CHAPTER 7 — THE STORM
1158 Words
Rain had always been Aarya's favorite thing.
Before Jeon Jungkook happened.
Before penthouses.
Before kidnappings.
Before her life turned into a nightmare disguised as luxury.
Back home, whenever storms arrived, she would sit by the window with a cup of coffee and a book.
Rain meant peace.
Comfort.
Freedom.
Now?
It reminded her of everything she'd lost.
Aarya stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, watching dark clouds gather over Seoul.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
The city lights blurred beneath the approaching storm.
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to imagine she was somewhere else.
Anywhere else.
A place where she wasn't trapped.
A place where she didn't constantly think about a certain pair of dark eyes.
A place where Jeon Jungkook didn't exist.
Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
"Aarya."
She jumped.
Spinning around.
Jungkook stood near the staircase.
Dressed entirely in black.
Again.
The familiar mafia version.
Not the idol.
Not the smiling celebrity.
The dangerous one.
The one who made her heart race for all the wrong reasons.
"What?"
His gaze shifted toward the windows.
"It's going to storm."
She blinked.
"...Congratulations?"
Silence.
Then—
"Stay inside."
Aarya rolled her eyes dramatically.
"There it is."
His eyebrow lifted.
"There what is?"
"The controlling behavior."
Jungkook stared at her.
Unimpressed.
"Stay inside."
"Or what?"
His jaw tightened.
A tiny reaction.
Barely noticeable.
But Aarya had become good at spotting them.
"Or you'll get sick."
The answer surprised her.
She'd expected a threat.
A warning.
An order.
Not concern.
For a second, neither spoke.
Then Aarya immediately ruined the moment.
"I'll do whatever I want."
A dangerous silence followed.
Jungkook closed his eyes briefly.
As if praying for patience.
When he opened them again—
they were fixed entirely on her.
"You enjoy making things difficult."
A grin appeared on her face.
"You noticed?"
His expression remained blank.
Which somehow made it funnier.
Without another word, Jungkook headed toward his office.
The door closed behind him.
Aarya waited exactly five minutes.
Then she marched straight toward the terrace.
Because if there was one thing she excelled at—
it was bad decisions.
The storm arrived quickly.
Much quicker than expected.
The wind howled around the building.
Rain poured from the sky in sheets.
Thunder shook the city.
Aarya stood near the terrace railing, letting cold droplets hit her face.
For the first time in weeks—
she felt free.
No walls.
No rules.
No Jeon Jungkook.
Just rain.
She closed her eyes.
Breathing deeply.
Enjoying the sensation.
The storm grew stronger.
The wind became colder.
But she ignored it.
Minutes passed.
Then more minutes.
Eventually, her clothes became completely soaked.
Her hair stuck to her face.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Still—
she refused to go inside.
Because somehow it felt like surrender.
And Aarya hated surrender.
Inside the penthouse—
Jungkook exited his office.
The first thing he noticed was silence.
The second thing he noticed—
was that Aarya wasn't in the living room.
His eyes narrowed immediately.
A bad feeling settled in his chest.
He checked the kitchen.
Nothing.
The hallway.
Nothing.
Then he saw it.
The terrace door.
Open.
Rain hammered against the glass.
Jungkook froze.
For a brief second.
Then something dangerous flashed through his eyes.
"Aarya."
Outside—
Aarya wrapped her arms around herself.
Okay.
Maybe she had stayed a little too long.
Maybe.
Possibly.
Definitely.
The cold had become unbearable.
She turned toward the door.
Only to freeze.
Jungkook stood there.
Watching her.
His expression was terrifying.
Not angry.
Not calm.
Something worse.
Furious concern.
The kind that made her stomach drop.
"What?"
The word came out weaker than intended.
Jungkook crossed the terrace in seconds.
Rain soaked his black shirt instantly.
He didn't seem to notice.
Didn't seem to care.
All his attention was fixed on her.
"What are you doing?"
His voice was low.
Dangerously low.
Aarya frowned.
"Standing."
His jaw tightened.
Thunder cracked overhead.
Neither flinched.
"You've been out here for almost an hour."
She blinked.
How did he know that?
Then she remembered.
Of course he knew.
He probably monitored everything.
Creepy.
Very creepy.
"I like rain."
Jungkook stared at her.
Then looked at her trembling hands.
Her pale face.
Her soaked clothes.
And suddenly—
his expression darkened further.
Before she could react—
he grabbed her wrist.
Aarya gasped.
"What are you—"
"Inside."
The command was immediate.
Final.
"No."
Big mistake.
Huge mistake.
The moment the word left her mouth—
Jungkook's patience snapped.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But completely.
Without warning—
he lifted her into his arms.
Aarya yelped.
"What the hell?!"
Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.
The realization made her want to scream.
Jungkook carried her effortlessly toward the penthouse.
As if she weighed nothing.
As if she'd always belonged there.
"Put me down!"
"No."
"Jungkook!"
"No."
"You're impossible!"
"No."
Aarya stared at him.
Then groaned.
"You keep saying no!"
"I know."
"You are unbelievably annoying."
"I know."
The infuriating calmness nearly drove her insane.
Minutes later—
they stood inside the penthouse.
Warm air surrounded them.
Aarya immediately tried escaping his grip.
Jungkook refused.
Instead, he carried her straight upstairs.
Into her room.
Only then did he finally put her down.
She immediately stepped away.
Furious.
Embarrassed.
Confused.
All at once.
"You had no right—"
"You could've gotten sick."
The interruption caught her off guard.
His voice wasn't angry anymore.
Just frustrated.
Genuinely frustrated.
Aarya blinked.
Jungkook ran a hand through his wet hair.
His shirt clung to his body from the rain.
Water dripped onto the floor.
Yet he seemed completely unconcerned about himself.
His eyes remained fixed on her.
Checking.
Evaluating.
Making sure she was okay.
The realization unsettled her.
Why did he care?
Why?
"You were worried."
The words slipped out.
Neither expected them.
Silence filled the room.
Jungkook looked away first.
A rare occurrence.
Then—
"Change into dry clothes."
Her eyes widened.
That wasn't a denial.
Not even close.
"You were."
His jaw tightened.
"Aarya."
"You were worried."
For the first time—
something resembling vulnerability flashed across his face.
Brief.
Gone instantly.
But she saw it.
And somehow—
that tiny glimpse affected her more than all his threats combined.
Because monsters weren't supposed to worry.
Monsters weren't supposed to care.
Monsters weren't supposed to carry you through a storm because they were afraid you'd get sick.
Yet Jungkook had.
And that made everything more complicated.
Much more complicated.
As he turned toward the door, Aarya found herself watching him.
Really watching him.
The way his shoulders seemed tense.
The way his hands clenched slightly.
The way he kept looking back at her as if making sure she was still there.
Still safe.
Still breathing.
The realization hit unexpectedly.
Hard.
Jeon Jungkook wasn't just losing control of the situation.
He was losing control of himself.
And neither of them were ready for what that meant.
- Writer
