THE CONCUBINE || TAEKOOK ||

FIFTY SEVEN

As two days passed without any sign of Taehyung's whereabouts, the tension in the palace reached a fever pitch. Despite exhaustive searches by guards and soldiers scouring every post and forest, there was no trace of the missing queen and young prince.

Jungkook, consumed by worry and guilt, found couldn't sleep at all. Taehyung's face haunted his thoughts, a constant reminder of his failure to protect his husband and son.

"Go, he's waiting for you," Namjoon's reassuring hand on Jimin's shoulder urged him forward. Jimin wasted no time as soon he heard the news about taehyung he made his way to the palace the next day, though the prospect of facing Jungkook filled him with apprehension.

Standing outside Jungkook's room, Jimin hesitated. After a moment of gathering his courage, he pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit room. Heavy curtains blocked out the sunlight, shrouding the space in darkness even in the middle of the afternoon.

Jimin strained to see in the darkness, his heart pounding with uncertainty. Before he could call out to Jungkook, he sensed a presence behind him. In an instant, he was knocked to the ground, the force of Jungkook's attack driving the breath from his lungs.

"Jungkook!" Jimin cried out as blows rained down upon him, each strike leaving him gasping for air. Despite his efforts to defend himself, Jungkook's strength overwhelmed him, his punches landing with brutal force.

As Jimin lay battered and bruised on the ground, he felt a shift in Jungkook's demeanor. The sobs that wracked his body spoke of a pain deeper than physical wounds. Without hesitation, Jimin reached out and pulled Jungkook into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Jungkook. I should have been there for him," Jimin whispered, his own guilt weighing heavily upon him. Jungkook's anguish poured out in a torrent of tears, his grief raw and unfiltered.