Friends to Lovers

part one

haha, you would like to hear that, wouldn't you ;p

Jungkook frowned at the strange notification that lit up the screen of his wife's watch just as he was about to pick her up and take her to bed. She'd been drinking wine in the living room and watching a movie while he'd been working in the study, and when he was done and came to check in with her, she'd fallen asleep. Her phone was face down on the couch beside her, but he could see the notification on her watch.

A deep, troubled, sick feeling settled in him at the words he read. It grew stronger as he considered the implications behind them and the emoji, and who it was from. Why was his friend messaging his wife so late, and why was the message giving off a flirtatious vibe?

He swallowed, conflicted about invading her privacy or letting it go. Maybe it was nothing, maybe he was reading too much into it and it was just a friendly conversation... But he'd never seen the two of them interact much, and Seoji had never spoken about Jihoon to him. Something told him he wasn't overthinking, and he couldn't stand it. He had to know.

He picked up her phone and opened it with facial recognition. He felt some kind of relief at that; she hadn't changed that he could also access her devices. Not that he ever had, nor she. It was a display of trust and security between them, because they had nothing to hide. Until he opened the messaging app and a felt a rock sink into his stomach and his heart shatter inside his ribcage.

Horrified, Jungkook felt hot and sweaty. His pulse jumped rapidly as betrayal clawed at his chest and he dropped the phone to the floor and fled from the room until he was bent over the kitchen sink, a hand clasped over his mouth as he dry-retched from the nausea that twisted his stomach.

Cheating. Sexting. His wife was sending messages to one of his friends - not just flirting but begging, begging, for sex. He gagged, unable to process until he put the tap on and splashed cold water over his face. He stared as the water washed down the stainless steel basin, disappearing into the drain. Pain lanced through his chest and he struggled to breath. He couldn't understand what he'd just read, but he couldn't deny it. The words were burned into his eyes, mocking him.

Heat pricked behind his eyes and he rubbed at them furiously. He couldn't be in the house anymore, he couldn't be anywhere near her, or that phone or he didn't know what he'd do. His pain was morphing into anger, and despite the cold temperatures outside, he quickly grabbed a jacket on the rack by the door, shoved his feet into his boots, and stormed out into the cooler night air.

He walked until he couldn't walk anymore and his mind was as numb as his body. He sat under walking bridge over a creek, and finally, he cried.

Dawn broke through and Jungkook was woken from his restless, uncomfortable sleep by the sound of barking dogs nearby.

Waking was unpleasant. The memories of the previous night hadn't faded in his sleep, they were at the front of his mind as soon as his consciousness returned. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Go home and confront her? Drop it? Pretend everything was fine and happy and just like he thought it was?

Disgust and betrayal swirled in his gut, replacing the numbness he'd fallen asleep wrapped in. He didn't know what to do, he loved his wife.

The thought and absence of anything made him pause. His nose scrunched and his lips twisted. Did he love his wife? Was it possible to fall out of love just like that, because he couldn't find the emotion anywhere. All he could feel was betrayed and hurt. He was angry, disgusted, and felt an overwhelming desire to never see or speak to Seoji ever again.

But, fuck. He groaned. He'd left everything in the house in his rush to escape; his phone, his wallet, everything. He had no choice but to go back home and see her. And he was cold as hell. His fingers were painfully numb and his nose was frozen. With a heavy sigh, Jungkook pushed himself up from the dirty, cold ground, sniffed and wiped at his freezing face and started the walk back home. He was probably going to get sick from being out all night in the cold weather - weird how that sounded worse to him than breaking up with his wife of six years.