Fatescript

"Disarmed and Protected"

“You don’t look like yourself,” Jihoon said quietly, his tone gentler than usual. “Do you need my help?”

Taehyung turned his head slightly, resting it against the cool glass of the window. His reflection stared back at him—tired eyes, faint shadows under them, lips pressed into a thin line. He exhaled slowly before answering.

“Not really,” he murmured. “I’m… I’m first trying to figure out if that person is still around. If they’re constantly after Jisoo.” His voice hardened, though the weariness still clung to it. “But so far, no. Not once. I haven’t seen them anywhere near her house.”

Jihoon’s brows furrowed. He leaned forward a little, studying his brother’s expression. “You’ve been looking into this yourself?”

“Yes.” Taehyung’s eyes flickered with a mixture of determination and fatigue. “Every CCTV angle I can get my hands on, every corner of her neighborhood. I can’t let this slide, hyung. She was being followed for months, and she didn’t say a word. She endured it alone.” His hand curled into a fist on his lap. “Now that I know, I can’t sit still. I need to know who it is. Why they’re doing this. And most of all, if she’s still in danger.”

Jihoon sighed softly, shaking his head. “You’re burning yourself out, Tae. Look at you—you’re pale, you’ve lost weight, and your eyes…” He trailed off, his voice edged with both worry and frustration. “If you collapse, what then? Who protects her?”

Taehyung’s lips twitched into the ghost of a smile, though there was no humor in it. “I’ll manage. I have to.” He straightened a little, voice steadying despite the heaviness in his tone. “She’s more important than my sleep. More important than my comfort. As long as she’s safe, nothing else matters.”

Jihoon studied him quietly for a long moment, then leaned back in his seat, exhaling through his nose. He knew better than to argue when Taehyung had that fire in his eyes, the same fire that had driven him to build his empire at such a young age. But beneath that determination, Jihoon also saw the fragility—the strain threatening to break through.

The car ride stretched on in silence, the weight of unspoken worries filling the space between them. Taehyung’s thoughts drifted once more to the countless hours of footage, the limping shadow he had seen on screen, the woman who walked steadily when taken away by police. The pieces didn’t align, and until they did, he knew he wouldn’t be able to rest.

Jihoon finally spoke again, softer this time. “At least promise me one thing, Tae.”

“What?” Taehyung asked, his eyes still fixed on the blur of passing buildings outside.

“Don’t try to carry all of this alone. If you need me, or even the company’s resources, just say the word. Protecting her isn’t just your burden. She’s already like family.”

For the first time in hours, Taehyung’s expression softened. He turned to his brother, eyes heavy with exhaustion yet touched with gratitude. “I’ll remember that,” he said quietly. “But for now… let me handle this my way.”

Jihoon nodded, though the worry didn’t leave his face. The car continued down the road, each brother lost in his own thoughts—one carrying the weight of relentless determination, the other silently vowing to step in if that weight became too much.

***

By noon, Taehyung was back in his office, the blinds half-drawn to keep out the sharp midday light. His tablet sat propped against a stack of papers he had pushed aside, the glow of the screen reflecting in his tired eyes. The world outside moved on with its usual rhythm—meetings scheduled, calls waiting—but for him, everything narrowed down to one task: finding the ghost who lingered around Jisoo’s life.