Winter In My Heart (Jikook/Kookmin)

52

Jimin and Jungkook had been apart for a month now. Both tried to move on, attempting to return to their old lives, though everything felt different. Jimin resumed his job as a receptionist at Kim’s Hotel. Every day, he wore the same bright smile that the guests expected, but inside, he felt empty. He thanked Mingyu countless times for his support, but no amount of gratitude could fill the void left by Jungkook. The smile he showed to the world was hollow, a mask that hid the pain of being separated from his brother.

Jungkook, meanwhile, was still managing MoKIe Photography, but things had changed drastically. The office felt foreign without Jimin’s presence. Instead of his brother by his side, Yumi had moved in with him. Jungkook had never wanted this. He didn’t want Yumi there, but guilt clung to him, making it impossible to refuse her. Every day felt like a struggle.

"Why can't I sleep in the same room with you? We’re together now, JK!" Yumi would demand almost daily.

Her voice grated on Jungkook’s nerves. He could never bring himself to let her into his bedroom—the place where so many of his memories with Jimin lived. Polaroids of the two of them, smiling and laughing, hung on the walls. The room was full of the scent, the feeling, the life they had shared. He couldn’t bear to take any of it down. To him, those memories were sacred, a part of him that would remain untouched until his last breath.

"Stop asking the same question, Yumi," Jungkook muttered, his voice laced with frustration.

"I'll keep asking until you give me a real answer!" Yumi snapped. "We’re supposed to be together, but you never touch me. You don’t hold my hand, you don’t kiss me, and you barely spend any time with me! All you care about is your stupid job!"

Her words cut deep, but for entirely different reasons than she intended. Jimin had never called Jungkook’s photography a "stupid job." In fact, Jimin had been the first to support his dream, even learning about photography to help him. Jimin was there for every milestone, always by his side. Yumi, however, made everything feel wrong.

"Stop it, Yumi. I’m tired of this," Jungkook shot back. "You’re with me now, isn’t that enough? What more do you want?"

But Jungkook knew the truth—he was forcing himself to stay in this relationship. His heart wasn’t with Yumi anymore. It hadn’t been for a long time. He stayed out of guilt, not love. And that guilt was eating him alive.

"I want my old JK back!" Yumi cried. "The one who loved me, who cared about me. You’re a stranger now!"

"You’ll never get the old me back," Jungkook said, his voice bitter. "That person doesn’t exist anymore. He’s gone."

"What happened to you?" Yumi’s voice softened, but the frustration was still there. "I’m here for you, I’m your girlfriend. Why can’t you just treat me like a real boyfriend would? What did that stupid kid do to you? What does he have that I don’t?"

"Stop it," Jungkook warned, his patience hanging by a thread.

"Stop remembering him!" Yumi shouted. "He’s just a stupid kid! If he hadn’t come back into your life, we’d be married by now. We’d have built the family we always dreamed of—our perfect, happy family. But he ruined everything!"

Jungkook’s temper flared. "He’s not a stupid kid!" he yelled, his voice shaking with anger.

Yumi’s face twisted in frustration. "Yes, he is! If he never came back, we’d have everything we wanted! Kids, a house, happiness—none of this mess!"

Jungkook couldn’t stand it anymore. He was done with the arguing, done with the lies. His life had changed irrevocably after Jimin came back into it. He wasn’t the same person Yumi wanted him to be. His heart had shifted, and no matter how hard he tried to go back to the way things were, he couldn’t. Jimin had changed everything.

"I’m not your JK anymore," Jungkook said, his voice cold but pained. "I’m Mochi’s Kookie hyung."

The truth hung in the air between them, sharp and undeniable. Yumi stood there, speechless, as the weight of his words sank in. Jungkook’s heart had belonged to Jimin from the moment they reconnected, and no matter how much he tried to hide it, that love had consumed him.

Yumi’s tears began to fall, but Jungkook couldn’t comfort her. He was too far gone, lost in the memories of a love that was never supposed to happen, but did—changing both their lives forever.