FLASHBACK

Days had gone by. Months had gone by. Years had gone by. And that year had been particularly hard.

Just another day. Just another evening after school. That was what it was supposed to be.

But somehow someone had said the wrong thing and someone had gotten angry.

Angry. Someone was always fucking angry.

Jimin stood on the doorway as he watched his parents bicker and fight as usual. His mother's face was drenched in tears as she sat on the sofa with her head in her hands.

"I can't stay in this place anymore!" she screams with fervor, with hidden desperation that happened to pour out all at once.

Like an explosion of some kind.

And his father didn't know what to do. This was where his job was, where they had lived for the last twenty years. He couldn't understand why couldn't she just be grateful for all the things she had. She was always complaining about wanting more and more. He had already given her everything she needed. He went to work everyday to support the family. He tried and tried to make peace with her mother even when he didn't want to. 

What else did she need?

But his mother kept on wailing. To her, her husband couldn't understand her loneliness. He didn't understand that they now lived in different rooms. That the twenty years she had lived in that house, she had done everything alone.  She ate breakfast alone, went to the doctor's alone, watched television alone while her husband would always be at work or with his friends. She was never his first priority. And on top of that, familial tensions outside of their own soured their bond. 

She had had enough. She couldn't be alone anymore. Because now her children had grown up and would leave the house too. She feared the bouts and heaps of loneliness that would come after. 

Jimin continued to watch.

"This is all because of your mothe-"

"Oh my god! Can you not bring her into every single argument?" 

The screaming match went on for thirty more minutes as Jimin's ears went numb. Both egos clashing and the energy of the house rising that he was surprised his neighbors hadn't come knocking on the door already. His mother kept looking towards him and his sister with eyes, begging them to intervene.

Say something, please. Help me. I'm helpless here, was what she was pleading. But Jimin knew that she wanted him to barge in the most. She wanted him to take her side here but all Jimin could do was scrunch his eyebrows in worry.

Jimin's eyes were conflicted as he looked back and forth between his parents. He opened his mouth trying to speak but could not bare to utter a single word. He didn't want to pick a side. Why was that so hard to understand? He didn't want to pick sides!

His mother sensed his reluctance as her pleading eyes gradually turned into a icy demeaning glare. All the sorrow wiped away to reveal the resentment that she'd worn underneath a disguise as she muttered at him under her breath, "Weak."

Jimin stood there, frozen. His hands trembled as he gulped down the disappointment that radiated from her, hating that he made her feel that way. A dull ache lingered at his chest as his head remained downcast. He'd only wanted to make her proud. He wanted her to stop seeing him as a weakling, but no matter what he would screw up in some way or the other. He just couldn't bring himself to go against his father.

Stuck in a dilemma, tears began to cloud his eyes as his heart scrunched up in helplessness.

You are so weak, he thought to himself. 

The entire house was loud with cries of help, accusations, grave realization and regret.

"I'm sorry," he whispered with guilt. To his side, he could feel his sister tremble. She wasn't as neutral as him. She'd seen him keep quiet as she shook her head. They had spent so much more time with their mother after all, so naturally even the sight of their mother in pain elicited a rageful emotion.

She was about to break soon. 

No, please no.

"Why are you always blaming her for everything?" his sister raised as her voice as she stepped in like a fire ignited within herself. As if a matchstick got struck and the flame had finally gotten to her. Jimin's eyes widened as he watched his sister scream and shout at her father. His mother continued to cry and his father clenched his fists in frustration. He turned to his wife.

"Don't bring the children into this!"

"Well, you never listen to me," their mother muttered.

"All I do is listen to you! I give you everyt-"

"Why can't you just see her side for once!"

"Look at that. You've even turned the kids against me!"

"That's not what this is about!"

Having heard enough of her voice, his father grabbed the remote and started to increase the volumeof the TV, trying to drown out their noises. Disregarding any self control, hehurled the remote to the ground. The remote broke into a hundred pieces, the loud bang making everyone jump in fear. 

"Listen to me!"

Jimin's own hands clasped over his ears and he shut his eyes as he let his home turn into a madhouse. The plethora of voices muffled and mixed into each other that he couldn't tell who was saying what. His breath became ragged.

Everywhere around him was anger. All he could see before him was anger as it tore everything apart.

And in that chaos, it was a miracle that he could hear his own thoughts.

I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here.

A/N:

Thank you for reading<3