Author's Note

This chapter contains bullying and emotional distress.

Please read comfortably and take care of yourself. ♡

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Rain poured endlessly over Hanseo University.

Students hurried through the campus with umbrellas above their heads while warm classroom lights glowed softly against the storm.

Everything looked peaceful from outside.

But for Jeon Jungkook-

this place felt like hell.

Classroom 304 buzzed with laughter as students packed their bags after lectures.

Meanwhile Jungkook sat silently near the window, oversized black hoodie hiding most of his face.

His notebook remained half empty.

Not because he didn't understand the lecture.

Because his mind felt too exhausted to focus anymore.

Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, and his fingers trembled faintly around his pen.

He hadn't slept properly in days.

"Still acting depressed for attention?"

The classroom instantly quieted.

Jungkook's grip tightened slightly.

He already knew that voice.

Slowly, he lifted his head.

Seo Minjae leaned lazily against the front desk, expensive rings shining beneath the fluorescent lights.

Beside him stood Park Sungho with a cruel grin stretched across his face.

Several students immediately pulled out their phones.

Again.

Jungkook lowered his gaze.

Don't react.

If he reacted-

it would only get worse.

Minjae walked closer slowly.

"You know," he sighed dramatically, "I almost feel bad for you."

Laughter spread quietly around the room.

"Almost."

Sungho suddenly kicked Jungkook's chair hard enough to shake the entire desk.

The loud sound echoed painfully through the classroom.

Jungkook flinched instinctively.

And that tiny reaction made Sungho laugh harder.

"There it is."

Minjae crouched slightly beside Jungkook's desk.

"C'mon, say something."

Jungkook stayed silent.

Not because he was brave.

Because he genuinely felt too tired to fight anymore.

That only annoyed Minjae more.

"Wow," he muttered. "You really are pathetic."

Near the back door-

someone's expression darkened.

Min Yoongi had just arrived after spending the entire night working at his studio.

And somehow the first thing he saw was this.

Again.

His jaw clenched tightly.

He hated this school.

More specifically-

he hated the way everyone simply watched.

"Move."

Yoongi's cold voice sliced through the room instantly.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Even Sungho frowned slightly.

Yoongi walked toward Jungkook before quietly placing a canned coffee on the desk beside him.

"You skipped lunch."

Jungkook blinked slowly.

Of course Yoongi noticed.

He always noticed.

"...I wasn't hungry."

"That's a lie."

Yoongi answered flatly.

Not cruelly.

Just honest.

Minjae scoffed loudly.

"What are you, his babysitter?"

Several students laughed again.

But Yoongi didn't even look embarrassed.

Instead, he stared directly at Minjae.

Calmly.

Coldly.

"My problem is that you're still talking."

The classroom went silent.

Even Minjae's smile faded slightly.

Yoongi rarely got angry.

But when he did-

it felt dangerous.

Sungho clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Crazy bastards."

The group finally walked out laughing loudly.

But before leaving-

Sungho shoved Jungkook's shoulder harshly.

"Try not to cry today."

The classroom door slammed shut behind them.

Silence filled the room afterward.

Heavy.

Painful.

Yoongi leaned against the desk beside Jungkook quietly.

"You okay?"

The question almost made Jungkook laugh.

Not because it was funny.

Because nobody asked him that anymore.

"Yeah."

A lie.

Yoongi sighed softly.

"You're terrible at lying."

Jungkook stared silently at the canned coffee.

Warm.

Yoongi always bought the exact flavor he liked.

His chest hurt strangely.

Kindness felt unfamiliar now.

"Sorry."

Yoongi immediately frowned.

"There you go again."

"...What?"

"Apologizing for existing."

Jungkook froze completely.

Because the worst part was-

Yoongi was right.

Rain became heavier by evening.

After finishing his café shift, Jungkook walked slowly through the empty campus with wet sleeves hiding fading bruises near his wrists.

His body felt numb from exhaustion.

His phone suddenly vibrated.

Unknown Number.

Jungkook frowned before opening the message.

Check the university forum.

His stomach dropped instantly.

Hands trembling slightly, he clicked the link.

A video opened.

And Jungkook stopped breathing.

It was him.

Curled up inside a bathroom stall during last week's panic attack.

His shaking hands.

His uneven breathing.

His terrified expression.

Everything secretly recorded.

The caption read:

"Scholarship psycho finally losing it LOL."

Comments flooded endlessly underneath.

"This is embarrassing."

"Someone expel him already."

"He's definitely insane."

Uploaded by:

Choi Doyun

Jungkook stared blankly at the screen.

Something inside him shattered quietly.

He had begged Doyun to delete that video.

Begged.

And people still laughed.

A weak sound escaped Jungkook's throat.

Not crying.

Not anger.

Just emptiness.

Later that night-

without answering Yoongi's calls-

Jungkook climbed the university rooftop alone.

The storm roared violently above him.

Rain soaked through his oversized hoodie instantly.

Cold wind brushed against his skin.

But he barely felt it.

His breathing shook unevenly.

Everything hurt.

The humiliation.

The loneliness.

The exhaustion.

The feeling of disappearing while everyone watched.

"What did I even do...?"

His voice sounded painfully small beneath the storm.

Tears mixed with rain against his cheeks.

"Why does everyone hate me so much...?"

The memories wouldn't stop.

Coffee thrown at him.

Bruises hidden beneath sleeves.

Students laughing while he bled.

Professors pretending not to notice.

Comments telling him to disappear.

Something inside Jungkook finally broke.

He laughed weakly.

Empty.

Hopeless.

"If nobody's going to save me..."

Lightning flashed violently across the sky.

"Then let the people who hurt me suffer more than I ever did."

The wind suddenly stopped.

Completely.

Jungkook frowned slowly.

The rooftop became unnaturally silent.

Then-

a voice spoke behind him.

"Careful what you wish for, pretty boy."

Jungkook froze.

Slowly-

he turned around.

And his breath caught instantly.

A tall man stood near the rooftop entrance.

Black wings spread slightly behind him.

Crimson eyes glowing softly within the darkness.

Wet black hair falling across an inhumanly beautiful face.

Black feathers scattered across the rooftop floor like living shadows.

The stranger smiled softly.

Playfully.

Dangerously.

"A human wishing for revenge this desperately..."

He stepped closer slowly.

"How adorable."

Jungkook instinctively stepped backward.

But the stranger only tilted his head curiously.

Almost teasingly.

"Aw," he murmured softly. "Are you scared already?"

His voice sounded warm.

That somehow made him even more terrifying.

Lightning flashed again.

For one horrifying second-

Jungkook saw blood staining the stranger's hands.

Then the man gently lifted Jungkook's chin.

His crimson eyes glowed brighter.

"My name is Taehyung."

Kim Taehyung smiled beautifully beneath the storm.

"Now tell me who deserves to suffer first."

...Taehyung finally appeared 👀...

Author's Note

Taehyung is finally interacting properly with Jungkook in this chapter 👀

Also... maybe accepting deals from beautiful devils during thunderstorms is not the safest decision.

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Rain crashed violently against the rooftop floor.

But somehow-

the figure standing in front of Jungkook remained untouched by the storm.

Not a single drop of rain stayed on him for long.

It slid away from his skin unnaturally.

Jungkook's breathing became uneven.

His mind screamed at him to run.

Because people with black wings and glowing crimson eyes were not supposed to exist.

Yet-

there Taehyung stood.

Smiling.

Watching him carefully.

Almost curiously.

"You're staring."

Jungkook immediately looked away.

His heart pounded painfully inside his chest.

"W-What are you...?"

Taehyung placed a hand dramatically against his chest.

"Ouch."

He sighed softly.

"Straight to the existential questions already?"

Even now-

he sounded teasing.

Playful.

Like this entire situation amused him.

Taehyung stepped closer slowly.

Black feathers scattered across the rooftop beneath his feet.

"You humans usually say hello first."

Jungkook instinctively stepped backward.

"Stay away from me."

For a second-

Taehyung looked genuinely offended.

Then he laughed quietly.

The sound was warm.

Beautiful.

And somehow terrifying.

"That's rude, pretty boy."

Lightning flashed violently across the sky.

For one horrifying second-

Taehyung's shadow no longer looked human.

Jungkook froze.

His body suddenly felt cold.

Very cold.

Taehyung noticed immediately.

And his teasing expression softened slightly.

"Relax."

His voice became quieter this time.

"If I wanted to hurt you, I already would have."

That should not have been comforting.

Yet somehow-

it was.

The rooftop fell silent again.

Rain continued pouring around them.

Jungkook stared at Taehyung carefully now.

The black wings.

The glowing eyes.

The unnatural beauty.

None of it looked real.

"You still didn't answer me."

Taehyung tilted his head slightly.

"Hmm?"

"What are you?"

A slow smile spread across Taehyung's face.

Dangerous.

Beautiful.

"A devil."

Thunder cracked loudly above them.

Jungkook's breath caught.

Taehyung said it so casually.

Like he was introducing himself at a café instead of admitting something impossible.

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

Taehyung suddenly stepped forward again.

This time-

Jungkook didn't move fast enough.

Cold fingers gently lifted his chin.

Crimson eyes glowed softly in front of him.

Too close.

Way too close.

"Do I look human to you?"

Jungkook couldn't answer.

Because honestly-

no.

Taehyung looked too perfect.

Too unnatural.

Like something dangerous pretending to be beautiful.

And somehow-

Jungkook couldn't stop staring at him.

Taehyung noticed that too.

Of course he did.

A teasing smile immediately appeared on his face again.

"Aw."

He leaned slightly closer.

"You think I'm pretty?"

Jungkook's face flushed instantly.

"I didn't say that."

Taehyung laughed softly.

The sound echoed strangely through the storm.

"Humans are adorable."

Suddenly-

Jungkook remembered the rooftop.

The wish.

The anger.

The pain.

His expression darkened immediately.

Taehyung noticed the change instantly.

"There it is."

His voice became quieter.

More interested.

"That look in your eyes."

Jungkook clenched his fists tightly.

Memories flashed painfully through his mind again.

The classroom laughter.

The video online.

The comments.

His humiliation.

Something twisted painfully inside his chest.

"Can you really..."

His voice trembled slightly.

"Can you really make people suffer?"

The wind around Taehyung suddenly shifted.

Dark.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

For the first time-

the devil stopped smiling completely.

"Yes."

One word.

Calm.

Certain.

And somehow far scarier than shouting.

Jungkook swallowed hard.

"Why would you help me?"

Taehyung stared at him quietly for a moment.

Then-

he smiled again.

Softer this time.

"Because humans like you are interesting."

"Humans like me?"

"Broken humans."

The words hurt more than Jungkook expected.

Taehyung noticed the reaction immediately.

His expression shifted slightly.

Almost regretful.

But only for a second.

"You wished for revenge."

The devil's crimson eyes glowed faintly.

"And I answer wishes."

Taehyung slowly held out his hand.

Long fingers.

Black rings.

Sharp nails that didn't look fully human.

"Make a contract with me."

Jungkook stared at the offered hand silently.

His chest tightened painfully.

A contract with a devil.

This was insane.

Impossible.

Dangerous.

But then he remembered the comments again.

"Why is he even alive?"

Something inside him cracked.

Again.

Taehyung watched him carefully.

Not rushing him.

Not forcing him.

Just waiting.

Like he already knew the answer.

"What happens if I agree?"

Taehyung's smile returned immediately.

"I punish the people who hurt you."

"And if I refuse?"

The devil shrugged lazily.

"Then I disappear."

For some reason-

that answer felt strangely disappointing.

Jungkook frowned slightly at his own thoughts.

Why would he care if a devil disappeared?

Taehyung noticed the expression immediately.

And looked way too pleased about it.

"Cute."

"Stop calling me that."

"Make me."

Jungkook stared at him blankly.

Taehyung grinned proudly.

Like annoying Jungkook was already his favorite hobby.

The storm became louder above them.

Jungkook looked down at Taehyung's hand one last time.

Then slowly-

he reached forward.

The moment their hands touched-

the rooftop lights exploded.

Jungkook gasped sharply.

A strange warmth spread through his body instantly.

Black feathers swirled violently around them as thunder shook the sky.

Crimson symbols briefly glowed beneath Jungkook's feet before disappearing again.

And Taehyung-

smiled beautifully.

Like he had just won something precious.

"The contract is complete."

Jungkook's heartbeat pounded loudly inside his chest.

"What happens now?"

Taehyung gently intertwined their fingers.

His eyes glowed softly beneath the storm.

And for the first time-

the devil looked genuinely excited.

"Now," he whispered,

"we make them pay."

Taehyung got the contract AND immediately started flirting.

Priorities. 😭