Possession [ JK version ]

= 44 = Virus within her will eat him up!

" Oh," a yelp of pain escaped from Aziel's lips as soon as her bandaged ankle made contact with the bed. 

" 미안해요," Bon-Hwa said and Aziel nodded her head guessing that she must be apologising for the thing which she hadn't committed.

" It's okay. Now you may go," she ordered and Bon-Hwa nodded her head. She looked at Aziel one more time and then decided to leave.

Three days had passed since the accident, and each day sequestered in her room had felt like an eternity to Aziel. Her injury had proved more severe than she initially thought—a torn anterior talofibular ligament rendering her practically immobile, a captive in her own bed amidst waves of pain and enforced stillness.

She could no longer walk, her movements restricted severely on doctor’s orders: no pressure on the leg for three long weeks. Dependence on others for basic needs had stripped her of her independence, and she felt it acutely every moment of the day.

"Ah, Jesus," she mumbled, a sharp jab of pain slicing through her as she shifted on the bed. Once settled, she drew a deep breath, exhaling slowly, attempting to quell the tempest within her nerves. Her slender wrist pressed against her forehead, eyes closed, she plunged into a contemplation of her life—a life drastically narrowed down to the confines of her room for the past three days, the outside world a distant memory.

The isolation was suffocating, but even more oppressive was the change in Jungkook.

His behavior had grown increasingly peculiar. Jungkook had always been tactile, but now his touches lingered, devoid of any appropriate context. His hands seemed to have a will of their own—caressing her hair, her arms, even her injured leg under the guise of concern.

The nights were the worst.

Each evening, as shadows lengthened into darkness, he would kiss her goodnight and pull her close. If she resisted, a flash of anger in his eyes coerced her into compliance. The situation could have been romantic, had their relationship been on better footing.

But what truly unsettled her was his newfound tenderness. She vividly remembered the first night with her injury; as she lay whimpering in pain, Jungkook had hovered, whispering sweet nothings, his words a bittersweet melody in her ears. "Don’t worry, the pain will go away. Be strong, Aziel. You are my strong girl," he had soothed, showering her with kisses that were meant to comfort but instead sent a chill down her spine.

Now, lying in the quiet of her room, her gaze fell on the wall clock. 9:35 PM. Jungkook was not yet home—a frequent occurrence. He often returned late, sometimes as late as 3 AM, his presence only revealed by the warmth of his embrace in the darkness.

As the clock ticked on, Aziel lay in a tumult of emotions, the weight of her immobility pressing down on her, the complex layers of her relationship with Jungkook suffocating her more than her physical confines. Each minute stretched on, filled with anticipation and dread for what his return might bring.

Meanwhile,

With the black sleeve of his shirt rolled to the elbow and a lit cigarette dangling precariously between his lips, Jungkook sat entrenched within the dimly lit office of his faltering company. Shadows danced across his furrowed brow as he sifted through an avalanche of paperwork. His empire was trembling, profits dwindling, demanding his unwavering focus.

Opposite him, Mr. William perched uneasily, every puff of smoke that curled through the air etching deeper lines of discomfort onto his already strained face.

"You shouldn't smoke," Mr. William ventured, his voice a hushed murmur lost amidst the haze. Jungkook barely acknowledged the concern, his attention riveted to the columns of numbers that spelled out a looming disaster.