Tangeled in shadows | Min Yoongi

Yoona sat up in bed, her body still aching from the injury, but her mind racing. Jungkook's words kept echoing in her head—“When you’re so deep into whatever this is with Yoongi that you can’t see straight?”

She hated that he was right, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Every time she looked at Yoongi, her thoughts were muddled. He had saved her, stayed by her side, and now she found herself questioning everything she thought she knew about him. But there was no denying the walls closing in around her—both from her own crew’s suspicion and from the growing confusion in her heart.

Jisoo, Seulgi, and Jungkook had left the room after their tense conversation, leaving her alone in the dim light. The silence was unnerving, and for the first time in a while, Yoona felt the weight of her decisions pressing down on her.

A soft knock on the door startled her.

Before she could respond, Yoongi walked in. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there watching her, his eyes intense as always. But something about his posture was different. He looked… weary, like the weight of his own world was pressing on him, too.

“You’re still here,” Yoona said, her voice quieter than she intended.

Yoongi nodded and sat down in the chair beside her bed, the same chair he had occupied for the past few nights. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She studied his face, looking for any sign of deception, but all she saw was the guarded expression he always wore. And yet, beneath that mask, there was something softer, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Why?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Why did you save me? Why do you keep staying by my side?”

Yoongi’s gaze shifted to the floor. He seemed to be wrestling with his own thoughts, struggling to find the right words. Finally, he sighed, leaning back in the chair.

“Because I don’t want you to die,” he said simply, but the words carried more weight than she expected.

Yoona frowned, shaking her head. “That doesn’t make sense. You’ve had plenty of chances to kill me. Why didn’t you?”

He glanced at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. “I told you. I decide who lives or dies, not anyone else.”

“That’s not an answer,” she pressed, frustration building in her chest. “You’ve been hunting me for years, and now suddenly you’re... what? Protecting me?”

Yoongi leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. For a moment, the silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words. “Maybe,” he started, his voice low, “things aren’t as simple as they seem.”

Yoona stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. Was he trying to tell her something more? Something deeper? She was about to press him further when the door burst open again.

Seulgi rushed in, breathless, her eyes wide with panic.

“We’ve got a problem,” she said quickly, glancing between Yoona and Yoongi.

“What is it?” Yoongi asked, his tone sharp.

“Someone’s coming. A third party,” Seulgi explained, her voice rushed. “We’ve been monitoring the situation, and it looks like another gang is moving in on us—on both of us.”

Yoona’s heart sank. An external threat—exactly what they didn’t need right now.

Yoongi cursed under his breath, standing up abruptly. “How far out?”

“Maybe a day, maybe less,” Seulgi replied, looking at Yoona. “We don’t have much time.”

Yoona struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain shooting through her side. “This isn’t the time to be fighting among ourselves,” she muttered. “We need to focus on survival.”

Yoongi nodded, his mind clearly already moving a mile a minute. “We’ll deal with this. Seulgi, wake the others. I want a plan in place by the time they get here.”

Seulgi gave a quick nod and hurried out of the room, leaving Yoona and Yoongi alone again.

Yoona could feel the tension rising, not just from the impending threat, but from the unresolved feelings hanging between them. She knew she needed to ask him now, while they had the chance.

“Yoongi,” she said softly, “why is everything so hard between us? Why does it feel like no matter what we do, we’re always... like this?”

Yoongi looked at her, his gaze softer than it had ever been. For the first time, the mask he wore cracked just a little.

“Because we’re the same,” he said quietly. “We’ve both lost too much. And we’re both afraid of losing what’s left.”

Yoona’s breath hitched. The raw honesty in his voice took her by surprise, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

“I hate you,” she whispered, though the words felt hollow as she spoke them. “I should hate you.”

“I know,” Yoongi replied, his voice calm. “And I should hate you too.”

“But we don’t,” Yoona said, her heart pounding in her chest.

Yoongi didn’t answer right away. He simply stood there, watching her with that same guarded intensity. And then, after what felt like an eternity, he shook his head.

“No,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “We don’t.”

Yoona felt her heart twist in her chest. The reality of what was happening between them hit her like a wave, overwhelming and terrifying. She didn’t know what to do with these feelings—feelings she had tried so hard to bury.

But before either of them could say anything more, a loud noise erupted from outside the room, the sound of shouting and hurried footsteps echoing through the halls.

Yoongi’s expression hardened instantly. “Stay here. I’ll handle this.”

He turned to leave, but just before he stepped out of the room, Yoona called after him.

“Yoongi,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

He paused, looking back at her.

“Be careful,” she whispered, her eyes locking onto his.

For a brief moment, Yoongi’s expression softened again, and he gave her a small nod before disappearing into the hallway.

---

As Yoongi headed down the stairs, the noise grew louder. His men were scrambling, gearing up for the inevitable confrontation. The rival gang was closing in fast, and they didn’t have much time.

But as he walked, Yoongi’s thoughts kept drifting back to Yoona. Her words, her vulnerability—it was all too much. He had tried to push her away, tried to keep things simple, but now... now it was too late.

He knew he was in too deep.

But the truth was, so was she.