WARNING: DISTURBING SCENES AHEAD PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE.

Y/N

Panic crashed over me like a wave.

Was I dying?

Was something wrong with me?

I didn't understand it, not the blood, not the ache in my stomach, not the way shame crept up my spine like fire.

I was just paralyzed stuck between my own body and the silence of a house that never cared.

And then. He was there.

Jungkook. My Jungkook

He didn't look at me like I was disgusting or broken or too much.

He just pulled me into his arms and held me. Tight.

My forehead pressed into his chest, and I let myself sink into the rhythm of his heartbeat. Each thump of his heart was an anchor, pulled me out of the panic and back into something real.

And then he pulled back gently. And he collected, the torn trips of his tank top and walked to bathroom to soaked them in cold running water. He came back swiftly and crouched beside me. His hands never touched anything they shouldn't. He just dampened the towel, carefully lifted one leg, and wiped the blood away with slow, gentle strokes. He didn't stare. He didn't hesitate. He just cleaned me like it was something he had done before, for someone he loved.

And maybe that's what made it so unbearable. When the cloth had cleared most of the mess, he ripped the tank top in two right down the center. Again.

"What are you...?"

"I figured you don't have a pad or napkin, sunflower." He whispered. "So we will make one." He folded the soft cotton cloth of his tank top into a thick pad. His eyes met mine. "You can tuck this inside your...." He hesitated. " you know, inner wear ." and he demonstrated how it has to be placed vertically inside my inner wear without making it to appear discomforting ." like this, ok that way ..it wont..." he sighed . "It won't be perfect, but it will hold until tomorrow." My heart softened, just a little, because no man ever does that. No boy ever sits down and explains to a girl how to use a pad or a tampon. That's always something a mother's supposed to do. But my mom, she never cared. Not enough to help. Not enough to stay.

But he did.

And that meant more than I could ever say out loud.

I stared at the piece of fabric in his hand. "It's your tank top."

"It's just cloth," he said and pressed his palm at the folded cloth making sure they are thick enough. "You matter more, sunflower."

My throat tightened.

I took the makeshift pad from him with trembling hands and nodded. He gently scooped me in his arms despite the fact that my blood stained his entire arm. He didn't even flinch as my blood smeared all over his abdomen. He carried me like a fragile thing not shifting me violently. He set my feet to the bathroom tiled floor and He stepped out immediately, giving me privacy, pulling the door nearly shut behind him.

"I will be right here," His mellowed voice filtered through the door. "Take your time, sunflower . You are doing great."

I didn't feel disgusting. Anymore.

Every night with him felt like warmth wrapped in skin.

And every day without him felt cold, long, and endless.

I started praying for nightfall as soon as the sun rose.

Because nighttime meant Jungkook.

Nighttime meant strawberry sweet air and sunflower petals crushed between my fingers.

My days were a kind of waking nightmare.

I would go down into the basement where my mother buried her sins, where she did things to children that no one should ever survive. I would scrub dried blood from stone floors.

Clean fingerprints off rusted steel. I would wipe away the echoes of screams, pretending they were never there. And when I was done, with sore arms, filthy soul and heavy heart, I would climb those stairs, step into my bathroom, and let the water wash the filth off my skin. Then I would walk into my room.

And there he would be.

Jungkook. My Jungkook. Sitting on the edge of my bed, the softest smile on his face. A paper bag in his lap, usually with a few strawberries inside, or a crushed sunflower he probably found growing through a fence. The fence where I gave him sunflower when I was just four years old. Well, he always says that to me. Though I don't remember it.

His hands are always a little cold from the night, his eyes always warm from seeing me. And without fail, he would say, "Hey, sunflower." Like I was someone worth waiting for. Like I was someone worth coming back to.

We never talked about the basement .We never talked about what my mom did, or what I saw. But he always knew.

Night after night.

He would rub my arms until they were warm again, braid my damp hair with his fingers, or wrap me in his hoodie when I couldn't stop shaking.

A whole year passed like that.

TEN YEARS AGO.

And now, there was only one week left. One week until I turned fifteen. One week for my fifteenth birthday.

And for the first time in my life, I wanted to celebrate something.

Because I had decided .I was going to tell him. I was going to tell Jungkook what he meant to me. That I loved him. That he was the reason I still knew how to breathe. That in a world where everything felt like pain and punishment, he was the one thing that felt like a gift. I didn't know how I would I say it. I dont know what he would say back.

But I had to tell him. Because love like will come around once not twice.

I counted days to compose myself to confess my feelings. Only three days were left until my fifteenth birthday, and I stood in front of the mirror, whispered the words over and over, trying to imagine how I would say it, how I would finally confess to Jungkook what he meant to me. I was nervous. But more than that, I was hopeful.

And then, I heard a knock at the door.

I turned and startled.

I opened the door slowly. It was the other Jungkook .His face was warm and smiling, almost too sweet, and in his hands was a small, familiar box of strawberries.

"For you," . He gently offered and stepped inside without even waiting for my respond. I took the box from him, my fingers tightened around it as something inside me churned. Suspicion. A feeling I couldn't quite place yet. I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He followed and sat beside me like it was the most natural thing in the world. And I didn't feel right.

"Open it,"he eyed.

So I did.

And my breath caught the moment I looked inside.

The strawberries were the same, the exact ones I saw seated on my windowsill earlier this morning. The ones my Jungkook left me, like he always did. I hadn't gotten the chance to take them. I had rushed downstairs too quickly, too distracted by the chaos waiting for me in the basement. And when I came back, they were gone. Gone from the windowsill.

And now, somehow. they were here. In his hands. I stared down at the box in silence, something heavy weighed in my chest.

He had taken them.

This Jungkook ,the other one, he must have taken the box from my window, and now he was pretending they were from him. Pretending to know me. To care. I reached for one of the strawberries and lifted it slowly.

The green sepals were already removed.

That's when I knew.

I had never told this Jungkook that I hated the greens. Never mentioned it , never complained about it aloud. But I had told my Jungkook. Once. Months ago, when I bit into one and made a face. He noticed. He remembered. And ever since, he always gave them to me already cleaned and ready, like a small, quiet act of love.

This box wasn't his.

It was my Jungkook's.

And this smile, the one sitting next to me,felt suddenly unfamiliar, almost like it didn't belong in the same room as those strawberries.

Something wasn't right.

And now I had to pretend I didn't know. To protect the one who did everything right, from the one who just took what wasn't his.

"Close your eyes and eat one," the other Jungkook said softly, holding out a strawberry like it was some kind of offering.

I hesitated, something about his smile didn't sit right, but I nodded and closed my eyes. The sweet, familiar taste touched my tongue, but the air felt, like the calm before something terrible.

And then it happened.

A crash.

A grunt.

A fist collided with flesh.

I opened my eyes just in time to see him, my Jungkook who slammed his brother to the floor with a force that rattled the walls.

"How fucking dare you try to kiss her?!" he roared, his fists flew like thunder and crashed to the other Jungkook's face.

"Jungkook!no! Stop it, please!" I screamed and grabbed his arm to stop him. He didn't stop, not until the other Jungkook went motionless, was barely breathing, his lips were split, his face was bruised. My chest hoisted up and down. Panic raced through my veins. I shoved my Jungkook back and slammed the door shut before anyone outside could hear the chaos. Then I spun on him, my hands trembled.

"What are you doing?! What if something happens to him?! What if your father finds out you are here?! He will kill you, Jungkook!" But he wasn't even listening. His fists were still clenched, his breathing was abnormal out of rage.

"He tried to touch what's mine," he growled, his voice was dark, something possessive behind his eyes that both frightened and stunned me.

"God, Jungkook..." I took a step back. "He is your brother. You told me you came back for me... and for him. You said you wanted to take him with you. That you lost Ian and you couldn't lose him too. You told me we would leave slowly, together..." I gasped trying to yearn for air."..But now you're hitting him like you hate him."

"Because he tried to kiss you, Y/N!" he bellowed, with rising and falling chest. "Yes, he is my brother. And yes, I came back to take him with us. But that doesn't mean he gets to touch what is mine"

Tranquility stretched between us.

"You should go..." I whispered . My voice was hollow. "You are lucky my mom went out to dinner with Mrs. Jeon."

He didn't argue. He didn't apologize.

He just gave me one last look, a blend of pain, fury, and something heartbreakingly tender, then climbed out the window and disappeared into the night.

I turned back to the other Jungkook who loitered on the floor unconscious with blood pooling down from his lips. I dropped to my knees beside him and shook his shoulder gently. "Wake up... please," I whispered. He groaned and stirred, blinking slowly. "Wha... what the hell happened?"

"You blacked out," I helped him to sit on the bed.I grabbed the first aid kit from my drawer and began to dab ointment along his jaw and lip. His eyes stayed on me, filled with something colder than before. Then he asked, voice sharp and brittle, "Who is that guy?"I paused. My hand trembled slightly.

"Someone who believed me," I said softly.

He scoffed. "Believed you?" His laugh was bitter. "Y/N, come on. What you are saying is insane. And that guy? He is dangerous. You' are falling for someone who could destroy you."

My hands froze over his skin, but I didn't speak.

"You should be falling for me," he continued. "I am generous. I am clean. I am not violent. I don't hurt people. That's what your mom wants, right? She told you I was the right choice. That I am the safe one." He leaned forward.

"Even my mom agrees. They are both fine with us being together. They said it would make sense. That we would look good. We would be right."

I swallowed hard. "But you... you are choosing him?" he asked. "Some twisted freak who kills people?"

My stomach twisted when he said that my Jungkook kills people. No. "He doesn't... he doesn't kill people." My voice came low.

"Wake up, Y/N," he snapped. "He does. Your mom told you that. Everyone knows it. Just stop pretending and fall in love with me like you are supposed to." I looked down, my hands curled into fists. Because deep down, I knew. This wasn't about love. It was never about me choosing freely.

My mom had been orchestrating this from the start, pushing me toward the "safe" Jungkook, the controlled one. The one who would smile politely and never ask questions. The one she could use. She didn't care who made me feel alive. She cared who she could control. And suddenly, the smile on the other Jungkook's face didn't look sweet anymore. It looked Programmed. Like he had been trained to be the boy I was meant to fall for.

But I already had someone.

Someone who saw the blood on my hands and stayed.

Someone who believed my truths when everyone else called them lies. "Alright..." he said softly and reached for my hand. Before I could stop him, he gently intertwined his fingers with mine. It didn't feel right. It didn't make my heart flutter, it made me to shrunk back.

"I am the right guy, okay?" he murmured. "Just... try to love me. Just try. I am not asking for forever. Just a chance."

I stared down at my hands. It was stiff and unresponsive in his.

He continued. "Not him. He stole my name, Y/N. He stole my name. God, just, don't fall in love with him. Please. I am the one your mom talks about. I am the one she wants for you. Even my mom talks to her about us getting married someday." His words thudded inside my chest like weights. Heavy. Suffocating.

I pulled my hand away gently, and masked the discomfort with a cold smile. "Fine," he stood up from the bed. "I am leaving. That sick moron split my lip open. I need to get it treated before it bruises more."

His eyes darkened with something sharp, jealousy, maybe. Or something worse. He turned to leave. My voice came out lower. and interrupted his motions." Please... don't tell your dad. It's my.." I bit back the name. I couldn't say it." ..him. Jungkook."

His countenance shifted into rage. "Still?" he snapped. "After everything I just said... you still care about that monster? Y/N, listen to me," his fists clenched. "He is not just dangerous. He is a criminal. One of the ones my father's been trying to hunt down for years. He's on a list, Y/N. A kill list. And you are protecting him?"

My blood ran cold.

"What?" I whispered, the word barely audible as I stepped back.

"Yes," he growled. "My father has files on him. Classified stuff. And if he finds out you have been hiding him..."He didn't have to finish the sentence. My heart was already raced and my lungs were squeezing tight.

"You're lying," My voice betrayed my doubt.

"Am I?" he growled. "You think your mom's been trying to push us together for love? She wants to protect you. She is terrified you will end up like him. With him."

"No..." I said quietly, even as something inside me wavered.

Then, a soft knock sliced through the thick silence.

"There you two are!" my mother's voice rang out from behind us. It was high pitched, dripped with forced sweetness. "You look just perfect together."

The other Jungkook shifted awkwardly beside me, and lowered his head slightly to hide the fresh bruise and split lip.

"Oh, Jungkook," she bristled off a speck of imaginary dust from his shoulder. "Your mother's been looking for you, sweetheart."

Meaning: Leave now.

And he did.

Without a word, without even glancing back at me, he turned and left the room. Then her voice dropped. Her eyes snapped to mine. "Behave with him. Be a good girlfriend to him," she growled. "Make him fall in love with you. Fucking make him fall in love with you. Am I clear?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "And exactly why should I do that?" my voice was steady despite the fire building in my chest.

Her mouth parted, ready to lash out, but I didn't let her.

"Or is this you asking me to become a whore just like you?" I spat. "Marrying one Jungkook while sneaking around with the one I actually love? Just like you do with Uncle Paxson when Dad's not home?"

Her face contorted in fury.

"You little piece of.."

She lunged. I barely had time to flinch before her hand clutched a fistful of my hair, and yanked me forward.

"Let go of me!" I screamed.

She dragged me down the stairs, fury blazes in her every step.

"Mom, stop! Let me go!"

But she wasn't listening. Her grip only tightened, and when we reached the hallway, she shoved me hard, my knees scrapped the floor as I stumbled. I landed just inches from a mess of soggy noodles spilled across the tile.

"You see that?" she fizzled "It slipped from my hand. Now clean it up, you useless little shit. "I stared at the mess, at the pathetic, humiliating display of power and something inside me snapped.

"No," I whispered ."No. I won't." I snapped louder. She spun to face me, shocked. "I don't care why you're pushing that Jungkook onto me," I snarled, tears burnt behind my eyes but refusing to fall. "I don't care if you think he's safe, or rich, or easy to control."

She stepped toward me, but I didn't back down. "Because hear me, Mom,I love Jungkook. Not the one you chose. Not the one who says all the right things and hides behind polite smiles. My Jungkook..."My voice cracked as emotion rose in my throat. "He is the one who came to me every night. Who held me through my nightmares, the ones you gave me. The one who looked at my bruises and didn't ask questions. Who made me feel human again when you made me feel like trash."

She stood there and breathed heavily. Her face twisted in rage.

"I am not your puppet. I am not your mirror. And I won't be your version of a 'good girl' who marries for strategy while she bleeds for love behind closed doors." I looked her dead in the eye.

"What did you just say?"Her voice ruptured like a whip. "You love that monster? That sick moron?"

Then she guffawed. It was a dry, bitter laugh that chilled me to the nerves. "The one who sneaks into your room at night?" she sneered. "Wait... wait.." she paused dramatically and her eyes narrowed with cruel curiosity. "Did you already spread your legs for him? Is that why he keeps crawling back every night like some filthy dog?"

My jaw clenched. My fist shook. My heart like it would explode.

" Yes ." I retorted, steady . A complete lie. "I slept with him. Every night we made love , while the house was silent, it felt heaven. We slept. We had sex. We fucked."

Her face contorted in rage and the back of her hand came fast crashing to my cheeks. The sting exploded across my cheek, and my head snapped to the side. " How fucking dare you?" she growled and bellowed. " do you have any idea how hard I am trying to keep that virgin hole of yours safe just to give it Roy!!""

I met her eyes, defiantly. " Now , you cant. Because every inch of me belong to Jungkook now. He relished every inch of me. and even when Roy touches me he will find I am not virgin anymore and you know what I would say, I would say I SPREAD LEGS FOR THE MAN I LOVE. AND EVEN IF YOU TOUCH ME , ROY, I ONLY SEE HIM RELISHING ME. " I paused letting out the words to blazer her. And it fueled her wrath more. " is that a better answer , mom?"

Another slap. This one fiercer. My vision blurred.

"You are out of your mind," she screamed. "You filthy, ungrateful......" She stopped in her mid sentence. "Paxton!" She called his name like an order, not a request. Footsteps thundered down the hallway. Then my father appeared in the doorway, annoyed and rushed. "Rey, what is it now? I am in the middle of something."

"Hold her," she barked. "Hold her hands down for me. "What?" he blinked, confused. "Just do it!" She barked.

He stepped toward me, and before I could move, he had grabbed both my wrists and pinned me down to the cold floor. "No..No!" I screamed and tried to squirm free. "Let me go!" I tried kicking my legs but it went futile as she sat on my legs to pin me down to floor.

While my dad hold was too strong. His grip didn't even shake. She hovered above me. The heat of her wrath radiated above me.

And I knew something was coming. Something worse.

"No. No. Please mom, let me go!" I screeched.

" Fucking hold her still." She yanked the hem of my dress with brutal force and I screamed again, by the violation she imparted. Her fingers found the waistband of my panties. I screamed again " No please stop! stop it !!" I cried out in humiliation and embarrassment as I felt exposed right in front of the man who was supposed to act like my father. He held me firm and stayed motionless like a ghost and blind.

And then she placed her two finger at the slit of my vagina and spread them gently. " no please . what are you doing ?' I choked on my sobs. " stay fucking still!" she snarled. Her middle finger slowly, slipped into my slits . I screamed ." NO!"

She curled finger tip gently as if she was looking for something or trying to find something. I writhed. She brushed her finger tip gently inside and pulled her finger out. " Liar." She scoffed." Your hymen is still there. Delicate and soft." She wiped her fingers to her skirt as if she touched something filthy.

" Delicate and soft?" My dad scoffed as he removed his hands from mine. I instantly curled up pulling down the hem of my dress and cried to the floor." yeah. Perfect for Roy. Perfect to be broken." I dawdled there in shame and my body shuddered .

" If you ever try to lie to me again like that... I wont test the presence of your hymen by myself instead , I would throw you to Roy and I will let him to test your hymen is still lingering and layering in that filthy hole of yours." Then she paused, as if she had proven a point. "Get up," she snapped. "Go clean up those noodles."

I didn't move. She narrowed her eyes. "Or eat them." I blinked. "W-what?" Her voice dropped, sharp as broken glass. "Eat. Them. Off the floor. Right now." I stayed frozen. And then she leaned closer. "Unless you want worse." The threat wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. I knew what she was capable of.

I reached out, hands were trembling as I touched the cold, dirty noodles. I picked one up, brought it to my lips, and tasted humiliation. Tears streamed silently down my face as I forced myself to chew.

I scrambled upstairs after I chewed every bite of the dirt and stormed to bathroom only to throw up. I buried my face into the pillow, and tried to muffle the sobs that wouldn't stop coming.

My whole body still trembled, blazed with humiliation that clung to me like a second skin. I couldn't cry out loud, not here. Not in this house. So I cried into silence, letting it soak into the sheets while my stomach twisted and groaned from hunger.

The pain of it was starting to settle into my bones and fleshes when, knock knock, a soft, hurried tap came from the window. My breath shook, and for the first time all day, a flicker of warmth lit inside me.

Please let it be him...

I turned quickly and there he was.

My Jungkook.

His hoodie was damp from the outside air, hair stuck slightly to his forehead, but all I saw was him. He climbed through the window with practiced ease. The second he stepped in, I rushed forward and threw my arms around him, desperately, tightly ,as if holding onto him could erase everything from today. He stiffened slightly at first, like he wasn't sure if he should hold me. But then I felt it, his breath slowing, his body was melting into mine.

"Y/N..."he whispered softly, "Sunflower, I brought you some food," he murmured, and pulled back just enough to reach into the bag he carried. "You didn't eat, did you?"

I blinked, startled. "How... how did you know?"

He gave me the smallest, saddest smile. "Because I know you," he said simply. "And I felt it." He held up a little box. "Gimbap. I made it for you. It's warm still." Tears burned behind my eyes again, but this time it wasn't from pain. "Come on," he said gently, "let's get you in bed." He guided me by the hand, slow, careful not in a way that made me feel small, but in a way that made me feel safe. He helped me sit up on the mattress, adjusted the blanket around my legs, and sat beside me on the edge of the bed. He pulled out the chopsticks and opened the box, the scent immediately was soothing the emptiness in my belly.

"You made this?" I asked softly.He nodded. "Took me forever to get it right," he said with a quiet chuckle. "But I wanted it to taste like comfort." The gimbap container rested on his lap. "I' am not great with these... but I practiced. For you."The lump in my throat nearly choked me. I nodded, swallowing hard.With delicate care, he picked up one of the rolls,a little uneven, a little imperfect, and held it in front of me.

"Open," he said softly. I did. I parted my lips slowly, and he slid the bite gently into my mouth. He watched me chew with a kind of quiet reverence, like he was making sure I could actually eat, that I wouldn't disappear in front of him." You're chewing too fast," he said playfully with a soft chuckle. "Slow down. It's okay. I will wait." I blushed, and lowered my gaze. He used the edge of his hoodie sleeve to dab gently at the corner of my lips when some rice stuck there. "There," he murmured. "Perfect." Then he picked up another piece. "This one has pickled radish inside. I don't know if you like it, but I remembered you liked the yellow color."

I smiled and nodded.

Each bite he offered felt like more than food, it felt like love disguised as nourishment. It wasn't just about filling my stomach. It was about giving me peace. Replacing every violent, humiliating moment of the day with something soft, something kind.

After the last bite, he set the chopsticks down with a soft clink. I was still chewing, slowly, drowsily, my head leaning toward his shoulder when I felt the shift in his energy, like a storm just under the surface of calm. He wasn't looking at me anymore. His jaw was tight. His eyes stared into the corner of the room, thinking.

"Jungkook?" I whispered.

He looked at me . The warmth was still there, but it was wrapped in something sharper.

"I am taking you with me."

My breath caught at my chest. "W..w..what?"

His voice was quiet, but unshakable. "Tomorrow night. You're coming with me." He said firm and hard. I blinked, unsure if I heard him right. "You're not serious." He reached for my hand. Held it, not soft like before, but firm.

"I am done waiting, Y/N. I can't leave you here another night. Not after what they did to you. Not after today." My throat clogged. "But Jungkook... they will come after you. They will.."

"I don't care" he said sharply, but not at me. At the world. At everything that had hurt me. His grip tightened slightly around my fingers, but his next words came softer. "I should have taken you the first night I saw you again. I saw the bruises. I saw the fear you hide. But I let you convince me to wait. And I can't do it anymore."

I looked at him. My eyes went wide, heart thudded like a war drum against my chest. "I will pack some food. Money. I have a place. It's not perfect, but it's safe. You will pack tomorrow. One bag. Just essentials. Clothes. Maybe that book you love. And whatever makes you feel like you."

I wanted to cry. But not from sadness this time. From hope. "Jungkook..." I whispered. "Are you sure?"

"I would rip the whole world if it meant keeping you safe. And I have already lost too much, sunflower." He pressed his forehead to mine, and I felt his breath, warm and trembling. "We leave tomorrow night. No matter what. I will be outside your window at midnight."

My fingers tightened in his shirt. "Promise?"

"I promise, Sunflower." He lifted his pinky to me and I entangled mine with his.

"But... what if your dad finds us? What if he chases us down?" I whispered. My heart raced. "What if he hurts you?" Jungkook's eyes flicked downward for a moment, his jaw clenched tight. I saw it, just for a second, the flicker of fear beneath the calm mask. Not for himself... but for me. Then he exhaled slowly "He might."

He paused."But if he does..." he continued "he will have to go through me first." I swallowed hard, eyes stinging. "Jungkook..." He shook his head softly, as if trying to steady my racing thoughts. "I have been hunted before, Y/N. I have lived in the dark long enough to know how to vanish in it. "His thumb brushed gently along my jaw. "I know where to go. I know who to avoid. I have got places where no one will find us, not him, not your mom, not anyone. I will build anything. For you. For us."

My heart was breaking and healing all at once. He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. "You don't have to be brave right now. I will carry it for both of us."

"But aren't you scared?" I asked. His lips twitched in a bitter smile. "Terrified."

"Then why.." I whispered.

"Because you are worth it," he said, before I could even finish. "Because I have already lost too many people I loved. I am not losing you." I felt his hand slide into mine again. He didn't squeeze hard, just enough to let me feel how steady he was, how real. "I don't care if we end up on the road with nothing but the clothes on our backs. I don't care if we sleep under stars and live off scraps. As long as you are with me, I will never be lost."

He took a sharp exhale. " We are leaving tomorrow night."

__________