Episode 4

Episode Four: The Strings I Pulled

Taehyung’s fingers traced Jungkook’s jawline, slow and deliberate, as if savoring the moment. His touch was light, almost teasing, but beneath it lay something darker—something possessive.

Jungkook’s breath hitched. He hated how his body reacted, how Taehyung’s presence wrapped around him like an inescapable force. But even worse than the touch, worse than the chains around his wrists, was Taehyung’s next sentence.

"Let me tell you a story."

Jungkook swallowed hard as Taehyung leaned back, his eyes glowing with quiet amusement.

"The first time I saw you," Taehyung mused, "you were seventeen. You had just joined that underground fight ring, cocky and reckless, thinking you could take on anyone." He chuckled. "And you could, most of the time. But what fascinated me wasn’t your strength—it was the way you craved control."

Jungkook stiffened.

Taehyung smirked, watching him closely. "I saw it in the way you fought. The way you analyzed your opponents, predicted their moves before they even made them. You weren’t just fighting to win—you were fighting to own the moment. To prove to yourself that no one could control you."

Jungkook’s fingers curled against the cuffs. He hadn’t thought about those days in years.

Taehyung’s voice softened, almost affectionate. "I watched you for months. Every fight, every late-night run through the city, every time you sat alone on your rooftop staring at the skyline like you were waiting for something." His lips curled. "Waiting for me."

Jungkook’s chest tightened.

Taehyung tilted his head. "I started leaving breadcrumbs. A glance in a crowded street. A lost wallet you ‘accidentally’ found. A stranger in the corner of a bar who left just as you noticed him." He laughed, shaking his head. "And you, Jungkook—you were perfect. You took the bait every time without realizing it."

Jungkook’s breath came faster, his mind spinning. "That’s insane," he whispered.

Taehyung leaned in, his voice dark and honeyed. "Is it? Then tell me, Jungkook—why did you follow me?"

Jungkook had no answer.

Because deep down, he knew.

Every choice he had made—watching Taehyung, tracing his steps, craving his presence—hadn’t been his own.

It had been designed.

Taehyung had guided him like a puppet on invisible strings, pulling him closer, deeper, until he had no way out.

"You see," Taehyung continued, his fingers now brushing against Jungkook’s wrist where the cuffs bound him, "I didn’t trap you, Jungkook. I simply let you walk into my web willingly."

Jungkook shuddered, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Taehyung watched him, his expression unreadable, his fingers tracing the cold metal of the cuffs as if admiring his work. "I wanted you to feel what I felt," he murmured. "The pull. The need to know everything. The obsession."

Jungkook’s throat went dry.

"That first night you saw me at the bar?" Taehyung continued. "I knew you were watching. I made sure you did. Every time you thought you were getting closer, every time you thought you were discovering me, I was leading you exactly where I wanted you to go."

Jungkook clenched his jaw. "So what? This was all some kind of twisted game to you?"

Taehyung’s eyes darkened. "No," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "It was never a game. I don’t play with things I want to keep."

Jungkook’s breath caught.

Taehyung leaned in closer, their faces mere inches apart. "You think you were chasing me, Jungkook? You think you chose to follow me?" He exhaled a soft laugh. "I made sure you had to."

Jungkook’s head was spinning. The memories, the coincidences—none of them were coincidences at all.

Taehyung reached out, brushing Jungkook’s hair from his face with a gentleness that contradicted everything he had just said. "I made you need me," he whispered. "And now you do, don’t you?"

Jungkook wanted to deny it. Wanted to scream, to tell Taehyung he was wrong.

But the truth sat heavy in his chest, undeniable.

"You never stood a chance," Taehyung whispered.

And the worst part?

Jungkook wasn’t sure if he even wanted to escape anymore.

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