Detecting Falsehood

(A/n: advance warning next chapter is the last but there's a third book on the way so don't worry too much love y'all xxx)

There's a moment of silence, as an elderly woman with black, greying hair and faintly familiar facial features, stands in the doorway staring at us both. Jungkook is frozen, unable to move for a few seconds as he stares into her dark eyes, so similar to his own. I can already tell that he gets more from his mother's side than his father's, something I thought when I first saw him and his father together.

But this just confirms it for me now. This is his side of the family, without a doubt.

I nudge him with my elbow, realising that I need to get one of them to actually move, or we'll be standing here for hours. He jolts in surprise at the contact, nodding to himself and abruptly leaning forward in a surprisingly formal sweeping bow, one that causes the woman watching to chuckle lightly, beckoning us into the flat after another moment of hesitation.

The second the door closes behind us, Jungkook tugs off the face mask, revealing his facial features. I copy the action once he looks over at me meaningfully, feeling a little bit awkward. I know I'm only here with him right now because I need to be in order to be alive, but that doesn't mean I don't wish I could give them privacy.

She nods to herself before turning to face the inner part of the apartment. "Hyojung! We have visitors!" she calls out, her voice surprisingly stable, before returning her attention to the both of us. "I can't say I'm not surprised to see you, Junghoon, after all these years. I didn't think you'd remember where we are. Too busy chasing the dream, I suppose." She smiles a little. "At least you're finally here."

Jungkook winces at his brother's name, lifting his arm to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck. "About that...." he says quietly, "the dream wasn't to be that. I never wanted to be my father's slave or my brother's shadow. I wanted to come home again, I swear I did, Gran, but-"

Her eyes fill with tears as the sudden realisation of his true identity enters her head, as her husband enters the room, and Jungkook nods slowly, biting his lip and avoiding her gaze. "I know, I made a mistake, and I will leave if you need me to-"

"Don't be so silly," the man says, presumably his grandfather, "you are part of this family. You did what you thought was right. Something I expect you to explain when we've all calmed down a little. But for now I'm just glad to see you again, even if I thought I never would after going to your funeral."

"Nobody expects to bury their grandchild," his grandmother murmurs, "only a few years after burying their own child. Nobody thinks their son in law will turn into a ruthless killer as a result of those deaths. It's not something you prepare for."

My heart does some sort of weird thing in my chest, twisting in empathetic agony at the sheer pain hanging in the air. This is a family who were torn apart against their will. This is a family who never got a chance to heal. And it's not easy to come back together after so long.

Jungkook shifts his weight and runs a hand through his hair, lowering his head out of shame. "I shouldn't have-"

"It wasn't your fault, Kook," I remind him quietly, and he smiles sadly at me, just now remembering that I'm even there. His grandparents glance over at me, and for a moment I feel like I've intruded into something private. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. This is your moment. I'll go stand in the hallway or something," I say awkwardly, fiddling with the zip on the jacket I'm wearing and beginning to step away from the trio.

"Don't be silly, sweetheart," his grandmother dismisses immediately, shaking her head again, this time at me. "He clearly trusts you enough to tell you the truth. And that's good enough for me. Even if I've learned the truth a little later on. Besides, if anyone sees you in the corridor, you'll stick out like a sore thumb."