Midnight Beauty (TaeKook)

Chapter Eight

Taehyung’s POV

They say don’t make decisions when you’re at the peak of your emotions. It would have done me well if I had remembered that before letting my emotions overwhelm me. As Jungkook’s face registered an astounded expression, mine transformed to regret and panic.

What was I thinking telling the assassin that’s after my brother an information like that?! For heaven’s sake, this man wants my brother’s head on a platter and I just gave him a lead on how to identify or track down my brother!

In my defense, I was just so overwhelmed with Jungkook’s kindness. He is putting his life on the line to protect me and when I saw his generosity in catering my personal needs without demanding anything, gratefulness just seemed to overtake my senses. I was so grateful that it triggered my guilt of keeping something big from him that I ended up spilling a sensitive information. Fuck, people weren’t lying when they said I’m too naïve and a very easy person to crack!

I watched Jungkook’s expression nervously, waiting for a reaction or anything. He seemed stupefied and he kept on opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. I cannot blame him. His reaction mirrors mine when I first learned about my brother’s identity as well.

“Are you fucking serious?!” Jungkook finally asked, a mixture of disbelief and shock on his face.

I inhaled, thinking carefully on what I should tell him. I don’t want any more slip ups or I’ll forever be haunted with my brother’s ghost if he ends up dead because of my big fat mouth.

“Yes,” I answered cautiously. “Remember the note I told you about? He was the one who had left it for me.”

“Show me the note,” Jungkook ordered in an authoritative voice.

I squirmed under his piercing gaze and I was so scared he’d probably hurt me after knowing my connection to his target. Oh gosh! He probably loathes me now!

“I-I don’t have it,” I answered in a small voice, my hands shaking a little from fear. “B-But I have a p-picture of it that’s saved as a draft on my email account.”

Wordlessly, Jungkook left the living room and took the stairs two steps at a time. I ended up coughing as I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Shakily, I forced myself up from the floor and settled myself on the soft couch.

If I was being honest, Jungkook makes me feel safe despite the fact that he’s a dangerous assassin as well. Maybe it’s exactly because of that that I feel so secured. Knowing he cannot be messed with easily gave me the assurance that nobody can come close and harm me.

But after the bomb I just released, am I still safe here?

Will he torture me to spill more information about my brother? Oh Lord and there’s no escape here! We’re literally surrounded with waters and I may have had my luck in swimming that fateful day but there was no way I could swim out of this island. It’d be suicide! Well, there’s the yacht but I have no idea how to operate it!

Shit Taehyung! You just put yourself in more danger!

A scream almost escaped my throat when Jungkook reappeared on the living room. He has an unreadable expression on his face which only heightened my fear. In a swift manner, Jungkook sat beside me and settled the laptop he had brought on my lap.

“Access your email,” he said flatly.

Swallowing hard, my fingers hovered through the laptop’s keyboard. I had to log in twice because I kept messing up my password. Damn! I can’t breathe from too much fear!

When the website loaded, I immediately searched for the picture and handed the laptop back to Jungkook. He was quiet as he kept pressing keys on his laptop. Fidgeting, I tried to steal a glance on what he’s doing and saw that he’s sending an email to God knows who.

‘Check compatibility of this note with MB’s handwriting. Make it fast!’ said Jungkook’s email.

I gulped and mentally apologized to my brother for putting an assassin on his tail. But my brother is also deemed to be a skilled assassin so he’ll be all right, right? Oh gosh, why must I be the one stuck in the middle of two deadly assassins?! Why oh why can’t my life just be normal?!

Closing his laptop, Jungkook turned to me with a steely expression.

“Who’s your brother?”

And there it is! The question I’m afraid he’d ask.

My brother’s face and warm smile towards me flashed on my mind. He may be a deadly assassin but I cannot just throw him under the busy, can I?

I shook my head, bracing myself for Jungkook’s wrath. “I-I c-can’t tell you!”

“What?!” Jungkook angrily said. “You can’t just drop a bomb like that and clam up! You have to tell me!”

“No way! For God’s sake Jungkook, you want to kill my brother!”

“So why the hell tell me about your connection to him when you fucking won’t give any more details?!” Jungkook looked so frustrated.

“It was a spur of the moment thing! I-I’m sorry but I-I can’t let you kill my brother.”

Jungkook’s tongue poked the inside of his cheek as he stood and walked towards the staircase.

Without facing me, he said “Well, you’re asking for my help to keep you alive so you better decide which side you’re on.”

His sharp icy tone sliced through me and I wanted to cry there and then.

I want to protect my brother but God! I hated seeing the disappointment in Jungkook’s face towards me.

***
Jungkook’s POV

I paced back and forth in my bedroom, a million and one things running in my head. I still cannot fully believe that an innocent person like Taehyung is related to a fucking killer! They’re like two ends of a spectrum – one an angel and one is a devil incarnate and for fuck’s sake, they’re bonded by blood!

I agitatedly checked my email again and huffed in frustration when I saw that there’s no response from Yoongi. I examined the picture of the note again and my eyes focused on the part that Taehyung had omitted the first time he told me about the note.

‘Get their help or go die. Please trust hyung. –Midnight Beauty’

It’s frustrating how we know nothing about MB while he already knows about my organization! Well that is if this note really is from MB. And then there’s the fact that the key to knowing his identity is literally sitting on my couch downstairs. He’s so close but he won’t say anything anymore and the worst part is, I cannot torture the information out of him!

My phone started buzzing and with lightning speed, I snatched it from the table and pressed it on my ear.

“Yoongi!”

“Hey Kook, liste-”

“Did you see the email I sent you?” I cut him off.

“Not yet. I just got back in my office. Why? You sound like it’s urgent. What is it?”

“Midnight Beauty is Taehyung’s brother! At least that’s what he told me,” I relayed the information.

“What did you say?” Yoongi asked, his tone hushed but with urgency.

“Midnight Beauty is Taehyung’s brother!” I repeated, running a hand in my hair.

The other line fell silent that I had to check if the phone call had been disconnected. It wasn’t so I returned it on my ear.

“Yoongi, are you still there?!”

Yoongi cleared his throat before speaking. “Yeah, I’m still here… but that can’t be right.”

My eyebrows furrowed with what he said. “Why?”

“Because I just finished investigating the attack on that boat and…”

“And what?” I probed.

“Midnight Beauty is the one trying to kill Taehyung.”

*End of Chapter Eight*