⚠️ W A R N I N G ⚠️

!! triggering content !!
!! trauma (both physical and mental) !!
!! panic attack !!
!! selective mutism (as a ptsd symptom) !!

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"it's alright, take your time. i'm here." jungkook says before hanging up. a smile plays on his lips as he glances at the bag of happy meals in his hand, knowing his sister will give him a big hug for bringing her favourite meal that she anticipates every time hoping for a different toy figurine than what she has already collected.

his empty hand unlocks the door and he enters inside, keeping the keys on the table while making his way to living room. he was about to call out for her, although the mess he met hit him too hard, his voice felt lost bewteen the heavy uneasiness clenching his heart almost making it stop for a moment.

"aera..." a whisper hushes out into the air, letting go of the bag with food. his feet rush towards the couch, where there's a mess around and aera is laying still, her favourite recent dress opened but still on her, however not covering up much of her body.

a wave of fear washes over the brother on meeting his fourteen-year-old sister like that. his throat feels tight and eyes hold tears as bends near her, taking her in his embrace, realising that she's conscious when the girl lets out a soft sigh.

"w-what happened, aera?" he's scared to know the answer. a tear leaves his eye as he looks around her, the mess sends a cold shiver of disgust and fear at the same time.

"oppa..." aera whispers, making him look at her face instantly, "i- i'm hurt..."

"i'm so sorry" he whispers, pulling her into a warm hug, being the safest place she could ask for right now. "wh-who was it?" his voice sounds more angry this time as he gulps the lump forming in his throat.

he waits for a bit, however a response never comes. aera has her eyes closed as a tear slips down from her cheek, getting absorbed in the fabric of his hoodie. he winces softly, seeing the bruises, belt marks and bite marks on her pale skin, on the shoulder, near the ribs and her abdomen.

"whoever did this to you, will suffer." he says, determined of his words. jungkook wipes his tears and buttons up aera's dress, realising how it was torn at some places probably due to trying to undo the buttons too harshly. he puts a jacket over her and carries her in his arms, heading out to his car.

his eyes are fixed on the street, driving to the hospital while ears are focused on the ringing sound from his phone. it ends soon, and is replaced by a sigh,

"what happened jungk-"

"hyung" jungkook had decided not to cry, but hearing jimin's voice made him sob at once, "aera... i'm taking her to the h-hospital, hyung she's hurt, it looks like... like an assault."

"what?"

"get there please, i don't know how to explain anything... just please get to the hospital."

"we're getting there, don't worry okay?"

jungkook hums faintly, blinking his teary eyes, glancing back at his sister's sleeping baby face. he rubs his eyes, pulling in front if the hospital building and carries aera again, rushing inside where a few staff people assist him on seeing the kid unconscious.

jungkook was sitting alone on the grey bench in the hallway when he heard his hyungs' voices. all looking utterly confused and stressed from jungkook's previous words.

"what happened?" jimin asks. jungkook stares at him and shakes his head, letting his tears flow as he hugs the elder brother tightly.

"she's so young hyung... why are people like this? y'know when i saw her, she couldn't even move or open her eyes... th-there's bruises and b-bite marks, hyung. i- i don't know what-"

jimin stays quiet, taking time to let the younger's words sink in, until he has understood the situation. he blinks a few times, glancing at the rest of the boys who look equally shocked and disgusted from this world.

"i hate this, hyung," jungkook breathes out, "i hate this world so much."

jimin still says nothing, his eyes silently drop a tear, moving to the side as a door opens and a doctor comes out, walking straight to them, "mr jeon?" she says.

"y-yeah" jimin nods, wiping his tear as jungkook pulls away.

"i'm sorry to say, sir, but it's indeed a case of sexual assualt." she says, "police needs to be involved if you wanna take an action."

"yes," he says and turns to yoongi, "we need to report, and get the best lawyer for us. i'm not letting this bastard get away just like that."

yoongi nods, pulling his phone out as he calls a number while namjoon and jin, too, call for hiring a great lawyer. hoseok pats jungkook's shoulder, letting him know that they'll catch the filthy rapist and make him suffer for his deeds.

"there's less chances of a pregnancy, but we've given the emergency pills for precaution. she was drugged, not to completely black her out but enough to weaken her body. so i guess she probably saw and felt everything the man did to her." the doctor says, giving the brothers a stingy pang in their chests at the thought of their little sister in such a situation.

"can we see her?" taehyung asks quietly, internally regretting not taking aera wih him.

"yes, she's up. but make sure it's one person at a time. she might not be very comfortable around people right now."

taehyung pats jimin's back gesturing him to go first while jungkook takes some more time and calms himself down. jimin nods his head, patting jungkook's cheek as his thumb wipes the brother's tears.

"we can't cry in front of her, okay bud?"

jungkook nods hesitantly, "you go first..."

jimin forces a smile, pushing the door open for himself. the room is bright with big windows on one side and light curtains. his eyes automatically make their way towards the bed, where his sister is laying quietly, her eyes are busy looking around the room and finally land on jimin, earning a soft smile from him.

"hey, are you feeling a bit better now?" he asks softly, stroking her hair and takes a seat on the stool next to her bed. the girl stares at his face and then at his hand, saying nothing at all. but tears pool her eyes, leaning forward near the brother who quickly wraps his arms around her smaller body.

"you're okay, now" jimin's voice is soft and airy, while his hands are rubbing circles on her back, "my baby is safe here. jimin oppa's here, kookie and ri's appa and the other oppas are here too."

aera keeps quiet, sobbing with soft whimpers and hiccups as she has her arms wrapped around his neck weakly,

"yes, kiddo, oppa's not leaving you." he kisses the top of her head. he pulls away gradually and wipes off the tears from aera's face, that's when he noticed the cut beside her lips and the bruises on her neck, making him wince faintly.

jimin helps her lay properly on seeing how her hand moved near her abdomen, letting out a cry as she reaches back for jimin, "you have to lay down, baby." he says, holding her hand, "your tummy hurts?"

from the cry of pain from the kid's lips, he knows it's a yes. sighing softly, he lays on the bed with aera, hugging her body that is still shivering at times. "sleep for a while hm?" he pats her back gently, following the rhythm of his heartbeat as aera quietens down now, paying attention to thumping in his chest. it wasn't calm as usual, instead it was almost like a storm building inside with every wince leaving aera's lips and tears from her eyes, which makes the girl look up at him.

he smiles a little, realising it was about his high heart rate and takes a deep breath, trying his best calm his palpitating heart a little. jimin adjusts her position, seeing her eyes closing gradually and the grip of her hand on jimin's shirt loosens as she falls asleep. the brother glances down at her, a frown knits his brows together as he finds a dark spot near her collar bone. his hand gently tugs on the hospital dress aera is wearing, his breath hitches on seeing the broken blood vessels and the harsh bite mark, almost making the skin bleed. he blinks his tears away, pulling his sister closer in his embrace, hugging her tightly and kisses the crown of her head a few times with tears flowing from his eyes too.

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"yes, from the study of the semen, the man seems old. maybe in his late forties," the doctor says, handing a file to the police officer who nods in response.

"what about the drug?"

"it was a strong one, but dosage is the key. the man probably knew how much to give to make her lose control over her body yet remain conscious. it was mixed in her meal, or given with the meal." she replies.

the officer nods in response, turning to look at the boys, "do you know if she ate anything? like was there something she might be ating nearby?"

"i don't thi- no, wait... yes, mac-n-cheese! there was food on the table!" jungkook says abruptly, remembering the moment he entered the living room. "but she doesn't know how to cook..."

"so the person cooked for her...? weird" the officer sighs, "do you think anyone you might know would do something like this? don't get me wrong mr jeon, but you're one of the biggest businessmen in korea right now, there's a huge possibility that any of your rivals would do this out jealousy."

jimin thinks deeply about it, straining his brain to every corner, but nothing seemed to make sense to him. he shakes his head slowly, "i don't know... why would anyone involve a child into this?"

"they do mr jeon, jealousy can make people do anything. it's a clear fact that you all love your sister very much, so they can think of using her as your weakness because reaching you is one the hardest jobs they could get themselves. but your sister, who is just a kid and less aware of the wordly traps, becomes an easy target for these kind of people."

the boys remain silent, still pondering about the policeman's words until namjoon speaks hesitantly, "uh i may be wrong, but uhm manager seong called you around that time right?"

jimin glances at him, nodding his head hesitantly as he thinks about it too. before he says anything, jungkook joins in, "yeah, he called me too. he was asking about hyung and sounded kinda desperate for some bank papers to be signed."

"what bank papers?" jin frowns, "there's no payment due."

"interesting," the police officer nods slowly as things started making sense to him, "who is this person?"

"uh my manager," jimin says, still confused as he couldn't being himself to believe that this man can do something so bad, "seong byungin. but i don't know... i mean he's been working for us since we were kids. he has been coming home with dad and even saw aera growing up in front of his eyes... how can he- i don't get this..."

"i hope you're right, sir." the officer sighs, "but in most cases it's usually a close person, who knows the in and outs of the family, to commit such crimes."

"...get him" jimin inhales deeply, running a hand through his hair, feeling betrayed and disgusted by the fact they all were fooled by this man for so many years, thinking he was loyal when he was, in reality, setting up his game. "bring your best officers and do whatever it takes, i just want that man in front of me on his knees." he states, getting an instant nod from the policeman who also bows once before leaving.

before anyone showed their discontentment with the situation and frustration, a faint cry filled their eyes, perking their attention to the peak as they turn to look at aera's hospital room.

"mr jeon," a nurse walks out to them, "aera's not letting us carry on with the check up."

jimin sighs, nodding his head as he glances at the boys, virtually telling them that he'll come in a bit before following the nurse into the room where he finds his sister crying with her legs folded up till her chest, fisting on the blanket, holding it close to her body.

"aera," the brother calls softly, sitting on the edge of her bed, as he reaches out for her slowly, careful not to startle her more, "hey, what happened kiddo?"

aera shakes her head, not in response to him, but as a sign to leave her alone for she shifts back, sobbing to herself. "it's me, princess. look here." he says, holding her hand gently, caressing the back with his thumb before proceeding to shift near her.

"relax," he says softly, as she let's him hug her after realising it is indeed her jimin oppa, "you're safe."

he follows her scared eyes to the side of the room where the nurses and the doctor are still standing, all having a sympathetic look on their faces as they see how the girl is continuously trying to stay as close to jimin as possible.

"they need to do your check up, baby. you wanna go home soon right?" jimin asks, while sending a subtle gesture for the doctor to come ahead and act normal.

"yes, right." the doctor smiles, stepping near them however her smile drops and feet halt when aera cries again, turning her head in her brother's embrace.

"shh, it's okay. she's the doctor and she wants to help aera. we've to let her do her work yeah?" jimin says, rubbing aera's back. the doctor smiles a little, coming near the bed as aera didn't protest this time.

jimin tries to stand up, but sighs as aera holds his hand tighter, not wanting to let go at any cost, "it's okay, mr jeon, you can stay." the lady says, making jimin smile thankfully.

aera cried a few times between her mild check up that would've been over in fifteen minutes under normal situation, but no one complained as they knew forcing the girl for anything wasn't affordable.

"physically she's fine, other than the bruises, which shall take a week to disappear completely. there's no implantation or std. just try to be very patient with her, and don't force her for things she's not willing to do." the doctor says, earning nods from the boys, "you can take her home."

"thank you doctor" the boys sigh in relief that aera can go home.

"i'll go and see her" jungkook says finally being sure that he won't cry in front of her.

"yeah, we'll get the cars ready" yoongi nods, heading down the hall with taehyung.

jungkook pushes the door open quietly, standing there for a moment as he watches how jimin has a soft smile on his lips, speaking to aera who seems little attentive as her eyes wander towards jungkook.

"hey" jungkook smiles at her softly, going near the bed and noticed that the girl is not scared. "are you okay?"

aera stares at him for a while before looking away, earning a frown from the brothers, especially the eldest for it was now that he realised aera hasn't uttered a single word ever since she woke up.

jimin shakes his head, pushing away the bad thoughts and tries, "ri, will you give kook a hug?" he says, making jungkook smile as he leans in and aera hugs him quietly.

"my baby, you must be hungry right?" jungkook asks, stroking her hair, still not getting any response again.

"aera, say something honey" jimin's voice is a bit shaky as he stares at their sister with confused eyes, "talk to oppa, kiddo"

a sudden realisation hits jungkook, remembering the last words he heard from aera that sounded almost numb to him as he's now paying attention. he blinks his tears away, pulling up a forceful smile for his sister and sits in front of her, cupping her face.

"y'know the doctor said that you can go home. our riri is a strong girl and she doesn't need to stay here, isn't that great?"

aera holds his hand gently like a feather and glances at jimin who smiles a little and nods, "let's go"

a tear slips from jungkook's eyes which the sister notices and wipes it off, tugging on his hand letting them know that she's ready to go home. jungkook makes a short eye contact with jimin who nods in assurance.

"get changed first" jungkook says, giving her a bag, containing a new set of clothes for aera that hoseok and jin brought a while ago.

aera takes the bag, peeking inside, seeing a pair of white sweatpants and a similar hoodie that matches with the one jungkook is wearing right now. she stands up, for the first time after gaining consciousness, and stumbles a little having the brothers to hold her instantly.

she sighs softly, looking around the room which doesn't have a bathroom. her eyes stop at jimin who seemed to have noticed the same and gets up, "we'll be outside, call me if you need help okay?"

aera pulls out the pants putting it on first, then unbuttons the hospital semi-gown, looking down at her chest and stomach as the weird bruises catch her eye. she gasps, staring at herself with wide eyes that have tears very soon, letting out a cry remembering the man doing this to her.

she whimpers louder as her breathing becomes uneven and starts wiping hersel- the bruises off with the nearest fabric that her hand could reach.

the brothers hear her cry, opening the door and saw aera on the bed sobbing while she rubbed her stomach, chest and shoulder harshly with the sheets. jimin holds her hand, and pulls her in a hug, rubbing her bare back gently, not wanting to hurt her more.

"no, baby, you'll hurt yourself more like this." he says, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder and the side of her head. "don't do like that again, alright?"

aera sniffs a few times, still crying as she points at herself, "o-oppa"

"yes my love," jimin breathes out, feeling relieved that she said something at least, "it'll get better. we'll take care of our riri, and the it'll be fine. my baby is a strong girl right?"

she says nothing and rests her head against his chest, "don't cry, let's get you dressed and then we'll go home, is that okay?"

he takes her silence as a yes and grabs the hoodie from bag, helping her wear it. however tears are evident in his eyes as well as in jungkook's as they see aera having her eyes shut tightly, scared to look at her miserable state again;

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a/n:- what do you think?

also, i have a question, i was just wondering yesterday about how many of you came across this book. would you mind sharing? tell me how you started reading this book and your favourite chapter till now. ;)

keep voting and showing your love and support, thank you so much for your precious time. do good, be good. take care! ❤️✨

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