Chapter 78

“I know you knew more than I know… As his hyung… I don’t know anything yet… How you and he are related, how he and Eunwoo are related, what happened today, years ago, I don’t know anything. But I want to know those. Can you please tell me?” Jin said, his voice low, almost pleading for the truth

Meanwhile, the others looked at them with confused eyes, especially Taehyung. His brows furrowed, concern and confusion evident on his face.

Haein just stood there, her back facing them. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. The room was still, heavy with tension.

Then, slowly, she turned and looked at Jin.

“I promise to say… But first, promise me you guys won’t blame yourselves,” she said, her voice quiet but firm.

“What do you mean by ‘blame ourselves‘?” Taehyung mumbled, clearly confused, his voice laced with fear for what she was about to reveal.

“Is it something we are going to regret?” Yoongi asked next, his tone calm on the surface, but trembling at the edges.

Haein stayed silent. And in that silence, they understood… They were going to regret something…. Deeper

“Tell, Haein-ah,” Jin asked again, this time with more control, more steadiness, though his heart was pounding in his chest.

Haein finally nodded and walked slowly to the couch in front of Jin. She sat down, folding her hands together, bracing herself, because what she was about to say would change everything. She is already thinking of the probability of them killing her right now for hunding the truths.

“Hyesuk eomma… you know her,” Haein said. Jin and the others gasped slightly.

“But she hasn’t been in contact with us since she moved to New Zealand,” Namjoon said, brows furrowing.

Haein shook her head slowly. “She’s… she is dead,” she said.

All their eyes widened in shock. “H… how?” Hobi asked, his voice almost a whisper.

“In an accident… when Jungkook was sixteen,” Haein replied.

“H… how is Jungkook related to her? He doesn’t even know her properly. And how is she related to him?”
Yoongi questioned, trying to connect the dots.

Haein swallowed and said softly, “She is my aunt, I’ve mentioned before. She took care of me, Eunwoo, and also… Jungkook.”

The moment she completed her sentence, Jin asked the question burning inside him “Why would she take care of him?”

He was already shocked beyond words to hear all this. His hands had gone cold.

Haein inhaled some breath and began, “Because… when Jungkook first woke up from his coma, the first thing he asked for was his eomma. Hyesuk eomma couldn’t help but assure him by saying that she was his mom… She told him not to worry and she’ll be there for her. She assured him by saying she is his mom, and Jungkook believed that. After you all left, Kim-ssi left Jungkook to live with us. He grew up with us.

“We raised him.” Her voice trembled a little.

“Eunwoo and Jungkook were the best of friends, like soul brothers. Eomma took care of all of us like her own children…. Up to the age of 11, he was with us…”

The room fell into heavy silence. Everyone was still. Jin’s heart sank.

How could they hide this from us? From my own brother’s truth?

How could we have not known?

“Then?” Jin asked, his voice quiet but cold, trying to stay composed though his world was shaking beneath him.

Haein looked at him, eyes full of guilt. She gulped and continued,

“Then Kim-ssi took him back. Jungkook started living with him again. Jungkook really loved his appa a lot. At first, when Kim took him back, Jungkook cried the whole day… but then he got used to it there. But he would visit us daily after school.Then… it got reduced to once a week… all because of Kim.”. She finished, her eyes dropping to the floor.

They just listened. Silently. Hearts racing. Minds overwhelmed. No one knew how to react.

The truth they never imagined was now haunting them, piece by piece.

“Why uncle took Jungkook with him? What happened after thant?” Hobi asked voice trembling.

Haien took a deep breath and spoke, he tried to compose herself for next.

“At the age of eleven, Jungkook, Eunwoo, and I… we were dragged into the mafia,” Haein said, finishing her words with a heaviness that instantly froze the room.

The moment those words left her mouth, silence fell, sharp, suffocating.

“What do you mean dragged into the mafia? When the hell did this happen?” Jin’s voice broke through the air. He raised it slightly at first in shock, but the next words dropped into a low, trembling whisper. He was completely shattered.

He couldn’t believe it…. His brother…. His baby brother. The one he swore to protect from the shadows from which he escaped is having his brother now. Only his brother no one else…

He’d done everything……everything to keep Taehyung and Jimin away from that world. He had walked out of that hell just to shield them. Just for them.

But Jungkook… the youngest of them all… had been pulled in right under his nose. Without his eyes noticing it. How did he failed to protect his brother?

When he saw the gun earlier in Jungkook’s waistband, his heart had stopped. He had felt something, something which made his stomach churn, he was already shocked. He already suspected but didn’t confirmed it.

Now… the truth was cutting him open.

The others were equally stunned.
Taehyung and Jimin had silent tears rolling down their cheeks, hands clenched on their laps. Their faces were pale, shaken. Yoongi clenched his fists in anger, he was already sooo angry.

“I… it’s the truth,” Haein continued softly. Her head was lowered in guilt. “He was dragged into the mafia at just eleven. Eunwoo too… and me. I joined when I was twenty.”

Jin felt his whole world collapsing around him. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the scream building in his chest. His eyes burned. His throat tightened. His hands trembled at his sides.

“H-he was in the mafia?” he whispered, nearly breathless. “Why? For what? Who the fuck did that to him? Was it… my appa?” Taehyung’s voice trembled when he asked, already dreading the answer.

Haein slowly nodded. And that single nod felt like a blade sinking into each of their chests.

Yoongi clenched his fists in full anger. Hoseok and Namjoon gritted their jaws, their eyes filled with unspoken rage. The room felt like it was collapsing in on itself, too much pain, too much confusion, too much everything.

Jin looked at Jungkook, still lying motionless in that hospital bed, his face pale and frail. His chest ached.

He held his head in frustration because of what he just heard, trying to ground himself, but the storm inside was too strong. He hoped that she would tell him that I was a lie. But he couldnt make it to that. He was angry on himself for letting his brother in the hell by himself.

“I… I shouldn’t have left you alone, Kook… I’m sorry… I’m really sorry,” he thought, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. “My sorry won’t change anything… but I’ll make sure he fucking regrets his actions. I swear to you, Jungkook, I’ll make him pay for what he did to you. For pushing you into hell at just eleven. I’ll never forgive him.”

He was breaking. Everything he thought he had protected… was a lie.

His baby brother, his sunshine, his world, his happiness, his moon, had grown up in the darkest corners without him even realizing it.

How was he supposed to live with that?

The weight of the truth crushed him.

He had fought their father, when he tried to pull Jimin and Taehyung into the mafia. He had left everything for their safety. And yet… his youngest… the most innocent one of them all… had been dragged into that same hell at an very very veryy younger age.

Even Jin had only been forced into that world at seventeen. But Jungkook?

Eleven. He was a child. And now Jin couldn’t breathe under the guilt.

But one thing was sure. Kim would suffer. Jin would make sure of it. He would make him miserable. He would make him regret every single thing he did to Jungkook.

(What he heard upto this itself shattered him this much, how will he react when he heard the things which are still hidden and unspoken? Will he shatter completetly?)

He clenched his fists, jaw trembling, and looked around at his younger brothers.

None of them were speaking. The only sounds in the room were soft, stifled sobs from Taehyung and Jimin.

Then Jin’s voice broke the silence.

His tone was sharp. Cold. Controlled, but dangerous.

“How did Hyesuk aunt die?” he asked. “Did that bastard Kim kill her?”

All eyes snapped to Haein.

She stood silent for a moment, the guilt visible in her eyes.

Then she finally opened her mouth to answer. She started saying what happened that day.

Flashback Continues

(Flashback is continued from chapter no. 32)

CRASH.

The car hit them.

A loud thud echoed as they both flew in different directions.

Jungkook’s body hit the ground hard, pain shooting through him. His vision blurred as he weakly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was his mother.

Lying in a pool of her own blood. Unmoving.

The sounds around him became muffled. People were screaming. Running.

His lips trembled. “E-eo… eomma…” he whispered weakly.

And the next moment… Everything went black.

Meanwhile, with the others…

(Continued from ch 32)

“Why are they still not here?” Suho mumbled, calling Hyesuk. The phone rang and rang, but she didn’t pick up.

Suho sighed and looked at Haein. “Did they go to buy the whole ice cream shop or what?” he asked playfully.

Haein shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t know.”

“Hahhhh, hyungie… I’m hungry. Where did that idiot go?” Eunwoo whined.

Haein opened her mouth to respond, but then they noticed people rushing toward a nearby spot, crowding around.

Suho and Haein furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

“Wait, I’ll go check what’s happening,” Suho said, already walking ahead.

Haein didn’t stop him. She looked at Eunwoo and said, “Wait here, hmm? We’ll be back in a minute.”

Eunwoo whined, “I’ll come too…”

Haein sighed but nodded. The three of them moved toward the crowd. As they got closer, they began to hear murmurs from the people around them. The atmosphere was tense, filled with whispers and pitying expressions.

“He’s really young…” one person whispered. Their hearts began to race.

Suho immediately pushed through the crowd, parting people aside urgently. And then he saw it.

Jungkook and Hyesuk… lying on the road, blood flowing from their bodies.

He gasped in horror. “Eomma… Kookiie!” Eunwoo screamed, his voice cracking with shock and fear.

Haein covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide with terror.

Suho stood frozen in place, mind blank, unable to process what he was seeing. He snapped out of it only when he heard Eunwoo’s heart-wrenching wailing.

“Eomma, wake up, please! Eomma… Eomma!” Eunwoo cried, shaking Hyesuk’s body desperately.

Haein rushed to Jungkook, carefully lifting him. Blood was streaming from his head, his face covered in it.

“K-Kook… baby…” her voice cracked, trembling. She was terrified, her hands shaking as she cradled him.

“Someone call the ambulance, please!” Haein screamed, panic evident in her voice.

Immediately, the people around them reached for their phones, dialing frantically. Suho gulped down his fear and rushed to Eunwoo, who was trembling beside Hyesuk’s body. Suho pulled him into his arms tightly.

“Hyungie…” Eunwoo wailed, breaking down completely.

Suho held him close, tears falling silently down his own cheeks, trying to stay strong, but his heart was breaking.

At the hospital…

They stood outside the ICU, pacing, crying, praying. Jungkook and Hyesuk had been rushed into emergency ward. The doors had shut behind, leaving the triop frozen in despair, staring at the red lights above.

Eunwoo was inconsolable, crying so hard he could barely breathe. Haein and Suho were trying their best to comfort him, but nothing helped. No words could soothe the storm in his heart.

“Baby, please stop crying,” Haein begged softly, wiping the tears from Eunwoo’s cheeks, though her own eyes were filled with grief.

But Eunwoo couldn’t stop. He clung to Suho like a lifeline, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Eomma… Kookie…” he kept mumbling over and over in a broken voice, like a mantra of pain.

Suho held him tightly, gently rocking him as he cried. His own thoughts were spiraling.

what if they lost them?? He tried to stay brave for Eunwoo, but the fear was unbearable.

His mind kept replaying the moment they saw Jungkook and Hyesuk lying motionless on the road, their bodies lifeless, the blood, the chaos. The memory was carved into his soul.

But most terrifying of all was the thought of Jungkook.

They had always known… Jungkook’s heart and brain condition was fragile. They were warned, no injuries to his head. If something happened there, the chances of survival were low. Too lowwww.

They were all drowning in that fear. Minutes felt like hours.

Only thirty minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity. Then,… finally.. they saw a light.

The red light above Hyesuk’s operating room turned green, signaling the end of the treatment

They all turned at once, eyes wide, breath held, waiting for the door to open.

Soon, the doctors came out. The three of them stood still, chest rising and falling rapidly, panic tightening their lungs, fear twisting in their chests. They clung to hope, begging silently for good news.

But when they saw the doctor’s pale face… that hope began to crumble.

“I’m… sorry,” the doctor said, eyes heavy with grief. “We couldn’t save her. Time of death: 7:48.”

For a moment, it was like the entire world stopped spinning.

Haein stood frozen in place, eyes wide, lips trembling. Her mind was still trying to process the words, but her heart already knew the truth.

Suho gasped softly, his knees going weak. A tear slipped silently down his cheek. He let out a shaky breath, like he was drowning.

And then….”Hyungie… Eomma…” he heard eunwoo, his voice trembling, tears spilling freely from his eyes.

He looked up at Suho, desperate. “W-What are they saying…? S..he’s fine, r..right? You…you said she’d be fine… Why isn’t she c..coming?” His voice cracked, filled with raw panic. “T..tell them to let her come… please…p..pleaseee”

His words broke into sobs. “I want my eomma… She’ll come for me, right?… please… a…ask her to come… i…i am .. scared… she should come…”

Suho held him tightly, his own heart tearing apart. He rubbed Eunwoo’s back, whispering, “It’s okay… I’m here, I’m here…” But what could he even say?

How do you comfort someone whose entire world was just taken from them?

“Eunwoo… baby, don’t cry so hard… Please, calm down. Take deep breaths… Please,” Suho pleaded, his hands on Eunwoo’s chest, trying to soothe him.

But Eunwoo was gasping now, breathing erratically, his body shaking. It was too much. His heart couldn’t take it.

“E-Eomma…” he whispered agai, and then everything went black.

He collapsed in Suho’s arms.

“Eunwoo!” Suho shouted, catching him before he hit the floor.

“Eunwoo, baby, look at me… please, Eunwoo-ya… please!” Suho yelled, panic rising in his voice. “Doctor! Doctor!”

A doctor came running toward them. Haein, who had been frozen in place, finally turned toward Suho and Eunwoo. That’s when she notice Eunwoo had fainted.

A tear slipped from her eyes. She took a step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. “Eunwoo-ya…”

The doctor reached them. “What happened?” he asked urgently.

“He was crying really hard, and then suddenly… he just fainted,” Suho said, his voice tight with fear.

“He’s probably exhausted,” the doctor replied quickly. “Let’s take him to a room and let him rest.”

Suho didn’t hesitate. He scooped Eunwoo gently into his arms and carried him down the hallway. Haein followed closely behind, eyes never leaving the boy’s pale face.

In the hospital room, the doctor carefully injected a mild sedative to calm Eunwoo. The boy’s breathing slowly evened out as he drifted into a deep sleep.

Now resting in the hospital bed, Eunwoo looked completely draine, his face pale, his body still, his hands limp by his side. He looked so small in that bed, too fragile for the amount of pain he’d just endured.

Haein stood silently by the door, arms crossed over her chest, holding herself together. Suho sat at Eunwoo’s side, gently brushing his hair back with trembling fingers.

Neither of them spoke, but the room was thick with grief, worry, and love.

Haein had tears in her eyes. The words of the doctor kept ringing in her ears.

Once she saw that Eunwoo was fine, she quietly stepped out of the room and walked back to the ICU. She leaned against the wall, and tears started flowing from her eyes nonstop.

She buried her face in her palms, crying hard. Slowly, she slid down the wall and sat there, leaning against it, her sobs echoing in the quiet corridor. Everything was too much for her to handle…

The way she had held Jungkook’s cold hand… the sight of Hyesuk’s lifeless body, it was all too much. Hearing that her mother, her home, would no longer be around shattered her completely.

She had already lost her own mother. Her father had abandoned her and her brother. And now, Hyesuk… she was gone too.

After her mother’s death, it was Hyesuk who took care of her, who stood by her side. Losing her without warning, on such a normal day, had broken her completely. She cried and cried, harder than she ever had before.

“Eomma… why? Why did you leave us? What will I tell Kook and Eun? How will they bear your death?
Ahhhhhhh… waeeeee?” she cried out in agony, her voice thick with grief.

Meanwhile, Suho stood a short distance away. He saw how broken Haein looked. A silent tear slid down his cheek. He leaned against the wall too, his heart heavy with pain. He stared into the empty space, then slowly sank to the floor, unable to hold it in anymore.

He began crying quietly at first, then harder. First, he saw his own mother’s death in front of his own eyes… and now Hyesuk too. It was too cruel.

He stood alongside Haein, each lost in their grief, but connected by the same heartbreak.

They both silently prayed for Jungkook’s recovery. That one light of hope that still flickered in their shattered world.

Two hours had passed, and still, there was no update. Haein sat there, tears still flowing. Suho stood nearby, silent, broken, but clinging to hope.

Finally… the ICU door opened, and the red light above turned green. Haein stood up immediately, her breath caught in her throat. Doctor Hwang stepped out, his expression somber.

He looked at them and sighed before speaking “H…he’s in critical condition. We did everything we could… but he’s in a coma. The next 24 hours are crucial. If he wakes up during that time, there’s hope. If not…” The doctor’s voice trailed off.

Haein and Suho gasped, their hearts sinking.

The doctor gave them a gentle nod and walked away, leaving behind a suffocating silence.

Haein broke down again, tears pouring down her cheeks as she collapsed to her knees. “Please… please… I beg you… he’s just a child. Let him live in peace. Don’t take him away from me. Please… kookie be fine. Noona is always waiting for you, Kook… please… please come back…” she cried, her voice cracking under the weight of her pain.

Beside her, Suho’s eyes welled up again, tears slipping down his cheeks. He wiped them quickly, took a deep breath, and walked over to Haein. Gently, he crouched beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She turned to him, her face drenched in sorrow. “Oppa… what sin did he even commit? Why does God always make him suffer like this? First, my mom… then Hyesuk eomma… and now,…now He’s trying to take away my Kook too. Why?! Why him?!” she sobbed uncontrollably.

Suho’s voice was soft but firm as he held her tighter. “He’ll be fine… trust me. He will wake up. He has to… I promise, Haein. He’s strong. He’s stronger than any of us,” Suho whispered, even as his own voice trembled with fear.

And so, he sat there with her, two broken souls in the hallway, hoping, praying, and holding onto the only thing they had left…. Hope

The Next Day

It was afternoo. Eunwoo had woken up at 7 AM, but he hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. He just cried and cried. When he heard about Jungkook’s condition, his cries only grew louder. It broke everyone’s hearts to see him like that. But with time and a lot of patience, Haein and Suho managed to calm him down.

Suho had informed Kim about Hyesuk’s death over a call. He was met with a cold “okay” in response.

But the moment Suho mentioned Jungkook, Kim’s voice rose in anger.
“What the hell happened to my son? This is exactly why I didn’t want to leave him with you all. If anything happens to him, you’re all gone,” Kim snapped. He added that he would take a flight in two days. His voice showed anger. Pure anger… Not fake..

Hyunwoo didn’t know anything. Kim hadn’t told him. Hyunwoo remained in Korea, handling business matters there.

Haein had somehow managed to convince Eunwoo to eat a little, though he did so in silence. She and Suho hadn’t slept the entire night waiting outside Jungkook’s ICU ward, shattered between fear and hope.

It was exactly 2:12 in the afternoon.

They were still outside the ICU. Eunwoo lay asleep on Haein’s lap, curled into her like a fragile child. She gently stroked his hair, her eyes constantly drifting toward the ICU doors. Suho stood nearby, arms crossed tightly, eyes fixed on the clock, heart pounding with each second that passed.

Unable to stand the stillness, Suho quietly stepped toward the ICU’s glass door. He looked in and saw Jungkook lying motionless on the hospital be his body connected to countless wires, a bandage wrapped around his head.

An oxygen mask covered his face. Multiple IV lines ran into his arms. The heart monitor beeped steadily beside him, and Suho kept his eyes trained on the subtle rise and fall of Jungkook’s chest, reassuring himself that he was still breathing.

Then… he saw it. A slight twitch.

Jungkook’s finger moved. Suho’s eyes widened in disbelief. He leaned in closer, yes…, he saw it again. His finger was moving.

Without wasting a second, Suho turned and sprinted toward the nurses’ station.

“Doctor! Doctor, please, come quickly! He’s moving! Jungkook is moving!” Suho shouted.

Haein stood up, startled after she gently helped Eunwoo lie down more comfortably on the bench and hurried to the ICU door.

And there, through the glass, she saw it. Jungkook’s eyelids fluttering. Her breath hitched in her throat. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, she felt a flicker of relief.

Soon, the doctors rushed into the ICU. Suho and Haein stood outside, breathless and frozen in place, their eyes locked on the door.

Time slowed like enternity as they waited. Haein held her hands tightly together, silently whispering prayers. Suho stood rigid, refusing to blink, terrified he’d miss even the slightest movement or sound from inside.

Minutes passed like hours. Finally, the door opened. Dr. Hwang stepped out, removing his surgical mask. His expression was tired, but there was a softness in his eyes.

“He… he’s fine,” Dr. Hwang said, his voice trembling slightly. “We’ll keep him under observation for today. If everything stays stable, we’ll shift him to the general ward tomorrow.”

A breath that Haein didn’t realize she was holding escaped her in a rush. Her legs almost gave out beneath her.

Dr. Hwang continued, “That boy… he fought. He really fought hard and came back to us. Be thankful for your prayers.”

His own eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he looked at them. He had seen the raw pain in Jungkook’s eyes during the treatment. He had watched the child silently endure the battle between life and death and the trauma he faced by his dad everyday.

And he knew all, better than anyone, that much of Jungkook’s suffering was still hidden from even those closest to him.

Suho placed a hand on Haein’s shoulder, grounding her. She nodded, still speechless, her heart aching with both relief and guilt.

“Thank you, doctor… thank you so much,” Suho whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Dr. Hwang gave a gentle nod and left, allowing them a moment to breath for the first time in what felt like forever.

Heyyy guys!!!

Finally i updated…. How was it?

Any thoughts? Any request?

As i promise 4k plus words

And which was the saddest part?

Which made you tooo nervous or scared or too sad?

Any guesses for what Jungkook will react to his mother ‘s death news?

I really teared up when I wrote eunwoo crying for his mother….

Anyway comment a lot..

I’ll continue after a week.. be patient guys and I am really sooooooooo sorry…

30+ comments.