He covers my hand with his own. “It was necessary. In our world, betrayal can’t be tolerated. Even from family. He did me a favor by slashing his neck. I like to think maybe he realized I’d never be strong enough to do that, and he saved face for both of us.”

The room falls silent as I process Jungkook’s words. It's a brutal truth, but one I’m slowly coming to understand. Still, it’s hard to grasp what kind of cruel man their father must have been to set his own sons up as rivals from the beginning.