Most Hated Woman

i need time

The next morning arrived too late. The night was unbearably long and cold.
Yn had barely slept. She dragged herself out of bed, her eyes swollen from crying, and stared out the window. The rain had cleared, but her mind felt cloudier than ever. Jungkook would be back in Seoul today, and she had no plan yet.

Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her from her thoughts. A message from Big Hit flashed on the screen.

"We hope you've made your decision."

"i need some time" she shortly replied

Her heart dropped. She had no choice but to move forward with this. But how? How could she push him away when everything inside her wanted to hold him closer? She knew it wouldn't happen in one day-she had to be strategic, slow, careful.

She sat at the building's café, staring blankly at her untouched cup of coffee. The sound of laughter, the clinking of cups, the low hum of chatter-none of it reached her. Her phone buzzed again, and this time, it was Jungkook.

"On the way to the airport now. I'll be home soon."

She stared at the message for what felt like hours, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. How do you reply to someone who doesn't know their world is about to fall apart?  She typed and deleted a response several times before settling on a simple, "See you soon."

She couldn't help but feel the weight pressing on her chest again. She knew the real storm was coming when Jungkook returned, and the idea of pretending, lying to his face, tore her apart. But she had to do it-she had to protect him, even if it meant destroying herself in the process.

By the time Jungkook's flight landed, her mind was a mess. She had replayed countless scenarios in her head, but none of them felt right. None of them prepared her for what she had to do. She sat in her apartment, waiting, she knew he will come directly to her first.

It was evening when he finally arrived, the warmth in his smile almost broke her. He walked in, dropping his bags by the door, and immediately wrapped her in a hug. His scent, his touch-it felt like home. And it made everything that much harder.

"I missed you so much," he whispered into her hair, holding her tight as if he had been away for months.

She smiled weakly, trying to mask the turmoil inside. "I missed you too."

He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "Flu? But Flu dont swell eyes?" he said kissing her eyes one by one

There it was-his worry, his concern. It would only get worse from here. She forced another smile, trying to brush it off. "I'm fine, just a little tired cuz i couldnt sleep due to headache so i watched kdramas whole night."

Jungkook wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"

Her heart raced. The cracks in her façade were already starting to show, but she couldn't let them. Not yet.

"It's nothing, just work. Stressful deadlines. and you were not here. i needed my healing"

"Your healing is at your service my lady" he said softly, smiling, though the doubt lingered in his eyes.

She nodded, her throat tightening. "Yeah, I know."

"Come here" he held her hand and took her to her bedroom. They stopped infront of vanity mirror. He was standing behind her, back hugging

"I have a gift for you" She looked in his eyes through mirror.

"What is it?" she asked softly,
"Close your pretty eyes, lil warrior"  and she quickly did.  After a moment, she felt his hands on her neck like it was some pendant he was putting on. Now open your eyes, she was right it was a pendant, a beautiful small pendant a shape four leaves clover.

"Its A promising pendant yn, as that seller said, it a promise that you are and will always be my lucky charm and i will always make my way to you. i promise you, we will never be apart. My love"  He kissed that small clover on her neck sealing the words he promised.

"I promise that i'll support you, i want to see you conqure the world Jungkook, will you do that?"

"You are my world and i will conqure you, Just be with me always, okay?" he pecked the tip of her nose before placing a long warm gentle kiss on her forehead.

They spent the rest of the evening together, but her heart wasn't in it. He brought her a mug too,  a beautiful blue mug with cherry blossom on it, for her.

Every moment together felt like a ticking time bomb. She couldn't let herself get too close, not anymore. She had to start pulling away, piece by piece. His honest words hitting her in her heart and stomach

That night, after spending the evening together, they stood in the hallway between their apartments, the usual teasing atmosphere creeping back in.

He was leaning against her doorframe, grinning like he always did when he had something playful on his mind.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he teased, his eyes sparkling. "What if the flu gets worse? I can make you some world-famous instant ramen."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "I'm fine, Jeon. Besides, the last time you made ramen, you nearly set your kitchen on fire."

He gasped in mock offense. "That was once, and I was distracted-by you, might I add."

"so it's my fault now?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow.

He laughed, leaning in a little closer. "Always."

She tried to keep her tone light, but everything felt heavier than usual. "Well, go back to your apartment, chef. You're not needed here tonight."

He pouted dramatically, stepping back but not without a wink. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when you realize you can't survive without my charm?"

"Jeon just kidding." he laughed, genuinely, on her words.

As he turned to leave, he threw one more playful jab over his shoulder.

"You better take care of yourself, okay? I need you in one piece when I reveal my big surprise."

She froze for a moment, remembering how excited he was about the surprise. She forced a smile. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

"I'm always worrying about you, Yn," he said softly, his teasing tone fading for a brief second before he caught himself. "But I'll go. You probably just want me out so you can watch more K-dramas without me interrupting."

"Exactly. Now go" she replied, pushing him gently toward his door.

He chuckled, finally making his way inside his apartment. "Goodnight, my little warrior. Sleep tight." He gave a quick warm peck on her lips surprising her.

"Goodnight, and have rest Jeon," she whispered, watching as he disappeared inside. The door clicked shut, and for a moment, all she felt was silence.

Her smile faded as the reality settled in again. Another day had passed, and she was no closer to figuring out how to distance herself from him without breaking his heart-or hers.

i am sorry i love you!