CHAPTER 2 — CAGED
1172 Words
Aarya couldn’t breathe.
Her pulse thundered in her ears as she was dragged through the back exit of the club, the cold night air hitting her face like a slap.
“Let me go!” she struggled, twisting her arm, but his grip only tightened.
Jeon Jungkook didn’t even look at her.
As if she weighed nothing.
As if her resistance meant nothing.
“Please—listen—I won’t tell anyone, I swear!” Her voice cracked, desperation creeping in despite her efforts to stay strong.
Still nothing.
A sleek black car waited outside.
The door opened instantly.
Two men stepped out, dressed in black, their expressions blank.
Aarya’s stomach dropped.
This wasn’t random.
This was planned.
Everything about him—about this—was controlled.
“Sir,” one of them nodded.
Sir.
The word echoed in her mind like a warning bell.
Jungkook pushed her inside the car.
Aarya gasped as she landed against the leather seat, immediately scrambling toward the opposite door.
Locked.
Of course it was locked.
Before she could react, Jungkook slid in beside her.
The door shut.
The world outside disappeared.
“Drive.”
That single word was enough.
The car moved instantly.
Aarya turned toward him, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “You can’t do this! Do you even know who I am?!”
He finally looked at her.
Slowly.
His gaze dragged over her face like he was memorizing it.
Measuring her.
Deciding something.
“No,” he said calmly.
“And I don’t care.”
The bluntness hit harder than a slap.
Aarya clenched her fists. “Then let me go.”
“No.”
Her breath hitched.
“No?” she repeated, disbelief laced with anger.
Jungkook leaned back slightly, one arm resting casually on the seat—but there was nothing casual about him.
Everything about him screamed power.
Control.
Danger.
“You were in the wrong place,” he said quietly.
“At the wrong time.”
Aarya swallowed hard. “That doesn’t give you the right to kidnap me!”
His lips curved—just slightly.
Not a smile.
Something colder.
“It does.”
Her anger flared instantly. “Who the hell do you think you are?!”
Silence.
For a second, she thought she had gone too far.
But then—
He leaned closer.
Close enough for her to feel his breath.
Close enough for her heart to stutter.
“You really don’t know,” he murmured.
Her throat went dry.
“I don’t care who you are,” she shot back, forcing strength into her voice. “You’re insane if you think I’m just going to sit here and—”
His hand shot out suddenly, gripping her chin.
Not painfully.
But firmly.
A warning.
Aarya froze.
“Listen carefully,” he said, his voice dropping—soft, dangerous.
“You saw something that no one is supposed to see.”
Her breath trembled.
“I didn’t see anything,” she whispered.
His thumb brushed lightly against her jaw.
The touch was… wrong.
Too gentle for someone like him.
Too intimate.
“You’re a bad liar.”
Her eyes burned with unshed tears. “Please…”
For the first time, her voice softened.
Not weak.
But human.
“Please let me go.”
Something flickered in his eyes again.
That same brief hesitation.
But then—
It hardened.
“No.”
The word sealed her fate.
Aarya looked away, her chest tightening painfully.
Think.
She needed to think.
Panicking wouldn’t help.
She forced herself to breathe slowly, glancing at the window.
Dark streets blurred past.
She didn’t know where they were going.
Didn’t know how far.
But she knew one thing—
She wasn’t going down without a fight.
Her fingers slowly curled around the door handle again.
Maybe—
Just maybe—
If she timed it right—
The car slowed slightly at a turn.
Now.
Aarya yanked the handle and shoved the door open.
Cold air rushed in—
She moved to jump—
But an arm wrapped around her waist instantly, dragging her back.
The door slammed shut.
Hard.
Before she could react, she was pinned.
Her back pressed against the seat.
Jungkook hovered over her, his grip tight, his expression—
No longer calm.
His eyes were dark.
Stormy.
Dangerous.
“You don’t learn, do you?” he said quietly.
Aarya’s breath shook, but she refused to back down. “I’m not your prisoner!”
His jaw tightened.
“You are now.”
Her heart pounded.
“No,” she snapped, pushing against his chest. “You don’t get to decide that!”
For a moment—
just a moment—
something dangerous sparked between them.
Not just anger.
Something deeper.
Something neither of them understood yet.
Jungkook studied her face again.
But this time…
There was something new in his gaze.
Interest.
Dangerous interest.
“You’re different,” he said softly.
Aarya frowned. “What?”
“Most people beg,” he continued, his voice almost thoughtful.
“They cry. They break.”
His grip loosened slightly.
“But you…” his eyes darkened further.
“You fight.”
Aarya swallowed hard, her heart racing under his gaze.
“That’s because I’m not afraid of you.”
It was a lie.
A bold, reckless lie.
But she held his gaze anyway.
Refusing to look away.
Refusing to show fear.
Something shifted.
Jungkook leaned even closer, his face inches from hers now.
“So stubborn,” he murmured.
Her breath hitched.
“And so brave…”
His fingers brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
“…for someone in my control.”
Her stomach twisted.
“I will never be under your control.”
His lips curved again.
That same dangerous expression.
“We’ll see.”
The car slowed.
Stopped.
Aarya’s heart dropped as she looked outside.
A massive building stood before them.
Tall.
Isolated.
Cold.
Not a home.
A fortress.
“No…” she whispered.
The door opened.
Jungkook stepped out first.
Then he turned—
And held his hand out.
Aarya stared at it.
Then at him.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Silence.
Then—
He stepped closer.
And in one swift movement—
lifted her into his arms.
Aarya gasped. “Put me down!”
She struggled, hitting his chest, trying to push away—but it was useless.
He didn’t even flinch.
“Save your energy,” he said calmly.
“You’ll need it.”
Her heart raced as he carried her inside.
The doors closed behind them with a heavy thud.
And something about that sound—
felt final.
Like a cage locking shut.
As they entered the elevator, Aarya’s reflection caught her eye in the mirror.
Disheveled.
Terrified.
Trapped.
And beside her—
stood the man who had taken everything from her in a single night.
Jeon Jungkook.
Idol.
Monster.
Devil.
The elevator doors slid open.
And without another word—
he carried her into the darkness waiting beyond.
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