"POSSESSION" II JJK X THV II 21+ TAEKOOK FF

20. Looming shadow

“Sohee?” Jungkook muttered, disbelief coloring his voice.

The woman on the ground turned sharply at the sound of her name. Her eyes widened in recognition, and her lips parted in a mix of shock and surprise.

“Jungkook?” she exclaimed, attempting to stand but immediately faltered, clutching her ankle with a grimace.

A crowd began to gather around them, murmuring and pointing.

Jungkook glanced around, his jaw tightening. This was the last thing he needed tonight.

With a reluctant sigh, he crouched beside her. “Looks like you’ve sprained your ankle. Get in the car. I’ll drop you off.”

Sohee hesitated, but the growing crowd left her with little choice. She nodded faintly, allowing him to help her into the passenger seat.

Jungkook was driving through the quiet streets, still reeling from the unexpected encounter with Sohee. 

The drive was cloaked in awkward silence, broken only by the faint hum of the car engine. Sohee glanced at him hesitantly, breaking the stillness.

“It’s been a while,” she said, her tone tentative. “How have you been?”

Jungkook’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, his gaze fixed on the road. “Fine,” he replied curtly.

“I heard you’re working with Jeon Group now,” she ventured, attempting small talk. “I don’t know the details, but... I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Jungkook replied, his tone flat and uninviting.

The weight of their shared history hung heavily in the air. Finally, Jungkook asked, his voice edged with mild irritation, “What were you doing out so late alone?”

Sohee shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her hands. “I was... shopping,” she said, a weak attempt to deflect.

“And your car?”

“It’s in repair,” she said, glancing out the window. The silence stretched until she added quietly, almost as if confessing, “Actually... we sold it.”

Jungkook didn’t respond, his expression unreadable.

Sohee took a deep breath, her fingers fidgeting nervously in her lap. “Things aren’t going well,” she spoke. “The business is struggling. Your father isn’t in the best health, and your brother... he made some bad decisions with risky projects. We almost went bankrupt.” She let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Karma, I guess.”

Jungkook remained silent, his jaw tightening. It wasn’t his business anymore, and he wasn’t about to pretend otherwise.

His silence made Sohee fidget, her fingers tracing the line of her dress nervously.

“I have actually been wanting to meet you,” Sohee added, her voice trembling slightly, and the weight of her desperation seeped into her words.

“Jungkook… I don’t know what to do. I can’t help them, not the way I want to. I feel so useless.” Her voice cracked, and she looked away, blinking back the tears threatening to spill. “If there’s any way you could—if you could help us… I’d be forever grateful.”

Jungkook’s patience snapped. The weight of the day, her sudden appearance, and now her pleas for help—it was all too much.

His jaw hardened, and irritation flashed across his face. But before he could respond, his phone rang.

Without hesitation, he reached for it and answered, the irritation in his features melting away almost instantly as he heard the voice on the other end.