EPIPHANY

Jeon Jungkook didn’t usually visit the photoshoot floors during working hours. He was a CEO, always wrapped in meetings, contracts, and impossible deadlines. But today- something had drawn him in. A strange tug in his chest.

He stepped off the elevator onto the 12th floor of Jeon Elite Media, the modeling division of his empire. The lights above buzzed as makeup artists and stylists scurried about. But amid the blur of activity, one presence held his gaze like gravity itself.

Kim Taehyung.

The beautiful model. Enigmatic. Elegant. All angles and art. But behind those captivating eyes, Jungkook always sensed a sadness. Like silence carved into bone.

He leaned quietly near the glass, watching Taehyung pose in front of the camera- until he saw it.

A man-older and taller approached Taehyung from the side. The director. His hand gripped Taehyung’s wrist too tightly, dragging him out of frame.

“You call this posing? What are you, a doll? Or just some pretty face with no brain?” he hissed. “You think your looks are enough to keep you here? I've seen hundreds like you.”

Jungkook’s jaw clenched.

Taehyung tried to pull away gently, but the man tightened his grip, his voice low and poisonous. “Don’t act smart. I made models like you. I can ruin you just as fast.”

That’s when Jungkook moved.

Storming across the floor, he didn’t care that eyes turned to him. He didn’t care about anyone . All he saw was him- touching what was his.

Jungkook’s hand grabbed the man’s shoulder, yanking him back with force. The director stumbled, wide-eyed, into the CEO’s icy glare.

“What the hell-Mr. Jeon-”

“You just made the biggest mistake of your career.” Jungkook’s voice was low, lethal. “Touching someone in my company. Threatening someone under my protection.”

Taehyung stood frozen, stunned. No one had ever defended him like that.

Jungkook turned to him, gaze softening only for him. “Are you okay?”

Taehyung nodded slowly, though his heart thudded in his chest.

The director tried again, “It was a misunderstanding, I—”

“I don’t want a single explanation,” Jungkook cut him off. “You’re fired. And if I hear you’ve touched another model again, you’ll never work in this industry.”

Silence. The man fled. The staff looked away.

Jungkook’s hand slightly, reached for Taehyung’s. “Come with me.”

_______________________

In the private lounge on the top floor, Jungkook gently handed him a glass of warm tea. He looked… softer now.

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook said, quietly. “That you had to go through that. No one deserves that kind of treatment. Especially not you.”

Taehyung looked at him, eyes wide. “You didn’t have to—”

“I did,” Jungkook interrupted, more fiercely than he meant. Then softer, “Because I couldn’t stand seeing someone hurt you.”

Taehyung stared down at his tea, lips quivering. “Why?”

Jungkook smiled faintly. “Because... I care. Maybe more than I should.”

The confession hung in the air like a spark waiting to catch flame.

Taehyung met his eyes, heart hammering. No one had ever looked at him like that-like he was worth protecting. Worth everything.

His voice was small, trembling. “My heart skipped... when you did that.”