「sakook」unstrung hearts

Chapter 4: Echos of Love Lost

When the soft knock echoed through her apartment, Sana felt an unexpected twinge of anxiety. She took a moment to compose herself, then crossed the room and opened the door. Standing on her doorstep was Taehyung, a familiar figure made stranger by the circumstances. His once vibrant self seemed to have been replaced by a more muted version. He appeared thinner, his eyes carried a weariness that spoke volumes about his recent days. His usual playful sparkle seemed to be extinguished, replaced by exhaustion that seemed both physical and emotional.

"Hey," he greeted her, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey," Sana replied, stepping aside to let him in. "My manager hasn't arrived yet. Make yourself comfortable. I'll get you some coffee."

She disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Taehyung alone in her living room. He glanced around the space, each familiar corner rekindling old memories of time spent together. His gaze lingered on the cosy nook where they'd often curled up together and shared whispered kisses, the kitchen counter where they'd prepared countless meals together, and the old record player still holding the vinyl of their favourite album that they used to dance the nights away to. It all felt too intimate, too achingly familiar, and the weight of what they had lost wrapped around him like a vice.

She was still just as captivating as ever, her presence filling the apartment with a warmth that had once been his to enjoy. Regret stirred within him as he thought about their parting; his inaction, his silence when she'd walked away. He wished he could rewind time, stop her from saying their goodbye, and prevent the heartbreak that now haunted him.

"I'm sorry that this has happened," he broke the silence, his voice carrying a sincere apology as the rhythmic hum of the coffee grinder filled the air.

Sana paused, reaching into the cupboard to retrieve a coffee cup. "Do you know who might have caused this?"

"I don't know," Taehyung replied, the furrow in his brow deepening. "But we're working on finding out." He fell silent for a moment, his gaze serious. "I'm worried about you, Sana."

The sudden concern in his voice made her feel a little uneasy. "Why?"

He thought about his fans, the passionate, sometimes excessively zealous crowd who wouldn't think twice before attacking her online or making a scene at her shows. "I just think it's a good idea to hire a bodyguard for you, at least until this dies down."

"It's okay, Taehyung," Sana assured him, shaking her head gently. "I'm not a stranger to staying under the radar. I'll lay low until all of this blows over."

Taehyung watched as Sana moved around the kitchen with practised ease, her hands carrying out the familiar ritual of making coffee. Every move, every gesture stirred up memories that made his heart thrum in his chest. It had been weeks of futile attempts to reach her, weeks of waking up to silence instead of her soft 'good morning', weeks of yearning for the woman who was now just a few steps away.

"You know what?" he began, breaking the silence that had enveloped the room, "For some reason, I'm kind of relieved that it's out in the public." The words hung in the air, carrying a weight that seemed almost palpable.

Before he could rethink, he found himself crossing the small distance between them, wrapping his arms around her from behind in a desperate hug. It was a spontaneous display of the emotions that had been surging within him, a silent plea for the connection they once shared.

"Taehyung, what are you doing?" Sana stammered, startled by his unexpected embrace.

His reply was heavy with emotion, every word echoing the anguish he'd been living with. "The last few weeks without you have been unbearable. I feel like a soulless ghost." His head found the crook of her neck, his breath warming her skin as he tightened his grip on her. "I missed you so fucking much."

Sana's response was a choked whisper, a plea laced with sadness, "Taehyung... please don't do this right now."

He couldn't let go. Not when he was this close to her, not when he had so much left to say. "Come back to me. We don't have to hide anymore," he pleaded. "Isn't that what you were worried about?"

She stayed silent for a moment, her mind racing. The concerns that had once seemed monumental now felt strangely insignificant. Yet, the echoes of Jungkook's confession lingered, adding another layer of complexity to her tangled emotions. "It's not that simple, Taehyung," she finally found her voice. "When I finally worked up the courage to break things off with you, the tie between us...it was torn apart."

Taehyung's brows knitted together in frustration, shaking his head vehemently. "Then we'll take the time and fix it together," he urged. He turned her gently to face him, his hands cupping her face as he searched her eyes. "You still have feelings for me, don't you?" His hand moved to cradle hers, his fingers tracing the contours of her palm. "I don't want to live in a world without you."

Sana found herself unable to meet his gaze, her eyes darting around the room as she searched for an escape from the intensity of his stare. "This is really not a good time to talk about us, Tae. You should be focusing on handling the news," she managed to choke out.

Unfazed by her diversion, Taehyung gently cupped her cheek, his thumb softly tracing her skin in an attempt to coax her eyes back to his. "I don't give a shit if my career takes a hit. I need you more than anything," he said, each word brimming with an unmistakable urgency. "Please, can you think about this?"

Sana finally allowed her gaze to meet his. She took in the sight of him: his eyes tired, his cheeks gaunt, dark circles underlining his eyes. She had never seen him this worn down. Had the separation affected him this deeply? No, it wasn't just the separation. It was her. She was the one who had caused his pain. She knew it. But causing him pain meant she felt it too. The breakup was one of the most difficult decisions she had ever made.

Her mind reverberated with Jungkook's confession again, the words pulsing like a heartbeat.

"What I'm saying is, I'm fucking in love with you, Sana."

She needed time to process, time to figure out her feelings. Dealing with both situations simultaneously felt like trying to navigate through a storm.

Just as she was struggling to muster the right words, the trill of the doorbell echoed through the apartment, pulling her back into reality. It was a lifeline, an unexpected interruption that provided a temporary escape from the emotional cyclone they were entwined in. Taehyung's grip loosened as she shifted, and she quickly pulled herself free, placing a necessary physical distance between them.

"I'll get the door," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with unspoken emotions and the bitter aftertaste of what could have been. Without another glance at Taehyung, she moved towards the door, her back stiff and her heart pounding in her chest.

And as she disappeared from his sight, Taehyung was left standing in the echoing silence of the apartment. The ticking clock seemed to grow louder in the stillness, each second punctuating the space between them. He watched her retreating figure, the distance between them seeming to grow with each passing moment. But he held on to the shreds of their shared warmth, the memories that filled every corner of the apartment. Was this really the end of their relationship? It couldn't be. 

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