Family Ties | JJK

28: Skin Deep

**

The members begin to find their voices, Yoongi and Namjoon had been the first to fully grasp at what you had said, but slowly the others reached the same point, and then they were talking between themselves, set off by one another, a chorus of voices.

'This is crazy, that story, unbelievable-' Unbelievable floats around your ears.

'What are the limits? If any.' Namjoon speculates in wonder.

'Just imagine-'

'Imagine?' Hoseok repeats in question.

'For our work...'

The boys speak over one another, a ripple of astounded voices, disbelief and surprise.

'Sales, charts, meeting... Everything-'

'We just need to use-'

You snap.

That word right there, 'use'.

Hadn't you been used your whole life?

A part of you cracks in that second and you can't help it. You're furious. You look at the boys around you like strangers. How could they? No, forget that.

How dare they.

Your furious and mad but also you're hurt that they did this.

You see the looks in their eyes, the wonder and glint of power you hold.

The look from all the men in your life, no different, and oh so devastatingly worse.

The look where they see you as an object, a tool, a possession... A look you were oh so used to from Kang Sun. But from them? You felt completely betrayed and stupid.

Their conversations carry on as background noise to the rushing in your ears, blood rising.

Your chest tightens and your breath catches, you wish it was a dream, like one of your nightmares, something you can wake up from.

But the hurt you feel is too real.

For once you felt like you wouldn't survive, this heartbreak you felt, it was new and it hurt you. That's why you were scared.

This betrayal from them wasn't like a gang fight, there at least you knew the game.

Instead, here you felt confused, hurt and betrayed. You didn't know how to handle it. You felt your control slipping. How cruel, only moments ago you had felt free and safe, surrounded by the start of something beautiful- A family.

How Kang Sun must be laughing at you. He was right, people made you weak, you were stupid and had let yourself forget it.

You watch them talk as if you're not there, too caught up within themselves. You wish you could pretend you never heard, maybe you could, in another world. In a world where you hadn't been raised as property, a thing to use for success and wealth.

You feel your anger rise and Jungkook stills beside you as if sensing the change.

The moment of stillness before the tide changes and before you know it you're stranded at sea, pulled out by the riptide, and you never saw it coming- the danger. But its upon you  now.

You burn and seethe, an uncontrolled flame.

And those around you are about to get burnt.

**

'Don't,' you begin with a devastatingly calm voice, 'say another word, any of you.'

Seven sets of eyes stare at you unblinking. Silent from the moment you opened your mouth.