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The café was quiet, save for the clinking of cups and the soft hum of background chatter. Jungkook sat at the table, his eyes flickering between his two friends, Jin and Jimin, who were both staring at him in stunned silence. The air around them felt thick with disbelief.

Jin was the first to speak, his voice filled with incredulity. "Wait, so you're telling me... Taehyung's parents are dead? Both of them?"

Jungkook nodded, his face unreadable. "Yeah. I found out today. My mom told me."

Jimin, still processing the shock, frowned. "I... I can't believe it. We all thought Taehyung was just some spoiled, rich kid who got everything handed to him. A total brat. But now... I mean, this changes everything, doesn't it?"

Jungkook clenched his jaw, his voice suddenly hard. "No. It doesn't change anything." He leaned back in his chair, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. "I don't care about his parents. He still did what he did. He still hurt people."

Jin and Jimin exchanged a glance, both surprised at Jungkook's firm stance. Jin took a deep breath, trying to tread carefully. "But Jungkook... losing both your parents when you're young, especially in the way he did... that kind of thing can really mess someone up. Maybe that's why he was so... reckless. So out of control. I mean, we all thought he was just a rich kid with no consequences. But hearing this—his parents being gone—it makes you wonder if we misjudged him."

Jungkook's eyes flashed with irritation. "So what, now we're supposed to feel sorry for him because he grew up without parents? Because he didn't have the perfect childhood? It doesn't change what he did."

Jimin's voice softened, though he was clearly struggling with his own thoughts. "I'm not saying we should suddenly forgive him, or that everything he did should be excused. But maybe it explains why he acted the way he did. People don't just turn into assholes for no reason, you know? Maybe all this... this image we had of him—this spoiled, arrogant guy—was just a mask. Maybe he was hiding the pain. Maybe we missed something."

Jungkook shook his head sharply, his tone colder now. "I don't care. Pain doesn't give you the right to hurt others. People can go through horrible things, but it doesn't excuse what Taehyung did. The rumors about him? The harassment, the womanizing? That's not just who he is. He made those choices, Jimin. And no amount of sympathy for his childhood is going to justify that."

Jin leaned in, his voice gentle. "We're not saying it justifies it, Jungkook. But you're telling me you don't think that maybe, just maybe, if we had known the whole story, we wouldn't have judged him so harshly? We all thought he was some rich, spoiled playboy, never realizing the weight he was carrying."

"Doesn't matter," Jungkook muttered under his breath, his eyes hardening. "I don't care about his story. I don't care if he was raised in a mansion or on the streets. I don't care if he was orphaned at five years old. What matters is what he's done. You think I'm supposed to just overlook the rumors? Overlook everything he did in college?" His voice was rising now, frustration bubbling over. "I'm supposed to just pretend none of it happened because he didn't have parents to guide him?"

Jimin looked down at his coffee cup, his face filled with concern. "No one's saying that, man. But we've all heard the rumors. We know he was reckless, that he had a bad reputation. But now, with all this new information... don't you think it might be a little more complicated than we thought? You can't just dismiss everything, Jungkook."

Jungkook's fists clenched, his knuckles going white as he stared down at the table. He was silent for a moment before speaking again, his voice thick with anger. "I've heard all the rumors. And honestly, they didn't surprise me. Taehyung was a womanizer. He hurt people. He harassed them. And I'm supposed to feel sorry for him because he didn't have a dad to teach him right from wrong? Because his mom died when he was young?"

Jin let out a long sigh, his expression filled with concern. "Jungkook, we're not saying you should feel sorry for him. But you've gotta admit, this is a huge piece of the puzzle we never had. The Taehyung we knew was built on rumors, on what we thought we knew. But now, knowing about his parents... don't you think we have to reconsider how we see him?"

Jungkook's eyes were fierce, his voice unwavering. "No. I'm not reconsidering anything. I have to marry him. I don't want to, but I have no choice. This is what my mom wants. It's what's expected. I'll go through with it for her, but I'm not doing it because of Taehyung." He let out a bitter laugh. "Hell, if anything, this just makes it worse. It doesn't matter if his parents are dead, or if he's had a hard life. He still has to answer for what he did. And I'm not going to pretend everything is fine just because I found out some tragic backstory."

Jimin and Jin fell silent, both of them trying to find the right words, but neither was sure how to get through to Jungkook. The truth was, they could understand his anger. They had all believed the worst about Taehyung. They had assumed he was nothing but a spoiled rich kid who didn't care about the consequences of his actions. But now, with this new information, it was hard to reconcile the image they had of him with the reality that had just been revealed.

Jin finally spoke, his voice quieter, more thoughtful. "We're not saying you have to forgive him. We're not asking you to change your mind about him. But... this marriage, man. I don't want to see you carry this anger inside forever. Maybe there's a way to get through it without letting it destroy you."

Jungkook's expression softened, but only slightly. "I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for her." His voice cracked for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "This marriage? It's not about Taehyung. It's about what's expected of me. And I'm not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that, not even Taehyung."

Jimin gave him a sympathetic look, but he knew better than to push. "Just... don't lose yourself in this. We're here for you, no matter what."

Jungkook's eyes flickered for a moment, a flicker of gratitude breaking through his resolve. "I know," he muttered. "Thanks. But this is something I've got to handle myself. I just... I need to make sure she's happy."

The conversation fell quiet again, the weight of Jungkook's words hanging in the air. The truth was, they knew nothing would change his mind. His feelings about Taehyung were too deep, too rooted in the past. But they couldn't help but wonder if, one day, Jungkook might come to see things differently—when the dust finally settled and the weight of the rumors, the anger, and the burden of the marriage had passed.

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