79

Jungkook

My throat hurt from screaming.

I had no tears left.

I couldn't even find my voice.

Shock coursed through me and I froze at the sight in front of me.

This couldn't be happening.

Not after everything we had been through.

After coming such a long way, this couldn't be the end.

My palms met the grass, my knees hurting as I looked at my lap.

There was yelling.

I could hear people fighting, I chose to ignore everything.

When someone grabbed my shoulders, my eyes snapped up to meet Taehyung's blue ones. I could see the panic and shock there too, all his attention was on me.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a panic.

I nodded and looked over his shoulders. "But he... he..."

Taehyung closed his eyes tightly, after taking a deep breath, he stared at me again, "Can you stand up?"

"I think," I muttered.

Taehyung helped me stand up, and he wrapped his arms around me, "It's going to be okay," he whispered in my ears.

"No. It's not. You father..." I trailed off, my words catching in my throat.

"How... wh...?"

Hae-jin knelt beside Seung-won, he coughed into the grass.

"We have to help him! Tae, we have to help him. He's bleeding badly... coughing blood."

When I saw blood, my fingers tightened around his arm. I looked around wildly, looking for something to ground me, my skin prickled with uneasiness and my head pounding.

When my eyes made contact with the scene behind Seung-won, my lungs constricted. Byungchan was on the ground with Seokjin on top of him. Hoseok was standing beside them, his gun pointed at Byungchan's head.

It would take only one bullet to end his life but Hoseokmade no effort to do so.

I saw Seokjin landing furious punches in Byungchan's face. He tried to cover his face, to evade the ruthless punches but there was no escape.

The only thing I could hear was the sound of relentless knuckles making contact with skin, it sounded harsh. Bringing my hands up, I covered my ears.

I didn't want to hear it.

I didn't want to see it.

I didn't want to think of it.

My eyes moved back to where Seung-won lay, unmoving. My breathing came out harder and harsher, "Taehyung, we have to help him!"

"Jungkook, calm down!" Taehyung snapped his hand moulding over me protectively.

My eyes widened, and I pushed his hands away, "Your father's been shot! He took the bullet for us. How can you be worried about me?"

Without giving him a chance to answer, I ran to Seung-won's side. His eyes were closed, his breathing laboured, I choked back a sob when I saw his bloodied stomach.

There was so much blood, his face was pale, his eyes pinched closed. I saw the line of stress on his forehead. My palm pressed against his clammy skin, I tried to soothe his aggravated movement.

"Please don't move. You will only hurt yourself more," I said softly, laced with worry.

I heard Hae-jin swear as Taehyung came to stand beside me, "Let's move him," he muttered.

I stood up and moved out of the way as Hae-jin and Taehyung helped Seung-won stand up.

"Jungkook, walk in front of us," Taehyung ordered.

His tone held no room to argue, his eyes begged me.

I knew what he needed.

His eyes on me.

He needed to make sure I was safe.

Giving them a final glance, I turned around.

The others were already gone, I had tuned them out and didn't even realize they had taken Byungchan away.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, my shoulders sagging.

Byungchan had finally been caught.

~~~

We made our way to Sam.

Jimin and Hae-sook were standing in front of the door, Hae-jin and Taehyung dragged Seung-won into the room and pushed him on the bed.

Before I could go in, Jimin grabbed my arm, "I think we should wait here," he suggested in a gentle tone.

My eyes went to Taehyung and saw him coming my way. He opened his arms for me and I went into them gladly.

Burying my head into his chest, I let out my worst fear, "Will he be okay?"

When I heard no answer from him, my arms tightened around his waist. That was when I noticed his arms trembling. It was a slight shake but enough to tell me what he was feeling.

I felt his lips on my temple, my eyes stung with unshed tears. I placed a kiss over his beating heart, not wanting to let him go.

We stayed locked in an embrace.

"He's going to be okay, Taehyung."

The words were hard to speak, my voice came out scratchy as I tried to keep the tears at bay.

I couldn't cry.

I couldn't be weak.

Not now.

I had to be strong.

Seung-won saved us... he took the bullet for us.

I had to be strong for all of us.

Now that Byungchan was captured, everything would be okay.

We are safe.

Fear.

Anger.

Relief.

Sadness.

Disgust.

Shock.

At the moment, my feelings were a dormant volcano. I buried everything inside and concentrated on Taehyung and Seung-won.

"Jungkook."

My name brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked at Jimin, "Why don't you go rest? When Sam is done, we'll call you."

I shook my head and hugged Taehyung tighter, "No. I'll stay here until I know he is perfectly fine."

"Jungkook," Taehyung warned.

Before he could say anything, I pulled away and stood on my toes. Bringing my lips to his, I kissed him softly, "I'm not going anywhere, Taehyung. Please, let me stay here," I whispered against his lips.

Taehyung sighed, his eyes closing. "You are so stubborn."

"I know," I muttered back, hugging him again, "We will wait together, Taehyung."

And that was exactly what we did.

The air around us was heavy with uncertainty, like a dark cloud settling over us. With every minute that passed, I grew more scared. I felt chilled to my bones at the thought of Seung-won not making it out alive.

"Jungkook... Jungkook... wake up."

I groggily blinked my eyes open and stared into Jimin's smiling face. Rubbing the sleepiness away, I went to stand up, "I'm sorry. I fell asleep."

"Sam was able to take the bullet out. Seung-won is okay. He's resting now," Jimin said excitedly.

My mouth fell open, and my heart leapt at Jimin's words.

Turning, I looked for Taehyung, his tensed back was to me as he faced the wall. I walked over and placed a hand over his shoulder. He instantly relaxed under my touch, and I heard him release a long, painful breath.

"He's okay, Taehyung."

He gave me a sharp nod, "I know."

"Do you want to see him?" I asked when silence fell upon us.

I moved in front of Taehyung and palmed his cheeks.

"What are you scared of?"

I sucked a harsh breath when I saw the pain in his eyes.

"I thought he never cared, Jungkook. He wasn't a father. After I lost my mother, he never acted like a father. I was just a forgotten son most of the time. I don't know how to look him in the eyes and thank him for saving you. He took that bullet for you."

Taehyung bent his head, burying his face in my neck. Wrapping my arms around his head, I rubbed my fingers on the back of his nape.

"You're wrong. He saved us. If it wasn't for him, you would have gotten shot. I don't think he cared who he was saving. Whether it was me, or you. He's a good man, Taehyung. Just a little lost and broken, still a good man."

I felt Taehyung's sigh against my skin before he pulled away, "Let's go."

I smiled, looking into his captivating blue eyes, taking hold of my hand, he intertwined our fingers together before pulling me into the room.

Seung-won was on the bed with Hae-jin beside him. When we approached, his gaze went to us. His face was a mask of pain, but he sent us a smile, "Glad... you... are... okay."

I gave him a wobbly smile, "Thank you... thank you so much."

He chuckled but quickly gasped, his face turning pale. "Don't... thank me."

Hae-jin looked at us before standing up, "I'll leave you guys alone," he muttered before leaving the room.

I took his place on the chair beside the bed, taking Seung-won's hand in mind, I looked at his stomach. He was covered with the bedsheet, but I grimaced, remembering the bloodied scene from before.

"Does it hurt bad?"

Seung-won shook his head, "Not at all."

Taehyung huffed, "No need to act all tough, old man."

Those were the first words he spoke since we came into the room. His voice sounded gruff, and I looked up to see him glaring at Seung-won.

They were both glaring at each other.

A tense moment passed between both men before they lost their glare.

I sighed when they both stayed silent.

We had a long way to go.

Taehyung walked around the bed, coming to stand beside me, "Jungkook, let's go. You need to rest. I also need to..." Taehyung trailed off, his expression turning furious.

I understood what he meant.

Byungchan was captured and Taehyung was itching to have his revenge.

I saw his hands tightening into fists.

Taking them in my hands, I placed a kiss on his knuckles.

"You go, I will be here. When I get tired, I will go up and sleep."

He opened his mouth to argue but I continued, "I'll be fine, Taehyung. Really. Please go. Do what you have to do."

This was me letting him know that I was okay with anything he had planned for Byungchan. I refused to think about the Devil because that brought up all the memories I wanted to bury.

My eyes met Taehyung's.

Blue to brown.

I smiled, taking strength from his furious stare.

After a long moment of silence between us, he wavered, bent down and kissed my lips.

"I will come for you," Taehyung declared before pulling away.

I smiled, knowing he would keep his word. He brought his hand up and brushed his thumb over my cheek. His touch was soft, his stare held the same gentleness.

Taehyung pulled himself away, I stared at his retreating back when he suddenly paused. His shoulders tensed before he spoke, the words were softly spoken, they were as shocking to me as they were to Seung-won.

"Thank you for saving us."

With that, Taehyung walked away.

I couldn't help but smile.

My brooding man.

He was so stubborn.

I looked back at Seung-won to see him staring at the closed door.

"Am I dreaming?"

This time, I laughed.

"No. You are not."

He closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I never thought I would hear my son say that."

My throat closed up and I looked down at my lap.

It was such a beautiful moment.

I wanted to capture it and hold it in my heart forever.

I still remember when father and son once hated each other.

"You should rest," I whispered, adjusting his bedsheet.

A few minutes later, his eyes were already closed, his breathing evened out. I knew he was asleep. It wasn't long before my eyes started to get heavy.

The last thing I remembered was staring at Seung-won's sleeping form, thinking how much father and son looked alike. I woke with a jolt when I felt someone wrap their arms under my knees.

My eyes widened when I was swept up in Taehyung's arms. He cradled me to his chest, I instinctively laid my head on his shoulder.

I hummed sleepily and closed my eyes again.

"I told you to go to bed, Angel," he admonished, "You've been sitting in this chair for hours. You

never listen. It's not good for you."

"I'm fine," I mumbled, holding on to his neck.

"I'm taking him upstairs," I heard Taehyung say.

Opening my eyes, I saw Seung-won was awake.

He nodded at Taehyung and sent me a small smile. Taehyung didn't wait for me to say goodbye, he was already carrying me out of the room.

"You are so stubborn. How many times do I have to tell you? You need to take better care of

yourself. Did you even eat? Fvck, Jungkook. Please tell me you ate something."

I winced at the reminder.

He was going to be angry.

"Jungkook," he growled in warning, "Did you eat?"

I pressed my lips together, refusing to answer, he huffed in frustration while I stayed silent. I peeked up at his face and saw his lips were thinned in an angry straight line.

I placed a kiss on the side of his neck, "Please don't be angry."

"I'm not."

He was.

When he reached our bedroom, he didn't turn on the lights. Taehyung placed me on the bed and pulled the comforter over me. He climbed in bed and pulled me into his embrace.

With my back to his front, he held me, his hand laid on my waist and I laid mine over his.

There was one question burning in my head.

He was gone for hours.

"Is he dead?"

The question was whispered in the dark, my heart hammered painfully in my chest.

"No," he replied.

My breath left me with a loud whoosh.

My hand tightened around his, my chest feeling tighter.

"He is not going to have an easy death, Angel."

I bit on my lips, closing my eyes against his words.

I didn't know if it was a relief that I was feeling or something else.

"Go to sleep. I don't want you to think about it. We will not speak of him in our bed," Taehyung said.

Taehyung's voice was soft in my ears, but I knew anger was fueling inside of him.

He was an angry man, driven by fury and vengeance.

I didn't know what he was capable of, I didn't want to know.

I did what was told, I slept.

Held safely in Taehyung's embrace, I fell asleep while the man who hurt me for years was held captive in the basement, being mercilessly tortured and abused.