Misery /✔/ Taekook

Chapter Twenty-Three

Glass shattered against the wall as the two seething men glared at each other from across the room. Junghyun stood between them with a neutral expression, arms crossed as he glanced back and forth between the two. He was unsure where to insert himself but he knew his presence was needed just in case things became physical between his father and brother.

"You don't own me!" Jungkook yelled, pointing at the old man and taking a step forward. "And you don't own this kingdom!"

"I still have power, Jungkook," the former king yelled back, "and you will do as I say, I will not watch the kingdom our ancestors worked so hard on go up in ruins because of you!"

"Then I give up," Jungkook said, throwing his arms up. His heart slammed against his chest and his breathing was shallow. He looked his father in the eye bringing his arms down and clenching his hands into fists by his side. "If you want power over everyone - over me - so bad, then take it back."

"Jungkook," Junghyun finally interjected. "Now come on, stop it. You're not-"

"You're not part of this, Junghyun!" Jungkook shouted. "You're fucking married! You're happy! You're not being forced to do shit! You don't have anything to worry about! So shut up, just shut up. Why are you even here?! Why?! Just fucking leave!"

He crashed down on the sofa close to the door and put his face in his hands. He heard his brother shift from foot to foot as if trying to decide to listen to his younger brother and leave or stay. He finally decided to walk away, stopping beside Jungkook and looking down at his tense form. Jungkook kept his face in his hands, staring at his brother's shoes through the cracks in his fingers as he waited for Junghyun's unwanted two sense.

"Don't do something you'll regret," Junghyun simply stated before walking out of the room and leaving Jungkook with his father.

Silence filled the room and Jungkook waited for the old man to say something. He wasn't going to say anything, he's already said what he wanted.

Jungkook was called downstairs by his father early in the morning. He had opted for ignoring his father's request for his presence and tried to hold onto the little bit of sleep he still had left but the maids kept waking him up. So he begrudgingly complied to his father only for his mood to somehow worsen even more. The old man had demanded Jungkook take Alika to look around their palace and kingdom. Jungkook refused and told him that he can have someone else do it. His father proceeded to bring up the deal he made with Alika's father and her father's expectations along with the wellbeing of their kingdom and what it takes to be a good king.

"Sacrifices," the former king grilled out, "you can't always have what you want. You have to give things up sometimes for the sake of better things."

Jungkook stayed mum as his father's words settled around the room, waiting to be pierced through by Jungkook's counterattack. But Jungkook was already sick and tired of arguing with this relentless and unwavering man. His mind was already set on what he wanted to do and evidently, his father's mind was set as well. So neither of them were going to get anywhere. Their arguments were just bouncing back and forth like a ping pong ball with no sign of it ever ending.

"Well, if it's that's how you see it," Jungkook said as he stood up, "then it's either I stay and she leaves or you can have the crown back and I'll go on my way and before you can use your power to order me around, I'll be gone."

"You're not leaving this kingdom, Jungkook," his father snapped.

"And I'm not marrying that girl. I'm the king, I can make her leave right now and I can make you leave along with her. But I wouldn't do that...she hasn't done anything worth getting mad at and I wouldn't do that to Mother."