16

The rain whispered against the grass as Jungkook approached Y/n. Her joyful twirling had ceased, replaced by a startled stillness as she caught sight of him.

The smile, ethereal in the moonlight, vanished, replaced by a flicker of worry in her eyes.

She was lost, in her memories of Jeon Mansion when she was there, with Jungkook, drenched in a naked stance.

He stopped a few feet away, his heart a frantic drum solo against his ribs. Each step had felt like wading through molasses, yet here he was, drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

He raised a hand, palm open, a silent plea for her to stay put.

"Y/n," he said, his voice barely a whisper above the rain's gentle roar. It was a broken word, raw and filled with emotion.

Her lips parted in protest, the words catching in her throat. Before they could spill out, Jungkook reached out, his finger gently touching her lips.

The warmth from his touch sent a jolt through her. Shame burned in her cheeks, a reminder of the lie she was living.

He held his finger there for a moment, his eyes searching hers. The rain slid down his face, mingling with the tears she hadn't realized were falling. Then, a small, hesitant smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked, his voice laced with a vulnerability she'd never seen before.

Y/n looked around, searching for the source of the music that wasn't there. "There's no music," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, a sound that resonated deep within her. He cupped his hands around his mouth, creating a makeshift microphone. And then, he started to sing.

"You know I want you," he sang, his eyes searching hers.

"It's not a secret I try to hide."  The guilt flickered in Jungkook's eyes, a silent apology for the charade they were both trapped in.

"You know you want me," he continued, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.

"So don't keep saying our hands are tied."  He squeezed her hand gently, a silent plea to himself to break free from the invisible shackles that bound them.

"You claim it's not in the cards," he sang, his voice laced with a bitter truth. 

"And fate is pulling you miles away," he sang, his voice trembling slightly. 

Pheonix loomed over him, a dark cloud threatening to swallow him whole.  He was a prisoner, cursed to a life he never chose.

"Out of reach from me," he finished, his voice barely a whisper. 

Could he ever truly reach for happiness with the weight of his past on his shoulders? 

Y/n reached up, wiping away the tear that traced a path down his cheek.

"But you're here in my heart," he sang, his voice gaining strength as he looked into her eyes.  Despite the distance, the lies, a part of him would always belong to her.

"So who can stop it if I decide it's on my destiny?" he sang, a desperate hope flickering in his eyes. 

Could they defy the fate that held them captive?

But no.

His heart didn't permit him any further. Jungkook's shoulders slumped, not finding the courage to song further.

But her heart didn't ever learn how to accept rejection.

"What if we rewrite the stars?" she sang, her voice ringing out against the rhythm of the rain.

Jungkook looked up, his once dull eyes finding her shiny ones.

"Say you were made to be mine," she continued, her voice filled with a newfound strength.

"Nothing could keep us apart," His eyes locked with hers, surprise giving way to a spark of determination. 

"You'll be the one I was meant to find," he sang, his voice echoing hers.  The melody became a shared prayer, a desperate plea for a chance at happiness.

"It's up to you," she sang, her gaze unwavering.  They would face their future together, but the first step, the choice to fight, was his.

Jungkook's hand tightened around hers.  He looked at her, the rain washing away the despair that had clouded his eyes.  "And it's up to me," he sang, his voice filled with newfound resolve.

The rain subsided to a soft drizzle as the final notes of their makeshift song faded into the night.

A fragile hope bloomed in Jungkook's chest, a delicate flower pushing through the cracks of despair.

He couldn't let it wither.

He had to tell her.

Y/n, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, pulled away from him. A hesitant smile played on her lips, but the worry in her gaze hadn't completely vanished. He knew she wouldn't leave until she knew the truth, the darkness that clung to him like a shroud.

A wave of determination washed over him, stronger than the downpour that had just soaked them to the bone. This charade, this tortured dance they were forced into – it had to end.

He wouldn't let her love him blindly, not when the very reason he couldn't fully embrace her was a monstrous secret.

Tomorrow.

He would tell her everything tonight.

No more secrets, no more lies.

He would lay his burdens bare and face them together.

---

Back in the opulent solitude of his room at the Silvia mansion, Jungkook had shed his rain-soaked jacket and transformed into a different kind of warrior.

Hunched over his laptop, his fingers flew across the keyboard with the practiced ease of a virtuoso pianist.

Lines of complex code scrolled down the screen, a language only the initiated could understand.

"Firewall's a beast," he muttered under his breath, frustration flickering across his face.

Pheonix wasn't built for easy access.

Every attempt to breach the system's outer layers was met with a digital brick wall.

He tried different backdoors, vulnerability scans – all met with a virtual dead end.

Despair threatened to gnaw at the edges of his determination, but the memory of Y/n's hopeful smile in the rain fueled his resolve.

"There has to be a way in," he growled, almost a plea to the unyielding code.

Then, a flicker on the screen, a tiny anomaly in the system's response. His fingers danced faster, exploiting the chink in Pheonix's armor. 

Lines of code blurred as he delved deeper, his mind a whirlwind of algorithms and encryption keys.

A triumphant yell escaped his lips as the final hurdle crumbled.

ACCESS GRANTED.

The screen flickered, displaying a complex web of data – the inner workings of the Pheonix system. A surge of adrenaline coursed through him. He was in.

"Alright, let's see what we have here," he muttered, scrolling through the data stream. He needed specific configuration codes, the keys that would unlock the protected area where Pheonix was kept.

Finally, a section titled "Geospatial Masking" jumped out at him.

His heart pounded in his chest.

This could be it.

With trembling fingers, he opened the file.  There, nestled amongst a labyrinth of technical jargon, were the configuration codes.

A feral grin, a mix of satisfaction and determination, stretched across his face.

He had them, the keys to his invisibility cloak.

The codes which only Silvia had access to, were now with him. He could finally enter the area where Pheonix was kept, without alerting the security.

"Okay, now I need to just download the data and show it to Y/n first....", his fingers deftly work at the laptop, but a progress bar at the bottom of the screen displayed a soul-crushing estimate:

15 minutes.

"Damn it," he muttered, his voice strained from hours spent hunched over the screen.

He desperately needed to stretch his cramped muscles, to walk off the tension that coiled tight in his shoulders.

Standing up, he popped his back with a satisfying crack. A wave of giddiness bubbled up within him, pushing away the exhaustion.

He'd cracked Pheonix's code!

This was huge.

A sudden surge of excitement propelled him towards his phone. He dialed Y/n's number, a nervous energy buzzing through him.

As the phone rang, he envisioned her face, her smile, the hope that bloomed between them in the rain.

"Y/n," he said as she picked up, his voice tinged with urgency. "I need you to come to my room right now. There's something important I have to tell you."

He couldn't wait to share this breakthrough with her.

The smile that had lit up Jungkook's face after calling Y/n vanished like a flame snuffed out by a sudden gust.

A call vibrated on his screen, the caller ID flashing with Jimin's name.

He hesitated for a moment, the joy of progress curdling into a knot of apprehension in his stomach. Finally, with a sigh, he answered.

"Jungkook," Jimin's voice crackled through the phone, laced with a familiar, irritating brand of sarcasm.

"Busy night with your intern fuck buddy?"

Jungkook gritted his teeth. "Intern? What are you talking about?"

"Come on, don't play dumb," Jimin chuckled. "Y/n is orking under Robert Silvia himself, huh? I knew she was desperate to see you, but so desperate that damn, she followed you all the way to Russia?"

Jungkook could practically picture Jimin's smirk through the phone. He hated this way of talking, the constant veiled jabs and manipulative tactics. "Look, Jimin," he cut in, his voice sharp. "Do you have something worthwhile to say or are you just calling to poke fun?"

The amusement vanished from Jimin's voice. "Alright, alright. Progress report on Pheonix?"

Jungkook swallowed, the weight of the secret he held pressing down on him. "I got the codes," he finally said.

"Great! That's fantastic, Kookie! Now go and destroy that damn thing," Jimin's voice filled with a chilling glee.

"Just remember, after you're done saving the world, keep it in your pants and marry Catherine. No more messing around with Y/n. She's your student, for crying out loud. Just get it over with, come back to Korea, and we can finally put all this behind us."

A bitter taste filled Jungkook's mouth. Jimin had no idea, no concept of the truth.

The truth that destroying Pheonix wasn't just about dismantling a system, it was about a death sentence.

Whoever destroyed it would be caught in the blast, a sacrifice to sever the control Pheonix held.

He forced down the lump in his throat, a lie forming on his tongue.

"Don't worry, Jimin," he said, his voice flat.

"You won't hear any more rumors about me and Y/n."

He'd tell Y/n everything, face to face, when she arrived. Until then, he'd play their game, hoping, desperately hoping, that there was another way.

Jimin's voice took a sharp turn, dripping with a venomous manipulation that sent shivers down Jungkook's spine.

"Remember," Jimin hissed, the playful sarcasm gone, replaced by a cold malice.

"Remember what happened four years ago. Remember yours is a tainted lineage, a foul blood. You're incapable of being loved or loving anyone. Anyone who has ever dared to get close, they… die."

Jimin's voice trailed off, leaving the horrifying implication hanging heavy in the air.

Jungkook felt a wave of nausea wash over him. The past, a festering wound Jimin knew all too well how to exploit, ripped open with a single sentence.

Images flickered in his mind, a kaleidoscope of pain and loss. The memory of warm, loving arms turning cold and lifeless.

"Remember, Kookie," Jimin's voice dripped with a sickening sweetness, a stark contrast to the cruel undercurrent.

"Remember my mother?  The woman who sacrificed everything to keep you safe, who loved you so fiercely?  What happened to her, huh?", Jimin added.

"You bring only destruction," Jimin continued, his voice low and menacing.

A sob escaped Jungkook's lips, a raw, wounded sound.  He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to drown out Jimin's voice, to banish the haunting memories, but they flooded back with a vengeance. 

The warmth of Gumeun's embrace – all replaced by the chilling emptiness of her absence.

"See, Jungkook," Jimin's voice lowered to a chilling whisper, "love is a poison to you.  Anyone who dares to get close, they get burned.  Don't you see?  Y/n, with her innocent heart, her bright future – you'll only destroy her.  Just like you destroyed everything else you ever touched."

The weight of Jimin's words crushed Jungkook's spirit. Each accusation, each cruel reminder, chipped away at the fragile hope that Y/n had rekindled within him. 

Was Jimin right? 

Was he truly cursed, destined to leave a trail of destruction wherever he goes ?

He looked around the room, his eyes filled with a chilling sense of detachment.  A life of luxury, a life he never asked for, felt like a gilded cage, a stark contrast to the emptiness within him. 

What was the point of it all? 

What future could he possibly have, burdened by this monstrous curse?

Tears streamed down his face, unchecked and bitter. 

He didn't deserve Y/n's love, her kindness. 

He didn't deserve anything but the isolation his tainted blood condemned him to.

"Don't drag Y/n into this mess. She's young, innocent. Don't you dare taint her with your darkness."

"I… I won't," he choked out, his voice barely a whisper.

"I won't tell her anything.  It's better this way."  The phone slipped from his grasp, clattering on the desk as a hollow silence descended upon the room.

Jungkook slumped into his chair, a broken marionette whose strings had been severed by the cruel puppeteer of his past.

Jimin's words were a venomous cocktail, each syllable a shard of broken glass tearing through the fragile hope Jungkook had built.

The past, a monstrous entity he kept locked away, clawed its way out, fueled by Jimin's cruel manipulation.

A choked sob escaped his lips, morphing into a strangled cry. He was back there, reliving the nightmare, the feeling of helplessness a suffocating shroud.

He scrambled back in his chair, hands clawing at the air as if to ward off unseen attackers.

"No! Stop it!" he screamed, his voice raw with terror.  His chest tightened, each shallow breath a desperate gasp for air.

Just as the panic attack threatened to consume him entirely, a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. 

The touch, warm and familiar, was a lifeline thrown through the churning chaos. He looked up, his vision swimming, and there she was – Y/n.

Her eyes, usually bright and inquisitive, were filled with concern.  "Jungkook?" she called out softly, her voice a beacon in the storm. 

He reached out, his hand trembling as it grasped hers.  The anchor she provided was a tenuous one, but it was enough.

He continued to hyperventilate, but something inside him began to settle. 

The memory began to recede, pushed back by the warmth of her touch, the grounding presence of her voice.  She knelt before him, her eyes filled with a calm that soothed the raging tempest within him.

"It's okay," she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur.  "You're safe. I'm here."  She didn't pry, didn't ask questions.  She simply sat with him, a silent pillar of support.

Slowly, with each agonizing breath, the panic began to subside.  The room solidified, the colours sharpening around him.  He sank back into his chair, his body drained but his mind clearing.  Shame burned in his chest, a bitter aftertaste of Jimin's manipulative words.

He glanced at Y/n, his voice hoarse.  "I… I'm sorry," he croaked.

She squeezed his hand gently.  "There's nothing to apologize for," she said softly.

To voice the horrors that haunted him, the darkness that clung to him like a second skin, felt like a betrayal, not just of himself, but of Y/n's trust.

He reached for the glass of water on the table, his hand shaking as he brought it to his lips. The cool liquid soothed the parched dryness in his throat, a small comfort in the vast emptiness within.

"What happened?" Y/n's voice was a gentle murmur, laced with concern.  He couldn't meet her eyes, the vulnerability in them a stark contrast to the turmoil that still churned within him.

"Just… a bad memory," he mumbled, the words scraping raw against his throat.  It was a lie, a flimsy shield against the truth, but all he could muster at that moment.

He forced a semblance of composure, pushing himself upright in the chair. "Why are you here, Y/n?"  It was a deflection, a desperate attempt to shift the focus away from his crumbling facade.

A flicker of surprise crossed her features. "You called me," she said, her brow furrowing slightly. "Didn't you remember? You said you had something important to tell me."

A jolt of realization ripped through him. He had called her, yes, before Jimin's venomous call had sent him spiraling into the abyss of his past.

He had wanted to share the stolen Pheonix data, the glimmer of hope he'd unearthed, but now… now it felt like a cruel trick, a promise he couldn't keep.

Shame twisted in his gut, tightening its grip. He couldn't tell her. Not after Jimin's words had poisoned his resolve, turning the tentative hope into a leaden weight. How could he share his burden with her, knowing the darkness it carried?

"It… it can wait," he stammered, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "It's late. You should get back to your room."

The disappointment in her eyes, a flicker so fleeting he almost missed it, sent a fresh pang of guilt through him. But the fear, the paralyzing terror of revealing his curse, held him captive.

"Alright," she said softly, her voice barely a whisper.  She stood up, her gaze lingering on him for a moment longer, a silent question hanging in the air.

As Y/n reached for the doorknob, a soft chime broke the silence – the telltale ping of a download complete. Jungkook's head snapped towards his laptop, his eyes wide with panic.

He lunged for it, slamming it shut with a force that sent a tremor through the desk.  Y/n stopped short, suspicion replacing the disappointment in her eyes.

"Jungkook?" Her voice remained calm, measured. "Robert just called downstairs.  He wanted me to fetch you on my way up. Something about needing you urgently."

He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. "Right," he mumbled, a beat too late. "I'll… I'll be there in a minute." He didn't dare make eye contact, his entire focus on forcing his chaotic emotions back into a box.

With a curt nod, he brushed past Y/n, his steps echoing in the sudden tension.  Taking a deep, shaky breath, he closed the distance to the door.

The moment it clicked shut behind him, Y/n whirled around. Her gaze darted back to the now-dormant laptop.

A tide of unease washed over her. 

What was Jungkook hiding?

What had he been downloading that he wouldn't let her see?

Her fingers reached out hesitantly towards the closed laptop.

But her smile crashed seeing that the laptop was secured by a password.

The passcode screen mocked Y/n, a digital barrier guarding Jungkook's secrets. Determined, she began to tap away at the keyboard.

Standard combinations – 1234, 0000, even their birthdates – all yielded the same frustrating result: "Incorrect Passcode."

Frustration bubbled up. "Damn it, Jungkook," she muttered under her breath.

She ran through the possibilities – maybe Jimin's birthday, or Catherine's?

Even a shot in the dark with her own birth date.

Still nothing.

Dejected, she bit her lip, her fingers hovering over the keys.

"Is it…?" she trailed off, a thought flickering in her mind.

With a hesitant hand, she typed in the date. Not just any date, but the day they'd met – the party where she had roasted him and the day from which Jungkook's eyes were set on her.

A nervous energy crackled through her as she pressed enter. The screen flickered for a moment, then… unlocked.

Y/n's jaw dropped. How could this be?

This random date, a day that shouldn't hold any particular significance, was his password?

A warmth bloomed in her chest, a mixture of surprise and something deeper.

The revelation of the unlocked laptop was just the first layer peeled back, and Y/n found herself staring into a whirlpool of Jungkook's unspoken feelings.

As the home screen loaded, a gasp escaped her lips. It wasn't the usual generic wallpaper; instead, it was a picture of her.

Not just any picture, but a hauntingly beautiful one from their college days – her in a flowing gown, the one she wore for the fashion society event where Jungkook had awarded her a prize.

Embarrassment warred with a strange affection as she saw the wallpaper flicker, revealing a slideshow of more photos – all of her.

Candid shots from the library, blurry images from a campus party, even a stolen picture from their first encounter at the party, all bathed in a soft glow.  Her breath hitched.

This was a side of Jungkook she never knew existed, a side that cherished these moments with a quiet intensity.

Flustered, she tore her gaze away, forcing her attention back to the task at hand.  A glance at the bottom bar sent another jolt through her. 

Nestled amongst the usual icons was a single file, pulsating with a faint blue light, titled "Phoenix." 

This was it, the heart of his secret.  Unlike the rest of the files, it seemed to be running in the background, a silent process churning away.

The "Phoenix" file opened like a Pandora's box, spewing forth a torrent of data that flooded the screen.

It was overwhelming – technical diagrams, complex algorithms, interspersed with cryptic notes and highlighted sections.

But amidst the chaos, Y/n's eyes snagged on a familiar name emblazoned on a blueprint: her father's.

Panic surged through her as she scrolled down, her gaze landing on a highlighted section titled "Pheonix MK-VI Weapon."

With trembling hands, she connected her phone to the laptop, a desperate attempt to make sense of the data overload. 

As the transfer initiated, a horrifying realization slammed into her. This weapon, this monstrous creation, with its capabilities detailed in the transferred data – capabilities that put a nuclear bomb to shame – was supposed to be in Seoul.

But.

The highlighted location on a map pinned it right here, within a two-kilometer radius of the Silvia mansion.

It defied logic.

The weapon was supposed to be in a secure facility in South Korea, not hidden somewhere in Russia. 

And most importantly, what was Jungkook doing by downloading such information of something his own company created?

Did Jenesis Corps' sold Phoenix to Russia?

(Exactly what Jungkook fears would happen if this comes to light.)

But why would they sell such a weapon to any other damn country?! Shouldn't it be with Korean government?

Nothing seemed to fit in place.

This meant everything she knew about the project was a lie.

The data transfer completed with a chime, the urgency of the situation jolting Y/n out of her horrified stupor.  She snatched her phone, its weight suddenly heavy in her hand.

There was no time to decipher everything, no time to waste on analyzing the complex technical details. 

She had to get out of there, get somewhere safe, and process this avalanche of information.

With a silent prayer for Jungkook's safety, a prayer laced with a newfound fear and a tangle of confusion, Y/n bolted from the room. 

The opulent hallway stretched before her, but for the first time, it felt suffocating, a gilded cage housing a monstrous secret that threatened to tear everything apart.

Everything including the world that they live in......A/n : Will be giving you 10 more updates and finish the book by tomorrow evening.