...Two years ago...

Taehyung lay on his back on the grassy hillside with his two best friends by his side, the faint sounds of children playing in the playground barely reaching his ears. The wind whipped around them, tugging at their clothes and hair, carrying with it the scent of rain and earth. Above, black clouds roiled, a storm brewing on the sky akin to the turbulence within Taehyung’s heart.

“I’m suffering,” Taehyung uttered, his voice scarcely coherent over the whistling of the wind. “For a love that doesn’t exist anymore for him. For a love that exists only in me. I’m suffering. And he has no idea.”

Jimin and Hoseok remained seated and mute, unsure about how to help their friend. It broke them to see him like this, so vulnerable and ravaged. The usually vibrant and spirited Taehyung was now a shadow, lost in the bottom of his own sorrow.

The pain hadn’t dulled over time — it never left him, even for a day. He could still remember the last moments they had shared, the reassurance of Jungkook’s last embrace and kiss, the promises of forever. And then, in an instant, it was all gone, leaving Taehyung with a wide-open wound that couldn’t heal.

He closed his eyes, letting the wind lash against his face, feeling the first cold drops of rain dribble on his form. He wished the storm would wash away his memories, erase the heartache that clung to him like a second skin.

Jimin glanced at Hoseok, his eyes reflecting the helplessness they both felt. They had seen Taehyung through countless ups and downs, but this — this was different. The pain engraved on his face was consuming, a fathomless sort of anguish that left him breathless.

Hoseok swallowed hard, his own heart aching for his friend. “Taehyung, we’re here for you,” he said, his voice almost swallowed by the howling wind.

Taehyung let out a shuddering breath, tears fusing with the raindrops on his face. “I don’t know how to move on. How do you let go of something that was everything to you?”

Hoseok and Jimin exchanged another glance, both searching for the right words, but finding none.

As the sky darkened and the playground emptied, Taehyung remained where he was, rooted to the spot by an invisible force. The tears streaming down his face intensified, like the downpour that soaked him to the bone. The sobs were wrenched from his chest, unrestrained, as the storm raged on around him.

The rain poured down relentlessly, drenching the three friends as they sat together on that hillside, connected by friendship and shared pain. Hoping the clouds would part eventually and Taehyung would find his way back to serenity.

. . .

Settled on his back with his feet pressed against the short grass, Taehyung stared at the endless, clear blue sky with eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

The memory of that day replayed in his mind, the storm, the tears, and the overwhelming feeling of loss. The weather was so different from that stormy day — sunny, with a gentle breeze and the laughter of children playing in the playground filling the air. Yet, despite the bright and cheerful surroundings, Taehyung’s heart felt just as heavy as it did back then. Maybe even heavier.

“So Jungkook had lied to you about his job even when you were together?” Jimin, sitting beside him and leaning back on his hands, asked as he was still processing everything Taehyung narrated moments ago.

“Yeah,” Taehyung breathed out, the weight of the revelation still squashing him. “Two years. He was handling guns, risking his life with every mission for two years, and I had no idea.”

Jimin shook his head slowly in disapproval. “I can’t believe he kept that from you, from us, for two years.”

“Maybe it was better you didn’t know,” Hoseok cut in, stretching his crossed legs over the grass and releasing a small sigh. “You would only worry every time he went on a mission.”

Taehyung considered Hoseok’s words, his gaze fixed on the sky as he squeezed a hand between his head and the ground. “You’re right, I guess. But still. I feel like I don’t know him. I thought... we were sharing everything.”

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” Jimin asked quietly, a twinkle of hesitation swirling through his tone. “You told him so many... cruel things yesterday. Is it really over for you?”

Jimin’s question shot through Taehyung’s core like an electric shock that left him fried and malfunctioning. Could it ever be over for Taehyung? Even though Jungkook hurt him more than anyone, how could he erase the seven years he spent with him and just move on?

Those years were filled with moments that had shaped him, moments of bliss and love, of dreams shared and plans made. The thought of dismissing all of that as if it had never mattered was unfathomable. The betrayal had cut him to his very core, but so had the love they once shared. Taehyung’s mind howled with memories; the nights they stayed up talking until dawn, the sweet talk whispered in the dark, the warmth of Jungkook’s arms around him when the world felt like too much.

How could he unite the person who had been his everything with the one who had lied and left him shattered? The conflict inside him was like a maelstrom, each memory a lightning bolt that left him scorched. Moving on seemed impossible when every part of his life was intertwined with Jungkook’s presence.

“No. It’s not,” Taehyung responded, the heaviness coating his tongue making his voice so small and fragile. “I don’t know if it can ever be over. How do you forget someone who was your everything for so long? How do you just move on from that?”

Jimin’s eyes mellowed with understanding as he reached down, squeezing Taehyung’s shoulder. “Jungkook told you to wait a week, right? And then you would know everything. Today is the sixth day. Maybe after you hear him out, you’ll find a way to forgive him.”

Taehyung’s chest stuttered to a slow-paced fall with the long sigh that poured from him. “I don’t think I want to hear him out. I think... I won’t like what I’ll hear.”

Another sigh sounded from Hoseok as he drew his legs close to his chest, holding them loosely. “You have to know, Tae. You can’t keep living with so many unanswered questions. You’ll always be in misery then.”

“I know,” Taehyung muttered. The black melancholy adorning his features cracked with surprise at the familiar, chirpy voice that rang in the distance.

“Taehyungie oppa!”

Taehyung’s head snapped up, his eyes widening as he recognized Jiyu running towards him, her pigtails bouncing with each step. “Jiyu-yah,” he whispered, hastening to his feet to welcome her into his embrace.

“Oppa!” Jiyu exclaimed, throwing her small arms around his neck as he lifted her up. Her giggles cluttered the air with their magic, dispelling the gloom that had dropped over him.

Taehyung drew a kiss on the side of her head, his eyes glimmering with joy for the first time since he woke up. He then looked up to see Sung Ryung approach with a smile on her face and mirrored it. “Hello, Sung Ryung-ssi.”

“Hello, boys,” Sung Ryung said warmly. “Jiyu knew you would be here, Taehyung, and she wanted to say hello before she plays in the playground.”

“How did you know I’ll be here, sweetie?” Taehyung asked, lowering himself on the ground and setting her on his lap.

“Jungkookie oppa had said you come here often because you love hearing the laughter of kids,” Jiyu said, her voice innocent and cheerful.

“Hmm, indeed, love. I do.” Taehyung tinkered with her bangs, gazing at her with overwhelming fondness. “Where is he, by the way? Is he okay?”

“Not really,” Jiyu said, traces of her merriment draining away with the pronounced pout that clung to her lips. “He said he wasn’t feeling that well and that he wanted to rest.”

Taehyung’s eyes immediately searched for Sung Ryung, a gleam of concern flickering dazzlingly in them. He individuated a fleeting shadow crossing her expression, an undercurrent of something dark and worrisome, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Forcing a smile to his lips, he pushed aside his confusion and focused on Jiyu. “Baby, do you want to go play with Jiminie and Hoseokie? You remember them, right?”

“Of course!” Jiyu screeched, jumping to her feet and scuttling towards the two. She hugged them in turn, soft chuckles and warm greetings enveloping them, and urged them to their feet.

“We’ll join you in a few minutes, Jiyu-yah,” Sung Ryung said with a smile. “Be a good girl, okay?”

She nodded cutely, with a lively hum of agreement, as she held onto their hands.

“Let’s go play while we catch up,” Jimin said.

“Yes, it’s been so long since we last saw you,” Hoseok added before they skipped away, their voices straying into the gentle sound of the playground.

Taehyung rose to his full height, facing Sung Ryung with a cocktail of worry and confusion glued on his face. “What happened?” He witnessed her soft smile burning off at his question, devolving into a somber facade with a contour of reproach.

“You’re cruel. That’s what happened.”

“Wh—What?” Taehyung stuttered, taken aback by her accusation.

“You broke him, Taehyung. What you said to him yesterday broke him all over again.”

Her explanation triggered a vile uproar of unfairness in his gut, highlighted by bursts of bitter fury. His features crumpled, his chest tightening with a searing pain so intense he felt he couldn’t breathe properly. “Doesn’t he deserve to break like I did five years ago?” Taehyung’s voice wavered, his words threaded with a whirl of anguish and resentment.

Exasperation festered within Sung Ryung, like a boiling pot, threatening to tip over at any second and ravage everything. “Can you understand that he didn’t want to leave you either? He didn’t want to leave you, Taehyung,” Sung Ryung said — each syllable was infused with desperation and empathy, a plea for Taehyung to see past his own pain. “He was forced to leave, and he was heartbroken and he was suffering for the past five years, just like you.”

“Why?” Taehyung growled, his fists trembling at his sides as the harshness carpeting his face deepened. “It’s five years later and I still don’t know the fucking reason why. Why the hell was he forced to leave? Why?” He asked with a rumbling loudness he couldn’t confine, the pent-up emotions of years of unanswered questions bubbling to the surface. He stared at Sung Ryung, his gaze challenging yet pleading, demanding an answer.

“Your father made him leave!”

Sung Ryung slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and unblinking as she realized what had escaped her in a scream. The words lingered in the air, a bombshell dropped through the fragile silence that engulfed them. Everything seemed to freeze; the park around them receded into a blur, the sounds of children playing reduced to faraway murmurs.

The muscles in Taehyung’s face remained savagely contracted, his eyes fierce and unwavering. The pain whirling all through his insides felt like a stream of pulsating fire, heating him up to an unbearable temperature until it scalded every inch of his being. “Tell me something I don’t fucking know. Like the reason he forced him.”

Sung Ryung dragged her hand down, clenching it when it started shivering uncontrollably. The mask of shock stayed firmly rooted on her face, her eyes swelled in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing as she strove to find her voice. “You... You knew your father—”

“Not at first,” Taehyung cut her off in a whisper, the ferocity clawing at his traits softening at the recognition of her overwhelming shock. “The first two years, I didn’t know anything. I didn’t even know Jaesuk had died. I barely talked to my parents, and they didn’t say anything about the Jeon family the few times they talked to me. But when I started working again and eating with them and just being around them, I noticed... I noticed my dad was happier than ever. Something was just weird. I also found out from the company that Jaesuk had died. I came to talk to you then, remember?”

Sung Ryung viewed him in a daze, trying to make sense of everything Taehyung had just said. “Yes. You asked about Jaesuk’s death.”

“Exactly. And you lied to me.”

Sung Ryung’s eyes, still drenched in surprise, dove to the ground, her fingers fidgeting nervously at her sides. Her shoulders tensed further, her brows wrinkling as she struggled to respond. “What... do you mean?”

“Please, stop pretending you don’t know,” Taehyung said, his voice barely audible with the sudden feebleness that struck him. “I know he didn’t die in a car crash. His name disappeared from the company, from the casino, from all the documents, from everywhere. Only my father’s name remained. Coincidence?”

“What are you implying, Taehyung?” Sung Ryung asked sternly, her pulse quickening in fear that Taehyung had pieced together everything Jungkook had been hiding.

Taehyung’s gaze bore into hers with an aching intensity, his expression clouded with a tangle of hurt and despair. “Something I don’t want to believe. Something that disgusts me wholly.”

“Stop,” Sung Ryung rushed to say, shaking her head in a constant, frantic movement. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I don’t, huh?” Taehyung scoffed bitterly, his voice loaded with heartache and disgust. “My father was happier than ever after Jaesuk’s death. Jungkook disappeared. My mother never talked about the Jeon family again. You didn’t call me again, didn’t come see me even once—”

“Stop!” Sung Ryung exclaimed, holding a quivery hand in the air in a futile gesture of defense. “Whatever you’re thinking... stop it.”

“So it’s not true?”

Her throat constricted with dread, permitting no response, as her hand collapsed to her side. Taehyung seemed to know more than they thought, and even though she wanted to ask him how, she didn’t have the courage to speak.

“Fine,” Taehyung muttered as he realized she wouldn’t respond. “Don’t tell Jungkook what I know. This changes nothing.”

“What?” Sung Ryung spewed out, her forehead creasing with a deep scowl. “You know your father forced him to leave and you still hate him? Jungkook?”

Taehyung’s pain deepened into a harrowing devastation and spread further, coiling around his heart like a serpent. The burning knot in his throat erupted, punching tears out of him, a vehement yet silent outpour that left him feeling shattered inside, his guts torn to shreds. “How can we be together... after this? After what my father did?”

A stinging wetness blurred Sung Ryung’s vision at his wretched state and broken voice. She bridged the space between them with a quaky step, setting both hands on his shoulders. “Exactly, Taehyung. Your father did it. Not you. Your father did everything. Why do you and Jungkook have to suffer?”

“I’m so sorry to him, Sung Ryung-ssi,” he said between gasping breaths, his endless tears cascading down his face. “If everything I’m thinking about is true...”

Sung Ryung cocooned him in her embrace, rubbing palliative lines over his back. Each rock of Taehyung’s body against her squeezed her heart achingly, and she could only shush him and whisper calming words into his ear. “Stop trying to make him hate you. You only hurt yourself more. Let him explain himself when it’s time. And don’t blame yourself for anything.”

Taehyung clung to her harder, his tears soaking her shoulder. The load of his sorrow seemed insurmountable, but Sung Ryung’s presence offered a sliver of comfort. She continued to hold him, her own tears mingling with his as they stood together in shared anguish.

Minutes stretched on, the two of them locked in that warm embrace, the world around them forgotten. The rhythmic sound of their breathing and the frequent sniffle were the only noises that punctuated the heavy silence. Taehyung’s sobs began to subside, replaced by the occasional shuddering of breath.

Taehyung pulled back slightly, wiping his face with trembling hands. His eyes, red and swollen, manifested the chaos still raging inside him. He cleared his throat, knowing how gravelly his voice would sound if he spoke right away. “Why do I feel like... he has to hate me?”

Sung Ryung sniffled, drying her tears with her sleeve. She looked at him, her expression brimmed with both compassion and a lingering sadness. “Because you blame yourself for someone else’s actions. You shouldn’t.” She placed her hand on his cheek, guiding his gaze to meet hers. “He returned for you, Taehyung. Yes, he missed Jiyu. He missed me. But we come second in this. I shouldn’t say this, but... he returned the moment he finished his mission. Only with the thought of returning to the man he loves.”

Taehyung let the words wash over him, repeating them in his frazzled mind until they settled in. “I know he was working the past five years. But for who?”

“I... I can’t tell you more. He’ll tell you everything when it’s time.” She smoothed her thumb across his cheek, giving him a mild, saddened smile, and withdrew her hand. “Can you come talk to him, please? Come have lunch with us and just... ask him a simple how are you.”

Taehyung slipped into a bottomless contemplation that brought a sheen of haziness over his wet eyes. Maybe Sung Ryung was right. Maybe he was trying to make Jungkook hate him because of his father’s actions. Maybe that was the true reason for Taehyung’s unsparing behavior and not the pain he had lasted through.

Finding solace in Sung Ryung’s words, Taehyung began to understand, even though he still carried a burden of self-blame. Some things were beyond his control. He couldn’t change the past, nor could he undo the consequences of his father’s actions and decisions. But he could choose how he handled the future, and maybe a simple conversation over lunch with Jungkook was a step towards understanding, towards healing for both of them.

Taehyung was too exhausted to oppose him and fight him, anyway.

“Okay,” Taehyung uttered, the grim line of his lips mellowing enough for a faint smile to appear.

Relief blended with fondness shimmered in Sung Ryung’s eyes as she broke into a warm smile, ruffling his hair gently. “Let’s go find Jiyu and your friends.”

With a nod from Taehyung, the two descended the hillside, each step feeling lighter, as if a mass had been lifted from their shoulders. Jiyu’s laughter greeted them as they approached the playground; she was perched on the swing, her giggles flooding the air as Jimin and Hoseok mildly pushed her back and forth.

Taehyung’s heart fluttered at the sight of her infectious joy, every scrap of his sorrow completely forgotten in the simple delight of watching her play.

“Taehyungie oppa!” Jiyu exclaimed, her small feet trying to slow the swing’s momentum. Sensing her cute struggle, Jimin and Hoseok assisted her, and she hopped off the swing, running towards Taehyung.

Taehyung caught her in a playful embrace, spinning her around before setting her back down carefully. “Did you have fun with Jimin and Hoseok, baby?”

“Yes! Can I play with them more, please?”

“The food is probably ready by now, Jiyu-yah,” Sung Ryung said, her voice gentle as she stroked a hand along Jiyu’s pigtail. “We should head home.”

Jimin perceived how Jiyu’s lips drooped at the corners and chuckled fondly, pinching her cheek. “It’s okay, Jiyu-yah. We’ll play again soon.”

“Promise?” Jiyu asked, her eyes wide with hope.

“Yes,” Hoseok affirmed with a nod.

Jiyu’s smile returned in an instant as she lunged forward, trying to hug both of them with her small arms. “I had so much fun with you, oppas. Thank you.”

“We had fun too, sweetie,” Hoseok said, patting her back.

“Guys, I’ll go with Sung Ryung-ssi to her house for lunch, so I’ll talk—”

“Yay!” Jiyu cried, cutting Taehyung off, as she latched onto him.

Taehyung giggled at her enthusiasm, bending down to kiss the top of her head. He took her hand in his, feeling a surge of warmth at her closeness, before turning his attention back to Jimin and Hoseok. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Yes, Tae. Bye,” Jimin said.

After everyone exchanged their goodbyes, Taehyung, Sung Ryung, and Jiyu headed home. The short walk was full of Jiyu’s adorable chatter and mesmerizing laughter, each sound easing all their worries.

Jiyu skipped along the path, occasionally stopping to point out a flower or something that caught her eye, her curiosity and innocence shining through her every gesture. Taehyung couldn’t help but smile as he listened to her spirited descriptions and saw the world through her bright eyes. Sung Ryung walked beside them, often interjecting with questions or comments.

As they approached Sung Ryung’s house, Taehyung experienced no notion of anxiety or hesitation about encountering Jungkook. Instead, he felt eager to see him, mend a fraction of the pain he had caused him by his cruel words yesterday, and just be with him.

Meeting him now would be a new chapter for him, where there would be no more fighting, no more unbearable pain, or aching tears. He hoped.

───⭒───༺🖤༻───⭒───

Taehyung knows... something? 🫣 Did you suspect it?

Just a clarification, he knows his father had something to do with Jaesuk's death, but he doesn't want to believe it. You know, denial... I hope it's not too confusing. You'll find out more soon 💜

This chapter has a second part, so... double update or nah? 🤗

Still can't believe Taehyung looks like this now⬇️🥲🥵