Love or Destiny

Between Hurt and Holding Back

The State moved as usual.

Busy. Loud. Unaware.

But inside a quiet office, far removed from the chaos, everything felt still.

Jennie's father stood near the window, the skyline stretching endlessly before him. In his hand, a thin file. Fresh. Complete.

His assistant stood a few steps behind. "We gathered everything, sir."

A pause. Then the file opened. Page by page. Name by name.

Min Yoongi.

Kim Jisoo.

Details. Background. Connections.

And then his eyes stopped.

"...What is this?"

The assistant spoke carefully. "It appears that Kim Jisoo is legally married to Kim Taehyung."

Silence.

Jennie's father's expression didn't change immediately but something in his gaze darkened.

"Married?" he repeated quietly.

"Yes, sir. It's not public. Only a few people seem to know. It was kept...private."

His grip on the paper tightened slightly.

Another page. Another detail.

"Min Yoongi...is related to her."

A beat.

"...Cousin," the assistant clarified.

The room grew colder.

Everything he had assumed shifted.

Taehyung.

Jisoo.

Jennie.

Yoongi.

All connected. Not loosely but deeply.

A faint, humorless smile touched his lips.

"So," he murmured, closing the file slowly, "it's more complicated than I thought."

His gaze returned to the city. Sharp and calculating.

"...Interesting."

────୨ৎ────

Back at the house, the afternoon sunlight spilled softly across the room, but it didn't feel warm.

Not to her.

Jisoo sat quietly near the window, her hands resting in her lap. Still. Unmoving.

But her mind wasn't.

"That wasn't yours to take."

"You can't just touch my things like that, Jisoo."

His voice echoed. Again and again.

She hadn't expected it from him. Not like that.

Her fingers tightened slightly. Not enough for anyone to notice. But enough for her to feel it.

Footsteps approached.

"Jisoo?"

Jungkook's voice was softer than usual. Careful.

She looked up.

"Oh hey, Jungkook."

He didn't sit immediately. He studied her first.

The way her smile didn't reach her eyes. The way her shoulders felt just a little too still.

"You okay?" he asked gently.