37
Third Person Pov
The parking lot was silent except for the faint hiss of drizzle, rain kissing the pavement in soft static, and the inconsistent buzz of faulty fluorescent lights overhead.
A lonely figure trudged forward, sandwich in one hand, phone glued to his ear with the other, his laughter echoing faintly against the concrete.
The overhead light flickered once. Twice. Then died completely.
Darkness swallowed the space whole.
The man froze, pulse spiking. “I'll call you back.” His voice wavered, swallowed by the vast emptiness around him. He thumbed his phone screen, fumbling to turn on the flashlight, the white beam trembling as much as his hands.
And then...he stopped breathing.
Against the dim glow of the phone light, leaning with ease against the hood of his car as if it belonged to him, was a man dressed in black.
Sleeves rolled high on forearms inked with veins, cigarette balanced lazily between two fingers.
Smoke curled upwards, glowing faintly with each inhale, and it lit the cut of his jaw, the dead calm in his eyes.
But it wasn’t the cigarette that made the man’s heart drop.
In his other hand rested a weapon---a bat, studded with cruel steel spikes, its edges alive with faint blue electricity that snapped and hummed like something alive, hungry.
The stranger let the cigarette fall, crushing it beneath polished leather shoes. He spoke with a voice smooth, low, a tone that slid through the silence like a blade.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
The man’s throat went dry. “Wh-what? Who—who the hell are you?”
Jungkook pushed off the car with lazy grace, rolling the bat once in his palm, as he carried it casually. His steps echoed across the lot, slow, deliberate, as though time itself bent to his pace.
“You touched my... family.”
The word sounded foreign on his tongue, as if he didn’t use it often, but the weight in his voice was undeniable, heavy, final.
The man stumbled backward, panic clawing through his chest. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking ab—”
With deliberate slowness, Jungkook reached into his jacket, the movement fluid, effortless. A gun appeared in his hand. Spiked bat in the other, he was a living weapon....controlled, precise, terrifying.
The man’s eyes widened. He tried to turn, to flee but Jungkook was already a step ahead. The bullet hit before his second foot could lift.
"Aah—!" Pain ripped through his leg; he stumbled, face hitting the concrete with a muffled cry.
Jungkook exhaled, slow, satisfied. He walked closer. The groans of the man became more desperate as he cradled his leg, eyes darting wildly.
The bat hummed louder, sparks snapping from the spikes. He crouched when he reached the man, pressing the weapon down across his chest. The faintest touch sent current through his body, arching his back, a strangled cry torn from his throat.
“You know what I hate most?” Jungkook asked softly, tone conversational, as though they were sharing a drink. His dark eyes locked onto the man’s, unblinking. “Men who think they can run their mouths… push people I’ve marked as mine. Makes me itch to break bones.”
The man shook his head frantically, tears streaking down his face. “P-please, I didn’t mean—”
The bat pressed harder, electricity biting into him, spikes grazing his skin until crimson seeped through his shirt. The smell of burnt fabric and scorched flesh filled the damp air.
Jungkook’s jaw flexed, his voice a low growl. “You opened your mouth. You touched him. That doesn’t get forgiven.”
The man’s sobs rose, body convulsing as the bat’s current sang through his nerves.
Jungkook tilted his head, lips curling faintly at the sight.
... half amusement, half disdain. He shifted his grip on the bat, dragged it across the man’s ribs, slow enough that every spike tore fabric, scratched skin, every spark making his victim jerk helplessly.
“Look at me,” Jungkook ordered, voice dropping, dangerous.
The man’s eyes fluttered open through the blur of tears.
“Good.” Jungkook leaned in, close enough for the man to feel the heat of his breath, the faint scent of smoke still clinging to him. His smile was sharp, wolfish. “Remember this face. Because it’ll be the last one you ever see if I decide you’re not worth keeping alive.”
He pulled the bat back only to slam it once against the man’s thigh where the bullet had been, the electricity jolting straight into torn flesh.
The scream that followed was raw, animal.
Jungkook’s expression didn’t shift; he merely rolled his shoulders, almost relaxed, as if testing the bat’s weight.
Satisfied, he stood, towering, eyes colder than the drizzle coating his skin. He snapped his fingers, sharp and final.
From the shadows, his guards emerged silent, dressed in black, their presence suffocating.
“Carry him,” Jungkook ordered, sliding his gun back into the holster beneath his jacket.
Two men stepped forward, one gripping the sobbing victim by his collar, the other by his arms, hoisting him up like nothing more than discarded meat. His screams echoed uselessly in the cavernous lot, blood painting a dark trail as they dragged him away.
Jungkook exhaled, slow, rolling his sleeves higher with deliberate calm, flexing fingers still tingling with electricity. He glanced down at the crimson splattered across the pavement, the faint smoke rising from the man’s shirt. His lips curved into a slow, satisfied smirk.
“At home,” he murmured to himself, voice almost tender. “We’ll finish this properly.”
And with that, he followed his men into the night, rain sizzling against his skin, the predator taking his prey back to the den where silence meant no witnesses and no mercy.
.
.
.
“Appa, Daisy is so soft,” Gyubin giggled, rubbing his cheek against the kitten’s fur. The little gray ball purred loudly, batting her paw at his beanie.
Taehyung smiled faintly, watching his son kiss the kitten’s head. “She likes you more than me now,” he teased.
Gyubin shook his head quickly, hugging the kitten close. “No, Appa. I love her furs, but I love you more.” He adjusted his beanie proudly before holding the kitten out to Taehyung again.
Taehyung chuckled and took Daisy gently. They were both seated on the bed, warmth wrapping around the little family moment. But then
A noise. Heavy, sharp, out of place.
Taehyung froze, his head snapping toward the sound. His body tensed, instinct prickling. “Stay here, Binnie,” he murmured softly, voice tight.
Gyubin nodded, already distracted again by the kitten’s swishing tail.
Taehyung rose to his feet, padding out of the room. His steps were careful, silent. He glanced down the hall toward the main entrance. His brows furrowed. At first glance, it looked like any other day. But then the door opened
And in walked him.
The CEO.
Jeon Jungkook stepped into the mansion, not as the polished, composed businessman Taehyung was used to seeing but with something far darker clinging to him. his hair disheveled from rain, his expression dark. And in his hand.
A spiked bat, streaked and dripping.
Taehyung’s breath caught in his throat, eyes widening, rooted in place. His stomach twisted.
But what made his blood run cold was what followed.
Behind Jungkook, two of his men stepped inside, dragging a body. The man’s shirt was soaked in blood, his head lolling to the side. And then Taehyung recognized the face.
Him.
The man from the store. The one who grabbed Gyubin’s arm, who sneered at their clothes, who spat poison about his child.
Taehyung’s heart slammed against his ribs. His hand gripped the doorframe for support, knuckles white.
The trail of crimson smeared across the polished marble floor as the limp body was dragged further inside. The house suddenly felt alien, like a cage filling with shadows.
Jungkook walked ahead, his steps steady, deliberate. He didn’t even glance at Taehyung. He carried the bat as casually as if it were nothing more than a cane.
Without a word, he reached the center of the hall, placed the bat onto a glass table with a soft, deliberate clink, then pulled a chair forward. The scrape echoed in the silence, scraping straight into Taehyung’s bones.
Jungkook sat, posture commanding, calm like a king in his throne room. He rested his gun casually across his knees, fingers tapping against the steel, his eyes cold and sharp.
“Here,” he said flatly, the single word cutting through the room like a blade.
His men obeyed, hauling the battered man to a halt near the far wall. That was when Taehyung noticed what lay just beyond....
A massive tank. The water inside rippled as shadows moved beneath. And then, sleek bodies swam into view. Sharks. His pets. Their fins sliced through the water, circling restlessly, as if aware their dinner had finally arrived.
Taehyung’s breath hitched audibly. His eyes darted between the tank, the man gasping weakly on the floor.
For a fleeting second, Taehyung swore Jungkook was… conversing with them. The sharks drew close to the glass, moving in unison, their black eyes locking onto him as if they understood.
As if they were waiting for his signal.
And Jungkook....he tilted his head. Slow. Sinister.
The gun rested on his knees, his bat within arm’s reach, his men silent as statues. The room felt suffocating, every second stretching.
Taehyung’s hand trembled at his side, his throat dry. He wanted to move, to say something, but all he could do was stare frozen between shock, fear, and disbelief and one question buzzing in his mind.... what was going on?
Jungkook didn’t even look at him. His eyes were locked on the sharks, lips curving in dark amusement. Like this wasn’t brutality. Like it was art.
“Hungry, aren’t they?” Jungkook murmured, more to the sharks than to anyone else.
Taehyung flinched at the sound of his voice, deep and low, carrying an edge that sent a chill down his spine.
His stomach churned, the image of those sharks circling burning into his vision, the sound of the bat against marble ringing in his ears.
And Taehyung realized in that moment…
The CEO didn’t just own this house.
He owned fear itself.
The hall was silent except for the chains groaning.
Jungkook’s men had hoisted the limp man up, iron ropes cutting into his arms as they hung him directly over the glass tank. His legs dangled helplessly, blood dripping into the water below in slow, heavy drops.
Each splash made the sharks thrash against the surface, their fins slicing through the water, jaws opening in anticipation.
“Please—please, I-I beg you!” the man screamed, his voice hoarse, raw with terror. His body swung lightly above the tank, his eyes rolling in horror at the sight of the hungry shadows beneath him.
Jungkook sat like marble immovable, composed, lethal. Smoke still lingered faintly around him from the cigarette he had crushed outside, the scent mixing with the sharp tang of iron and fear.
The fear. The begging. The inevitability.
He savored it all.
And then
“No.”
The word cracked through the silence like glass breaking.
Jungkook’s eyes slid sideways, and there he was. Taehyung.
Standing just a few feet away, pale as chalk, his lips pressed together to stop them from trembling, his eyes wide, glistening with disbelief. His chest rose and fell rapidly, as though the very air in the room was suffocating him.
Taehyung’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, forcing the words out. “No… please.”
Before he knew it, his feet moved, carrying him closer to the CEO’s chair. His hand trembled as he reached toward Jungkook like someone clinging to the last thread of reason in the room.
“Please. Let-Let him go,” Taehyung begged, his voice breaking as he stared at Jungkook, not the man hanging, not the sharks waiting but at the one who held the power.
Jungkook tilted his head, his expression unreadable, almost bored.
“Go to your room,” he said flatly, his tone as sharp as a blade, dismissing him like a child.
But Taehyung didn’t move. He shook his head violently, eyes glassy.
“You can’t… you can’t just kill people!” he snapped, his voice louder this time, cracking with desperation. His chest rose and fell in sharp bursts, panic tightening around his ribs.
“I can.”
The CEO’s reply was calm, chilling. His eyes never wavered. “If they touch what’s mine.”
Taehyung froze. His jaw clenched. His throat bobbed with a hard swallow.
What’s mine.
The words rang in his ears, making his skin crawl.
Taehyung’s voice came out low, almost shaking. “Human life is not a joke.”
Jungkook leaned forward slightly, the shadows sharpening the cut of his jaw. His gaze pierced through Taehyung like ice.
"True. That’s why I decide when it ends." he said.
The words landed heavy, final. Taehyung shook his head in disbelief hearing that.
Behind them, the man sobbed, tears spilling down his face. His body twisted helplessly against the chains.
“Please, please let me down!” he begged, his voice shattering. “I’ll leave, I’ll disappear—I’ll never come back, I swear! Please!”
Taehyung’s heart twisted painfully. He turned, just for a second, to look at the man.
Yes, this was the same person who had insulted him, who had grabbed Gyubin, who had made his son cry.
But now… watching him swing helplessly above gnashing teeth, sobbing like a child, Taehyung felt bile rise in his throat.
He turned back, his eyes locking with Jungkook’s.
“This–this isn’t justice,” Taehyung whispered, his voice fragile but firm, trembling with both fear and conviction. “This is cruelty.”
Jungkook’s lips curved faintly. Slowly, deliberately, he picked up the bat leaning against his chair and tapped it against the ground once, the metallic spikes glinting under the dim light.
“Cruelty,” he said softly, his tone almost gentle, “is touching what’s mine and thinking you’ll live to tell about it.”
The sharks thrashed again, slamming against the glass as if hungry for the command.
Taehyung’s breath hitched, his chest burning with panic, but Jungkook only leaned back, eyes locked on him, enjoying every second of his desperation.
Taehyung’s chest heaved, eyes burning as he stared at the guards holding the chains. His voice cracked but lashed through the hall like fire.
“Leave him.”
The men didn’t flinch. Didn’t move. Blank expressions, as if they hadn’t even heard him.
Taehyung’s fists curled tight. “I said leave him!” His roar rattled the walls, raw and desperate.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances, their grips faltering. But their eyes slid, almost instinctively, to the only man who could decide.
A voice answered from behind—calm, unhurried. “And I said…”
Taehyung froze.
“…go to your room.”
Jungkook’s tone wasn’t loud, yet it cut through the air like steel. Not a command, but a verdict. Final.
He rose from the chair slowly, brushing dust from his sleeve as if none of this chaos mattered. Each step toward Taehyung echoed, deliberate, unbothered. His eyes fixed on the trembling boy who dared defy him.
Taehyung’s throat bobbed. “How inhumane you are…” he whispered, voice shaking.
Jungkook’s lips curved faintly. “He insulted you,” he said simply, as if that fact alone justified chains and punishment.
“And you do it too! All the time.” Taehyung spat back, eyes glistening.
Jungkook didn’t even blink. His smirk deepened, though his eyes stayed cold.
“Exactly.”
Taehyung flinched, breath hitching.
Jungkook leaned closer, his voice like a shadow. “The difference is… I can.”
The younger’s chest rose and fell, words tumbling out broken. “It doesn’t matter who insults me---just–just let him go. This is sick."
Jungkook tilted his head, studying him as if Taehyung’s defiance was nothing more than an odd trick of nature.
“You bleed yourself dry for people who would never do the same,” he murmured. “strange."
Taehyung’s lips trembled. “Because unlike you, I-I can’t let anyone die. I’m not you… and I’ll never be you.”
For a moment, silence smothered the hall.
Jungkook shook his head. Amused. his eyes gleaming like he’d just been handed a new game.
“Good. One of me is enough.”
And with that, he turned his gaze to the guards, utterly unmoved by the storm in Taehyung’s eyes.
“Drop him,” Jungkook said, voice flat, devoid of hesitation.
The order cut through the air like a blade. His men obeyed instantly, loosening the rope.
The man’s scream tore through the vast room, echoing off the walls. He dangled above the tank, the sharks thrashing below, water splashing as their fins sliced the surface. His voice cracked into pure terror. “I—I have kids! Kids waiting at home! Please! Don’t do this! I beg you.”
The words hit Taehyung like a knife. His chest caved, his pulse thundered in his ears. He could hardly breathe. He also had a son and he could understand this feeling very well.
His mind spun... images of Gyubin waiting for him, calling him appa with wide, innocent eyes. He staggered forward before he even realized it, panic clawing through his throat.
“No!” Taehyung’s voice cracked as he lunged, grabbing Jungkook’s arm with shaking hands. “Please, don’t! Stop this!”
Jungkook didn’t even flinch. His gaze dropped, lazily, to where Taehyung clutched his sleeve, nails digging into the expensive fabric. The younger’s grip trembled so violently it almost felt fragile like porcelain about to shatter.
“Please,” Taehyung gasped, his words tumbling out, raw and desperate. His lips quivered, his chest heaved. “I beg you—I’ll do anything, just… just don’t kill him.”
Silence fell.
The guards froze mid-motion, waiting. The man dangled above the sharks, sobbing, the sound mixing with the splashes of restless fins.
Jungkook tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on Taehyung. There was no anger in them, no softness either only a detached, chilling curiosity.
“Anything?” Jungkook murmured, his tone smooth but cutting, each syllable curling around Taehyung’s panic like smoke.
Taehyung nodded feverishly, his throat burning as if the word yes had been carved out of him. His fingers clung tighter to Jungkook’s sleeve, his whole body trembling like prey at the hunter’s feet.
Jungkook leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. “No defiance, yeah?”
Taehyung’s lips parted. His eyes stung, his jaw clenched as he forced himself to nod again, shame burning alongside fear.
Jungkook’s smirk was sharp, a ghost of amusement flashing across his fever-bright eyes. He flicked his fingers casually, as if swatting away an insect. His men immediately pulled the man back up and cut the rope loose.
The man crashed onto the floor with a cry, groaning in pain, clutching his bleeding leg. His breath came in ragged sobs as he crawled pathetic, broken straight toward Taehyung.
Taehyung stumbled back a step, his chest aching at the sight. The man collapsed at his feet, grabbing at his ankles with bloody fingers.
“Th-Thank you,” he sobbed, his voice shaking. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what I-I said, y-you just gave me a new life—”
Taehyung’s throat closed. His eyes blurred with hot tears as he forced himself to give a small, trembling nod
Behind him, Jungkook sat back on the chair, his gaze sharp. His guards grabbed the man without a word, dragging his limp, bloodied body out of the room.
The heavy doors shut with a dull echo, leaving only the sound of water sloshing in the shark tank and Taehyung’s ragged breathing.
He was shaking all over. His hands wouldn’t stop trembling, his chest rising and falling too fast. His mind couldn’t grasp it... the sight of teeth snapping inches away from a human body, the screams, the begging.
It was too much. Too cruel. Too real.
He wiped at his face roughly, but the tears kept spilling. His voice came out broken, hoarse. “You… you’re so cruel.”
Jungkook’s eyes finally lifted, locking onto him. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t even fazed. He looked at Taehyung the way one might look at a cornered animal.... half intrigued, half entertained.
“You begged,” Jungkook said, voice steady, almost amused. “And I listened. Remember that.”
Taehyung swallowed. his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He blinked rapidly to not let the tears fell as he took a deep breath.
The sharks circled below, water rippling like a warning.
Jungkook hummed, the smirk tugging faintly at his lips. “You can’t stand the blood, can you?” His tone was low, dangerous, mocking.
“But you’d still stain yourself if it meant saving someone. That’s the difference between us.... you break yourself for others and I make others break.”
Taehyung clenched his fists, tears burning his eyes again as he glared at him with every ounce of defiance he had left. "Because you don't have any emotions. You play with people like they're some toys for you."
But Jungkook didn't reply, he only tilted his head back slightly, eyes half-lidded in amusement, savoring every inch of Taehyung’s panic.
Jungkook got up slowly, his movements controlled, almost effortless. “Feed my pets,” he said, voice low and measured. The guards immediately acknowledged the order and left the room without question.
Taehyung bite his lips as he looked dosn. He hadn’t expected to witness this.... the way Jungkook’s word could move people like pieces on a chessboard.
“My room. Sharp. 11:30.”
Jungkook’s tone brooked no argument. Taehyung clenched his jaw, nodding mutely. He followed the CEO’s calm, unhurried steps upstairs, each one echoing ominously in his mind.
Once Jungkook disappeared into his room, Taehyung’s gaze shifted back to the massive shark tanks. The guards, obedient and precise, carried trays of raw meat and began feeding the sharks. Taehyung watched, heart racing, as the predators circled eagerly, snapping at the food with hungry precision.
The water rippled violently as the sharks fought over their meals, the sound of splashing echoing through the cavernous space.
Taehyung’s stomach twisted. He had imagined what it would have been like if that man.
. the one who had humiliated him in the store had been in the tank instead. His pulse quickened at the thought.
But it was only the sharks and the meat now, and the scene was strangely hypnotic.
Taehyung’s eyes never left the tanks, tracing the movements of the creatures, the way the guards moved with calm efficiency.
Each snap of the sharks’ jaws against the meat made him flinch, and yet he couldn’t look away.
People might call him a fool for saving that man, for throwing himself in front of Jungkook, for even daring to argue with someone so untouchable.
But to Taehyung, human life was never a joke. Every breath, every heartbeat, every small, fragile existence was precious. The thought of children growing up without their parent over something so petty made his chest tighten, his stomach twist.
No. He couldn’t allow that. He couldn’t let anger, pride, or revenge dictate the value of someone’s life.
So if punishing himself, risking Jungkook’s wrath, or standing in the eye of the storm meant saving a life, he would bear it.
Every insult, every icy glare, every moment of fear.
.. it was nothing compared to the sin of taking a life that wasn’t his to claim.
The guards finished feeding the sharks and left silently. The tanks now settled, the water calm once more. Taehyung exhaled slowly.
And though he feared the consequences, though he knew Jungkook’s eyes would measure every misstep and every act of defiance, Taehyung felt a strange sense of clarity.
Some lines weren’t meant to be crossed. Some lives weren’t meant to be taken.
Even if it meant risking everything, even if it branded him a fool in the eyes of others, Taehyung would rather punish himself than commit a sin that no excuse could ever erase.