𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 ❤ (𝙹𝚒𝚔𝚘𝚘𝚔 💜)

18) New Walls, Old Wounds

Jimin's pov

I stood in front of the door longer than I should have.

Just... stood there.

The strap of my duffel bag was already digging into my shoulder, my palms sweaty even though the wind was cool. The building was quiet, the hallway still. I could hear the faint sound of someone’s TV through a door down the hall. A kettle whistling. Normal sounds. Domestic.

This isn't a home, I reminded myself. It’s just a place. A roof.

My eyes rested on the door, flat and neutral — just like him. Cold. Sharp around the edges. And yet, here I was, shifting into the same space he breathed in. Sharing air with the man who’d made it a point to hurt me every chance he got.

What the hell am I doing...

But Grandpa Jeon’s voice rang in my head like a warning.

“Just stay for a while. Let him look after you too, just for once.”

As if I needed looking after. But I couldn’t say no to that man. Not after what he’d done for me. Not after everything.

I sighed and finally rang the bell.

A few moments passed before the door creaked open.

And there he was.

Jeon Jungkook.

Plain black T-shirt. Sweatpants. Barefoot. His hair was messy — probably hadn’t expected me to actually show up today.

His eyes scanned me quickly, pausing at the bag over my shoulder. I could see the flicker of something behind his pupils.

Surprise?

Relief?

No, that couldn’t be it.

“Come in,” he said curtly, stepping aside.

I walked in. The air smelled faintly of cleaning spray and something deeper — wood polish maybe. The floor practically gleamed. My brows arched slightly.

Had he... cleaned?

I kept my face neutral as I set my bag down by the corner. My chest was tight — like I’d stepped into a space where I didn’t belong.

He led me to a room at the end of the hall.

It was neat. Too neat. Sheets tucked in like it was some hotel. A desk with empty drawers. Even a small potted plant in the corner, though I doubted it had been there before.

“Your room,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “You can... arrange it how you want. Or whatever.”

I nodded stiffly. “Thanks.”

God, even that word felt heavy. Because it meant accepting something from him.

He didn’t say anything. Just gave me one last unreadable glance and walked off.

I shut the door behind me and exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

And then, I just stood there.

In the middle of this new space. My new reality.

I didn’t unpack. I didn’t sit down. I just stared at the walls.

This isn’t home, I reminded myself again.

It’s temporary. Like everything else in my life right now.

.

.

.

I didn’t come out of the room the entire day.