another day, another day
and nothing is quite what it seems
. . .
— hospital;
Jungkook grunted as he tried to move on the floor. Taehyung and Jimin were crouching beside him, confusingly staring at his face.
"What the hell just happened?" he questioned. His head still felt numb from what Tae's fist did to him.
"We should be the one asking, who the f.uck was that?" Mildly disturbed, Taehyung was.
The boy beside him lowered his head, scared that by the mention of his name, he would panic again. "Who was who?"
"That mot.herfuc.ker —"
"Is that father?" Jimin boldly cut Taehyung off. He took a deep breath before fixing his eyes on his precious younger brother who seems to have recognized which identity took over.
"N—no, he was ju—" His lips trembled, feeling sorry for what happened.
"Were you hiding him from me the whole time?" As much as he doesn't want to cry and to get mad at him, he couldn't help it. He wanted to tell Jungkook how fu.cked up he is and how much he wanted to hurt him for what he did, but he still loves him dearly.
Jimin understood troubled people more than anyone. He knows how it feels to be bound by the darkness that lurks in your thoughts every midnight, he knows how it feels to be the only person to comfort your own self after crying when no one's around.
"Hyung, I'm sorry..." Guilt crawled up to his spine. The only reason he hid that man is that he wanted to protect Jimin, but I guess his plan didn't work out.
He kneeled in front of him, constantly asking for forgiveness. Jimin didn't think twice to pull his stepbrother on his arms and comfort him with his own tears. It's fascinating how Jimin had a whole lot of space in his heart for acceptance. Perhaps that's why Jin was so fond of him.
"Hush now, I understand. It's okay." Jungkook rested his chin on the elder's shoulder. He continued sobbing until eventually, he got tired.
"Am I allowed to share a hug?" Taehyung spoke cheerfully.
That's what he wanted all along, the three of them getting cozy around each other. Jimin nodded before Tae wrapped his wide arms around both lads.
"I wish we could stay like this forever." Taehyung tightened his embrace, causing the boys to whimper.
"We'll eat a lot of beef bulgogi once you're discharged from this hospital," Jimin replied, "then I will beat you up again."
Taehyung chuckled with him, his rectangular smile almost reaching his ears.
"Do you guys realize how unmanly this is?" Jungkook tried to liberate himself but his hyungs adored him so much.
"Our maknae has already grown up!"
"You're not getting away from us, we missed you!"
"Jungkookie!!" Tae and Jimin laughed hysterically as they squeezed him harder between their bodies.
Their cuddle session was interrupted when there was a sudden call on Jungkook's phone.
"Mr. Jeon Jungkook, this is the chief deputy. May I request your presence at the station today?"
"Sure, I'll be there in a minute!" He dropped the call and walked straight up to the door.
"Who was that?" his hyungs simultaneously asked.
"Yugyeom. I'll be at the police station if you need another cuddle session. Satisfy each other for a while, bye!" He closed the door after him. His last words left the two boys cringing in disapproval.
"What the f.uck? Ew, no."
"I'm not gay!"
"You sure? I saw you lookin—"
"Shut the fu.ck up, Tae."
"Just sayin'."
. . .
"Jeon Jungkook?" The chief deputy marched around the interrogation room, giving uncomfortable glances over the boy sitting on the chair.
"Are you just gonna stare at me the entire time?" He lodged his feet on the table and fixed his eyes on the officer.
"How was your relationship with Jin three months ago?"
. . .
[Three months ago]
"Kookie, careful with that vase! My dad gave it to me!" Jin warned the child as he playfully tossed it while walking around the living room.
"What if I suddenly break it?" he mocked.
"Don't you dare, kiddo. I'm serious; my dad died for it." Jin closed his book and sat properly on the couch.
Kookie didn't stop playing with it though, every passing second, he threw it higher and higher.
"Jeon Jungkook, I swear if—" The sound of shattering glass sent an instant clap of rage in his body. Right away, he got off the couch and slapped the kid, leaving a mark on his left cheek, making his lips crash his teeth and causing red blood to drip.
"Hy—hyung, I'm s— sorry." He took a few steps backward until he hits the window and curled himself on the curtain covering it.
"I told you not to fu.cking play with it!" He grabbed his book and swayed it in front of the frightened kid.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the boy pleaded while he senselessly hit his thighs with the hardbound book.
Jin couldn't control himself from striking the kid in his anger. That vase was his father's gift on his last birthday they spent together. His father died that next day, and that's when his life started to raise hell.
So terrified, the boy was. In times like this, when the personalities are under threat, the devil's voice won't stop echoing within the circle.
'let me protect you, my child.'
'I will teach that a.sshat a lesson.'
'shh, stop crying kookie, let me handle this.'
"Why the hell are you even in his body?! Tell Jungkook to shut you down, you piece of sh.it!" And before he could smack him again, Kookie held his right wrist.
"What the f.uck do you think you're doing?!" There was an instant change in his mood, he shifted from the nerveless, wimpy kid to a tough, merciless father figure.
Jin tried to shrug him off but his grasp was too tight, his arm was almost pale from the restrained blood flow.
"Who are you? Let me go!" he grunted, still stuck on his palm.
"John." He grinned. Jin realized he was one of Jungkook's personalities, but he was different. There's something dark and uncanny around him. "Aren't you a little too old to be hurting kids?" And he twisted his wrist making him jolt in pain.
He examined the way he suffered and noticed the scars on his wrist due to self-harm. "You do self-harm then?"
Jin panicked and tried to scratch him off, but he was too vigorous and aggressive. John took one of the shards of glass on the floor and held it close to Jin's wrist.
"Look here, kid. I will do you a favor and cut your wrist for you. I will be gentle, I promise." He chuckled maniacally as he lacerated his wrist.
He showed no mercy, and Jin surely didn't find any pleasure in it.
"Stop! Please, stop!" He tried to fight him off with his other hand, but John was showing bold forcefulness, he cut him deep, even deeper than he could do to himself.
drip, drop, drip, drop, blood on the floor.
The sharp edge of the glass cut him through, his vision blurred out after losing too much.
"Jungkook!" a man's voice came into the scene. He couldn't see who he was, but it surely interrupted the horrendous act. And he was thankful.
. . .
"Who the fu.ck is John?!" Yugyeom was more puzzled this time.
"We call him our father, he protects us - all 12 inside my head." He smirked. He lifted his hand inertly to his face and blew his fingers.
"My nails are already long, don't you think?" He stretched his arm out to the officer.
Yugyeom took a deep, sharp breath before breaking the question, "Who am I talking to?"
"John."
"Did you switch roles with him before you got here?"
"Oh boy, I never left."
:)