GOLDEN HEADLINES

86: Arms of Destiny

"OKAY KILL HER"

Jungkook's heart seized in his chest as he took in the horrifying scene before him.

His beloved Alessia, already traumatized by the fire, now faced the barrel of a gun held by the very man who had set the blaze in the first place. The man he had failed to stop.

Tyson's finger twitched on the trigger, and Jungkook knew he had mere seconds to act before the psychopath could pull it and end Alessia's life in an instant.

No, he needed a different plan. Something subtle, something Tyson wouldn't expect.

"Take me instead" Jungkook growled, slowly rising to his feet with his hands raised in surrender.

"Let her go, Tyson. She has nothing to do with this."

"No, Jungkook! Don't do this!" Alessia cried out, her voice cracking with anguish and fear. She struggled against Tyson's iron grip, but his fingers only tightened around her throat, cutting off her air supply.

Jungkook met her terrified gaze, pouring all his love and determination into his expression.

But Jungkook ignored her pleas. He kept his gaze locked on Tyson, willing the madman to focus solely on him.

"It's me you want, isn't it?" he said, his tone low and steady despite the fear churning in his gut.

"I'm the one who crossed you, who dared to stand up to you. So take me instead of her."

A cruel, twisted smile slowly spread across Tyson's face as he considered Jungkook's desperate plea. His eyes glittered with malice and a hint of madness behind the sweat and grime.

"Well, well, well," he drawled, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "Aren't you just the noble little hero? Willing to throw yourself to the wolves to save your precious damsel."

Tyson's grip on the gun tightened fractionally, and Alessia whimpered, pressing herself back against him in a futile attempt to escape his iron hold.

Something inside Jungkook shattered at Tyson's words, a red haze of fury and despair descending over his vision.

He couldn't bear the thought of watching helplessly as the monster before him tortured and killed the woman he loved. In that moment, he knew he had to act, consequences be damned.

"Okay," he heard himself say, his voice cracking with emotion even as his mind raced, forming a desperate plan.

"Kill her. Do whatever you want to her. Just make it quick."

Alessia let out a strangled sob at his words, shaking her head frantically. "Jungkook, no! Don't say that!" she cried out, her voice raw with anguish and betrayal.

As Tyson's attention focused entirely on gloating over what he perceived as Jungkook's defeat and submission. His muscles tensed beneath his torn clothes, coiled and ready to spring into action at the perfect moment.

"You got what you wanted, you sick bastard," Jungkook spat, his voice thick with barely contained rage and desperation.

"Now finish it already. Or are you too much of a coward to even grant her a merciful death?"

Seizing the split second opportunity when Tyson's focus wavered, distracted by his own cruel taunts, Jungkook launched himself forward with a burst of desperate strength.

His body moved on pure instinct, years of training kicking in as he aimed a lightning-fast strike at Tyson's wrist, hoping to knock the gun from his grasp.