The door slammed shut behind them as YN and Annie burst into Jungkook’s office.

Annie clung to her arm, still trembling, her small frame pressing into YN’s side. Her eyes were wide, swollen from crying, but her voice was quiet—obedient, trusting.

YN didn’t say a word. She headed straight for the wall clock hanging above the fireplace.

Her heart pounded in her chest—not from fear now, but from calculation, urgency.

She reached up, opened the glass panel of the ornate vintage clock, and gently plucked out the minute hand.

But it wasn’t just a hand.

It was a key—cold, silver, sharp at the end.

Annie looked up, confused but silent.

“Come with me,” YN said, voice low but steady.

They crossed the room to the large, decorative mirror on the far wall. It was carved in elegant black and silver swirls, a centerpiece most would think was just vanity. But YN knew better.

She knelt slightly, running her fingers along the intricate detailing… until she found it—

A hidden keyhole, subtly embedded in the design.

She slid the needle key in, turned it clockwise—click.

The mirror slid sideways with a soft mechanical sound, revealing a narrow entryway behind it.

Annie gasped softly.

“A secret room?”

YN nodded.

Flashback

“Only for emergencies,” Jungkook had said one late night in this very room, leaning against the desk, arms folded.

“If everything ever goes to hell, and you’re alone or someone needs to be protected—this is where you bring them. There’s food. Water. Medical supplies. No one outside the gang knows it exists. Not even most of our men.”

“What about you?” she’d asked then.

“I’ll find you. I always do.”

Inside the Secret Room

The door opened to a fully equipped safehouse room. A single bed, soft lighting, canned goods, a compact bathroom, first aid kits, warm blankets, and a wall of books and backup radios.

It smelled faintly of lavender.

YN guided Annie inside. The child looked around, still shaking.

YN crouched in front of her, gently cupping her face.

“Annie, listen to me carefully, baby.”

Annie’s eyes locked onto hers instantly.

“You have to stay here. Until someone from us comes back, okay? No matter what you hear outside, no matter how long it takes, you don’t come out. Not even for me—unless I say the passcode.”

Annie bit her lip. “But… where’s Kookie? Is he okay?”

YN paused.

Her heart twisted at the question—but she forced a small, soft smile.

“He’ll be fine. He’s strong. He’ll come back to you. I promise.”

“You promise?” Annie whispered, holding out her pinky.

YN smiled faintly and hooked her pinky around Annie’s.

“Promise.”

Annie nodded, hugging her tight—one last time.

YN stood up, her expression darkening with each second.

“Stay here. Don’t open this door unless you hear the passcode: Red Serpent. Okay?”

“Red Serpent,” Annie repeated quietly.

YN nodded once, stepped outside, and closed the hidden door gently behind her. She twisted the key back out, slid the mirror back in place, and returned the clock hand.

Just like that—the room disappeared.

Her face turned hard again.

The softness she showed Annie disappeared behind a stone mask.

The mansion was quiet.

Too quiet.

Her hands curled into fists as she looked out the window.

Whoever took them… they’ll regret not finishing the job while I was down.”

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the office.

It’s time to get her family back. No matter the cost.

Groans echoed through the cold stone walls, the sound of metal clanging and strained voices fighting against their restraints.

Jungkook blinked slowly.

His head pounded, vision blurry, the iron taste of blood sitting bitterly on his tongue. He could hear muffled voices—shouting—no, yelling.

Namjoon.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Namjoon roared, rattling the chains that bound him to the wall. “You think this is going to last? You have no fucking idea what’s coming for you!”

The response was laughter. Cold. Cruel.

Jungkook’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and his gaze finally fell on the man standing with maddening calm.

A man in his late forties, tall and well-groomed, his presence reeked of arrogance. The scar across his lip twisted every time he smiled.

Jung Minho.

The leader of the Wolf Syndicate.

The very man who destroyed YN’s life.

Jungkook’s jaw clenched so tight it ached.

“Well, well… look who’s finally awake.”

Minho’s voice cut through the room, mocking and amused.

“Jeon Jungkook… the infamous Black Serpent leader. Tied up and looking more like a pet snake than a predator.”

Jungkook tested his chains, muscles straining.

No use.

His wrists were bleeding from the friction.

“You’re going to regret this,” Jungkook said, low, dangerous.

“Oh, I already don’t,” Minho smirked. “You see, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Watching you climb higher… watching your people become your family. How beautiful.”

He walked closer.

“And how utterly pathetic that one little piece of it… can make you crumble.”

Jungkook’s brows drew tight, confused.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Minho pulled out a phone with a casual flick and tapped on the screen.

A picture lit up.

Jungkook’s body froze.

Annie. Sitting on the couch. Tear-streaked, shaking.

A gun pointed at her tiny head.

His heart stopped. The air disappeared from his lungs.

“You bastard,” Jungkook growled, his voice dropping low and deadly. “If you touch her, I swear to God—”

“You’ll what?” Minho cut him off, grinning. “Kill me? Save her? Oh Jungkook, you’re chained like a dog.”

Jungkook thrashed in the cuffs.

CLANG. CLANG.

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!” he screamed, the veins in his neck taut with fury. “I’ll fucking kill you! I’ll burn your whole empire to the ground!”

Minho simply chuckled.“

She’s such a sweet girl,” he said, ignoring the outburst. “Cried so hard when my men brought her in… called your name. So sad. So powerless.”

Jungkook’s chest heaved with rage.

Namjoon, beside him, was trembling—not from fear, but restraint.

Taehyung was bruised and breathing hard.

Jimin had blood on his face.

Jin’s gaze was fixed on the photo, filled with horror.

Yoongi’s glare was pure murder.

They were all here.

But YN wasn’t.

Please tell me she’s safe, Jungkook thought, panic stabbing through the fury. Please… let her be okay.

Minho leaned in, face twisted with a grin.

“Oh, you didn’t think I’d play this game without knowing where your soft spots are, did you? That little girl… that woman you think can survive hell? She’ll crawl before me before this ends.”

Jungkook lifted his head, gaze dark and focused.

And he smiled.

A slow, dangerous smile.

“You made the worst mistake of your life... threatening what’s mine.”

Minho’s grin faltered, just for a second.

Jungkook’s voice dropped to a growl:

“She’s not the one who’s going to break… you are.”

Jungkook’s breathing was ragged—his fists clenched so tight, the metal cuffs cut into his skin.

He was burning inside.

Burning with fear for Annie.

Burning with hate for Minho.

Burning with the helplessness clawing at his throat.

“You’ll regret touching her,” he growled again, spitting blood to the floor.

Minho just smirked and stepped aside.

“You keep saying that,” he said lazily. “But I think someone else wants to talk to you now…”

Heavy footsteps echoed behind him. Slow. Measured. Confident.

The others froze.

Namjoon’s eyes widened.

Jimin looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Jungkook tilted his head slightly—his instincts screaming—but nothing could prepare him for the voice that came next.

“Still as reckless as ever… son.”

The word hit like a thunderclap.

Jungkook’s entire body froze.

No…

That voice.

It couldn’t be.

The footsteps stopped just behind him. The man stepped into view slowly—into the light.

His features were older, deeply aged, but unmistakable.

Sharp jawline.

Piercing dark eyes.

A cruel mouth that once smiled with pride.

Now, it curled with mockery.

“No…”

Jungkook’s voice was a whisper, shaky and broken.

“You… you’re dead.”

The man simply smiled. Calm. Cold.

“I should’ve been. But I’m not. You know why?”

He leaned in close, voice venomous.

“Because death doesn’t want me. And neither did you. You ran away from what you were born for. But here we are…”

Jungkook’s heart dropped into his stomach.

His vision blurred.

His father.

The man he thought had died in a syndicate war years ago. The man whose funeral he’d burned inside his mind.

He wasn’t dead.

He was alive.

And standing next to Jung Minho.

“This can’t be real,” Jungkook muttered, shaking his head. “You… You left us. Me. You were—”

“I became what you didn’t have the guts to become,” his father snapped. “You could’ve ruled them all. But you went soft. You made friends. You cared.”

He spat the word like poison.

Then, he lifted a sleek black phone.

An image popped up—Annie again, this time being held by another stranger, crying, terrified.

“If you don’t start cooperating,” his father said darkly, “we’ll make sure your precious little girl disappears just like that whore you used to call mother.”

Silence.

Total, suffocating silence.

Jungkook breathe move.

Couldn’t breathe.

His father looked at him, unmoved.

ll“You’re going to do exactly what we tell you. And if you think for even a second that anyone’s coming to save you—forget it.”

He leaned forward, whispering now, venom dripping from every syllable:

“Because if you don’t help us destroy her—YN—you’ll watch that little girl die screaming.”

The blood drained from Jungkook’s face.

The chains rattled from the way his entire body shook—not from fear, but from the pure rage and betrayal boiling in his blood.

“You’re a monster,” he breathed, his voice shaking. “You’re not my father. You never were.”

His father smirked.

And you’re still just a boy who thinks love makes you strong. Let’s see how long that fantasy lasts.”

To be continued...