FORELSKET ( ✔)

4- Rhythms of Vengeance

Two years ago, the club in Jeju was alive with energy. The music pulsed from the speakers, its rhythmic beats driving the crowd into a frenzy of dancing and laughter. People were lost in the moment, their movements synchronized with the driving rhythm of the music, their voices mingling in a cacophony of joy and excitement.

Amidst the throng of revelers stood Jeon Jungkook, dressed in a simple black hoodie that contrasted sharply with the vibrant atmosphere around him. His gaze was intense, his eyes scanning the crowd with a focused, almost predatory look. His attention was fixed on a particular individual who was bouncing to the beat, oblivious to the ominous presence looming behind them.

As soon as the person caught sight of Jungkook's steely, murderous expression, their face went pale, as if all the blood had drained from it. Panic gripped them, and they turned on their heels, sprinting away from Jungkook as fast as they could.

Jungkook was a figure who seemed to defy the usual constraints of fear and weakness. He was the kind of person who would venture into the lion's den without a second thought, driven by an insatiable thirst for vengeance and an unyielding rage. His primary weapon was his deep-seated hatred, and his greatest adversary was his own unrelenting anger. Sympathy was a concept foreign to him, and love was something he had never truly experienced.

In the fairytale of life, Jungkook would be cast as the villain—an individual molded by a harsh upbringing into a role defined by darkness and malice. He was not merely a character who acted malevolently; he was a product of his environment, sculpted by the experiences that had shaped him into a man devoid of compassion and driven by vengeance.

Jungkook moved swiftly through the crowd, his presence commanding immediate attention as he pursued the man who had caught his ire. Without hesitation, he grabbed the man by the collar, his grip firm and unyielding. The man's eyes widened in terror as Jungkook propelled him forward with a powerful shove.

The man's body collided with the wall, his face meeting the hard surface with a sickening thud. He winced in pain, crumpling slightly as he tried to recover from the impact. Jungkook, unperturbed by the man's suffering, calmly drew his gun from his waistband. He checked the chamber with a practiced hand, the metallic click of the bullet being chambered echoing ominously in the charged atmosphere.

"Please, let me go, Jungkook," the man pleaded desperately, his voice trembling as he struggled to find any semblance of composure. "I was wrong. Please don't kill me."

Jungkook's expression hardened, and he closed his eyes momentarily, irritation evident in his features. "Shush," he said tersely, his voice laced with annoyance. "Stop talking. It's annoying."

The man's pleas grew more frantic, his words spilling out in a stream of desperation. "Leave me. For the sake of God, don't kill me." His voice cracked, his fear palpable as he continued to beg for his life.

Jungkook's response was a dismissive scoff. The man's pleas did little to sway him, as his focus remained unflinchingly on his grim task. The atmosphere was thick with tension, the outcome hanging in the balance as Jungkook prepared to make his final decision.

Jungkook's gaze was cold and disinterested as he addressed Ken, who was cowering against the wall, his face a portrait of terror. "Stop pretending to be innocent, Ken," Jungkook said with a disdainful edge in his voice. "Do you think your god will listen to you? Has He ever?"

Ken's pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears as Jungkook continued his relentless interrogation. "So, where is your dear friend—the one you betrayed the Min for? Wasn't he supposed to be with you? Did he run away?" Jungkook's tone was mocking as he raised his gun and fired a shot into Ken's left leg. The sudden explosion of pain elicited a piercing scream from Ken, and Jungkook's lips curled into a mirthless laugh.

"You betrayed the Min just for your cowardly friend?" Jungkook's incredulous disbelief was evident in his voice. Without waiting for a response, he fired another shot, this time into Ken's right leg. The sound of the bullet piercing flesh was accompanied by another agonized scream, causing Jungkook's laughter to echo with a cruel amusement.

Kneeling down before Ken, Jungkook traced the barrel of his gun across Ken's face, his eyes cold and unfeeling. Ken's face was streaked with tears, his eyes wide with both fear and pain. Jungkook followed Ken's terrified gaze and saw the man for whom Ken had committed his betrayal standing at a distance. The sight brought a sinister smirk to Jungkook's lips. The man's presence was a bitter reminder of the betrayal and a final twist in the grim drama that had unfolded.

Jungkook's gaze remained fixed on Cyril as he taunted Ken, the gun still trained on him. "He really is a coward, isn't he?" Jungkook said, his voice dripping with scorn. "Just look at him—his friend, no, his boyfriend, is on the verge of dying, and all he can do is cower."

Jungkook's eyes shifted towards Cyril, who stood in horror, his eyes wide and tear-filled as he watched the scene unfold. With a grim determination, Jungkook pressed the trigger of his gun. The bullet struck Ken squarely in the heart. The impact was immediate, and Ken's body slumped to the ground, his life extinguished in a brutal instant.

Cyril gasped, his hand flying to cover his mouth, his eyes locked in a mixture of shock and grief as he looked at Ken's lifeless form. The sight of his beloved's death seemed to paralyze him with fear.

Desperate to escape the horror before him, Cyril's gaze shifted from Ken's body to Jungkook, who was now advancing towards him. Cyril's face was a mask of terror as he stumbled backwards, his movements frantic. He dashed towards a nearby table and, with a shuddering breath, crouched beneath it, trying to shield himself from the impending danger.

Jungkook's snort of disdain echoed through the room as he observed Cyril's futile attempt at hiding. He approached the table and crouched down to peer underneath. There, he saw Cyril's trembling form, his face flushed and streaked with tears. The fear in Cyril's eyes mirrored Jungkook's own memories, a painful reflection of his past. Jungkook's own childhood had been marked by terror, hiding beneath a table as he watched his family being slaughtered right in front of him.

The sight of Cyril in such distress struck Jungkook with an unexpected jolt. For a moment, he was caught in the past, reliving his own trauma through Cyril's fearful expression. The memory was so vivid that it seemed to pull him out of the present, blurring the lines between then and now.

Suddenly, Jungkook was yanked from his reverie. He felt hands gripping him, and the cold metal of handcuffs was clamped around his wrists. The stark reality of his situation came crashing back as he was dragged away by the police. The fleeting connection to his past was severed, and Jungkook found himself thrust back into the harsh reality of his present predicament.