Devourer of Love
It was the day everything fell apart.
“…“
She returned to the organization at dusk. She had things to take care of outside for a few days, so she hadn’t been able to properly check on what was going on inside. Of course, she hadn’t worried much in the meantime. There was someone who would keep the organization running while she was away.
Jeon Jungkook.
Because he was there, she could leave without a care.
Ever since her father passed away, there had been constant friction inside the organization, big and small. There were plenty of people who coveted her position, and plenty more who disliked the fact that she had inherited the organization at such a young age.
Whenever that happened, Jungkook stood on her side.
He took care of the things she hadn’t been able to pay attention to, and even quietly dealt with the executives who were dissatisfied. Thanks to him, she had no reason to doubt him.
If anything, she trusted him more than anyone.
“…”
After getting out of the car, she stood in front of the building and looked around.
Something was off.
Usually, the members would recognize her from the entrance and bow their heads, but none of them were there. A few unfamiliar cars were parked in front of the building, and the faces of the people guarding the entrance were strangers too.
“……“
She frowned.
But even then, she didn’t suspect anything unusual. She thought Jungkook would have handled it himself.
“Hey.”
She called to the man standing at the entrance.
”Where is Jungkook?“
Even though he recognized her, the man didn’t answer right away. That brief silence felt strangely off.
”Didn’t you hear me?“
”……“
”I asked where Jeon Jungkook is.“
Only then did the man lower his head.
”He’s inside.“
She didn’t ask anything else and stepped into the building.
She still didn’t know then.
What had happened here while she was gone. And that the person she trusted most had planned it all.
“…”
The inside of the organization had already been cleaned up.
Those who didn’t join the rebellion had mostly been driven out, and even the executives who had held their positions since her father’s time had vanished. Most of the people moving through the halls were following Jungkook’s orders, but she didn’t know that.
All she felt was that something was wrong.
The space that should have been familiar felt strange.
Even though it was a hallway she had come and gone through for years, it somehow felt like she’d walked into someone else’s building.
“…”
She stopped walking.
If it had been normal, that would have been impossible.
“Hey.”
The man turned around.
“Don’t you know me?”
“……”
He didn’t answer. She let out a disbelieving laugh.
“The 분위기 really has changed a lot while I was gone.”
Only then did the smile disappear from her face. Something was wrong. It wasn’t just that the atmosphere inside the organization had changed. Even the way people treated her was different from before.
As if they no longer thought of her as the owner of this place.
”…“
She took out her phone.
“…”
When she finally checked the screen, dozens of missed calls and unread messages had piled up.
Most of them were from the same person.
Park Jimin.
He was the one in charge of information gathering and security within the organization. Known for his exceptional hacking skills, he could access even information only a very select few inside the organization were allowed to see, and he was also one of the few people she personally trusted.
“…”
She frowned.
It must have been something urgent.
Just as she was about to check the messages.
Buzzz -
Her phone rang again.
It was Park Jimin.
She answered without suspecting anything.
“Why. What is it.”
“Where are you right now.”
“Me? I came to the organization.”
“What?”A brief silence fell. Then Jimin’s voice lowered.
“Get out of there right now.”
“What are you talking about.”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just get out.”
“Hey, Park Jimin.”
“……”
“What is going on, then?”
Jimin couldn’t answer right away. That brief silence felt ominously wrong.
”…“
Slowly, she raised her head. At the end of the hallway, the organization members were already looking at her.
“…”
Only then did an unfamiliar sense of unease begin to wash over her. And a moment later, Jimin’s voice came through the phone.
“That’s not your organization anymore.”
”……“
”Jeon Jungkook turned everything upside down.“
She couldn’t say a word.
She thought she’d misheard. No, she wanted to believe that.
“What?”
“So please.”
Jimin continued in a rush.
“Get out before you run into Jungkook.”
She slowly turned her gaze to the end of the hallway.
The looks from the people she had passed a moment ago without a second thought now felt completely different.
“…”
That something had gone terribly wrong while she was away. Only then did it start to dawn on her, little by little.
But there was still one thing she couldn’t understand.
Jeon Jungkook.
Why that name, of all names, was coming up.
He was the one person she hadn’t doubted even once while coming back here.
”……“
Slowly, she lowered her phone.
Jeon Jungkook.
The name kept circling in her mind. She couldn’t believe that Jungkook, of all people, had started a rebellion.
“…”
Seven years. For all those long years, he had been someone she had never once doubted. And now that person had betrayed her.
“Ha…”
She exhaled briefly and moved forward.
She had to confirm it herself. At the very least, she had to hear it from Jungkook’s own mouth.
”…“
As she walked down the hallway, a few organization members recognized her, but averted their eyes. She didn’t care.
Right now, her mind was filled with only one person.
”Jeon Jungkook.“
She headed straight for his office.
-
She opened the door without hesitation.
“……”
Jungkook was lying stretched out on the sofa. With one arm over his eyes, he gave no particular reaction even though someone had come in.
“You’re here?”
he asked lazily.
“…”
His voice was no different from usual. No, he sounded even more relaxed than usual.
And it made sense. Everything had already gone the way he wanted, and even if she had come back now, nothing would change.
Only then did Jungkook lower his arm and look at her.
“What is it, why are you looking at me like that.”
She didn’t answer.
She just quietly looked at the man in front of her. So much so that Jungkook, who until just moments ago still couldn’t believe his betrayal, now looked almost absurdly unfazed.
“…”
Even under her gaze, Jungkook didn’t look the least bit flustered. Instead, he let out a small laugh and sat up.
“Looks like you’ve already heard.”
.
.
The next chapter will also continue from the heroine’s perspective that day.
