Reluctant Hearts ✔️

Chapter - 36

☾⋆⁺₊🎧✧ lıllılı.ıllı.ılılıı

playιng: [Just One Day] - [BTS]

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･

If only I had just one day

I want to peacefully fall asleep intoxicated with your sweet scent

If there's a chance in my busy schedule

I want to put my body in your warm and deep eyes

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ 

The next few weeks pass in a blur of shooting, rehearsals, and long nights. Jungkook becomes consumed by the movie, pouring himself into every scene. The set becomes his world, and the long hours drain him, but he refuses to slow down. Taehyung, true to his word, attends the shoot every afternoon, watching from the sidelines as Jungkook works. His presence is steady, a comforting constant even if Jungkook doesn't acknowledge it.

While Taehyung is present during the day, he compensates for those missed hours by working late into the evening, handling the business side of Kim Corp long after the shoots wrap up. He returns to their apartment exhausted, hoping Jungkook will be asleep by the time he walks in, but he never is. Every night, Taehyung finds Jungkook sitting on the couch, studying his script, practicing his lines quietly.

Jungkook's brows are often furrowed in concentration, his lips moving silently as he reads through his dialogue, a cup of tea growing cold beside him. When Taehyung finally enters the apartment, Jungkook looks up, acknowledging him with a quick nod, and only then does he start to wind down. Taehyung tells himself it's just a coincidence—Jungkook isn't waiting for me. But a small part of him can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, there's more to it.

The thought of it gives him hope, but he quickly pushes it away. Over-hoping is more dangerous than expecting—he reminds himself. It's easier to believe that Jungkook simply realizes how late it is when he hears the door, rather than waiting up for him. Anything more than that is wishful thinking, and Taehyung doesn't want to let himself fall into that trap.

In the mornings, they fall into a routine—silent breakfasts together at the dining table. Neither speaks much. Taehyung sips his coffee while Jungkook picks at his food, barely eating anything before getting ready for the day. There's a comfortable silence between them, a rhythm they both seem to be getting used to, even if they don't say it out loud.

But for Jungkook, that growing comfort is dangerous. He reminds himself constantly that he can't get used to anything related to Taehyung. Nothing between them is fixed, nothing is certain. Their marriage is a contract, and the clock is ticking. Getting too comfortable would mean getting too attached, and Jungkook can't afford that. He starts skipping breakfast some mornings, leaving early or finding ways to avoid Taehyung at the set, keeping his distance in subtle ways.

Taehyung notices, of course. He notices the skipped meals, the avoidance on set. Jungkook is pulling away again, just as Taehyung feared he might. But he doesn't push. He knows better than to force Jungkook into anything he's not ready for. So, Taehyung gives him space, hoping that Jungkook will come around on his own.