CHAPTER 8 — THE FEVER
983 Words
Aarya knew she was in trouble the moment she opened her eyes.
Everything hurt.
Her head felt impossibly heavy.
Her throat burned.
And every muscle in her body ached.
"Great," she groaned weakly.
The storm.
Of course.
She should have listened.
The realization irritated her immediately.
Not because she was sick.
But because it meant Jungkook had been right.
And Aarya hated when Jungkook was right.
The room spun slightly as she sat up.
A sharp wave of dizziness hit her.
She immediately fell back onto the pillows.
"Okay..."
Maybe she was more sick than she thought.
Outside her room, footsteps echoed faintly.
A few moments later, the door opened.
Jungkook entered.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.
Phone pressed against his ear.
"...cancel the meeting."
Aarya frowned.
Meeting?
His voice remained cold.
"No."
Pause.
"No rescheduling."
Another pause.
"I said cancel it."
The person on the other end clearly protested.
Jungkook's expression darkened.
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
Silence.
Then—
"Good."
The call ended.
Aarya stared.
He glanced up.
Immediately noticing she was awake.
His gaze softened slightly.
A change so small most people would've missed it.
But Aarya saw it.
"How do you feel?"
Her eyebrows shot up.
No good morning?
No orders?
No attitude?
Just concern?
Something felt suspicious.
"Terrible."
Jungkook nodded.
As if he'd expected that answer.
He walked toward the bed.
Aarya watched him carefully.
The closer he came, the more she noticed something unusual.
He looked exhausted.
His hair was slightly messy.
His tie was missing.
And there were faint shadows beneath his eyes.
Had he slept at all?
Before she could ask—
his hand touched her forehead.
Aarya froze.
The contact lasted only seconds.
But somehow—
it felt much longer.
His palm was cool.
Gentle.
Careful.
The exact opposite of what she'd expected from him weeks ago.
His jaw tightened.
"You're burning up."
"Thank you, Doctor."
The sarcasm was automatic.
Even sick, she couldn't help herself.
To her surprise—
one corner of his mouth lifted.
Barely.
Almost invisible.
Almost.
"Still irritating."
Aarya managed a weak grin.
"Still controlling."
For a moment—
neither looked away.
Then Jungkook sighed.
Actually sighed.
The sound surprised her more than anything.
Because it sounded human.
Tired.
Real.
Not the untouchable mafia king.
Not the global superstar.
Just... a man.
A worried man.
And somehow that realization unsettled her.
An hour later—
Aarya was absolutely miserable.
The fever had worsened.
Her head pounded.
Her body felt heavy.
Even breathing seemed exhausting.
Unfortunately—
Jungkook refused to leave.
Not even for a second.
Every time she opened her eyes—
he was there.
Sitting in a chair beside her bed.
Working on his laptop.
Taking calls.
Reading documents.
Watching her.
Always watching her.
It was beginning to feel creepy.
Again.
Though strangely—
not as creepy as before.
"Why are you staring?"
Jungkook didn't even look up from his laptop.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm working."
"You're multitasking."
That got his attention.
His eyes lifted.
Aarya immediately regretted saying anything.
Because he looked amused.
Actually amused.
Which meant she was about to lose this argument.
"Go back to sleep."
"There it is."
His eyebrow rose.
"There what is?"
"The bossiness."
He returned to his laptop.
Unbothered.
"Sleep."
Aarya groaned dramatically.
"You're impossible."
"Sleep."
"Stop saying that."
"Sleep."
She threw a pillow at him.
A weak throw.
A very pathetic throw.
The pillow landed halfway between them.
Jungkook looked down at it.
Then back at her.
Silence.
Aarya slowly pulled the blanket over her head.
Maybe pretending to disappear would work.
It didn't.
Later that evening—
the fever became worse.
Much worse.
Aarya drifted in and out of sleep.
The room blurred.
Voices sounded distant.
Everything felt far away.
At one point—
she vaguely became aware of someone sitting beside her.
A cool cloth touched her forehead.
Gentle fingers brushed hair away from her face.
Then a familiar voice.
Low.
Soft.
"You're stubborn."
Aarya frowned sleepily.
Even half-conscious, she knew that voice.
"You're annoying."
A quiet laugh followed.
A real laugh.
Not a mocking one.
Not a dangerous one.
A genuine laugh.
The sound wrapped around her tired mind.
Warm.
Comforting.
Safe.
Safe?
Her fever was definitely affecting her brain.
Because Jeon Jungkook and safe did not belong in the same sentence.
Not even a little.
Still—
she found herself relaxing.
For reasons she couldn't explain.
Around midnight—
Aarya woke again.
The fever had finally begun to ease.
The room was dark.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
She blinked slowly.
Then froze.
Jungkook was asleep.
Beside her bed.
His head rested against the chair.
Arms folded loosely across his chest.
Completely unaware she was awake.
Aarya stared.
Unable to look away.
This was the first time she'd ever seen him like this.
Not alert.
Not dangerous.
Not intimidating.
Just... sleeping.
Human.
Vulnerable.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
One she didn't understand.
Because nobody had ever stayed.
Not like this.
Not through an entire day.
Not through an entire night.
Yet somehow—
Jungkook had cancelled important meetings.
Ignored work.
Stayed beside her.
All because she had a fever.
Why?
The question echoed endlessly.
Why did he care so much?
Why was he watching her constantly?
Why did he look relieved every time she woke up?
And most importantly—
why was she starting to care?
The thought frightened her.
Far more than the k********g ever had.
Because feelings were dangerous.
Especially around someone like Jeon Jungkook.
Especially around a man who looked at her as if she was becoming something important.
Something precious.
Something his.
Aarya looked away quickly.
Refusing to think about it.
Refusing to acknowledge the warmth spreading through her chest.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the windows.
Inside, the devil slept beside her bed.
And for the first time since entering his world—
Aarya fell asleep without feeling afraid.
- Writer
