Chapter Text
December 20th, 2016 - 4:25am - Busan, South Korea
“Run!”
And he did, as fast as his long thin legs could carry him; he ran, just as he had been directed only an hour earlier.
If things were to go incredible south, as they were at that moment, the younger was instructed to run as far as he could and hide. Strictly and explicitly ordered not to turn around no matter what screams or cries he heard—No. Matter. What. Run.
Run, and don’t look back.
Be free.
His chest heaved and his lungs were on fire as he pushed through the air at incredible speeds; even his long legs that were accustomed to physical activity throbbed from overexertion, but he kept going.
He had to.
“Keep running, Jungkook-ah!”
The voice screaming out to him was desperate. Their voice cracked and broke into an pained sob. Jungkook could hear it, clear as day no matter the fact that Jungkook was nearly three blocks away from that sobbing voice; Jungkook could still hear him.
“I’m so sorry, Hyung,” the younger whimpered as he kept running, each step harder than the last with not only the burn of exhaustion, but the weight guilt that resisted each step. They were supposed to have escaped together, they were supposed to go to Seoul together. It was not supposed to end like this.
The once vivid colours of the flashing lights of karaoke rooms, bars, and streetlights blurred as hot tears overcame his vision. He cursed under his breath as he could still hear his hyung struggling from blocks away; screaming obscene cusses that Jungkook knew his hyung would reap consequences later, some that may even end his life.
Run until the Gwangali Bridge, there you’ll see a truck. Guard Choi will be there and he’ll take you to Seoul.
Jungkook could remember those instructions even in that most dire situation. Every day for a month his hyung had drilled and quizzed the young adult on them until Jungkook was able to rehearse those instructions in his sleep. The bridge was in sight for him; he could see the gray truck that was waiting for him by a convenient store. All he had to do was get in the back.
Then he would be free.
The driver, a middle aged man, got out of the truck and barked at Jungkook.
“What the fuck!? You’re bringing them in behind you!”
Jungkook hadn’t looked behind him since his hyung had been tackled down first. He wasn’t allowed to turn around—he was specifically told not to. As he slowed into jog while he neared the truck he made the mistake of turning over his shoulder.
“You brat!”
One of the guards pounced on the boy right into the cement; his leg twisted into a way that, although he has been forced into many strange positions, he felt a tear and instant burning in his leg. Jungkook cried out as the man sat atop of him and punched him once, then twice across his face. Pain surged through his jaw and nose. Liquid trickled down his face and the tingling burning sensation spread from his nose to his eyes, forcing them shut.
Before the man could throw another punch, Jungkook felt their weight ripped off of him and he could breathe again. He coughed as he rolled onto his side, spitting out the blood that had drained into his mouth.
“Get in the truck, you filthy rat!”
More orders. His fuzzy mind tried to refocus. He pushed himself off the ground by his hands and uninjured leg. Blood and tears dripped off his jaw and onto his ripped black shirt; the poor young adult swore his face was melting off and he was going to die. With eyes focused on the back of the truck with the tailgate open, Jungkook limped and managed to roll himself into the back.
The sound of skin against skin, one punch after the other made him flinch as he could feel his own body aching by the strong knuckles of the guard. He cursed again and cried for his friend.
“I’m sorry, Hyung.” His chest bubbled because of the tears.
“I’m takin’ that kid, an’ there ain’t nothin’ you can do to stop me!” Jungkook heard the roar of the guard. Jungkook’s muscles tensed as fear surged through his very being. The guard pulled himself up into the bed of the truck, stumbling as he too was covered in cuts and bruises.
With whatever strength the younger had left, he pulled himself to the front of the truck towards the cab by his elbows, dragging his throbbing leg. He could feel his ears flattening into his disheveled black hair as he looked up at the man with burning, pleading eyes.
“P-please…d-don’t make m-me go back th-there!”
The man spat out his blood off of the side of the truck as he approached the young adult.
“Like a monster like you would know anything else different in the world! This is what you were made for!”
Fuming anger and pent up frustration surged through Jungkook from the bottom of his stomach, and grew larger as it pushed through his chest and out of his mouth into a strong roar.
“NO!”
Just as Jungkook had made a sound, there was a crack that split the air and exploded before he had time to blink. Red splattered onto his pale white skin, and each drop against him made his eyelashes flutter like a camera shutter; ingraining the image of a man who had just been shot in the neck into his mind forever.
The man fell off of the side of the truck and Jungkook’s chest heaved in a sporadic rhythm that he couldn’t control. He hardly noticed the whines and gasps that were escaping from his very own swollen lips.
“Shut it, kid!” The truck driver barked as he stepped into the back of the bed, making sure that the man had really fallen off.
“Y-you…you shot him!” Jungkook exclaimed, his voice uneven. He wasn’t even aware of how loud he was; everything was muffled from the crack of the gun.
“You’ll be next if you don’t shut it rodent!” The truck driver growled as he lunged forward. Jungkook let out a blood curdling scream that could have woken the entire neighbourhood.
“SHUT IT!”
The last thing Jungkook saw was the back of the handgun hurtling towards his face.
Then there was darkness.