Only On Paper / JJK

Chapter 37

By some miracle, Jungkook is able to control his own body. Almost as immediately as he does, he can feel what limited capability he has already slipping away. With as much strength as he can muster, he takes a step back. Then another one. Until he's noticably far away from Y/n and his friends. His back grazes the shut bedroom door.

For the moment, his friends are freed from the power of the incubus raging inside of him. They heave, hunched over as they try to catch their breaths from gradually being strangled.

"Kook!" Y/n shouts. She runs towards him, trails her fingers down his arms, but he can't bare to look at her. At what he's allowed to happen. Admitting how truly weak he really is.

A little more of his hold on his body dissipates. 

"I'm okay. We're okay," she continues.

Jungkook knows she says it to keep him from worrying. To stop him from berating himself. It helps only slightly. He still refuses to glimpse up at her, his gaze cast to the floor as he forces his limbs to stay put.

"Kook, listen to me."

Gripping onto his hands, squeezing them tightly, Y/n frantically says, "We know how to get rid of him."

At that his eyes snap to hers. "You do?"

"Tae did some research. We have to expell him from your body and send him back to hell."

He darts his surprised expression to Taehyung, to the rest of his friends, who look at him with nothing but worry and sympathy.

"You want to perform an exorcism?"

Y/n frantically nods her head. "It's the only way."

Jungkook shakes his head. "No, it's not."

For a second, no one says anything response. 

"I'm sorry," Yoongi begins with a scoff, "Do you have any idea what you've put us through these past couple of days? What you're doing to us right now? And, your answer is no?"

"You don't understand," Jungkook grits out through clenched teeth. Controlling his own movements is getting harder and harder. They need to do what he says right after he's done explaining, or else they'd return to where they were when Jimin first walked in.

"I'm the only one who can stop him."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Yoongi exasperatedly glares at Jungkook. 

"Sending him back to hell isn't going to do anything. He'll just come back and terrorize you all over again."

It doesn't take long for them all to realize the severity of what Jungkook means. Or what he's implying.

This time Namjoon speaks up. "You want to kill him."

"Yes," Jungkook affirms in a whisper.

Another beat of silence.

"If that happens, do you die too?" 

At Namjoon's words, Jungkook can feel the air in the room stale. He won't lie to them. He's done that way too much. It's partly how they got here in the first place. So, he resorts to telling them the truth knowing they won't like what he has to say anyway.

"Yes."

As soon as it's out, Y/n refuses. "Absolutely not."

"There's no other way. If I don't kill him, this doesn't stop."

"No." Y/n shakes her head. "We just got you back."

"I'm the reason you're all in this position. It's only fair that this is how it ends. I have to. We don't have any other choice."

"Kook, as big of a dick as you were, you're asking for a lot right now," Taehyung chimes in. "We don't have the heart to kill you even if it gets rid of that asshole."

"I'm not asking you to."

Y/n sucks in a deep, shaky breath. "You're telling us what you're going to do."

"I owe you at least that, so you can finally move past all this and live your lives without me holding you back."

"You think we're just going to let you kill yourself?" Namjoon steps forward, grabbing onto Jungkook's tensed shoulders. "Are you absolutely sure there's no other way?"

"No, the reaper didn't say it explicitly, but she didn't have to for me to get the message. She brought me back, and she's going to make sure the demon doesn't once we're both gone."

Namjoon sighs. He doesn't like the sound of it nor does he agree with it, but if this is how he can protect Y/n then he'll do what has to be done when no one else has the heart to.

"Okay," Namjoon agrees. He doesn't bother asking about the reaper. There's no time to. There's no telling how much more they have left with Jungkook. Jimin could regain control before anyone of them can bat an eye.

"Namjoon, no!"

He looks to a horrified Y/n with unwavering resolution.

"I don't like this anymore than you do." He sweeps his gaze to Taehyung then Yoongi. "Than any of you do, but Jungkook is right. If this is what needs to be done, then sobeit. He's struggling to fight Jimin. If we don't do this now, none of us will live. Jungkook is giving us what we need to survive. I say we respect his wishes and help him."

That's when the tears come. Y/n's eyes well up, and her sobs reach more than Jungkook's ears. "I can't."

His heart constricts in his chest, the pain distracting him from the resistance he feels in his body. Jimin isn't going to go away peacefully. They need to do this now.

"I can't hold him off for much longer," Jungkook gasps. 

"I won't help," Y/n disputes. The tears readily roll down her cheeks.

Yoongi's hand clasps her own in an attempt to comfort her, but she shakes him off. "I'd rather risk him coming back than losing you again."

No one moves for a moment, but they all share a look. One Y/n comes to the terrifying conclusion of what they all plan to do.

"Don't even think about it."

But they do. Taehyung wraps his arms around her in an embrace. Not a warm one. It's ice cold as he shields her from seeing what Namjoon and Yoongi are about to do.

"Let me go!" She flails in Taehyung's arms. She throws her hands balled into fists at his sides. "Don't do this! Please!"

"I'm sorry," Taehyung tightens his hold on her, pressing her head into his chest.

"No!" She screams, and her voice breaks.

Namjoon takes the knife of his that dropped to the floor by the wall he was put up against. He glimpses at Y/n momentarily then back to the weapon in his hand.

"Tell me what we have to do." His grip on the handle tightens.

Jungkook grimaces. "Y/n drew me to life. I exist only on paper." 

He forces his eyes to meet Namjoon's.

"You have to let me burn."

a/n: only 2 more chapters left...don't hate me but i keep putting it off because i don't want it to be over... it's very sentimental for me as an author with it being my first finished book. i will definitely go back and do some heavy editing for plot holes and adding more detail. make it all more cohesive and easier to read. cause don't lie to me lol this book is all over the place!

until next time, i hope you are doing well, and if not, i hope the tough times make you stronger and that there will be plenty of good things ahead!