NEVER LET GO (TAEKOOK)

17- Waited too long

Jungkook's Apartment

Jungkook paced the room, a sense of urgency coursing through him. Beside him, Bogum flipped through a stack of documents, his brows knitted in concentration.

“Who was that mysterious guy you met at the party?” Bogum asked, looking up.

“The one who seemed to have a connection to Taehyung?”

“Taeil,” Jungkook replied, frustration lacing his voice.

“I’ve been trying to track him down. If we find him, we can find Taehyung.”

Bogum paused, his expression serious.

“But what if Taehyung doesn’t go along with our plan? What if he refuses to leave?”

“There’s no say for Taehyung in this matter,” Jungkook asserted, determination hardening his features. “He will come back with me. I won’t let him stay in that hellhole with the Park family any longer.”

Bogum nodded, though uncertainty lingered in his eyes. “You know he’s stubborn. If he thinks he’s protecting everyone--”

“I don’t care what he thinks. His safety is all that matters to me” Jungkook interrupted, his jaw clenched. “We strike tonight.”

_________________________________________

Another Part of the City

In a dimly lit conference room, Mr. Kim addressed Jackson, Suga, and Jimin. The tension in the air was thick with unspoken fears.

“Listen carefully,” Mr. Kim began, his tone grave. “The Park family is vengeful. They won’t hesitate to retaliate for any perceived slight. We need to be careful. One wrong move could cost us everything.”

Suga leaned forward, concern etched on his face. “What are we doing to protect Taehyung?”

Jackson crossed his arms, shaking his head. “My only suggestion is, We can’t let Jungkook get involved in this rescue plan. He’s too emotional. He won’t think clearly.”

Jimin interjected, “But he’s the one who cares most about Taehyung! He’ll fight for him.”

“Caring isn’t enough,” Jackson replied sharply. “We need a clear head to navigate this situation, and right now, Jungkook is too clouded by his feelings.”

Mr. Kim nodded in agreement. “It’s a delicate balance. We need to ensure everyone’s safety first.”

_________________________________________

In a Club

Taehyung sat at a secluded table in the dimly lit club, the sound of muffled music surrounding him. His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with Jaehyun just days before.

“It’s time you meet the Park family head,” Jaehyun had said, his tone cryptic. “They want to discuss your future in their family.”

Taehyung had felt a chill run down his spine at those words. He knew something was amiss; the weight of the revolver hidden at his waist reminded him of the danger he was stepping into.

As he waited, anxiety twisted in his stomach. He was fully aware that this meeting could change everything. He looked around, scanning the room for any signs of trouble.

As the time passes, Someone entered the club, but Taehyung didn't pay much attention at first, lost in his thoughts. It wasn’t until he felt the weight of someone's gaze on him that he looked up. Expecting to meet the face of the mysterious Park family head, he was instead greeted by an entirely different surprise.

There, standing tall with his commanding presence, was his greatest fate—Jeon Jungkook. Their eyes locked, and in that moment, Taehyung felt the electric charge between them, his pulse quickening.

Jungkook was fuming and before Taehyung could process what this meant, Jungkook moved with the cold precision of a man born to power. The gun in his hand was steady as he raised it to Taehyung's temple, his voice a chilling whisper in the silence that followed.

“It’s been a long time since that day. Goodbye.”

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, drowning out Taehyung's scream as the world around him shattered into darkness. As his consciousness faded, his mind drifted back to the day it all started—the night when a kiss in the dark set in motion a chain of events that would bring him to this moment, facing death at the hands of the man who was the father of his child.

Taehyung's mind spiraled into flashes of his life—

He could see his childhood, the smiles of people who once mattered, the warmth of simpler days, and the darkness of betrayal. His ears rang with ghostly echoes of laughter and pain, both real and imagined, drowning out the present moment. His chest tightened, breath coming shallow as the smell of gunpowder filled the air, burning his senses. The world around him collapsed, but in his mind, everything was vivid, the rush of memories merging with the weight of his impending fate.

In the deepest corners of his heart, a single desperate thought emerged—he wished, more than anything, to see his child. His unborn baby flashed before him, a life he hadn’t even met, but already loved with all his soul. A sudden ache filled his chest as his vision blurred further.

And Jungkook. The man who had become both his torment and salvation. The burning rage and intense connection they shared blurred into something bittersweet as darkness claimed him. All he wanted, as the world faded, was to see Jungkook’s face one last time.