The sound of keyboards clacking and phones ringing filled the air at the police station, but Jungkook couldn’t focus. His mind was miles away, lost in the image of Taehyung’s eyes—the emptiness in them, the haunting look of someone who had lost all hope.
Jungkook had done his job. He had intervened when he saw Taehyung in that state—when he had found him, shaking and broken. But now, all he could think about was the way Taehyung had looked at him. The way the light in his eyes seemed to flicker out when Jungkook mentioned his parents. He didn’t want to be a part of it, didn’t want the responsibility of fixing a life that seemed so far beyond saving.
But something about the young man’s pain stayed with him. It gnawed at Jungkook every time he closed his eyes. The guilt was suffocating, worse than the weight of any case he had ever handled. Maybe he should’ve handled things differently. Maybe he shouldn’t have made that call to Taehyung’s parents. Maybe that was the last straw that had broken whatever trust Taehyung had left in him.
He had never been one to get emotionally involved with cases, but Taehyung was different. There was something in the way he had looked at him—like he was already a lost cause, like nothing could reach him.
The loud ringing of his phone pulled him from his thoughts. It was Seokjin.
"Jungkook, you good?" Seokjin’s voice came through the line, warm but laced with concern.
"Yeah. I’m fine," Jungkook lied, running a hand through his hair. "Just... thinking about that case."
"That kid, huh?" Seokjin asked knowingly. "You’re still carrying that with you?"
Jungkook didn’t answer immediately, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk. "I can’t stop thinking about him. His parents... they showed up. I don’t know. I just... I don’t think he’s okay."
Seokjin’s voice softened. "It’s hard, man. You did what you could. It’s on them now to help him. You can't carry that burden alone."
Jungkook was silent for a moment, but he knew Seokjin was right. He was being irrational, allowing himself to feel responsible for something beyond his control.
But as much as he tried to push it away, he couldn’t ignore the pull inside him to make sure Taehyung was really going to be okay. Maybe he had crossed a line by getting involved in the personal aspect of Taehyung’s life, but that didn’t stop the urgency he felt in his gut. Something inside him told him that Taehyung wasn’t okay, and he needed to know what was going on.
---
Jungkook couldn’t sit still at the station any longer. His thoughts were a tangled mess, and every time he tried to focus on his work, Taehyung’s face flashed in his mind.
He grabbed his jacket and stood up abruptly, ignoring the confused looks from his colleagues as he headed for the door.
"Jungkook, where are you going?" Seokjin called out from his desk.
Jungkook paused in the doorway, glancing back at him. "I’m going to check on him. I just need to make sure he’s alright."
Seokjin raised an eyebrow. "You’re seriously going to show up at his place? You’ve already done your part, Jungkook."
Jungkook didn't respond. He didn’t know why he was going, or what he hoped to accomplish. But it didn’t matter. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had to be there for Taehyung in some way, even if he didn’t understand why.
---
When Jungkook arrived at Taehyung’s apartment building, the cold evening air hit him like a slap, but his mind was too preoccupied with guilt and uncertainty to care. He made his way up to the apartment, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway as he reached the door.
Jungkook hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the doorbell. What was he doing here? He wasn’t a therapist. He wasn’t even sure if Taehyung would want to see him. But in that moment, he couldn’t ignore the pull.
Something told him that Taehyung needed someone. Even if it wasn’t him, even if it wasn’t supposed to be, Jungkook couldn’t let the idea of Taehyung sinking deeper into despair go without a fight.
He pressed the doorbell.
The seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity before the door creaked open. Taehyung stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable, but there was a faint flicker of surprise in his eyes when he saw Jungkook.
“What are you doing here?” Taehyung’s voice was quiet, a mix of disbelief and exhaustion.
Jungkook shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I... I just wanted to check on you."
Taehyung didn’t say anything for a moment, staring at Jungkook like he wasn’t sure whether to shut the door or let him in. Jungkook could see the hesitation in his eyes, but there was something else too—something deeper, like he was caught between the need for help and the instinct to push everyone away.
"I don’t need your help," Taehyung finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t want anyone here."
Jungkook nodded, taking a step back. "I know. I just... I couldn't stop thinking about you. I should’ve done more that night. I don’t know if it helped, calling your parents, but I thought it might."
Taehyung’s eyes shifted away, as though the mention of his parents brought up a flood of emotions he couldn’t handle.
"I’m fine," Taehyung muttered, though his tone betrayed him. The words were hollow, empty, like a plea to believe him, even though he didn’t believe it himself.
Jungkook took a deep breath. "I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you’re not alone in this. You don’t have to go through this by yourself."
Taehyung didn’t respond, his eyes flickering with pain as he looked at the floor. For a moment, it was just the silence between them, thick and suffocating. Jungkook knew he couldn’t force anything on Taehyung.
He couldn’t fix what wasn’t his to fix. But as he stood there, seeing the weight Taehyung carried in the way he stood, the burden in his eyes, Jungkook made a silent promise to himself that he wouldn’t leave until he was sure Taehyung had someone to lean on.
