Bound by Shadow
Strangers in the rain
Hello this is my first story
Seoul, 2:17 AM. The streets are nearly empty, only the hum of streetlights and the splashing of rain against the pavement. A sleek black car cuts through the silence, stopping in front of an abandoned warehouse. A man steps out, his face hidden beneath a hood. His boots echo on the wet ground. A scream breaks the stillness—and then… silence
In another part of the city, far away from the chaos, Taehyung sat hunched over his easel. The dim yellow light of his studio painted shadows across his sharp features. He dipped his brush into the black paint, dragging it harshly across the canvas. His phone buzzed beside him.
Jungkook
Don’t wait up for me tonight.
Taehyung
You disappear every night, Jungkook. Where do you even go?
Jungkook
Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.
Taehyung
…You always say that. One day, I will find out.
Jungkook
Don’t. For your own sake.
(“Seen 2:28 AM”) Tae’s hand tightened around the phone. He hated the way Jungkook spoke, like he was hiding something deadly.)
Morning arrived. The rain had stopped, but the city still felt heavy, like it was holding its breath. Taehyung walked into the university campus, his dark coat brushing against his knees. Students whispered as he passed; his beauty was quiet, almost intimidating.
“Yah, Tae!”
Yuna, his best friend, jogged to his side. She had her hair tied in a messy bun, her books pressed to her chest.
Yuna
You look like you haven’t slept. Let me guess—painting all night again?
Taehyung
(sighing): Something like that.
Yuna
(squinting) Or texting him again?
Taehyung
(coldly) It’s none of your business.
Yuna
It is when he keeps hurting you. Whoever Jungkook really is, I don’t trust him.
Taehyung
(pauses, his voice low) …Neither do I.
Meanwhile, Jungkook leaned against his car in a dark alley, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. His phone vibrated. A name flashed across the screen: “Minho.”
Minho
(on call) Job’s done. But someone saw us last night.
Jungkook
(calm but sharp) Who?
Minho
Some kid. Couldn’t have been older than 20.
Jungkook
Find him. No witnesses.
(Jungkook ended the call, slipping his phone back into his pocket. For a brief second, his mask cracked—his jaw tightened, his eyes dark. He hated this life, but there was no escape now.)
At night, Taehyung returned to his studio, restless. His phone buzzed again.
Taehyung
Jungkook… Can we meet tomorrow?
Jungkook
Tomorrow isn’t safe.
Taehyung
Then when? I can’t keep pretending you’re just some stranger.
Jungkook
…You’re safer pretending, Tae.
Taehyung
Don’t I deserve to know the truth?
(There was a long pause. Three dots blinked… then disappeared. Tae’s heart sank.)
Jungkook stood alone on a rooftop, the city sprawling beneath him. He looked at his phone screen, Tae’s desperate message glowing in the dark. His thumb hovered over the keyboard, but he locked the phone instead. Rain began again, sliding down his face like silent tears.
Two souls. One drowning in secrets. The other burning with questions.
Neither knowing that their fates had already been tied—by blood, by darkness, and by a past neither of them could escape.
First Collision
The morning sun struggled to pierce through thick gray clouds. Students poured into the university campus, laughing, gossiping, alive. But to Taehyung, everything felt muted. His eyes scanned the crowd unconsciously, searching… for him.
Jungkook hadn’t answered his messages since last night. Tae hated himself for caring, hated the way his chest ached whenever the phone buzzed—only to realize it wasn’t him.
Yuna
(nudging him with her elbow) Stop looking like a lovesick ghost. You’re scaring the freshmen.
Taehyung
(coldly) I’m not—
Yuna
Don’t. I know that look, Tae. You’re waiting for him.
Taehyung
(hesitates, then quietly) …He’s different.
Yuna
Different? More like dangerous. You barely know him.
Taehyung
(eyes narrowing) And yet he feels… familiar.
(Yuna stares at him, worried. She doesn’t say it, but in her gut, she knows—something about Jungkook is wrong.)
Meanwhile, Jungkook leaned against his car, black leather jacket soaked from the drizzle. Minho approached, tossing a folder onto the hood.
Minho
He’s been asking too many questions. Taehyung.
Jungkook
(eyes flickering dangerously) Leave him out of this.
Minho
You can’t protect him forever. Orders are orders. If he gets too close—
Jungkook
(grabs Minho’s collar) Don’t. Touch. Him.
(Their eyes lock. For a second, Minho smirks. Jungkook shoves him back, breathing heavy, his knuckles white. Protecting Taehyung was becoming his weakness—and weaknesses were fatal in their world.)
[Evening – University Studio].
Taehyung was alone in the art room, painting with furious strokes. Black and crimson bled across the canvas, an image forming: a faceless man under the rain. His hand trembled. He didn’t even hear the footsteps at first.
Namjoon
Voice (low, deep) You’re still awake.
(Taehyung froze. He knew that voice. Slowly, he turned—and there he was. Jungkook. Standing by the doorway, wet hair dripping, black eyes unreadable. His presence was overwhelming, the room instantly heavier.)
Taehyung
(softly, almost a whisper) …You came.
Jungkook
(walking closer) I shouldn’t have.
Taehyung
Then why did you?
Jungkook
(pauses, staring at him) Because you kept calling me… even in silence.
(Their eyes locked. Something unspoken passed between them—longing, danger, inevitability. Tae’s heart pounded. Jungkook’s breath was unsteady, but his expression remained cold.)
[Phone Buzz – Breaks the Moment]
Jungkook’s phone lit up. A message from Minho:
“If you can’t keep him away, we will.”
(Jungkook’s jaw tightened. He quickly shoved the phone back into his pocket, stepping closer to Tae, his voice suddenly sharp.)
Jungkook
Listen carefully, Taehyung. You don’t know me. You don’t want to know me.
Taehyung
(angrily) Then why are you here? Why keep me hanging between truth and lies?
Jungkook
(clenches fists, whispers) Because I can’t stay away from you.
(For the first time, his mask cracked—pain flickered across his face. Tae’s breath hitched, caught between fear and desire.)
Outside the studio, someone watched from the shadows. A girl, holding her phone tightly, recording the scene. Soojin—an innocent classmate, but her curiosity had led her here. Her lips trembled as she whispered to herself:
(She pressed stop on the recording, unaware that this single video could unravel everything.)
Two hearts drawn together by fate.
One secret recorded in the dark.
And a warning that danger is closer than ever.
Threads of Danger
Rain hammered against the classroom windows. Taehyung sat in the back row, his notebook open but untouched. His mind replayed last night—Jungkook’s voice, his closeness, that dangerous confession.
He should have been afraid. Instead, he was drawn deeper, like a moth to a flame.
Yuna dragged Taehyung aside after class, her expression fierce.
Yuna
Enough secrets, Tae. Who is he?
Taehyung
(tight-lipped) He’s… just someone I know.
Yuna
Don’t lie to me. (pulls out her phone) Look.
(She showed him a video. Shaky, dim lighting—but clear enough. Last night. The studio. Jungkook standing close to Taehyung, his face caught in fleeting light. Tae’s blood ran cold.)
Taehyung
(whispers) Where did you get this?
Yuna
A classmate sent it to me. Soojin. She said she saw him watching you. Tae… something’s wrong with that guy.
Taehyung
(snatching the phone, voice sharp) Delete it. Now.
Yuna
(hurt) Why are you protecting him?
Taehyung
(hesitates, then quietly) Because he’s the only one who sees me.
(Yuna’s eyes softened, but her fear only grew. Jungkook wasn’t just dangerous—he was becoming Taehyung’s obsession.)
Jungkook met Minho again, tension crackling in the damp air.
Minho
You’re slipping, Jungkook. The boss noticed.
Jungkook
(coldly) I don’t care.
Minho
(smirking) Then maybe you’ll care when Taehyung gets hurt.
(In a flash, Jungkook’s fist slammed into Minho’s jaw. Minho staggered, laughing darkly.)
Minho
That’s it. That’s the weakness I wanted to see. Keep protecting him… and you’ll destroy you both.
(Jungkook’s hand trembled as he pulled back, chest heaving. He hated Minho. Hated that he was right.)
Taehyung was cleaning brushes when the door creaked open. Jungkook entered silently, rain dripping from his jacket. His eyes scanned Tae’s face, searching for something.
Taehyung
(coldly) Everyone’s starting to notice you.
Jungkook
(steps closer, voice low) Then stay away from me.
Taehyung
(glaring) You say that, but you’re here again.
Jungkook
(whispers, almost pained) Because I can’t stop.
(Tae’s chest tightened. His hand hovered over Jungkook’s sleeve, wanting to touch, but afraid. Jungkook caught his wrist before he could.)
Jungkook
Don’t. If you cross this line… there’s no going back.
Taehyung
(softly, defiant) Then take me across it.
(Their eyes burned into each other. The storm outside raged, but the real storm was between them. Jungkook released his wrist abruptly, stepping back like the distance was the only thing holding him together.)
Outside, Soojin watched again from the corner, guilt written across her face. Her hands shook as she called someone.
Soojin
(on phone) Yuna… I think… I think Taehyung’s in danger.
(She didn’t notice the figure behind her. A shadow moved, a hand reaching into a pocket. The screen cut to black.)
A heart torn between trust and fear.
A shadow watching in silence.
And a secret on the edge of breaking.
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