I cleared my throat, speaking into the microphone. "Hello. Um, my name is Jeon Jungkook. I am singing a song I wrote, titled 'Broken and Bruised.' I wrote this song to explain how I felt when I hurt the person I love." At this, I met Taehyung's eyes, seeing the tears welling up in his chocolate hurricane-filled irises. "I checked myself into this program after getting so high I caused him pain, physically and emotionally. I know this is nowhere near an apology, but I hope it's a start. This song is for you, Taehyung."

A/N: This song is one that I wrote exclusively for this story. This chapter will include the actual story part, including the lyrics of the song, for context. I will be posting another update with the link to the actual recorded song once I finish putting it together.

While I am a musician, I work with special needs kids mostly. I don't often write adult-level original songs, so I am still inexperienced in that department, but I tried my best for you all!

•••••

My hand gripped the microphone stand to steady the trembling. I took in a deep breath before making eye contact with Woosung, who sat at the piano.

He gave me a small nod for encouragement as he began to play the quiet piano chords.

As I sit here in this place,
Familiarity left behind,
There is one thing filling the space
Of my mind.

The pain I caused you,
The agony within your eyes,
Your trembling hand, bruises blue
Shaking against the shoulder it lies
On

Oh, as I think about the anguish,
The torture and the pain,
Your face remains in my mind,
I cannot let it be in vain.

I am broken,
I am bruised,
And I'm forever sorry
For hurting you
My hands hold so much anger,
And I don't know what to do with it
My heart begs me to kiss you,
But my hands demand to hit
Broken, and bruised

The drugs used to mask the pain,
The pain I felt inside.
Parents dead and much to gain,
Left me blurry-eyed.

Oh, as I think about the anguish,
The torture and the pain,
Your face remains in my mind,
I cannot let it be in vain.

Bridge:
Love is patient, love is kind
I can't get you out of my mind
I was scared I'd lose you too
So I thought maybe drugs would do.
But I realize now, after all this time
How much I need you in my life
Baby, oh

I am broken,
I am bruised,
And I'm forever sorry
For hurting you
My hands hold so much anger,
And I don't know what to do with it
My heart begs me to kiss you,
But my hands demand to hit
Em
Broken, and bruised
Am
And I miss you.

(Outro)
No words describe how I feel
When I am in your presence
Whether arcades or a meal,
Phone calls or another deal,
I miss you
And I'm sorry

The whole time I sang, my eyes remained closed, the lyrics I wrote with Woosung's help painting the backs of my eyelids.

As the sound of the last piano chord died out, I took a breath and opened my eyes, immediately seeing Taehyung's face in the crowd, tears leaving streaks down his tan cheeks.

Yoongi wore a proud smile as he applauded, giving me a slight nod as my eyes met his.

••

"Thank you to everyone for attending. And, I have the honor of telling each of you," Woosung now made eye contact with each patient. "Comgratulations on graduating officially from this rehabilitation clinic!"

The audience clapped, standing ovations and shouts overwhelming the senses.

I didn't care about the rest of it. The only thing I cared about right now was Taehyung.

Seeing the rest of the patients from my group standing up and migrating to their loved ones in the audience, I wiped my sweaty palms on the jeans provided by the rehab before I stood up.

"Congratulations, Kook. I'm so proud of you," Yoongi spoke softly, still loud enough to startle me. I turned around, smiling widely at my best friend, immediately engulfing him in a hug.

"Thanks, Yoongi. I appreciate your support." I squeezed his shoulders as I pulled away from the hug.

I caught sight of Taehyung, who stood a few feet away behind Yoongi. He was engrossed by a speck of dirt on the tile floor.

I cleared my throat, taking in a deep breath.

Yoongi squeezed my bicep, giving me a nod. "I will go grab your stuff and load it into the car. Take your time."

As he walked past Taehyung, he gave him a tap on the cheek and a small nod as well.

After a few seconds of silence, I took a step forward. "Hey, Tae."

His eyes met mine for the first time since I stepped away from the microphone.

"Hey, Jungkook."

God, I missed his voice.

"You look great! I like the new hair color."

I watched as his hand migrated to his now-silver locks of hair. His cheeks tinted a faint red. "Thanks. Um, congratulations. I'm proud of you for taking this step."

"Thank you, Tae."

"Jungkook-ah!" Woosung smiled, clapping me on the shoulder. "I'm glad I caught you. Excellent job on your song. I know you spent countless hours on it to make it just right."

I nodded, my eyes instantly drifting back to Taehyung.

Woosung's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm interrupting, I'm so sorry."

"That's okay," I reassured him. Clearing my throat, I used my hand to gesture towards Taehyung. "Taehyung, this is Woosung, the music therapist I worked with while I was here. Woosung, this is Taehyung."

"Taehyung! It's lovely to meet you." They shook hands, Woosung facing me again. "Isn't he the one you wrote the song for?"

I nodded once again, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I looked down at my shoes.

"It was a great song," Taehyung spoke, making me look up at him. The silver haired male gave a small closed-mouth smile. "Thank you for helping him with it, Woosung."

The therapist chuckled. "Not a problem at all! It was all Jungkook's ideas and his true inner feelings, I was just there to help put it into words." He turned to me once more. "I have a gift for you."

"For me?" My eyebrows furrowed together.

He handed me a giftbag, about the size of my torso.

"Holy shit," I chuckled. "It's huge."

"That's what he said," Taehyung mumbled, making me snort in laughter. His cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red.

I opened the bag, pulling out the gift with a grunt. "You bought me a drum?"

Woosung nodded. "This was a gift from my own mentor. I had some tough times growing up and harvested a lot of anger. She gifted me this djembe to channel this anger. I am now passing it on to you. Whenever you feel angry, instead of hitting other things or people, hit this drum. Feel the frequency waves resonate after a powerful hit and eventually it should calm you down."

"Oh wow. I-I don't even know what to say. Thank you so much, Woosung."

I set the drum down to give him a hug. He patted my back a few times before pulling away with a smile. "Stay in touch, and stay strong our there! You can do this."

"Thank you, Woosung."

The therapist skipped off, heading to the next group of people.

My eyes admired the designs on the djembe before a gentle hand touched mine.

"He seems great. It was very kind of him to pass this on to you," Taehyung said.

For the first time in the last thirty days, I felt the tension ease out of my body just from the simple touch of Taehyung's hand against mine as he squeezed my hand.

"Let's get you home, shall we? Yoongi is waiting."

I nodded, picking up the djembe and walked through the double doors, down the carpeted hallway, until I was signing the remaining paperwork at the front desk.

As I stepped out into the sunshine, I took a deep breath of fresh air. "This is when my life truly begins," I whispered to myself, more like a declaration and a promise.

This is my second chance.

•••••

Oooooohhh Taekook are reuniteddddd