11

The doorbell rang in the middle of the night. Jungkook could not sleep. When they came, they took away any hope he had of sleeping through the night. He was always afraid of the nightmares he might then have.

He had known it was Taehyung even before he opened the door. His heart needed his presence so much that his arrival had become a real conviction. Jungkook needed to forget himself in Taehyung's arms. And when he met his lover's gaze, he knew immediately that he too needed to forget.

Taehyung stepped into the apartment and slammed the door behind him. He immediately reached for Jungkook's lips and took him in his arms, pressing their bodies together ardently. Taehyung ended their kiss but put his forehead against his.

"I can't live without you" Taehyung whispered. "Without you, I couldn't overcome anything."

Taehyung was very secretive. He refused to tell Jungkook anything about "Her" or how he obtained the information he disclosed. But Jungkook was aware of the unbearable burden Taehyung carried on his shoulders. All he could do was try to lighten it. Because he loved Taehyung. Because Taehyung was the one who had reminded him that there is such a thing as happiness.

"You're all I have."

Jungkook had said these words in response to what Taehyung had just told him. He placed his lips on his.

"I'm in love with you" Jungkook whispered.

A tear rolled down Taehyung's cheek. Jungkook gently wiped it away with his fingertips.

"Me too I'm in love with you too."

That night, they simply lay in each other's arms. Jungkook fell asleep.

***

Taehyung's family always ate breakfast on the glass coffee table in the living room. It was a habit they had established after the death of Taehyung's mother. When he and his father had found themselves alone with an infant, they had quickly become overwhelmed. Eventually, they realized that the sound of the TV soothed the little one. Having breakfast in front of the TV, for a moment's respite at the start of the day, had become a habit. Taehyung, who had just returned, ate in silence, across from his father. His sister, still half-asleep, was equally quiet. Only the presenter's voice echoed through the living room.

"This morning, the main suspect in the prostitution and death of Jung Eun-Chae was found dead in his cell. No information on the circumstances of his death has been officially released, but suicide seems likely."

Taehyung had remained perfectly still when the news rang through the living room like the cruel laughter of a mocking god. His stare had become unrecognizable.

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

Taehyung suddenly overturned the coffee table. Dishes and food hit the floor. His foot struck the overturned table, shattering the glass plate that had withstood the initial impact. He grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on and threw it at the TV screen. When the object hit it, it went out. His father stood up and tried to keep him still by wrapping his arms around him. His little sister ran away, crying. Someone else arrived, helping his father to hold him. They spoke to him, but he was deaf with rage.

"Kim Taehyung! Taehyung!"

Suddenly, his legs gave out and all was silent again. His gaze went blank. When his knees touched the ground, his whole body had abandoned him.

"They killed him" he finally said in an almost faded voice. "They killed that bastard. He should have rotted in prison. If I can't make Jung Eun-Chae's torturers pay for their crimes properly, how can I stop them? How can I stop them from killing Jungkook! I can't do anything... I can't stop Min Yoon-Gi from being beaten to a bloody pulp, I can't stop them from using Jungkook as they please... I can't even confront them head-on. I have to hide behind a fucking pen name because I wouldn't be able to stay alive without it! I'm so easy to kill... As easy to kill as that man who prostituted and raped Jung Eun-Chae! Jungkook's going to die because of me. He's going to die..."

Taehyung began to cry and he was unable to stop.

***

Jungkook was a pretty doll who had been sat on a chair to satisfy the perversions of bastards. In recent years, he had often been exhibited at such meals. He was forbidden to speak and allowed to eat very little. He was just a toy for these people, who enjoyed observing him and sometimes touching him. He was their success, the product they showed off and were proud to have created. A thing they loved to put on a shelf. Here, money was enough to buy a soul, and all of them had enough money to send to hell every human on the planet. And one day, they would surely do that, just because they could. They were monsters, soul-eaters, gods. But no one outside the room knew. Even "Her" could not phantom the darkness lurking behind this closed door, because someone with even a bit of humanity in their heart would go mad if they tried to picture this kind of evil. Jungkook wanted to believe Taehyung could save him, but hope chose to stay in Pandora's box when all calamities gave birth to the Investors.

His agency knew nothing of the meals he was forced to eat several mornings a month. His agency turned a blind eye. His agency was powerless.

His phone vibrated. He could not answer it. He felt the rings, one after the other until they faded away. A text was sent to him. He decided to read it. He erased it and stood up abruptly. All discussion ceased, and all eyes were on him. He gave them no time to react and took off running. He got into a cab and asked the driver to start. No one had had time to follow him.

He rushed here as soon as he received the text message, but at the door he hesitated. He was about to enter Taehyung's family home. This was the house where his lover grew up. Taehyung's family lived in this house. Before he had time to knock, the door opened. He found himself face-to-face with Kim Namjoon. He was the one who had contacted him.

"Taehyung needs you" Namjoon told him. "We can't calm him down."

Jungkook followed Namjoon inside. The living room looked like a battlefield. A man was kneeling and trying to tend Taehyung's bloody foot, but Taehyung wouldn't let him. He was huddled in on himself, preventing the world from approaching him. He was crying.

The man turned to Jungkook. He was Taehyung's father. The look he gave Jungkook was desperate.

"He's been like this for a while" the father said. "Thank you for coming."

Jungkook saw in his eyes that he knew the relationship he had with Taehyung, and that it inspired nothing but deep gratitude to him. Taehyung's father accepted him and this eased Jungkook's heart.

He gently approached Taehyung. He put his hand on his shoulder, but Taehyung did not react.

"It's me."

Taehyung finally pulled his face out of the barrier formed by his arms wrapped around his knees. The young man's red eyes broke Jungkook's heart. Taehyung finally collapsed in his arms. He had no more tears to shed. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Jungkook lifted him onto his back and followed his father to his room. He laid Taehyung on his bed. He tended to his foot, which had been cut by the glass on the coffee table.

"In dreams" Taehyung suddenly told him in a voice hoarse with tears.

Jungkook response was confused silence.

"The information that "Her" shares with the world is given to me in my dreams" Taehyung continued. "I can see the past and the future in my dreams. What I see of the future must be prevented for the country's good."

Jungkook believed him because he had faith in Taehyung. He helped him lie down and tucked him in. He gently stroked his hair to soothe him. Taehyung looked him straight in the eye.

"Later, I'll tell you what I saw."

Taehyung finally fell asleep. Jungkook watched him for a few minutes. It was no need for Taehyung to tell him. He already knew. Deep down, he knew. Taehyung had seen him die. He could barely feel sorry for himself.

He kissed Taehyung on the forehead before going back to the living room, where Taehyung's father and Namjoon were cleaning up the mess.

"Stay here for a while, they won't find you" Taehyung's father told him.

He would have to pay for running away, would it be now or later, so he might as well stay a while. He wanted to enjoy a bit of peace before starting the war.

Now he had someone to fight for.

Now he had a reason to stay alive.

And maybe he would start to believe that hope was more than a myth.