You scarfed down your food abnormally fast, whatever it took to get you out of the room with that blonde-haired bomb of insanity. Doing so earned a questionable look from Hoseok, but you paid it no mind. You followed along with their little lies. You owed them nothing else.
After a long, steamy shower in your walk-in bath, you emerged and slipped into comfortable navy blue pajama shorts. A white tank top over your chest freed your arms. You nestled into the warmth of the blankets, though your body seemed restless.
What were you doing? It'd been a few weeks since you joined the 'gang,' but no sense of comfort came from your new-found stance in the organization.
You were living in a house with a maniac, a conman, a deceiver, a getaway driver, a backstabbing brother, and a ring leader who was more ruthless than yourself. Hoseok and Jungkook were probably the tamest of the bunch, though you didn't know Hoseok well, and your favor toward Jungkook was mostly attraction based. There wasn't any real premise to like him otherwise.
Some nights you were laying your life in the hands of men, you couldn't trust, and likely they didn't trust you either. Was this all just some long hall game that R was playing? Was he trying to get you to lower your defenses, trust them, rely on them, then rip the rug from under your feet and floor you again? Or did he truly want you to become a trusted member of his gang?
Hell, knowing that twisted psychopath of a man, it could be both. He was a sadist deep down; part of you knew he enjoyed inflicting pain and superiority on those around him. That he got his rocks off being the top dog, though being beneath anyone brought your blood to a boil. To be someone's 'bitch' was a sour taste of pure shit. You couldn't stand following orders, to be given orders, and expected to follow so blindly.
Your choices seemed beak, grim even. You folded your legs under the blankets and propped your elbows on your knees. Your hands pressed against your cheeks as your propped your head up with your hands in your pathetic wallowing of self-doubt and pity. Once again, you had to convince yourself to play this out for the long hall. Tuck away some money, bid your time, make some connections, and wait for the perfect moment to either strike or run. It'd be what to expect if you were to try and leave now, even after a few weeks. R seemed to know you better than you knew yourself at times, and he was likely expecting any move you could throw at him now.
Though, if you played it a long hall, perhaps got his trust and the trust of the other guys, maybe you could slip from his grasp so much easier and turn the tables on him, but how long was that hall? A few months? A year? Five? There was no telling; clearly, patients weren't your strong suit.
Tossing your hands down, you released a grunt of irritation as you slapped your bed. Though just as you turned yourself to the side, ready to twitch off the new lamp beside you - replaced after you had broken the last one - you heard a soft knock at the door. Your eyes snapped up, staring at the rounded frame, mind racing at who might be behind the wood. You made no sound, not wanting to know. Perhaps whoever it was would assume you were asleep and leave peacefully, but the beaming light from inside gave you away.
"Y/N, Are you awake?" A whispering voice questioned from the other side. The knob twisted, and the door opened just a crack. Not enough to see into the room, but enough to extend the voice and for it to come out more clearly behind the thick door. It took a second, but you quickly recognized the smooth, honey-riddled voice of the owner.
"Jungkook?" You questioned aloud as you leaned forward on your bed. His name gave him enough confidence to open the door further and peek inside. Those doe brown eyes peered into the room with caution as that luscious head of chocolate brown hair framed his face. He dyed his hair. He was still a sight for sore eyes. "Baby boy, what're you doing here?" Even if you were irritated, you couldn't drop the nickname.
"I came to talk... Do you have a minute?" He asked, with only his head slipping through the door's crack. An apologetic frown on his brows made it clear something bothered him.
Jungkook had never been to your room before, despite the many invites he never showed. None of the men invaded your personal space, well, excluding your first meeting with R, that is. Though something told you, Jungkook wasn't here to 'take you up on your offer.'
Raising a hand, you waved him inside and scooted back on your bed, letting your blankets cover your folded legs just out of view. You were fresh-faced now, with no makeup on and your blue locks pulled back and out of your face—a much different appearance than what you were used to showcasing. Then again, your confidence wouldn't allow you to feel ashamed of your natural appearance.
He opened the door wider and stepped inside, hesitantly closing the door behind him softly. It was late; perhaps he wasn't trying to wake anyone in the house. Your room was on the top floor, but Taehyung and Hoseok had a room on the same floor. He cautiously approached the bed and stopped a few feet from it.
Per usual, he wore baggy clothes and was dressed in mostly dark colors. A pair of navy blue sweat pants that served as pajama pants and a black shirt that let his tatted neck and chest peek through that v-neck cotton line. His new brunette locks were just as lush as the previous blonde. Though, inwardly, you had to admit you liked the brown hair better. He looked upset, bothered even, and it showed right down to the way he was fidgeting his hands.
"What's on your mind, baby boy?" You asked with a soft sigh from your pale lips. Raising a brow, you tilted your head to the side.
"I just... I wanted to thank you for dinner tonight." He said timidly. Despite his deep tone of voice, he sounded like an unsure child trying to find the right words to say. Though he quickly followed up his statement as he noticed the confusion spread to your own expression. "Jimin." He added. "Hoseok told me what happened at dinner."
"Did he now?" You couldn't help but scuff as your eyes rolled, casting your gaze off to the other side of the room.
"I know it must have been hard for you to try and force yourself to have a meal with him after what he did." Jungkook lowered his head in both shame in embarrassment, you could see him from the corner of your eye, and a piece of your heart went out to him, though not much, as there wasn't much of a heart left there anymore anyway.
"That's a fucking understatement." You muttered, gazing back at him as you glared across the room at him from under your long lashes.
"Hoseok told you, right? That... I'm the reason he's here?" Jungkook's head tilted, flashing his trademark puppy dog gaze that made hearts around him turn to butter.
"He explained it to me briefly." Folding your hands, you flopped them into your lap roughly as you pulled back your shoulders and sat up straight.
"Well, Jimin and I went to school together. At least, we did before he developed his disorder..." Jungkook took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he tried to find the right words to open up about his past.
"His family died when he was young. We tried putting him on medication after that. My mom took him in. I watched him attend countless doctor visits and wilt under the mountain of medication. I didn't want to watch my friend waste away like that."
"And you brought him here because this was 'better for him.'" You quickly finished his story before he could, brows dipping as your jaw flexed, the muscles rolling across the bone. "Exactly how is this better for someone with a condition like his?"
"Because here he's free to be his personalities, all of them." Jungkook unfolded his hands and let them rest at his side. "Granted, maybe some aren't favorable for people but they're favorable to 'R.M's cause."
"He tried to kill me, Jungkook." You bluntly pointed out, deciding to save face and not point out that you didn't give a damn about 'R.M's cause, whatever fuck that meant anyway.
"He did and shouldn't have, but he would never have if he were 'himself' at the time. That doesn't justify his actions, but you could have killed him tonight. You could have put a bullet in his head at dinner." Jungkook's words got faster, a bit more erratic in his rushed hurry to prove his point. "I'm not stupid."
He wasn't wrong. That was the first thing that came to your mind when you saw him sitting happily at that dinner table, talking about college classes and pretending everything was a barrel of fucking sunshine. Two blondes had assaulted you, and just seeing them was starting to turn your stomach now.
"But you didn't, and I'm thanking you for that." Jungkook took a step forward, his voice almost pleading as his heart sank to his feet. "He's just not himself all the time, and I know I don't have any right to ask any favors of you considering why you're here in the first place, but... please just don't kill my best friend for the sins of his demented personalities."
"That's asking a lot." Bitting at your lower lip, you averted your gaze. Damn those beautiful brown eyes and their persuasion power. He was probably the only one in the house who could make you so willing to even hear him out this far over something that made you so angry.
"I know it is, and I'll owe you big time for this." He took in one more large breath, letting his eyes shut briefly and breaking his spell on you. "I just hope that one day you can see Jimin for who he is and not for what his mental illness has turned him into..."
"I'm not making any promises, nor will I try and be his best friend. But..." Swallowing your empty throat, you felt like you would regret what you said next. Wondering if you could hold to your word on this, but-- "I'll refrain from hurting him as long as he doesn't touch me again."
"Okay." His head nodded, those brunette locks bouncing around as he bobbed it quite a few times. "That's fair enough, more than fair..." He flashed a strained smile, pinching his lips together tight, making that slight freckle under his lip appear much more prominent. "Thank you."
Damn it, perhaps there was one person in this mansion who had some sway with you.