My Professor Agent

chapter 19

Chapter 19 – The Walls Around His Heart

POV – Taehyung

"So… how are things going between you two?" Kai asked casually, though his tone was laced with curiosity as he flipped through a stack of papers on the coffee table.

"You two?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.

"Yes. You and Jungkook."

The name landed like a stone in Taehyung’s chest. His posture stiffened. "Don’t talk indirectly with me, Kai. You know I hate it."

Kai leaned back into the sofa, eyes sharp but voice calm. "I’m not talking indirectly. You’re just refusing to understand."

Taehyung put down the pen he was holding, giving Kai his full attention now. "Then say what you want to say."

"Alright then," Kai said firmly. "Listen, Tae. I’m not trying to interfere in your personal life, but don’t you think… maybe you should forgive Jungkook? Maybe even give yourself a chance?"

Taehyung’s face darkened, his brows furrowed. "Wait—what? Forgiveness I can understand, but what is this about giving myself a chance? Where is this coming from?"

Kai sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You know exactly what I mean. Taehyung, you and I both know Jungkook loves you."

"So?" Taehyung shot back, cold and dismissive.

"So," Kai pressed on, "I think Jungkook is a good person—if you can forget that stupid, cruel prank from the past."

Taehyung scoffed, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Kai, you’re thinking too highly of him."

"No, Tae. I just want the best for you."

"The best?" Taehyung repeated, his voice tightening. "You think me… being with Jungkook is what’s best?"

"Yes," Kai answered without hesitation. "Maybe with him, or if not him, then someone else. But you need to try. You’ve locked your heart away for years, Tae. You can’t live like that forever. You deserve to move on."

Taehyung’s throat tightened. His hand curled into a fist at his side. "Kai, stop."

Kai’s voice softened, almost pleading. "Tae, listen. I’m not trying to offend you, but you can’t keep living in the past. You can’t let that one wound control the rest of your life. It’s been years. You’ve carried it for too long."

A silence stretched in the room, heavy and suffocating.

Taehyung finally spoke, his voice low, sharp, but trembling beneath the surface. "Kai… I ended those conversations years ago. Don’t bring them back again. Please."

Kai looked at him for a long moment, reading the pain hidden in his eyes, before sighing in defeat.

But he couldn’t stop himself from one last push. "You should give yourself a chance, Tae. Jungkook… he’s not perfect, but he truly loves you. And deep down, you know it."

That broke Taehyung’s patience. He stood abruptly, gathering the papers off the table. "I think I’m done talking. I’ll check these by myself. You can leave now."

Kai’s lips parted, as if to say more, but when he looked at Taehyung’s closed-off expression—his walls rising higher than ever—he simply exhaled and rose from the sofa.

Casting one last look at Taehyung disappearing into his bedroom, Kai whispered to the empty room, "One day, you’ll have to face it, Tae. One day those walls won’t protect you anymore."