Melancholy

Equinox

~The Truth Untold:-{BY:- BTS}~
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Taehyung's POV

If I could've disappeared right there, I would've.

The mall's hum returned like static — the sound of people, cameras, laughter, but it all faded behind the pounding of my heartbeat. My pulse was too loud, my breathing too shallow. And still, I stood there, staring at Jungkook, pretending I wasn't drowning.

I didn't need to turn around to know what was coming. The familiar sharp inhale from my eomma told me everything before she even spoke.

"Taehyung-ah! Jimin-ah!" she said, clutching my arm. "That's Namjoon's cousin — Jeon Jungkook! Let's go say hello!"

I froze.

Beside me, Jimin muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Oh, great. Just great."

His eomma joined in, smiling brightly. "Come on, don't just stand there gawking. It's rude not to greet family!"

Before I could protest, they were already dragging us toward the press circle where Jungkook and the woman — Lee Jisoo, his fiancée — stood.

"Eomma—" I started weakly, but it was useless. The Kims and Parks didn't just walk into a room — they arrived. Every step my eomma took radiated confidence, every word from her lips polished with years of boardroom diplomacy.

I straightened instinctively. My body remembered how to move, how to smile, how to hide.

Jungkook saw us before Jisoo did. His eyes widened just slightly, then his expression locked into something polite and professional. Only the faintest twitch of his jaw betrayed him.

"Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Park!" Jisoo greeted cheerfully, that flawless press-ready smile lighting up her face. "It's so nice to finally see you again — congratulations on your sons' return! We've heard so much about them."

Both eommas beamed. "Oh, Jisoo-ssi, you're even prettier in person," my mother said warmly. "Congratulations on your engagement! Namjoon told us the good news — such a perfect match."

"Thank you," Jisoo said with a soft laugh, her hand still looped through Jungkook's arm. "He's been working nonstop for this launch. I'm just here to keep him from overthinking everything."

"You're doing a fine job," Jimin's eomma replied. "Namjoon always spoke highly of his cousin."

Jungkook bowed slightly. "Namjoon-hyung is generous with his words. It's a pleasure to see you both again."

And then — inevitably — the conversation turned.

My eomma's hand came to rest on my back, guiding me gently forward. "You remember my son, Taehyung, of course. And Jimin too."

Jungkook's gaze met mine. It was brief — no longer than a breath — but it felt like everything I'd buried in the past three years surfaced in that instant. The gold sun pendant against his shirt gleamed faintly under the store lights.

"Taehyung-ssi," he said, his voice steady, measured. "It's been a while."

"Yes," I said, my tone calm, distant. "It has."

"Congratulations on your launch," I added politely. "And your engagement."

"Thank you," he said, but his throat bobbed as though the words had caught.

Then came the sigh beside me. "Well," Jimin said lightly, his voice dripping with faux admiration. "Look who's gone from music studio sessions to jewelry launches and headline features. Mr. Success himself."