⊱Je te protègerai⊰

I will protect you

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My hands trembled as I held up my painting of him. The small details I added weren't embarrassing when I painted them, but showing them to him made me want to crawl back to hell.

Jungkook's mouth hung open as soon as his eyes fell on the painting and widened.

I cringed, hiding behind the canvas, and unconsciously started rambling. "I'm sorry if it looks horrible! I can repaint if you don't like it! The stars and the night sky must look ugly, huh, I just thought it would add a nice touch but I think it's stupid now, I'm sorry-"

"No no no," he quickly exclaimed, jumping up from his bed and shaking his hands at me before bursting into laughter. "I was speechless because it's so... beautiful."

"B-Beautiful?" My cheeks heated up when his starry eyes drank in the details from up close, seemingly in awe of my painting.

"I've never had someone else paint me or draw me and I'm nothing special. But this..." He gently skimmed the canvas with his fingers as if touching a treasure. "I really don't know what to say. I look so... different... in a good way of course."

I bit my lips, feeling even more nervous. "This is how I see you..."

His head turned my way and his glistening eyes locked with mine, catching me in their depth.

Not being able to breathe properly, I immediately diverted his attention back to the painting by pointing at the shirt. "The face was fine but I don't know how to shade the creases of the shirt. Can you give me some pointers?"

Jungkook's eyebrows jumped and he hiccuped, "Of course."

Forcing a smile, I instantly settled myself on my easel and grabbed my brush to finish it off. Exchanging simple questions and answers with him, I added finishing touches to my work while still blushing for some reason.

"If you do it like this," Jungkook whispered, pressing his body against my back, and suddenly held my hand, sending goosebumps and electricity up my arm. "This makes it easier to give shadows."

He slowly moved my hand along with the brush, gliding it against the canvas in a natural way. His warmth against my hand and back and his gentle hold made my heart swell, and his breaths against my cheek made it jump to my throat. I was never this aware of his touches before.

"Oh my gosh- You're in love with him!"

My breath hitched when Greed's words echoed in my head and my face started burning. Because of that fool's careless assumption, I was feeling more and more confused about myself and was acting less and less like myself. All because of that blonde fool.

"And we're done."

I flinched and Jungkook let go of my hand, running his hands to my hair instead. My breathing calmed and I closed my eyes when he treaded his fingers through my hair, brushing it, and braided it silently. I loved the feeling, I nearly purred.

"Is your painting finished?"

He hummed and I got sleepy when the sun was still up. "Almost. I'll show you when it's done."

He tied my hair without asking me for a hair tie and I held my braid up in confusion but found a new white ribbon tied around it.

"I bought it," he muttered, fidgeting, seemingly acting shy. "Thought it would look nice with your purple hair."

If my face was cooling down, now it was burning like lava. Thoughts like why he went out of his way to buy such a thing baffled me and flattered me. I wanted to act annoyed but I couldn't say anything to hide the furious beating of my heart and his nervous fidgeting wasn't helping, either. Why was he nervous?!

My mind went back to how I ran into Jia and I licked my lips, preparing myself to tell him. It wasn't fair and I couldn't hide it from him anymore.

"About Jia," I started before clearing my throat since my voice nearly cracked from nervousness.

"Ah, about her," he suddenly interrupted, turning serious as his face went rigid. "I was going to tell you and forgot. I broke up with her."

My eyes popped out. "You what, mate? You know about her cheating?"

"No? I only knew about it when she apologized, asking if it was because she cheated that I was breaking up with her." His eyes suddenly widened at that. "You knew about it?"

My heart dropped and I looked away from his hard stare. "I-I recently knew about it and I was about to tell you just now... Did you know about it and broke up with her?"

He heaved a sigh. "No, actually. I thought about relationship for a while. You kept going on and on about how I deserved better lately and that honestly made me think about it more. Even if our relationship wasn't amazing at first, I was hoping we'd get there one day and I would love her like I never had with anyone... But I was wrong and it wasn't right, so I ended it after careful consideration. It wasn't love or anything in line with that."

I was speechless, in awe of how he handled it. And I was a little jealous. I was never able to do anything like that when I was still alive and living, caught in a relationship that wasn't good for me. "...You're so different than the foolish me."

"If you weren't here, I would still be clinging onto her. Don't say that." He gave me a soft smile that I loved seeing on him and gently brushed my cheek with his thumb, surprising me. "And I would have felt so miserable after ending the relationship. So thank you."

I swallowed thickly, definitely not expecting that from him. "It's fine. I think we should get you a new girlfriend. A way better person who-"

His face fell before he chuckled, furrowing his eyebrows. "Don't you think that's a bit... insensitive?"

I gasped in shock. "What? Maybe the times you spent with her were nice, but she neglected you many times, never prioritized you, and she cheated on you. You shouldn't feel anything but disgust. Don't feel bad for her."

He shrugged, grinning. "I don't see why I should start a relationship."

But I did. If he didn't date anyone, it would become harder for me to save my soul from perishing.

"If you're seeing someone, you should go for it and get your girl. It should be someone who appreciates you, of course. Then you have my full support!"

"You really want that, huh?" He chuckled, leaning back with his arms on the bed to face the ceiling. "When I find someone, I'll do that. But I shouldn't get in a relationship just because I'm alone now. It would end up just like with Jia. There was a promise for potential love but it never happened... I acknowledged my worth thanks to you always yelling about it at my face and I don't need anyone else to prove it."

While I was digesting his epiphany, he scooted closer to me and held my hands to make me face him. I nearly let out a squeak from how close his face was to mine.

"Tell me, you think I deserve everything good, right?" He grinned, his eyes forming crescents and sparkling in gaiety. His light giggles when I nodded were so adorable, it made my heart flutter. "Then I deserve real love and a relationship that comes with it, right?

I sighed with a small smile. "You do."

"And you deserve an ice cream sundae for finishing that figure painting project, so let's go out," he chimed and pulled me up to my feet.

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After visiting our usual ice cream place, Jungkook wanted to visit his little friends at the orphanage and here I was, standing outside the building in strange fear. I never interacted with children and I was worried if I might hurt an unsuspecting child accidentally. Or worse, coming to like those small humans and not wanting to be separated.

Jungkook tried comforting me that I would be fine and that his kids were angels but I didn't want to go in with him.

"I'll just wait here outside, please," I begged but he kept refusing and dragging me to the door, worsening my fears. "Okay, just give me a minute and I'll go in. You go in first."

"You're going to run away, aren't you?" He narrowed his eyes at me but I huffed, offended, and slapped his back to push him inside.

After he was gone, I chanted in my head like I was a sinner in church and I told myself that I would be fine even if I never handled a child before.

Just when I was about to go in, an older man and two small girls walked out, passing me. A strange feeling went off when I made eye contact with the man and I watched them walk away and get into his black car. After a few seconds, I realized why he gave me an off feeling.

He was a child trafficker.

Many times I witnessed children's sexual abuse, he and his affiliates were involved. And now, he was taking two girls from this orphanage.

Balling my hands in fists, I gritted my teeth and held myself back from running at him since I wasn't supposed to get involved with humans. I asked myself if I ended someone's life, what would Lucy say. God wouldn't be pleased for sure and I might disappear before the agreement was due with no questions asked.

But when I looked at the two girls whose lives would be ruined... my restraint snapped and I bolted at the car.

Pounding on the window of the driver's seat, I asked the man to open the door and answer some questions, but he looked away and started the engine.

"This filth," I gritted out and smashed the window, earning screams from the two girls, before gripping the man's collar to lock our eyes.

"Who the fuck are you, bitch?!"

"Confessez vos péchés à la police et vous vous repentez," I growled and his eyes glowed purple (Trans: Confess your sins to the police and repent).

Walking to the passenger's seat, I opened the door and asked the girls to come out with the softest voice I could let out.

"Go away!" One of them screamed and scooted away to the other, and I wondered if I should use my power on them, too.

"I'm not a bad person. Do you know your teacher Jungkook?"

She turned to me with wide eyes. "Kookie oppa?"

I grinned. "Yes, Kookie oppa. I'm his friend, you see? Kookie oppa is inside and he wanted me to take you two back inside."

"What's your name?" The other girl asked warily.

"Eunsook."

"Sook? Ah! He talked about you, Sookie unnie," the other girl exclaimed and I sighed in relief. "Kookie oppa asked you?"

"Yes." I smiled, offering a hand. "Now, come on."

Her tinier hand reached out to mine and I held it as my heart melted slightly at the softness.

"I'll protect you."

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I know I'm the one writing this story but I just want to hug my characters, especially Eunsook. My girl 😭
I'm sorry for the bad stuff happening, such a world 😔