Taehyung held his breath.
His heart was beating fast. He wanted to turn around and see who was there. But his body felt frozen. The fingers moved slowly from his arm to his shoulder.
"Is someone there?" he whispered.
No answer.
Just the sound of breathing. Not his own. Someone else was close. Very close.
Then the hand moved to his chest. It pressed down. Hard. Taehyung gasped in pain. It felt like someone was squeezing him. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
And then... it stopped.
The hand was gone. The presence was gone. Like it was never there.
Taehyung sat up quickly. He turned on the lamp beside his bed. The room was empty. The door was closed. Everything looked normal.
He looked down at his chest. There were red marks on his skin. Finger marks.
"What is happening to me?" he whispered to himself.
He touched the marks gently. They hurt. This was real. Someone had been here.
---
The next morning, Taehyung came downstairs looking tired. His eyes were dark. His face was pale.
Kookie was already in the kitchen making breakfast. The boy smiled when he saw him.
"Good morning, dad. Did you sleep well?"
Taehyung forced a smile. "Yes, fine. Thank you, Kookie."
But it was a lie. He had not slept at all.
Kookie frowned a little. "Are you sure? You look tired."
"I'm okay. Really."
Kookie nodded softly and went back to making eggs. He was always so gentle. So kind. Taehyung was grateful for him.
Then Jungkook walked in.
He was shirtless. Just wearing loose sleep pants. His hair was messy. He looked like he had slept perfectly fine.
"Morning," Jungkook said with a lazy smile. His eyes moved over Taehyung slowly. "You don't look good, dad. Bad night?"
Taehyung felt strange under his gaze. "I just didn't sleep well."
Jungkook walked closer. He leaned on the kitchen counter next to Taehyung. "That's too bad. You should take care of yourself."
His voice was soft. Too soft.
Kookie looked between them but said nothing. He just plated the eggs quietly.
"I'm fine, Jungkook. Don't worry about me."
Jungkook smiled. It was a warm smile. But something about it made Taehyung feel cold inside.
"Of course I worry about you, dad. You're all we have now."
The words were sweet. But they felt heavy. Like they meant something more.
Taehyung turned away and poured himself coffee. His hands were shaking. He tried to hide it.
Behind him, Jungkook watched.
