IDOL'S OBSESSION

The Puppet Strings Begin to Move

He kept walking, slow and deliberate, past trees and benches, past children running with kites and elderly people enjoying their evening stroll. His heart didn't beat for any of them.

Only for her.

Reaching a bench directly across the entrance gate, he sat down. The sun was dipping low, casting the park in hues of amber and rose-gold. The warm light kissed his skin as his eyes stayed glued to the entrance.

Waiting. Watching.

And then... she came.

His breath stilled in his throat.

Serena stepped through the gate, unaware of the storm she walked into. She wore a flowing white blouse tucked into a soft beige skirt that reached just below her knees. Her feet were clad in simple flats, and a tan leather satchel hung from her shoulder. Her hair was loosely tied in a braid, strands fluttering around her face with the breeze.

She was effortless.

Pure, almost.

Like she didn't belong to this chaotic, noisy world-but to something untouched and divine.

Jungkook's eyes widened slightly, pupils dilating as they soaked in every detail.

She smiled at a little girl who ran past her.

She nodded a greeting to a street vendor by the gate.

She wasn't in a hurry-no headphones, no phone. Just her and the world.

God, he thought, does she even know what she does to the air around her?

His chest ached, and he didn't understand why. Was it a desire? Was it madness? Maybe both.

He couldn't stop watching her walk-the way her skirt swayed gently, the quiet rhythm in her steps, the way she looked up at the trees as if speaking to them in silence. She wasn't just beautiful... She was serene. A contrast to the fire burning inside him.

And Jungkook... he was burning.

"You don't belong here, Sera,"

he whispered under his breath, hidden behind his mask.

"You belong somewhere safer. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere with me."

She hadn't noticed him yet. And he wasn't ready to reveal himself.

Not yet.

He just wanted a few more minutes of watching her as she was-unaware, unguarded, untouched by the weight of his gaze.

"Look at me once," he thought desperately. "Just once..."

But she didn't.

And he sat there... with a smile hidden beneath his mask, as his hunger for her presence grew heavier with each heartbeat.

Sera moved with the same peaceful rhythm that Jungkook had only witnessed from afar until now. Oblivious to the storm she stirred in his chest, she strolled along the narrow cobbled path of the park, her fingers grazing the tips of flower bushes, her eyes fluttering up to the sky as if admiring the colors of dusk.

Jungkook followed her from a distance-silent, calculated, but visibly shaking with emotion under his coat. Every step she took felt like a thread pulling him deeper into a labyrinth with no exit.

And then, she paused.

As always, she settled in the small grassy patch near the old tree-her usual spot. A smile bloomed across her face as two stray puppies bounded toward her, tails wagging excitedly. Sera giggled, sitting down with a lightness only she could wear so effortlessly. She pulled out tiny biscuit crumbs from her satchel and began feeding them, her soft murmurs mixing with the puppies' eager whines.