Hoseok

"Happy birthday, Jin!" I scream as soon as I get in his car, a sexy drool worthy black M6 Convertible he usually drives when he's in the mood. I love that bitch.

"Fuck off."

Yeah.

He hates birthdays.

"So, where are we headed to now?" I ask, ignoring his unusual way of greeting as I light my cigarette and he squashes his, maybe, 15th cigarette in the car ashtray.

"Penthouse. Taehyung called," he says as he starts the car and hits the road.

"Please act surprised."

"You know I do."

"Like fuck you do. The last time he almost figured out that you already knew about his surprise party." I say.

Truth be told, it was an absolute shitshow that day, last year.

Innocent little Taehyung was almost on the verge of tears when he saw Seokjin being aloof at the surprise party, as if he knew everything about it. It took a whole lot of cajoling from my side and enough convincing from Jin's side to let Taehyung know that his party was a success.

"You know well why I was like that, Hoseok. My uncle is not my favorite face to look at."

Yeah.

Truth be told, ever since Seokjin found out about his mother's affair with his uncle and that Taehyung was his uncle's son, he stopped associating with him. It was only because of Seokjin's attachment to Taehyung that he tolerated that man. Not because of his mother.

That's the story for another day.

We drove in silence with the air ruffling our hair, the smoke surrounding us and a smooth beat thumping on his console, acting as a white noise to our emptiness.

It was like this most of the time and neither of us complained. This silence was like an antidote to the shitstorm in our everyday lives. Mostly, the shitstorms we create.

"We're here." His voice reverberated as he shut the engine down.

Time always flies like a blur when I'm with him.

No sooner, we were in front of the penthouse with Seokjin entering the pass code for us to enter. The wide corridor was looming with quietness and I had a very bad feeling about this.

Something really felt wrong.

I swear I could feel it in my bones. Granted, I was a lanky 15 year old but my intuitions never fucking failed me. They helped me in the most inopportune times.

The moment we stepped in the building I could feel a terrible sense of foreboding and I did not like it.

I looked at Seokjin as the door opened with a beep and judging from his frown, I understood that he felt it too.

We looked at each other for a moment and immediately dashed in the house. It was too quiet.

Way too quiet.

We took cautious yet hurried steps inside and found it completely dark.

Surprise parties weren't supposed to be dark. This was some ominous shit.

Seokjin flipped a light switch on and I literally prayed for a confetti to pop up so that this feeling would turn out to be just my imagination.

But no.

It wasn't like that and we immediately knew.

The living room was thrashed almost everywhere. There were shards of glass lying on the floor, cushions torn and strewn over on the carpet and the light fixtures were broken.

It looked like someone robbed this place but we both knew that was not the case at all.

Seokjin ran to the rooms on one side while I ran to the other side, both of us calling out Taehyung at the top of our voices.

If something happened to Taehyung...fuck!

The moment I entered one room, I heard a weak whimpering noise. It came from under the bed.

I knew who that was.

"Seokjin!" I screamed out to him and ran to the bed, leaning myself down to look for Taehyung.

I almost wished that he wouldn't be the one there when I laid my eyes on him.

But he was there. Quivering and crying in torn clothes and bloodied form, Taehyung looked at me with fear in his eyes. His sobs turned louder when he saw me and I grabbed him as fast as I could.

I couldn't believe my eyes. He was clutching me as if his life depended on me as I soothed him down, being very careful to not further hurt him.

"Who did this, Taehyung?" I tried asking him but his sobs grew louder and louder.

"Please...please don't leave me." He cried and cried and cried.

Who the fuck did this to him?

Just then, he was snatched from me and was in Seokjin's arms. Taehyung didn't register that as he was crying uncontrollably.

"Who did this, Taehyung?" Seokjin asked calmly as he grabbed Taehyung's face with both his hands.

I saw them that time. Taehyung crying, from relief and sorrow and Seokjin, looking at him with unshed tears in his eyes. His face was red with anger and I could only imagine how much he was containing himself.

"Fa..fa..father!" He cried out finally and fell on his brother, grabbing him. Seokjin hugged him tight immediately and I was shocked to my bones.

Kim Seojoon did this to him?

Who beats a kid like that? Till he is bleeding and bruised?

My legs were shaking and I tried to calm myself. My breathing was getting heavy but I willed myself to calm down. Ugly memories were resurfacing in my mind and I tried to forget them now.

It was no use.
They were done with.
They can't harm me now.

I thought of these words and took a deep breath.

No sooner, I felt rage clawing through my skin.

How dare he?

How fucking dare he?

How dare he harm a kid like that?

He'll have to pay for this.

I'll make sure he pays for this.

Taehyung's cries were haunting. For a few minutes, his voice was the only sound vibrating in my ears.

It was terribly haunting.

Taehyung's shaking body was the only movement in the room as we were sat on the floor.

Seokjin was opposite me, hugging Taehyung in his arms but his eyes were on me.

I understood. That unspoken rage in his eyes spoke enough.

I looked at him long enough and nodded.

I got up and looked for that man. That sorry excuse if a man.

Kim fucking Seojoon. You're badly done for.

Soon enough, I found him.

He was lying on the couch in the master bedroom. Pissed drunk and dozed off.

I grabbed a light stand which was beside the door and strode towards him.

I shook him roughly to make him come to his senses. He was partially awake now.

"Wha-?" A straight hard blow to his stomach and he retched all over the floor.

"You hurt him."

My voice betrayed nothing. I hated this man now and I saw to it that he knew every bit of it.

Another blow. The light stand was beyond repair now.

His shocked cries were filling the room and I saw the side of his forehead bleeding. He must have hit his head on the dressing table when I gave him the second blow.

"You hit him like this?" I undid my belt and slashed it through his back.

His cries were orgasmic at this point.

Another whip of my belt. Then other. Then other. I lost count eventually.

"He is a kid and you hurt him."

My boot was on his face now. His face was bloodied and slapped on the floor.

"I'm sorry..." Poor guy wasn't able to breathe so I couldn't figure it out that he was apologizing.

I kicked his stomach with my heel, making his body fold in upwards. A sucker punch on his face before he reeled himself in and he was out like a lightbulb.

That was fast.

Such a weak pussy face.

I don't know how long I stood there looking at Kim Seojoon's bruised body. It wasn't fine but I couldn't bring myself to feel remorseful over it.

"Is he dead?"

I whipped my head and saw Seokjin standing by the doorway with a jug of water in his hand. Taehyung wasn't with him.

"No. I wasn't going to kill him." I said as I did my belt.

"Good."

I cocked my head and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Because that's what I'll be doing."

What?

"What are you talking about?" I asked incredulously.

"You heard me. He has to go."
He was frighteningly calm and collected. Almost like a psychopath.

I couldn't say a word. I could say that I was afraid of him at that moment and I think I showed him that then.

"Apparently, this wasn't the first time he did this to Taehyung. Those bruises weren't from accidents at school or sports. It was him." He walked towards the bedside table and placed the jug on it.

I looked at the vile man on the floor and felt disgust rise at my throat.

"That fucking bastard." I kicked his unconscious body twice and spat at him.

"Yeah." He said and trained his eyes at me a moment later.

"Hoseok," he said in that calm voice, his eyes not betraying the thought of blood on his head. "You helped me fine till now and I trust you that you won't rat me out to the police. But what's about to happen right now is totally my doing and I don't want you involved any longer."

I looked at him for a few seconds.

Those torturous memories of my old life flashing before me.

My life before I met Seokjin.

Fucking liar.

He told me that he would have me beside him all the time, didn't he?

"No fucking way, hyung." I looked at him and scoffed in mirth.

He raised an eyebrow at me and nodded, clearly understanding what I meant.

"Very well then," He walked to the laid down body and touched his face with his boot.

"Wake him up."

I nodded at him. "Where's Taehyung?" I asked.

"He's sleeping in the guest room. I gave him sleeping pills to numb the pain."

"He's a kid. The pills might give an adverse reaction."

"He's out like a bulb and that's enough time for me to kill this fuck."

He really made his mind. And I'm willingly helping him.

"Okay."

I took the jug from the bedside table and poured the whole liquid on Kim Seojoon's face.

Bottoms up.

The man jumped into consciousness and started coughing and wheezing like a sick goat.

I didn't give him a reprieve. Just punched him a strong knuckle fist right onto his nose.

It was a blood party.

Seokjin grabbed his collar and dragged him on the bed placed in the middle of the room.

"Seokjin! What are you doing?! What are you both doing?!" Kim Seojoon was livid and disoriented but not fully dumbed down. He was slurring his words.

Seokjin opened a clost and fetched out four ties from there. He walked to Seojoon and tied his hands on the bed posts; two for each hand. It wasn't a strong binding but looking at his intoxicated state, there was no chance of him overpowering us.

He thrashed and cursed, clearly angry and in despair. I and Seokjin just looked at him.

"Why did you hit him?" Seokjin asked calmly.

"Because he's a bastard! A good for nothing murderer!"

I looked at the mad man in bewilderment. What the fuck is he saying?

"He killed his mother! If it weren't for that snake, my Jihye.. my Jihye would be alive! With me... she would have been with me.."

He was crying now.

Is this man even mentally stable?

I looked at Seokjin and found him simply staring at Seojoon. His eyes were devoid of any emotions. Maybe he was dumbfounded like me or he just stopped feeling.

I couldn't tell.

"Uncle," Seokjin spoke in a eerily calm tone. "Taehyung is a kid. It wasn't his choice to be born as a bastard to you and my mother."

"Seokjin!"

I punched the shameless man on the bed the moment he shouted Seokjin's name in anger.

Fucker's got the balls to get pissed?

Seokjin spoke on.

"If you didn't know how to look after a kid, you should've thought to use protection when you were fucking my mother. It's not Taehyung's fault that you got horny one day. He didn't ask for such horrible parents."

Kim Seojoon was shaking and grunting in exasperation.

"So, how dare you..." he started walking to the dressing table, grabbed a nail clipper and stood beside the bed post where Seojoon's one hand was tied.

"..punish him for the mistake you did." He clipped his fingernail and pulled it apart without changing his expression.

The room was filled with Seojoon's screams. He was reduced to pathetic tears just by this. Fucking bastard.

"How dare you hurt Taehyung because of that, uncle?" Another fingernail.

"How dare you beat him till his back is bruised?" Another two.

"How dare you threaten him to keep quiet about what you did to him?" His fingers were bleeding profusely now.

I looked at the scene unfolding in front of me. It was macabre, unsettling and horrific.

It wasn't just the abuse Seokjin was meting out to him. It was the confidence he was projecting when he was torturing his uncle without a shred of remorse on his face.

I was scared of him then.

Shit scared.

But then I remembered Taehyung's frightened face under the bed, his little shaking form and my fear for Seokjin drastically changed to hate for this vile man who called himself Taehyung's father.

He fucking deserved this.

After pulling out all ten fingernails, Seokjin threw the bloody clippers on the bed and wiped his hands on Kim Seojoon's shirt.

"Untie him, Hoseok."

I did that. Needless to say, Kim Seojoon was on the brink of exhaustion. He screamed his throat raw and was losing blood little by little. He couldn't move.

Seokjin grabbed his jaw roughly and brought it close to his own face.

"Don't be surprised, uncle." He smirked at him with pure hate in his eyes.

"I promised your Jihye that I'd protect Taehyung with everything I have. I'm just fulfilling her wish."

That night, I saw fear in its pure form in Kim Seojoon's eyes. "Seokj-"

He didn't finish that because Seokjin had a thick shard of glass stabbed in Seojoon's stomach and blood was trickling out. Then, he pulled the shard out, filling the room with a sick sound, and stabbed him with it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And it was done.

Seokjin had blood on his hands and a far away look in his eyes. He then brought himself back and wiped the blood on the bedsheets.

The glass shard was still lodged in Kim Seojoon's stomach and his mouth was open in a silent cry. He was dead in a few seconds and it was the most ugly sight ever.

Good fucking riddance.

"We'll set it on fire. The whole thing." He said nonchalantly and looked at me.

I simply nodded.

No matter what, I didn't stop him so I'm equally responsible for this.

It was then that we heard it.

A mild whimper.

We slowly turned our heads to the doorway and saw little Taehyung, shaking and softly sniffling. I couldn't understand if he was scared or sad. He was just..there.

And that freaked us both out.

I don't know why but I took two steps towards him when he hitched a small breath and fainted on the floor right by the door.

I looked at Seokjin and he looked at me. We were thinking the same thing.

He saw us and that could screw us big time.

Well be fucked.

"Don't worry. I can handle this." Seokjin spoke. He was picking up Taehyung from the floor now.

That's it!

"How?!" I was scared now. I couldn't help but scream at him.

"My father. He's got lawyers."

I followed Seokjin out of the room and into the living room where he put Taehyung on the couch and softly caressed his head.

"I'm not talking about that!"

He looked at me then. "Taehyung saw us, dammit!" I shouted.

It was then that I saw a semblance of emotion in his eyes. They were sad. Really sad.

"I know what to do about that too. Don't worry, Hoseok. It'll be over."

"But-"

"Trust me." His voice betrayed nothing. I had no choice but to trust him then.

I calmed myself down and sighed deeply. I sat on the couch and ran my hands in my hair in exasperation. Today was an absolute shit show.

What a fucking day.

I heard a sigh coming from Seokjin then. I raised my head and saw him looking at me.

He then smiled ruefully and said,

"Some birthday, huh?