●The Park That Never Was
Junho showed up late morning — casual, hands in his pockets, mischief dancing in his eyes like he wasn't the same man who tried to dissect my soul the night before.
"You look like a ghost trapped in golden prison bars," he said, leaning on the doorframe.
"Let's get you out."
"Where?"
"Park. Sunshine. Ice cream. Lies."
I blinked.
"Sorry?"
"Joking," he smirked. "Mostly."
Taehyun stepped out behind him, fixing his cuffs, one brow raised.
"You're taking her?"
"She's bored," Junho shrugged. "I'm doing you a favor. Before she poisons the staff out of curiosity."
Taehyun glanced at me. I smiled sweetly.
He sighed.
"Stay close. Don't scare her."
Junho snorted.
"No promises."
●A Detour into Danger
The drive was oddly quiet.
I leaned my head on the window, watching the city blur past, sipping the iced drink Jungkook tossed into my lap.
"You always this tense?" I asked.
"Or is this your way of saying you like me?"
"You're cocky for someone who might be a ghost," he muttered.
"You're broody for someone named Bunny."
He didn't laugh.
We were mid-bridge, traffic light ahead, nothing around but water and wind — when suddenly, the car stopped.
He got out. Walked over to my side.
I blinked.
"Junho?"
The door yanked open.
His hand grabbed my wrist.
"What the hell—?!"
He dragged me out, fast. Wind hit my face. I stumbled.
Then I froze.
Because he pulled out a gun.
Pointed it straight at my chest.
"Now," he said, voice cold, eyes hard.
"Who the hell are you really?"
Sharp Tongue. Innocent Eyes.
My breath caught in my throat.
No buildings. No people. No help.
Just bridge. Wind. A man who could kill with no second thought.
"Answer me, little girl," he snapped.
"Who sent you? Are you an agent? An inside spy? Kim Taehyun doesn't fall in love. He doesn't touch anyone. But you? You snap your fingers and he folds."
"I'm not—"
My voice shook. I hated it.
"Tell me what you did to my brother before I put a hole in your lies."
My legs trembled. But my pride didn't.
I straightened my back.
"Go ahead then. Shoot me."
His brow twitched.
"You think I'm bluffing?"
"I think," I said slowly, my voice steadying,
"You're scared. Of me. Of what I might be. Because for the first time, your perfect cold-hearted brother found warmth — and it didn't come from a gun or power. It came from me."
He tightened his grip on the weapon.
I stepped forward.
Eyes wide. Heart racing. Innocent on the surface — but underneath?
Fire.
"So pull the trigger, Kim Junho.
If I die, your brother will never forgive you.
And if I live… maybe you'll finally learn the truth doesn't always wear a name tag."
We stared at each other.
Seconds.
Longer.
And then…
He cursed, lowered the gun, and stepped back.
"You're dangerous," he muttered.
"Not because you lie…
But because maybe you don't."
War of the Taehyun Worshippers
Ever since that day on the bridge, Junho and I had one thing in common:
We couldn't stand each other.
We argued about everything — room temperature, who got to talk to Taehyung first at breakfast, who sat closer on the damn couch. Even the air between us was unbearable.
"You breathe too loud," I muttered.
"You exist too loudly," he shot back.
"You blink like it's a threat."
"That's because your face is a threat to national stability."
We both looked at Taehyun, who was sipping tea peacefully, flipping through a file like two grown adults weren't trying to murder each other with passive-aggression in his living room.
●The Bribery Begins
But I had something he didn't.
I had banana milk.
And Junho?
He had a weakness.
I caught him staring at the bottle on the kitchen counter like it was a sacred relic.
"Want it?" I asked sweetly.
He turned, narrowed his eyes.
"What's the catch?"
"You don't sit next to him at dinner tonight. That's my seat."
"You're insane."
"And you're thirsty."
I waved the chilled banana milk in front of his face.
"Last offer, Junho."
His jaw tightened.
And then… he snatched it.
"Fine. But tomorrow, I'm sitting in his lap."
"Over my dead body."
"That can be arranged."
Constant Chaos
Taehyun, to no one in particular, sighed into his coffee.
"Why do I feel like I married a chaos demon and raised another one?"
The old lady muttered while passing by,
"You deserve this, sir."
● Enemies in Crime (Or Maybe Just Petty War)
Kim Junho was the human version of an alarm system.
Loud. Paranoid. Constantly blinking red.
He followed me everywhere.
If I sat in the garden — he was "watering plants."
If I entered the kitchen — he appeared behind me like a shadow.
If I touched the front gate — suddenly, sniper eyes.
And worst?
He stole my banana milk like it was blood sacrifice.
●Today's War
I reached for the last tub of strawberry ice cream in the mansion fridge, humming happily to myself.
Suddenly—
SLAP.
"Ow! Did you just PULL MY HAIR?!"
Junho shrugged innocently, tub in hand.
"Your hair was in the way."
"That's called assault!"
"That's called long hair physics."
I chased him down the hallway barefoot, hair flying, spoon in hand like a dagger.
Later, I found him lounging on the rooftop with my snacks, legs spread like a mafia king.
"You've got issues," I muttered, arms crossed.
"And you've got attachment problems," he said, sipping my banana milk.
I sat beside him, fuming.
"Fine. If you hate me this much, help me escape."
He blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me. Help me leave this house. Sneak out. Disappear."
"And give my brother a heart attack?"
"He'll survive. I won't."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Why?"
I looked at the horizon.
My voice was quieter.
"Because I don't know who I am. Or why I'm here. Or why I'm falling for a man I was forced to marry. And because you keep pulling my damn hair."
He was silent for once.
Then —
"What's in it for me?"
"I won't tell Taehyun you sleep with a plush bunny."
His eyes widened.
"You saw nothing."
I smirked.
"So… help me or not?"
A Beat of Realness
He stared at me longer this time.
Eyes darker. Less playful.
"You think leaving will make the confusion go away?"
"You think running from Taehyun will stop your heart from pulling toward him?"
I frowned.
He stood up, tossed the empty banana milk bottle aside.
"I won't help you run.
But I will watch you try.
And if you make it to the gate without crying... maybe you're braver than I thought."
"What if I succeed?"
He smirked.
"Then I'll follow you.
And drag your annoying ass right back inside."