Fragments of fragile heart

Flashback – 9 Years Ago

The sun was setting over the quiet park as young Jungkook walked home. The chirping of birds and the cool breeze provided a rare moment of peace. Jungkook loved this time of day—the calm before he returned home to the chaos his life had become.

As he turned a corner near his house, Junghwon and his group of friends appeared, blocking his path. Junghwon, barely 11 at the time, had a look of malice that didn’t belong on someone so young. His friends, older boys, smirked, feeding off his energy.

"Well, well," Junghwon sneered. "If it isn’t the golden child."

Jungkook’s soft smile faltered, but he still spoke gently. "Junghwon, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be home?"

"Don’t talk to me like that!" Junghwon snapped, his fists clenched. "You think you’re better than me, don’t you?"

Jungkook tilted his head in confusion. "I never said that."

"You don’t have to. Everyone says it for you," Junghwon spat. "Mom, Dad, the relatives, even the neighbors! All they talk about is Jungkook this, Jungkook that. They don’t care about me!"

"That’s not true," Jungkook said softly, trying to soothe him. "Mom and Dad love you—"

"Shut up!" Junghwon screamed, his voice echoing in the empty street. "You’re lying!"

One of Junghwon’s friends nudged him. "You gonna let him talk to you like that?"

Junghwon’s eyes burned with hatred as he raised his fist, ready to punch Jungkook. Instinctively, Jungkook raised his hands to defend himself, lightly pushing Junghwon away to avoid getting hit.

At that moment, their parents turned the corner, just in time to see Jungkook pushing Junghwon.

"Please, hyung, don’t hurt me!" Junghwon cried, his voice trembling with fake fear as he fell to the ground, clutching his arm.

Their mother’s gasp was audible as she rushed to Junghwon’s side.

"What are you doing, Jungkook?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

"Mom, it’s not—" Jungkook tried to explain, but his father cut him off.

"Enough!" his father barked, stepping forward. "I never thought you could stoop so low, Jungkook. Bullying your younger brother? You’re a disgrace."

"No, Dad, it’s not like that—"

Before he could finish, his father’s hand struck his cheek, the slap echoing in the silent street. Jungkook staggered, his eyes wide with shock. It was the first time his father had ever hit him.

Junghwon continued to cry, his friends watching with smug satisfaction.

"From now on," his father said coldly, "you’ll earn back our trust. Until then, don’t expect anything from us."

---

From that day on, Jungkook’s life spiraled into a nightmare. His parents’ harsh words became a daily routine. Any mistake, no matter how small, was met with verbal and sometimes physical punishment.

"Why can’t you be more like Junghwon?" his mother would scold.

"Go sleep in the garden. Maybe the cold will teach you some respect," his father would say.

Jungkook obeyed, curling up in the dark, cold garden at night, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the moon. He clung to the faint hope that one day, they would love him again.

But as the years passed, that hope faded.

---

Present Day

Two months had passed since Junghwon joined Jungkook at college. The younger brother’s facade of innocence and charm had won over nearly everyone. Even Taehyung and the hyungs had grown fond of him, showering him with attention and praise.

Jungkook watched from the sidelines, his fragile heart breaking a little more each day.

His hyungs still cared for him—Jin and Yoongi, in particular, made sure to pamper him whenever they could. But the shift in attention was undeniable. Taehyung, especially, seemed to spend more time with Junghwon.

Junghwon’s clinginess to Taehyung didn’t go unnoticed by Jungkook, but he said nothing. What could he say? That he was afraid of losing the one person who gave him hope?

------

"Why did you break up with your old lover?" Jungkook had asked Taehyung one evening.

Taehyung had laughed, brushing it off. "I don’t feel butterflies anymore," he said casually, changing the topic.

Jungkook didn’t press further, but the answer left a strange ache in his chest.

---

Every day, Jungkook arrived at college without breakfast, a faint hollowness in his stomach that he ignored. He spent his evenings working a part-time job, and by the time he returned home, his parents’ harsh words were waiting for him.

"Why can’t you be like Junghwon?" his mother would say, her voice sharp.

Jungkook would nod silently, retreating to his room where he would sit by the window, talking to the moon.

"Why am I like this?" he whispered one night, tears streaming down his face. "Why can’t I make them happy?"

He clung to the little love he received from his hyungs and Taehyung, but even that was slipping away. His once-fragile heart now felt like shattered glass, each piece cutting deeper into his soul.

---

To Be Continued...