FOOLS

Chapter 11

Namjoon returned to Jungkook's house, punched the code in and entered. For a split second, Namjoon was totally unaware of what he was doing. He was going to see his brother, not some malicious criminal. It seemed as if all of his responsibilities for his job had disappeared at the door. Though he will never forget what his father had confessed to him, he won't allow himself to.

He found the young boy spreading fully out on the couch, his bandaged arm dangling off the side. Namjoon rummaged the closet carefully, not quite soundlessly, for an extra blanket and succeeded. Luckily, Jungkook was a heavy sleeper, probably due to the pain and pain killers. Gently, like a feather, Namjoon laid the blanket down on the boy, tucking his arm in. Jungkook's midnight locks scattered across his face, hiding the scar on his cheek. Namjoon told himself to ask about that when he wakes up.

Having nothing to do and not wanting to pry in his brother's house, Namjoon decided to pull out his phone to check the news, to see if there had been any reporting about the masquerade. There was none. But then the space in his hand that the phone occupied was empty in the next second. He didn't have enough time to access the situation before the phone landed on the floor a few meters away. Jungkook groaned as he touched his shoulder lightly.

"Someone could use the signal to track you down." he pointed out.

"You could have just told me to put it down." Namjoon sighed at the broken screen, for once, it was not his fault at least. It still turned on, luckily. "I wouldn't be dumb enough to let them track me. I redid the entirety of my phone so it would be untraceable."

Jungkook smirked, a familiar feeling washing over him. They really were related. "Smart."

"Thanks. If I didn't do that, Taehyungie would try to track me to restaurants and eat together."

Jungkook's eyes narrowed. He was well aware of his brother's team. The group of six was like a wolf pack, deadly and follows every word of Namjoon's command, sometimes. Taehyung was the youngest and somehow, by the fondness of Namjoon calling his name, Jungkook felt a nagging feeling that he used to experience when he was a child. Namjoon took notice right away and averted the subject. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine." the young boy answered without hesitation. He hadn't felt the pain at all, it was something normal, part of the routine. "Where did you go?"

Namjoon bit his lips, debating in his mind whether he should tell Jungkook what happened or not. He didn't know if either option would do any good for the volatile boy, who could explode any second with the right trigger. But he knew better, even without telling Jungkook, he would find out eventually and the consequence would be greater. "I went to see my- I mean, our father."

"What did he say to you?" Jungkook didn't bother asking why Namjoon would do that. Anyone would have done the same in Namjoon's shoes, to let out all the anger and for closure.

"He wants to kill you."

"Of course he does." Jungkook laughed. "After I got out of the orphanage, I noticed people trailing my every step. Whenever I went to the store, to eat, even to the restroom. It was difficult when I began my mafia work. So I did what I had to do."

"Jungkook," Namjoon began slowly.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill them. It wouldn't do me any good. I bought them, and fed our father information I wanted him to have."

"And what sort of information was that?"

"That I was a useless prick who was on the verge of dying. I made myself into what he wanted of me, nothing. I was no threat to him. Do you know what the men told me of his response?" Namjoon waited, already having an idea of the vile things his father can speak. "Good, he had said, I won't have to kill him myself. How I wish I could rip his throat out."

"Why haven't you?" Namjoon asked suddenly, surprising the boy and even himself. He didn't know he was capable of such a comment. Jungkook opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it. It stumped him, he actually didn't have the answer at all.

"I don't know." he said earnestly, running a hand through his hair. " I always just wanted to be better than him, than my mother, than you. I never thought of doing anything to him, even when I had the chance. I guess I wouldn't know what to do to him. Killing him would be a waste and so would torture. Taking his money away could be interesting, it's the only thing that makes him happy. No offense to you and your mother."

"None taken." Namjoon replied. "It's nothing new to us."

"But since you brought it up, it means you have an idea, right?"

Namjoon strode over to his brother and took a seat on the table facing him. The two caught eyes and held each other's gaze for awhile. "Jungkook, let me ask you something."

"Yes, hyung?" For some reason, Jungkook felt nervous. He had never known what having a brother was like. He saw how other kids at the orphanage built packs with each other. They never asked him to join because he was so weak and frail. And he was just those things right now, except Namjoon didn't look down on him. This was the true love of a family, both victims of neglect and the cruel world of money.

"Would you give this up and live a normal life?"

Jungkook scoffed. "What?" It was the last thing he had expected Namjoon to say, asking him to go to prison would have been better.

"Stop the drug deals, stop being the mafia leader. Come live with me and live a normal life."

"Do you think I would give up on the power and money right now because you ask? You don't even know me."

Namjoon lifted his eyebrows and Jungkook shrunk."I know that this was never about the money so that would be useless to you anyways. I know that this is a mask that you tattooed on your face so you won't get hurt again. I promise you, I'll protect you from now on."

"Why would you do that? I'm a criminal."

"And so am I. But you're my brother, and that's more important. Let me do what I should have done for you a long time ago."

The room was silent for the longest time. The refrigerator hummed, filling in the empty spaces. Jungkook clenched his jaws, by agreeing he would admit defeat. But defeat would mean living a life he had always wanted. Somewhere along the way, he had forgotten that dream. The money and power poured into the void of loneliness and desperation.

"I don't know." he finally said. Namjoon nodded.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. But right now, I need to go back to the station. I don't know how to do that, I can't just walk in."

Jungkook poked his tongue to the wall of his cheek. "I have an idea, but you might not like it." Before Namjoon could respond, he saw Jungkook's fist going up and then he saw stars.