black hearted | tk (on hold)

Dix-sept

Beneath quiet eyes,
shadows of hidden intentions
often lie

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Mrs. Kim let out a slow, controlled breath. “We took him in only out of guilt,” she murmured. “Mr. Kim feels responsible for what happened to his family, for their deaths. They were close friends… but we barely know Jungkook.”

She glanced at Jimin, her eyes dark with worry. “You’ve noticed how he watches Taehyung, haven’t you?”

Jimin nodded. “Yes, ma’am. It’s… strange. Like he’s staking some kind of claim.” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “I’m not sure why, but something about it doesn’t feel… right.”

Mrs. Kim’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Exactly. It’s as though he’s become possessive of Taehyung, even though he barely knows him. And what’s stranger still is how little he interacts with either of us. He’s here under our roof, but he avoids us entirely. It’s as if he only sees Taehyung.”

Jimin’s jaw clenched. He’d seen that cold, possessive gleam in Jungkook’s eyes whenever he was around Taehyung. Jimin was close to Taehyung, and he felt protective of him. Jungkook’s strange fixation made him uneasy.

“Ma’am,” he said carefully, “do you think… he’s here for more than just a place to stay?”

Mrs. Kim’s eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, her composed mask seemed to slip. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “But I’ve seen the way he moves around the house—always lingering just out of sight, as though he’s looking for something.”

Jimin frowned, his instincts sharpening. “What do you think he could be searching for?”

Mrs. Kim shook her head, a tremor in her voice. “I’m not sure. But… I fear there’s something dark in him. Something he’s hiding.”

A silence fell over them, and Jimin felt a chill run through him. He couldn’t deny that he, too, sensed something strange about Jungkook. There was no warmth in his eyes—only a steely detachment, as though Jimin were an obstacle rather than a person.

“Ma’am,” he said quietly, “do you want me to keep an eye on him? Make sure he doesn’t… do anything?”

Mrs. Kim’s lips tightened, and she nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “Yes. Yes, Jimin, I would feel safer if you did. You know this estate as well as anyone. If Jungkook is… if he’s planning something, I want to know before he makes any moves.”

Jimin nodded, a sense of duty filling him as he watched her struggle with the fear she was too proud to admit aloud. He knew she cared for Taehyung fiercely and that the thought of anything endangering her family brought out a side of her he rarely saw.

“Of course, ma’am,” he said firmly. “I’ll keep a close watch on him.”

Mrs. Kim gave him a grateful look, though it was tinged with worry. She rose from the bench, adjusting her coat and glancing back toward the mansion. “Thank you, Jimin. I know you and Jungkook don't get along, but I trust you to be discreet. Taehyung doesn’t need to know about any of this. Not yet.”

Jimin gave her a nod, though inwardly he bristled at the mention of Jungkook. It was true they didn’t get along; Jungkook had an arrogance to him, an entitlement that grated on Jimin’s nerves. He acted as though he were above everyone in the household, as though simply being here made the place his. And the way he looked at Taehyung… it was possessive, yes, but there was something more, something Jimin couldn’t quite put his finger on. Almost as though Taehyung were the missing piece in some dark, twisted plan.

As Mrs. Kim walked back toward the mansion, Jimin remained seated, his gaze fixed on the house. He thought of Jungkook, roaming the halls at night, his expression cold and guarded, his eyes always darting to Taehyung. And then there was the mystery surrounding his parents’ deaths. Whispers circulated about their tragic end, but no one knew the full story.

But as he sat there in the quiet, watching Mrs. Kim’s figure disappear into the shadows of the house, Jimin felt a cold certainty settle over him. Jungkook was hiding something—something dark, something dangerous. And if he truly meant to harm Taehyung, if his strange behavior was a sign of deeper intentions, Jimin would find out. He would protect Taehyung, no matter what he had to do.

With a grim sense of resolve, he rose from the bench. He had a duty now, one he wouldn’t take lightly.