Jungkook's POV
The two-word text from Taehyung — "Ah. Okay, hyung. Get some rest." — hit Jungkook harder than any rejection ever had. It was polite, distant, and utterly devoid of the warmth that had been building between them. He stared at his phone screen, the bright light suddenly feeling harsh, the words burning cold. Crazy busy week. Swamped for a bit. It was a dismissal, a clear sign. A wall had just gone up, silent and unyielding.
He threw his phone onto his bed, the soft thud doing little to absorb the anger and hurt coiling in his gut. Of course. He'd been stupid. He'd dared to hope. He'd allowed himself to believe that Taehyung, his Taehyung, felt even a fraction of the pull he did. But Taehyung had Jennie. A perfect, stable life. And Jungkook was just a blast from the past, a fleeting nostalgia.
The ache in his chest intensified, a familiar weight he hadn't felt so sharply since that autumn day under the oak tree. He paced his apartment, the silence suddenly deafening. He told himself to move on. To let it go. To focus on his work, his coding, the things that never disappointed him.
But every quiet corner of his apartment seemed to whisper Taehyung's name. Every song on his playlist reminded him of a shared memory. His mind replayed Taehyung's laughter at the café, the way his eyes crinkled, the casual touch that had sent shivers down his arm. He remembered Taehyung's relief when Jungkook had shown up at the park. That wasn't just politeness. That was real.
He stopped pacing, staring out his window at the city lights. This wasn't just about Taehyung being busy. This was about Jennie. He knew it. He hated it. A fierce possessiveness, ugly and unwelcome, flared within him. He'd waited so long. He'd never truly moved on. And now that he had a glimpse of what could be, he wasn't sure he could just let go.
A week passed, then another. The texts stopped. The easy calls vanished. The silence between them grew heavy and suffocating. Jungkook tried to immerse himself in work, pushing himself harder, longer. But even the complex algorithms couldn't distract him from the constant ache, the gaping hole where Taehyung used to be.
He found himself unconsciously altering his routes, lingering near the downtown area where Taehyung's office was. Just to grab coffee. Just to clear my head. He knew it was ridiculous, pathetic even. But the hope, however tiny, of a "chance" encounter was too tempting to resist.
One rainy Tuesday afternoon, he found himself outside Taehyung's agency building, clutching an umbrella. He told himself he was just looking for a new café. The heavy rain was a good excuse to seek shelter. He saw a flash of familiar dark hair and a beige trench coat hurrying out, an arm raised to hail a taxi. It was Taehyung.
His heart leaped. For a second, he thought about turning away, about letting him go. But his feet moved before his mind could process.
"Hyung!" he called out, his voice cutting through the rain-soaked air.
Taehyung froze, then slowly turned. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Jungkook, a mixture of surprise and something else Jungkook couldn't quite decipher — relief? Pain?
"Jungkook? What are you... what are you doing here?" Taehyung's voice was a little breathless, his eyes scanning the street as if worried someone might see them.
Jungkook closed the distance, his umbrella creating a small, shared canopy over them. The rain pattered around them, isolating them in a bubble of unspoken tension. "Just... in the area. Needed to get out of the office," he lied smoothly, his gaze fixed on Taehyung's face. "You look like you're escaping a fire drill."
A small, genuine smile touched Taehyung's lips, chasing away some of the guardedness. "Something like that. Heading home. This rain is relentless."
Jungkook's mind raced. This was it. The unexpected collision. The universe, it seemed, wasn't letting them stay apart.
"Want a ride?" Jungkook blurted out, before he could think twice. "My car's just around the corner. It's pretty bad out here."
Taehyung hesitated, his eyes flickering towards the busy street, then back to Jungkook's earnest, wet face. The apprehension was clear, but so was something else – a longing that mirrored Jungkook's own.
And in that moment, under the drumming rain, Jungkook knew the pull was just as strong for Taehyung as it was for him, a forbidden force they were both powerless to deny.