Enthralled || Liskook

Chapter 59

Jeon: My mentor passed away. 

The joyous chatter around her seemed to fade into a distant hum. A cold sweat prickled Lisa's hands. She clutched her phone tighter, her gaze glued to the screen. 

Jeon: I'm on the plane. 

Jeon: Concentrate on the game. Coming back wouldn't help. I can't be here for the next two days. 

Jeon: I'll turn off my phone first, I'll chat with you when I'm back in Korea. 

Lisa slid against the wall, her mind a swirling vortex. The weight of the news settled in her chest, heavy and suffocating. 

Her grandparents were still there, and where her grandfather left, she was only a few years old, she barely remembered. So, she can't feel how painful it is for Jungkook to lose his mentor. 

A pang of empathy shot through her as she recalled Yoongi's silence that stretched for three days after his mother’s passing. 

Jungkook, she realized, was likely cut from the same cloth. Some wore their grief on their sleeves, a storm of tears for everyone to witness. 

Others, like Jungkook, bore it stoically, a silent wound festering within. 

She really wants to go back and be with him. 

The garish caller ID burned into Lisa's vision, snapping her out of her daze. It was Yoongi. A thick lump formed in her throat as she picked up, her voice barely a whisper, "Brother.." 

Yoongi's voice, usually booming with confidence, crackled with raw grief. He spoke in short, clipped sentences, explaining the suddenness of her grandfather's passing. Just that morning, the old man had been walking around, seemingly healthy. 

Now, an empty chair mocked them at the breakfast table. 

"I booked you a ticket for the two o'clock flight," Yoongi continued, his voice hoarse. "There's nothing available today. Even if you catch the earliest train tomorrow, you'd only make it a few hours earlier. Honestly, Lili..." He hesitated, then sighed. "Even if you come back, he won't know." 

Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken emotions. Finally, her cousin's voice cut through the quiet. "Lili?" 

Lisa squeezed her eyes shut, pressing the back of her hand against them, willing the tears back. "Yeah," she croaked, her voice thick with nasal congestion. 

"Finish the game first," her cousin said firmly. "We need that gold medal or at least a silver."

Seoul's reputation is on the line, especially with Yoongi in this state. "You're our best shot, the successor I've been training. This match is crucial.” 

Lisa whispered a barely audible "I know,” the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders like a leaden cloak. 

Yoongi's voice softened, a hint of concern cutting through his grief. "Don't cry at the scene, Lili. Focus on your game. We can't afford distractions right now." 

Lisa nodded, her throat tight, and scurried towards the bathroom, tears stinging her eyes. 

As soon as Yoongi hung up, a notification popped on his phone. It was a screenshot from their cousin, Soobin, accompanied by four question marks, hinting at confusion. 

The image sent a jolt through him. It was a screenshot of Jungkook's circle of friends. Three minutes prior, there had been one more post: a simple message, "Time is ruthless," accompanied by a heart-wrenching image. 

An old photograph filled the screen. It depicted a seemingly ordinary office, yet the warmth of the smiles held within it spoke volumes. 

There was a younger Kang Jaewon, barely in his sixties, beaming beside an eight-year-old Jeon Jungkook and a fourteen-year-old Kim Namjoon. The caption simply read: "The office of Mr. Kang in Busan Club. That year."