Kapitel 8: 3.3

Both Taehyung and Jungkook had lunch in the nursery school, Seokjin visited the old flower shop near the train station and asked about the vacancy announcement on their door.

They slept together with the kids in the daycare while Seokjin came back to the café and changed his job from a barista to a chef. Yoongi's café isn't normal after all, they also serve meals even when they called it a 'café', not a restaurant. Not much but Yoongi's payment might cover the monthly expense he needs later if Seokjin counted it correctly, the flower shop is for extra since he just works here for four days a week.

Maybe he will consider the offer from Ken later about being a model, he would never take it but the job just took one or two days; in the worse case maybe a whole week if he gets many offers, but the payment will be enough for a whole month without working in Yoongi's café and Moonbyul's bar, he can spend his days with the kids.

The sun was setting, one by one the parent came and picked up their children. Both Taehyung and Jungkook played with a girl named Lisa, they waved when Guan Lin bid his goodbye to them.

Jungkook eyed the window anxiously, "you're late!" Lisa shouted when she saw her mother.

She laughed and patted the little girl's head, "sorry honey, now go and put on your coat okay?" Lisa nodded sweetly.

"Jungkook-ah, Taehyung oppa, see you tomorrow," she waved to them.

"Bye-bye," Taehyung said cheerfully before his smile faded, he held Jungkook's hand tightly. The little bunny hybrid eyed the watch on the wall together with his older brother.

7.39 p.m.

Seokjin hissed when he saw the watch on his left wrist, he took his coat and dashed to the train station. He bit his lips while waiting for the train. His job should have ended up faster but suddenly one of the workers got injured and he had to take over the work by himself. Yoongi tried his best to help but they still needed more help so he remained there even after his shift ended.

His phone buzzed inside his pocket, he cursed when he saw the caller's name. It was from the nursery school, "hello?"

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"Yes, I'm on my way to pick up the boys."

"I deeply apologize, yes, please wait a little bit longer."

"I will arrive there in a few more minutes, I'm sorry," he ran to the exit door when the train stopped at its destination and sprinted as he took a sharp turn to the nursery school.

Jungkook drew a random doodle on the paper, Taehyung sat beside him. Both of them kept looking at the door, somehow Jungkook's hand started trembling and Taehyung's eyes became red with unshed tears. They were scared.

The babysitter accompanied them, sitting on the terrace. Jungkook refused to sit on her lap, the boy always been hard to be approached by a stranger after all. The boys looked up immediately when they heard someone push open the gate of the daycare.

Seokjin gasped for air, hand gripping the fence for his anchor. His shirt tucked into his black trouser messily; the shirt also glued to his petite waist because his sweaty body, sweat rolled down from his forehead to his sharp jaw.

"Taehyung-ah, Jungkook-ah!" he called them, "I'm sorry, I'm late," both of the kids can't help but smile widely but soon covered their mouth because they supposed to be ' angry ' with Seokjin.

"Welcome back," the babysitter said, standing up as Seokjin walked closer.

Seokjin took a deep breath, "I'm really sorry," he bowed deeply between his ragged breaths.

"Let's go home, Taetae, Kookie," he stretched his hand to them, both of the kids pouted.

"Spicy noodle," Jungkook whispered, his small hand gripped Seokjin's bigger hand tightly.

"Huh?" he tilted his head.

"No! It should be spicy curry," Taehyung argued. The older hybrid eyed the human babysitter weirdly, silently asking if she understood but she shook her head. It took several second before Seokjin realized what they meant.

He chuckled, wiping the tears from the corner of Taehyung and Jungkook's eyes with his thumbs, "I prefer spicy tteok-bokki (rice cake) for my punishment," he grinned sheepishly.

The boys smiled back at him with puffy eyes, "we want tteok-bokki (rice cake) too!" they chirped happily.

They did this routine for days, in the morning Seokjin would wake up at 5 a.m. preparing their breakfast and sometimes make some lunch for Taehyung and Jungkook for later.

The kids would play and miss him or think about him when they don't play with their new friends. Seokjin will struggle and tries his best to finish his jobs faster. The flower shop's schedules aren't as hectic as the café (small restaurant) so he can relax a bit.

At night he would pick them up, often late because the restaurant can be unpredictable. He would end up carrying Taehyung on his back but mostly Jungkook. There was a time where he ended up carrying both of them and Seokjin's got back and hip pain for the next two days.

Sometimes at night, he would unconsciously lit up a cigarette when he was standing at the balcony of their apartment, just to recall the way Jungkook and Taehyung were irked at random man that smoked in the train station. He smiled and crushed the cigarette with his home sandals. He would throw away the astray tomorrow.

Not that he needs to worry but, sometimes he worries about the possibility: what if his old friend tries to find him? The people from a dangerous society; from the racing track or from the night district, the people he hurt, the people he mocked, the people that had their blood painted to his knuckles.

The place where everything is fucking illegal, you can be anything and people won't judge you because you're you. The place where he can accept how broken and wrecked he was, people will break other's bones when they want, crush their opponent's life if possible. Everything is pure, brutal madness. Seokjin lived there before; hell, he found comfort there.

Seokjin wasn't the strongest or one of the Titans from the underground. No, he was slim and fast, delicate yet sharp, impulsive but full of calculation. In that place, Seokjin didn't need his wings. Half of the population had their own limbs broken and Seokjin just one of the survivors above the losers.

Kim Seokjin found comfort in the middle of chaos until the hurricane brought fears to him.

When his anxiety messed with his mind; he would hug both of Taehyung and Jungkook. Pulled them close to his chest, Jungkook would snuggle to his neck, sleeping between them while Taehyung would rest his forehead against him and let a sigh of relief.

Once again I tell you, he used to be a fighter with the wrong purpose, he used to be proud to survive in a twisted way, finding pleasure when he managed to cover his weak self with a dauntless image he created but now he is afraid.

He wanted to exchange his sharp fangs with warming embraces, the curses to alluring lullaby for the boys. He stopped being a fighter for his hatred but he will always fight for what he loves. He will protect them just like how he protected Namjoon before his younger brother was able to protect himself, Taehyung and Jungkook just have him and he just has them. They became his reason to live instead of resentment.

The depression was eating him from inside-out. He would caress their hair, patting the soft hair with his crooked fingers. Closing his eyes, he would sometimes wake up because Taehyung or Jungkook were having nightmares, he would embrace them and whisper comforting words he rarely used after his wings broken.

Watching the boys look so tired after he picked them up from the daycare made Seokjin felt guilty. Lately, Jungkook refused when he offered to carry him. The boy insisted to walk by himself, same goes for Taehyung.

How long he can keep this lifestyle?