Blood, Sweat And Tears

Part Thirty - One

              Jungkook woke up in a foreign room with a pounding headache.
             He pulled himself up, hissing at the stiffness in his limbs and body. This was like how he'd first woken up in Taehyung's manor. Except, he could sense that there wouldn't be Jeongin to greet him with his bright, cheery smile, or Juhyun to care for him like she was his mother.
          The room he woke up in was all concrete, dark and gray and depressing. A single bulb attached to the very center of the ceiling was the only source of light in this room.
              He found himself preferring Taehyung's manor over this one. That one had felt so livable and like it was actually a home. This one felt like it was a prison.
       "It looks so sad, doesn't it?"
        A new person entered. He was a small person, much smaller than Jungkook was. His hair was like Hoseok's - pale blonde, but much, much lighter. It was almost white. He had a cold, intimidating looking face that honestly, scared Jungkook and also reminded him of one of the seniors at his college, a small little guy who could pass off as this guy's brother.
      "Y- yeah." He was unsure as to how he should act. He felt intimidated by this man's appearance, yet he felt. . . . . comfortable around him.
        A smile broke across his face, destroying the cold facade he had and making him seem warmer. He looked friendlier now. "I won't bite. Don't worry. I'm Yoongi, by the way. Min Yoongi. "
          "Jeon Jungkook. "
          "You're in the Busan Cartel HQ. You're fine, but I think inside you aren't, " Yoongi said seriously.
           All Jungkook could do was nod, somewhat timidly. Yoongi shook his head and sighed. He was really starting to regret kidnapping Jeon Jungkook. He honestly hated seeing people so miserable. Even though it didn't really show on his face, Jungkook clearly was. It broke his heart, even though he didn't even know the bunny faced boy.
           He dug around in his pocket for what he'd retrieved from the mall floor. He held it out. "Here. It fell off your finger when you fell, but I managed to get it back. I think you'll want it."
           It was the ring he'd been gifted by Taehyung. His Queen ring. He took it with tears starting to pool in his eyes. He hadn't had it for that long yet it already meant so much to him. He slipped it back on gratefully, biting on his quivering lower lip to stop his smile.
            "Thank you, really. You have no idea how much I means to me," Jungkook said, looking up with teary eyes and a wide smile on his lips. Yoongi was sort of like Jeongin. Maybe they were sort of parallels, the same person in different bodies, even though they looked nothing alike and were definitely two different people.
             No one could replace Yang Jeongin and Bae Juhyun in his heart, but he had a gut feeling that he'd meet two people like them in the Busan Cartel. Yoongi was already Jeongin. Who would be Juhyun?
             And Taehyung. No one could ever replace him, and he could already tell no one ever would. The Busan Cartel was run by Park Jimin, he recalled. His . . . brother. The brother who'd allegedly strangled his sister to death.
             " Yoongi . . . is it true that . . . that Park Jimin. . . that he strangled his own sister? " Jungkook asked hesitantly as he ran his thumb over the jewels on his ring.
            Yoongi sighed, rubbing at his eyes and brushing his hair away from his face. The topic of Park Jihyo was a very sensitive one within the Busan Cartel. Most people within the cartel tended to just ignore the topic altogether.
           But Jeon Jungkook deserved to know. After all, he was the boss's brother. Younger half-brother. It was a right he was entitled to.
           "Yes."
            Jungkook drew back, curling up in an attempt to make himself appear much smaller than he was. If Yoongi was being truthful, if he wasn't lying in an attempt to scare him, if Park Jimin really was his brother, then he was trapped with a monster.
          Taehyung would rescue him, Jungkook tried to tell himself. But why would Taehyung do that when he and Jungkook didn't even know each other that well? Sure, they'd exchanged rings, but it accounted to nothing.
           "I'll try to protect you as much as I can from Jimin, but I can't promise you anything," Yoongi said with upmost sincerity, seeing how scared and distressed Jungkook looked.
            Jungkook could only smile faintly at that. "I appreciate it, but I don't want you to endanger yourself for me."
            Yoongi gave him a hard look and snorted. "As if I'm letting Jimin get his hands on you. I'm going to do everything I can to protect you."
             Jungkook couldn't help but be moved by how willing Yoongi was to protect him, a complete stranger. "Why are you doing this? I mean, I'm a stranger to you. Why do this for me?"
          "You're not exactly a stranger to me. That's the first reason. Secondly, you deserve it. I don't want another case like Jihyo's to happen," Yoongi explained with pure sincerity as he made his way to the door. He really reminded Jungkook of Jeongin.
              Jungkook couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."
               Yoongi smiled back. He could already tell that he'd have a brother to brother like relationship with Jeon Jungkook.
                "You're welcome."