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The next day, Jungkook stood silently in the shadows, his tall, muscular frame hidden beneath the overhang of a building. His eyes scanned the street, sharp and focused, watching the usual troublemakers gather at the end of the block where Seohwa had been harassed the previous evening. He clenched his jaw, his muscles tense, knowing these kids were about to learn a lesson they wouldn’t forget.
The boys—rowdy and careless—laughed among themselves as they pushed each other around. Their cocky attitudes and loud voices grated on Jungkook’s nerves, but he waited patiently, biding his time. He had once been like them, reckless and full of misdirected energy. But unlike them, he had the experience of a lifetime in the underworld—a fact that these kids were about to discover.
As the boys started to leave, thinking they had the streets to themselves, Jungkook stepped out of the shadows, his figure cutting a dark silhouette under the fading light. His mere presence sent a wave of silence rippling through the group, their laughter dying in their throats as they stared at the man in front of them.
One of the boys, a scrappy kid with an oversized hoodie, narrowed his eyes and sneered. "What’s this? Some old guy come to scare us off?"
Another chimed in, "Yeah, what’s he gonna do? Bet he can’t even keep up."
Jungkook didn’t flinch. He simply stared at them, his gaze cold and unyielding. His silence alone made the boys shift uneasily, but they didn’t back down. Not yet.
"You’re Seohwa’s brother, huh? You gonna try and protect your little sister?" one of them taunted, taking a step forward. "You don’t look like much."
Jungkook’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. They don’t know who they’re messing with.
Without a word, he moved. In a single, swift motion, he grabbed the front of the boy’s hoodie and yanked him forward, his strength catching the kid off guard. The boy’s breath hitched as Jungkook lifted him off the ground effortlessly, his fist wrapped tightly in the fabric of his collar.
"You think I’m too old for this?" Jungkook’s voice was low, dangerous. "You think I can’t handle a few punks?"
The boy squirmed in his grip, his cocky attitude quickly crumbling under the weight of Jungkook’s cold stare. "L-let go, man! I-I didn’t mean nothing."
Jungkook tightened his grip, leaning in closer, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You’re going to stay away from my sister. All of you. If I see you near her again, I won’t just let you off with a warning."
He glanced at the rest of the boys, who were now pale, their eyes wide with fear. "Understand?"
The boy in his grasp nodded frantically, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe. "Y-yeah, man, we get it! We won’t bother her again, I swear!"
Jungkook released him, and the boy stumbled backward, gasping for air as he clutched at his chest. The rest of the group looked like they were about to piss themselves, and Jungkook didn’t miss the way one of them actually took a step back, fear evident in every movement.
"Good." Jungkook’s voice was steady, the threat in his words unmistakable. "Now get out of here before I change my mind."
The boys didn’t waste any more time. They scrambled away, tripping over their own feet in their haste to escape, their bravado shattered. Jungkook watched them disappear down the street, his eyes still hard and cold, though the tension in his body slowly began to ease.
He straightened up, rolling his shoulders as he sighed deeply. The old habits—handling situations with intimidation—came back far too easily. But for Seohwa, he didn’t care. He would protect her, no matter what.
As the last of the boys turned the corner, Jungkook turned and walked back toward his shop, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The shadow of his past still lingered, but at least for now, he had sent it a message: don’t mess with Jungkook, not then, not now.
