Taehyung's POV
The silence was a tangible thing, heavy and suffocating. It had been ten days since he'd left his apartment, ten days of self-imposed exile, ten days of communicating with Jungkook only through polite, emotionally distant texts. His guilt was a constant companion, gnawing at him every waking moment. He had hurt Jennie, destroyed their life, and for what? A fragile, terrifying feeling he wasn't brave enough to even define. The sheer weight of his actions was crushing.
He was sitting alone on a bench by the Han River, the same spot where Jungkook had found him, staring blankly at his phone. He had a notification from Jungkook, another short, concise message. I'm here for you, hyung. Just tell me when. The words were a quiet, steady hand, reaching for him, but Taehyung couldn't bring himself to grasp it. He felt like he was drowning, and he was terrified of dragging Jungkook down with him.
Just then, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. He hesitated, then answered.
"Taehyung?" The voice was a familiar, gentle tone he hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime. It was Jennie's best friend, Minji.
Taehyung's breath hitched. "Minji. Hey." His voice came out as a strained croak.
"I'm with Jennie," Minji said, her voice soft but firm. "She's... well, she's not great. I just wanted to ask you something. Honestly."
Taehyung closed his eyes, bracing himself. He deserved every accusation.
"Is it him? Is it... Jungkook? Is that why you left?"
Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut, a tear finally escaping. He couldn't lie, not to Minji. Not anymore. "Yes," he whispered, the single word a raw confession. "It is."
The silence on the other end stretched for a long, agonizing moment. Then, Minji's voice came back, laced with a surprising empathy. "I see. She thought it was another girl, you know? She thought you cheated. I told her... that it didn't matter. That a lie is a lie. But she... she's in a lot of pain, Taehyung. She just wants to know if he was worth all of this."
Taehyung's heart twisted. He hadn't thought of it like that. The pain he'd caused. He saw his own selfishness laid bare. He had been so lost in the "pull" that he hadn't considered the wreckage he was leaving behind. He swallowed hard. Was Jungkook worth it? He looked down at his phone, at the last text from him. He thought of his earnest eyes, his steady presence, his unwavering support. He thought of their stolen moments, their shared past, their undeniable connection.
A sudden, fierce clarity washed over him. He was a coward. He was running from the consequences of a choice he had already made, a choice his heart had screamed at him to make for weeks. He had broken Jennie's heart, yes. He had destroyed his own comfortable life. And for that, there was no going back. He couldn't hide from the painful truth. He couldn't go back to the way things were. He was no longer that man.
He took a shaky breath, a newfound resolve strengthening his voice. "Yes, Minji," he said, his voice clearer than it had been in days. "Yes, he was."
A soft, sad sigh came through the phone. "Okay. That's all she needed to know. Goodbye, Taehyung." The line went dead.
Taehyung sat there for a long time, the words replaying in his mind. Yes, he was worth it. It was a confession to Minji, a devastating confirmation to Jennie, but more than that, it was a confirmation to himself. He stood up, finally, the weight on his shoulders replaced by a newfound, terrifying purpose. He had to stop running. He had to face what he had done. And he had to finally, finally, be honest with the one person who had been waiting for him all along.
He took out his phone and typed a message to Jungkook, his fingers flying with a certainty they hadn't had in a week.
He was ready to face the world, and more importantly, he was ready to face the truth of his own heart.