'You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She's not perfect-you aren't either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can.'

Jungkook promised himself at the time Y/N back into his arms. He learned that love is a decision, a judgment, and a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can he judge that it will stay forever when his act does not involve judgment and decision?

He stared at Y/N for a few seconds, her eyes are so different in moments like these, softer than he knew eyes could be. The worries were gone and instead it was the eyes of one who loves deeply. Then she said the words he needed to hear, "I miss you,"

Y/N snuggled in, "You're the only person I know that gives indefinite hugs."

He snickered, "Well, love, where else would I rather be?" At that moment the arms squeezed a fraction tighter and Y/N breathed more slowly, her body melting into his arms as every muscle lost its tension to the spring air. This was life, real life.

For the first time in a very long time, Jungkook's mind was at peace.

Finally.

She held him. He held her. All the noise outside ceased. The moon shined through the street, but they glowed as one in their own light. There could be nothing else so special as this moment, no matter how long it lasted, it did not matter because nothing else matters, at this moment so pure.

Listen, I'll share some of the wisdom I learned over the years. When you are near the end of your life... when you're a lonely miserable man... you start realizing what your accomplishments are really worth. The most brilliant clue I ever deciphered, the millions I earned, sometimes I think I'd be willing to trade all of it for a single hug from someone who truly loves me...

...and it's from my family...

My Y/N and my Eva.

His hands, gently in her hair, hers upon his chest. Jungkook smiled and glanced toward the sky that promises more rain to come, their sweet sounds as a round of applause for love and romance.

A cold breeze blew up, touching his cheeks. "Do you remember," he said, "when we first met, it was raining like this. I told you I hate rain so much that we were stranded at the café for 5 hours."

She nodded, smiling ear to ear. "You hate rain because it always gives you bad memories. Even when I was pregnant with Eva, you won't let me play in the rain because you're afraid something might happen to us,"

Jungkook laughed, the sound low and husky, "Rain brings us together. Then and now. Why haven't I realized it?"

He wanted to remember today's rain as beautiful, not dark and stormy as he always felt like. He wanted to remember the touch of her fingers on his skin, cool and soft. He remembered her scent, this long night when they stood under the cold, frozen stars, dreaming in each other's arms.

For a second, his body reacted instinctively. He started to pull them closer, to trail his fingers over her jaw as he tipped her head back and leaned for a kiss.

BANG!

He opened his eyes, searching for Y/N when he heard a loud explosive sound. He knew it was a gunshot. It brought back the pain; it was as if the bullet was still in his guts as if his blood was still draining over his shirt. His stomach lurched. His previous accident brought him such trauma whenever he heard gunshots.

"Are you OK?" They both asked the same question and checked out each other worriedly.

She asked again. "What happened?"

Their fear rose. He almost ran out of breath as his heartbeat was so hard. Her eyes were on him until they began to notice a few people were coming towards them. However, their sight wasn't about them. It was something behind them. Y/N looked at his back, she then screamed.

"MARK!"

Jungkook turned back and he saw Mark laid on the ground, bleeding. She ran towards Mark anxiously. Meanwhile, he was at a loss of words seeing what happened right in front of him.

What? Why? How? There were a lot of questions about what was happening right now. Where did the gunshot come from? Why did Mark get shot in the middle of nowhere? Ain't he supposed to be in prison?

This was an attempted assassination!

Y/N was crying with Mark's head on her lap. She tried to calm him down although he could see that she was close to losing her mind. Jungkook quickly grabbed his phone and dialed the emergency number. That's the first thing that has crossed his mind.

"Someone is getting shot here at Incheon Airport. Near to the main gate. Please send an ambulance quickly." Jungkook spoke clearly. He tried to remain calm and explain everything to the emergency response team.

"Jungkook," Y/N called him as soon as he ended the call. He saw the blood upon her hands. "We got to save him."

He worked quickly applying his first aid training to the bleeding Mark. Despite the pressure he applied, the blood pool darkened, and the stain on Mark's shirt spread from his chest to his stomach. Mark laid as lifeless as any cadaver and just as pallid.

Mark stared at her, warmly. "Y/N," he tried to search for her hands. The blood began to come out from his mouth. Seeing him in such a miserable situation added more to her tears. She took his hands and caressed him with love and hope.

"I'd do anything for you, to hell with the rest of the world," Mark said, giving her a warm smile.

"You could die," The tears were streaming down her face. She made no effort to brush them away. She parted her lips again, but no words came out next. He knew she wanted to beg. Want to scream. But mostly, she wants to hold him until she knows he's going to be okay.

"Jungkook needs you more than I do,"

What he said bothered Jungkook as he turned his face away. There's a little edge of pain in himself. His throat is tight; he feels as though he's being strangled. Has he been the selfish one? Mark was willing to sacrifice himself for Y/N and his happiness. One must remove a bullet from a wound and one must let the sadness come out, it hurts like hell because it is.

"Stay with us, Mark. The ambulance is on its way,"

Mark was quiet for a second. It's too dark to see his expression. He can sense that he is staring at him.

Mark placed his hand on Jungkook's arm. "Please tell Jisung that his father really loves him," His voice is low and urgent as if he knew he couldn't make it to the hospital.

Jungkook nodded. The strangled feeling has moved from his throat to his chest, and without realizing it, his hatred for Mark disappears.

He used to think he knew everything. He was a "smart person" who "got things done," and because of that, the higher he climbed, the more he could look down and scoff at what seemed enemies to him.

But he realized something as they cradled Mark together: that he is neither better nor smarter, only luckier. And he should be ashamed of thinking he knew everything because you can know the whole world and still feel lost in it. So many people are in pain-no matter how smart or accomplished-they cry, they yearn, they hurt.

But instead of looking down on things, they look up, which is where he should have been looking, too. Because when the world quiets to the sound of your own breathing, we all want the same things: comfort, love, and a peaceful heart.

━━━━━━༻♡༺━━━━━━

At JK Castle.

For a while, she cried silently until she tired herself out and the overwhelming feeling of sleepiness overcame her. The room around her was fairly silent. There were so many saddened and lonesome souls around her. Jungkook entered the room carefully as he didn't want to wake her up.

"You must have traveled all night," he heard her say.

"I had to come back early." He responded, his lips brushing her tumbled hair. "I left some things unfinished. But I had a feeling you might need me. Do you feel safe here?"

"Yes." She shed tears, keeping her head on his shoulders. And he thinks she's not going to be fine because he knows she won't. Because a couple of years back, he wasn't.

"Why would he have done that to him?" she said more.

"Y/N, listen to me. If this continues, if this goes on, neither we nor our children are going to be safe. I know the bullet was meant for me,"

It's awful, telling it like this, isn't it? As though they didn't know the ending. As though it could have another ending. Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? That is what Mark did. If he's going to do the same thing? Yet, he didn't know.

Y/N opened her mouth to answer, but to her mortification, the only sound she could make was a sort of miserable croak. Her self-control shattered. She shook her head and choked on more sobs, and the more she tried to stop them, the worse they became.

He gripped her firmly, deeply, into his embrace. "The war comes down to us, Y/N, to us."

"No, I can't bear losing you too."

He took one of her hands and flattened it against his heart until she could feel the strong, steady beat. In a world that was disintegrating around her, he was solid and real. "It's all right," he murmurs. "You won't lose me. I will do whatever it takes to get back to you and the children,"

He couldn't be comfortable in a state like this. Because being comfortable meant he might lower his guard, and he could not let that happen. There really is only one ending to any story. Until then, it keeps going and gets complicated and there's loss.

Alarmed by his decision, Y/N made a wobbly attempt to stand on her own, but he only hugged her more closely. "No, don't pull away. I've got you." He cuddled her shaking form against his chest.

"But he is something, he is something," she cried, and her voice broke with anger. "He is far more than you think, Jungkook. He is a dangerous monster,"

Noticing Eva's presence beside him, Jungkook sent her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Appa is gonna come back to you. Remember, I love you both,"

Why does he feel like this is a long goodbye, yet not time enough? We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.

Jungkook bid them goodbye kisses. Eva keeps asking him where he's gonna go, not knowing her father might go to the losing battle. As he walked close to the door, his steps stopped when he heard her saying...

"But if you have to go, then go. Just go knowing you were loved, that I will never forget you, that you will live in everything Eva and I do. Go knowing I love you purely, Jungkook, that you were an amazing father."

She realized that no matter what she did or said, no matter how long she wanted him to stay, he wouldn't accept it. For that, she got to say words she was afraid will forever be unspoken.

Jungkook seemed to look right inside her. His voice was very soft. "You don't have to be sorry," he rushed to her, "I love you," he said, his voice barely audible. He took her into his arms, using all his strength to be gentle, and let his lips touch hers so lightly.

He remembered this perfectly; every shining moment with Y/N was forever etched into his mind. What they'd had, what they'd shared, everything. He'd built a shrine to her in his memories, carefully tended with grief and anger and regret. He knew every inch of their relationship, the passion, the feeling of emptiness when we weren't together, the longing and, yes, the love. He had been in love with Y/N. He remembered what she'd meant to him once.

━━━━━━༻♡༺━━━━━━

Kino said very seriously, looking into his eyes, "You never have to take a life, Jungkook. You always have a choice."

A choice?

Sometimes the choice was killing or dying.

Jungkook glanced at his friend. "He shot Mark because of me. I know he planned to kill me and he will kill me someday."

You will never be entirely comfortable. This is the truth behind Jungkook - he is always fighting something. To do otherwise is to settle.

Jungkook fastens his knife jacket before putting his black pea coat on. He's like a walking armory. He has two guns on either side of his chest secured in his black shoulder holsters and of course the knives. With his dark coat on, dark jeans, and his weapons hidden away, he looks imposing but harmless. Unsuspecting people would never think of him otherwise.

Kino said "Whatever happens, I am your co-warrior; I was born to fight with you,"

"No. It's better for you to stay with Y/N here right now." He began walking down the path from the basement and headed to the driveway.

"I'm coming with you." Kino insisted while chasing him. "I've got a bulletproof vest and I'm a better shooter than you. Don't mess with me." Kino pushed past him and out the sliding exit door.

"I think you know what I am talking about," Jungkook's face was serious. "If I had not been there, what would Park Chanyeol have truly done? I was there so I saw his crime. Would I have stayed and watched what he would have done to us, or would I have fled because I would not have been able to handle it? But I knew he was unstoppable. He would have killed me, anyway. And if you're with me, he would have killed you too."

Kino holds still, staring at Jungkook, eyes locked on his. It is fear that brings rage, that hot-burning anger that seeks justice. "I promise to Y/N to bring you back. At least, you should respect what she wants."

Jungkook suddenly twisted around and grabbed Kino by the hand holding the gun. He yanked it toward him, forcing it up until the end of the pistol was pressed against the back of Kino's head.

"Let's play a game," he said. Kino tried to pull his hand away, but Jungkook was too strong. "You let me go before I kill you."

The words horrified Kino. How could Jungkook do something like this? How could he possibly threaten to kill his best friend?

"Jungkook, maybe we can-"

"I'm sorry, Kino. I have to do this alone," Jungkook let go of Kino and steps back before opening the car door.

━━━━━━༻♡༺━━━━━━

At Sky House.

Y/N gave him the location of Park Chanyeol's mansion called Sky House. The place that kept hidden secrets Jungkook always tries to know. It was different than he thought. Rich people like him don't live in a big house alone without their staff. It, somehow, is like just being abandoned.

He stood in front of the main door, hesitant to open it. Park Chanyeol is the type of guy that had hundreds of monsters inside him wearing his face as a mask. He had no idea what would be coming for him if he opened the door.

Jungkook gathered all his strength and finally, he entered the house. The mansion was all concrete and tall glass windows that gave a view of the mountains, and he found not a single soul.

"Park Chanyeol!" he shouted. "I know the consequences of what I've done. Kill me if you must."

He took out his gun and began to walk forward into a living room. He was alone, and he sensed extreme danger upon him.

He was surprised to see a female body laying down on the floor. Seeing the blood already dried, she was left lifeless for a few days. Jungkook went to take a closer look and he realized that the dead body belonged to Jennie.

Jennie is already dead? Park Chanyeol killed her? He wondered what happened to Park Jinyoung. Are both of them plotting together to kill everyone who knows about their plan? Next to Jennie, he found a picture covered with blood. It was Y/N's. Jungkook quickly picked it up and he saw a few scratches on her face. It was a hint. Park Chanyeol's next target is going to be his family.

Out of the blue, the emergency siren broke out in the atmosphere. The police cars come screeching at the driveway of the Sky House.

"Mr. Jeon. We know you're in there,"