Fallen

Chapter 3

Empty shot glasses were scattered all over their table.

Of course, Jungkook never got drunk. As he watched Yoongi’s drunken face, he drifted into thought.

Humans are foolish.

One drink is all it takes to spill every hidden feeling they have—forgetting how easily their enemies could use those discarded emotions against them.

His phone ringing pulled him out of his thoughts. It was Jin.

“Is it okay if two of my friends join us? We were planning to go out together.”

When Suga nodded, silently giving his consent, Jungkook answered.

“Yeah… something came up. I’ll send you the address of a bar. Come there… no, don’t worry, I’ll drive you back… see you.”

He hung up and slipped the phone back into his coat pocket.

Yoongi had started crying. Now was the perfect moment. People are most defenseless when they’re crying.

“Was that your girlfriend?”

“No… it was my sister… the only family I had… I never thought… I still can’t believe it… Since last night, I’ve been wandering through all the places we used to go together… thinking… maybe she’d be at one of them… anywhere but a hospital bed… but she wasn’t… the last café we went to… she wasn’t there…”

He was sobbing so hard now he could barely speak.

Just then, Jin and Taehyung arrived at the bar. Jungkook got up and walked toward them.

“What happened?” Jin asked.

Jungkook briefly explained, and the moment he mentioned the burned corpse, he noticed the change on Taehyung’s face.

“Hasn’t he said what exactly happened yet?”

“No…”

The sound of shattering glass made everyone turn.

Yoongi was sobbing uncontrollably, screaming in pain as he hurled glasses to the floor. Two bar staff rushed over angrily, but Jungkook stopped them.

Meanwhile, Taehyung and Jin each grabbed one of Yoongi’s arms and dragged his half-conscious body out of the bar. Jungkook paid the bill and followed them outside.

Yoongi had slumped against the car, Jin and Taehyung standing beside him. Jungkook helped Yoongi up and got him into the car.

“Where should we go?” Taehyung asked.

“My place. I don’t think he can go home like this.”

Jungkook started the car and drove. Jin and Taehyung were visibly shocked by how big Jungkook’s house was.

“Come on up,” Jungkook said, helping Yoongi up the stairs.

He opened the door and guided them inside, settling Yoongi on the sofa. Jungkook sat on the couch opposite, and Taehyung and Jin sat awkwardly beside Yoongi, who was still crying with his face buried in his hands.

“Can you tell us what happened to your sister?” Jungkook asked gently, guessing this might be the right moment.

“I… left my family about three years ago. We had arguments because I dropped out of school… Hyuna…”

Just saying her name made him break down again.

Jin moved closer, gently stroking Yoongi’s hair.

“Hyuna… she was five years younger than me. She was supposed to graduate high school this year… she wanted to be a doctor… but because of me…”

At Jungkook’s signal, Taehyung brought him a glass of water from the kitchen, but Yoongi refused.

“We were going on a trip together… she wanted to cheer me up. But on the way, we argued… it was my fault… if I hadn’t been such an i***t, fighting over her dream… the car flipped over into a ravine. I opened my door and got out… Hyuna was unconscious. Her door wouldn’t open… I tried so hard but it wouldn’t budge… I got up to find help but… just as I got a few steps away… I heard her voice one last time… calling my name… screaming…”

Yoongi clamped his hands over his ears.

“STOooP! Enoughhhh!”

He screamed. Jin shook him hard, trying to calm him, but Yoongi wasn’t coming back to himself.

Jungkook could smell it—the scent of death. The urge for suicide. Self-hate… but it was fading. Jin whispered harshly in Yoongi’s ear:

“You think it’s just you? You think you’re the only one scared? The only one suffering in this whole damn world? No! There are people worse off than you. You saw your sister’s burned body? Fine. I know someone who watched his whole family burn alive in front of him. And you know what? He’s still living. No matter how hard it is.”

Yoongi stared at Jin, wide-eyed.

“It hurts? It feels impossible? Fine. You think you deserve to suffer? Maybe you do. But living with this pain is still harder than dying.”

Jin leaned back, breathless after speaking so fast, and when he saw Yoongi had calmed a little, he let out a deep sigh.

And Jungkook? He was thinking only one thing: Kim Seokjin is going to be a problem. I need to get rid of him soon.

“N… no… h… he… he… ng…”

Everyone turned to Taehyung in surprise. His face was turning blue; he couldn’t breathe. His eyes were wide in terror, fixed on something unseen.

“G… go away… nooooo!”

“Taehyung… look at me… it’s nothing, it’s just a hallucination,” Jin said, holding Taehyung’s face in his hands, trying to snap him out of it. Even Yoongi, though still weak, watched worriedly.

Jungkook could sense it… the smell of fear. So strong. Overwhelming.

“Stopppp! Enoughhhh! Nooooo!”

Taehyung screamed.

“Taehyung… sweetheart, please… calm down… there’s nothing here,” Jin whispered.

“We need to take him to a hospital. He can’t breathe, look at him,” Jungkook said, feigning concern.

He picked Taehyung up and rushed to the car, Jin following.

“I’ll take him. You and Yoongi come when Yoongi feels better.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry, I’m with him.”

Taehyung, too breathless now to scream, was placed in the front seat.

“Don’t worry… but know this: nothing will ever get better,” Jungkook whispered softly.

And Taehyung stopped struggling, barely conscious. The last thing he saw was Jungkook’s face glowing faintly through the blur… then darkness. Time felt unreal.

Before they wheeled Taehyung’s bed into a hospital room, Jungkook noticed something: the fear on Taehyung’s face had disappeared. The smell of fear had faded. He looked around—Jin wasn’t there. Why? What had happened?

Jungkook entered Taehyung’s room. The doctor had said he’d suffered severe shock and needed to stay under observation, especially since his body was weak.

Exhausted, Jungkook rested his head by the bed, closing his eyes. Even though he was a demon, this human body often slowed him down.

“Jungkook… wake up.”

Jungkook opened his eyes. Taehyung still lay peacefully asleep. Jin stood beside him, gesturing for Jungkook to step outside.

Outside, Yoongi sat on a chair, looking sobered up. When Jungkook came out, Yoongi stood.

“I’m sorry… I caused so much trouble.”

“It’s fine. These things happen,” Jungkook replied with a big smile.

A smile not for Yoongi’s sake—but because he was happy to have found a new prey.

“And thank you… really. You helped me. More than a lot of my other friends ever did.”

“We’re your friends now too, so don’t be sad,” Jin said gently, patting Yoongi’s shoulder.

“What did the doctor say about Taehyung?” Jin asked, worried.

Which, to Jungkook, wasn’t sad at all. Because if you lose the person you worry about most, it can destroy your entire life.

“He said it’s a nervous shock, but since he’s physically weak, he needs to stay a few days.”

“It’s my fault. I should have watched over him better,” Jin said.

Jungkook smiled faintly—a smile no one saw. And Jin never realized that whisper of “it was your fault” in his head… had come from Jungkook.

“You two should go home. You must be tired.”

“No, you’ve been here since last night. You go rest.”

“Alright,” Jungkook agreed, because he had things to do at home.

“I should go to my own place… I feel like I need a shower,” Yoongi said quietly, his face still hollow with grief.

“I’ll drive you. See you later, hyung,” Jin said, flashing a brief smile.

Hyung? It sounded too sweet.

Jungkook and Yoongi got in the car. They barely spoke on the way to Yoongi’s place. The only words Yoongi managed were a quiet “thanks” as he got out.

And in Jungkook’s mind, only one thought echoed: What a fool… thanking the very person destroying his life.

He didn’t go inside with Yoongi. He knew Yoongi was too afraid to try ending his life tonight.

Earlier, when Yoongi had broken down, Jungkook had sensed the scent of wanting to die… but also the scent of fear that held him back. It was easy. All he had to do was make him stop being afraid of death.

Jungkook pressed the gas pedal, eager to get home quickly.