The Innocent and The King

Chapter Twenty Three - The Reckoning

The room felt suffocating. The walls seemed to close in around Reva, the weight of the moment pressing down on her chest. She stood beside Jungkook, her heart racing in her chest as she watched Yoongi—the one man who had once been family to Jungkook—stand before them like a cold, detached shadow. The air was thick with tension, the kind that came before a storm, and Reva could feel every second of it.

Jungkook’s jaw was clenched, his fists trembling at his sides as he glared at Yoongi. The betrayal had struck deep. Reva could see it in his eyes, that mix of fury and disbelief, the pain of losing someone he had trusted more than anyone else. Yoongi, on the other hand, remained eerily calm, his expression unreadable. He looked at them like they were nothing more than pawns in a game he had already won.

“You’re really going through with this?” Yoongi’s voice cut through the silence, a mocking edge to it. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re going to destroy everything over this petty little feud?”

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed, the fury in them growing. His voice was low, dangerous. “You’re the one who betrayed us, Yoongi. You’re the one who turned your back on family for power. You don’t get to lecture me.”

Yoongi didn’t flinch. If anything, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “Power is everything, Jungkook. It’s the only thing that matters in this world. And you, you’ve been too soft for too long. You never understood what it took to truly rule.”

Reva could feel the weight of Yoongi’s words. He was right in some twisted way. Jungkook had always fought for loyalty, for honor, for family. But Yoongi was right—there were no guarantees in this world. The Kangs had taken advantage of that. They had promised Yoongi power and control. And now, they had him.

Jungkook stepped forward, his chest rising with anger. His voice, however, was controlled, deadly calm. “You’ve always been selfish, Yoongi. You chose power over the people who mattered. Over the people who would have stood by you.”

Reva’s heart broke for Jungkook. She had never seen him so lost, so broken. His entire world was crumbling, piece by piece. Yoongi had been a brother to him, and now... now he was nothing more than an enemy.

Yoongi’s eyes hardened, the amusement gone from his face. “You think I care about your loyalty now? You’re too late, Jungkook. The Kangs are already in control, and there’s nothing you can do to stop them.”

Reva’s hand instinctively reached for Jungkook’s arm, trying to ground him, to pull him back from the edge she could see him teetering on. “Jungkook, please…” she whispered, her voice breaking.

He turned to look at her, his eyes softening for a moment before the walls came crashing back down. He squeezed her hand gently before returning his focus to Yoongi. “I don’t care what you think, Yoongi. You’ve crossed a line, and now you’ll face the consequences.”

The room was still for a moment, the silence suffocating. Yoongi stood there, unmoving, as if he were considering something. Then, in a sudden movement, he took a step back and turned toward the door, his back to them.

“This isn’t over, Jungkook,” Yoongi said over his shoulder, his voice cold, final. “The Kangs won’t let you walk away from this. You’re in deeper than you think.”

Jungkook’s eyes were locked onto Yoongi’s retreating form, his expression dark, but his voice was low, a promise laced in it. “I’ll make sure of that.”

Yoongi didn’t say another word as he disappeared into the shadows of the hallway, leaving them in the oppressive silence of the room. Reva felt her breath rush out of her as the weight of what had just happened hit her. She could see the pain in Jungkook’s eyes, the conflict swirling inside of him. This was no longer just about the Kangs or even about Yoongi—it was about everything he had lost, everything he had built, and the future he was trying to protect.

Reva reached for him again, this time pulling him close, her arms wrapping around him tightly. “Jungkook, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to carry all of this on your own.”

Jungkook’s arms immediately encircled her, pulling her in even closer. His body was tense, his muscles stiff with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he allowed himself to hold her, to let her warmth seep into him. He buried his face in her hair, his voice a strained whisper. “I can’t stop now, Reva. Not after everything that’s happened. Not after what Yoongi’s done. I won’t let him destroy everything.”

Reva closed her eyes, feeling the raw emotion in his words, the hurt that ran deeper than any betrayal. She wanted to make it better, to ease the pain, but she knew that this was something only he could carry. All she could do was be there for him, stand by his side as he fought his war.

“You don’t have to fight alone,” she said softly, her fingers running through his hair as she held him tightly. “I’m here, Jungkook. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together.”

His grip on her tightened slightly, as if her words were the only thing holding him together. He pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes dark and filled with turmoil. “I can’t let anything happen to you, Reva. I can’t lose you, too.”

“You won’t,” she promised, her heart aching with the depth of his emotions. “I’m not going anywhere.”

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze—the noise of the world outside, the tension that had been hanging in the air, the chaos that was waiting to explode. In that moment, it was just the two of them, holding on to each other, finding some semblance of peace in the storm.

But they both knew that the calm wouldn’t last. The Kangs were waiting, and Yoongi’s betrayal had set things in motion that could not be stopped. The coming days would be full of danger, of choices that could break them. But Reva was ready to face it all, as long as she had Jungkook by her side.

And Jungkook, despite the storm raging inside of him, knew that he would do whatever it took to protect her. Because as much as the world was trying to tear him apart, he had one thing left worth fighting for—her.

The rest of the world could burn, but Reva would never be taken from him.

And with that promise in his heart, he turned to face whatever came next.