25 [24] - Truth Untold

Chapter 24

Jisoo sits at the police station at the benches against the wall, with Lisa and Chaeyoung sitting next to her. Jisoo was sitting with her legs spread slightly, her elbows resting on her knees, bouncing her leg constantly as she rubbed her fist with her other hand firmly and anxiously, fidgeting and staring into the void.

Her mind obviously occupied.

She was shaking her leg vigorously and continuously, nervously enough to be noticed to the extent that Lisa wanted to tell her to stop and calm down but stopped herself because she couldn't blame her.

She doesn't know how she and Chaeyoung got to the police station when Jisoo told them about the kidnapping of Jennie over the phone, both of them are shocked, worried and terrified, but not as much as Jisoo, they barely made her sit down just now after she has made everyone in the station into a state of alert.

While they're thus, a policeman enters and heads to the police officer who was at his desk discussing with his colleagues. As soon as Jisoo notices him, she quickly gets up and strides towards him to stop him. By the time she reached him, they both have arrived at the police officer's desk.

"Did you find something?" Jisoo asks in a stressed and urgent tone, looking at the policeman.

The policeman hesitates a little before answering, looking surprised at her sudden intrusion and at the police officer.

- "N-no.. not yet.." he answers disappointedly.

"What do you mean, not yet?!" Jisoo chides him in a stern loud pitch, startling the policeman.

"Miss Kim, can you please calm down a little?" The police officer cuts in as he gets up, addressing Jisoo.

Jisoo turns to the officer, looking at him angrily and says, "Every minute that we waste here will go to their advantage. Every minute that passes increases the possibility of her getting hurt, so instead of asking me to calm down, tell your men to do their job well!"

Jisoo was talking through gritted teeth as she hit the desk with her index knuckle between every sentence and another, making the officer look at her dumbfounded.

"Miss Kim, we are doing the best we can here.." he starts calmly, sighing, "We have deployed our units at all outlets and check points, in addition to publishing information about the kidnapped woman through radio broadcasts and even on the news—"

-"Not enough!" Jisoo interrupts him quickly.

"You will search all suspicious areas in Seoul, especially the local ones. They are somewhere out there and since they have not made a call yet, this means that they are probably still in the city. "

"I know that it is an emergency, but we cannot do it without permission. We have to take a permit to start moving or a search warrant to do so, especially since it hadn't been 48 hours yet." the officer says, as he gestures with his hands helplessly and looks the other way.

Jisoo stays silent for a moment looking at him sharply, then brings her head closer to him.

"Trust me," Jisoo says in a stern steady tone, "If you don't move now, you will see a warrant to transfer you to another section, on your desk tomorrow morning."

She turns around, stomps her way outside the police station, and once she does, she pulls out her phone and calls her father.

/ "Dad, anything new?" Jisoo asks when her father picks up the line.

. . . . . .

"The men raided the first deserted places in Dongjak, and we couldn't find anything."

He answers calmly, sitting in his car looking out the window to his men as they were raiding the destroyed warehouse.

"what about you? Is there any news?" He adds after.

. . . . . . .

"Nothing, but I made them narrow their searching range around the city. We must definitely find something."

"They didn't call yet?"

"No." she says defeated, exhaling a breath of impatience.

"That's strange.. if they didn't kidnap her for the money, then why?"

Jisoo pauses at that, pondering his surprising question, staring into the distance.

**

"These people don't only deal with drugs, they also kill people!"

**

Now she's even more anxious, starting to feel sick in her stomach.

What irks her more is her realization that she actually doesn't know anything that might help her find Jennie. She doesn't even know where Matthew stays or anything else essential about him. Everything happened so fast, so sudden. Hell, only just an hour ago she knew that he was the one chasing Jennie and that they knew each other since day one.

All she can do is use whatever in her power to delve in the whole entire city and pray for Jennie's safety.

"Jisoo ...?" Sehun says, noticing her silence.

"No.. I- I don't know. I don't want to think about anything now except how do we find her." Jisoo replies, releasing a breath as she rubs her forehead.

"Ok. I'll tell you if anything happens." He pauses for a moment and then follows, "Jisoo, don't worry, we'll find her."

Jisoo stays silent again and sighs, nodding her head even though he can't see he, despite her worries, and answers back agreeing and hangs up afterwards.\

She lowers her phone, raises her head backwards, and takes a deep breath, tired and helpless, her eyes wandering into the sky.

"Jennie.. where are you now?" She mumbles to herself, worriedly.

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"Done?" Matthew asks John with a stressed tone as he looks at him angrily while John was on the same calm and relaxed facial expression, "Now get the fuck out!"

He adds and then looks at the pistol in annoyance before he takes John's hand and places the pistol exasperatedly in his palm.

"Don't you ever think that I don't know what you are trying to prove from this. Don't tire yourself, you won't reach what you are aiming for!" Matthew states staring straight at John.

John remains silent as he looks at Matthew and nods to him nonchalantly as he puts the pistol back in his belt after loosening the piece of silencer from its muzzle.

He turns to look at Jennie, who fell to the ground from the chair on her right side, as a result of the impact of the bullet, and sees her still without any movement with her eyes closed. The blood has begun running on the wooden floor beneath her, forming a puddle.

He stares at her a little and turns to Matthew.

"We're not finished, yet." John says, sighing.

- "If you didn't notice, there is a girl's body in my apartment and I have to get rid of it quickly." Matthew says very upset and sarcastically, glancing at Jennie.

"Do you know Kim Jisoo?" Suddenly John asks, ignoring Matthew's words and pushing him to still.

- "What does she have to do with this now?" Turning back to John, Matthew retorts after remaining silent for a while.

"You know her then." John remarks calmly, looking at Matthew with suspicion.

Matthew sighs impatiently.

"Of course I know her. Everyone at college knows her, she is the girl Jennie used to accompany her. What does she have to do with this?!"

He says his last phrase while throwing his hands in the air, sounding irritated.

John stays silent for a moment as he lowers his gaze and then takes it back to Matthew with a smile.

"Nothing." He says and starts walking towards the main door of the apartment, his man follows him, and as he walks, John points to Jennie, "Let your men do the cleaning. Your father is asking for you to be there now, and also.." He pauses, stops walking and turns to meet Matthew, "Don't worry about the cameras.. we already hacked them before we came to you. You have roughly a few hours to finish before you go back to work. "

Matthew scoffs in disbelief and says:

"First, I will come whenever I want. Tell my father that. Second, there are still some work that I have to finish and you will do well if you disappeared from my sight right now."

John stares at him a little, and then says while looking at him with a fake innocent expression, "Good. so it would be better if we went together now."

Matthew remains silent, staring at John sharply and with an annoyed expression, and then rolls his head to the side as he exhales out an impatient breath.

. . . . . . .

Matthew, John and the other guy exit the hotel building and then Matthew takes out his phone and turns it back on. As he does, he would sometimes exchange looks with John, and they both look at each other skeptically.

Matthew ignores the many missed calls from Jisoo, calls Heechul and puts the phone near his ear.

/ "Listen.."

Matthew starts with a clear, audible tone, as soon as the line is opened from the other end.

"Bring another man with you and come to my place quickly! There is a dead body that must be disposed of. You should clean the apartment as soon as possible, do you understand?"

He finishes in a stern tone and hangs up after that. As they stand there, two police cars drive by with the sirens on and passes.

Although Matthew was puzzled at first, he can form an idea of ​​who is behind them.

Probably Jisoo is going apeshit now.

"Don't be late." John says and takes one last look at Matthew and heads to his car, followed by his subordinate.

Matthew stays standing for a moment, then walks to his car as well, gets inside and starts the engine. He knows that John is looking at him through his car side mirror and so he waits for him to move before he moves in his turn and after he does, Matthew drives away from the sidewalk behind John's car.

Matthew was driving nervously, his lips pressed firmly, with his fingers tapping on the steering wheel, as if he was on a hurry, looking around and at the front mirror constantly until he and John were at a good distance from the building when he took a different path from John's.

John notices this since he is looking at the side mirror of the car but he doesn't say anything and just brushes it off because the road that Matthew took has only one route, and in one direction.

. . . . .

As Matthew enters another road away from John's, he pulls out his phone quickly and calls Heechul, at the same time he turns his car around in a fast swift movement, doing a U-turn and ignoring the obstruction he caused in the traffic and starts driving back in the opposite direction, dodging cars skillfully.

/"Heechul!" Matthew starts right away in on a loud, urgent tone, "Forget everything I told you before and listen carefully!"

"Y-yes sir." Heechul answers on the same tone.

"You're still inside the hotel, right?

good..

Listen, you will go straight to my apartment and carry out the injured girl there, bring her to the back garage via the back stairs.. quickly and cautiously! Carry the girl carefully and never let anyone see you. I'm on my way. "\

He finishes and hangs up, throwing the phone onto the passenger seat.

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"Jisoo, come on." Lisa says as she holds the plastic cup of water to Jisoo, making her stop in her tracks after she's been wandering in the aisle back and forth aimlessly and restlessly.

Jisoo stares at her for a while and at the cup, and then shakes her head.

"Jisoo, you haven't stopped since we came here. You need some energy, drink at least a little." Lisa adds as she stops Jisoo when she sees her wanting to start wandering again.

Jisoo sighs deeply as she looks at Lisa and reaches for the cup, and before she touches it, her phone starts ringing. She takes it out of her pocket quickly and her eyes widen once she sees the caller ID, she quickly opens it and places it on her ear, moving away from Lisa, leaving her standing confused, on her way to exit the building.

/ "Where is Jennie? Where did you take her?"

Jisoo inquires in a rough tone, urgently, as soon as she steps outside.

"Calm down, we have to talk first—" Matthew says in a breathless tone, sounding like he was running a long way.

"We will not talk about anything! You will tell me where Jennie is and now! Whatever money you want I will pay, whatever is enough for you to tell me where she is, I will pay it! So where is she?"

Jisoo continues speaking rapidly and in a deep pitched tone.

"She's fine. Don't worry.. she will be ok—"

"What do you mean she 'will' be?"

Jisoo cuts him off right away and in a louder tone, she starts to talk deliriously and apprehensively, her husky voice becoming more raspy, more deep.

"What do you mean she will be fine? What did you do to her? I swear, Matthew, I will dig your grave with my bare hands if I find you now!! What have you done to her? Where is Jennie? Where is she?"

Jisoo shouts her last words desperately, making those around her look at her strangely.

"Damn it Jisoo!! Calm down!!"

Matthew, too, yells after his ear almost exploded because of her. "If you want to see her quickly, you will do what I tell you first! If you want to protect her, you will listen to me first!"

Jisoo stays silent, forcing herself with difficulty to stay so, and when he notices that he follows,

"Call off your report about Jennie first and tell them you found her and make them stop their patrols,"

When he feels Jisoo's desire to protest, he quickly adds,"If you don't, you will put Jennie in danger. Now go, quickly."

"Wait."

She says calmly through gritted teeth, and takes the phone away from her ear without closing the call, takes several breaths to calm herself, then returns to the station and goes directly to the police officer.

"Quickly, terminate all the searches."

Jisoo begins in a hurry and tries to keep her tone steady. "I take back the report, there is no longer any need. stop everything.''

She says pushing everyone to look at her quizzically. She turns and goes when the officer stops her.

- "What? What does this mean all of a sudden?" The officer asks, standing from his desk, looking surprised.

"As you heard!" Jisoo snaps impatiently at him, "she was found.. and now do what I told you, quickly!"

She finishes, turns around, and goes fast out of the building again.

"Ok, talk!" Jisoo demands with the same tone, after putting the phone back on her ear.

"Listen carefully, in the private hospital in Jung-gu district.."

Jisoo closes her eyes in pain momentarily at the mention of the word 'hospital', various dark thoughts flowed in her mind, but she continues listening,

"You will find her under the name Jihyo Kim. Tell them that you are one of her family if they asked and they will allow you in."

She starts moving as soon as she gets the information and he continues to talk,

"I have to go somewhere now, but I will come later and tell you everything."

He finishes, Jisoo doesn't answer, and just closes the line and heads toward Lisa and Chaeyoung, who were now standing at the door worriedly, waiting for her.

"Jisoo, what happened? Did you find Jennie?" Chaeyoung asks in an anxious tone as Jisoo approaches them.

-"Yes.." She says nodding, "Look.. I'm going to her now. You stay here.. okay? Don't go anywhere else.. stay here!''

She says hurriedly as she walks further away from them gradually, on her way to her car.

. . . . . . .

Jisoo runs into the reception area of ​​the hospital and goes straight to one of the nurses behind the desk.

"Jihyo Kim!" She exclaims once she reaches the nurse, her hands landing hard on the edge of the desktop, pushing the nurse to turn and look up at her startled,

"Jihyo Kim.. where is she lying? What is her condition?"

- "Uh..um.." The nurse begins awkwardly as she turns to the computer to look for the name and keeps scrolling through it a little, and then turns to Jisoo, "She is still in the operating room. Third floor, hall number five—"

The nurse says, pointing to one of the corridors, and before completing, Jisoo leaves her and heads quickly towards the place she indicated.

. . . . . .

Jisoo arrives at hall number five, looking around until she approaches the front of the operating room and keeps fidgeting nervously as she looks through the small circular windows on the double door to the room. She can't see anything because the main room is inside from this door.

She turns away from the door and begins to walk back and forth with rapid and heavy steps, looking at the ground, clenching her hands into a fist and loosening them constantly. After what felt like an eternity, she hears the sound of the door opening, she stops and turns around to see that it's the doctor and she walks to him immediately.

"Doctor!" She calls with a breathy tone, looking at him with very worried expressions,

"How is she?"

- "Are you a family member?" The Doctor asks after taking off his mask.

Jisoo quickly nods repeatedly, and then he follows, "Rest assured. The operation went well and we took out the bullet without any obstacles—"

He starts softly, giving her a warm satisfied smile when Jisoo cuts him off quizzically,

"A bullet?" Jisoo asks in shock, "She's been shot?"

"Yes.. fortunately, the bullet came in her right shoulder and didn't hit any vital organ or bone, but she did lost a lot of blood and therefore it may require her to stay here until tomorrow to regain her full strength."

The doctor was talking, Jisoo listened carefully and nodded to him with understanding.

- "Does this mean that she will be completely fine?"

The doctor smiles again before answering.

"There is nothing to be worried about. For the time being she will remain in the intensive care for more reassurance and we will then move her to a normal room. She will only feel some pain if she moves her arm and to avoid that she will have to wear a sling until she is completely healed. Other than that, she will be fine."

He continues, patting Jisoo's shoulder lightly and smiling at her. Jisoo nods to him with understanding and gives him a weak smile to then he leaves and go.

Jisoo lifts her head as she steps back until she leans on the wall tiredly, sighing deeply and exhaling a breath with relief. She continues to do so while covering her face and massaging it.

Now she is starting to become aware of herself and her surroundings, now she can feel herself breathing normally..

Yet, she won't feel herself alive until she sees Jennie.

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Jisoo was sitting on one of the wall-mounted chairs in the corridor and in front of the intensive care room where Jennie is lying. She was sitting with her forearms resting on her knees while resting her cheek on the sole of her palm, staring into the distance. She's been like this for more than an hour, waiting for the nurses to come to move Jennie to a regular room.

During that, she called her father and told him to stop searching and go to inform Lisa and Chaeyoung instead and to take them to the apartment with an emphasis to keep the security men around them, even at the apartment door.

She's brought back to her senses when feels someone's movement near her, in the same place, she turns to the right and sees Matthew walking on a hurry. He slows down when Jisoo notices him until he stops a few meters away from her.

Jisoo stays still for a while, staring at him straight and intensely, and then slowly lifts her head as she stands up to face him and begins to walk towards him, and so does Matthew.

At first Jisoo approached him with steady and calm steps, then she began to speed up a little while maintaining her infuriated and straight expression until they became close to each other and Matthew tried to open his mouth to speak but Jisoo threw him a strong and sudden punch in the face with her right hand, pushing him to take a few quick steps backwards.

Matthew sighs, moves his jaw slightly in pain, turns back to her, ignoring the punch, and intends to walk towards her again, but Jisoo precedes him and holds him by the collar of his shirt with both hands.

"How did this happen to her?!"

Jisoo asks clenching her jaw, looking at him angrily and shaking him forcefully, with her head raised towards him due to their high difference, "Who shot her? Who?"

She says the last word in a louder tone than the other.

Matthew stares at her for a while and then sighs and answers calmly,

"I am the one who did."

When he says that, Jisoo goes still before her expressions change into expressions of hurt and disbelief,

"I did it for her protect—"

Before he can finish Jisoo punches him again, this time with much more force that the corner of his mouth tore a bit and a little blood came out.

"Jisoo.. I don't think we'll get to talk about anything if this continues." Matthew says calmly as he puts his thumb lightly on his mouth to wipe the blood and straightens his posture afterward.

- "Talk about what? What is left to talk about?" She says as she strides towards him and grabs his collar angrily.

"It was the only way to protect her!"

He defends with a sharp tone and impatience as he puts his hands on Jisoo's own to prevent her from trying to hit him again.

"If I hadn't, she would have been killed!"

- "Basically you would have already if the bullet had hit a place closer from her shoulder! You were already risking her life!!" She retorts, yanking him forcefully.

"It's impossible for it to hit somewhere else," Matthew says in a steady and assured tone.

-"What?" Jisoo asks furrowing.

"I deliberately shot her in that place precisely because I knew very well that it won't kill her. There's no way I would make a mistake."

Jisoo stays silent, staring at him in disbelief.

"And..? Are you waiting for me to reward you for that? You still hurt her!"

- "No Jisoo!" He quickly interjects, "I'm telling you this so you can understand that I'm not the enemy here."

He says, making Jisoo look at him in question.

"So that I can protect you.. and Jennie.. I must continue to stay with them, to pretend to be on their side."

He says gently, staring directly into her eyes.

"What are you talking about? Who are you protecting me from?" Jisoo asks bewildered.

Matthew remains silent for a while and then answers cautiously.

"From the person who caused your mother's death."

He says and silence reigns upon them, Jisoo's grip on his shirt loosens gradually until her hands fall back to her sides as she steps back and looks with a great astonishment.

- "Wh- what? How? How.. do you know about my mom?"

She asks carefully and in disbelief as she turns her head slightly to the side, but her gaze is focused on Matthew.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

-"I know who killed your mother, Jisoo."

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Jennie's heavy eyelids move slightly with difficulty as she tries to wake up, she blink several times, exhausted, until she opens them gradually and slowly to meet her eyes the dim darkness of the room, and the first thing she can see is a large window with curtains open, white walls, a dark night, and a bright moon.

She was lying on the bed, still with an clueless and empty mind, neither understanding nor realizing what happened and how she got here, and she didn't remember.

As soon as she intends to move, she feels a great familiar pain in her shoulder, a sharp one, pushing her to settle in place as she begins to absorb her surroundings, little by little.

Yeah, that's right..

Matthew shot her.

Since the bullet went through her, and everything went blank, everything after that has become vague, dark and intermittent..

**

The moment she felt the bullet hit her, boring into her skin, as if a fire was ignited in her shoulder and spread, and everything around her began to crumble, feeling her balance disturbed and the ground spinning with her as she fell to the ground with force and hit her head.

While everything had turned black.. While all she saw was nothingness.. the only thing she was feeling was pain.. the pain as it extended throughout her body.

She doesn't know how long she remained in that state or whether she was in her consciousness or not, but in some part she felt herself being carried. Her vision were intermittent as she opens her eyes weakly for a moment and closes them for moments, and every time she did, the pain welcomed her again.

But this time, she felt something else.. she felt two rough hands firmly holding her head.

"Jennie! Jennie!" A familiar voice was calling her.

"Do you hear me?"Matthew asks in a steady tone as he grabs Jennie's face and shakes her a little.

Jennie opens her eyes slightly and sees herself in a cramped space, which looks like a car back seat, and closes her eyes back. Matthew holds her firmly and begins to lightly tap the side of her face to make her wake up again.

"Jennie, listen to me." he says, when she opened her eyes partially again, and this time he grabs her face well as he guides her to look at him motionlessly.

"You're going to be okay, do you hear me? You'll be fine." Matthew promises staring right into her withered eyes.

He had to assure her, because right now, she probably believes she is going to die, and it's much worse than actually dying.

She needs hope to hang in there.

- "Jisoo.. Jisoo.."

Is all that comes out of her lips, in a very faint tone, almost a whisper.

"She's alright, don't worry.. I'll bring her to you. Endure, okay? You'll be fine."

He says sternly, breathing heavily, and then he lets her to lie down gently on the car seat and goes to the driver's seat.

And she's back to darkness again..

**

She blinks again and tries to open them wide enough, and as she does she turns her head slowly towards the other side and sees Matthew sitting in front of the bed at the wall looking down, his legs apart slightly supporting his forearms.

She struggles to swallow as she prepares herself to speak, feeling her mouth dry.

"Ma- Matthew?"

She says in a tired and low tone as she furrows her eyebrows weakly, drawing Matthew's attention, and he immediately raises his head towards her as he looks at her in surprise.

- "You woke up." He says while getting up.

"Jisoo.. where's Jisoo?" She says wearily, looking at him through her eyelashes, blinking slowly.

- "In the hospital backyard." He pauses for a moment and follows, "She needs to be alone for some time."

He pauses again for a while to continue afterwards when he sees the questioning expression on Jennie remains.

"I told her everything." He turn his gaze to the other side and then returns it to Jennie.

- "What do you mean by everything?"

"I don't think telling you is a good idea. It's up to Jisoo after all."

Jennie stays silent for a while.

"Does it have anything to do with her mother's death?"

She asks, trying to lift her upper part with difficulty by leaning on the elbow of her left arm. When Matthew sees her like this, he advances towards her with steady steps and helps her by holding her arm and supporting her, placing adjusting pillows behind her back and moving away from her afterwards.

"You know?" He asks as he walks back to stand at the foot of the bed.

- "Someone told me, that her mother was killed. That's all I was able to know."

Matthew stares at her a little, and nods understandingly as he turns his head to the side.

"What happened to your mouth?" Jennie asks him when she notices swelling and a blood clot at the corner of his mouth.

- "Oh.." He says while placing his thumb lightly on the area, and then turns to Jennie, "Let's just say that Jisoo didn't receive the news of me shooting you with open arms.."

He quips as he puts on a cheeky smile and Jennie keeps staring at him in surprise and then quizzically she asks,

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?"

Matthew was momentarily silent as he looked at her, apparently thinking of her question.

"Because the time has come.. because it's possible that now John has come to know everything about Jisoo and her mother, and in order for Jisoo to confront him, she must be aware of what is going on around her."

He says evasively, telling half of the truth.

- "That doesn't quite answer my question."

"That's all you need to know." he dismisses, placing his hands on the edge posts of the bed, then lifting them off and heading towards the door, intending to get out.

"Matthew." Jennie calls suddenly before he opens the door, he puts his hand over the handle and pauses for a moment before he turnes to her.

"Thank you." She adds in a soft tone as she looks at him gratefully.

Matthew remains silent, staring at her for a while, and then he smiles weakly and follows in the same tone, "Sorry for dragging you into this mess."

Silence reigns between them, to then he turns and opens the door and leaves. Jennie stares at the door for a while and then turns her head toward her lap first, before she directs it towards the window to look at the night sky.

. . . . . . .

🎶▶️ Sasha Sloan - Too Sad To Cry

Sitting outside the hospital in the garden at one of the benches in the middle of the darkness that is dimmed by the hospital lights behind her, in the cold breeze, Jisoo stares into the emptiness, thinking about many things and reliving in her mind many memories about her mother.

Something she avoided doing for years. Something that would always tear her apart and render her devastated.

**

Five-year-old Jisoo runs quickly and enthusiastically behind a baby bunny she saw while sitting with her mother on a picnic in Seoul Forest.

She used to go out with her mother on such outings alone because her father was busy at work and was unable to come most of the time.

She was very eager to pursue the bunny and catch him, ignoring her mother's calls to her, she continues running until she gets further away from her, and as she does, the rabbit skips from under one of the broken branches located on lower level near the ground. When she tries to jump over it, she stumbles upon it and falls on her face and knees, dirtying her clothes and herself with mud.

"Jisoo? Jisoo!"

Her mother call worriedly as she approaches the location of Jisoo. She looks to the side and sees her on the ground, she calls out and rushes to her,

"Jisoo!"

She reaches and holds her by her arms and helps her to get up.

"Oh Jisoo.." Her mother begins with a soft, awed tone. "Didn't I tell you not to run around? Look, you hurt yourself."

She says while wiping the wet dirt off her knees, clothes and hands.

"But I was about to catch him!" Jisoo whines grimly, pouting endearingly.

- "You could've waited for me to go together." Childishly and grimacing, her mother says, imitating Jisoo's tone, and pouting as well.

"You would have prevented me from going after him." Jisoo retorts stubbornly, lowering her eyes and frowning even more.

Her mother smiles to herself as she says,

"I would have gone and chased him with you."

She takes Jisoo's hand and gives its back a small kiss.

"Besides.. it is dangerous to go out alone like this."

She continues, then wraps her arms around Jisoo, carries her, standing up, and begins walking back toward their picnic spot.

"But why? I'm no longer a child. I can take care of myself." Jisoo says wondering as she puts her small arm around her mother's neck and looks at her.

- "No, you are still one." Her mom begins in a lighthearted tone, "And in need for someone to accompany you for your safety and protection. So as not to fall again, like what happened a little while ago."

"You're here. No need for other people to accompany me." Jisoo states with annoyance, gaining a heartily laugh from her mother.

-"You're right." Smiling, she agrees, bringing her head closer, gently kissing Jisoo's forehead and looking back at her, continuing to walk as she confirms, "I'm always here to protect you."

Jisoo grins widely and embraces her mother.

"I will protect you too!" Jisoo promises excitedly.

- "I know you will." her mother adds in a cheerful loving tone.

**

Jisoo quickly reaches out to wipe her face from the tears escaping from her eyes after welling up on the memory as she takes in short, sharp breaths, trying to remain calm and collected.

Her movements soothes and thinks back about what Matthew had told her.

**

"Are you messing with me? Mr. Jang Park? The man who appeared in front of me as a businessman several days ago? That happens to be your dad too?"

She says, and then laughs in disbelief, shaking her head.

"You must be kidding me." She adds incredulously.

"I know it is hard to believe, and I know that it is also surprising, but it is the truth." Matthew says in a steady tone.

"You are lying. I saw the killer with my own eyes." She says pointing to herself, "He had blue eyes."

Matthew sighs as he turns his gaze to the other side, then returns it to Jisoo and quietly follows,

"That is because he was the person who ordered the killing. The person you saw is Jonathan, and, he's the same person who kidnapped Jennie."

Jisoo remains still, looking at him with scattered expressions and with extreme disbelief, unable to digest what she heard, it just doesn't across her mind. She stays like this for a while and then scoffs again as she turns her gaze elsewhere.

"Impossible! That's is inconceivable! Why would I even believe you? If that really was your father as you claim, how could you expose him like this? Why would a son do such a thing to his own father?"

-"Long story.." He replies and is silent for a while before he follows, "But the question is; are you ready to hear it?"

He says and silence reigns between them afterwards, both staring sharply at the other.

. . . . . .

Matthew and Jisoo walk out to the back garden of the hospital, and when they reach it, Matthew points to one of the long seats for Jisoo to sit on and he sits next to her but at the other end.

They stay like that for a few minutes, and then Matthew straightens his back and starts.

"Throughout the years I remember from my childhood and the years that followed, all I remember is my father and mother's arguments and fights."

He says calmly, Jisoo listens, despite her straight, suspicious expression, as she crosses her arms near her chest.

"At first, I didn't understand what they were fighting about, but later at some point I understood that it was about a woman. My mother knows her, she used to work for us.

My mother kept telling him to stay away from her, to stop his obsession with her, but he used to respond either by abusing her or yelling at her.

That continued for several years, and I grew up with it and adapted. At that time my father found Jonathan and pulled him out of the streets and took him in as his son. I don't know why, perhaps he saw him as a suitable modifiable tool to do his work, since I wasn't what he wanted."

He intertwines his hands together, leans forward to rest his forearms on his knees, sighs, and follows,

"Anyway, things started to get quieter and my father and mom's fights became much less, until news emerged that the famous businessman Kim Sehun would be marrying for the second time. They showed a picture of him with the woman he is going to marry, and they announced the date.

After that, everything went back to how it was and worse.

Until one night.."

He pauses for a moment and continues,

"Jonathan walked on us in a panic into the living room where I, my father and my mother were sitting, walking in a hurry and shivering. When my father saw him like that he immediately rushed to him and took him to another room far from us without telling us anything.

The next day, TV channels and newspapers were buzzing with news of the crime that took place at the home of Kim Sehun's future wife."

Hearing that, Jisoo feels her chest tightens, her fingertips harshly digging into her arm, but she maintains her calm.

"At the time, I didn't put the events together, and I didn't understand why my mother was terrified, but she was. She must have understood everything at that time. She was very angry.. so much to the extent that it led her to fight with him roughly even while crying."

He says the last phrase in a lower tone and pauses, he swallows subtly and follows,

"And frequently that one day she fell off the stairs upon their last fight and broke her leg."

Jisoo's expressions soften a little at that and she sympathizes with him against her will.

"In hospital, and when I was visiting her, I asked her about that woman and she told me that she was working for us as a maid before she ran away and that she was sorry that I had to see all of that.

She also told me before she got sick, not to be like my father."

He finishes with a distant expression, lowering his head for a moment, then raising it again and sighing.

"None of us knew that Sehun had a daughter with her." He says, shaking his head in disappointment, looking at Jisoo, and then looking back ahead.

"He's sick in the head. If he knew that you are her daughter, he won't leave you alone, he won't." he adds, looks at Jisoo and sees her looking blankly, staring into the void thoughtfully.

"He sent me a dinner invitation.." Jisoo finally says, without turning her gaze toward Matthew, in a firm tone, almost robotically, as if she were mentioning some kind of a simple incident.

-"What?"

"This morning, he sent me a dinner invitation for the day after tomorrow."

Matthew rolls his head in annoyance and sighs, then massages his forehead and says, "I won't be surprised if he knew before that time.."

He shakes his head slowly in frustration, and continues, "However, he won't act recklessly, he will act according to a plan. for that reason, we cannot let him know that we know."

He states, making Jisoo look at him quizzically and he looks back at her as well, seeming like he's thinking about something.

"You should accept that invitation, and pretend like nothing happened.

Can you do that?"

Matthew asks, looking at her wonderingly and with concern.

**

Jisoo raises her hands towards her face and begins to massage it tiredly as she feels her mind is almost exploding from the amount of information that reached it in one night and she still didn't even process the first one.

She no longer knows what she feels, what she thinks, or what she's going to do, still in shock, as if her mind has switched off her sense functions to preserve her mental health. As if she is watching a movie from afar, she doesn't understand its language and she doesn't know what the story is about and only watches..

🎶▶️ Faouzia - Minefields Ft. John Legend

Lost, powerless, and paralyzed.

All she could sense was her desire to see Jennie, it's the only thing that remained clear in her mind.

. ... . . .

John enters the office room in which Mr. Park is in as he walks steadily with a file in his hand, heading towards the desk and placing the file in front of him without saying anything.

" What is this?" Jang asks, furrowing his eyebrows and taking the file, he opens it and looks at profile and the pictures included.

"This girl, I know her." Jang says after a few moments, "she's Kim Jisoo, Sehun's daughter." He pauses for a second and then;

"What about her?" He asks, looking back at John in confusion.

"She's her daughter," John replies, looking knowingly at him.

"Taeyeon's daughter."

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As Jennie was sitting diagonally, resting against the pillows, constantly staring at the sky from afar through the closed window at times, and at others looking around the room or towards her arm that is lifted in a sling. She hears the sound of the door handle slowly moving and turnes her head towards the door quickly, looking at it with anticipation.

The door gradually opens, to then Jisoo enters, taking light steps with her head down. When she steps in fully, she raises her gaze upwards and sees Jennie already awake, and now she's looking at her as if she is about to burst out crying.

"Jisoo.." Jennie begins with a faint emotional tone, filled with longing, as she intends to lean forward and sit upright.

-"Don't."  Jisoo quickly stops her, taking rapid steps forward while holding her hand out in the air, indicating her to refrain from moving because of her wound.

And Jennie does.

Silence reigns over them, both staring at each other with glistening eyes and they stay like that for a while. Jisoo then lowers her hand and closes the door and begins to advance toward the bed slowly and cautiously, her eyes examining Jennie and her whole figure as Jennie does the same.

From her slumped shoulders.. from her tired facial expressions.. from the way she drags her steps heavily..

Jennie knew that Jisoo is not okay.

Just what had Matthew told her?

Jisoo stands near the side of the bed and makes her gaze wander around the bed again, and then she turns toward Jennie and keeps looking at her.

"Jisoo.."

Jennie starts again in a whisper, and before she says anything else, Jisoo steps closely and hugs her head with both hands as she leans her head on it, surprising Jennie a little and pushing her to still in her movements for a moment before she puts her fingers around Jisoo's wrist gently.

Jisoo tightens her hold around Jennie's head, burying her fingers through her hair while caressing her thumbs heartily and gently against the sides of her face as she breathes her in and stays like that for a while.

She raises her head slightly and kisses Jennie's crown with a long, affectionate kiss.

She lifts her lips slightly and kisses her there once more with equal force.

"Thank God, you're okay.." Jisoo says breathlessly in a muffled and relieved tone.

Jennie sighs deeply in content and slides her arm around Jisoo's waist, feeling overwhelmed, basking in the heavenly feeling that is Jisoo's warmth.

Jisoo lifts her head and backs away a little so that she can look at Jennie's face without taking her hands away, and she already sees few tears falling from Jennie's eyes.

They look at each other eyes intently and with much deep unspoken emotions as Jisoo wipes Jennie's tears away.

Their eyes telling what their mouths couldn't.

It was one of those moments that didn't require any specific actions or words to convey what they were feeling. It wasn't needed anyway.

Jisoo moves one of her hands away and is partially turning as if she is looking for something until she finds it and walks towards it.  Jisoo takes the chair and puts it near Jennie's bedside before she takes Jennie's hand with both hands and sits down.

As they sit in silence, Jisoo stares at Jennie's hand for a while, placing one of her hands under it while the other hand was caressing its back gently, and Jennie watches her silently in contemplation. 

Jisoo stops and leans the side of her face on The back of Jennie's hand, as if she is taking Jennie's hand as a pillow and Jennie wished that her other hand was intact so she can stroke Jisoo's hair with it.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you."  Jisoo says quietly, staring at the void.

- "No, I am sorr—"

"No."

Jisoo cuts her off in a determined tone, with a finality, as if to tell her that there is no point in arguing and that she has nothing to apologize for.

Like she has it all figured out and decided that the only one at fault was her. She was so wrapped up in her anger and Jealousy that she didn't pay much attention to Matthew's warning.

A comfortable silence prevails between them, serene reigns, and Jisoo closes her eyes as if she's found her comfort there and finally, while Jennie watches her with a weak tender smile and wonders.. how a person could exist and be beautiful in everything?

Even in her anger, beautiful.

And she doesn't mean her outer beauty at all.

She ponders and wishes again, wishes whatever that is to come, that it doesn't break her fragile Jisoo.

🎶⏸

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To be continued

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