Her Silent War

chapter 1 -☆

The city never truly slept, but Y/N barely noticed. Her world had always been quieter than it should have been, filled with shadows and fear.

She returned from school that afternoon, the weight of textbooks heavy in her arms. The moment she stepped through the door, her stomach twisted. Her mother lay on the floor, motionless.

"Mom," Y/N whispered, rushing over. Her heart thudded violently. She already knew who was responsible. Her father.

He had done this before. He had done worse. Fear was familiar to her, a constant companion that refused to leave.

Y/N knelt beside her mother and carefully helped her sit up, her hands trembling. She applied medicine to the bruises and cuts, her mind racing with questions she would never ask. Her own wounds, old and new, throbbed in sympathy.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Her mother gave a faint nod. "I am fine."

Hours passed. Pain had become routine for her. When she finally closed her eyes that night, it felt like a relief. She had learned long ago that crying did not make the pain less and screaming did not make it stop.

Morning came too soon. Y/N moved silently, showering and getting dressed. She stood in front of the mirror, inspecting herself. Fresh makeup would hide the bruises for the day, but it could not erase the memories or the scars beneath. Her fingers brushed against her own skin and she shivered, knowing some marks would never fade.

Breakfast was unbearable. Her father sat there, a shadow looming over the table. Every move he made, every glance he threw her way, made her skin crawl. She barely touched her food, ignoring him, before grabbing her bag and fleeing.

Outside, the crisp air hit her face, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside. She plugged in her headphones and let music become a shield, a way to forget the morning's horror.

School offered no real sanctuary. Y/N sat at the back of the classroom, opening her textbooks and burying herself in equations and notes. Focus was the only thing that kept her steady, her only escape from the chaos that awaited her at home.

But some things followed her everywhere.

"where is my homework?"

Her stomach dropped. Mia, the school bully, was waiting. Y/N's lips trembled as she stuttered her answer.

"I-I could not," she whispered.

Mia laughed, sharp and cruel. "Why not, you little—"

A sharp slap across her face cut her off. Tears burned her eyes. She wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor, to vanish from everyone's sight. Kicks followed. Her body shook and her heart pounded. She wished she could scream, but nothing came out.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed in the hall.

Jungkook had been walking down the hallway when he heard it. Sobbing, crying, the unmistakable sound of someone in pain. He turned a corner and froze. A girl was attacking another girl. Without thinking, he pushed her back. She ran off, leaving the girl trembling and gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

She flinched at his voice, eyes wide. "I-I am fine," she whispered, but he could see in the trembling of her hands and the way she avoided looking at him that she was not fine.

He noticed the faint cuts and bruises on her legs, hidden scars she clearly wanted to keep secret. "Let me help you," he said gently.

"No, it is okay," she stammered, trying to pull away.

He guided her to the infirmary, insisting she sit while he tended to her wounds. She watched nervously, hands clutching her skirt, eyes darting around the room. When he noticed more scars, she quickly tried to cover them, almost as if ashamed.

"Th-thank you," she whispered, bowing. She said it again and again before bolting out the door, leaving him staring after her, wishing he had known her name.

Y/N ran down the hall, heart hammering. She did not want anyone to see the truth of her life, her father's cruelty, or the scars he had left on her. The world did not need to know how broken she was.

But for the first time in a long time, someone had seen part of her pain and had not laughed or turned away. That thought clung to her as she sat in class, trying to calm her racing heartbeat with her headphones, letting the music drown out everything else.

For the first time, Y/N felt maybe, just maybe, she was not completely alone.