𝓗𝓔𝓡𝓘𝓓𝓐 | 𝗞𝗩 ✔ 🍁

g̸r̸e̸n̸a̸d̸e̸ 🍁

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Three days have passed, and Taehyung’s body is almost skeletal from the lack of food, his throat parched and raw from thirst. Pain radiates from every part of his body, a dull ache that never subsides. He’s barely conscious, lying on the cold, hard floor of the cell, unable to muster the strength to move.

His vision is blurred, and when he hears footsteps approaching, he can barely make out the sound over the pounding in his head. The creak of the cell door opening barely registers, but the sight of a polished black shoe stepping into his line of vision makes him flinch.

"Taehyung."

The voice is unmistakable, and Taehyung shudders involuntarily. His body tenses, every muscle screaming in protest. He knows that voice too well—Hyunjin’s voice, cold and unforgiving.

It’s been three days since Hyunjin discovered that the diamond he’d stolen was a fake, and in that time, he’s lost what little sanity he had left. The realization that all his efforts had been in vain had pushed him over the edge, and now, he’s out for blood. He storms down to Taehyung’s cell, gun in hand, the fury in his eyes barely contained.

“Get up, you bitch,” Hyunjin snarls, yanking Taehyung up by his hair. The pain is excruciating, but Taehyung is too weak to fight back. His body dangles like a rag doll in Hyunjin’s grasp as the man rants, his words sharp and venomous.

“You fuckers fooled me- no one fools me!” Hyunjin’s voice is filled with madness as he presses the cold barrel of the gun to Taehyung’s head, his finger on the trigger, ready to end it all.

But just as Hyunjin is about to pull the trigger, another voice interrupts.

“Don’t.”

Taehyung’s heart stops. He knows that voice too, and it fills him with a different kind of dread. He’s too ashamed, too disgusted to look up, but he knows who it is. The unknown man who betrayed him, the one who led him to this nightmare. His voice is calm, emotionless, but to Taehyung, it’s the sound of betrayal.

Hyunjin whirls on the man, fury in his eyes. “And why the fuck not? You took the diamond. You should have known it wasn’t real!”

The man remains unperturbed, his gaze icy as he looks at Taehyung with complete indifference. “You’re right. But we can still get the real one, by using him as leverage.”

A sick grin spreads across Hyunjin’s face as the words sink in. “That’s a great idea… Jeon must be losing his mind knowing his little lover is missing.”

The unknown man nods, his eyes still locked on Taehyung. “Let’s send him a video. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”

Hyunjin’s smirk widens as he pulls out his phone, ready to record the message that will break Jungkook’s spirit. Taehyung doesn’t resist as they force him to his knees, his hands tied behind his back, his head pushed into a basin of water. He struggles, his body thrashing in desperation as he’s held under, but it’s futile. They pull him out just long enough to let him gasp for air before shoving his head back under, repeating the process over and over.

In his home office, Jungkook stands with the others, going over their plans to attack Hyunjin’s mansion. They’ve been working tirelessly, strategizing, trying to find any possible way to rescue Taehyung. But the moment Jungkook’s phone buzzes with a notification from an unknown number, everything else fades away.

“It's a video, Jungkook,” Jin says, his voice tense as they gather around.

Jungkook’s heart pounds as he taps the screen, his breath hitching the moment the video starts to play. What he sees makes his blood boil, rage surging through him like a tidal wave.