Chapter Text
Dear Diary,
Nope. Not right.
Hello, Journal.
Not... a bad start. That'll do.
Hello, Journal.
My name is Kim Taehyung, and I killed a man.
It goes like this: Kim Taehyung, corporate heir to one of the biggest business empires, attending a high-class dinner party.
And like this: Park Juho- his sister's fiance and heir to their rival company- bleeding on the marbled floor from a wound on his stomach.
And then it keeps going- on the news, in the magazines, on every media outlet: Kim Taehyung's fingerprints and Park Juho's blood found on the same, broken, champagne bottle.
"Oh My God."
"24-"
"Oh. My. God."
"25-"
"Oh My God, Taehyung! -"
"26- Ow! What, hyung? Someone has to keep count."
Namjoon sighs, massaging his temples, and glares at his brother. Taehyung pouts, trying to rub at his shin where Namjoon kicked him, and fails.
Fails, because his hands are handcuffed.
Namjoon groans.
"You're too worked up about this, hyung," Taehyung whines, grimacing at the itchy feeling of metal on his skin.
"And you're too calm! Taehyung, in case you missed it, they're taking you to jail!" Namjoon yells at him, angry and worried and frustrated. Taehyung flinches.
"Joonie, getting angry isn't going to help anyone," Seokjin sighs, placing his hand on Namjoon's shoulder to comfort him.
Kim Seokjin is his brother's boyfriend. Taehyung is glad that he's there to support him.
Namjoon deflates, and if Taehyung wasn't busy feeling so detached, he'd feel bad for his brother.
He feels removed from the situation. Like he's not there. Like he didn't just get arrested. Like he doesn't have someone's blood staining his hands.
"We'll figure something out, Joon. You're a great Lawyer. He's probably just a little overwhelmed," Seokjin is saying, and Taehyung watches him hug Namjoon.
"I know, Jinnie. I know." Namjoon buries his face in Seokjin's shoulder.
'No,hyung. You don't know at all.' Taehyung sobs in his mind.
After various trials, arguments, and court-sittings, Taehyung is declared innocent. Not free of charge, not completely, but he's relieved all the same.
The guy is recovering. Alive. Injured, but still alive. There were enough eye witnesses to prove that it was self-defense. Namjoon and Seokjin pulled some strings.
He's not going to jail.
Not in the traditional sense, at least.
"This is the most we could get away with, Tae-ah. It's just boarding school," his brother explains patiently.
'Yeah, except they're going to 'correct' my flawed mentality and keep me on a leash,' Taehyung thinks bitterly.
B.H Boarding School--from what Taehyung has gathered--is the half-way point between juvenile prison and a mental institution. It's a place where 'troubled' youths are sent to become functional members of society again, under professional supervision.
The only silver lining is that he won't be alone. Seokjin--being a qualified doctor--works there, and is in fact coming to drive him to the place.
He sits on his brother's sofa and lets Namjoon fuss over him. He's all packed and ready to go, though the things he's allowed to take are distressingly little.
It might be the last time he gets to see his hyung for years. He tries not to think about that.
Seokjin finally arrives, and they help him load Taehyung's bag in the car. B.H Boarding School is a bit of a drive from Namjoon's place, and he wonders how many hours Seokjin loses to the road.
He hugs his brother tight, lets him whisper promises and advice into his hair, makes sure to get in a few parting words before detaching.
"You should ask Seokjin-hyung to move in."
Namjoon's embarrassed sputtering follows him all the way down the road.
The place is smaller than Taehyung imagined it to be.
Smaller, and not as intimidating as he first predicted.
He doesn't know what he was expecting. Pristine white walls? Barbed wire fences? Lunatics in straight jackets?
Whatever it was, it's definitely not two guys dancing in front of the television to girl group songs. And dancing quite well, at that.
One of them has pink hair.
Taehyung turns his incredulous stare to Seokjin, who just shrugs and grins wryly.
Upon spotting him and Seokjin, the other guy approaches them.
The first thing Taehyung notices is; wow, he has a nice smile.
The second thing he notices is the lanyard dangling from his neck.
Jung Hoseok
B Ward
Therapist
"Hello! You must be Taehyung. Jin-hyung told us you were coming. I'm Hoseok." He beams as he shakes Taehyung's hand enthusiastically.
After almost dislodging Taehyung's arm with the force of his handshake, he smiles at Seokjin and turns around, walking towards a hallway.
"Follow me, I'll show you to your room. I promise you'll love it here!"
Taehyung almost whimpers aloud. What a strange place.
What a strange place, Taehyung finds himself reiterating later.
A few seconds after he's shown to his room, Hoseok starts telling him about the institute. The rules, the daily schedule, the activities, etc.
Taehyung half-listens as he unpacks his bags. He can't help but notice that the room has two beds. Does he have a roommate?
"-Oh, that's right! Here."
Taehyung looks up from his crouch on the floor. Hoseok is waving a leather-bound book in his face.
"A journal. It's an important part of the program here," Hoseok tells him.
"Program?" He asks, accepting the journal.
"The rehabilitation program. Everyone's here for a reason, and it's easier to talk to a book than to a stranger," Hoseok explains. "Plus, we review these every once in a while. It's helpful to keep an eye on everyone's mindsets and progress."
Taehyung stares at him blankly.
"There's gold stars!" The elder whisper-shouts, showing Taehyung a sheet of gold-colored stickers with a wide grin.
Taehyung grins back. He's sold.
In the whirlwind of activity that is Hoseok's general existence, Taehyung forgets all about the roommate thing.
He's done unpacking, and now he's bored. They're not allowed to have their phones. Taehyung almost cried when Seokjin took his.
'For my own good, my ass' Taehyung pouts miserably. After a few minutes of sitting there aimlessly, he starts to explore the room.
It's spacey enough. There's two beds, two cupboards, and a small bathroom, but it doesn't feel crowded at all. For a second, he considers going through his roommate's stuff, but he decides against it.
It's only polite. Plus, he could be some sort of mass-murderer.
Taehyung shivers a little at the truth of that statement.
He lays on his bed and tosses around. Tries taking a nap. Fails. Spots the journal Hoseok gave him. Debates.
Finally, he rolls over and grabs it. Opening it to the first page, he holds the pen. It's connected to the spine of the journal with a leather strip.
Taehyung finds himself contemplating the use of the pen as a murder weapon. He's not sure what kind of thoughts he's having, so he starts to write to distract himself.
Hello, Journal.
My name is Kim Taehyung, and I killed a man.
I don't feel any regrets. He was an asshole. He threatened my sister.
I'm not sorry for hurting him. I'm sorry he's still alive.
The door to the room opens, and Taehyung flails and snaps the journal shut. He whips his head up to glare at the intruder.
"Who the hell just walks in without knocking?!" He exclaims, adrenaline overriding his filter.
The guy pauses in the doorway, like he just discovered Taehyung existed.
"..... This is my room. I don't have to knock," he says, face blank and voice emotionless.
" Oh... Hah. Sorry.... I'm Kim Taehyung, your new roomie," he introduces himself with a grin, getting up and offering his hand to the guy.
The guy looks at his outstretched hand and grunts.
And then he walks back out, closing the door in Taehyung's shocked face.
Taehyung gapes at the closed door, arm hanging dumbly in the air.
'That..!'
He's not going to throw a fit. He's not. He's an adult. He's not going to have a tantrum because some rude, uneducated caveman had the gall to spurn his kindness.
He stomps back to his bed, flipping the cover of the journal open, and scribbles furiously.
Hello, Journal.
My Name is Kim Taehyung, and my new roommate is a complete asshole.