Raw Marks | KOOKV✓

Chapter 41

Exhaustion had swallowed Taehyung whole, dragging him into a state where his body was little more than a vessel for the immense trauma he had endured. His very bones felt weak, as though the energy had been drained from his muscles, leaving him barely able to maintain his posture. He sat hunched forward on a bench, his arms slack against his thighs as if they were weights too heavy to lift. His eyes, usually sharp and expressive, were now lifeless, half-closed as they stared blankly at the cold floor beneath him. The courtroom around him, though sterile and unassuming in design, had taken on an oppressive quality, its walls towering over him, pressing in from all sides like an invisible force tightening around his chest, suffocating him with every breath he struggled to take

For nearly three hours, Taehyung had been trapped in this agonizing maze, his mind and heart cruelly working together to torment him with relentless thoughts. Each memory, each emotion, replayed over and over like a film stuck on an endless loop, tearing at his sanity. The word "tiredness" did not begin to encompass what he was feeling-it was a hollow term for the depth of his suffering. The trauma had embedded itself so deeply within him that it felt as if he was living in a constant state of mental and emotional exhaustion, far beyond the limits of what any person should bear

He was seated on a bench in the waiting area, the hard surface beneath him offering no comfort as he awaited news that seemed almost irrelevant in the face of his inner turmoil. Yoongi and his father were inside, dealing with the paperwork for his release. Taehyung knew he was being freed, but the thought brought no solace. The Jeon family had withdrawn the case, and while this should have been a moment of relief, it felt like a cruel joke instead. It wasn't justice that had led to his release; it was something far more bitter-a compromise driven by forces beyond his control

Aoi, Jungkook's older brother, had not wanted to let Taehyung go, had not intended to show him any mercy. But then, in a moment that felt like a surreal twist in a nightmare, Jungkook had stood up and confessed "I wasn't raped by Taehyung" he had said, his voice carrying the weight of truth that only he and Taehyung knew "I lied about it" Those words had echoed in the courtroom, stunning everyone, especially Aoi. It was as if Jungkook had thrown a grenade into the middle of their carefully constructed narrative, blowing it to pieces.

Aoi's reaction had been one of disbelief, his mind racing with questions. How could his brother say such a thing? Why would he suddenly claim this after everything they had gone through? The confession didn't align with the narrative Aoi had convinced himself was true. Medical reports had shown that Jungkook was sexually active-too active, in fact, for someone of his age, and he had been identified as the one in control, a giver rather than a receiver. This detail had given Aoi some relief, confirming that Jungkook had not been violated in the way he feared. But it did little to ease his suspicions. Aoi couldn't shake the belief that Jungkook was being manipulated, that he had been forced to say these things to protect someone-perhaps Taehyung, perhaps someone else. Aoi was not ready to believe his brother, even when faced with the truth. He saw Jungkook's words as a desperate attempt to shield Taehyung, a falsehood in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary

Despite the truth finally being spoken, it was lost in the storm of doubt and denial that surrounded it. Mrs Jeon, Jungkook's mother, had attended the meeting that sealed Taehyung's fate. She was the one who, in the end, decided to pull back from the brink. Not out of pity or understanding, but out of a desire to protect her family from the shame that would inevitably follow if the case continued. The Jeon family's honor was at stake, and Mrs Jeon could not allow it to be tarnished by a scandal of this magnitude

However, this act of withdrawal was not without its price. Mr and Mrs Jeon demanded a hefty sum of money as compensation for their agreement to drop the charges. It was a final, cruel twist in the saga, a demand that cut deep into Taehyung's already wounded pride. He knew that his family could not afford to pay, and yet, when the time came, it was not his father who stepped forward with the check. It was Yoongi who had taken on the burden without a second thought. Yoongi had thrown down a check from his own account, his face a mask of controlled anger as he did so, daring anyone to challenge him