Gods of the Sea (BTS Vocal Line X Reader)

Chapter 50 - Return

"So are you two, like, siblings?"

Jungkook looked between Taehyung and you as he leaned against his crutch. There had been awkward silence between the three of you as you all waited for Seokjin to come to the docks, and apparently, this was the question Jungkook decided to use to break the ice.

Taehyung and you instantly cringed.

"No," you replied, scrunching your nose.

"That would be like saying a desk and a chair are related because they both came from the same carpenter," Taehyung added. "King Namjoon created everything, but the spiritual world doesn't have the same family dynamics as the human world. We can't procreate."

"But you can marry, yes?" Jungkook asked.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow at him.

"I heard it somewhere," Jungkook said with a shrug.

You looked down at the ring finger on your left hand, remembering the ring Renaldo gave you so many centuries ago. Your heart sank a bit, remembering that that life was gone... and that you were still betrothed to Seokjin's father.

"We can..." you said. "But we don't."

"Our feelings come second to our duties," Taehyung added. "It's in our design."

"And they can't go against it, no matter how much they want to," a third voice cut in.

You were so lost in your own thoughts that you hadn't even realized Seokjin was approaching you.

"Sirens are controlled by duty," Seokjin continued, "in the same ways that demons are controlled by impulse, and humans are controlled by emotion. That's why a siren going against their duties is so harshly punished."

"Seems rather unfair to be at the mercy of responsibility," Jungkook said.

"Is it?" Seokjin asked. "Is being ruled by emotions better? Humans have created both passion and crimes of passion. They fight for each other and against each other. Without the sirens, the humans would give themselves completely over to chaos. That's why the sirens judge the humans."

"And the Judges?" Jungkook asked, his eyes glossing over in thought. "What are they controlled by?"

Seokjin paused before answering.

"Balance," Seokjin said. "So none of the king's creatures are lost to their own chaos. Your brother will be a strong enough Judge once I can break him of his self-hatred."

Jungkook chuckled bitterly. "I think he's had that his whole life. Is it possible to cure him of it?"

Seokjin looked down at his own hand as he stretched it and clenched it slowly.

"It's normal for all Judges," he replied, his voice softer than normal. "Because we can see the evil in ourselves so easily."

Seokjin met your eyes and cleared his throat.

"It's time to go," he said flatly. "We need to go now if we want to get there before sunset. Taehyung, are you ready?"

Taehyung nodded. "I'm ready if Y/N is."

You nodded. There was tension in your shoulders as you took a deep breath, knowing that the king wouldn't have denied you your wings unless there was something urgent that needed to be seen to in the human world.

Your hand came to your necklace, praying that your father was all right.

Seokjin turned to Jungkook with a sigh.

"I suppose since your brother is now under my command," he said, "I'll have to see more of your face from now on."

Jungkook smiled and winked. "Looking forward to it, mate."