CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jasmine's pov
"Dude... It's not worth fighting for her. What does she have to offer you?" Yeonjun wiped the blood from his face, looking at Jungkook with the same determination. But, he only fueled Jungkook's anger. His next move took my breath away.
Jungkook pinned Yeonjun against the wall nearby. He wrapped his left hand around Yeonjun's throat before he began punching and kicking him. I screamed out of fear. What if he hurt Yeonjun for real? Jungkook wasn't thinking straight. I didn't want him to get into trouble.
Yeonjun tried to hit him back, but Jungkook's grip was firm. Yeonjun failed to dodge his punches. I looked at my friends with tear-filled eyes. "What are you doing, guys? Stop them!"
Dae-won nodded before rushing to the men. He pulled Jungkook with a lot of force. Yeonjun laid on the ground, blood oozing from his lips and nose. It was scaring me. Jungkook growled and swayed Dae-won's hands. "Jungkook... Buddy, calm down." Dae-won tried to calm him.
"How can I calm down when he insulted Jasmine?" Jungkook growled and rushed to Yeonjun. He picked the weak man by his collar and raised his fist to hit him again. But he stopped when I screamed.
"Jungkook... Please stop!" I yelled. Jungkook looked at me. His eyes softened to see my tears. Jungkook pushed Yeonjun. He stumbled back but balanced himself.
"Never dare to say anything about her." Jungkook pinned him with a glare. "I don't want you around Jasmine anymore." Jungkook huffed and walked up to me. He cupped my face and wiped my tears.
"Are you okay, love?" He asked me in a low voice.
"Take me out of here, please." I'd loathed the way my voice cracked and sounded weak.
Jungkook nodded, taking my hand in his big hands and walking away from the place. He opened the car door for me as I got in. He then sat in the driver's seat and drove away.
The ride was silent. We didn't talk. The silence was eating me up. Jungkook had many questions, and he was controlling the urge to throw them at me. I wasn't willing to tell him about Yeonjun yet, but I think I have to.
"Who was he?" Jungkook asked in a deep voice. He didn't look at me. His eyes focused on the road.
I inhaled a deep breath. "It's a long story." I looked at him. Jungkook glanced at me before averting his gaze.
"It doesn't matter. Long or short — I want to know everything." When he met with silence, he turned to me. "Only if you are comfortable."
Tears beamed in the corner of my eyes. "I want to tell you." I tried to hold back the tears. "Can you please stop the car somewhere vacant?"
Jungkook nodded. He stopped the car in an alley. Jungkook got out of the car and waited for me outside. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of it. He stood a few feet away from me. His hands tucked in the pants pockets.
I stood beside him. Jungkook didn't meet my gaze, and I was glad he didn't. I took a deep breath before started speaking.
"Yeonjun and I were best friends in high school." A small smile decorated my face upon recalling the sweet moments. Jungkook's eyes averted from the sight in the front and locked on me. "Many labeled us as soulmates because we were always together. I couldn't even imagine a day without him."
A lone tear left my eyes. I continued, "I don't remember the exact day. It was a rainy night. We were together at his place, working on a project." I gulped the knot in my throat. "The lights went suddenly. We were in complete darkness. Yeonjun dared me to sit through a horror story till the lights came back on. I approved the idea because it was fun. We were listening to a podcast, and it was scary. I jumped when I heard a low growl, which caused me to fall on his lap. We stared at each other for a long moment. Slowly, he pulled me towards him and connected his lips to mine. That was my first kiss."
There was a pause for a moment. Neither of us spoke nor decided to break the silence. I felt Jungkook's cold thumb graze my cheek. He wiped the tear silently. I sighed. "I realized what I felt for him. All the times we were together, I had these weird feelings— I understood them at that moment. Yeonjun pulled back and hugged me tightly. He whispered 'i love you in my ear. Those three words never felt so beautiful until he said them. That's how things began between us."
Jungkook exhaled a deep breath. "What did the jerk do to you, Jasmine?"
I smiled — a half-hearted sad smile. "We dated for five years. For me, each of those moments Yeonjun offered me was priceless. I told my parents about him. My mom was the only one happy for me. My dad didn't like Yeonjun. But he supported us for my sake. The person who was affected by this was my sister, Anna."
Jungkook drew his brows. "Your sister was affected. How?"
"She liked Yeonjun. I got a few hints from her attitude, but I didn't give it much thought. I thought Anna was young. She didn't know what was right or wrong. She will eventually forget about Yeonjun. But I was so wrong." My breath shuddered. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Jungkook clenching his fists. "The date of our wedding had been set. Everything was going smoothly. I thought I was the luckiest girl on this planet, getting to marry the man I loved. But, everything had ruined on the wedding day."
My throat became dry. The terrible memories had drawn to me. Jungkook squeezed my hand. "I was ready on the white gown. Scarlett did my makeup. I was so happy. I decided to go and check on Anna. As I was walking down the hallway, I heard some noises. They were moans. My heart was beating faster. The door of her room was slightly opened. I peeked inside and saw—" A sob escaped my mouth. The whole time Jungkook was quiet, listening to me attentively. His hand went on my back and rubbed it. "Yeonjun was pounding on my sister." I busted into tears.
"He did what?" Jungkook shouted. His chest was heaving. I hugged him hastily and sobbed in his arms. Jungkook held me tightly in his embrace and rubbed my back to soothe me.
"I caught them having sex on our wedding day." My words muffled on his chest. But Jungkook heard me. "When they saw me, Yeonjun didn't stop. He smirked and increased his pace as Anna screamed more. Yeonjun marked her in front of me, and I stood there like a fool, watched them torturing me, breaking my heart."
I shuddered in his arms. Jungkook sighed. He kept rubbing my back and whispered sweet words in my ear.
"I'm sorry, princess." He hugged me tightly. "You don't deserve it. It was not okay. Not."
"When I slapped her, Yeonjun slapped me back. He said I was not worthy. He wasted his five years for me. Because I wasn't ready to sleep with him before our wedding. Yeonjun admitted he dated me because of a bet. He never loved me. He used me to come closer to Anna. She was better because she smoothly gave herself to him. It was never fun for me. What was the point if he couldn't hear my moans, touch me inappropriately, fuck me unconsciously? Everything was a waste of time."
Jungkook pushed me slightly to look at me. "Why didn't you tell me this?" He sounded broken. His eyes were moist.
"I couldn't." I sighed and wiped my tears. "I lost everything. My first love, my sister. And the incident made me cold toward my parents. They always provided Anna with anything she wanted, but I had to wait for eternity for a book or a dress. Dad told me I needed to be strong because I was the elder. I had to take responsibility first. Anna was still younger and childish. They never stopped her from anything. Even after the incident, they approved Yeonjun and Anna. They didn't even care if I was getting hurt."
Fresh tears streamed down my eyes. My chest was aching. I never opened up about the horrible past to anyone. Only my friends knew about this because they were present there. It took me a lot of courage to open up to Jungkook.
I looked at Jungkook. "If you also think that I'm worthless and don't deserve you, you can leave me."
Jungkook jerked me to his chest. "What are you saying, Jasmine?" He said in a pleading voice. He tucked the hair strand behind my ear, then cupped my face. "You mean the world to me, Jasmine. what do you mean that you are worthless? You are a blessing to me." Jungkook's breath was uneven. His lips quivered. He was on the verge of crying. "I was also drawn into darkness, but you pulled me out of it. You provided me with love, care, and affection I didn't even receive from Aera. I can't explain but I feel for you, but it is as strong as love." He paused, stroking my cheek. "Yes, Jasmine Kim. I love you. You are my angel. You lit up my world. I am lost without you. My life was meaningless before, but now it has you, my love. You are my pure maiden."