✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook

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Jungkook entered his home with Seokjin trailing behind him. Hyun-Ji was on her way back from school and Areum was scheduled to arrive soon after. Clutching the handle of the black case, he was grateful that his parents were away. He had to tell them about it and planned to, but he would rather it not be while he was holding the deadly weapon in his hand.

"Put it somewhere safe but accessible," Seokjin said.

The younger paused, thoughtfully looking down at the case. Now that the earlier stress he was under had dissipated, a burning question lingered in his mind.

"I know there is a reason you're doing all this. May I ask why?" Jungkook asked. "Is there something you're involved in that could put us in danger?"

"It is not something I am involved in anymore, but once upon a time, I was," Seokjin admitted.

"I've made a lot of enemies in my time living. Most of them are dead now, and I'm far removed from the position that earned me those enemies but that doesn't mean they no longer exist. When news starts to travel that my daughter has been found, some of the people that still harbor ill feelings toward me may decide that this is the right moment to retaliate.

"Family members are just as valuable as the target themselves, if not more. My family knows how to handle themselves, but Koi does not. When I am not here, her first line of defense is you."

Jungkook swallowed thickly as the gravity of the situation set in. Finding her father was an invaluable gift that she needed, but it had also made her a target.

Being the only child of the successful Koi Airlines' owner Kim Seokjin, Hyun-Ji had unknowingly been promoted to the title of heiress. Even if it was a title she rejected, those with a vendetta against her father may have a difference in opinion.

"Go to the gun range often," Seokjin continued. "Get comfortable with your weapon. Practice removing it from your holster and immediately firing it. Learn it until you can use it with as much ease as tying your shoes.

"When you're home, keep it close. When you leave home, take it with you. The best protection is one you never have to use, but the worst protection is the one you left home when you needed it most. Don't make them pay that price."

"I won't." He didn't exactly like always carrying a weapon, but if the girls in his life needed him to, he would sacrifice his comfort for them.

"Put it somewhere safe, but accessible," Seokjin repeated, his expression firm. "I'm trusting you, Jungkook."

Jungkook's chin lifted with his resolve. Seokjin's trust was not to be taken lightly, and Jungkook would make sure that the trust he put in him was not misplaced. "Yes, sir."

The case was taken to the second floor just as a second car could be seen pulling into the driveway from the living room window. She was home from school and Areum couldn't be far behind with Hyori.

With less than a minute to work with, Jungkook made a beeline for their closet. Hyun-Ji was short, and so the best place to store the weapon was somewhere she couldn't reach that he easily could. He pushed aside some of their hanging garments so that he could maneuver his body inside and clear a small space on the upper shelf for the lockbox to go.

It found its place next to a few shoeboxes containing their winter boots, effectively blending in with its surroundings.

As he began pushing the clothes hangars back to their original positions, a lone yellow jacket caught his attention, and recognition garnered a small smile. Outside of the few older photos of him and Hyun-Ji he stumbled upon in his phone, he hadn't seen his school uniform since he had awakened from his coma.