CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, ALCOHOL, WEAPONS, MINOR FLUFF, & ANGST
_
I stood awkwardly outside Namjoon's bedroom with my fist raised to knock on his door. Nothing could be heard from within, but the sounds of life inside the house bustled about around me as everyone rose from their slumber and traded back and forth between their rooms and bathrooms. Jungkook flew past me with a toothbrush and fresh bottle of toothpaste in his grasp from downstairs; he paused in his tracks at finding me before his hyung's door and turned back on his heel.
"What're you doing, angel?"
I swallowed. "I needed to talk to Namjoon about something."
"I'd wait," the brunet muttered. "Namjoon hyung doesn't normally like interacting this early in the morning."
"But, he told me to come here."
At the mention of my presence being summoned, Jungkook's eyes widened a fraction. "He did?"
I nodded, pulling my hand back down to my side. Even though I had discussed our meeting the prior night, I was still shocked at finding a text from Namjoon the moment I woke up asking to meet in his room. Jungkook grunted in the back of his throat and his gaze shifted from me to the door and back.
"Alright..," he hesitated. "If he says anything like before, come and tell me."
"I will."
"Okay, angel."
With that, Jungkook pressed a kiss to my forehead and turned to make his way to the bathroom. He shut himself inside without even a glance over his shoulder and I extended my arm back towards the door and knocked lightly. Almost immediately, it swung inward and Namjoon peered out through the crack at me with wide, searching eyes. They looked so beautiful, and I couldn't help but smile softly at him as he opened the door wider to let me inside.
"I didn't think you'd come," he murmured, shutting us inside his dimly lit bedroom. Every wall and corner was painted a different color than the rest of the house. Instead of white walls, they were a light beige, and the ceiling was moss green, as were the borders to the wall and door frame. The front and back wall was covered from floor to ceiling in plants, held in little white racks with basins beneath to let the water drain from each pot. Namjoon's bed was made neatly with light grey covers and pillows, and a medium-sized brown bear was snuggled atop everything in a corner back against the wall. There was a desk diagonal to the door on the back wall, near the sliding closet mirror doors, and to the left of it, a human-sized rack decorated with various-sized figurines. His room was so neat and tidy that it made me feel almost home sick, and I stared in awe at everything around me.
"You like it in here?"
"It's beautiful," I whispered. Hesitantly, I reached out and caressed the leaf of a coral bell, the plant an almost peach-like color compared to all the green that surrounded us. "You must really know your way around plants."
"Yeah, a little. I just enjoy tending to them."
With a ghost of a smile, Namjoon stepped over to his desk, shuffling papers neatly into a pile off to the side before beginning to spray mist over a small bonsai tree. I watched him carefully, his long fingers trailing slowly up the fragile trunk, over every curve as if it were the body of his lover. His index finger curled around the end of one of the purple blossoms and he misted it over once for hydration before setting the plastic bottle back on the window seal.
A sigh slipped from his lips after a moment's silence. "Yumin-ah, I'm really sorry for how I acted."
I turned fully in the man's direction, his back still to me as he continued tracing along the bonsai's trunk. Finally, he spun around to face me, his face sullen, eyes narrowed almost pathetically as he took me in.
"I had no right to call you those things, or accuse you of everything I did."
"What did you accuse me of?" I wanted to hear him repeat just exactly what he had said to me, just to make him feel guiltier.
"I accused you of sleeping around. I called you a slut and a mutt even after Jimin and Yoongi told me everything you've gone through. There's no excuse for what I said, but I said those things because I was jealous."
That's not what I was expecting. My eyes widened in curiosity, but I let him continue.
"I was jealous of how close you'd become with the other members, and I wanted to be in your place instead. I still do, but I realize that I don't have to envy you and bring you down just to obtain the relationship I once had with them. They're lucky to have you...and I hope- I hope we can start over and maybe be friends?"
I contemplated throwing his proposal aside and stalking out of his room with my head held high. Not even a day after meeting me, he'd opted to hate on me instead of at least talking things through as he was trying to do now. I glared at Namjoon from across the room and he seemed to wither slightly under my gaze.
"I understand if you don't want to."
"Life's too short to hold a grudge." I took a few steps across the room and offered him my hand. "Friends?"
A smile slowly lit up his tanned face and he eagerly took my hand into his own. "Friends. Thanks for being so nice about this."
"As much as your comments hurt in the beginning," I spoke, "You don't deserve to be treated badly just because you were jealous." I smirked at the last of my words and watched his face turn red with embarrassment. "So, what made you jealous of me, huh? There's gotta be more to it than us being close."
"Uh..." Namjoon chuckled softly and slipped his free hand around the nape of his neck. He squeezed my hand ever so gently before letting go, palm growing sweaty as he wiped it on the seat of his pants. "I think we should head downstairs. Are you all ready for the day?"
Dodging my question, aye? I nodded with my smirk still plastered on my face. Namjoon chuckled lightly and slipped past me on my right, headed towards the door.
"C'mon," he ushered me out the door. "Help me order in."
"You don't wanna help me cook or something?"
"Oh God, I can't cook to save my life," Namjoon blushed. "I'm prohibited from working in the kitchen by Jin hyung because I don't know how to hold a knife correctly."
I couldn't help but think back to my pocket knife, still in Jungkook's possession. "How do you not know-"
"Don't ask."
A laugh slipped from my throat and Namjoon offered me a toothy grin in return. We walked casually downstairs into the kitchen where we found Yoongi with a pot of coffee heating up on the counter. He already had a mug pressed to his thin, pink lips, and upon seeing us enter the room, he reached high for fresh mugs from the top cabinet.
"Funny seeing you two together," the brunet commented. "Can I make you a cup?"
"Thanks, hyung," Namjoon nodded. I nodded eagerly as well, longing for the bittersweet taste of creamer and coffee to trail down my throat.
Yoongi tipped his head in reply and began to refill the pot with freshly brewed coffee. Instead of sidling up next to him, I teetered to the side and let my head rest carefully on Namjoon's upper arm. He seemed taken aback by my sudden closeness, but let me curl closer to his as he leaned back against the island countertop. Over his shoulder, the oldest eyed us with furrowed brows, taking in the unexpected sight with his dark eyes narrowed.
"Did I miss something?" he queried.
"I apologized to Yumin this morning. She didn't deserve what I said to her."
"Ah, thank God you've finally decided to pull your head out of your ass." Yoongi filled a mug with one part creamer and three parts coffee and offered it to the white-haired man. "So, you guys are alright, now?"
"Yeah, we're fine," I smiled softly. "Namjoon's my friend now."
"Friends, now I didn't see that coming. You don't think you'll be at each other's throats by the end of the week?"
"Hyung, I know what I did was fucked up-"
"Very."
"But, you know I'm not that bad a person."
"No, you're not."
Yoongi walked over and offered me my mug with both hands extended around the sides. The content's warmth seeped into my hands and made me feel sluggish at the start of the morning. I liked it, and my smile blossomed across my face.
"Maybe you should let Yumin kick you. Just for payback."
"God, no. I'd rather wait on her hand and foot for the next week."
"I'm holding you to that," I blurted.
"Fine." Namjoon's free arm snaked around my shoulder and pulled me in closer. "I'll be your butler for the next week as an apology."
"Sounds perfect, Namjoon."
"You can call me Joon if you want. Since we're friends now..."
"Can I call you Joonie?"
"We haven't called you Joonie in forever," Yoongi commented. "I kind of miss it."
I beamed brightly up at the taller man I rested against, finding him with a slack face and flushed cheeks. He glanced down at me out of the corner of his eyes and slowly extended his lower jaw. It seemed almost out of agitation, but a moment ticked by and he let out a low chuckle as a smile threatened to tug his thin lips upward.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?" I grumbled, causing him to burst into a fit of laughter.
"Fine! If it'll get you to stop whining, then you can call me Joonie."
"Okay!"
Yoongi sauntered closer and peered down into my cup. "Maybe I shouldn't have given you coffee." The three of us erupted into quiet laughter as he urged the cup from my hands and placed it on the counter. Our happy chorus seemed to summon the others from upstairs and we gradually parted until we were caught up in the mass of everyone around us.
_
Hoseok and Yumin stood out on the back porch and stared out at the glistening lights of Seoul as the darkest part of the night set in. He held a cup of gin on ice in his hand, swirling the contents before taking a quick sip and placing it down on the railing.
"I don't want to bother you with it," Yumin was saying. Moments before, he had offered to accompany the brunette to her ex's court appearance and maybe even give her some hints on how to win the case for sure. After all, he had won his case, but the only thing he'd won was a lifelong restraining order against Min Deiji. It was still something and Hoseok wished Yumin could get the best after everything Yura had put her through.
"It's not a bother. After all, I offered. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't actually want to help you."
"Hoseok, this is between me and Yura. Not you. Not Kiana. Not Yoongi. Just us. The last thing I need to do is drag you under the bus with me."
"If you insist..." He took a deep breath, tempted to reach out for his glass once more. "Do you still want to hear what I think about the case?"
"I'd like that, thank you."
"I think-" Hoseok grabbed his glass and gulped down the last remaining drops of blood-red liquid, clinking the ice cubes together for his own amusement. "-that no matter how scared you are, no matter how nervous you might be that Yura could twist his story because he will, you just have to tell the truth. Tell it in detail with a broad chest and your head held high. You can't let him see how scared you are. It'll only play into his hands if he sees any chance that you might slip up."
Yumin's eyes fluttered closed and she leaned heavily against the railing. After a second, they slowly opened and she gazed down at the city below as tears gathered in their corners. "You're right," she whispered. "I know you're right, but I'm still so scared, Hoseok."
The brunet stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her backside, drawing her slightly away from the edge as he watched her gaze blur with the tears in her eyes. "I know you are. I'd be scared too if I were you, but if you want to guarantee your success in getting Min Yura put behind bars, then you've got to get through this as strong and as brave as possible. You might not think you can do it, but when the time comes, you'll find yourself feeling everything you've ever bottled in come out and that's when you let it all loose. Tell the judge and the jury every single thing that's ever occurred when you were with that man, and I'm sure they'll try him guilty for everything he's done to you and the others."
Slowly, Yumin nodded, rubbing her hands through her damp, curly hair and fisting it at the roots. Her breathing came out in shallow pants and he slowly began to rub circles along the small of her back to calm her down.
On the night of December 15th, 2019. A Sunday. Exactly four days before the court case that would change all of their lives, hopefully, for the better. Yumin could last that long. She only had to make it until then before everything would be alright.
"Just hold in there until Thursday, Yumin." Hoseok sighed, feeling his heart race for the brunette within the confines of his chest. "You'll be just fine."
_
As Hoseok and I stepped back into the warmth of the living room, the brunet taking off to refill his glass with fresh gin, my phone buzzed irritably in my back pocket. I thought I shut my ringer off. Maybe I hadn't. I wanted to wind down for the night and that involved me shutting myself off from the endless stream of notifications I seemed to be getting as the court case loomed ahead of me at a soon coming date. Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I lazily read over the unknown number of a new text message before clicking it open. Maybe it was someone from the court-house, or from Chanyoung's office, and ignoring it didn't seem like a plausible option for me at the moment.
_
IMESSAGE CHAT
𝐔𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧
UNKNOWN
Come outside.
UNKNOWN
Now, Yumin.
YUMIN
Who is this?
UNKNOWN
I got a new phone; of course you don't recognize me.
UNKNOWN
But, that's a good thing.
UNKNOWN
At least now anyways.
UNKNOWN
Come downstairs right this minute.
UNKNOWN
I'm not asking.
YUMIN
This is Yura, isn't it?
UNKNOWN
Clever girl.
UNKNOWN
Now, come downstairs.
UNKNOWN
Stop making me repeat myself.
YUMIN
Are you here?
UNKNOWN
Yes, I am.
UNKNOWN
And, if you know what's good for you and the five little rats
that you call family, you'll stop asking so many fucking
questions and get right down here.
UNKNOWN
NOW.
Read
_
I felt numb. Every feeling began draining from my body and I tittered to the side as my vision blurred. Jimin glanced over from his seat on the couch and gave me a once over, but in his slightly drunken state, I didn't think he cared enough to voice his obvious concerns. Slowly, I made my way through the living room on quiet feet and through the kitchen where Hoseok was refilling his glass and conversing casually with Jin and Taehyung. I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and slipped out into the frigid night air, my skin erupting with gooseflesh as I circled my arms around my waist for comfort.
It was too dark to see anything from the balcony. No lights were on on our street and it was late enough to where everyone else's lights were off for the night. I hesitantly made my way down the wooden steps to the garage one at a time, dreading ever setting foot out of the house. As I hopped down onto the driveway, the floodlights around the porch came to life, but I didn't look over my shoulder. My eyes were dead set on the black truck residing in front of our driveway, parked as if it were ready to pull away from the curb in a hurry. And, sure enough, Yura leaned up against the bed of the truck with his arms crossed over his chest, a smug smile painted over his sharp features.
"It's been a while, Yumin," he grinned. "Come here."
I walked a little closer but kept a few feet's distance between the two of us. "Why're you here? The court case isn't until Thursday; we're not supposed to be near each other until then."
"Says who? Huh? Not Chanyoung. Was it one of your little toys up there?" He nodded his head back to the house and I snarled in defense. "I bet it was."
"Leave them out of this, Yura," I breathed heatedly. "They have nothing to do with this. This is between you and me, that's it."
"Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind getting in the truck with me for a little bit."
The proposition startled me, but before I could react, my head whipped around on my shoulders as Yura's gaze was drug back to the house. Footsteps thundered down the wooden steps, one creaking dangerously loud, and the panicked sound of Jungkook's voice spooked me off guard as he skid to a halt at the base of the stairs.
"Yumin!" His chest heaved from running, eyes darting back and forth between me and the brunet behind me.
I made to reply, but a hand slipped around my throat and squeezed hard. Yura hauled my back against his chest as I struggled in his grasp with a strangled whimper. My gaze bounced around frantically, looking for something to help me, but all I could see was Jungkook, Jimin's truck, Yoongi's Audi, and the rest of the house piling out the front doors with looks of horror painted on their faces from above.
"Let go of me!" I growled.
Yura's hand tightened around my throat and I began to see stars in the corners of my vision. Slowly, he reached between our bodies, something hard pressing into my back, and pulled out something black and solid, pressing it gently to my temple. I already knew what it was without glancing up at it, my eyes falling shut with utter regret at stepping outside as tears streamed down my face.
"You're gonna get in the truck," he breathed calmly into my ear. "And, you're not gonna try and run. You're not gonna scream. You're not gonna fight. You're gonna behave and get in the fucking truck."
"Yumin-ah," Jungkook's voice broke as he took a few shaky steps forward.
"Stay back," I sobbed, blinking across at him. I pulled weakly at Yura's grasp around my neck, but it didn't give. The youngest's lips parted in a silent cry as he struggled with what to do next, his hands flexing anxiously at his side. His foot lifted slightly off the ground as he made to step forward and I grit my teeth in rage. "I said stay back!"
Yura chuckled sickly in my ear and it only forced more tears from my eyes. "J-Just go inside," I called out. "All of you. Go back in the house!"
"Yumin, I'm not leaving you."
"Jungkook," I whaled. I was so tired. I wanted everything to stop. "Please."
"I'd listen to her, boy," Min Yura bit out. "This is between me and her."
"If you hurt her-"
"What're you gonna do?" I heard something click and whimpered audibly into the night, my nails sinking into the skin around his wrist. "Try and save her? She'd be on the ground before you could take the first step."
The stairs creaked and I blinked up at them, watching as Namjoon and Yoongi walked down them one at a time, hands raised in defense as they lined up behind the maknae. My eyes locked with Namjoon's and the look of fear swirling about them made me feel sick to my stomach.
"Yumin's going to get into the truck and we're going to drive away. You're not gonna call the police, you're not going to tail us, and if you do-" He pressed the gun deeper into my temple and I began to feel lightheaded. "Kapeesh?"
No one replied. Yura carefully pulled his hand back from my neck and I lurched out of his hold, stumbling forward and whipping back on my heel. Eyes wide, I stared into the barrel of the gun with the brunet smiling blankly behind it. His tongue swiped over the inside of his cheek and he jerked his head towards the truck, clicking the passenger door open with his free hand.
"You try anything," he whispered, "And you're as good as dead, you hear me?"
All I could do was nod, hearing Jungkook whimpering my name pitifully behind me. "Pathetic," Yura breathed, clasping both hands around his weapon. I took a shaky breath and began to make my way to the truck, both hands on the outer rim of the door as I lifted my foot to step inside.
"Yumin," Jungkook begged, but I pretended not to hear him, hopping inside and letting Yura shut the door behind me.
I lowered my head so that I didn't have to look out at the sight in my driveway; my family staring after me with tears in their eyes as they watched me get taken away from them for what would most likely be the final time. Yura hopped into the front seat and discarded his weapon on his dashboard without care, turning the key and pulling out casually from the curb.
"You did the right thing," he commented, but all I could do was sniffle back my tears and stare down at my lap. "Put your seatbelt on and I'll bring you back home with me, princess."
I did just that.
_
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I'M BACK!! I WAS SWAMPED WITH SCHOOL AND WORK, MY BAD. Have a happy holiday everyone and I hope you all have a good transition into the New Year<3