TEST SUBJECT 312 || JJK

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

a/n: I had really bad writers block but I managed to pull myself together for this chapter and next chapter will be another flashback.

ALSO WE HIT 1K VOTES WTH I DON'T DESERVE THIS! Thank you so much.

[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 ]

There was a brash tap at my door and I opened it to see a messenger holding a parcel addressed to me. I didn't normally get mail so I was surprised to receive a package but, when I read the handwriting of my address, I recognised it instantly. The curly, looped handwriting was recognisable as my mother's.

I instantly ripped into the paper not caring about being careful. I hadn't heard from my family in ages and I felt severely homesick. Hearing reassuring words from my mother was a much wanted necessity at the minute.

I came from a small fishing village in the south of Korea and when I came to Seoul and to the laboratory I had to leave my old life behind, including my family. Inside the laboratory, you couldn't use phones because they messed up the signals and the risk of secrets getting out were too dangerous. This meant that I only got to see my family in the very scant holidays, like Christmas, and the only communication were from monthly parcels like this one.

The brown parcel paper fell away in my hands and I opened a cardboard box to see a display of my favourite candies laid out before me. My mum loved to treat me with sweet treats; it was a family tradition. I eyed the gold wrapped chocolates gluttonously but decided to leave them for later when I could savour them properly. Instead, I reached for the ornate letter.

I recognised the work of my younger sister instantaneously. She was a total art buff and loved to decorate everything with drawings and stickers. The letter was not short of any of these things. Glitter coated my fingers and I had already been greeted by the many hand-drawn smiley faces and love hearts by the time I actually started to read the note.

The smell of my mum's perfume wafted under my nose as the letter unfolded and I took a deep breath. This was the smell of home and love- two things my life was sorely lacking in.

The note was short and sweet. My family seemed to be having fun at home unaware of the trouble that their oldest daughter was dabbling in. I wanted to keep it that way; there was no reason to get my family involved unnecessarily.

My attention drifted back to the box of candy and I grinned softly. They definitely knew my tastes well. As I bit into a gooey chocolate truffle, I paused. Did Jungkook like chocolate?

After that sudden question popped to mind, I decided that I would visit Jungkook tonight and get an answer and share my snacks. He still hadn't been able to talk to his friends and I could tell that he'd been a bit crestfallen as of late. I was certain that chocolate would be the perfect way to cheer him up. Who didn't like chocolate?

After telling Jeno (who I still felt awkward around) of that nights plan, I settled down for the night and tried to get a couple hours of sleep. By the time 2am came around, I felt worn down with fatigue but ready to talk to Jungkook again. Our late night chats were always my favourite time of day even if he was sometimes bothered by my not-so impeccable timing.

"Uaah!" Jungkook shouted, standing up wobbly and accessing the danger whilst his eyes blinked in the new blinding light. Sometimes his body was wired into believing that danger lurked at every corner whereas, at other times, he seemed to have no reaction and preferred to stay snuggled up under his blanket like a hibernating bear when I turned on the lights. It was quite amusing to watch considering his reactions differed every single day. Today he obviously felt more tense.

"Calm down tiger," I laughed, holding my hands up in mock surrender. He growled lightly when he saw that it was only me waking him up and not a troop of soldiers or scientists.

"Can't you wake me up nicely?" He mumbled, trudging back to his bed and flopping down on it dramatically.

"You're impossible to wake up. You're either in fight or flight mode and excuse me for not wanting to be punched first thing on a morning when you're feeling moody."

He pouted but didn't disagree with me.

"I brought chocolate. Do you like it?" His eyes lit up and he sidled you next to me, gawking are the array of snacks. I nudged the box towards him. "Have whatever you want."

He seemed to pause for a second, deciding what piece of candy looked the most delicious before choosing a red wrapped caramel swirl. He carefully undid the plastic and took a tentative bite. His nose crinkled and his eyes widened as he moaned at the taste. "How did you get these?" He asked, eyes fluttering back to the box.

"Here have another one," elbowing the box. "My mum got them for me."

He blinked. "Mum?"

"Yeah. She likes to treat me sometimes," I said absentmindedly, popping candy erupting in my mouth as I chewed on another chocolate.

His eyebrows furrowed and head titled like a questioning puppy. "You've never talked about her before."

I didn't talk about my family that often. I'd rather keep them separate from my affairs at work. If I did something to mess up, MediHeal Laboratories could use my family to track me. I didn't want Jungkook to worry about that so I shrugged. "It's never come up in conversation."

He seemed confused, his mouth twisted. "Do you love her?"

I turned to him in shock. "Of course I love her. What's all this about?"

He paused again, chewing his lip and tapping his foot. "You don't talk about her that often. If I had a mum, I'd talk about her all the time."

I frowned. "You have -or had- a mum didn't you?"

Jungkook's hand clenched in a tight fist as his body shook in anger. The aggression was radiating of him in waves. I'd obviously hit a tense spot. "That woman isn't my mother," he spat. "Jin hyung was more of a parent to me than her."

"Is this because she gave you up?" My mind flashed back to the story Jungkook had told me not so long ago when his mum abandoned him at the laboratory.

He gritted his teeth but shook his head. "I was nine years old. I was naive. I thought that she left me for a good reason. I still loved her."

"Did you go look for her after you got out from the laboratory?"

He sighed but nodded. "It was the worst mistake of my life."