Indestructible Chap. 7 : Taemin II

[kumo_is_kumo]

Title: Indestructible

Pairing: SHINee-OT5; Jongkey; hinted!2min

Genre: Friendship, Angst, Drama, Slice of life, Semi-Romance

Length: Series

Summary: Jinki and Jonghyun got hurt because of him. Minho and Taemin left because of him. What was the use of living for Kibum? There was nothing left to him. Or that was what he used to think until four people that he loved the most were coming back. This was a story of broken friendship between five young boys who tried to mend the bond once again.

Chapter 7: Taemin II



“Minho hyung, come with me. We need to do something that we should have done since four years ago.”



After spending the four years of his life being controlled like a puppet, Taemin could finally breathe a bit. He finished his business school in America, spending more time with Minho without being able to talk anything else rather than school and other unnecessary things before finally graduated from there.

His mother had been so happy to know that he graduated with the highest mark in the entire school, getting praised countless times and offered to get things that he wanted. Taemin hid back a smirk, saying that he wanted a vacation with Minho and his mother was way too happy to refuse his request.

“And also I don’t need any bodyguard, Mom. I’m a big man now, I can handle myself. Minho hyung is also with me so you don’t have to worry about anything,” was what Taemin said to his mother. He had been guarded by his mother’s men for the whole four years, with them not moving even an inch from him.

She wanted him to be safe, seeing that her oldest son was still disabled and Taemin was her only hope to be the next successor. He was restricted from calling unknown numbers from his newly phone; his old phone had been taken from him right after he was told that he would be going abroad. Minho was the same as him.

Taemin held himself back from running away, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to do anything to fight those bodyguards with bulky muscles. If he even tried to do something, he would be locked away from his freedom even worse than that. So Taemin held back, so did Minho.

His brother had been better nowadays. Jinki could communicate with him already and he could laugh, but his legs were still the problem. Taemin couldn’t bring Jinki hyung along with him far away from the private hospital he was currently staying.

They communicated with Jonghyun hyung as well, with Taemin had to choose his words carefully as like his mother said to not ‘wake’ his lost memory. Taemin really wanted to scream into the phone, telling Jonghyun everything that happened and hoping that he could at least remember the most important thing that he had forgotten.

Yeah, that most important thing.

That was also the reason why Taemin was sitting in the plane, with Minho beside him and both of them growing nervous. They had all of the needed information in those papers in Taemin’s bag. Everything, all the information for the past four years. They were rich; rich people could do anything and found out about everything.

Taemin just hoped that they were not too late.

With the comforting squeeze on his hand from Minho hyung, the plane landed down on the familiar country from four years ago.



They dropped their things in the Choi’s private villa by the beach, before speeding to the said place. The all-too-familiar place that they could go with closed eyes. Not too much changed, Taemin noted. He watched the side road as Minho drove his metallic blue car along the street.

Taemin could see the nostalgic old building, where they had been spending their freedom there. He watched as Minho hyung killed the engine of his car, hand squeezing the seat belt that was still strapped down on his body.

“Hyung, I’m nervous.”

“Me too.”

Both stayed silent, mind thinking the same scene repeatedly. “Hyung, what if—”

“I don’t know, Taemin-ah. We wouldn’t know if we don’t try and get down.”

Taemin sighed, hands rubbing his temple desperately. He nodded and they both got down from the car, eyes raking up the grey building with a bitter smile on their lips.

“Should we get upstairs? The fourth floor, right?” asked Minho with his low voice, getting a slight nod from Taemin.

With hesitant steps, they made their way upstairs, climbing up the rotten cement stairs. The younger of the two stole glances at the older male, trying to find any sign of comfort since he was practically nervous like hell at the moment.

Taemin stared at the corroded stairs grip, heart drumming erratically from every scene that would happen in less than a minute. He had been imagining every single scene that might happen once they knock on the door.

The door they were standing in front of was so rotten, so dusty; it was like no one would like to stay at this place. And it made Taemin hesitated more than before.

“Hyung, are you sure that he still lives here? I mean—it’s been a few years. I don’t think—”

“Taemin, we have to try. The information said that he is still staying here, so why don’t we try?”

“...right.”

They knocked onto the once familiar door, waiting for it to be opened with fast-beating heart. It was now or never. It was finally the time they would meet their long lost friend after a few years of losing contact.

The atmosphere around them was so thick as the time gone by without any movement or voice from behind the still-closed door. Taemin gulped down his saliva through his dry throat, wincing at how loud it sounded in the silence place. He stole glances at Minho, who was currently sweating like hell in nervousness. Minho had his fists clenched tightly by his sides, big-worried eyes staring straight at the door.

The silence was killing him. Taemin sighed and turned towards the older male.

“Minho hyung, I think no one’s here—”

The soft creak from the door being opened pulled their attention back forward. Taemin widened his eyes as the door was slowly opened, heart thumping in anticipation whether they got the right person.

Mad, angry, happy, crying, sad, overjoyed; what would be his first impression after seeing them again?



Taemin held back his breathe. He unconsciously moved closer to Minho hyung, searching for comfort by holding onto his hand and he could feel how Minho hyung was trembling just like himself.

He had been thinking of what kind of face that he would show after seeing the two of them standing in front of his place after four years.

Would he cry; being the crybaby he was?

Would he smile; being the cheerful boy he was?

Would he mad; being the most moody boy he was?



Not this one.

He was not their friend.



They saw their best friend, Kim Kibum, with a pair of blank, empty eyes staring back at them.

“Who...?” murmured the voice that was once happy, that used to ring around them, angrily nagged at them to clean their messy bags, that used to laugh from their tickling torture on his slender waist.

Taemin bit down his dry lip, trembling body shook as his free hand flew up to cover his mouth. This was not him.

The light was gone. Nothing left in his once-so-alive eyes.

“K-Kibum hyung?” croaked Taemin, tears started to blind his sight.



“Who are you?”



No word could describe the way Taemin felt towards this new Kibum. He was so lifeless, so empty. There was no that lively Kibum, no more that Kibum that shouted when someone touched his hair. His hair was mess, Taemin felt like puking at the unfamiliar sight of his hyung.

Kibum hyung had been the most nagging people he had ever met. He cared for his appearance so much, putting various skin treatment creams and styling his hair in the messy but nice way. He would pick the best fabric for his clothes, putting them nicely as to show the curves on his body.



“Oh, you,” murmured Kibum breathlessly and it managed to stop them from breathing too loud. Taemin gripped onto Minho’s and tighter, holding back a sob from leaving his lips.

“I don’t need your pity. Go away.”



The door closed softly in front of their face, no more words exchanged between them. Fists gripped tightly, heart clenching in pain, eyes closed from the unshed tears.

Taemin stared at the closed door again, before finally the held-back tears rolled down his face. He changed. And they changed him.



“H-Hyung...?” whispered Taemin weakly, stepping closer to the door. His fists weakly pounded on the wooden door, trying to make him open the door again.

“Kibum hyung, it’s me, Taemin! Hyung, please open the door!”

He felt Minho standing behind him, pounding the door as well. “Kibum, open the door!”

Taemin cried, ugly sobbing escaping his lips as he clutched onto the wood. Minho hyung was still desperately knocking on the door, calling his name again and again.



“Go away...”



The voice was so hoarse and weak; Taemin cried even harder after hearing that. Kibum hyung had the most unique voice that he had ever heard and he loved hearing to him talking. This was not his voice anymore.

“Hyung! Please!”

Taemin would just kick the door open and rush in but he felt all his energy was leaving his body. The only that he could do was crying out loud.



“Don’t you get the part of I don’t want to see you!? Stop crying like a kid, and bring that tall freak away!”



“Kibum, please, don’t be like this,” murmured Minho hyung, one hand slowly lifting Taemin up from the dusty ground. Taemin sobbed, fingers wiping his tears while letting Minho do the talk.

“You don’t tell me what I do!” grunted Kibum from inside.

Yeah, they were not the ones to tell him what to do. Since they were practically leaving him alone for years.

They waited. They waited for hours outside his door. Kibum didn’t show any sign of opening the door for him and finally Minho sighed. “Let’s get going, Taemin. He wouldn’t open up for us in any moment. We will come back tomorrow. It’s kind of late,”

Taemin stared at him like asking ‘are you sure’ and Minho helped him up from sitting on the dusty cement ground.

With the last glance at the old building, Taemin got into the car and they drove away.











***








A/N: Sorry for the bit-late-update. I was so busy these days lol xD
So, we have present chapter here. This is where everything begins. I hope you enjoy it ^^
Please leave a comment and tell me what you think about it :)