Hostage Handbook

Chapter Twenty-One | Your Safety, My Danger

YEOREUM

Jungkook's monstrously fast recovery speed gets him out of the hospital after two days of close observation.

Although Jungkook is discharged, he works from home at the castle under Doctor Wei's advice. Naturally, the duty of looking after him falls on me.

My new responsibilities are boring, mostly. Aside from how much it exposes Irunaes Group's dependency on Jungkook. The underground trades Jungkook handles are so secretive that even Jaeyoon doesn't know much about them.

Perhaps that's why Jungkook has such a large team of bodyguards. His death will murder his empire, which is rooted in other people's blood and bones.

I am certain Jungkook was aware of my presence when I eavesdropped on his call with underground leaders. He just never attempts to hide anything from me.

We stick together all day long, bickering, making love, and nestling against each other. We spend such a long time together that I feel like Jungkook is a part of my body. Although that feeling frightens me, my lack of fear towards Jungkook frightens me even more.

One afternoon, the comfort of staying in the castle seizes me with a cold terror. Jungkook has left me for a video conference, and I'm alone with my stewing mine.

My thoughts whirl to sweep the air out of my lungs. I feel like my skull is going to tumble down.

I pin my face against the lounge as tight as I can to feel something that isn't pulling away from me. Ms Kim vigilantly watches the tears run down my face, trying her best to gauge the situation.

I don't mind Ms Kim's confusion; I don't even understand myself. I was gleefully giving Jungkook a blowjob mere minutes ago, but I am shaking as if I swallowed poison instead of semen now.

I feel like I have been carved into two people. One version of me enjoys the comfort of this ivory tower, and the other despises how I feel comfortable in my prison. The latter urges me to escape, while the former lures me into procrastinating. The latter steals Jungkook's painkillers, and the former reminds me of how painful my escape plan will be even with those painkillers.

My heart clenches against my chest so tight that I feel like there's a line of teeth around the organ, nibbling away at my flesh every time it beats.

"Miss Song, are you all right?" Ms Kim says. "Would you like me to get Doctor Wei?"

I want to answer Ms Kim, but I struggle to squeeze a response through my shallow gasps. Ms Kim hesitates for a while and ambles to Jungkook's office.

A faint, numbing sensation crawls up my toes, slowly inching to my waist. Just as if someone had drowned my lower body in formalin. It is not painful. On the contrary, it feels relieving to lose those senses.

Jungkook rushes out of his office and wraps his arms around me to steady my tremors. A pang of repulse pounds against my stomach when I gaze at the concern in his eyes.

The second version of myself has won.

Soon after the new year arrives, Doctor Wei says it's safe for Jungkook to return to the office.

I wake up early in the morning to ensure Jungkook won't be late for his first day back at the office. He lost the ability to naturally wake up at seven a.m. during his two months-long recovery break.

I help Jungkook get dressed and have breakfast with him, just like normal. After we finish eating, I brush away the non-existent crinkles over his grey suit jacket.

"Are you sure your shoulder is fine now?" I say as I straighten out the lapels. "Do you feel okay?"

"Don't worry, Yeoreumie. I've fully recovered already. Kwon Saeeun's dad also gave me a couple of apartment areas in the central business district in compensation. I'm sure that'll help me feel better." Jungkook cups his hands around my cheeks with a smile. "Thank you for looking after me during this time. It made me so ecstatic to see you care about me."