Jungkook had been part of the Dreams Factory for six months already. He had been trained as an Acrobat and elected the best of the crew. With his flexible body, it was easy for him to learn the routines and excel in each move.
As Yunho had promised, be had a solo act without a partner like the rest. It was the act that had most people interested as the public heard that the was a new prodigious boy in the crew.
Jungkook was the star of the show.
However, although he went solo, lately, he had become close to the crew, little by little.
At first, it was difficult for anyone to get close to the boy that apparently had no bones but incredible strength for someone his age.
Yunho was the only one that Jungkook really talked to and it was only to discuss circus matters. No one could break the nutshell that was Jeon Jungkook.
He was unreachable.
Jungkook kept going to school a few times a week, whenever he felt like it. Being surrounded by the smell of circus animals and the dryness of the field 24/7 was not something that pleased Jungkook very much.
And again, Yunho had kept his promise as he never interfered whenever Jungkook left the premises of the Dreams Factory. He always returned anyways.
It wasn't until one fateful day, when Jungkook was practicing alone one of his acts. He swung lazily from one of the trapeze.
He hung upside down and his mind was starting to roam far. He didn't notice when he missed the time and he was too late once his legs had already untangled from the bar and he was swinging towards the other trapeze. Unable to reach the bar in time, his eyes widen as he fell nearly five meters down to the ground.
There was no safety net, as it was being repaired at the moment. Yunho had warned everyone to not practice while the net was being fixed, but Jungkook had ignored his warnings. He had never fallen before and he was sure it wouldn't happen.
How much he damned his stubbornness.
He closed his eyes, ready to fall, when he felt a tight grasp at his wrists. He looked up to see one of the twins holding him with a stoic expression.
The twin threw him so he would be caught by her twin brother, who looked at him with the same dead eyes.
Once they were near the base, Jungkook felt himself being slightly thrown and quickly caught into a reassuring embrace.
When he regained himself and came down from the fear of almost dying a horrifying death, Jungkook opened his eyes to see the concerned eyes of Jaejoong.
"Are you okay?" Jaejoong's voice came out soft and his face showed how worried he was.
He was worried.
For him.
Jungkook's face scrunched up and his eyes filled with tears. He started sobbing as Jaejoong held him close, quietly shushing him as his shirt got soaked with the tears of the sad boy.
When Jungkook calmed down, Jaejoong helped him down the five meters worth of stairs without having to worry that the boy may cry and slip from his hold.
Once down, the rest of the crew were already waiting as they had heard about Jungkook's incident. They surrounded them as Jaejoong helped Jungkook down, but the boy wouldn't part from him, even after standing by himself.
Jaejoong hugged him with one arm and saw Yunho approaching them.
"How are you doing, Jungkook?" Yunho's voice was different from his usual animated and loud presenter's voice.
Jungkook sniffled a few times, his body still shaking.
When he received no response, Yunho sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, son, what you did was very dangerous. I told you not to practice because I was worried you'd get hurt if anything happened. You're safety comes first.
"I know you said you wanted to be alone, and I, we respected that by not giving you a partner and giving you your space. You know that being a trapeze artist is very dangerous and is safer to have someone else to accompany you.
"I'm not saying that I doubt your skills. You're one of the best performers we've ever had. I think what I'm trying to say is that, you can depend on us. You don't need to always be alone. If you ever find something difficult or simply need to talk, we are here for you. You're one of us now, and we care for you."
Jungkook looked up and made short eye contact with each member. They all offered him a smile, even the twins had pulled a small grin for him.
"You... care?" He sounded afraid, an emotion he hadn't publicly shown in a long time.
"Yes, Jungkook, we care for you. Even if you don't consider us family, we do. You're part of our family now."
Jungkook's eyes filled with tears once again and cried.
He cried loud and clear.
He had a family.
🔫🔫
Jungkook quietly tiptoed his way to his tent. His knuckles stung and his shoulder hurt.
Once he opened the tent, a light turned on and Jungkook groaned.
He got caught.
"And where could you be at this hour of the night? I would be more than honored to know."
Yunho sat on his bed in pajamas as Jungkook stood by the opening of the tent.
"Hey, you said I could leave whenever I wanted." He walked towards a small trunk where he stored his clothes and started changing from his dirty and ripped off clothes. He was sure there were a couple of blood stains, but couldn't bother as he struggled to take off his shirt with his aching shoulder.
"I did say that."
Yunho stood up and walked closer to him.
"But I also said we were family and that I care for you."
Jungkook remained silent.
"Were you fighting again?"
Silence.
Yunho looked down at Jungkook's bloody knuckles before the boy could hide them under the sleeves of his shirt.
"Jungkook-"
"I know, I know. I'm okay, you worry too much."
"Do I really?"
Before he could understand the meaning behind those words, Yunho pressed his shoulder and Jungkook hissed, jerking it away.
"Let me see it."
"Really, it's nothing-"
"Jungkook."
He sighed, walking towards the bed with Yunho following behind him. He sat on the bed and took his shirt off, careful not to move his injured shoulder too much.
The older man stared at the purple bruise that covered a large part of the boy's shoulder.
"What happened?" He asked, ready to hear another one of Jungkook's many tales.
"I'm fine. Just a little disagreement with a few guys after I won in the ring."
"Jungkook, we've talked about this. Your twenty-one this year, basically a legal adult. You should know how to take proper care of yourself. And participating in underground fights isn't my definition of safe. How come you're still acting as a brat?"
Jungkook rolled his eyes as he saw that Yunho was already prepared with a bottle of ointment.
"I told you already. I'm fine. And if fighting is so dangerous like you said, then why did you teach me. Why did you all teach me?"
Yunho didn't look up as he kept rubbing the cream on Jungkook's bruise.
"It wasn't meant for you to use it to voluntarily fight for money."
"That still doesn't explain why you all had to teach me. It's not like what the real purpose for the Dreams Factory is any safer."
Yunho stopped for a moment. This little brat really knew how to get to anyone's nerves.
"You know why we do it."
"Exactly, but does that make it any less illegal?"
"..."
"That's what I thought. So why can't I fight. You all trained me to become strong. Might as well use it to get some benefit from it. I heard somewhere that if you're good at something, never do it for free. And I think that should be set in stone."
"It's not the same."
"Then explain to me! You steal for money and use all of this circus shit as a cover up! What I'm doing is just making some extra money by myself. Stop trying to pretend to be some sort of Robin Hood and treating me like a child! My business is mine and mine alone, so don't stick your nose where it isn't called."
Jungkook was slightly panting from the outburst. He turned around and grabbed his shirt before storming out of the tent, not noticing Jaejoong's approaching figure.
"Jungkook—" Jaejoong called, but the man was already too far away to hear him.
Jungkook walked around the city until he got to a familiar alleyway. At the end was a pile of rubbish and he pushed all of it away, revealing a door on the floor. He opened it and climbed down the stairs through the darkness.
Once he reached the bottom, there was a large metal door and he knocked three times before a small slit opened.
"Password?"
"Better give than receive."
He heard the locks opening and twisting before the metal door opened and he was met by a big bulky guy. Jungkook didn't acknowledge him as he entered and saw all the people that were crowding around a ring and a man holding another one in a choke lock.
He walked towards a counter and the man behind him smiled.
"Jungkook! You're back! We thought we'd never see our champion again."
Jungkook smiled.
"Nice to see you again too. How was everything during my absence?"
"Yah know, a few broken bones and splattered blood. I keep finding teeth around. These people don't know how to clean up their mess. But besides the usual, things have been pretty boring without you around."
Jungkook smirked at the sound of that.
"Then I guess I should give the audience what they want. Can't leave them without a champion."
"So you're back at it again, huh? I'll write your name in the list and put you into he next fight asap."
"Thanks. Still have my key?"
The man pulled out a key from under the counter and slid it towards Jungkook's direction.
With a smirk, Jungkook grabbed the metal key and walked away to the back part.
He opened a door, revealing mainly cleaning items and a row of lockers. He opened the locker and took out the clothes and equipment he needed.
"Tonight, we have a special event for all of you! Returning back to the ring, having only walked on this planet for twenty-one years, the undefeated champion, Golden J!"
The people went crazy at the sound of his name being mentioned once again. Jungkook stepped into the ring and greeted his many fans.
"And in the other side, our currently rising star, whose fists could break through even a full grown man, the one who lures in the shadows, Black Night!"
Jungkook saw as another guy jumped into the ring and slowly walked up to him. He had a twisted smile that Jungkook could only describe as cocky.
His figure was big, but his face looked young. Jungkook couldn't really judge, he was more or less the same.
After going through training with each member of the Dreams Factory crew, he had added extra exercise and decided to build up his body. He was broad, without the need to look overly muscular or way older than his age. It also tended to go unnoticed as he was used to wearing very baggy clothes, the only time his figure was shown, was when he wore more fitting clothes that exposed his actual physique of broad shoulders and chest, muscular arms, defined thighs and a tiny waist. Truly sculpted by gods.
"So you're the Golden J, huh? I hope you haven't grown attached to that title of yours. Because you're soon gonna lose it to me."
Jungkook scoffed. "You talk to much."
The moment he finished the sentence, the bell rang and Jungkook was quick to deliver the first blow, successfully landing his fist against the man's cheek that didn't have enough time to react.
"Fighting is about fists, not words."
With that being said, Jungkook launched himself forward, hitting the man once again and making him stumble backwards.
Jungkook continued with his rain of fists, adding a few kicks while the other man desperately attempted to block the flying limbs.
When Jungkook had him cornered, he could already taste the victory accompanied by the hysterical screaming and cheering from the audience.
He was getting ready to take the man down, disappointed that this was the best they had gotten in the time he was gone.
"Pathetic."
But before Jungkook could knock him out, the man started to laugh and Jungkook stopped his fist just mere inches away form his face.
"Bold of you to be laughing when I'm about to destroy your face and your pride."
The man laughed even louder.
"So it is true what they say. The mighty Golden J is back. The lonely boy with family problems."
Jungkook stopped. "What did you say?"
"You're the runaway boy who landed in the arms of Jung Yunho and the rest of that pathetic group of clowns. What were they called again? Dreams Factory? Couldn't they chose a better name?"
Jungkook gritted his teeth, unaware of who was this guy.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The guy laughed again as Jungkook pushed him harder against the ring's fence.
"You're just a bunch of clowns stealing from the rich. You're pathetic Robin Hood wannabes with nothing more than a few circus tricks and animal smell."
Jungkook hit him hard on the face. "Wanna say that again?"
The man smirked.
"You're all a disgrace to the criminal world. Although I do have to admit, they did a descent job with you. How about you join us instead? What do you say? With your skills, we could ascend further in this world. Come on, leave those clowns and join us, Jungkook."
Jungkook glared at him. This man was insane if he thought he was going to throw everything for a pesky offer like that.
"Like hell I would ever do that." He hissed through gritted teeth.
"You're missing out in it. I wonder what your friends will think about fireworks. They are quite explosive you know. All it takes is a little spark and everything burns."
Jungkook's eyes widen at the realization of his words.
"You're fucking crazy!" And with that, he punched him as hard as he could until he was out cold. The audience had broken into a scream of excitement, completely unaware of the situation at hand. Jungkook bolted out of the place. He had no time to waste.
Grabbing his hoodie, he ran across the streets as fast as he could, praying not to be too late.
His lungs burned and his knees wanted to give out at any second, but he didn't stop. His heart was about to beat out of his chest when he reached the site were the Dreams Factory was settled.
His heart sank when he saw that everything was in flames. Without thinking twice, he ran in the direction of the fire and desperately attempted to search for his crew members. They had to be alive.
They had to.
Jungkook ran down the maze of tents and cages, the animals that were trapped inside roared frantically as the temperature rose. Jungkook wanted to set them free but only Yunho had the keys and he had no time to unlock each cage.
He ran to the center and saw all the surrounding tents burning to ashes and collapsing to the floor.
"Yunho, Max! Baron! Jaejoong! Min, Lin, Jin! Smiles?! Giggles?!" He called out each of their names, but no response came.
He then heard a loud scream and turned to run at the direction of it.
He entered the main tent as he saw red when his eyes fell upon a group of men in black cornering the crew while still being surrounded by flames.
Somehow, Jaejoong and Smiles were separated at the opposite side where the rest were. Jaejoong was pulling the girl in white closer to his body and covering her eyes from the guns pointed at them.
On the other side, Baron kept the clowns behind him as Giggles held tightly onto Yunho's jacket, Max stood by his side, glaring at the men.
"What do you want?" Yunho screamed as he pushed Giggles further behind him.
The men laughed and one of them stepped forward.
He had a scar that started on his forehead and ran over his closed eye and down his cheek.
"Ah, Mr. Y, so we finally meet." The man smiled, lowering his gun.
Yunho just glared at him.
"Oh, why so serious? We just came to enjoy the show. We heard that you make people's dreams come true. Do you also tell your audience that while they're all laughing at these clowns and being mesmerized by flying kids, you were secretly stealing from them?"
"Tell me, Mr. Y, do those kids you promise so much to, know that when the curtain is down and the animals are back in their cages, you and your circus monkeys run around the city and steal from anyone that comes in your way?"
Yunho stayed silent, glaring holes at the man in front.
"You know nothing!" Max growled at him.
Jungkook wanted to step out and make himself known, when a gun shot took his attention.
Everyone turned to see as somehow Jaejoong and Smiles had managed to sneak out and start climbing the stairs of one of the bases. Smiles climbed fast before him and they were lucky enough to dodge all the bullets shot at them.
Once at the top, Jaejoong quickly pushed Smiles so she could swing on the trapeze and safely swing her way to the other base. He saw the men starting to climb and there were no more trapeze for him to swing from.
He took a deep breath and started to walk down the tightrope as fast as he could.
Jaejoong was an expert at walking on the tightrope and never had a problem with it, regardless if he was walking through it, jumping or on a single wheel, but at the moment, his nerves where playing him dirty as the only thing he could think about was making it safely to the other side where the rest of his members where.
At that moment everyone had their eyes on him and the men that had managed to climb up to the base.
Yunho's eyes widened as he saw them kneeling to shake the rope. "Jaejoong!"
Jaejoong stumbled as he lost balance and fell, but quickly grabbed the rope, now clinging from it. He frowned as he started to use his arms and make his way to the other side.
Jungkook's breath caught in his throat as he desperately prayed for him to be okay. He trusted that Jaejoong was a very skilled man and would probably make it, but that didn't help to calm his nerves in the least.
Smiles, that had safely made it to the other base, ran towards her twin brother and hid behind Yunho and Max as well.
"Why are you doing this?! I don't remember your ugly face or any of your minions either!"
The man with the scar laughed, shaking his gun a little as he aimed it at Yunho.
"Oh Mr. Y, you act as if you really didn't know, but then again, you really may not know, so let me summarize it for you."
The man's crooked smile soon turned into a frown.
"You and your pathetic circus are not only a disgrace to the criminal world, but also can't stop meddling into other people's territory.
"Ever since your clown act arrived in town, all of our deals have been settled by another group. Not only that, but the police is hot on our heels and that's because ever since you came, the robberies have increased and they all think it's our doings.
"You're a nuisance and have left us with no other choice than to get rid of you."
In that moment Jungkook had enough. He jumped in to make himself present.
"Jungkook? What are you doing here?! Get out!" Yunho yelled at him but then a loud screeching sound was heard.
They all looked up as a long pillar that held the tent fell as it was covered in flames. It went right through the tightrope, cutting it and sending Jaejoong swinging.
"Jaejoong!" Yunho screamed as he saw his partner falling at a fast speed in their direction.
It was a only a few seconds, but while Jaejoong fell, Yunho had kicked the gun out of the man's hand.
The gun landed right at his feet. He grabbed it quickly and aimed it at the men.
With shaky hands, and a blinding rage, he shot it, killing one of the men.
The place was covered in smoke as Jungkook heard another gun shot before the pillar fell on top of the men.
He couldn't see anything as the flames consumed the place.
He tried to approach them but the fire was too big. He could still see a little and saw both twins laying on the floor. One was weakly attempting to reach the other, but succumbed to the smoke.
He wanted to desperately find a way to get to them, but heard a weak voice calling out to him.
"No! Stay away! Please! Run, Jungkook, run! Please!"
It was Yunho as he heard him beg.
"I can't! I won't just leave you guys here!"
"Just leave! Please!"
"No! I can't do that! I can't leave my family! I can't leave my only family!"
Jungkook was crying now, yelling and trying to find a way to his family.
"Please Jungkook... just leave... Remember we love you..."
"No!"
"LEAVE GODDAMMIT!"
The tears filled his eyes and ran uncontrollably down his face as he hesitantly turned back and ran away from the burning hell that was eating the circus away.
He turned back once more as he ran. His heart broke when he saw the whole place wrapped in a mantel of flames.
Jungkook got to an alleyway where he stopped to catch his breath. He choked in his tears as he struggled to get oxygen. He could hear the sirens from the firetrucks rush past him and he leaned back against the wall.
He slowly slid down the brick wall and cried silently.
He just lost his whole family. The people that he cared for the most. Gone, right in front of his eyes and he couldn't do anything.
He looked at his hands and remembered what he had done.
He killed someone.
He... killed someone.
Then the image of the twins lying on the floor, looking lifeless, hit him and he balled his hands into fists.
Jungkook let out a scream as he hit the ground until he drew blood from the contact with the asphalt.
He cried louder and the only thought that he had was the Dreams Factory being eaten by the flames.
His family...
Gone.
🔫🔫
Jungkook had stopped crying as he felt himself drying up. The tears wouldn't flow even if he wanted to. His eyes were bloodshot and they hurt. He walked down the alleyway, a limp with every step he gave. He was weak from all the running and smoke he had inhaled earlier.
Moreover, he was mentally exhausted.
Flashes of memory surged in his mind, as he remembered the crew.
Yunho and Jaejoong were the closest he ever had to parents. They were always so supportive and encouraging to him. They had always been there whenever he needed them and no matter how much he had tried to push them away at the beginning, they had always shown to care for him.
Yunho had always been such a strong person in Jungkook's eyes. He knew how to work his way with words and had always brought that motivation in Jungkook. He had become his role model. The dad he needed and wanted so badly. He taught him so many things and without him, he wouldn't be the person he was now. He was so selfless and always wanted to protect everyone. And now, he couldn't protect him.
And Jaejoong, God, he was like a mother figure to him, even though he was a guy. He was just so sweet and caring. He took care of everyone in the circus without exception and never once had he seen him raising his voice to anyone (except for when Yunho would do something stupid). It was the biggest surprise when Yunho had introduced him to his last trainer when learning how to fight. He'd previously been told that each trainer would be more difficult and skilled than the previous and when Jaejoong turned out to be the strongest, it took Jungkook by surprise. He had never expected for Jaejoong to kill even a fly, but when he left him sore and bruised the first day of practice, he had completely changed. He really was someone special.
Then the trio of clowns. They always managed to make Jungkook laugh. They were the funniest, most mischievous and over all purest group. Jungkook would spend his days playing pranks with them and never once doubted their skills. They were simply that funny and were always seeking to put a smile on people's faces. He didn't even get to see them properly for a last time.
Baron, he was a big guy. Despite his very big and strong appearance, Baron had proved that under all the mass and muscle, he was very wise. Even with the incomplete dialogue or funny accent, he was always giving Jungkook advice. Even when he thought they were useless or ridiculous at first, somehow, he always found himself in a situation where his words had gotten him out of a dilemma. He was so defensive over the crew and never let anyone bad mouth them. They were his world.
Max was like a cool uncle. He was there when Jaejoong and Yunho were busy and always let him do stupidly dangerous stuff. Although, he never once let him get hurt. He would do tricks for him and taught him all sortst of stuff. He even taught him how to play baseball so he could bring some normalcy to his life. He was the only one who never scolded him and probably spoiled him a little too much. But he always showed him how much he cared for him. He regretted not being able to say goodbye.
Lastly, the twins. They were very... quiet. Actually, he doesn't remember ever having a conversation with them past two words. They never spoke unless it was a couple of words and they always kept a very stoic expression. They were also inseparable, and went everywhere together no matter the circumstances. However, they had shown to really care. They had become younger siblings to Jungkook and he cared a lot for them. He admired their teamwork and reminded him of all of those times he wished to have a sibling to share his life with. He may have envied their closeness at some point, but in the end, he didn't only get one, but two younger siblings. And the last image he had of them was of them unconscious while surrounded by fire.
Jungkook pulled his hood over his head and walked with his head down. He wanted to cry, but the tears simply wouldn't spill.
He felt empty.
He didn't notice when a group of guys walked past him and he accidently bumped shoulders with one of them.
"Hey! What's your problem?"
Jungkook stopped in his tracks but didn't turn to see them. He heard their footsteps getting closer.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" The guy forcefully turned him around so he would face the three of them.
"What's your problem, huh?! You think you can just go bumping people around?! Look at me!"
The guy roughly pushed Jungkook and his back met the cold wall.
"Why would I want to waste my time looking at your ugly face." Jungkook spat dryly, not raising his head but quickly glancing up to meet eyes with him.
"What did you just say?!"
The man pushed Jungkook hard against the wall as the other two guys ganged up around him.
"So besides being ugly, you're deaf too, huh? Man, your life truly sucks."
Jungkook groaned as he was hit in the stomach, pushing all the air out from his lungs.
"Wanna say that again?"
The guy hit Jungkook once again, and soon the other two guys joined up in the beating. Jungkook was feeling too weak and honestly he didn't care enough to defend himself.
What was the point anyways?
The guys kept hitting him and Jungkook groaned with each blow sent to him.
"You should learn to shut your mouth!" Another kick to his leg.
"Look at you. You must be a runaway. Who would want you anyways?! You have no one! No family! Whoever raised you did a damn bad job. They are just as useless and shitty as you!"
Something clicked inside of Jungkook.
In that moment, Jungkook stood up straight and blocked one of the hits, surprising the guys. He took the opportunity to hit the guy right across the face, leaving the other two shocked.
"Never talk about my family like that."
The guy rubbed his jaw and glared furiously at him.
"You're gonna pay for that!"
He launched forward, aiming at Jungkook's face, but the latter easily dodged it and hit the man hard on the face. He kept showing off his skills while fighting with the three guys at the same time.
At some point, he had pinned the main guy to the ground and started beating him senseless. He hit his face until blood oozed from every hole in his face and only stopped when he realized the man wasn't even responding anymore.
"Y—you! You killed him? You're a monster!" One of the guys yelled as both of them stumbled to runaway.
Jungkook stood up and looked down at the guy. He wasn't sure if he was dead and neither did he cared.
He stuffed this bloody hands in his hoodie pockets and stumbled out of the alleyway and into the street.
He wasn't thinking properly. His mind felt foggy as he was about to cross the road.
Suddenly, he saw bright lights from the corner of his eyes and saw a black car quickly approaching him. He didn't move at all, not caring if it would hit him or not.
To his surprise, it stopped mere centimeters from him. He saw as a man stepping out of it.
He couldn't see him properly as the bright headlights affected his vision.
The man walked closer to him and stopped in front of him.
Once his eyes focused, he could start making an outline of his face. He was very handsome. Too handsome actually. Was he a celebrity or a model? He was wearing a casual, light pink blazer and jeans.
The man was smiling at him and something seemed completely off.
"Jeon Jungkook?" The man asked, although Jungkook had the feeling this man already knew who he was perfectly fine.
He still gave a weak nod as his eyes stared at the gorgeous man.
The man smirked, placing his hands in his jean pockets.
"Congratulations, you've passed. Welcome to Bangtan."
🔫🔫🔫
Yoongi's little dance making fun of antis is my fountain of youth. I live for it