Between Love and Trust

chapter - 6

  ~College Hallway, After Class~

The university was buzzing as students filed out of their last classes for the day. Jungkook gathered his books from his locker, lost in thought. He'd done well to keep his distance from Taehyung recently, no matter how painful it was. He promised himself he'd focus on his studies and friends, as Jennie had encouraged. But every day was a battle between longing and the determination to move on.

As Jungkook rounded a corner, heading toward his next class, Irene appeared, stepping directly into his path. Before he could react, she collided with him, her body hitting his shoulder with a force that caused him to stumble backward. Her books scattered across the floor as she let out a loud, theatrical gasp and fell dramatically to the ground.

The sudden commotion drew the attention of passing students, who turned to watch as Irene cried out, looking up at Jungkook with an expression of anger and pain.

"Watch where you're going!" Irene snapped, her voice laced with venom.

Jungkook's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and he stammered, "I... I'm sorry, Irene. I didn't mean to—" He bent down to gather her books, trying to be polite and avoid escalating things. But before he could finish his apology, she raised her hand as if to slap him, pausing just as she noticed Taehyung walking down the corridor.

Irene's face shifted into a smirk for a brief second as she noticed Taehyung's gaze, and then, as if on cue, she let herself drop back to the ground with a dramatic sigh, clutching her arm and whimpering for effect.

"Jungkook!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the hall. "Why did you shove me? Is it because you're so jealous of me? Are you that desperate to ruin things between me and Taehyung?"

Jungkook's eyes widened in shock, his heart racing as the gathered students stared, murmuring among themselves. "I... I didn't push you!" he managed, his voice cracking under the weight of her accusation.

But before he could say more, Taehyung was there, his expression dark as he looked between Irene and Jungkook, his arms crossed. "What's going on here?" he asked coldly, his eyes fixed on Jungkook.

Irene took a shuddering breath, her voice shaking as she let tears well in her eyes. "Taehyung," she whimpered, reaching up for his hand, "Jungkook pushed me. He... he hates that we're together, and he's trying to hurt me!"

"No! That's not true!" Jungkook said, looking up at Taehyung with a pleading expression. "I swear, I didn't push her. She... she bumped into me, and—"

Taehyung's face darkened even further. "So you're lying now?" he said, his voice low and hard. "I never thought you'd go this far, Jungkook. Why can't you just move on?"

A pang of hurt shot through Jungkook, but he was too overwhelmed to defend himself. Taehyung's words cut deep, and his tone was ice-cold. Jungkook opened his mouth to try to explain, but Taehyung seized his arm in a tight, unyielding grip, pulling him close.

"You're obsessed," Taehyung hissed. "You can't accept that we're over, can you?"

Jungkook's breath hitched as Taehyung's grip tightened painfully on his arm. His pulse quickened, and his voice trembled as he managed, "Tae... you're... hurting me."

Irene, watching with a pleased smirk, added mockingly, "That's what you get, Jungkook. Maybe now you'll understand that you don't belong here. Taehyung and I are happy together. Can't you just let us be?"

Jungkook clenched his teeth, his voice shaking. "Taehyung... . Let go of my arm."

Taehyung seemed startled by the firmness in Jungkook's voice. He looked at him in surprise, this was the first time he heard jungkook calling his full name, he has always heard him call him 'tae' or 'bear' 'tiger' but never his full name. "What?" he scoffed. "what did you just call me? AND You're really telling me what to do now?"

Jungkook took a deep, steadying breath, drawing every ounce of courage he had. "Yes, Taehyung," he said, his voice gaining strength. "I am. Let me go, and leave me alone. I won't try to talk to you, I won't try to explain, and I won't stand in the way of you and Irene. I'm done."

Taehyung's eyes narrowed, clearly taken aback by Jungkook's defiance. "You're saying you're done?" he asked incredulously. "You'll finally leave me alone?"

"Yes," Jungkook replied, his voice firm. "This is the last time you'll have to deal with me. Now, please let go."

For a moment, Taehyung seemed at a loss for words, anger flashing in his eyes. But before he could react, Jennie appeared, her voice sharp and unwavering. "Taehyung, let go of him. Now."

She stepped forward, her gaze steady as she met Taehyung's furious stare. "This is over, Taehyung. Jungkook's not yours anymore, remember? And I'm not about to let you keep hurting him like this."

Taehyung clenched his jaw, looking between Jennie and Jungkook before reluctantly letting go, though his expression was clouded with frustration. Jennie immediately grabbed Jungkook's hand, shooting Taehyung a hard look before leading Jungkook away from the scene.

~Scene: Empty Corridor~

Once they were in a quiet corner away from the crowd, Jennie turned to Jungkook, concern etched on her face. The moment they were alone, Jungkook collapsed against her, burying his face in her shoulder as he broke down into quiet sobs.

"Why?" he whispered, his voice barely a breath. "Why is he doing this to me, Jennie? What did I do to deserve this?"

Jennie wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back gently. "Jungkook," she murmured softly, "you don't deserve this. You did everything you could to be a good boyfriend, and he made his choice. It's on him, not you. You deserve so much better."

Jungkook held onto her tightly, his shoulders shaking with silent tears. Just as he began to calm, a shadow fell over them. He looked up, startled, to see Taehyung standing there, his face hard and unreadable.

"We need to talk, Jungkook," Taehyung said, his voice steely.

Jungkook pulled away from Jennie, wiping his face as he said, "No, Taehyung. There's nothing left to talk about. I don't want to—"

Before he could finish, Taehyung interrupted, "Alright then, this is on you." And without warning, he grabbed Jungkook, scooping him up over his shoulder in one swift movement.

"Taehyung!" Jennie exclaimed, her voice filled with outrage. "Put him down, now!"

Taehyung turned to her, his expression defiant. "This is between Jungkook and me. Don't follow us, and don't say a word about this."

Jennie stepped forward, looking ready to argue, but Taehyung gave her a warning look. "I'm not going to hurt him. Just... stay out of this, Jennie."

Ignoring Jungkook's protests, Taehyung carried him down the hallway, turning heads as they made their way to the parking lot. Jungkook struggled, his voice muffled as he yelled, "Put me down! Taehyung, let me go!"

But Taehyung was unrelenting, his expression grim as he carried Jungkook out to his car. He set Jungkook down, clicked his seatbelt firmly in place, and closed the door with a determined slam before climbing into the driver's seat.

As he pulled out of the parking lot, the tension between them hung thick in the air, and Jungkook could only wonder what Taehyung wanted—and if he would ever truly understand.

.

.

.

what do you guys think?