A/N: TRIPLE UPDATE, IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE LAST 2 CHAPS (FROM THIRTY-EIGTHT) DO NOT READ THIS!!! DO! NOT! READ! THIS!

Sora impatiently rolls her eyes in a very un-Sora-like manner. “Jandi, Jimin, and I have been planning on how to expose my father for months-,”

    “Is that where you’ve been all this time?” Taehyung cuts in. When Sora nods, he turns to Jimin in fury.

    “And you didn’t ing tell me?! How could you? You saw how ing worried I was-,”

    “I had no choice,” Jimin says contritely. “I didn’t want to jeopardize anything-,”

    “So instead, you worked on a plan that led to this.” Jungkook holds up his handcuffs.

    “We have nothing to worry about. Kim Sangyoon and Suho have ed us since we were put together as BTS. Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of getting them arrested? Of freeing us? We wouldn’t have had to do anything if it wasn’t for them! They threatened to kill us if we didn’t do what they asked.” Jimin takes a deep breath. “Our lawyers will handle it- and yes, Sora and I have already talked to our representation. They know what they’re doing. We will be fine.”

    BTS look utterly stunned. Yoongi looks like he is about to say something, but no noise comes out of his mouth.

    “So what do you think you’re going to do now?” Mr. Kim scoffs. “We’re going to lose all our money. You’ll be pegged as the daughter of a criminal your entire life. Are you happy? Did you accomplish what you wanted?”

    “Yeah, I did,” Sora snaps. “I brought out the truth. All my life, I’ve been someone else’s pawn. Everyone thought I was stupid. Some kind of side piece that could be used and manipulated. And now? I’m finally in control of my life.”

    “Kim Lia killed the brother you love so much! How could you help her?”

    Sora looks at me with contempt. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I haven’t forgiven her. But you and Suho are what catalyzed this entire cycle. If you two hadn’t been ordered her parents’ death, she wouldn’t have ended up killing Byunghyun. Again, I am doing what is right.”

    Suho, who has been dead silent this entire time, suddenly lets out a soft noise. Gradually, it grows louder and louder.

    He is laughing.

    “This is hilarious,” Suho says, a wide smile devoid of any real humor on his face. “You’re talking about doing what’s right? Wanting the truth? Oh, that’s ironic.”

    “What’s so funny?” I demand.

    He lazily his head towards me.

    “What’s funny is that Sora’s talking about revealing the truth when none of you actually know who physically killed your parents. Who actually pulled the trigger.”

    A cold feeling seeps through my entire body. Sinks through my skin, trickles through my veins. My feet unconsciously move towards him.

    “Tell me,” I whisper.

    Suho gives me a long, long look.

    And then utters, “Choi Zelo.”

    “That’s a lie.”

    Himchan says what I cannot muster up the effort to say.

    I feel utterly numb.

    My eyes slide over to Zelo. He is staring at Suho with a combination of disbelief, fury, and astonishment.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips. Good.

    Zelo didn’t do it.

    “I wish it was a lie.” Joonmyeon looks me dead in the eyes with a grim expression. “When my father and Kim Sangyoon ordered for everyone in your household to be annihilated, they ordered their team to find the first gangsters on the streets to do the deed. This was only a few weeks before Zelo joined BAP. No, he was working as a normal thug-for-hire. And my father hired him to assassinate your parents.”

    “Proof,” I breathe. “I- I need proof.”

    “I don’t have proof,” Joonmyeon says slowly. “We paid him in cash, so there were no traces. But do you know how I knew it was Zelo?”

    I almost don’t want to hear the answer.

    “Because I came up with the nickname Zelo.”

    I whip my head around to look at Zelo. His angry glare has dropped, replaced a medley of emotions I cannot interpret.

“After Zelo and his friends did the whole drive-by shooting... we fed them a meal after paying them. I remembered him because he was so close to my age,” Joonmyeon muses. “We had red Jello for dessert that night-,”

    “You hate Jello,” I say automatically, like a reflex. I know that. It is a fact. I can hold on to it.

    Joonmyeon pauses. His eyes search my face. He does not look smug or condescending, like he is revelling in this fact. Slowly, I begin to piece together theories in my head.

    Maybe- and just maybe, because I know he is a vicious, manipulative man who will stop at nothing to get his way- he did not tell me the truth about who killed my parents because he did not want me to get hurt.

    “His hair was bright red, like the Jello,” Joonmyeon says. “So... I called him Jello. And when I saw his profile when I was doing background checks on you and BAP... I immediately recognized him.”

    Everyone’s eyes move to Zelo. He has not moved an inch since Joonmyeon has started talking. I look at him with pleading eyes, begging for Joonmyeon’s words to be untrue.

    This can’t be true.

    Please, Zelo. Please. Please. Please.

    And then Zelo turns to me with tears in his eyes and the most pitiful expression on his face and I know it’s all over.

    “I’m so sorry, Lia,” he whimpers, and bursts into tears.

    My knees hit the ground. No one rushes to my side to help me because everyone is equally as stunned.

    Especially the members of BAP.

    They look at Zelo as if they have never seen him before.

    Like they don’t really know him.

    We don’t really know him.

    “I- I didn’t know they were your parents until you showed us the picture of your father, back when you were checking if he was involved in any g-gang activity,” Zelo hiccups, his shoulders shaking with sobs. “I didn’t want you to hate me, Lia! You’re my best friend! You can’t hate me!”

    My entire body is trembling. I cannot bring myself to speak.

    “Lia, I’m sorry. It was before I met you. I was just a kid who ran away from home trying to make a living. I’m so sorry! I just wanted money for food.”

    My vision is blurring; everyone looks like they are swimming. His words grow faint, like I am listening to him through a wall.

    “Lia? Lia, please say something. Lia, I love you. You’re like my sister. Please, please, please...,”

    I become faintly aware of him shouting at Joonmyeon.

    Why did you tell her, you bastard? You ruined everything! I was going to tell her myself! She’s never going to speak to me again!

    My god.

This whole time, I have truly been alone.

And then suddenly I become remotely aware of the click-click! of a gun and I hazily see Zelo point a gun at Joonmyeon’s body.

Everything snaps back into focus.

“Hell no!” I shout, leaping in front of Joonmyeon. “You’re not going to shoot him, Zelo!”

“Get out of the way, Hyo!” Joonmyeon roars. “We are not doing this-,”

“Shut the up!” I yell in his face, and then turn to Zelo. “What the is wrong with you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew this would happen!” Zelo looks absolutely deranged. Yongguk attempts to approach him, but Zelo shrieks, “Stay back!” and Yongguk freezes in place.

“Zelo, just calm down,” Yongguk says softly. “It’s okay. Just take a deep breath-,”

“That’s not my name! That’s not even my name! This psychopath gave me that nickname!” Zelo tightens his grip around the gun and I whip out my arms to cover Joonmyeon.

“Stop it,” Joonmyeon hisses.

“Shut your trash mouth,” I mutter. “You’re in handcuffs. You can’t even defend yourself.”

“I don’t need you to defend me.”

“Oh, really? So you’re going to magically repel the bullet he’s going to lodge in your head?”

“Oh, and I guess you’re going to drive the bullet away with the power of love or something?”

I turn bright red. “I- I don’t love you!”

“I was talking about you loving him, idiot.”

Oh, man. If Zelo doesn’t blow my brains out, I might as well go do it myself.

“Just shut up,” I huff.

Zelo has been watching me and Joonmyeon’s interaction with a blank face. Slowly, a sad smile begins to curve his lips upwards.

“Look at you,” he says in a bittersweet voice. “You’ve already replaced me with him. I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“Are you kidding me, Zelo?” I snap. “Stop throwing a ing pity party for yourself and take a look at this situation-,”

“Stop being so harsh! Do you want to die?” a police officer positioned by Joonmyeon’s side whispers.

“You killed my parents!” I shout. “All this time, I’ve been fighting to find my parents’ killer and avenge their deaths. Theoretically, I should hate you. But you know what? I love you too much to hate you, Zelo! You know why? Because you’re my best friend. I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to come to terms with what you did. I don’t even know if I ever want to see you again. But the truth is, I can never hate you. I just wish you’d told me this yourself!”

Zelo looks at me with wide, tear-filled eyes.

Relief begins to fill my body. Yes. Yes. It’s working.

Put down the gun, Zelo. We can work this out. Everything’s going to be okay.

I slowly step towards him, looking him straight in the face. Then I gently wrap my arms around him.

“We’re going to be okay,” I murmur.

I can feel his beating heart against my cheek.

Zelo lets out a soft chuckle.

“I don’t deserve you, Lia.”

He plants a soft kiss on my head.

And then he raises the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger.

A/N: please don't put spoilers in the comments!!! like feel free to vent but like... DONT SPECIFICALLY MENTION WHAT HAPPENS HAHAHA ily guys

i make lia suffer WAYYy too much lmfao its actualy kinda funny

actually no its not lmfao 

also lol that "Oh, man. If Zelo doesn’t blow my brains out, I might as well go do it myself" line is so dark lmao i dont even think it counts as a joke its just plain dark

HHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA ######EDGY!!!!!!!! ###EDGE!!!!!!! #M3M3L0RD!!!!!!!!

k bye bye !