𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷

Clashes II

The elderly lady watches the father and son disappear into the room. She then turns her attention to her son's room. It's been a while. Madam Moon knocks as etiquette but enters despite the lack of response from inside.

A distressed Jungkook is gloomily resting his head on his palms on the desk. There's a chaotic mess he created on the floor. A few damaged pieces of furniture.

With the opening of the door, Jungkook turns and sees his mother. His face screams: what now?

"Did you and Jimin fight?" she asks, standing by the door.

"None of your business," he says.

"Since when did you enjoy torturing yourself?" The elder lady crosses her arms together and leans on the door.

"I'm not," her son replies. "I'm doing what's best for myself."

"Then how come you look like you're in pain?" She notices the frustration in his eyes as he stares back. "Why are you insisting on pushing Jimin away? You're not happy. He's not happy. If you keep holding on to every hurt you've experienced, you will never be happy in your life. You need to forgive and move on."

Coming from his mother, those beautiful words make him want to laugh. "Forgive and move on? Like you're so forgiving," he says out of spite.

"Yeah," she frowns. "I never forgave anyone who hurt me. I made sure your father lived each day regretting what he did. Look how I am now. You want to become like me? — Or are you going to be like your father, untrusting until his last breath? Never believing anyone's love for him."

"How could you say that with your own mouth when you led him to his death?" Jungkook stares with gradual wrath.

"Is it not the truth?" Madam Moon retorts with her own wrath.

His gaze deviates from hers. It's pointless to talk about this. His feelings are currently a mess because of Jimin, arguing with his mother about his father will only make everything worse.

Noticing the saddened expression on Jungkook's pale face, Madam Moon's voice becomes gentler. "Back then, why didn't you tell Jimin about yourself? Were you ashamed of your parents? Afraid of your past? Afraid he won't love you if he knows?"

Jungkook blinks a few times as he thinks about it—it's none of that. He just didn't want to drag Jimin into his world. He wanted to protect him. He knew it would've been better for Jimin if he's not involved with him, but he was selfish to his core. Never once did he ever think of letting Jimin go.

Instead, he changed his world so he can cling to the one he loves. But... that person left anyway after he knew, and Jungkook witnessed his world crumbling down pathetically.

His sorrowful eyes deviate down, and he tells himself, "Jimin should be thanking me. He's lucky enough I'm letting him go, not dragging him to hell with me."

A laugh bursts out from a usually gracefully mannered elder lady. "If you're going to hell, even if you don't take him, he'll follow you. He's stupid like that."

Jungkook instantly glares, displeased with her choice of words.

"So I can't insult him?" Madam Moon smiles at her son, and then deeply sighs. "Jimin didn't leave you because he doesn't love you." For some reason, Jungkook appears sadder after her words. "I'm not sure why he left. One thing for sure is, I don't think he left because he thinks you're some kind of evil monster who will hurt his uncle or him, if that's what you're thinking. It makes more sense if it's the other way around. I think he left because he was afraid his uncle will hurt you."

"But why would he be afraid his uncle will hurt me? I can end Li Hanzu, and this whole thing will settle down. Cha Jiwon followed Li Hanzu's orders. Or are you suggesting he intentionally wanted to harm me? Why would he do that?"