"Jungkook... I know that you love her... But can you help me understand how, and why, you would overlook everything??
"Yoongi Hyung... Everything that's happened to her... It's my fault... Her whole life is...
it's the Collateral Damage of the deci...
The moment is here... We're getting ready for our press conference, and I am completely freaking out inside. My stylist Noona has been trying to calm me, and I offer her a smile, but it's not really helping. We looked through the questions from ARMY as a group, and what they want to know, hurts. Jimin took particular offense to some of them, and I agreed but felt like I couldn't do anything. This mess, is one that I made, and all of the members are now paying for it.
"Jungkook? You good?"
I look up into the soft eyes of Taehyung Hyung and nod. He sits down next to me, and just places a hand on my leg. We don't talk, but this small gesture gives me strength. They have all told me that they have my back, and we'll get through this together. I just don't see how we'll survive it.
The hardest questions we have to answer are going to come from ARMY, and it actually scares me. How can I make them understand that Haerin is a beautiful girl who has had a tough life? I can't tell them the truth about most of what has happened to her... Without that knowledge, they will just think of her as a low person... A whore...
"Alright... It's time!"
PD Nim's voice startles me from my thoughts, and I stand on shaky legs. I don't think I've ever been so nervous. I'm about to stop everything, and just quit. It will save these men, my brothers, the pain and embarrassment... I open my mouth to speak it into reality, when Namjoon Hyung puts a firm hand on my shoulder. I look into his smiling face and feel the weights on my heart get lighter.
"It's going to be alright Kookie-ah... Promise."
~~
At first things were going alright... All seven of us began to relax, which was a mistake. The mediator read a question from an ARMY, and I felt the bottom drop out.
"Jungkook-ssi, as an idol, someone that is supposed to set an example for youth, do you think that being in a relationship with a paid whore is alright?"
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I had no words... None that wouldn't make the situation much worse anyway. I stared at the mediator, and clenched my fist, feeling my nails digging into my palm.
"Well... I can only apologize for being a disappointing role model. I love ARMY, and appreciate everything you've done to support me... I even understand why people are upset... But the truth is not just a set of facts reported by a news story. The girl I'm in love with is everything to me... I need her in my life, and I'm sorry if that's not what people want to hear."
I focus on my breathing because I feel dizzy. There's a buzzing that I wonder if it's in my ears, or the people in the room. Namjoon Hyung puts a reassuring hand on mine, and I just continue to stare at the floor.
