The scent of baby powder and warm vanilla filled the Kim household, a quiet sanctuary against the bustling Seoul streets outside. Five-year-old Taehyung stood on his tiptoes, his small hands gripping the smooth, wooden edge of the crib. His big, expressive eyes were locked onto the tiny bundle resting under a soft blue blanket.

Inside the crib lay Jeon Jungkook. He was exactly two months old, with cheeks like soft, unbaked mochis and tiny fists tucked close to his chin. He was so small that Taehyung felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to protect him from everything in the world.

Taehyung’s mother walked into the nursery, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she watched her son. She stepped up behind him, resting a warm hand on his shoulder. "Tae, be very gentle. Your Auntie Jeon is finally getting some sleep downstairs. You have to be a big boy and look after Kookoo for a little bit while I check on the kitchen, okay?"

Taehyung didn't even look up; he was completely mesmerized. "I'll be super quiet, Mom," he whispered back, his eyes never leaving the baby.

Once his mother’s footsteps faded down the hallway, Taehyung reached a hesitant, chubby finger through the white crib bars. He carefully, slowly, brushed his finger against the baby's open, tiny palm.

As if by pure instinct, Jungkook’s tiny, fragile fingers curled tightly around Taehyung’s index finger. He gripped it with surprising strength for a two-month-old, letting out a soft, sleepy sigh.

Taehyung gasped, a wide, radiant, boxy smile instantly spreading across his face. A warm bubble of pure happiness burst in his chest.

"Look at you," Taehyung whispered-yelled, his voice trembling with a mixture of awe and pure excitement. "You like me, right? You're so small, Kookoo..."

He leaned his forehead against the wooden bars, his soft, fluffy brown hair falling forward. The baby’s grip remained firm, anchoring them together in the quiet room.

"Don't worry, Kookoo," five-year-old Taehyung whispered with absolute, solemn devotion to the sleeping infant. "Hyungie is big, and Hyungie will protect you forever."

Thankyou for reading 😘

Swim, swim

Water falling off your skin

Swim, swim

I could spend a lifetime watching you

Swim, swim

This is how it all begins

Swim, swim

I just wanna dive, I just wanna dive

Bad world

Gone away, I still wake up in this mad world

Name a place that I could breathe on this map, world

Looking like a goody-goody in this bad world, bad world

Don't know how to act, girl

I'm in this deep, tell me, where the hell you at, girl?

Oh, you ain't even gotta love me bad, girl

You know that I'm never holdin' back, girl, yeah

So easy, don't make it so hard

Nights like these, I just wanna get lost

Right here with the moon and the sharks

I ain't gotta think 'bout a thing, baby, I just

Swim, swim

Water falling off your skin

Swim, swim

I could spend a lifetime watching you

Swim (swim), swim (swim)

This is how it all begins

Swim, swim

I just wanna dive, I just wanna dive

Water, water so deep, water so deep

Take it off the ground, I ain't never getting cold feet

Yeah, you know me, yeah, you know me

Sittin' on the shore, now I'm ready for the whole sea

I can feel the high waves comin' (comin')

Why you run away? You can run in

Salt on my tongue, she's stunnin' (yeah)

You're the only place that I wanna be, yeah

Swim, swim

Water falling off your skin

Swim, swim

I could spend a lifetime watching you

Swim (swim), swim (swim)

This is how it all begins

Swim, swim

I just wanna dive, I just wanna dive

Splash (splash), drift (drift)

I make waves with my two fins (two fins)

Splash (whoo), drip (drip)

I just wanna take it across the line

Under here, we don't chase the time

Baby, everything can't be so sad (so sad)

Turn my face from the land

I just wanna dive, I just wanna dive

Swim, swim

Water falling off your skin

Swim, swim

I could spend a lifetime watching you

Swim (swim), swim (swim)

Let it all begin

Swim, swim

I just wanna dive, I just wanna dive

Four years flew by like a blur of bright summer afternoons and scraped knees. By the time Taehyung was nine, he was a whirlwind of energy, long limbs, and a laugh that could light up the gloomiest room. And wherever Taehyung went, four-year-old Jungkook was sure to follow.

To Jungkook, the universe revolved entirely around his Tae-hyungie.

It was a sticky July afternoon, and the two boys were in the backyard of the Kim residence. The older mothers sat on the porch, sipping iced tea and laughing as they watched their sons.

"Hyungie! Wait for me!" little Jungkook cried out, his chubby toddler legs pumping as fast as they could across the green grass. He was wearing an oversized yellow t-shirt that hung down to his knees, making him look like a tiny, waddling duck.

Taehyung stopped running immediately. He turned around, his eyes curving into happy crescents as he saw Jungkook struggling to catch up. Instead of keeping the soccer ball to himself, Taehyung sat down on the grass, waiting patiently.

"I'm waiting, Kookoo! Slow down, you're gonna trip!" Taehyung called out, stretching his arms wide.

Predictably, just a few feet away, Jungkook’s foot caught on a rogue tree root. He went tumbling forward, landing face-first into the soft grass.

For a second, there was total silence. On the porch, Jungkook’s mother started to stand up, but Taehyung’s mother held her hand back, whispering, "Watch."

Before Jungkook could even process the sting or let out a single tear, Taehyung was already there, pulling the younger boy into his lap. Taehyung carefully brushed the grass clippings off Jungkook's chubby cheeks and patted his messy dark hair.

"Oh, look at our brave Kookoo," Taehyung cooed softly, rocking the toddler back and forth. "No crying, right? Hyungie’s got you. Let me see your hands."

Jungkook pouted, his lower lip trembling as he held up his tiny palms. They were slightly red but not bleeding. He sniffled, looking up at Taehyung with big, glassy, doe-like eyes. Seeing Taehyung’s calm, smiling face instantly worked like magic. The tears running down his face stopped right in their tracks.

"Does it boo-boo?" Taehyung asked, gently blowing cool air onto Jungkook’s palms.

Jungkook shook his head rapidly, a tiny smile breaking through his pout. "No boo-boo. Hyungie fixed it."

"Good boy!" Taehyung cheered, leaning down to plant a playful, messy kiss on Jungkook’s cheek, making the toddler giggling madly. Taehyung then picked up the soccer ball and placed it right in front of Jungkook's feet. "Now, it’s your turn to kick. Show me how strong you are!"

Jungkook kicked the ball with all his might, sending it rolling a whopping three feet. Taehyung gasped dramatically, clapping his hands as if Jungkook had just scored a world-cup goal. "Wow! Kookoo is so strong!"

From the porch, their mothers watched with soft, emotional eyes.

"I swear, Taehyung loves your boy more than his own toys," Mrs. Kim said with a chuckle.

Mrs. Jeon smiled, resting her chin on her hand. "They’re inseparable. I just hope they stay this close forever."

Back on the grass, Jungkook wrapped his small arms tightly around Taehyung's neck, burying his face in his hyung's shoulder. He didn't understand the future, but he knew one thing for certain—as long as he held onto Taehyung, nothing could ever hurt him.

Thankyou for reading 😘

The bright, sun-drenched summers of Taehyung’s childhood came to an abrupt, violent halt on a rainy Tuesday evening in November. Taehyung was ten years old.

The rain was pouring down in heavy, relentless sheets, blurring the city lights into smudges of red and yellow. Inside the Kim household, ten-year-old Taehyung was sitting on the living room rug, patiently building a towering castle out of plastic blocks. Four-year-old Jungkook was curled up right beside him, his head resting against Taehyung’s thigh, sound asleep while holding onto the hem of Taehyung's sweater.

Taehyung’s parents had gone out for a rare anniversary dinner, leaving the boys under the care of Jungkook’s mother, who was currently in the kitchen brewing tea.

Rrrrng.

The sharp, jarring sound of the landline telephone sliced through the quiet hum of the house. Taehyung blinked, looking toward the kitchen. He heard Auntie Jeon pick up the receiver.

"Hello? Yes, this is she..."

Taehyung went back to placing a blue block on his castle. But within seconds, the quiet atmosphere shattered.

From the kitchen, a loud, sharp gasp echoed, followed by the clatter of a ceramic mug shattering against the tile floor. Taehyung froze. He slowly turned his head.

Auntie Jeon stumbled out of the kitchen, the phone dangling limply from her hand, her face completely drained of color. Her eyes were wide with a terror that Taehyung had never seen before. She looked directly at Taehyung, and tears immediately spilled over her lower lids.

"Auntie?" Taehyung asked, his voice suddenly sounding very small, very young. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer. She rushed to the sofa, grabbing her coat with trembling hands, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Tae... Tae, honey, listen to me," she choked out, dropping to her knees in front of him. She grabbed his shoulders, her grip tight and shaking. "I need to go to the hospital. Your... your mom and dad... there was a crash. A truck on the highway."

The word crash echoed in Taehyung’s ears. He stared at her, his mind refusing to process the information. "Hospital? Are they hurt? I want to go too."

"No, baby, you stay here. Look after Jungkook," she sobbed, pressing a frantic kiss to Taehyung's forehead before rushing out into the torrential rain, the front door clicking shut behind her.

The house fell into a terrifying, suffocating silence, save for the rhythmic patter of rain against the windowpane.

Taehyung sat frozen on the floor. His chest felt tight, a heavy, suffocating weight pressing down on his lungs. He looked down at Jungkook, who was still sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that the world was fracturing around them.

Hours crept by like an agonizingly slow nightmare. Taehyung didn't move an inch. He didn't cry. He just stared at the front door, waiting for his parents to walk through it, laughing about the rain, apologizing for being late.

It was past midnight when the door finally clicked open again.

Auntie Jeon walked in, followed closely by Uncle Jeon. Their clothes were damp, their eyes red and swollen. Uncle Jeon walked over, gently lifting a sleepy, blinking Jungkook into his arms.

Auntie Jeon dropped to her knees in front of Taehyung again. She didn't say a word. She just wrapped her arms tightly around his small frame and buried her face in his shoulder, her body shaking with violent, uncontrollable sobs.

In that heavy, heartbreaking silence, ten-year-old Taehyung finally understood. They weren't coming home. His bright, beautiful parents were gone forever.

He didn't shed a tear. His eyes just went completely blank, staring over his aunt’s shoulder at the colorful plastic castle on the floor. The world had gone entirely, devastatingly quiet.

Thankyou for reading 😘