Chapter 2~

...A War Fought Alone...

Kim Taehyung was running out of patience.

That was dangerous.

For everyone.

The reports spread across the conference table painted a perfect picture of destruction.

Three intercepted shipments.

Two failed contracts.

One ruined partnership.

Millions lost.

Yet Jeon Jungkook did absolutely nothing.

Taehyung stared at the documents.

His gloved fingers tapped against the wood.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The room remained silent.

Nobody dared speak.

Because whenever Taehyung became quiet, something bad usually followed.

"Are you telling me," he finally said, "that after all of this, Jeon Jungkook still hasn't retaliated?"

"No, Boss."

His eyes narrowed.

"No threats?"

"No."

"No investigations?"

"Not that we're aware of."

"No counterattacks?"

"No."

Taehyung leaned back.

Something wasn't right.

The Jeon Jungkook described in newspapers wasn't someone who sat quietly while his empire burned.

The billionaire was famous for crushing competitors.

For dominating negotiations.

For winning.

So why wasn't he fighting?

Why wasn't he angry?

Why wasn't he doing anything?

"Attack another route."

The room froze.

"Boss?"

"I want another route intercepted."

"But—"

"Did I stutter?"

"No, Boss."

The men immediately lowered their heads.

Taehyung stood and walked toward the window.

The city stretched endlessly beneath him.

Somewhere out there was Jeon Jungkook.

A man he had never met.

A man he had never seen.

A man who somehow managed to irritate him without saying a single word.

---

Meanwhile...

Jungkook hadn't slept in nearly thirty hours.

The coffee beside him had long gone cold.

Stacks of paperwork covered his desk.

Contracts.

Reports.

Financial projections.

More reports.

More contracts.

More problems.

Always more problems.

A knock interrupted the silence.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Yoongi entered first.

Jimin followed immediately behind him.

Neither looked happy.

Actually—

Both looked ready to commit murder.

"Another attack."

Jungkook continued signing documents.

"I know."

"You know?"

Jimin's eye twitched.

"That's all you have to say?"

Jungkook finally looked up.

His eyes were tired.

Far too tired for someone his age.

"What would you like me to say?"

Jimin stared.

Then stared harder.

Then looked at Yoongi.

"Do you hear this?"

"I do."

"Am I hallucinating?"

"No."

Jimin threw his hands into the air.

"Someone is actively destroying our company!"

"I know."

"And you're sitting here doing paperwork!"

"I know."

"And you're not doing anything!"

"I know."

Silence.

Dangerous silence.

The kind that came before explosions.

Jimin looked seconds away from climbing across the desk.

Yoongi stopped him.

Barely.

"Jungkook."

Unlike Jimin, Yoongi's voice remained calm.

Which usually meant he was even angrier.

"What?"

"Look at me."

Jungkook sighed but obeyed.

The moment Yoongi saw his face, his expression darkened.

Dark circles.

Pale skin.

Bloodshot eyes.

Exhaustion.

Pure exhaustion.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"I'm sleeping."

"No."

"I'm fine."

"No."

"I have work."

"You have a death wish."

Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"That's dramatic."

"You're dramatic."

Jimin pointed accusingly.

"You fell asleep during lunch yesterday."

"I blinked."

"You were unconscious for twenty minutes."

Jungkook pretended not to hear that.

---

The truth was simple.

He was tired.

Not just physically.

Mentally.

Emotionally.

Every single day felt like a battle.

His grandfather.

The company.

The media.

The expectations.

The pressure.

The loneliness.

Everything.

Jungkook had spent years fighting.

Years defending himself.

Years proving himself.

And now?

He didn't want another war.

Not even with the mysterious mafia boss.

Especially not with the mysterious mafia boss.

Because revenge required energy.

Anger required energy.

Hatred required energy.

And Jungkook had none left.

He simply wanted peace.

Even if it only lasted a few minutes.

---

That evening...

Another attack happened.

A major overseas deal collapsed.

News spread quickly.

Stockholders panicked.

Executives panicked.

Everyone panicked.

Except Jungkook.

He merely closed the report and moved to the next file.

Yoongi watched from across the office.

His concern grew worse every day.

Jungkook wasn't acting normal.

He wasn't angry.

He wasn't frustrated.

He wasn't fighting.

He looked...

Defeated.

And that terrified Yoongi more than any mafia attack.

---

Several hours later.

Jungkook remained in the office long after everyone else had left.

The city lights glowed outside.

The clock on the wall read 2:13 AM.

His neck hurt.

His eyes burned.

His hands trembled slightly from exhaustion.

Still—

He kept working.

A soft knock came from the door.

"Sir?"

Yoongi.

Of course.

"You should go home."

"So should you."

"I work for you."

"And that's your mistake."

Yoongi ignored that.

Walking closer.

He placed a paper bag on the desk.

Food.

Untouched.

Again.

"You didn't eat lunch."

"I'm not hungry."

"You didn't eat dinner."

"I'm busy."

"You skipped breakfast."

Jungkook remained silent.

Yoongi wanted to scream.

Instead, he sat down across from him.

"You know what I think?"

Jungkook sighed.

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

"I think you're exhausted."

"Probably."

"I think you're overworking yourself."

"Probably."

"I think you're miserable."

Jungkook paused.

Just for a second.

A tiny pause.

But Yoongi noticed.

Because Yoongi noticed everything.

"...Probably."

The answer hit harder than expected.

---

Across the city...

Taehyung received another report.

"The deal collapsed successfully."

"Good."

"The investors are nervous."

"Good."

"The company lost millions."

"Good."

The subordinate hesitated.

"Boss..."

"What?"

"There was no retaliation."

Again.

That answer.

Again.

Taehyung clenched his jaw.

"What is wrong with him?"

Nobody knew.

And that bothered him.

Because Taehyung understood enemies.

He understood greed.

He understood revenge.

He understood power.

But he didn't understand surrender.

And Jeon Jungkook looked dangerously close to surrendering.

Not publicly.

Not visibly.

But something felt wrong.

Something hidden beneath the headlines.

Something nobody else seemed to notice.

---

Days passed.

The attacks continued.

The losses increased.

So did Jungkook's workload.

And his exhaustion.

Eventually even the employees began noticing.

The CEO who never left.

The CEO who barely ate.

The CEO who worked until sunrise.

Then returned before everyone else.

Rumors spread.

Concern spread faster.

Yet Jungkook ignored everything.

As usual.

Until one afternoon.

He stood from his desk.

And nearly collapsed.

The room tilted.

His vision blurred.

For a terrifying second, the floor seemed to disappear beneath him.

A hand grabbed his arm.

"Jungkook."

Yoongi.

Another hand appeared.

Jimin.

"You okay?"

Jungkook immediately straightened.

"I'm fine."

"You almost fell."

"I'm fine."

"You look terrible."

"I'm fine."

Jimin looked ready to throw something.

Yoongi looked ready to lock Jungkook inside a hospital.

Neither option sounded unreasonable.

"You're taking tomorrow off."

"No."

"That wasn't a question."

"It wasn't an answer either."

Jimin groaned loudly.

"He's impossible."

"Agreed."

"Why are we friends with him?"

"Still trying to figure that out."

For the first time all day...

A tiny smile appeared on Jungkook's face.

Small.

Brief.

Gone almost instantly.

But it was enough.

Because Yoongi and Jimin realized something.

The attacks weren't what worried them anymore.

Not really.

Money could be recovered.

Contracts could be rebuilt.

Businesses could survive.

But Jungkook?

Jungkook was slowly breaking himself apart.

And neither of them knew how to stop it.

---

That same night...

Taehyung stood alone in his office.

Looking over the newest reports.

The latest attack had succeeded.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Yet victory felt strangely hollow.

Because Jeon Jungkook still hadn't fought back.

Still hadn't retaliated.

Still hadn't responded.

Taehyung closed the file.

For the first time since the war began...

He found himself wondering.

Not how to destroy Jeon Jungkook.

But why Jeon Jungkook looked like someone who had already been destroyed long before Taehyung arrived.

And that single thought would become the beginning of a far more dangerous obsession.

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