The Cursed Gathering (Sope, Taemin, Taekook, Namjin)

13• Fractured Trust

Authors pov

The room was thick with tension as Jimin kneeled beside Hoseok, carefully tending to the wound that the monster had inflicted. They had managed to find some medical supplies in one of the other rooms, and now Jimin was doing his best to clean and bandage Hoseok's side. Hoseok winced and hissed in pain as the antiseptic stung his torn skin, his fingers nervously playing with the hem of his shirt.

Everyone else sat in uneasy silence, exchanging glances but not daring to say a word. The air felt heavy, charged with unspoken questions and suspicions.

Finally, Jin broke the silence, his voice soft but probing. "Hoseok... what did that monster mean when it said you're the key to us being free of this mansion?"

Hoseok tensed immediately, his hand stilling on his shirt. He tried to force a neutral expression onto his face, but the nervous flicker in his eyes gave him away. "It's nothing," he muttered, his voice too quick, too dismissive. "It didn't mean anything by it."

But Namjoon, who had been struggling to keep his temper in check, finally snapped. "Shut the fuck up, Hoseok!" he shouted, startling everyone. His voice echoed off the walls, harsh and unforgiving. "Stop lying and just tell us the truth!"

Hoseok's gaze hardened as he glared at Namjoon. "That monster didn't know what it was saying!" he spat back. "Maybe it just wanted to turn us against each other!"

"Then why are you so scared?" Jungkook cut in, his voice low but firm. His usually gentle eyes were hard now, searching Hoseok's face for answers. "Why do you look so guilty? Why did you have a panic attack after seeing that portrait of the family that owned this house?"

Hoseok averted his gaze, his jaw clenching. "I had a panic attack for a different reason," he muttered. "Just leave me alone."

Yoongi, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up, his expression twisted with anger. "No, Hoseok," he growled. "I'm not letting this go. You need to tell us the truth because I want to get out of here. If you don't say anything, there's going to be a problem."

"Shut up!" Jimin hissed, glaring up at Yoongi as he tried to keep his hand steady on Hoseok's wound. "I'm trying to concentrate here!"

But Tae moved forward and grabbed Jimin's arm, pulling him away from Hoseok. "Don't," Tae said, his voice low and urgent. "Don't treat him anymore."

Jimin looked at Tae in shock, about to protest, but Tae's eyes were cold and unwavering. "Do you want to get out of here or not?" Tae asked, his tone almost pleading. Jimin sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping as he reluctantly stepped back.

Taehyung who had been silent for awhile then turned his attention to Hoseok, his voice trembling with frustration. "Hoseok, just tell us what you're hiding. What's the big deal?"

Hoseok remained silent, his teeth biting into his bottom lip as he stared at the floor.

Taehyung's patience snapped. "Fucking say something!" he screamed, his voice breaking. "Be a man, not a coward! I want to get out of this cursed building and go back home! I'm tired of being scared every minute of my life!"

Still, Hoseok said nothing, his silence driving a wedge deeper between them.

And then, the floodgates opened.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Namjoon snarled, stepping closer to Hoseok. "We've been nothing but good to you, and this is how you repay us? By keeping secrets that could get us all killed?"

"How could you do this to us?" Jin demanded, his voice filled with hurt. "We trusted you, Hoseok!"

Jungkook's eyes were wide with disbelief, a pained expression on his face. "We're supposed to be a team. How can you just sit there and lie to us like this?"

Jimin, who had been trying to keep calm, finally broke. "Do you even care about us, Hoseok?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion. "Do you even care that we're all stuck here, terrified and helpless?"

Yoongi's eyes were dark with anger, his voice cold and cutting. "You're selfish, Hoseok. You don't care about anyone but yourself."

"You're a coward!" Tae spat, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I thought you were stronger than this, but you're just an asshole!" Taehyung screamed at hoseok who flinched but continued looking at the floor in silence.

The accusations flew at Hoseok from all sides, each one hitting harder than the last. His heart pounded in his chest, his breathing growing more erratic as the weight of their words pressed down on him.

And then, Yoongi said it.

"You're a murderer, Hoseok," Yoongi hissed, his voice dripping with venom. "Just admit it. You're the reason we're all here. You're the reason we're all going to die in this fucking mansion!"

Hoseok flinched as if Yoongi had physically struck him. The word "murderer" echoed in his mind, stabbing at his already fragile heart. He looked at the seven people who had become his closest companions, the people he had grown attached to, and realized that he had lost them.

He sighed, the fight draining out of him, leaving only a hollow emptiness behind. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding in his ears. He slowly stood up, one hand clutching his side where the wound was still bleeding through the half-treated bandage.

Jimin instinctively moved to help him, but Jin grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Leave him," Jin said coldly. "He's not one of us anymore. He betrayed us."

Hoseok's eyes filled with tears as he nodded, accepting the truth. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving behind the people he had once called friends, the people he had tried so desperately to protect.... From himself.

The door closed behind him with a soft click, the final sound of their fractured trust.

And in that silence, the realization settled in-Hoseok was gone, and so was any hope they had of escaping this nightmare together.