章節 3: 2
The coffee shop had been empty since Jeon Jungkook's manager intervened. He had decided that the excitement surrounding the young singer on the part of the coffee shop's customers was counterproductive. He was a man in his forties, whose sternness was evident on his features. Taehyung had quickly noticed that Jungkook avoided meeting his manager's gaze and chose his answers to questions very carefully. Jeon Jungkook had to follow a script he didn't seem to adhere to, yet he was always smiling, with his lips as much as his eyes. Could we really be happy when everything we did was controlled by someone else? Taehyung tended to think no.
Taehyung and Jungkook were alone at their table, looking at each other, but the manager and Namjoon were not far away, hearing everything about the exchange between the two young men.
"Where do you get the inspiration to write and compose your songs?" asked Taehyung, following the list of questions Namjoon had given him.
Jungkook's gaze shifted from playful to pleading. The singer's lips parted and Taehyung immediately felt the threat of the manager's gaze on Jungkook.
"I..." began Jungkook. "It wasn't me who..."
The manager slammed his fist on the table, startling Namjoon and Taehyung. Jungkook lowered his head.
"Let's call it a day. We'll meet again with the film crew in three days' time."
The manager put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder to force him to stand up. Jungkook greeted them briefly before leaving the coffee shop with his manager. Outside, the shouts of the fans were heard.
"We've got to get rid of the manager" said Taehyung. "Jungkook can't say what he wants in his presence."
Namjoon kept his eyes fixed on the door, pensive.
"I've met a lot of celebrities while you were doing your military service" Namjoon replied. "But I've never seen a singer so alienated. This boy's smile is a smokescreen hiding the tip of the iceberg."
"I can't do anything with the answers he gave me today. Any fan site would have given me the same information. Jungkook is locked in a golden cage. The manager is the first lock. Now I know where to start."
Namjoon couldn't help smiling, making his dimples appear.
"I'll get to work straight away" said Taehyung. "At this hour, the traffic jams are so bad that I've got plenty of time to sleep in the car."
"We only have three days to get rid of the manager" confirmed Namjoon.
Once in the car, Taehyung closed his eyes and put his headphones in his ears to shut out any outside distractions. Over the years, he had learned to master the Gift. When he wished to obtain information about a certain individual, and the gods deemed it wise to do so, the Gift took control of his dreams.
His mind dissociated from his body. When he opened his eyes, he was in a huge office on the top floor of a building, judging by the view over Seoul. Outside, it was snowing. On the wall behind the desk was the name of the agency. It wasn't Jungkook's.
Jungkook's manager was sitting on one of the leather armchairs, facing a man whom Taehyung could only see from behind. When he wasn't immediately shown a face, it meant that this person's identity wasn't to be immediately revealed. In front of the manager, a young girl was kneeling. She was very young, still a teenager. Her cheeks were wet with tears. She was desperately rubbing her hands together, pleading with the manager.
The man from behind handed the manager an envelope. The manager took it and studied the contents carefully. Taehyung saw many bank bills. The manager stood up and the girl grabbed his leg. The man abruptly pulled her away and headed for the door, a satisfied smile on his lips. Before leaving, he turned his head to the girl.
"You asked me to make you famous, so I'm holding up my end of the bargain. Soon, you'll be the idol of thousands. So take it easy, it's not that bad."
He left. The man from behind stood up and grabbed the girl's arm, forcing her to her feet. He pushed her into an armchair and muffled her cries by putting his hand over her mouth.
Taehyung woke up. An angry tear rolled down his cheek. He remembered that young girl. Before he left for the army, her face had been on every TV channel after her suicide. The letter she had left described the repeated sexual assaults she had endured. According to some witnesses, she had also left a list of names, but it was never disclosed. Two years later, the girl's name had been forgotten and the culprits were never punished.
"Jung Eun-Chae" said Taehyung. "Do you remember?"
Namjoon nodded sadly.
"Jungkook's manager was Jung Eun-Chae's manager. He prostituted her, from what I saw, it didn't seem to be the first time. His name must have been the first on the list Jung Eun-Chae would have left with her farewell letter."
"She could finally find peace."
"I'll try to watch her write that list of names."
"You've already witnessed Jeon Jungkook's suicide, do you feel capable of witnessing Jung Eun-Chae's last moments knowing that you won't be able to prevent her death?"
"It was to denounce these atrocities that we created "Her", Hyung."
Taehyung closed his eyes. Namjoon watched him sleep, concern painted on his face. A few minutes later, the young man opened his eyes. He grabbed the notepad and pen he had used to note Jungkook's answers. He blacked out a whole page of names. A dozen of them were listed. Some were well-known, others were not. The name of Jungkook's manager, Kang Sin-Ik, was included. Taehyung drew several lines.
"At the top, he said, were those who had forced her into prostitution and received the money. In the middle, those who knew and did nothing. At the bottom are those who abused her. She wrote several pages of names, but I was only allowed to see the first page. The main culprits must be there. It's possible to find a photo of her farewell letter on the Internet. Na-Eun should be able to reproduce the list of names by imitating his handwriting."
It wasn't the first time they reproduced documents. When decisive elements disappeared or were destroyed, Na-Eun stepped in. Taehyung considered Her to have three identities. Kim Namjoon gave "Her" the means to express herself, Kim Taehyung made "Her" express herself and Kim Na-Eun gave "Her" credibility by providing concrete evidence.
Na-Eun was a student at Seoul University of the Arts. She and Taehyung had met in school and she had been the friendly support he needed when his mother died and the Gift came into his life. They met Namjoon a year later.
Na-Eun had a true artistic gift and was capable of producing a perfect copy of anything and everything. Most of the documents that illustrated Her's articles were her work. Taehyung began sketching the original document to guide Na-Eun while Namjoon called her. As she hung up, Namjoon had a smile on his face.
"She thought she was going crazy" Namjoon told Taehyung. "Her professors at the university are always criticizing her lack of creativity and her tendency to reproduce everything."
"When it comes to creativity, Na-Eun is always extremely disappointing..." confirmed Taehyung, grimacing.
A year before Taehyung left for the army, Na-Eun had tried painting, and his two friends had only been able to see the extent of the damage. Without a model, Na-Eun was unable to marry colors properly and her brushstrokes were random when they weren't chaotic. Namjoon had agreed to hang this canvas on his bedroom wall, but he had ended up burning it because the horror had given him nightmares. In front of her burning canvas, Na-Eun had simply sighed, declaring that she would become a forger.
"Tonight" said Taehyung, "Her will publish her first article in two years.
***
Through the car window, Jimin caught sight of the huge building. He didn't wait a single moment before getting out of the car. He rushed to the entrance of the building. Three men blocked his path. His father's men. He tried to force his way through, but two of them stopped him.
"Your mother's waiting for you, sir" said the one who wasn't holding him.
"Just give me a minute..."
"Min Yoon-Gi is not at home" replied the bodyguard.
They forced him back into the car, and one of them sat next to Jin to make sure they got to the right place. The driver gave Jimin a worried look in the rear-view mirror. Half an hour later, his parents' house appeared, as beautiful as it was unbearable to look at. This was where he grew up and got to know Yoon-Gi. It was also here that his future had been thrust upon him.
His mother was waiting for him behind the door. President of a large cosmetics group, Lee Yoo-Jin was as demanding as she was ambitious when it came to her son. She had always been a loving mother, but she tended to control every aspect of Jimin's life. It was she who had always chosen his friends carefully, ever since he was a child.
And now she was holding the last letter Jimin had written to Yoon-Gi, the one he had mailed two days before he left the States.
Jimin's heart began to race. Although he always knew his parents would learn the truth about his relationship with Yoon-Gi, he didn't think it would be this way.
"Kneel down, son."
He complied. Everyone left the room, leaving them alone.
"When I heard you were writing all those letters, I thought you had a secret girlfriend. I even imagined she was a poor girl. But I have to admit, you surprised me. To be honest, your homosexuality doesn't bother me, even if it doesn't serve our interests, that's not the root of the problem. But Min Yoon-Gi... It's out of the question. How long has this been going on?"
"Ten years" Jimin answered without hesitation.
"For you, my love, I'll even give up my name. You're more romantic than your father... It's time you marry Kang Min-Ah. You've been engaged for ten years. It'll be a marriage of convenience, but your wife will have her say about your lovers, just as I had mine about your father's mistresses. At least you won't be having kids behind her back... I shouldn't complain, Hoseok is relatively discreet, but he's still unbearable to look at..."
Until now, Deputy Park's life had been very different from the one he exposed to the public. Behind his parents' displays of affection in front of the cameras lay decades of deception and an illegitimate child, Jung Hoseok. His half-brother had always lived with them and was, in the eyes of the world, their father's orphaned nephew. His mother had always hated the fact that Hoseok was older than her own son. She had never mistreated Hoseok, but she had never given him more than a glance. To her, he was as invisible as a houseplant.
"No woman from a respectable family would want her husband to have a cook's son as a lover."
"Min Yoon-Gi is rich."
"The nouveaux riches are loathsome."
"You can't force me to break up with Yoon-Gi."
"It would be sad if anything happened to him..."
"Threats won't work."
"Nobody would notice the disappearance of a man whose name nobody knows."
"If any harm comes to Yoon-Gi, I'll destroy your reputation. Lee Cosmetics' stock will plummet and my father's political career will be over."
"I'll give you one month to break off relations with Min Yoon-Gi. We're already discussing a date for your wedding to Kang Min-Ah."
Jimin glowered at her. She seemed surprised that he dared to look her in the eyes. She smiled.
"Min Yoon-Gi is in the kitchen with his mother. He knows nothing. I forbid you to tell him why you broke up. You've got a month."
She turned her back on him. Jimin couldn't decide whether his mother was acting out of anger or pity. He stood up. He headed for the kitchen. He saw Yoon-Gi's mother from behind. The young man was talking to her with a smile, leaning against the counter. Yoon-Gi met Jimin's gaze. Surprise made him stop talking.
"I'll be right back" Yoon-Gi said to his mother.
When he was close, Jimin pulled him into the storeroom and closed the door behind them. In the darkness, nothing stood in their way, neither the gaze of others nor the fear of being surprised. Jimin gently pushed Yoon-Gi against the shelves and placed his hands on her cheeks to frame his face. He savored the touch of his skin. He'd dreamed of this every night for four years. Their lips found each other. Yoon-Gi pulled Jimin against him. Breathless, they broke their kiss. Yoon-Gi kissed him on the forehead, making him shiver.
"I love you" Jimin whispered.
Yoon-Gi pulled him a little closer.
"I love you too."
創作者的想法 
Vivienne_Taylor
Vivienne_Taylor Hey!
I hope you enjoyed it!
English is not my first language and this story is the translation of a French fanfic I wrote a few years ago on another platform. I hope you will enjoy it as much as the few thousand French-speaking readers who showed me their love!
I will publish a new chapter every day.
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
With love,
Vivienne Taylor
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