"And what about your hyungs? Your family? You went against us. That's a very serious offence. Men in this family get killed for less. It's like you want me to get rid of you." Kangwoo came closer and Jiho swiftly wrapped his arms around Tae without thinking. Big mistake. Suddenly Kangwoo charged forward, ripping Tae from Jiho's hold and practically throwing him across the room. "What are you doing?! Why are you suddenly coddling the brat? Huh?"
Jiho gulped and tried to back up more but the wall was there. Kangwoo struck him across the face and he closed his eyes, breathing heavily. "S-Sorry, Kangwoo-hyungnim." He just didn't want Tae to get hurt.
"You've gotten too close. See, look, this is what father always said. Love makes you weak." Turning away from Jiho, he stalked over to Tae and grabbed him by the hair. "That's why it's best that you're leaving."
"Where am I going?!" Tae fought against the tears that wanted to come to his eyes and he kept from crying out, even if it hurt to have his hair gripped like that. He tried to turn and look at his hyung, tried to make sure that Jiho was all right. Really he wanted to ask Jiho for help, but he knew Jiho couldn't help him. "I can't go, I live here!"
This was where the pictures of eomma were and where his hyung was and where he knew the elephants in the corner. "I didn't go against you! Why is it against you?"
"I don't want you here. It's my house and all you do is cause me trouble. I don't want you, Eomma never wanted you, neither did appa. You were just a mistake." He was giving Tae away to Cheon to do whatever the fuck he wanted, sell him out as a specialist piece or a servant, he didn't care. If anyone asked, he'd claim Taehyung was at a boarding school.
"Hyung-nim! You can't, he's our brother. You can't get rid of him!"
"You really think that?" Jiho couldn't let Kangwoo take him, he just couldn't move his body. He was frozen with fear. A coward. Kangwoo dropped Tae back down and kicked him hard when he tried to get back up. "Cheon is waiting outside to take you away. I'll never have to deal with you again."
Tae curled up and bit down on his lip so he wouldn't cry, glaring at Kangwoo instead. "You are stupid!" So there. He wished he knew how to hurt him, he really, really wanted to hurt him. "No one likes you! I wanted to like you, because you are my hyung, but I don't like you!"
Oh shit. Kangwoo went right at Tae and Jiho didn't know what happened but suddenly his body was moving and he threw a punch, his first ever punch, hitting Kangwoo in the back before he could stomp on Tae's chest. He was terrified - he was a small boy and Kangwoo was built up, he'd kill Tae if he hit him too hard.
Kangwoo turned around, looking positively murderous. "You -- You can't do this! I won't let you hurt him! He's my brother!"
And then everything went weird and like it was under water because Kangwoo punched him hard in the head, making his ears ring loudly and his vision wobble. He stumbled into Kangwoo's desk and balanced himself up, letting anger overtaking him as he jumped at his brother, fighting him in earnest. It hurt, he wasn't winning but he was keeping the heat off Tae. Every hit was worth it.
Kangwoo shoved Jiho down, watching the boy fall on his ass as he turned back to Tae. He was panting now, bleeding from his lip and glaring down at Tae. Jiho sat up and opened his arms. "Tae! Thorough his legs, come to me!"
Tae ran as quickly as he could, but then turned around just after he had ducked under Kangwoo's legs and punched him right in the crotch, as hard as he could. That's what he got for making Jiho hurt like that! He tried to help his hyung up, knowing that they only had one chance. Run and hide. But where? And how? "Let's go, hyung!"
Kangwoo dropped to his knees in pain and Jiho was up, grabbing Tae's hand and running. He knew what he had to do, Cheon was outside and Kangwoo was already calling him for. There weren't many options any more, not after they did that. He ran down into the basement and hurried along, wheezing and dazed but knowing he had no time to be in pain. He'd be in pain later, so would Tae, he just had to get them out. He shoved a mop under the basement door handle just in time, locking it with the key too as he heard Kangwoo bang on it. Idiot, he left the key in the lock. "Jiho! Open the fucking door or I'm going to kill you."
Jiho gulped and hurried down the stairs to Tae, looking him over quickly. Shit, he was bleeding, Kangwoo busted his lip. "It's okay, TaeTae. We're going to have to be really brave today. See that window there?" He pointed at the window that led to outside. "We're gonna go out of it and then we're going to run all the way to the end of the garden, yeah? We're leaving. We have to."
"Okay." Tae nodded, knowing there was no time to ask questions. He was scared, but also running on adrenaline, so he hurried to the back of the room and tried to reach for the window, finally managing with his hyung's help. It took him a while but he did climb out, immediately turning around to hold a hand out for Jiho.
"Come on, hyung. We need to get to a phone." He had remembered Namjoon's magic. He didn't have the card on him, but he had memorised the number with the help of a song he'd made up, so he was sure that he still knew it. "I will help if we get to a phone and then you can lie down."
"Okay, we -- we'll find a phone, whatever." Maybe he had Minjun's number. Jiho hauled himself through the window and wriggled along the wet grass, pulling himself to his feet and grabbing Tae's hand, running like his life depended on it. Which it might just. Kangwoo would work it out soon, he had to move fast - to lose the trail. Jiho boosted Tae up and over the wall, hopping over it too and trying to keep that adrenaline pumping or he was just going to drop down on his face. Which he didn't want to do. It was rainy and muddy today, he liked this shirt.
"We follow the road up here for about ten minutes and then we should be near town." Jiho wheezed heavily and nearly stumbled over his own feet. Not just from being hurt, he was just not that used to running.
He needed to keep Tae motivated, not too scared, so he forced himself to smile. "Race you to town, TaeTae."
"We can do it, hyung!" Tae did his own best to motivate his hyung, knowing that he must be hurting so much and he had been so brave! He was still in awe of what had happened and he almost forgot being afraid over the rush he felt. So he ran as quickly as he could to keep up with Jiho's longer legs, trying to figure out how they could get a phone. Maybe there would be someone who had a mobile phone?
"Jiho-hyung, can I ask someone for a phone?" Maybe that could work, if he tried to look cute.
"We can try. It's either that or-- or a pay phone. I had some cash, I think." He passed down his hoodie and heard a jingle, pulling out some coins. "I think the subway has a phone so let's go, yeah?" Cause his vision was going blurry and he stumbled over his own feel, skimming his knee. He forced himself to get right back up, smiling at Tae so he wasn't scared. "Dizzy. Come on, subway!"
It was a long walk but they finally got there, among the crowd of people that were already there. Good. This would make it harder for them to be found and taken. He pulled his hood up and limped along, a hand on Tae's back - gently. He'd been whipped yesterday and he didn't want to make Tae hurt any more than he probably already was. "Tae... who are you calling?"
"Namjoon-hyung." Tae turned to look at his brother as he held the coins tightly, knowing what he would say. "He said I could call him any time and he would help. Like he helped Jungkook. And... I know, I know he's Min clan, but he can help us for now and then we can help ourselves. But now we need someone really good and strong, right? And Kangwoo can't go after Min Yoongi, he said so himself!"
With a lot of cursing and very unhappily, but still.
Jiho thought it was a horrible idea but... they didn't stand for kids being used and if they got caught, Tae was in for a rough life. As far as cost vs benefit went? Tae's happiness was worth whatever happened to him. He slowly slid down the wall and sat on the floor, exhaling slowly. "Just do it. Call him. Be quick, you only get two minutes with that much."
Feeling dizzy, he lowered his head and now he'd stopped running, the full impact of the pain was hitting him. God, his ribs hurt so bad. Kangwoo really boxed the shit out of them.
"Okay, hyung... Please hold my hand." He just had to make sure that his hyung wouldn't pass out, he knew passing out was bad. Tae managed to dial the number he had memorised, singing the song under his breath and he held the phone to his ear, nervous as he listened to the dial tone. "It's dialling!"
He wanted to keep his hyung updated. "Hello?" Someone had picked up. "Namjoon-hyung? It's TaeTae."
"Kay." Jiho held onto his hand and focused on breathing, his vision kept getting fuzzy but he pushed through it. He couldn't leave Tae yet. He'd regret it his whole life if he failed him now.
"... Taehyung? Hey, bud-- erm, what's up?" Namjoon was worried, he wasn't sure why he was being called but he sensed it was nothing good. He looked at Yoongi, who he was sitting with right now while Jungkook was splish-splashing in the bath before bed. Hence why his voice was a little echoy. "What's a matter?"
"Hyung and I ran and we are at the subway station, because Kangwoo-hyungnim wants to kill us." Tae knew that he had to say things properly when he was on the phone, he had practised how to do it at school. That was about calling an ambulance, but same difference. So he very clearly said the name of the subway station, glad that he remembered that. "I punched him in the nuts and hyung was really brave and beat him up so he couldn't stomp me dead!"
That was how he remembered things, anyway. Yoongi was looking at Namjoon, eyebrows raised, his pwn phone already in his hand. He expected he'd have to make a call.
"Make sure he knows it's the Hanti station." He knew Tae said it but he was still worried, not wanting to be missed. "Bundang Line. Not the 1 but the 2. Platform 2." Jiho muttered as he closed his eyes and tried to just get a moment where he wasn't dizzy and the world was spinning. He waited to hear Tae repeat what he said before nodding in approval.
"Okay, I'm on my way, I don't live too far from there so I'll get in the car now, yeah? Are you and him among a lot of people? Is there a food place in there? Can you go and stand inside that, make sure a looot of people see you, yeah?" Namjoon was up and moving already, putting the phone on his shoulder to quickly talk to Yoongi. "Gotta go, Kangwoo just tried to murder his brothers and they called me! I-- Send some people to the Hanti station."
Maybe they could deter Kangwoo from getting close. He was already running to the door. "On my way, TaeTae."
"Huh." Yoongi called a number, as expected, while turning to Jungkook and giving the thumbs up. "Our Joon-ah is going to sort it all out, don't worry."
Only he did worry, because that was his boyfriend and Kangwoo and Cheon were trigger-happy assholes, so the reinforcements he called were probably vastly overdoing it, but whatever. He wanted him safe and the kids deserved a fair shot too.
"We can't walk far," Tae explained, "Cause my hyung is really dizzy and he hurts. But we are by the phone, on platform 2. Bundang line." There, he said it all. "I don't have any more coins, but hyung, if I die, please take care of my hyung, cause he is the best."
Tae said it very sincerely, just as the call cut off. Then he sat down next to his brother and tightened his hold on his hand. "Namjoon-hyung said he'll be there soon."
"I'm sure he will be." Namjoon had his foot on the gas and was breaking all kinds of traffic rules but then, he never was the best driver so whatever. Jiho reached out his hand and raised it, stroking Tae's face where he'd clearly fallen on it. Being thrown across the room like that, a boy so small - it must have hurt.
"I couldn't lose you, weirdo. You're my little piece of eomma, yeah?" And he missed his eomma. So damn much. He wanted to cry and run to eomma but he knew he couldn't. "I won't let him hurt you. I'll fight him."
He looked Tae up and down, trying to keep himself awake and focused. "Where do you hurt? I can fix it later."
Tae shifted a little and wrapped his arms around Jiho, because he had said before that his hugs were like eomma hugs and he wanted to give him that. Maybe he could do some magic, like eommas could. Like kissing wounds so they hurt less, Jungkook had told him about it. "I'll fight him too. I punched his nuts!" His success for the night. "And you were like a ninja!"
He was still in awe of that. "My side hurts here... and my back hurts and my face and my lip and ow. But you hurt more."
And that worried him more. "Namjoon-hyung can help."
"It was worth it. Did you see his dumb face? Stupid idiot. And he does smell." Jiho smiled, even if it hurt, looking at Tae and subtly pulling up his shirt to look at his side. "Ouchie. We'll look at it. We'll make it all better and then we'll work out what to do, yeah? It's gonna be okay."
He smiled at Tae, his whole body throbbing painfully. He just wanted to go back home and lie in bed, he didn't want to keep going.
"Listen, no matter what happens - no matter where I am, yeah? You go with Namjoon and you stay with him. It's safe with him."
"I stay with my hyung. I always stay with you. You are the best and you are my hero." He didn't even want to contemplate anything else. "You always protect me. You are so, so, so good and I love you so, so, so, so, so, soooo much!"
Tae smiled a little, resting his head against Jiho. He was so hurt, but he knew they had to stay strong. They weren't safe yet. "I feel safe with you. Even when I'm scared."
"You're so weird, you dork." Jiho lowered his head, closing his eyes and just trying to not pass out. He drifted in and out but he kept squeezing Tae's hand whenever he could, trying to keep on top of things. It felt like minutes by the time Namjoon had arrived but it had taken almost twenty.
He came rushing over to them and winced at the state of Tae and Jiho. Damn, that boy would not be getting up. "Hey, TaeTae." Namjoon hurried over to them and looked at Jiho, wondering if he was even conscious. "Come on, let's get you boys out of here."
"Hyung? Hyung, Namjoon-hyung is here. Jiho?" Tae tugged on his hand to try and wake him, watching with concern and explaining to Namjoon. "He is really hurt, because he kicked Kangwoo's butt." And obviously mostly just got his own butt kicked. "He is so strong! You have to help him, yes? Please help him."
At long last and without any further warning, Tae burst into tears. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"
"Woah, woah, it's okay. It'll be okay. I got you both, it's no one's fault." Namjoon helped Jiho up as much as he could before lifting him up bridal style - he was a small boy, very light, it wasn't too much of a struggle. Jiho wasn't waking up so he assumed he was passed out, it didn't look great but he was hopeful it was nothing too serious.
"Tae, hold onto my pant leg, okay? My car is just here. Come on, come on!" Namjoon kept his tone light as he jogged outside to his car, placing Jiho in the back and swiftly buckling him in place. He didn't know if Kangwoo would start firing or not. "Tae, can you get in the front? It's okay, Jiho will be fine back there but I need you in front."
It was safer there and besides, he wanted to keep an eye on him. "We're going to my home. It's safer there."
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Jiho gulped and tried to back up more but the wall was there. Kangwoo struck him across the face and he closed his eyes, breathing heavily. "S-Sorry, Kangwoo-hyungnim." He just didn't want Tae to get hurt.
"You've gotten too close. See, look, this is what father always said. Love makes you weak." Turning away from Jiho, he stalked over to Tae and grabbed him by the hair. "That's why it's best that you're leaving."
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This was where the pictures of eomma were and where his hyung was and where he knew the elephants in the corner. "I didn't go against you! Why is it against you?"
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"Hyung-nim! You can't, he's our brother. You can't get rid of him!"
"You really think that?" Jiho couldn't let Kangwoo take him, he just couldn't move his body. He was frozen with fear. A coward. Kangwoo dropped Tae back down and kicked him hard when he tried to get back up. "Cheon is waiting outside to take you away. I'll never have to deal with you again."
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That was the worst he could say. "You smell." Ha.
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Kangwoo turned around, looking positively murderous. "You -- You can't do this! I won't let you hurt him! He's my brother!"
And then everything went weird and like it was under water because Kangwoo punched him hard in the head, making his ears ring loudly and his vision wobble. He stumbled into Kangwoo's desk and balanced himself up, letting anger overtaking him as he jumped at his brother, fighting him in earnest. It hurt, he wasn't winning but he was keeping the heat off Tae. Every hit was worth it.
Kangwoo shoved Jiho down, watching the boy fall on his ass as he turned back to Tae. He was panting now, bleeding from his lip and glaring down at Tae. Jiho sat up and opened his arms. "Tae! Thorough his legs, come to me!"
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He hoped Jiho had an answer, because he didn't.
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Jiho gulped and hurried down the stairs to Tae, looking him over quickly. Shit, he was bleeding, Kangwoo busted his lip. "It's okay, TaeTae. We're going to have to be really brave today. See that window there?" He pointed at the window that led to outside. "We're gonna go out of it and then we're going to run all the way to the end of the garden, yeah? We're leaving. We have to."
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"Come on, hyung. We need to get to a phone." He had remembered Namjoon's magic. He didn't have the card on him, but he had memorised the number with the help of a song he'd made up, so he was sure that he still knew it. "I will help if we get to a phone and then you can lie down."
Because he looked so very hurt.
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"We follow the road up here for about ten minutes and then we should be near town." Jiho wheezed heavily and nearly stumbled over his own feet. Not just from being hurt, he was just not that used to running.
He needed to keep Tae motivated, not too scared, so he forced himself to smile. "Race you to town, TaeTae."
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"Jiho-hyung, can I ask someone for a phone?" Maybe that could work, if he tried to look cute.
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It was a long walk but they finally got there, among the crowd of people that were already there. Good. This would make it harder for them to be found and taken. He pulled his hood up and limped along, a hand on Tae's back - gently. He'd been whipped yesterday and he didn't want to make Tae hurt any more than he probably already was. "Tae... who are you calling?"
He passed him the coins, hoping it was Minjun.
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With a lot of cursing and very unhappily, but still.
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Feeling dizzy, he lowered his head and now he'd stopped running, the full impact of the pain was hitting him. God, his ribs hurt so bad. Kangwoo really boxed the shit out of them.
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He wanted to keep his hyung updated. "Hello?" Someone had picked up. "Namjoon-hyung? It's TaeTae."
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"... Taehyung? Hey, bud-- erm, what's up?" Namjoon was worried, he wasn't sure why he was being called but he sensed it was nothing good. He looked at Yoongi, who he was sitting with right now while Jungkook was splish-splashing in the bath before bed. Hence why his voice was a little echoy. "What's a matter?"
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That was how he remembered things, anyway. Yoongi was looking at Namjoon, eyebrows raised, his pwn phone already in his hand. He expected he'd have to make a call.
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"Okay, I'm on my way, I don't live too far from there so I'll get in the car now, yeah? Are you and him among a lot of people? Is there a food place in there? Can you go and stand inside that, make sure a looot of people see you, yeah?" Namjoon was up and moving already, putting the phone on his shoulder to quickly talk to Yoongi. "Gotta go, Kangwoo just tried to murder his brothers and they called me! I-- Send some people to the Hanti station."
Maybe they could deter Kangwoo from getting close. He was already running to the door. "On my way, TaeTae."
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Only he did worry, because that was his boyfriend and Kangwoo and Cheon were trigger-happy assholes, so the reinforcements he called were probably vastly overdoing it, but whatever. He wanted him safe and the kids deserved a fair shot too.
"We can't walk far," Tae explained, "Cause my hyung is really dizzy and he hurts. But we are by the phone, on platform 2. Bundang line." There, he said it all. "I don't have any more coins, but hyung, if I die, please take care of my hyung, cause he is the best."
Tae said it very sincerely, just as the call cut off. Then he sat down next to his brother and tightened his hold on his hand. "Namjoon-hyung said he'll be there soon."
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"I couldn't lose you, weirdo. You're my little piece of eomma, yeah?" And he missed his eomma. So damn much. He wanted to cry and run to eomma but he knew he couldn't. "I won't let him hurt you. I'll fight him."
He looked Tae up and down, trying to keep himself awake and focused. "Where do you hurt? I can fix it later."
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He was still in awe of that. "My side hurts here... and my back hurts and my face and my lip and ow. But you hurt more."
And that worried him more. "Namjoon-hyung can help."
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He smiled at Tae, his whole body throbbing painfully. He just wanted to go back home and lie in bed, he didn't want to keep going.
"Listen, no matter what happens - no matter where I am, yeah? You go with Namjoon and you stay with him. It's safe with him."
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Tae smiled a little, resting his head against Jiho. He was so hurt, but he knew they had to stay strong. They weren't safe yet. "I feel safe with you. Even when I'm scared."
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He came rushing over to them and winced at the state of Tae and Jiho. Damn, that boy would not be getting up. "Hey, TaeTae." Namjoon hurried over to them and looked at Jiho, wondering if he was even conscious. "Come on, let's get you boys out of here."
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At long last and without any further warning, Tae burst into tears. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"
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"Tae, hold onto my pant leg, okay? My car is just here. Come on, come on!" Namjoon kept his tone light as he jogged outside to his car, placing Jiho in the back and swiftly buckling him in place. He didn't know if Kangwoo would start firing or not. "Tae, can you get in the front? It's okay, Jiho will be fine back there but I need you in front."
It was safer there and besides, he wanted to keep an eye on him. "We're going to my home. It's safer there."
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