Unspoken Ties

Chapter-1 Despicable

Annyeong!

August 1,2022

Gazing at the wall clock for what feels like the hundredth time, your fingers twitch against the fabric of your dress. The rhythmic ticking echoes in the silence of the house, each passing second weighing heavily on your chest. Anxiety coils in your stomach, twisting tighter with every minute he doesn't return.

Your eyes drift toward the locked door, a lump forming in your throat.

Where is he? Why isn't he home yet?

The questions plague your mind, and no matter how hard you try to push them away, they refuse to leave. A terrifying thought creeps in, uninvited and merciless.

What if something happened to him?

Your breath hitches, and instinctively, your hands clasp together in silent prayer.

Please, just let him be safe. Let him come home.

The eerie stillness in the room amplifies the storm brewing inside you, and just when you feel like you're drowning in worry-

Ding-dong.

The shrill chime of the doorbell startles you. Your head snaps up.

Heart hammering against your ribs, you rush to the door and pull it open.

And there he is.

Your husband, Jungkook.

The first thing you notice is how utterly exhausted he looks. His usually composed and immaculate appearance is in complete disarray-his crisp, ironed tuxedo now a wrinkled mess, his neatly combed hair damp with sweat and falling over his forehead. His tie hangs loose, and his once-polished shoes are scuffed and slightly muddy. The faint scent of rain and exhaustion clings to him.

It's an image so foreign to the man you know.

Jungkook, the man who thrives on control and perfection, now looks anything but.

You hesitate for a moment before stepping aside, giving him space to enter.

"Welcome home... J-Jungkook," you whisper, voice barely above a breath.

Six months of marriage, yet his name still stumbles off your tongue, as if your lips refuse to shape it properly. As if speaking it aloud solidifies the painful truth of this cold, distant relationship.

He doesn't acknowledge your greeting. No nod, no word of response-just a fleeting glance before he steps inside, shoulders heavy with fatigue.

But you're used to this.

It has always been this way.

Your conversations-or the lack of them-are an endless cycle of silence and dismissive replies. You have tried, countless times, to bridge the distance between you, but before you can even get close, he shuts you out.

Still, you try again.

Jungkook exhales a heavy sigh and drops onto the couch, rubbing his temples. You linger for a moment before retreating into the kitchen. Within seconds, you return, a glass of cold water in hand.

"J... Jungkook."

His gaze lifts to you, eyes dull with exhaustion. He takes the glass without hesitation, tilting his head back and draining it in one go.

Your fingers tighten around the edge of your dress. Summoning the courage you rarely find, you ask, "I-I guess there was a lot of work at the office today?"

A pause.

Then-

"Hmm."

Just that.