer's voice croaked, Jin nodding and hanging up. He gazed around and grabbed a hand towel from the counter, running to the sinks and dampening the cloth until it was cool and moist.

Kneeling beside the younger, Jin dabbed around the model's face. His hair was disheveled and thrown in every direction, suit wrinkled and somehow lackluster as if Taehyung controlled its shine. The tears had left painful streaks amongst Taehyung's cheeks, the sore redness visible even past the makeup. Jin stifled a small gasp as he noticed soft bruises along Taehyung's jaw and took it upon himself to help the younger get some breathable space, sliding the suit coat off Taehyung's arms and letting it fall onto the vanity counter.

A low hum filled the tense air and Jin jerked back, heart racing as he saw Taehyung mumbling under his breath with furrowed brows of distress.

"Tae?" Jin spoke softly, wiping at the smudged makeup and smoothing down his dongsaeng's hair.

"H-Hyung?" Taehyung groaned as his dark eyes fluttered open, head falling as he clutched his stomach with a painful gasp. "Shit, what time is it?"

"Ignore that," Jin scowled. "What happened?"

"The show—" Taehyung was clambering to his feet and nearly fell over, Jin grabbed him before he could fall and seating him back down. "H-Hyung, the show, we need to go—"

"What happened, Taehyung?" Jin spoke calmly, tone threateningly quiet. "Forget about your job, forget about this event— you're bruised and crying and were unconscious, so focus on yourself. What happened?"

Taehyung pried away from Jin's touch, avoiding his gaze with the fall on his head, hand gripping his expensive trousers with trembling fingers. "B-Bogum... he-he was here."

"What?" Jin's jaw slackened as he stumbled backwards like he'd been hit by a blow himself. "Taehyung, are you serious?"

It was a stupid question. Taehyung would never joke about such a thing and Jin felt an incredible mass of guilt fall on his shoulders. There were so many things that could have happened and his mind began to swarm with fear for the younger.

"He— he was here—" Taehyung cried out, voice choking on another sob and Jin quietly shushed him, grabbing his phone to let the concerned parties know.

"Yoongi and Hobi are coming right now," Jin whispered to him, stroking his hair soothingly. "We are getting you out of here and somewhere safe okay?"

"No, no, no," Taehyung shook his head with wide bewildered eyes and Jin froze his actions. "The gala, Jin, I'm-I'm expected to be present— no, I can't go—"

"Taehyung, please," Jin pleaded himself for the younger to listen. "You need to get some rest, I'm not pushing you to tell me what happened now, but I'm not letting you go back out there."

"Jin Hyung!" Taehyung pushed him away and the senior model fell against the marble floor, quickly bouncing to his feet and dusting off his clothing. "I'm nothing— I'm nothing without this face, and if this face doesn't make an appearance during the fashion show, I'll take an even worse hit!"

Nothing without this face... Jin suddenly knew what Bogum had done and his heart seemed to shatter on the spot.

And yet, the awful circumstances of it all made it the wrong time and place to convince Taehyung otherwise, so the best thing he could do was help the younger fix himself.

"Clean up," Jin mumbled with a strain in his heartbroken voice, holding out his bag. "I have touch ups in here and there should be a comb as well."

Taehyung wordlessly took the bag and stood with Jin's help, bracing himself against the wall before sitting back down into the chair Jin had set for him. He paused for a few moments, gripping the edge of the marble ledge, before whimpering helplessly.

"H-Hyung," Jin was up and over by him in an instance with the call. "You do it please, I can't look right now—"

"It's okay, it's okay," Jin shushed him and pulled him away from the counter before bending down and fixing Taehyung's appearance himself. "Jungkook messaged me. He messaged Hobi and Yoongi knows, too."

"No one else knows, right?" Taehyung shuddered and Jin then realized how much the younger was shaking. "And I called him— before... before you got here.... that stings, Hyung."

Jin paused from his dabbing of concealer on the bruises littered along Taehyung's jaw. They resembled fingers and the elder suddenly assembled the pieces of what had happened.

"Tae, he hurt you."

"I'm fine." The model shrugged him off. "Please hurry, the show probably started."

Jin made quick work of covering up as much of Taehyung's tortured expression as he could, breathing with nervous shakiness as he stepped away and fixed his own appearance. Taehyung was slipping on his coat jacket and pressing down the gold vest that provided a good cover for his bruising mid section.

wwh_youknow
don't come here

wwh_youknow
he's staying for the show

sunshinehobi
hyung you can't let him

sunshinehobi
jungkook said bogum was involved

wwh_youknow
I can't control him either hobi

wwh_youknow
I'll stick around and help him

sunshinehobi
yoonie hyung just said you should let him stay

sunshinehobi
I guess leaving before the main event would look bad :((

wwh_youknow
that's so sick

wwh_youknow
we don't have a choice but fuck that

sunshinehobi
what the hell did bogum do?
-yoongi

wwh_youknow
I don't know for sure but I have an idea

wwh_youknow
tae can't look in the mirror and he had finger bruises on his jaw

wwh_youknow
bogum was definitely here

sunshinehobi
WHAT?

sunshinehobi
fuckfuckfuckfuck

sunshinehobi
how did he even get in?

sunshinehobi
hyung what do I tell jungkook?

sunshinehobi
I think yoongi hyung is going to explode and he's driving

sunshinehobi
shit

wwh_youknow
get back to our flat in one piece

wwh_youknow
our stylists will be over to help collect these clothes later tonight, but you guys hang out there until we are done here

wwh_youknow
and you should tell jungkook the truth he already knows too much anyways

sunshinehobi
already on the way there, will the spare be with security?

sunshinehobi
I'll tell the kid😔

sunshinehobi
we won't really figure out what happened with bogum right?

wwh_youknow
yes key's with security like always, they know you

wwh_youknow
not unless taehyung tells us and from what I can see, that'll be a difficult

wwh_youknow
I haven't seen him in this state since back then

sunshinehobi
yoongi hyung said you should should try having him speak to Jungkook after the event

sunshinehobi
and we will let ourselves in then

sunshinehobi
take care of him and yourself jinnie💛

wwh_youknow
I'll try getting a hold of the guy thanks sunshine

wwh_youknow
do me a favor and make sure yoongi doesn't kill the monster himself

sunshinehobi
not sure if I'd even stop him

"I'm ready, Hyung," Taehyung's shaky voice had calmed and Jin put his phone away to find the younger model cursed with a blank face.

Taehyung's mask was pieced back together, stitched so seamlessly that no one would be able to see into his empty aching chest.

Jin smiled sadly and took his arm, sharing a deep breath with the younger as Taehyung smiled gratefully at him.

The smile was far from the one he'd seen just yesterday while the model called his favorite photographer. Jin led him out of the bathroom and the overwhelming boom of guests mingling before the start of the show filled their ears.

"Please take your seats."

Just in time.

Cameras caught sight of the two models making a long awaited appearance, snapping pictures of the BigHit duo as they walked through the aisle between the rows of chairs and to their reserved seats at the front.

Jin never caught Taehyung slip once.

Not when their adjacent seats greeted them as they sat, not when photographers raced to the front for pictures of the famous models, and most certainly not when an interviewer began asking Kim Taehyung questions.

Strong. Kim Taehyung was the strongest man he'd met.

To have a nightmare of his past harass him with a second threat to his reputation, baring a perfect appearance for public instead of screaming for help was something Jin couldn't imagine doing so well.

You deserve happiness, Taehyung.

He deserved the most genuine happiness after being stripped of every bit of inner confidence he'd built since Bogum years ago— all in a matter of minutes.

The world was so cruel to the selfless ones.

—

sign up for mission hunt down bogum is here ->

poor tae baby :((
—I say as if I didn't know exactly what I was doing

I could never be a celebrity, the willpower they have is astonishing.

thank you for reading
ily guys <33

—neeto💙