Detecting Falsehood

36

There's a moment of shocked silence, then Jin rolls his eyes at his cousin, clearly refusing to believe him. Which makes sense, given his own situation and relation to Jungkook. "Nice try, Junghoon, but I'm related to you. Don't you think I'd notice the difference between the two of you?"

Jungkook sighs. "My father didn't. He blamed me for the death of my mother, for the crash. He was there at my bedside in the hospital when I woke up, trapped in a wheelchair, hoping and praying that his favourite of the two of us survived. They couldn't tell us apart. We have the same DNA, we're identical twins after all."

He meets Jin's eyes, his inner turmoil finally making its way to the surface after years of repression. "If you'd heard Junghoon in his last moments, and then seen the hopeful expression on my father's face when he saw that I was awake, you would understand exactly why I did what I did. It was the only way to make sure he was happy."

Namjoon tilts his head. "And what about the rest of the family?" he asks curiously. "Didn't you feel bad, lying to everyone? I didn't know you at the time but I remember Jin telling me that members of his family got in a crash. That one of them died, and the other had never been his favourite of the two, though he felt bad for saying so."

Jungkook's eyes widen, and he glances over at me. I smile slightly. "I told you I wouldn't be the only one who was glad you were the one who lived," I tell him simply, shrugging. "And as for guilt, I can tell you that he hated to pretend to be someone else. He just thought it was for the best. He didn't understand that Junghoon wasn't preferred by others."

"We idolised our dad," Jungkook puts in after a few seconds of thoughtful silence, "and I knew that he was the one I wanted to avoid letting down. It was only when I saw Taehyung in that first cell, still tied up and blindfolded, that I began to become myself again."

"He was the one who got me out of those restraints, brought me food, kept me updated on how long I'd been there for," I explain to our baffled friends. "He couldn't reveal that he knew where I was, he would have died. And what could he have done to help me out? What exactly was a brainwashed kid supposed to do?"

Yoongi stands up, bracing himself against the wall, rubbing a hand over his eyes and sighing slightly, his face slightly pale. "Well, I'm glad you're alive, Taehyung," he says quietly. "I don't know whether I totally trust Junghoon-kook - whoever you really are. I know you had no other choice, but I still don't approve of what happened in your past."

Jungkook nods. "I understand that. I still don't understand how Tae trusts me, how he allowed me to try and get him out of there. I don't know how he was able to tell who I really was, listen to the true story of the crash and believe it. He's the only one I ever told, and he just accepted it. Forgave me for the things I did when I was too stupid to do anything else."

He closes his eyes, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment before continuing, opening his eyes to send me an apologetic glance when he begins to speak again. "He forgave me for being too late to save the only other person who saw me as a human being in that place." My heart pangs at the mention of 21, but I say nothing, knowing why he chose to say what he has.

There's a moment of silence, then Hoseok nods to himself and glances over at his partners for a moment. "I believe you, Jungkook. Honestly, I don't know why. But if Taehyung trusts you, and trusts that you truly are who you say you are, I will accept that. If you turn out to be lying, then I will never forgive you. None of us will."

Jungkook meets his eyes without fear. "I completely understand that. Honestly, I feel lucky that you're even considering the idea of trusting me, given what you now know about me. And I will do my best to stop being the person I've pretended to be over the last few years, at least around you guys. Who needs parents or siblings when you have friends as a family?"