HEARTBEAT | VKOOK - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

"You were fired?!" His dad shrieked, voice reaching several octaves, beyond Jungkook's expectations which made the boy flinch as he pin his gaze to the ground, ashamed. It was just like every other day when his dad got home late at night in his usual drunken state.
However, spotting his son in the house made him furious. For he should've been at work- which meant something was up and he really wasn't in the mood for his shit.
Jungkook gulped, sadly looking at the ground and awaiting his dad to vent his anger on him like a punching bag. He was used to it. But now, it felt like he deserved it. He couldn't keep a job and got fired. Oh how worse could this day be.
However, he was the one to be blamed, for he was never enough.
Jeongguk had no other choice, but to go against his will and accept the only job that was offered to him, leaving him no other option to be picky, only for his dad, whom he still somehow loves despite everything he has done to him. His mind repeating one sentence over and over again, He's my dad after all.
Unable to satisfy a customer's needs, he was fired. It's not like he fancied his job anyway, at least not when his boss was too noisy and annoying.
His dad glared at him, anger etched on his face as he stepped closer to the boy and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before tossing his body to the wall.
Piercing pain shot up in his whole body, causing a groan to escape his lips as he slipped down the wall, unable to support his body. He couldn't even lift himself for the unstable condition of his body.
His dad strode towards him and grabbed his hair, slamming his head into the wall twice whilst mumbling curses under his breath, along the lines of, "You don't deserve to live you fucking shit. You're a pathetic loser! No wonder your mother left us cause of you! She hates you!"
"Its your fault she left us! If only you would've been sensible enough to come on your own, she wouldn't have driven all the way and fucking die in an accident! None of that would have ever happened!"
He kicked him in the stomach, causing the boy to scream in pain, his head throbbing, his body aching from the previous and the new bruises appearing on his skin. He felt helpless. Worthless. His dad spit in his face before storming away angrily into his room.
The broken boy looked down at his body, silent tears escaping his eyes as he stared into the distance, spacing out. He reminisced the memories of his childhood, when his life was perfect. Everything he could ever ask for. When his mom was alive. When his dad wasn't a drunkard or abusive. When his family was complete.
Eleven years ago
"Mommy, I can't sleep." A small boy voiced out, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he stood at the door, waiting for his mom to acknowledge his presence.
His mother, who was indulged with reading a book looked up, a smile spreading on her face once she saw her son cutely staring at her with a small pout resting on his lips. She took off her glasses and placed it on the night stand along with the book before gesturing him to come to her embrace.
The boy grinned widely before running to her open arms, hugging her tight with his small arms. His mother smiled softly and ruffled her son's hair, lifting him up from the ground and onto the bed in her warm embrace. She took a glance at his dad who had his back turned to her, snoring loudly which made her believe he was in a deep slumber.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the boy curled up in her arms, lips curling up into a smile. She caressed the boy's back with her thumb softly as she spoke in a soothing tone, "Why couldn't you sleep, sweetheart?"
The boy, who had his face buried in his mother's chest, looked up slowly upon hearing her voice, meeting her soft bambi eyes that were just like his. A pout formed on his lips as he looked away, eyes turning glossy as a layer of tear covered them. His voice was laced with sadness as he answered in a low voice, all the happiness and excitement now evaporating in the air, "I'm scared of the dark."
"Aww, sweetheart, it's okay." His mom whispered softly, wiping away the tears that rolled down the boy's cheeks with her thumb. "Don't cry, mommy's here."
She pulled the boy in her embrace, rubbing his back softly and whispering sweet words into his ears which muffled the boy's cries as he calmed down, feeling protected in her embrace. He felt safe in her arms, as though nothing could ever harm him when his mommy was with him. He then snuggled closer to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Mommy will always protect you." She softly kissed the boy's forehead as he dozed off in her arms.
Present
"Get up, boy!" A gruff voiced yelled and before he knew it, his whole body was freezing. Jungkook shot his eyes open and was greeted by the sight of his furious dad with an empty bucket in his grip, glaring daggers at the boy.
His body shook violently from the impact of the ice cold water as he looked up at his dad with wide eyes, heaving for breath. His wounds stung awfully from meeting the ice cold water and his lips wobbled as he attempted to sit up on the floor.
He figured that he had passed out in the kitchen after his dad left, no wonder he found himself laying on the kitchen floor in a weird position. His body hurt each time he attempted to move around, and his head throbbed painfully, making his vision turn hazy for a good minute before returning back to normal.
His thoughts were interrupted when his dad kicked the side of his stomach really hard, knocking the breath out of the boy's lungs. A scowl rested on his face as he glared at the boy with a look of disgust. "Get up, you disgusting peice of shit. Leave the house now. I don't want a worthless shit like you taking up the space of my house."
He froze in his place, attempting to register what his dad had stated. A look of shock and disbelief etched on his features once he realized what he meant. Is he kicking me out of the house now? Where am I supposed to go?
"Y-You. . .you can't do that." He breathed out, lifting his face to meet his father's piercing stare. The male quirked up an eyebrow and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest before meeting his bambi eyes again.
"Oh I can. And you've no idea what I can do. Get up before I kick you out myself." He grunted, eyes running over his body in a fleeting glance before leaving the kitchen.
Tears welled up in his eyes, his dad's voice ringing inside his head like a broken tape as he struggled to breathe. Where was he supposed to go? He was all alone. He couldn't believe his dad abandoned him, just because he lost his job.
Worthless. A peice of shit.
He attempted to lift his body by holding onto the counter above him for support, however, raw pain shot up through his side, making him hiss and clench his teeth, allowing the tears to roll down his cheeks as he shut his eyes tightly.
He wanted to cry. He felt suffocated and wanted to scream in pain. He wanted to let out all the pain he had bottled up in the past eleven years. He was drowning in the sea of pain and guilt. He felt like it was his fault for all of this. Maybe if I never existed, none of this would've happened.
Perhaps things wouldn't be the same if his mother was alive. Maybe he could've lived a better life. Maybe he could've been happier.
He hated how his dad saw his pain but seemed unbothered by it. It almost seemed like he never loved him in the first place. How did change so much? How did he forget to love his own son after his wife's death? Did he never love him or was it all just a façade?
Why does he hate me?
"Jeon Jungkook! If you don't get out of my house right now, I'll kick you out!" His dad screeched from the living room, making him flinch from the sudden loud voice booming around the small house, and widen his eyes.
He couldn't even stand or lift himself from the terrible position on the ground. How was he supposed to walk all the way towards the door? And above all, where would he go anyway?
He sobbed quietly, unable to handle the pain shooting through his body. His vision blurred and the world spinned around him. He could feel the darkness slowly consuming his vision.
Everything felt numb all of a sudden, he couldn't feel the pain anymore. He could feel his eyelids shutting close as he drifted off into a deep slumber, not knowing if he was ever going to wake up again.