MUHEON [무헌] | Jeon JK | 18+

Chapter 18

Disclaimer:
Everything in this chapter happens with consent. Nothing is forced.
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The corridors echoed with the sharp drag of her footsteps against polished stone, the silk of her hanbok whispering in protest as Jungkook's grip fastened mercilessly around her wrist.

Aerin stumbled to keep up, breath caught somewhere between a sob and a plea, the world blurring past in gilded flashes of lantern light.

The maids who lingered dared not raise their heads, the guards who stood by shifted uneasily yet did nothing. No one ever did when it was him.

The heavy silence between them roared louder than the court's judgment. Every step felt like it pulled her deeper into the abyss of his temper.

"Jeonha....please" her voice cracked, fragile like porcelain struck too hard.

He stopped abruptly. The sudden halt forced her forward, nearly colliding into him. Jungkook turned, his dark gaze bearing into hers, not wild but seething with a controlled storm, the kind that crushed without ever breaking form.

"You think you can humiliate me before them?"
His words dropped low, deliberate, each syllable bruising.

Her lips parted, trembling.
"I...I did not"

But her protest withered beneath the weight of his stare. Her heart pounded so violently she thought he might hear it, mocking her weakness.

Before she could retreat, his hand slid to the small of her back, pressing her flush against him, his other hand still imprisoning her wrist. The nearness stole what breath remained in her lungs.

The corridor was too quiet. Too intimate. His breath ghosted against her ear, and the silence stretched into something unbearable.

"Do you know what I hate more than betrayal, Aerin?"

His voice was velvet laced with iron.

"A wife who trembles at my side yet dares to defy me in front of others."

Tears stung her lashes though she forced them back, nails digging into her palms. "I did not"

Her words choked as he dragged her again, this time pushing open the carved doors to his chamber. The air inside was warmer, heavy with the faint scent of burning sandalwood.

He did not release her until the door sealed shut behind them, shutting out the world.

Aerin stood there, shaken, the silence more suffocating than the court's whispers. Her knees trembled under the weight of his gaze.

Then, slowly, Jungkook stepped toward her. Each stride measured, like a predator closing in.
She retreated instinctively until the edge of the lacquered table pressed against her thighs. The room dimmed around them, shadows flickering as the flame danced.

"Why do you run?" he murmured, leaning closer, his hand coming up to tilt her chin.

"Do you fear me... or yourself?"

The question lingered in the air, dangerous and tender all at once. Her lips trembled but no words escaped.

Aerin froze, her palms pressed against the cold floor, the jeweled hem of her robes dragging behind her as if even the silk weighed her down. Her breath came shallow, broken.

She crawled forward anyway desperate, trembling, retreating from the storm in his eyes. But before she could rise, his hand shot out, fingers clamping around her ankle.

A cry escaped her lips as he yanked her back across the polished tiles. The world blurred until she landed at his feet, her body twisting helplessly.

"Do not dare," Jungkook's voice seethed, low and sharp, "to turn your back on me."