[3 hours left before wattpad discloses direct messages]

Jeongguk finally got home after that long, exhausting trip. The whole journey back, Shezam couldn’t stop talking, going on and on about the vacation, the places they visited, and every little detail.

"Can’t believe how much we walked, huh?" Shezam’s voice echoed from the car, "And that dinner we had at that little bistro—best food ever. Oh, and don’t get me started on the crazy nights we had."

"I swear, he just never stops," Jeongguk muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. :Yeah, yeah, the garden was amazing, and we had great sex—got it."

Shezam was still going on. "Dude, you gotta hear about the vineyard tour! And that seafood place? Best I’ve ever had."

Jeongguk just nodded, barely listening. "Yeah, yeah, sounds awesome," he said, cranking up his airport playlist. The beats drowned out Shezam’s rambling, giving Jeongguk a brief escape.

Jeongguk finally stumbled through his front door.  "Finally, home sweet home." he muttered, the familiar smell of home hitting him.

Bam nearly knocking him over with excitement.

"Hey, buddy! Missed ya," Jeongguk laughed, scratching Bam behind the ears.

After giving Bam his food, Jeongguk stripped off his clothes and jumped in the shower, letting the hot water wash away the exhaustion from the trip. He could hear Shezam chatting away in the back of his mind, detailing every single moment of the vacation.

He couldn’t stop thinking about V. That spark, that feeling he’d been missing for a whole week, was finally within reach.
He was so ready to get back to V. As he lathered up, he thought about their chats and how much he missed them.

Jeongguk towel-dried his hair, still shirtless as he stepped out of the bathroom. His fingers itched to connect to Wi-Fi. "C’mon, hurry up," he muttered as the signal finally kicked in. He let out a satisfied sigh, feeling more grounded now that he was back online.He could feel the excitement buzzing through him.

"Alright, let’s see if V’s around," he muttered, his fingers flying over the screen.

He opened Wattpad, eager.

"Finally, V," he whispered to himself, his heart racing a bit faster as he pulled up the chat. This was the moment he’d been waiting for all week.

"Please be online," he mumbled, his chest tightening with anticipation.

Jeongguk's eyes widened as he scrolled through the wattpad notifications

"OMG, 33+ msgs?!" he thought, his heart racin' like crazy.

He swiped past the self-promos and Wattpad notifications, straight to V's msgs. "Yaaas, V's been blowing up my phone!" He settled in, getting comfy on the couch, ready to dive into their juicy convo.

A smile appeared on Jeongguk’s features as he read V’s messages....that has a spark of urgency and eager to get his attention.

[@Vantae30_u]
Heyyy! JK! [24 aug, 8:16 am]

Hope u're having a good time. [24 aug, 17:08]
Just wanted to say hi :)

Five days to go [25 aug, 13:59]
I miss you already :(

Where are youuuu? [26 aug, 18:47]
R u doing well?

Four days to goo!!! [26 aug, 23:36]
Hope u r doing grt <3

Three days to go ;( [27 aug, 14:08]
How's ur trip?

I can't wait to have u again! [28 aug, 5:06]
2 days to go,...yayyyy!

Just one more to go! [29 aug, 20:08]
1 day to go!<3

Can't wait to have u again! [29 aug, 21:16]
whn we will be texting like that again? :(
I just hope u r doing well <3

Uk? I really miss u so muchhh
U still didn't inform me abt drama ;(

Jeongguk's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he devoured V's msgs, feeling like he was on cloud nine. He was low-key swooning over V's words, his heart doin' the happy dance.

"Aww, V's so extra...but I kinda liked it,"

But then, BOOM! The next msg hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened in shock, his smile freezing in place.

"What the...?!" he thought, his mind reeling in disbelief. He sat up straight, his senses on high alert, his frown deepening.

"Wait, what?! No way, V, you can't be serious?"

[@Vantae30_u]
Jk where are youuu? [30 aug, 21:23]
Please text me ASAP!

I just got message from wattpad official,
Saying they are disclosing direct messages :X

Jk we need to talk!!!!?
Like, now
B4 it’s too late :((

Idk wht it's all abt??!!
I even confirmed and they messages yes :(

Pls msg me as soon as u get this!
I don't want us to depart like this ;(

where are youuuu?
Pls comebackkkk before it's too late!!!
Did u check????!!!

Jeongguk's eyes darted to his notifications, his heart racin' like crazy. He scrolled to the top, and there it was — Wattpad's official account posted a major announcement.

"BREAKING: Important Update for All Users" the title read. He tapped on it, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios.

"What's going down, Wattpad?!"

Jeongguk blinked at his screen, reading the words over and over. "No freaking way..."

He scrambled to his notifications, fingers moving faster than his thoughts. There it was, clear as day—a post from Wattpad's official account.

"Yo, bro, they’re shutting down the chat," Jeongguk muttered to himself, feeling a weird mix of anger and panic. "What the hell?"

He clicked on the announcement, needing to see it with his own eyes.

"The chat section of Wattpad is going to get denied and disabled in twenty-four hours due to some vigilance circumstances and consistent requests from particular readers."

"Particular readers? What kinda BS is that?!" Jeongguk’s mind raced, thinking about all the messages he and V had shared. Those late-night convos, the spicy exchanges, the real shit they couldn't put anywhere else. Gone. Just like that.

He grabbed his phone, already texting V.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Dude, u see this?
They’re killing the chat :(

Jeongguk stared at his phone, waiting for the three little dots to pop up. Nothing. His heart skipped a beat, anxiety creeping in.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Yo, V?

he texted again after a few minutes, biting his lip.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You good?

Still nothing. The silence felt like it was stretching on forever, each second dragging longer than the last. He tried to brush it off, but his mind wouldn’t let him.

Why isn’t he texting back? Jeongguk thought, pacing around his room. He glanced at Bam, who was lying on his bed, tail wagging lazily. "Maybe he’s busy or something. Yeah, probably just got caught up."

But the unease was still there, gnawing at him. What if something was wrong? What if V was pissed about the chat thing and just didn’t wanna talk?

Jeongguk sighed, flopping down next to Bam and rubbing his dog’s ears. "C’mon, man, you know I’m overthinking, right?" he muttered, trying to convince himself as much as Bam. "He’s just busy. He’ll hit me up when he can."

Jeongguk felt like his world was tilting. The Wattpad chat shutting down was already a bombshell, but not hearing back from V? That just made it worse.

They had so much history in those messages—late-night confessions, flirty banter, inside jokes that no one else would get. Losing the chat was like losing a piece of that connection, and Jeongguk couldn’t stand the thought of it all just disappearing.

Jeongguk’s leg bounced with nervous energy, eyes glued to his phone. "C’mon, V, answer me," he muttered, frustration bubbling up.

He shot another text.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Yo, V? Seriously need to talk :(
This Wattpad thing is messing with me.

Still nothing. His heart pounded, a mix of panic and irritation. Why isn’t he replying?

He started pacing, phone clutched tight in his hand. "Damn it, V, where you at?"

Finally, his phone buzzed. He lunged for it, heart leaping in his chest.

V texted back.

[@Vantae30_u]
What’s up?
Sorry, just saw this :(

Yo, how was your trip?
Missed you so much since last week ;)

Jeongguk was still smiling at his phone when another message from V popped up: “Missed you so much since last week.”

His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. "Missed you too, man," he replied, feeling a warmth that made everything else fade away for a moment.

V texted,
[@Vantae30_u]
Yo, how was your trip?

Jeongguk blinked, caught off guard. He hadn’t expected V to ask about that first.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Trip was cool, but forget that—
did u see the Wattpad thing?

Jeongguk shot back, fingers flying over the keyboard.

[@Vantae30_u]
Yeah, saw it!
Been losing my mind for last 1 day
  waiting for u to reply!  ;(

V shot back, the panic clear in his message.

[@Vantae30_u]
Missed u bad, bro.
This chat shutdown is messing me up :(

Jeongguk felt a rush of guilt.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Damn, didn’t know u were freaking xd
I’m here now!!
We gotta do something ;(
Can’t lose all our convos, V

[@Vantae30_u]
Exactly!

All that history, all our talks…
just gone? I can’t handle that, Jk.
What do we do?

[@Jk_moon_1997]
We move, ASAP

Jeongguk typed back, trying to stay calm for both their sakes.

Discord, Insta, whatever.
We can’t let this end us.

V’s response was almost instant.

[@Vantae30_u]
Set it up now.
I’m scared as hell, Jk.
Can’t lose u like this :(

Jeongguk felt the urgency, the fear in V’s words hitting him hard.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I’m on it, V.
We’re not losing a thing.
Not us :)

[@Vantae30_u]
Please, Jk,
Do it quick.
I need u.
Can’t let this break us.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
We’re in this together, V.
I got you. Not letting go.

[@Vantae30_u]
yeah, We’re in this together <3

Jeongguk’s heart did a little flip when he read V replied the same. message. A grin spread across his face, and he couldn’t help but feel a warmth settle in his chest. Hell yeah, we are he thought, fingers itching to respond.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
That’s what I needed to hear :)

Jeongguk typed, his smile growing.

You always know how to
calm me down, huh?

[@Vantae30_u]
Well, someone’s gotta
keep you in check ;)

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Wouldn’t want it any other way.

Jeongguk’s mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to keep their connection alive.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Yo, V,
maybe we just
exchange numbers?

[@Vantae30_u]
I thought the same,
but I don’t have an American SIM,
and I’m guessing..
u don’t have a Korean one :(

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Yeah, u’re ryt :(
That won’t work!!
Damn it, this sucks :/

[@Vantae30_u]
Frustrating as hell
Feels like everything’s
against us, man. What now? ;(

Hey, what about Insta?
We could use DMs there :D

Jeongguk hesitated before replying.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I don’t have an Insta :(
nd I can’t get one rn :(

[@Vantae30_u]
Srsly? I thought you had one.
What now? :c

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Nope, no Insta for me.
nd I can’t get one
with my current setup
We need another plan.

[@Vantae30_u]
Damn, this is rough.
We’re running out of options ;(
Any other ideas?

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Maybe we can try something else!!
We’ll figure it out.
Just need to think outside the box.

[@Vantae30_u]
Alright, keep brainstorming.
We gotta find something
I’m stressing here :[

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I hear u.
We’ll make it work,
I promise :)

Jeongguk bit his lip, trying to think.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
We could try something like...
Line or KakaoTalk?

[@Vantae30_u]
Line is banned in Korea :(
and KakaoTalk’s banned
in the US ;(

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Man, this sucks.
We need a backup plan.
I’m not giving up on us.

What about TikTok?
We could use DMs there.

[@Vantae30_u]
TikTok needs a phone number
for verifitn.
That’s a no-go :&

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Ryt!!!
damn, every app seems
to need a number :(

[@Vantae30_u]
Yeah, and it’s
getting impossible:(
What about smthg like Signal or Viber?

Oh but wait Signal’s
banned over here :((

[@Jk_moon_1997]
nd Viber’s not working
in the US rn :((

[@Vantae30_u]
Srsly???
We’ve tried everything!!!
I’m about to lose hope here :x

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I know, it’s tough
We’ll keep looking
but for now,
it seems like
we’re hitting dead ends :!

Jeongguk’s phone buzzed with a new message from V.

[@Vantae30_u]
Hey, what about Telegram?
We can use usernames
instead of number :D

n i use it often!!

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Yeah, but I don’t have a
Telegram ID set up yet :(

nd, i even dk much abt it!

V’s response came quickly.

[@Vantae30_u]
Damn it, Jk.
Every option seems
to have a problem.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Srsly! ;(

[2 hours left before wattpad discloses direct messages]

Taehyung stay in lunch hallway, pacing and turning, unable to shake the anxiety gnawing at him. Hours had dragged by, his mind racing about the Wattpad chat shutdown. He was on edge, feeling the weight of potentially losing all their messages. Every ping from his phone made him jump, but it was always spam or notifications he ignored.

Then, a new message finally came in. Taehyung squinted at the screen, thinking it was just another random alert. When he saw JK’s name, his heart skipped a beat. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "No way, it’s really him."

They kept texting each other after a long time...he was on cloud 9 after receiving and chatting with Jk!

Taehyung’s response was immediate.

[@Vantae30_u]
Tried that, but no
ID for me. This sucks :x

JK’s text was filled with frustration.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Ikr? Everything’s a dead end :((
But we’ll keep trying.

Taehyung’s mind raced. "I’m so glad to hear from you. This whole Wattpad thing is messing with me. Can’t believe we’re losing all our chats."

Taehyung felt a surge of excitement as he read JK's urgent messages. Knowing JK was just as keen to keep their connection alive made Taehyung’s heart skip a beat.

The spark he’d been trying to ignore was now front and center, and there was no way he was letting it slip away.

Every message from JK just cranked up his desire to hang on to what they had, stoking the growing feelings he’d been trying to push aside.

[1 hour left before wattpad discloses direct messages]

(a/n :- the fact that same ...exactly same thing happened with me :(....jeongguk i can feel youuuuu :/, and pls ignore the silly mistakes i did 🥴...anyways, and also ignore., why can't they get to Discord.. Snapchat or whatsoever...i need to make up like this to keep this book interesting!  Please forgive this galll💀🤡)