✨ The Devil's Darling ✨

13

The door creaked open, sunlight spilling across the polished steps.

And there he was.

Jeon Jungkook.

The boy from yesterday. The boy Eunwoo wanted to marry. The boy Taehyung had held by the waist, had shouted at, had remembered all night long.

He came running out with the clumsy energy of someone too young to care about grace.

His hair was messy—dark, soft strands falling into his eyes, not yet styled, not yet forced into neatness. A thin white t-shirt clung to his frame, sleeves pushed high on his arms, and loose jeans hung low, one knee ripped open.

His sneakers were untied, laces flapping as he jogged down the steps. A small black backpack was thrown over one shoulder, swinging against his side.

He turned back, grinning wide at someone inside, his bunny teeth flashing.
“Appa, stop it, I’ll be late!”

His laughter rang out clear, that same laugh Taehyung had heard yesterday. That laugh had haunted him through the night, buried in the corners of his mind like a spark he couldn’t kill.

Time slowed.

Inside the car, no one moved.

Taehyung’s eyes locked onto him, unblinking. The air in his chest seemed to vanish; his grip on the door handle tightened until his knuckles went white.

His heartbeat thudded heavy, but his face—stone cold, giving nothing away. Only his eyes betrayed him, wide, sharp, drinking in every detail of the boy in front of him.

Namjoon leaned slightly forward, voice low, careful.
“Boss… it’s him.”

Yoongi, for once, didn’t smirk. He sat straighter, his gaze flicking between Jungkook and Taehyung.

His lips curved, not into a smile, but into something sharper—curiosity.
“Well, well… the universe has jokes.”

Hoseok, from the driver’s seat, whispered under his breath.
“That’s the boy? The same one?”

No one answered him.

Because Jungkook turned again, stepping further into the sunlight.

His face was glowing, youthful and careless, untouched by the weight of the world that pressed down on men like Taehyung.

“Amma, I’m going! Don’t wait for me, okay?”
His voice was light, melodic, carrying across the courtyard.

Taehyung’s throat worked once, his lips parting as if to speak, but no sound came out.

His body leaned forward slightly, instinctive, like something inside him was pulling him toward the boy.

Namjoon watched him carefully. He’d seen Taehyung kill men without blinking, command armies without fear. But this—this silent, frozen stare—he’d never seen before.

“Boss,” Namjoon murmured again, his voice slower, testing. “It’s Jeon Jungkook.”

The name hung heavy in the car.

Yoongi’s eyes narrowed, a sharp gleam flashing.
“Eunwoo’s precious little bride-to-be.” His smirk returned,
cruel at the edges.
“And your little enemy from yesterday. Cute, isn’t it?”

Taehyung didn’t answer. His jaw was clenched so tightly the vein in his neck stood out.

His hand finally slipped from the door handle, falling into his lap, trembling almost stunned .

Jungkook jogged toward the small black car waiting for him at the side gate, humming softly to himself, completely unaware of the storm watching him from across the street.

Namjoon pushed his glasses higher, his voice dropping even lower.
“Boss… what do you want us to do?”

Taehyung’s gaze never left Jungkook. Not once. His voice finally came, so low it was almost a growl.
“Follow him.”

The three men exchanged glances. Namjoon nodded immediately.

Hoseok shifted the car into gear without a question.

Yoongi exhaled smoke, chuckling under his breath,
his eyes glittering with something dangerous.

And as Jungkook’s laughter faded down the road, Taehyung leaned back into his seat, silent, his expression unreadable—but inside his chest, something had already shifted, something he couldn’t name.