"Where is Agent Jeon? He was required down here" Her voice cut through the heavy air like a blade. The room fell into silence as Yoongi, and Seokjin exchanged glances, even Namjoon was there, uncertainty flickering in their eyes.

"He's most certainly not outside or I would know" Spoke Namjoon.

Venom's gaze sharpened, her head tilting ever so slightly as she shifted her attention to the butler standing near the door. A single brow arched in silent question, her left arm resting stiffly at her side—still healing, the fresh wounds a painful reminder of her last mission.

The butler, ever composed, bowed slightly before responding. "Master Jeon is in his room, my lady."

Her expression remained unreadable, yet the tension in the room thickened. In his room?

"I asked for everyone to be present here" she stated, her voice like ice cracking under pressure.

"I have delivered the message several times," the butler admitted, his voice carefully neutral. "He has not responded. It has been days since he left his room."

Silence.

For a brief second, something unreadable flickered in her eyes—annoyance? Concern? Whatever it was, it vanished as quickly as it came. Namjoon looked towards Yoongi only to get a concerned look in response. They had no idea what their little brother was going through! It was the first time Jungkook had locked himself inside other than the day he was brought to this place.

"Does anyone have any idea about what's going on with Jungkook?" Seokjin voiced.

Yoongi exhaled slowly, fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. His gaze flickered toward the girl seated. "Not a damn clue" he muttered, his voice quieter than usual. "I barely saw him these past months, but recent few days, he completely disappeared and I thought maybe he was out on one of the raids"

"If he was, I would have known!" Namjoon cleared.

Seokjin crossed his arms, frowning. "That's not like him."

"It isn't" Namjoon agreed, rubbing his temple. "I don't think he's had an episode like this since—"

"The night he came-" Yoongi finished, and the room fell into an uneasy silence.

Her brows furrowed. Then, without another word, she rose from her seat. The chair swiveled slightly as the long sweep of her dark cape brushed against it, the sound of her boots against the marble floor echoing in the space.

"Meeting dismissed." With that, she swung the doors wide open and strode out. Behind her, Seokjin remained silent. His gaze lingered on the chair she had just vacated, his jaw clenched tight, knuckles whitening beneath the table.

Yoongi, noticing the tension in Seokjin's stance, flicked his eyes toward him. He followed the trajectory of his gaze—straight to the chair.

A golden serpent was carved into its crown, its intricate design twisting into an eerie, hypnotic presence. Even without her seated in it, the chair alone was intimidating. With her in it?

Triple the intensity. Yoongi frowned. Something about the way Seokjin was staring at it made the air feel colder. He tapped the table twice. A sharp sound. Seokjin flinched slightly, snapping out of his trance and looking up at him.

"You okay there?" Namjoon asked casually, but his tone held an undertone of curiosity.

Seokjin blinked, and within a second, his usual mask was back in place. A small, almost sheepish smile graced his lips.

"Yes, brother. Just this—" He motioned toward his shoulder, feigning discomfort. "Took a bullet in the last raid. Nothing serious."

A lie.

The bullet was never fired in the raid. It was done afterward to inflict the wound to keep suspicions off of him. Namjoon gave him a sympathetic pat on the other shoulder, his usual sunshine-like warmth radiating through.

"Take care of yourself. Venom won't like her agents being weak." Seokjin returned the smile.

But Yoongi? Yoongi wasn't fooled.

He watched Seokjin for a lingering moment, his expression unreadable, before silently getting up and walking out behind Namjoon.

Seokjin followed a second later, but Yoongi remained lost in thought. Something wasn't right. And he was going to find out what.

----------------------------------------------

She knocked for the third time on Jungkook's door, but silence was her only response. Normally, she wouldn't hesitate to barge in, yet tonight, something felt... off. The door was locked from inside unlike before.

"Jeon?" she called, rapping her knuckles against the wood again. Still nothing.

With a sigh, she slipped a hand to the back pocket of her jeans, fingers brushing against cool metal. She pulled out a golden master key, its surface glinting under the dim hallway light. Without hesitation, she plunged it into the keyhole and turned.

Click.

As soon as she pushed the door open, the overwhelming darkness inside swallowed her whole. She took a step forward—and the sharp crunch beneath her heel made her pause.

Venom frowned, glancing down. The faint glow from the hallway illuminated the jagged pieces of glass littering the floor. The shards glistened ominously, scattered as if something had been thrown—no, shattered—in frustration.

Her brows knitted together.

"Jungkook?" she called again, her voice firmer now. Squinting into the void, she reached for the light switch, slamming her palm against the wall.

The moment the room flooded with light, she stiffened.

Jungkook sat on the edge of his bed, head bowed, hands resting limply on his knees. His dark hair fell over his eyes, shielding whatever expression lay beneath. The faint rise and fall of his shoulders told her he was breathing, but the tension in his frame screamed something was terribly wrong.

Her gaze flickered around the room—shelves were overturned, books lay scattered, and the shattered remains of a whiskey bottle glistened at her feet. The sharp scent of alcohol mixed with something darker, something raw. The whole space was a mess. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"What the hell happened here?" she asked, voice edged with something between concern and irritation. She took a careful step forward, her heeled boot crunching against the glass. "Jungkook," she called again, her voice steady but edged with concern. "What the hell did you do?"

She crouched down, fingers threading through his damp hair, pushing the sticky strands away from his fevered forehead. The second her skin touched his burning flesh, an alarm shot through her.

"Damn it, Jungkook you are burning like a furnace" she muttered under her breath, pressing the back of her hand to his neck and then his cheek. His body was burning up, his breath uneven, his skin clammy with sweat. Her heart clenched as she took in his trembling form, curled into himself like a wounded animal.

"Jungkook?" Her voice was firmer now, pushing past the concern tightening in her chest. "I need you to wake up. Can you hear me?"

A weak, barely coherent mumble slipped past his lips.

"J-Jimin..."

Venom froze. She heard him whimpering, his body shuddering as he curled his fingers weakly into the sheets.

"Jungkook, what happened to Jimin?" she pressed, shifting closer. "Come on wake up. Talk to me."

Jungkook's breathing hitched, and then, in the smallest, most fragile voice she had ever heard from him, he whispered, "J-Jimin, please... d-don't leave me... I'm sorry"

She inhaled sharply.

There was something about the way he said it—the sheer desperation laced in every syllable, the way his voice cracked under the weight of his words—that made something in her chest twist painfully.

Her fingers tightened in his hair. "Guk?" she murmured, her voice softer now, "what do you mean 'don't leave'? Did something happen between you two? Did he say something to you?"

He let out a shaky breath, his brows knitting together in distress. He was lost in a fever dream, trapped in some nightmare he couldn't escape from.

She watched him and swallowed, then exhaled through her nose, forcing herself to stay calm. She rested her palm against his cheek, her thumb running in soothing strokes along his damp skin. "Listen to me, okay?" she started, keeping her voice steady. "I don't know what's going on, but I need you to hear this loud and clear. Jimin's not gone. He's not leaving you. And even if he tried, I would drag his ass back here myself. You get that?" The boy shivered, another tear slipping down the side of his face. Watching this she clenched her jaw.

"He can't do this to my brother, he was no right! I don't care what happened between you two, I don't care what words were said or what misunderstandings there are, but one thing I do know is that Jimin wouldn't just leave you. Not like this. And if it's because of me and Kim, then he's going to have to answer to me. Because I swear on everything I have, I am not going to let you go through this alone. Jimin can't do this, I won't allow this"

She let out a breath, leaning in closer. "You hear me, Jeon? I'm not letting you do this alone. I am going to clean the mess I made"

Jungkook's lips parted as if he were trying to say something, but all that came out was a weak, exhausted exhale. His fingers twitched against the sheets, his body slowly relaxing under her touch. Venom sighed, brushing her fingers through his hair once more.

"You need to rest," she murmured. "But when you wake up, I promise you will find Jimin next to you. And I will fix this. No matter what it takes." Leaning down, she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead.

His body stilled, his breathing evening out just a little. While she sat there for a moment, watching him, her own resolve hardening.

I don't care what it takes. I will bring Jimin back to you.

Venom straightened her back, exhaling through her nose as she turned toward the door. With one last glance at Jungkook's sleeping form, she stepped out, shutting the doors behind her.

The cold night air hit her as she exited the mansion, but she barely noticed. Her mind was already racing ahead to the one place she needed to go. She stalked toward her car, slid in without a second thought, and started the engine.

The drive to the hospital was silent, save for the sound of her own breathing and the dull throbbing in her lower back. The moment she parked outside the building, she let out a slow breath, fingers tightening around the steering wheel as she stared at the glowing white structure in front of her.

For a second, she hesitated.

Was this even worth it? Was he even worth it?

Jungkook loves him with a burning passion that's hard to neglect and I... I love him too! He is my best friend! He deserves to know! No, he must know!

We are bound by love, the three of us and that makes him family! My family!

Leaning forward, she shrugged off her jacket before gripping the hem of her shirt.

"Oh, Park Jimin, You better not get scared 'cause things I do for family, it could be intense at times" she muttered under her breath.

She tugged the fabric up, exposing the bandages on her back. Sliding a hand behind her, fingers gripping the edge of the gauze before she yanked it off in one swift motion. The adhesive ripped against her skin, it made her hiss.

Her fingers trailed over the sealed mouth of the wound, feeling the stitches pulling at her flesh. She swallowed.

The idea was crazy! But she saw no choice.

I need to rip it open. Then, he won't have a choice but to attend to me, and... listen to me!

The thought was enough to push her to do it! she grabbed her car keys, turning them in her hand until the cold metal pressed against her skin. Taking in a steadying breath and closing her eyes for a brief second before forcing the key between the sealed lips of the wound.

A sharp, searing pain shot through her spine.

"Argh~" She bit her lip hard, her jaw locking as she pushed the key deeper, feeling the metal tear through flesh and muscle. The pain was unbearable, white-hot, but she didn't stop. With a sharp jerk, she pulled the key outward, tearing the stitches along with it.

Her body convulsed slightly, a strangled groan escaping her lips followed by a whimper as she slammed her other hand against the steering wheel. Her forehead pressed forward against the wheel, breath coming out in short, sharp gasps.

"This shit hurts" she scoffed bitterly, her voice shaky with exertion.

She wasn't done yet.

With blood now trickling down her back, staining the waistband of her jeans, she did it again—this time, plunging the key deeper into the second wound.

A fresh wave of agony tore through her.

Her nails dug into her thigh as she ripped the stitches apart, blood spilling freely down her spine, soaking the white of her slightly see-through dress shirt. Her breaths came out ragged now, her body trembling from the raw pain.

For a moment, she just sat there, letting her body adjust to the sensation. The warm, sticky feeling of blood crawling down her back barely fazed her. She tossed her jacket aside, wiped her palm against her jeans, and grabbed the keys, shoving them into her pocket before stepping out of the car.

The cold air bit at her exposed wounds. Walking past the people leaving them gasping as they watched the girl with back drenched in blood stroll through the crowd. She pushed the doors of the hospital apart, stepping inside with the same careless confidence as always.

Gasps filled the reception area almost instantly.

People stopped mid-conversation, nurses whispered frantically to one another, eyes widening in horror as they caught sight of her back—of the fresh, glistening red that ran down the fabric of her shirt. And trickled onto the white marble floor.

The one at the reception desk immediately straightened. "Ma'am, are you alright—"

"Park Jimin," She cut her off, voice flat, emotionless.
-----------------------------------------------------------

ℑ𝔶𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔳𝔬𝔱𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔡𝔡 𝔱𝔬 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔰.
𝔜𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯
𝕍𝕍

-------------------------------------------------------------