Exposed Truth | Jeon Jungkook

Chapter 23

Nari || Tuesday, June 23

It's been a few hours since Lisa and Jimin left; Jungkook and I are sitting on the sofa as I fiddle with my fingers nervously, not sure what to do. I glance at Jungkook who's still anxiously reading through the documents with a frown on his face. He leans back against the sofa with a grumble as he pinches the bridge of his nose exasperatedly.

I take his hand in mine and ask, "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he says and shakes his head, then smiles kindly.

I watch him intently as he gets up to pace around the room. The frown still prominent on his face, no matter how hard he tries to appear calm. I watch him for a couple of seconds, before getting up myself and take his arm gently. He stops to look at me as I stare at him with soft eyes.

"You're obviously concerned about something," I say and he sighs.

I drag him back to the sofa and the two of us plop down. My heart does weird things to my body as my eyes focus on his attractive features. He avoids my gaze and insists that he's fine as he shakes his head, not willing to tell me anything.

I cup his warm face in my hands, forcing his gaze on my face. He eventually gives in and looks into my eyes, so I retract my hands from his face.

"I'm just worried... about you," he admits. "I don't want you to be harmed. We don't know what the client is like; we don't know whether or not he's dangerous like Suga... I really hope he's not and things go smoothly, but what if..."

His eyes dart back and forth as he squirms on the sofa. It's apparent that he's becoming anxious and uneasy from his struggle to retain his composure. I wish I could calm him, but I don't know what to tell him since what he says is the truth. The only thing I can do is keep positive and hope that things turn out well.

"You've gone through so much... so quickly. In a matter of weeks, things have escalated to a level where I feel like I'm going to explode. Too much has happened. It's all so scary and distressing. It's too much for both my heart and my brain to take... I'm in desperate need of a breather..." Jungkook looks down and continues to say.

I sigh and say, "I feel that way too. Things feel so intense and so horrifying. The weight on my shoulders is getting heavier and heavier the closer we get to the truth. I just want the weight to be lifted and to finally be able to relax. Only until we discover the truth can I be at peace."

I rest against the cushions with a sigh, and Jungkook does the same. The two of us trying our best to be comfortable despite having a lot on our minds.

"Sometimes I wonder if it's time for us to let go. If it's time to stop. You've gone through so much danger, and risked your life to discover the truth... I don't want you to go through any more hardships..." Jungkook reveals honestly.

I can't lie and say that I've never thought about giving up and letting go of my sister, yet even if these past few days have caused a whirlwind in my mind, I know I just can't give up. We're just about to grasp onto the truth, there's no way we can give up now. I need to find out what happened to my sister; she meant so much to me.

"My heart has been beating out of my chest countless of times, yet I'm still determined to find out why my sister took her own life, the curiosity is too much for me to give up. I want to understand why." I say. "You don't have to do this with me, nor do you have to be worried about me. I'm fine. You can leave, I'm not going to shame you for wanting to leave."

Even though I wish so badly that Jungkook would never leave me and I'll be utterly disappointed if he does decide to leave after everything we've discovered, I understand that things have taken quite a turn and we've been through some life-threatening times so it's completely reasonable for him to want to back-out.

He must've noticed the sorrow expression on my face, since he intertwines my hand with his and looks at me warmly, then slowly shakes his head. He gently presses a kiss on my forehead, causing me to feel things I shouldn't. I tell myself that he only meant that in a friendly and brotherly manner, yet my heart still skips a beat and my breath hitches when his soft lips made contact with my skin.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jungkook says firmly. "I promised you that I'll never leave your side and we'll find out the truth behind your sister's suicide together. Besides, we're so close to the reason, I'm dying to find out what it is."

"Thank you," I say simply, although those words cannot express how grateful and glad I feel when he didn't just leave.

We smile at each other in silence and stare at each other with a sort of glint of compassion and understanding in our eyes, as if we're inaudibly communicating through our expressions. I want to hug him to show him how grateful I am, yet I hold myself back. I know better than that. I have to be patient with him and not let my feelings get the best of me. I tell myself that he's staying with me nothing more than because Yuri was his girlfriend and he also wants to find out why she would take her life.

"What do we do now?" I ask after a moment and he just shrugs and closes his eyes.

The room is so peaceful; there's not a single sound besides the whirring of the air conditioner and the occasional chirping of birds from outside. Jungkook looks so serene as he rests on the sofa. His rosy lips slightly parted as he breathes calmly, and his chest rises and falls steadily; his slightly wavy hair softly sweeps across his forehead from the gentle breeze of the air-conditioner.

I take this time to rid my mind of any distressing thoughts and just remain right at this moment. A small smile makes it's way to my lips as I appreciate this moment of peace to relax and watch Jungkook as he dozes off. I allow myself to enjoy this calmness like he is before we have to use our energy again.

Carefully, I quietly scoot closer to Jungkook to not disturb him in his sleep. I dare to lift my finger to his face, and brush away his hair from his eyes, then lightly glide my finger down the bridge of his adorable nose until I reach his lips. I gulp and hold my breath as I press my finger on his delicate lips, and stare at them with affection. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I skim my finger over his tempting lips.

I quickly retract my finger from his face when he moves slightly. I hope he doesn't wake up now and thinks I'm a creep for doing this, yet I just can't help it. I heave in a deep breath and place a hand over the left side of my chest to feel my heart beating rapidly. I tell myself that I should stop staring at him, yet I feel as if I'm being pulled to his handsome features. I want to kiss him, but I can't.

Even though I tell myself I shouldn't, I still move even closer to Jungkook and press my ear to his chest and listen to his heartbeat. It's tranquil and rhythmic just how I expected it to be, a complete contrast to my quick and erratic heartbeat. I shut my eyes and get hypnotised by Jungkook's soothing heartbeat and unfaltering breathing. I feel so much warmth and euphoria to know that I'm not alone. I rest my head on his shoulder and savour this pleasant moment.

---

I eventually awaken to a hand stroking my hair, and I find myself still curled up against Jungkook on the sofa. I glance at the clock on the wall right in front of us and notice that it's five o'clock, which means I've slept for about two and a half hours.

I look up at Jungkook and he smiles at me when he sees that I'm awake. To my surprise, he doesn't stop caressing my head and combing my hair soothingly, but I'm not complaining.

"Hey," he mutters without moving away from me like how I expected he would once he notices me resting my head on his shoulder.

"Sorry, I..." I stutter anxiously. "I... I didn't mean to get so close to you..."

Before I can pull myself away from him, he wraps an arm around my shoulders, not wanting me to go.

"Let's stay in this position for a moment longer," he says tenderly, and his voice slightly drowsy.

"Okay," I don't hesitate to reply, even if I'm slightly confused that he doesn't mind me snuggling against him like I thought he would.

I grin giddily when he rests his head on top of mine. He seems so at ease as he loosens up and seemingly enjoys my close company, so I don't think too much about it and allow myself to relish our intimacy.