from me to you. → kth | ✓

29.

chapter twenty-nine: innocent people

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taehyung

I DON'T THINK I've ever seen my brother drive so fast. We park the car as quickly as possible and meet the front door unlocked.

From the moment we walk in, I can already notice that the atmosphere reeks of tension. We walk further and in the living room, I can see Aera and a man I recognise all too well.

His face holds a delicate smile as he eyes both of us. It widens and his eyes dance with excitement when Jaebeom slowly lowers his gun.

"So it's true." Aera murmurs.

She looks dishevelled and stressed out. Her makeup is patchy, with mascara and lipstick smudged. Her hair isn't neat and straightened to the point of sleekness anymore. Now, it's obvious she had been running a hand through it. Even her dress has stains I didn't see before she left.

What did he tell her?

"The Kims! Aren't you home early?"

"Cut it and tell me what you're doing in my house, Wang."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He taunts, crossing one leg over the other. "You refuse to answer her question, yet you wish to have one for yours."

I briefly look between them. Then, I muster up enough courage to ask.

"What did he tell you? Are you okay?"

"You never cared for my well-being, so why act as you do now? You disgust me. Both of you. Especially you." She seethes, pointing at Jaebeom.

"What did I do?" He asks.

"Don't act so stupid. I overheard you. How could you do that to me? To me! You knew just how much I cared about him, but you just had to take the last good thing in my life away from me? Why?" She wails.

It's painful to hear, especially since I've never seen her like this. She's in such a state. Her makeup is even worse now that she's got more tears and even snot running from her nostrils. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands when Jaebeom doesn't answer her and frustratedly runs a stressed hand through her messy hair.

"That's enough from you now." Jackson says, placing a 'comforting' hand on her shoulder, calming her down a little. "Have a seat. I didn't intend to have a little soap opera on my agenda for today."

I watch in mild disgust that turns into full nausea as he gently strokes her hair while she cries silently.

I can't help but think that that could have been me. I could've been the one helping her when receiving news like this because I'll admit, it's quite heavy.

But here I stand, helpless, angry and unable to understand my own thoughts and feelings.

I'm supposed to be keeping her at arm's length.

"I assume you can see this nice and clear, right?" He raises an arm and in his hand sits the notebook. My heart both drops and rises into my throat as adrenaline pumps through my veins.

He pulls out another book almost identical to the notebook and sets them both on the table closest to him.

"You will take the fake and use it during the next negotiation. I've given your pretty girl here the details. It's her choice to do what she will with them. Perhaps she could keep them to herself?" He smiles, taunting me with the last sentence.

I clench my fists as I try to channel my boiling-over anger elsewhere.

"And what's in it for us?" Jaebeom asks, glaring at him.

Jackson laughs. He laughs hysterically for quite some time. "Now, tell me. Why would there be anything in it for you? Especially you."

Jaebeom simply shrugs. "I have no time to feel sorry for others." Then he looks over at Aera. "I simply don't care."

"That explains why you did those-those things to those innocent people? You're disgusting! I don't even know you anymore!" Aera cries.

Jackson calms her down while looking straight through me. "So are you going to do it or not? I mean, to be fair, you don't really have a choice." He stares at the chair Aera is sitting on and I follow his gaze.

In the hand that rests near her thigh sits a small dagger laying flat against her in a way that ensured she could be stabbed at any moment he desired.

"Do it." Jaebeom says, egging him on with a sadistic smile. "Kill her. We don't need her. Nobody loves her, not even her own husband. So, do it."

"Okay, what the hell is your problem?" I ask.

"What? Who's being killed?" Aera asks, sitting up before anyone could warn her.

Instantly she shrieks in pain as we all watch the knife sink into her thigh. She stands abruptly and grips her leg, trying to walk.

I stand also, and try to help her but she shoves me with an enormous amount of strength that one wouldn't expect from someone who's just been stabbed and is supposed to be in extreme pain.

I mean, it's obvious she is in pain since beads of sweat are being to appear on the surface of the skin on her forehead, but it's worth thinking about.

I land on the floor beneath me, thankfully carpet so it cushions my fall. I watch as she snatches the fake notebook from the table Jackson placed it on and limps away, grunting a little with each step.

Jaebeom just sits there, staring into space. Sometimes I wonder what goes through his head since he never makes his thoughts obvious, but today, I'm sure of one thing. He regrets every word that came out of his mouth, specifically because he was projecting.

Jackson slaps both knees with his hands and stands without warning. "Well, that's a wrap! I'll be on my way now, but we'll meet again prior to the negotiation." He walks toward where I'm sitting and reaches down, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. "And you better be there, Kim. Or I'll kill her for real this time and we both know you won't find it funny. You better be happy I didn't tell her what you really do for a living."

He eventually releases me and lets himself out, slamming the door behind him and leaving me to thoughts of my own.

At first, I thought he told her the truth. That's the actual reaction I expected from her the day she'd be told, but if he didn't, what did he tell her?

"Try not to think about it to much. We need to get our heads back in the game." Jaebeom says, standing up and giving me his hand.

I look up at him and I immediately see red. I use his arm to stand but my fingers curl into a fist as I hit him square in the jaw.

He stumbles backwards a little due to the impact but chuckles, rubbing the area.

"Woah. I didn't think we'd get to this point." He shoves me hard and I hit the wall behind me.

That's when I pick up the gun strapped to my thigh. I aim at his head.

He mockingly puts both hands behind his head. "It's not that deep and it's not that serious, so I don't know why you're pulling a gun out on me. Heck, you don't even care about her enough to actually shoot me."

I quickly move my aim to the forearm near his head and shoot him there.

He curses and brings both arms down. But I don't care anymore. I need to go.

I need to go after her.