Revival - From Monochrome To Euphoria

~16~

In the dimly lit room, an older man stepped forward cautiously, his weathered face lined with concern. His voice, though steady, carried a note of pleading. “Son, let’s not make things more difficult for her. She’s your mother, after all.”

The younger man, his face marred with cuts and bruises, turned sharply towards the older figure, his expression a volatile mix of pain and fury. “Mother?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “She plotted to kill me, Appa! She joined hands with my enemies! What did I ever ask for, huh? Just her loyalty. Just her damn support! But no she chose them.”

His voice cracked, and his eyes flickered with something deeper than anger betrayal. He took a step closer to the woman bound to the chair, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. “You say she’s my mother?” he continued, his tone rising into a roar. “Then why did she hand me over to the wolves? Why did I have to replace that bastard son of yours, the perfect heir, just to stay alive?”

The old man flinched but didn’t step back. “Petal,” the younger man muttered almost softly, his rage simmering just beneath the surface. “That’s all I wanted."

“Son, calm down,” the older man urged, his voice firm but filled with worry. “You’ve been through enough already. Look at yourself.” He gestured towards the younger man’s face, barely recognizable beneath the layers of bloodied cuts and swollen flesh. “You’re hurt. You’ve pushed yourself too far. Let’s get you taken care of first.”

“I don’t need your pity, Appa,” the man snapped, his voice trembling as he looked away, though his rage seemed to waver under the older man’s steady gaze.

“This isn’t pity,” the old man countered firmly. “It’s survival. Your face your identity has been compromised. Do you think they’ll stop hunting you if you act recklessly now ? If we don’t act now, everything you’ve worked for will be for nothing.” He took a deliberate step closer, lowering his voice to a near whisper. “Let’s get the surgery done. After that, we’ll deal with everything else.”

The younger man looked at his father for a long moment, his chest heaving as he struggled to steady his emotions. He wiped a hand across his face, wincing as his fingers grazed a particularly deep cut. The thought of losing his identity of altering who he was seemed to weigh heavily on him, but he finally gave a sharp nod. “Fine,” he muttered. “But once this is over... she answers for what she’s done.”

The old man exhaled a quiet sigh of relief and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We’ll handle it. But first, you must survive.”

The younger man shot one last glare at the bound woman, his lip curling in disdain. “You hear that, eomma?” he sneered. “You’re not off the hook. Not yet.”

With that, he turned away, walking towards the door, leaving the woman to tremble in the shadows.

~~~~~~~~~

Jungkook stirred in his sleep, feeling the faint wet sensation on his cheek. "Uhmmm... Bun, don't kiss Mumma. Sit silently," he mumbled drowsily, his eyes still closed. "Mumma will feed you."

A few more seconds passed, and the absence of Soobin's usual babbling caused a flicker of awareness to creep into Jungkook's sleepy mind.Wait... how could Soobin climb out of his crib? He was just a baby, after all.

Blinking himself awake, Jungkook finally opened his eyes. What greeted him wasn't his little Soobin but the sight of Taehyung, cuddled close to him, lips gently brushing his cheek.