CHAPTER 18 — THE TRUTH
1198 Words
The room stopped spinning.
At least physically.
Mentally?
Aarya felt like her entire world had shattered.
She stared at Minho.
Unable to process what she'd just heard.
Unable to understand.
"My father?"
Her voice barely emerged above a whisper.
Minho's cold gaze shifted toward her.
For a brief moment—
something flickered in his eyes.
Not hatred.
Pain.
Then it disappeared.
Replaced by bitterness.
"He was part of it."
Aarya immediately shook her head.
"No."
The answer came instinctively.
Without thought.
Without hesitation.
Because she knew her father.
Kind.
Honest.
Protective.
The man who taught her how to ride a bicycle.
The man who called every Sunday without fail.
The man who cried when she left for college.
"No."
Minho laughed.
A cruel laugh.
"Amazing."
Silence.
"You really don't know anything."
Before Aarya could respond—
Jungkook moved.
One step.
The entire room seemed to tense.
Because his expression had changed.
Again.
Dangerous.
Controlled.
But beneath that control—
something darker lurked.
Something furious.
"Enough."
The single word echoed through the conference room.
Minho looked at him.
Unimpressed.
"You deserve the truth."
Jungkook's eyes narrowed.
"And you'll give it to me?"
A faint smile appeared.
"Not today."
Something immediately felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Jungkook sensed it too.
Aarya saw it happen.
The exact moment his instincts screamed danger.
"Minho."
His voice dropped dangerously low.
But it was already too late.
The lights went out.
Everything plunged into darkness.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Shouting.
Gunfire.
Alarms.
The conference room exploded with noise.
Aarya gasped.
Someone grabbed her arm.
Strong.
Protective.
Familiar.
Jungkook.
"Stay behind me."
The command came immediately.
Sharp.
Final.
Aarya obeyed without thinking.
The darkness lasted only seconds.
But by the time emergency lights activated—
Minho was gone.
Completely gone.
The chair where Kang sat—
empty.
Both disappeared.
Like ghosts.
Like they had planned this from the beginning.
Because they had.
The room became chaos.
Bodyguards rushed everywhere.
Security teams flooded the building.
Phones rang endlessly.
Orders echoed through every hallway.
Yet through all of it—
Jungkook remained perfectly still.
Watching the empty space where Minho had stood.
Silent.
Deadly silent.
And somehow—
that terrified Aarya more than shouting ever could.
Because she knew.
This wasn't just betrayal anymore.
This was heartbreak.
Hours later—
the headquarters finally became quiet.
Most people had left.
Security searches continued throughout the city.
But there were no answers.
No Minho.
No Kang.
Nothing.
Aarya stood near the massive office windows.
Looking out at Seoul.
The city glittered beneath the night sky.
Beautiful.
Normal.
Unaware of the war unfolding beneath its surface.
Behind her—
Jungkook sat alone.
A glass of whiskey untouched beside him.
Lost in thought.
Lost in memories.
Lost somewhere far away.
"Jungkook."
The sound of his name pulled him back.
Slowly.
His eyes found hers.
Tired eyes.
Eyes carrying too much.
"What?"
Aarya hesitated.
Then asked softly—
"Who was Minho?"
Silence followed.
Long silence.
Then—
Jungkook leaned back.
Exhaling slowly.
"He came to my house when he was thirteen."
Aarya listened quietly.
"His father worked for mine."
A bitter smile appeared.
"We grew up together."
Her chest tightened.
Because she already knew where this was going.
The worst betrayals always came from the people closest to you.
"He was family."
The simple words shattered something.
Aarya saw the pain hidden beneath them.
The disappointment.
The hurt.
The anger.
Years of trust destroyed.
Just like that.
"He knew everything."
Jungkook looked toward the city.
"He knew my weaknesses."
A pause.
"He knew my habits."
Another pause.
"He knew how I think."
And finally—
his eyes returned to hers.
"He knew exactly how to hurt me."
The room fell silent.
Because they both knew he wasn't talking about business.
Or power.
Or money.
He was talking about her.
Aarya's heart tightened painfully.
For the first time—
she understood the true danger.
Not enemies.
Not bullets.
Not attacks.
The real danger was trust.
Trust gave people power.
And Minho had abused it.
Completely.
"My father didn't do anything."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Jungkook looked up.
Immediately.
Aarya swallowed.
Because suddenly—
she wasn't sure.
Not completely.
But she needed to believe it.
Needed to.
"My father wouldn't destroy someone's life."
Silence.
Then—
Jungkook surprised her.
"I know."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
His expression softened slightly.
"I know."
Confusion flooded her.
"But Minho said—"
"Minho believes it."
The interruption was calm.
Certain.
"That doesn't make it true."
The answer hit harder than she expected.
Because he trusted her.
Without proof.
Without evidence.
He trusted her.
For several seconds—
neither spoke.
The atmosphere shifted.
Growing softer.
Warmer.
More dangerous.
Because emotions had become impossible to ignore.
Aarya looked away first.
Heart racing.
Again.
Always again.
Then—
Jungkook stood.
Walking toward a hidden cabinet.
He opened it.
Removing an old file.
A very old file.
Dust covered the edges.
Years old.
Maybe decades.
Aarya frowned.
"What is that?"
Jungkook stared at the folder.
His expression unreadable.
"This."
He placed it carefully on the desk.
"...is the original investigation."
Her pulse quickened.
The investigation involving her father.
The one Minho mentioned.
The one that started everything.
Slowly—
Jungkook opened the file.
Page after page appeared.
Financial records.
Photographs.
Witness statements.
Evidence.
History.
The past.
And buried deep inside—
something caught his attention.
Immediately.
His eyes narrowed.
The room became silent.
Aarya noticed.
"What is it?"
No answer.
Jungkook continued reading.
His expression changing.
Shock.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
One after another.
Aarya's heartbeat accelerated.
"Jungkook."
Slowly—
he lifted his head.
Looking directly at her.
For several seconds—
he simply stared.
As if trying to process what he'd discovered.
Then—
he spoke.
"Aarya."
Her pulse pounded.
"What?"
His voice was quieter than she'd ever heard it.
Almost disbelieving.
"Your father didn't investigate the case."
The room froze.
"What?"
Jungkook turned the file toward her.
A single name highlighted in red.
A different investigator.
A different officer.
A different person entirely.
Aarya blinked.
Confused.
Then confused became shocked.
Then shocked became terrified.
Because if her father wasn't involved—
then why had Minho mentioned him?
Jungkook seemed to reach the same conclusion.
Slowly—
his eyes darkened.
Dangerously.
Because there was only one answer.
One horrifying answer.
Minho had lied.
Deliberately.
For a reason.
A very specific reason.
The question was—
why?
Then Jungkook found another photograph.
Old.
Faded.
Nearly twenty years old.
His hand froze.
Completely.
Aarya noticed immediately.
"What is it now?"
No response.
Jungkook stared at the image.
Unmoving.
Almost shocked.
Almost disturbed.
Then—
he slowly handed it to her.
Aarya looked down.
And her blood ran cold.
Because standing beside Jungkook's father...
was her father.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Standing together like friends.
Close friends.
The photograph slipped slightly from her fingers.
Her heart stopped.
Because suddenly—
everything changed.
Again.
Their families weren't enemies.
They knew each other.
Twenty years ago.
Long before she was born.
Long before Jungkook was born.
Long before any of this began.
And somewhere—
hidden beneath decades of lies—
was a truth nobody had discovered yet.
A truth someone was desperately trying to keep buried.
- Writer
