Chapter 82
In the following days, Jungkook basically lived a life of being poked by needles and gulping down medicine. The area around his bone fracture was swollen but not painful — Grandpa Kang said that it was a sign that his bones were growing. They actually had a miraculous medicinal paste that could help speed up recovery tremendously, but given his status as a national athlete, they decided to err on the side of caution and wait till the fracture had settled and the plaster cast could be removed.
Lisa faithfully carried out her duty of an 'on-site reporter', introducing Jungkook's recovery progress. She took several photographs of him, finally selecting one of Jungkook gazing out at the scenery by the lakeside to accompany the headline news. His hand was in a cast as he looked out at the surface of the water with eyes filled with yearning. That sense of loneliness made others really feel like giving him a hug.
This edition of the newspaper was quickly sold out. Many fans were in tears when they saw the photo, and then they began cursing those damnable assailants, as well as urging the public security bureau through various means to crack the case as soon as possible...
In fact, the public security bureau had already made great progress in the case, but they could not keep updating the public at every juncture. Doing so would only alarm the culprits and make it even more difficult for them to take action.
The most significant development was that they had already arrested the immediate assailants. The three men and one woman who had been involved in the attack were all local hoodlums. After being arrested, the four of them stuck to their version of events — that they just did not like Jungkook — and refused to admit that there was anyone else orchestrating things behind the scenes. The police interrogated them fiercely for 2 days before the woman finally caved.
According to her account, someone had indeed hired them to injure Jungkook. The orchestrator had only been in contact over the phone throughout it all. As for how he had learned how to find them, they did not know, but that person's request had been very odd: break Jungkook's hand.
He only asked that they break his hand and did not ask for any further grievous injury. Furthermore, he specifically instructed that they were only to injure Jungkook and no one else. The man had also told them that a broken bone was legally considered a minor injury, so even if they were caught, they would not be locked up for too long. And also, for the same reason, he requested that even if they were caught, they must take on the full blame and not expose him. In return, they would get a lot, a lot of money.
The hoodlums had at first found him suspicious, but he was very generous so they finally accepted the job.
The police traced the phone number the hoodlums had but found no useful clues. The other party had been very careful whenever he talked with the hoodlums, never ever revealing any personal information. Even his voice had been modified. This, taken in conjunction with all the prior planning conducted by this perpetrator, made the police classify this case as a highly intelligent crime.
There were no other avenues the investigators could pursue at this point, so the police could only approach Jungkook again, hoping that he could recall whether there was anyone he had offended or had any disputes of interest with.
Jungkook was at a loss. "I really have no enemies. Those who might have disputes of interest with me are Taehyung, Sanger, Samuel and other foreign athletes. Honestly, among the people I regularly encounter, there aren't many who would be capable of such a highly intelligent crime... I think that the one behind all this might not be someone I know. Could it be a stranger who just doesn't like me? Or perhaps he's a crazy Sanger fanatic — since I said I was going to challenge Sanger for to become champion, so he wanted to teach me a lesson?"
The police nodded. "That's a possibility. You are a public figure, and there have indeed been cases where public figures have been targeted by strangers. Alright, we will go back to the drawing board and see what we can come up with. For now, I still have one more question."
"Go ahead."
"According to our investigation, the cameras have already been installed for quite a while. This means that that person has been monitoring you for a long time. Harming you was a premeditated act. Perhaps, we're guessing that he might have tried some other things before this. Think back carefully. Has anything suspicious happened before this? For example, have you been followed?"
Jungkook combed carefully through his memories. Lisa waited anxiously beside him, also helping him to think. After a while, the two of them looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Think about it a little more. Besides physical harm, the other might also have tried dosing you with stimulants. There have been cases like this in other countries. Can you think of anything suspicious?"
Something stirred inside Lisa when she heard this, and her eyes flashed.
Jungkook was still lost though. "No. My girlfriend has been very vigilant on this front, and I have not eaten out for a very long time. Even when I drink water, my girlfriend will only give me unsealed bottles of mineral water."
The police gave Lisa an approving look. "Miss, you have a very high level of vigilance! You might have helped him avoid disasters countless times."
Lisa bashfully nodded, and then rather hesitantly, she asked them, "Um, I'd like to know... what does it feel like to take stimulants?"
The police glanced at Jungkook. Jungkook found Lili's question a bit odd as well, but he still replied, "I'm not sure myself. I've never taken any. But in theory, your heartrate should accelerate and you will be in high spirits and feel especially strong. Also, you might be a bit more irritable and restless, perhaps even hot-tempered."
Lisa covered her mouth in surprise and looked at Jungkook and then the police. She blinked rapidly, her eyes filling up with belated fear.
The policemen could see the change in her demeanour. They asked, "Lisa, have you thought of something?"
Lisa's heart was heavy. She mumbled absently, "I, I may have consumed some, that, stimulants..."
"How?"
"When?"
Jungkook and the police asked almost at the same time.
Lisa grasped Jungkook's hands anxiously, and Jungkook squeezed her hand in return, looking at her with a gentle gaze. She swallowed and said to Jungkook, "It was that time, when we went out to play together. We went to the Dragonview Resort and had a barbecue by the lake. After lunch, when we returned to the hotel, I was already feeling off. I was especially excited the entire afternoon. Just like Popeye after eating spinach, I felt like I had become so much stronger."
Jungkook became thoughtful. "No wonder both myself and Jaehyun were reported for doping right around then. Could it be that someone had really tried to dose us?"
The police asked, "What happened after you two were reported? As far as I know, both you and Jaehyun have not been found with any drug problems for the past two years."
Jungkook nodded. "Yes, everything was fine that time. I ate that day, but I did not have the symptoms Lili mentioned. Nana and the others also seemed fine. If someone had really tried to dose me, where could they have planted the drug? The six of us all ate together, but it looks like only Lili was affected?"
Lisa smacked a palm to her head in realisation. "It was the plum wine! I was the only one who drank the plum wine that day!"
"Is that so?"
"Yup, I remember it very well because I was feeling so worked up back then that I kept wondering whether plum wine had any tonic-like stimulating properties."
She said this in a very grave manner, amusing Jungkook and the police so much that they could not help laughing. Jungkook pinched her cheek, only refraining from kissing her as well since the police were still around.
Lisa was rather embarrassed by what she had said and she quickly covered her mouth. When she saw Jungkook smirking at her, she nudged his arm. "Don't laugh!"
"Okay, I won't laugh." He tried very hard to keep the corners of his lips down.
The police asked, "Are you sure you were the only one to drink the plum wine?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Sis Nana and the others all scoffed at how weak plum wine was, saying that it was a girl's drink. Soobin didn't drink any either. He was drinking beer."
"Who made the reservations for the resort?"
Jungkook replied, "Nana did. We're on the same team. She would never do such a thing to me."
"Ok, I will go ask her some questions to get a better understanding of the situation. This resort is a critical point. We will send someone to investigate. Thank you both for your cooperation. We will let you know when there are any new developments."
"You're welcome. We should be the ones thanking you instead. We hope you can solve the case soon."
After the police left, Lisa patted her chest to soothe the lingering remnants of fear and shock. Her complexion was still pale. Jungkook rubbed her head and comforted her. "Isn't everything just fine now?"
"That was too close, Jungkook. Luckily you did not drink that wine. If you had drunk any, they would definitely have found traces of stimulants in the drug test the next day. It would have been a sure bet, a nail in the coffin. Even the gods would not have been able to save you. That's so scary. Who in the world would be so ruthless and evil?"
Seeing how restless and unsettled she was, Jungkook kissed her on the forehead, smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, Lili. I won't be in danger anymore from now on. You see, Uncle Kang was right. You really are my lucky benefactor. With you watching over me, I have been safe from all those attempts outside."
"It's too scary. How could anyone be so mean? Jungkook, who exactly have you offended? Or could it be that the other person is really just a lunatic?"
"I don't know either. Let's see what the police manage to find out."
Alas, that was all they could do for now.
However, to their disappointment, the police did not manage to uncover anything. Well, it had been a while since then, and the other party was expected to be a highly intelligent criminal. Any evidence that might have remained had long been erased, and there was nothing unusual in the surveillance videos either. Besides that, anyone who had touched the plum wine all loudly protested their innocence. After much trouble, the police ended up coming back to look for Jungkook again.
"The last time. This is the last time," said the police through clenched teeth. He did not want to pressure Jungkook either, but he had no choice. He said to Jungkook, "For this last time, can you please think hard once more? Are you sure you have not offended anyone? Take it from the perspective of your entire life. Think it through."
Lisa tugged on Jungkook's sleeve and whispered, "Maybe you should consider that older sister you rejected?"
Jungkook shook his head. "It's unlikely to be her. She's quite kind and gentle, and besides, she's already been missing for so long. I don't think she would hate me to that extent."
The policeman's eyes lit up. "Who is it? Who are you talking about? Missing? So mysterious?"
Lisa persuaded Jungkook, "Just tell the police about it. What if it's her? Painful emotional experiences like that are the most likely to cause women to become twisted."
"Okay." Jungkook nodded and looked at the police to say, "This person had some entanglement with me several years back. She's called Minnie. She's—"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Lisa. "What?!!!" Her voice rose higher and higher in pitch. Overwhelmed with emotion, her voice had become reedy and thin, and a tremble could be heard within it.
Jungkook jumped, startled. "Lili, what is it?"
Lisa stared at him with wide eyes. "Tell me, what's her name again?"
"Minnie. Why?"
"She...does she have an elder brother?"
Jungkook thought about it, then said, "I think she mentioned before that she has an elder brother who was overseas, but I don't remember it very well now. I was very busy and did not spend that much time with her. Lili, what's going on? Lili?"
Lisa's eyes were wide and round, like she had received a tremendous shock. She did not respond to Jungkook's voice. He was very worried and lightly pinched her face. "Lili, what's wrong? Say something."
Lisa's eyes flickered. "Jungkook, tell me about what happened with Minnie?"
Jungkook was concerned. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, "Minnie was my team's doctor back then—"
He was interrupted by her again at this point. Lisa was not someone who liked to interrupt others when they were speaking, but she was just too worked up right then. She asked, "Your team doctor was a woman?"
"Yes, you didn't know? Oh, I don't think I've specially emphasized her gender. So you've always thought she was a guy?"
A voice rang out by Lisa's ear from her memories. It was a man's voice, casually commenting that her news article had a 'spelling error'. It was the article on her interview with Jungkook, disclosing the incident with the team doctor. A 'spelling error'.
Could the spelling error be due to 'he' and 'she'?
It was supposed to be 'she'. She was Bambam's little sister. She was the 'Little Miss Minnie' lying as a vegetable on that hospital bed. It wasn't someone with the same name. It was her.
When Lisa did not reply, Jungkook continued, "For those two years, Minnie had been my team doctor, and then there was that incident, you know." As he spoke, he saw the policeman staring at them with a curious look, so he briefly summarised how he had been banned due to a mistake in medication supplied by the team doctor. After that, he added, "Minnie felt very guilty about it and could not get over it. I was filled with resentment back then and did not treat her very well. One time, she broke down and ran blindly across the road. A car was driving towards her at that moment, so I rushed forwards and pushed her aside. In the end, she was fine, but I was hit by the car instead. Luckily, it was just a broken bone, but for me back then, it was just another misfortune to add to the heap of misfortune already weighing me down. I was on the brink of breaking down myself, and Minnie just had to choose that time to confess to me. I was unable to control myself and yelled at her. I said that I did not want to see her ever again, and I really haven't seen her again since then. She's probably still angry at me."
Lisa was surprised. "Your leg injury back then was because of her? You saved her?"
"That's right."
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" She was rather agitated.
Jungkook sensed that something was off with her emotional state, so he said mildly, "I'm sorry, I didn't think there was much to say about it. Besides, we have so little time to be together. When I am actually able to spend time with you, talking about this would have been a waste of time and emotions. Lili, why are you so bothered by this? Have you realised something?"
Lisa grabbed his hands. "She hasn't been angry with you! She committed suicide!"
Jungkook froze in shock. "You...How do you know?"
"I saw it myself. She slit her wrists and is now a vegetable!"
"She...she..." Jungkook shook his head, and as the shock faded, he found himself blaming himself a little. Had she committed suicide because of him? Because he rejected her and yelled at her and said that he never wanted to see her again?
Lisa's mind was racing — she had the feeling that some things were very closely related. Right now, the key was to grasp the paths connecting Minnie to this current incident.
Suddenly, she recalled the cup of coffee.
Yes, other than the plum wine, she had also drunk coffee that day. And most importantly, compared to the more feminine plum wine, the coffee was something that Jungkook was most likely to end up drinking, because that coffee was meant for Jungkook to begin with! Bambam was the one to prepare it!
Everything was clear now. Lisa's emotions were roiling; she had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Then, she turned to the police to say, "I think I know who the culprit is."
The police took Bambam into custody for questioning. He did not run away.
Lisa was very sad. She had considered Bambam a friend for all this time, but who could have guessed that his objective was vengeance from the very beginning. He had been using her. He attempted such despicable and insidious means again and again to harm Jungkook, making Jungkook almost miss his chance at a gold medal at the World Championships.
However, she was also unbelievably relieved. She was relieved that Jungkook had managed to avoid the stimulants planted by Bambam. A broken arm might put Jungkook out of commission for a little while, but stimulants would have ruined his whole life.
Jungkook was in shock for a long time before he managed to fully digest the entire story. Who could have guessed that the suffering he was facing now was actually due to the roots of disaster buried many years before? He felt that this pair of siblings were just too extreme and tenacious, going beyond regular understanding. But if they traced things back to the start, Minnie had become a vegetable because of him.
He sighed and said to Lisa, "Lili, I want to go see her."
The next day, Lisa brought Jungkook to Minnie's hospital bed. Minnie was even skinnier now, and her face was pale. She laid on her bed like a sheet of white paper — Jungkook almost could not recognise her. He looked down at her and said, "Minnie, I've come to see you. For all these years, I've always wanted to say sorry to you. Back then, I was young, and brash, and ignorant. I was too harsh with my words. I hope you don't take it to heart. Well, you've already taken it much too deeply to heart. I... really don't know what I should say now. Thank you. Thank you for all you've given me before. And also, I'm sorry."
Lisa saw how defeated he looked, and she abruptly felt very uncomfortable. She said, "Jungkook, don't be like that. No matter what you did, she did not commit suicide because of you, but because of her own self. Although Minnie deserves sympathy, I still have to say that I don't approve of how she took her own life so lightly."
Jungkook closed his eyes. "I understand that. But I can't help but feel guilty. If I had been a little kinder back then, maybe she wouldn't..."
Lisa's eyes reddened. "It's not like that, Jungkook! She was the one who hurt you! Didn't she hurt you enough? You finally overcome all of that and then her elder brother comes to try and harm you even more! You don't owe them anything! It's the opposite. They owe you! You've already done as much as you should. You shouldn't have to pay for the stupid decisions of other people!"
Jungkook turned his face to look at her, and he felt his heart ache at the tears welling up in her eyes. He raised a hand to stroke her hair and said warmly, "Don't worry, Lili. I understand everything you're telling me. I won't let myself get caught up in the meaningless past. I won't beat myself up over it. I just... sigh."
Lisa stepped forwards to hug him, burying her face in his chest. Her voice was muffled as she said, "Do you think I'm not kind enough?"
"No. Sometimes, indiscriminate kindness is even scarier than outright evil. I understand this. Don't worry. I may let down many people in this world, but I will never let you down."
"Yes." Lisa nodded. Her heart felt achey and swollen, and she felt like crying, but it was definitely not because she was sad.
At this moment, a cool voice rang out from the doorway of the hospital room. "Being all lovey-dovey in front of my sister, don't you think you two are too much?"