Truth Or Love || Taekook

45

Taehyung stood on the balcony, staring blankly at the horizon, his chest tightening with every passing second.

The evening breeze felt cold against his skin, but it couldn’t numb the storm raging inside him.

Everything that had just unfolded—his sister, Jungkook, the history between them—left him shattered.

The man he had unknowingly fallen for, the one who had occupied his thoughts, his heart, could never be his.

The weight of that realization crushed him, suffocating and relentless. His hands gripped the railing, knuckles white as the ache inside him deepened.

His phone buzzed sharply, breaking the silence, pulling him from his haze. He glanced down and saw Chris’s name on the screen, the sight only adding to the heaviness in his chest.

He pressed the answer button, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Hello?" His throat felt raw from holding back so many emotions, and he forced out the word as if it would somehow anchor him.

“Hey, Taehyung! Where are you, man? I’ve been sitting at the cafe waiting for you,” Chris’s voice sounded cheerful, unaware of the mess Taehyung was drowning in.

Taehyung blinked, the reality of his forgotten plans hitting him like a slap. Guilt washed over him, the weight of everything growing unbearable.

Chris had no idea—no idea about the storm in his head, the pieces of his heart scattered at his feet. He had been so consumed by the pain of what had just happened that meeting Chris had slipped through his fingers like sand.

“Hey, Chris… I’m really sorry. I’m on my way. Just… wait there, okay?” Taehyung replied, trying to control the tremor in his voice. It came out weaker than he wanted, laced with exhaustion and pain, though he hoped Chris wouldn’t notice.

“Sure, no problem!” Chris said with his usual upbeat tone, blissfully unaware of the agony Taehyung was shouldering, his own world light and easy compared to the hell Taehyung was trying to keep at bay.

Taehyung ended the call, his heart pounding. He needed to get out—away from the apartment, away from the suffocating tension that hung in the air, and away from the sight of Jungkook and Tessa together.

With a deep breath, he grabbed his jacket and wallet, ready to leave the apartment behind. As he walked towards the door, his eyes landed on the flowers that had fallen from Jungkook’s hand earlier, still lying there, forgotten.

His heart felt heavy as he bent down, picked them up, and hesitated for a moment. With a sigh, he opened the dustbin by the door and tossed the flowers inside before stepping out, closing the door behind him without a word to anyone.

_____

Tessa and Jungkook sat on the bed, the air thick with tension. The weight of years of secrets and pain hung between them, too heavy to ignore.

Finally, Tessa broke the silence, her voice hesitant but direct, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Jungkook kept his gaze fixed on the floor, jaw clenched, his voice soft but brimming with frustration. “You could’ve at least... told me. You didn’t have to fucking disappear.”