AGE GAP : JUNGKOOK

Chapter : 31

The dining table was set, and everyone had taken their seats. Jungkook sat at the head, with Jin occupying the other main chair opposite him. Star sat beside Jungkook, directly across from Suga. On her other side was Jimin, while Taehyung sat across from him.

Tension clung to the air like static. Star and Suga continued throwing sharp glances at each other, and Jungkook, trying to break the silence, finally spoke.

"Star, serve for us," Jungkook said calmly.

Star raised an eyebrow. "I cooked. Now you serve."

Suga didn't miss a beat. "It's your job. You should do it."

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by job?"

"You're the woman here... so—"

"You know," Star interrupted, her voice laced with sarcasm, "hell is full of people like you... the ones who say women look good only in the kitchen."

"If you serve, it's not going to make you smaller," Suga replied, unbothered.

"And if you guys do self-service, it's not gonna make you any taller," she shot back.

Despite the tension, everyone ended up serving themselves. Still, the glares between Suga and Star hadn't stopped.

"You must be a Pisces," Star said suddenly, studying him.

Suga raised an eyebrow. "And you... Gemini?"

(Pisces and Gemini—classic cosmic enemies. No wonder they didn't like each other's vibe.)

After dinner, everyone moved to the living room for a game of Uno. Laughter and light teasing filled the space as the game progressed. The final round came down to Jungkook and Star, and when Jungkook won, Star's playful fury erupted.

"Ahh ahhh... Star, it's hurting," Jungkook whined as she smacked his arm lightly.

She rolled her eyes. "Who told you to win, huh?"

But before she could turn toward the metal click sound that came from Suga's side, Jungkook quickly cupped her face, pulling her into a sudden hug—shielding her view.

Unbeknownst to her, Suga had instinctively aimed a gun toward her in a moment of protective reflex toward Jungkook. Jungkook's eyes widened, silently warning Suga to stop. Suga caught the message, lowered the gun, and quietly stood up, walking out of the room.

Star, still in Jungkook's arms, blinked in confusion.

"Sorry," Jungkook said quickly. "Let's play again. This time you're going to win, okay?"

She pouted. "Fine. Let's shuffle the cards."

"You shuffle. I'll be back in a minute."

Jungkook found Suga outside, leaning against the wall, staring into the darkness.

"Hyung," Jungkook said, voice low, "do you want me to get divorced?"

Suga looked over. "Why would I want that?"

"Then why did you bring a gun in here?" Jungkook asked, frustration creeping in. "Don't you know if she ever sees that around me, she'll divorce me on the spot?"

"It's out of habit, Kookie. You know that."

"I know, hyung, but she's terrified of guns. Her hands were trembling the first time I let her hold mine... and she made me promise never to be a mafia man in front of her."

Jungkook exhaled slowly, pain flickering in his voice. "She can't handle it, hyung... and I love her. So much."

Suga hesitated, his tone colder. "Even after knowing that money is all that matters to her?"

"She's not like that. She only pretends to be that way," Jungkook insisted.

"Whatever," Suga muttered.

"Hyung, please," Jungkook said sincerely. "Don't do anything like that around her again."

Suga gave a reluctant nod. "Okay. If that makes you happy."
(But deep inside, something still gnawed at him. Her eyes... they hide something. So many truths. I hope I'm wrong, he thought.)

The evening passed in laughter and chatter. Star found herself getting along well with Taehyung and Hobi, joking and talking like old friends. After a while, she offered to make everyone coffee.

In the kitchen, she hummed to herself while preparing the drinks—coffee for the boys, and hot chocolate for Jungkook, Taehyung, and herself.

Then, without warning, Suga walked in.

"What are you hiding?" he asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Star turned, surprised. "The universe," she replied playfully.

"What kind of universe?"

"You don't have to know," she said, waving him off.

But Suga stepped closer, holding a knife up to her neck. The playfulness vanished from her face, replaced with fear.

"W-what are you d-doing... s-sir?" she stuttered, her voice shaking.

Suga leaned in, his tone deadly calm. "If you ever hurt Kookie... trust me, I'll kill you with my bare hands."

"W-why would I h-hurt h-him?" she whispered, eyes wide.

"Just in case," he said, lowering the knife. "Consider this a warning. And dare you tell anyone about this."

He walked out of the kitchen like nothing happened.

Ten minutes later, Star returned with the drinks. She handed out coffee and hot chocolate, but her hands trembled slightly.

Jungkook noticed. "What happened, Star? Why are you sweating?"

"N-nothing," she said quickly. "It's just... really hot in the kitchen." Her eyes flicked toward Suga, who was now smirking in her direction.

Suga, watching her carefully, thought to himself:
Jungkook might be right... she's a scaredy cat pretending to be strong. I'm probably just overthinking...

Or was he?

................. To be continued...............