Painted It Black ✓

2

⚠️: t/w

2 |

    When Christmas morning came, happiness bloomed inside Taehyung's chest, a joie de vivre, as he began to rouse from his sated slumber. With his eyes still closed, he reached out for Jin as his side of the bed seemed bereft of his warmth --- but there was no one beside him.

    He opened his eyes in an instant as panic settled in at the pit of his stomach. He sat up on the bed, checking and listening in on his surroundings. He noted how cold Jin's side was, as if he had woken up for hours already.

    "Jin?" he called out, his voice hoarse and wary.

    There was no response.

    "Babe?"

    Taehyung got out of the bed, about to search for his fiancé who could just be around the house, when his eyes finally caught sight of his diamond engagement ring laying on top of the vanity table.

    The piece of jewelry looked so out of place as it laid alone --- so ordinary.

    The ring only looked timeless, elegant and right in Jin's finger.

    He stood frozen in the middle of their room, tears beginning to fall as he put a hand over his mouth so as to muffle his own uncontrollable sobs. Looking at the ring, he instinctively knew Jin had finally let go and left him.

    He knew it was Jin's way of saying goodbye to him and what they had.

***

    Taehyung willed himself not to cry.

    Well, at least not in front of their friends and his own family.

    "Hey, where is Jin?" Hyungshik asked as he stood around him.

    "You don't look so good. Are you okay?" Seojun added, staring at him with a worried look.

    "Just sit down, hyungs," he muttered, dreading the possible questions he was about to face like a man on trial. "I'm fine."

    He scanned the whole place and the faces of the people who came, his anxious eyes meeting the good old psychiatrist Dr. Jang's encouraging ones sitting at a nearby table and close to where he was seated. He nodded his head at him, signalling him to start before the invited guests' loud chatters would start to drive him in a frenzy of jitters and anxiety.

    He gulped the lump in his throat, looking down on the tiled floor, ashamed. He might as well had worn the scarlet letter just to get this over and done with. Mustering up his courage which was not there, he grabbed all of the guests' attention. "Everyone! Evening! I hope your holidays are well spent!"

    Warm laughters and a bunch of "Yes!" filled the room --- Taehyung was so sorry for the dismay that was about to come.

    "Thank you for coming tonight. I know it's so sudden, but Jin and I actually have a very important announcement to make," he continued, clenching his fists as anxiety buzzed in his ear.

    "Wait. Where's Jinnie? Aren't you going to announce whatever it is together?" Moonbyul questioned as her brows furrowed. "Tae?"