***************
Jungkook's phone buzzed again.
He clenched his jaw and looked at the screen.
It was from home. Again.
It had been buzzing nonstop for the past ten minutes.
He sighed in frustration and finally switched it off, shoving it deep into his pocket.
The meeting continued. He tried to focus as the school board discussed upcoming plans, teacher schedules, and the usual boring stuff. But his mind felt somewhere else.
When the meeting finally ended, chairs scraped back and voices filled the room as everyone began leaving.
Jungkook gathered his files and walked outside. The evening sun was soft, the breeze light.
He walked toward his car, pressing the lock button-until he stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Taehyung was standing near the school gate. Just staring at the building silently.
Jungkook rolled his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked sharply, unlocking the car with a beep.
Taehyung turned and smiled. "Do you remember the first time we met here?"
Jungkook scoffed. "Yeah. The most horrifying day of my life."
He got into the driver's seat without waiting.
Taehyung stood still, his hands quietly folded in front of him. He didn't move.
Jungkook sighed again. "Are you coming in or not?"
Taehyung opened the door and quietly sat beside him.
He didn't say a word.
Didn't even touch the seatbelt.
He just sat there like a soft doll, his eyes looking ahead, quiet and unreadable.
Jungkook looked at him from the side, irritated.
"You always have tricks to irritate me," he muttered.
He leaned over and grabbed the seatbelt, pulling it over Taehyung and clicking it in place.
But as he did...
He froze.
Their faces were close.
Too close.
He could smell Taehyung's familiar soft scent - like lavender and warmth.
He could see the tiny scar on Taehyung's lip, the one he got from falling off the swing years ago.
For a second... something in Jungkook's chest tightened.
But he looked away quickly, pretending nothing happened.
Taehyung didn't move.
He just smiled softly, a little sad.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Jungkook started the engine, eyes fixed on the road.
He didn't answer.
But for some reason... the car felt heavier than usual.
Like something unspoken was sitting between them.
The car moved through quiet streets, the sky slowly turning golden as the sun began to set.
Taehyung rested his hands on his lap, looking out of the window, then suddenly spoke.
“I liked the strawberry cake you baked for me when we were teens. It was tasty.”
Jungkook didn’t even look at him. “It was burned. That’s why I gave it to you.”
Taehyung smiled. “It was still tasty.”
“Shut up,” Jungkook muttered, rolling his eyes as he turned on the music.
A soft beat filled the car, something upbeat, something Jungkook liked. He started tapping the steering wheel, nodding his head to the rhythm.
Taehyung made a face. “Change it… play something like jazz.”
Jungkook scoffed. “Jazz sounds like a mosquito crying.”
Taehyung pouted and crossed his arms, turning away. He didn’t argue, just made a soft hum.
Jungkook glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Change it yourself. I’m not your servant.”
Taehyung smiled at that and leaned forward to pick a song. After a moment, his favorite song started to play — soft, calm, and warm.
Without hesitation, he began singing along, his voice quiet but sweet.
Jungkook’s hands paused on the wheel for a second.
He looked at Taehyung, really looked at him.
Not the silent boy who waited at home.
Not the rich, spoiled husband he was forced to marry.
But the boy he used to know.
The boy who used to laugh easily.
The boy who used to follow him around after school.
The boy who once made him friendship bracelets and cried when they fought.
This Taehyung felt familiar.
Like the one from before everything got ruined.
Before marriage.
Before pain.
Before love turned into something heavy and sharp.
“…What’s with you today?” Jungkook asked quietly, still watching him.
Taehyung didn’t stop singing.
He just smiled with closed eyes, the wind blowing through his hair.
“I just wanted to remember how it felt… when you didn’t hate me.”
The car stopped at a red light.
Jungkook leaned back slightly, one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the window.
Outside, a group of teenage boys ran across the sidewalk — laughing, pushing, teasing each other.
One of them threw a bottle cap and ran while the others chased, yelling his name.
Jungkook stared at them for a moment.
So young. So free. So full of life.
It reminded him of them — before everything changed.
Without looking at Taehyung, Jungkook spoke, his voice calm but heavy.
“You gave me reasons to hate you,” he said.
Taehyung’s smile slowly faded.
Jungkook kept watching the boys outside. “If you had just understood the difference between love and obsession… maybe we’d still be the same.”
The music played softly in the background, but the air between them turned cold.
Taehyung lowered his head.
“I didn’t mean to become this way,” he whispered.
“I just… I didn’t want to lose you.”
Jungkook finally looked at him — his eyes not angry, but tired.
“You lost me the day you let your family ruin my life.”
Taehyung’s hands clenched on his lap.
“I begged them to stop,” he said, voice shaky. “But they wouldn’t listen. I thought… maybe if I stayed close, I could fix it. Maybe if I loved you enough, you’d—”
“Fall for you?” Jungkook cut in, bitterly. “That’s not how it works, Taehyung.”
The light turned green.
Jungkook looked away again, started the car, and drove forward.
And behind him, Taehyung sat quietly.
No words.
No tears.
Just silence.
Because maybe, deep inside… he knew Jungkook was right.
“I’m sorry for that,” Taehyung said softly, breaking the silence.
Jungkook kept his eyes on the road.
“For what they did to you… for what I did to you. But I promise… I’ll fix it. I—”
Jungkook suddenly laughed — a cold, bitter sound that didn’t match the soft music playing.
“Fix it?” he repeated, shaking his head. “How will you fix it, hmm?”
He finally looked at Taehyung, eyes sharp.
“By giving me a divorce? Is that the big plan now?”
“Letting go so your perfect family can finally finish what they started?”
“They’ll ruin me completely this time, right? Because I made their golden boy cry?”
Taehyung’s lips trembled, but he didn’t speak.
Jungkook’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“Do you think I don’t know how they talk about me?” he continued.
“A poor boy with no background. A nobody who was lucky to marry into money. That’s what they said, right?”
Taehyung slowly nodded, guilt heavy in his eyes.
“I never said that,” he whispered.
“But you never stopped them either,” Jungkook snapped.
“You stood there. You watched. And you still married me like I was a trophy.”
“I loved you,” Taehyung said, voice breaking.
“No,” Jungkook said coldly. “You wanted to own me.”
The words hit Taehyung like ice.
He looked down, trying to hide the tears forming in his eyes.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said. “I was just… scared.”
“Yeah?” Jungkook muttered, turning his eyes back to the road.
“Well, I was scared too. But no one protected me.”
The drive back home was quiet.
Jungkook didn’t speak.
Taehyung sat still, looking out of the window, watching the city lights pass by.
Soon, they pulled into the driveway.
Jungkook parked the car and turned off the engine. The house stood quietly in front of them — too big, too cold, too full of memories they never really made.
Jungkook was about to open his door when Taehyung finally spoke, his voice low, almost a whisper.
“You are the best thing that ever happened in my life.”
Jungkook’s hand froze on the car door handle.
Taehyung kept staring ahead, eyes watery, smile sad.
“You gave me happiness… even when you hated me,” he said. “You were my light, Jungkook.”
Jungkook didn’t move. His breathing changed just slightly.
“And even though I said sorry,” Taehyung added softly, “I never once regretted marrying you.”
Silence.
Jungkook finally looked at him — slowly. His expression unreadable.
Taehyung looked back at him now, his voice trembling.
“I know I was wrong. I was selfish. I let my family decide your fate, and I just stood there thinking I could fix it with love.”
He wiped his face quickly, trying not to cry.
“I held on too tightly… and maybe that’s what broke us. But still—” he paused, placing a hand on his heart, “you gave me something no one else ever could.”
Jungkook stayed quiet. His jaw was tight. His eyes lowered.
Taehyung gave a faint, broken smile.
“I just wanted you to know… before I go.”
Just as Jungkook opened his mouth to say something back to Taehyung, there was a sudden knock on the car window.
Startled, Jungkook turned his head.
It was one of the maids. She looked pale, breathless, her eyes wide with fear.
“Oh my god, sir Jungkook—you came. Please come quickly!” she said, her voice shaking.
Jungkook’s brows furrowed. “What?”
He looked at Taehyung, then back at the maid.
“What happened? Let’s go,” he said quickly, opening his door and stepping out.
Taehyung, however, stayed frozen in his seat. His body didn’t move. His hands were clenched tightly on his lap.
Jungkook turned back to him.
“What’s wrong with you today?” he said, walking to the passenger side.
He opened the door and gently reached over, unbuckling Taehyung’s seatbelt. His hand held Taehyung’s softly, pulling him out of the car.
Still holding onto Taehyung’s hand, they walked together toward the mansion.
The moment they stepped inside, Jungkook’s eyes widened.
The house was crowded.
Police. Media. Maids. Relatives. His parents. Taehyung’s parents.
People were crying, whispering, holding each other.
Jungkook gripped Taehyung’s hand tighter. “What the hell happened? Did a thief break in?”
No one answered.
They just stared.
The same maid guided them through the hallways. Jungkook didn’t let go of Taehyung. He kept walking, faster now, his heartbeat growing loud in his ears.
They reached the upper floor, and then the hallway that led to their bedroom.
A large group of people were gathered outside the door, whispering, some sobbing. The air felt heavy. Strange.
Jungkook stopped.
“Stay here,” he said, turning to Taehyung. “I’ll go check.”
He let go of Taehyung’s hand and pushed forward, through the crowd.
“Move!” he said loudly, pushing past people, heart pounding now.
He reached the bedroom door…
and slowly stepped inside.
Jungkook stepped inside the bedroom.
And stopped.
His eyes froze.
His breath caught.
Everything around him—the whispers, the footsteps, the noise—it all disappeared.
Because right there, in the middle of the floor…
Taehyung was lying still.
His body looked peaceful. Too peaceful.
One wrist cut deep, blood dried and pooling underneath him.
His skin was pale—too pale. His lips had no color. His eyes were closed, like he had just fallen asleep.
But Jungkook knew.
This wasn’t sleep.
This was real.
This was death.
“No…” Jungkook whispered. “No—no, what is this… what is this?!”
His knees gave in. He dropped, hard, to the floor.
“TAEHYUNG!” he screamed, crawling over to him. His hands shook violently as he reached for Taehyung’s shoulders.
But they were cold.
So cold.
“No—this isn’t—wake up! You were just beside me! You were just with me—”
His voice broke.
His fingers trembled as he touched Taehyung’s face, hoping, praying that this was some sick mistake. Some twisted nightmare.
“Taehyung…” he whispered. “Please... open your eyes.”
Behind him, a police officer gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Sir… I’m sorry. Are you his husband?”
Jungkook didn’t even answer. His eyes were fixed on Taehyung, unable to move, unable to breathe.
“It appears… he took his own life by cutting his wrist,” the officer said quietly. “There’s no sign of struggle. But—”
He opened Taehyung’s palm.
Jungkook’s eyes flicked downward.
Inside was his gold wedding ring.
Still warm from his grip.
“And we found this note,” the officer continued, handing over a small paper.
Jungkook’s hand shook as he took it.
Sorry, Jungkook.
I love you so much that I ruined your life.
Please forgive me.
– Tae
Jungkook stared at the words. His lips parted. A sob caught in his throat but never came out.
He turned his head.
Back toward the hallway. The crowd. The people.
And there, through his blurred vision…
He saw someone standing still.
Taehyung.
Alive.
Smiling.
Softly looking at him.
“What…” Jungkook breathed, frozen.
No one else noticed him.
Only Jungkook saw the way Taehyung’s eyes held a sad peace.
Then came a soft voice, echoing in the air like a whisper in the wind:
“Taehyung… your 48 minutes are finished. Let’s go.”
Taehyung looked toward the voice. Then back at Jungkook.
He gave him the gentlest smile.
One that said everything he never got to say.
Then he faded—slowly, quietly—like a ghost disappearing into the light.
A soft metallic sound followed.
Clink.
Jungkook looked down.
The wedding ring had fallen from Taehyung’s real hand.
It rolled once… and stopped at Jungkook’s knee.
He picked it up, fingers trembling.
And finally—his heart broke.
Tears fell, silent at first, then harder. Loud sobs escaped his chest.
End
