The next morning, the sun barely peeked through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the city. Niki and Taehyung were supposed to be boarding a flight back to Paris that night, but everything had changed. Niki's future was shifting, and Taehyung, ever the doting father, was willing to adapt to whatever his son needed. They had canceled the flight, focusing instead on securing Niki's admission to a university in Seoul, the same city where Bora lived. And today was the day—the day that would set Niki's future in motion.
After getting ready, the three of them—Niki, and Taehyung,—piled into the car and drove to the university. The atmosphere was light, filled with the hopeful energy of new beginnings. Niki sat in the backseat, excited about the campus visit, while Taehyung glanced out the window, thoughts flickering between the past and the present. Jimin, usually chatty, was quiet, sensing an unspoken tension in the air.
They arrived at the university, the sprawling campus buzzing with students. As they walked through the entrance, a voice broke through the crowd."Niki?"
Niki turned around, his eyes widening in surprise. "Woon Hak!" he greeted, recognizing his friend. They embraced quickly, exchanging pleasantries. Before Niki could say more, Taehyung turned to see who had called his son. But as soon as his eyes landed on the man standing next to Woon Hak, his breath caught in his throat.
There he was. Jungkook.
The man Taehyung had loved, the man he hadn't seen in almost two decades, stood only a few feet away. Jungkook, his eyes wide with shock, mirrored Taehyung's expression. The world seemed to vanish around them. The bustling campus, the chattering students, the very air they breathed—all of it dissolved in that moment. It was just them, standing across from each other, like ghosts from a shared past.
Niki, always the one to resist Bora's insistence on keeping their fathers apart, saw an opportunity. A rare chance for the two men to talk."Dad," Niki began, gesturing between them, "this is Bora's dad. And uncle," he turned to Jungkook, "this is my dad. Why don't you two chat while we check out the campus?" Niki flashed a mischievous smile, already leading Woon Hak away, leaving Taehyung and Jungkook behind.
The two men stood in silence, awkwardness creeping between them. It had been so long since they last spoke, but here they were, face to face, with all the years of separation and misunderstanding pressing down on them. Taehyung broke the silence first. "Long time no see," he said with a small smile, the words catching in his throat.
"Long time, yes," Jungkook replied, his voice softer than he intended. The quiet between them thickened as they sat down on a nearby bench, neither sure where to begin. They had so much to say, yet no words seemed right.
"How have you been?" Jungkook asked, his eyes flickering over Taehyung, taking in the changes the years had wrought. His hair was shorter, his face sharper with age, but his eyes—the eyes Jungkook had fallen in love with—still held that same spark.
"As you can see," Taehyung replied, gesturing vaguely to himself. He looked healthy, successful even. But there was an underlying sadness that Jungkook could see, buried deep beneath the surface.
Jungkook nodded, unsure how to respond. He swallowed, gathering the courage to ask something that had been nagging at him since they met. "I never knew Niki was your son."
"You didn't do your research then," Taehyung teased lightly, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
Jungkook chuckled, a bittersweet sound. "You've changed," he said, his voice tinged with both admiration and regret.
Taehyung's heart clenched. "People change, Kookie," he replied, the old nickname slipping from his lips before he could stop it. The moment it was out, he regretted it."I mean, Jungkook," he corrected himself quickly, trying to mask his embarrassment. But Jungkook shook his head, his eyes softening. "It's fine... it's been years, but... no one's called me that in a long time."
