ꗃ: 𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𔘓. 𝗍𝖺𝖾𝗃𝖾𝗇𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗈𝗈𝗄 ! 𓂅

1 | 倒れた

KIM TAEHYUNG DREW HIS COAT tighter around him and tugged his Stetson lower as he stepped out into the snow. He started down the winding driveway to collect the mail, his face numb from the biting wind.

Winter had set in, and already he was restless. The lodge was quiet, housing just him and his two brothers until next hunting season when clients filled the bunkhouses. For ten years, he had lived for the fall when he could guide hunters into the mountains. But now he felt edgy. Unsatisfied.

He yanked open the mailbox and reached inside for the pile of envelopes. He turned back to the house, thumbing through the junk mail when a flash of color caught his eyes. He blinked, bringing the object into focus. There, huddled in the ditch, half covered with snow, was a person.

Dropping the mail, he rushed over to the still form and knelt in the snow. Afraid of what he would find, he grasped a small shoulder and flipped the person over. To his shock, it was a woman. A beautiful woman.

He felt for a pulse, holding his breath until he felt the faint tremor in her neck. He brushed snow from her face and smoothed her blonde hair from her forehead. How had she gotten here?

Swinging her slight form into his arms, he stood up and strode rapidly back up the drive. He stared worriedly into her pale face and felt his groin tighten. A sharp tingle snaked up his spine, and he was besieged by unfamiliar emotions.

Anger, possessiveness, concern, and pure unadulterated lust.

His cock swelled in his jeans, and his grip around her tightened. He was assailed by the nagging thought that she could be the one.

He'd never reacted this strongly to a woman, and certainly not to one he knew nothing about, but he also knew no matter his reaction, his brothers might not be in agreement.

At any rate, he couldn't leave her to freeze to death. He couldn't concern himself with what his brothers thought until he made sure she didn't die on him.
As he shouldered his way inside, Jungkook looked up from the couch where he was reading.

He dropped the book when he saw the woman in Taehyung 's arms.

"What the hell's going on?" he demanded, standing up.

"I found her out in the ditch," Taehyung murmured, examining his brother closely for his reaction.

Jungkook closed the distance between them and gazed down at the fragile looking woman. "Is she alive?"

"What's going on?" Jimin asked as he entered the living room. His expression was guarded, a look that had become second nature since his discharge from the military.

For the first time in a long while, Taehyung felt a surge of hope. He'd give anything to be able to draw Jimin out from the private hell he endured. If she was the one...

Taehyung turned his attention back to the woman in his arms.

"I need to get her warmed up. Go draw a hot bath while I get her out of her wet clothes," he directed jimin.

Jungkook raised a brow. "Are you going to strip her here?"

Taehyung shrugged. "I doubt modesty is an issue when you're this close to freezing to death."