"Why do you like me, y/n?" my emotions talk for me, asking for some comfort and consolation. "Because..." she thinks about her answer, but after some short seconds, she finally puts her eyes into mine. "You're lovely...kind and caring...you have a big heart...a good personality and...you're a good person...you're sweet, and my heart just beats fast when I hear your name or when you text me...when I look at you or think about you...so...I can call that 'love'...right?"

What she just said isn't going to help my weak heart. I stroke her warm cheeks with my thumbs but do not break the eye contact. "Love is a big word..." I smile at her but feel the heat of her skin rise up against mine. "Then if it's a big word...I'll wait for the right time to use it."

"The right time?" I demand for the meaning of those three words, wondering what she wants me to understand by this. "Yeah...when I'll be with you in some months...when I'll have helped you and stayed by your side to go through some tough moments to show you I'm also here for you when life doesn't go well...when I'll have made you feel better and loved for so many hours and days nonstop...then I'll tell you that I love you sincerely, and that I'm there for you no matter what."

Her confession touches me, the impact of it reaching my heart and affecting my entire body. "Y/n...you-" her lips cut me off. "I know..." she softly speaks against my skin. "I know what you want to say...I don't know what tomorrow is made of, so I cannot talk about the future with so much confidence, but...I still want to tell you that I don't see myself without you in the future...I don't see myself not loving you anymore..."

I gaze at her, speechless. She really makes it difficult for me to find the good words, I don't know how to respond to this. I just know this affects me mentally, in a good way.

"But whatever..." she leans over me and rests her head on my chest as I couldn't say anything more. She hugs me but presses a kiss on my neck. "I made the pizza you liked a lot, I hope you'll eat well."

I hold her close to me but close my eyes. I'm exhausted after all the time at my work, with the stress, I need a nap.

Right when I finally relaxed and stopped talking, the sound of the oven ringing disturbs my peacefulness and makes y/n straighten up. She presses a kiss on my forehead in the most comforting manner, before moving away from me to stand up.

I follow her but loosen my tie. "I'm taking a quick shower," I smile at her but get undressed while heading to the bathroom.

•••

8 pm.

The tip of the digital pen hitting the screen of the tablet grasps my attention for the fifth time, I look at y/n, who fell asleep again, but smile. "Sweetheart," I move towards her, noticing she hasn't woken up even at the sound of my voice. I move my laptop to the side and grab the tablet to get the pen back inside, save what she was writing, and put it down on the coffee table. I lean over her and grab her thigh to pull her in and take her in my arms. I rise from my spot and carry her to her bedroom, feeling soft and relaxed with her.

I turn the lights off before reaching the room and open the door, doing everything kindly to not wake her up. Once I'm at the bed, I push the curtains away and bend over while keeping one hand behind her head to make sure she doesn't get hurt, and I lay her down. I place one hand under the crook of her legs and lift them up to pull the blanket down and then cover her body with it.

My lips land a good night kiss on her forehead, and I straighten up once this is done to close the curtains and leave the room, quietly. She must be exhausted.

A smile still felt upon my face, I lick my lips and walk back to the sofa. I sit down and turn the tv off for the house to be entirely silent and allow y/n to sleep tight. Now, I grab my laptop again and work.

I will not last long given the heaviness of my eyelids, but I still can do it for at least thirty minutes, that's enough for my work to progress.

The vibration of my phone startles me as I was focused, the feeling of it reverberating through the cushions. I frown but fix my glasses on the bridge of my nose to check the message I received at this hour.

< She's cute with her eyes closed like that ]

The picture of y/n sleeping in her bed hits my heart with brutality, I hurry to push my devices to the side and run back to her bedroom, my heart pounding hard, fearing she could be in danger. I burst into the room without thinking twice and rush to her bed to turn a light on.

As soon as her body isn't into sight anymore, I stop breathing and dart my eyes in the direction of the window, feeling the air blow through the gap of its opening at some feet away from me. "No..." my quivering voice escapes me, but I hurry to run to there, the blood rushing through my veins and boiling from fright and wrath, I almost break the window out of panic and open it. I get out of here to reach the outside and be in the yard, but I scream her name to ask for her, feeling my entire body tremble from terror like it never did before in my life.

"Y/n...!" I shout her name and run to the streets, my sight almost getting blurry and unclear. "Please, baby...answer me..." my emotions take the upper hand and provoke some tears to grow in my eyes. I knew this would happen one day, I knew Sangwoo would try to hurt her.

"Jungk-" her voice echoes through the emptiness, and I whirl around, hearing it come from behind. My eyes land on her, her body being held by another's one. "Let go of-"

"Where's the money?" he points his gun at me while the three other guys are surrounding us with their own weapons. I'm on the verge of losing all my mind and senses, seeing her cry and be in his strong hold only because of me tears me apart. "Just take everything in my house, but let her go...Sangwoo...I'm begging you..." I put all my pride aside, not caring about anything but just y/n. "Please...I'll give you anything you want..."

"Anything?" he smirks but tightens his grip on her face, covering her mouth to make sure she doesn't make any noise. "Yes, anything. Just let her free...take all my money, and my car...I don't care..."

They all laugh together while I cannot break the eye contact with y/n, praying for her to come back into my arms after I left her all alone. He suddenly pushes her away violently but makes her trip over. "You do not fucking move!" he shouts as soon as I step forth to run to her, his gun still pointing at me. "Munshik," he pronounces one of the guys' names but forces y/n to stay still as she's shaking on her spot. "Get into the house and take everything you see."

The orders make the guy obey, but then, he focuses back on us. "Since I can get anything I want," a smirk forms on his face even more mischievously. "I want the girl."

This can't be real. He must be lying or trying to scare me. Without even realizing what is happening to me, feeling like everything is a nightmare, y/n runs to me, before throwing her arms around my body, making me break down into tears and hold her tight in my arms.

The shrieking sound of a shotgun makes us both jump on our spot, but the flash that exploded through the darkness blinded me. Everything is in slow motion, I look up to check where the barrel is directed, feeling each of my heartbeats punch me hard enough to make me dizzy. "J-Jungkook..." the girl I'm holding close to me chokes up in my arms, the sound of it sounding weird and shaky, I put my eyes on her, we both glance down between our bodies, but once her trembling hands let go of my clothing to reach out for her stomach, a wave of faintness overcomes me, and I stare at the blood soaking her coth.

At the exact second that he pulls the trigger once again, I find myself falling into a bleak obscurity and my eyes open.

"Jungkook...?" y/n touches my cheek with her hand as I can feel myself panting hard and seeking for air. Why am I in the living room? Why isn't she bleeding? What just happened?

"Are you okay...?" she caresses my sweaty skin, but the tears in my eyes roll down my face, making me look around us to understand what is happening to me. "Did you have a nightmare?" she wipes my tears away but only clears the way for the others, making me plunge my eyes into hers but sit up. "Y/n..." I sob but take her in my arms to hold her tight.

This felt so intense, I don't know if it's real life or not, and I'm terrified. It's already daytime, I'm on the sofa, with her, when I was working only some minutes ago, and that I saw her bleeding...

"Don't cry, Jungkook..." she rubs my back but reassures me as I'm still doubtful and full of fright. I grip her cloth unconsciously but make sure her body is real and not just imaginary. "Tell me I'm not dreaming, y/n..." I do my best to calm down, and she presses her lips onto my ear. "You're not dreaming, Jungkook. I promise you."

I lower my head to her shoulder and feel relieved the more the seconds are passing, a quivering sigh slips out of my mouth, and I peck her skin. "I was so scared..."

"Why? What did you dream of?" she asks in her sweet voice, bringing some comfort to me and soothing me. "It was so horrible..." I wipe my tears away but raise my head up to look into her eyes. "Sangwoo came to take you away from me and...you were...bleeding in my arms..." I cover my face with my hands but feel some sweat over my forehead. However, this doesn't stop her from giving me a kiss on the temple. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this nightmare...I only woke up a few minutes ago."

"Did you go to bed all on your own last night...?" I ask, feeling lost in my thoughts and wondering if what I said or did was just in my head. "I don't remember getting into bed but only falling asleep on the sofa while studying."

That means I indeed put her into bed. Thank god. I stare at her but gulp down, relieved to see the happiness upon her face. She smiles and comes closer to kiss my lips and hug me. "Now it's real life, so don't worry."

I cling onto her and drop a kiss on her ear, feeling relieved to have her by my side.

•••

6:55 am.

"Your dad answered my text, I'm driving you to school," the words go out of my mouth after reading the message, and I stand up from the sofa to get to the front door. "What? I said no, Jungkook. You're going to be late," she complains and stays on her spot without moving. "And I'm gonna be way too early..." her words keep on floating through the air, but I walk past her to get to my phone and put it in my jacket while hearing her.

"Jungkook, I'm-" my hand covering her mouth from behind quietens her. "Shh," I whisper in her ear but put my arm around her body without removing my hand from her lips. "You don't have a word to say," I smile but peck her ear before walking up to the front door.

I grab hold of her jacket, my bag, and hers. "Put your shoes on," I order her to do with softness, but she listens and does not whine anymore. I watch her putting them on but let my hand on the handle, waiting calmly. Once she straightens up and sets her eyes into mine, I smile at her and open the door, pulling my arm back to let her go out first.

She obeys with no objection, so I follow her angry steps and lock the door behind us to then get to my car and put our stuff on the back seat. I join her in the front and buckle my seat belt on.

"Stop sulking, I don't want to be forced to punish you tonight," I tease her but insert the key in the ignition, peeking at her. She smiles and glances out of the window to hide this reaction. "Hm?" I grip the steering wheel but touch her hair to pull on one of the braids I made in it.

I start the car to get on the road but continue to annoy her, willing to see her smile and not pout, even if she's cute when she does it. "Y/n..." I pronounce her name, tugging on her hair. Her small hand grabs my wrist, and she pulls it down to land it on her thighs. She doesn't do anything more, so I don't give up, I give some squeezes there but make it feel more like some kneading. "If you don't cease that behavior I'm going to drive you back to your parents'-"

"I'm not sulking," the threat works right away, getting me to chuckle but be satisfied. However, she holds the back of my hand with both of hers and makes sure it remains on her thigh. This brings out the difference of our sizes even more. I sometimes wonder if my hands are big or if hers are just tiny. Maybe both.

I keep my eyes on the road to be very careful but feel her turn my hand upside down to play with my fingers. Her skin caresses mine, daintily, but she has fun focusing on my fingers. I smile at the feeling of her wrapping her whole hand around my pinky finger.

"What did you do to have such long fingers?" she questions me with her adorable curiosity. "You could get in the bottom of a jar with your small one only..."

"Well, I don't know," I chuckle but cannot find a good answer. "I think yours are just tiny."

"That's not true..." the pout can be heard in her tone. She checks the size of her own hand like a baby but compares it to mine by laying her palm on my larger one. As soon as her skin enters in contact with mine again, I giggle at the evidence of her tiny size.

"You're just giant..." she slaps it all cutely, but I remove my hand from her to hold the gear stick for a moment and use it. I check in the side rearview mirror to make sure I can turn, and then once it's done, I accelerate a little to drive straight into this new street.

Since I know she didn't put my hand on her thigh for no reason, I put it back there and cup it, getting me to feel her clench them for a second. I don't conceal my smirk but let it appear upon my face. She touches it again to not let it remain all alone on her thickness, and we both stay like this.

10 minutes later...

"See you later," I smile at her as she's about to go out with her bag, but she leans over me and presses her lips onto mine. "See you," she grins but gives me another kiss, leaves the car, and touches the ground with her feet. She just fluttered my heart. "I love y-" she interrupts her own sentence while holding the door but stares into my eyes. "I mean, I adore you," she doesn't forget what we said to each other yesterday and closes the door without allowing me to respond.

I love her.

My smile never fades away as she's walking away, but she suddenly turns around before entering the schoolyard to wave at me and get my heart to melt. How should I ignore this? How could I not fall in love with her?

A sigh escapes me, but I lick my lips and get back on the road towards my workplace.

•••

5 pm.

I step out of the building with a lot of anxiety running through my veins. This day was tough, Taegu kept on questioning me about y/n and telling me some weird things. After all the things that I've heard, I cannot bear it anymore, I need to talk to him about my feelings for his daughter.

I head up to my car but wait for Taegu as I can see him coming closer, but certainly not expecting what I'm about to reveal. "Mister Kim..." I call him, feeling my hands shaking and my heart rushing. "Yes, Jungkook?" he presses onto the button of his key to unlock the doors but steps towards me.

I will probably regret saying this now, but I feel like this is unnecessary to wait, I strongly believe y/n will not lose her feelings, and I won't either. "I..." my voice shudders, my confidence leaving me for good and letting place to an overwhelming, and crushing fear of changing everything in my life. "Go ahead, Jungkook."

I bite my lips. "I'm in love with your daughter..." time comes to a dead stop, my eyes not blinking, my breathing only hastening as the rush of blood is causing a wave of heat through my entire body.

"You what?" he chuckles. Either he doesn't want to accept what I just said, or he believes I'm joking. "I like y/n, Mister Kim...I...I'm in love with her..."