Blood In Wine

Chapter 30: History and Mafia politics

Taehyung finished his second bottle and already felt nauseous. His alcohol tolerance was really low, unlike Jimin who could down 4 bottle and still feel nothing. Taehyung sighed and closed his eyes. He hated the feelings of anger and sadness and self pity that were swirling in the pit of his stomach. They were sitting in the balcony on the sixth floor that looked over the beautiful city of Seoul. The air was slightly humid and Taehyung felt an occasional raindrop fall onto his face. As a kid, whenever he thought about falling in love, he always figured it would be the happiest feeling in the world. He hadn’t anticipated the heartbreak that followed. “I am going to go get us some snacks” Taehyung said and Jimin nodded. Jimin watched as Taehyung walked out the door and pouted, not knowing what to do. Suddenly he got an idea and his drunken self thought it was a good one. He set down the bottle, stood up, went near the railing of the balcony and screamed “Yoongi, you suck. I hate you!” He kept yelling until a guard pointed a gun at him from below and told him to shut up.
Taehyung got up and walked down the corridor, observing the paintings on the walls, the décor, the chandeliers and the showpieces. He saw an abstract yet captivating painting of a boy. The painting was a perfect balance of black and colours, it was emotional and raw, and it spoke to the viewer. He looked closer to see who the artist was and was shocked to see ‘Jeon Jungkook’ signed at the bottom.

Taehyung felt like he was falling for Jungkook all over again; and he hated that. He felt anger and angst boiling inside him as he tore his eyes away from the painting. He walked downstairs and saw the office. He remembered the time he saw Jungkook in there with the girl he was apparently dating. The office door was open a crack and Taehyung peeked in and his eyes fell upon the photo on the wall of a middle-aged man. He suddenly felt a pit in his stomach and a rush of fleeting memories. Dazed, he walked away from the room, trying to remember where he had seen that photo before. He didn’t watch his steps and bumped into a painting on the wall. He quickly took a few steps back and took a deep breath. The alcohol was really doing a number on him. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the painting. It was ‘Girl with locket’ by Timothy Jones.

He knew this because he loved art and had done a project on this painting during his school days. He looked at the painting, feeling slightly nostalgic, when his eyes landed on the locket around the girl’s neck. He observed it for a second and then something clicked inside his brain and he felt dizzy as adrenaline surged through his nerves. Everything fell into place and the fleeing thoughts finally became vivid. He ran down the stairs, almost falling face down a few times. He ran through the corridors and finally stopped outside Jungkook’s room. He pushed open the door and opened his wardrobe, rummaging through the drawers
frantically. After a few minutes of searching, he finally found what he was
looking for. He reached inside the pocket of one of his pants and withdrew a
shiny chain from inside. It was a golden chain with a locket. It was the chain he
had found in the wine cellar many days ago. He fumbled to open the locket and
his eyes landed on the photo inside the locket. It was the same man whose photo
was in the office. He turned the locket around and his fear came true. There it
was, the same symbol that was on the attacker’s arm. He finally knew why the
tattoo looked so familiar. His head felt heavy and his throat was burning. He sat
down on the bed and took a deep breath, drinking some water to calm his nerves. “Taehyung-ah, are you inside?” Jimin shouted from outside the room, bringing
Taehyung back to reality. Taehyung got up and opened the door. “Tae, are you
okay? You disappeared out of nowhere” Jimin said, concerned. “I am…fine.
Just have a splitting headache” Taehyung replied, his voice hoarse. “Come on.
Let’s get you some food and Gatorade. Your alcohol tolerance is a joke” Jimin
giggled and dragged Taehyung. Taehyung followed his friend, his mind still
racing. Suddenly he turned around and ran back to his bedroom, with a very
confused Jimin running behind him. Taehyung went near the window and
picked up the cactus plant, retrieving the key below it. He opened up
Jungkook’s bedside drawer, ignoring Jimin’s storm of questions and whines.
Taehyung took the phone and scrolled down to find Yoongi’s contact. He found
it and called the number, praying that hyung would pick up. “Taehyung-ah who
the hell are you calling? If Jungkook saw you, he would kill you” Jimin asked,
poking Taehyung in the ribs urgently. Taehyung ignored him, impatiently
waiting for Yoongi to answer the phone. The call went to voicemail and
Taehyung redialled the number. “Taehyung, Jimin what the hell are you two
doing?” a stern voice came from the doorway and Taehyung froze. He slowly
turned around, dreading looking at the person standing in front him. “I was uhh
trying to call Yoongi…I mean Yoongi hyung” Taehyung stuttered. “That’s okay. Why are so shaken up about it, Tae?” Jungkook asked, kneeling down before
Taehyung. Taehyung stared at him, trying to form a coherent sentence.
Suddenly he remembered why he was calling Yoongi and quickly got up,
setting the phone on the desk. “Jimin-ah, could you please leave us be for a few
minutes? I need to talk to Jungkook” Taehyung said and Jimin nodded. He
walked out of the door, but not before giving Taehyung a worried look. He went
outside and decided to wait for Yoongi in the hall.
Jungkook looked at Taehyung, his face lined with concern. “What did you want
to talk to me about?” he asked softly, as Taehyung looked lost, as if in a trance.
Taehyung took a short breath and removed the locket from his pocket.“Jungkook, I found this in a chest in the wine cellar a few weeks ago. I had forgotten about it until it finally hit me today. This is where I saw the symbol, that is, the attacker’s tattoo. There is a photo inside the locket too. And the man in the photo is the same as the man in a photograph stuck to the wall in your office along with a bunch of newspaper articles. I finally put two and two together!” Taehyung ranted in one breath, tapping Jungkook on the shoulder excitedly. Jungkook looked at him in disbelief, trying to grasp what he was saying. Jungkook opened the locket gingerly and gasped when he saw the photo inside. He shut the locket and looked at the symbol closely. He realised Taehyung was right- it was the same symbol as the tattoo. Jungkook fell back onto the bed, his head buzzing. He closed his eyes for a moment and then got up . “Jungkook, who is that man? And how is he related to me? Do you have any idea?” Taehyung questioned. Jungkook looked at him and the moment he caught site of Taehyung’s curious sparkling eyes and pouted lips, he felt the tension slip away, even if for just a moment. He touched Taehyung’s cheek and traced the lines along his cheekbone and his finger landed on Taehyung’s lips. He felt Taehyung’s breath quicken. Jungkook lingered for a minute but then stepped away. “Uhh we need to talk, all of us. Let’s go wait in the hall. I will call Yoongi, Hobi and Namjoon. There is some history and mafia politics that need to be explained” Jungkook said softly and walked out of room, pulling Taehyung lightly along with him. “So am I going to get a mafia lesson?” Taehyung asked, rolling his eyes. “As a matter of fact, you are” Jungkook replied with an uncertain smile.

A/N
The mystery is finally revealed! The tattoo symbol was on the locket hmmm. What will Jk tell Taehyung and what more secrets will be revealed? Stay tuned
AAAAH WE'RE SORRY WE MISSED THE MONDAY UPDATE WE'RE BOTH SUPER BUSY WITH STUDIES AND COLLEGE SO SORRY WE'LL UPDATE REGULARLY AGAIN I PROMISE. Purple you. Stay safe. 💜💜
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