Saved || A Jungkook fanfic

39.

Defeated wasn't even the right word.

I stormed down the steps hitting the stone harder than the last, my entire body brimming with frustration. It wasn't just the suffocating weight of being so blatantly unwelcome—it was him.

Jungkook.

I had expected him to follow. Wanted him to follow. But he had hesitated. Even for just a moment, he paused.

Why?

That single second stretched endlessly in my mind, churning the doubts that I tried so hard to suppress.

Is he having second thoughts?

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. I clenched my fists, exhaling sharply as I leaned against Jungkook's locked car, arms crossed. I had been too angry to grab his keys, and now I was stuck waiting for him to make the right decision.

But was I really in a position to say what the right decision was?

The evening air was cool against my skin, but it did little to settle the heat rising in my chest. With a slow inhale, I tilted my head back against the sleek metal of the Porsche and let my gaze drift toward the sky.

A cascade of colors stretched across the horizon—deep amber blending into soft pinks and purples, the last remnants of daylight fading into the encroaching night. It was beautiful, peaceful, and for a fleeting second, I let myself get lost in it.

I thought of my parents.

I wondered where they were, what they were doing. They had always been wanderers, driven by a restless curiosity to explore, to discover. It made sense—they were historians, after all. Their love for the past had shaped their present, sending them to the farthest reaches of the world, collecting knowledge like treasures.

Sometimes, I wish I could disappear like that.

Somewhere far, somewhere unknown. Somewhere I wouldn't have to prove my worth to people who had already made up their minds about me.

But I couldn't.

Because no matter how much I wanted to run, something always pulled me back. Jungkook would always pull me back, I knew it. I closed my eyes for just a moment, letting that truth settle deep in my bones. But the moment of peace was short-lived.

A low, powerful hum rumbled through the driveway.

I straightened as a sleek, jet-black Bentley glided past the gates, its presence commanding even in the dimming light. The headlights flickered as the car came to a smooth stop beside me, and almost immediately, two figures stepped out.

The first one made my stomach twist with instant irritation.

Kai.

"Darling," he drawled, voice dripping with amusement as he stretched his arms wide, a cocky smirk pulling at his lips. "Finally, we meet again. I missed you. How about a hug? After all, we are so close... wouldn't you say?"

His grin was infuriatingly smug, and my entire body recoiled on instinct. I had never despised a voice so much until I met Kai.

Jia, on the other hand, rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. She elbowed past her brother without a second glance, her focus solely on me.

"Ignore him," she sighed, her tone smooth, melodic. "He was dropped on his head too many times as a child."

A small laugh escaped before I could stop it.

Kai shot her a glare, mouthing something undoubtedly childish, but I ignored him. My attention was on Jia—the first person here who didn't look at me like I was less than.