VENDETTA | VKOOK

┌THIRTY EIGHT┐

It was 3:37 am when Taehyung received the call.

It had been a usual night, filled with tears shed and long hugs with babbles of I love you repeated back and forth. Even though they both knew the other loved the other- they had to say it. It's as if the moment would slip. There seemed to be a ticking clock, both didn't know for what.

And, to be perfectly honest, at 3:37 am- Taehyung wasn't really sleeping.

He was watching. Watching Jungkook move in his sleep every now and then, small hands clutching onto his pillow, chest moving up and down slowly in deep slumber. The way his cheeks got a little puffy, lips shaped themselves in a little pout. The way he got up every now and then, still not completely aware, let out a little mewl of confusion, moved closer to Taehyung, and fell back asleep.

Taehyung was so in love.

He was in love with Jungkook. But he was not in love with love. Love scared him. It scared him that there seemed no limitations for him to do something for Jungkook. Jungkook had him wrapped around his little finger, but Taehyung didn't really mind. Didn't mind that his heart fluttered when Jungkook smiled even a little. Didn't mind that his stomach took turns when Jungkook did anything cute. Didn't mind that his chest knotted up when he cried.

It was 3:37 am when Taehyung received the call.

"Hello?" Taehyung asked, voice groggy, a little confused as to who was calling him.

"You think you could leave the country and no one would know?"

Taehyung's breath hitched, and he sat up, clutching onto the phone tightly. "Who is this?"

"You could go anywhere. Wherever you go, we'll find you. And we'll kill you."

Taehyung placed his hand against his head, trying to take in what was just said to him. "W-why would- who is this?" Taehyung asked again, and heard a deep chuckle.

"We've got men all over. So you hand the Jeon kid over, and we'll spare you." The voice said, and Taehyung got up from the bed, trying not to raise his voice as he walked to the living room.

"Listen- I already told every fucking one- that's not happening. You're not taking him." Taehyung snapped, now in the living room.

"If you want, we'll spare him." The man said, and Taehyung felt a knot tighten in his stomach. "But then you'll hand yourself over. Give us all the information we need. And then we'll kill you."

"W-what?" Taehyung let out, and the man chuckled again. "Make your decision. We'll give you a week."

The phone clicked, call ending, and Taehyung almost laughed. Not because anything about this ordeal was funny, but because he was so fucking tired of this bullshit. He has one week. One week.

Taehyung felt anger pulse in his veins and grabbed a bowl sitting on the small dining table and threw it against the wall, a loud sound coming as the ceramic bowl broke. Taehyung tried his hardest to stop his tears, leaning against the table, closing his eyes tightly.

One week. One week, before he has to either give himself in or watch Jungkook get tortured.

"T-Tae?" A small voice piped, and Taehyung looked up and saw Jungkook, with his hair a little messed up, Taehyung's big shirt reaching till his upper thighs. "Is everything okay?" Jungkook asked, and then padded his feet over to Taehyung.

Taehyung sniffled, wiping the tip of his nose with his finger, looking at Jungkook. "Y-yeah. Everything's okay." Taehyung said, and Jungkook walked closer to him, and then wrapped his arms around him, burrowing his head in his chest.