Nobody Knows | Jeon Jungkook

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Jungkook

I pull the cap on my head lower, covering half of my face. Perhaps this makes me more obvious - black clothes, fleeting glances, and conspicuously quick steps - but openly roaming the streets of the city I've been trapped in for almost two years is out of the question.

Not quite trapped because I was being held hostage against my will, no. Irina and I were trapped in a city, trapped in a world where we didn't belong. I had chosen - voluntarily - to stay, but that was only because I couldn't have left the other half of my soul behind.

And now I'm going to get us both out of here.

It feels strange to be back after days in the house where I have experienced many things. Good and also bad. Memories come up from the moments I experienced with Irina in her room, moments of Nikolai in his office, and all the other rooms that in some way hold even the smallest memory.

Not that the place is important to me or that I will miss it, but I cannot deny that I have mentally grown up here. I've learned what life can be like, that nothing is always colorful and that there are people who can do irreversible damage for their own benefit.

I have grown a lot in the last few months and the biggest reason for that is Irina. She has shown me that I need to take responsibility because I can't take anything in life for granted. In the blink of an eye, the world can crumble around you without you really noticing.

I take the stairs up towards Irina's room. I've asked Taehyung and Henry to pack Irina's and my clothes and other personal items into a large bag without overstuffing it. We can't take much with us - just the essentials.

But I wanted to make sure that nothing was left behind that might have any value to Irina. Double-checking is always better than getting upset afterward, although I'm sure Irina wants to take as little of her past as possible.

I can understand that. No one wants to be stuck with material things that cause you nothing but pain. And recalling the things Irina experienced, it's clear that she never wants to think about Nikolai, this place, or what happened again.

I enter Irina's room and immediately memories come flooding back when I used to climb up the tree to get to her. How many times we laughed on her bed, how many times I made love to her.

Despite all the bad things that happened, we created many beautiful moments in this house and I don't want to forget those. I never want to forget how much we went through so I can cherish for the rest of my life that I can call her mine.

Looking through all the drawers, I can't think of anything that Irina would necessarily want. I'm going to buy her anything she wants as soon as we get to Korea anyway. Not that Irina cares about material things, but I want her to be happy, to finally live a normal life like a woman her age.

I can already imagine her going shopping with Sora, how we finally have our own apartment where she will wait for me. Maybe she will find a good job in a good company, as I am sure she could be a top lawyer if that is what she wants to do. If not, then she will find something else with that brain of hers.

I have to smile a little at all the thoughts. I have so much planned for our future that I can hardly wait. But on the other hand, I have to admit that the unknown scares me a little.

I know Irina is happy with me and that she loves me, but what if after a few months she realizes that Korea is not the right home for her? What if the memories from the past continue to haunt her so she can't adjust to the present?