Regret Me Not | 김석진

Twenty

As Jungkook ran out after Yoongi, Iseul got up and tried to go after them, but Namjoon stopped her.

"Let him be."

She shoved him off. "How can I just let him be?"

"Where's Victoria?"

Iseul didn't pay attention as Jin rushed into the other room. Namjoon's eyes softened as he looked at her. "Jungkook and Yoongi have been friends for a long time...Just let them work it out."

"And let Yoongi beat the shit out of my boyfriend?"

He only sighed. He knew Yoongi didn't mean to hurt him—in fact, he wanted to prevent Jungkook from getting hurt. He hurt him now so he wouldn't hurt him later. "Just give it some time, yeah? Go home, get some sleep, and go to Yoongi's place in the morning. I'm sure all will be well by then."

It was all she could do to shrug. "I guess."

But when she did get home, she couldn't sleep. Her sister was out with friends and she was home alone. In the dark, the only thing she could picture was Jungkook's cut up face. She hated it so much. She hated to see him hurt, and that scared her. She was afraid to love someone, and it seemed like it was already happening.

Iseul dozed off and only accumulated about two hours of sleep. It was eight in the morning when she woke, and there were five missed calls from Jin. She lazily called him back and put the phone on speaker.

"Iseul! Have you seen Victoria?" Jin's panicked voice rang through the receiver.

She groaned. "No. Have you seen Jungkook?"

"No. I'm sure he's at Yoongi's, though." He only paused for a second. "Victoria didn't come home last night...you don't think she's in trouble, do you?"

Iseul sat up slowly, dragging her phone with her. "I'm sure your girl is fine. She's not helpless, you know."

"Okay, but did you see how drunk she was?"

"Did you see how beat up Jungkook was?" she retorted hotly. "Not everyone's world revolves around your problems, Jin!"

He sighed. "Sorry...I'm just worried."

"Well so am I. I'm sure we'll find them both soon. Good luck."

"You too."

She ended the call quickly and got up to get dressed. It was nine by the time she dragged herself out of bed and to the streets to search for Jungkook. She figured Yoongi's place was the safest bet, and since she didn't have her license and Victoria was MIA, she decided to just walk there.

The new snow crunched loudly under her feet. It was more like ice at that point, but she was grateful for the scenery it produced. The trees were bare against the white background, and gray clouds hung in the sky, blocking out the sun.

As she approached the apartment, she spotted a familiar car parked on the street. "No..." she mumbled to herself and continued walking. That was until she saw her advancing toward her. "Victoria?" she asked, astonished. "What are you doing here?"

-

Victoria swallowed hard as she only stared back at Iseul. The younger must have connected the dots, but she wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I was just...I..." she stuttered, searching for the words.

Iseul already knew that her next words would be a lie.

"I was looking for Jungkook!" she spewed. "What are...you doing here?"

The younger narrowed her eyes. "I'm actually looking for Jungkook. Why are you here Victoria?" A thought occurred to her, and she widened her eyes. "Oh my God—did you fuck Yoongi?!"

"Shhh!" Victoria pressed a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down."

Iseul stumbled backward. "Oh, Vic...I can't...How could you do that to Jin?!"

"No—look, I just—I fell asleep on Yoongi's floor, okay? We were both really drunk and I passed out," she lied. "Nothing happened. I promise."

"Are you lying to me?"

"No. I swear."

Iseul didn't believe one word of it, but she didn't want to argue. It was Victoria's business anyway. And she wanted to find Jungkook. "Is Jungkook inside?"

"No," Victoria sighed. "I have to go. I'll see you, okay?"

"Yeah..."

She stopped at her car. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"

Iseul shook her head. "I'm fine."

As soon as she got in, she sped off toward Jin's place. When she pulled into the car port, she noticed Yoongi's Toyota Camry parked on the street, much like hers in front of his place.

Her feet felt like wet wood as she dragged herself to the front door. She was about to knock, but then she remembered that she lived there.

Fear settled into her heart as she turned her key in the lock and pushed the door open. Upstairs, Jin heard the door close from where he was anxiously pacing. His heart jumped as he rushed down the stairs, relief washing over him when he saw his beautiful, hungover mess of a girlfriend.

"Baby!" He embraced her instantaneously, picking her up in his arms.

Victoria clung to him tightly, arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Jin," she choked, on the verge of tears.

"I don't care where you were. I'm just so glad that you're here now," he murmured into her hair as he set her down, not breaking the hug. "Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, pulling away to touch her face and her arms and checking for any visible injuries.

A small laugh bubbled up in her throat as the first tears fell. "I'm fine."

"Oh, baby." Jin smoothed his hands over her cheeks. "I never should have left you alone when you were so drunk. This is all my fault."

She shook her head. "No—"

He pressed a finger to her lips before replacing it with his. The kiss was tender and sweet. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. The taste of her own betrayal. "Part of being an adult is accepting things that are hard from time to time..." He chuckled a little and moved a piece of hair out of her face. "I guess I'm still immature."

Jin leaned down to settle his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in.

"I love you, Victoria. And I'm sorry."