Taehyung had his phone in hand, as usual, scrolling through texts from JK. No matter how much he tried to pull back, the texts always pulled him in.

Tonight was no different.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
What’re you up to?
Got a little time for me?

Taehyung hesitated. He wanted to respond fast, but something stopped him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to JK. God, he wanted to. But knowing JK had someone else… yeah, that always messed with his head.

[@Vantae30_u]
Not much,
just chilling. You?

Dry. Too dry. He knew it, but what else could he say? He couldn’t dive into those spicy convos like he wanted to. Not when he knew what it meant. It felt wrong.

Across the globe, Jeongguk was lying on his couch, staring at his phone like it held all the answers to life’s problems. V’s texts were on his screen, but lately, those chats were feeling more like a brick wall than a conversation. It was driving him nuts.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Yo, what’s up?
Been a minute.

He hit send, waiting, hoping for something more than the dry responses he’d been getting. The silence dragged out until his phone buzzed.

[@Vantae30_u]
Hey, just been busy.
U?

Busy. Right. That was V’s favorite excuse these days. Jeongguk sighed, rolling his eyes. Busy doing what? Jeongguk wasn’t dumb, he knew V was holding back, but what for? Every time their chats got a little heated, V would pull the emergency brake.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Same. Just chilling,
thinking!

He smirked, figuring he’d throw that out there and see what V did with it. But even that felt like throwing pebbles at a wall. V was a brick, solid and unmovable.

[@Vantae30_u]
Haha, yeah?
What kinda thinking?

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Just thinkin’ about you.
Wanna talk about… y'know.
Us? 😏

Taehyung’s heart raced. He wanted this. He really wanted this. But then the thought of JK’s boyfriend hit him like a punch in the gut. This was messed up. And he was the one enabling it.

[@Vantae30_u]
Haha, not today, man.
Got a lot on my mind.
What’s up with you tho?

Jeongguk read the text and his jaw clenched.

He groaned, tossing his phone on the couch. "Dude, what’s his deal?" he muttered to Bam, who just blinked at him from the floor, clearly uninterested in his human’s love life crisis. He picked up his cigarette, lit it, and dragged deep, hoping to shake off the frustration. But nah, it just pissed him off more.

V was playing hard to get, and it was making Jeongguk lose his mind. Like, wasn’t it clear by now? They had something. Hell, if V wanted to talk spicy, Jeongguk was game. But every time they got close to it, V threw the car in reverse and bailed.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Kinda thinking how you
never wanna talk dirty, bro.
What's that about?
You scared or smthg?

Jeongguk felt the anger bubble up as he typed, but he didn’t care. He was sick of dancing around this. If V was into him, why not just be into him?

Another long pause. The kind that made Jeongguk wanna chuck his phone out the window. Finally, V replied.

[@Vantae30_u]
Nah, just not in the
mood for that rn :((

Not in the mood? Jeongguk’s eyebrows shot up. Not in the mood? They’d been skirting around this for weeks now, and V was still acting like they were talking about the weather.

Jeongguk growled, flicking his cigarette out the window. "You gotta be kidding me."

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You’re never in the mood, bro.
What’s going on?
Thought we were cool.

He stared at the message, feeling his chest tighten. This wasn’t just frustration anymore. He was starting to feel… angry. Like, here he was, practically throwing himself at V, and all he got was these half-assed answers. It was getting old.

Meanwhile, Taehyung was staring at his phone in the middle of the airport, his stomach doing flips. He’d just landed and was heading out for his next flight soon, but JK’s messages were gnawing at him. He knew what JK wanted, hell, he wanted it too, but every time they got close to that line, Taehyung froze.

As much as Taehyung wanted to pretend that didn’t matter, it did.

[@Vantae30_u]
Dude, it’s not like that.
I just got a lot on my
plate rn, ya know?

More bullshit. He knew it sounded weak. But what was he supposed to say? Sorry, bro, I’m too scared to flirt with you because I don’t wanna be a homewrecker? Yeah, that’d go over real smooth....smooth, my ass.

Jeongguk read the text and let out a bitter laugh. On your plate? What, was V eating at a five-star buffet every day?

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You always got smthg on
your plate, V.
I’m starting to think
you’re just tryna avoid me.

He was done with this tiptoeing crap. He wanted answers. Hell, if V didn’t want him, he’d rather hear that than this endless runaround.

Taehyung swallowed hard. JK wasn’t wrong, but how was he supposed to explain it? He couldn’t keep dodging forever, but he wasn’t ready to face the truth, either. Especially not while JK was still with a boyfriend. Even though Taehyung had no idea JK was technically single now.

[@Vantae30_u]
Nah, it’s not that.
I swear. It’s just…
complicated.

Complicated. The word hung in the air between them, making Jeongguk wanna throw something. Complicated his ass. It was only complicated if V made it that way.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Complicated how?
What’s the deal, V?
We’ve been talking for months.
Feels like you’re scared to
actually let me in.

Jeongguk’s chest was tight, and his hand itched for another cigarette. He grabbed one, lighting it with a flick of his wrist, but it didn’t help. He took a drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs before blowing it out with a growl.

This was messed up. He was trying here, putting himself out there, but V kept shutting him down. And the worst part? Jeongguk was free now.

Shezam was out of the picture, but V didn’t know that yet. Hell, Jeongguk hadn’t even had the chance to tell him.

[@Vantae30_u]
I just don’t wanna
mess things up, man.
We cool?

Cool? COOL?! Jeongguk nearly choked on his cigarette. Cool? That was the last thing he was feeling right now.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Bro, we’re way past cool.
I’m tryna figure out
what’s going on with us.
You’re making this weird.

Taehyung’s heart pounded. JK wasn’t wrong. He was making this weird. But what was he supposed to do? Every time things got serious, he freaked out. He wanted JK, no doubt about that, but he couldn’t get past the guilt. It was like this invisible wall between them, and every time JK pushed, Taehyung backed away.

[@Vantae30_u]
I’m not trying to make it weird.
It’s just… complicated, man.

Jeongguk threw his hands up, cigarette ash falling to the floor as he paced. "This guy, I swear." He was losing his patience. He wanted to grab V through the phone and shake him.

Complicated wasn’t cutting it anymore. He needed real answers.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You keep saying that,
but you ain’t explaining shit.
What’s complicated?
We either got something
or we don’t V!

Jeongguk’s fingers hovered over the screen, his frustration boiling over. He was done playing nice. If V didn’t wanna be straight with him, then fine, but he wasn’t gonna sit here and get played like a fool.

[@Vantae30_u]
I just don’t know, man.
Gimme some time.

Time. Jeongguk barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, sure, time. Like that’s what’s gonna fix this."

He yanked the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked it out the window, watching the glowing end spin into the night and grabbed his phone again, his temper flaring.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Whatever, bro. I’m out.
Hit me up when you
figure out what you want.

Taehyung looked at the text thread, fingers hovering over the screen. Should he just say it? Tell JK how he was feeling? Tell him about the guilt gnawing at him every time they talked?

But he didn’t. Instead, he typed another dry response, knowing it would piss JK off even more.

[@Vantae30_u]
I gotta go, Jk!
We’ll talk later.

Jeongguk saw the message and felt something snap inside him. He slammed his fist onto the table, sending a glass tumbling to the floor. The sound of it shattering didn’t even faze him. He was too pissed.

With that, he threw his phone down on the couch, running his hands through his hair. He didn’t know what else to do. He loved V. Hell, he more than loved him. But this was a joke. He wasn’t gonna sit around waiting forever while V played hot and cold.

Lighting up another cigarette, JK leaned against the window, staring out into the city. He took a deep drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs, trying to calm down. But no matter how much he tried, the anger wouldn’t go away.

He was free now. Free to be with V. So why the hell was he still holding back?

Across town, Taehyung stared at his phone, feeling like the world had just tilted sideways. JK was pissed, and for good reason. He knew he was messing things up, but he didn’t know how to fix it.

Jeongguk was already sitting at their usual spot, the vintage café that held way too many memories. He swirled his coffee absentmindedly, eyes glued to the door, waiting for Shezam to show up. A week had passed since everything blew up between them, and now it was time to finally put things to rest.

The bell above the door jingled, and there he was—Shezam,  looking like he had been hit by a truck emotionally. He scanned the café, his eyes landing on Jeongguk, who was casually sipping on his coffee like this was just any other day. With a heavy sigh, Shezam walked over and sat down, awkwardly shifting in his seat.

"Hey," Shezam mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly feeling the weight of what had gone down between them.

"Yo," Jeongguk replied, way too chill for the situation.

Jeongguk leaned back in his chair. Shezam sat across from him, looking all kinds of guilty, fidgeting with the edge of his cup.

"So…" Shezam started, voice low. "I’m sorry. For everything. I never wanted to hurt you."

Jeongguk took a slow sip of his coffee, holding back a grin. Honestly, he wasn’t even mad. In fact, this whole thing? It worked out way better than he could’ve planned. "Yeah, I know."

Shezam blinked, like he expected Jeongguk to blow up or something. "I—uh, I didn’t mean for it to happen with Jordan. It was just... I don’t know, we felt distant, and... I made a mistake. A huge mistake."

"Yeah, you did," Jeongguk nodded, leaning forward, acting like he was really thinking hard about it. "But, honestly? I kinda felt the same. Like, we were together, but it felt off, you know? Like we were doing all the relationship stuff but... it wasn’t really working."

Shezam looked at him, clearly surprised. "Wait, you felt like that too?"

"Dude, yeah." Jeongguk shrugged, casually. "I wasn’t about to bring it up first, though. But, here we are."

Shezam rubbed his face, sighing. "I just—ugh. I hate myself for what I did. I can’t believe I hurt you like that. I don’t even know what I was thinking with Jordan."

Jeongguk stared at him, biting back the urge to laugh. He should be mad, right? But all he could think about was how much easier this made everything with V. He didn’t have to sneak around, didn’t have to feel guilty about cheating because, technically, Shezam did it first.

"I mean, yeah, it sucks," Jeongguk said, giving Shezam just enough of a serious look to sell it. "But, at the same time? Maybe it’s for the best. Like, we weren’t really... us anymore, y’know?"

Shezam blinked a couple of times, clearly trying to process the fact that Jeongguk wasn’t raging at him. "You’re not mad?"

The tattooed guy raised an eyebrow. "What’s the point of being mad? What’s done is done. I ain’t gonna sit around being all bitter. We move on, right?"

Another male sat there, looking like he was on the verge of a breakdown. "I still hate myself for it. You didn’t deserve that."

Jeongguk leaned back in his chair, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Yeah, well, I forgive you."

Shezam’s eyes widened. "Wait, really?"

His boyfriend — to be particular ex, shrugged. "Yeah, why not? Like I said, we’ve been off for a while. You just... sped things up a bit."

They both sat in silence for a moment, sipping their coffee, letting the weird tension in the air die down. Jeongguk couldn’t believe how easy this was. He was free. Free to focus on V.

But he wasn’t about to bring that up to Shezam. Nah, that would open a whole other can of worms, and Jeongguk wasn’t about that drama life—at least not today.

Shezam sighed, looking out the window. "I wish things were different. But I’m glad you’re not, like, cutting me off completely. I don’t wanna lose you, man. You’ve been... important."

Jeongguk smirked, nodding. "We’re good. And hey, maybe we’re better off as friends. Best friends, even. No hard feelings."

The yankee smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Best friends for life?"

Jeongguk raised his coffee cup in a mock toast. "Best friends for life."

As they clinked their cups, Shezam visibly relaxed, probably thinking he had dodged the worst. Little did he know, Jeongguk was already mentally checked out, his thoughts wandering to V and how much better things would be now without this relationship dragging him down.

"You’re really okay?" Shezam asked, looking like he still couldn’t believe how calm Jeongguk was about the whole situation.

Jeongguk nodded, smiling. "Yeah, man. I’m okay. More than okay, actually."

Inside, he was practically screaming with joy. But for now? He’d play it cool.

After all, there was no need to let Shezam know just how much he was winning right now.

Jeongguk walked down the silent street, the quiet night mirroring the emptiness he felt inside. He pulled out his phone again, checking V's message from six.freaking.hours ago. "Still nothing," he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

He remembered their past conversations, how they used to be full of energy and fire. Now, it was like V was a different person. "What happened to you, V?" he asked aloud. "We were vibing so hard, now it’s like you’re not even there."

He replayed their last chat in his mind. V’s replies had been cold and distant. "Hey," "Sure," "Later." No warmth, no spark. "Man, this is killing me," Jeongguk said, his voice tinged with both confusion and hurt. "I’m falling for you, and now you’re ghosting me?"

He kicked a small stone down the road, his frustration evident. "I don’t get it. One minute we’re all in, next minute you’re gone. What am I supposed to do with that?"

Jeongguk sighed heavily, his breath visible in the cool air. "I just want things to be like they were," he said, rubbing his temples. "But you’re pulling away, and it’s driving me crazy."

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, feeling a mix of sadness and anger, walking on with a heavy heart.

Suddenly, Jeongguk’s phone buzzed suddenly, yanking him out of his thoughts. He grabbed it quickly, squinting at the screen. It was a message from V. His eyes widened as he read:

[@Vantae30_u]
Hey U Jk, I HaTe yOu!
YEs u....
fOr maKInG mE lOvE ur
dAmn self!

(a/n:- how's the chapter?  I just hope it's not boring, anyways how are you all doing?)