Taehyung locked the bathroom door behind him, his heart pounding, trying to block out Jimin's laughter from the living room. His hand shook as he grabbed his phone from his pocket, unlocking it with trembling fingers. He sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the screen. JK's messages glared at him, every word stabbing at him.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
V... what the hell.
Why didn't you just tell me?

Taehyung gulped, lips parting as he reread JK's messages over and over. His thumb hovered above the screen, and he felt his heart drop with every line.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I didn't know you felt like this.

He slammed his free hand over his mouth, eyes wide. What the hell was he supposed to do now? JK was going through all this-feeling the same things Taehyung had been burying for months—and he didn't even realize it? No, this was bad. So bad.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You think I don't care?

Taehyung's chest tightened, and he felt sick. JK was mad, clearly, but more than that, he was hurt. And it wasn't even his fault. He'd been going through his own mess with hus bf, and here Taehyung was, thinking it was all just one-sided, like some cruel joke. But it wasn't. JK was in deep too, and now it was all hitting him like a brick.

He squeezed his eyes shut, gripping his phone. His head fell back against the tiled wall, trying to breathe through it, but it wasn't working. Erin's words from the other day replayed in his head.

"Tae,you can't keep torturing yourself. You need to figure out what you really want. And if that means confronting him, then do it. You can't hold on to something that might not be there."

He swallowed hard. Was it even worth it? Could he really tell JK how he felt now? His stomach twisted. No way. Not when JK had a whole boyfriend. Why the hell would JK leave that for some random guy he'd only ever talked to online? It was stupid.

But then JK's words echoed in his head again.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You think you're just a joke to me?
You're not. Never have been.

Taehyung let out a shaky breath, staring at his phone. He had to do it. He had to tell him. It was now or never. He just couldn't live like this anymore— torn between wanting JK and hating himself for feeling this way.

He knew JK wouldn't see the message for hours. Probably deep in his hospital shift or something. But it didn't matter. Taehyung typed anyway, fingers shaking with every word. His heart pounded, his head screamed at him to stop, but his heart kept pushing him forward.

[@Vantae30_u]
JK... I gotta tell you something.
I don't know how to say
it without sounding
like a mess,

but here goes.

He paused, his thumb hovering, unsure if he should keep going, but he forced himself to finish.

[@Vantae30_u]
I've been feeling this way for months now.
Hell, maybe even longer,
but I never had the guts to say it.

I kept pushing it aside,.
thinking it'd go away,
but it hasn't.

Every time we talk,
every damn time,
I can't stop thinking
about how much I want... more.
Not just this online stuff.
I want you.

And I know that sounds insane,.
especially since you're with your bf,
but... I can't help it.

You've been driving me crazy.
I thought I could just ignore it,
but it's eating me alive.

You mean so much to me,
more than I've been willing to admit.

And I'm sorry it's all coming
out like this.
I don't expect anything to change.

I just... I needed to say it.
Even if you never feel
the same waY.

Taehyung hit send before he could stop himself, his heart slamming in his chest as he stared at the message. He was screwed. Totally and utterly screwed. There was no going back now. He didn't know what JK would say. Maybe he'd regret it later, but for now...

He leaned back against the wall, letting out a deep breath. Maybe it was better this way. Just letting it all out.

Only if he knew...

"Yah! Taehyung, get your ass out of there!" Jimin's voice blasted through the door. "We're hitting the shops, maybe getting wasted. Come on!"

Taehyung blinked, still staring at his phone. Damn. He shook his head, splashing some water on his face, trying to calm down. His heart was still racing from that message to JK. But he couldn't let Jimin suspect anything. Not now.

"Coming!" Taehyung called back, voice shaky but trying to play it cool.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, wiping his face with a towel, patting down his hair. He couldn't let Jimin see that he was freaking out. No way. With a deep breath, he forced a grin at his reflection.

"You can do this." Tonight, he was going to have fun. Jimin was leaving tomorrow, and Taehyung couldn't let this be ruined by his own mess.

He swung the bathroom door open, leaning against the frame like nothing happened. "Ready to party?" He smirked, knowing Jimin would go all out, especially since it was Taehyung's first international flight.

"Finally!" Jimin shouted, already half-dressed, throwing on his jacket. "Dude, we're celebrating tonight! You're going to the US, and I'm leaving. What better excuse, huh?"

Taehyung chuckled, pulling on his own jacket. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go get drunk or whatever."

Jimin grinned, nudging him. "That's the spirit. You gotta make the most of this. First time flying international, man! You gotta be pumped."

"Totally pumped," Taehyung muttered, the sarcasm slipping through, but Jimin didn't catch it.

"Alright, let's roll!" Jimin tugged him out the door, and Taehyung took one last look at his phone before shoving it in his pocket. He couldn't think about JK right now. Not with Jimin around. Tonight, he was going to have fun. He had to.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd forget about the mess he'd just sent to JK. At least for tonight.

Jeongguk barely touched his phone the whole day-too swamped. Patients everywhere, appointments back-to-back, seniors barking instructions. He was deep in it now, the OR lights shining down like a spotlight, gloves tight on his hands, mask making it hard to breathe. Focus, he had to focus.

But V was all over his brain.

Senior was talking about the procedure, some incision detail. Jeongguk was nodding like he was following, but he wasn't. His head was full of those messages he hadn't even checked yet.

The patient on the table was prepped, lying there under the harsh, bright surgical lights, green blanket covering everything but the area they were about to cut into. The air smelled of antiseptic, cold and sterile, but Jeongguk's mind wasn't here.

"Scalpel," Senior said, but Jeongguk didn't catch it. He was too far gone, wondering if V was pissed or just... done.

"Jeongguk!" Senior's voice cut in, sharper this time. "Scalpel!"

Jeongguk blinked. "Oh, right—shit, sorry." He handed it over fast, feeling like an idiot.

Senior just raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

Jeongguk exhaled, trying to pull himself together. This was surgery, man, not a chat room. But all he could think was... what if V had replied? What if it was bad?

As soon as lunch hit, Jeongguk bolted to check his phone, already stressed. But the damn thing was dead. He let out a string of curses, loud enough that a couple nurses glanced over.

"Bro, seriously?" Yoongi strolled in, eyeing him with a smirk. Jeongguk plugged his phone into the charger, frustration clear on his face.

"I haven't heard from V since yesterday, and now my phone decides to die on me. Just perfect," Jeongguk muttered, rubbing his temples.

Yoongi snorted, shaking his head. "Dude, chill. You're acting like it's the end of the world. He'll reply. You know how people are with texts, man. Maybe he's busy, or just giving you a hard time."

Jeongguk forced a laugh, but it came out stiff. "Yeah, cool... totally."

Yoongi leaned back, giving him a teasing grin. "You're whipped, aren't you?"

Jeongguk just rolled his eyes, not in the mood for jokes.

Taehyung and Jimin stumbled out of the club, both buzzed, laughing their asses off and not even pretending to act sober. Taehyung swung an arm around Jimin, bottle in hand, voice loud as hell.

"Yo, Jimin, can you believe how that bartender was flirting with you? She wanted to eat you up, man!" Taehyung teased, making Jimin burst into giggles, his cheeks flushed from alcohol and maybe a little from the flirting.

"Please," Jimin smirked, swaying slightly. "She didn't stand a chance. Besides, you were too busy staring at that guy's ass to notice!"

Taehyung cracked up, slapping Jimin's shoulder. "Hey, I can appreciate a good view, alright? Don't blame me if my eyes wander."

They both laughed, their voices echoing in the empty street, not caring who heard. As they walked, Taehyung spotted a narrow, dark alley just ahead.

"Yo, shortcut!" Taehyung pointed, already veering off course toward it. "Let's go through here. It's quicker, and I need to pee, man."

Jimin, still giggling and stumbling, looked at the alley like it was a questionable idea but shrugged. "Alright, Tae, lead the way."

They wandered into the alley, Jimin fidgeting with his bottle, too tipsy to walk in a straight line, while Taehyung was a few steps ahead, pulling out his phone. He hadn't checked it in a bit, hoping-praying, really—there'd be a message from JK. It'd been hours, almost a full day since he left JK's messages on read, and now he was anxious to see what JK had said back.

But when the screen lit up, there was nothing. Not a single text. Not even a 'hey' or 'what's up'.

"Is he serious right now?" Taehyung mumbled to himself, staring at the screen. His heart dropped a little. "Is he really too busy to even check his phone?"

He shook his head, trying not to overthink it, but the sting was real. JK hadn't responded. No double tick, no read notification. Just radio silence. With a heavy sigh, he kept scrolling, more out of habit than anything, eyes glued to the screen while glancing over at Jimin.

His friend was off a few steps away, crouching down and playing with some stray puppy they'd found in the alley, a big grin on his face.

Taehyung smiled softly at the sight, the alcohol making everything feel a little warmer, fuzzier. At least Jimin was having fun.

.about to put his phone back in his pocket when—WHAM!

A harsh force knocked him to the ground, his phone flying out of his hand. Jimin screamed as Taehyung hit the cold concrete, eyes wide as he saw two guys on bikes speeding by, one of them snatching his phone mid-flight.

"Shit!" Taehyung groaned, head spinning. He hit the ground, his head slammed hard against the pavement, making his vision blur instantly. The sound of his phone clattering away was the last thing he processed before a wave of dizziness took over.

Jimin's panicked scream echoed in the back of his mind, but it felt distant, like he was underwater, everything muffled. His head pounded, the sharp pain making his body go limp.

"Taehyung! Shit, Tae!" Jimin's voice sounded frantic, but Taehyung couldn't respond. His eyelids grew heavier with every passing second. The world around him dimmed, and the last thing he saw was the blurry shape of Jimin running towards him before everything went black.

"Shit... shit," Jimin muttered under his breath, panic rising in his chest. "Tae, c'mon, wake up. Please."

Taehyung didn't move, his breathing shallow, his face pale under the dim streetlights.

(a/n:- please get your sest buckled, we are going to havea disturbance turbulence!)