Love or Destiny

Lines That Shouldn't Be Crossed

It was Jennie.

The name alone was enough to pull him back to reality. The reality he had been avoiding for days.

Without a word, he stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He didn't want Jisoo to hear this conversation. Not now, like this.

He answered the call.

"V? Where are you?" Jennie's voice came rushing through, laced with frustration. "You don't call me, you don't pick up my calls. Did you already forget you have a girlfriend? Did you forget about me?"

He stayed silent for a moment.

Because the truth was, yes.

He had.

Somewhere between Jisoo's smiles, her laughter, and the way she looked at him, he had forgotten everything.

His purpose.

His decisions.

Even Jennie.

"V? Are you there?"

"Yeah," he replied finally, his voice low.

"I miss you, V," she continued softly. "And guess what? I'm in Korea."

His grip tightened around the phone. "What?"

"...Uhmm, are not happy?"

"Y-yeah...I am."

But he wasn't.

He wasn't ready for this. Not when everything was already so complicated.

Jennie kept talking, her voice light, unaware of the storm inside him.

"Do you even know Namjoon oppa is getting married? In Korea! That's why Lisa and I came yesterday. Jungkook told me you went to Paris for work but please finish soon and come back, okay?"

He hummed in response, barely processing her words.

"Okay, V. I have to go now. Bye, love you."

"...Bye."

The call ended.

And with it, the illusion he had been living in Paris shattered completely.

He stood there, staring at his phone.

How am I going to fix this?

He had lied to both of them.

To Jennie.

And to Jisoo.

Sooner or later, the truth would come out.

And when it did, someone was going to get hurt.

────୨ৎ────

He didn't notice when she came or didn't heard the soft footsteps behind him.

Not until, two arms wrapped around his waist.

Jisoo.

Her warmth pressed gently against his back, her head resting lightly as if she belonged there.

For a brief moment, he closed his eyes.

And almost let himself sink into it.

────୨ৎ────

He had been gone for a while.

After changing, Jisoo stepped out and found the room empty. Something felt off, like the air itself had changed.

So she went looking for him. And there he was. Standing alone. Thinking.

Without saying anything, she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel him, his warmth and his presence.

For once, she just wanted to be close.

But the next second, everything shattered.

He removed her hands.

Roughly.

The sudden force made her step back, her heart skipping in shock.

And then, his words came. Cold and sharp.

"Can't you see I'm not interested in you?" he snapped. "Why do you always push yourself onto me? Don't you understand I don't have any feelings for you?"

Her breath shook.

"I married you because I had to," he continued, each word cutting deeper than the last. "I don't even like you. Because of you, my life has turned into a mess."

Silence.

Heavy.

Crushing.

She looked at him, her vision blurring as tears filled her eyes.

Each word echoed in her chest, breaking something inside her.

She didn't say anything.

Because she couldn't. Words refuse to escape her mouth because of the bitterness her heart felt.

Before he could see her fall apart, she turned away, wiping her tears as she walked out.

────୨ৎ────

The moment the words left him, he regretted them, instantly.

He saw it.

The way her eyes filled with tears.

The way her lips trembled, trying to hold back the pain.

He had crossed a line.

No. He had shattered it.

He wanted to pull her back.

To tell her he didn't mean it.

That it wasn't true. But he couldn't.

Because if he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going further. And he couldn't afford that.

Not now.

Not ever.

She ran out before he could do anything.

And he stood there. Frozen. Conflicted.

Broken in ways he didn't understand.

────୨ৎ────

He followed her. Not too close. Just enough to keep her in sight.

She was walking fast at first, wiping her tears, trying to hold herself together.

But she couldn't.

Minutes passed. Then more.

Finally, she stopped near a bench and sat down. And cried.

Not silently or softly. But like her heart was breaking right in front of him.

He clenched his fists.

Every instinct in him screamed to go to her.

To hold her.

To tell her he was sorry.

But he stayed where he was.

Watching.

Punishing himself.

────୨ৎ────

Half an hour passed.

She didn't move, neither did she stop crying.

The sky had begun to darken, and the air turned colder.

He took a step forward.

Enough.

He needed to take her back.

But before he could reach her, someone else did. A man approached her, calling out softly.

She looked up, startled at first. But then, without hesitation, as if her eyes recognised that person, she stood up and hugged him.

Taehyung froze. Right there.

His steps stopped and his breath caught.

And for the first time, something sharp twisted painfully inside his chest.

Something he didn't want to name.