Flashback to Chapter 31:

Tae's brows furrowed in confusion as he asked, "Why would you be angry at him? He's just an innocent boy who minds his own busine—"

Jungkook cut him off, his voice filled with anger, "Because that bitch loves you!"

Tae froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. He slowly released his grip and took a step back trying to process the words. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Jungkook turned to him. "It's true!" he said. "He told me himself that he has a crush on you!"

Tae froze again with disbelief. He tilted his head, furrowing his brows in confusion. "That doesn't seem like Jimi—"

But the maknae had enough and pushed his dom onto the bed, his expression fierce as he hovered over him, pulling at his collar. "That bitch told me himself," he growled. "And you're accusing me instead of him!"

He continued with frustration. "And you ask why I was angry at him? Because he's trying to steal what's mine!" He said with possessiveness. "I am your only sub! No one else will ever love you like I do! And how dare he even think about having a crush on—" His voice faltered as he realised what he had been doing.

Both of them froze in place and Jungkook widened his eyes in horror.

What was he doing? He was hovering over his dom and worse, threatening him?!

He panicked as he slowly released his grip on Tae's collar and stood up from the bed, looking at his dom with big bambi doe eyes. "I'm sorry, Tae," he murmured. "I...I didn't mean to shout at you or...or hover over you like that..."

His fucking duality...

Tae was still processing everything with wide eyes at the sudden outburst of his usually shy sub. With a heavy sigh, he laid back on the bed completely, his palm brushing over his forehead as he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Fuck this all," he muttered under his breath.

After a moment, he sat up on the bed and motioned for Jungkook to come closer.

Jungkook went towards him hesitantly, still looking at him with bambi eyes. Tae then locked him between his legs and cupped his face as he began softly, "Kookie," he said. "I need you to be honest with me."

Then, without missing a beat, he asked the question that caught Jungkook off guard.

"You like Jimin, right?"

The words hung in the air as Jungkook's cheeks flushed crimson.

How did Taehyung find it out?

Jungkook stood there, dumbfounded and frozen.

Taehyung's eyes bored at him. The maknae's heart raced as his fingers fidgeted with the fabric of his shirt. The room felt too small, the silence too heavy.

It was as if Taehyung could see right through him, as if all the walls Jungkook had built up had crumbled in an instant.

He knew Taehyung was sharp, but this? This was beyond anything Jungkook could have prepared for.

How had Taehyung figured it out so quickly? How could he know the feelings Jungkook had been hiding for so long?

The moment stretched on and Jungkook's gaze dropped to the floor, unable to meet his dom's eyes. His chest tightened, the guilt and shame rising.

Taehyung sighed deeply and for a moment, Jungkook thought he might say something harsh, something that would drive him further into the ground. But instead, Taehyung laid back on the bed, rubbing his temples in frustration, his voice tired.

"I figured," he muttered. His voice was soft but low, like he had been carrying this burden too.

Jungkook stood there, paralyzed by the realization that Taehyung had known all along. His heart pounded in his chest, his mind spinning with confusion. What was he supposed to say now? How could he explain himself when he didn't even fully understand his own feelings?

For the longest time, he had tried to suppress his emotions. He had tried to convince himself that he could never love anyone but Taehyung. But from the first time he laid eyes on Jimin, something had shifted in him, something he couldn't ignore. He had buried everything deep, thinking it was wrong, thinking it was a betrayal. But now, standing in front of Taehyung, he couldn't deny it anymore.

His mouth was dry, the words stuck in his throat. He wanted to speak, to say something, anything, to explain himself. But no words came. He couldn't bear to admit the truth. Not to Taehyung. Not like this.

"I have always told you not to hide anything from me, haven't I?" Taehyung said, his voice calm, though Jungkook could hear the hurt behind it. "But you never told me this. Why?"

Jungkook remained silent, still looking down at his hands, trying to find the right words.

But nothing felt right. How could he explain this mess?

How could he make Taehyung understand that it wasn't about disrespecting him? It wasn't about betraying his dom. It was about something he couldn't control, something he had been fighting for so long.

He thought back to that day, the day he first met Jimin in person, something had sparked in him. Jimin's elegant features, the way he moved, the way he spoke— it had all captivated Jungkook in a way he couldn't describe. But he had forced those feelings down, burying them under anger, under jealousy, under frustration. Because he couldn't allow himself to feel that way about Jimin. He couldn't allow himself to love someone else.

But now, he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop feeling this way.

"I never meant for it to be like this," Jungkook finally whispered. "I didn't want to hurt you. I thought if I ignored it, if I kept pretending, maybe it would go away. But it didn't."

Taehyung exhaled slowly, his fingers resting on his forehead. "I understand," he said quietly. "I know it's not easy. But hiding it, pretending it doesn't exist— it's not going to help. Not for you, not for me."

Jungkook could feel his heart breaking at the thought of everything he had kept from Taehyung. The guilt, the shame— and he didn't know how to handle it.

"I don't want to hurt you," Jungkook repeated, his voice cracking. "I never wanted to."

"I know, I know," Taehyung replied softly. "But you need to be honest with me, Kookie. You need to tell me how you feel, all of it. If we are going to move forward, we need to be open with each other."

Jungkook nodded slowly. He knew Taehyung was right, but the fear of what this would mean for their relationship, for everything they had built, weighed heavily on him.

He glanced up at Tae, his eyes full of uncertainty. "But what does this mean for us? For me and you?"

Taehyung’s expression softened, and he reached out, pulling Jungkook into his arms. "We’ll figure it out, dummy," he whispered, his voice reassuring. "But first, you need to be honest with yourself. You need to understand what this means for you."

Jungkook closed his eyes. It wasn’t going to be easy, but for the first time in a long while, he felt like maybe, just maybe, things could be okay.

Taehyung pulled him in close, his hand settled on his sub's waist, and Jungkook stood between his legs, facing him. The tension in the air was thick, and Jungkook knew that what he was about to say would change everything.

He opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come easily. His mind raced, conflicted between the need to confess and the overwhelming fear. His fingers tightened against the fabric of Taehyung’s shirt.

"I… I first saw him months ago," Jungkook confessed, his eyes lowering as the memories flooded back. "When Jimin came to your company for that interview. I was there, just playing with your tablet, not really paying attention until… until I saw him."

His voice grew quiet as he spoke, and his eyes finally met Taehyung's. "His features… they just… I don't know, Tae. He looked like he had some kind of pull, this… attraction. His eyes, his face, his voice. I couldn't stop looking at him."

"I tried to ignore it," he continued, his voice rough. "I tried to convince myself it was nothing. Because… I can't love anyone but you. I can't betray you like that. I'm your sub, and that's all I'm supposed to be. I didn't want to feel this way. I didn’t want to feel like… like I was doing something wrong."

"But I couldn't stop it. No matter how hard I tried, every time I saw him, I felt my heart… fluttering. I hated that I was feeling this way, especially when I found out… when I found out he liked you." Jungkook's voice dropped to a whisper. "I thought… maybe if I hated him, it would help me stop. I thought if I made myself believe he was just someone who was after you, it would make the feelings go away. So I let myself be angry. I let myself turn it all into jealousy, into something else. But I was just lying to myself, pretending that my heart wasn’t screaming every time I was near him. I couldn't help it."

Jungkook paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I don't know what to do anymore, Tae. I don't know how to stop loving him, even though I know I shouldn't. I'm supposed to be loyal to you, but my feelings are all over the place. I have been trying to make sense of it all, but I can't. I'm so sorry."

He finally let his arms loosen, stepping back slightly, but not enough to break the connection. His heart pounded against his ribcage.

"I never wanted you to find out like this," Jungkook muttered. "I thought I could bury it, pretend like it didn't matter. But the truth is, I can't pretend anymore."

Taehyung's expression softened even further as he reached up to touch Jungkook's face, his thumb tracing the edge of his jaw gently. "You don't have to hide anything from me," Taehyung said softly. "I already knew. I have seen the way you react around him. I know what's been going on inside your tiny little head."

Jungkook's eyes widened in disbelief. "You really knew?" He whispered.

Taehyung nodded. "I have been watching you for a while now. I could see it in the way you acted. It wasn't just jealousy. It was something more. I could see it when you started pushing him away, when you made yourself angry at him. And… I knew the reason why."

Jungkook stared at him. "How could you know?" His voice cracked. "I thought I was hiding it so well."

Taehyung smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from Jungkook's face. "You can't hide from me, Kookie. I have known you for so long, and you aee not as good at hiding your feelings as you think."

Jungkook felt his heart still racing, but Taehyung's understanding, his acceptance, helped to calm some of the chaos inside.

"But… why didn't you say anything?" He asked.

"Because I didn't want to force you to admit something you weren't ready to. I didn't want to pressure you, especially when I knew you were struggling with these feelings." He gave a small, almost sad smile. "And honestly, I didn't want to admit it to myself, either."

Jungkook blinked, his mind struggling to keep up with the rapid turns the conversation was taking. "So… what does this mean for us? For me and Jimin?"

Taehyung leaned in, his breath warm against Jungkook's ear as he whispered, "I don't want you to feel trapped, Kookie. You don't have to force yourself to forget about Jimin. If that's where your heart is, then I'll have to let you go." He pulled back slightly, looking at Jungkook seriously. "But, you're mine. You've always been mine. I've never asked you for more than you could give, and I don't want you to feel like you have to choose between us. Whatever you decide, just know that I'm here."

Jungkook's breath hitched. His emotions were tangled, uncertain, and heavy. "I don't want to lose you," he said quietly. "But… I can't ignore how I feel about him. I just… I don't know what to do." He looked into Taehyung's eyes, desperately searching for answers.

Taehyung's hands gently cupping Jungkook's face. "You don't have to figure it out right now. Take your time."

The room went painfully quiet again. After a long pause, his lips parted. "Jungkook…" he began quietly, his voice low, almost guilty. "I should say sorry too."

Jungkook blinked, confused. "...Sorry? For what?"

Taehyung's eyes flickered down for a moment before meeting Jungkook's wide, doe eyes again. "Because… I've been hiding something for a long time too."

Jungkook stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Taehyung inhaled deeply. Then, with an almost bitter smile, he admitted, "Before you… before you even knew Jimin…

...it was me who had a crush on him first."

Jungkook's eyes widened instantly, his breath hitching. "...What?"

People, how are y'all doing? How's life been treating you so far?

It's almost been a year since I last updated, huh?