79
Third Person Pov
It was 11 A.M. The sun was bright-too bright for a man who had spent his whole life inside tinted-glass offices.
Jeon Jungkook... CEO Jeon Jungkook, stood by his modest iron gate, leaning casually against the low boundary wall. A light blue shirt, sleeves rolled up. Faded blue jeans. Hands shoved deep in his pockets.
He stared at the peonies lining the edge of his little yard---soft pink, blooming beautifully, glowing under the sunlight as if they had never known hardship.
It had been a week since he moved here. A full week.
And every morning he found himself stopping here, looking at them longer than necessary.
Things were not better. Not even close.
Taehyung barely looked at him.
Sometimes, their eyes met by accident, and Taehyung would snap his gaze away as if Jungkook was a wound he couldn't bear reopening.
Gyubin, however... Gyubin made everything feel painfully soft.
The boy would sneak over every morning, pretending he came to see Jiwoo, only to slip a pack of mango candies into Jungkook's hand.
Jungkook never ate them-he never really ate candies but every pack ended up in his pocket like a small treasure he didn't know how to throw away. A reminder that at least someone in that house still reached for him.
Jungkook dragged a hand through his hair as he smoked, the smoke curling into the warm air.
If someone had told him years ago that he-a CEO, a man who lived in penthouses and glass towers would stand here in a small rented house, learning how to mop floors and wash dishes.
.. he would've raised a brow. Or fired them.
But life had humbled him in ways he never expected.
He was learning to cook.
Not well, but enough. He hadn't burnt anything in three days... that was progress.
Cleaning, though? That he enjoyed. It was physical. Simple. Straightforward.
Scrub. Rinse. Wipe. Just soap and water and the sound of small domestic normalcy.
Maybe life forces you to taste what you once mocked.
Maybe that's how it teaches you.
He remembered the venom he once spat at Taehyung.... mocking his janitor job, belittling the very work that allowed Taehyung to buy Gyubin's medicines. Taehyung had never looked ashamed. He had only looked hurt. But proud. Taehyung always stood tall no matter how heavy life was.
And now Jungkook was here-doing the same chores he once insulted.
He didn't feel degraded. If anything, he felt... grounded. Almost human again.
Still, some nights the memory stung him with shame.
He inhaled deeply, exhaling a slow stream of smoke.
He didn't know how long he would have to stay here.
Days?
Months?
Forever?
Maybe Taehyung would never come with him.
Maybe this small house, with its peeling paint and mismatched curtains, would be where he lived out the rest of his life.
And strangely... he was fine with that.
He worked from home-calls, meetings, decisions, all handled from the little room that wasn't quite an office but was starting to feel like one.
His manager handled the rest. But the truth?
Jungkook missed the office. The structure.
The noise. The exhaustion. It was the only thing that had ever filled the hollow places inside him.
But now... something else was filling that space. A single glimpse of Taehyung.
Just one. A brief second when Taehyung walked past the window or stepped into the yard. Those fleeting glances made Jungkook feel more alive than any multimillion-dollar deal ever had.
He flicked the ash off his cigarette and stared at the door next door.
And for the first time all morning-his eyes softened.
Then he exhaled a lazy ribbon of smoke into the warm air, shoulders relaxed, gaze unfocused until he felt movement at the edge of his vision.
He slowly turned, bored, expecting maybe the mailman or a passing kid.
Instead, a woman stood just outside the gate, leaning gloriously against the outer wall as if the sun itself had parted for her grand entrance. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him... practically shimmering with hearts.
"Uhm-are you the new neighbour everyone's talking about?" she asked, twirling a strand of her hair.
Jungkook raised one brow.
Then looked away and continued smoking as if she wasn't even there.
Her lips twitched-clearly delighted by that cold indifference. Some people loved the chase ans she was one of them.
She leaned a bit more, staring openly at his side profile. "Well, my name is Kang Mina," she announced cheerfully. "I live two houses down. I was on vacation but now I'm back."
She giggled, dangling her purse playfully.
Jungkook finally looked at her... one slow, unimpressed drag of his eyes from her heels to her ponytail. Just scanning.
Her face turned pink anyway.
"D-Don't look at me like that," she whispered, suddenly shy.
Jungkook clicked his tongue and looked away again.
Mina blinked, then bounced a little before sitting herself on the wall, legs dangling like she belonged there. "So... what's your name? You look like someone I've seen before. But also like someone I've never seen anywhere." She frowned, confused but intrigued.
"Jungkook."
She hummed, tasting the name.
Her gaze dropped to his fingers wrapped around the cigarette. "You know... smoking is bad for your health."
Jungkook tilted his head slowly.
"I didn't ask for a public service announcement," he said flatly. "Unless you're trying to be the female lead of some cheap romance novel who fixes men with 'kind advice.' If so, Wrong man. Wrong book."
Her smile faltered. Then returned nervously.
"I-I wasn't trying to be anything," she muttered. "Just saying..."
He took another drag, exhaled.
"I'm thirty-eight," Jungkook said calmly. "Double your age, probably. I know what the hell I'm doing."
Mina froze at his age, jaw dropping. "Thirty-eight? No way. You don't look it." She leaned closer as if seeing him in a new light. "Like....at all."
Jungkook didn't reply. Didn't even glance after that.
But someone else was watching.
Taehyung.
Hidden behind the curtain of the living room window, fingers curled tightly into the fabric, knuckles turning pale. Only half of his face caught the light, the rest was hidden in shadow, eyes sharp with something he didn't want to name.
Jealousy. Hurt. Confusion.
All tangled together in a knot he couldn't swallow.
Behind him, Gyuri lay on the playmat, babbling around her stuffed toy. But Taehyung didn't hear her.
His eyes were locked on Jungkook.
On Jungkook tolerating a woman's presence. Letting her sit there.
Talking to her.
And why... why did it hurt in a place Taehyung had tried so hard to numb?
His heartbeat thudded painfully in his ears.
He pressed closer to the window, breath uneven.
He didn't understand it.
He didn't want to understand it.
But he couldn't tear his eyes away either.
It bothered him. More than it should.
More than he wanted to admit.
He stood there, expression tightening the quiet panic of someone who refused to acknowledge what he was feeling.
Wrong or not.
Wanted or not.
Denied or not.
He cared. Way too much. And it showed in the way his fingers trembled against the curtain.
Mina kept watching Jungkook, chin propped on her hand, clearly fascinated by even the way he breathed. But then her eyes shifted-past him, toward the house next door.
She blinked.
"Uh... who is that?" she whispered under her breath.
Jungkook frowned faintly at her tone and followed her gaze, turning his head just enough to see......
Taehyung.
Standing behind the window.
Watching them with a stiff, sharp expression that flickered, only for a split second into something raw before hardening again.
Jungkook's own eyes softened immediately, something flickering behind them like a quiet longing.
But Taehyung...
Taehyung's glare sharpened the moment their eyes met. He didn't look away, didn't flinch, just held Jungkook's gaze with a cold, burning intensity that said: I wasn't watching you.
Then Gyuri's little cry echoed from inside.
Taehyung flinched.
As if reality hooked him by the collar.
He stepped back quickly, pretending he hadn't been standing there at all. His movements were clumsy, panicked like someone caught doing something they shouldn't. He bent down to pick Gyuri up, patting her back, eyes flicking once more toward Jungkook....
Only to find Jungkook still staring at him.
Still watching the way Taehyung held onto the frame of the window as if grounding himself.
Taehyung stiffened.
And then
The curtains slid shut.
A clean, sharp ending.
Jungkook's jaw tightened, his eyes losing that brief softness. The moment Taehyung disappeared, something in him hardened like cooling steel. He tore his gaze away, crushed the cigarette under his boot with more force than necessary, and ran a hand through his hair.
Without another word, he turned and walked back inside his house, shoulders squared but energy restless, unsettled.
Mina blinked after him, confusion wrinkling her forehead.
Then, slowly... a shy smile crept onto her lips.
"Wrong man, wrong book?" she repeated Jungkook's earlier words, giggling to herself as she hopped off the wall. "He's quite witty."
Humming happily, she skipped toward her own house.
.
.
.
The pediatric clinic smelled faintly of antiseptic and baby lotion. Soft cartoon music played somewhere in the background, and nurses in pastel scrubs walked past with warm smiles. It was a comforting place for most parents.
But not for Taehyung.
He sat stiffly on the cushioned chair, Gyuri on his lap, her tiny fingers grabbing the front of his shirt as she chewed on her teething toy. His leg bounced uncontrollably, anxiety crawling under his skin.
The doctor.... a kind man in his late forties lifted Gyuri gently, examining her gums, her weight, her reflexes.
"She's growing wonderfully," the doctor said warmly. "Very healthy for an eight-month-old. Teething can make her fussy, but that's normal. Just a few more weeks and she'll settle."
Taehyung nodded, smiling politely, even though his stomach twisted harder with every passing second. He clutched Gyuri's tiny socks in his fist.
The doctor continued, unaware of the storm inside him.
"I'll write down the recommended teething gel, and please make sure she stays hydrated. Her diet looks good, but we may need her vaccination records. Her birth details, too." He turned to his desk, grabbing a form. "Fill this out for me, Mr. Kim."
Taehyung froze.
His heart dropped like a stone into a deep, dark pit.
Birth details.
Parents' information.
Family medical history.
He swallowed, trying not to look visibly shaken as the doctor placed a clipboard and pen on the table next to him.
Gyuri suddenly let out a soft whine maybe sensing his distress. He immediately reached out and held her close again, slipping the pacifier into her mouth. She quieted, her fist curling around his thumb.
He smiled faintly at her, but inside, his pulse was pounding.
The doctor then gave a gentle grin, giving her back."She's a very calm baby. You're doing a good job."
Taehyung forced a nod. "Thank you... I'm trying."
Trying to be a good parent to a child who wasn't biologically his.
He remembered him going to that alley every day after he found Gyuri, standing under the dim streetlamp at the exact spot where the woman had handed her over. Waiting. Hoping.
Maybe she would return.
Maybe she would explain.
Maybe she would tell him Gyuri's real name. Her real birthday. Something anything.
She never came.
Not once. Not even for a shadow, not even in the wind.
And now... this form. These questions.
This requirement for answers he didn't have.
What would he tell the doctor?
What if they suspected something?
What if they contacted the authorities?
Taehyung felt his breathing grow shallow.
Gyuri gurgled softly, resting her head under his chin, on his chest... as if trying to comfort him, and it nearly broke him.
He picked up the clipboard.
His hand shook when he uncapped the pen.
"Father's Name," the first blank line read.
His throat tightened.
He stared at the empty space, the pen hovering uselessly above it.
He couldn't write the truth.
But he couldn't lie easily either.
Not when the fear of losing her clawed at his chest.
The doctor was organizing files behind him, humming to himself.
Taehyung lowered his head, hiding his expression behind Gyuri's soft curls as he pressed a trembling kiss to her forehead.
The doctor's brow creased ever so slightly as he watched Taehyung hold the pen like it weighed more than the child in his arms. His fingers trembled barely, but enough for a trained eye to catch.
"Mr. Kim... is something troubling you?" the doctor asked, tone polite but probing.
Taehyung's head snapped up. His eyes were too wide, his smile too rushed.
"N-No. Nothing at all," he stuttered. "Just... lack of sleep."
He dipped his head again before the doctor could search his expression any further. His handwriting dragged across the form in shaky strokes... messy, uneven, betraying every ounce of the fear boiling beneath his ribs. Under Father's Name, he scribbled his own before panic could talk him out of it.
The doctor watched his hand with a sharp expression. Something in the room shifted.
This doesn't make sense, the doctor thought silently. Something isn't right here.
"I'll need to see her birth certificate in a moment," he said casually, as if it were an afterthought.
Taehyung froze... only for a heartbeat, but it was enough. His fingers curled around the form, knuckles whitening.
"I-I don't have it with me right now," he answered, voice barely steady. "It's at home."
The doctor hummed. A doubtful, heavy sound.
"I see." His eyes narrowed just slightly.
"Continue with the paperwork. I'll be back shortly."
He left the room.
The moment the door shut, Taehyung's shoulders collapsed inward. Gyuri's tiny hand reached up and brushed his jaw; he pressed a trembling kiss to her fingers.
"I'm fine baby," he whispered, rocking her gently.
Minutes passed painfully.
Ten... fifteen... twenty.
The doorknob finally turned.
Taehyung's head shot up, relief already swelling....
And died.
The doctor stood in the doorway.
And behind him.....
Police officers. male officers with stiff jaw. A female officer with cold, neutral eyes.
All the blood drained from Taehyung's face.
"Officers," the doctor said briskly, "he seems doubtful. Please verify the situation."
Taehyung shot to his feet so fast the chair scraped across the tiles.
"W-What? What do you mean 'doubtful'?! I haven't done anything!"
The male officer stepped forward, one hand already out.
The female officer raised her palms calmly. "Sir. Hand over the child."
Her voice was clipped. Practiced.
Like she had done this a hundred times.
Taehyung stumbled back, clutching Gyuri tighter against his chest.
"No-please-don't touch her! She's my baby!"
The officers exchanged a glance filled with irritation.
"Sir," the male officer repeated, firmer, "don't escalate this. Give us the child."
"I'm not escalating anything-you're the ones-please, just listen-!"
His voice cracked, and Gyuri's face crumpled, sensing his panic.
The officers moved.
Two shadows lunged for his arms.
Their grip clamped like iron, pinning him in place as he thrashed helplessly.
"Stop-let go-please! She's only eight months old-please, you're scaring her!"
Gyuri began to whimper, her tiny hands clawing toward him as the female officer pried her from his arms. Taehyung felt his entire chest cave in like someone had reached inside and ripped something vital out.
"NO-NO, PLEASE-SHE'LL BE SCARED-DON'T TAKE HER-!"
His knees nearly buckled.
The head officer stepped closer, clipboard in hand, voice detached.
"Mr. Kim, answer clearly. Are you the biological father?"
Taehyung's lips trembled hard.
"I... No."
"And yet the child is in your custody. How did she get into your possession? Did you abduct her?"
"What?! No! Please!" Taehyung's voice broke into something raw. "I was just.... one morning-this woman came upto me and she begged me-she said loan sharks were after her-she said the baby wasn't safe with her-please, I swear I'm telling the truth!"
The officer snorted.
"People come up with the most creative lies," he muttered. "Handcuff him."
"No---no, please!" Taehyung struggled violently as the cold metal hovered over his wrist. "I didn't harm her-I'm protecting her-please, just listen to me-please!"
The cuff was about to snap shut
When the hallway outside erupted with a heavy thud.
The door slammed open with a bang.
Everyone flinched at the sudden sound.
A low, lethal voice sliced through the air:
"Step away from him."
Silence crashed over the room.
Every head turned.
Taehyung's body froze.
Jungkook stood in the doorway.... broad shoulders tense, jaw clenched, eyes burning with a fury that made the air itself tighten. Behind him stood three men in black suits. And beside them....
The City Commissioner.
The officers immediately stiffened.
"C-Commissioner-!"
But Jungkook spoke first, his tone icy enough to freeze bone.
"I said step. Back."
The officers dropped Taehyung's arms at once.
Taehyung swayed, breath trembling, eyes glassy.
He slowly walked upto the man and his fingers instinctively reached out and grabbed Jungkook's sleeve.... seeking something solid, something familiar.
"Mr.Jeon..." he whispered, voice barely there.
Jungkook looked at him. One long second.
Taehyung's tear-stained face.
The red marks on his wrists.
The panic still shaking him.
Something dangerous flickered across Jungkook's expression.
He turned slowly to the female officer holding Gyuri. One silent look.
Her hands visibly shook.
Jungkook walked toward her calmly, but each step carried an unmistakable warning.
She swallowed hard and surrendered the child into his arms.
Gyuri whimpered once, then clung to his shirt like she recognized his warmth.
Jungkook didn't waste a breath.
He turned and walked back to Taehyung.
Taehyung's arms rose on instinct, and Jungkook placed Gyuri gently against his chest. Taehyung held her tightly ...so tightly he could barely breathe, relief flooding him so violently his vision blurred.
Then Jungkook turned again.
Toward the officers who had dared lay hands on Taehyung.
The commissioner stepped forward anxiously. "Mr.Jeon, wait-don't-"
Too late.
Jungkook crossed the room in three strides and grabbed both officers by the throat.... one in each hand, slamming them against the wall so hard the framed medical posters rattled.
A chorus of gasps erupted in the hallway.
"MR.JEON-!"
The commissioner panicked, but no one dared touch him.
Jungkook didn't even look away. His grip tightened, knuckles whitening.
"How," he growled, voice vibrating with a rage that didn't sound human, "fcking dare you touch him?"
The officers choked helplessly.
He leaned in closer, eyes blazing.
"When he says she's his child, you fucking listen. You don't ask how. You don't ask when. You don't even think about using that tiny, malfunctioning brain of yours to 'investigate', least of all by putting your filthy hands on him."
He slammed them harder into the wall.
"You don't lay a goddamn hand on what's mine. Touch him again, and I'll take those hands apart piece by piece until you understand exactly who you're dealing with."
The officers' faces were turning red, veins bulging, eyes watering violently. Panic flickered across the commissioner's expression as he snapped toward his subordinates.
"Pull him back! Now!"
Three other officers rushed forward, hands gripping Jungkook's shoulders, arms, anything they could reach.
Even then, it took all three to pry him away from the choking officers.
Jungkook resisted for a second... rage burning like wildfire in his veins before finally letting them drag him two steps back.
The two officers he'd grabbed collapsed instantly, sliding down the wall and hitting the floor with rough thuds.
They clutched their throats, coughing uncontrollably.
...harsh, painful sounds echoing in the small room.
One gagged, spitting a trail of saliva onto the tiles, eyes red and watering as he tried to catch his breath.
Taehyung stared, horrified.
His tears slipped silently down his cheeks, Gyuri trembling in his arms as he held her close. His breath trembled more and more with every cough the officers let out.
"Mr. Jeon," the commissioner said, voice unsteady despite trying to sound authoritative, "please calm down. Otherwise I will be... forced to take legal action against my wishes."
Jungkook's head snapped toward him.
That glance alone made the commissioner swallow his next words.
"Take," Jungkook said slowly, voice thick with venom, "those two out of my sight before I pull their throats out for real."
The commissioner immediately jerked his head at his officers.
"Get them out. Now."
Two officers rushed forward, lifting the injured men awkwardly and dragging them toward the door. Their coughing echoed down the hallway until the sound faded altogether.
The room finally fell quiet.
Jungkook exhaled sharply, chest rising and falling as he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back in one harsh motion. His jaw flexed as he tried to rein in the leftover rage.
Then his gaze shifted.
To Taehyung.
Taehyung stood frozen where he was....eyes glossy, cheeks wet, hands trembling around the baby who was still pressed to his chest. He looked fragile. Shocked.
The commissioner lingered awkwardly near the door. Even the doctor stood stiff, watching Jungkook like he might explode again at any second.
Jungkook's eyes cut to the doctor.
The doctor instantly jolted and bowed. "I-I'll leave..."
He scurried out.
Only Jungkook and Taehyung remained.
Jungkook walked closer, boots silently hitting the tile floor. Taehyung's breath hitched with every step he took.
Jungkook's voice dropped low as his eyes moved to Gyuri.
"You don't have to worry," he said, colder than the air-conditioned room. "She's your daughter from now on."
Taehyung's heart slammed against his ribs so hard he thought it might break. Something inside him cracked at the weight of those words.
Jungkook turned slightly, glancing at the commissioner.
"Do the necessary documentation," he ordered.
"Yes." The commissioner hurried out without looking back.
The door clicked shut.
Silence settled over them again.
Taehyung wiped his cheeks clumsily, still shaking. "Thank you..." he whispered, barely audible.
Jungkook hummed once.... a cold, nonverbal acknowledgment as he turned to leave.
But he didn't get far. A trembling hand caught his wrist. Jungkook halted immediately and turned back.
Taehyung's fingers were curled around his sleeve, knuckles pale. His lips parted like he wanted to speak but nothing came out before his knees suddenly buckled.
"Taehy-"
Taehyung collapsed straight into Jungkook's chest.
Gyuri pressed between them in Taehyung's protective grip, and Jungkook instinctively wrapped one arm around Taehyung's shoulder, steadying both of them. His other hand automatically supported Gyuri so she wouldn't be crushed between their bodies.
Taehyung hid his face in Jungkook's chest, breath shaking violently.
"I-I was so scared," he choked out, voice breaking, body trembling as the adrenaline crashed out of him.
His whole frame shook against Jungkook as if everything he'd been holding in finally snapped.
Jungkook froze for a moment-feeling Taehyung's trembling, hearing his shattered voice, feeling the baby breathing between them.
He didn't loosen his grip even when Taehyung's shaking slowly eased. He stood rigid, stiff, clearly unfamiliar with comforting a crying person but he still held Taehyung firmly, almost protectively.
His voice dropped to a low, blunt murmur against Taehyung's temple.
"You don't have to be scared of anything when I'm here."
Taehyung hiccupped softly, still clutching Gyuri with one arm and Jungkook's shirt with the other.
Jungkook lips curved quietly.... cold, dismissive, but it was the closest thing he had to reassurance.
"These officers," he added, glancing back at the door where they'd been dragged out. "They're just pawns in my hands. The last people you should be afraid of."
Taehyung's lips curved into a small, helpless smile.... right against Jungkook's chest. Something about Jungkook's harsh tone mixed with the certainty in his words soothed him in ways gentle comfort never could.
Gyuri stared up at them with her big, round eyes, her tiny fist tapping Jungkook's chin as if inspecting him. Jungkook raised a brow but didn't pull back.
For a moment... it felt warm.
Safe. Almost like something they weren't allowed to feel.
Then the realization hit Taehyung.
He wasn't supposed to be this close to Jungkook. Not after the distance he had forced himself to keep.
His smile faded slowly... painfully and then he stepped back retreating from the hug as he looked away.
Jungkook watched every flicker of change in Taehyung's expression.
The way his lashes trembled.
The way relief faded into guilt.
The way he stepped back like he wasn't allowed to want the comfort he had just clung to.
Taehyung wiped under his eyes quickly, almost ashamed of the tears.
"I... sorry. I didn't mean to-I just- I was-" He fumbled, voice cracking slightly.
Jungkook didn't let him finish.
He took one step closer.
Taehyung froze, breath catching in his chest not knowing what Jungkook would do, not trusting himself to stand still.
Jungkook didn't speak.
He simply reached out.
His hand slid around Taehyung's wrist first warm, certain before traveling down and catching Taehyung's fingers one by one... weaving their hands together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Like he owned the right to do it.
Taehyung's eyes widened.
His heartbeat became loud enough he was sure Jungkook could hear it.
Jungkook's fingers curled securely around his.
He tilted his head slightly, eyes sharp, voice dropping into a low command that brushed down Taehyung's spine.
"Let's go."
Taehyung blinked, lips parting in shock.
Jungkook didn't wait. He turned, gently tugging Taehyung forward.... nothing forceful, but nothing optional either.
Their hands stayed locked, Jungkook's grip unyielding, giving Taehyung no space to doubt him, no space to slip away.
Taehyung followed. Quietly. Automatically. Like his body moved before his mind could question it.
His eyes drifted down to their joined hands swaying gently between them.
And his heart...
It thudded painfully, almost desperately.
He didn't know where Jungkook was taking him. He didn't know what any of this meant... his hand-holding, this protectiveness.
But the terrifying part wasn't the uncertainty.
It was the truth sitting quietly in his chest as he walked behind Jungkook:
For the first time in a long, long time...
He didn't want to let go. He didn't want to resist.
Jungkook's men were already lined up near the car, standing straight, waiting.
The moment they spotted Jungkook approaching with Taehyung in tow, they straightened even more.
Jungkook pulled open the door without a word. Taehyung slipped inside carefully, Gyuri still sleeping peacefully against his chest.
"Drive after me," Jungkook instructed, his voice crisp, no room for questions. "And take the car back once I reach."
The guards bowed slightly and headed toward the other vehicles immediately.
Jungkook rounded the car, opened the driver's door, and slid in.
The interior felt small.... too small-now that it was just the two of them.
Taehyung stared out the window, lost in a haze of thoughts he didn't dare unwrap.
Jungkook started the engine, the low hum filling the heavy silence.
Gyuri's tiny breaths were warm against Taehyung's arm.
But Taehyung's own chest...
his heart was still racing from that hug-
from Jungkook's arms around him, from the unexpected warmth, from the protective grip he didn't want to admit he missed already.
He wished hopelessly that Jungkook would hold him like that again.
Just once more. Or... often.
Jungkook kept stealing glances at him from the corner of his eye.
Taehyung didn't notice at first, too consumed by thoughts he didn't understand.
Until he looked up.
Their eyes caught.
It lasted barely a second...
but Taehyung snapped his gaze away so fast his neck almost hurt.
Jungkook exhaled a sharp sigh, shaking his head once.
"Next time someone tries to hold you like that," Jungkook said, voice bored but eyes sharp on the road, "just have them killed. I'll handle the rest."
Taehyung let out a shaky breath. "I'm not like you," he muttered. "If I tried killing people, you-you'd be the first one dead. You're the one who manhandles me the most."
A small, slow grin curled on Jungkook's lips. It wasn't kind. It wasn't mocking, either. It was... entertained.
"Not like you haven't tried," Jungkook drawled. "With the knife. The vase. The poison."
Taehyung turned his head sharply to glare at him.
Jungkook met his glare with a calm, amused stare like he enjoyed every second of Taehyung's irritation.
Taehyung looked away again, but this time his voice dropped lower, colder.
"Next time, I-I might actually succeed."
A beat.
Then Jungkook hummed soft, almost pleased. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Taehyung felt that hum run along his spine.
The car moved through the quiet streets, city lights painting patterns across their faces.
Gyuri slept peacefully.
Jungkook drove like he owned the night.
Taehyung's pulse wouldn't settle.
And even though they didn't touch...
Taehyung kept glancing at Jungkook's hand on the gear shift, close enough that if he moved an inch, their fingers might brush.
He shouldn't want that.
He did anyway.
Taehyung swallowed hard, forcing his gaze away from Jungkook's hand on the gear shift.
He shouldn't be thinking about the warmth of that palm.
He shouldn't be imagining it covering his own.
He exhaled and slowly began to move his hand back toward his lap....
But he didn't get far.
A firm grip closed around his fingers.
Taehyung froze.
Jungkook didn't look at him. Not even a glance.
He simply guided Taehyung's hand forward and placed it back on the gear shift....
then rested his own hand on top of Taehyung's.
Their hands pressed together.
Warmth spread instantly, creeping up Taehyung's arm, crawling into his chest.
Taehyung's breath hitched just barely audible.
His eyes widened, a soft tremor running through him. He should have pulled away. He knew he should.
But he didn't.
He sat there, letting Jungkook drive with their hands layered, fingers faintly touching at every shift of the gears.
Every movement sent a small jolt through Taehyung's body.
Jungkook remained silent.
Eyes focused on the road.
Jaw sharp in the passing city lights.
As if holding Taehyung's hand was the most natural, unremarkable thing in the world.
The car was quiet except for the hum of the engine.
Taehyung stared down at their hands his swallowed under Jungkook's larger, warm grip.
And for the rest of the ride...
Neither of them let go.
Jungkook pulled the car to a stop right outside Taehyung's house.
The quiet street was mercifully empty.... no neighbors, no witnesses, just the soft glow of the porch light spilling over the pavement.
Taehyung gently slipped his hand out from under Jungkook's, the warmth lingering long after the touch disappeared.
Jungkook's fingers flexed once, as though remembering the shape of Taehyung's palm.
"Thank you," Taehyung murmured, opening the door.
He shifted Gyuri in his arms, tucking her close as he stepped out. The cool air hit him instantly, but not enough to calm the racing in his chest.
The door shut with a muted click.
Jungkook didn't turn away.
He kept watching... one hand still loosely on the steering wheel, eyes tracking Taehyung's every step.
Taehyung felt that stare burning into him.
It made his throat tighten, made his heart jump in a way he didn't know how to explain.
He forced himself to look away and walked up to the gate.
His fingers trembled slightly as he unlatched it.
But before he disappeared inside... Something tugged at him.
Taehyung paused.
Against every instinct, every rule he'd built to protect himself...
He turned around.
Just for a second.
Their eyes met.... Taehyung's wide and uncertain, Jungkook's dark and filled wifh surity from behind the windshield.
And in that fleeting heartbeat, Jungkook's pulse slammed against his ribs.
Taehyung looked away just as quickly, almost startled by his own courage.
He walked inside, closing the gate behind him.
Jungkook sat there for a moment longer, exhaling shakily, gripping the wheel as if steadying himself.
Because that tiny, unexpected glance back? It hit him harder than anything else that day.