Chapter-3:Her Rules

— Y/N’s Point of View —

The room was quiet again.

Not silent—but still, like everything had paused the moment he left.

Y/N remained frozen in her seat, her fingers hovering just inches above the piano keys, the weight of the moment settling like dust on her skin. The rain had slowed outside, the gentle rhythm against the window easing into a soft hush. She could still hear the echo of his voice in her head.

> "It’s beautiful."

Three simple words.

Three dangerous words.

She’d never meant for anyone to hear that melody, let alone Jeon Jungkook—the very voice that had once brought her lyrics to life on the world stage.

And now... that voice had found her.

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat as she slowly, carefully closed the lid over the keyboard. Her heart was still pounding—too loud, too real. Like a second rhythm beneath the music. Her laptop sat unopened on the desk, her lyrics just a few clicks away from exposure.

That couldn’t happen.

That was the rule.

No, that was the rule.

Rule #1: Never let anyone hear the demo in person.

Rule #2: Never reveal you're GhostVerse.

Rule #3: Never get attached.

She had lived by those rules for the last two years. Ever since she'd signed that NDA with GhostVerse, the mysterious lyricist collective that operated in the shadows of the industry. No public credit. No contact. No face. Only files. Only music.

Y/N had agreed to those terms willingly.

Because that way, no one could take her words away from her.

Because anonymity had felt like safety.

Until now.

She reached for the crumpled lyrics on her desk—half a verse written in black ink, messy and raw.

> "You passed me like a song on the radio—

A tune that hurts because it ends too soon."

She had been working on it for days. A ballad with no name yet.

Now it felt... different. Exposed.

He heard it. He saw you.

Y/N pressed her hand against her chest, trying to steady herself. Jungkook had only caught a few seconds of the melody, but even then, he looked at her like he knew something—like he could feel something.

And she felt it too.

Not in a crush sort of way. Not in the way fans dream about idols.

It was deeper than that.

It was recognition.

Like her soul had been heard for the first time—and he’d been the one listening.

That terrified her.

Because what if he connected the dots?

What if he figured out that she was the one behind Shadowed Light—the viral ballad that BTS had released just a few weeks ago?

No one had expected the song to blow up the way it did. Not even her. She had written it on a sleepless night when the world felt too loud, and her heart felt too heavy. The lyrics had poured out like a quiet confession no one would ever hear.

And then... they chose it.

Her demo, her words, her pain—sung by Jungkook, delivered by BTS, shared with millions.

But no one knew it was her.

And that was how it needed to stay.

She zipped up her hoodie and rose from the chair, stuffing her lyrics into her worn leather bag. Her eyes flicked toward the door, then to the small window where moonlight had finally started to break through the clouds.

She had to be careful now.

More careful than ever.

Because Jungkook wasn’t just anyone.

He was the voice that made people believe in dreams.

And she… she was the girl who had to hide hers.

Y/N paused at the threshold before turning out the studio lights, letting the shadows return. The quiet rushed back in like a wave, wrapping around her like an old friend.

She stood there for a moment longer.

Then, almost as an afterthought, she whispered:

> "You’re not supposed to know me."

And then she walked out, leaving behind only a faded echo of a melody…

and a rulebook that was slowly starting to crumble.

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