Jungkook

I can't move. The only sense that seems to be functioning is my sight, dark figures standing in the shadows of the flickering candlelight. Whatever I hear sounds like it's underwater, lungs burning like they're filled with acid.
I feel like I'm drowning.

Two figures seem to have joined the guy who tricked me, one looking of female nature with long tumbling hair and a slim physique, the other male with cropped hair and broad shoulders. The woman approaches me, a chained up heap on the floor, heels clacking on the stone. She crouches down so that she is at my level and reveals a sickly grin.

Now that I can see her face, my throat grows dry and eyes widen.

The woman is Mina; the one who checked us in outside before entering the party. Her ruby earrings glint from the candle next to me, catching my attention. Whoever these people are, they are part of some kind of group. They all finish off their elegant outfits with a red jewel.

"Well well well, what do we have here? The famous secretary, hm?" Mina teases, stroking a piece of my hair with long boney fingers. If it hasn't been for the cuffs digging into my wrists, I would have swatted her hand away like a fly.

"You're probably wondering why we brought you here, Jungkook" the man behind her says through the silence, stepping forward and into vision. I recognise him as the waiter who offered me champagne in the grand hall, red jewelled ring accompanying one of the fingers that balanced the silver serving tray on his hand.

I nod in response but instantly regret it, a sharp wave of pain surging through my head. Cringing, I look up at the man from below my bangs.

"Our organisation is after the Geonban company. However, Mr. Kim is reluctant to reason with us so we are turning to the power of force. We're using you as a blackmail to get Mr. Kim to hand the company over to us. He should never have gotten it anyway. When his father died, our boss should have received CEO as he was much older than Mr. Kim. His father even told our boss, a close friend of his, that he would be running the company but that spoilt brat took his place. Do you see now, Jungkook? You are bait for Mr. Kim"

His words cause a shiver to run down my spine and I scream against the tape on my mouth, attempting to make as much noise as possible. Mina, still crouched in front of me, lifts a hand and slaps me around the face.

"Shut it brat or I'll knock you out cold" she hisses, spitting each syllable like poison. My cheek stings from the impact.

"Mina, take the tape off for a moment, I have a question for Mr. Jeon" the man who lead me here instructs.

She nods and rips it off with one swift movement. I go to scream in agony but am soon stopped by her hand covering my mouth.

"Do not shout, understand?"

Blatantly terrified, I nod and she smiles, taking her hand off.

"Good boy" she whispers and then stands up to join the other two. The male who tricked me earlier steps forward to ask his question. His grotesque expression scans my body in a way that makes me squirm in my spot.

"What is your relationship with Mr. Kim?"

Taehyung

"Excuse me, have you seen my secretary Mr. Jeon? No? Never mind, enjoy your evening"

With a large sigh, I lean an arm on a marble wall that lines the hall, exasperated. Jungkook is nowhere to be found. I told him to stay with the food but the next thing I know, he has disappeared. A pang of worry waves over me and I check my phone for what seems like the hundredth time.
Still nothing.

Panicking, I begin to venture around once again, getting the attention of a nearby figure.

"Excuse me have you seen--"

Shit.

Stood before me is Hoseok, eyebrow raised and champagne in hand. He looks me up and down with warm eyes and offers an awkward smile.

"Can I help you, Taehyung? Is something bothering you?" He asks innocently and I rake a hand through my hair, inhaling deeply. I can't let the past distract me from the present; the present being looking for the vanishing Jungkook.

"Look hyung I need your help. I've lost Jungkook and I have no idea where he went and I'm just really worried because I told him to stay by the food but he disappeared and he's usually so obedient so something must have happened and--"

"Taehyung, breathe"

Hoseok places a hand on my shoulder and I flinch at first, however choose to ignore it and obey his command, taking a few deep breaths.

"Look, I'll help you find him, okay? Just calm down else you'll never be able to focus. Come on, let's go" He places his glass of champagne on the white-clothed table next to him and then leads the way, leaving the main hall and into a corridor.

"We'll try down here, you look on rooms to the left I'll do the right"

I nod and make my way down the hallway, opening and closing doors. Some, however, are locked so I make sure to listen into the room just in case he is in there. Of course, he may be knocked out, or worse, dead.

A woman dressed in a chef's clothing approaches me from the direction of the kitchen, a concerned look on her face.

"Can I help you, sir?" She asks warmly and I resist the urge to leap onto her with arms outstretched and hysterically ask her where Jungkook is. Instead, I compose myself and offer a small smile.

"I'm looking for my secretary, Mr. Jeon. I don't suppose you've seen anyone around here at all? Brown hair, brown eyes and about the same height as me wearing a black suit with a blue tie" I explain in the calmest way possible, trying to ignore the fact that just behind her, Hoseok trips on the corner of a rug and almost falls into the wall.

"Ah yes!" She suddenly clicks her fingers and my heart begins to beat quicker, eyes widening.

"I saw a man of that description with another man walking down here earlier. I was hoping someone would ask about it since I saw Mr. Jeon being pushed into a room over there and not coming back out" the chef points to a nearby door to the left, placard on the wood reading 'storage' in worn away calligraphy.

Before hearing another word, I sprint over to the door, almost knocking over the poor woman. I try the handle but shout in annoyance after it resists to move. Hoseok runs over, almost tripping again, who was clearly eavesdropping into out conversation as he asks no questions.

"How do we get in? Do you think someone has a key?" Hoseok asks as he thuds on the wood, exasperated.

"We don't have time to look for it, we've just got to get the door to give way. It's pretty old anyway" I suggest and he nods, bending down to look through the keyhole.

"I can't see anything, it's all dark... wait is that a person?" Hoseok gasps and moves away for me to look. I crouch down and peer through the small hole.

The whole room is dark except for a flickering light in the corner, most likely a candle. Because of this light, despite being weak, a couple of shadows are cast on the wall. Each of them are moving around and appear to be talking.

I move my head so that my ear is to the door and attempt to listen in.

"...someone at the door"
"...that boss or something"
"...to save Jungkook..."

Suddenly, a rattling noise can be heard and a muffled scream. The noises seem to resemble metal and the screams that of a human with something covering their mouth.

"Jungkook's in there" I whisper to Hoseok before backing up and then running forward, knocking all of my weight into the door. A large thudding noise is all that seems to result from it.

"Jungkook! I'm here! Just hang in there a little longer!" I shout before knocking into the door again with a great force. The wood creaks but stays put. Just as I'm about to barge into it for the third time, I hear the distinctive sound of a key turning and a click. I reach for the handle and yank it down, the door opening wide.

"Hoseok, stay out here and make sure to call for help if I shout for you to do so..."

"Why can't I go in with you?" He asks in a hushed voice and I bite the inside of my cheek, releasing a sigh.

"Because if something happens, it will only be one of us to get hurt"

I enter the room and let the door shut behind me, submerging the expanse into ominous darkness.

"If it isn't the CEO, you took your time" a woman steps into the candlelight and my heart thuds in my throat.

"Mina? What do you want and why do you have Jungkook?" I say raising my voice, the only response being a raised eyebrow. Two men stand in front a heap with chains snaking around the floor by their feet.

"Is it not obvious? Hand over the company to Yoonsung and we'll give back that little brat of yours" Mina spits and her words sting like acid.

"Yoonsung that bastard! My father never promised him the company, it's all lies to convince the court to give it to him. It's mine, now unchain Jungkook!" I shout and Mina flinches for a fraction of a second before composing herself.

"No deal" is all she says before nodding at the other two. They both part ways to reveal Jungkook slumped against the wall, numerous bruises and traces of blood coating his body. My stomach lurches at the sight and I resist the urge to run over to him. If I do, it would be game over. I must stand my ground.

"Look, my father said in his will that I would take over Geonban, not Yoonsung. I'm not just gonna hand it over to some careless jerk who doesn't know how to work Microsoft Word, let alone an entire company"

"Restrain him" Mina suddenly hisses and the two men start towards me, eyes like daggers. Panicked, I back away until I hit the wall behind me with nowhere else to go. One guy grabs hold of my arms and pins me against the brickwork, the other lifts up a fist before throwing it forward and colliding with my cheek. I groan with pain but bite my lip to not show any other sign of pain. I don't want to appear weak, neither do I want Jungkook to worry.

I hear the same muffled scream from earlier arise from his mouth, eyes filled with tears as his petrified face witnesses my battering. With every blow, I grunt but don't shout, except for this moment.

"Hoseok! Now!"

The door swings open, light flooding in and revealing not one, but several figures rushing into the room. One seizes Mina and, with a squeal, she attempts to pry the man's arms off of her.

"Get off, you pervert! I said get off"

To no prevail, she shouts and screams with no one to help her. The man who was previously hitting me has also been restrained by three of the guys, however not hesitating to put up a fight.

The man, who I now recognise to be one of the waiters, tightens his grip on my wrists. An arm rises from the shadows and hooks around his neck, yanking back causing him to splutter. His hold loosens and I break free, lifting my fist and slamming it straight into his face. He shouts numerous curse words before being pushed out of the room, leaving me, Hoseok and Jungkook alone.

Before even exchanging a word, both Hoseok and I rush to Jungkook who's tears never seem to cease. As carefully as possible, I rip the tape off of his mouth and discard it on the floor.

"Hyung... you came for me" he whimpers between sobs, eyes wide and thankful.

"Of course I did, baby"

"Umm I don't mean to ruin this romantic moment but we don't have the key to the cuffs" Hoseok butts in awkwardly, pointing to Jungkook's wrist.

"Go outside to see if the three are still there and get the keys off them" I respond hastily and he nods, darting out of the room. I cast my gaze back onto Jungkook and can't help but frown at his state. I reach over and place a hand on his cheek, wiping away a tear with my thumb.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I didn't know where you were" I say in a hushed and soothing tone. He simply nods understandingly, jolting as Hoseok bursts into the room once again, keys in hand. He gets down onto his knees and begins unlocking the cuffs, revealing damaged skin. Once all of them have been removed, both me and Hoseok help Jungkook to his feet.

"How about I take you home" I suggest and he nods, forcing a smile.

We leave the party early, calling for a car to pick Jungkook and I up. Hoseok helps Jungkook into the car and I say my thanks to him before getting into the vehicle myself. I let Jungkook lean his head on my shoulder, clearly exhausted.

"Do you wish to be taken home, sir?" The driver looks behind his shoulder to look at me and I nod.

"Yes, thank you"

Blue lights suddenly appear from the horizon, storming closer and closer like a shooting star. As it stops in front of the city hall, a smirk plays at my lips.

Got them.

-x-

I pull the white duvet up to our chins, reaching over and turning off the lamp sitting on the bedside table. Darkness engulfs us as we lay underneath sheets of warmth and bandages. Jungkook's cold dainty hands rest on my chest, head laying in the crook of my neck as I look up at the blank ceiling.

I imagine gazing up at the stars and the pale yellow glow of the lonely moon, filling the black abyss with a burst of brightness. However, something about it seems so plain and empty.

I glance down at Jungkook resting on my body, bright eyes looking up at me with such sweet innocence.

Suddenly I can see the whole galaxy.

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Hey I'm back from the pits of hell, sorry it's been like over a month??? I've just been incredibly unmotivated and pretty meh.
However, please accept my apology with an extra long chapter and a picture of me looking like an idiot bc why not, enjoy

I know my hand looks weird but that's none of my business 🐸☕️