Mine

Chapter 27

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the sterile hospital room. It echoed in the hollow space between Jimin's ribs, a rhythmic reminder that she was still here—that she was still breathing.

Maria lay motionless on the bed, her skin nearly as pale as the sheets wrapped around her. The soft glow of the IV line illuminated the tubes snaking from her arms, carrying fluids and medication into her weakened body. Her hand, small and fragile, was wrapped in fresh bandages, no longer marred by the dried blood he had found her in.

But she still hadn't woken up.

Jimin sat beside her, his fingers latched onto hers, gripping them just tight enough to anchor himself. His thumb brushed over the back of her hand in slow, absentminded strokes, his eyes never leaving her face. He could barely recognize her like this—silent, unmoving. She was always filled with a quiet fire, always pushing forward, even when she should have rested. But now? Now she looked like a ghost of herself.

His chest ached.

He had never hated silence more than he did at this moment.

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against their joined hands, his grip tightening. "Maria..." His voice was barely a whisper, thick with something raw. "What happened to you?"

Jimin swallowed, lifting his head slightly, watching her face for any sign of movement. Nothing. His fingers squeezed hers as if trying to pass whatever strength he had left into her.

"Just wake up," he murmured, voice barely audible over the heart monitor. "Please." His fingers were still laced with Maria's, his thumb absently tracing the bandages wrapped around her frail hand.

Then his phone buzzed in his pocket, the screen flashing with a name that made his shoulders tense.

Taehyung.

With a quiet sigh, he let go of her hand and stood, taking slow steps toward the window before answering. He didn't want his voice to disturb her, even though she hadn't stirred once since he brought her here.

"Where the hell are you?" Taehyung's voice came through, a mix of amusement and suspicion. "I went by your place, but you're not there. Did you crash at work again?"

His gaze flickered back to the pale face, his jaw tightening. "Yeah," he lied smoothly, his voice devoid of any hesitation. "Late night. Just got caught up with things."

Taehyung scoffed. "Man, you really need to get a life outside of work. But anyway, listen—I've been grinding my ass off setting up the trap for Raven." His voice lowered slightly, his usual laid-back tone laced with something sharper. "If this really is what I think it is. This might be the time we come across that bitch in person "

Jimin's fingers twitched at his side, Taehyung's words dragging him back to that night—the stealth raid, the masked figure who teamed up with him to save their lives, whom he deceived at the end.

"Taehyung..." His voice was quiet, and thoughtful. "I think I might've already come across Raven."

There was silence on the other end before Taehyung let out a low laugh. "What?"

Jimin turned back toward the hospital bed, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I haven't told Joon but during the raid. There was another interested party—a woman, masked. She came for the deal too, very skilled, very precise. She didn't move like a hired gun or a bystander caught in the wrong place. She was in control of the situation, slipping through it like she owned it."

Taehyung was quiet for a moment before he exhaled, his voice taking on a sharper edge. "And you think that was?"

Jimin's grip on his phone tightened. "Raven... I don't think. I know. It's gotta be her"