Two days had passed and only jungkook know how he felt about everything that is happening.
The sun had yet to rise when Jungkook left the house, his steps heavy with a burden only his heart could understand. The city was still cloaked in the dark blue of early morning, and the streets were eerily quiet. His mind, however, was a storm of emotions, each thought crashing against the next, threatening to drown him. Mingyu, still groggy from being dragged out of bed by Jungkook's insistence, walked beside him, barely registering the cold air that cut through his thin jacket. His confusion mirrored his exhaustion.
Jungkook broke the silence with a bitter laugh, a sound so hollow it could've been mistaken for the echo of a broken soul. "Isn't it funny?"
Mingyu glanced at him, his eyes heavy with sleep, trying to understand the question through the fog of his drowsiness. "Huh?"
Jungkook's chuckle was soft but carried a sting, a self-deprecating humor that only he could truly feel. "I asked... Isn't it funny? I'm nothing. Just a piece, so easily replaced. Useless, really." His voice cracked slightly, but he pushed on, refusing to acknowledge the vulnerability that crept up on him.
His fists clenched as his thoughts spiraled, images of his own body-Hyejin's body-from yesterday flashing in his mind like a painful slideshow. His breath hitched as he replayed the sounds from his room, that sickening familiarity that tore through his heart. "When anyone can copy me so easily, replace me so effortlessly... when my husband doesn't even know, when my children can't even tell the difference... it makes you wonder if I've failed." He stopped in his tracks, forcing Mingyu to halt beside him, looking at him with genuine concern.
"Failed as a husband? As a mother? Or maybe they just don't care enough to notice the smallest details about me." The ache in his chest intensified with each word, and for a moment, he could've sworn his heart was literally breaking. His hands balled tighter into fists, nails digging into his palms as if the pain could anchor him to reality.
"Yesterday..." Jungkook's voice quivered, but he forced himself to speak, forcing the words past his tight throat. "They... they got intimate. And I-" He laughed again, but this time it was darker, colder. "Mr. Senior agent, huh? He wins at everything, at being a leader, a commander, a protector... But as a husband, as a partner? He failed. He failed miserably." He paused, his lips twisting into a smirk, though it was devoid of any real humor. "My wifey, his husband... all of that-he takes it for granted. As if I'm just another possession, something to be tossed aside when it's no longer convenient. Just a piece. Just a body. Just... replaceable."
His voice trailed off, and he looked ahead, staring into the distance. He didn't want Mingyu to see the tears welling up in his eyes, but he could feel them threatening to spill over. He could feel the weight of his own insecurities bearing down on him, suffocating him slowly.
But, he refused to let them break him. Not yet.
"Jungkook..." Mingyu spoke, his tone softer now, less sleepy and more serious. "You know Taehyung doesn't see it that way. He... he cares about you."
Jungkook shook his head violently, cutting him off. "He doesn't care. Not like he should. Not the way I need him to." He swallowed hard, wiping at his face as if to erase the emotions threatening to escape. "You can't see it, Mingyu. He's too far gone. He's lost in the idea of me, in this... twisted game of ours."
There was a moment of silence between them as Mingyu processed his words, but Jungkook could feel the weight of his own despair closing in again. The fear, the pain, the hurt-it was all too much to carry alone, but it felt like there was no one who could truly understand.
"I have to make him see," Jungkook muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "I have to show him... before it's too late."
Mingyu didn't respond right away, but after a moment, he placed a hand on Jungkook's shoulder, grounding him. "You will," he said quietly, his voice full of determination. "I know you will."
