Chapter 8 || "Professor Kim: A victim. A Survivor. A Saint." || BOOK 2 OF PHOENIX IN HIS ARMS.

 

Somewhere between Jungkook cursing out invisible lovers and accusing his father of son-swapping, the massive wooden doors of the Kim mansion creaked open again.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the dim hallway, sharp and impatient, the clicking of boots slicing through the absurdity of the kitchen chaos.

A dark silhouette entered the scene, coat still billowing from the outside wind, tall and commanding—like a mafia boss walking into a toddler’s birthday party.

Kim Taehyung.

The air shifted instantly.

His sharp jaw was clenched, his eyes heavy with sleep-deprived wrath, and his beautiful face wore the expression of a man whose patience had been roasted over an open fire.

Behind him trailed the maid who had called him in panic, whispering, “I-I’m so sorry, Master Taehyung… but young master Jungkook is back and is not in his best state right now…”

Taehyung didn’t even blink. He just stepped inside.

And froze.

Because there, in the middle of a kitchen war zone, surrounded by pots, ladles, an upside-down blender, and three maids begging him to calm down—

Was Jeon Jungkook.

Crying. Hiccupping. And dramatically holding a frying pan to his chest like a sacred relic.

“HYUNGIIIIIEEEEEE!” Jungkook screamed like a banshee the moment he spotted Taehyung.

Taehyung blinked. “Oh god.”

“You left meeeeee! You didn’t love me anymoreeeee! You left your precious baby bunny in the wild with the floor and the mean pillar, and they…they ganged up against me and bullied me, and I can’t find that squirrel duck owl thief who stole you too!!”

Jungkook scrambled up like a baby panda on too much Red Bull, ran two steps—

Slipped.

And slammed into the fridge.

“Betrayed… by fridge now… everyone is against me today…. No one loves me,” he whimpered will sniffing.

Mrs. Kim burst into laughter again, clutching her stomach. Mr. Kim had given up entirely; now, sipping tea from a mug like this was all routine. The maids? Recording it mentally for gossip sessions until the end of time.

Taehyung strode over with a deep sigh, grabbing Jungkook before he could start making out with the kitchen floor in heartbreak.

“Kookie. Baby. What the hell are you doing?”

Jungkook gasped, tears freezing mid-cheek. “Hyungie?! Is that really you?! Or are you a hallucination?! Oh noooo, I am having sexy fever dreams again.”

He squinted at Taehyung’s face. “Hmm. You look too hot to be real. You’re my dream Taehyung, aren’t you? The one from the bathtub fantasy with the whipped cream—”

“ENOUGH!” Taehyung slapped a hand over Jungkook’s mouth, eyes wide. “You. Shut. Up.”

But Jungkook’s eyes were already twinkling with danger.

“Mmmmmm!” he protested, muffled by Taehyung’s hand, still wriggling like a possessed toddler. With heroic determination, he licked Taehyung’s palm and then shouted:

“TELL MOMMA ABOUT THE TIME YOU—”

SLAP.

Hand over his mouth again.

“DO. NOT. FINISH. THAT. SENTENCE,” Taehyung growled, red in the face. “Mom and Dad, are RIGHT THERE.”

Jungkook, lips pressed against his palm, nodded solemnly…

…then whispered against his skin, “The time you tied me to the heaaaadboooaaard~?”

“Jungkook!”

Taehyung yanked him up in a bridal carry, flailing limbs and all. But Jungkook was not done being an absolute menace.

“LET ME GOOOO!” he screeched. “I’M BEING KIDNAPPED!! MOMMA!! DADAAAA! CALL THE POLICE! I’M TOO PRETTY TO BE SOLD ON THE BLACK MARKET! WHAT IF THEY SOLD MY PRETTY FACE ON THE BLACK MARKET FOR A MILLION DOLLARS!! I WILL HAVE TO STAY WITHOUT A PRETTY FACE THEN!!!”

Mrs. Kim nearly choked on her laughter, grabbing Mr. Kim for support.

“He’s taking me to a dungeon where I’ll be used for snuggles and foot massages and—AND HE MAKES ME WATCH DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT BRIDGES, MOM! SAVE ME!”

Taehyung glared at everyone over Jungkook’s shoulder. “He’s drunk. If any of this went out of this mansion, I’m firing all of you.”

“HYUNGIEEEEEE IS MEANIE! HE BITES DURING KISSES!”

“GOODNIGHT!” Taehyung snapped and stormed out of the kitchen with a squirming bunny in his arms.

As they disappeared down the hallway, Jungkook’s muffled voice could still be heard echoing off the walls— “’AWW’…. YOU SAID YOU’D NEVER SPANK ME AGAIN!!! YOU LIIIIIEEEEEEED! PROFESSOR KIM, I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU. SAVE ME FROM MY HITLER HUSBANDDDDDDD.”

Mrs. Kim collapsed onto a chair, wiping tears from her eyes.

Mr. Kim calmly took another sip of tea.

The head maid sighed deeply.

And Soojin?

Soojin whispered, “I don’t care what happens. Don’t give me a single penny, but I’m staying in this job forever.”

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CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR NEXT CHAPTER:

https://novelreadingislife.blogspot.com/2025/05/chapter-9-professor-kim-victim-survivor.html

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