Beneath the City ✔️

Veins

A few days later, Jungkook had returned. I'd tried to talk to him a couple of times, but he'd been avoiding me. I could tell something was wrong, but he wasn't even sitting with us at mealtimes, so we'd had no opportunity to talk. It was four in the afternoon, and I hadn't seen him all day, so I decided to look for him, starting with his room.

I knocked hesitantly on his bedroom door. When I didn't hear a response, I tried turning the handle, but it barely turned, before hitting the lock. I sighed, and rested my head against the door.

'Jungkook?' I asked.

'Go away.' I heard him croak. 'I locked the door for a reason.'

'And I knocked for a reason. You can't keep avoiding us.'

'Yes I can.'

'Please talk to me.' I pushed. 'I want to help.'

'Just like everyone else "wants to help" so that they can feel better about themselves for offering.' He spat bitterly, his voice cracking as he tried to keep it steady.

'But I really want to help.' I protested. There was a heavy pause.

'I'm sorry, I'm not angry with you.' He said quietly. I heard a shuffling from within his room, then footsteps walking over to the door. 'Just don't be angry with me.' He said through the wood between us. There was a soft click and the door swung open slowly.

Jungkook's face was hidden in the shadows, but I could still see the red rimming his eyes. In a few days, his face had become pale and the shadows sat more deeply in his eyes, leaving his whole face looking haunted. He stepped back, letting me enter. I shut the door behind me, and he collapsed onto his bed, hiding his face behind his hands. I wasn't sure if I should speak, so I sat down beside him, and he spoke for me.

'I found my brother, Junghyun.' He said mutedly.

'Isn't that a good thing?' I questioned, and he sighed painfully.

'I don't know.' He confessed. 'He's certainly not a good person.'

'Why not?' I asked.

'He's... made an... ultimatum, of sorts.' He said slowly. 'He wants something awful that's not mine to give, and goes against everything I stand for. But if I don't give it to him, he said he won't see me again.'

My heart wrenched. It felt so similar to how Tae had first regarded me so cruelly when I found him. It was a wonder he'd been able to keep this all in.

'Is there anything else you can give him?' I suggested.

'Nothing comes close.' He said.

'What does he want?' I asked but he shook his head.

'It doesn't matter, but he's working alongside the Night Guard.'

'I'm so sorry.' I mumbled in shock.

'So am I.' He replied hollowly. 'Maybe if I'd looked for him sooner I-'

'You shouldn't have had to save him.' I argued. 'He chose to work for them.'

'How can you be so sure?' He asked, and I realised I couldn't say anything. 'We don't know what they did to him. Hell, we don't even know much of what happened to Taehyung.'

'Either way, you saved a lot of lives, and lots of other people's brothers and sisters, so you have to be fair on yourself.' I said. He nodded, and sat up beside me, rubbing his eyes.

'I can't even save the one that counts.' He said lowly.

'You saved me and Jimin. That counts for something.' I countered.