GAME ON. (JIKOOK)

4. Aria

The blonde slid into the backseat of the car, his body trembling, hands shaking as he tried to steady his breath. The adrenaline from the confrontation with Jungkook still coursed through his veins, but the moment the door shut behind him, sealing him inside the vehicle, the facade crumbled.

The sobs came quietly at first, soft gasps for air as he clenched his fists tightly against his lap. His chest heaved, but he pressed his lips together, trying to choke back the sound, unwilling to let his grief spill into the cold night. His tears streaked down his pale cheeks, catching the dim light from the street lamps as the car began to move. He felt so small, so fragile, as if he might break apart at any second.

"I'm sorry..." his voice cracked, the words spilling out between sobs as he kept his gaze fixed on his trembling hands. "I-I'm so sorry..."

The driver let out a low, almost casual laugh, a sound filled with detached amusement. His voice was calm, steady, and utterly devoid of sympathy. "Sorry, are you?" He glanced at the blond through the rearview mirror, his eyes glinting with a mixture of mockery and something colder, more sinister. "Feeling guilty now, Jimin?"

Jimin nodded, his body shaking harder as he tried to keep his sobs quiet. "I didn't tell him anything—I swear, I didn't!" His voice rose in pitch, desperation creeping into his tone. "He took the tracker, but I—I followed the rules. I did everything I was supposed to. I said what I was told to say. I swear, I didn't—"

The driver cut him off with another chuckle, a cruel edge sharpening his amusement. "Relax, Jimin. I know you didn't spill anything important. You did exactly what was expected of you."

Jimin's heart thudded painfully against his chest, the words offering no comfort, only dread. His tears fell faster, and he wiped at them furiously, but it was no use. His voice came out hoarse, strained. "Then why does it feel like -"

The driver's eyes gleamed in the rearview mirror, his lips pulling into a thin smile. "You haven't failed. Not yet." He paused for a moment, his tone growing darker, more pointed. "But he's waiting for you, Jimin. At home."

The words sent an icy chill through Jimin's spine, and he flinched as though struck. His breath hitched, and his blood ran cold. The car seemed suddenly smaller, the air thinner, suffocating him as the weight of those words sank in.

At home.

A single name flashed in his mind, cutting through the haze of his panic. Aria.

His daughter.

"Aria..." Jimin whispered, barely able to form the word as dread twisted deep inside him. The sobs were still there, but his panic quickly drowned them out. His pulse quickened, a frantic rhythm echoing in his ears. Aria was at home. His sweet little girl—his entire world—was alone.

How had he been so stupid? How had he left her, unprotected, vulnerable, while he danced this deadly game?

Jimin's head snapped up, eyes wide with horror as he stared at the driver's reflection in the mirror. "Where is she?" His voice was shaky, barely above a whisper, but there was a fierceness in it that hadn't been there before. "Where's Aria?"

The driver's grin widened, his expression colder now, almost predatory. He took his time before answering, as though savoring the power he held over Jimin in that moment. "She's safe... for now."

Jimin felt his stomach drop, bile rising in his throat. "For now?" The words echoed in his head like a death sentence, and he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. His entire body felt numb, a creeping paralysis overtaking him. "What do you mean, for now?"