Jungkook looked at two of his men while they picked all of her things up, putting them in a black roller, while trying as hard as possible to avoid her confused look. She didn't know what was going on, but she also didn't dare to ask for an explanation from him after he looked at her the way he did when throwing the phone against the wall.
—Sir —another man in a black suit got his attention from the door—, Choi Sanhyuk's men have arrived.
He sighed at that, again being thrown back at the conversation they had in his office, and that almost got him losing his patience.
—You should've made an appointment —he said, when Sanhyuk's sided smile appeared in his vision zone.
—Thought you were the one who wanted to speak with me —he sat on one of the chairs in front of the desk, laying on his back comfortably—. Maybe you should be the one making the appointment. I have more important things to do than dealing with your shit.
—Yet you're here —he shrugged.
—What is it?
He wanted to tell him he caught him off guard, that he got his -probably- only source to all the information he could've gathered from him. It wasn't hard to set the links all together, but the fact that Jihu was the only one with direct contact with Y/n, and that every single time she sneaked away she casually met with Sanhyuk, made him suspicious of several things. He was just trying to link two points together and called Sanhyuk in, in hopes that the man his father trusted the most wouldn't be playing such a dirty game behind his back.
—I'll say this clearly: —he stood up— stop messing around with my people —that only made him earn a scoff from the man who was sitting in front of him—. If you want to use somebody like Jihu, at least be lowkey enough so it won't be too obvious.
Sanhyuk's laugh took him completely by surprise, making him frown while rage was building up inside of him. If he knew there would be no consequences, he probably would've surrounded the table to just smack his face against it. But he knew he'd probably run back to his dad about it, and it wasn't a problem he didn't want to deal with, not that he could either. Especially not after what happened at the party.
—Jihu? That's where your good investigation skills took you to? —he arched his eyebrows— You should improve that, or else it'll go pretty bad for you in this business.
He didn't know what he meant. Although of course he'd deny it was Jihu. There was no way he'd admit to ever doing such a thing as sticking his nose in his business, knowing how bad it could turn up to him and his family.
—It's someone closer to you —he sang playfully, bending his body a bit forward to tease him—. Actually, you have that person here right now.
Jungkook thought deeply about who it could be, but among all the people that had access to any information about Y/n, it was only her. And then was when he was aware, the realization hitting every single one of his features in front of Sanhyuk. But he was sure he was only playing with him. There was no way Y/n could've had a way to contact him. He was definitely deceiving him to take his attention away from his real source.
For further confirmation, Sanhyuk replayed one of their latest conversations over the phone, enjoying every single second and every single wrinkle that showed up on Jungkook's face as he was holding back from saying anything.
—I'll be fast —he started, as soon as he stopped the conversation—. I was going to claim Y/n, and I have several witnesses at the party that would confirm it, I also have the phone call that would prove she was linked to me as well. You bursted in the middle of the whole thing before I could avoid it, which would be considered treason among families —he stood up—. That wouldn't only violate the whole pact among our families, but would also start a war that you nor either of the other six shit heads want to start.
—What do you want?
—Y/n, obviously —he scoffed again.
—I know this is all a trick.
Sanhyuk puckered his lips and shrugged again.
—If you look good enough, I'm sure you'll find the phone in her room —he buttoned his blazer again—. I'll pick her up in an hour at your place.
Jungkook left the office before he could, contacting one of his men to start searching for that damned phone, and hoping it was all a lie to trick him somehow.
But it wasn't.
He hoped Sanhyuk was just trying to play him and fool him into thinking that Jihu wasn't the person sneaking information. But when he saw that phone... He couldn't explain what he was feeling at that exact moment. He didn't know if he was mad over the fact that Sanhyuk was right, over Y/n betraying him or being forced to give her up after it seemed like she was finally getting used to him.
Just a simple nod, and the guard rolled the bag in front of them both outside her room. That was the only thing she needed to finally ask him what was going on, following from behind when Jungkook attempted to leave that space.
—What's going on?
—You're leaving —he simply answered.
—Why? —she grabbed his arm— Where?
But no answer came from him. He knew that if he spoke in that exact moment, the last thing that would come out of his mouth would be nice words. He was too annoyed to act to be able to think straight. Although Jungkook was also aware that nothing would torture her more than her own thoughts, probably with the idea of her being killed silently in the back of her mind. That would hurt her more than anything that he could say.
—Answer me —she tried to stop him.
—Wasn't this what you wanted? —Jungkook finally turned to her— You wanted to leave, and here's your chance —he glared a deathly look at her—. I should've done this way sooner.
He allowed Yejun to deal with the situation, unable to look at the group of six men at the door to escort her to one of the cars that were waiting outside.
For the first time, she didn't resist it. She wanted to be smart enough, and let herself flow with everything that was going on. Trying to set herself free would only make things worse for her -if there was any possibility of it going to worse.
✸ ✸ ✸
It was weird being inside a car, sitting in the backseat by herself -well, not really by herself because she still was next to a bodyguard she had never seen before-, but it was a strange feeling. As if something wrong was about to happen, but maybe she was just being too paranoid about it.
The car entered a parking lot in a tall building that was in the middle of the city, quite the opposite to where Jungkook was living. She was too lost in herself and her own thoughts to be aware of when the car stopped, until two men were opening the door for her and forcing her outside the vehicle.
She was too nervous, or maybe too scared to open her mouth and ask where they were taking her once they reached an elevator. If they wanted to kill her, they'd have done it without bothering to take her there. But still, something about that place made her twist her neck and move uncomfortably, surrounded by those tall and big bodyguards that were keeping her from doing anything dumb.
As if the bell from the lift woke her up from her inner thoughts, she realized it stopped at the thirty-second floor, before they were pushing her outside again. Walking for a few seconds down a luxurious hall, she tried to memorize every corner, every door, absolutely everything that could be of help for her in case she had to try to escape, making up as many plans as possible in her head, while picturing everything the best way she was able to within that nervous state she was in.
When they stopped in front of a wide white door, she was getting ready to sneak in between the bodies of the men she had stuck in her back. Mentally, Y/n started to count backwards, sharpening his senses enough to be able to hear the steps approaching them.
Three... Two... One...
But she never moved. Her body was completely paralyzed when she recognized the smirk over the shoulder of one of the bodyguards, not sure why she was there at that exact moment.
—It's so nice to see you again, Y/n.
Although she expected to feel relieved, to feel relaxed over seeing Sanhyuk in front of her, something was preparing her for the worst. She wasn't allowing herself to let her guard down, even if that was something she had wanted for a few weeks already.
With a fast movement of his fingers, the two men that were shielding her stepped aside, finally allowing her to see completely, from head to toe, the man that was in front of her, and that made it possible for her to leave Jungkook's house -like he promised her.
She stepped inside, but those bodyguards didn't, while Sanhyuk just walked around as if she had been there before and could be free to roam around however she wanted.
—What did you do? —she asked, confused.
—I carried out my promise —he turned to her, shrugging—. You wanted to leave Jungkook's house in exchange for helping me. You did your part, so I had to make mine.
—That's why you were there today? —she frowned.
With a sided smile, he nodded again while letting the weight of his body fall over the couch, inviting her over.
—I found out that I didn't need to claim you to put Jungkook over the edge —he twisted his mouth—. Just a warning, a few witnesses and a link between us was enough. Who would've thought?
Sanhyuk. Of course Sanhyuk knew it was never necessary to claim her, and it was never his intention to do so.
—So, this is it? Is it over?
As soon as she started to feel the relief entering her system, his chuckle made her turn to him again with an even more confused gaze. An uneasy feeling soon replacing whatever was helping her to keep herself sane.
—This is just the beginning —he assured her—. And it was all thanks to you, I gotta say.
—So, are you going to take me back home?
If there was any hope left, it started flying out the window when he smiled big and clicked his tongue before standing up again.
Instead of an answer, she got silence and a grimace face.
Her heart stopped beating when she heard the sound of wheels rolling over the parquet floor behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she found the same bag Jungkook put all of her things in being dragged down the corridor.
—Why are my things here?
But again, Sanhyuk didn't answer. He just let his back face her while he ignored the questions, not feeling forced to answer a single one of them. Y/n wouldn't just sit down and let him take his time to answer though, because after a few minutes, she was already getting up from her place and grabbing his arm while she repeated the same question with a shaky voice.
—Why are my things here? —she asked for the fifth time, hitting his back finally.
Sanhyuk turned fast when he sensed another hit on his lower back, stopping her fist from colliding against him for the third time.
—If you're going to help me to get back home, why are my things here? —she insisted— You better answer me or...
—Or what? —the nice smile was long gone— Are you going to tell Jungkook? Oh, that's right... Doubt he'd want to help a traitor like you.
—We made a deal —Y/n tried hard to keep her tears from rolling down her cheeks—. I risked my life to help you...
—You really think I needed your help?
He harshly let go of her arm, so abruptly that she almost lost her balance on the spot.
—You don't even know Korean, so why the fuck would I reach out to you when I already had someone like Jihu inside, huh? —he mocked her— You really think you were that important? That any of the information you were giving was new? Why the fuck would I need a dumb whore like you to...?
She didn't know if it was the rage of his words, or the sudden realization of all the risks she put herself through were for nothing, but her hand flew against his cheek, making his head turn, before she could stop herself.
A twisted smile showed up on his face while he caressed his red cheek, turning to her slowly before he grabbed her by the neck and pushed her body against the wall. The sudden hit of her lower back with the metallic self that was decorating the lower part of the wall next to the Tv made her whine silently.
—Watch your actions with me —he warned her—. And also the look you give me —his fingertips digged deeper on her skin, cutting her breathing completely—. I'm not Jungkook, and I won't allow you to do any crap. You're as useful dead or alive, so remember this conversation whenever you think about pulling the same tricks you did with him.
He finally let go of her, allowing her body to bend over in a desperate way to reach for some air to calm the burning feeling in her lungs.
While he ordered one of his men to take her to her room in Korean, he made sure to say the next thing in English so she would understand.
—And don't ever let her out —he looked down at her—. I know what she's able to do, and I'm not in for risks.
Without realizing, her eyes were reacting faster than her brain, throwing daggers through her pupils.
—What's that look again? —he reminded her.
She instantly lowered her gaze, before feeling her body being pulled up and dragged to one of the rooms.