From Reluctance to Desire: A Mafia Story [JJK]

✨THE RETURN✨

It had been two days since I last saw Jungkook at the warehouse. Two days since he promised we would talk at home.

And yet—nothing. Not a single word.

Not a text. Not a call. Not even a fleeting sign that I existed in his world.

The silence was suffocating.

This evening was no different. I sat curled up on the couch, the glow of the setting sun casting long, eerie shadows on the walls. Julia and the rest of the staff had already left for the day, their soft chatter fading into nothingness. The house stood still—so still, it was almost mocking me.

I stared at my phone, the screen dimly illuminating my fingers as I hesitated before dialing his number. My heart pounded in my ears as it rang once. Twice.

Busy.

Again.

Still busy.

A frustrated sigh tore from my lips as I tossed the phone onto the coffee table, my hands clenching into fists. I didn't know what I felt anymore—worry, frustration, longing? They all blurred into something volatile, something I couldn't contain.

And then—I heard it.

The front door opened.

I shot up from the couch, my pulse hammering as his voice echoed through the hall.

"It's him, Dad."

My stomach twisted.

"I confirmed it. We'll finish it off tomorrow."

I swallowed hard, my body stiffening as I tried to process his words. I knew what that meant. In his world, there was only one way to "finish" something.

Murder.

I should have been horrified. Should have feared him. But right now, all I felt was the white-hot fury bubbling under my skin.

He had time for this.

For them.

But not for me.

Jungkook hung up, shoving his phone into his pocket as he stepped into the living room.

Our eyes met.

Something inside me cracked.

He looked exhausted, his dark eyes burning with something unreadable, but I didn't care.

I moved toward him instinctively, but before I could reach him, he turned his back on me.

And walked right past me.

Like I was nothing.

"Jungkook." My voice was quiet, unsure.

He didn't stop.

"Jungkook." This time, firmer.

Still, he kept walking.

And something in me snapped.

I followed him into the bedroom, my feet moving before my mind could catch up. I needed answers. I needed him to say something—anything.

"Jungkook."

"What?" His voice was sharp, irritated.

I flinched, but I didn't back down.

"Why are you acting like this?" I demanded, my voice shaking from anger I didn't even understand.

"Like what?" He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair, his back still turned.