Jimin stood outside of the Supply Sector gate, begging for the nth time to the guards to let him in. Out of all the four sectors, the Supply Sector was heavily guarded even before a Supplier was appointed as the Village Leader.

"Village Leader Seokjin has not mentioned anything of a visit from a Healer," one of the guards calmly told him. "We are not allowed to grant you -"

"I understand," Jimin interrupted, already tired of hearing the same thing. "But this is urgent."

The guard's stony face remained as he inhaled sharply. "If you wish to send him a message, you may do so through us."

"It is a confidential matter between the Village Leader and I," Jimin raised his tone, patience already thinning out. "I will not pass the message through anyone."

"If I may remind you, we are Suppliers. We do not reveal any confidential matter without consent."

Jimin knew that. He knew that fact so well. But Youngjae had mentioned to him that he must keep it a secret and no one must know about it. Even to Taehyung, he'd only revealed to his friend that he received the flower, but he didn't mention the identity of the sender.

"No," Jimin sternly said, standing on his ground while keeping his posture composed.

The corners of the guard's mouth curved slightly upward into a small smirk. "Then you may as well leave."

He couldn't just leave. He needed to find answers. He needed to know every reason Village Leader Seokjin had for him to send that flower to him.

If what Taehyung said was true after all, that Red Dahlia symbolized betrayal and that it was linked to the attack years ago, Jimin wanted to know what he had to do with it that out of all the people in the village, he was the one who received it specifically from the Village Leader. And it was sent with a caution, a warning. It had kept him awake for most days. It occupied his mind just as much as the problem his family was currently facing. He couldn't just give up like that.

"Let me speak to Supplier Yoo Youngjae," Jimin requested.

The guards' faces hardened, their eyes telling him that they were losing patience with him. It was clear that only those who made appointments with anyone at all in the Supply Sector was allowed entrance.

"Please," Jimin begged.

"Please leave," the guard said with a sharp exhale of air through his nose. "You may come again if they wish to see you."

"Let him in."

Jimin's eyes flitted past the guards' shoulder. Youngjae was standing behind the gates, face stoic with his hands clasped behind his back. A sigh of relief escaped Jimin and he almost rolled his eyes to the guards who were standing like fences in front of him. Youngjae looked at him briefly and gave him the briefest nod.

"But -" the guard tried to argue.

"The Village Leader has been expecting Healer Park Jimin," Youngjae said calmly. "Let him in."

*

Jungkook could tell that Yugyeom wasn't prepared for his attacks. His attacks had been rough and vicious before, but none of them could compare to the ones he did at that moment. Jungkook was enraged while at the same time being petrified over what was coming. At the end of each day, the flowers had multiplied. Yesterday morning, they were everywhere around his house, causing his grandfather to lose his temper easily, burning each of them into ashes whenever he saw one.

"Calm down, Jeon!" Yugyeom yelled as he avoided each attack in a rush. "Give me a break!"

Jungkook heard the pleas, yet when he made eye contacts with the other men, his tormenters, Jungkook couldn't help the ferocity in him. He knew that they were behind those flowers. They wanted to remind him of who he was. And for sure, they were following someone's order. There was no one else who'd had the mind and determination to do all that, to torment him further other than his former sparring partner.

Every suspicion seemed to scream certainty especially after what Yugyeom told him, that the men's visits to the prison were now frequent. There was a voice inside of him, an instinct. It was telling him that the prison days of his mortal enemy would soon end. It was telling him that somehow his life would be in danger once again.

It was why he felt like convincing Chaeyoung that Junhoe would be the right man for her was the best decision he would ever do. He didn't want to risk her. He wanted her to be safe. He didn't want her to be a target to the men. If the men could follow him home, stalking him deep in the woods when he was alone, they could do just the same to her if Jungkook wouldn't stop seeing her. If he continued to be around her, they'd know that she was special to him. They would hurt her, and that would end him.

He was not easily scared, but the terrible incident that almost took his life away from him made a huge impact that even up to that very moment, that incident came as a form of nightmare, haunting him frequently when all he needed was a decent sleep to reenergize.

Jungkook let out a heavy sigh, ignoring Yugyeom's questions of why he was so out of control on that day. He walked away as soon as the training session ended, muting his ears to the cackles and mocks of the harassers as well as Yugyeom's curses that followed after Jungkook's name.

On his way home, he saw Chaeyoung's brother walking with his head down in the empty street, focusing on something in his hand. Jungkook was about to look away if it hadn't been his eyes catching the sight of the thing that he loathed so much in Jimin's hand. His eyes narrowed, fists clenched. Questions began to rise in his head. The loudest question was, why on earth would Jimin had that flower?

What did the Healer had to do with Red Dahlia?

Was he related to the event of flooding his surrounding with that flower?

Jungkook's stomach turned at another question floating in his mind; Was Jimin a Dual?

He wasn't thinking when he let his feet traveled fast toward the other male, his eyebrows knitted, frown hung heavily on his face. When he reached Jimin, the latter immediately hid the flower behind his back, eyes wide in alarm. Jungkook shoved Jimin on his chest and the latter stumbled backward. He gripped the collar of Jimin's shirt and pulled him roughly toward him.

"Bleeding hells!" Jimin pushed Jungkook's hand off, his eyes no longer friendly, icy cold and sharp as he glared at Jungkook.

The flower had fallen to the ground. Jungkook's eyes fixated on Jimin before he glanced at the crumpled flower lying helplessly on the ground. His doubts were controlling his mind, blocking every other possible reason as his burning eyes pierced into Jimin's.

"Why in the bleeding hells do you have Red Dahlia with you?" Jungkook asked, seething.

Jimin looked surprised, eyes widened as he stared at Jungkook before looking down at the flower. Jimin's eyes narrowed and slowly, he looked up. "How do you know what flower this is?"

He scoffed. "Why do you have it with you?" Jungkook prodded.

The suspicious look Jimin thrown at him just moments ago dissolved into something else. He looked confused. Then, realization seemed to settle into him. "It is not what you think, Jungkook," he said with hardened jaw. "I am not one of them nor am I involved."

Jungkook was not convinced. He had many doubts. "If you are not one of the Duals," he swallowed, piercing gaze was still steady. "Why do you have it? Why did you try to hide it when you saw me?" he pressed.

Jimin's eyes didn't waver. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I can't tell you the reason. But please do not misunderstand. I am not a Dual."

Jungkook clenched his fists, the flames voluntarily formed on each. Jimin, however, didn't seem intimidated at all. He stood there, unflinching and calm. His eyes, though, still held the icy gaze. Jungkook doubted that the older male was involved, but he still wanted to know. He wanted to be sure that his suspicions would only wrap around those fools that he had as his fellow Newcomers and that Chaeyoung's older brother was not at all involved.

"Then," Jungkook began, "were you involved in scattering this flower around my house?"

Jimin's confusion grew bigger, Jungkook could tell.

"Why would I do that?" Jimin asked with deeply furrowed brows.

"Were you or were you not involved? Answer it."

Jimin let out a scoff. "I don't even have a clue where you live."

The flames around his fists gone. He took a deep breath and looked around. No one was watching. His eyes settled again on the flower before Jimin crouched down to pick it up. The older male let his gaze rest on the flower alone for long moments and Jungkook thought it was his cue to leave.

Then, as he turned on his heel, Jimin asked, "Are you?"

Jungkook looked over his shoulder.

"Are you a Dual?" Jimin's tone was curious and serious.

His eyes darkened as he looked to his front again. "No."

"Care to tell me why someone would scatter this flower around your house?" Jimin asked, sounded so careful.

Jungkook didn't want to raise suspicion. Yet, Jimin hiding his reason made Jungkook feel protective over his own answer. Besides, he couldn't be sure why the flowers would be scattered around every single day. Only the culprits could give a definite answer to that. "I don't know."

He didn't want to be questioned further. When Jimin remained silent, Jungkook made his way home.

*

"You have visitors," a lazy voice announced. Metal clashing sounded as the key to the thick metal door went into the keyhole. The door swung open with a moan.

He looked away from the tiny hole of the wall. His lips curved into a small smile as he rose to his feet, letting the four guards enter his space and cuffed him, dragged him out of the small, chilly cell.

The door to another room opened and there, he saw their smiling faces. Always so welcoming. He sent each of them a smile in return as one by one stood and greeted him. Once he was seated, he looked at each of them as though he wanted to imprint their faces into his mind despite seeing them frequently these days.

He breathed calmly, adjusting his position on the chair to make himself comfortable as his smirk glued to his face. "So..." he began. "How is the village's traitor doing?"

A smiley man with eyes almost disappearing spoke. "Exactly like how you imagined he would. Disturbed, furious, moody. Scared."

He chuckled. "I guess, the flower really did the work, huh?" All the men before him nodded in sync. "Good job, everyone."

"What's the next plan?" the youngest of them all asked.

He cracked his neck while closing his eyes. The cracking sounds were really satisfying. He couldn't wait to hear each of Jeon Jungkook's bones cracked. Perhaps, the skull would sound better.

"For now, just continue with the flowers. I'll be out soon, anyway."

The men's eyes sparked, and everyone grinned wickedly, laughing as they kept talking about how they couldn't wait to torture Jungkook all they want.

"We can't wait for you to return, Hanbin."