The Silent Vows | VSOO (18+)

6.

My blood turns to ice.

Slowly, I peek around the corner of the storage unit.

A man stands under the dim orange glow of a streetlamp. Mid-forties, sharp features, too well-dressed for a random thug.

His eyes gleam with something dangerous.

"I know you're there, kid," he calls out, voice light. Too light. "I just want to talk."

I don't move.

I don't breathe.

He smirks.

"Your brother... Seunghyun. He was good at hiding too."

I grip the cold metal wall behind me. What the hell is happening?

"Do you know how much trouble he got himself into before he disappeared?" the man continues, stepping forward. His shoes click against the pavement. "Do you know why he left?"

My fists clench.

He laughs softly. "You don't, do you?"

Something shifts in me. I step out of the shadows.

Big mistake.

The second I do, his men step forward from the darkness.

Two. Three. Four.

A trap.

Of course.

I grit my teeth. "Who are you?"

The man smiles. "Someone who's been watching you for a long time."

I hate how calm he is. How he speaks like this is just another business deal.

"Taehyung." He says my name like he already owns it. "You don't want to make the same mistakes your brother did. But unfortunately..." He sighs, tilting his head. "It seems you already have."

A chill creeps up my spine.

Then, before I can react, a fist slams into my gut.

Pain explodes through me as I hit the ground.

A boot presses against my chest before I can move.

I struggle to breathe, gasping, my vision blurring for a second.

The man crouches beside me.

"You should have walked away," he murmurs.

I swear I see him smile.

Then—

The world goes black.

--------

Pain.

It's the first thing I register.

My ribs feel like they've been hit with a sledgehammer. My head is pounding.

I crack open my eyes.

Where am I?

I try to move, but a sharp ache shoots through my limbs. Everything hurts.

"Stay still."

A voice. Familiar.

I blink, trying to focus.

Jisoo.

She's kneeling beside me, her brows furrowed in concern. There's dried blood on her hands—my blood.

She exhales in relief when she sees me wake up. "God, you're an idiot."

I groan. "Where—"

"My house."

I frown, trying to sit up. "How did I—"

"You called me."

I blink. "I did?"

She nods. "Barely. You sounded like you were dying."

I let out a weak chuckle. "Felt like it, too."

Jisoo glares at me. "This isn't funny, Taehyung."

I meet her gaze, and for the first time, I see something raw there.

Fear.

She looks like she hasn't slept. Like she's been worried.

Like she thought I wouldn't wake up.

I swallow. "Who was he?"

She doesn't answer right away. Then, after a long silence—

"You met Jungkook's father."

Jisoo doesn't let me move for a while. She forces me to drink water, to breathe.

It's only after she sees some color return to my face that she finally speaks.

"You can't go back," she says quietly.

I know what she means.

But I shake my head.

"I have to."

Jisoo exhales sharply. "Taehyung—"

"They knew my brother." I meet her gaze. "They did something to him. And I need to know what."

Her expression hardens. "And what if it gets you killed?"

I hold her stare.

"Then at least I'll know the truth."

Jisoo hates that answer. I can see it in the way she tenses, in the way her hands curl into fists.

But instead of arguing, she does something unexpected.

She reaches out, fingers grazing my cheek.

Soft.

Tentative.

And for the first time since this nightmare started, I lean into her touch.

"You're impossible," she whispers.

I give her a weak smirk. "I know."

Her hand drops. She sighs.

"Fine," she mutters.

I blink. "Fine?"

She meets my gaze, her dark eyes burning.

"If you're not walking away, then neither am I."

A beat.

Then—she stands, offering me her hand.

I take it.

Because this fight?

We're in it together now.