A Kiss For A Kiss

17

His name is Chung Ae. I remember meeting him at one of the campaigns Jungkook had dragged me to, and well, things clearly didn't end well because here I am.

Chung Ae's voice reverberates through the desolate room, each word dripping with menace. "You can spare yourself the agony, Roseanne. Just tell me who killed Chul, and it'll all be over."

I grit my teeth, bracing myself against the pain as I refuse to break under his relentless torment. The ropes dig into my skin, my body a canvas for the cruelty he's inflicting. Time ceases to exist—every second stretching into an eternity as he uses every twisted method to make me speak. But I stay silent, my lips sealed against the truth.

No way I'm ratting out Jungkook like that.

"Stubborn, just like I remember," he sneers, frustration flashing in his eyes. What a damned piece of shit.

Even as the pain wracks my body, I refuse to betray Jungkook. I can see the desperation in Chung Ae's eyes, burning as fiercely as the ache in my limbs. He wants answers, needs them—his thirst for vengeance almost tangible in the thick air.

The hours bleed together, my mind balancing on the precipice of despair, fighting to hold on. The basement walls feel like they're closing in, suffocating me as I struggle to keep my secrets hidden in the depths of my silence.

Then, the world erupts. Above us, a cacophony of shouts and gunfire pierces through the silence. The building quakes under the chaos. Chung Ae's focus slips, confusion and alarm flickering across his face.

Suddenly, the door crashes open. Jungkook's men flood into the room like a hurricane, and Chung Ae is caught off guard. I let out a final, muffled scream before my vision blurs, and the darkness closes in around me.

Suga's head snaps toward me, but Jungkook moves faster.

His eyes lock onto mine, concern flickering behind his fury. Without a word, he cuts through the ropes, his movements swift and deliberate. As the bindings fall away, he lifts me into his arms, cradling my battered body like I weigh nothing at all.

Thank God. If I weren't so broken, I'd smack him for taking so damn long to find me.

As we escape the crumbling building, the fresh night air fills my lungs, a stark contrast to the suffocating darkness of the basement. Jungkook lays me gently in the back of his van, the world spinning as my mind teeters on the edge of consciousness.

Just as the door shuts, I give in, letting the blackness take me.

The roar of the van's engine pulls me back to consciousness. My body aches, every breath a reminder of the hours of torment I endured. Through the fog of pain, I catch a glimpse of Jungkook's face in the rearview mirror, his features tense with anger and something else—something like guilt.

"Hang in there, Roseanne. We're getting the fuck outta here."

His voice cuts through the haze, grounding me. I manage a weak nod, though every inch of me is screaming in protest. Jungkook's knuckles are white against the steering wheel, his jaw clenched tight as if holding back a torrent of emotions.

Yep, Chung is fucked for sure.

"What the hell happened back there?" I croak, barely finding the strength to speak.

Jungkook's face hardens. "Chung Ae... he's from my past. I didn't expect him to come after you."

My thoughts race, connecting dots I didn't realize were there. "Why me? How does he know about Chul? What does he want?"