Time skips.....

The clock had just struck midnight.

The Jeon Mansion was eerily silent-everyone asleep, every hallway bathed in dim golden light from the wall sconces. The shadows were long, the silence heavy, yet inside one room... sleep refused to arrive.

YN lay curled up in her soft bed, eyes open, staring at the pink ceiling.

Her room was beautiful. Soothing.

Thoughtfully crafted.

But it wasn't home yet.

It didn't smell like the old books in her mom's study.

It didn't creak the way the third step of her staircase back at the Choi mansion did.

It was too new, too quiet, and YN-though usually brave-felt like a child again, clutching the edge of her comforter, her heart unsettled in this unfamiliar stillness.

She sat up, sighing softly.

Her legs slipped out from under the covers, bare feet brushing the cold marble as she got up. A soft hoodie hung around her knees, her long bun now loosened into a lazy fall of hair down her back.

"I'll just roam a little," she mumbled to herself.

Maybe the kitchen. Maybe the library. Something to distract her.

She padded silently through the corridor, arms crossed, biting her lower lip slightly out of habit. The hallway stretched before her, quiet as a sleeping beast.

She passed the grand staircase, the art room, even Jimin's door-slightly cracked open with faint snoring coming through.

And then... she reached his door.

Jeon Jungkook's.

She hadn't meant to stop.

But something felt off.

A strange energy clung to the air just outside his room.

That's when she heard it.

Faint murmuring.

Heavy breathing.

Low, broken whispers.

"...Please..."

She blinked.

"...Mom, stop him..."

YN's breath hitched.

"...Dad... Dad, please... Where are you? I-I can't... help... me..."

It felt like her chest was squeezed in a vice. Her heart dropped.

Without a second thought, she slowly turned the knob and stepped inside.

The room was dark, save for the soft blue light from the night lamp on the far table.

And there he was.

Jeon Jungkook.

The mafia king.

Tangled in sweat-soaked sheets. His chest was heaving, brows furrowed, lips trembling with words from another world.

A world she couldn't see.

But could feel.

"Jungkook..." she whispered, walking closer.

His breath was harsh. Body trembling. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.

"Please don't... don't hurt them..."

His voice broke. "Please, I didn't... I didn't mean to live..."

YN felt something inside her shatter.

She moved fast.

Without thinking, she knelt beside his bed and gently took his hand-his fist, clenched in the sheets, slowly eased under her touch.

"I'm here, Jungkook," she whispered, brushing her fingers over his knuckles. "It's okay... you're safe now."

He didn't wake.

Still trapped.

Still shaking.

So she leaned closer, and-ever so gently-placed a soft kiss to the back of his hand.

A kiss that said:

You're not alone anymore.

He flinched slightly, his body reacting.

His breathing slowed-just a little.

YN placed her free hand on his damp forehead, brushing the hair away. "It's me... It's YN. You're not that boy anymore. You're here. I'm here."

And then-

His eyes shot open.

He sat up with a harsh gasp, as if coming up from underwater. His eyes darted wildly at first until they landed on her face.

On her.

She was still holding his hand.

Still kneeling beside him.

Still whispering, "It's okay... you're okay now."

His chest was rising fast.

But his eyes softened. Just a little.

"YN...?" he rasped, voice hoarse.

She nodded. "You were having a nightmare."

He blinked. Then looked down at their hands.

He was still shaking.

Her touch... grounded him.

"You came in," he whispered.

"You were calling for help," she whispered back.

He said nothing-just stared at her, heart thudding.

She bit her lip. "I couldn't leave you like that."

Jungkook swallowed hard. "You shouldn't have seen me like that."

"I'm glad I did."

His brows furrowed.

"You always look so strong," she murmured. "But even the strongest... need someone sometimes."

He didn't respond.

Instead, his thumb slowly moved, brushing gently over her fingers-just once.

Like a silent thank you.

Like a silent don't leave.

They stayed like that in the quiet for several moments.

And then YN whispered, "Would it be weird if I... stayed? Just until you fall asleep again?"

He looked at her.

And for the first time in years, his voice held the softness of a boy who once lost everything.

"No," he said.

"I want you to stay."

---

The moon had long disappeared, making room for the gentle hues of dawn.

A soft orange glow began to peek through the curtains, painting quiet lines across the large room. Outside, the world was still asleep-birds barely stirring, and time itself seemed to slow for just this one moment.

Inside Jungkook's room...

Everything was still.

The chaos of the past.

The nightmares of the night.

The pain they both carried in their hearts.

All of it was silent now.

Because in the center of the bed, tangled together under the comforter, were two souls who found a rare kind of peace in each other's presence.

Her head rested near his collarbone.

His arm draped protectively around her waist.

Her fingers had unconsciously curled into the front of his shirt.

And his other hand-slightly trembling-rested gently on her back like a shield.

They didn't know when it happened.

Neither of them intended to fall asleep like that.

But once her soft breaths reached his shoulder...

And once his heartbeat calmed under her touch...

They both slipped into a dreamless, safe sleep.

And for the first time in years, neither of them woke up screaming.

7:04 AM

Jungkook stirred first.

His eyes fluttered open slowly, the soft light brushing against his lashes. For a moment, he forgot where he was.

Until he felt the gentle rise and fall of her chest against his side.

Until he saw the small hand on his shirt.

Until he looked down...

And saw her.

Still asleep.

Still breathing softly.

Still safe.

YN's face was turned toward him slightly, cheek pressed into the pillow, lips slightly parted. One strand of hair danced across her forehead, and she looked so young. So peaceful.

So real.

Jungkook didn't move.

Didn't blink for a long while.

He just... stared.

And for the first time, he allowed himself to feel.

Not as the mafia king.

Not as the boy who lost everything.

But as a man-staring at the one person who made his darkness feel warm.

His gaze roamed her features slowly, memorizing everything. The slight flutter of her lashes. The curve of her lips. The way she clutched onto his shirt like it anchored her.

There was something about watching someone sleep-seeing them completely unguarded.

Vulnerable.

And she trusted him with that.

His hand moved up just a little, fingers brushing her hair away from her face with the gentlest touch he could offer.

And then he whispered-so quiet, only the air could hear it:

"How did you do this to me?"

His heart squeezed painfully, and softly again-

"How did you become my peace?"

There was no answer.

Just her soft breathing.

But he didn't need one.

Because in this moment, everything was enough.

He leaned forward slowly, brushing his lips gently to her forehead.

And then settled back into the pillow, still holding her close.

For a man who once believed love was a weakness...

He never wanted to let her go.

Not now.

Not ever.

---