Arranged marriage

✨Chapter 28✨

Y/N's footsteps echoed in the silent hallway as she approached Jungkook's office, each step filled with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. The message he had sent her moments ago still burned in her mind—short and cold, just like him.

We need to talk. Meet me in my office.

Her hand hesitated on the doorknob, her heart pounding in her chest. The silence on the other side of the door was unnerving. She had no idea what Jungkook wanted to talk about, and considering how he had been treating her lately, she wasn't expecting anything good.

But she couldn't back down now. Not when there was so much hanging in the balance.

With a deep breath, Y/N turned the knob and pushed the door open. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from a single lamp on Jungkook's desk. He was seated behind it, his eyes already locked on her the moment she stepped inside. His expression was unreadable—calm, but with that underlying intensity that always made her feel on edge.

"Close the door," he said quietly, his voice low and measured.

Y/N did as he asked, shutting the door behind her before taking a tentative step forward. She had never been in his office before. It was an intimate space, lined with bookshelves and dark wood furniture, with papers and documents scattered across his desk. It smelled faintly of leather and something else—something distinctly Jungkook.

"Sit," he gestured to the chair in front of his desk, his gaze not leaving hers.

Y/N swallowed hard but complied, slowly lowering herself into the chair. Her hands rested in her lap, fingers twisting nervously. The air between them was thick with unspoken tension, and she could feel her heart hammering against her ribs.

Jungkook leaned back in his chair, his eyes never wavering from hers. For a long moment, he said nothing, just studied her in that unnerving way of his, as if he was trying to figure out what she was thinking before she even had a chance to speak.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"Who was that message from?"

Y/N blinked, momentarily thrown by the question. She had expected this conversation to be about something else—maybe about how he had been treating her, or the danger surrounding them both. But instead, he was back to the mysterious message she had received earlier that night.

"The one from the unknown number?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jungkook nodded, his gaze sharp. "Who do you think sent it?"

Y/N shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her mind racing as she tried to piece together her thoughts. "I... I don't know," she admitted, hating how helpless she sounded. "It could be Minho, or someone working with him. But... I have no proof."

Jungkook's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't respond right away. Instead, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk as he clasped his hands together. There was something calculating in his gaze, as if he was weighing her words carefully.

"You shouldn't have kept it from me," he said finally, his tone laced with quiet reproach. "I need to know everything that's going on if I'm going to keep you safe."

Y/N's heart skipped a beat at the word safe, but the frustration bubbling up inside her couldn't be ignored. "You keep saying you want to protect me, Jungkook, but you won't even let me in. You treat me like an outsider—like I'm not part of this."

Jungkook's jaw tightened, a flicker of something—guilt?—passing through his eyes before it was quickly masked. "It's not that simple, Y/N. There are things you don't understand, things I can't tell you—"

"Why not?" she interrupted, her voice louder now, tinged with desperation. "Why can't you just trust me? We're both in this mess together, whether we like it or not. So why are you always pushing me away?"

The silence that followed her outburst was heavy, almost suffocating. Jungkook's expression remained unreadable, but she could see the way his hands clenched slightly, the tension radiating off him like a palpable force.

He stood up suddenly, walking to the window with long, purposeful strides. He stared out into the night, his back to her, shoulders tense. Y/N's heart sank. It was happening again—he was shutting her out, just like he always did.

"You wouldn't understand," he said quietly, his voice barely audible. "This world... my world... it's not something you can just walk into."

Y/N rose from her seat, frustration and anger boiling over inside her. She had had enough of his cryptic half-truths, enough of being treated like she didn't belong.

"Maybe I wouldn't understand," she shot back, her voice trembling with emotion. "But I deserve a chance to try. You can't keep doing this, Jungkook. You can't keep pushing me away and expecting me to just accept it."

He remained silent, his back still turned to her. Y/N took a step forward, her fists clenched at her sides. She was tired of feeling powerless in this situation—tired of being kept in the dark.

"I'm not going to stay here and be your prisoner," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "If you don't want me to be part of your world, fine. But don't expect me to sit around waiting for someone to come after me while you play hero."

Jungkook's shoulders tensed at her words, and for a moment, Y/N thought he might respond, might finally say something that would break through the wall between them. But instead, he remained silent, the distance between them growing wider with every passing second.

Y/N felt a lump form in her throat, her chest tightening with a mixture of anger and sadness. She had tried—she had really tried to reach him, to make him see that she wasn't just some helpless victim in this mess. But it seemed like no matter what she did, Jungkook would always keep her at arm's length.

"Fine," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "If that's how you want it."

She turned and walked toward the door, her heart heavy with the weight of their broken connection. Just as her hand reached for the doorknob, she heard Jungkook's voice, low and strained.

"Y/N, wait."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze in place, her hand hovering over the door. For a moment, she didn't move, unsure of what to do, unsure if she even wanted to hear what he had to say.

But then, slowly, she turned around, her eyes meeting his. Jungkook had moved away from the window, his face cast in shadows, but there was something different in his expression—something softer, more vulnerable.

"I'm trying," he said quietly, his voice raw. "But there are things I can't control. Things I'm trying to protect you from."

Y/N's heart ached at his words, at the pain she could hear in his voice. For the first time, she saw a crack in the armor he had built around himself, a glimpse of the man underneath the cold exterior.

But it wasn't enough. Not yet.

"Then let me help you," she said softly, taking a tentative step toward him. "Let me in, Jungkook. You don't have to do this alone."

Jungkook's eyes flickered with something—hesitation, fear, maybe even hope. But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced by the same guarded expression he always wore.

"I can't," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Y/N's chest tightened, and she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She had known it would be hard to break through to him, but this... this felt impossible.

Without another word, she turned and left the room, the door closing softly behind her.

As Y/N walked down the hallway, her heart heavy with the weight of Jungkook's rejection, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Pulling it out, she glanced at the screen.

Another message.

Unknown Number: You're running out of time, Y/N. He won't be able to save you next time.

Her blood ran cold.

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