𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄 🌹(18+)

𝟓𝟒:- 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧

The sky hung heavy, cloaked in a dull shade of gray, as Nari and Taehyung's car bumped along the rugged road. The air felt thick, weighted down by something intangible-something that made the hairs on the back of Nari's neck prickle with unease.

The further they drove, the more everything around her seemed to wilt. Weeds grew in wild tangles, reclaiming what little remained of the pavement. Crumbling ruins of old houses lined the side of the road, windows shattered, doors hanging crookedly from broken hinges.

The smell of charred wood still lingered, faint but persistent, as if the fire had just left yesterday.

Nari's stomach twisted, her heart heavy with a mix of curiosity and dread. This was her hometown-the place where memories had once danced like sunlight through the trees, now reduced to ash and decay.

Her eyes darted around, trying to grasp the truth, but the truth was elusive, like a ghost that refused to show itself in full.

How? Why?

She leaned forward, her fingers curling into the armrest of the seat.

"What is this place? Why did you bring me here?" Her voice was sharp, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

Taehyung, sitting beside her, didn't even flinch. His expression remained eerily calm, detached. He simply looked out the window, his gaze unreadable.

"You said you wanted to know your past," he said, his tone flat. "Well, this is it. Look around."

The words should have comforted her-should have offered some kind of closure, but they felt cold and empty instead. The place she had once called home was no longer a home. It was a graveyard, and the ashes of her past were the only thing that remained.

Nari's hands tightened on her lap, and she swallowed hard, the bitter taste of frustration rising in her throat. She had asked for answers, but this was not what she had imagined. The ruins, the devastation-it felt as though someone had purposely erased her existence from this place.

Her anger flared, eyes narrowing as she shot a glance at Taehyung. "What do you want from me? What are you trying to prove by bringing me here?"

Taehyung didn't answer right away, letting the words linger in the air, almost like they didn't matter. Then, with a slight smirk, he spoke again. "Nothing to prove, wifey. Just showing you where you came from."

Nari wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the words caught in her throat. The anger boiled, but beneath it, there was a growing unease, a growing suspicion. She had always known that there was more to her past than she had been told, but this? This felt like a mockery.

The silence between them grew thick, and Nari turned her gaze back to the ruins ahead of them, her mind whirling with questions she didn't have the answers to.

What had happened to this place? What was Taehyung's role in it?

It was a warm summer afternoon, and the two were lounging by their usual spot by the lake. Sohee, with a dramatic huff, leaned back against the tree, arms crossed in annoyance. Taehyung, of course, was laying flat on his back on the grass, looking up at the sky as though he didn't have a care in the world.

"So, you're really not going to do anything about the dishes?" Sohee asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Taehyung didn't even move, not even a twitch. "I'm not the one who ate all the food. I was just a victim of circumstances," he said, looking completely at ease.