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As Jungkook walked towards Lori, doubt was eating away at him. His heart was racing. He stopped, staring at her shadow, a whirlwind of feelings coursing through him. The weight of his hidden reality pressed in on him with every stride.
He took a minute to compose himself before taking a big breath and tackling the impossible job of telling Lori about his secret talks with YN. His chest tightened with worry as he considered the plethora of emotions Lori may display if she found out the truth. Would she feel wounded, enraged, or sympathetic? The uncertainty cast a thick shadow over him.
He was fighting a battle inside himself as he stood there, battling the need to be honest and the dread of the repercussions. His thoughts raced, trying to come up with the perfect words to lessen the damage, but he was immobilised by his dread of hurting Lori.
Jungkook understood in that little instant the seriousness of his acts and the possible consequences they may have on his relationship with Lori. Uncertain of what awaited him, he steeled himself to face the truth with a heavy heart and shaky determination.
The sight of Lori's tears made Jungkook's heart sink, and he became more and more distressed as he tried to understand her suffering. He stretched out with a surge of anxiety, his hands shaking as he held her shoulders tenderly, wanting desperately to know what was causing her pain.
"Lori, why are you crying? What has happened?" His voice wavered as he looked for answers in her tear-stained face, the weight of the moment weighing on him.
The sound of Jungkook's voice grabbed Lori's breath, her name drifting from his lips like a lifeline through her chaos. She met his stare, her eyes threatening to well up with tears again as she found it difficult to put her suffering into words.
Caught up in her feelings, she managed to utter in a whisper, "Kook," her voice scarcely audible above a breath, seeking comfort in his reassuring presence.
A wave of protectiveness washed over Jungkook in that instant, among the tears and uncertainty, an innate yearning to protect Lori from whatever was upsetting her. He gave her a little grip on the shoulders and swore quietly that he would be there for her, no matter what, to help her get through this difficult time.
"Mike, you know him?" Lori's question hovered in the air, so heavy that it made Jungkook shudder. A wave of anxiety swept over him, and a million questions raced through his head. What had Mike done? Had he said something about Jungkook to Lori? His discomfort increased as the uncertainty bit him.
With a sharp swallow, Jungkook struggled to maintain his composure and asked for clarification. "Tell me, Lori. What happened?" His voice was soothing but insistent, pleading with her to let go of whatever it was that was causing her so much pain.
Jungkook readied himself for the revelation that was about to happen in that tense moment because he knew that whatever Lori revealed would definitely have a significant effect on them both.
"I came out of the class, Kook! And he saw me. He called me to talk, so I went--" Sighs broke every syllable as Lori struggled to gather herself. Her voice shook under the weight of her suffering. "He tightened his grip on my wrist as if to tell me that I shouldn't be with you. He called you a dangerous person and said a lot of other absurd things, Kook. It still hurts." She extended her wrist to show off the enraged red bruises that stained her thin flesh.
At the sight, Jungkook felt a wave of rage run through him and his breath froze in his throat. He grabbed her damaged hand tenderly on his own. His mind was a flurry of emotions, roiling with a boiling hatred against Mike. "Lori, I'm so sorry," Jungkook said, his eyes filled with tears and his voice full of honesty.
As Jungkook looked at Lori, tears filled his eyes and his heart grew heavy with regret and guilt. His voice was full with sorrow as he wept, "I shouldn't have left you alone!" He chastised himself for not shielding her, for letting her suffer like this at the hands of a petty envious person.
His mind was aflutter with ideas, trying to figure out how Mike could be so bitter about Lori, how he could be so low as to hurt her. Jungkook was furious and determined to protect her from any further damage. Fierce determination ignited inside him.
"I will not let this happen to you again!" Holding Lori close to his body and not letting her out of his sight, Jungkook asserted in a strong voice. He was filled with a renewed sense of purpose and his veins were flooded with furious protectiveness as he vowed to do whatever it took to keep her safe.
At that moment, Jungkook realised that he would do whatever it took to make sure Lori was safe; his love for her would not allow anything to stand in their way. He gripped her firmly and made a quiet vow to himself that he would never allow anything to hurt her ever again.
"I am really stupid! When he called, I should have known better, but I assumed it was for YN-" Lori's voice faltered as she revealed her thoughts, but Jungkook's mind was elsewhere, driven with a raging rage towards the person who had hurt Lori so much.
Jungkook said, "You're not stupid, Lori," in a tone that was both kind and determined. "This is not your fault at all. Mike will pay for his actions since he is the one who is at fault."
All Jungkook could think of at that moment was punishing Mike and bringing justice to Lori. He swore to take Mike head-on, to make sure he paid for his deeds, and to make sure Lori would never have to endure his mistreatment ever again. Jungkook gave her a fierce stare and swore in silence that he would defend her with all of his might because he loved her.
With his resolve to keep Lori safe unyielding, Jungkook's protective instincts were on full display as he headed her home. Even after making sure she was inside securely, the raging hatred inside of him persisted.
With hardly controllable anger, Jungkook's hands tightened as he made his way to the tavern where Mike and his buddies were having a good time. His gaze fell on Mike's already scarred and broken form as he walked in, but the image did not satisfy him.
Jungkook approached Mike and his friends with determined movements and without saying anything. He closed the distance, his gaze burning with righteous wrath, disregarding the words of the others. With a gratifying thud, Jungkook's hand connected with Mike's already battered face as he delivered a hard punch without hesitation. Mike was sent reeling by the intensity of the punch, and the others stared in startled silence as their friend fell.
As he stood over Mike's prone form, Jungkook had a brief feeling of justice and a rush of vindication.
"How dare you hurt my Lori?" With remarks packed with a righteous rage that echoed through the tavern, Jungkook's voice roared. Fueled by a primordial urge to protect the woman he loved, his fists clenched hard.
Jungkook, filled with unrestrained fury, did not hesitate to deliver a forceful strike, this time landing it firmly on the man's battered face. The boom reverberated throughout the space, bringing a loud thump to Jungkook's rage.
"Then don't come in between me and YN" Mike's audacity made Jungkook's fury boil, and he tightened his fists even more. The hateful remarks just made him more enraged and made him fiercely protective of YN, whom Mike dared to claim as his own.
With a voice full of disdain, Jungkook screamed, "YN is not yours," and scowled down at Mike, his determination unwavering. "She belongs to no one but herself."
Jungkook let out a grunt of annoyance and struck Mike in the face once more, this time with his fist. Mike stumbled from the power of the hit, and his rebellious remarks just made Jungkook more enraged. The air tasted of blood.
"Avoid interfering with us! I want her!" The blood seeping from his broken lip obscured Mike's remarks, but his possessive tone inflamed Jungkook even more.
Jungkook would not watch idly while Mike tried to impose authority on YN. Determinedly, Jungkook delivered another crushing blow to quiet Mike, motivated by a deep-seated need to shield YN from anybody who might undermine her.
"Don't see YN! I wouldn't do anything to Lori. Hey! I have no business with your Lori unless you have one with YN!" As Mike's words lingered in the air, Jungkook stood his ground, his countenance unflinching as he considered the ramifications of Mike's admission.
Jungkook felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach. Mike's statements revealed his true motivations, including his use of deceit and attempts to stoke tensions between YN and Jungkook.
Jungkook looked away from Mike, his teeth tightly clenched from the intensity of his feelings. A silent rage boiled inside him. The boldness of Mike's request reverberated in his thoughts, serving as a painful reminder of the extent people will go to to exert control over others.
