🩵 Chapter 1: A Cup of Warmth

It was a rainy Tuesday morning.

The kind of day where the world seemed to move slower, as if even time had tucked itself under a blanket and refused to get up. The city was wrapped in fog, streets slick with drizzle, and people walked quickly under umbrellas, avoiding puddles and the bite of cold wind.

Inside a small corner café—warm, quiet, and softly lit—Jeon Jungkook sat near the window, his fingers curled around a cup of chamomile tea. Across from him, a tiny girl sat with her legs swinging off the seat, her cheeks puffed as she blew on a cup of hot chocolate.

“Slowly, Nari,” Jungkook murmured, brushing a few damp strands of hair away from her forehead. “It’s still hot.”

Nari looked up at him with big round eyes and giggled, “It smells like chocolate clouds.”

Jungkook smiled. Her words always caught him off guard—sweet, innocent, and too pure for a world that hadn’t been kind to either of them.

It had been four years since Nari was born. Four years since Jungkook, an unbonded Omega, had been left alone with nothing but a hospital bill, a newborn, and an aching heart.

But he’d survived. No, more than that—he’d built a life. It was simple and quiet, maybe even lonely sometimes, but it was theirs. And that was enough.

Or it used to be.

The bell over the door chimed, letting in a gust of cold air and the faint scent of rain. Jungkook barely looked up, too busy cutting a piece of pancake for Nari. But Nari’s head turned.

“Appa,” she whispered, tugging his sleeve. “That man is really tall.”

Jungkook chuckled softly, “Don’t stare, baby. That’s not polite.”

But when he glanced up, something shifted.

The man who had just walked in was... striking. He wasn’t dressed in anything flashy—just a dark coat and turtleneck—but his presence filled the room like heat. His hair was damp, clinging to his forehead, and his eyes held a quiet, thoughtful kind of depth. Alpha.

Jungkook knew without scenting him. It was in the way he walked, calm and confident. Controlled. Unlike the Alpha who had once ruined him with soft promises and walked away before the sun could rise.

The man ordered something at the counter, then turned, eyes scanning the room. And for a brief moment, their eyes met.

Jungkook froze.

Not because of fear—he’d unlearned that. Not even attraction, not yet.

It was... something else. Recognition? Curiosity? He couldn’t say.

The man offered a small smile before taking the seat behind them. Jungkook turned back quickly, focusing on Nari, who was now too busy stacking sugar packets to notice anything else.

But then—

“Excuse me,” came a smooth voice from over his shoulder.

Jungkook turned. The man—Alpha—was standing beside them, holding a stack of napkins.

“I think your daughter spilled a bit,” he said, nodding to the edge of the table, where a ring of cocoa was forming. “I thought these might help.”

Jungkook blinked. “Oh—thank you.”

Their fingers brushed slightly as he took the napkins. A spark of warmth.

The Alpha gave a polite nod. “She’s adorable. Looks a lot like you.”

“Thank you,” Jungkook said again, more softly this time. “She’s my world.”

“She must be lucky then,” the man replied, then returned to his seat without pressing further.

Jungkook stared at his back for a moment, something fluttering in his chest. Not longing. Not attraction. Something newer. Gentler.

Later, as they stood up to leave, Nari looked back at the man and whispered, “He has puppy eyes.”

Jungkook laughed, his first real laugh in days. “He kind of does.”