When the trio gets back to the Kang Residence, much to his dismay, she asks him to wait outside of her room. Even though the door was now fixed and her room cleaned up due to the help of housekeeping, it was deemed safe in her terms but he still didn't like the idea of her being alone.

Though he understood that she needed her privacy to watch whatever was on that hard drive. Instead of fighting back like he usually would, he obeyed her command and waited outside, making it known that he wasn't going anywhere. And her sweet smile upon hearing that made him feel better knowing that unlike how he felt about himself, she didn't blame him and thought last night wasn't his fault.

It truly wasn't but he still felt a tinge of guilt, like all of his years being an assassin meant nothing compared to being her bodyguard and he failed at that. Being the perfectionist he has always been since he was a young boy, he never allowed himself to fail or be mediocre at anything. He put in the work and time and became the best at everything.

Not to be better than others, but because it gave him a sense of security and confidence knowing that he was capable of doing things that others struggled with. And that's why whenever something wasn't how he wanted it to be, he'd be disappointed and take it especially hard.

Even though he was older, it didn't mean that he thought he was above anyone else. That never meant anything to him. Unlike many other men, he was humble and quiet, but confident in a way that was intimidating because he was sure of himself and what he believed in.

He's killed countless people, and still, to this day, he doesn't regret it. Every night he sleeps like a kitten, even after the things he's seen and done. Why? Because it led him to this. He wasn't one to believe in fate, but being around a woman such as Runa who did, her influence was starting to reach him just as it did many others.

She has that way about her. Jungkook saw her as a special person because she was. She could be caring and empathetic, and within a second, she could be the coldest and cruelest person you've ever met in your life. Her duality was insane, and he felt privileged and even lucky that she liked him so much considering the sass he's given her.

He knew she secretly liked to bicker with him, probably because she didn't have many people to talk to and she just liked the tension, even if her face would get all red and her eyes would narrow into intimidating slits. Still, he knew that no matter what happened, she'd never hurt him.

She was too careful and smart to do such a thing. Not just that but her crush on him was obvious. In truth, he didn't mind it at all. If anything, he enjoyed it. It was weird to think about, considering their age gap that made the situation feel even more forbidden than it already was, and the fact that maybe he felt some attraction to her. Keyword some, he wasn't sure how to feel about this so he was taking things extra slow.

Jungkook knew it was wrong to feel this way. He's supposed to be her bodyguard, someone who protects her and that's as far as his duties should go. But she had such an enticing energy that sucked him right in. Her sweet smile, or her devilish, cunning smirk. Her gleaming doe eyes or her spine-chilling sharp gaze. Everything about her was perfect, from the tip of her head to her toes.

She was everything, a dream, and sometimes he wondered why. Why was she so intelligent? Why did she have to be so much like him in so many ways? Why did her presence calm his mind and make his heart beat a little faster? Maybe this was true friendship, maybe this is what caring for somebody felt like.

But he knows better. He's seen the movies, he's read the books and learned about these things. The thought of falling for her was ridiculous and so out of character for him. It wasn't necessarily denial, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions when he'd never felt any sort of emotion related to love before.

So he quickly dismissed the silly thought and stood tall, his hands behind his back as he gazed up at the crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling. The lights reflecting off of it captured his gaze and made his eyes sparkle, but unfortunately, no one was around to see the beautiful sight.

Runa was busy in her room, getting her laptop as she crawled into bed with Cookie lying beside her. She got comfortable and threw a fuzzy blanket over her body, propping the device in her lap and connecting her Bluetooth headphones.

Her heart raced as she plugged the hard drive into the output on the side, sitting back and opening the file that popped up on her home screen. Her finger hovered over the key, and after taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she pressed open and turned up the volume when the video went full screen and started.

The camera is directed towards a wall, and from the background, it looks like it's a bedroom from where she can see a nightstand and a bed. A few sounds of shuffling increase the impatience she had and then an unfamiliar woman comes into view.

Her black hair was tied back in a low bun, giving a clear look of her sharp features such as her high cheekbones and cat eyes that were filled with distress. The woman was mumbling to herself, cursing something while adjusting the camera that tilted downwards and Runa's lips parted in shock when the baby bump came into view.

The stranger sat down on the simple bed, looking around before facing the camera and Runa felt an odd sense of familiarity, like she knew the woman. Even the look in her eyes made something deep within evoke emotion.

"Runa, I know you might not know me but my name is Kang Rae-jin."

The woman smiles softly and looks down at her swollen stomach, rubbing it and cradling the child that was growing in her.

"I'm your mother and let me say I'm grateful that you've gone easy on me, child. You occasionally give me a little kick and some nausea, but other than that I feel pretty good considering your due date is coming", she chuckles heartily, and Runa doesn't even realize it but tears are falling down her face.

She felt them drip down her neck, and quickly wiped them away whilst looking at the screen in disbelief. Was this her mother? How did Park Jimin get this?

"I know you must be so confused. Quite frankly I don't even know if you're alive, but if you are, I want you to listen to me. Seeing that you're watching this means something happened to me. I don't feel safe and your father, Kang Min-Su, is a man you should never trust, no matter what he or anyone else says."

"Whatever he's told you about me, if anything at all, is most likely false. I'm not the woman you think I am, but I guess the easiest way to start this is from the beginning."

Runa's breath hitches in her throat and she struggles to breathe. The shock was settling in as she intently listened to every word while tears continued to fall down her face. She doesn't even remember the last time she cried, but right now she didn't care about being strong. This was her mother, she could feel it in her bones.

Rae-jin takes a deep breath and folds her hands together in her lap, "Kang Rae-jin is not my real name. The name I had before is irrelevant but I was born and raised in Japan. I was an assassin, trained by the Yakuza and I went to Russia for a client."

"There is where I met Park Jae-jun, the head of the Organization at the time, which you should know of. But if you don't, the Organization is a facility run by the mafia to train young boys into contract killers. I ran into him during one of my missions, he knew of my reputation and offered his help along with his friend Lee Dong-Wook. Both of them were unlike any men I had ever met before."

The melancholic look on the woman's face makes Runa feel a knife stabbing her heart, "They were respectful and loyal as friends. Naturally, I was attracted to Jae-jun and decided to take a break from my job to stay in Russia and work with him. We fell in love and he proposed to me. I hadn't ever experienced love before since my lifestyle wasn't suited for such a thing, but I wanted him no matter what the risks were."

"Deep in my heart, I felt the need to be with him in this life and the next. He and I were happily married, and not too long after I found out I was pregnant. He protected me at all times and kept me away from his work even if I was stubborn and knew I could help. But it was his fatherly instincts kicking in. He wanted to protect our baby boy."

"You have a brother Runa...or had one. His name was Jimin and he was the sweetest little boy", she starts to get teary, and even when her voice breaks, she stays composed and wipes her tears with a sad smile.

More tears started to rush down Runa's face and she covered her mouth with her palm. Jimin? Park Jimin? Was it the same man as the Russian mafia leader? She couldn't believe Dong-Wook knew of her mother and her brother, it was unbelievable and it made her sick to her stomach. Too much was unfolding, too many lies, too much kept in the dark that made her realize she didn't know anything.

"Long story short, about three years later, Kang Min-Su's father had been killed by the Yakuza, and since at the time they funded the Organization along with the Russian mafia, Min-Su wanted it to himself and came to Moscow."

The woman's eyes turn cold and her bitter tone sends a chill down her spine. Oh my god, what had her father done? It was difficult to think about, this was much more complicated than she ever thought and she knew after this she'd never be able to look her father in the eyes without feeling burning rage and disgust.

"He came to our home, dragged us all out of our beds, and made us kneel before him. Jae-jun tried to protect us as I held Jimin in my arms. My poor baby was screaming and crying, seeing all those men with guns laugh and tease him. He was shaking so bad I thought he was having a seizure."

The woman purses her lips and lets the tears fall, reminiscing the traumatizing event repeatedly that never failed to appear in her dreams. Runa felt it in her soul, how deep the trauma went and it took everything in her to hold back sobs. She was never one to cry easily but this was her family, she couldn't keep it in.

"Jimin was...he was so scared and I was terrified that they'd hurt him. All those years of training and all the skills I had, I couldn't do a single thing because of Kang Min-Su. He snatched away the power we had because all we wanted was to keep Jimin alive no matter the cost. But he wasn't listening to Jae-jun when he tried to convince him why taking over the Organization wasn't within his control."

"And he took out his gun and shot him in the face...right in front of Jimin who watched in my arms. God, I still remember his deafening scream, something that I hear in my dreams every night that I'm trapped here. My son...my baby saw his father get killed and...and..."

Rae-jin sniffles and looks down at her lap, barely able to speak but she persevered through the gut-wrenching pain, "They made him watch...they made him watch Min-Su rape me on the floor like an animal. He screamed and screamed for me, he was only three and yet I felt like he understood exactly what was happening. My son had to see that man do unspeakable things to me in front of his men, he had to watch every second, or else they'd hit him."

"I tried to fight him but I couldn't. I didn't care about the burn in my legs because the love of my life bled out only a few feet away from me, and my baby screamed and cried for his mother. Jimin...I don't even know what they did with him because I was knocked out, and woke up in this bedroom with a different wedding ring on my finger."

"I tried Runa...I fought like hell to get my baby back and find him, but I couldn't. Kang Min-Su took everything from me. He took my husband and forced me into this marriage, and God only knows what happened to Jimin."

Runa paused the video to take a breather, not prepared to hear that and she felt utterly sick. She was gonna puke so she ripped off her headphones and tossed the laptop to the side while rushing to the bathroom. Just in time, she knelt before the toilet and vomited, the burn in her throat unbearable until it finally stopped and she could breathe again.

Gasping for air, Runa flushed the toilet and sat on the tile floor with weak limbs. As she processed everything slowly, she knew that she had to finish this and so with shaky legs, she got up and lazily brushed her teeth to get rid of the taste of vomit lingering in her mouth.

She wipes her tears and blows her nose, and after she's done she sits back on the bed with Cookie staring at her with her dark beady eyes. Runa put on the headphones and got the laptop, taking another few minutes to calm down because she was sure it wouldn't get any better. Pressing play, the video continues and still, the pain couldn't be numbed as her mother spoke through tears.

"I don't know if he's alive. But Dong-Wook is helping me. Min-Su put him in charge of the Organization and he's his underboss now. I think he said he had a plan, he said that when you're born, if anything happens to me, he'll protect you with his life. I trust him because he's been the only one there for me all this time. I've been alone with just you growing inside me, and as the days pass and you continue to get bigger, the fear becomes suffocating."

"I'm probably dead because of your father. Hell, maybe you're not even alive and this is all for nothing. But I have to do this. Someone has to know the truth and if Dong-Wook can protect you, I have faith that you'll make it. I haven't met you just yet, but I know in my heart that you're going to be strong."

Runa quietly sobs and presses her palm to her mouth again, trying to keep it as low as possible so Jungkook doesn't hear and her heart feels like someone was crushing it in their hand. No matter how many times she's been injured, nothing compared to this pain. Runa thinks this is her first time dealing with heartbreak, and now she understands how it feels.

"I know you'll become a wonderful woman, and I pray that Jimin is somehow alive and you two can be together. You have to go on without us, and I'm sorry for this. I'm sorry that you were born out of such a bad situation, but I don't ever want you to feel guilty or disgusted with yourself. You're the only good that's come out of this, and please...please no matter what, never stop fighting for your life."

"Even when times get hard, life is worth living. When I didn't want to live anymore, when all I thought about daily was how to escape from him in any way I could, I found out I had you inside me and I couldn't go through with it. I carried his heir, and although that disgusts me, I remember that you're still part of me just like Jimin. I learned to love again after my husband was killed and my baby was taken from me, I had you all along."

"You're my miracle, my baby girl and I could never be more proud of you. Just know that when you're lonely, I'm always watching over you to make sure you're safe. And please Runa, no matter what you have to do or how painful this gets, get away from your father. As soon as possible. I don't want him to hurt you..."

Runa nods her head along with her mother's words, her vision blurry with tears as she watches Rae-jin soothingly rub her baby bump with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Runa. I can't make you understand how much I mean it. But I'm so sorry. And Jimin, if you're alive and watching this, please protect your baby sister. Protect each other."

And then she leans forward, turning off the camera and Runa shuts off the laptop, turning off the headphones, and slowly gets up to put them back on her desk.

She felt incredibly drained and the knife in her heart dug so deep, that she could feel it piercing every vein in her body as it pulsed and bled her dry. Unable to stand anymore, she fell to her knees and Cookie immediately jumped off the bed to aid her.

The Doberman sniffed her and lay in the woman's lap who sobbed as tear droplets fell onto the dog's head. Her ears were ringing and she didn't even notice Jungkook came in until she felt large, heavy arms wrap around her body and she melted into his chest when he pulled her close and patted her head.

"I'm here, you're not alone. Remember that you're not alone", he says reassuringly, feeling a sense of protectiveness flood his system as soon as he walks in and sees her distressed state.

He gently rocked her body in his arms, rubbing her hair and pushing it behind her ears so they didn't stick to her wet face. He wipes her tears and feels something knot in his chest and gut, something that starts to feel like a growing ball of discomfort.

Seeing her crying like this, which was unexpected, didn't sit with him right and he wondered just how bad this way to make Kang Runa break down. From his knowledge, she never cried and Dong-Wook had said that she's always been emotionally numb.

So to see how red her face was and the tears that soaked her cheeks, it made his brain glitch for a second. He had to look into her eyes to make sure this was real, and when her doe eyes met his, he could see how much pain she was in. So instead of asking questions, he deemed that inappropriate as of this moment and although he despised physical contact, he wanted to hold her in his arms and take away the pain.

He's seen many people cry before, and he never felt a single bit of empathy for them. But her...seeing this made him feel things that he never thought he'd experience. The pain wasn't something he ever felt along with loneliness, but right now, that knot in his chest and stomach was a sign that he was starting to feel for her.

Officially, he had determined the worst he'd ever felt in his life was right at this moment. Cookie also tried to console the girl, but she was too upset at the moment and needed to be taken care of. Jungkook was more than glad to be the shoulder to cry on, even when she was barely holding on, he'd be standing next to her through everything.