As Taehyung’s senses returned to him, he smiled at the feeling of Jungkook clinging to him, and his eyes unfolded. He strained his neck to catch a glimpse of the rectangular clock on the nightstand and concluded he only slept for three hours.

His gaze landed on Jungkook’s tranquil countenance again, and he sighed softly. That man was gorgeous even when he was sleeping. He would never get over how stunning he was, but it was okay, because he had the rest of his life to marvel at him.

His father’s remembrance naturally entered his thoughts, causing his smile to darken. He had to talk to him before the police would arrest him. Although Jungkook didn’t tell them what he said to the police, he was sure he had mentioned Mi Sung’s involvement.

Taehyung slithered away from Jungkook’s hold in slow motion. Usually, he would wake up as soon as Taehyung moved, but he knew how exhausted he was from everything that had happened.

He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and pattered out of the room. His parents were at work, so he quickly dug into his brain for a way to make them go home. After deliberation, he deduced that the most efficient way to force his father to leave work was to scare him. He located his number and called him as he headed to the living room.

He expelled a sigh as the call ended on its own and tried again. Feeling defeated at the lack of a response on his second try, he tapped on the message icon beside his name.

Taehyung: Jungkook took Hyun Joon to the police. It’s a matter of time before the police arrest you. You don’t want everyone in the hospital to see that. Go home. I’ll wait for you.

He called his mother next, who answered on the second beep. “Mom. Sorry for calling you while you’re at work.”

“It’s okay. What is it, Taehyung?”

“You need to go home. I have to tell you something.”

“Baby, I can’t leave work if it’s not for something important.”

“Mi Sung will get arrested again, mom. I’ll explain everything when you meet me at your house, okay?”

His words bewildered her and imposed a brief pause on the conversation. “I trust you. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Thanks. See you soon.” Taehyung hung up and hurried to the bathroom to wash his face. There was no answer from Mi Sung, he observed, as he went back to his room to get dressed and wear his shoes.

His gaze lingered on Jungkook’s sleeping face, and the tips of his lips slanted into a fond smile with the memory that struck him. “How dare you sneak away, hmm?” Although Taehyung knew he was joking when he had said that, he hated sneaking away from him again. He tiptoed to his desk with Jungkook’s steady, deep breathing echoing in the background. He took hold of a post-it note and jotted down a message for him, then placed it on his pillow.

His phone dinged in his pocket, and his heart pranced in anxiety. His bulging eyes scanned Jungkook to check if he woke up, but he didn’t react in any way to the sound. Taehyung scurried out of the room and viewed the new message.

Mi Sung: If you’re lying, you’ll regret it.

Taehyung rolled his eyes at the screen and reached for his car keys from the entryway table. He steeled himself throughout the drive to his parents’ house for what was about to happen. His mother would finally find out who Mi Sung really was and what he had done. It would break her. But she had to know.

 
He was the first to arrive, so he waited outside of the gates. It didn’t take long for his mother’s car to appear either, and they drove further into the enormous yard to park their cars.

Hee Jin looped her arms around his form in a tight wrap. “Baby. What’s going on?”

Taehyung squeezed her and pulled away. “I’ll tell you everything when Mi Sung comes, hmm?”

“Why... It’s the second time you called him by his name instead of calling him father.”

Taehyung’s gaze plunged, the line of his mouth tightening. “Let’s go inside.” He made his way to the door without waiting for a response.

Just as Hee Jin unlocked the door, the gates slid open again with a mechanic hum. Mi Sung’s car pulled up shortly after, and the duo observed his approach tacitly. A notion of somberness seemed to shroud Mi Sung’s features like an opaque veil, evident at first glance.

There was a frosty atmosphere enveloping them as they entered the house in heavy silence and settled down in the living room. Hee Jin focused her gaze on Taehyung, nervously waiting for him to explain.

Taehyung kept his eyes fastened on the table in front of him. “Mom, there’s something you don’t know about your husband.”

The tension in Mi Sung’s frame flared, and unease mingled with the hardness over his features. “Taehyung.”

“What is it?” Hee Jin asked, glancing between the two.

“Mi Sung is—”

“Taehyung!” he bellowed as he burst out of his seat. The sound reverberated through the room, filling every corner with its intensity.

“You don’t have the balls to admit who you truly are to your wife?”

Every fragment of rationality abandoned Mi Sung, his body lightly shaking. He wrenched Taehyung to his feet with a ferocious grasp on his shirt and swung his arm back.

Taehyung deflected the oncoming slap with a hasty lift of his hand and forcefully shoved him away. “I won’t let you hit me again. I won’t let you belittle me or my choices again. At least I’m not a drug dealer like you who has been lying to his family for the past four years!”

Hee Jin was already startled by the sight of her husband who was ready to hit their son, and the revelation came crashing down on her even harder, wreaking absolute shock and daze on her senses. “What? Taehyung, what are you talking about?”

Taehyung’s breath scurried out of him as the bitter rage in his eyes got concealed by gloom at his mother’s devastated voice. “Mi Sung has been selling drugs to his patients for four years. And five months ago, one of his dealers asked him—”

“Shut up, Taehyung,” Mi Sung spat out.

“She will find out everything, anyway. Because you will end up in jail this time for helping that monster kill that girl.”

Hee Jin’s gaze hazed over with burning tears as the revelations kept striking her, knocking her breath away. “What...”

Taehyung put aside his mother’s shock for now and aimed his regard at Mi Sung. “When the police question you, tell them everything you did.”

“I didn’t know he was going to kill her!”

“Yeah? And what the fuck did you think, huh? Why would he need a little girl for? You knew. Deep down, you knew he wanted to do something bad to her. And you did it either way.” With a sudden feebleness creeping up his form, Taehyung sank down onto the couch next to his crying mother. “That dealer asked Mi Sung to bring him a thirteen-year-old girl for one billion won.”

A sob leaped out of Hee Jin’s throat as she palmed her mouth. Her brain couldn’t conceive Taehyung’s vile words, no matter how softly he vocalized them. “You’re a drug dealer?” She raised her wet eyes to Mi Sung, and his refusal to look at her injected blazing fury into her gut. “You helped someone kill a little girl... When did you become such a monster?”

Mi Sung remained at a standstill, with his chin buried in his chest. “I’m sorry, Hee Jin-ah. I wanted us... I wanted us to never worry about money.”

Taehyung scoffed in maddening disdain. “Cut the bullshit. You make millions a year. But you wanted more like always.” His attention rushed to Hee Jin as he realized she stood up.

Hee Jin wiped the tears fogging her vision. A determined expression sprawled across her face and settled there like a steely armor, despite the heartbreak that burned inside her. “Go to the police right now.”

“I’ll lose everything if I do that! I can’t—”

“You should have thought about that before getting involved in this mess! Go. Now. Or I’ll call them.”

“They probably already have an arrest warrant for him. It’s a matter of time to come for him,” Taehyung said as he set a palliative hand on her shoulder, then his gaze locked on Mi Sung. “You need to tell the truth. Help them put Hyun Joon behind bars for good.”

“I’m not trying to protect him. If I talk, I’ll go to jail too.”

“That’s where you belong,” Hee Jin said weakly. “How could you lie to me for so many years? You’re a surgeon. You give speeches to kids and collage students. How could you throw everything away for money? Which you didn’t even need!”

At the silence they received from Mi Sung again, Taehyung comforted his mother with a side hug. “Will you go to the police station or not?”

Mi Sung shook his head as he retreated with small, halting steps. “No, fuck this.” He twirled around and dashed towards his office, but the bell ringing throughout the house made him stutter to a halt just when he reached the hallway.

Taehyung hastened to the intercom and pressed the button to open the gates for the two familiar detectives, then opened the door. He spectated as they drew nearer and bowed. “Hello.”

“Hello, Taehyung-ssi,” Jae Sin said. “We’ve been told Kim Mi Sung is here.”

“Yes.” Taehyung stepped aside to let them enter.

The two detectives greeted Hee Jin and continued their way to Mi Sung, who just stood there with his head bowed, as if he had accepted his doom. “Kim Mi Sung, you’re under arrest for drug trafficking and accessory to murder,” Won Woo stated as he presented the document he was holding.

“What?” Mi Sung cried. “Accessory to murder? This is insane!”

Won Woo read him his rights as he secured the handcuffs and escorted him outside, despite Mi Sung’s struggle.

“Hee Jin-ah, I swear, I didn’t know he was going to kill her!” Mi Sung said, frantic, and his flailing only intensified when she didn’t acknowledge his remark. “Hee Jin-ah, please, you have to believe me!”

“Sir, you need to calm down or additional charges will be added,” Won Woo warned as he finally dragged him outside.

Jae Sin stood in front of Taehyung, analyzing him mutely as he petted his mother’s back. “You knew everything when we had come to your house, didn’t you?”

Taehyung’s hand froze on Hee Jin’s back, then he slid it away as he laid his eyes on him. “No. I... I only knew he was buying drugs. But I couldn’t possibly say that. I’m sorry.”

“You can go to jail for lying to the police.”

Taehyung’s chest waved to a fluttering drop as he lowered his head. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Is there anything I have to know?”

“That... Jungkook is really innocent. And Hyun Joon is really behind everything. I heard him myself.”

“I want you to come testify. I know it’s a very difficult moment for your mother. But we need all the help we can get.”

“Okay. I’ll come.”

“Can I have a minute with my son first?” Hee Jin asked.

“Of course. We’ll head to the station and wait for you Taehyung-ssi.” Jae Sin bowed and exited the house.

Taehyung enfolded his mother in a warm embrace, his grip secure yet tender. As he held her close, he could feel the weight of her sorrow press against him. Poignancy exploded on his face at the sound of her muted weeping, intense enough to tingle his eyes with tears. “I’m sorry, mom. I’m sorry you’re going through this.” His words were imbued with aching compassion, as he struggled to find the right way to comfort her.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. Thank you for telling me the truth. I can’t believe I’m married to that... that monster. I have so many questions, but I’m scared to find out more.”

“I know. I’m here to tell you everything when you’re ready, hmm?” Taehyung sensed her nod against his head. “Do you want me to stay? I can go to testify later.”

“No, thank you,” she uttered as she drew back. She sniffled and scrubbed away the wetness from her cheeks. “I need some time alone to process all this. Do you need me with you? If yes, I’ll come.”

“No, don’t worry. I’ll be okay. I have... I have someone in my life.”

“Really?” The harrowing void in her eyes twinkled faintly, almost as if a pale spark had ignited within them. “Who is it? Do I know him?”

“No. I’ll tell you everything about him another time, okay? You should rest.”

“Okay.” Hee Jin embraced him once more and patted his back as she withdrew. “Be careful.”

Taehyung offered her a smile. “Bye.”

🥀

Jungkook stretched his huddled-up body with a soft hum vibrating in his throat. As he drew his limbs closer again, he glaciated momentarily, then his eyes split open. He was in Taehyung’s apartment, but Taehyung was nowhere to be found.

His bleary eyes caught a note that was placed on Taehyung’s pillow, and he reached for it.

I really want to stay and cuddle with you while you’re sleeping, but I have to talk to my parents. I hope I'll be back before you wake up. Sorry for sneaking away again. I’ll make it up to you. Promise. Love you♡

The cute note raised a fond smile from Jungkook, spreading like a ray of sunlight over his drowsy face. He lifted his torso off the bed and glanced at the clock. “Fuck, it’s almost five,” he muttered. He swept his big button type phone from the nightstand and called Taehyung.

Creases of bafflement etched their way to his forehead when he didn’t pick up. He searched for Yoongi’s name then and called.

“Hey.”

“Hyung. Where are you?”

“Home. I’m with Jimin. Taehyung didn’t return yet?”

“How do you know he’s not here?”

“The detectives went to his parents’ house and arrested Mi Sung. They asked Taehyung to testify, so he went to the station. Seokjin’s friend told us about it.”

“Oh, okay. I was a little worried.”

“You have nothing to be worried about now. You’re free, so you can go look for him, you know.”

Jungkook’s eyes enlarged in an overwhelming surge of exhilaration as a vibrant sparkle danced in them. He was free. He didn’t have to hide anymore. He didn’t have to use this damn phone anymore. He could have any life he wanted. The unbearable mass that had been weighing down on him for so long suddenly lifted, and he felt a newfound sense of liberation wash over him.

“Kook?”

“Um, did you take your things from the hideout?”

“Yes. We brought you a new car. The keys are under the hood. All your stuff is in the trunk of your new Mazda 3 sedan.”

Jungkook chuckled. “You’re the best, guys. Thanks.” The noise of the entrance door opening caused him to perk his head and launched his heart into a scurry of eagerness to see his baby. “Taehyung is here. We’ll talk later.”

“Bye, Kook.”

Jungkook tossed the phone aside and jumped to his feet. Moving with a flicker of urgency, he scurried across the room and made his way to the living room where he found Taehyung placing his keys on the entryway table. “Baby.”

Taehyung snapped his head to him, and his expression betrayed a hint of disappointment with a slight pout forming on his lips. “I wanted to come back before you wake up.”

Jungkook, overcome with a flood of fondness, felt his heart flutter at the absolute cuteness of his pouty face. With a couple of strides of his long legs, he bridged the distance between them and smothered him in an affectionate cuddle. He relished in the sensation of their bodies pressed together and allotted a few moments to inscribe that feeling of connection and warmth to his heart.

Taehyung melted into the safety of his hug and ringed his body just as tightly. “I missed you.”

“Me too, love. How did it go with your parents?”

“My mother was a wreck,” he said, his voice barely audible with the heaviness that coated it. Jungkook’s tender hands skimmed over his sides to embrace his cheeks, and he smiled at the touch despite the anguish in his chest. “I didn’t tell her any details. She wasn’t ready to hear them. But she now knows who Mi Sung is and what he did. The police arrested him.”

“Yeah, Yoongi hyung told me.” Jungkook peered at him in the softest of ways as he rubbed soothing lines on his cheeks with his thumbs. “He also said you went to testify.”

“Detective Jae Sin asked me, and I did. I wanted to tell them everything I know, anyway. It was tiring, and they only kept me for two hours. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to be questioned for six hours.”

“It’s okay. All that is over now.”

“Hmm. You’re finally free.”

Jungkook admired the loving smile that blossomed on his lips and copied it unconsciously. “Yeah, I’m free. But I also have you. That’s the most important. I’m so ready to take you on a million dates.”

With the suave giggle that flowed through Taehyung’s mouth, his eyes formed delightful crinkles at the corners. “Really? A million?” The tone of his voice was laced with amusement and wonder.

“What? You want more? You’ll have them.”

Taehyung playfully pushed his shoulder, releasing another wave of chuckles, with Jungkook’s addictive laugh joining the mix. As their outbreak of laughter quietened, gentle smiles adorned their faces. “What will you do now that you don’t have... that business?”

Jungkook led him to the couch and sat, pulling him close to him. “I have two more businesses, Tae. As I said, that business wasn’t my life. And I can open more businesses, but you know, legal ones.” A subdued chuckle leaked out of him with this last remark. “In conclusion, I’ll continue running my casino and nightclub and being annoyingly rich.”

Taehyung shook his head, his chest juddering by his giggles. “And are you happy with that?”

“With being annoyingly rich?”

“No.”

Jungkook’s teasing smile faltered as he felt the grim shift in the atmosphere that enclosed them. He scooped him up to set him on his lap and wrapped an arm around his waist as he cradled his cheek. His gaze exuded that familiar softness as every time he viewed him, tinged with adoration. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted that life with drug trafficking even before we fucked, Tae.” He detected how Taehyung’s eyes grew rounder with astonishment and resisted an urge to shower him with kisses, as the need to open his heart to him preponderated.

“Just meeting you changed me without realizing it. You made me see what’s truly important in life. What truly makes me happy. It’s not money or power. It’s how fast my heart beats every time I kiss you. It’s how safe I feel in your hug. It’s the fullness I feel after the sex. It’s you, baby. You and your love.”

Taehyung’s stomach did tiny flips of elation as the heavenly words cocooned his heart in a plush blanket of warmth. His whole being was filled with an indescribable feeling of blissfulness and comfort, as if he had found his right place in the world. And he had. He knew he had, because Jungkook was more than he could ever ask for.

The feeling lingered within him long after the words had been spoken, leaving him with starry eyes bathed in endearment gazing at him. “I never thought I’d find the love of my life at a random hostel my friends and I chose to stay at. But I did. You are the love of my life, Jungkookie. And I don’t care if it’s too soon to say this. I mean it. I feel it with all my heart. You’re really... You’re amazing. Thank you for loving me back.”

“How can I not love you?” Jungkook leaned to press a sugary kiss to his mouth. “You’re the sweetest, prettiest, most adorable and hottest man I’ve ever met. You have the most beautiful soul. You’re truly my heaven, Tae. Fuck, when did I become so corny?”

Taehyung chuckled at his last mumble and kissed him again with laughter tugging at his lips. “You’re not corny. You’re the sweetest. And you’re all mine.”

“I’m yours, love. I’m yours and always will be.”

They joined their lips in a mutual need to convey their unbounded feelings for each other. Their mouths brushed together with ultimate gentleness as the hold around the other tightened, hinting at their avidity to merge their bodies the same way their hearts were enmeshed.

They had a life together ahead of them — a life they couldn’t wait to start and explore. A myriad of issues still needed to be settled, but with having one another, nothing seemed too daunting to face anymore.

───⭒───༺🎭༻───⭒───

One chapter left⏳😥