May 15, 2021
Taehyung's POV

"Mmmmm... where are you?" I mumbled sleepily and rubbed the spot on the bed next to me, still unable to open my eyes. I couldn't feel my wife's presence, and when I finally opened my eyes, I noticed that I was in fact alone in bed, and the room door was closed.

"Amandaaaa" I screamed and let my head fall back on the soft pillow, yet there was no response, and the bathroom door was open with no signs of any movement happening inside.

Sulking to myself, I dragged my sleepy feet to our shared walk-in closet and slipped on a pair of shorts before heading outside. The entire house was smelling like pancakes.

What else to expect with Jungkook around?

As I neared the kitchen, I could hear him singing an unfamiliar English song. I stood at the kitchen doorway and watched as Amanda arranged the pancakes on a plate while nodding her head to Jungkook's melodic voice.

"Idols should be thankful that you chose to become a surgeon." I commented as I made my way into the kitchen, causing them both to turn their heads in my direction.

"Yeah, right? His singing is just at another level" Amanda praised him, and he flashed his trademark bunny smile with a little bow.

"Yeah... and looks like you've been working out a lot as well" I pointed to his abs as I wrapped my arm around Mandy's shoulder and kissed her temple. "Morning, gorgeous," I whispered to her.

"Morning!" She whispered back and blew me a kiss.

"Yeah... I've been working out a lot" Jungkook interrupted by noisily dragging a bar stool across the floor. I ruffled his hair and went away to brush my teeth, and later we all had breakfast together.

"Umm... Tonight I would be going out after the ceremony" Jungkook smiled sheepishly, and Amanda tilted her head questioningly.

"Is Jungkook seeing someone?" She wiggled her eyebrows, and he laughed shyly.

"Wow, Kookie... is there someone?" I asked excitedly. It obviously excited us because the awkward Jungkook that we knew was apparently seeing someone.

He nodded lightly. "Maybe. Maybe not" he poured some more syrup onto his pancakes, and his eyes lifted to meet ours.

"So it's in that kind of a phase, is it?" I sighed. "Aahhhh... that's a painful period. But you will get past it soon. Anyway, who is it?" I was eager to know more.

"I'll tell you when things progress." He proceeded to eat his meal, and I knew it was no use probing him any further because he had gone into shut down mode.

"Okay" I chuckled and followed Amanda to the living room when the doorbell sounded. She opened the door, and there was a delivery for her.

Puzzled, she shut the door and brought the loosely packed cardboard box inside.
"I never ordered for anything. I wonder what this is." She examined the exterior of the box. "And it has no name or address of the sender." She looked up at me, casting worried glances my way.

I squatted on the floor next to where she was seated with the box and smiled at her.
"Open it then"

"Are you sure? I'm worried it might be from him." Her eyes were filled with worry and fear.

"Hey, silly ramen. Come on, open it. Or I'll mess up your curls." I sat down cross-legged on the floor facing her, with the box sitting in the space between us.

She breathed out nervously and opened the box carefully and pulled out the round glass fish bowl from inside it. There was a water-filled, sealed plastic bag holding two gold fishes swimming in it that was placed inside the bowl.

"Wow... it's a fish bowl and two fishes." Amanda raised it up to her eye level. "I wonder who sent this." She peeped at me from behind the bowl.

With a big smile, I pointed to one of the two fishes, the rounder one. "That's you" and then to the other fish, the longer one, "that's me" I winked at her.

Amanda's eyes twinkled, and I scooted closer to her.
"Do you want to go swimming with me?" I asked and kissed her cheek.

She laughed and nodded.
"This is so cute, honey. Yes, let's set us free."

I brought out a pair of scissors and Jungkook followed me to the living room and sat by watching us carefully open the pack and pour out the fish and water into the round glass bowl.

"Did you get this for her, Taehyung?" Jungkook was curious.

"No. I think it just dropped from the sky." I laughed at him. "Yeah, Kook. I bought it..." I looked at my wife who was carefully carrying the bowl to the shelf near the window in the living room. "I bought it for us" I smiled and turned to him.

Jungkook nodded a few times.
"Goldfish need a bit of sunlight, a pH level of 7.1 to 7.2 and a few pellets of food every day, plus 2 drops of Paracidol every week. And the tank stays clean if you oxygenate the water and install a power filter. Some gravel an-"

I interrupted him,
"Jungkook... it's just a bowl with two fish. I'll put in some pebbles and give an oxygen line, and we'll feed the fish and clean the bowl regularly. I think that will do." I patted his shoulders and went to Amanda.

"Hey, ramen... you know what," I pulled her into a side hug. "I want to add tiny fishes to this tank as and when we have kids... then we'll move them to a bigger tank and let them all swim freely and live happily." I put on my puppy eyes and smiled at her.

"That's so cute, Dr. Kim... but goldfish don't live for long." She giggled and poked my waist.

"You didn't have to say that now" I pouted and smiled sadly.

"Awwww... Come on. That's just a fact. But you know, they are our first pets. What do we name them?" We sat down on the couch and Jungkook joined us too.

"How about A and T?" Jungkook asked seriously, and there was a moment of complete silence after which all three of us broke into a fit of laughter.

"Mac and Cheese" Amanda suggested, and I just couldn't stop laughing.

"Please. Jungkook might eat them up" I laughed, and Jungkook pouted.

"But it's still better than A and T" she rolled her eyes, and when I finally calmed down, we decided to name them Mac and Cheese — the round girl fish Mac, and the longer boy fish Cheese.

After wasting a few hours watching useless stuff on TV and playing video games with Jungkook, we finally decided to get ready for the awarding ceremony. Amanda and I took a shower together and did a quick fix to some of her ruined ringlets — pushing aside the elaborate haircare for tomorrow. She wore the red dress that I bought for her, and I wore my expensive wedding tuxedo that looked fabulous and complimented her dress beautifully. Deciding on a hair style for me was harder today, and we finally settled on neatly gelled and combed back hair that looked formal and perfect with my outfit, just appropriate for the event.

After clicking a few pictures of us, we both stepped out of the bedroom and saw that Jungkook was ready to leave. He was dressed in an amazing grey suit with his hair combed back.

"Wow, Jungkookie. You look great," I complimented him as I sat down to wear my shoes. Amanda wore a pair of low pointed heels, and we left an hour ahead of the planned time.

The venue was The National Cultural Center that was usually used to host such awarding ceremonies and other formal gatherings for the Government Officials. Walking down the privileged red carpeted path with my wife by side, I felt as if I was the happiest and the luckiest man on the planet.

We got our invitation verified, and I was handed a special badge to wear that helped distinguish the awardees and the attendees. Amanda wrote down the names of those that will be attending the event with our invitation, and I was surprised to see when she wrote Dr. Choi's name.

"You never told me he was coming?" I asked her as she handed the pen back to the official at the entrance.

She smiled and winked at me.
"Mom needs a date, right?"

My eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, wow. For real?" I squeezed her shoulder lightly.

"Yeah, for real. I'll tell you more later." She wrapped her arm around my waist as we kept walking.

Jungkook chose to wait outside and come in along with everyone else. Amanda and I occupied the front row seats that were reserved for us. There were a few people inside the hall already, and I elaborated the flow of events for the evening to my wife, and she listened attentively.

Soon enough, Dr. Moon met me and ushered me to the backstage, leaving Amanda alone. However, I peeked out from the wings and was relieved to see that she wasn't alone anymore. Her mom, Dr. Choi, Sooya, Jimin, Jungkook, Yoongi and Hoseok were all with her. The hall was getting filled up at a fast rate, and I was growing a bit nervous, yet I put on my best smile and waited eagerly for the event to begin.

There was still about thirty minutes left for the event to begin, and the President was yet to arrive, and the security measures were extremely tight. Just then, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. The moment I opened it, my heart raced wildly.

Unknown:
Namjoon here. Are you all geared up for the awarding?

Unknown:
I bet you loved the little bonus surprise yesterday. 😉

My mind spiraled to the evening where he almost took me to the edge, hoping to permanently separate me from Amanda. The one evening that haunts my memories and gives me horrible panic attacks. The one evening where I almost lost my life.

༺───※ ·❆· ※───༻
⚠️Trigger Warning!! Brutality, stabbing, torture.⚠️

Author's POV

"Ah! We got a bonus today, didn't we?" remarked Namjoon as he pushed and powered his way into the house, making Taehyung stumble back. Once the gathering entered the living room of the Choi's, the front door slammed shut.

"Namjoon, what's all this?" Taehyung clenched his jaw as his eyes floated over from thug to thug and finally to the older man and then to Namjoon and his hands balled into fists.

"Take their phones" Namjoon commanded and crossed his arms under his chest and his gang of goons lunged forward and fought with the three people in the house. Taehyung launched himself between Sooya and the goons, attempting to protect her from being inappropriately touched by any of them. But they were stronger and bigger and with one push and pull, they sent Taehyung to the floor and grabbed Sooya's cellphone.

Dr. Choi was pushed to the couch and his phone was seized before he was tied up to the couch. Taehyung stood up and pounced on the hooligans that were trying to tie up Sooya to a chair. A fight broke out and one of the stronger thugs punched Taehyung's jaw a few times, brutally bruising him, before dragging Sooya to the chair.

"Taehyung! Wake up!" Sooya cried and screamed upon seeing Taehyung lying on the floor with a bleeding mouth and drooping eyes. Despite his failing condition, Taehyung crawled and unsteadily staggered onto his feet and tried to throw weak punches at Namjoon.

"Tsk tsk. Someone has a death wish today." Namjoon grabbed Taehyung's collar and repeatedly slammed him against the wall, making Taehyung wince and scream in pain. Taehyung tried to hold the back of his head that had begun bleeding, but Namjoon tightly held both his wrists and twisted them behind his back.

"Tie him up" he clenched his jaw and commanded his goons, who dragged Taehyung's almost blacked out, bleeding form to another chair and tied him up.

Dusting off his sleeves and shoulders, Namjoon folded up the sleeves of his shirt and walked up to Taehyung, whose head was drooping and blood mixed with strings of saliva dripped from his mouth. The back of his head was bleeding, and his vision was beginning to blur.

Namjoon crouched down on his knees and lifted Taehyung's chin up with his finger and frowned.
"Isn't this the handsome face that Amanda fell for? How I wish she could see you right now. Aaaahhh.." he let out a long breath and got up on his feet. "Anyway, I'm here for something else. I'll come back to you later." He kicked aside Taehyung's chair and went closer to Sooya who was letting out muffled cries and stomping her tied-up feet on the hardwood floor.

He grabbed her jaw and lifted her teary face up to take a good look at her.
"You don't look so bad." He scanned her body with hungry eyes and then shifted his gaze to her father who was tied up on the couch with a piece of cloth stuffed inside his mouth.

"Do you want to say something, Dr. Choi? I bet it can wait until your daughter loses her virginity. If only you had agreed to give up that rat hole of a clinic that you own..." He smirked and pulled out the cloth that was stuffed inside Sooya's mouth.

"Fucker! How cheap of you to pull such a stunt? I swear to Go-" he stuffed the cloth back into her mouth.

"I don't like vocal women." He chuckled and patted her cheek and turned to her father. "So, Dr. Choi... since you aren't ready to sign the papers, are you ready to watch this amazing scene?" Namjoon placed his hands on Sooya's shoulder and stroked it gently while she squirmed under his touch and let out muffled cries of agony. Namjoon's dad sat down and leaned back in another free couch and crossed his legs, as if preparing to witness something marvelous.

Taehyung was half awake, and hearing Sooya's painful muffled cries, he raised his head with a lot of difficulty, and shouted,
"Fucking Namjoon... don't you dare-" *cough* "touch her" he spit out some blood and coughed again.

Namjoon clicked his tongue in frustration.
"What's your problem now? Are you fucking around with this girl too? Aaargh! I guess I have to take care of you first." He walked back to Taehyung and grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head backward, his tall form towering over Taehyung who was struggling to breathe.

"I never intended to encounter you here today. But since you came in uninvited as always, let's get rid of you first." He stepped back a little and launched his foot into Taehyung's stomach, making him curl inward and cough out more blood.

He untied the ropes around Taehyung and angrily pulled him onto his feet by grabbing his collar.
"Why do you even try? Do you know that I fucking hate you so much that I am ready to kill you this moment?" Namjoon spoke through his clenched teeth.

"Same" Taehyung mumbled weakly, and that set fire to every vein in Namjoon's body.

"Well, try me then. Come on" he let go of Taehyung's collar and took a step back, creasing the tip of his nose with the back of his hand. "Come on," he provoked Taehyung whose vision was already fading.

Yet, Taehyung gathered up every last ounce of his dwindling energy and threw a weak punch to Namjoon's abs, but he stood strong and tall, unmoved by the weak punch that felt more like a soft tap.

"Come on, Taehyung. I still have work to do" his voice boomed, drowning the muffled cries in the background. Taehyung wobbled about unsteadily and stumbled onto the kitchen divider and his eyes landed on the fruit knife on the counter that was just about a foot away from his reach.

With the knife as his last ray of hope and a little bit of renewed vigor that the glimmering weapon instilled in him, Taehyung grabbed it in one swift move and spun around to face Namjoon and launched himself in the direction of the enemy. But Namjoon, being the stronger opponent with reflexes matching the speed of light, stopped Taehyung in his flight and twisted his wrist; the knife now pointing to Taehyung's abdomen.

"Time to leave." He gritted his teeth and blew a kiss to Taehyung and slowly but steadily plunged the knife into Taehyung's stomach, the small circle of blood growing larger in diameter with each inch the knife lowered into his flesh, eventually spilling out and the impact sent Taehyung into a complete blackout.

༺───※ ·❆· ※───༻

Taehyung's POV

"Dr. Kim?" Someone shook me by my shoulder, making my eyelids fly open, pulling me out of my ghastly memory rewind. I found myself sweating bullets, yet I nodded to the person next to me, Dr. Moon.

"Let's go on stage," he showed the way, and I breathed out my nervousness and walked on to the brightly illuminated stage, fully confident that I looked like a mess.

The lights were blinding, and I couldn't see anyone in the crowd until I shook hands with the dignitaries on the stage and sat down — after which my eyes got adjusted to the slanting bright lights and identified the familiar figure of my wife and friends who were seated next to her. Thankfully, the lights were dimmed a bit, helping me to see my people more clearly. I smiled at them, and everyone smiled back at me, that kind of eased my mind and calmed my nerves to an extent.

The speeches were delivered by the dignitaries on stage, and then the introduction for my award was given by the hostess for the evening.

"The first and most prestigious medal to be awarded this evening is for a path-breaking achievement in the field of Pediatric Surgery. A one of its kind live liver transplant surgery was done on a 2-month old infant, the youngest recipient of a donor liver in the country, by Dr. Kim Taehyung, Pediatric Surgeon at the Seoul Asan Medical Center." The hostess said, and the crowd erupted into roaring applause. Had it been just us, I was pretty sure that by now Amanda and Jimin would be doing cartwheels and hooting together.

The hostess continued in detail about my education and briefed about my academic achievements, and finally, I was called upon to be conferred with the nation's highest medal of honor, in recognition of contributing to the overall welfare of the nation by being a pioneer in the medical field. I bowed politely to the President as he stepped closer and adorned my neck with the prestigious medal. My eyes landed on my wife, who was clapping and smiling big, and even through the partially blinding lights I could see her doe eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy and pride.

The award ceremony ended after a few more medals of honor that were awarded to those who achieved similar astounding feats in the fields of Engineering, Information Technology, Entertainment and Science and Research, which was followed by a short and crisp speech by the President and a thank you speech by the Minister of Internal Affairs.

As soon as the President stepped out of the stage, I rushed down to my people and Jimin came crashing on to me, enveloping me in a bone-crushing hug. One after the other the guys, Sooya and Amanda's mom hugged and patted me and then Dr. Choi too hugged me tight and placed his hand on my head as I bowed to him and received his blessings. My wife, however, stood by very calmly, comfortably letting everyone get the best of their time with me — but I couldn't wait to get comfortable with her under the sheets.

Later, we all had dinner and everyone started to leave the hall one after the other. Jungkook disappeared like a flash of lightning, followed by the others, and Amanda's mom hung around for a bit before we called it a night. Bidding her mom goodbye with a tight, warm hug, Amanda waited until she got in her car and drove out of the venue safely.

We then boarded our car and drove back home. Amanda took over the wheels and all through the drive, my hand never left her thigh as I pushed aside her dress and kept stroking her skin and squeezing her soft flesh, making my intentions clear as crystal.

Phew! We survived the award ceremony!!
🥵
Sloth coming up next...

Published on : 10/16/2021