Chapter 1: Shattered Obedience

The sound of rain tapping against the tall windows of the estate was soft, rhythmic — like a quiet lullaby meant for someone long forgotten. But inside the master’s chamber, silence reigned with the oppressive weight of something deeper. Something crueler.

Jungkook was on his knees.

The marble floor beneath him was cold, but his body had grown numb to temperature. The only warmth he felt came from the fading sting of red marks scattered across his thighs, his chest, his wrists. His robe — thin, silken, violet — hung loosely over his shoulders, the collar around his throat tight, biting softly into his skin. The leather was worn, embossed with the letter V in gold. A brand. A reminder.

I belong to him.

I always did.

He had stopped crying hours ago. The tears hadn’t done much, except make the humiliation feel heavier. His breath was shallow, his mind replaying every mistake he made in the last twenty-four hours — things he said, things he didn’t.

> “You spoke without permission. You left the room without command. You didn’t kneel when I entered.”

Each word from Taehyung’s mouth had been slow and deliberate. It wasn’t just about obedience. It was about control. Ownership.

Love had long since bled into something else.

The door creaked open behind him.

Jungkook didn’t need to look to know who it was. He could feel him — his presence was like ice and fire wrapped in silk. Taehyung’s footsteps were calm, unhurried, each one echoing like a death sentence.

> “Still sulking?” Taehyung’s voice was soft, almost amused.

Jungkook didn’t answer. His fingers curled into his palms.

> “Answer me.”

Jungkook’s lips parted. His voice came out in a whisper, hoarse from the night’s screams. “N-No, Master.”

Taehyung walked in front of him and stopped, his tall frame casting a long shadow over Jungkook’s smaller one. He looked like a painting — shirt half unbuttoned, dark hair tousled, lips slightly parted as he studied his broken pet.

There was no sympathy in his gaze. Only calculation.

> “Do you know why you’re being punished, Jungkook?”

The name hit like a bullet. He never used it unless he meant to wound.

Jungkook hesitated. “Because… because I disobeyed.”

> CRACK.

The crop struck his thigh again. Sharp. Clean.

Jungkook flinched but didn’t scream. He had learned not to.

> “Wrong,” Taehyung said. “You’re being punished because you lied.”

Jungkook’s head lifted slightly. Confusion twisted across his tear-stained face.

Taehyung leaned down until their faces were inches apart. “You’re hiding something from me.”

That was the truth. But hearing it aloud from Taehyung’s mouth made Jungkook’s stomach knot.

The secrets — they were dangerous. Not because of what they were, but because of what they meant. The past he had buried, the things he had done, the people he had betrayed… and the one lie that ruined everything.

The night I lost you was the night I became yours.

He looked away.

> “Still won’t speak?” Taehyung murmured, brushing a finger along Jungkook’s cheek. “You used to cry my name like it was the only thing that kept you alive. Now you hide from me like I’m the monster under your bed.”

You are, Jungkook thought.

But I still love you.

[FLASHBACK – 5 Years Ago]

Springtime. Seoul National University.

Cherry blossoms danced in the breeze, and the air smelled like youth. Jungkook was twenty, shy, too pretty for his own good, and too naïve to realize it. He walked with a canvas under his arm and paint smudges on his cheek, hurrying to class.

Then, like fate, he crashed straight into him.

> “Shit—watch it, bunny.”

Taehyung’s laughter was like warm caramel — rich, smooth, addicting. He had always called Jungkook that: bunny. Not out of cruelty, but endearment. A secret nickname only they shared.

Jungkook had dropped his paintbrushes, and Taehyung, effortlessly cool, helped him pick them up. Their fingers brushed. Something sparked.

> “You okay?” Taehyung asked, brushing hair from Jungkook’s eyes. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

> “Haven’t,” Jungkook said honestly, eyes flickering away.

> “Want me to walk you to class? Make sure you don’t pass out on the way?”

That was how it started.

Late-night study sessions became sleepovers.

Sleepovers became cuddling.

Cuddling became lips on lips, fingers exploring, hearts tangled.

But it didn’t last. Nothing perfect ever does.

[PRESENT]

Taehyung stood, turning away from him. He walked to the glass window and stared out into the storm.

> “Do you ever think about what you did, Jungkook?”

Jungkook blinked. “I-I didn’t—”

> “You broke everything.”

Jungkook’s voice cracked. “You don’t understand—”

Taehyung spun around, rage flickering behind his eyes. “Then make me understand!”

Jungkook flinched. His nails dug into his palms until they left little crescent moons in his skin.

> “I… I was scared,” he whispered.

> “You weren’t scared. You were selfish.”

There was silence again. Deafening.

But something shifted in Taehyung’s eyes. Regret? Pain? Longing?

Jungkook crawled forward slightly, until his hands touched the edge of Taehyung’s trousers. He pressed his forehead against the fabric.

> “I never stopped loving you.”

Taehyung froze.

He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

But he didn’t push him away either.

Elsewhere in the Estate…

Down in the east wing, Jimin sat on the edge of his bed, cigarette dangling between his lips, smoke curling around his perfect face. He looked tired. Empty. Still beautiful, but hollow.

Yoongi entered without knocking. As always.

They stared at each other like strangers — like the love they once shared had been erased, overwritten by something ugly.

> “You shouldn’t be here,” Jimin said coldly.

> “And yet here I am,” Yoongi replied. “We need to talk.”

> “There’s nothing left to say. You made sure of that.”

Yoongi’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t betray you, Jimin.”

> “You lied.”

> “I protected you.”

> “You ruined me.”

The air between them crackled with unspoken things — betrayal, lust, heartbreak. And somewhere in the background, laughter echoed from a hallway.

Hoseok was watching everything unfold.

Back in the Master’s Chambers…

Taehyung finally looked down at Jungkook. His hand moved, brushing through the younger’s tangled hair.

> “You always say the right things when you're broken,” he murmured.

Jungkook looked up at him, eyes wide, red, desperate.

> “That’s the only time you ever listen.”

Taehyung said nothing. But when he dropped to his knees and cupped Jungkook’s jaw, something flickered — a ghost of the boy he used to be.

For a moment, just one moment, Taehyung kissed him. Softly. Not like a master. Not like a punishment.

But like a man who used to love him with everything he had.

Then it was gone.

> “Go back to your room,” Taehyung said coldly, standing.

> “But—”

> “Now.”

Jungkook rose, trembling, and turned to leave. He paused at the door, looked back.

> “You’re wrong,” he said quietly. “You think you own me because I kneel for you. But I’ve only ever knelt… because I chose you.”

He closed the door behind him.

Taehyung stood alone.

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