No Going Back

Epilogue

The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.
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The Art of War
Sun Tzu

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Three years later.

Someone was behind Jungkook.

Following him.

Watching.

Waiting.

An untrained individual might have missed the warning signs, their senses inexperienced and their minds naive to the world around them. Instead of detecting the almost imperceptible thuds of footsteps on the floorboards or the soft swishes and brushes of clothing, they might have only heard the chirping of birds outside. And rather than observing the lengthening silhouette on the ground - a shadow growing larger and larger as its owner approached - they might have been blinded by the light streaming in through the open windows. Hell, they might have even disregarded their innate sense of intuition, their gut feeling that something wasn't right, in order to soothe any budding paranoia.

But Jungkook wasn't untrained. He was no longer inexperienced. And his naivete had been mostly replaced by disciplined awareness and hard-earned wisdom.

He knew exactly how to handle himself in situations like this.

Jungkook advanced deeper into the sun-drenched room, unconcerned that the only exit was behind him and blocked by his stalker . . . his soon-to-be prey. He had spent years learning how to quickly deescalate threatening scenarios. He'd been taught how to work with limited resources and still emerge victoriously. So he wasn't worried, no. If anything, he was excited by this early-morning challenge. He was ready to put his full arsenal of weapons - his highly specialized set of skills and abilities - to the test.

And depending on how the next few seconds unfolded, Jungkook could utilize several tactics to gain the upper hand. He could catch this person by surprise, rolling to the floor and pinning them to the wall before they even had the chance to blink. He could time the moment just right, waiting until the person was a meter or so away to spin on his heels and tackle them to the ground. Or he could -

"Don't move."

Well, fuck.

It appeared that Jungkook had already made his first mistake, a blunder reserved for the most amateur rookies. He underestimated the skill and ability of his opponent. He assumed he could outsmart this person by anticipating their approach and catching them off-guard, but now . . .

Now he was trapped in this cozy room. Now he was cornered and caged in with nowhere to go. Now he was at this person's complete mercy, which was made evident by a breath fanning over the back of his neck and thighs grazing against his own thighs.

"Don't move," the person repeated with a deceptively gentle voice, the tone smooth and velvety and male. It was completely disarming; the silky quiet of that order urged Jungkook to lower his defenses and surrender without a fight. It begged him to give in to that false sense of security and not do anything rash. It encouraged him to behave and to obey, to listen without talking back.

Too bad Jungkook was never one to outright behave or obey.

Too bad he was never one to keep quiet.

Jungkook took a deliberate step backward, firmly pressing himself against the lean body of his opponent. He slowly and purposely rolled his hips - his ass sweeping over the man's pelvic region - and said, "Whoops. Looks like I moved."

Was grinding against his opponent a dirty play? Sure. Was it ethically or morally sound? Depends on who you were asking. But in scenarios like this, it was imperative to use whatever leverage or tools available. It was crucial to uncover any potential weaknesses of an adversary and exploit those weaknesses at all costs.