Chapter 10: Problems From The Past: 4.1
Saturday evening. Kim Taehyung, a young tiger hybrid, was trying his best to hold back his tears. No, don't misunderstand. He wasn't crying because of the people in the orphanage, not because the old bully that kept teasing him for being such a weakling even though he is a wild animal hybrid. Also not because the caretaker hit him, or because the broccoli.
He was on the verge of crying because Seokjin embraced him. The older hybrid hugged both of Taehyung and Jungkook. The man was too tired, it was his only holiday this week but Seokjin decided to open all the boxes that contained their things from the old house. They had moved to the new apartment a few weeks before but the older hybrid had never been able to put down everything in the right place.
So when Seokjin had his free time, he decided to finish everything in one go. Resulting in a very tired Kim Seokjin who said 'give me a minute to breathe' but he ended up sleeping on the cold tile floor. Jungkook hugged his neck while Taehyung rested his head on the older man's shoulder.
Jungkook was fast asleep, he listened to Seokjin's slow breathing and fell asleep instantly with both hands gripping Seokjin's t-shirt. It was magical for Taehyung. He met Jungkook when he was three years old at the orphanage. The bunny hybrid was barely one year old and he cried a lot. He heard from the adults that Jungkook's mother left him at the park in the middle of the autumn season and he already moved from one place to another and ended up in the orphanage.
Maybe people thought children listen and they would eventually forget, and maybe several kids are like that, but not Taehyung. He remembered almost everything, almost all the curses their caretaker said behind the house, and how they groaned because they need to take care of other people's kids or the government wouldn't give them any money.
Taehyung didn't understand most of all but he remembered, just like a memory disk. Not all adults are bad, there are kind people like the head nun or Sister Amber. The head nun smiled kindly when little Taehyung made Jungkook laugh, while Sister Amber often gave him delicious cookies. Since that day, both of the kids became inseparable. They weren't family by blood, but Taehyung is Jungkook's big brother just like Jungkook is Taehyung's little brother.
One day two adults show up, they smiled kindly at them and gave them a lot of sweets. Unlike humans, hybrids are special because they have abnormal senses and strength. Many people exploit them, sell them, or worse; they train them to become something else.
The head nun didn't suspect them, people often judge other people for their cover. The woman and the man looked perfect as their parents, just like a new married couple. Being the only hybrids at the orphanage, they took both of the kids with them. They held Taehyung's hand like a father and mother would do, beautiful lies.
The reality wasn't as beautiful as Taehyung imagined. New home? New parents? New family?
They separated Taehyung from Jungkook the same day they took them from the orphanage. Jungkook was one and a half year old, crying loudly for his brother; Taehyung was three years old and about to be four in the winter season. They were too small to be trained, Taehyung heard from behind the locked doors.
'We can just wait for another three years for the tiger hybrid,' the other voice replied. Taehyung's tail was curled, his ears flattened on his head.
'You stupid, the boss will be angry if she sees we took useless kids,' the voice groaned.
'But if we don't make a move fast, someone else will take them,' the other voice reasoned.
It was scary, for weeks Taehyung didn't see sunshine. He heard a pained voice from other room, he wanted to meet Jungkook. The food was gross, he felt dizzy every time he ate it but he would faint if he didn't eat it.
He tried to escape, he clawed at the man who brought food for him. He growled, he cried, he screamed. But what can a kid possibly do? He didn't get anything besides new bruises and scratches.
Taehyung got a present for his fourth birthday. The police came with the help of Kim family, they cleaned the whole place. Finally, he could breathe fresh air from outside the small room, his prison to be exact. People treated hybrids like experiment subjects in there and Taehyung was one of them.
The police took care of the place, secured it and let the teen hybrids go, gave them back to their rightful family. Some of them were kidnapped, while several of them were strays like Taehyung and Jungkook. Most of them went to rehabilitation because of the torture but fortunately, Taehyung and Jungkook were too small so they didn't get tortured.
Namjoon was there when Taehyung bit Dongwook and ran to Jungkook's side. The bunny hybrid clutched his small hands to the tiger's hybrid torn shirt like Taehyung was his lifeline. The tiger hybrid growled at anyone who came close to them.
They sat at the corner of the room while the others took care of other problems. Taehyung watched how the Kim family member talked to the police and the bad guys got their punishment.
They remained there, refusing any food offered to them because the food they ate used to be tainted with sedatives to make them submissive. It was until an old man with a totally different vibe came, the man's wings were huge and intimidating but he folded them behind his back when he approached Taehyung and Jungkook.
They were light blue from the roots until the tips, where they changed into a deeper shade of blue. Like an ocean, the old man looked handsome despite the wrinkles. He smiled kindly to the boys, he stretched his hand to Taehyung.
The tiger hybrid bit it until the fingertips bleed but the man remained still, totally unbothered even though his blood dripped from the tips of his fingers. Unlike the people Taehyung bit before, this man didn't pull back his hand or raise it to punch Taehyung.
The boy suddenly felt bad and he let go the old man's finger. His tail tucked under him, his ears trembled but his hands firmly hugging Jungkook who whimpered and buried his face to the crook of his neck. The old man's eyes saddened when he noticed a lot of purplish bruises on Taehyung's neck and cheek, Jungkook also had several bruises.
The man smiled at them again and he sat in front of them, "you know," he said with a small voice, like he didn't want to startle the boys.
"One of my grandchildren once scolded me back then," he chuckled, eyes soft like cotton candy, "we just adopted one big dog that was abused by his previous owner, we named him Jjangu."
Taehyung listened to the story carefully, ears twitched with anticipation, "but he got scared easily and we had no idea how to tame him but my grandson, he offered his hand just how I did before."
"I must tell you, my grandson is a scaredy cat. He was scared of bugs," the old man laughed softly, "yet he sat still when Jjangu bit his hand, blood dripped to the floor and his whole body trembled with fear but-"
The boys' breath stopped following the storyline, "his face firm, like he was trying to tell Jjangu 'It's okay, I mean no harm. Let's be friends'. Then I asked him why he did that, you know what was his answer?"
Taehyung shook his head, ears stiffened waiting for the answer, " we tend to hurt other people because we're scared they will hurt us, but it was their self-defense to hurt us," this time the boys let the old man scoop them to his warm arms slowly but surely.
"That's why we must prove them we meant no harm, even when that means we must hurt ourselves first," Jungkook got scared at first but when he saw Taehyung didn't push the old hybrid away, the bunny hybrid stayed calm. The old man took off the itchy collars and the nametag on Taehyung and Jungkook's neck, he put lotion on their bruised neck, ankles, and wrists gently.
"It doesn't mean they are strong when they attack us, the truth is the one who keeps hurting other is the weakest. They do it because that's the only way they know how to protect themselves, so we must give them proof we're not dangerous for them without causing any harm."
The old man remembered his grandson, talking such wise words innocently. He never thought a young teenager had that kind of idea, his grandson might look weak but he never was the weak one. That young hybrid will surely end everyone who did this to the innocent hybrids if he knows.
From that moment on, Taehyung was very curious about the mentioned 'grandson'. He learnt the old man Kim was the head of the family, and that was why nobody dared to object him when he adopted both Taehyung and Jungkook, or even when he told his lawyer both of them will get chance to be the next heir.
"You two know best about the hybrid's dark side, how we're being treated poorly by others but that doesn't mean we can just hate them," grandpa Kim once said while patting Taehyung's head, "I hope one day one of you can lead this family to become better than today."
Taehyung knew from the people in the mansion that Namjoon isn't the only grandchildren old man Kim had. He had another grandson, older than Namjoon by several years and he used to be the absolute candidate of the next heir.
But the fire that burnt down that young man's house stole everything from him, Namjoon and his older brother lost their father because he bet his life in the battle for the head position. Their father wasn't a member of the household but he was greedy. He didn't want to be an outsider even though soon his son would have been the next leader, he wanted that position for himself.
Rumours said the accident happened in the middle of the life-death battle and somehow burnt down the house, causing a lot of injuries and since that day, the family agreed to cut the family's chance to be the leader.
He didn't know why Namjoon hyung ended up in the family again, why the older man gained back the trust of the family and was now staying beside grandpa. Learning how to be the next leader directly while the other grandson, Namjoon's older brother, never come back to the main house again.
Hearing the story from grandpa's mouth, he pictured Namjoon's older brother as someone who loved to play, loved to joke, loved to sing, and had a cheerful personality. The man must be so strong and smart, kind and with a warm embrace. Namjoon hyung often talked about him too, his eyes full of fondness. Both of the kids loved it when he told them about him because that meant they could see Namjoon's dimples.
Everything was correct, Seokjin has the warmest embraces. He also loved to play, joke and sing but he was not as cheerful as the boy imagined when he first met him. The older hybrid has that wall made of brick that surrounds him, prevent any sunshine to get in but Taehyung believed inside that man is the grandson whom grandpa loved the most. The man who Namjoon admired more than his own father and secretly became Taehyung's idol years ago.
That was why the tiger hybrid tried his best to hold back his tears, he didn't want to wake Seokjin up. Not after the man tired himself out for Taehyung's and Jungkook's sakes. He can leave the house, didn't need to spare them any glances but Seokjin chose to take him.
The man chose to change his life, to be a father figure he never really had back then. He tried even when he had no idea how to be around kids and it amazed Taehyung.
"What's wrong, Taehyung-ah?" a raspy voice whispered, Taehyung shook his head and wiped his tears messily, "nightmares again?" Seokjin asked softly, lifting Jungkook gently from his chest and putting the bunny hybrid down on the soft pillow he used before.
He lifted Taehyung to his lap, rocking him slowly like a baby. Taehyung sniffled, hiccupping while Seokjin tried to clean his snot, "it's okay, I'm here," the older hybrid kissed the tiger's ear softly, whispering comforting words.
Taehyung nodded, his fangs itched but Seokjin's thumb prevented them to bite his bottom lip. The young boy didn't want to hurt Seokjin so he didn't bite his own lips, "I know," Taehyung replied in between his sobs.
The day when he lost grandpa, the day after tomorrow was his birthday and he felt so unlucky, "hum? What did you say, Taetae? Speak louder."
Taehyung grinned, his boxy smile plastered to his face, "I know you will always stay with me."
He thought he would forever be alone with Jungkook without the warmth of family again, back to his old self after grandpa died, but he was wrong.
He met the man that would sacrifice everything for Jungkook and him on his birthday.
" You're the best present God ever gave me ," he mumbled against Seokjin's toned chest.
" I love you, Dad. "
Seokjin made a confused sound but Taehyung had already slipped into a deep slumber with a happy smile and his tail wagging several times because of the older hybrid's warm embrace was very comfortable for him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone