LACUNA | YOONMIN (Under Editing)

6

*He was never mine but losing him broke my heart, but how do you say goodbye when your heart wants to stand by.*
                                                     -TMYstories
                

2015 September from Yoongi's narrative.

I was becoming more withdrawn day by day.

Two weeks before I went to Italy, I went to Daegu for a few days to see Geum-Jae and say goodbye.

By chance, I also came across my childhood friends, and I did a few activities to distract myself.

Since Geum-Jae said that he couldn't come to the farewell party that Jimin organized for me and that he was very busy with work, I made it easier for both of us.

"You looked better when I left you," he said, studying me closely. "You don’t look like someone ready to start a new life. Honestly, it feels like we’re forcing you to leave."

He sat across from me in his suit, looking every bit the responsible older brother, the serious guy who runs a company. And there I was, feeling like the younger sibling he was worried about.

"Yeah," I sighed, giving a small smile. "I guess I’ve had better days."

He paused, setting his fork down and leaning back with a more concerned look. "I told you to call me when things got rough," he said gently. "You don’t have to go through this alone, you know."

I quickly cut in, not wanting him to take it too seriously. "Hey, I came here to hang out, okay? To have a good time and say goodbye properly. I don’t want you worrying about me."

We both just looked at each other, each of us trying to read the other.

"Look," he said, finally leaning forward, "I know I haven’t been around much since I moved to Daegu. I had to make a choice—I couldn’t let someone else take over Dad’s company. But if you’re ready to step up and take it over here, I’d gladly hand it to you."

I let out a long breath, feeling the weight of it all. "There’s no need for that. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and so does Dad. Besides," I added with a small grin, "when you get married one day, you’ll already have a solid, respectable job. You’ll be the perfect catch—Min Geum-Jae, the CEO."

He laughed, a big, genuine laugh, and I found myself laughing too.

"Listen to this punk," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Talking about marriage like he’s grown up all of sudden."

At least he had the option. Sure, Mom always supported me, but Dad would sometimes drop little hints about marriage. And I’d just give him the usual answers, hoping it would keep him off my back a bit longer.

His chest heaved with distress, and he let out a deep breath. He squeezed my shoulder and lowered his voice.

This was one of those rare times when Geum-Jae was dead serious. I didn’t want to admit it, but the tension was getting to me.

"Yoongi, I’ve been waiting a long time for you to open up to me," he said, voice calm but firm. "I’m aware of everything."

My eyes went wide. "Y-You’re aware of what? What exactly do you know?"

He gave me a steady look, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Well, it seems you’re still not ready to tell me everything. That’s okay. I just want you to know that no matter what you do, I have your back. I’ll never let you down. Okay?"

I stared at him, mouth hanging open, too stunned to respond. As if he hadn’t just shaken me up completely, Geum-Jae leaned back in his chair and went on with his meal like nothing happened.