21 | cold truth
The Lee residence was always the most grand place to be growing up. There was so much space everywhere with private tennis courts and pools the size of a field. Jisoo remembers riding horseback with Jimin back here as kids. The staff would bring them fresh lemonade after a day of playing and Aerin would brag about the chef her parent's hired and the amazing pasta they made.
Despite all of them coming from a lot of money, the Lee house was always the place to be.
Jisoo would be lying if he said he still didn't frequently come over still and today was one of those days. He knew Aerin wouldn't be here but she's not the reason he came. He came because if there was anyone who would understand where he was coming from it would be her mother.
"You know Jisoo," Aerin's mom started, "I have a lot of respect for you and your family and I always have. Your brother and my son went to school together. You and Aerin grew up together, your parents are our business partners so we've always been close."
"Of course," Jisoo said with an awkward clear of his throat, "That's why I came today, there was actually something I wanted to show yo—"
"But I'm sensing a lack of respect on your part," her mom continued, "And I won't have you disrespecting Aerin or this family with another one of those public stunts you pulled the other night. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," Jisoo said in embarrassment.
"Now I've taken the liberty in calling Aerin over for the two of you to work it out," her mom said as she looked down at her magazine, "But I want to know the other reason why you called today."
"It's about Aerin's boyfriend," Jisoo said and the words tasted bitter in his mouth. He reached into the briefcase he brought and out came a black leather file that he stretched across the glass coffee table to hand her, "I found some information on him that I think you should see."
"Is he the one who did that to your face?" She asked still seeming unimpressed with him but he could move past that. Once she sees what he's found on this Jeon Jungkook guy then she'll understand that Jisoo is much better still.
Aerin couldn't even pretend to be happy about being summoned back to her family home for the second time this week. She wore huge Prada sunglasses that still didn't manage to hide the clear distaste she has for being here and when she found Jisoo sitting comfortably across from her heart she nearly threw a tantrum.
"Why the fuck is he here?" Aerin asked as she stormed into the familiar sunroom looking more pissed off than when she walked into the house. Jisoo seemed to flinch but he tried to conceal it.
"Sit down," her mom said trying to direct her to one of the chairs but Aerin refused.
"No, fuck you both," Aerin said as she turned to leave again but it was no use. Her mom's driver stood at the entrance clearly ready to sit her down himself if she tried leaving. With an annoyed huff she marched right over to a chair and her mom's hand stuck out the black file.
"What's this?" Aerin asked as she stared down at it but her mom didn't say anything. She snatched it out of her hands and dropped down into the chair, not bothering to even glance at Jisoo.
"Just open it," Jisoo said, "It's about your boyfriend."
Aerin scoffed with a laugh, "God, pack it up Jisoo. I don't care about what you have to say and whatever shit you made up."
"Aerin, please open it," her mother begged and with a roll of her eyes she did just that.
Her breath hitched.
There was a picture inside that was paper clipped to some document but she couldn't tear her eyes away from it. She was so thankful for the sunglasses she wore because they concealed the way her eyes squinted in disgust at the sight.
She couldn't even make out who the person in the photo was but it was very clearly not Jungkook. It was an older man but his face was so bloody she couldn't tell who it might be.
His nose was very obviously broken and blood crusted into his facial hair. Both eyes were swollen shut and his jaw had a huge gash in it. His white t-shirt was soaked in blood and it got to the point where she couldn't look at it anymore and flipped the picture up to stare at the document.
NAME
Jeon Jungkook
AGE
19
CASE NO.
60-98547
CHARGES:
1 count of assault with weapon [felony]
⇨ WEAPON USED:
Pipe Wrench
The accused attacked the victim with a 18in. Milwaukee Aluminum Cheater Pipe Wrench, motive unknown [possible link to organized crime]. Victim has suffered broken jaw, nose, and ribs. Severe eye injuries and a crack down side of skull.
Victim is currently in critical condition but conscious.
2 counts of car theft [felony]
⇨ STOLEN PROPERTY:
2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
2003 Ford Mustang Mach 3
RELEASE DATE:
December 18, 2016
[released on bail]
All charges dropped as of January 8, 2017
"Whoever his lawyers were must've been paid a good sum of money to get the charges dropped," her mother finally said once Aerin flipped back to the picture of the man who was beaten black and blue by her very own boyfriend.
"Or you know, victims were probably scared to continue to press charges," Jisoo said as Aerin closed the folder, "I wouldn't want to get involved with a guy like that either."
"Too late for that," Aerin said as she looked at Jisoo's face. She was pretending to seem alright. She kept her face stone cold and forced her voice to stop shaking because there was no way she'd let these two know what she was thinking.
It was too much.
He lied to her.
He said his arrest was for car boosting, he even told her there was nothing else to worry about.
This is what he's been lying to her about.
"Honestly you should be thankful for Jisoo, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have known what kind of company you like to associate yourself with," her mom said as Aerin began to stand up, ready to run out the door.
"What an embarrassment this would have been if it got out to the public," she laughed but it never met her eyes. Her eyes were cold and staring back at Aerin with a clear sign of disappointment, "You never fail to disappoint me and this family. Your father is going to be very disheartened when I tell him the news."
"I'm leaving," was the first thing Aerin said to them ever since she read Jungkook's file. She took the folder with her as she grabbed her things ready to leave when a cold arm pulled on her wrist.
She flinched away from the touch looking at Jisoo with disgust. He didn't seem to care about the way she was looking at him as he began to say, "Aerin, I'm sorry you had to find out this way but if he was keeping this from you imagine all the other things he's been hiding. Just think for a second on what kind of person this man is, clearly he's dangerous an—"
The sound echoed across the room and Jisoo felt the sting of her slap across his cheek. It was strong enough to make his head whip to the side and his eyes widened in disbelief. Nobody seemed to move but he didn't expect anyone to react anyway. He looked at Aerin feeling angry but she didn't care.
"Everyone else can forgive you all they want but I never will," Aerin told him, "And I don't want you anywhere near me."
"Aer—"
"Give her time to cool off," her mother told him as Aerin stormed out of the house without looking back, "In the meantime let's figure out what to do about this."
She needed to be alone with her thoughts.
A/N Play Beautiful by Eminem for lowkey depressing Jungkook feels
"You're racing tonight?" Taehyung asked Jungkook as he polished the rims of his car. They were currently in the warehouse making sure Jungkook's car was ready for later.
"Yup," Jungkook said shortly. He's been in a bad mood today and he's going to continue to feel this way until he talks to Aerin. He planned on telling her yesterday but she ignored his calls and when he went to her place she was gone. Tonight he wants to do it, he has to race for money first and right after he's running straight to her place.
It's going to be hard to tell her it all but he's going to. If she decides she never wants to see him again he has to live with that. He realized now that he loves her so much that lying to her makes him feel sick. He wants to be a good man for her but if that's not what she wants then he can't do anything about it.
He just doesn't want things to end with a lie.
She may never understand why he is the way he is and he'll be lying if he said he understood it himself.
His childhood was as alright as it can be with neglectful parents. His teenage years were wasted with people he shouldn't have been around and his adulthood has been filled with nothing but mistakes that he can't seem to stop making. He hasn't changed and he can't even lie to her and say he has. If he changed he wouldn't have hurt the man who stole money from him. He wouldn't threaten people's well-being's for his sake and he wouldn't still be around the Kim's.
Yoongi lied when he said Jungkook wasn't a bad person. He was and he can't act like he's not just so he could be in this happy bubble with someone like Aerin.
"What's wrong with you?" Taehyung asked with a light chuckle but he didn't get a response. Jungkook continued to work using a Pipe wrench to tighten bolts. When Jungkook kept quiet and Taehyung grew bored, he left him alone in the warehouse to finish his work on the cars.
Jungkook remembers the first night at Aerin's Cliff. She joked that he was kidnapping her and he joked that he just might. That had to be one of the first nights where he found himself genuinely feeling a bit insecure being with her.
"What kind of guy do you usually go for?" Jungkook asked suddenly but he just wanted to know. Don't get him wrong, he's a cocky bastard, but at the same time he needs to know this. He needs to know if she can ever want a guy like him.
Aerin didn't say anything for a moment because she had to think about it. She doesn't have a specific type but at the same time she does. It was guys like Jisoo or Jimin or Hoseok, the kind of guy she could be with and nobody would even bat an eye. The kind who her parents or the public wouldn't even question seeing her with. At the end of the day she has a reputation to uphold for the sake of her family and that means being married off to someone they approve of. It doesn't matter what her type is even if she likes to have fun with everyone and anyone.
"Someone who makes me feel something," she said simply. If she could go just based off that then she could easily say Jungkook is the one.
He makes her feel giddy and though part of her hates that, she loves it too, "Like you."
She assured and that night he saw Jisoo's name and flipped out on her. He called her a liar and treated her horribly because he thought she was the one who would hurt him with a lie.
"Fuck," Jungkook groaned as he backed away from the car, wheeling his stool away and staring at the wrench in his hand.
He hated himself almost as much as he loved Aerin. He was always such a confident kid until he met her and it wasn't her who made him feel like shit. It was the fact that he was pretending to be better than he actually was.
The wrench felt heavy in his hands and without think he smashed it into the cement floor, then he did it again and again until the cement began to crack and create a small dent.
When he was done, he chucked the wrench across the floor and buried his face in his hands.
...
♡ please make sure to vote and comment ♡
poor kooky 🥺 he loves Aerin so much and she's making him want to be better but he doesn't know how
what if it's too late?
dark chapter next