SCARRED AFFECTIONS

Chapter 7

The day Jungkook walked out of Taehyung's life, he felt like he had lost a piece of himself. His chest was heavy, weighed down by a sorrow he couldn't shake. That sorrow grew heavier with every passing moment, but the first two days after the breakup were the hardest.

Jungkook had taken time off from his teaching job, calling in sick and spending the entirety of those two days locked in his room. The sunlight barely peeked through his drawn curtains as if even the day didn't dare disturb the pain he was drowning in. He didn't eat, he couldn't sleep. Every time he tried to close his eyes, memories of Taehyung flooded his mind-the way Taehyung would smile at him, the feel of his arms around him, the whispered confessions of love in the dead of night.

He cried so much that his eyes became red and swollen, but the tears never seemed to run out. His heart ached with a deep, unbearable longing. Why had it come to this? Why couldn't love be enough to change everything? Jungkook thought he had loved Taehyung enough to make things work, but maybe love wasn't strong enough to erase the shadows of Taehyung's life.

"Jungkook, sweetie, you have to eat something," Mrs. Jeon's gentle voice broke the silence of his room. She stood by the door, concern etched across her face as she held a tray of food. It had been two days since Jungkook had eaten anything substantial, and his parents were growing more and more worried about him.

"I'm not hungry, eomma," Jungkook muttered, not even looking up from his curled position on the bed.

His mother sat beside him on the bed and stroked his hair, her heart breaking as she watched her son suffer. "I know it hurts, baby, but you can't do this to yourself. You can't keep shutting yourself away like this. We're here for you, always."

"I just need some time," Jungkook whispered, though his voice was strained, as if it took every bit of strength he had left to speak. "It's... so hard. I can't stop thinking about him."

"I know, sweetheart," she said, hugging him close. "But you're strong, Jungkook. You'll get through this."

Even though he nodded, he wasn't sure if he believed her.

Meanwhile, Taehyung wasn't faring any better. The moment Jungkook left him, Taehyung had thrown himself into work, trying desperately to occupy his mind. He immersed himself in the endless demands of being a mafia leader, barking orders, attending meetings, and making decisions that affected his entire empire. But no matter how much work he took on, no matter how many distractions he tried to create, his mind always drifted back to Jungkook.

Late at night, when the world went quiet and the shadows settled in, that's when the loneliness hit the hardest. Taehyung would sit in his office, staring at his phone, hoping, praying that Jungkook would call or message him back. But every time he opened their chat, there was only silence.

"Please, baby, I'm sorry. I love you so much. Please forgive me," Taehyung had texted countless times, his fingers trembling as he hit send. He called too, again and again, but Jungkook never picked up. The silence was suffocating, and each unanswered message felt like another blow, slowly sealing the fate of their relationship.

Once, Taehyung had nearly driven over to Jungkook's apartment, but he stopped himself. He didn't know if he could handle seeing Jungkook turn him away. His heart was already in pieces, and he didn't think he could take another blow.

"I don't know what to do without you, Kook," Taehyung whispered to himself, staring at a picture of them together on his phone. The smile on Jungkook's face in that picture was pure, filled with so much love and warmth. But now, that smile seemed like a distant memory, a dream that was slipping further and further away.

---

On the third day, Jungkook finally forced himself to get out of bed. His body felt heavy, his eyes were dull, and his heart was still aching, but he knew he couldn't keep hiding from the world. He had responsibilities-his students were waiting for him.

Jungkook dressed mechanically, trying not to think about the emptiness in his chest. He had to push through this, even though it felt impossible. Stepping out of his room, he found his mother waiting in the hallway, her eyes filled with hope.

"You're going to work today?" she asked softly.

Jungkook nodded. "I can't stay here forever, eomma."

Mrs. Jeon smiled gently and kissed his forehead. "I'm proud of you, Kookie. I know how hard this is, but you're doing the right thing."

---

At school, Jungkook tried to focus on his teaching, but his mind was scattered. The kids noticed that their usually lively and energetic teacher was quieter than usual, his smiles not reaching his eyes. But Jungkook pushed through. He couldn't afford to break down, not here.

But every time his phone buzzed with a new message, his heart would leap, hoping it was Taehyung, hoping that maybe... just maybe, Taehyung had changed. But then he'd remember. He couldn't go back. He couldn't keep putting himself through the pain of loving someone whose life was filled with so much darkness.

Taehyung's messages, pleading for forgiveness, piled up on his phone. Jungkook read each one, his heart aching with every word, but he didn't respond. He couldn't. It hurt too much.

---

Meanwhile, Taehyung's world was unraveling. He missed Jungkook so much that it felt like a physical pain in his chest. Every time he tried to sleep, all he could think about was how empty the other side of the bed was without Jungkook beside him. Every moment of silence in his office felt suffocating, the void left by Jungkook's absence becoming unbearable.

Taehyung wasn't used to this kind of loss. He had been through dangerous missions, life-threatening situations, but nothing had ever felt as painful as losing Jungkook. No amount of power, wealth, or control could fix the hole in his heart.

At night, Taehyung drank to numb the pain. His brother Hyunjin would find him with a bottle of whiskey in one hand, staring at his phone with tear-stained eyes, waiting for a message that never came.

One night, after far too many drinks, Taehyung grabbed his phone with trembling hands. His vision was blurry, and his head was spinning, but he needed to reach out, needed to say something to Jungkook.

"I miss you... you're the best thing that ever happened to me," Taehyung typed with shaking fingers before sending the message.

He stared at the screen, waiting, his heart pounding in his chest. The minutes felt like hours as he waited for a reply. When his phone finally buzzed, he grabbed it, hope rising in his chest. But when he read the message, it felt like his world had crumbled all over again.

"Move on, Taehyung."

The words cut deeper than any wound Taehyung had ever experienced. Move on? How could Jungkook ask him to do that? Did that mean... Jungkook had moved on?

Tears blurred his vision as Taehyung tried to reply, tried to send something back, but before he could, his phone showed the dreaded message: "You have been blocked."

It was like the final blow, the last shred of hope being ripped away from him. Jungkook had blocked him.

Taehyung put his phone down and wiped the tears that had begun to fall uncontrollably down his cheeks. He chuckled bitterly, the sound hollow and broken. This was it. The last thread between him and Jungkook had been severed.

Taehyung lay down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. His heart was bleeding, his soul was shattered, and yet, there was nothing he could do to fix it. He wished, in that moment, that he could be reborn as someone else. Someone without the burden of his family's legacy.

Someone who could love Jungkook the way he deserved.

As Taehyung's eyes fluttered shut, he whispered to the darkness, "I love you, Jungkookie."

And with that, he let the alcohol take him under, sinking into a dreamless sleep where, for a moment, the pain ceased to exist.

to be continued....