You barely made it halfway to the cafeteria when they showed up—those same girls with their sharp nails, sharper words, and smiles that meant nothing good. Before you could even react, they had their claws in you. They yanked at your uniform, tugged your hair until it fell messy and tangled around your face, shoved you down, and dumped garbage from a nearby bin onto your sneakers like it was all just a joke. Your throat burned, but you didn’t give them the satisfaction of tears. Not in front of them.

You ran. Down the hall, through doors you barely noticed, feet pounding against the cold floor—until you hit something solid. No. Someone.

Jimin.

You froze. His chest was warm, firm. His eyes were already scanning you, taking in every rip, every tear, every shred of your pride that had just been stomped on. You quickly turned your face, swiping away the single tear that dared to fall.

But he’d seen enough.

“Hush, little brat. Don’t cry. Not on my watch.” His voice was a whisper wrapped in steel, deadly soft. “Everything’s gonna be alright—even if I have to burn down the world to make it so.”

You didn’t move. Couldn’t. There was something in his presence that held you in place—something dangerous, something... safe. “Yeah, I might seem a little crazy for you, baby. But I am crazy. And guess what? That makes you untouchable.” His gaze was molten gold and fury. “You ask for a mockingbird? I’ll bring you a damn flock. You want the world? I’ll tear it out of someone else’s hands and lay it at your feet.”

Then he leaned in, the side of his lips ghosting against your ear—too close, too much, too addictive. “And if that mockingbird don’t sing and the ring don’t shine…” He laughed, the sound low and chilling. “I’ll break that bird’s neck myself. Then I’ll hunt down the jeweler, make him choke on every karat he sold me—because no one plays you. Not when I’m breathing.”

He pulled back, eyes locking with yours. That trademark smirk curled on his lips—somewhere between a threat and a promise. “Don’t test me, sweetheart. I might hate you… but I’d kill for you too.”