TW: DV scene

"Good morning, Sumi!" Sumi looks up and smiles, moving towards her co-worker.

"Good morning," She responds, "Where is the boss lady?"

"She won't be in for a little while," Her co-worker eyes her suspiciously, "Why are you in? You usually write from home,"

"I know," Sumi chuckles, "But it was feeling kind of stuffy,"

"That's fair," She smiles, "Well your office is still available if you want to head in and get started?"

"Sounds good, thank you," Sumi smiles and heads towards her office.

Sumi wanted, no needed to get out of the house for a while. It is now Monday morning, 2 days since the incident with Jungkook. Once they got home, Jungkook rushed into the house and grabbed Sumi a blanket and a pillow, locking her out of their bedroom. All day Sunday he gave her the silent treatment. After all this tension, Sumi just needs to get away.

At least I'm allowed to come into work, Sumi sighs, thinking to herself, He won't get angry at her for working, right?

Sumi sets up her laptop, stretches a little, and begins typing. The story flows out of her fingertips easily. Of course, when she reads back through her work she finds incomplete sentences and grammar mistakes everywhere. But she has always been like this. She will word vomit all over the page, before returning to fix it all up. She has written some amazing stories doing it this way.

After 2 hours of sitting there typing, scrolling, checking her work, and typing again, Sumi leans back and stretches.

"Sumi?" Sumi jumps as her office door opens, revealing her co-worker and the one person she needs the most right now. Jennie.

Sumi stands up, moving around her desk.

"Jennie?" Sumi asks, raising her eyebrows before beaming, "Thank you," She nods to her co-worker.

Her co-worker smiles at Sumi's reaction, leaving them alone. Jennie rushes forward, pulling Sumi in for a hug by her waist. Sumi winces but hugs her back. The bruise started to form yesterday, and it is still tender to the touch.

Jennie pulls back frowning.

"Are you okay?" She asks. Sumi nods, chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, just a little stiff. You know how I get with writing," Jennie smiles, the relief evident on her face.

"Thank god," Jennie sighs, "I stood out the front of your apartment for 30 minutes before calling your boss. She told me you decided to come in and I really wanted to see you,"

"Oh, why didn't you message me?" Sumi frowns. Jennie leads her over to a small couch in Sumi's office, sitting her down gently.

"I was worried you'd get in trouble..." Jennie eyes her warily, "He told you not to see us anymore, right?"

Sumi frowns and looks away. It's true, she can't deny it. But why is she so worried about telling her that? What is stopping her from telling Jennie everything?

Fear? Denial?

"I knew it," Jennie scoffs, pulling Sumi from her thoughts, "Well, that's why I am here. There is something we need to talk about,"

Sumi nods, watching as Jennie pulls her phone from her handbag. She unlocks the phone, and scrolls for a moment, before passing Sumi her phone.

"You need to see this," Jennie says nervously. Sumi takes the phone and looks at it. She finds a stream of messages from Jungkook. They go back to the night Sumi hung out with Jennie. There are some new ones as well from the night Jungkook collected her from the BBQ place.

KOOK: What did I say to you?

KOOK: I told you; you'll regret interfering with our relationship.

KOOK: Never speak to her again. I never should have let you two continue talking.

KOOK: Ignoring me? Huh...

KOOK: If I see your name pop up on Sumi's phone...

KOOK: I know where you live, Kim Jennie.

Sumi's eyes go wide. She reads the last message over and over again.

Jungkook... threatened Jennie?

"Why..." Sumi chokes down a sob, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was worried he'd hurt you," Jennie's eyes fill with tears, "Please, I really need you to understand... please leave him Sumi... I am so worried," Jennie begins sobbing, pulling Sumi in for a hug. Sumi lets her tears fall, vaguely aware of the pain shooting up her side.

"I'm so sorry, Jennie," Sumi responds between sobs, "I didn't know, I swear I didn't know,"

"It's okay..." Jennie sniffles.

Suddenly, Jennie gasps.

"Sumi what is that??"

Jennie pushes Sumi back, lifting her shirt slightly. Sumi looks down at the bruise and winces. Jennie must have seen it peeking out from Sumi's jeans.

"Sumi?" Jennie looks up at Sumi, horrified, "Sumi did he do that?"

"It was an accident," Sumi mumbles, pulling her shirt back down, "It's from the car..."

"I'm sorry, what???" All traces of tears are gone from Jennie's face. She is livid.

"He didn't hit me with his car!" Sumi says quickly, chuckling nervously, "When we got back to the cars the other night... he just pushed me towards my car..." Jennie gasps.

"He pushed you???"

"It was an accident..." Sumi responds, trying to convince herself more than Jennie.

"No, that's no accident Sumi," Jennie says firmly. She places her hands gently on Sumi's face, forcing her to look her in the eyes, "Sumi, you need to get out of there, okay? Please..." Jennie's face contorts as her emotions overwhelm her.

Sumi comforts her, pulling her in and patting her gently on the back.

"He's abusive..."

"He's controlling..."

"You need to leave him..."

Tears start falling down her face. 

They're right, Sumi concludes, What am I doing? Why am I still with him?

"You're right," Sumi breathes, "What am I doing Jennie?"

Jennie pulls away from Sumi, looking up at her breathlessly.

"It's okay, Sumi," She nods vigorously, "You can stay with me, it'll be okay,"

Sumi nods, looking away from Jennie, feeling guilty.

"I can't believe... why did it turn out this way? What did I do...?"

"No," Jennie shakes her head, "None of this is your fault. He needs help and he is responsible for his own actions - look at me," Jennie looks deeply into Sumi's eyes, "It is not your job to heal him, he needs to fix himself,"

It's not my responsibility to heal him...

"You're right," Sumi nods solemnly, "I'm sorry, Jennie,"

Jennie and Sumi spend a long moment comforting each other before Jennie suggests they have lunch together. Looking for an excuse to stop thinking about Jungkook, Sumi agrees.

They chat happily at a nearby coffee shop, completely avoiding the topic of Jungkook. Sumi's heart aches, knowing what she must do. But can she do it?

She ignores her spiralling mind, allowing Jennie to distract her from the looming problem: Telling Jungkook.

Jennie and Sumi head back to Sumi's office. Eventually, as Jennie is at the door ready to leave, she turns to Sumi and brings it up herself.

"Sumi..." Jennie looks at her warily, "Do you want to stay at my place tonight?"

Sumi shakes her head.

"No," She smiles, "I'll confront him and break it off,"

Jennie grimaces, fiddling nervously with her bag.

"Are you sure that's a good idea...?"

"It'll be fine," Sumi says simply, "I need to tell him in person. I need to be honest with him..."

"I know... You love him..." Jennie sighs, "Just... don't fall for the love-bombing, okay?"

Sumi chuckles.

"Don't worry," Sumi sighs, "You've opened my eyes today. He won't be able to manipulate me anymore," She smiles.

Jennie watches her for a moment, looking at her as if this might be the last time they will ever see each other again.

"Be careful, okay?" Jennie says finally, opening the door to leave.

"I will," Sumi responds, "I'll see you tomorrow maybe,"

Jennie nods, smiles, and closes the door behind her, leaving Sumi alone with her racing thoughts.

. . . . .

Sumi unlocks her front door and turns the door knob nervously. She peers inside.

Jungkook is home, Sumi sighs, looking down at his shoes. She moves inside, taking off her shoes and locking the door.

"Jungkook?" Sumi calls out. Nothing.

"Kookie?" Sumi tries again, moving further into the house. She places her bag down on the bench, looking around for him. She moves towards the bedroom door as it opens. Sumi tenses slightly as Jungkook moves out of the room. He has showered and is in his sleeping clothes. He looks up at her and beams, his nose wrinkling with happiness.

"Baby..." Jungkook moves forward and hugs her around the waist, "How was work?" He asks.

Sumi flinches at his touch and gently pushes his hand off her hip.

"It was good," She responds blankly. Jungkook looks down at her hip and sighs.

"Does it still hurt?" He asks. Sumi nods slowly. He grabs her wrist and leads her to the couch, taking a seat. He moves her in front of him, lifting her shirt so he can take a closer look.

"Tsk, that looks pretty bad," He sighs, gently gliding his fingers over her skin. Sumi looks away, a bitter taste at the back of her throat. He is talking as if it wasn't his fault that she has a huge bruise across her hip, slightly climbing up her side and down her leg.

"You'll have to be more careful," Jungkook reprimands gently, standing up so they are face to face, noses almost touching. Sumi takes a step away, shaking her head. She looks down at the floor, ignoring the bubbling anger.

How did I not notice all the signs? How could I let him treat me this way for so long?

How could I be so blind?

"We need to talk," Sumi rubs her arm nervously. Jungkook leans forward, grabbing her arm and leading her to the dining table. He sits her down before sitting across from her. He folds his arms and watches her blankly. He is not giving away anything with his expression. Sumi has no idea what he is thinking.

Here it goes.

"I saw Jennie today," Sumi starts, looking up at him blankly as she sits up a little straighter. If he is going to hide his emotions, Sumi needs to as well.

He can't know I'm scared... he can't.

"Oh?" He asks, leaning forward as he tilts his head, "What did I say about doing that?" Sumi's heart rate increases, but she doesn't show him he's affected her.

"She came to my office and showed me something that shocked me," Sumi continues, ignoring him.

"What did she show you?" Jungkook mumbles, narrowing his eyes.

He's trying to intimidate me.

"She showed me the messages you sent her," Sumi says firmly, "How you threatened her,"

Jungkook stays silent for a moment before leaning back, sighing deeply.

"Of course," He tsks, "Trying to convince you to leave me again..."

"No," Sumi snaps, "They were real, authentic texts Jungkook,"

Jungkook frowns but doesn't respond.

"Why would you do that Jungkook? How could you threaten her like that? You're lucky Namjoon hasn't seen them and reported you," Sumi continues. Jungkook scoffs, glaring at her.

"Oh so Namjoon can go through Jennie's texts, but I can't see yours?" Sumi sighs and looks down at the table. Of course, he's trying to redirect the blame.

"Jungkook, I can't do this anymore..." Sumi starts quietly. Jungkook stands up and slams his hands on the table, leaning towards Sumi threateningly.

"No," He growls, "Don't you dare finish that sentence,"

"Jungkook, please,"

Suddenly, Jungkook grabs the glass ornament on the table and throws it at the nearby wall. Sumi squeals, before covering her mouth in shock.

Shit... this was a bad idea.

"So what? You're just going to leave me now? Huh? Going to leave me for Yoongi now that he's back, with Hoseok as your little side piece, HUH?" Jungkook bellows, gesturing threateningly towards Sumi.

"Jungkook..." Sumi freezes up. She can't move, can't breathe.

Move, Sumi, move!

"I knew it," Jungkook scoffs before grabbing a chair and smashing it against the same wall. Broken wood and glass cover the floor.

Jungkook lunges forward, standing Sumi up aggressively. Her legs shake slightly, fear prickling through her entire body. She is still frozen in fear, her breathing shallow as she stares up into the eyes she once loved.

Loved...

"You can't leave me," Jungkook demands, "Do you understand me?"

Sumi pauses, looking around at the mess everywhere.

That'll be you next.

The voice in Sumi's head confirms, her own voice, which sounds stern and realistic. She needs to get out of here.

Sumi, MOVE!

Sumi looks up at Jungkook and smiles.

"I'm sorry," She mumbles, "I won't bring it up again,"

Jungkook frowns, letting go of her arms. He watches her, momentarily confused. Quickly, his expression is replaced with a cocky smirk.

"Good, I'm glad," He smiles before looking at the mess everywhere. He chuckles, looking back up at Sumi.

"I'll clean it up," Sumi mumbles blankly.

"Good," Jungkook snaps. He spins around and heads to the bedroom. Sumi moves to the kitchen, her hands shaking as she grabs the dustpan and brush, and the broom.

I can't do this. He's going to hurt me. I need to leave.

She glances at all the broken pieces, panic building inside of her.

I need to leave, I need to leave. I need to leave. NOW.

Once she is finished cleaning up the glass and placing the big pieces of the chair into a pile near the door, Jungkook returns with a pillow and a blanket. He chucks them onto the couch before turning back to Sumi, waiting for her to finish.

Still shaking, Sumi places the cleaning items away before facing him. The room looks the same as it did before, besides the missing ornament and the pile of broken wood by the front door.

"You'll sleep on the couch," Jungkook gestures to the blanket and pillow, "And think about what you are doing to our relationship,"

Think about what I'm doing to our relationship? Huh...

Sumi lets out a chuckle, Am I losing my mind?

"I think I should stay with my parents... give you some space," Sumi responds, her expression still blank. Jungkook ponders this for a moment, watching Sumi closely.

"Fine," Jungkook snaps. He pulls out his phone and calls Sumi's mother.

"Hello?" Sumi's mom answers, "What's wrong Jungkook?"

"Hello, Mom," Jungkook smiles, "Is it okay if Sumi stays the night?"

"Why? What's wrong?" Sumi can hear the concern in her voice.

"We just had a little fight. She needs to cool down after breaking everything," Jungkook chuckles.

"Breaking everything? What happened?" Her mum sounds panicked.

"It's okay, I just need space," Jungkook reassures, "I'll send her over, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Text me when she gets there, okay?" Jungkook says happily, before hanging up. He frowns up at Sumi.

"And that..." He slides his phone into his pocket, moving so he is standing right in front of Sumi, "Is all she is going to know, understood?"

Sumi nods, smiling up at him.

"It's okay... I know you didn't mean it... I won't tell her," Sumi responds automatically, taking a step back from him. Before he can continue, Sumi spins around and heads to their room. She packs a few days' worth of clothes, toiletries, and her laptop.

This will do for the moment...

She comes back into the living area. Jungkook is leaning against the couch, lost in thought. He looks up and spots Sumi sliding on her shoes by the front door.

Swiftly, he moves over to her, towering over her as he waits for her to straighten up again. She finishes putting on her shoes and looks up at him. He smiles sweetly, but his smile doesn't extend to his eyes, which remain cold.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Jungkook murmurs gruffly. Sumi nods and gulps, looking away from him. He grabs her face, forcing her to look up at him.

"I love you," He murmurs, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her lips.

"Love you too..." She whispers. He finally lets her go, leaving Sumi to rush out of the house, her handbag on her shoulder and her duffle bag swinging in her hands.

She's not stupid. She knows Jungkook is still watching her leave the complex. She waits until she is down in her car before pulling out her phone, the fear and anxiety finally catching up to her. Her hands shake as she calls the first person that comes to mind.

"Sumi?" Jennie answers almost immediately, as if she was waiting for her to call, "Are you okay?"

Sumi falls apart at her words. The fear, the anxiety, the betrayal... fawning for her own safety... Sumi lets it all tumble out.

"Jennie," Sumi's voice shakes. Jennie can hear Sumi's entire soul crumble through the phone, "I need help... Can I stay with you for a few days, please?" 

(A/N) See ya tomorrow 🫰🫰🫰