Chapter 288 Shanghai Fest Arc (40) : The fateful wedding (2)

“Kill you?” Jun completed his question. “After taking every last happiness away from my life and after seeing you getting married to the woman who I had vowed to marry ever since my childhood…what do you expect?” He mocked. “Did you expect me to forgive you?”

Jian slowly said, “Jun, calm down. Lower your gun. We will talk-“

He emptily answered. “There is nothing left to talk about anymore, Bro Jian,” he glanced at Shui again, and her wedding gown only added more despair to the already looming darkness in his heart.

Jin tried to reach him, his eyes begging him to listen to him. “Bro…please believe me. I never betrayed you, Bro. I-I never tried to come between you and Shui.”

“SHUT UP!!”

Jin sharply stopped in his tracks.

“Enough with your lies. Enough already…” Jun broke down, “Everything is ruined, Jin. Everything is over…”

Nana tried to stand on her feet from the wheelchair. “Jun. Jun, dear. Please listen to me. You are misunderstanding things,” she cried.

Nuo nodded hard. “Yes, Bro! Please put your gun down,” she sniffled. “Th-This wedding-“

Jun raised his palm, signaling her to stop talking. “Like I said, enough Nuo.”

His gaze was fixed at Jin for a long time. The gun trembled in his hands and in the end, his lips curved in a defeated smile. The memories of little Jin following Jun everywhere around brought tears to his eyes.

He smiled and then slowly pointed the gun at his temple.

“Jun!!” Nana shrieked. “What are you doing!?”

Shui scrambled on her feet. “Ju-Jun stop…please stop!” She slipped and fell on her knees. “Jun, put the gun away!”

Xinyi and Zhiyuan paled as well. They tried to talk him out of suicide as well, but their words fell onto deaf ears. Same as with Grandpa and Grandma Liu and his Uncles’ cries.

Jun touched the trigger with his finger and chuckled. “You won, Jin. I lost.”

Jin gave him a hard stare.

Jian and Nian shared a glance and before Jun could react, they jumped upon him to stop him.

“Get away from me!” He exclaimed angrily.

The scuffle went for a while. Jun’s anger and resentment added to his strength, and he didn’t let the twins overpower him.

“Drop the gun, idiot!” Nian shouted. “Listen to us!”

Jinhai and Siying took quick and large strides to stop Jun too but suddenly, Jin appeared in front of Jun out of nowhere. Seeing Jin trying to stop him only agitated his fury further and in that skirmish, the finger touching the trigger pressed harder.

Jin grabbed his gun and without a second thought pointed it towards himself. A loud bang resounded and tore the air with its violence and blood.

The bullet pierced Jin’s heart, making the atmosphere deathly still. Shui and the others stared unblinkingly at the horror unfolding before them.

Jin shuddered with a sharp gasp, and an excruciating pain erupted in his chest. With a vision that was blurring slowly, he lifted his gaze to look at Jun one last time.

Bro…You…wanted to kill me…

If the brother most important and dear to me hated me so much that he wished I didn’t exist then I…he smiled amidst his tears, I don’t have any reason to live anymore.

I cannot see you die, Bro. E-even if I resent you for not believing me, I still cannot see you end your life.

That’s why…it’s better that I die and give you some relief. Then…then you will be happy, right?

Bro, once I take my last breath, you will finally be happy…right?

Jin collapsed on the floor with the crimson blood seeping into his white tuxedo and slowly staining it with his death.

In his last moments, Jin couldn’t hear any screams nor see the tears in everybody’s eyes. Everything had turned hazy but amidst that, he saw two figures crystal clear as he gasped.

Little Jun was ruffling little Jin’s head as he hugged his elder brother. The warmth and affection in Jun’s eyes brought the faintest smile on his lips. It was as if he was transported back to their golden childhood days where everything was still right between them.

Bro…Bro Jun…

Darkness enveloped his irises, and they slowly closed themselves forever.

*Flashback ends*

Jun collapsed on his knees, learning the truth behind Jin’s feelings and the fateful wedding day that had changed their lives forever. The day which stained his hands with his brother’s blood. Hot tears uncontrollably left his eyes, the pain and guilt of his blunder cruelly tearing apart his heart.

Jin asked, “Tell me Bro. What happened after I died? Especially…Mom. She was already so weak. How did she-“

“Mom died.”

Jin froze.

“She…” Jun answered with his face losing all its color, “She suffered an attack after your death, and she…passed away.”

He stared at his brother, unable to grasp the reality of the past life. “Mom…died…” he burst into a sad laughter, “Ah the only woman who could hold our family together had died…Mom…” his eyes were tired but the news of Nana’s death in the past broke his heart into pieces. “How could she have seen a brother killing his own brother? Dad must have gotten so miserable. Mom was always his lifeline,” he chuckled. “I cannot even imagine what Dad would have looked like after her…”

He looked down at Jun who looked as if somebody had sucked out his soul. “Were you happy, Bro? Bringing doom and despair to our once happy family, did you finally get your happiness that you wanted? How do you feel, Bro? Losing yourself in obsession over a woman and destroying your family because of it, how do you even look at yourself in the mirror?”

Ai glared at him. “Please stop, Jin! I know Jun had made irreparable mistakes in his past life, and they cannot be forgiven. But that’s why, he got a second chance so that he would choose a different path this time and fix his mistakes. He might have brought sadness in the past, but he is reborn only to secure the happiness of his family this time. That’s why…” she blinked amidst the tears blocking her vision, “I won’t allow you to blame Jun anymore.”