SUGAR AND SIN | JK

SUGAR AND SIN | JK

🧁✧ ˚. TITLE: Sugar and Sin.

🧁✧ ˚. PAIRING: Mafia boss! Jungkook x female oc

🧁✧ ˚. BLURB: Maybe the gun wielding stranger with a penchant for dramatic entrances can be her chance of survival other than her worst nightmare.

🧁✧ ˚. GENRE: Mafia au, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, dark romance, crime/thriller.

🧁✧ ˚. WARNINGS: This chapter contains intense scenes with threatening behavior, discussions of violence and murder, and emotional distress.

🧁✧ ˚. TAGS: oc is SILENCED, jk is a jerk and likes to break in

🧁✧ ˚. A/N: ty ty ty for the amazing support you guys have been showing this!! It means more to me than you know. Also, I kinda don't wanna post the new chapter on wattpad until I have posted all the already published ones here so it can be in sync. Let me know what you guys think about that?

🧁✧ ˚. TAG LIST: @scuzmunkie (let me know if you wanna be added in the tag list)

CHAPTER 3: AURORA

He was here.

In her goddamn living room, sitting on her couch like he owned the place.

The realization hit her slowly, like the creeping cold of winter sneaking under the door. She hadn’t heard him come in. She hadn’t seen him approach. But there he was, every inch of him radiating danger.

He was here to fulfill the promise of something dangerous.

He was here for her.

She didn't need to look through her memories of last night to recognize him. The inky voids that were placed where eyes normally are were proof enough, and so was the horrifying calmness he carried with himself surrounding the small space of her apartment.

Her lips parted, her breath shortened and her unblinking eyes went all over him, his gloved hands that were skilled for taking lives-she was sure of it- resting flatly on his broad, muscled thigh clothed with the black of his pants, his shirt of a softer fabric soft yet unyielding, strained against the hard planes of his chest. The tailored suit jacket stretched over biceps that seemed too solid, too real, for this moment to be anything but a nightmare and there was the face she hadn't properly grasped in the chaos of last night, now all sharp lines, cool beauty, and unsettling stillness.

Maybe the devil wasn't a short red man with thorns and tail at all. Maybe he wore tailored suits and silver piercings.

"Inhale. And sit down."

His voice- a calm authority, snapped her out of her jumbled thoughts. She wasn't sure how much she could take of being the sole recipient of her attention.

"What.. H-How did you-you get in?" She managed, not bothering to cringe at how small and powerless she sounded in her own home.

"Sit down." It was an order this time considering how his bored face hardened and his tone shifted. "We have lots to talk about." His gloved finger flexed briefly over the gun holstered at his side. 

That gesture alone was enough for her to obey before her mind could catch up and reluctantly sit across him while trying her best not to display how wobbly her knees were getting. Even as she sat across from him, every fiber of her being told her to flee. But something in his stillness kept her rooted to the spot.

"Answer me now. How-how did you get in?" she asked again, though as much as she tried to hide it, there was a tremor in her voice.

"I don't respond well to questions phrased like that. Try again."

Her frustration bubbled up, cutting through the haze of fear. "Are you kidding me-" his fingers flexed against the barrel of his gun again in response, making her narrow her eyes at him.

"You're here to kill me too, aren't you?Because I saw what you did. I saw you murder that innocent man." She was surprised at how collected she sounded.

He leaned back, slow and deliberate, his gaze heavy on her as he scoffed under his breath. "If I wanted to kill you, I could have done that there and then. Just another body for my men to dispose of." And there went that collected front of her down the drain. But his expression remained unchanged, bored almost, as if this entire exchange was nothing more than a chore to him.

"But I didn't. And if it helps, the innocent man was not as innocent as you naively assumed." His voice was colder, with a mocking tilt to it.

She bit the inside of her cheek, fighting the wave of unease rising inside her. "So? What are you, the law?"

"My word is. And he went against it." He said simply.

Her lips parted again in an act of disbelief. There was something so twisted about this man. And she had a feeling that didn't stop only at him being a murderer.

"T-That is not going to stop me from reporting you to the police and neither will you." She said with a determined look even though her actions were hesistant when she slowly and carefully rose up from her spot.

And he clearly saw right through it. "Need a drive there?" He leaned forward, his presence suddenly much heavier as he spoke out with an amused tilt of his head.

This was the face of a man who knew he won't be punished for his crime. This was the face of a man who knew that, that was all beneath him. Just who the hell was this man?

"What is wrong with you?" She conferred the answer was: Everything.

"Why are you doing this? Why did you do any-any of that?" There was a frustration in her voice now that caused him to rise up from the couch as well. And she could swear he was tenfold more intimidating now that he was displaying the giant of a height he had, almost causing her to flinch.

"I don't owe you an explanation for my actions while you do owe me something for meddling in my business." He replied, the shadows deepening on his face

"Meddling in your business? You're the one who broke into my bakery.." and now in my apartment. "And made it your place of crime."

"Your little bakery will be nothing but ashes on the ground if you don't stop talking back and resisting to my word." He eyes flashed with irration as he spoke out with a harshness, taking a step closer to her but still maintaining a distance he looked distasteful to cross.

While all she could do was stay frozen in her spot with her hands curling in ball of fists by her side as his eyes told her to even though the audacity of this man to threaten the place she made a living from raged her to no end.

"Now back to what's important." He said, releasing a quiet breath.

"That being your silence that you owe me. You'll not speak about anything you saw with anyone. And I'm just saving you from the embarrassment when I say that you drop the police bullshit."

She swallowed a hard lump down her throat, not liking how he stared at her, how his words spit out like venom. Of course, she felt a surge of anger at how he was ordering her around, but it was tempered by fear at last. "I-I can't just forget what I saw.."

He cocked an eyebrow at her words. "But you will. Or I'll have to resort to unpleasant ways to make you forget. Would you want that?"

She instantly shook her head at that. She couldn't digest how this man had her so pathetic at his non-existent mercy. It was a pill she had to swallow, of course, but that didn't mean she was gonna do it without an attempt to choke it out.

Her mind raced. The face of an familiar old man with a nasty grin flashed in front of her. Mr. Choi had been tightening the noose around her neck for months. The bills have been piling up, and if she didn't speak up now, maybe she would have to return back home. This could be her only chance. Yet the rational part of still considered the insanity of bargaining with a man who just threatened her life.

She swallowed hard. It's a terrible idea. A dangerous gamble.

But when has she ever listened to the annoying rational part of her head?

"I- I want something in return for my silence." She said with a newfound determination, her chin tipped up. "My bakery's landlord... Mr. Choi... he’s been extorting me for months. If you want my silence, I need your help." Even with the clarity in her demand, she couldn't help but feel like it was as if she was begging. The pulse racing with fear convinced her that she was begging.

Gods, what is wrong with me?

That seemed to twist something in him as he stepped closer with a sinister calmness. "You think you're in a position to make demands to me?" His voice was laced with a malicious intent, making her do everything in her power to not squirm in her spot as he towered above her.

Yet she stood her ground even if the fear threatened to overwhelm her. "It's only fair that I get something in return." She said with a surprisingly steady voice, trying her best to hide the desperation that was eager to be out.

Please, let this work. Please don’t let this end with my body laying in my own blood.

A muscle of his jaw ticked. "Being bold now, are we?" he said. "But let me make one thing clear: you're not in a position to make demands. You're in a position to be grateful, I'm not killing you right now."

He paused, his eyes glinting with intensity and some sort of interest. "However... I'll consider your request. Not because I owe you anything, but because it amuses me to do so. And maybe you'll prove useful enough to warrant a little... leeway."

He turned to leave, then looked back over his shoulder. "Until next time, baker girl."

And he was gone, leaving her heart thumping and her world shaky.

To be continued..

→ Previous chapter

just went through the parts of sugar and sin on here, and i am absolutely in love!! it's such a unique idea, and i really look forward to the upcoming chapters! 💗

p.s.: please add me to your taglist if possible!

Omgg that's so cool coming from you!! (I eat up literally anything you write 🫣) and of course that can be done! Thank you for reading!!

SUGAR AND SIN | JK

🧁✧ ˚. TITLE: Sugar and Sin.

🧁✧ ˚. PAIRING: Mafia boss! Jungkook x female oc

🧁✧ ˚. BLURB: Jeon Jungkook doesn't do favors, and neither does he make petty deals expect for maybe Aurora Beckett.

🧁✧ ˚. GENRE: Mafia au, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, dark romance, crime/thriller.

🧁✧ ˚. WARNINGS: it's jk's pov 🤷‍♀️

🧁✧ ˚. A/N: sooo I couldn't help it and posted the next chapter on wattpad. Do check it out for a suprise 👀- chapter 9.

🧁✧ ˚. TAG LIST: @scuzmunkie

CHAPTER 4-JUNGKOOK

The world was divided into two: those who feared the shadows and those who became them. Jeon Jungkook had long since chosen his side.

In the dark and haze, his name slithered like a serpent, coiling itself around its prey, squeezing until the last breath was crushed out with the whispers of "Jeon Jungkook didn’t needed a excuse."

No one dared to squirm against his word and grip, only pestered and tested his non-existence patience with pleads for mercy—a concept he had long since buried in a forgotten  land with the naive child that he had broken out of.

But of course, every theory seemed to have its exception. And Jungkook lived for exceptions.

He especially enjoyed when the object of his thinning patience struggled, when they ran, thinking they could escape him.

It gave him a thrill of hunt. A thrill he has based his life on. A thrill that reminded him of why he lived the way he did. Power wasn’t something handed over—it was hunted, taken by force, hoarded in the shadows where he thrived, where he once learned to beg for it.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

And when the hunger for that power surfaced, he indulged in it timely. That Thursday night was the choice for one of those times when he'd step out of the professionally cold walls of his office totake the hunt outside, letting the blackness bleed into places that weren't considered the part of the shadows. That wasn't a constriction for him. Nothing was, and if anything, the dead night served the mood, not a curtain.

The times were of his choosing, and so was the prey- a middle-aged man with homely features. They seemed to do a good job at hiding the renegade of a bastard that oh so foolishly thought that greed was his to have and screwed up with the money- his money- from the arms trade by having the nerve to dip into trafficking—without permission. That bastard thought he could crawl into Jungkook’s territory, and Jungkook would let him walk free.

Unfortunately for him, the snake was a slithery, undulated thing, and Jeon Jungkook was no different than that. Just the bite was a lot more lethal when provoked.

And oh was he provoked, so very into the act as his prey tried to hide, run and break free from the shadow that loomed behind him, that he didn't notice when they broke into a uncharted territory. It was dimmed and shadowed- that was all the mattered until a certain pair of eyes that could almost be mistaken for a deer's with how wide and enlarged they were with fear met his from a corner, trying to hide yet stayed frozen.

He could see the spooked look in them-the one he was not entirely foreign with- even in the dim lightening. The acceptance a little deer has when a truck with blinding lights and ignorance comes crashing its way to serve its end.

It had the bored look in his eyes get replaced with an uncertainty. It surprised him. He was almost never uncertain with a gun in his hand and lust for blood rushing through his veins.But as the man he was hunting fell to his knees, choking out pitiful pleas, Jungkook didn’t move to shoot. His eyes kept shifting back to her.

He did not expect that. He had not expected a hindrance, a potential witness to him blowing this cowering man's brains on the floor.

Yet he didn't get rid of the hiding little deer the moment he was done setting himself free from the tiresome pleads the annoying bastard was supplying his way. He didn't get rid of her even when he knew that those eyes wide with fear saw everything, not even when she passed out before he could reach her, giving him a leverage to silence her without the inconvenience of her begging for her life and all that.He could have. He should have. It would’ve been easy.

But something stopped him.

And that irritated him more than anything.

Instead he snapped two fingers to have information on her before having his men dropped her off to her whatever cheap excuse of apartment she lived in, finding out that this deer eyed woman named Aurora Beckett runs this place which he had painted red, is supposedly a bakery.

Insignificant, really.

He convinced himself later that he didn't need to waste a precious bullet on a nobody who he could hush with some threats and a glare.

But something about her had kept him from pulling the trigger, and that gnawed at him more than it should have.

Genuinely, what the fuck was I thinking?

This was beneath him.

He had his infamous scowl on his face as he trudged on the creaky stairs, the fluorescent lights overhead casting an unforgiving glare on the threadbare carpet.

As he walked into the dingy office of Choi Sangwoo after telling Hyunsoo- his right hand man to stand on guard beside the door, the distaste in his chest gnawed at him. The air was stale, thick with the smell of cheap tobacco and desperation. This wasn't the kind of business he was accustomed to-dealing with insignificant men like choi over petty real estate. But here he was, all because of a request from a woman who shouldn't have been his fucking concern.

Sangwoo looked up, his eyes bulging with fear the moment he recognized him- it was almost impossible that unfair wanna-be businessmen like him didn't hear the hint of his name around the very air of greed they breathed. And It was the same every time: fear, groveling, then obedience. Normally, it was satisfying. Today, it felt like a waste of time.

"Mr. Jeon... I-I wasn't expecting you," he stuttered, his hands fumbling to hide the cash on his desk as if that would somehow change what was coming.

He didn't bother with pleasantries. Never did. "That's because you're a fool, choi. Only a fool tries to squeeze more than what he's worth."

He saw the beads of sweat forming on his balding head, his fingers trembling as he reached for a handkerchief to wipe them away. It was almost pitiful. Almost.

"I'm not sure I understand, sir," he blubbered, though the fear in his eyes told the mafia boss that he understood perfectly.

Jungkook stepped forward until he was almost looming over his desk, his gloved hand leisurely tucked in his pocket, his face giving away annoyance and boredom both.

"Aurora Beckett. The bakery."

His face paled at the mention of a certain brunette. "It's just business, Mr. Jeon. I didn't-"

"And you're doing it poorly." He cut him off, my voice heavy with disdain.

"I-I can explain--"

"Don't waste my time," Jungkook snapped, tossing the deed transfer onto his desk. "Sign it. Now."

His eyes widened as he read the document, the fear palpable, "This... this is a deed transfer. You're buying the land?" and so was the confusion at seeing the man who could basically buy him twice (or maybe thrice), do petty business with him rather.

He nodded curtly, the irritation simmering just beneath the surface. "For a fraction of what it's worth. And you're going to take it, because you're in no position to do otherwise."

Sangwoo's hand shook as he picked up the pen, eventually signing it. Well, atleast he could brag about this whole thing of Jeon Jungkook making a deal with him in his cheap circle of friends with cheap wine, while leaving the part where he almost shit his pants the whole conversation.

The landlord finished, handing the deed back to him with a shaky hand. He snatched it from him, folding it neatly and slipping it back into his suit jacket.

"Try getting too smart again, and I won't be handling this as business." He spat out before leaving the office, the weight of his presence still weighting the place.

Even after he left the place, he couldn't help but feel a disbelief over his own actions. He had allowed himself to be pulled into something small, something that shouldn't matter. He wasn't supposed to be doing favors for a woman in return for the silence he wants from her when he could silence her for life instead. But here he was, making deals on her behalf, and for what?

Too engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't notice when the man walking behind him stepped forward to open the car door for him.

Nodding in acknowledgment, he slid in the back seat. Hyunsoo followed right after to settle in the driver's seat like he usually did and ignited the engine to life.

Hyunsoo drove in silence, as he always did, his focus sharp and unwavering. He wasn't the type to pry, but he knew his boss well-too well. So, when he finally spoke, his voice was measured, careful.

"If you don't mind me asking, boss... why the interest in this particular property?" His tone was cautious, respectful, but the question still grated on the mafiaso's nerves.

"It's just business," He replied, the words flat and unconvincing even to his own ears, his eyes fixed on the window.

"This place, it's not exactly high-value," he said slowly, almost as if he was thinking out loud. "And the bakery... it doesn't seem like your usual type of investment."

This wasn't his usual type of investment because it wasn't an investment at all. It was a whim.

A whim he decided he was gonna make worth his while.

"I have grown a sweet tooth." He said, bitterly enough for Hyunsoo to understand he should better keep his mouth shut.

The rest of the ride was Jungkook gazing outside at the blur of neon signs and passing cars, trying to shove the millions things that never seemed to stop overwhelming his head.

Yet one thing was clearer than the rest: Aurora Beckett was far from finished with me. And whether she realized it or not, I was far from finished with her.

To be continued..

→ Previous chapter.

SUGAR AND SIN | JK

🧁✧ ˚. TITLE: Sugar and Sin.

🧁✧ ˚. PAIRING: Mafia boss! Jungkook x female oc

🧁✧ ˚. BLURB: Aurora Beckett had simple plans for the night: clean up the counter, finish boxing up the last batch of strawberry cupcakes, and maybe catch up on her favorite drama. Until the click of a gun spoiled the tiles of her bakery and her plans.

🧁✧ ˚. GENRE: Mafia au, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, dark romance, crime/thriller.

🧁✧ ˚. WARNINGS: This chapter contains a violent scene involving murder, as well as mentions of nausea and a character passing out.

🧁✧ ˚. TAGS: oc is traumatized and on the verge of throwing up but she's also a little weird, jk is having fun cosplaying as a satanic entity for the night

🧁✧ ˚. A/N: This chapter's a lot shorter than the average word count I write but I hope it's intriguing enough for people to keep reading. Also please don't hesitate to type out your comments and opinions. I love to read them and stay informed with what clicks for you and for doesn't.

🧁✧ ˚. TAG LIST: @scuzmunkie ... (Please do let me know if any of you want to be added too.)

CHAPTER 1: AURORA

Aurora had two problems tonight.

Her frayed nerves that showed no sign of settling down any time soon, and the blood on the once-pristine white tiles of her bakery floor, which were sometimes grazed with flour and all that.

The latter and former both caused by a group of tall and dark figures of men that barged inside the dim lighted interior of her bakery that she was just about to pack up like they were out to hunt. From what she could see from the corner of the counter she was hiding behind and trying to squeeze herself further away into the darkness, the prey in question was another stumbling man who fell his way before them, backing on his palms as he slid on the floor, a messy trail of blood following right after him as the group of men loomed forward with a errie calmness. She visibly winced at that before taking advantage of the soft darkness and lifting her gaze up and instantly retreating back.

Gods, she had never regretted turning down Lia's offer to drop her home more than she did now. But no, she wanted to finish baking one last batch, just to get ahead for tomorrow.

Now she was hiding from men who looked like they made up the gateway of hell.

Clad up in all black with their forms blended into the shadows, save for the luminosity of moon light spilling through the window. They could’ve been anyone, anyone except the customers who regularly graced her small bakery. Definitely not the kind who ordered pastries.

She should have been afraid for her life. She was, in part. But another part of her was horrified at the blood—so much blood—coating the clean floor where she spent her days baking treats. A morbid thought crossed her mind: it was going to take forever to scrub that out.

She tried to shake off the absurdity of the thought and focused on the bigger issue that screamed that she was going to be the next one on their hit list. She doubted her capability to hide here, to hide her frantic heartbeat from all of them because it was all she could hear, until that changed too like her mundane nights.

"Done running?" A deep gravelly voice echoed louder than her heartbeat in the small space that was her bakery, followed with clear thumps of footsteps against the floor. And that's when her eyes took in the sight of a man who was probably what waited you inside that gateway.

He was wearing black too, of course, but somehow he stood out, and when he walked further, the other men looked nothing but mere shadows surrounding this larger unexplainable force.

"It was getting really fun." He drawled as if murder was a game, and the man cowering on the floor was just another player who had lost. It took all her might not to dig a hole somewhere here and hide further. It seemed to have the same effect on the cowering and trembling man on the floor as well that whimpered pleads for mercy which were unheard by lucifer himself and her as well because the sound of conflict in her head was louder.

She felt guilty and all kinds of words related to it because she was a present presence here, watching a man on the verge of getting killed in her property, doing nothing. She tried to fumble for her phone in the pocket of her apron as quietly as she could, but to her unfortune, it was on the far end of the countertop - a distance that felt like a mile now. She didn’t dare move, and the moral lecture she had rehearsed in her head earlier evaporated when she heard the sound of a gun clicking as well as her will scattering.

Her wide eyes that were going anywhere but the scene unfolding in front of her stopped at two inky voids like black ink splashed across a page, who found her before she could and was staring straight at her, penetrating through her very being as he too was crouching down on the floor, making a surge of panic run through her as the idea of her being seen settled in.

He saw her.

Her heart stopped.

Yet when she saw him stay blank and unamused as ever, even when he caught on an unexpected presence, she chose to second thought her plan to scream and run. Or she was forced to do so because his eyes had her frozen and stiff, unable to breathe.

Her heartbeat even came to a pause if that was possible, and then before she knew it was resuming that violent pace when she saw his lips moving. 

"Close your eyes."

Despite the pounding in her heart, she caught the words.

Yet she didn't obey, and that was the second time she felt regret flooding in the night when a quick click of the bullet leaving his cocked gun echoed around. The relief she felt for one moment when she wasn't on the receiving end of his chilling gaze washed away the moment the prey of a guy's brain spilled on the floor.

Blood. Blood. Blood. That was all in her line of sight as the man collapsed dead on the floor. Blood. Pooling around him. Blood. Everywhere. 

Aurora felt her throat work, her stomach twisted, a nauseous feeling overtaking her before she gathered whatever self preservation was left in her and forced her palm tightly against her mouth to not let out the sound of horror that was bubbling. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. But all she could do was press her back harder against the counter, eyes glued to the body now lying lifeless on the bakery floor.

Her eyes, unblinking, slid up to the man who had penetrated the life out of a once alive being. The man stood over the corpse, expression unreadable. The gun hung loosely in his gloved hand, as though the life he had just taken was of no consequence to him. As if this was routine.

It didn't suprise her but horrified her further.

Would she be the next on the floor with life draining out of her as well as her blood, begging for his non existing mercy?

Her answer was his eyes stopping at her quivering and crouched figure again from the corner.  Her vision had blurred over the time he was turned toward her after barking orders at his men—orders she couldn’t hear over the deafening roar of her heartbeat. She barely registered the sound of footsteps until they were close—too close.

And then, darkness.

With a last prayer to gods above, her body shut out with the last thing she saw before her eyes blacked out, being the devil coming for her.

To be continued...

SUGAR AND SIN | JK

🧁✧ ˚. TITLE: Sugar and Sin.

🧁✧ ˚. PAIRING: Mafia boss! Jungkook x female oc

🧁✧ ˚. BLURB: Drunk bug facts, cupcakes, and a stubborn promise to save the local animal shelter—Aurora’s got a full plate. Too bad her hangover isn’t as sweet as her cupcakes.

🧁✧ ˚. GENRE: Mafia au, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, dark romance, crime/thriller.

🧁✧ ˚. WARNINGS: alcohol consumption, mentions of stress/ anxiety.

🧁✧ ˚. TAGS: oc is a bug geek, new character for girlies who have a thing for shy, awkward nerds!! oc is a yapper

🧁✧ ˚. TAG LIST: @scuzmunkie @eshieslovemaze

🧁✧ ˚. A/N: sorry for the disappointment this filler chapter is girls 🫤

CHAPTER 7: AURORA

"And don’t even get me started on bees. They’re like, nature’s superheroes. Did you know they can fly in the rain? Like, they just tuck their little wings in and go for it!”

Aurora's slurred voice dragged the words out as she almost stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk if not for her best friend's reliable arm and company around her in nights where wobbly steps and carefree energy came somewhat worse with a bit too much wine.

They both were aware of that- of how the brunette struggled with her alcohol, maybe as much as bees struggled with change in the climate. But Lia didn't had it in her to say no to her when she clearly looked like she needed some sort of distraction after her conversation with Mr Suit and tie, who is supposedly the new land owner now, as Aurora had told her. It was all Aurora had told her. The rest had been her endless rambling about one of her bug tangents.

“And I bet they have tiny capes, too.” Aurora laughed, the sound light and easy.

Lia shook her head, but the fond smile on her face was undeniable, as she fumbled for the keys in Aurora’s bag as they were now in front of her apartment.

"Let's get you inside before you grow a cape too and fly away." Lia finally managed to unlock the door and guided Aurora inside, kicking it shut behind them.

Aurora flopped onto the couch, her head spinning slightly as she looked up at Lia. “You think bugs ever get drunk? Like, if they ate fermented fruit or something?"

Lia bit back a laugh as she sat down next to her. "No idea. That seems like something you'd do research on."

Aurora grinned, her eyelids growing heavy as the warmth of the apartment and the exhaustion from the day started to catch up to her. "Maybe I will."

"Only after you get a good night sleep." Lia instructed to which no sound of protest came in response.

Aurora let her lead her to her bedroom, sloppily kicking her shoes off somewhere in the way, her steps unsteady, but her mind lighter as she followed behind.

As soon as her bed was in view, she found herself getting attracted towards it with a magnetic force that she only felt for the combination of her comforter, pillows, and the lady bug plushie tucked nicely in between

Lia sighed as her best friend fell face first on the mattress before adjusting her inside the sheets. "I'll be right back in a minute, okay?" She said, gesturing towards the bathroom door but before she could move away, Aurora was grabbing onto her hand, her face pushing against the pillow with her hair messing up on her face, making the words come out muffled. "You're my superhero, Lia." She dragged out with a lazy smile, but the one on the blonde's face was a soft one. "And you're mine."

୨ৎ

Aurora woke up with her head throbbing —a not-so-gentle reminder of the previous night, but she couldn't deny that the greater the pain in her head equaled to better the sleep. She groaned, burying her face deeper into the pillow, trying to ignore the insistent buzz of her phone on the nightstand.

After a few more seconds of futile resistance, she reached over and grabbed the phone, squinting at the screen. A few unread messages from Lia popped up the first thing, and then only she registered her friend's absence. To her relief, the messages were to inform that she had to leave early in the morning because the manager who had been getting her gigs that would one day lead up to something big, called.

Aurora sighed, setting the phone down and reluctantly dragging herself out of bed to the bathroom, and gods, the sight in the mirror, almost had her gasping in horror. Splashing cold water on her face in an attempt to wake herself up and wash down the remnants of alcohol that had messed up her face, she then started to brush her teeth.

The water streaming down the sink would sometimes fill the silence but not enough to block the thoughts that threatened to surface back in, thoughts she had tried drinking away, thoughts of a certain man who had shaken her world ever since he had stepped in her vicinity.

Would it be so bad if she runs away and never goes back to the place he had so arrogantly staked a claim on? She thought to herself as she stepped in the shower.

Yes. Her conscience answered. It shouldn't matter. The only thing that should is that was still her bakery, her dream, her place that she had grown out of nothing. No man was going to take that away from her, whether it was that creep Choi or the devil himself.

Determined, after a quick shower, Aurora dressed in her usual work clothes—a soft pastel sweater and jeans—and served herself a bowl of cereals while scrolling mindlessly through her phone

It was not long before her phone tinged, making her straighten up and heave out a deep sigh at the message that popped up.

Reminder:

4 months until Maple Street's animal shelter closes.

She had promised Eunji, the woman who ran the shelter, Aurora often found herself visiting often that she'd help her stabilize the cause that was currently holding onto its place with a thin thread, by saving up the required amount of money or somewhere near. Eunji was a kind, genuine girl who selflessly provided for the stray or abandoned animals- and she wasn't just another face in the city; she was one of the few people who reminded her why this place felt like home.

But the chaos that her life had been for the past days, it had completely slipped past her. She was nowhere near the goal she had set because of the whole landlord situation, and that saddened her.

Maybe she had been naive to make such a promise in the first place but it was the strings of attachment with the place that pulled on her the moment the idea of all those animals with no place to live settled in. She might not be able to save the world, but she could at least try to save this little piece of it.

And she had 4 months to do that. Guess she better get to work.

Grabbing her keys, she headed out the door. The walk to the bakery was a short one, but she couldn't help but feel like it felt a little prolonged today.

When she finally reached the storefront, she paused when she saw a familiar tall figure dressed in a hoodie and jeans, trying to peak up inside. "Jiho!" She called out as she catched up to him, catching the boy off guard as he flinched back at the sudden appearance.

"A-Aurora! Hey!" Jiho fumbled, quickly straightening up, his cheeks tinged pink. "I was just... uh... checking if the bakery was closed." His voice cracked on the last word as if he was caught doing something unacceptable. "Relax, Jiho. You were not committing a crime, I got it." Unlike someone. She chuckled, to which he scratched the back of his head in a sly manner.

Jiho was a computer science major in his last year of college with a thing for strawberry cupcakes, specifically hers. He’d been a regular since practically forever, and though a little shy, he always brought a good vibe with him.

"And no, we're not closed, I just overslept a bit which isn't a everyday occurrence since I’m usually up before the sun, but I guess I was so tired and drunk that I passed out like a rock!" She paired her words with a guilty smile before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

The ebony haired boy blinked, his cheeks still flushed, but now with the faintest trace of a smile. "Right... yeah," He hesitated for a moment before following her inside. The familiar scent of freshly baked goods greeting them both. Jiho let out a soft sigh of relief, "I was worried I’d have to go a day without my cupcake fix," he joked, his tone lighter now that the initial awkwardness had faded.

Aurora laughed softly, moving behind the counter to start setting up for the day. "You’d survive, but I’m glad I saved you from that terrible fate." She joked back while knotting the apron around her but not failing to notice how his eyes frantically started to look around, everywhere but her.

The action made Lia's words surface back in her mind- "How can you not notice? That boy's got a big fat crush on you." She brushed them away as she had done that day before starting on to ready the cupcakes he was here for. She believed Jiho's awkward mannerism was because of his own personality, not because he liked or something.

"So how's college going?" She asked as she started to move to the kitchen.

She could hear him shuffle on his feet before his voice replaced the sound. "Good- mostly good. It's my last year, so I'm trying to make the most of it."

Aurora hummed in acknowledgment as she poured the batter into cupcake liners. "As you should. You're not getting these years back ever again, after all, even though I feel like most of them are a blur of energy drinks and all-nighters."

Jiho smiled and nodded, "Exactly." The oven timer dinged, and Aurora carefully pulled out the tray of perfectly golden cupcakes. She quickly frosted the cupcakes, adding a single fresh strawberry on top of each one before placing them in a small box.

"Here you go—freshly baked and ready to save your day."," she said, handing the box to him. Jiho took the box with a grateful smile. "You’re the best, Aurora, and so are these. Seriously."

“Anytime. You're the one keeping me in business, after all." She smiled back, and Jiho managed a chuckle before stepping back with an uncertainty. "I-I should get going. See you later, Aurora."

"See you, Jiho. Have a nice day!" She waved back as he left the bakery. The quiet returned, and she realized how crucial it was that she surrounded herself with people that brought out the lightness in her and managed to block out thoughts she was afraid would send her into spiral again.

As she moved to the back of the counter, her fingers brushed over the familiar surfaces—the worn wood of the cutting board, the flour-dusted counter—small anchors that kept her grounded. The light filtering in through the windows shifted, casting a warm glow across the room, as though the world outside was urging her to let the day begin.

Maybe that's the trick, she thought. Just focus on what’s right in front of you, and everything else will fall into place.

To be continued..

→ Previous chapter.

SUGAR AND SIN | JK

🧁✧ ˚. TITLE: Sugar and Sin.

🧁✧ ˚. PAIRING: Mafia boss! Jungkook x female oc

🧁✧ ˚. BLURB: Aurora assumes a pounding headache and overbearing anxiety were the worst she could experience after witnessing a murder. The gun-wielding stranger from last night is here to prove otherwise.

🧁✧ ˚. GENRE: Mafia au, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, dark romance, crime/thriller.

🧁✧ ˚. WARNINGS: Mentions of murder, guilt, and anxiety.

🧁✧ ˚. TAGS: oc is STRUGGLING, also she likes cereals

🧁✧ ˚. A/N: I'm sorry if you feel like the chapters are too short, but the word limit is gonna be somewhere around this for like 8 chapters or something. But I promise things are still gonna happen 😅 thank you for reading 💕💕

🧁✧ ˚. TAG LIST: @scuzmunkie... (Please do let me know if any of you want to be added too.)

CHAPTER 2: AURORA

Pain.

A dull throb.

Was the first thing aurora registered in the back of her head as she started to gain consciousness.

another thing she registered was the familiar softness of her mattress under her weight and warmth of her sheets enveloping her whole. Not her body bound by chains in a dark room. To say it was surprising would be an understatement.

She blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand, and pushed herself upright with a soft hiss. The throbbing behind her skull reminded her of how she’d ridiculously passed out , probably hitting her head on the way down.

Even if she had her consciousness back, her mind was a mess of a haze, trying to grasp at the incidents that happened the night before. Was it even real? Was her mind playing tricks on her?

If it was, it was one hell of a gruesome trick.

But she knew it wasn't even if she tried to convince herself otherwise. The scene played again in her head—the man bleeding out on the floor of her bakery, the lifeless thud as his body collapsed, and those cold, empty eyes of the man who’d pulled the trigger.

How the did she even get back here? How the hell did she get back alive and not become the second dead body lying down there at the floor of her bakery?

The image made the nausea bubble up again. With that, many others feelings also rose up. She always felt a little too much- that was her curse.

Yet before she could go back to dissecting each one of them throughly, her phone rang on the bedside table. Didn't- did'nt she leave her phone there too?

But the more horrifying information would be that there are 29 missed calls from Lia with another one incoming right now. She was probably at the bakery right now.

Picking up the phone, the gasp that left her mouth after reading the time couldn't be helped. 12:00 am. Maybe her impending death was for her blonde haired friend's to have.

Taking a deep breath, she answered the phone, the sound of her best friend exhaling heavily following right after. The calm before the storm.

"Aurora Beckett." There it was. She only called her by her full name when she was mad. Pissed, even.

"H-Hi, Lia." She greeted, mustering the best imitation of her chirpy voice when she was not on the verge of throwing up after the memories of a murder she witnessed stayed fresh in her mind.

"Don't 'hi, lia' me after ghosting my worried ass. Where were you? Is everything okay? You didn't even text me last night to inform that you've got home?" She started going on and on like the mother figure she had grown to be, and Aurora almost spilled like the dead guy's brains did last night.

Speaking of that- "I-I am. I'm super fine like really. Just had a little migraine last night and slept in a little longer than usual." She spoke in the most convincing tone she could and hoped she'd believe since migraines were pretty common with her.

"Are you at the bakery right now?" Aurora spoke again before Lia could bombard her with questions she didn't want to answer right now. "Yes, I am. And don't you go on changing the topic. I keep telling you not to overwork yourself, and God forbid you ever listen." Lia wasn't the talkative one yet when she got all mama bear mode, she would go against her usual nature.

"I'm fine, Lia. Please stop exploiting your blood pressure." She sighed in response before speaking again, in a much quieter tone. "E-Everything's okay at the bakery, right?"

There was a silence for a moment from her side, and yet Aurora could still hear the clear confusion.

"Why wouldn't it be? And look at you worrying for four walls of bricks rather than yourself? Rory, you worry me."

Aurora chose to focus on the former. Everything was fine. No blood to clean. No dead bodies to report. Right. Like hell didn't itself dominate the space and kill a man in its way last night.

"Everything worries you, Lia." She replied as a matter of fact. The statement being reason enough for her best friend to be the last person she should be sharing the occurrence of last night.

"Also, do you mind if I take this day off? I could use some more rest." Going to the place where she witnessed a murder happening was not the ideal thing to do. That much she was aware of.

"Finally a sensible decision. Of course you're gonna stay home and I'll be bringing you dinner sometime later. That is not up for any negotiation."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare." She huffed out before her voice grew quieter again or rather softer. "Thank you, Lee. I'll see you later tonight, yeah?"

"You will. Bye, rory. Take care, okay?" With that, Aurora was again left with the silence of her troubling thoughts.

They didn't leave her side when she got up from bed and walked to the shower to let water drain the tightness of her muscles. They didn't leave when she ate her favorite brand of cereals in brunch, trying to pretend everything was normal. But nothing was. 

How could it be? How could she? Go on with her life, engage herself in mundane tasks like nothing ever happened?

The guilt was weighting down on her, but so was the fear that a certain something or someone was now out there for her after she made herself the sole witness of such heinous crime.

Yet the former won. Of course, she was certain that doom was on its way. But not if she goes to the police first.

She would tell them all that happened, tell them the way the devil with no mercy and his shadows backing him up snatched a life out of an innocent being, how they promised something similar to her. She would.

Crossing over the short space of her living room, she got inside her room to get changed. she tried to convince herself that she was ready to face the world and do something good. Something right.

It didn't take long before she stepped out of her room in one of her overly floral dresses with a cardigan wrapped around her shoulders for the autumn wind. She liked to take her time in the shower, but that also birthed a lot of unnecessary thoughts. A thing she wasn't mentally prepared for right now.

And neither was she for the sight in front of her.

"Going somewhere, baker girl?"

The devil from her darkest nightmare has now escaped her head and was sparwled out on the couch-her couch.

To be continued..

┈➤Previous chapter.