whisper in the dark

Chapter 20: Unseen Threads

The air between Jungkook and Taehyung felt heavy, charged with an energy neither could quite grasp. The moment their eyes locked, something stirred in both of them, an invisible thread pulling them closer.

Jungkook swallowed hard, unable to shake the overwhelming emotions flooding through him. Here he was, standing face to face with Taehyung—the boy he had once loved and lost, the boy who had haunted his dreams and memories for years. And yet, this Taehyung didn’t recognize him. Not yet.

“Are you alright?” Jungkook finally managed to ask, his voice betraying the calm exterior he tried to maintain.
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Taehyung blinked up at him, his eyes wide with surprise and confusion. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if they had met before, yet his mind couldn’t place it. Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts, he nodded. “I’m fine, sorry for bumping into you. I was in a hurry…”

Jungkook forced a smile, though his heart raced. “No worries. Just be careful next time.”

Taehyung’s eyes lingered on him for a moment longer before he quickly excused himself and hurried toward the principal’s office, leaving Jungkook standing there, watching him go. The urge to follow him, to tell him everything, was strong, but Jungkook knew he had to be patient. He couldn’t overwhelm Taehyung. Not now.

As Taehyung disappeared around the corner, Jungkook exhaled, feeling the weight of years of longing settling back on his shoulders. He had found him, but this reunion wasn’t how he had imagined it. He wanted Taehyung to remember, to feel the love they had shared, but he couldn’t rush it. For now, just knowing Taehyung was alive, here in the same world, was enough.

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Taehyung’s heart pounded in his chest as he entered the principal’s office. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant had just happened in that brief moment with Jungkook. There was something about the way the stranger had looked at him, a depth in his gaze that Taehyung couldn’t ignore. But there was no time to dwell on it now. He had other things to worry about—like getting through his first day at this new university.

The principal greeted him warmly, giving Taehyung a rundown of the school’s rules and schedule. As the minutes passed, Taehyung tried to focus, but his mind kept drifting back to the encounter with Jungkook. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that their paths were meant to cross, that there was something more to that meeting than just a random collision.

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Meanwhile, Jungkook’s day passed in a blur. He sat through his lectures, barely hearing the words spoken by his professors, his mind replaying the morning’s encounter over and over again. Every detail, every glance, every fleeting moment between them—it all felt like a dream.

After his classes ended, Jungkook found himself wandering the campus, half hoping to run into Taehyung again. But as the day wore on, the reality that Taehyung was here, at his university, began to sink in. He wasn’t dreaming. Taehyung was real, and he was back.

As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the campus, Jungkook’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a message from Jimin.

Jimin: How are you feeling? Any sign of Taehyung today?

Jungkook hesitated before typing a response.

Jungkook: I saw him. He doesn’t remember me, but he’s here.

The reply came almost instantly.

Jimin: That’s a start, Kookie. He’ll remember in time. Don’t give up.

Jungkook smiled faintly, comforted by Jimin’s words. He wasn’t giving up. Not by a long shot.

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