Invisible Affection | Taejin

8. Silent Struggle

As soon as Jimin caught sight of Taehyung, he couldn't help but call out, "Taehyung!" in his usual cheerful tone.

Hoseok turned his head towards Taehyung, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "You still work here? I thought you got fired," he commented.

Taehyung reassured, "No, I still work here. I was away for a bit," as he tightened his grip on the tablet, trying to dispel the edgy feeling from his sweaty palms.

Jimin eagerly asked, "Oh, where did you go? Did you go somewhere fun? Who did you go with?" His ears perked up, anticipation evident as he awaited Taehyung's response.

Taehyung nervously cleared his throat and fidgeted, shuffling his feet uneasily. "I just went home for a little while," he explained.

"Well, that's boring," Hoseok chimed in as he rolled his eyes. "Here I thought Seokjin snuck you off to the U.S. with him. I should've known better, though. That's not something he would do."

"Is Seokjin currently in the United States?" Taehyung asked immediately after Hoseok shared the information.

Jimin found himself amused by Taehyung's question and responded, "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I just...I haven't seen him around, and it's unusual for the two of you to be here without him, so I was curious," Taehyung said, his voice tinged with worry and longing. He wanted to ask whether the absence was temporary or if it marked a permanent departure. Despite not having the answer, the weight of suspense added to the burden on his already broken heart.

"It feels odd, doesn't it?" Hoseok said with a wistful sigh. "I was just telling Jimin the same thing - it feels strange to go out without Seokjin. He left so suddenly that we didn't even get to see him. But I can understand why he wanted to spend a few months with his parents. They are the best! I would have gone there too, but the darn president of our university refused my request and even threatened to inform my father."

With a chuckle, Jimin teased, "He did approve my request, but I decided not to go because you begged me not to."

"That's because your dad called him. He knew my dad would never approve of that for me. And don't act like you didn't go only because I begged you not to. Seokjin also told you not to come," Hoseok reminded Jimin as he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever! It doesn't matter now that he's on his way back. My life can finally return to normal. It's been so boring and annoying."

"Likewise. I miss the days when he called me early in the morning. These days, all I receive from him are brief emoji responses to my messages," Hoseok's expression soured as he reminisced about his best friend and their shift to communicating primarily through text messages.

"That's because you are always writing things like, 'Are you okay?', 'When are you coming back?', 'My life is not the same without you,' and 'I miss you!' You know Seokjin, he doesn't care about that. He wants the real deal of what's going on. That's why I text him a log of everything I am doing and send him pictures and videos at the end of every day to show him what he is missing by not being here with us. He always responds to those and still gives me advice on my nonexistent relationship with Jungkook."

"You leave him with no choice; you write him an endless book every time. Naturally, he has to respond so you can stop!"

"Exactly! Why do you think I do it? I know how to get a response at all times. Something you don't know how to do!"

Hoseok shook his head in disbelief and said, "No wonder your relationship with Jungkook is how it is."

"That's probably true," Jimin said in agreement. "But at this moment, I couldn't care less about him. With Seokjin returning, I feel like my confidence will be restored, and I can finally move on from Jungkook once again. What do you think about celebrating his return with a party?"