...Ten years ago...

Sitting on the couch with Taehyung’s back snugly pressed against his chest, Jungkook carded his fingers through the silky strands of his baby’s soft hair. The warmth of Taehyung’s body against his own always brought a cascade of peace and contentment. The room was quiet, the only sounds being the gentle rustle of hair and the steady, synchronized breathing of the two. It was moments like this, enveloped in the simplicity of each other’s presence, that Jungkook cherished the most.

“You graduate tomorrow, Tae,” Jungkook uttered sweetly into his ear, his voice a delicate murmur that seemed to blend perfectly with the serene ambiance of the room. “And you’ll finally finish your training to be a bodyguard soon. How do you feel?”

“Hmm, I feel like the happiest man on earth,” he chirped, his voice bubbling with joy as he rubbed loving caresses on Jungkook’s arm that was wrapped protectively around his belly. “I have you, and I’ll begin my dream job soon, as you said. I think I love this job so much because we’ll do it together. And someday, we can start our own business like our fathers did.”

Jungkook cracked a fond smile, his chest swelling with endearment and bliss. “I love how you keep making plans about our future. It makes me so happy, baby bear.”

Taehyung turned his head slightly, enough to plant a sugary kiss to Jungkook’s jaw, a gesture of admiration and fondness. “And I can’t wait to make them happen.”

“We’ll make everything happen. I promise, Tae.” Jungkook placed a hand on his cheek, his touch soft yet firm, and pushed mildly to angle their faces until their eyes met, locking in an intimate gaze. “I love you so much.”

Taehyung felt a surge of warmth spread through him, his heart beating in sync with the intensity of Jungkook’s promise. He reached up to cover Jungkook’s hand with his own, relishing the closeness and their connection. “I love you too. So much.”

Jungkook smiled, a tender curve of lips that mirrored his adoration for him. He drew a kiss to Taehyung’s forehead, then another to the tip of his nose, evoking an angelic giggle from him that melted his heart. He united their lips with ultimate affection in a row of slow-paced, savory kisses.

They cherished each other’s lips as the weight of their shared dreams and promises settled around them like a cozy blanket. The room seemed to cocoon them in a bubble of serenity and love as they focused solely on each other and their overwhelming feelings.

. . .

Jungkook sneaked out of his house early in the morning, the first light of dawn barely illuminating the quiet streets. The oppression of the sweet memory that struck him as usual weighed him down, as if a heavy chain were looped around his form.

His movements were sluggish as he entered his car — a sleek black Range Rover that gleamed even in the dim light of dawn. He settled into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He reversed the car, maneuvering carefully out of the parking spot.

As he approached the steel gate, he paused, reaching for the remote key to open it. The gate slid to the side with a mechanic purr, his listless eyes hanging on it until it opened enough for him to pass through.

After another pause to close the gate, Jungkook accelerated onto the deserted street, the car gaining speed as he drove away from his house. His mind wandered, the monotony of the empty roads allowing his thoughts to circle back to Taehyung. He remembered their drives, cruising through the city with no destination in mind, just enjoying each other’s company. They would talk for hours, laughing and sharing everything, the future feeling bright and limitless.

As he navigated through the city, the stores blurred into a muddle of memories. The cute coffee shop they visited every day, the flower shop where Jungkook always bought him bouquets, the pastry shop where they often sampled a different dessert but always bought chocolate cake to devour it together.

Every location was so much more than a mere spot; they were chapters in their love story, full of simple moments that had knitted their lives together. Those places and their memories were alive, vivid, painting the city in hues of nostalgia, a togetherness that didn’t exist anymore.

Through his torturous reminiscence, his eyes caught sight of Taehyung’s favorite hangout spot; a park with a playground and a gentle hillside covered in grass. His grip on the steering wheel tightened with the clench on his heart. Bright sunny mornings or dreary afternoons — they had spent so much time there, laughing and making plans about their life.

They had shared many picnics, lying on the grass and looking up at the sky, imagining shapes in the clouds and talking about anything with such ease. Taehyung admired the charming children playing in the playground, melting at the magical sound of their laughter, while Jungkook admired him. Taehyung’s love for kids was adorable to Jungkook, much like everything else about him.

But the happiness of every day they had shared was tainted by the heartbreaking reality of their separation. By the pain Jungkook had caused.

Jungkook pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. He took out his phone, scrolling through their old photos, seeking comfort in the digital remnants of their time together. A picture of them at the park, arms wrapped around each other, grinning at the camera. A video of Taehyung making silly faces and sounds, trying to get Jungkook to join in on his mischief.

The images were a double-edged sword slashing through him, leaving him in shreds, bleeding, gasping his last breaths and spilling the tears he battled against. His soul exposed and vulnerable to the torrent of emotions that conquered him. His stomach gnarled in the aftermath of his forced betrayal.

The sun began to rise higher, painting the sky in shinier shades of orange and gold. Jungkook pocketed his phone, sniffling as he dried the tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket.

A savage apathy dropped over his features as he clutched the wheel, his knuckles white with tautness, his jaw set in a grim line. The suffering of his mistakes, unsparing behavior, and forced choices hung in the air, yet within him burned an unyielding resolve. A fierce determination to end his misery and fight with all his might to regain Taehyung’s trust.

And the onset of the strenuous journey had to begin at Kim Enterprises, the towering headquarters nestled in the heart of the bustling city.

As he drove away, the streets grew busier, the tranquil neighborhood transforming into an abuzz cityscape. The scenery evolved, the wealthy houses and quaint shops shifting to tall buildings and heaps of people lining the sidewalks.

He soon descended the slope leading to the underground parking lot. He scanned the rows of parked cars and opted for the available spot near the elevator for his convenience. After locking the car, he proceeded and pressed the button for the elevator.

He remembered himself standing there countless times, staring at the closed steel doors, sometimes bored with the long wait. Mostly, though, he stood there with Taehyung beside him, their forms intertwined, smiles lighting up their faces as they whispered to each other and shared tender kisses.

A distinctive ding rang around him, yanking him out of his melancholic recollections. He stepped into the sleek elevator, its mirrored walls reflecting his structured expression back at him. He tapped the button for the seventh floor, his resolve mounting with each passing second, melding with a boiling wrath.

As the doors opened onto the seventh floor, Jungkook was greeted by a quiet elegance. Soft carpeting muffled the sound of footsteps, and the air wafted a faint scent of freshly brewed coffee.

Nothing had changed from his old workplace. Only the name of the building.

He approached the reception desk, where an unfamiliar, poised assistant greeted him with a professional smile. “Good morning. How can I help you?”

“Kim Woosung. Is he in his office?”

The man’s smile faltered at the frosty tone that coiled around his ears, but he quickly shook off the feeling. “What’s your name, sir?”

Jungkook’s eyes squinted a notch as he folded an arm over the counter, leaning closer. His posture was imposing, his gaze exuding a dangerous firmness, conveying both impatience and annoyance. “Is he in his office?” he repeated, his voice measured and slow, each word lingering in the air with a sense of intentionality.

The man recoiled to himself slightly, doe eyes jumping away from him. “Um, yes, but—Sir! Wait!”

Jungkook swiveled to the left and marched towards the double doors, his feet pounding against the smooth carpet. He rammed the handles down and wrenched the doors apart, the sound reverberating through the corridor. He remained deaf to the startled screams of the assistant behind him, his focus unwavering as he entered the office.

Woosung, who had been sitting slackly in his plush chair behind a large desk, now stood rooted with his muscles clenched in surprise. His owlish eyes, normally stolid and apathetic, flashed with unmistakable shock as they fixed on Jungkook. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Jungkook obscured his rage behind a veneer of nonchalance as he flung himself into the bouncy armchair to Woosung’s right. He observed Woosung’s shocked expression, reveling in it, a gleam of victorious mischief swirling in his gaze. “I’ve been dying to see your face, Woosung-ah. You aged.”

“Yah.” Woosung’s fist firmed up, nearly shaking as he pressed it against the desk. “Why the fuck are you back? How? Why?”

A low chuckle braised in Jungkook’s throat, a taunting yet sinister sound that hinted at his amusement. “It was hard to hide from you yesterday at the party just so I can savor this moment right here with no interruptions. The shock on your face. The confusion. The fear.”

“Cut the bullshit,” Woosung spat out, words ground out through his teeth with increasing rage. “Why are you here?”

The challenging, amused twinkle in Jungkook’s eyes segued into something dark and menacing, as if a storm had suddenly gathered behind him. The shift was boisterous, and the room seemed to contract with the sudden chill that cluttered it. “I’m here to kill you.”

The lowly spoken words resounded through Woosung’s dazed consciousness, their impact magnified by the deafening silence that followed. “What?” The syllable fell from his lips in a broken whisper, as if unaware.

“Did you forget?” Jungkook scoffed, voice vibrating with a messy fusion of derision and agonizing bitterness. “You told me not to appear in front of Taehyung again. Unless if I kill you first. So I’m here to kill you. Because I can’t spend another day without Taehyung.” The sudden pangs that shocked through Jungkook’s heart fractured his domineering facade, adorning his traits with a semblance of devastation and anger. “The past five years have been like hell. And I’m done living in hell.”

Woosung sank back into his chair, massaging his temples to tame a looming headache. A gruff puff of air rushed out of his lungs, a sharp exhalation designed to banish even a fraction of his frustration. “If you kill me, do you really think Taehyung will still want to be with you?”

Jungkook’s eyes wandered in a circle of thought, although he already knew the answer. “You’re right. Then, I should tell him everything, right?” The corner of his mouth slanted in a wicked smirk, outlined with his reinvigorated dominance that emanated an aura of self-assuredness. “I should tell him what his father did. Right? I bet he’ll want to kill you himself then.”

Woosung’s eyes closed down to slits, brows viciously squeezed together. “What? Why would he want to kill me? Because I forced you to leave him?” A cackle exploded out of him, his head tilting back in unrestrained mockery. “Don’t be ridiculous.” As his gaze fixed on Jungkook again, his laughter wavered at the crisp challenge he identified in his eyes. It flamed with something indecipherable, a gruesome type of threat that cut Woosung’s spine with ghastly goosebumps.

The arc of Jungkook’s smirk deepened as he watched in overwhelming relish the dawning realization form in Woosung’s eyes. And the look of absolute terror that seized his face moments later only fueled Jungkook’s satisfaction. “Exactly,” he said, his whisper melting into a delighted chuckle. “I learned a lot the past five years. And especially about you. Every disgusting thing you did”—Jungkook shoved a hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and presented a small, oblong item to him—“is in this USB.”

Jungkook wiggled the item with the intent to tease, rile him up to his limits, and the devastated sparkle that distorted Woosung’s face showered him with tingles of exhilaration. “It has tons of documents. And a very special video.” He cocked a brow, sliding the USB back in his pocket, and squared an ankle over his knee. “My father had this all along, right? He threatened you with this to get his way in everything.”

A crippling dejection gripped Woosung, spreading through him like a dark, suffocating fog. His shoulders slumped under the invisible burden, and a fierce sense of hopelessness settled in, draining the color from his face. “You found it.”

“I took it in my hands three years ago. I wanted to come back sooner and end all this. End you. But I had a job I couldn’t abandon. The protection of the prince and his family lasted three whole years.”

“So you’re not here to kill me,” Woosung stated, regaining some of his grit with the burst of exasperation that twisted his stomach. “You’re here to blackmail me. Like your father.”

“What I want is simple and doesn’t concern you in any way.” Jungkook leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. His intense gaze never faltered, secured on Woosung with acute focus. “I want Taehyung. I want to be with him. I don’t care about anything else. Keep the company all to yourself. Keep your position. Keep the casino. Keep living your life as it is. Just let me be with Taehyung.”

“Really?” Woosung asked, disbelief dripping from his inflection. “Taehyung is all that you want? Just him and nothing else? You don’t want money?”

“I have money. But even if I didn’t, I would still want just Taehyung. He’s my man. And no one will keep me away from him anymore.” Jungkook reclined back into his previous stance; ankle squared on his knee, arm ranging over the back of the armchair. “There’s one more thing you need to do, though. Tell Taehyung what you did.”

A newfound tension clawed at Woosung’s form, every tendon in his body straining, ready to snap. “There’s no way I’ll do that.”

“He needs to know,” Jungkook snarled, the ferocity of his voice glinting in his eyes. “I can’t lie to him. I can’t be with him if he doesn’t know. So you need to tell him.”

“No!” Woosung slammed his palm onto the desk with a resounding thud, the force rattling the items scattered across its surface. In one swift, explosive motion, he sprang up from his chair, the legs scraping loudly against the floor. “That’s not happening.”

His furious look didn’t faze Jungkook in the slightest; it only fed into his brashness and satisfaction. He maintained his smirk that seemed to intensify as he watched Woosung’s feral emotions play out. “It’s simple, you know. Either you tell him, or I will. And I won’t just talk to him. I’ll show him.”

Woosung’s figure quivered with the fierceness of his wrath, his breath coming in short, ragged puffs that echoed through the blustering silence of the room. “You’re just like your father.”

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed in two unsparing lines, his heart prancing with an uncontrolled spike of rage. “You don’t have the right to talk about him after what you did.”

“He had it coming. And it seems like you want to follow his fate.” In a fluid, stealth movement, Woosung’s hand darted under the desk. He retrieved a polished gun and leveled it at Jungkook. “How about you follow him in hell, huh?”

A flutter of chuckles undulated through Jungkook’s smirking lips, as if amused by the presence of the firearm. And he was, actually. Because he always made sure to have the upper hand. The gun in Woosung’s firm grip did little to shake his composed facade — if anything, it thrilled him. “The moment you kill me, the content of this USB will be sent to the cops.” He tapped a finger against his earpiece, a deliberate signal that indicated their conversation was being monitored by someone else.

Although it wasn’t, because his dear friends were still asleep at this hour.

Woosung’s hold on the gun tightened to the point where his hand trembled with the strain. With a frustrated groan, he tucked away his weapon and banged both fists against the desk. “Why are you doing this to me? First your father. Now you. Just leave me alone.”

“Why are we doing this to you?” Jungkook echoed, the resonance of his roar jarring through the room. “How about what you did to me and my father, huh? You killed him!” A dolorous crack pierced through his rumbling voice, originated by the wrenching lurch of his gut. “And you lied to me in front of my face. You told me he betrayed you and that’s why you had to kill him. You threatened to hurt my family if I told Taehyung anything. You forced me to leave Taehyung. You ruined my life.”

“And your father ruined mine,” Woosung snapped, the pent-up frustration he had carried for years finally erupting like a dormant volcano awakened by the slightest tremor. “He deserved to die. And I would do it again and again if I could.”

“You’re disgusting,” Jungkook said, his lips turning outward in a pronounced grimace of revulsion, the muscles in his face achingly warped. He rose to his full height with a jerk, a rowdy energy fuming from every inch of him. He moved around the desk, his steps ponderous like his heart, until he came to a stop directly in front of Woosung. “He was your best friend for years. You were inseparable since your early twenties. You started a business together. You did everything together. How could you...”

Jungkook drew in a jerky breath, his chest rising sharply as if struggling against an invisible mass pressing down upon him. Realizing the futility of questioning him further, he shook his head slowly, a shade of exhaustion draping over him like an oppressive blanket. “You have a week to tell Taehyung everything. And I’m only giving you time because it’s not something easy to reveal, even for you, a cold-blooded fucker.”

“It’s not enough time,” Woosung hastened to say, his words coated with a sudden surge of anxiety that seemed to climb up from the depths of his chest.

“It’s enough time,” Jungkook shot back, each word slicing through the air with sharpness, his tone leaving no room for debate. “And don’t try anything funny. The content of the USB has a lot of copies and I’ve already sent them to my trusted people. If something happens to me or my family, you’re done. You’ll lose everything.”

“Jungkook! Please. Don’t do this,” Woosung said, a frangible desperation leaking from his tone, his eyes betraying a tumultuous mix of anxiety, fear, and a gnawing notion of urgency that stewed just beneath the surface.

“One week,” Jungkook said, deaf to his plea. He turned on his heels and strode out of the office, dismissing Woosung’s calls of his name.

Jungkook walked towards the elevator but slowed to a stop before reaching it at the sight of Suyeon, a fellow bodyguard from his days at the company.

“Oh my God, Jungkook!” Suyeon gasped, scurrying closer to engulf him into a tight hug.

“Hey.” Jungkook patted his back and withdrew, a slight smile emerging on his lips. “How have you been?”

“How have you been? You just disappeared. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

“We lost our two gems after you left,” Suyeon said, a mild sigh flowing through his lips. “You and Taehyung.”

Vertical lines marked Jungkook’s forehead as his vision narrowed on him. “Taehyung? Why? He quit being a bodyguard?”

“Yes. He didn’t work for two years at all. Then he started working at Mr. Kim’s nightclub in the cloakroom.”

The new information startled Jungkook, casting a sullen sheen over his eyes. Taehyung loved being a bodyguard — the sense of responsibility, the thrill of being in charge, the meticulous planning required to ensure his clients’ safety. He couldn’t fathom how Taehyung could just throw everything away without a second thought.

Perceiving he had stretched his silence for too long, Jungkook cleared his throat. “Oh, I see. Um, I have to go.”

“Will you come back?”

“No. I have another job now.” Jungkook offered him another warm smile, tapping his back in a friendly farewell gesture. “Take care, Suyeon-ah.”

“You too.”

🥀

Neon signs flickered and flashed in a kaleidoscope of colors from the club Red Sun, throwing an otherworldly glow onto the sidewalk below. Above the entrance, a marquee boasted the club’s name in bold, illuminated letters that shimmered against the night sky. Around the perimeter, small groups were gathered, engaging in animated conversations within a background of flickering street lamps and the distant sounds of traffic.

Jungkook stood on the sidewalk, observing the nightclub with a sense of detachment. The thumping bass of music leaked through the heavy doors, and he already hated it. The times he had gone to a club were rare. He wasn’t a club person; he preferred the serenity of quiet places, where conversation flowed easily with no flashing lights and pulsating beats.

Jungkook proceeded, taking note of the bouncer in a crisp black suit who stood guard beside the entrance, welcoming the arriving guests. He bowed his head in gratitude as the bouncer held the door open for him and stepped inside. A cluster of people stood in front of the counter of the cloakroom, obstructing his view of the man he wanted to see the most.

He leaned with his back against the black wall, feeling the vibrations buzz through his body with each booming bass beat that throbbed from inside the nightclub. Folding his arms over his chest, he swept the dimly lit space with a thorough view. Two plush burgundy couches were lined up with the wall to his right, and another door stood at the end of the long corridor to his left, the only thing damping the music.

His focus adjusted ahead when he sensed movement, and finally the people blocking his vision dispersed. Jungkook watched Taehyung’s affable smile congeal the moment their eyes locked, then perish in the blink of an eye.

There was a pulsation of something grave, highly charged, yet poignant, that only thickened with the screaming silence. The world seemed to have frozen along with them, holding them still with paralyzing heartache. Before Jungkook could sink deep into the ocean of his memories with him, Taehyung turned away, as if he didn’t exist.

Taehyung’s heart writhed against the confines of his chest, its violent pounding  threatening to burst through its walls. He rearranged the neatly lined-up coats, his hand wobbling as he slid each hanger a notch to the left. So many questions flitted through his head, bouncing and eddying like elusive fireflies in the darkness, their erratic movements nearly dazing him. How did he find out where he worked? Why was he there? Why did he appear in front of him again after all the merciless things Taehyung said yesterday?

“You quit being a bodyguard.”

Jungkook’s muted voice waved through the dark room with a sparkle of sullenness that twined around Taehyung’s body in a form of a coiled, spiked wire. His movements only halted for a second at the bitter sound, then he carried on his meaningless rearrangement.

“Why, Taehyung?” Jungkook asked, unable to bear the smothering silence that cloaked them. “You loved that job.” He gave him abundant time to reply, stop pretending he was busy, turn around, even glance at him. But the noise of hangers gliding over the steel rod and clinking against each other still whirled around his senses. “Fine,” he sighed, dispelling fragments of his searing melancholy along with the exhalation wrapped around the single word. “Did you find anything about Kristian?”

Taehyung’s movements slowed again until his hand wilted to his side. “Yes.” With a fortifying breath, he pasted a poised mask on his face that bordered dispassion and crept around. His hard eyes, that hid embers of despondency, lingered momentarily on Jungkook’s form, tracing the lines of his relaxed posture. They rolled up at a dragging pace to merge with his and recognized the shock of tension that instantly struck Jungkook, along with his efforts to secrete it. “He betrayed his boss and came to Korea to hide.”

Jungkook nodded slowly, preserving eye contact despite the stress it inflicted on him. He had missed everything about him, but fuck, his eyes... They were like magnets, drawing him in with an irresistible pull that once spoke of familiarity and comfort. They exuded such warmth and safety, a silent reassurance in the middle of uncertainty. They promised so many things, even more than Taehyung’s mouth did, and they always delivered.

Yet now all Jungkook could see in his eyes was a long-buried pain. A pain he had caused.

The dolorous mist of Jungkook’s trance shattered, disrupted by the blasting sound of music that surged into the corridor the moment the door swung open. The abrupt intrusion yanked him out of his reverie, forcing him to focus on their conversation. There was an inkling of relaxation around the muscles on his face at the sight of Taehyung’s adorable pout, and his lips curved into a faint smile, clinging like a pale ray of light through the blackness of his soul. “You’re fast. I’m impressed. How did you find out?”

The slight creases crazing Taehyung’s forehead deepened at the recognition of his soft smile. He didn’t dare question it. “I have my ways.”

“Yeah, you do,” Jungkook uttered, his gaze holding fast to him at all times with a sliver of fondness. “You have your ways with everything.”

Taehyung steered clear of the familiar, heart-melting emotion that wigwagged in Jungkook’s mesmerizing eyes. He knew all too well the risks of letting his guard down, especially in front of him. Of the man who destroyed him. With a subtle shift in focus, he redirected his attention to the laptop on the counter. “Why are you here, Jungkook?”

Jungkook pushed himself off the wall and shuffled forward, bridging the space between them with slow-paced steps. He braced his forearms on the counter, positioning himself just beside the laptop that Taehyung stared at with unyielding concentration. His gaze followed Taehyung’s fingers as they moved across the touchpad, sliding and clicking idly. “Why did I return, or why am I here at the club?”

“Why are you here at my work?” Taehyung’s voice carried a boiling edge, the tautness that sprang from the reduction of the distance between them palpable in every syllable that escaped his lips. “I know why you returned. You have a family here. I’m sure you’re here for them.”

“I returned for you, Taehyung.”

A jolt rocketed through Taehyung’s form, his finger knocking against the touchpad by the force. Lies. Each word Jungkook spewed resonated in Taehyung’s mind like a lie. Although he couldn’t barricade the effect his words had on him, he strove to ignore it.

Taehyung’s silence stirred a harsh look from Jungkook, burnished with suffering that reflected the inflictive chaos in his heart. “Do you know... how hard it was—”

“No,” Taehyung roared, the sound ripping through the air like a thunder. His face contorted into a brutal scowl, his eyes squinting into deadly shards that ground through Jungkook with their rowdyism. “You don’t get to do this.”

“Do what?” Jungkook spat out, his jaw clenched tightly as if carved from stone.

Taehyung allowed a moment of nothingness to stretch between them, their turbulent eyes fastened in a ruthless entanglement. “I told you not to appear in front of me again. Leave.”

“Do what, Taehyung? Hmm?” Jungkook asked, his voice colored with agony and frustration, as he pressed Taehyung for the answers he refused to give. “Tell you how miserable I was in the past five years? Explain myself? Apologize to you? Which one?”

As if a switch had been flicked off somewhere deep within Taehyung’s being, any remnants of rage fizzled out, leaving behind a gut-wrenching despondency that settled like an intolerable shroud. His head drooped, weighed down by the magnitude of his misery and lingering emotions, his shoulders slumping with the burden of it all. The surrounding air grew stifling, suffused with a raging sorrow that made the space between them pulsate painfully. “All of them.”

Jungkook’s attention leaped to the door behind him that opened, though his gloomy eyes remained at a standstill on Taehyung. He stepped aside, giving room to the small group of people to leave their outerwear.

Despite his distracted mind, Taehyung finished catering to the clients and spun around to hang the coats as they left.

“I’ll wait for you to finish,” Jungkook said. “Let’s talk then.”

“No.”

“Taehyung. Let me tell you how I lived the past five years. Let me be close to you.”

“Why do you think I care about that?” Taehyung asked with forced cruelty, placing the hanger on the rod and shoving it to the left. “We’re done, Jungkook. You moved on. I moved on. There’s nothing to discuss.”

“I didn’t move on.”

A mocking scoff erupted from deep within Taehyung’s chest, a bitter sound bathed in frustration. “I saw you, you know. At the party.”

“She was my coverage,” Jungkook opposed with an anxious quickness, his words tumbling out in a rush to clarify. “It was all an act.”

Fuck, the deluge of soul-deep relief that washed over Taehyung was enraging. He could only pray it didn’t project on his face because he couldn’t show such weakness to Jungkook. Never again. “Still,” Taehyung muttered. “I don’t care.”

Jungkook chuckled, a derisive lilt lacing the guttural sound, as he tapped his hands on the counter. He unfurled his hunched body with a push. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Taehyung’s eyes shrank to a pinprick, monitoring Jungkook as he trod out of the building. “Well, I won’t come,” he whispered with a moue of pure taunt that dissipated right after, devolving into sullenness.

Two hours. Taehyung had two hours left in his six-hour shift, and the only thing on his mind was Jungkook and a wish for him to not be there when Taehyung would walk outside.

As the clock struck two, his replacement, a cheerful young man named Jangsoo, took charge. Taehyung grabbed his jacket and pattered around the long counter, heading towards the exit. Each step felt heavier as he moved closer to the door, his mind racing with the possibility of finding Jungkook outside. He won’t still be there, he reassured himself, but the thought did nothing to assuage the gut-twisting tightness in his chest. He paused briefly, taking a deep breath to steady himself before pushing the door open.

As he stepped outside, the crisp breeze brushed against his face, amplifying his senses. He glanced left and right, his heart rattling like a squirming fish in his chest. He sucked his lips inwards when he noticed the bouncer giving him a mystified look, then broke into an awkward smile and advanced. He ducked his head and scuttled towards the right, thinking he was safe, but—

“Taehyung.”

The potent voice, tinted with a suggestion of disapproval cleaved him to his spot. His shoulders sank with defeat, resigned to embrace his inevitable doom — after all, there seemed to be no other choice.

“You thought you could sneak away from me?” Jungkook asked, tone quiet yet slightly teasing, as he stood behind him with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“You know what?” Taehyung spun around, his chest puffing out in pretended confidence, though inwardly his poor heart malfunctioned by its speedy rhythm, as if trying to break free. “Fine. Explain yourself. Tell me why you left me. Tell me why you lied to me.”

Jungkook’s body stiffened impossibly as the usual placidity in his eyes got obscured by a mask of surprise that turned them into two wide pools of stillness. His brain staggered to a stop, grappling with the suddenness of Taehyung’s remark, and he endeavored to restore its lucidity enough to respond. Standing there frozen in a cesspool of dumbfoundedness, his mouth trembled in search of words. “I can’t... I can’t really explain everything right now.”

A fast-flowing panic surged from Jungkook’s gut, threatening to throttle him, as he heard Taehyung’s scoffing chuckle and saw him turn to leave. At once, he lunged forward, grasping Taehyung’s forearm with a quiver of desperation.

Taehyung wrenched his hand from his grip with such force it caused him to stumble. His turbulent eyes blazed like molten lava, a vile mix of rage and devastation swirling within them. “Don’t touch me,” he said, voice roaring, hair-raising brutal like the glare he nailed him with. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

Jungkook’s hand hovered in the air, frozen in a moment of shock at Taehyung’s reaction. His heart shrilled in pain at his words, each syllable stabbing it with unsparing force. The dejection that transfixed him left him feeling numb and empty, his hand collapsing to his side like his stomach dropped to the ground.

The silence that followed was filled with the aftershocks of Taehyung’s fierce declaration, and Jungkook struggled to find his voice again through the agony that drowned his existence. “Fine. I’m sorry. I won’t touch you again.” The bitterness in his voice traveled to his eyes, eclipsing them with a woeful mantle of hopelessness. “Give me a week. There is a lot you don’t know, and as much as I want to tell you everything right now, I can’t. But I promise, Tae. I’ll make it right.”

“Your promises don’t mean shit anymore,” Taehyung said, his voice growling savagely from deep within his lungs, staggering with raw emotion. His clenched fists twitched at his sides and quaked with the fierceness of his fury. His entire being exuded the said fury in its cruelest of forms, a wilding storm of heartache and frustration dizzying his mind. “Why are you even here if you can’t explain anything?”

“Because I missed you,” Jungkook said with a desperation that rooted in the depths of his bruised soul. “I missed you so fucking much. And I love you, Tae. I still love you. I never stopped loving you.”

“If you loved me,” Taehyung snarled, still swimming in the churning, endless sea of his wrath and grief, “you wouldn’t have left me. No matter the reason.”

Riptides of harrowing depression crashed against Jungkook’s paralyzed form as Taehyung stormed away. Wet, wretched eyes traced Taehyung’s retreating figure, every stride tearing at the fragile threads that once bound them together. Despair trickled through him like ice water, numbing his senses and leaving him bereft in a whirlpool of remorse.

The oppression of Taehyung’s words roiled around him, a haunting reminder of their shattered bond and the irreversible pain he had caused. Was there a way to fix what felt irreparably broken?

As he stood there, as if the life had been wrung out of him, he truly didn’t think there was.

───⭒───༺🖤༻───⭒───

We had a few revelations in this chapter; Taehyung's father forced Jungkook to leave, and he also killed Jungkook’s father!

The reason I revealed these two things quickly is because they're easy to guess and maybe obvious to some. At least the fact that Woosung was responsible for Jungkook's disappearance. Also, it was necessary for you to know because I couldn't present Jungkook’s point of view otherwise. It would be too messy and confusing for you to fully understand why Jungkook was suffering too without revealing the reason for his actions.

But don't worry! I have lots of plot twists and interesting things for you along the way. I hope you'll stay till the end 💜