Eyelashes fluttering, Chanyeol groans softly at the pain in his head before he manages to squint upwards.  Frowning in confusion at the white curtains surrounding his bed, it takes him a moment to realize he's in a clinic. The scrape of the curtains pulling open has his head whipping to face the concerned gaze of the brunette he recognizes as Seokjin.  "What happened?", his voice is gravelly from just waking up.

The younger man gives an indecisive look, unsure of how much he should tell the older, "How much do you remember?"

Chanyeol's brow scrunches as he ponders the question.

Flashback

Baekhyun's face is grey with shock as he looks over the papers. "I-I don't understand..."

Chanyeol feels his heart twist in sympathetic pain for his husband, understanding sweeping through him as he looks over the information.  How can he explain to the younger that someone he loves has betrayed him like this?  Suga though, is less torn about explaining the situation to his boss.

"That b!tch has been using your own organization to target your brother," the assassin's voice is cold as he bluntly points out the answer.

Baekhyun swallows roughly, "But why?  I mean, it's not like she's exactly "mother of the year", but why target V?  How did she even know he exists??"

Jungkook, who until now has been silently observing from the sidelines, answers, his voice hard, "It doesn't matter.  The fact is she's been trying to kill Tae for years, and she's gonna fvcking die.  Now, are you going to handle it, or am I?"

Chanyeol's head snaps up, "Jeon, I don't think-"

"No, Park.  I don't care that she's Baekhyun's mother.  If she were anyone else, it wouldn't even be a question.  As long as she's alive, she's a threat to Taehyung."

He shoots a glare at the younger leader, "We can find some other way to handle her."

"No," the soft voice of his husband has him turning to face the younger, "Jeon's right.  If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even hesitate.  And she came so close to succeeding and killing V.  The only way to be sure she isn't a threat to him any more is if she's...eliminated," his voice cracks on the last word.

The older grabs his husband's hands between his own, "Baby, we can figure out another way.  We can keep her isolated, cut her off from financial assets-"

"She has too many connections.  She's been involved in this her whole life, and I'd never forgive myself if something else happened to my baby brother because I was reluctant to permanently handle her."

Chanyeol rakes his fingers through his hair, shoulders slumping as he acknowledges the truth behind his husband's words, "Ok.  But let someone else handle it.  No one can expect you to be involved when it's your own mother."

The smaller shakes his head, "No," his voice is still soft but no longer cracking with emotion, "She's my problem."

"I'm not debating this with you, baby," the older says, resolve strengthening his voice, "Let Suga, or Jeon, or hell, even me, handle this."

Baekhyun gives a small smile, "Babe, I love you, and I appreciate that you want to protect me from this.  But I'm Byun Baekhyun, and this is my group, and she is my problem.  I can't rely on you or anyone else to handle my issues for me, or else I have no business being in charge in the first place." Standing, he straightens his clothing and smooths his hair, "Stay here with Jeon, I'll take Suga with me."

Chanyeol jumps to his feet, scowling as he shakes his head and grabs his husband's elbow, "I'm not letting you do this."

The younger's lips thin, his eyes meeting Suga's over his husband's shoulder as they silently communicate.  A sudden blinding pain on the back of the older's head has his vision fading to black, dimly aware of arms catching him before he sinks to the ground.

End Flashback

Chanyeol's eyes widen as he remembers the incident, his hand flying back to feel the knot on the back of his head, hissing at the throbbing ache.  "Dammit, I'm gonna kill that green-haired bastard!" Pushing himself up, he swings his feet over the side of the bed, eyes darting around for his phone.

Seokjin lays his hand on the older's shoulder to steady him, "Whoa, hold on a minute.  You had a bit of a knock to the head and have been out for an hour."

"Where's my phone?  I need to stop Baek, he's going to kill his own mother."

The other nods, "I know."

"You know??  He can't do that, it'll break his heart.  I understand she's too dangerous to be left alive, but someone else needs to handle it.  Heck, I'll do it myself!"

Another voice comes from the doorway, "Baekhyun knows what he's doing.  He's the head of the Byun group, and he was trained to take over the organization his whole life.  If he lets anyone else fix his problems for him, competitors will see him as weak, and he'll be spending all his time fending them off."  Jungkook's arms are crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable.

Chanyeol grits his teeth, frustration evident in his voice, "He can't be expected to kill his own mother!"

The younger leader shakes his head, "Yes, he can, if he wants his position, and the people he cares about, to be safe.  I know you want to protect him, but the best thing you can do for him is to be here ready to support him when he gets back."

The older clenches his jaw, his mind telling him Jungkook is right, while his heart is urging him to protect his husband from the damage this will do.  Swallowing, he asks, "How is V?"

The ravenette gives a relieved smile, "He's awake and doing well.  He's a little groggy and will be sore for a while, but he'll be fine."

Chanyeol nods, "Does he know what about Baekhyun's mother?"

Jungkook shakes his head, "No, not yet.  I'll tell him later.  It would only upset him right now, and he's determined enough that could tear his sutures trying to get to his brother."

The older stares at the floor, his eyes dark and shoulders slumped.  Seeing the older man helpless to protect the man he loves, the younger leader rests his hand on the other man's shoulder, "Suga's with him.  He's not alone."

Elsewhere

Hearing her maid greeting someone at the door, Byun Jae-Hwa frowns and stands to see who's visiting, only to be surprised when her son strides into the living room. "Baekhyun, you usually call before you come for a visit. Is something wrong?"

The younger man's lips are flat, his eyes hard, and his voice when he answers is cold, "Yes Eomma, something is very wrong."

The older woman sighs, "I haven't arranged any more visits with the Songs, if that's what this is about. Although I wish you would quit being so selfish and stubborn about this."

Baekhyun gives a small shake of his head. "That's not what this is about," he takes a step forward, his eyes fixed on the still-beautiful older woman. "I know what you've done, Eomma."

Jae-Hwa's expression remains one of mild confusion, but beneath her calm exterior, her pulse speeds up, nervousness unfurling in her belly, "What are you talking about sweetheart?"

"Don't! Don't pretend to be innocent or confused! I know you're the one who wanted my brother dead! Why, Eomma??"

The woman scoffs, all pretense slipping from her face, "Why? I did it for you, of course! You were the only legitimate heir to your father's organization, and I was not going to let the bastard son of your father's slut threaten your position!"

Baekhyun stares, the venom in the voice of his mother shocking him, "Taehyung was innocent! He didn't even know he was my brother!"

"Your father slept around with his whores, and then had the audacity to get one pregnant! Do you know how humiliating it would be if anyone discovered him? That boy should never have been born!"

The young man grits his teeth, "So you decided to punish an innocent boy for Appa's actions?"

Jae-Hwa snorts, "Innocent? I know full well what that boy has done. He's hardly an innocent!"

"It was your actions that led to him becoming what he is! He was a sweet and naive kid before he was tortured!"

The woman's voice is icy, her lovely face smooth and unbothered, "As far as I'm concerned, he's a pest who needs to be eliminated, just like his mother."

The younger's eyes widen at her words, "What do you mean? Did you have V's mother killed? That wasn't an accident?"

An elegantly groomed brow arches as she chuckles, "Sweetheart, of course it wasn't!"

Baekhyun swallows, guilt and horror spreading through him. How could he not have known what his mother was doing? How could he ever make it up to his little brother for all his mother had done?

The woman continues, "This is all for you Baekhyun! I know what's best for my son, and I'm not going to rest until I've secured everything for you."

The younger shakes his head, "No, Eomma. I'm sorry. I can't let you threaten my brother anymore." He pulls the gun from his jacket, his face grim.

Taking a step back, Jae-Hwa swallows before laughing nervously, "Baekhyun, put that down. You're not going to kill your own mother. Especially not for some worthless bastard."

"You and Appa raised me to be ruthless when it came to protecting what's important to me. I love you, Eomma, I do. But V won't ever be safe if I let you live."

"So what," she angrily lashes out, "You're choosing that boy over me? Your own mother??"

Despite the anguish crushing the man's heart, his hand is steady, "Yes, I am."

Her eyes are wide now, her voice filled with desperation, "People saw you come here, you'll be caught if you do this! Baekhyun, I love you! Please don't make such a foolish decision!"

"No, I won't be caught. Suga came with me, and he's already ensured that all witnesses will have the same story. You felt so guilty over your past actions that you chose to take your own life."

Raising a hand as if to ward him off, Jae-Hwa takes another shaky step backwards, "Baekhyun, you can't do this! I'm your mother!"

His voice is hard, concealing the swirl of emotions in his heart. "That's why I have to be the one to do this. I love you Eomma. And I have to be the one to finish this," taking a deep breath, he squeezes the trigger, the silencer muffling the sound as the bullet pierces her skull and exits out the back, burying itself in the wall behind her. Her slim body falls to the ground, blood immediately forming a small puddle beneath her head, her eyes fixed at the ceiling above her.

Baekhyun lowers his hand, his fingers shaking with repressed emotion now that he's done what he came to do. Looking at the figure of his mother on the ground, his vision begins to blur and a tear escapes his eye to run down his cheek. Feeling a hand on his back, he turns to see Suga at his side, "Come on boss. Let's get you back to your husband, ok?"

AN: Ahhhh, I'm so, so, so sorry that this took a long time to get out.  School has started up for both me and my kids and it's been absolutely crazy. BUT, I've still been streaming Love Yourself: Answer all week long!  And OMG, I can't say enough about how much I love it and love the boys and just ajekslsekeinssngol!!!!

Also, 130k reads????? 😱😱😱  OMG!!!  I love all of you and I am so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you who has read and supported this story! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜