Taehyung didn't take on another case, even though they asked him to. He still had the trial of the domestic violence victim, and he had to also start preparing for Jeongguk's trial.

Jeongguk didn't get in touch with him on the weekend, as he had requested, and went to the police station on Monday at ten sharp. When Taehyung arrived, he said a halfhearted good morning, and they went inside.

He told the police about the CCTV, and they sent someone to get a copy for them as well. They questioned Jeongguk again about the incident under his lawyer's presence, and he admitted everything. He showed genuine remorse, but that didn't seem to affect the officer who interrogated him.

It was strangely painful for Taehyung to watch as they locked him up. Even after what he did to him, he still cared immensely about this boy and felt a surge of sorrow upon seeing him with his head ducked, sitting in a cell all alone.

"I'll visit in a few days to talk about your trial. Hang in there," was what he said before he vanished.

The other boys were also called and questioned about the case. As Taehyung had said, they put them in jail as well until their trial.

He worked hard for the next few days to create a strong case and prove that Jeongguk didn't intend to hurt the guard. The trial date was announced sooner than expected, and it was scheduled even before his other trial.

Apparently, they wanted to close this case as soon as possible since it was open for so long and some important people were involved like Jimin's father. Yoongi's lawyer also pushed the situation because if the case was revealed to the public, it would hurt his reputation. He had to reassure that Yoongi wouldn't get any jail time before making a statement to his fans. He didn't want to alarm them without a reason.

🥀

It was Friday, but it didn't make any difference to Jeongguk. He was in jail for four days now, and he was losing his mind. All he could do was work out, sleep, and stare at the ceiling as he thought about two things; his friends and Taehyung.

Being locked up somewhere with nothing to do to take his mind off how he hurt him was pure torture for him. He also couldn't help but think about his feelings. He had actual feelings for someone for the first time in his life, and that only worsened the situation because these feelings brought him fear, agonizing fear.

He felt so stupid, honestly. He didn't even know since when he was in denial about his feelings for him. But as he mused over it from the day they locked him up, it all made sense. That was why Taehyung was different from his other hookups. That was why he wanted to cuddle him and kiss him endlessly. He was so scared about his feelings he didn't want to let himself realize them.

Jeongguk finally wanted what Jimin and Yoongi had. He wanted what he mocked and sneered at for years now without end. But he wanted that with Taehyung. Only with him. And as he mulled over it for the nth time, he came to the dolorous realization that he had lost his only chance with him.

"You have a visitor." The guard's loud voice made him flinch as he was absorbed in his thoughts once again.

"If it's Hyekyo tell her to leave." Jeongguk didn't move from the ranch nor opened his eyes. Hyekyo had already tried to see him twice, but he didn't go to meet her.

"It's your lawyer."

At that, Jeongguk's eyes shot open, and he stayed still for a few seconds before he scrambled to get out of bed. The guard snorted at his behavior and led him to the room where his lawyer was already waiting for him.

He entered and sat across from him, still not making eye contact. When he heard the door closing with a soft thud, he raised his head hesitantly and took a glimpse of the boy he wanted to see the most.

An evocative feeling swirled through him that brought a small, bitter smile to his lips, but once he took a better look, his smile faltered. Taehyung seemed so worn out; his sunken eyes were cupped by fleshy pouches, as if he hadn't been sleeping that much.

"Why... Why do you look so tired? Aren't you getting enough sleep?"

"Please refrain from asking such things. They're not relevant to the reason for my visit," he bluntly said as he opened a binder and his notebook.

"Tae, why—"

"I'm your lawyer and only your lawyer. You're only allowed to call me Mr. Kim."

Hearing his stern tone, Jeongguk felt throughout despondent and ducked his head. "Yes, Mr. Kim."

Taehyung stilled at his words. He never expected the younger to listen to him so quickly or listen to him overall. "Thank you." He cleared his throat, trying to hide his astonishment, and took his notebook in his hands. "I'm here so we can discuss the things you'll say in the trial. You have the right not to testify, but I want you to do it. You have to show the jury that you're sorry for what you did and that you regret it."

"But I really do regret it, though."

"I asked you a while back if you regretted it. You said no because you enjoyed it."

"I remember. But I can't stand living in a cell."

"So you regret it because of the consequences it has?" Taehyung scoffed, shaking his head. "You can't say that to the court. You have to say that you broke into the store out of impulse and that you didn't want anyone to get hurt. You have to apologize to the guard for hitting him. And also apologize to the store's owner. Don't try to shed tears. It rarely works, and if the judge or the jury find out that you're faking it, you'll end up in jail for sure.

"Whatever their lawyer says to you don't get angry. If you don't understand a question fully, you should ask them politely to repeat it. Don't give ambiguous answers, and make sure to answer everything they ask you. Always be polite and always say the truth. If you lie under oath, you can serve some time for that as well."

"So you think I'll end up in jail?"

Taehyung clutched the notebook in his hand as he glanced away. "I don't know yet. I'll try to reduce your sentence as much as possible if we can't avoid that. But things don't look good."

A sigh escaped the younger's lips as he leaned back in his seat. "So it's a lost cause."

"You shouldn't give up hope. I mean, other than that night, you've never been arrested before, you don't have a record, you haven't gotten at any fights at school or uni. And you're underage, so maybe they'll be understanding."

"How do you know I haven't gotten at any fights at school?"

"I searched about you, Jeongguk. That's what a lawyer does if their client isn't cooperating."

"I guess I was an ass at first." Jeongguk smiled as he thought back to when he met him.

"You haven't stopped being one," he spat out, indifferent, as he continued reading through his notes.

Jeongguk's expression petered into a blank one and twisted with sadness. "You had said you can see good in me."

"I was wrong." Honestly, he didn't mean the words he said. He didn't like being so cold to him, but if he let down his guard and was nice to him, he would yield, and eventually forgive him. He couldn't forgive him yet, even though all he wanted was to see his beautiful smile and hear his dulcet laugh.

"Yeah, apparently I'm still a piece of shit," Jeongguk whispered as he trailed the edge of the table with his knuckle, wanting to avoid his sharp gaze.

No, you're not. Taehyung wanted to say these words but couldn't find the courage to do it. "Do you have any questions about the trial process or the trial overall?"

"You didn't tell me when the trial is."

"Oh. It's in five days from now, on Wednesday at eleven o'clock. You have plenty of time to think about what you'll say. Please be prepared." Taehyung started collecting his things and stood up when he finished, eyes falling on him. "I'll be leaving if you don't have any more questions."

The need to beg him to stay for a little while longer was so immense his heart felt like it would shatter by the constant, painful pressure. He noticed the idle look Taehyung was giving him and had to glance away. It hurt him that Taehyung was so apathetic towards him, but he couldn't do anything about it.

He started walking towards the door, as the younger stayed silent for a long time. The moment he was ready to open it, he froze upon hearing Jeongguk's meek voice.

"Can you... can you stay for a little longer? It's so lonely in here."

Poignancy swept over him in a heartbeat. Taehyung was soft in general, and he endeavored to be cold towards him, but he couldn't do it anymore. It pained him more to act like he didn't care about him.

"I can stay," he uttered as he returned to his seat. He examined Jeongguk's appalled expression and allowed a faint smile to break onto his face. "It's hard, huh? Being here without having anything to do other than stare at the walls?"

He swallowed as the tense muscles in his face relaxed gradually. "It's torture. Everything I don't want to think about haunts me in here and doesn't leave me alone."

"That's the point of being in prison. To think back at what you did and repent."

"Then it feels like I'm in jail for playing you because that's the only thing I can think about." A dry chuckle left Jeongguk's mouth as he folded his arms over the table and leaned against it.

"Is it bad that it brings a smile to my face to know that playing me tortures you?"

Jeongguk's eyes flitted to him, and indeed a small smile was painted over Taehyung's lips. He couldn't help but copy it as he snorted. "No, I guess it's normal. But I think jail is a bit too much of a punishment for that. I would be just as miserable if I was outside. I would have beers to comfort me, though. Here, I have nothing."

"So if you were out, you would be drinking your ass off right now."

"What do you think I did the whole weekend?"

"Namjoon and Hoseok said you weren't in a good shape," Taehyung said, his tone gentle, as he propped his elbows against the desk as well.

"Oh. They told you."

"Yeah."

"That's so embarrassing," he muttered, dipping his face into his hands in mortification.

"No, it's... it's okay."

"I fucking cried in front of them, Taehyung. While asking them to bring you to me. I hadn't been this drunk for a while now. The last time that happened—" He piped down instantly when he comprehended what he was about to toss off. He cleared his throat, keeping his gaze away and reclining in his seat. "I meant Mr. Kim. And the point is it was embarrassing."

Taehyung peered at him with soft eyes, taking a deep breath and blowing out slowly. "Was the last time when you said to your friends about your parents?" He perceived how Jeongguk stiffened at his question, his downcast eyes widening.

"How... How did y-you—"

"When I first met with Seokjin"—he gently cut his stammer off, keeping a warm, wary smile on his lips—"I asked him what made you live this way. He said it had something to do with your parents, but he didn't tell me more. He only said that you told them about it when you were completely drunk, so I thought maybe that was the last time you got so drunk. And judging from your reaction, I think I'm right."

Jeongguk sighed, still looking down and tensed to the core. "You're right."

Seeing his clenched fist on the table twitch, Taehyung gave him a sad smile. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it. I know it's a sensitive matter to you and there's no reason to tell me anything—"

"I have a brother." The words slipped past his lips in a mere whisper. "Or at least I had."

Shock seized Taehyung's whole being, his mouth opening and closing without anything coming out.

"His name is Tejun. He was born when I was three. I don't remember much, but when I was five, I remember that Hyekyo was always going to the hospital with him. By the time I turned six, he was gone. They sent him to a clinic because he was heavily sick and they didn't have time to take care of him because of their work.

"I don't even know what was wrong with him, and Hyekyo never told me, no matter how many times I asked. Hyekyo said they would bring Tejun back, but it was like they deleted him from their life. They told me later that Tejun wouldn't come back, and I remember crying for hours while Hyekyo was comforting me.

"I kept asking about him, and when I grew up, they said he died. They refused to tell me where his grave was or the cause of his death so I started doubting them. I searched for him for some time but couldn't find anything. I was thirteen then, so I didn't know a lot of things. I saved some money to hire someone to look for him, and you know what I found out? Tejun was living with another family.

"He was adopted, Taehyung. They gave him up because he was sick and gave him to someone else like he was a fucking object. Like his life didn't mean anything. I loved him so much and now I barely remember him." He let out a shaky breath, his feelings overwhelming him.

"After I found out the truth, I yelled at them for so long. Hyekyo was crying and Joongki was just silent. You know what Hyekyo said? That it was too much for them. Having a sick kid was so hard and tiring for them and they couldn't handle it anymore. They told me that they didn't have enough money to take care of him. But I heard them talking to each other later and they said they didn't think he will survive and the only thing they could do was leave him at a clinic and give up custody.

"I hate them with all my heart since that day. If I were the one who was sick, they would have given me up as well. But maybe I would be better off with different parents. They don't deserve to be called parents. I never listened to them again and never gave a shit about them after that day. I hate them so much."

Silence enwrapped them as Taehyung tried to take in everything he just heard. He was one hundred percent dumbfounded by the new information, by how Jeongguk just opened up to him, and by how his parents could do such a thing. "Have you... Have you tried getting in touch with him?"

Jeongguk rubbed his face to block his tears. "The last time we saw each other, he was three. I'm sure he doesn't remember me, so there's no point."

"But... But m-maybe he would be happy to know that he has a brother."

"What if he doesn't know he's adopted? I'll appear and say what? Your parents threw you away because you were sick, but I'm your brother who loves you?"

The older nibbled his bottom lip and lowered his gaze when he espied Jeongguk's eyes darkening. "Sorry. I'm just... shocked and I'm not thinking right."

"No, I'm sorry," Jeongguk said as he sighed once more. "I thought about talking to him, but I-I can't. I'm so scared he'll hate me if he finds out about me. I just... I let them send him away. I didn't do anything to p-protect him." His voice cracked as recalling everything once again was outright agonizing to him.

"Kook, you were just a kid. You w-were just six years old. You couldn't do anything about it." He kept his sorrowful gaze on Jeongguk, who broke into tears. "Please don't cry," he said, almost inaudible, as he felt tears bead at the corner of his eyes.

"My stupid f-feelings are all o-over the place again," Jeongguk muttered with a trembling voice as he wiped his cheeks repeatedly.

"It's—It's okay." Taehyung didn't know what to do. All he wanted was to give him a comforting hug as the younger did every time he cried in front of him, but his guard would shatter right away if he did that. And listening to him talk about his brother with so much pain softened his guard greatly already.

Subdued sobs floated in the room with Jeongguk's endless tears, and Taehyung just lost it. He let his tears fall as well as he grabbed his chair and dragged it around the table. He placed it by his side and sat there before he encircled his quivering body with his arms. "It's okay," he uttered as he brought his head against his shoulder and stroked his nape.

Jeongguk gripped his sweater desperately, his messed-up feelings overflowing him once more. He craved for his touch and warmth so much and finally being able to feel him so close to him was overwhelming the least.

"Don't blame yourself, Jeongguk. You couldn't do anything about it. You couldn't fight for him because they didn't even tell you they would send him away." He held him tighter as he rubbed palliative circles on his back.

"It h-hurts. W-why does it hurt so much?"

"I know, I know."

Another choked sob emitted from his mouth as he clung onto him more. "I m-miss you s-so much, Tae. I m-miss you—"

"Shh, I'm here. I'm right h-here," he whispered as he placed a delicate kiss on his head.

They stayed for a while in this position, hugging each other tightly until their tears stopped. Honestly, Taehyung didn't want to move. After all the pain he felt since the moment he found out the truth, this hug managed to soothe him to the fullest.

"Our time is probably ending soon," he said, and he felt Jeongguk's grip become so tight it almost cut his breath.

"I can't do this, Tae. I don't—I can't stay here another day," he mumbled against his chest, desperation evident in his tone.

"I know, Kook. I'm sorry I can't do anything to help you right now. You can only be patient."

Jeongguk drew back, his arms still wrapped around him. "You called me Kook again," he pointed out as a weak smile dangled on the corner of his lips.

"Yeah," was all Taehyung said as he ran his fingers through his hair. They maintained eye contact, smiling at each other and relishing that moment more than they thought.

Jeongguk then edged a tad closer as his gaze dropped to his lips. When their faces were just an inch away, Taehyung held him in place and pulled back as his smile withered.

"I want you to know that I forgive you, Jeongguk," he said in a mild tone as he brushed his hair back once more, not missing how Jeongguk's eyes saddened the moment he pulled away. "But we can't continue doing what we were doing. It's too complicated, and I don't want complicated."

"I don't want to continue doing what we were doing either." Jeongguk cupped his cheeks with gentle palms, rubbing them with his thumb. "I want more."

Eyes glinting with surprise and body going rigid in a matter of seconds, Taehyung pushed his hands down in a daze. "I told—I told you to stop and—and don't even dare say anything like that. I don't believe you anymore."

"You don't believe me or you just don't want to because you're scared that I'm telling the truth when I say I want more?"

"Shut up," he snapped as he jolted out of his seat. "You're not capable of feeling something like—"

"You make me capable!" Jeongguk exclaimed as he mirrored his moves. He studied his stunned expression and couldn't help but sigh. "You make me capable of feeling something like this, Tae. Only you."

Taehyung shook his head on repeat as he reached for his briefcase and his coat. "You're lying." He scurried towards the door, his legs trembling.

"Am I? Or are you lying to yourself as I was doing for so long?"

He momentarily halted in his tracks as a rush of anxiousness sprawled through him. He gulped as he finally opened the door with shaky hands and disappeared from Jeongguk's piercing, wistful gaze.

⚜✳⚜
  

Double update because all I did yesterday was write and I managed to finish three more chapters, hehe💜
Please, don't think I pressured myself to do this, I genuinely enjoy writing this story and I'm kind of sad because it's gonna end soon😢

Thank you for all the supportive and caring comments, guys! It means a lot to me, I love you💜