Y/N'S POV

It’s him.

The moment our eyes met, I could sense his desperation, as though he were clinging to a dwindling lifeline. But I had no intention of indulging him—not a single second more. For all I knew, he’d already contacted his boss.

“That’s not on the menu, Eunwoo,” I snapped, closing my notepad with a sharp click. Turning on my heel, I walked away, but his hand shot out, gripping my wrist. He rose from the booth, effectively halting my retreat.

“Please, Y/N—”

“Yoona,” I interrupted coldly. “My name is Yoona.”

He hesitated, nodding slowly as if each movement was weighed down by guilt. He sank back into the seat, his eyes reflecting a remorse that didn’t move me in the slightest.

“Please, Yoona. Just five minutes. That’s all I’m asking. Five minutes is nothing compared to two years,” he pleaded, his voice trembling with sincerity. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the growing stares from other patrons.

“Fine. The clock’s ticking,” I relented, seating myself across from him with a scowl that could cut through steel. His weak smile faltered under the force of my glare. My hands gripped the edge of the table, fingers curling tightly until my knuckles turned white.

“Jung—” he began, but my sharp glare silenced him mid-word.

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” Eunwoo assured, his tone was quiet and measured. “You don’t need to worry.” I didn’t respond, but the tension in my shoulders eased marginally.

“I was… the car that followed you this morning. I’m sorry,” he confessed.

“Then why are you here?” I demanded, my voice sharper than intended.

“Because I missed you. Jennie misses you. We all do,” he admitted earnestly. For a fleeting moment, his words threatened to weaken my resolve, but I clung to my silence.

“And,” he continued cautiously, “I wanted to update you on what’s happened since you’ve been gone.”

I gave him a guarded nod, unwilling to offer him anything more.

“For one,” he started, a faint smile gracing his lips, “my nose was broken—by someone who decided to hit me in the face with a gun.” He chuckled lightly, though I could only groan at the memory. My fingers instinctively began fiddling with one another, betraying my unease. But then, his smile faded, the mood growing sombre once again.

“After you left him…” His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken pain. “He went through every stage of grief. He thought you’d come back, you know. He shut himself away in his office for days, drowning in sadness—and alcohol. And when that sadness turned to anger…” He paused, his gaze searching for mine. “Anyone who uttered your name so much became a target. It was chaos. It even led to a war with the second gang.”

A shiver ran down my spine, the weight of his revelation pressing down on me. He’d started a war in his fury?

“We won, of course. More land, more power, more workers. But none of it mattered to him. Not without you,” Eunwoo said, his voice soft yet piercing. I froze, my breath catching as his words pierced the fragile armour I’d built around myself.

“Did you come here just to guilt-trip me?” I demanded, my teeth clenched tightly as I fought back the surge of emotion threatening to overwhelm me.

“Please, Y/N. Jennie misses you. Lia misses you. I miss you. Jungkook made a mistake, but it wasn’t his fault!”

That was it. The breaking point.

“Don’t say his name!” I snapped, my voice echoing across the café. The room fell silent, all eyes on us. Even Rose had turned her attention towards us, her face a picture of unease.

“We’re done here,” I said sharply, rising to my feet. Rose hurried over, her nervous gaze darting between me and Eunwoo.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, sir,” I told him, my tone was clipped and authoritative. I could feel my anger simmering beneath the surface, threatening to spill over at any moment.

Eunwoo hesitated, his gaze lingering on mine for a fraction of a second before he turned and left without another word.

I huffed in frustration, stomping towards the back room, Rose trailing anxiously behind me.

“Yoona, who was that?” she asked hesitantly once we were alone.

“An old friend,” I muttered, sinking into a chair with a heavy sigh.

“Old friend?” she repeated, her curiosity evident.

“We ended on bad terms,” I admitted vaguely, hoping she wouldn’t press further.

“How bad?” she asked, leaning forward slightly.

It wouldn’t hurt to tell her a little, would it?

“I hit him in the face with a gun,” I said flatly, a hint of sarcasm colouring my tone. Rose stifled a laugh, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“I thought you got hurt or something,” she chuckled, and despite myself, I allowed a small, sad smile to tug at my lips.

I wish I hadn’t been hurt.

But no matter what, I wouldn’t let myself trust anyone like that again. He broke my heart—and in doing so, he broke me.

If he truly wanted to see me, why wasn’t he the one standing here? Why send Eunwoo?

Because a heartless criminal like him could never truly care for anyone.

Especially not me.

——

My shift ended sooner than expected, leaving me in a rare moment of solitude. Rose, ever the diligent one, had volunteered for overtime, so I found myself alone once again.

“Bye, Rose!” I called out as I stepped into the back car park, my voice carrying through the crisp evening air. She waved at me from the window, her familiar grin lighting up her face.

“Make sure to report what happened this morning!” she reminded, his tone laced with concern.

“Got it,” I replied absentmindedly, giving a vague nod before heading toward the staff car park.

As I approached, my steps faltered. There it was—the same sleek black car from this morning, parked conspicuously beside my motorcycle. My stomach churned at the sight.

Scoffing under my breath, I tightened my grip on my helmet. He was waiting for me. Again. Determined to avoid him, I tried to veer away, but his voice cut through the stillness before I could escape.

“Yoona, wait! Look, I’m sorry I said his name. I didn’t mean to upset you, but you need to understand—what happened wasn’t his fault.”

Eunwoo’s words were rushed, desperate even, but they only served to ignite the simmering anger within me.

“Don’t you dare try to defend him!” I shouted, my voice trembling with fury. The blood coursed through my veins, hot and relentless, and Eunwoo fell silent, shrinking under the weight of my rage.

I took a step back, breathing heavily, and that’s when I felt it.

My wings.

They had revealed themselves, unfurling instinctively in my moment of heightened emotion. Panic surged through me as I quickly scanned my surroundings. Relief washed over me when I confirmed no one was around—no witnesses, no cameras. Just me, Eunwoo, and the unbearable tension hanging in the air.

“You don’t get it,” I said, my voice breaking, tears beginning to sting my eyes. “I was trapped there because of him. Cursed with these stupid wings because of him!”

My voice cracked as the words tumbled out, unbidden and raw. “I fell in love with him, Eunwoo. I loved him with everything I had… and he had the nerve—the audacity—to betray me. To sleep with her. With Ryujin!”

Tears were streaming down my face now, hot and relentless, but I couldn’t stop. The words kept spilling out, each one a dagger aimed at my own heart. “I will never forgive him.”

Eunwoo’s expression softened, his pain mirroring my own. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but the weight of my anguish seemed to render him speechless.

I couldn’t bear it any longer. The conversation, his presence, the memories—it was all too much. Before he could respond, I yanked my helmet onto my head and swung my leg over my motorcycle.

Revving the engine, I was about to speed off when his voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Ryujin is dead!”

The words hit me like a physical blow, a sudden and violent shift in my reality. My grip on the handlebars tightened, my breath catching in my throat.

But I didn’t turn around.

Instead, I roared off into the night, the weight of his revelation chasing me like a ghost I couldn’t outrun.

——

She’s dead?

Ryujin… dead?

The words echoed endlessly in my mind, refusing to settle. Over and over, I replayed every possible scenario, desperately searching for answers that refused to reveal themselves. Who could have done it? Was it Jungkook? Had he finally crossed that unforgivable line? Or was someone else behind it?

I couldn’t tell anymore.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, my thoughts spiralling as I lay back on the bed. My fingers tangled in my hair, tugging slightly as I tried to ground myself, but the chaos in my head only grew louder. A groan escaped my lips, born of sheer frustration and the weight of uncertainty crushing my chest.

How could this not be his fault?

No.

No, no, no!

I sat up abruptly, the intensity of my own thoughts clawing at me from within. It was wrong—he was wrong. Jungkook had no right to take me in the first place. No right to drag me into his dark, twisted world and force me to stay.

He had ruined my life.

A fresh wave of anger coursed through me, sharp and unrelenting, yet beneath it, something else lingered—something far more insidious. Guilt.

It twisted itself around my anger, suffocating and inescapable, making it harder to cling to the hatred I had nurtured so carefully. But I refused to let go. I refused to let myself believe that any part of this wasn’t his fault.

Because if I did, if I allowed even a shred of doubt to take hold, then what was left of my resolve would crumble.

And I couldn’t afford that.

——

EUNWOO’s POV

I watched as Y/N sped off from the car park, her motorcycle roaring defiantly into the distance. I wasn’t even sure if she had heard me—if my words had registered amidst her anger and pain.

Desperation clawed at me. I wanted nothing more than to explain everything to her, to give her the full truth, but she never gave me the chance. Not a proper one, at least. Perhaps I deserved that.

As I stood there, the emptiness of her departure sinking in, I couldn’t help but reflect on the life she had built here in LA. It wasn’t perfect, I knew, but it was hers. A new beginning, far removed from the shadows of her past. If she had left solely to escape the likes of me, or Jungkook, how cruel would it be to unravel all that she had worked so hard to achieve?

One thing was certain—I couldn’t tell Jungkook about this.

If he found out that I had seen her without his knowledge, that I had dared to speak to her in his absence, he wouldn’t hesitate to make me pay. His wrath would be swift and merciless. And for all I knew, he already suspected something. Ignoring his calls for the past week had been reckless, I realised that now. But what choice did I have? If I’d answered, I would’ve betrayed her location, her fragile peace.

Jungkook’s power commanded respect, and to some extent, I gave it. But Y/N… she had earned my respect in ways he never could. She had endured so much, carried so many scars because of him, and yet, against all odds, she had managed to soften the monster he once was. She had made him a better man—or at least, something resembling one. And now, all of that is gone.

With a weary sigh, I climbed into my SUV, the leather seat creaking beneath me as I leaned back momentarily to gather my thoughts. The engine rumbled to life, and I started the long drive back to the main mansion. To him.

I had to think of something—an excuse, a lie that would buy me time. Because if Jungkook sensed even a flicker of hesitation, he would stop at nothing to force the truth from me. And I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to resist.

——

I arrived at the mansion, the towering structure shrouded in its usual aura of intimidation. The guards at the doors acknowledged me with curt nods, their expressions unreadable but watchful. I offered no response, my mind too preoccupied with the storm brewing inside. Without pausing, I headed straight for Jungkook’s office.

Reaching the heavy oak door, I pushed it open without knocking, stepping into the room with purpose. “Look, boss—” I began, but the words barely left my lips before his hand shot up, a silent command to stop.

I froze instantly, my mouth clamping shut as tension thickened in the air. Jungkook’s gaze remained fixed on the desk before him, his chest rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths.

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. One second. Two seconds. An eternity.

I shifted uncomfortably, my mind racing to decipher his mood, but as I opened my mouth to ask what was happening, he moved.

In an instant, his wings unfurled, dark and imposing, slicing through the stillness like a predator striking its prey. Before I could react, I found myself slammed against the cold, unforgiving wall, his grip tightening around the collar of my shirt.

His knuckles pressed firmly against my throat, cutting off my air just enough to send a sharp warning. His face was inches from mine, his expression a mask of barely contained fury.

“You’d better have a good fucking reason,” he growled, his voice low and venomous, “as to why you smell like her.”

The accusation hit me like a punch to the gut, and my chest tightened under the weight of his words. I tried to form a response, to explain, but the intensity in his eyes left no room for stammered excuses.

This wasn’t just anger. This was betrayal.

——

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