Paper Hearts

"Why are you here?" Her voice trembled, as if the question might shatter the fragile air between them.

Jungkook stood in the doorway, the shadows framing his sharp features like he belonged to the night itself. His lips quirked into a faint smile, one that carried more weight than any answer could. "Isn't that the question you should've asked years ago, Aera?"

Her chest tightened. The sound of his voice, familiar yet distant, pulled at something she thought she'd buried. "We've moved on" she whispered, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

"Have we?" he countered, stepping closer, his presence eclipsing the room. His eyes held hers, unyielding, as if daring her to look away. "Because the way you're looking at me right now doesn't feel like moving on."

She faltered, taking a step back. His words, his nearness, the memories they dragged to the surface-it was too much. "I don't owe you anything anymore."

Jungkook tilted his head, his gaze softening for the briefest moment before it hardened again. "Maybe not. But tell me this, how is it that no matter how far we run, we always end up here? You and me, unfinished."

Aera didn't have an answer. Her heart betrayed her, pounding against her ribs as his presence filled the room.

"You walked away once," Jungkook said softly, his voice like a blade. "But this time, I'm not letting you go."

*****
Aera Kim and Jeon Jungkook were once everything to each other, but time and mistakes turned them into strangers. Now, as their worlds collide once more, the lines between love and resentment blur.

Some hearts break.
Some hearts heal.
Can some hearts find their way back, no matter how lost they've been?