𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝔂 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓮 (𝓙𝓲𝓴𝓸𝓸𝓴)

chapter 14

Jungkook’s POV

There she stood, right in front of me—Ava. It had been two months since I’d last seen her, and despite everything that happened, a part of me had been worried, fearing she might do something drastic. But seeing her here, looking well and… okay… gave me a surprising sense of relief. I felt like a weight had lifted from my shoulders as I took a hesitant step toward her.

“Hey, Ava,” I greeted her, my voice sounding a bit stiff, even to my own ears.

“Hey…” she replied, her gaze dropping slightly. “Oh… am I interrupting? You look like you were about to leave?”

“Yeah, but it’s fine. Do you… want to talk about something?” I asked, genuinely curious, though a bit nervous.

Ava shifted her weight, her expression conflicted. “I… I wanted to apologize… for what Olivia did. I had no idea she would go that far.” Her tone was soft, almost apologetic, and I could see how much it had been bothering her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I replied, managing a small, sad smile. “If I were in Olivia’s place, I’d probably do the same to someone who hurt my best friend. I deserve it anyway.” A hollow laugh escaped me as I spoke, the words feeling heavy. I couldn’t help but imagine Suga hyung’s reaction if he heard me right now—he’d probably give me a hard slap and a lecture for days. But no amount of lectures would lessen the guilt I felt. It was like an unwelcome shadow that followed me everywhere, constantly whispering that I was to blame.

“Don’t say that, Jungkook. You did what you had to do for your family; we both know that,” Ava said, giving me a pained smile as she looked away.

Her words brought a pang to my chest, stirring memories I had buried deep.

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Flashback

“Hey, Jungkook… do you think your family would like me?” Ava had asked me as we sat in the park, watching kids run around and play. Her voice was soft, hopeful, her gaze filled with a kind of vulnerability she rarely showed.

“Of course they would,” I had assured her with a smile, pulling her close. “My parents would love you like their own. Maybe even more than they love me.” I chuckled, hoping my words would ease her doubts.

Her face lit up at that, a warm smile spreading across her lips. “I’ve always wanted a family, you know? I don’t know what a mother’s love feels like, or a father’s protection. Do you think I could find that with your parents?”

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as I whispered, “They’ll love you like their own daughter, Ava. So don’t worry, alright?”

She had nestled into my chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my arm, and in that moment, everything had felt right.

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“Jungkook… are you okay?” Ava’s voice pulled me back to the present, her expression concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, forcing a small smile, even though my heart felt like it was carrying the weight of the world. I glanced at her, hoping she wouldn’t see through the mask I was trying to keep up.

“So… how’s everything going?” she asked softly, almost hesitantly. “Is Jimin… adjusting okay?”

For some reason, the mention of Jimin made my chest tighten, a weird, unpleasant feeling creeping in. I forced it down, nodding. “Yeah, everything’s good. He’s… he’s doing well.”