Destined by fate 💜

9. The spark of connection .

When seokjin announced they were going to a café nearby, Jungkook assumed they were headed to the hospital’s café. However, he was quickly proved wrong when they stepped outside.

"Hyung? Where are we going? The hospital's café is in the other direction," Jungkook asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Oh, you thought we were going there?" Jin chuckled, finding amusement in Jungkook's innocent expression. He looked like a lost five-year-old.

From the moment they first met, Seokjin had been fond of Jungkook.

He admired Jungkook's politeness and how he respects everyone.

Jin found Jungkook irresistibly cute. In fact, he liked him so much that he actually considered adopting him as his own child—though he knew that was impossible.

Jungkook nodded at Jin’s question, still a bit confused.

"Well, Eomma thought it would be good for us to get some fresh air. The café we're going to is just down the road. We’ll be there in no time," SeokJin explained, referring to Ha-rin as "Eomma."

As they approached the café, Jungkook suddenly grabbed seokjin's hand tightly with both of his, looking visibly scared.

Seokjin turned to see Jungkook staring down at the ground, fear etched on his face. He was puzzled; just moments ago, they had been enjoying a light conversation.

What could have caused this sudden change?

Jin scanned the area and soon spotted the culprits: a group of boys across the street, leering at Jungkook with lustful eyes.

They hadn’t made any rude comments or whistled, which was why seokjin hadn’t noticed their presence earlier.

He felt a surge of anger rise within him as he realised how these boys were treating Jungkook.

They looked to be in their twenties—how could they act so disgustingly, especially when they should be focused on their studies and future careers?

As the boys continued to stare at Jungkook, Seokjin glared at them, hoping to intimidate them into backing off.

However, they remained undeterred which only fueled seokjin's anger further.

Without hesitation, jin removed his long jacket and draped it over Jungkook’s shoulders providing him with some cover.

Jungkook silently wore the jacket, mentally thanking Jin hyung for his kindness.

Words failed him as he remained focused on the ground not wanting to meet the eyes of those who were eyeing him with such desire.

This wasn’t the first time Jungkook had experienced such stares. He was accustomed to them but sometimes they became overwhelming, causing him to panic.

The fear of facing them was too much.

Jin instinctively moved forward, ready to confront the boys and give them a piece of his mind but Jungkook suddenly grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

With teary wide eyes that resembled those of a frightened doe, Jungkook shook his head, silently pleading with Jin not to escalate the situation.

Jin sighed heavily, torn between wanting to defend Jungkook and the realisation that he didn’t want to make him more anxious.

Right now, Jungkook needed comfort more than anything.

Jin offered a reassuring smile and gently squeezed Jungkook’s hand and began walking towards the café, shielding him from the prying eyes of the boys.