8

When Jimin stepped through the front door, his eyes were still red from the tears he had shed on the way home. Jin, who had canceled his trip at the last minute, had been a helpless witness to his pain. Yoon-Gi had refused to tell him more about what his father was doing to him, and he could only imagine the worst.

But he could not face his father. Because he would not be the one to pay the price.

His mother's screams assailed him like needles of reality stabbing into his heart. He raised his head and his gaze left the ground. His mother had stopped in the middle of the staircase in the middle of the hall. These led up to the second floor, where the bedrooms were. Hoseok faced her and held her gaze. He held her firmly by the wrist. It was the first time Jimin had witnessed such a confrontation, and probably the first time they had actually spoken to each other.

His mother was furious, and tears of rage glistened in her eyes. Hoseok's gaze was as black as it was impenetrable. He was threatening her.

"I'm going to destroy his family!" Lee Yoo-Jin screamed. "There'll be nothing left but the ashes of their empire to warm them during the winter!"

"You'll do nothing" Hoseok retorted in a voice so menacing that Jimin shuddered.

"She cheated on my son!"

"Adulterers should understand each other."

She slapped him hard in the face. Sobbing drew Jimin's attention. Kang Min-Ah clung to the banister, her body trembling with fear and despair.

"When it comes to protecting my child, I'll do anything" Lee Yoo-Jin told her. "That whore's family will be out on the street tomorrow morning."

"You're not the only one who'll do anything to protect your child" Hoseok replied.

He let go of her wrist and shoved her violently. Jimin watched her fall down the stairs, petrified with astonishment. Someone jostled him and he saw Jin rush to his mother, unconscious at the foot of the stairs.

"Yoo-Jin" Jin whispered, taking her in his arms in a way that left no room for doubt.

Hoseok came down the stairs and Min-Ah threw herself into his arms. He embraced her tenderly and tried his best to comfort her.

"What's going on here!"

Deputy Park had just appeared at the top of the stairs.

"She ended up slipping on the puddle formed by the tears of her victims" Jimin finally replied.

He ignored the black look Jin gave him. There were only liars in this room. A respectable-looking mother and her much younger lover. A bastard son who had impregnated his half-brother's fiancée. The legitimate son who had been in love with the cook's son for ten years. And finally, there was the devil himself, who gave so much love to his sons that he didn't have enough for the rest of the world.

Jimin held his father's gaze.

"Soon, Father" he whispered so quietly that no one could hear him. ""Her's words will cut your head off, and all that will remain of you is the memory of an infamous man."

Jimin stepped towards him."Father" he said, this time to be heard by him. "What's left of a god no one believes in anymore?"

"Broken statues" Deputy Park replied.

Jimin turned his back on him and left the family home. He vowed to turn his father into dust.

***

The hospital room where Lee Yoo-Jin lay was obscured by the worry of her lover, who was pacing up and down the room. She had been unconscious for several hours and there was no neurological problem to explain it. Downstairs, Deputy Park was holding a press conference to inform the public of his wife's condition and to explain the circumstances of the accident.

An unfortunate slip. These were the words he had used to describe the terrible accident that had befallen his wife.

Jin clenched his fists. He sensed something terrible might happen, but had gone to look for Jimin anyway. Yoo-Jin always put her son before herself. Sometimes it seemed he was the only one who realized the unconditional love she had for her only son. It revolted him when he saw the way Jimin returned it. But he couldn't help understanding it. To bring him freedom, Yoo-Jin was forcing him to do things that repulsed him: leave the one he loved, marry a woman, start a family with her, pretend to be the happiest man in the world.

That day, they were supposed to go on a trip. They had pretended to be on a business trip so they could finally be alone. But at the airport, when Yoo-Jin had spotted Kang Min-Ah, things had started to go wrong. Approaching her pleasantly had been Yoo-Jin's original plan. Then she had seen Hoseok kiss Min-Ah and Yoo-Jin had felt deeply betrayed.

In the past, she had to endure the shock of learning of her husband's affair with another woman, then had to be with her every day during the mistress's pregnancy, Deputy Park insisting on taking care of her. Yoo-Jin had been ejected from the master suite and the mistress had taken the wife's place in the bed. But she had also had to fulfill her role as a legitimate wife and give an heir to this man who had ended up repulsing her. She had felt like a prostitute: selling her body so that she could continue to live this life of luxury. And now, the son of the woman who had stolen everything from her had seduced her son's fiancée. It was only later that she realized that Hoseok had not only stolen Jimin's fiancée, but had also impregnated her.

Jin could do nothing. He could not ease Yoo-Jin's pain caused by this ultimate betrayal. He could not protect her from herself. To blame Hoseok would be to prove him wrong. He had done everything to protect the woman he loved and their unborn child. However, the price of that protection was Yoo-Jin's health, and he no longer knew what to do.

The hospital room door opened and Deputy Park appeared alone before Jin. The young man stood between him and Yoo-Jin. He would not let him approach.

"What are you doing here?" Jin asked coldly.

"I came to see my wife."

"She's not your wife" replied Jin. "She's mine. Only the man who respects and loves her can have her as his wife."

"I suspected she had a lover, but I didn't think she'd go so far as to hire him as our son's chauffeur."

"I won't let you near her again, you've hurt her too much. You have no right to lay eyes on her."

"A husband must make his wife's lover disappear to restore his honor. Go far from here and never come back or your body will be found in the river."

"If you kill me, all the information I've gathered about you will be revealed by "Her"."

"You're bluffing."

"The Investors."

Deputy Park's face seemed to decompose.

Kim Taehyung, Kim Namjoon and Kim Na-Eun were the three faces of "Her".

Kim Seokjin, on the other hand, was the hidden face. After several years of investigation, he was ready, like Kim Taehyung, to be back in action.

"Does Yoo-Jin know why you're here?"

"Yes" Jin replied. "She's always known."

"I'll leave you alone if nothing is revealed."

This time, Deputy Park was far from being a god. The Slayer of Kings' sword had never been so threatening.

***

The glass separating Taehyung from Jungkook seemed to disappear as soon as the latter began to sing.

"I want to breathe, I hate this night. I want to wake up, I hate this dream. I'm trapped inside of myself and I'm dead. Don't want to be lonely, only to be yours."

The night had fallen again after a day both dull and heavy. Since leaving Min Yoon-Gi's apartment, they had not spoken to each other. It had been agreed a few days earlier that Taehyung would shoot footage of Jungkook recording. Because of the late hour, there was no one left. This nocturnal recording was to prove to the fans that Jungkook worked hard. But they were not entirely alone, as the camera's eye was riveted on Taehyung and the microphone recorded Jungkook's every word. Someone was watching and listening.

"Why is it so dark when you're not here. It's dangerous how wrecked I am. Save me because I can't get a grip on myself."

Jungkook stopped. He looked at Taehyung.

"Do you want to experiment with recording?" the singer asked. "It might be instructive for you, as a director."

Taehyung nodded and joined Jungkook in the recording booth. The singer took his place behind the microphone and placed the headphones on his ears. Jungkook's warm breath hit the back of his neck and shivers ran down his spine. The singer's arm brushed against his as he pointed to the part he was to sing. Jungkook's presence was omnipresent, as was the warmth emanating from his body. The music began to play.

"Listen to my heartbeat. It calls you whenever it wants to. Because within this pitch black darkness. You are shining so brightly."

He felt Jungkook's forehead rest against his back. He felt his fingers clinging to him as if to prevent him from leaving.

"Give me your hand, save me, save me. I need your love before I fall..."

Taehyung's voice cracked and he withdrew the headphones, leaving them dangling in the air. All Yoon-Gi's pain and all Jungkook's distress came through in these words he had no right to utter, no right to own. Jungkook moved away from him, making him feel an overwhelming emptiness. Instinctively, Taehyung stepped back to find Jungkook's body. He turned to face him.

No one was watching them, and there was nothing to listen to.

They moved closer together. The tension that had begun to build between them had become unbearable in the confined space of the recording booth. The only way they could avoid being crushed was to touch each other. Taehyung brought his hand up to Jungkook's face and stroked his cheek. Jungkook put his hand on his own so as not to break the touch. Taehyung moved closer and put an arm around him, drawing his body closer to his own. When their lips met, the natural feel of the moment hit them hard, driving them to kiss until they were out of breath.

"Her" had very few rules. Not getting emotionally involved in business was one of them. He wasn't allowed to feel hatred, anger... anything that might affect his judgment.

Yet, he was falling in love with Jeon Jungkook.