Believe Again: A Dead Friend's Wish
Jumin sank into the black leather armchair in his study, an opened bottle of red wine in hand. His mind wandered, from the memories surfacing in his mind as he gazed at his old photos with his closest childhood friend, to the sound of his phone buzzing with text messages.
Just five minutes. He could take a break for five minutes.
He took a swig from the bottle, letting the cool liquid rest on his tongue to savour its taste as he usually did. But today, all he could register was the bitterness, and he gulped down the offending drink hastily. There was a small migraine beginning to settle in his head, and he frowned, leaning back in his seat.
Quite reflexively, his gaze fell on the framed photo of him and V sitting on his desk. Photos together with V were rare; V usually got so caught up taking pictures that he would forget to include himself in the photos. Jumin also never particularly cared much for taking pictures or being photographed.
This particular photo wasn't perfect; neither of them had been ready. They were in a restaurant, Jumin taking a sip of his wine while V's lips were parted in a laugh. Jumin recalled that it was Rika who had snuck this shot of them over dinner, finding the candid shot quite amusing.
Jumin hadn't really found anything amusing about it, but now, he appreciated it. It was one of the last few memories he had of V when he was happy—back when V used to give a smile that didn't conceal any secrets or pain.
The corporate heir took another swig of wine, loosening his tie and undoing the top button of his top as he did so. Jumin liked to think of himself as someone who could predict things fairly well. Be it the stock market or whether the next business deal would go through or how to get clients and business partners to make an agreement with him… he never had much difficulty with those.
So it was frankly unnerving — upsetting, even — at the thought of how some things could change, outside of his predictions and control. One day his closest friend was there, and in the next, he was gone. For good.
Jumin never even got to say goodbye.
He didn't quite know what he felt. Even though it had been so long since V's passing, Jumin hadn't been able to fully process his emotions or thoughts. Or more like he didn't want to. It was easier to bury himself in work, tell himself that such personal matters could wait and that the company's matters and business would not wait for him to recover. Time marched on, a relentless metronome that never missed a beat, and Jumin understood that. He had his responsibilities. He executed everything perfectly, earned praises from his father, from the board, the shareholders… everyone.
But the emptiness persisted.
Maybe it was because he had gotten used to receiving V's praises too. Congratulations that were sincere, modest, not hiding an agenda underneath. Compliments from a man who understood the difficulties that Jumin faced, even when Jumin wasn't aware of them himself. V had always been the one with higher emotional intelligence between the two of them.
But now, there were no more messages from V. No more calls to ask him how he was doing, to ask if he was lonely and carrying burdens on his own as he tended to do.
His closest, most precious friend was gone.
And it was because of those people.
Jumin's fingers tightened around the smooth glass of the near-empty bottle. All this time… V had been covering the truth to protect Rika, but at what cost?
Emotional tendencies were uncharacteristic of him, but Jumin wished that V were alive, just so that he could scold him, yell at him, physically shake him to his senses. Maybe even punch the man, to make him realise just how wrong he'd been. How stupid he had been, even.
Now look where they were: V was gone, the RFA members were in danger and Saeran had been taken.
Saeran. The name made bitterness coil deep in Jumin's stomach, like a tightly wound spring that could snap at any moment. He was undoubtedly the biggest victim in all of this, if everything that Saeyoung had said was true.
Even then, Jumin could never fully accept the fact that this victim had robbed him of his dearest friend. Nothing would ever make up for that.
And yet here he was, helping that very person.
Jumin let out a laugh then. Thankfully he lived alone; he must have sounded quite mad. Then again, maybe he was. He'd never felt the same after what happened with Mint Eye and V.
In any case, he wasn't helping Saeran for Saeran's sake. He doubted he'd ever be able to do that, not for a long time, anyway. No. It was for Saeyoung. The hacker had suffered enough; that much he knew.
And more than that, it was for V; this is what V would want: to save Saeran, make things right for the twins and protect them, since V never managed to do that himself.
He was fulfilling a dead friend's wish. This was all he had left of V, after all.
Jumin's phone rang then, and he set the bottle down on the table to pick it up. The incoming call was from his father. Immediately straightening up in his seat, Jumin answered the phone, his voice clear and smooth, leaving no trace of the brief emotional episode he just had, or the fact that he was slightly tipsy.
The call was short and sweet. His lips curled up, the sprinkle of relief from the news alleviating the heaviness in his chest slightly.
Immediately after that he dialed Assistant Kang's number. Even at 11pm, the dependable employee answered her phone within three rings.
"Yes, Mr. Han?" her tired voice streamed into his ears.
"My father just called back. I need you to set up an appointment with the Prime Minister as soon as possible. Do it urgently."
There was a gasp on the other end, and she sounded more alert now. "Chairman Han really managed to do that?"
"Why are you surprised? He's always had connections everywhere."
"That's true. I'll get to it right away."
"Very good. I'll see you tomorrow."
Jumin hung up, pursing his lips into a thin line. If all went well at the meeting, this mess would probably end for good.
His gaze returned to the photo on his desk, lingering on V's smiling eyes.
"I'll make sure all this ends soon. Watch me."