Chapter 73

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Another chapter soon! 

Meanwhile, enjoy chapter 73!

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The man landed on the ground before he could utter another word. He met with a worried Jungkook's force whose protective instinct had kicked in upon seeing a cowering Taetae that was pushed into an unpleasant corner of his mind for the second time since they went out to have some fun.

"What the fuck did you do to him? Who the hell are you?" – Jungkook turned his attention to Taetae seeing as the strange man was on his bum and he had a second to spare to comfort his baby.

"Baby. Baby! Stay with me okay? Don't be scared I'm with you. I'm right here."

Taetae was unresponsive. Jungkook was getting angrier and as he directed his wrathful glare at the man on the floor who was only now trying to get up, he declared – "I will hurt you if something happens to him. What did you say to him? Did you touch him?"

The man, now back on his feet, tried to explain himself.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to scare him. I used to work for his family when he was young. And I haven't seen him in so long. I wanted to have a word."

The man's eyes slowly filled with tears.

"I know how difficult and unfair his childhood was, the kind of mental, physical and emotional abuse he's been through. And I wanted to apologize for having been a part of it."

"Been a par- What the hell are you saying?"

"He's saying his guilt is eating at his soul. He's saying he found out the hard way about what happens when you have a conscience and chose to ignore it for your own benefit, for your own selfishness."

"V?" – Jungkook asked.

V now towering over the man tearful man looked at Jungkook and hummed.

"What took you so long?"

"Taetae was too scared to do anything. Took a while until he heard me and let me out."

"Is he okay? Is he safe?"

V hummed again and redirected his attention to where it urgently needed to be.

"Why are you bothering us again?" – V pressed.

"I only wanted to apologize, master Taehyung."

V scoffed.

"What's the point if you're still denying the truth in front of your eyes?"

"Master Taehyu-"

"I'm not your fucking master! Nor am I Taehyung! And we don't need any apology from you! Not me, not Taetae and definitely not Taehyung."

"I never meant to play a part in your abuse I swear it!"

"Well, but you did. And you never atoned for it. Just like the rest of them."

"If I could go back and change something I would." – The man said, tears now making their way down his matured cheeks.

"Well you can't, can you?"

"I just want to say sorry and explain why I did what I did."

"I don't care for your peace and self-serving seeking of redemption. You're not doing this for us. You're doing this for you. Just like all those years ago."

"I had a family, a sick parent and a young daughter to feed. I couldn't afford to lose that job."

"Well I'm glad it was worth sacrificing Taehyung's and our lives along with your conscience."

"That's not what I mean."

"That's what I'm hearing. That's all I'm hearing. Excuses and justifications."

"I did wicked things but it was for a just cause on my part."

"Right. We were just collateral damage."

"No Taehyu-"

"I'm V!" – V was fuming – "You're just as bad as them, if not worse. You watched as everything happened and did nothing to help us. You were a mute! A bystander. Why are you having a hard time accepting that there are more people in here than just Taehyung? Is it because once you admit that this mind is broken, you admit to your own wickedness?"

"Your uncle threatened me not to speak a word! No one would believe me even if I told! And your uncle knew that!"

"Again with the excuses! The worst they would have done was fire you. They wouldn't want that on the family name. They would pay you of and send you on your way. I get that you had reasons. But there would have been another job. You just liked the big salary. Your greed played a part in your decisions and you know it."

Jungkook was speechless. A part of this boy's past was haunting him right before his eyes... his hands were itching to punch the man in front of them, the man whose name he still didn't know nor did he care to find out. Should he interfere as the lover? Or should he let V sort out his feelings as his therapist. It was ripping him apart, staying idly by and not getting justice for his lover. Jungkook decided it was better to act in the interest of V. IT was better to be a psychologist. V needed this. And when it was all said and done, he would be here to comfort him as a lover and give all of the support in the world and tell him how proud he was of him.

"If it's redemption you seek you won't get it from me. I'm not the forgiving type. And hell if I'd let you get anywhere close to Taehyung or Taetae. I will not let you mess with their heads ever again; not you nor anyone else. I'm afraid you will have to live with what you've done. Let that be your path of absolution. Find forgiveness within yourself or from whatever God you believe in. Stay away from us."

The man wiped his tears away and with a nod of his head and a final glimpse into V's eyes he turned around and walked back out of V's and the other two's lives, hopefully for good this time.

V shifted on his feet and turned to loot at Jungkook. He looked absolutely drained. Jungkook enveloped him tightly in his arms and V rested his forehead on a comforting shoulder.

"I'm so ridiculously proud of you. You did so well, love."

V nodded his head, repositioning his face into the nape of Jungkook's neck; he wrapped his own arms around the other and sighed.

"That took a lot out of me. Way more than I could ever expected it to."

"That's just fine, my love. I got you. Let's go back to your home."

"You are my home, Jungkook. I can't do this without you. Not anymore."

"You won't have to. Now let's go back and we can lie down. I'll have you in my arms for as long as you need to."

"Okay."

On their way back to Taehyung's apartment Jungkook asked about something that's been worrying him the entire time.

"What happened to Taetae?"

"He's alright. He was too scared. Poor thing has suffered as much as any of us at the hands of monsters who were supposed to protect us. He just went into hiding. He does that when he doesn't feel safe. He'll be back in a little while. I told him to tell me when he's ready to come back out. So, don't worry too much. This isn't our first dance with the many devils in our lives."

Jungkook sighed.

"This wasn't how tonight was supposed to be. It's my fault. I should have paid more attention. I shouldn't have left him alo-"

"You're perfect. And you did nothing wrong. Taetae was so, so happy. It was an unfortunate coincidence. That would have happened whether you were next to him or not. So don't beat yourself up. Alright?"

"Okay. I suppose."

"You're the absolute best thing that could have happened to any of us.

A small smile stretched on both of their faces as they walked into the night, hand in hand, unbroken, despite the odds that seemed to work against them more often than not. 

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