It was well past midnight, and the silence in the apartment was broken only by the soft hum of the coffee machine. Arin stood in the dimly lit kitchen, her mind wandering as she waited for her coffee. Today had been a whirlwind at work. Some of the investors were relentless, not in their business negotiations, but in their condescending remarks. They questioned her authority, undermined her every move, all because she was a woman.

Her frustration simmered beneath the surface as she poured herself a cup of coffee, trying to shake off the weight of the day. She was tired—exhausted, really—but there was still so much work to do. She was deep in thought when she heard the front door creak open.

Jungkook had come home.

It wasn’t unusual for him to return at these late hours. His work as a detective kept him out all night more often than not. But tonight, there was something different. His steps were heavier, slower. Arin glanced at him from the kitchen and froze.

Jungkook’s face was bruised, his knuckles bloodied, and his clothes disheveled. It looked like he had been in a fight. Instinctively, she walked over to him, offering him a glass of water.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly, concern lacing her voice.

He took the glass from her but didn’t meet her eyes. His jaw was clenched, and his breath came out in harsh huffs. “It’s fine,” he replied in a gruff, rage-filled voice, but the moment he moved, he winced in pain, his hand instinctively flying to his side.

Arin frowned, her worry growing. Without another word, she disappeared for a moment and returned with the first aid kit. Jungkook sat on the couch, his posture tense as he tried to shake off the pain. When she came back, he glared at the kit in her hands.

“I don’t need that,” he muttered, but she wasn’t having it.

“Stay still,” she commanded quietly but firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. She knelt beside him and began tending to his injuries, cleaning the cuts on his hands and dabbing at the bruise on his cheek.

Jungkook started to protest again, but something in her calmness silenced him. He let her work, and soon enough, he found himself watching her—really watching her. Arin was so focused on the task at hand, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration as she carefully applied ointment to his wounds. Her hands were gentle, yet there was a quiet strength in her touch.

For the first time in a long time, Jungkook felt something other than anger and frustration. He felt a strange warmth, a pull he couldn’t quite explain. His eyes traced the soft curve of her face, the way her lips pressed together in determination. She is beautiful, in a way he hadn’t noticed before. And tonight, wearing a simple satin nightgown that clung to her in all the right places, she looked effortlessly alluring.

He swallowed hard, his thoughts a jumble. His body was sore, his mind exhausted from the day's events, but something about her presence was soothing. The rage that had been boiling inside him slowly began to dissipate. He wasn’t sure why—maybe it was the comfort of her closeness, the scent of her soft perfume, or just the sight of her sitting so near.

Arin was too focused on her task to notice Jungkook’s gaze, but when she moved to fix the cut on his cheek, her hand brushed his chin, and their eyes met.

For a brief second, the world seemed to stop.

Arin’s breath hitched. She had never been this close to him before. Of course, she knew Jungkook was handsome—anyone with eyes could see that—but from this proximity, with the dim lighting highlighting the strong lines of his jaw, he looked impossibly striking.

Her heart raced as his dark eyes locked on hers. There was something in his gaze that made her stomach flip—something intense and unreadable. And then, without thinking, his hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Arin gasped softly, her body tensing at the unexpected contact. She was almost sitting on his lap now, her hand resting against his chest to steady herself. She should have pulled away, should have created some distance between them, but she couldn’t move. The way he was looking at her, with that quiet intensity, made her freeze.

Jungkook’s fingers lightly traced the fabric of her gown, and his eyes slowly drifted to her lips. He hesitated for a moment, silently asking for her permission. Arin felt her pulse quicken as their faces hovered inches apart, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. She didn’t speak, didn’t push him away. Instead, she closed the distance between them.

The kiss was soft at first, tentative. It felt as though they were both testing the waters, unsure of where this sudden surge of emotion had come from. But then, it deepened. Jungkook’s hand moved to the small of her back, pulling her even closer, while Arin’s fingers tangled in his hair, losing herself in the moment.

For a brief, fleeting moment, all the walls they had built between each other seemed to crumble. The tension that had been simmering under the surface for months finally found release in this kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, both were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other.

Neither of them spoke. The reality of what had just happened lingered in the air between them, but neither of them was ready to break the silence. Not yet.

Jungkook’s eyes flickered with something—maybe surprise, maybe confusion. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again. Instead, he simply sighed, his hand still resting gently on her waist.

Arin swallowed, her heart still racing. She didn’t know what this meant—if it even meant anything at all. But for now, in the quiet of their dimly lit apartment, it didn’t seem to matter. For the first time since they had married, they shared a moment that felt... real.

Whatever that meant, they would figure it out later.

For a long moment, neither Jungkook nor Arin moved. The air between them was thick with unspoken tension, and their breaths mingled in the silence of the apartment. Jungkook’s hand was still resting at the curve of Arin’s waist, his fingers lightly grazing the fabric of her gown. It was as if they were both waiting for the other to make the next move, caught in a strange, electric stillness.

The kiss had shaken them both, had stirred something deep inside, but neither had the words to express what they were feeling.

Jungkook, still reeling from the night’s failures and the anger simmering beneath his skin, felt like he was on the edge. Everything in him had been pushed to the breaking point. The weight of his missed target, the rage that came with knowing he’d been so close and still failed—it all made him feel helpless. He hated that feeling more than anything. He needed to release that frustration, to vent it all out, and right now, Arin was the only thing grounding him.

But she was more than that.

As he looked at her, sitting so close, her fingers still tangled in his hair, her lips slightly swollen from their kiss, something inside him snapped. He didn’t care what it meant, didn’t care about the consequences. All he knew was that he wanted more.

And from the way Arin was looking at him, he could tell she wanted the same.

There was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but it was fleeting. The way she was leaning into him, her body pressing just slightly closer, told him that whatever reservations she might have had, they were quickly fading away. She was frustrated too—he could see it in the tense line of her shoulders, in the way she bit her lip nervously, but didn’t pull away.

They were both wound too tight, both looking for a release, and in this moment, it didn’t matter what it meant. They could figure that out later.

Jungkook’s hand slid from her waist to her back, pulling her fully onto his lap now. Arin gasped softly, her eyes widening for a split second before she melted into him, her hands gripping his shoulders for balance. The simple act of her surrendering to him like that sent a rush of heat through his body.

He didn’t speak—there were no words for what he was feeling, what they were both feeling. Instead, he leaned forward, capturing her lips in another kiss. This one was different from the first. It wasn’t tentative or hesitant. It was filled with the pent-up frustration and need that had been building between them for months.

Arin responded instantly, her fingers tightening on his shoulders as she kissed him back with equal fervor. She could feel the intensity radiating from him, the barely-contained anger and desire mixing into something that made her heart race. But she didn’t pull away. She couldn’t. She needed this just as much as he did.

As their kiss deepened, Jungkook’s hands roamed her body, tracing the outline of her waist, her hips, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. The satin of her gown felt cool under his fingers, but her skin was warm, soft, and it made something inside him snap even further.

Arin’s mind was spinning. She had never been this close to him before—never felt this much heat between them. Her body was reacting in ways she hadn’t expected, her pulse quickening with every touch, every brush of his lips against hers. But it wasn’t just physical. There was something else, something raw and intense that she couldn’t quite name. Maybe it was the frustration she felt at work, the endless fight to prove herself in a world that constantly underestimated her. Maybe it was the fact that, despite their rocky relationship, there was a strange, undeniable connection between them.

Whatever it was, she couldn’t stop herself from giving in.

Jungkook broke the kiss first, his breath coming out in harsh pants as he leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes dark with desire. “Arin…” His voice was rough, hoarse, as if he was barely holding himself together. He didn’t finish the sentence—didn’t need to. The look in his eyes said it all.

Arin met his gaze, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her lips parted slightly as she tried to catch her breath. Her hands, which had been resting on his shoulders, slowly slid down to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath her fingertips.

For a brief moment, there was a silent question between them—one last chance to pull away, to stop this before it went any further.

But neither of them moved.

Instead, Arin leaned in, brushing her lips against his in a soft, almost tentative kiss, as if to say, It’s okay. We’ll figure this out later.

Jungkook’s grip on her tightened, and before either of them could think twice, he stood, lifting her with him as he moved toward the bedroom. Arin let out a soft gasp of surprise, but she didn’t protest. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he carried her effortlessly, his movements quick and deliberate.

When they reached the bedroom, Jungkook set her down gently on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. The intensity in his gaze made her shiver, but it wasn’t fear—it was something else. Something she couldn’t quite name, but it made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t in a long time.

Without breaking eye contact, Jungkook leaned down, capturing her lips in another heated kiss, his hands sliding down her sides as he joined her on the bed. Arin’s hands found their way to his hair, tugging gently as she kissed him back, her body arching into his as the heat between them grew.

They both knew this wasn’t just about desire. It was about frustration, about release, about everything they had been holding back for so long. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the unresolved tension between them, not the complications of their marriage, not the frustrations of their separate lives.

All that mattered was the way they made each other feel in that moment—how, for the first time, they weren’t pushing each other away.

For the first time, they were letting go.

Author's Note:

Hey there, wonderful readers! 👋

I hope you’re all enjoying the rollercoaster ride of emotions in this chapter! Things are heating up between Arin and Jungkook—who knew all it took was a little frustration and a couple of bruises to spark some major chemistry? Honestly, I’m just here for the drama, the kisses, and maybe a little bit of chaos! 😏

Let’s be real, though—who else thinks they should just communicate a bit more instead of letting their emotions boil over? But hey, where’s the fun in that? If they actually talked it out, we wouldn’t have these deliciously awkward moments!

Remember to vote, comment, and share if you’re loving the story! Your feedback means the world to me! 💖 And don’t worry, the continuation of this steamy chapter will be uploaded in the next update. So, keep your eyes peeled!

Until next time, stay fabulous and keep dreaming! ✨

---