(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."
Jungkook cracks a positive smile at this, the first since he walked into the apartment, and his grandfather nods to himself as a thought enters his head, something I have no way of guessing. His grandson glances over at me properly, realising that he probably ought to introduce me to his grandparents."Oh, by the way, this is Taehyung, he's basically like my only friend at this point. He was the first person to realise that I was...well..myself."
"We knew each other before everything went all weird," I put in, not really knowing how to explain what we've been through, "and I knew him as Junghoon before I knew him as Jungkook. But then things slowly started to make more sense, and I realised that there was more going on below the surface. So when I worked it out, I asked him what the truth was. And he told me."
"How could you tell, if you never knew both twins?" his grandfather asks, curiosity the main reason for his question, and I shrug. For a moment, I don't know quite what to say, then Jungkook nods subtly at me, and I decide to tell the truth.
Sure, it could be dangerous, given that I've revealed my true identity to so many people over the last week, but I know better than to question my instincts. Things are changing, and I'm not really sure how. Deceit was the only way to survive once upon a time, but life is different now, and the people I have told are well aware of the importance of keeping such a thing secret.
I still have to be so careful. But sometimes it's alright to just let my guard down, around people that I can trust. Like Jungkook's grandparents. Like my friends.
"See, it's kinda a long story," I say uncertainly, "but all you need to know is that I was genetically modified to tell the difference between truth and lies as part of a trial to find a cure for genetic diseases. And I got into danger, so the authorities took over and my existence was covered up. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone where I lived, who my family were."
For a moment, there's complete silence, and then Jungkook's grandmother raises an eyebrow at her grandson in a clear question. He nods firmly, and she bites her lip, clearly not knowing how to react to such a random thing. After all, it is kind of weird. Even I agree with that, and it's part of my identity now.
"I didn't believe it at first either," Jungkook admits, "but then I thought about it. And it makes perfect sense. Knowing who to trust is a skill that I will envy for life, most likely. I could've used that kind of thing earlier on in my life."
I shake my head, frowning to myself. "You just feel sick every time you see a happy couple, because the likelihood is that at least one of them is lying to the other or to themselves. It's kind of painful, knowing that the majority of young people keep themselves so hidden behind deception and false happiness. It's not healthy, but we all do it. I know the moment something is wrong. But I can't push it, because I'll cause more harm than good."
Jungkook's eyes widen, somehow picking up on a fear I've kept hidden all my life. "You think that you'll have to pretend that you're happy with someone who only loves you for a certain part of you," he points out, and I just shrug.
"I'm used to the idea now. Doesn't mean I'm looking forward to it, but I've made my peace with it now. I can't change the way people are, can I?"
"What about the trio? Do they-"
"They do," I say simply, smiling at the thought of Jimin, Yoongi and Hoseok. "They restore my faith in humanity, those three. Engaged to each other, perfectly happy, and they all belong to each other only. I can see them being together forever, honestly. But they are the lucky ones, and not all of us get something like that."
I turn my attention to Jungkook's grandparents. "I can already tell that you two also have that sort of connection. It's just something you learn to recognise at some point. And it makes things a little bit interesting, I'll be honest. But you two are a prime example of a happy couple who've been together for many years. And it's nice to see that, in a world like this."
Jungkook's grandmother smiles, her eyes filling with empathy. "That can't be fun, to deal with the knowledge of every single lie," she comments simply, and I lower my gaze.
"You get used to it." I pause for a moment, then realise the silence in the room. "Anyway, enough about me, let's be positive!"
"He's right, love," her husband adds on, as he walks over to the front door and locks it, so that security is more certain. "I'm gonna guess that you're both tired, and hungry. You can share the room that you did with your mother when you used to visit together," he suggests kindly, ushering us further into the apartment. "It's small, but it should work."
Jungkook smiles gratefully, wrapping them into a group hug, beckoning me over to join them only moments later. I just grin to myself, deciding that it doesn't hurt to have some positive human interaction for once.
And once we pull away, the two grandparents shoo us off to go have a shower each, pushing towels into our hands. His grandmother runs into their shared bedroom, returning with a few spare clothes that will probably be too big, but the thought is what matters. And anyway, it's better to have oversized clothes than clothes that are too small or clothes that are covered in the mud and sweat of several days.
Now that I properly think about it, I really do need a shower. I fucking stink.