10

Lying on the bed, Taehyung and Jungkook faced each other, their eyes plunged into each other's. They didn't touch, overwhelmed by their feelings.

They had fallen in love without realizing it, without trying to be, knowing they shouldn't have.

But when they looked at each other, drinking in the alcohol of their souls, only the obvious remained. They had finally fallen in love, and that was the only thing that mattered. Despite everything, despite the dark future ahead, they still wanted each other.

So, lying on the bed, Taehyung and Jungkook finally drew closer together, making the distance between their bodies disappear as they kissed. They wanted each other desperately.

Jungkook shivered as Taehyung's hand gently caressed his cheek, then the nape of his neck. His body was not used to receiving tenderness, his skin remembered only pain. But the warmth of Taehyung's fingers erased, one by one, the invisible scars he had accumulated over the last few years. The hesitation of his own hands when they finally touched Taehyung's body prompted Taehyung to be even gentler.

Before Taehyung, he had never kissed anyone, nor had he ever been kissed. Before Taehyung, he never knew the comfort of being in the arms of someone who cared and wanted to put his partner before himself. Before Taehyung, he had never fallen in love.

He placed his hand on the back of Taehyung's neck as Taehyung towered over him, making his body a barrier between him and reality. Taehyung was the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Jungkook watched as Taehyung's muscular, army-formed body was revealed to him for the first time. Around his neck, Taehyung still wore his military medal bearing his name. Jungkook gently grasped the chain to urge him closer again. Their lips met again and Taehyung's hand found his. Jungkook had not felt confident in a long time, and he decided to be genuinely happy for the first time. He took the initiative and exchanged positions. He felt Taehyung smile beneath his lips.

What happened next remained engraved in his memory with such intensity that he woke up with a start and thought he had only been dreaming. It was still dark, and Taehyung's cries had woken him from his slumber. He didn't know what Taehyung's nightmare was, but he was sure he would be unable to cope with it. So he took him in his arms, hoping his embrace would reassure him. Taehyung eventually calmed down. Jungkook felt him open his eyes, but he immediately closed them again. Eventually, Jungkook went back to sleep too.

***

By the time Yoon-Gi entered Jimin's room, it was long dark. The house was empty. Lee Yoo-Jin was still in hospital and Deputy Park had left several hours earlier, no doubt to meet up with one of his mistresses. This was what he always did when he was satisfied. That he was satisfied after hurting his son sent Yoon-Gi into an immeasurable fury, but seeing Jimin's silhouette, curled up in bed, made him forget everything else.

Jimin wasn't asleep, he couldn't sleep. Yoon-Gi knew it. He lay down beside him and hugged him, silently.

"I always knew, but I lied to myself. I wanted to keep hoping that my father wasn't as monstrous as his actions. I convinced myself that his behavior was justified by the pain of loss, but he's only hating what he has. I should simply suffer for what he is without making excuses for him. He always used me and we both convinced ourselves that he loved me. And I convinced myself that I needed his love. I only need your love, Hyung."

Yoon-Gi kissed his forehead, putting all the love he was capable of into the gesture. He let Jimin snuggle up to him. This was the first time Yoon-Gi had been in Jimin's room. It had always been beyond the boundaries of his world. Here, they would have only the sad memories of that night when Jimin had been confronted with his father's hatred. So they stood up. They had been together for ten years, they had loved each other for an eternity, they understood each other without speaking. Yoon-Gi took him by the hand and led him to the place where their fondest memories were born.

The cool night air finally embraced their bodies, still burning with a thousand different emotions. They followed the winding lanes a few hundred meters from the Park mansion, lanes their bodies and hearts knew by heart. Exhausted by events, Jimin began to have trouble keeping up with Yoon-Gi. Yoon-Gi lifted him onto his back and smiled when Jimin kissed the back of his neck in thanks. He wrapped his arms around him. Suddenly, a horrible memory came back to him. He tried to climb down from Yoon-Gi's back, suddenly aware that he'd been injured only a few days before, but Yoon-Gi refused to let him.

"Stay where you are, Park Jimin."

"Eight years ago, the car accident..."

Yoon-Gi unconsciously slowed his pace. Eight years earlier, Jimin had found him almost unconscious near where they were walking. Yoon-Gi was bleeding and had only had time to utter the words "car accident" before losing consciousness. That was what Jimin had believed until that moment. Now he understood that his father had beaten him almost to death. At the time, he had not thought anything of it and had simply taken him to hospital. Now he understood the doubtful looks on the faces of the doctors who had taken Yoon-Gi in. They had understood that this was human violence when he had been blinded by his illusions.

"You have no right to blame yourself for not knowing, Jimin. I hid it from you and I'll never regret having done so."

"That day, I thought I'd lost you. I knew I'd love you for the rest of my life when I saw you unconscious in the hospital."

Yoon-Gi couldn't help smiling.

"Don't think about it anymore. Look around us and think of all our happy moments."

They had walked these alleys many times before Jimin went abroad. It was the path that led them to their safe haven. Yoon-Gi's mother had always been aware of the love that united the two of them, and had immediately accepted this relationship. It was thanks to her that they had been able to enjoy a healthy love life during their teenage years. To her, Jimin was her son-in-law, the one who made her son happy.

And she was the one who had acted like a mother to Jimin. She had an exceptional maternal instinct. And it was this instinct that had undoubtedly motivated her to wait for them both that night. She shook her head ruefully as she watched them arrive. Jimin must have looked even worse than he felt.

She let them in, and the familiar smell of her kitchen took them back many years to the evenings the three of them had spent laughing.

"I'll take him to the bathroom" Yoon-Gi said to her mother.

"I always prayed he'd never raise his hand against his own sons... I could never protect you from him, but I hoped that the little love he's capable of would preserve his sons..."

"I wish I could have taken every blow he dealt Yoon-Gi."

"Don't ever say that again. Let's say no more about it."

Yoon-Gi put him down once they were in the bathroom. He closed the door behind them. He undressed Jimin. Jimin saw him wince in the mirror.

"Golf club. Thank God he didn't hit hard enough to break your bones."

Jimin closed his eyes as Yoon-Gi gently stroked his back. His gentleness eased Jimin's pain. He turned and kissed him. He needed that kiss to hold on to the one true thing in his existence.

"Let's go and eat something delicious" Yoon-Gi told him, untying himself from him.

After dinner, they went to Yoon-Gi's room. This room had witnessed some of the fondest memories of their relationship. It was here that they had discovered each other, loved each other, built their love. And as Jimin stepped through the doorway, he forgot all about his father.

***

Lee Yoo-Jin was still weak when she boarded the plane that would take her to the other side of the world. She'd fallen asleep on Jin's shoulder, but he couldn't make his worry go away. Soon, all they would have was each other.

When they landed in Paris, they learned about "Her"'s article and what it had caused. Lee Yoo-Jin cried when she realized that the empire she had built without anyone's help had just collapsed. She also wept with rage when she saw the positive image that the media had painted of Deputy Park.

Then, she didn't cry again.

***

"This morning, the true face of Lee Yoo-Jin, president of Lee Cosmetics and wife of Deputy Park In-Jwa was revealed by the Slayer of Kings. Lee Cosmetics shares are in free fall. Lee Yoo-Jin was spotted last night at the airport with her lover. It seems they have fled the country. Deputy Park In-Jwa has not commented on the matter, but Koreans seem to be backing the man who is seen as the epitome of the model family man. The blame seems to lie solely with Lee Yoo-Jin. His son, Park Jimin, does not seem to be a victim of conviction of filiation."

In the living room of Taehyung's house, Kim Na-Eun swallowed a glass of soju. Namjoon refilled it. Taehyung remained silent. This was no time for celebration.

"We also learn that the investigation into Jung Eun-Chae's suicide has been closed following the arrest and confession of Mister I., who confessed to having prostituted and raped the young woman on numerous occasions, driving her to suicide."

"Jin-Oppa's informations will enable us to bring all these bastards down," Na-Eun said. "Those bastards..."

"It was Do So-Ra, on KBS."

"The Investors..." Taehyung said threateningly. "Once they fall, the country's face will change."

***

Jungkook had never dared look them in the eye.

"Here's what you're going to do, from now on. We made a deal with the documentary's director, and he wasn't very difficult to convince. This boy has potential. If your perfect image ever crumbles, your head will roll."

"I'll never let you down."

His soul had been bought. A kick sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Yet you dared to speak Min Yoon-Gi's name. You know he must remain in the shadows if he is not to end up in the grave."

"Yes."

As they left, Jungkook allowed himself to breathe.

***

Five men faced Deputy Park, sitting behind his desk. His eyes were dark and menacing. The calendar indicated that this was the day before Jungkook's death.

"Get rid of Min Yoon-Gi. Kill this fucking dog!"

The five men could only bow their heads to let him know they understood.

"We've got to put an end to this. Jeon Jungkook and Min Yoon-Gi. Success doesn't protect from fire."

Taehyung woke up. He had to bring down Deputy Park at all costs. As long as Min Yoon-Gi was kept out of the spotlight, he and Jungkook would be safe, even if it wouldn't last. No one was to know Min Yoon-Gi's name for the time being. As Deputy Park had said, success did not protect from fire, and Taehyung could only assume that Yoon-Gi was among the victims of the fire in his building that would take place on the night of Jungkook's death, the fire in which Jungkook should have been a collateral victim. For now, darkness was the best protection...

***

"Oppa?" Min-Ah asked. "What are you up to?"

"I've got our back."

A few seconds later, a video of Min Yoon-Gi singing a Jeon Jungkook song was posted online. The video's date showed that he had sung it before the song was presented to the public.

Min Yoon-Gi was suddenly in the spotlight.