Beauty and the Broken

19| 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞

The tension of their late-night escape lingered in the air as Aera, Jungkook, and Taehyung sat in the dimly lit living room of Taehyung's farmhouse. The documents Aera had hastily stuffed into her bag lay untouched on the coffee table between them.

Jungkook leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the papers as if they might jump up and reveal their secrets. "We should look at these now," he said, breaking the heavy silence. "We need to know what's in them."

Aera nodded, reaching for the documents. "Let's see what my Uncle was so desperate to hide."

As she carefully unfolded the first page, the room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in as they all leaned closer, their eyes scanning the yellowed paper.

"This is... a purchase order," Taehyung said, furrowing his brow. "For jet parts. But... it's dated just a week before the crash."Jungkook frowned. "Why would my father be buying jet parts? He has no connection to the aviation industry, at least not directly."Aera's eyes widened as she flipped to the next document. "Wait-this isn't just a purchase order. Look at the name on the vendor list." She pointed to a name scribbled at the bottom, almost as an afterthought.

Taehyung read the name aloud, his voice filled with disbelief. "It's the same company that manufactured the jet that crashed."

"Are you saying..." Jungkook hesitated, trying to piece it all together. "My father might have been involved in... sabotaging the jet?"Aera shook her head, her mind racing. "No, this doesn't make sense. Why would he sabotage a jet that your parents were on?""Unless," Taehyung interjected, "he wasn't the one who orchestrated it, but he knew something about it afterward. Maybe he was there to cover up evidence, or worse, someone used him as a scapegoat."

Jungkook's fists clenched as the reality of the situation started to settle in. "If that's true, then my father's been playing a dangerous game, and we're all caught in it."

Aera's face paled as she realized the gravity of their discovery. "We need to find out who else was involved. This can't just be about your father. There has to be more to it."

Just as they were about to continue searching through the documents, Taehyung's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and saw an unknown number. He hesitated but then answered, putting the call on speaker.

"Hello?"A distorted voice crackled through the line, sending chills down their spines. "You're digging where you shouldn't be, Taehyung. Leave this alone, or there will be consequences.""Who is this?" Taehyung demanded, his voice steely. "Consider this your only warning," the voice continued. "You have no idea who you're up against."The line went dead.Aera's hands trembled as she clutched the documents tighter. "They're watching us... They know what we're doing."Jungkook stood up, pacing the room, his mind in overdrive. "We can't stop now. We're too close to the truth. But we have to be smart about this. If they're watching us, we need to throw them off our trail."Taehyung nodded, his mind already working on a plan. "We need to make them think we've given up. We'll lay low, and act like we're not investigating anymore. But behind the scenes, we'll keep digging."Aera looked between the two men, her resolve hardening. "I'm with you. We can't let them win."Taehyung glanced at the documents, then back at Jungkook and Aera. "There's someone I know-a private investigator. He's trustworthy and has connections. He might be able to help us find out who's really behind all this."

Jungkook hesitated but then nodded. "We'll meet him tomorrow. But for tonight, we need to make sure these documents are safe. They're our only leverage."

Aera agreed. "I'll keep them hidden. No one will find them."As they started to pack up the documents, Taehyung suddenly froze, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of something out the window-a shadow moving just beyond the tree line."Get down," he whispered urgently, pulling Aera and Jungkook with him to the floor. They all crouched low, peering cautiously out the window. A figure moved silently through the shadows, too far to make out any details, but close enough to send a spike of fear through each of them.

"Someone's out there," Taehyung whispered, his voice tense. "They're watching us."

Jungkook's mind raced. "We can't stay here. We need to get out, now."Aera nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. "But where can we go?"Taehyung thought quickly. "I have a safe house-one that no one else knows about. We'll go there. But we have to move fast and not draw any attention."They moved swiftly, gathering the documents and slipping out the back door, careful to avoid making any noise. The night was dark and oppressive as they made their way to Taehyung's car, every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig making them jump. As they drove away from the farmhouse, Taehyung kept his eyes on the rearview mirror, watching for any sign of pursuit.

Little did they know, the figure in the shadows had watched their every move, unseen and undetected. As the car disappeared into the night, the figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing a face twisted with malicious intent. The game had only just begun.