a week passed.

taehyung had met with jeongguk in his office twice after the last time. besides the tension and all those hurting feelings and thoughts, nothing had happened. he managed to successfully keep a cold demeanor, while jeongguk remained calm, not trying to ask anything anymore.

it were pretty professional meetings. and taehyung hated it, feelings the distance between jeongguk and him growing, although he knew it was better this way.

he signed the contract. taehyung is confident about his writing and knew even if it wasn't jeongguk in that position, anyone would have approved of his book and writing style.

"chim, i'm leaving!" taehyung informed his best friend, who was still not in favor of taehyung's partnership with jeon publishing, knowing what toll it still had on taehyung to see his ex boyfriend.

even if the younger pretends to be fine, jimin knows he is still not over it. "take care," he responded, hugging taehyung tightly goodbye, "love you."

taehyung smiled warmly as he hugged jimin back. "love you too."

after the last two times, taehyung wasn't feeling as nervous as he did in the beginning when he knew he was going to see jeongguk again. he has been trying to loathe jeongguk, because hating him is the only way it doesn't hurt. yet he knew deep down, he could never hate jeongguk, even if he tries to.

but he can pretend to hate him.

...

"no, i don't want a stranger to design my book cover."

jeongguk pinched the bridge of his nose. "i understand, but we have artists and photographers who, i can promise you, are really reliable. they do a great job."

taehyung rolled his eyes, "any compromises we could take?"

jeongguk stared at him. "if you insist, you can find an artist yourself."

taehyung leaned back in his seat, crossing his fingers on his lap. "i don't know any artists."

"you're an artist, taehyung. why don't you draw your own cover?" the ceo suggested. taehyung had of course thought about doing it himself, before their breakup, he actually already had so many ideas and drafts for a cover.

now, he didn't know if he was capable of drawing a book cover related to the storyline, without breaking down. "i don't have time to draw a cover."

jeongguk raised an eyebrow, scoffing. "are you busy with your new boyfriend?"

"not as busy as you are, i assume," taehyung retorted. there is no new boyfriend, but his little lie about a date he never had escalated a little into something more.

jeongguk gritted his teeth. "maybe he could draw your cover?"

taehyung grinned challengingly. "actually, that's a great idea."

"do you really want my firm to publish your book?"

"it was the only option."

"you're lying. taehyung, you're swimming in lies."

offended, the younger sat up. "assumptions. you have no right to question me."

jeongguk chuckled bitterly. "i can't do this anymore, taehyung. if we don't talk everything out right now, i'm not going to publish your book."

taehyung's eyes widened, his heartbeat rising. "are you serious? very professional of you, mr. ceo."

"i'm done with this shit." the ravenette stated, now angry. taehyung was almost covering seeing the way jungkook glared at him now, but he wasn't having it. "you can't quit me, we have a contract—

"i don't care about a damn contract, i care about you!" the older finally snapped, taking taehyung off guard, "i know i have done something wrong, so i let you treat me like shit, i let you degrade me and make me overthink everything, but it's enough, taehyung. i don't know what i've done, i don't know why you left me! if you don't talk to me and tell me what i've done, i can't fix this!"

taehyung stared at him in disbelief, before a glare also marked his forehead and he stepped closer to jungkook. he finally gave up on his cold, because there's no way that jungkook still keeps lying to him. "you know exactly what you've done! don't pretend—

"no, i don't!" jungkook gritted his teeth, "i don't and it makes me so frustrated!"

taehyung scoffed, laughing humorlessly. "are you serious right now? you're the victim now?"

jungkook blinked more than necessary. something was wrong. something wasn't adding up. jungkook's glare dropped as he took a deep breath, calming down a little. "all i'm asking.. is for an explanation why you broke up with me. is it your new boyfriend?"

what? taehyung's lips gaped confused as his heart dropped. "broke up?" he asked out loud.

jungkook stared at him confused. "yes? you broke up with me."

taehyung's surrounding began spinning all of the sudden and nothing was making sense anymore. he broke up with him?

"w-what do you mean? i never broke up with you, you started to ignore my texts and then suddenly..."

jungkook watched as taehyung cramped his phone out of his pocket, having their chat still saved. taehyung wasn't going to say anything about jungkook's engagement out loud, he couldn't. "here. that's what you sent me."

he held his phone display to jungkook, who read the last message, then hastily ripped the phone out of taehyung's hand to read it again. "what the hell... i-i never sent this to you. it's not true.."

taehyung's eyes locked with jungkook's, his heart racing. "what do you mean—

"there is no engagement, i've never even heard the word engagement in my surroundings," jungkook explained, as he scrolled through his and taehyung's chat on taehyung's phone. he saw all the messages taehyung had sent him that never got responded too.

because he never got them.

taehyung felt his puls in his throat as jungkook saw all the messages of him asking for the other's wellbeing when he thought the older was distancing himself. before he received the engagement invitation.

"this doesn't make sense," jungkook mumbled, "y-you broke up with me... three weeks ago."

nothing was making any sense now. taehyung just watched at him, tears of frustration pulling at the back of his eyes. "no... i-i didn't," his voice was shaking, while his mind tried to put all the puzzle pieces together.

jungkook pulled his own phone out, his own hands shaking as he opened his and taehyung's chat, turning his display to the younger.

taehyung studied it.

none of the 'why aren't you responding' messages are visible.

no engagement invitation.

there was taehyung's last message, before hundred messages from jungkook followed:

i'm done with you. this long distance doesn't work and i hope you understand. don't come visiting me or anything, it is easier for both of us this way and you are too busy anyways. i am happy, so don't worry about me. have a good life jungkook.

taehyung clasped his hands in front of his mouth, taking a step back in shock. what the hell was going on? he looked at the date. 28th february.

jungkook was right; that's three weeks ago.

when jungkook began ignoring taehyung's messages.

"i-i never wrote this, you have to believe me," taehyung stuttered out, giving jungkook his phone back.

the ravenette clasped it in his hand, then placed it on the table behind him with force. he understood what was going on.

"our phones were hacked," he whispered.

taehyung couldn't believe what he was hearing, but it made sense. jungkook and him both received messages they never sent and both didn't receive messages they actually sent.

and there was no engagement. no break up.

that means..

"y-you never cheated on me?" taehyung asked and he hated to say that out loud to jungkook like this, because now it was clear he didn't.

"and you don't have someone new.." jeongguk's expression softened. "do your really think i would ever hurt you?"

the tears in taehyung's eyes were starting to blur his view as he thought about what jungkook just asked him. jungkook, who was always the first one to support taehyung, the one who he always trusted with his whole heart since they were younger. jungkook, his first love, who had always put taehyung first, even above his own well-being.

jungkook, the boy who saved his life.

"i-i'm so sorry, g-gguk, i didn't know, i'm—

his last words turned into a muffled cry as jungkook pulled taehyung to his chest, hugging him tightly and reassuringly. and relieved.

because never in his entire life had he been more scared than after he received that message three weeks ago.

taehyung tightly clutched onto jungkook's suit, letting all the pent up emotions out, leaving room for the happiness and relief that all of this wasn't what he thought it was. his body relaxed completely at the familiar embrace, taking it all in.

"it's okay, i'm so glad this was a misunderstanding," jungkook whispered, as he softly brushed his hand through taehyung's hair.

the younger slowly looked up to the other, as he let go of him and freed his hands to wipe his own tears. "i'm sorry i treated you so poorly these past days, you didn't deserve that..." taehyung whispered as he cupped jungkook's face with one hand.

the ravenette leaned into the warm reassuring touch, closing his eyes shortly. "you couldn't know. i.. really thought you had someone new and that this was the reason you were so cold towards me." saying it out loud made it sound even more absurd.

taehyung softly shook his head, brushing his thumb around jungkook's cheekbone. "there is only you, there had always been just you, gguk."

a small smile graced jungkook's lips. "i love you. there's only one person i'd talk about engagement to and that's you."

taehyung chuckled softly. "i'll keep that in mind. there's no going back for you now."

it felt like a hole was filled again.

a missing piece was found.

jeongguk's eyes opened and met taehyung's again. there it was again. the longing. "I'd never want to go back anyways."

taehyung couldn't even counter to that, when jeongguk leaned in and finally sealed their lips together. no moment got wasted and taehyung tightly slung his arms around jeongguk's neck, pulling him closer, pulling him as close as possible, as he kissed back and did what he had desired for so long.

because, their last kiss wasn't just three weeks ago, it had been a little more than a month.

long distance at its finest.

"i love you," jungkook whispered as the kiss came to an end due to short breath. taehyung felt his heart skip, his skin burning and he was happier than ever. "i love you, too."

"god, i missed you so much," jungkook said, engulfing taehyung into a tight embrace again.

the younger laughed softly as he hugged the other back. "i missed you too."

there was one question left though.

why were the phones hacked?

and who did it?