Jimin remains unnaturally silent as Ji Eun sits upon the floor, shaking violently.
She looks up to find him looking rather emotionlessly at the figures of the women.
Had he been here before?
She backs away from him slowly, attempting to getaway. Her back hits the glass container and she yelps. Jumping to her feet she attempts to run but he catches her by the wrist and she screams tugging desperately from his grip.
"PLEASE JIMIN LET ME GO!"
"Ji Eun, let me explain-"
"NO!! What did you do to these women!!" She cries as tears pool down her face.
"You need to know the truth-"
"Help me!!!" She screams towards the door only to find if closed. "Please!!" She cries even louder.
"JI EUN" he snaps shouting in a tone that terrifies her into silence.
"Ji Eun," he says calmly this time. She sniffs, biting her lips to hold back a sob.
"Jimin" her voice comes out strained, raw from screaming at the top of her lungs "what is this place?".
He tugs her over to a chair and sits her down gently, "I'm not going to hurt you, Ji Eun, I needed to show you the truth".
"The truth about what? Did you do this?" She asks weakly.
"No I didn't" he shakes his head meeting her eyes, he looks sincere but she feels too much fear to calm down.
"It was Jungkook".
"You expect me to believe Jungkook did all this??"
She half yells in disbelief.
Jimin takes a seat in a chair he places before her.
"You see these women?" He points to the corpses in each container, she doesn't look at them shivering slightly.
"They were once his wives".
"What?"
"I'm going to tell you about his past wives, Mina included".
"Why should I believe anything you say?"
"Just hear me out and then you can decide" he pleads.
It wasn't like she had a choice, she thinks and she leans back in the chair refusing to look at the glass cases.

🌸

"In all my years of working in the palace, I never thought his majes- Jungkook, would be this kind of person. It was like a switch had been flipped inside him. After his parents' death, he'd become more agitated, lost, insecure" Jimin has a distant look in his eyes.
It didn't sound like Jungkook at all, he was always calm and collected.
I don't think I'll ever forgive him for any of this".

Ji Eun doesn't say anything, simply starting ahead emptily.
"The woman over there" he points to the one she had come face to face with "was his wife after Mina, her name was Noor. She was a merchant from a foreign land called Aria. She ended up in our village six years ago, selling exotic goods from the east. She was beautiful and fierce. Jungkook was instantly smitten by her. He pursued her relentlessly and she was stubborn in her resistance until she eventually gave in to his charm. They were married quietly in a private ceremony. I remember her, she would always pass the garden on her way to the stables. She loved Jungkook's stallion, surprisingly the stallion took a liking to her as well as she was the only one he allowed near him" he smiles fondly but it drops in an instant.
"Less than a few months into the marriage, things soured. She was after all an unrelenting force strongly rooted to her home land. I recall her degrading comments about Narcisse. She seemed antsy, almost fed up with being in the kingdom. She had told me once when I caught her crying alone by the stables, that she missed her home and Jungkook refused to allow her to go back for a visit. I wanted to help her" Jimin looks at the corpse remorsefully.
"I really did... I was weak. I should have done something. After a particularly loud argument, they had one night, all fell silent so suddenly. Shortly after, Jungkook has appeared in my sleeping quarters, disheveled and shaking and brought me to his room" he pauses, eyes wide as if reminiscing.
"Upon his bed-" his voice shakes "she laid so still, I thought she was asleep. When I approached her... She was deathly pale, her eyes were wide in shock, she wasn't moving. Around her neck were hand marks so deeply indented that a sickeningly, purple bruise was left behind".
Ji Eun gasps as she eyes the corpse, there were faint marks upon the pale skin of her neck.
"He killed her, in a fit of rage he strangled her to death. He forced me to help him hide the body. All of the bodies" He shivers as he speaks.
"What do you mean he forced you?! I-"
"Please Ji Eun, just let me finish and I'll answer all your questions after" he looks desperate as she falls silent.
The rain poured on outside, thumping harshly again the darkened windows of the room.
It's freezing in here she thinks as she looks over at the other women hesitantly. They were like dolls, carved to perfection, neatly encased and kept like a trophy. Disgust fills her.
She felt like she couldn't trust anyone anymore, when Jimin shifts in his seat she jolts and he hold his hands up cautiously.
"I won't hurt you, I promise".
She's far from reassured as he continues his stories.