I Thought We Were Infinite Continued [BlackTan]

四

{6 Years ago}

No matter how many times she tried to wake herself up and deny this was happening, her mother was still looking straight at her, face emotionless.

"Kim Jisoo," there's an edge to her tone; she's never used it on her daughter before. "This is your sole responsibility. This is one you can't let your brothers know."

The brunette shakes her head, defiant and stubborn. "This is cruel, umma. How could you live with yourself after that?"

Although the words stung, Taesung merely watched as her daughter rattled off reasons why she won't take on the duty. Try as she might to evade it, Jisoo was more than capable of doing the task.

Mrs. Kim had pulled her out of class that day, citing a checkup before bringing her daughter to the Roosevelt, a building she owned that was only available to the wealthy and powerful. Those were the two things that told Jisoo that something was very, very wrong.

Anger bubbling in her chest, the daughter pointed an accusatory finger at her mother.

"How could you, umma? Wasn't appa enough? Weren't we enough?!"

Tears started to form in the older woman's eyes yet she did not falter, only lowering her head in shame. Jisoo didn't know how this woman, the one she always looked up to and guided her with sweet words, could betray their family by committing this terrible act.

"It will always be your appa and you, Jisoo," Taesung reassures softly. "Greed and power has changed many, and I'm afraid your father was one of them."

"That doesn't excuse what you did." Her daughter snaps.

"It was rape, love."

Those words took her aback, all the words threatening to spill now vanished while a single tear dripped down her beloved mother's cheek. Gingerly taking her daughter's hand, Taesung rubs a thumb over it.

"I made a vow to always be with your father, sweetheart. I will always abide that but as my only daughter, it is your sole responsibility to know."

Jisoo nods numbly, trying to let the information sink in. She doesn't resist when her mother lifts her chin and makes her look at the documents on her desk.

"Tell me about him," she croaks. "Please."

The older woman nods, as if to steel herself for telling the tale. It was like reopening old wounds again, but she had to know. "We were supposed to be a very big family, Jisoo. You were supposed to have 3 more brothers and 2 sisters but they either died early or were miscarried."

No one was allowed to know what happened to her pregnancies, they were all covered up and passed off as illnesses but now Jisoo had to swallow the fact that she lost so much family that she didn't know about.

"It was rape." Mrs. Kim repeats, now gritting her teeth. "They wanted to get revenge on your appa, and so they did that to me."

She squeezes the hand holding hers, tears escaping while remorse was all she felt. How could she accuse her mother for carrying a child that she was forced with? "Oh my God, umma..."

The older woman shakes her head as if denying it really happened. "Your father sent the baby away as soon as he was born. Didn't even let me see or hold him."

Jisoo's heart broke with every word, feeling a connection to the baby that was taken from them.

"I haven't stopped searching until I found your brother."

"What's his name?"

Mrs. Kim affords to smile, albeit weakly. "Jeon Jungkook."

The smile becomes wider when her daughter repeats it, savoring the taste on her tongue. "Take care of him, please. He's about 2 years younger than you, and looks a lot like Seokjin. The brute that was his father is long dead and Jungkook thinks he's an orphan."

"Letting him go was one of the worst mistakes of my life." She reaches for the documents and hands it to her daughter. "I have faith in you, Jisoo."

"I'll find him, umma, and I'll bring him home."

~*~*~

{Present}

Seconds away from talking to her younger brother, Jisoo couldn't help but feel nervous. How could she tell him? How would he react? How will the others react?

A small voice in the back of her head's thanking Park Jimin for giving this opportunity but even she has to regard this chance suspiciously. They're the only ones to know of her existence back in Korea. Still, if she was worried for herself, Seokjin and Taehyung would handle everything.

But this was Jungkook, her brother, and she will not fail him again.

The brown-haired boy's dead asleep in the room next door while Rosé's casually leaning on the doorframe scrolling her phone, a great lookout really. She didn't even need to say the whole explanation, just the words 'brother' and 'meet' had the younger girl determined to help her.

Jungkook's hair was a lighter shade of brown than Taehyung's, and his adorable smile endeared her to him already. That was when she knew she had to keep him safe at all costs.

"Annyeong, Miss Kim. I'm Jeon Jungkook."

The small smile playing on her lips dazzles him, a complete contrast to the cold persona he expected. She's looking at him warmly, eyes soft and caring. He thinks she and Lisa would get along quite nicely.

"Nice to meet you, Jungkook-ssi." Jisoo greets smoothly, grin widening. "Shall we proceed?"