DUAL

//27

**Warning: Slight gore

⊱ ────── ➴ ────── ⊰

The first thing that came to Jungkook's mind when his arm was slit by Yugyeom during their spar was Chaeyoung.

Her worried face. The curve of her brows. Her lips parting, letting a nervous sigh to escape. The softest touch of her fingers. Her tenderness while attaching her palm to his skin. The downturn of her lips. Her little pout. The gentle way of her telling him to always be careful. Her cool tears. The grief in her ocean blue eyes.

Jungkook gritted his teeth, suppressing the moan of agony as he tried to catch his breath. Yugyeom, like always, had panicked, apologized and hesitated for another attack when he had all the chances. Jungkook had nodded his head to encourage because this time, deep down in his heart, the roughest fight would be the biggest help in preparing himself for the worst in his future days.

He longed for Chaeyoung. Not her healing, but her presence alone. Out of all the days he had longed for her, this was the day he thought as the hardest for him to bear. Out of all those days, it was that day, that moment when he felt the strongest yearning for her.

But he had no other choice. He had to make sure they stayed away from each other. He had to make sure that she was safe from being a target if Hanbin and his friends were to make a return. He might be wrong. It might be something else. Hanbin might not be the threat that was coming. But his intuition seemed too strong that it was hard not to trust in it. His worry over the thing that had not yet happened only developed with time.

It hurt, at every moment, when the last look Chaeyoung gave him flashed in his mind. The disbelief, the deepest disappointment, the hurt, the anger; everything was in full display. They flashed and flickered in her eyes. Her eyes, that were like the calmest days of an ocean turned hard and cold, like an ice.

Despite his need to reach for her, to pull her into his embrace when she began to walk away and to tell her that he couldn't bear seeing her with someone else, it pierced his heart painfully that he couldn't do any of those. He had to let her go.

Jungkook wished it was easier to tell her. He knew that he was easy to read to her, but there were times when he needed to let words out of his mouth. Yet, doing so would only make her worry, would only make her choose to stick around him to provide him with any kind of protection that she could when all he wanted was to protect her. Doing so would only put her in a danger that she should not be in since she was never related to the issue between him and Hanbin.

If something bad ever happened to her, Jungkook would never forgive himself.

Jungkook scrunched his face lightly when he tried to take off the Newcomer's outfit he was wearing. The friction between the outfit and his injured arm made him wince for a second, never expected that it would be as painful as it was. Was he becoming weaker? He grunted, hoping that it was not the case. Eventually, he gave up on taking it off, deciding that he would do it once he reached home.

His eyes narrowed when his ears registered the faint sound of footfalls. It had been quite some time since he was last followed home. For some reason, warning began to knock on his heart.

The sun was about to set. The sky amber, making him more aware of his surroundings. Jungkook stopped walking, made sure that his breathing was calm so as not to make a lot of noise, trying to focus on where exactly the sound came from.

His ears registered different sounds. More movements. Lazy yet somewhat careful steps. Faint hushes. The lightest sound of flames.

Jungkook took a slow, deep breath. He was ready.