From Reluctance to Desire: A Mafia Story [JJK]

✨CARVING STRENGTH FROM WEAKNESS✨

The silence between Jungkook and me stretched over days, heavy and unyielding. We didn't exchange words, only stolen glances filled with lingering tension. There was no yelling, no fights—just a suffocating quiet that wrapped around the mansion like a storm waiting to break.

I should have been relieved that he wasn't forcing conversations, but instead, I felt an odd emptiness. It wasn't longing, not in the way a lover might crave attention. It was boredom. Restlessness. A realization that I had let myself be caged in this mansion with nothing to do but exist under Jungkook's shadow.

There wasn't even a damn TV in this place.

The more I wandered through the grand yet stifling halls, the more I felt trapped. I needed something—anything—to break this cycle. That's when my gaze fell upon a locked door at the end of the hallway. Jungkook's office. Sealed off like the secrets he kept. I didn't bother trying to open it. If there was one thing I knew about Jungkook, it was that he never left things unguarded.

Instead, I found myself drawn elsewhere—to the place where he trained.

Stepping into the dimly lit training area, my mind flashed back to that night. The night three masked men had broken in. The fear that had gripped me. The helplessness. The way Jungkook had fought them off effortlessly while I had stood there, frozen.

And then, more recently—Oh Min Seok, his disgusting hands on me, the humiliation of being dismissed, of not being believed.

I clenched my fists. No more. I couldn't always wait for Jungkook to protect me. I wouldn't. That's when an idea struck me. I needed to learn how to defend myself.

My plan was bold, and I knew exactly who to approach—Luca, Jungkook's right-hand man. He was always watching, always guarding. If anyone could help, it was him.

At first, Luca hesitated, skepticism evident in the way his sharp eyes studied me.

"You want me to train you?" he asked, arms crossed.

"Yes," I said firmly. "I need to be able to protect myself."

He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "And does Jungkook know about this?"

I squared my shoulders. "He will."

Luca gave me a long look before sighing. "I'll need his approval."

I expected resistance when Luca finally brought it up with Jungkook. But surprisingly, Jungkook barely reacted. He didn't argue, didn't even question it much.

He just said, "Let her."

His indifference stung more than I wanted to admit. But I didn't let it show.

Maybe he thought this would appease me, keep me occupied so I wouldn't challenge him. Maybe he was underestimating me. Either way, I'd use it to my advantage.

Luca led me to the basement—a place I'd never been before. It wasn't just a gym. It was a full-fledged combat training facility. Punching bags, weights, even weapons lined the walls.

I was impressed. But I wasn't here to admire it.

Luca studied me. "You have any experience?"

"Fencing," I replied. "And I hold a black belt in karate."

His eyebrows lifted. "That so?"

"Let me prove it," I said, stepping forward.

We sparred. He overpowered me easily, but I was faster than he expected. When I parried one of his strikes with my sword, I saw the flicker of approval in his eyes.