She was only seventeen when her world collapsed. Her parents died, and she was left alone—except for her grandparents, whom she had never even met before. The relationship between her family and the older relatives had been severed long ago, and now she had to live with them—in a remote village, lost among rocky mountains and impassable forests.

Here, everything was foreign. There was no familiar hum of cars—only the clatter of hooves on stony paths. The houses were old, wooden, with carved shutters, the smell of stove smoke, and bundles of dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. Her grandparents lived by laws she didn't understand. She tried to be polite, did the housework, smiled—but in return, she received only cold restraint. No hugs, no kind words.

But what frightened her most was him. Jeon Jungkook. Their neighbor.

The first time she saw him was by the river. Her grandfather had told her the water was especially clean at dawn, and one night, when insomnia kept her awake, she decided to go for a swim. In the quiet morning, just as the first light appeared, she slipped out of the house and headed to the river. She undressed and stepped into the water—icy, burning her skin. She knelt, letting the water rise to her chest, when suddenly—a feeling. Someone's eyes on her. She turned her head back and met his gaze.

Jungkook sat atop a black horse, massive as the night itself. His dark eyes slowly trailed over her body—not just looking, but assessing. As if she were prey, and he—a predator who had already decided when to strike. There was something wild, almost predatory in his gaze—as if he didn't just want to look, but to take... or devour. They didn't exchange a single word. They simply stared—and then he turned his horse and vanished into the morning mist.