20

“What the hell happened in there?” Taehyung whispers, throwing Hoseok a worried frown over his shoulder before turning back towards Hara. “He looks like he flushed a part of his soul in the toilet.”

Hara puts her spoon down and bites her lip, tiredly running a hand through her hair. Taehyung impatiently arches his eyebrows.

“Well?”

“Do you have plans on friday?” Taehyung blinks. 

“Uh, I-I don’t actually, why? Does it have something to do with Hoseok?” he asks, and Hara sighs and nods. 

“We’re going on a small field trip.”

“Where to?”

“The rehab center.” Taehyung’s frown slowly morphs into a blank expression, but his eyes look troubled, and Hara quickly leans over and grabs his hand. “Hey, you deserve to know the truth, the full truth. So does Hoseok hyung.”

“But-but why do we have to go to-”

“Because Jimin’s words are unbiased.” Hara looks over at Jungkook’s table and Taehyung copies her movements, frowning. “I know you and Hoseok only visit him twice a year, but we have to do this. Jimin knows the truth but he hasn’t told you guys because of Jungkook.”

“What do you mean?” Taehyung whispers, worry and slight fear evident in his tone. Jungkook looks up from his bowl and Hara feels her heart skip a beat because it looks like he knows what she’s planning on doing. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about Jungkook.” Hara lets go off Taehyung’s hand and leans back in her seat. “Yoongi didn’t wanna admit it at first, but it seems like Jimin’s got a lot of dirt on him. We’re going together to unearth it.”

Taehyung looks down at his full bowl and stares at it for a while, lost in thought. 

His shoulders are slumped in defeat, probably due to disappointment. None of these boys know what Jungkook has done and what he’s capable of. Heck, even Hara doesn’t know, but it, she’s gonna ruin his life before getting out of this hellhole. 

“Is-is Yoongi hyung coming along?” Hara snaps out of her thoughts and looks over at Taehyung. 

“Yoongi hasn’t visited Jimin since he was admitted,” she says, shaking her head, “he doesn’t have a clue what we’re doing on friday.”

“But shouldn’t he also come?” Taehyung asks, “he deserves to know, too. His life has been affected the most after Jimin hyung’s.” 

Hara bites her lip. 

She did consider it at first, but the thought of ruining all the progress she has made with him scares her, and she realizes that , she’s getting too invested in these relationships. If Yoongi keeps telling her all these personal thoughts and all these secrets, if he keeps trusting her and turning to her for emotional comfort - Hara might get trapped. 

She can’t let that happen. 

“Bring your car on friday,” Hara says, “and don’t tell Hoseok about Yoongi joining us, I'm gonna do it later.” 

Taehyung nods and Hara points at his bowl, urging him to eat, which he reluctantly does. 

They eat their meals in silence, and Hara notices how Jungkook hasn’t touched his bowl yet, still deep in thought. 

The jocks eventually decide they’re done eating and start putting on their coats, and while they go to pay for their meals, Jungkook asks Hoseok something, startling the older boy.

Jungkook’s jaw clenches and he looks over at Hara for a moment, as if to blame her for the reaction, but Hoseok laughs and says something, albeit a little nervously, and Jungkook nods and gets ready to leave. 

Hoseok gives Hara and Taehyung a small frown when he passes by them, and Hara sighs and massages her temples. Taehyung watches the boys leave, waving when one of the jocks salutes him from the exit, and Hara pushes her unfinished food away and starts putting on her coat. 

Taehyung leaves a couple of stops before Hara, and as she sits alone on the bus, she can’t help but dread meeting Jungkook at home. She doesn’t know what went through his mind at the diner, but she sensed his anger and she’s pretty sure he’s gonna pay her a visit today. 

“I assume you have already had dinner, miss,” Leeteuk greets when Hara enters the foyer. She nods as he helps her take off her coat, and after kicking off her boots she pulls on the straps of her bag and sighs. 

“Are they eating now?”

“Yes, miss,” Leeteuk says, “I will tell them that you have already eaten, miss.”

“Thanks, Teeuk, I appreciate it.”

Hara smiles and Leeteuk is still a little flustered over the nickname but returns the motion, bowing his head slightly. 

Hara enters the living room and starts walking towards the staircase, tiredly trudging up the steps to the second floor. She passes by the many rooms and enters the hallway where hers is located, and when she opens the door and steps inside, she freezes and blinks in surprise. 

Jungkook doesn’t look at her, keeps staring up at the ceiling, his hands resting under his head, feet crossed at the ankles, and Hara has half the mind to throw her bag at him. 

“You keep taking the bus instead of calling Siwon,” he murmurs, and Hara drops her bag to the side, slowly closing the door behind her but not locking it in fear of what the boy might do. 

“Your point?”

“Took you a while to get home.” Jungkook sighs and sits up on the bed, turning so his feet meet the floor. “I guess it’s too much a commitment for you to make appointments that might tie you down here.”

“Why are you in my room?” Hara asks, crossing her arms over her chest. Jungkook stands up and slowly moves closer. 

“What did you say to Hoseok hyung?” 

Hara shrugs. “Nothing special.” 

“Don’t bull me, Kim,” Jungkook snaps, “what are you trying to ruin now?”

“I’m not ruining anything,” Hara barks back, and Jungkook bites his lip and places his hands against his hips, staring down at his feet for a moment before sighing. 

“Why are you doing this? Why are you going to such lengths to solve an issue that does not warrant your involvement?” Hara feels surprised at the genuinely tired look on Jungkook’s face when he looks at her. 

“Because they deserve to know the truth.” She shrugs. “I don’t like how you’ve got so much power. It isn’t fair.”

Jungkook's jaw clenches, disappointment and frustration marring his sharp features, and now that Hara thinks about, he looks tired. Bothered. His skin is a little paler than the normal sunkissed tan color, and his eyes look dead.

“You know what isn’t fair?” he suddenly murmurs, stepping closer while Hara snaps out of her thoughts and frowns. “You running away from your mother when she’s in such a vulnerable position.”

Hara feels ice run through her veins, her heart skipping a beat. Jungkook seems to notice and smirks, all previous signs of fatigue gone and replaced with cunning evil. 

“She’s trying to build her own business using my father’s money and influence, she's trying to create a legacy that you will take over, a legacy that will make your life better."

Jungkook sighs, shaking his head for a more dramatic effect and had Hara not been so emotionally attacked right now she'd deck him.  

"Promised to pay father back when she hits big, but won’t the money she earns theoretically belong to him already?”

“What the hell are you trying to say?” Hara snaps, frowning. 

“What if her shares suddenly disappear?” Jungkook tilts his head to the side and pretends to think, “or, better yet, what if she’s suddenly involved in an embezzlement case and has to serve a couple of decades for fraudulent theft?”

Hara takes a step back when Jungkook moves closer, a cocky smirk on his face, eyes full of confidence and anger. How dare Hara even think of meddling with his business, they say. 

“Are you trying to blackmail me?” Hara whispers, feeling clog up. Jungkook shrugs, acting innocent. 

“Is it working?” he asks, arching an eyebrow. Hara’s jaw clenches and she drags in a deep breath to calm down. “Want me to spice it up a bit? Yeah, I can do that, I actually just recently got a couple of reports back on how your father’s realtor firm is going bankrupt because of all the money he has wasted on his art exhibitions, maybe I should speed up that proce-”

“You’re a psychopath. You’re ing sick in the head,” Hara snaps, and Jungkook grins and leans forward when he’s got Hara trapped against the door.

“Why, are you scared of me, birdie?” 

“I’m not scared of you,” Hara whispers, tears forming in her eyes against her will as she stares up at the boy, “I’m scared of what you’re capable of doing.”

Jungkook stares at her, his eyes moving from her teary ones to her lips before moving back up. He tilts his head to the side.

“You put up a tough front, Hara,” he murmurs, “but you’re easily swayed. You love your parents more than you like to admit, and you’ve created bonds you don’t want to break. Take my advice and stop whatever you’re trying to do.”

Hara suddenly wants to listen to him.

She suddenly wants to say yes,  yes, I’ll do anything you want, just let me ing breathe.

Because she feels hopeless, everything feels so ing stuffy. It feels like Jungkook is holding her in his palm and his fingers are slowly closing in on her. She can’t breathe, he has successfully trapped her, closed every exit and put a noose around her neck, there’s no way for her to get out of this mess, out of this thick fog that is keeping her away from the light and-

“Hey, what the ’s going on, Kim, hey, breathe,” Hara hears, her eyes opening to find Jungkook frowning down at her, and she realizes she’s on the floor and he’s kneeling in front of her, worry and surprise evident on his face. 

She must be having a panic attack, Hara realizes, her breaths coming out in short, ragged pants, and Jungkook firmly grips her shoulders and shakes her. 

“Come to your senses, Kim, breathe for ’s sake,” he orders, and Hara tightly clutches his wrists and tries to calm down, tears streaming down her face when she squeezes her eyes shut to focus, but it’s impossible because her brain can’t seem to function properly anymore and oh my god, this is how she’s going to die, directly in front of her enemy because he tried to blackmail her into staying out of his business and-

“Okay, it.” 

Hara’s eyes snap open when Jungkook’s big hands move from her shoulders to cup her face, and she suddenly feels surprisingly soft, hot lips on hers. 

Her heart skips a handful of beats, tingles spread from her lips to her cheeks where Jungkook’s skin is touching hers, and she freezes, hands still clutching Jungkook’s wrists. 

A couple of seconds pass before Jungkook’s lips slowly move, only once, and Hara’s brain kickstarts, finally taking reign of her organ system and urging her lungs to drag in a much needed breath that smells a lot like Jungkook’s cologne and some kind of a vanilla scented lip balm. 

The loud roaring gradually dies down and Hara can suddenly only hear her heartbeat in her ears. Jungkook moves his lips again, but still only once, and Hara breathes again, this time continuing the motion which seems to soothe her burning lungs. 

Jungkook is the first to pull back, but he doesn’t create much distance between them, his forehead resting against Hara’s, hands still cupping her cheeks, and she slowly opens her eyes and frowns, chest heaving as her heart thunders inside there somewhere. 

“You good?” Jungkook whispers, eyes full of concern, brows furrowed, and Hara wonders why her stomach tingles, her heart swelling a little at the sudden display of worry.

And then, like being hit by a truck, she realizes what just happened. 

“You kissed me.” Jungkook nods, eyes moving across Hara’s features as if in search of any injuries, and Hara frowns, letting go off his wrists. “Jungkook, you just kissed me.” 

“I’m aware,” Jungkook says, mimicking the frown on Hara’s face, and the crease between his eyebrows deepens when the girl suddenly pushes him away so he lands on his . “What the-”

“You’re-you’re my ing stepbrother, Jungkook, why the hell did you kiss me?” 

“You were hyperventilating, I didn’t have a choice,” Jungkook snaps, sitting up straight while Hara grasps at her hair in panic. “Hey, stop that, you’re gonna do it agai-”

“You can’t just kiss me,” Hara hisses, and Jungkook reaches forward and pulls her hands away from her hair. 

“I did it to help you, accept it and move on.” 

Hara stops mid mental breakdown and stares at the boy in front of her, taking in his stern yet annoyed frown. There’s something in his eyes, though, hope? Longing? 

They flicker down to her lips, briefly, but Hara notices, and she feels her cheeks heat up. . She liked it. She liked the kiss, a lot. 

Oh god, no. A big fat no. Just nope. 

“Move,” she whispers, and Jungkook frowns, staring at her. “Jungkook, move, I need air.” 

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” 

He quickly lets go off her wrists and moves to his feet, holding out a hand in offering, and Hara’s mind is still foggy so without thinking she accepts it and is hoisted to her feet. 

The two of them almost end up chest to chest and Hara quickly steps away and runs a hand through her hair, clearing . Jungkook just stares at her, face blank, but jaw clenched. 

The situation is a bit complicated now. Very complicated, actually.

The room is silent as Hara mentally goes through whatever the just happened, her mind bombarding her with possible scenarios, the pros and cons of anyone finding out, the prospect of this turning into something more than just a ki-

“There was nothing about panic attacks in your record,” Jungkook mutters to himself, brows furrowing. Hara snaps out of her thoughts and feels her heart skip a beat.

“You read my medical record?”

“And your therapist’s journals,” Jungkook says, nodding, and Hara scoffs in disbelief. 

“Are- are you serious right now? That is personal and classified informat-”

“Not for me.” Hara closes . “I keep a track of all the people that enter my life.” 

Hara feels goosebumps rise across her skin, and she feels all of a sudden.

“I wonder why,” she whispers, and Jungkook’s eyes slowly narrow. 

“Why wasn’t this in your medical record?” he asks instead of commenting on Hara’s words. 

“Why do you think, dimwit?” Hara snaps, angrily wiping at her cheeks when she realizes some of the tears from earlier are drying up. “Didn’t ing want them to know.”

“There’s medication for it.” Jungkook swallows thickly. “You won’t have to go through this if you get the correct pills.” 

This is weird.

This is unfamiliar, Jungkook being caring, especially now that Hara has awoken the beast inside him, seems like an impossible concept. 

But Hara slowly realizes that maybe this is an offering. A negotiation.

She doesn’t understand it’s nature fully, so she doesn’t want to accept it. Sure, Jungkook seems to be helping her, but he might think of her acceptance as an act of submission.

A sign that she’ll play the cards according to his instructions. 

no. 

“You seem to know a lot about pills, Jeon,” Hara murmurs, taking a step back. "Any recommendations? Maybe the ones you shared with Jimin and Yoongi? 

Jungkook’s face falls and his usual blank expression soon presents itself. Hara forces away the disappointment bubbling in her chest. 

“You’re really ing stubborn,” he says, shaking his head slightly, “why won’t you just do yourself a favour and stop before it’s too late, Kim?”

Because Hara feels . Vulnerable. 

Sure, this is all her own fault, but Jungkook knows a lot about her now.

He has read her files, he has most definitely read the divorce papers, he knows everything there is about her life. And as if that isn’t enough, he also knows about her weakness - he even received a live demonstration. 

Hara hates feeling weak. 

“It’s already too late,” she murmurs, swallowing the knot that has formed in the back of . “There’s unfortunately no going back now, Jeon.”

Jungkook’s jaw clenches. He stares at her for a moment, anger evident in the way his shoulders have stiffened up, his eyes narrowed. 

And Hara stares back, stubbornly, and waits until Jungkook looks away and sighs. 

He shakes his head and moves towards the door, and Hara wonders why he doesn’t say anything, since he loves having the last word and all that dramatic . But then, as he opens the door, Jungkook stops in the doorway and looks at Hara over his shoulder. 

“I felt it,” he murmurs, and Hara frowns, heart picking up its speed, “and I know you did, too, Hara.” 

“What the are you talking about, Jeon?” Hara whispers, but there is a terrified lilt to her tone because she knows exactly what the boy is referring to.

And Jungkook is aware of this. 

“So ing stubborn,” he mutters, a bitter smile on his lips, and then he’s gone, the door closed, creating a barrier between them resembling the one Hara has put up around her heart to anyone who tries to enter.