𝙼𝚢 𝙲𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚕 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚢 ٭ 𝚃𝚊𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎 ٭

٭𝟹𝟻٭

It was nighttime, and Jungkook lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day replayed in his mind like a broken record. He could still feel the guard’s touch, a touch that made his skin crawl. Despite his exhaustion from the previous night’s lack of sleep, he couldn’t settle his mind. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him for pushing the guard away, knowing how his friends felt about violence against women. They despised it, and rightfully so. But what else could he have done?

He sighed deeply, the sound filling the otherwise silent room. His thoughts drifted to Lisa. She had faced much worse than him. Lisa had been drugged, beaten, and raped by someone stronger than her. She had been powerless to stop it. At least he had managed to fend off his attacker before she could do any real harm. The thought of what could have happened sent a shiver down his spine.

As he lay there, his mind spiraled into darker thoughts. He couldn’t understand why people could be so monstrous. Taehyung's father, James, Arthur—they were all prime examples of human cruelty. And now, the female guard. It baffled him. Sure, he and his friends were part of the mafia. They were killers, and he himself had blood on his hands. But they had rules. They didn’t kill the innocent, and they never killed without a good reason. They could be ruthless and sadistic when needed, but they still held onto a code of ethics.

Jungkook’s mind flashed back to his earlier years. He remembered the training, the lessons, and the missions. He remembered how they were taught to protect those they cared about, to eliminate threats but never to harm without cause. It was a brutal world they lived in, but even in their brutality, there was a twisted sense of justice. They sought to rid the world of those who truly deserved it. But tonight, none of that brought him any comfort.

He shifted in bed, trying to find a comfortable position. His thoughts returned to Lisa again. She was so much stronger than anyone gave her credit for. Despite everything she had been through, she still managed to keep going. Jungkook admired that about her. He felt a pang of guilt for feeling bad about his own experience when Lisa had endured so much worse. But he couldn’t help it. The memory of the guard’s touch haunted him. He wondered if this would linger with him as it did with Lisa.

His thoughts drifted to his friends. Taehyung, Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi, Jimin, Hoseok—they were all killers, but they were his family. They protected each other. Taehyung had made it clear that they didn’t tolerate betrayal or harm to their own. The way they had handled the female guard showed that they took care of threats, regardless of who they were. Jungkook knew that, but it didn’t ease the turmoil in his heart.

He thought about Taehyung’s father again. A true monster. A man who had caused so much pain and suffering. And James and Arthur, who had been no better. They had all crossed lines that even the mafia considered sacred. They had harmed the innocent. They had caused irreparable damage. Jungkook couldn’t understand what drove people to be so evil. Sure, they were part of a violent world, but even in that world, there were limits.

Jungkook also thought about what he was taught. They were all raised in mafia families. All old-fashioned. Violent and sexist. He didn't know how both the boys and the girls turned out with such morals. The boys could've been violent, sexist assholes and the girls could have been gold-digging bitches, but instead they turned out okay. Taehyung taught them how to treat women. How to treat men. How to treat innocent humans. How to treat evil humans. How to torture and kill. How to save and nurture.

Jungkook sighed again, feeling the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. He turned over, trying to find some peace. He thought about the gentle moments he had shared with his friends, the times they had laughed together, and the times they had fought side by side. Despite everything, they had each other’s backs. It was those bonds that kept him going.