"Ah, [Y/N]ie!" Taehyung cries as you step out into the living room, "You're up early today! I haven't started on breakfast yet."

"It's fine Taetae," you console him, "I'll just have some cereal."

"Just cereal?" Taehyung huffs. "No, that's not good enough!" He starts turning towards the kitchen. "I'll start making breakfast now!"

"I might be late for work, though..." you say hesitantly.

"But it's Sunday!" Taehyung declares, puzzled. "Why are you going to work today?"

"Taetae, it's Monday today," you correct him distractedly, brushing past him to get the milk from the fridge.

"Huh? Yesterday was Saturday," Taehyung mutters to himself, "so today is Sunday." He turns to you, giggling. "[Y/N]ie, it's not Monday until tomorrow. You're being funny!"

Taehyung's statement stops you cold.

'Oh no, that's right! V took over all of yesterday, so for Taehyung... It's like yesterday didn't happen at all.'

You turn back towards Taehyung and see him consulting his phone.

"That's weird," he says, face scrunched up in a frown, "even my phone says it's Monday today." He looks up at you with wide eyes. "[Y/N]ie, could it be... I'm starting to go crazy?"

You shake your head, not knowing the right thing to say.

'This is all my fault! I need to tell Taetae the truth!' But then, you remember Hobi's request. 'Ugh, okay I'll talk to Hobi first, then tell Tae.'

Then, all of a sudden, Taehyung sways, the same way V did the day before. You reach out and grab his shoulders in an attempt to steady him.

"Taehyung..."

Taehyung clutches at his head.

"Haaa..." he gasps, "My head hurts... What's happening..."

You're near tears at this point.

'WhatdoIdo? WhatdoIdo? WhatdoIdo?'

"Taetae, come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

"D-don't worry about me," Taehyung tells you in a strained voice. You shake your head again, even though he couldn't see since his eyes are shut tight against the pain.

"Tae... you're obviously not okay! Come on..." you try to gently tug him towards the door, but he resists.

"I don't want you to be late for work because of me," he says, opening his eyes and giving you his best attempt at a bright smile, "I'll be fine."

"I can take an emergency leave today," you insist, "I can't leave you like this."

Taehyung takes a deep breath and straightens up.

"Seriously, I'm fine. I'm feeling better already." He gently takes your hands off of his shoulders and places them by your sides. "I'll feel even worse if you have to miss work because of me." He shoots you another smile then shuffles towards the couch. "I'll just... take a nap for a bit. I'm sure I'll feel okay after a nap."

"Taetae..."

"Please, [Y/N]ie. Don't worry about me," Taehyung pleads from where he's already lying on the couch, "Don't worry about me. I'll just nap, then I'll be back to 100%."

"Okay..." you say, feeling like you have no choice but to give in, "if that's what you want... But if you're not feeling better when you wake up, call me! Okay?"

"Yeap, I will," Taehyung responds, eyes already falling shut, "Have a nice day at work, [Y/N]ie."

As you watch Taehyung doze off, you simply stand in the middle of the living room, feeling helpless.

'I'm really sorry, Taetae. I'll make this right, I promise!'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You text Hobi on your way to work.

Hobi no longer responds after that, so you decide to text Taehyung.

All morning at the office, you anxiously await Taehyung's response to your text. Your nerves are absolutely shot, you can barely focus on your tasks.

Finally, shortly before noon, your phone vibrates. With shaking hands, you check the notification.

'It's Taetae!'

'It's just like him to worry about me even when he's the one feeling unwell...'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Taehyung and Hobi are already waiting in the reception area by the time you arrive at the orphanage. Hobi immediately leads you and Taehyung to one of the screening rooms, where the three of you can talk in private.

Hobi arranges three chairs in a triangle all facing the center, and once you're all sat, immediately jumps into the topic.

"So, Taehyung, do you have any idea why we're here?"

"Does it have to do with me completely forgetting about Sunday?" Taehyung asks.

"Yes, that's right," Hobi confirms.

"Hyung... Am I sick?" The heartbreak in Taehyung's voice nearly breaks your own heart in two. "Is there something wrong with me?"

You catch the look of pain that briefly flashes across Hobi's face, but he quickly smooths it into his usual, professional expression.

"I wouldn't say you're sick, exactly," Hobi hedges, "It's a... unique condition."

You can't stand all the beating around the bush anymore, so you cry, "Hobi, please just give it to Taehyung straight!" Hobi looks to you in surprise. "Don't drag it on any longer!"

Hobi clears his throat awkwardly, then turns back to Taehyung.

"Right." He sighs. "Taehyung, you have a condition that's similar to what, in humans, we call 'Dissociative Identity Disorder', or DID for short."

"Hyung, what does that mean?" Taehyung asks, eyes wide and fearful, "It sounds scary."

"In your case," Hobi answers, "you've splintered to another 'personality state' that's completely separate from and independent of your current one. He calls himself 'V'."

Taehyung's mouth falls open in shock.

"'V'?" he echoes, "But... why don't I know about him?"

"In DID, the alternate personalities are believed to take turns in taking control," Hobi explains, "People with DID may or may not be aware of their other personality states. In your case, you're unaware of V, your alternate personality. Because of this, you experience the times he's in control as 'gaps' in recalling events or memories."

"So that explains why I couldn't remember anything from yesterday," Taehyung mutters to himself. Then, to Hobi, he asks, "Does V know about me?"

"Yes," Hobi answers, "he seems to remain fully aware when you're in control."

"Oh," Taehyung exhales softly, looking disappointed, "Is it possible that, maybe..." Taehyung hesitates, looking down at the floor, "maybe V is the main personality after all..." he looks back up at Hobi with sad, puppy dog eyes, "and I'm just the alternate."

Hobi and I exchange shocked looks.

"That's..." Hobi scratches his cheek, "not impossible. But take note that very little is known about Hybrid psychology." Hobi shakes his head. "We have nothing definitive on the cause of this, or how it can be cured."

"I see," Taehyung says, and for a moment, the three of us sit in silence. Then, he says in a sad, quiet voice riddled with uncertainty, "What's... V like? Is he... very different from me?"

Hobi shoots you a look.

"I think [Y/N] can explain that better."

Taehyung turns his wide-eyed gaze on you, and you're sure you look just as surprised as he does.

'Hobi, you--- Ugh! Why me?'

"That's right!" Taehyung exclaims, "You spent all of Sunday with V!" He leans forward, concern etching his features. "Are you okay? Did he treat you well?"

"Oh, uhm, well---" you flounder, overwhelmed by a barrage of questions you hadn't prepared yourself for, "I've only met him a few times, but he's been good to me each time." You pause to give it more thought. "I guess... he's just like you but, uhm... a darker version?"

"Darker?" Taehyung gasps, "What do you mean? Did he do... dark things to you?"

"No, no! Not at all!" you rush to console Taehyung, "Uhm, maybe I'm not explaining this very well..." You turn to Hobi helplessly, but he just looks at you intently, as if he's observing you. You sigh and turn back to Taehyung. "I guess... Let's put it this way. He's like the night to your day. Uhm... Where you're sunshine, he's moonlight."

Taehyung tilts his head, then nods, like he actually gets your vague analogies.

"So he's been good to you?" Taehyung reaffirms, "He's always treated you right?"

"You have nothing to worry about, Taetae," you tell him, "He's a good person, just like you are."

Taehyung finally smiles.

"Haaa... I'm so relieved! I don't know what I would do if... if..." He breaks off on a sob. "I won't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

Taehyung's eyes are glimmering with unshed tears, and you're just about ready to cry yourself.

"Taehyung..." Hobi says worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, hyung," Taehyung reassures Hobi, though the latter looks unconvinced, "It's... It is what it is. There's... no cure, right?"

"I'm sorry, but... As I said, we don't really know enough about your condition..." Hobi trails off, shrugging helplessly.

Taehyung nods gravely.

"It can't be helped, then," he says, standing up. He bows to Hobi, "Thank you, hyung." Then, he turns to you, eyes disturbingly blank. "[Y/N]ie, I want to go home now." He averts his gaze. "Please."

You and Hobi exchange concerned looks, before both getting up as well.

"Yeah, alright," you tell Taehyung gently.

"If you have further questions, or... just want to talk," Hobi tells Taehyung, "send me a text and I'll call you, okay?"

Taehyung nods at his hyung, then walks out the door without a single look back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Taehyung is completely silent during the ride home. You sneak glances at him but make no attempt to start a conversation. You know he needs time.

'I guess the worst part is... he's not even angry. He just seems sad... and exhausted.'

Taehyung looks like he has such a heavy weight on his shoulders, and the guilt courses through you, sharp and hot.

Have you failed in your mission to make Taehyung feel loved?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You arrive home and still, Taehyung remains silent. You try to put on a cheerful tone.

"So, what do you want for dinner?" you chirp, "It's a bit too late to cook, so maybe we can just get something delivered? How about those burgers you love so much?"

"Sorry, [Y/N]ie, but..." Taehyung says, "is it okay if you have dinner on your own for tonight? I'm not really hungry."

"Oh. Yeah. Of course, Tae."

You dip your head and fix your haze on the floor, doing your best to hold back the tears threatening to spill out. You tell yourself that you have no right to cry in this situation. If anyone has the right to, it's Taehyung, not you.

Suddenly, you feel Taehyung's fingers softly graze your cheek. They pause just underneath your chin, then gently tip it up so your gazes meet.

"I'm not mad, okay?" Taehyung says in that tone of voice he's used on you once before, the one that sounds like he's talking gently to a child, "I understand why you kept it from me. I know you and Hobi-hyung had my best interests at heart. I would have appreciated not being kept in the dark, but you both made decisions based on what, at the time, you thought was best, given the circumstances." His hand falls away from your face to hang limply at his side. "I just... I'm still processing all of this. I just need a little more time."

You look up at Taehyung's forlorn expression, and without even thinking, launch yourself at him. He gives a startled 'oof' before wrapping his arms around you. You bury your face in his shirt, enveloped by his scent that is now so familiar it's become a part of you, sinking into his warmth that now feels essential to your well-being.

Then, realizing what you've impulsively done, you draw back just as quickly as you had tackled Taehyung. 

"I-I'm sorry," you stammer, flushing, "I don't know why I just did that out of nowhere."

"Oh," Taehyung says, a blush staining his cheeks as well, "I kinda liked it though..."

"O-oh," you utter, Taehyung's response making you feel oddly shy. "I just wish I could do something to help, something more than just a silly little hug."

"This is something I need to deal with internally," Taehyung says, "Something inside of me that I need to face."

His statement gives you pause. Sometimes, you forget how mature Taehyung actually is. It's so easy to dismiss him as being childlike and naive, but after all he had to go through, you figure that there must be steel beneath all that softness.

"I understand," you say, and you do. "I'll let you be for now. But please remember, I'm here if you need me. I'm just a knock away."

"I know, thank you," Taehyung tells you, his blocky smile finally making an appearance. "Now, go order your food," he orders you fondly, "I won't let you go to bed hungry."

You nod, feeling on the brink of tears once more.

'What did I do to deserve such a precious angel in my life?'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later, as you lay in bed, you think back on the recent events in your life. Has it truly just been under 2 weeks since you met Taehyung? You feel like so much has already happened.

And your gut tells you that the coming days have even more in store for you and your Hybrid.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: I did a ton of research on DID when I wrote this chapter. I hope I managed to represent it somewhat correctly.

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