FALLING FOR YOU | KM [✓]°

18. Truth Reveal

the jeon couple returned back to their house after having breakfast with the others. jimin stayed quiet the entire time during the drive and even while eating. he felt stupid for reacting so dramatically the previous night, getting all jealous and emotional over nothing. but now, more than embarrassment, curiosity was eating at him. he really wanted to know how his husband knew hanuel.

once they stepped inside their home, jimin went straight to their bedroom without saying much. he grabbed fresh clothes from the wardrobe and headed directly to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. he hadn't taken a proper bath at his cousin's beach house because he didn't have extra clothes there, and he wanted to wash away every trace of last night's alcohol, tears, and messiness. the warm water helped calm his racing thoughts a little, but the questions still lingered.

meanwhile, jungkook used the guest room shower to freshen up. he stood under the spray longer than necessary, letting the water beat against his tense shoulders. he was nervous—more nervous than he had ever been in his life. he was afraid. afraid that after hearing the full truth, jimin might not want him anymore. afraid that jimin would look at him with disgust when he learned that, at the beginning, jungkook had only seen him as someone to use for pleasure, nothing deeper.

he'll not leave you. he loves you.

jungkook kept repeating those words to himself like a mantra, trying to push away the fear. but a small, stubborn part of him still trembled with dread.

after changing into clean clothes, jungkook walked back to their bedroom. jimin was already out of the shower, standing near the dresser, drying his damp hair with a soft towel. his movements were slow, almost mechanical.

"jimin, let's talk," jungkook said quietly, stepping fully into the room.

"okay," jimin replied in a small voice. he set the towel aside and walked over to the small sofa near the window. he sat down, and jungkook took the seat directly in front of him. their knees brushed against each other; the distance between them was small, intimate, yet it felt heavy with everything unsaid.

jungkook took a deep breath. "i want to say sorry first... for making you cry last night."

jimin quickly shook his head. "it's okay, kookie. my drunk self is always dramatic." he let out a small, awkward chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

jungkook managed a faint smile, but it disappeared quickly as his expression turned serious again.

"i want to tell you something. you asked me yesterday if i knew hanuel before, and i said yes, i did." jungkook's voice was low, careful.

jimin nodded silently, encouraging him to continue.

"hanuel... he's my ex-boyfriend." jungkook paused, watching jimin's face, but there was no immediate reaction. "three years ago, i met him at a café. from that day, he kept coming after me. he asked me out repeatedly, told me he loved me. i rejected him many times, but he never stopped. after almost a year, i decided to give him a chance. we started dating."

jungkook looked down at his hands for a moment before meeting jimin's eyes again. "but even then, i stayed cold. i'm not good with emotions. i've always been alone, focused only on work. work has always been my first priority—more important than anything else. because of that, i cancelled most of our dates. i barely messaged him. i never asked how his day was, never checked on him. he was the one always reaching out, always asking about me."

he took another deep breath. "because i kept ignoring him, he started drifting away. slowly, i began to like him—not deeply, not the way people talk about love, but enough to see him as a friend. i don't have many friends, so he became more like a close friend than a boyfriend to me. i don't believe in true love, or at least i didn't back then. but i started appreciating him as someone i could rely on. i told myself that when he came back from america, i would stop being so distant. i would try to be friendlier, more present."