Evenstar

61. Forgiven

Chuseok passed too quickly, and on the third day everyone headed back to their homes to rest before resuming their work after the holidays. The Kwans reluctantly bid goodbye to their relatives, whom they only got to see once a year at Chuseok, and wished that they could stay longer. Taehyung and Dae Eun, however, had given themselves a longer period of rest and they stayed in Geumsan to recover fully and prepare themselves for their wedding.

During this time JKL issued a press release on their engagement and upcoming marriage, and the public finally knew with certainty who had captured Taehyung's heart. There was a multitude of reactions on social media - from anger and grief coming from some of his obsessive fans, to happiness and well-wishes from those who loved him. The name Kwan Dae Eun trended for several days, and one day Taehyung received a call from Jungkook.

"Hyung, they know."

Taehyung had been helping plant vegetables for the winter when he answered the video call. "Annyeong, Kook-ah. What do you mean they know?"

"Videos of you and Dae Eun are appearing on Twitter. What are you doing?"

"I'm planting cucumbers. You should come here and try it. It's fun!"

"Did you hear what I said, hyung?"

"Yes, Jungkook-ah. What footage is it this time?" Nothing surprised him anymore when it came to social media. Since he hadn't done anything wrong, he saw no reason to worry about it.

"Footage of your accident, even Dae Eun's and those girls'."

"What? How?" Taehyung stopped what he was doing. How could anyone have any footage when even their investigators didn't find anything?

"I don't know, hyung. ARMY found out the identities of those girls. They're demanding justice."

"Jungkook, I've only been away a few days." Taehyung had stopped monitoring social media once they got to Geumsan, and last he looked there was nothing significant happening. "What are they saying?"

"Everyone is rallying to your side and Dae Eun's. Dae Eun's footage is really terrifying. She must have nerves of steel, hyung. Hats off to her."

Taehyung wondered what made him say that. "Should I worry about anything?"

"Not at all. It's those girls who need to be worried. I feel bad for them, they're already facing a long road to recovery. 'Karma is an ARMY' is trending, hyung, and our ARMY are worried about you two. Maybe you should do a live together or something."

"I can't do that, Jungkook. I don't want Dae Eun in the public eye."

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know. They need to see you. Maybe you could do a live now while you're planting cucumbers."

"Yeah, right. I'm covered in sweat and soil."

"All the better. You'll look hot, hyung."

Taehyung laughed. They said goodbye after he asked about the other members and JK told him that everyone was still on holiday. Then he opened Twitter and found the videos Jungkook was talking about. He opened Dae Eun's video and wasn't prepared for what he saw. The video showed Dae Eun driving up the road in her pickup and another van coming close on her left side. The van swerved to hit her, and he saw how Dae Eun tried to avoid them and hit the barrier instead. The pickup was already going over the ridge but quickly reversed, tires screeching. He could see her struggling against the wheel, leaning as far back as she could to shift the pick-up's weight. Dae Eun didn't relent until the front wheels made it up over the ridge and back to level ground. Then a truck came across the screen, and there was a horrible sound of metal slamming into metal. He could see from behind the truck the girls' van turning over several times. The video became unstable and eventually stopped. His heart started pounding hard and he realized that the video was taken by someone who was standing by to watch. They had planned to take this video of Dae Eun.