Second Chance

Chapter 04

They both pulled away from each other and sat down near the lake, the moonlight reflecting off the water. Jungkook rested his head on Tae’s shoulder, feeling the warmth and comfort of his presence.

Suddenly, Jungkook broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. “Tae, when I was brought to the palace after my parents died, I was just five years old. You were the only one who paid any attention to me. No one from the palace, not even the children of the servants, played with me. I became so attached to you, but I always felt jealous when you gave more attention to Bam than to me. Still, I never had the courage to complain. And then, after three years of friendship, you left Korea to study abroad, and I was left alone again.

"When Mingyu arrived at the palace, he was alone, just like me. We grew up together, and I always talked to him about you. I don’t know when it happened, but I started having feelings for you. I’ve always suppressed them because I knew it was against our traditions. No matter how much I tried to deny my feelings, my love for you only grew stronger every day. When I heard the news of your return, I was so afraid. Afraid that you might already be in a relationship with another prince or princess.”

Tae took Jungkook’s hand in his, pressing soft kisses to calm him down.

“I love you so much, Tae,” Jungkook said, tears streaming down his face. “I always have, and I always will.” He sobbed harder, overwhelmed by his emotions.

Tae pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s shaking frame, his hand gently rubbing soothing circles on his back. He whispered comforting words, trying to ease the pain Jungkook had kept buried for so long.

After a few moments, Jungkook pulled back and reached for his wrist, removing a beautiful golden bracelet adorned with a few rubies that he always wore. “Tae, I don’t have anything more precious than this bracelet. My mom gave it to me on my fifth birthday. It’s very special to me, and I want to give it to someone even more precious than this bracelet.” He took Tae’s hand and gently clasped the bracelet onto his wrist, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Tae watched with a tender expression, his eyes filled with love for the younger boy. He hadn’t spoken a word during Jungkook’s heartfelt confession, too absorbed in the sight of his beloved. Once Jungkook finished securing the bracelet, Tae finally spoke, his voice soft. “I’ll never take it off, bun. I’ll always keep it close to me. I’ll consider it a gift from my mother-in-law, and I’ll return this bracelet to you after our wedding.”

Jungkook’s cheeks flushed a deep red at Tae’s words. He knew Tae would tease him if he noticed the blush, so he quickly changed the subject. “Tae, what if someone finds out about our relationship?”

“You don’t need to worry about that, bun,” Tae replied, his voice reassuring. “I’ll take care of everything. Besides, how long were you planning to keep it a secret?”

Jungkook thought for a moment, his expression turning serious. “Tae, I have some conditions, and you have to agree to them.”

Tae chuckled softly, nodding. “Anything for my bun.”

Jungkook blushed again, taking a deep breath before continuing. “First, I want our relationship to be a secret until we’re both ready to fully commit to each other. Until we both decide to get married.”

Tae raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin spreading across his face as he repeated, “Until we both decide to get married.”

Jungkook playfully punched Tae’s chest. “Listen to me carefully, Tae, or I’ll leave right now.”

Tae immediately nodded, still grinning. “Condition one is accepted.”

Encouraged, Jungkook went on. “Second, we won’t touch each other intimately before we get married. Do you, Prince Kim Taehyung, accept this second condition?”