Mama I am in love With a criminal (TK)

chapter 16

The journey from Hwaam Village to Seoul was pleasant—for Jungkook, at least. The same couldn’t be said for Taehyung.

The man’s ears were practically numb from hours of Jungkook’s endless chatter, his playlist of songs, and, worst of all, those infuriating cartoon jingles. For a moment, Taehyung felt like he was dealing with an actual child. Meanwhile, in the four-hour drive, Jungkook had managed to eat, sleep, and even hum his way through every necessity.

Taehyung, on the other hand, hadn't stopped driving. Jungkook, surprisingly, started to feel a bit sorry for him. "Mr. Criminal, you can let me drive and take a break. You look tired," he suggested, voice carrying an unusual tone of concern.

Taehyung raised a brow, glancing at him skeptically. "You know how to drive?"

Jungkook shook his head with a cute grin. "No, but I can try. You just have to trust me a little," he said, flashing an innocent smile and blinking as if to reassure him.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, making Jungkook pout. "No need. I don’t want to fall asleep and wake up in hell," Taehyung retorted bluntly.

"Mr. Criminal—"

"Yeah?"

"I’ve run out of words to call you mean," Jungkook huffed, crossing his arms.

Later, as the car came to an unexpected stop, Jungkook leaned forward with curious, sparkling eyes. The tinted windows revealed a familiar sight in the distance—the backside gate of his mansion. "Oh my gosh, why did you stop here? We’re just minutes away!"

Taehyung stayed still, texting casually. "You really thought we were going to drive in there?" he asked, his tone mocking but calm.

"Huh? What do you mean? How else are we going to get Bun Bun? You didn’t lie to me, did you? Are you taking me back now?" Jungkook fired his questions in rapid succession, not even pausing for a reply.

"We’re not going back—" Taehyung began but was immediately interrupted.

"What do you mean, ‘not going back’?" Jungkook’s voice grew more frantic, his wide eyes darting to Taehyung, demanding answers.

With a sigh, Taehyung tried to respond, but Jungkook suddenly froze, his thoughts racing. The realization hit him hard—Taehyung wasn’t going to take him back. They weren’t going to enter the house either.

And now, he was alone.

Jungkook’s heart started pounding in fear. Memories of the times he’d bitten Taehyung, yelled at him, and even fed him bugs rushed back. ‘He’s going to kill me.’ The thought struck like lightning, and he began to cry uncontrollably, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

Taehyung turned to him, startled. "Jungkook, what’s wrong?" he asked, confused, reaching out to comfort him. But Jungkook yanked his hand away, shaking his head.

"No—no! You’re going to kill me!" he sobbed loudly, his voice trembling.

Taehyung frowned, bewildered. "What are you even saying? Why would I kill you? Look at me—Jungkook, look at me," he said firmly, forcing the boy to meet his eyes.

Still crying, Jungkook tried to free himself, mumbling incoherent fears. With no other choice, Taehyung pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him in place. "Trust me. I would never do that. I could never do that. Believe me," Taehyung murmured, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

Gradually, Jungkook calmed down. "You’re not going to kill me?" he asked in a tiny, trembling voice.

Taehyung almost smiled at how pitiful he sounded. "No, Jungkook. Why would I?"