SCARRED AFFECTIONS

Chapter 11

The doorbell rang sharply through the quiet apartment, breaking the stillness of the evening. Jungkook, surprised, hesitated before moving to answer it. When he opened the door, he found Taehyung standing there, looking both determined and troubled.

"I need to talk to you," Taehyung said firmly, his voice edged with an urgency that made Jungkook's heart race.

Jungkook's eyes widened at the sight of his ex-lover. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "Alright. Come in," he said, stepping aside to let Taehyung enter.

As Taehyung crossed the threshold into Jungkook's apartment, a tight knot of tension settled in his chest. Jungkook closed the door behind him, but before he could turn around, Taehyung's frustration erupted. He spun Jungkook around and pushed him roughly against the wall, his hands gripping Jungkook's shoulders.

Jungkook's eyes widened in shock, and he struggled against Taehyung's hold. "Taehyung! What are you—"

"How could you give someone else the place I had?" Taehyung's voice was a seething whisper, his eyes blazing with anger and hurt.

Jungkook tried to push Taehyung away, but Taehyung's grip was unyielding. "Let go of me, Taehyung! You're hurting me."

"Hurting you?" Taehyung's voice cracked with raw emotion.

"Aren't you hurting me every day since you broke up with me? Do you even know how much my heart aches without you?"

The pain in Taehyung's voice cut through Jungkook's own hurt.

"Taehyung leave me" He struggled to free himself, but Taehyung's grip didn't loosen. "Why are you with Mingyu?!" Taehyung shouted, his voice rising in a mixture of fury and desperation. "Why him?"

Jungkook's eyes flashed with anger. "Because Mingyu is a respectable and legal businessman. He doesn't deal with illegal activities like you do!" The sharpness of his words seemed to cut through the tension between them.

Taehyung's face fell, his eyes filled with pain. The words cut deep, and his grip on Jungkook's wrists loosened slightly. "So that's it? You're with Mingyu because he's 'respectable'? Was that all you ever saw in me? Just my criminal life?"

Jungkook's voice grew more assertive as he spoke, tears streaming down his face. "Yes! I wanted a future, a life where I could be proud of my partner. You never even thought about that. I wanted to marry you, build a life together, but you couldn't offer me any of that. You just used me"

Taehyung let out a sad chuckle, the sound breaking with emotion. "All these five years I loved you unconditionally. But all you did was judge me, thinking I was using you for my needs," he said, his voice tinged with a bitter sadness. "After my parents died, I thought I'd found a safe place in you. But all you did was push me away and replace me without even trying to understand."

"What's there to understand, Taehyung?" Jungkook's voice rose, filled with frustration. "Did you think I'd be with you forever without any future plans? Without marriage or kids? I want a healthy future. I asked you for a guarantee of a good future and family, but you couldn't provide that. I never wanted my children to inherit your dark world. I do relationships to marry, not to be a stress reliever."

Taehyung's eyes were brimming with sorrow, his voice trembling. "You always thought of your side, never mine,"

"You never tried to understand why I needed more time. I couldn't marry you easily because it's a family obligation. My brother isn't interested in the business. If I leave, he'd have to take over, and he's not cut out for it. My rivals would exploit any weakness to get to me. A few months ago, Hyunjin told me one of them had already found out about you, so I don't want to take the risk by marrying you now. I need time to fix everything. And I kept you a secret to protect you, not because I didn't care. I wanted to cherish you privately because I love you so much." Taehyung's voice was heavy with emotion as he finally opened up.

Jungkook's eyes filled with tears, his voice barely a whisper. "I want a normal life, Taehyung. I want to be able to be with you openly, to share our life with the world. We don't have a future if we keep living in secret."

Taehyung's eyes hardened with a mix of frustration and sadness. "Why does the world need to know? Why can't we be happy in our own way? I thought our love was enough."

"That's not how it works, Taehyung!" Jungkook's voice rose, filled with anguish. "We can't keep hiding. It's tearing us apart. Our worlds are so different. I want a future, a family. Not just a hidden relationship."

Taehyung's face grew sad as he heard Jungkook's pain.

"We have no future together, Taehyung. We belong to different worlds. Let's not make it harder for each other. Just leave!" Jungkook's voice cracked with pain, he said this because he knew how painful it was to try and move on from Taehyung.

Seeing him now, so close, only made the process of letting go more excruciating. Jungkook realized that if Taehyung stayed, it would become even more challenging to heal and move forward.

Taehyung's silence was heavy as he absorbed Jungkook's words. His eyes, once fierce with anger, now shimmered with sadness. He finally spoke, his voice trembling. "So, all I can do is leave you alone and not be a burden to you? Is that really what will make you happy?"

His words hung in the air, filled with the pain of a love that had been both cherished and lost. Taehyung's gaze was filled with a deep, unspoken hurt, reflecting the turmoil of someone who had given his heart and love, only to be asked to walk away.

Jungkook turned away, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't bring himself to look at Taehyung. The silence between them was heavy and unbearable.

Taehyung's eyes glistened with tears as he saw Jungkook's despair. "So, silence is your answer?" he murmured softly. Jungkook's shoulders shook as he cried silently.

"If leaving you will make you happy, then I'll do it. I'll go away, even though I know my heart will never stop loving you. I don't want to be a burden."

"I'll always love you, Jungkook-ah," Taehyung said gently, his voice breaking as he turned to leave. "I wish I could be someone else for you, someone who could give you everything you want."

As Taehyung reached the door, he paused and added, "I wish I were Kim Mingyu, not Kim Taehyung." With those final words, Taehyung stepped out.

The moment the door clicked shut, Jungkook collapsed onto the floor, his sobs erupting with a force that shook his entire body. He wanted to run after Taehyung, to pull him into a tight embrace, to make things right. But his body wouldn't move.

"I don't want Kim Mingyu," Jungkook cried out, his voice raw with emotion, clutching at his chest. "All I want is Kim Taehyung. No one will ever be you. You're my only love." His words were choked by his tears, each cry a plea for a future that now seemed impossible.

The apartment was silent except for Jungkook's heart-wrenching sobs. The weight of the confrontation lingered, filling the space with an overwhelming sense of loss and despair.

to be continued....