Some relationship this was.
Yunhee curled her chilly fingers inside her sleeves, glaring at Taehyung from under her lashes as he continued to ignore her presence.
How could one man be so boorishly blasé, leaning against a theme park entrance and leafing through Jin's journal as if he hadn't just abducted a woman and a powerful artefact?
Insufferable bastard.
At this stage in the game, Yunhee had no idea if The Dark Energy could be wiped out by destroying Taehyung the Toxic Human, but she was willing to put Jin's theory to the test if it meant evading this satanic nightmare.
The silk scarf around Taehyung's neck looked loose. Perhaps she could secure it and strangle him to death in the process while he was distracted with the journal?
If not that, she could coquettishly remove his gloves and stuff them down his throat. The woollen coat he wore would make for a great body bag that she could tie off with her laces, but she may have to use her own to hide his legs because he was rather tall.
Taehyung's pea coat, though - the one he'd "affectionately" bundled her into after insisting she put on a pair of trousers and shoes - was the only thing preventing Yunhee from dying of hypothermia in the frigid, night air.
There were other options. The Raptor he'd recovered from the home cinema and reloaded, but that was brazenly hidden beneath his jacket under the assumption that he wouldn't need to use it.
That left her with one last choice of defence.
Inching a little closer to the carefree Taehyung, Yunhee eyed the satchel propped against his shins.
The leather material was the only thing shielding the prick from being blasted halfway across the car park. If she could get her hands inside the bag and on the stone, she could smack him around the face with it.
I wouldn't do that if I were you, precious...
Yunhee groaned in exasperation, her head lolling against the padlocked gates as she fought a swell of hopelessness.
This was not good.
The chances of Jimin finding her at an abandoned location were slim to none. She couldn't get within an inch of Taehyung without The Dark Energy playing devilish tricks on her mind. And Min Yoongi was dead.
If she put one foot out of place, the oppressing bully would not hesitate to bury her ex, too.
Tae was the reason she'd opened that safe and removed the stone. He was the reason she'd allowed Taehyung to drive her from the estate and onto old stomping grounds. He was the reason she remained by his side now, waiting for his sleazy right-hand to roll up.
'A little birdie told me that you're rather fond of this joint.'
Oh, now he was talking to her.
Pushing away from the gates, Yunhee guardedly crossed her arms and glowered at Taehyung. The journal was closed and pressed against his chest, his shadowy eyes hooked on hers with a whiff of amusement.
'I wish you'd stop snooping into my private life,' she spat.
'It's not classed as snooping if the information is gifted to me naturally.'
Yunhee's protective stance fell apart, her arms flopping to her sides as she recalled the visions bestowed upon her and Jimin in the parallel world.
No wonder Taehyung had delivered an outstanding performance at the mansion. He'd witnessed and heard things only she and Tae could know.
'You've seen our memories.'
'Indeed.' Sliding the journal away, Taehyung produced a photo from his pocket, sauntering perilously close as he held it up between two fingers. 'Do you remember what we did here, darling?'
Yunhee stiffened as he mischievously brandished it in front of her nose, her eyes raking the intimately familiar snapshot before zipping up to the colossal archway above them with funky letters.
Crystal Kingdom.
The picture Taehyung had stolen from her purse, the one of her perched on her boyfriend's lap while he kissed her cheek. It was taken in a photo booth at this theme park.
Not only did Taehyung know that Tae had officially asked her out here, but he also knew what they'd gotten up to inside the booth because he'd seen it for himself in a vision. The crazy fuck had brought her to this place on purpose, intending to use it for their departure just for kicks.
'Do you know how sick you are?' Yunhee seethed. 'We could have just used the downstairs toilet in the house! And don't call me darling!'
'Whatever you say, precious,' Taehyung laughed, slipping the image away with a nauseating grin as a set of headlights approached. 'Ah! At last!'
Yunhee's heart ballooned with relief when a modest car with silver birch paint and vintage alloys crawled across the car park. She was under no illusion that Hoseok was driving, and that Tae was in as much trouble as she was, but the thought of seeing him again gave her courage.
'Don't get your panties in a knot, Hahm,' Taehyung reprimanded as his scrawny underboss snaked out from behind the wheel and collected a briefcase from the trunk. 'I'll help you out with that later.'
Yunhee shot Taehyung a filthy scowl as Hoseok tapped the passenger window with his pistol, but oddly, Tae didn't look at her when he climbed out.
She was standing right in front of her beacon of hope, waiting for his caring brown eyes to meet hers and tell her everything was going to be alright as they strode over, but he kept his blank gaze steadily fixated to the ground.
The lack of reassurance left Yunhee feeling like she was stranded alone on a desert island with no rescue ships on the horizon. She needed Tae more than ever, and he wasn't acknowledging her.
'Good of you to finally join us,' Taehyung drawled, extending his palm and jiggling his fingers at Tae when they met at the gates. 'I believe you have something for me.'
Retrieving a piece of paper from his back pocket, Tae handed it over with a vacant expression while Taehyung slid his stolen glasses onto the bridge of his nose.
Curious, Yunhee sidled closer and rose to her tip-toes to skim the contents for herself.
It appeared to be a catalogue of their outings during their golden days.
The night they met in the bar, their first official date, a bike ride in Yeouido Park. A hike up Yongmasan for a spectacular view of the city.
Netflix and chill.
'You're shit out of luck if you don't have a subscription,' Yunhee remarked as she glanced up at the man reading the list.
Taehyung's gaze flickered sideways, surveying the spritely woman with raised eyebrows before he folded the paper and his glasses away and pouted at his doppelgänger. 'You didn't add Crystal Kingdom.'
'Seems I didn't need to,' Tae muttered as his eyes roamed over the desolate backdrop.
What in tarnation was going on? Tae may well have been compelled to conjure up that record of activities during his captivity, but the calculating smirk they shared as Taehyung picked up the satchel and draped the strap around his chest sent a frisson of dread through Yunhee's soul.
'Let's get this show on the road, shall we?' he whirred as Hoseok broke the padlock with the butt of his gun.
Fingers curling around her wrist, Taehyung tugged Yunhee through the gates while her enlarged eyes darted around the darkened courtyard.
Gold and turquoise paint flaked off the lifeless fountain, the scaffolded rollercoaster encircling the theme park trapping them inside a chthonic labyrinth of shuttered candy stalls and neglected bumper cars.
Crystal Kingdom - once a land of melodic tunes, brilliant colours and Tae's bright smile - closed for future refurbishment a few weeks after their visit. A sulky, greyish hue coated the landscape tonight, dry vines sheathing buildings, dandelions and giant ragweed rising between cracked paving.
'Don't you think this is all a little theatrical?' Yunhee whined as Taehyung guided her past the fountain and deeper into the park. 'Where are we going?'
'You'll see,' Taehyung uttered under his breath before self-righteously glancing over his shoulder. 'A very special day for us here, wasn't it?
'It was indeed.'
Yunhee turned her head when she heard Tae's reply. She wasn't shocked to see Hoseok's weapon shoved against his hip as they followed closely, but he still wouldn't look at her when she tried to catch his eye, and the smug manner in which he responded unsettled her.
What happened to the sweet, vulnerable man who'd bared his soul at the café? Had Taehyung perverted his mind with lies while he was imprisoned? Everything was so uncertain that it made Yunhee reconsider if Tae was actually present that day.
For all she knew, Taehyung had shown up and put on the show of a lifetime to confess the wrongdoings of his past in his stead.
'Ah, my dear twin,' Taehyung exhaled dramatically as they meandered past a motionless carousel, 'it breaks my heart to see how much you've recently missed, but if you'll permit me, I'll update you on the nitty-gritty details-'
'You love a good story, don't you?' Yunhee sarcastically scraped.
'At first,' Taehyung continued as if she hadn't just rebuked him, 'I couldn't quite put my finger on why the universe would go through all the trouble to send Jimin and Yunhee to my world after I killed their doppelgängers. Either way, my goal was clear: destroy Jimin and make profit from Miss Hahm-'
'Narcissist.'
'Over the weeks, however, I began to question my purpose. Two billion was an awfully tempting amount, but was I really doing the right thing? I should have taken the broken deal with Alexander as a sign. It was a sign. Miss Hahm intrigued me to the point of distraction, and it's so burningly obvious now why I did not want to let her go.'
'What is?' Tae shouted up from behind.
'Beats me,' Hoseok mumbled.
Taehyung swung one-eighty on the ball of his foot, strolling in reverse to speak to Tae with a roguish smile.
'That incessant itch I could not scratch whenever I thought of her, it manifested into something so tangible it was all I could think about. It consumed me until I realised that claiming Miss Hahm was not about vengeance. It was the key.'
Oh, jeez, here we go, Yunhee thought as Taehyung spun back and subsequently barred her from tripping over a piece of rubble.
'He's talking about The Dark Energy, Tae.'
'What the hell is The Dark Energy?' her ex snorted.
Of course, Tae didn't have a clue what they had stumbled upon yet. It wasn't him sitting in Jimin's library that afternoon listening to their hypothesis about The Greater Good and all its soulmates and stars, it was Taehyung.
Wanting to clarify the story in more detail, Yunhee halted the whole group by stopping in her tracks and turning to face her oblivious ex-boyfriend.
She didn't get very far.
In fact, she didn't even get to begin. Taehyung grabbed her arm with a vigorous hiss and ordered her to keep moving, but she saw Tae's pupils flash with anger before she was hurled around.
The look in his eyes was threatening, a vehement fury that gave Yunhee faith as he boldly marched forward and fell in line beside her.
'I asked you a question, bucko,' Tae pestered as Hoseok caught up and forced his firearm into the base of his spine. 'I have a right to know what's going on. Tell me about this Dark Energy.'
'The Dark Energy is the reason we're all here today,' Taehyung explained in a bored tone as the four of them tread through a lane of rusty arcade machines. 'It's the reason Yunhee and I are drawn to each other. The reason the vortex exists-'
'No, it's not!' Yunhee argued, trying to shake off his killer grip as they cleared the lane and walked towards a singular outbuilding with a mouldy green door. 'You know damn well that's a lie-'
'The vortex was created by The Dark Energy. It sent you to me,' Taehyung confidently replied. 'Why else would I find you sneaking around in my club all those weeks ago?'
'I was looking for my phone because I thought it was Jimin's club-'
'You were looking for me,' Taehyung shamelessly stated. 'You just hadn't realised it at the time, sweetcheeks.'
Sweetcheeks? Yunhee bristled.
The compulsion to tackle the specious bastard to the ground for twisting their fairy tale to suit his whims was slowly but surely taking over, but when Tae's fingertips brushed against her palm, the impact of his touch sent a spark of hope through her nerves instead.
No one saw it, nor did they hear his soft whisper of, 'Not yet, baby,' as he elbowed Hoseok aside and drove his body between her and Taehyung.
The distance allowed Yunhee to breathe again, Tae's subtle gestures bringing relief and telling her everything she needed to know.
His mind hadn't been warped by Taehyung, he was concealing his true feelings and lying low.
He wanted to get out of here as much as she did.
'So, this Dark Energy thingamajig created the vortex and brought Yunhee to you. That's great,' Tae blabbed as they steadily made their way towards the eerie brick building. 'What I want to know now is how you intend to use me. You have the list I made-'
'Who's to say we won't kill you as soon as we land?' Hoseok sniggered while aggressively pushing the barrel of his gun into his cheek.
'Because if you wanted to kill me,' Tae said as he clutched the slider and steered the pistol away, 'you would have done it back at the penthouse.'
That's when Yunhee saw it, Tae's swift eye dart to the leather satchel at Taehyung's waist.
What did that mean, though? Was he suggesting she go for the stone? If so, when? Was he going to prompt her?
'If you guys are taking me with you,' Tae continued while Yunhee tried not to panic, 'it means you still require my assistance. I'm open to suggestions, but you should know that all favours come at a price.'
Yunhee was on tenterhooks, watching the tense scene unravel as Taehyung ceased walking and pivoted to face his doppelgänger with an astute glow in his eyes.
'You want something in return.'
'Isn't that usually how business works?' Tae suggested.
'Business, hmm?' Taehyung purred as he angled his head and drifted closer. 'And what makes you think I can trust you? You made it perfectly clear how you felt about my ventures during our last discussion.'
Moistening his dry lips, Tae bit the bullet and went in for the kill. 'I lashed out at you because I'm jealous of all the things you've achieved. But you were right; I am curious to see the man I could have become.'
'Is that a fact?' Taehyung murmured.
'Yes. Perhaps there are elements of this Dark Energy inside me, too. I returned to Seoul to embezzle from Jimin, didn't I?' Tae chuckled with a wicked smirk. 'I despise the man and have thought of nothing but his ruin since the day he destroyed my life. We want the same things, Taehyung. We crave them because we're the same person.'
'We crave the same things, do we?' Taehyung's mouth widened into a humourful smile. 'My dear boy, are you implying that you want Miss Hahm?'
'No.' Tae's demeanour was terrifyingly cold as his gaze met Yunhee's, and she braced herself for the barrage of untruthful yet hurtful words she knew to come. 'She means nothing to me after what she did, but I'd rather see her with another version of me than the likes of Park Jimin.'
A strained silence drenched the air as Taehyung meticulously regarded his doppelgänger and Yunhee eyed the hidden stone resting at his hip. Tae was bluffing to buy them time, but deceiving the Mafia King was trampling on dangerous territory.
If they didn't make a move soon-
'Let's talk business, then.'
Yunhee blinked in astonishment, Hoseok scoffed in disbelief, while Taehyung calmly adjusted the satchel across the front of his coat.
'What is it you want?'
'The House of Cards.'
A short bark of laughter escaped Taehyung's mouth as he squinted at the starry heavens and then dropped his taunting gaze back down to Tae. 'I went to a lot of trouble to obtain that club. Why should I give it to you?'
'Why not? You have both clubs now. You also have the stone and the beautiful woman. The power you hold is astronomical.' Tae matched his doppelgänger's arrogant posture, a mischievous leer embellishing his lips as he whispered, 'But imagine the things we could achieve together.'
The declaration was spoken with such conviction that, for a moment, Yunhee had to remind herself that he was on her side.
Tae was good, almost as good as the malevolent double who'd pretended to be him, but there was no telling what the ticking time bomb called Kim Taehyung was thinking as they paused in the maze of the theme park.
He was either going to mull the proposition over, or shoot him dead for wasting-
'You really believe this pile of tosh, boss?' Hoseok blurted, looking outwardly agitated as he waved his gun around. 'This cunt doesn't give a shit about power! He's lying to you because he wants Yunhee for himself!'
'Excuse me?' Tae scoffed as Taehyung amusedly watched the unfolding drama. 'Did you just call me a cunt?'
'Come on, guys,' Yunhee warned when Hoseok's hands began to shake with uncontrollable rage. This wasn't the Hobi they knew; this was a monster capable of horrific crimes when pushed to his limit. 'Why don't we find some water, open the vortex, and then we can all-'
'Shut your fucking dickhole, woman!' Hoseok yelled erratically. 'Boss, let's just kill this meddlesome son-of-a-bitch and be on our way.'
'Ah, I see,' Tae rasped disdainfully as he edged towards Hoseok with an eye for his weapon. 'Don't want me around? Can't stand the thought of being second best, Hobi?'
Hoseok's temple convulsed, his bloodshot eyes watering as he pointed his gun at Tae's chest with a twistedly unpleasant smile.
'Not possible if you're dead.'
'Hoseok!' Yunhee screamed when his finger precariously twitched over the trigger. 'Don't-'
The ground beneath Yunhee's feet disappeared, Taehyung's strong arms hurling her out of danger as a deafening blast ricocheted off the scaffolding.
The tyrant had prevented her from running into the firing line before she could intervene, he'd just saved her life, but the sickening thud of the bullet hitting its mark killed her a thousand times over.
'No...'
A torrent of panic engulfed Yunhee as Tae's glassy pupils inspected the puckered hole next to his heart before he lifted his head. There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes when he looked at her, not even when his knees buckled and fell to the floor.
There was only gratitude.
Gratitude for the love and support she'd shown over the months, along with the harrowing regret of being unable to save her.
'No!' Yunhee tore out of Taehyung's suffocating arms when he toppled over and smacked the dusty ground. 'Tae! My God!'
'For goodness' sake, Hoseok,' Taehyung sighed, plucking off his gloves as she threw herself beside Tae and heaved him onto his back, 'just when we were making progress.'
'Tae...please!' Yunhee sobbed, clenching his t-shirt and shaking his lifeless form. 'Please wake up-'
'Leave him,' Taehyung ordered as she clambered to inspect his neck. Before she could check for a pulse, a stiff hand beneath her armpit snatched her to her feet while another grasped her jaw. 'I said leave him.'
White hot fingers burned Yunhee's skin, the energy from Taehyung's presence holding her steady as he forced her to look at him.
She hated it, hated him. The grief he stole from her, the frenzy he drank from her shuddering body until there was nothing but a tranquil sea of blood.
'There,' Taehyung murmured, sweeping a thumb across her damp cheek as she sagged against his winter coat, 'see?'
To this day Yunhee could not remember if she was dragged from the scene or if her own two feet carried her away under the will of The Dark Energy. Somewhere in the back of her cloudy mind, though, she understood that the leverage had been removed from the equation.
Tae was dead.
All she had to do was take the stone from the satchel and hit her enemies with it, but she was powerless under Taehyung's touch, the sinister whispers forbidding her to do the right thing as they came upon the brick outbuilding and Hoseok unlocked the mouldy green door.
Half seeing, half mourning, Yunhee stepped inside, peering around the cramped space in a state of confusion as cobwebs stuck to her skin and Taehyung swept them away.
It was a singular room with no windows, cleaning products littering the shelves and gardening tools bolstered to the blistered walls.
A tall bucket in the corner caught her attention, filled to the brim with stagnant water that quivered when Hoseok slammed the door and locked it from the inside.
'No,' Yunhee whimpered as its sole purpose dawned on her. 'Taehyung...'
Unyielding, that's what he was, gliding around her and pressing his towering figure into her body until his chest was flush with her spine. Placing his chin on her shoulder, he held the satchel in front of them, escorting her over to the bucket while overturning the flap.
'Take it,' Taehyung whispered as she stared helplessly at the grey obelisk inside the bag, 'go on.'
Yunhee glanced at the rippling water, knowing as soon as she dropped it in, they would vanish. 'I...I can't-'
'Hurry, precious,' Taehyung urged, careful not to touch the rock as he guided her wrist into the satchel to help remove it. 'Take it.'
Now was the time. The stone was out and in her hands, its radiant vitality reminding her of Jimin, Jin and Namjoon. Hobi and...
Yoongi was gone. Tae was gone. She had to go home. This was her only chance to be with the people she loved and grieve for the two men they'd tragically lost.
Do it, precious.
'I'm so sorry...'
Yunhee closed her eyes and let go, drops of water splashing her shins before a vivid ball of light carried her tears and heartbreak into another world.
***
2nd May 2022