Beyond Boundaries • A KNJ Fanfiction

19.

The entire drive was consumed by an unsettling silence, one that wrapped itself around me like a suffocating shroud. My gaze flicked toward him, only to find Namjoon sitting there with the same effortless calm, his fingers scrolling through his phone as though he hadn’t just dropped a line that rattled me to my core.

"Forbidden things have a secret charm."

The words echoed in my mind, looping endlessly, their weight pressing heavily on my chest. What did he mean? Was it a warning? A confession? Or just one of those cryptic phrases he threw around to mess with my head?

I couldn’t figure it out, and that only made it worse. While he sat there, composed and unbothered, I was unraveling—mentally navigating a shipwreck in the middle of a storm.

I tried to focus on the passing scenery, but my thoughts kept circling back to him. To his words. To his piercing gaze that seemed to see through every wall I’d built.

I stole another glance at him, hoping for some kind of clue, but he didn’t even look my way. His calm demeanor only amplified my restlessness, and for a brief moment, I wondered if he was doing it on purpose—letting me drown in my own confusion while he sat back, unbothered and composed.

The car rolled to a stop, breaking the oppressive silence. Without looking up from his phone, he spoke in that low, commanding voice that made my pulse stutter.

“We’re here.”

It was maddening how unaffected he seemed. Meanwhile, I was left to pick up the pieces of whatever storm he’d unleashed inside me.

With a nod, I stepped out of the car, my heels clicking against the pavement. I waited for him, feeling a strange weight in the air. When he joined me, he walked ahead with his usual air of authority, as if the world itself bowed to him. Each step he took radiated confidence, commanding respect without needing to ask for it.

We stopped in front of the main door, where he pressed his thumb against the sleek fingerprint scanner. The door unlocked with a soft beep. Without missing a beat, he turned his piercing gaze on me.

"Give me your finger," he said, his voice calm but firm.

"What?" I blinked, caught off guard.

"You'll be here for who knows how long, so your fingerprint is needed," he replied nonchalantly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No... no, I don’t think it’s appropriate," I stammered, trying to step back, but before I could move, he reached for my hand.

His touch sent a jolt through me, a shiver rushing down my spine. My breath hitched as an inexplicable warmth spread through me. I could feel a pulse ticking between my legs, a traitorous reaction to the simple press of his fingers against mine. How could a slight touch have this much power over me? It was maddening.

Without giving me time to protest, he pressed my finger against the scanner. The lock beeped again, this time acknowledging my fingerprint.

I stared at him, blank and bewildered. His hand lingered for a moment longer than it needed to, his thumb brushing lightly against mine before letting go.

“Now you can come and go freely,” he said, his tone casual, as if my world hadn’t just shifted.

I couldn’t stop the question that slipped out. “Why are you doing this?”

He glanced at me, his lips curving into the faintest smirk.

“Because I can.”

And just like that, he turned and stepped inside, leaving me standing there with a whirlwind of emotions I couldn’t begin to untangle.