"Yeah, Lee contacted me earlier in the afternoon," Jin confessed when all the other boys asked him unceremoniously after they stormed into the dorm.

     The others members remained silent in amazement at first.

     "It was right after Jungkook's call," Jin clarified, to prove that he didn't want to hide anything from them. "And I was as shocked as you are."

     "And you...you answered his call?" the younger one asked hesitantly, asking the question everyone in the room wanted to ask.

     Jin pursed his lips nervously. He knew Jungkook wasn't going to like it and the last thing he wanted was to argue with him who had worked so hard for him over the past few weeks and who was probably exhausted from this trial, waiting to finally see the end of it. However, the oldest decided there was no point in lying or beating around the bush.

     "I first thought about not answering," he explained with honesty, "but eventually I realized I had to."

     "That you had to?!" Jungkook repeated in disbelief, "Hyung, have you lost your mind?! You've been keeping away from him for weeks because you know the harm he can do to you, without even having to raise a hand on you, just by being near him, and the day he calls you, you pick up and agree to talk to him?! That's insane!!"

     "You're not going to let me explain to you why I accepted?"

     "No," Jungkook replied angrily, "I know why you agreed, you're still afraid of him, and you failed to refuse but no matter what he asked you, don't do it!"

     Annoyed at not being listened to, Jin retorted bluntly:

     "I have to do it."

      "Stop saying that!" the youngest exploded, "That doesn't make any sense! You don't have to, the trial will end and Lee will lose, you don't need to talk to him anymore!"

     Even though he would have liked to intervene, Yoongi decided that it was better to let Jungkook lead this exchange with Jin. It was obviously to him that Jin would have wanted to justify his choice. However, he wanted the younger one to calm down so as not to rush Jin as his older brother's emotional state made him unpredictable in his reactions, even more so than Jungkook's tantrums.

     "Jungkook, please control yourself," he said firmly.

     Considering he was on edge and that wasn't going to help Jin come to his senses, Jungkook nodded, took a deep breath, and spoke with uncharacteristic slowness:

     "Hyung, I know you're not well and it's worse since you saw him again after Hanagae, but if you make the wrong decisions, then it's up to us to stop you and no matter what he asked you, we will prevent you from doing it, especially if it is to testify in his favor!"

     "How can you expect me to testify in his favor? Why do you doubt me so much?" Jin asked, looking unhappy.

     "Because sometimes your decisions have nothing to do with what YOU want but with what HE wants! Because he already made you lie to protect him and you agreed to do it even if it meant harming Taehyung and me, even if it was the last thing you wanted to do! Because I saw how helpless you were against him!!  I know that even if you want to testify against him, you won't be able to do so if he asks you not to or if he is standing in the same room as you because you will feel threatened. You'll never testify against him, I'm not saying it's your fault, I'm just saying you can't!!" Jungkook retorted without managing to hide his anger.

     In fact, he was scared. What if, instead of ending this whole nightmare, this trial was just part of this nightmare and Lee, who didn't look the least bit scared that day despite being threatened by key testimonies, had it all planned out from the start, waiting for them to lose the case in order to fish Jin out of his nets, after making him believe that he had succeeded in escaping and regaining his freedom?

     It was so possible coming from such a psychopath who always seemed to be one step ahead of them no matter how hard they struggled! Couldn't Jin understand that? If he couldn't, then it was up to Jungkook to stop him from throwing himself into Lee's outstretched arms.

     "I won't let you do that," he growled at Jin.

     "And how are you going to stop me if I want to go to court? Are you going to lock me up?" Jin replied defiantly.

     "It's a good idea!" retorted Jungkook who seemed to sincerely think about it. "What I know is that you won't go!"

     "Wo, wo, wow!" Taehyung interjected, bewildered at the turn of events, even though he recognized that Jungkook wasn't totally wrong in his arguments, "No one is going to lock anyone up! Jungkook, Jin Hyung has the right to testify if he wishes!"

     "Thank you," Jin said gratefully to Taehyung who smiled back.

     Jungkook glared at Taehyung, feeling like he agred with him by not wanting Jin to go to court but just wanted to stay in Jin's good graces while Jungkook, he, dangerously distanced himself from him just because he wanted to protect him against his will. He was about to tell Jin again that he wouldn't let him go for it was his duty to protect him from himself, but his leader stopped him.

     "Jk, calm down, and listen to what hyung has to say before you get angry," Namjoon moderated. "I'm sure he must have a good reason for wanting to go to trial tomorrow, and we have to listen to him."

      Even though he was talking to the maknae, it was Jin he was looking at at that moment, with some concern and Jin nodded gratefully to his leader.

      But the latter still remained worried. He was like the others, he didn't know if he could trust Jin's judgment after being so psychologically abused by Lee. He was wondering what Lee could have said to him on the phone to convince him to be his last witness and also, what his reaction could have been at that moment when he heard his voice on the phone.

      Even though his duty as a leader was to listen and respect Jin's wishes, Jungkook seemed to him to be close to the truth in what he said to Jin, seeing what they all saw of their eldest when he met Lee that gave him a terrible panic attack.

     "But it's annoying!" the young singer exploded, unable to contain himself because it was always with honesty that he expressed his reactions, "we are so close to victory, nothing can make us lose now, nothing except hyung's testimony which could allow Lee to get out of this by manipulating his words or playing with his fears to obtain false confessions!"

     "You think I'm an obstacle to your victory now?" Jin said, offended, "at first, my testimony seemed important to you to convict Lee because it was me who was his main victim, no one else, not even you JK, remember? And now, I have become the traitor who will lead you to failure? the enemy who must be prevented from acting? 

     "No, no, no, Hyung, that's not what Jungkook meant!" Jimin protested gently, putting a hand on his shoulder, "we never thought that, any of us! you're not our enemy, of course, and you're not a drag either, believe me! But it's only to protect you that we do all this and we can't let you approach Lee knowing the harm he is capable of without even touching you. Besides, if what Lee asked you to do could jeopardize our success just as much as allowing us to succeed, then we'd rather dissuade you, we're just afraid of the consequences, you know?"

     Seeing the sincerity in Jimin's gaze who seemed desperate, Jin sighed and replied:

     "I understand, and I'm very grateful to all of you, but I attended today's hearing and the judge himself said that without my testimony and my presence, it would harm our fight. The struggle you have been waging without me from the start because my weakness prevents me from standing by your side.

     Now that the end of the trial has arrived, I want to help, it's my turn to play my part, I feel ready to do it: even if it's presumptuous of me to say this after having been idle while you did all the work, it's time for me to end this trial. After all, it all started with me and it has to end with me. That's why tomorrow I'm going to find Lee and-"

     "NO YOU CAN NOT!" Jungkook thundered, startling everyone, visibly panicked that neither he nor Jimin was able to change Jin's mind and that the others weren't much help. "Hyung, we kept you away because it was what was best for you, we fought as hard as we could for you and without you, to convince people we were telling the truth about everything you've been through and to defeat Lee and now, now that we finally have a chance and Lee is cornered, you want to come? You have no right to do this to us!"

      Jungkook felt betrayed, everyone perceived it, but he wasn't the only one:

     "AND YOU JK?! DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO THIS TO ME?!!" Jin exploded back, stunning everyone in turn, including the maknae he stared at with a burning gaze. He continued, sobbing this time: "You... you have no right... to stop me..."

     The other members saw angry tears rolling down his cheeks and even though it hurt Jungkook, he couldn't gape without reacting. He didn't want to hurt Jin, but he also wanted to save him.

     "Hyung," he said, softly this time, getting closer to him, "remember, last time, I wanted to stop you from coming, but you insisted. You came with us and you suffered to see Lee again. I do not want that-"

      "You told me to be selfish," Jin cut off.

     "What?" Jungkook asked, surprised.

      "On the first day of the trial, you told me to be selfish," Jin repeated, staring at it without batting an eyelid, "you told me to be selfish at last, and think about me before thinking about you. That's what I'm doing today."

     "Yes that's what I said, but not to see you throw yourself into the mouth of the wolf again!" Jungkook protested. "You already told me that the day you came with us to the trial, and you hurt yourself, nothing else! Lee was not at all affected to see you again, he was on the contrary delighted because he understood that you were still weak in front of him."

     "No, that time I came was not in vain for me," Jin contradicts him, "because it made me realize that I was not ready, it made me find courage watching you and those who supported us from afar, watch you fight for me. Now I'm strong enough, thanks to you," Jin affirmed by taking Jungkook's hand and resting the other on Jimin's hand, still resting on his shoulder.

     "You also believed that you could be strong the first time, yet you were wrong," Jungkook reminded him.

     "You said you had your fight and I had mine, remember JK?" Jin said, wiping his wet face.

     "Yes of course, and I told you that my role was to get rid of your monster!"

     "And you did it brilliantly!" Jin told him with a smile of pride, "you fought admirably, you humbled yourself in front of everyone, people admired you for that, I admired you!"

     "But I'm not done destroying him yet," Jungkook protested, "let me finish this fight please hyung..."

     "JK, even if the fight is not over and Lee is still standing, your personal battle has been won, you hit a big punch and got rid of your guilt," Jin reminded him. "It's huge what you did, it took incredible strength! Right guys ?"

      He turned to all the other members who nodded with the same proud smile and Jungkook couldn't help but answer with a small embarrassed smile while lowering his head. Then Jin continued, smiling confidently as he forced the maknae to raise his head:

      "You did so well Jungkook! And now it's my turn to lead my own fight: I must conquer my fear of the monster that you have already weakened for me. I must be able to. Maybe that won't make me a strong person, but at least, I would have the credit for having done it. You will have fought your fight and I would have fought mine! Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm done hiding."

     It was still very early when Jin walked into Jungkook's room the next morning, around five o'clock. No one else seemed awake in the dormitory and even less Jungkook who was sleeping soundly, as expected by the oldest who watched him sleep for a few minutes, less to make sure he was really asleep than to ensure that his sleep was not disturbed by some dark thoughts.

     Even though he still didn't agree with the idea of ​​Jin testifying, he seemed to have got used to the idea but Jin knew that he had planned to book another speech for him that morning for the meeting. to stop it and he smiled sadly.

      "I'm sorry, but you won't have another chance to talk me out of it, JK," he whispered to the sleeping maknae who didn't flinch and continued to sleep peacefully.

     Spotting Jungkook's songbook on his desk, Jin grabbed it and quickly ran his eyes over it, smiling as he recognized Jungkook's early strategies to get him to stay, then frowning as he recognized the futile resistance to Lee.

      Jungkook had continued his strategies for the trial, in collaboration with those of Namjoon and he had even recorded their victory the day before, announcing the final victory to come, but also his doubts concerning the testimony of his "brother in arms" and Jin smiled, recognizing himself under the warrior metaphor. 

     He was no longer described as an ally under the pen of Jungkook but as a brother, he preferred that term. But that could make a betrayal even harder for the youngest to bear, Jin suddenly thought with concern.

     "You have the right to doubt my ability to succeed JK, I probably would have if the tables were turned, but I can't doubt myself this time or else I might disappoint you again," he whispered.

     He turned the next pages and saw that they were blank. Thinking that Jungkook's military strategy ended there, he was about to close the songbook when, several pages after the last strategy, he came across a short sentence that he read with curiosity.

     By the color of the ink, it seemed older than the one written the day before, and yet, by its meaning, it gave Jin a sense of completion to this military strategy notebook. As usual, Jungkook had masked its meaning under a warrior metaphor, but it was now familiar to Jin's mind, who didn't take long to decipher it. 

     He widened his eyes in understanding it and muttered looking at Jungkook's sleepy face:

     "JK, is this what you had planned from the start?"

      He found Jungkook's project completely crazy. Should he warn the others? Should he stop Jungkook from carrying out his latest strategy? It was too reckless of Jungkook and it was Jin's role, as his eldest, to stop him.

       But very quickly, Jin realized how hypocritical he was. He had done everything to convince Jungkook to let him carry out his personal fight and he was angry with him for intervening. By what right did he want to intervene now between the maknae and his desire to put an end to his own ill-being?

      In Jungkook's eyes, his own decisions were insane and yet he would do anything to make them happen and push back anyone who tried to stop him. Just as he wanted to be able to make his own decision about the end he wanted for his own fight, he had to support Jungkook in his choices, even if they were questionable and not interfere.

      "Do what you want, JK, I will do the same. Today may mark the end of this war and will surely mark the end of one of the soldiers in this war, I only hope it's not you. But that's why we have to make the choices we believe in... so as not to regret anything in the end, whatever will happen, and have the merit of having tried everything to achieve what we wanted to accomplish."

      On the blank page that preceded this last strategy, Jin thought for a few seconds and then started wroting a message to Jungkook, convinced that he would understand it.

     When Jungkook woke up some time later, he smelled Jin's perfume in the room and wondered if the elder had slept with him after spending the previous evening locked in his own room to avoid having to speak to him. 

     In any case, turning his head, he saw no trace of him and the cushion next to him did not indicate that anyone had slept next to him that night. However, he saw on his desk that his songbook was open. 

      Jumping up, he apprehensively wondered if Jin had figured out his final strategy and went to tell Namjoon and the others. But instead of finding his own handwriting, it was Jin's that he found and read feverishly.

      "As the night draws to a close, the brother-in-arms, wounded by this too long war and eager to put an end to it himself, leaves his sleeping companions in secret and walk alone into the enemy camp, putting on the armor of traitors..."

      Widening his eyes, Jungkook rushed out of his room and walked around the dormitory crossing his other members but without finding any trace of Jin. So he could only face the facts:

     "So you left Hyung," he whispered with a heavy heart, hugging his songbook to him until he crumpled the hard cover and the pages underneath. "You really left to join Lee..."

     "I knew you would come. I always knew I could trust you Seokjin!"

     Jin winced when he felt Lee's heavy arm wrap around his neck like an old found friend. He had the sensation of feeling the body of a vicious serpent tighten around him, which would choke him if he did not act according to his will.

    As his body betrayed him, overcome by newfound fear, he said nothing and looked up at Lee's attorney who was watching him suspiciously.

     "So Mr. Kim, you came to offer your testimony on behalf of Mr. Lee as your group is finally winning this case?" he asked, staring at him. "Why?"

     His sincere astonishment was perceptible behind his skepticism and Jin understood that he was not fooled: the man knew all about Lee's wrongs against him. And now that BTS had finally turned the tide in this lawsuit, and they seemed poised for victory over Lee, nothing was stranger than seeing Jin rally to Lee's cause.

    "B-because hyung asked me to," Jin stuttered as he felt the pressure around his neck tighten to force him to speak.

     Lee burst out laughing when he heard Jin stutter and Jin bit his lip in shame.

     "See? Still stuttering, you haven't changed Seokjin, you're still the same coward you've always been. That's why you're the one I trust the most! You came because you got rid of Jungkook's grip and rushed to join me, right?"

     Jin looked at him with wide eyes.

     "No it is not-"

     "Say it!" Lee cut in a threatening tone.

     Jin gulped and said these words they didn't mean:

      "I-I escaped Jungkook's grip and came to you..."

     "Exactly," Lee whispered near Jin's ear, while eyeing his lawyer confidently, "I asked him and he came by himself, of his own free will. You see I was right! Seokjin and I are so close that he would do anything for me. He would even jump into the Han River for me if I asked him. He is even ready to betray Jungkook and his whole group to respect my wishes."

     Trembling, Jin pulled his head as far away from Lee's mouth as possible and looked away, ashamed of having become a traitor in the eyes of his group.

     "Close? You mean you're terrorizing him," Ho replied with a sigh, though not trying to help Jin. "Whatever the reason, we will use him to overturn this lawsuit just before the end. Too bad for BTS, it was you, Kim Seokjin, who chose to betray them."

      Hearing these words, Jin wondered if he hadn't just made a big mistake. Would he be able to deal with these two snakes on his own, away from Jungkook and the others?

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A/N : The last chapter that I had planned was too long, I ultimately decided to separate it in three.