Jungkook's fingers go slack, and slip from yours.

As the last fold of his fingerprint disconnects from yours, time is suspended.

It's as if you can look around and see outside of yourself, to that minuscule space that separates your fingertips an ocean's breadth apart.

His eyes are half-closed, dark slats of regret in the dips of his cheekbones. While his face is shuttered and closed off, the length of Jungkook's fingers are opened and loose.

Letting go of you.

Giving up.

No.

Time screeches into motion, and you grab his fingers back.

It takes everything in you not to look at his face while you hold onto his hand tighter than a tourniquet, cutting off his blood flow.

Although grief and pain crash through you in a shudder of numbing emotion, the impact of it has broken through some fragile shell, avalanching the last slivers of the old you away so something new can burst through.

You've been through far too much to let go of Jeon Jungkook's hand now.

While Jungkook stares at you in shock, you lift your chin and, for the first time, voluntarily try to look into the soulless eyes of your father.

"So what?" you ask. "That doesn't matter."

You're living in anticipation of seeing your father start at the statement, of watching him simmer in anger that his bait didn't land you on the hook.

But he isn't looking at you.

Boss Song is still staring at ebony-haired man beside you, lips crooked up into an eerie smile.

"It doesn't, hm?" hums the insidious being parading as a human, wearing a soul's disguise. "Maybe it wouldn't - maybe, if that was all. But how much family has he killed?"

Now, even Jungkook has genuine confusion written in plain script across his face.

There are rings on your father's fingers; they glimmer as he smooths his hand down the front lapel of his coat.

"I'll ask you two questions, Mr. Jeon. You needn't respond to either," he says with a polite smile. "First: do you believe in fate? Because I do - and she's a cruel mistress, as they say."

"Cruel, huh?" Jin scoffs. "You would know."

Your father holds up a silencing hand. "I'm not finished."

On a normal basis you'd expect Jin to throw back some kind of obnoxious reply, or maybe do something childish, like sticking out his tongue.

But the way your father is looking at Jungkook scares all of you - as if the fact that Jungkook murdered your grandfather is only the hors d'oeuvres passed around before the main meal.

"What happened to the Kims, Mr. Jeon?"

Each word is precise, perfectly enunciated with crisp satisfaction as your father takes absolute pleasure in ticking them out.

The Kims?

Which Kims?

You take a quick peek at Namjoon, then Seokjin, but neither look any wiser to the meaning.

Surely, that can't mean...

Kim Taehyung?

Did Jungkook have something to do with the kidnapping and murder of Taehyung's family, too?

Jungkook's not moving, barely breathing even. His eyes are stuck in their focus on one random point as he struggles to understand what your father is leading up to.

It takes only a simple motion to answer the question streaming through his eyes.

Your father places one finger on the monitor, where Hoseok is helping Taehyung to his feet.

He taps.

Once.

Twice.

That's all Jungkook needs.

You don't know how or what he puts together to connect the dots, but he's suddenly able to pull himself front the deep abyss of analysis and meet your father's gaze.

"That's impossible," he whispers. "T-that's- they're all dead. They're all dead."

He's shutting down, drifting apart.

Just like that night when the rain fell down and Jungkook fell with it, that frightening distance is starting to untether him from reality.

Once again, his fingers start to slip from yours.

This time, no matter how hard you try, you can't keep your grip on them.

It's all spinning in your head, a jumbled, whirlwind mess of questions seeking answers.

Jungkook killed your grandfather, that's for sure, but what does he have to do with Taehyung's family? And who is it that Jungkook insists is dead?

Why does your father even know any of this?

...why hasn't Jungkook told you?

Jungkook takes an unconscious step toward the line of men and your father, moving around the dividing line of the sofa as his vacant desperation overflows his vocal chords.

"You're lying," he chokes. He's not crying, but his voice is thick. "That's a lie. They all died."

But your father is done.

"I think it's clear that Y/N doesn't belong with you," Boss Song says. He tugs the cuffs of his jacket down, casually, as if he hasn't just shattered a person. "Seoungmin, if you would."

Jungkook's forward movement has left your side vulnerable, so there's nobody in the way as Seoungmin steps forward and takes you by the arm.

"Don't touch her," Jungkook snarls, turning instantly to defend you, but the second he moves toward you is the same second that two men grab hold of him from behind and bind his arms in a tight hold.

Jungkook's biceps bulge agains the tight cut of his tux as he strains against them, but to no avail.

Beside you, Jin tries to catch your wrist to hold you back.

A series of harsh clicks halt his movement in an instant.

"I wouldn't," your father says softly.

The line of men behind your father have drawn weapons, fully recovered from Jimin's surprise attack. They hold out handguns, sleek and dark, so Jin's arm is frozen in midair.

Namjoon and Yoongi are also still as stone, their jaws clenched.

What can they do?

They're no help to you dead.

"Get off me," you hiss at Seoungmin. You struggle against him, trying with all your strength to push him away, but he's too strong.

You're disgusted with your own weakness, your own helplessness.

Jungkook's words from earlier ring hollowly in your head.

You're ours. You're Bangtan.

No, you aren't. If you were Bangtan, you'd be able to smash Seoungmin into the next century no matter the cost, doing anything and everything to save yourself and your family.

You're nothing.

"Enough games. I'm tired of this," sighs your father. "Break the door down. It's time to go."

You don't want to.

You don't want to!

You meet Namjoon's eyes, your dress swishing fraily around your legs.

You don't know what you expected to see in his gaze - pity, or concern maybe. Definitely not the steady, expectant expression he's pinning you down with.

"I don't want to," you mumble.

When your gazes meet, Namjoon lifts one questioning eyebrow.

"Well?" he says quietly. "Do something about it."

Do something.

Why don't you ever do something?

It hits you all at once.

Every conflict, every battle, they've protected you as you've stood helplessly to the side, a real-life reflection of that one useless girl in every anime.

You spent all that time whining to yourself about how pitiful you were, how helpless, mourning the fact that you couldn't do anything without ever trying.

Why haven't you ever tried?

Now, Jungkook's restrained and Namjoon, Yoongi and Jin are being held still at gunpoint. You're the only one who has any semblance of freedom.

You're the only one who can do something.

You aren't Bangtan now, but you could be.

You just have to do something.

And, at the end of it all, Mina turns out to be your savior - Mina and her death trap high heels.

You lift your foot from the ground, dagger-like heel poised abover Seoungmin's toes, and stamp down with all your might.

It's quiet effective.

Seoungmin hisses a breath through his teeth, recoiling from you, and you take the opportunity to whip around and face him. While Seoungmin is unbalanced, arms reaching down to the foot you impaled on your devil shoe, you piston back your arm.

Everything boils up inside you, bubbling over like a pot of water over a furnace, and you channel all of that emotion into your arm.

Then you do it.

You freaking punch Seoungmin in the face.

Something in your hand pops, and Seoungmin reels back from you, palms clutching his face.

Yoongi hoots in the background. "Thatta girl, Y/N!"

There's a gun holstered to Seoungmin's thigh; you snatch it up, the cool metal in your trembling hand, and direct the sight at your fiancé's head.

Nursing his jaw, Seoungmin stares at you in befuddlement.

"I will never marry you," you choke. As much as you would like to say you sounded epic and heroic, your voice shakes with the potent combination of adrenaline and fear.

Some of the guns aimed toward Jin, Namjoon and Yoongi are suddenly turned to face you.

Your father starts to laugh.

"Don't bother," he chuckles waving a hand at the men so they reluctantly turn their weapons away. "I know my daughter. She couldn't kill a fly."

His laughter stumbles to an abrupt pause when you spit at his feet.

For the first time, you feel powerful.

You're controlling the game.

This is your game.

"You obviously don't know me," you growl. "Because I'm not your daughter."

And maybe it's true that you can't kill a fly, but...

You can kill a monster.

That's why there's not an ounce of hesitation in your mind, body, or soul when you aim the handgun at Seoungmin's head and pull the trigger.

[A\N]
Unedited

Just try to convince me that Dionysus isn't an anime intro 

Also I have a wattpad secret, and I kind of wanna tell my Lilpockets, but I'm not sure if I should.... 🤭