“You liar,” Jungkook hisses. He is seething- there is a vicious, cruel fury on his face that I have seen only once before... in a video from 3 years ago. I am paralyzed with fear. I cannot say a word, only stare up into the dark abyss of Jungkook’s callous eyes. The sensation of his skin on my skin elicits a different response than it did earlier tonight- I felt giddy pleasure back then, and now I am acutely aware of the fact that he holds my life in his right hand.

Funny. He was kissing me a few hours ago, and now he’s ready to kill me.

“You were a spy the entire time?” he snarls. “After everything that I did for you- every measure that I took to make sure you were safe- you were out to destroy us the whole time?”

I can only manage a faint whisper as I say, “How did you find out?”

“A few hours ago, someone in the tech division noticed unnatural repetition in your call recordings and video feeds. He dug around a bit, discovered that they’d been completely fabricated, and then found the original copies that Marge thought she’d destroyed.”

“Where’s Marge?!”

“On Floor 21, having information... extracted from her. She’ll be dead in 15 minutes. As will you.” His grip on my throat tightens.

“Jungkook, please-,” I choke. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry-,”

“Sorry? Sorry?” A flash of pain flits across Jungkook’s eyes. “I trusted you. I opened myself up to you and-,” He looks away, clenching his teeth. “You were plotting to take me down the entire time.”

“I wasn’t plotting to take you down!”

“I thought that the girl I liked for 2 years finally liked me back.”  

An pang of sorrow and regret hits my heart. My chest aches. “I just wanted to find out why Kyle Johnson died-,”

“Kyle Johnson?” Jungkook’s face hardens. “Kyle Johnson died because he was a spy, just like you. It was a warning for all the other gangs who were trying to find out about Project Cotton.” And Jungkook lowers his lips to my ear and murmurs a sentence that makes my blood run cold. “Now I’m going to kill you like I killed him.”

I am too shocked. Horrified. Disgusted.

“You killed Kyle?”

“I was ordered to. He was the spitting image of Marcus- it was like killing a classmate.” He tilts his head. “Now I'll actually have to kill my classmates. They're already here."

“What?”

“You think we didn’t notice Lina Nguyen sitting out in the parking lot? And a team went to retrieve Annabelle, Preet, and Marcus from her house only a few minutes after you left. You’d be surprised how useful audio and video monitoring is, now that we have full control of your feeds.”

Oh my god. Oh my god.

We’re going to die. We’re really going to die.

This is who Jungkook really is. This is what he is capable of. The merciless murdering that does not even spare his classmates, the expert, trained killing, the sadistic streak that runs a mile wide.

    The Jungkook Jeon who teases me, hugs me, kisses me- no. That Jungkook doesn’t exist.

He’s gone.  

    When I look back up at him, it is with hatred in my eyes.

    “Go ahead and kill me,” I mutter, “but just remember that you did it for a gang who turned you into a monster and slaughtered countless people across the world.”

    He pauses for a second and I can see a flash of emotion in his eyes- hope rises in my chest- but it disappears and his hand squeezes my throat and I can feel my face turning red and the oxygen being drained out of my body and my limbs start to involuntarily jerk around but it’s too much and my eyes close-

    And then the pressure disappears, and a cry of pain and a thud! ring through the air. Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I slowly lean my head to the side, trying to decipher the blurry figures entangled with each other. There are grunts, and the sound of a scuffle, and then another loud thwack! before the noise disappears. One of the figures strides over to me and crouches down. My breath returns and my vision clears.

    “Looks like I got here just in time,” Chanyeol says grimly, and I almost sob in relief.

    “Cha- Chanyeol-,”

    “Preet texted me and told me to stay in the Yohan building, because you were coming,” Chanyeol explains. “Smart boy. Looks like they discovered your cover.”

Preet, you genius. I send him a silent thank you- and then realize that he’s probably being held on Floor 21 with Marge and the Anime Club.

“Jungkook’s knocked out for the time being,” Chanyeol murmurs. “We need to get out of here-,”

“They have Marge and Preet and everyone on Floor 21,” I say. “We have to rescue them!”

“What?! Oh my god. Baekhyun, are you hearing this?”

I realize that Chanyeol is wearing a small black earpiece. He listens intently, and then says, “Send EXO over here. We need as many people as we can get- wait, what?” Chanyeol blanches. “No. What? No way!”

“What?” I question anxiously.

“Don’t do it- dammit, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol groans. “Oh, no.”

“Chanyeol, what the hell?!”

“He called the Seven Stars,” Chanyeol groans. “The instant they found out that Lina was in danger they said they'd send their special ops team over.”

I blink. I’ve never crossed paths with Seven Stars agents before.

Chanyeol listens to his earpiece for a few more moments, and then inhales. “Okay, EXO’s here. Ami, listen to me. Baek’s hacked into the power grid and he’s going to cut the electricity. When the lights go out, run. There’ll be an EXO member waiting downstairs to take you to safety.”

“How about Preet and Marge and-,”

“We’ll take care of them.”

“What?! How are you going to get all of them-,”

The sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs catches my ear. Chanyeol and I look towards the exit door. There is a relieved look on his face.

“That must be EXO-,”

He freezes.

10 men, clad in black Yohan uniforms and wielding machine guns, are facing us. One of them steps forward, throws Jungkook’s unconscious body a disdainful look, and then looks back up at us.

“One of you get him up,” Harris, my old Training instructor, commands. I watch, horrified, as one of the agents marches over to Jungkook and digs a Taser in his stomach. Jungkook writhes around and jumps up in shock. There is a bewildered look on his face as he whips his head around, utterly confused- until he sees Harris. His lip curls.

“You always did love unnecessarily cruelty,” Jungkook spits out.

Harris smiles coldly. “Consider it punishment for letting an X.E. member take you down.”

    I keep my gaze far away from Jungkook. I can feel him fuming behind me.

“Let’s bring these two up to Floor 21 to join their little friends,” Harris says, condescendingly patting my hair. He notices my despaired expression and laughs.

“What, you think we didn’t see where you two were? Eyes everywhere, Hwang.” He points up to a white camera perched above us.

Harris roughly grabs my arm and pulls me the stairs, keeping a gun to my temple the entire time. I see three other guards hoist Chanyeol up as well.

“Be careful with that one,” Harris calls. “He’s a part of EXO. I never would've been able to tell that in Training.”

Chanyeol sneers. His eyes are staring daggers in Harris’ back.

When we reach Floor 21, I gasp. Marge is sporting a black eye and a bloodied face. She is leaning up against the wall as Namjoon holds a gun to her head. My friends- although in better physical shape- look battered and drained. Jimin has a gun at Annabelle's temple. Taehyung is holding Marcus at knifepoint. Lina is scowling as Yoongi shoves a gun into her back. He throws me a vindictive, triumphant look when he sees me. Preet is tense against Jin's grip, his eyes darting from person to person.  

    “Come to join the party?” one of the 4 Flames members laughs viciously. Harris shoves me towards Jungkook, who immediately locks his arm around my waist and holds a knife to my throat. Chanyeol is wrestled to the floor by multiple agents.

    “Here you all are,” Harris drawls, crossing his arms. “Camille Rosenquist. The higher ups were reluctant to let you continue working for Yohan, due to your previous... conflict of interest. Nevertheless, the majority voted that you stay. Clearly a mistake.”

    “Eat , Harris.” Marge snaps, and earns a blow to the face in return.

    “Jimin.” Harris turns to the boy, who is staring ahead with a blank expression. “You’re the smartest one here, and had repeated contact with Hwang and her friends. How did you not catch what was going on? This goes for the rest of you.”

    Jimin merely shakes his head. Guilt wells in my stomach. I can’t bear to make eye contact with any of the BTS members. I’ve completely betrayed their trust.

“As your Trainer, I’m ashamed. Maybe we should put you 7 through Training again.”

He pauses. “Unless you can prove that you don’t need it anymore.”

Harris turns to Jungkook. There is an ominous look on his face.

“Jungkook,” he says. “Eliminate the Johnson boy.”

Everyone freezes. Even the members of BTS gape at Harris, who is staring at Jungkook expectantly.

No. He won’t do it.

Jungkook shakily raises his arm. I can feel his entire body trembling. He aims his gun at Marcus, who is looking at him, expressionless. Taehyung, who is holding him, dazedly loosens his grip.

“Don’t do it, Jungkook,” I beg. “Please, please, please, don’t, please.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“You don’t have to stay trapped in the 4 Flames forever,” I say in a low voice. “We can get out. Just don’t shoot Marcus, please. You can’t. You killed his brother, but you can’t- please- don’t kill him, please-,”

Marcus swallows. Then, he slowly closes his eyes.

The tension in the air is so thick it could be cut with a knife.

“Jungkook, please-,”

A shot rings through the air.

The next moment, Marcus has slumped to the floor. Blood trickles from a wound in his head.

“Marcus!” I screech at the same time as Marge screams, “No!”

    “How could you?!” Lina roars, jerking her head around to Jungkook. Tears are cascading down her cheeks. “You murderer!” Yoongi places a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back as she tries to lunge at Jungkook. However, there is a distant, unreadable look in his eyes as he gazes at Jungkook.

I notice that the other members of BTS seem extremely unsettled as well. Taehyung is staring down at Marcus’ dead body like there is nothing else in the world, like he is seeing for the first time the things that his gang does.

“You twisted, sick bastard!” I shriek, writhing against Jungkook’s grip. “I hate you! I hate you! How could you-,”

“Well done, Jungkook.” Harris claps him on the back. “Now, who’s next? I want Hwang to watch all her friends die in front of her.” His scrutiny turns to Yoongi. “I want to see the Seven Stars’ heir go next. Yoongi, it’s your turn.”

Yoongi blanches. His cold facade completely drops as he stammers, “Wh-what-,”

“No, please!” Annabelle cries, interrupting him. “Take me instead, please, don’t hurt Lina or anyone else-,”

“Anna, no!” Lina shouts. “You can’t do that-,”

“You really are a monster,” Chanyeol spits furiously, his fists clenched. “Killing your own ing classmate- what the hell is wrong with you-,”

“Just kill me, Harris.” I whisper. “They didn’t do anything-,”

“Shut up, Ami!” Preet hollers. “They’ll kill you over my dead body.”

Harris’ eyebrows shoot up. “Dead body, huh? Yoongi, eliminate him.”

Yoongi looks like he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His Adam’s apple is bobbing up and down. “I- well-,”

“Hurry up!” Harris barks, and I say, “Yoongi, shoot me instead,” and Lina is crying and Marge is shouting something and Chanyeol is trying to struggle against his captors and-

The room goes dark.

A/N: :/

marcus.......... :(

jungkook............................................