8

Jimin came out from the washroom after taking a shower, lost in his thoughts as he dried his wet hair with a towel. He flinched when he noticed Taehyung sitting on the bed. Taehyung was dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, looking almost angelic.

Jimin's eyes widened with fear as Taehyung looked at him. Taehyung approached, extending a hand to touch him, causing Jimin to step back.

Taehyung sneered and moved closer. Jimin felt as if his heart might burst through his ribcage. Taehyung bent down, locking eyes with Jimin's terrified gaze.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Taehyung asked, his breath brushing against Jimin's face.

Jimin tried to back away, but Taehyung pulled him closer by the waist, gazing at him intensely. "Tell me, have I ever hurt you?" Taehyung asked, tracing Jimin's jawline with his finger.

Jimin looked down, trying to avoid the intense gaze. Taehyung made him look up again with a finger under his chin. "Answer me, have I ever hurt you?" he repeated.

Jimin, confused and afraid of angering him, whispered, "No."

Taehyung stepped back and laughed hysterically.

"So hypocritical," he mocked. The room echoed with his frantic laughter, amplifying Jimin's horror.

"Come with me," Taehyung ordered. Jimin stood there, frozen. Taehyung grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room.

With every step, Jimin's heartbeat quickened. Cold sweat trickled down his body, and the fear of the unknown made his heart ache. Taehyung unlocked the door and went inside. With a swift move, he pressed a book, revealing the stairs he once walked down.

Descending each step, Jimin felt as if he were walking into hell. The basement wasn't dark like that day, but from the stairs, he could hear the pained voice of a man shouting, "Let me go!" As they walked down, Jimin's heart sank, and he tried to pull his hand away, but Taehyung's grip tightened. The faint smell of blood lingered in the dimly lit basement.

Jimin looked at the person tied to the chair. It was a young boy, a few years older than them, bruised and hurt. He tried to recognize him. Then it hit him-it was Lee Ming, Lee's son. During his visits, he had played with Ming when they were young, but after Jimin went abroad for studies, they had become distant.

Ming's eyes lit up with hope when he saw Jimin.

"Jimin, help me. Please help me, Jimin," he pleaded. Jimin looked at Taehyung, who was enjoying the scene, a playful smirk on his lips.

Analyzing the situation, Ming looked at Taehyung.

"Please, sir, let me go," he begged.

"Tell me whatever you want. I'll give you as much money as you want," he tried to make a deal.

Taehyung laughed maniacally. The cold and silent basement echoed with his hysterical laughter, sending chills down Jimin's spine.

"What I want," Taehyung said, his eyes red like blood, "is your life." He walked near Ming and patted his face. "No, no, please, I beg you, please let me go," Ming cried.

Taehyung looked at him with hatred and anger. Jimin stood there, frozen, terrified of what Taehyung was going to do next.

"Okay, I'll let you choose how he will die," Taehyung said, looking at Jimin.

"A quick death or give him some time to enjoy. What do you choose?" he asked as if he were asking how to play a game.

Jimin looked at Taehyung's eyes, glittering with a strange shine, the shine of a hunter ready to hunt its prey. "Answer me," Taehyung demanded.

Jimin looked at Ming, not wanting him to suffer. "Qu...quick de... death," he stammered, feeling the words burn him like coal.

"Boring," Taehyung said, disappointed. "Let's play a game. Do you know Russian roulette? I'll give you three chances. If you shoot him, you win. If not, then I'll play with him, and you'll enjoy it." He loaded a bullet into one chamber of a revolver, spun the cylinder, and handed the revolver to Jimin.

Jimin took it with trembling hands and pointed it at Ming. Ming looked terrified. Before pulling the trigger, Jimin prayed for the bullet to end Ming's suffering quickly. He felt devastated, in an abyss, praying for his loved one to die to spare him more pain. He pulled the trigger. Ming closed his eyes in terror, but nothing happened.

Taehyung, amused, made a sound of disappointment. "Ohhh," he said, enjoying it like a missed goal in football. Ming opened his eyes with relief. Jimin pulled the trigger again.

"It's a miss again. You just have one last chance," Taehyung commented like he was doing commentary.

Jimin's heart pounded as he looked from Ming to Taehyung, praying harder than ever. He pulled the trigger again. Once more, it was empty.

Ming sighed in relief while Jimin, disappointed, dropped the revolver. "Oh, you lost," Taehyung said with fake sadness in his voice.

"Congratulations, you survived," he said, looking at Ming.

Seeing Jimin's sadness, Taehyung mocked, "You're so evil, you wanted him to die, right?" Jimin looked at the maniac.

"Do you want to die?" Taehyung asked Ming.

"No," Ming shook his head, unaware of what awaited him.

"It's my time to play," Taehyung sneered.

Jimin's tears flowed as he remembered the scene of Uncle Lee. His heart beat like crazy. He shook his head in denial.

Taehyung looked at Jimin, who was continuously shaking his head.

"Okay, let's play a game," he said, taking a drill machine and switching it on. Its sound made Jimin tremble with fear.

"If he endures it without screaming, I'll let him go," Taehyung said, placing the machine on Ming's hand. The machine slowly made a hole, splashing blood everywhere. Jimin closed his eyes in fear. The basement filled with Ming's painful screams, and the smell of blood made dogs bark. Ming passed out from the immense pain, blood flowing from his hand like a fountain.

Taehyung looked at Jimin. "You lost again. I think he doesn't want to live" he said. Jimin couldn't take it anymore; he felt like his heart would burst. He screamed, "What are you getting by torturing innocent people?"

"Innocent?" Taehyung repeated, a pair of brown eyes dancing in his memory, looking at him lovingly with a painful, helpless smile. "Innocent," he laughed hysterically. "Innocent people," he kept repeating.

He took a sharp knife and placed it in Jimin's trembling hands. "I'm giving you another chance. Kill him," he ordered.

"I... I can't," Jimin said, dropping the knife. "If you can't, my babies will do it," Taehyung said, whistling. A man came in with the dogs, who were barking loudly, driven crazy by the smell of blood. Jimin looked at the dogs, ready to attack. Taehyung signaled his men, and they splashed cold water on Ming, bringing him back to consciousness.

Taehyung whispered in Jimin's ear, "Come on, Jimin, decide. Either you kill him, or my dogs will eat him alive. The decision is yours," his voice making Jimin's soul tremble.

Jimin looked at Taehyung, his eyes filled with determination. He looked at Ming, who was half-unconscious from the pain, then at the hungry dogs ready to tear him apart.

"You don't have much time," Taehyung said, signaling his men to untie Ming. The loud barking of dogs reminded Jimin of the scene of them eating Lee, ripping apart his flesh. How painful it must be for a living person.

Jimin took the knife and went near Ming.

"I am sorry," he whispered and stabbed him. Ming screamed in pain. Jimin, crying, continued to stab him again and again, as if in a trance. Even after Ming died, he kept stabbing. Ming's blood splashed all over him, his white shirt now red. He was frantically stabbing him.

Taehyung, watching from behind, came and grabbed Jimin's hand.

"It's okay, he's dead," he said.

Jimin came to his senses and looked at Ming's lifeless eyes, his body filled with stabs. He looked at his hand, the knife dripping with blood, the blood splashed on him. He turned and looked at Taehyung, the person who made him a murderer. His hands, which always played the guitar, were now stained with blood. He felt immense hatred for Taehyung and, strangely, brave. He tried to stab him, but Taehyung grabbed his hand. His guards pointed guns at Jimin, ready to act, but Taehyung lifted his hand to stop them.

"Uh-uh, good boys don't hurt their well-wishers," Taehyung mocked.

"You did a really good job. Let's go get some rest," he said.

Jimin turned and looked at Ming. All his energy was gone, his legs felt weak, and the world started revolving around him. The fact that he was a murderer was driving him crazy. Soon, he lost consciousness.

Taehyung held him carefully "Is passing out your favorite hobby?"he whispered in his ear,  with a playful smirk playing on his lips