HEARTBEAT | VKOOK - Chapter 2: Chapter 2

"Taehyung, you can't possibly stay single all your life. And for the sake of your son's future, you have to marry her." His mom stated, seriousness laced in her voice as she frowned at her son who simply ignored her and looked at his hands. It happens almost every day. He's called by his parents to come over only to be yelled at and pressurized to marry a random girl he doesn't even care about.
"Not only for him, you can't always show up to the media alone with a damn child in your arms. It creates more rumours and scandals which affects our reputation, Taehyung. We are the Kim's, the most powerful company owners of South Korea. Which also makes us the top third richest families of the world." His dad stated firmly, eyeing his son with his intense gaze that could make anyone nervous, an equally furious look embedded onto his features that most likely resembles his son's.
"We have a reputation abroad too. You need a wife for the sake of our company. You have to marry the girl I decide and that's the final decision. No matter what you say, your opinions won't be accepted.
And even if you try to run away or ruin the wedding, you know what I'm capable of. So I expect you to take a wise decision, Taehyung. Don't make me regret it." He stated, glaring at the aforementioned boy who seemed to be returning the glare back with the same intensity, he wasn't backing down any second, he wasn't going to be a weakling his dad always thought he is. He was going to stick to his decision and nothing could change that.
He never had best relations with his dad. His dad always tried to control him and his mind, always attempted to pressurize him to do things against his will, which Taehyung absolutely despised. And if he didn't do things according to his dad's will, he was beaten up by a bunch of guards on his dad's orders.
It always happened this way. Him disagreeing to his dad and being beaten up later by a bunch of men in black suits. Of course he was trained to fight for self defence, but he couldn't win a fight against a bunch of men. Well, how could he if he was tied up and beaten to death?
Merciless was an understatement for his dad. He was the devil who ruled almost everything. He always wanted things his way and if it didn't happen, he'd do everything to get it done his way. Even if it meant threatening his son or hurting him if necessary.
"You heard me, I won't marry anyone. I'm better off on my own and I can take care of my son." Taehyung spoke with an authoritative tone that could shut anyone up. His parents who were seated across him on the couch gave him a look of disbelief as they stared at their son's poker face. His dad simply rolled his eyes at his son's words, ignoring them like he usually did.
"Taehyung, you know what you're doing. I've warned you before and I'm warning you again. I do not want to ruin the reputation of our company and you know I can do anything to keep it up. Don't force me to take a necessary step and beat some brains into your dumb mind." His dad warned, a scowl etched on his face as he glared at his son.
Taehyung stood up abruptly, not being able to handle his dad's bullshit anymore. He lost every ounce of patience left in him and couldn't deal with his parents anymore. He almost started believing he wasn't their biological son because, of course, who the fuck treats their son this way and forces him to do something against his will?
Slipping his hands into his pockets, he spared a last glance at his parents, face stone-cold and eyes devoid of emotion, although the anger swirling in his obsidian eyes made it pretty obvious that he was pissed, "That's it. I don't want to hear anything else about this matter from you."
With that, he walked away, exiting his parents' mansion and heading out to his car. He opened the car door and slipped in, closing it in process before igniting the engine back to life and driving away from the mansion.
He had no clue where to go and his thoughts clouded his mind to even think straight. He thought back to the conversation with his parents and was determined to never marry anyone. The title of being his wife only belonged to Sora, who unfortunately died in an accident, leaving him alone with his five year old son.
There was never a day he wouldn't miss her. He'd cry every night at the memory of her, the moments he had spent with her in the past, haunting him like a nightmare. A nightmare of his past. Images of her swam in front of his eyes, causing tears to well up around his orbs, blurring his vision as he attempted to blink them away.
He hated this. He despised all of what was happening at the moment. He despised his life, for he thought it was his fault his wife died in the first place. Because he thought he wasn't the good husband he should've been. He couldn't protect her.
Wiping away the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand, he turned on the radio, turning up the volume to a decent level as he listened to the melody of the music that played, humming along in his deep voice and attempting to push away the thoughts of her. However, his phone rang, distracting him. Pulling out his phone, he checked the name displayed on the screen with a small frown before answering the call with a sigh, "Hyung,"
"Where are you? I've been waiting for you for the past thirty minutes you shithead. And why didn't you answer any of my calls?" The person on the other end of the line ranted, tone laced with annoyance. That's when he recalled that he had to meet up with his hyung an hour ago.Taehyung then cursed under his breath, every other thought vanishing away from his mind as he turned the steering wheel, driving the car to a different direction.
"I was caught up with my parents. The same shit as always. Anyway, I'll be there in a few, don't leave." He mumbled, speeding up the vehicle, as he balanced the steering wheel with one hand whilst the other held his phone to his ear.
"You better be quick you little shit. I almost left the cafè thinking you wouldn't arrive."
"Alright alright, just wait for me, hyung." The male shook his head with a displeased look before hanging up and slipping his phone into his pocket as he drove to the place they were supposed to meet.
Parking his car in the parking lot, he walked out of the vehicle and made his way towards the doors of the cafè with his hands slipped inside his pocket, a soft breeze swept past his face, dishelving his hair a bit.
He pushed the doors open, only to be greeted by the smell of coffee and embraced by the warmth of the establishment. It was a cozy looking cafè and in the distance he could see the staffs taking orders and rushing to the coffee machines. It was a busy day, he assumed.
Glancing around, he spotted the familiar boy waving at him to catch his attention. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he made his way to the table situated at the corner of the establishment, beside a window.
"So what's up?" He asked casually as he took a seat in front of the blonde male who had a pissed look on his face.
"You ask me what's up huh? I had to stay here for a thirty fucking minutes straight for a shithead like you and you ask me what's up?!" He scowled, glaring at the younger who rolled his eyes nonchalantly.
"Hyung, I told you I was caught up with my parents. I'm sorry I couldn't make it on time. They had to bring up the topic at the most random hour." Taehyung shook his head, a frown etching on his features as he glanced around, mind replaying the conversation he had with his parents earlier.
"And what did you say?" Yoongi asked, tilting his head to the side as he analysed the brunette's emotionless face.
"The same. And I'm certain it wouldn't ever change to the opposite."
"And how long are you planning to stay this way? It's been four years since her death, Taehyung. You should be over it by now." The older male tiredly mumbled, glancing out of the window with a bored look.
"I don't know. Maybe forever? I'll never marry anyone. She's my first and my last, even if she left me." The younger muttered in an inaudible whisper, however, yoongi heard it and shook his head in disappointment.
"How about Minjun? Is he okay?" He changed the topic, knowing it was useless to talk about to the younger, knowing he'll never change his mind.
"He's the usual. Noisy and annoying. Bet he must be annoying the maids in the mansion." Taehyung stated, turning his attention to the staff who approached him to take his order. He ordered a Caramel Machiato and dismissed the waiter before turning his attention back to Yoongi who sighed.
"He needs a mom, Taehyung. He's lonely. He's been with the maids when he was a month old baby. And I don't think you'd like the idea of him calling a maid his mom." Yoongi gave him a grim look, his tone laced with seriousness. "He's searching for his mom, you can't give him a mother's love. You really need a wife to raise him better."
"He's fine, hyung. You're worrying too much. Please don't start being my mom now, I'm pissed off already." Taehyung whined face scrunching into a frustratedly look as he glanced out the window.
He hated talking about it. He knew his son was lonely but he always took care of him and made sure he was never lonely. Yeah, he had to leave him with the maids, due to the fact that he had other responsibilities to look after, and that being his company. He couldn't miss the meetings, of course. That was so unlikely of a CEO. The last thing he'd want was his dad to be pissed over him for it.
He felt pressurized with all the responsibilities. As a dad and as a boss, he had to look after both of his priorities, which was awfully terrible for a twenty five year old like him. He was still young, and even if he wanted to complain, he couldn't. No one would listen to him anyway, rather they'd annoy him with the simple fact of marrying someone else. As if it wouldn't just add another layer to his list of problems.
Only if they knew how he felt about the whole thing. They had no clue of his feelings for Sora. Or perhaps, they assumed that he had moved on already. Or they probably didn't care of how he felt or if he's even the same anymore. And that's what Taehyung despised about them. So ignorant and terrible. What he hated the most was how he couldn't do a thing about it. For he was a puppet in control of his own father. Who could either demolish him, or rebuild him, and reshape him in his own ways.
But Taehyung knew for a fact that he wouldn't dare to replace her in his heart. No matter how his father attempts to brainwash him to believe in his lies that might've fooled everyone around them, but not him. For he could perfectly see the man behind thar façade of his. A façade he structured with the most beautifully crafted lies Taehyung had heard, and of course, money. Dirty money.
He established a company and a reputation. All of it, from dirty money. Taehyung had a million reasons for despising the man the most. Reasons he couldn't name.
But Taehyung knew for a fact that  he wouldn't dare to replace his first love, even if it meant accepting death as his only choice.
Yoongi rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly before taking a sip of his coffee, it was his 5th coffee of the day. Perks of waiting for a certain shithead for thirty minutes straight and trying not to fall asleep, resulting in having a mild back pain which caused him to glare at the younger who simply looked out the window, his slight glare going unnoticed by the younger.
"Hyung, could you do me a favour?" Taehyung spoke out of blue, obsidian orbs darting to Yoongi who merely lifted a brow, delivering a small nod of approval for the younger to go on. "I need you to get the documents of the year of Sora's death."
This caught the older off guard as he accidentally choked on his coffee. Taking Taehyung by surprise as he watched the male cough a few times before looking up at him with an absolutely perplexed look. "What the hell? Why?"
"I want to see something."
He mumbled, pursing his lips as a frown embedded on his forehead. He then tore his gaze away from the older, lifting his cup of Caramel Machiato and took a sip. It was the only coffee he enjoyed. Every other coffee tasted bitter to him.
"But that case was closed like, years ago. Claiming it to be an accident." The pale skinned man frowned, eyeing the younger meticulously and attempting to figure out what exactly was in his head. For it had been exactly four years since that accident and Taehyung never spoke a word of it, until now, that is.
"I know, but I need the documents. I feel like there's something terribly wrong, something that we're missing. And I want to know what that is." His monotonous look baffled the older male a lot more as he struggled to figure out what must've gone wrong for him to bring up the past. Yoongi then paused for a moment, exhaling a deep breath as he pondered over the offer.
"Well, breaking into the store room isn't easy. I need to get the keys from Hanbin, which would be a hassle if I say." The older male muttered, a hint of  frustration laced within his tone as he creased his brows slightly, dark orbs gazing out the window for a brief moment before flickering to Taehyung again. "But.. what do you want to do with them?"
"Nothing much, really. I just want to see the clues gathered and the main issue of her accident." Taehyung shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, as though it wasn't much of a big deal. Which it clearly was, considering how Taehyung was eager to find the reports and search for a certain something in them, and Yoongi was unsure of whether to trust him with it or no.
For this case had been closed a long time ago, and diving into it again wouldn't be the best option at this point. Perhaps due to the fact that the possibility of consequences were many.
"Taehyung, you could tell me if something's bothering you. I'm here for you." Yoongi couldn't help but ignore the heavy feeling in his heart. The feeling of doubt and suspect. He knew better than to suspect the younger, although he was certain that he knew of something he didn't.
Taehyung subtly darted his eyes around for a moment, taking in his surroundings before placing his empty cup onto the wooden table and leaning back in his seat, focusing on the older, "I reckon, that night, something might've been different. I don't know what it is yet. But for all I know, she wanted to say something to me that night, and I didn't listen."
Yoongi's eyes flickered to the table, eyebrows raising up in amusement as his lips twitched, bobbing his head in a nod, "Sure."
"This stays between us." Taehyung murmured, dull eyes glancing at the view outside the window, analysing the few people in the streets who walked by. "I want to figure out the whole thing first before telling others."