Love Again

5

As the door clicked shut behind Yoongi and J-Hope, Seokjin found himself alone again in the vast, luxurious suite. The silence was overwhelming, the emptiness of the room almost suffocating as he sat there, his body numb and his heart shattered into a million pieces. He thought he had no more tears left to cry, but they kept coming, spilling down his cheeks like a river that couldn't be stopped. His head throbbed with the pain of it all—emotional and physical—and he felt like he was losing control of himself.

Seokjin leaned back into the plush cushions of the couch, pressing his palms against his temples, trying to ease the pounding headache that was beginning to build. His chest felt heavy, and each breath he took was labored, as though the air in the room was thick with sorrow. He wanted to escape, to numb the pain that was consuming him from the inside out, to forget everything—Taehyung, the betrayal, the love that had once filled his heart but was now tainted with hurt.

He couldn't take it anymore. He needed something—anything—to release him from the weight of his emotions.

Without thinking, Seokjin reached for the phone beside him and dialed the number for room service. When the operator answered, his voice was hoarse from crying, but his words were sharp and decisive.

"I want the most expensive wine you have," he said, his voice barely above a whisper but firm nonetheless. "And not just one bottle—send me ten."

The operator hesitated for a moment, perhaps surprised by the unusual request, but Seokjin didn't care. He needed this. He needed to drown out the pain, to numb himself with something stronger than the overwhelming grief that had consumed him for days.

"Right away, sir," the operator finally replied, and Seokjin hung up the phone without another word.

He knew it was reckless, maybe even dangerous, but he didn't care. He felt like he was spiraling, like the only way to cope was to push everything away, to lose himself in something that would help him forget. The waiting felt like an eternity, his mind racing as he thought about everything that had led him to this point. How had things gone so wrong? How had the love he'd shared with Taehyung for five years crumbled in front of his eyes?

By the time room service arrived with the wine, Seokjin was barely holding it together. The staff wheeled in a cart with the bottles, all elegantly displayed in ice buckets. Seokjin gave them a quick nod of acknowledgment, not bothering to hide the fact that his eyes were red and swollen from crying. The staff left quietly, leaving him alone with the bottles.

He uncorked the first one, pouring himself a glass of the deep red liquid. Without a second thought, he downed it in one go, barely tasting the richness of the wine as it burned its way down his throat. The warmth was immediate, spreading through his chest and dulling the edges of his pain, just like he wanted.

He poured another glass, then another, until he stopped bothering with the glass and drank straight from the bottle. It wasn't long before he felt the familiar haze of intoxication begin to settle over him, blurring the sharpness of his thoughts and dulling the ache in his heart.

But even as he drank, the pain wouldn't fully disappear. Taehyung's face, his voice, his touch—they were still there, lingering in the back of Seokjin's mind. No amount of alcohol could completely erase the memories, the hurt, or the love that still existed despite everything.

Halfway through the second bottle, Seokjin leaned back into the couch, his vision swimming as he stared up at the ceiling. The wine was doing its job, but the sadness was still there, clinging to him like a shadow that refused to let go.

He closed his eyes, letting the alcohol wash over him, and for a moment, he allowed himself to forget. Forget the pain, forget Taehyung, forget everything. Just for a moment, he could pretend that none of it had happened.