OPERATION X || JJK

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

a/n: sorry for the lack of excitement in this one :]

[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ]

"Get up," the man shouted, startling Jungkook out from his absentminded reverie.

After Jeno had left, the only remaining emotion was a bubbling anger that slowly transformed into a crippling pool of depression, gradually plunging the boy into a seemingly endless spiral of inattentiveness. He hadn't even noticed 'Hangyeol' returning, staring him down without a slight twitch of the eye. If he wasn't so lanky, perhaps Jungkook would have been intimidated. Still, the horde of guards trailing behind him like lost puppies was enough to make him pause. He should be reasonable, rational even, if he wanted to see Jin anytime soon.

"Can I help you?" Jungkook drawled, not even standing up from the bed. It hadn't been made and, despite the uncomfortable sensation of the metal frame digging into his thighs, he felt no urge to stand.

"I've been requested to escort you to the lab," the man replied, spinning a pair of handcuffs in his palms whilst shooting the boy an almost smug look.

Jungkook didn't even bother fighting back, even managing to hold back his inner snarky retorts, as he held out his wrists expectedly. The cool metal hitting his scorching skin tingled uncomfortably but it could be worse; at least handcuffs were humane.

It took a few wobbly attempts to stand up from the bed, struggling without his hands to steady him and, once he'd successfully managed, he raised an eyebrow at Hangyeol. The aforementioned man scoffed, almost as though he had wanted a confrontation to emerge and it took a few moments of rational thinking before Jungkook lost the desire to punch his lights out. It would be so easy, so, so easy.

The journey to the lab was dismal, not for Hangyeol who soaked up every slight bit of attention he could access, but for the new 'toy' of the laboratory. Most of the scientists in the hallway had never seen Jungkook before, hardly anyone had, and the looks that they gave him... they made him shiver. He felt as though he was being inspected under a microscope like some kind of bacteria, some kind of disease.

It only got worse when he entered the stuffy lab, the entirety of the room's inhabitants turning to look at him with a scrutinising glare, as he was herded up the room, being manoeuvred around several workbenches. He couldn't help but notice how a woman flinched, physically flinched, when he accidentally brushed her shoulder. This was Hell; especially from a boy who flourished around positive energy.

It wasn't till he reached the end of the room until he spotted someone he knew, not that the sentiment particularly excited him.

The Captain stood against the wall, that menacing look of unwavering glee taunting Jungkook as they gradually approached. The boy couldn't believe how similar and different this man looked to his son. It was weird, they certainly held family resemblance but, whereas Jeno could be considered as handsome, this man was anything but. He looked like a homeless thug that they had dragged off the streets and that honestly terrified Jungkook. This man really was the definition of his worst nightmare.

"Did Hangyeol take good care of you?" The man asked with a smirk, a gold tooth glinting under the dim lights. Jungkook didn't answer instantly and that seemed to infuriate the man, thrusting out his arm and grasping the boy's chin with the sharp tip of his nails. Jungkook flinched, feeling the skin split under the pressure, but refused to look away, daring to challenge the older man. The Captain only chuckled when he realised that he wouldn't relent, releasing his hold and wiping his hands on his trousers as though he had grime on his palms. "You're confident, I admire that. Maybe you could teach my son a bit of that."