"Jungkook, that's enough. You've been at it for hours," Yoongi’s voice echoed through the gym, frustration laced in his tone.
Jungkook had been back at university for a week now, but this wasn't the same Jungkook.
No smirks, no jokes, no teasing or flirting. He was silent, withdrawn, and his friends could feel the weight of the change.
He spent his days either in the gym or practicing with the team, pushing himself to the edge.
If he wasn't physically exerting himself, he was sitting in class, staring blankly out the window, pretending to take notes while his mind was somewhere else -somewhere filled with the guilt and pain he couldn't escape.
Jungkook, drenched in sweat, ignored Yoongi and spiked the volleyball over the net once again.
His hand, red and swollen, slammed against the ball with force, causing a sharp wince to cross his face momentarily.
"Jungkook!" Yoongi yelled, running towards him and grabbing his arm. "Look at your hand. You're going to injure yourself!"
Jungkook jerked his hand back, panting heavily but still resolute. "We’ve got a match coming up. I need to practice."
"This isn't practice. You're torturing yourself," Yoongi shot back, his voice lowering slightly in worry.
"You're the captain, but that doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself for this."
Across the court, Hoseok and Namjoon exchanged worried glances. They had been watching Jungkook push himself for days now, overdoing it to the point of exhaustion.
“Yoongi is right. He’s been at this for too long,” Namjoon muttered to Hoseok.
Hoseok, standing with his arms crossed, nodded. “We all want to win, but this is too much.”
Jungkook overheard them and turned sharply. “You think I’m overdoing it? If you don’t want to practice, then leave. I’m not forcing anyone.”
“That’s not what we mean, Jungkook,” Namjoon stepped forward. “We’re all in this together. You’re our captain, but we can’t play if you’re injured.”
“I’m not injured,” Jungkook growled, spiking the ball again, harder this time, his voice raising. “I’m fine.”
Yoongi caught the ball mid-air and dropped it to the ground. "No, you’re not."
Jungkook shot him a glare. "Hyung, just back off."
The room fell into an awkward silence as Jungkook's teammates watched the exchange, unsure of how to intervene.
Jungkook was visibly tense, his chest heaving, hands trembling slightly. He didn’t know if it was from the physical pain or the mental exhaustion that weighed him down.
Yoongi sighed, not backing down. "I get it. You’re trying to keep your mind off of things. But this isn’t the way."
Jungkook stayed silent for a moment, the anger in his eyes slowly dimming, replaced by something else—exhaustion, guilt, fear. He clenched his fists but didn’t argue further.
"We’re here for you, Jungkook," Hoseok spoke up, stepping closer with hesitation. "But we can’t let you destroy yourself like this."
Jungkook’s jaw tightened, but eventually, he lowered his head. "I just need to practice... I need to focus."
Yoongi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not like this. Take a break."
After a long moment, Jungkook relented with a tired nod. "Fine... I’ll stop for today."
The tension in the room eased, but as Jungkook sat down on the bench, the weight of his own thoughts began to close in again.
He wasn’t sure how to fix what he’d broken, and the court had been the only place he felt like he had control.
Yoongi glanced back at the team, signaling them to give him space. "Let’s pack it up for today, guys."
As the rest of the team left the arena, Jungkook stared down at his bruised hand, the pain in his body nothing compared to the guilt eating him from the inside.
_____
“Taehyung, are you okay?” Jimin asked, for the hundredth time, sticking close to Taehyung like a koala as they sat in the cafeteria.
After that night when Taehyung cried himself to sleep, his parents bombarded him with questions—what happened, why the sudden shift? He brushed it off, claiming he was overwhelmed with exams and university pressure.
But his parents knew it was a lie. They didn’t push him, though, letting him have space. He stayed home for almost a week, avoiding it all, but now he’s back, because he couldn’t afford to miss more classes.
So here he is now, sitting in the cafeteria with Jimin, pretending everything’s fine after two weeks—but he’s definitely not the same. He’s back to being the old Taehyung, cold and distant.
No talking, staying out of sight, dodging attention like his life depends on it. He’s even mapped out new routes just to avoid accidentally crossing paths with Jungkook... or any of his so called friends.
“I’m fine, Jimin,” Taehyung replied flatly, barely looking up from his plate.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I’m really sorry for not being there. I was shocked too that Jungkook could stoop so low,” Jimin’s voice trembled with concern.
“Don't mention him. It’s all in the past,” Taehyung muttered, his eyes still locked on the table.
“You don’t have to shut me out,” Jimin pressed gently. “I didn’t know anything about that dare. I was angry with Yoongi too for not telling me, I'm so sorry Tae.
“It’s not your fault,” Taehyung cut him off, finally meeting his gaze. “You told me to stay away. I didn’t listen. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”
Jimin’s eyes were filled with guilt. “But I feel like I should’ve done more, said more…”
“There was nothing you could’ve done,” Taehyung said, his voice softer now but still distant. “This is my mess.”
“I know it’s late,” Jimin continued, his voice sincere. “But I’m here now. If you need anything, please just let me know.”
“I don’t need anything. I’ve managed on my own,” Taehyung responded coldly, his eyes glancing up only briefly before returning to the table.
“I just want to be here for you, Taehyung,” Jimin said, almost pleading.
“I appreciate it, but I don’t need your pity,” Taehyung stood up abruptly, his tone clipped.
Jimin watched as Taehyung walked away, his heart heavy. He knew Taehyung wasn’t angry at him—just at the weight of the betrayal and the pain he couldn’t shake.
_____
Both are back to the campus!! Thanks for 10k reads. I love you guys so much 😭🤌
And also guys, I post this story related reels on my insta handle, so please go there and watch them too. Link is in my bio.🥺
YOU ARE READING
Truth Or Love || Taekook
Romance"Watch your back, sweetheart," Jungkook growled, his voice lower, more dangerous now. "You and I... we're not done." Taehyung glanced down at the hand on his arm, then met Jungkook's eyes with a cool, unimpressed look. "I'd say we were never really...
