Arranged marriage

Chapter 27

Y/N stood frozen in the hallway, the soft glow from her phone screen casting an eerie light across her face. Her fingers trembled as she reread the message.

Unknown Number: You think you're safe? Think again.

Her heart raced, panic rising in her chest. She turned her head slowly toward the door, where Jungkook had been standing moments ago. The house was silent, almost too silent. Every creak, every distant hum of the wind outside felt like a threat.

She swallowed hard, her mind racing. Who was this? Minho? Someone else involved in this tangled web of danger that Jungkook seemed to be at the center of? She knew she should tell Jungkook, but something stopped her. He had been so distant, so cold, and she was tired of feeling like an unwanted burden in his life.

But then again, what other choice did she have?

Taking a deep breath, she headed back toward the front of the house, where Jungkook had disappeared into the darkness. As she rounded the corner, she spotted him in the foyer, standing with his back to her, his shoulders tense, staring out into the night through the large windows.

"Jungkook," Y/N called softly, clutching her phone tightly in her hand.

He didn't turn around immediately, his posture rigid as though he was still caught up in his own thoughts. Y/N approached him, her heart pounding as the tension between them thickened. She wasn't sure how he would react, but she had to tell him about the message.

"Jungkook," she repeated, her voice firmer now.

He finally turned, his expression blank but his eyes betraying a storm of emotions beneath the surface. "What is it?" he asked, his voice as cold as it had been in the car.

Y/N hesitated for a second, wondering if it was even worth showing him. But she shook off the doubt, holding up her phone so he could see the message on the screen.

"I got this just now," she said quietly, watching his face carefully for any reaction.

Jungkook's eyes darkened as he read the message. His jaw tightened, but he didn't say anything at first. Instead, he took the phone from her hands and studied the message closely, his thumb hovering over the screen as if considering what to do next.

"Who is it from?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jungkook's gaze flicked up to meet hers, his expression unreadable. "I don't know," he said after a long pause, but there was something in his tone that made Y/N doubt his words.

Her brows furrowed. "You don't know? Are you sure it's not Minho? Or someone working with him?"

Jungkook's grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white. "I said I don't know," he repeated, his voice harsher this time.

Y/N flinched at his tone, her chest tightening with frustration. Why did he always have to shut her out like this? Why couldn't he just be honest with her, especially when her life was clearly at risk too?

"Jungkook, I'm in this just as much as you are," Y/N said, trying to keep her voice steady despite the anger bubbling inside her. "You can't keep treating me like I don't matter, like I'm just some... inconvenience."

Jungkook's eyes flashed, and for a moment, she thought he might actually say something, might finally open up. But then, just as quickly, he looked away, his expression hardening once again.

"You're safer if you stay out of this," he muttered, handing her phone back to her. "Don't engage with whoever this is. Let me handle it."

Y/N clenched her fists at her sides, the weight of his dismissal settling heavily in her chest. It was always the same with him—he kept her at arm's length, never letting her in, never trusting her enough to be a part of the solution. She wasn't some helpless damsel, but that's exactly how he treated her.

"Fine," she said, her voice tight with frustration. "But just so you know, I'm not going to sit around and wait for someone to come after me. I'm not a child, Jungkook."

Without waiting for his response, Y/N turned on her heel and walked back toward her room, her heart pounding with anger and fear. She was tired of this—tired of being kept in the dark, tired of feeling like she was walking on eggshells around him. Something had to change.

As she reached her room, she threw her phone onto the bed and sat down, running her hands through her hair as she tried to calm her racing thoughts. She wasn't safe, and the message had made that painfully clear. But what scared her more than the threat itself was the fact that she had no idea who to trust anymore.

Jungkook's world was full of shadows—secrets, betrayals, danger lurking around every corner. And now, those shadows were creeping into her life too. She had thought, maybe naively, that the worst was over after the incident at the club, but now it seemed like things were only just beginning to unravel.

As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, her phone buzzed again. Her heart jumped into her throat as she picked it up, half-expecting another message from the unknown number. But instead, it was a different text.

Taehyung: Are you okay?

Y/N blinked, surprised by the message. She hadn't spoken to Taehyung since the night of the fight, and she had assumed that he was as deep in Jungkook's world as anyone else. But now, seeing his name on her screen, she felt a strange sense of relief.

Y/N: I'm fine... just trying to process everything.

The reply came almost instantly.

Taehyung: If you ever need to talk, I'm here. Don't let Jungkook shut you out.

Y/N stared at the message for a long moment, her fingers hovering over the keyboard as she considered what to say. She hadn't expected Taehyung to reach out, especially after the tension between him and Jungkook. But something about his words made her feel... seen. Like maybe she wasn't as alone in all of this as she thought.

Y/N: Thank you. I might take you up on that.

She hit send, feeling a strange sense of comfort settle over her. Maybe Taehyung was right. Maybe she didn't have to face all of this alone.

But as the minutes passed, Y/N's mind kept drifting back to Jungkook. Despite everything, despite the walls he put up around himself, there was a part of her that couldn't stop caring about him. She had seen glimpses of the person he was beneath the cold exterior—the protector, the man who had risked his life to save hers. But those glimpses were fleeting, quickly overshadowed by the darkness that surrounded him.

And she was starting to wonder if she would ever truly be able to break through.

Just as Y/N was about to settle into bed, another notification lit up her phone. This time, it wasn't from Jimin or the unknown number.

Jungkook: We need to talk. Meet me in my office.

Her heart skipped a beat. What could he possibly want now?

As she slipped out of bed and made her way down the hall, a sinking feeling gnawed at her. Something told her that this conversation wasn't going to be easy.