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Tae: "Finally, he's peacefully sleeping. I’m warning you—don’t ever make him cry. Don’t mess with me. If you can’t protect him, I will. If you can’t make him happy, I can. So, stay away from him!"
Jungkook knew the "you" from Tae's status update was directed at him. He was well aware of how protective Tae was of Jimin.
"I'm feeling really tired today, so please, don't say anything," Jungkook said, knowing Namjoon had something on his mind as soon as he entered Jungkook’s office and sat down in front of him.
The clock ticked away, and Namjoon sat silently without uttering a word. But the silence was unbearable for Jungkook.
"God, you're so annoying."
"Well..."
"Say it."
"Jimin is in the hospital."
The words came out slowly, one by one, from Namjoon’s mouth, but Jungkook heard them clearly.
"What... What do you mean? Tae just uploaded a picture of Jimin sleeping. How can he be in the hospital?"
"I don’t know, but Jin said Jimin fell in the bathroom."
Jungkook abruptly stood up, causing his chair to topple over. The sudden news about Jimin terrified him. Questions raced through his mind—everything about Jimin, and especially about his son.
Without hesitation, Jungkook asked Namjoon to accompany him to the hospital to see Jimin.
When they arrived, Jungkook received an unwelcome gift from Kim Taehyung: a punch straight to the cheek. Luckily for him, Hobi and Jin were there; otherwise, Jungkook might have gone home with more than just one bruise.
"Baby..."
Jungkook found himself alone in the hospital room, watching over Jimin. He felt relief when he was told that everything was fine—nothing serious had happened. Jimin and their son were both in good condition, but Jimin needed more rest.
Jungkook gently held Jimin’s hand, caressing it softly with his thumb. He then reached up to stroke Jimin’s pale cheek.
"I’m sorry for making you sad. It never crossed my mind to make you cry. I never want to see you suffer. I love you, baby. I—"
"You don’t... You don’t love me anymore."
Once again, Jungkook saw Jimin crying. But this time, he was there, wiping the tears away.
"Don’t say that, please... Don’t."
"I’m here, waiting for you, but you’ve already moved on."
Jungkook shook his head, denying everything Jimin was saying.
"She’s my friend, nothing more than that."
"Friends don’t kiss each other on the lips."
Jimin had seen the painful scene with his own eyes.
"Baby, believe me. She’s just my friend. I just... My auntie... She... She..."
Jungkook hesitated to tell the truth.
"She wants you to marry her."
Jimin knew anything involving Jungkook’s aunt was serious. He remembered how she had refused to let Jungkook marry him at first, but eventually relented after seeing how desperate Jungkook was. Even though she accepted Jimin, it had been a begrudging acceptance.
"Jimin..."
If before Jimin’s eyes had been fixed on Jungkook, they were not now. He refused to look at him.
Jimin believed Jungkook would follow his aunt’s wishes, as he loved her more than anything.
"I’m fine, Jungkook. You can go home now. Maybe your soon-to-be wife is waiting for you."
Jungkook wanted to explain, to tell Jimin the truth about Jieun, but not now. Not today. He knew that even if he tried, Jimin wouldn’t listen. So he walked out, his steps heavy, unaware that without an explanation, Jimin was crying once again.
It took Jungkook nearly two hours to reach home. It wasn’t far, but he didn’t want to go back.
"I don’t understand you."
"Now what? I just got here, and you’re already questioning me. By the way, what are you doing here at my house this late?"
Namjoon was standing in the doorway, waiting for him.
"You love Jimin. You stalk him every single day. You never miss an update about his life, even though you two are divorced. And now, you’ve found someone else, yet you still care about Jimin. Why don’t you focus on Jieun and forget about Jimin? Let him move on too, so he can find someone better than you."
Namjoon’s last sentence made Jungkook’s blood boil with anger.
"Go home, Namjoon."
"You’re selfish. You make Jimin wait for you, but you happily move on with someone your aunt picked. You say you love Jimin, but with what you’re doing, it’s clear you don’t."
"I love him more than you could ever know."
Jungkook took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"I don’t understand why you divorced Jimin just because he was pregnant. If you loved him, you should’ve been happy that he was carrying your child. You should’ve supported him, helped him, made him the happiest person in the world. You should’ve been the best husband and father for your son."
Jungkook’s glare could have killed Namjoon, but Namjoon ignored it. He continued to press on, hoping to knock some sense into Jungkook.
"With the way you’re acting now, I’m sure you’ll be the worst father in the world."
"Stop..."
"The worst father ever..."
"I said stop!"
Jungkook grabbed a vase from the glass table and threw it against the wall.
"I’m not the worst father! I’m not like my father! He’s the worst! He beat my mother—every single day, every single night... He’d come home drunk and beat her... without mercy. I was just five years old when he first slapped me in the face. I was just five when he choked me. I remember it clearly... how he picked me up and threw me against the wall... He’s the worst... I’m not... I’m... I’m letting Jimin go... So... So he won’t face the same... So my child... my child won’t ever have to see how horrible I am... I... I don’t want my child to have bad memories of me... No... I don’t want that..."
Jungkook collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. With his eyes closed, he could see a replay of the beatings—his father hurting his mother, his father hurting him. It felt as though it had just happened. He could still feel the pain, still see the bruises on his small body.
Jungkook’s sobs slowly quieted when he felt a touch on his cheek. He knew that touch; he remembered it well. It was soft and comforting, like someone who cared deeply for him.
