Absence Ch. VI
summary ;
Leaving the small town, you’ve lived in for 8 years was a breath of fresh air, a new beginning. However, when you cross paths with one of Seoul’s nefarious crime syndicates, you’ll wish you never left home.
pairing ; ??? x fem!reader
a/n ; okay, this is more of a filler episode, but it gives a good insight into the character and the relationship between Y/n and Jae
warnings; Language, Acts of Violence
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Solitary turned out to be a busted-up bedroom in the lower part of the warehouse. It would’ve been a reasonably decent room to stay in if someone had fixed the leak from the now barred and blacked-out windows. The water damage along the wallpaper was evident and caused it to bubble up in odd places, like blisters on the wall. When Park first pushed you into the room, you had the scary experience of stumbling onto the creaky and unstable flooring and feeling it bend beneath your weight.
Despite being here against your will, the solitude did allow you to think and process what the hell was happening to you.
Whatever your brother had been up to had finally turned around to bite you in the ass. It was bound to happen at some point, no matter how hard you tried to steer clear of his life. Part of you wished that you knew how deep he is in this, how much trouble he is really in. Maybe then, you could figure out these people's true intentions.
You weren’t all too sure how long you’d been in here; the light outside the door was a constant, the footsteps, the talking. There was no way to tell what time was beside the meals they delivered twice a day, once in the morning and at night.
Time in here had given your concussion time to heal. Your heart warmed a little each time you spotted the painkillers that accompanied your meals, knowing Jin was still adamant about taking care of you even in solitary.
Sometimes the man named Park would come to visit, asking you questions about your brother and his whereabouts. He always left disappointed when you refused to utter a word.
Other times it would be Namjoon that stepped into the room, his tall figure looming over you. Most of the time, he wouldn’t say anything to you. His eyes were watching your every movement, each flicker of emotion that passed over your features. When he did speak, he wouldn’t ask about Jae. He would instead make conversation. Well, the best he could anyway.
You stared blankly at the wall, legs to your chest, head against the wall beside you. You hardly heard a word he said to you. Too stuck in your thoughts to even pay attention to the world around you.
Maybe you should just ask what Jae did, and then you could help and get out of this situation alive. You still had no clue where your older brother was, but perhaps that was for the best.
Jae had always had a knack for getting into trouble and seemed more like a younger brother you had to watch over rather than him being the eldest. He would pull people's hair at school, steal the teachers' belongings, get into fights, and vandalized people's homes.
As he grew older, your dad had hoped that Jae would grow out of it. Instead, Jae managed to escalate his actions. He would fight anyone down near the bar, underage and drunk as ever, had landed him in jail a few times. When dad would bail him out, he’d end up right back in for several other charges.
You’d given up on trying to show your brother the higher road, especially after what he caused that night.
Dad kept biting his nails, anxiously watching his TV show, but hardly paying any attention to it. You could tell what-- or who was actually preoccupying his thoughts. Jae hadn’t been home in a few days, but we figured he was spending the night in a county jail up until yesterday.
Dad was hoping he would stumble in during the night, high as a kite, but relatively unharmed. He didn’t, though and it was eating at your dad’s nerves.
You sat at the table, watching your dad worry as you finished up your cereal. As much as you didn’t want to, you cared about your big brother enough to hope that he came back soon. Your dad had another plan in mind though.
“Y/n, I’m going to go look for your brother,” He grunted, sitting up and reaching for his jacket that hung by the door. “Lock the door and keep a phone on you just in case something comes up.”
You dropped your spoon, standing and moving over to the door, “Dad, hold on!”
But he was gone, his figure fading as he walked into the black of the night.
You’re sure that he had an idea of where he was headed. He managed to figure out a few of the several places your brother would go when he didn’t come home. They weren’t the best of places, and being there at night made you worry more. Your dad couldn’t take on a few dumb teenagers with weapons they shouldn’t have-- no matter how big of a game he talked.
You did as he said and locked the door, waiting nervously in the same chair your dad sat in. If he didn’t find Jae then he’d be irritable and hard to be around for a few days until we find him. If he did manage to bring him home, there was an unavoidable argument bound to happen and you’d be hit in the crossfire.
You glanced nervously at the clock above the TV, biting your lip as you watched the little hand strike 2. Your dad had been out for a little over 3 hours now, and he’d usually call it quits for the night around 1:30 am. So where was he?
Just as you were about to get out of your seat and pull on your own shoes, there was a thump at the door.
You jumped, freezing in place as you listened again, wondering if your nerves were getting the best of you. But then it happened again; louder and this time followed by a cry of your name.
Was that dad?
You fumbled out of your seat, racing to the door and unlocking it. When you pulled the door back, your dad nearly crushed you. You squeak and catch him the best you could, feeling something sticky on your hand as you tried to help him stand.
He groaned at the contact, reaching for the table beside the door and easing himself into a sitting position on the floor. He panted heavily, tired eyes searching your face as you realized exactly what you stuck your hand in.
Blood.
He saw you begin to shake, tears forming in your eyes, “No, it’ll be alright.” He stumbled, breathing labored, “I’m okay, sweet girl.”
You bit back a sob, running off to get the phone and shakily typing in 911 as you made your way back to your dad. Just as the operator answered, your dad pulled the phone from your hand, ending the call and chucking it across the room.
You gasped at his actions, about to turn to grab it once more, but he weakly caught your arm.
He took in a shaky breath, hooded eyes struggling to stay open, “Y/n please, I don’t have time.” He managed a small smile, “Will you just sit with me for a while?”
Sniffling, you sit down beside him, groping his cold and clammy hand. You couldn’t meet his eyes, afraid you’d see the last bit of life slip from his eyes.
He coughed, inhaling shakily, “Listen to me, you have to look after your brother, promise me that.”
You said nothing.
He used the last bit of energy he had to hiss at you urgently, “Y/n! Promise me you’ll look after your brother!”
You bit your lip and nodded reluctantly, “I promise.”
You lost your dad that night.
If he hadn’t gone to search for your stupid brother that night he would’ve been fine. He would’ve been there for your graduation, your first breakup, your first apartment. But, of course, Jae had to ruin that.
He came home later that night, definitely messed up as he didn’t even realize that his dad had bled out by the front door. Or that his little sister was covered in blood and sobbing over his dad’s corpse as well. It took him 15 minutes to pull himself together enough to understand what had happened.
And he just left.
He left you there to deal with the police report, with the strangers putting your dad’s body into a black bag. You had to watch them manhandle him into the bag, flopping him around as if he wasn’t once a living being. But to them, he was just another body in another bag.
True to your word you never mentioned your brother and his problems. You mentioned that your dad went to drop off your brother at his friend's house and on his way back he was mugged. By the time he made it home, there wasn’t enough time.
Because Jae was 18, the two of you got to keep the house and inherited the money your dad left. Because of this, you learned how to deal with money fairly quickly. You never mentioned the inheritance to Jae, knowing that he’d drink or smoke it all in one week. But you did manage to take care of the house on your own. Your brother was hardly ever home.
You fed him, you clothed him, you made sure every bill was paid for. Whenever he stumbled in, too high to make it to his room, you hauled him to the couch and covered him up. You made a promise, after all.
Eventually, the money had begun to fade and without an active income, your home was at stake. You tried to make ends meet, picking up a few jobs here and there where you could outside of school, but minimum wage only went so far.
Selling the house was one of the hardest things you had to do. But after a few years of working yourself to death, it was time you and your brother moved on. It was too expensive based on one person’s income and supporting yourself and an addict was harder than your dad made it seem.
Although you had moved to your new apartment, in a new city, with Jon, a good friend from high school. You were still bound by the promise you made to your dad.
‘Promise me you’ll look after your brother’
Knowing that he wouldn’t have anywhere to turn to after the house was sold, you dropped him off at rehab. You were still looking after him, you weren’t breaking your promise at all. This was the best thing you could do for him, you were doing the right thing.
After he walked up those stairs, closed the glass doors behind him, and waved you goodbye, you never saw him again.
It was liberating, knowing that you were no longer responsible for his every action. Waking up every other hour to check if he was still breathing, making sure he was lying on his side. Feeding him, cleaning him up if he got sick, waiting up for him to get home at night.
But you still felt so guilty.
Jae was still your brother, and no matter how much you hate him for putting that much pressure on you, his little sister; you still cared for him. Sometimes you’d wake up crying, dreaming of your times at the house together, but this time he wasn’t going to wake up after he wandered home. Other times you’d see him passing by on the street, or in some alleyway between the buildings, but it was never actually him.
You should’ve checked up on him more. Maybe then he wouldn’t be the main target of this gang or whatever they are.
You do hope that wherever he is, he’s okay.
“Are you even listening to me?”
You blink, suddenly aware of where you were once more. Back in solidarity with Namjoon baiting you for information. He was still sitting on the stool by the door, elbow perched on his knee as he stared blankly.
He chuckles darkly, “I think you’ve had a little too much time to think in here, right?”
He didn’t expect an answer anymore, but he knew he was correct. Your far-off stare and lack of interest in the world around you were more apparent than you may realize. Yoongi had insisted upon holding you for information, but under no circumstances were you to be harmed.
It was a bold but smart choice, knowing that harming Jase’s family could result in a raid or uprising that could put a dent in their operations. After all, the man has slummed it with nearly everyone; he's got connections.
After a moment longer without any response or movement from you, he stood and turned toward the door. He straightened and glanced over his shoulder at your folded form.
“If you want what’s best for your brother, you’ll tell us where he is.”
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