Promise Not To Fail You

27. The Preparations

"Okay. You both will be given an hour. Whether you finish early or you still have words left to talk, you will have to stay in the room for an hour" the magistrate said and the constables escorted Jungkook and Jinho into the room in which they were supposed to talk. 

Jungkook was sure their talk would be done in ten minutes at the most. He just wanted to ask his brother a question. Just one. He looked at Taehyung and nodded, telling him that he would be back soon. 

Yugyeom walked to Taehyung. "We will bring him to the death cell fifteen minutes before the time of execution. We can give you fifteen minutes at the most, Taehyung. I will signal to you when it is 7:45 and you can start it. A whistle will be blown at 8 and then the handkerchief will be dropped. So you have to finish by then, okay?" he whispered. 

Taehyung beamed as he realized that his request was being accepted. He looked at the magistrate, who gave him a small smile and nodded slightly. He smiled back and bowed to him. 

Yoongi and Namjoon, who didn't understand what exactly was happening, just furrowed their eyebrows and frowned at Taehyung. 

"What's happening?" Namjoon asked. "You'll see" Taehyung said, beaming at them. He knew that his request was cruel, but he couldn't help but feel happy at the fact that he was finally going to pay back to the man who killed his brother and ruined his life. 

"You can come out after you are done with the talk, but he has to stay in the room till the end" one of the constables who guided Jungkook and Jinho into the room said, addressing Jungkook.

 "Okay" Jungkook said, while Jinho remained silent. "We'll be standing right outside" they said. "Okay" Jungkook said once again and the constables left after cuffing Jinho's hands and legs to the table, leaving the brothers alone. 

Jungkook stared at his brother in silence for a while. "Are you satisfied, hyung?" he finally asked. The one question that he had been itching to ask. Jinho furrowed his eyebrows at the question, but didn't talk. 

"I asked you if you are satisfied. Is this what you wanted in the end? For what purpose did you do all of that shit, hyung? What did you gain at the end? You neither loved someone, nor did someone love you. You didn't even have your parents' love. 

You could have stayed at home and messed with your younger brother just like every other teenager does. I would have given you all of my love. But at the end, that same younger brother is getting a Brave Citizen Award for catching his brother and making sure that he gets hanged. 

Do you need this, hyung? The whole country is celebrating your death. The whole country got a holiday to enjoy you being hanged. Is this what you wanted? 

There are many other ways to become famous, hyung. This wasn't the way. Right, you are famous. But at what cost? You might have won in whatever sick game you've been playing, but you've lost miserably in your life. 

You don't have the love that I have. You don't have people who would be there for you. You don't have people who see you as you. 

Do you know that there are hundreds of reporters outside your death cell, itching to capture the your death moment? Is that what you wanted? What on earth did you expect to achieve when you went down this lane, hyung?" Jungkook asked. 

He had initially planned on asking just that one question. But the second he asked it, he couldn't help but let out all of his thoughts. Jinho remained silent throughout the lecture. He had no words. 

Now that he was minutes away from his own death and was being lectured by his own little brother, he thought about it. And he had no answer to any of the questions that his brother had asked. He just sat there with his head hung low, waiting for Jungkook to continue shaming him. 

Jungkook waited for a while before sighing loudly. "Good bye, hyung. Remember that you were loved before you turned bad. I hope you rot in hell" he said and yelled for the constables to get him out of the room. 

It was at that moment, when he could literally feel his death crawling towards him and creeping up his bones, that Jinho broke down, realizing how true Jungkook was. 

'Why did I do it? What did I do it for?! Just why??!' he thought as the constables took Jungkook out and locked the room as the hour wasn't up yet. 

He sobbed and sobbed as his mind flashed with dead bodies of every single person he had ever killed. He hit his head to the table repeatedly, hoping to punish himself a bit before getting hanged for his sins. 

He wanted to apologize to the nation for what he had done, but time waits for none, after all. It was too late. He was too late. It was time for him to be escorted to his death cell. He cried as the two head constables walked in, followed by twelve other constables, the magistrate and the executioner. 

He sobbed as they put the black cloth on his face. Two constables held his shoulders and guided him to his death cell. He felt one of the constables fit the noose around his neck and then he knew. He knew that it was the end. 

The lever would be pulled any minute now and he would be gone. He waited. Waited for the lever to be pulled so that he could finally die, but the moment never came. Instead, he felt soft hands pry the black cloth away from his face. 

He was confused. He slowly opened his eyes and waited for them to adjust to the light before looking at the executioner in front of him. 

He watched as the executioner slowly removed his glasses and mask. His eyes widened as he recognized the executioner. 

"Kim Taehyung" he whispered in horror. Taehyung smirked at him. "Hello, handsome" Taehyung said in the same tone that Jinho had used when he called him 'cutie', and enjoyed the way blood drained from Jinho's face.