✔️ 𝐈𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 | 𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐮𝐤

Chapter Twenty-Four.

Taehyung

When Taehyung awoke the next morning, he saw that he had missed a few phone calls from Jeongguk. He panicked slightly, dialing Jeongguk's number with a shaky hand.

When the younger answered, Taehyung didn't bother to greet him. "What's wrong?"

Jeongguk's laugh came through the receiver. "Nothing is wrong, Tae-ah. Good morning to you, too." He then paused. "Could you let me in? It's hot out here."

Taehyung sat up, the last bit of sleepiness exiting his body. He was positively confused as to what was going on. Yesterday, when he woke up, he expected to spend some quality time with his boyfriend. He also expected them to have the whole summer to themselves, no university or busyness to distract them. It's not like he was upset with Jeongguk for leaving-he was ecstatic that the younger was getting recognized for his work.

Despite this, though, he was upset that he hadn't known sooner. The last thing he had expected was for Jeongguk to tell him that he was leaving the next morning. This summer was supposed to be the best yet. Oh, how wrong he had been.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second," he replied gruffly. He then hung up, rubbing his face with his free hand. He rolled out of bed, feeling slightly annoyed as he dressed himself.

After walking to the door, Taehyung unlocked it and threw it open. "What's up, Jeongguk?"

Jeongguk was wearing a casual outfit, yet it was completely unlike his usual attire. A pair of knee-length khaki shorts was paired with a blue Hawaiian shirt decorated with pineapples, completed by sandals and a large bag slung over his shoulder. Taehyung simply blinked.

"I wanted to come see you before I left," Jeongguk told him, slightly awkward now. Taehyung's irritation was almost palpable.

"Considerate of you."

"Is... is something wrong?" Jeongguk asked, biting his lip. Taehyung had never acted like this before.

"Nothing much. I didn't expect to be losing my boyfriend for weeks at a time, but things always happen unexpectedly, don't they?" It came out more as a statement than a question.

"Taehyung, you told me I should go," Jeongguk told him. He was feeling awfully stupid standing there, on the brink of an argument where anyone could see them. "What changed?"

"The fact that you waited until the very last day before you left to tell me. How long have you known about this?" Taehyung was tapping his foot impatiently.

"A few weeks," Jeongguk replied, his voice much quieter. He looked at the ground.

"And you didn't tell me why?" Taehyung flared. "You know how much I've come to depend on you. I get anxious when things change, so I need time to prepare. You could've told me weeks ago!"

Jeongguk was starting to get irritated as well. "How was I supposed to tell you? It's a huge thing to leave everything here for awhile and go somewhere completely new. It took me a couple weeks to decide if I even wanted to go in the first place. I didn't tell you after that because I knew it was going to be hard for you, and seeing you hurt kills me. What was I supposed to do?"

"You really misjudged this," Taehyung bristled. "It would've been a lot easier for me to adjust had I known you were leaving weeks ago."

"Now you're just saying the same shit over and over," Jeongguk told him. "I wanted to come say goodbye before I left, but clearly that was a mistake." He then readjusted the bag on his shoulder, his gaze hardening as his eyes started to become glossy.

"You should go," Taehyung said stiffly.

"I think I will," Jeongguk told him, his voice slightly thick from his emotions. "Don't bother calling me until I get back. I probably won't have time to answer, anyway. I'll see you in a few weeks."

He then turned on his heel and walked towards the stairs, leaving Taehyung in a state of hurt and anger. His brain hurt, and he wrapped his arms around himself. Their relationship had always been so perfect, yet now that he knew Jeongguk was leaving for awhile on a bad note, the feelings of irritation and sadness swirled deep inside him.

However, no matter how much anger clouded Taehyung's thoughts, he couldn't forget the tears that had spilled onto Jeongguk's cheeks as he turned away.

-

hey bbs! sorry for the short chapter 🥺 today was mother's day so i was pretty busy, but i still wanted to stick to my upload schedule bc i know that if i don't, i'll get lazy.

(quick question bc i'm kinda curious-who's fault do you think their fight is? is it jeongguk's for not telling taehyung, or is it taehyung's for not being more understanding? 🤔)