The first time Taehyung realized he was in love with Jungkook, they were sixteen.
They were sitting on the roof of Jungkook's school after sneaking out of evening classes.
The city lights sparkled below them.
Jungkook nudged his shoulder.
"You're staring again."
Taehyung quickly looked away.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I was thinking."
"About?"
Taehyung smirked.
"How annoying you are."
Jungkook gasped dramatically.
"After everything I've done for you?"
"Like what?"
"I shared my lunch."
"You stole half of mine."
"I was hungry."
Taehyung laughed.
The sound made Jungkook smile.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Jungkook quietly said, "I like being here with you."
Taehyung's heart skipped.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
The way Jungkook looked at him felt different.
Warmer. Softer. Dangerous.
Neither of them said anything else.
But from that day on, everything changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Months turned into years.
Their friendship became something deeper. Something neither dared name out loud.
Because they already knew.
And because naming it would make it real.
Their families were strict. "Traditional" to be honest.
The kind of families that cared more about reputation than happiness.
So Taehyung and Jungkook had learned to love in secret.
Late-night phone calls. Hidden meetings. Stolen moments.
A life that belonged only to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One snowy evening, they met at their favorite place.
A small hill overlooking the city.
Taehyung arrived first.
A few minutes later, Jungkook appeared.
The moment he saw him, he smiled.
"There you are."
Jungkook sat beside him.
For a while they simply watched the city lights.
Then Jungkook suddenly asked, "Do you ever get scared?"
Taehyung glanced at him.
"Of what?"
"That one day we'll lose this."
The smile disappeared from Taehyung's face.
He knew exactly what Jungkook meant.
"Sometimes."
Jungkook lowered his eyes.
"My parents keep talking about my future."
"So do mine."
"They already have plans for me."
Taehyung swallowed.
"Same."
Silence.
Cold wind brushed against their faces.
Then Taehyung reached for Jungkook's hand.
"Whatever happens..."
Jungkook looked up.
"...you'll always be my favorite person."
A tear appeared in Jungkook's eye.
"You always know how to make things harder."
Taehyung laughed softly.
"Why?"
"Because now I want to cry."
"Then cry."
"Idiot."
Taehyung smiled.
Then slowly leaned forward.
Jungkook met him halfway.
Their lips touched beneath the falling snow.
Gentle. Careful.
Like they had all the time in the world.
But... They didn't.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
The shout shattered everything.
Both boys jerked apart.
Their blood ran cold.
Standing a few feet away were their parents.
The expressions on their faces made Taehyung feel sick.
Jungkook's mother looked horrified.
His father looked furious.
Taehyung's father stepped forward.
"What is this?"
Neither boy answered.
"What is this?!" he repeated.
Jungkook stood.
"Dad-"
"Don't."
His father's voice was ice cold.
Taehyung had never seen Jungkook look so frightened.
"We love each other."
The words escaped before anyone could stop him.
Silence.
Then chaos.
Angry voices. Disappointment. Threats. Shouting.
Jungkook's father grabbed his arm.
"You're coming home."
Jungkook struggled.
"No!"
"Enough!"
Taehyung moved forward.
"Don't touch him-"
His own father pulled him back.
"You're never seeing him again."
The world stopped.
Jungkook stared at him.
Taehyung stared back.
Both of them crying.
Both of them helpless.
As they were dragged away in opposite directions.
That was the last night they saw each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few months destroyed them.
Taehyung called hundreds of times.
No answer.
Every message remained unread.
Every letter was returned.
Every attempt failed.
One night he sat on his bedroom floor holding a photograph.
The only one he had of them together.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
His hands trembled.
"Hello?"
Silence. Then...
"Taehyung?"
His heart stopped.
"Jungkook?"
A shaky breath came from the other side.
For several seconds neither spoke. Just hearing each other's voice hurt.
"I miss you," Jungkook whispered.
Taehyung closed his eyes.
"I miss you too."
"I don't think I can do this."
His voice broke.
Taehyung's tears finally fell.
"We'll figure something out."
"What if we can't?"
"We will."
"What if we don't?"
Taehyung had no answer. Because deep down he was terrified.
Jungkook was crying now.
"So many people are trying to pull us apart."
Taehyung gripped the phone tighter.
"Then hold on to me."
"I am."
"No matter what happens."
Silence.
Then Jungkook whispered,
"I love you."
Taehyung felt his chest ache.
"I love you too."
The call ended.
It was the last conversation they ever had.
The next day Jungkook's family moved away.
Without warning. Without goodbye. Without a trace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Years passed.
Taehyung graduated.
Found work. Built a life.
People thought he was happy.
He smiled. Laughed. Succeeded.
But every year on Jungkook's birthday, he bought a small cake.
Every year. Without fail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jungkook did the same.
Every year on Taehyung's birthday, he visited a café and ordered two coffees.
One for himself. One for the person who wasn't there.
The staff always thought he was waiting for someone.
In a way, he was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten years later... Switzerland.
The mountains stretched endlessly beneath a pale blue sky.
Taehyung stepped into a small bookstore to escape the cold.
As he wandered through the aisles, he stopped.
Someone stood near the window.
Reading.
Dark hair. Familiar posture. A face he had seen in dreams for a decade.
The book slipped from Taehyung's hand.
The sound made the person turn around.
Their eyes met.
And time collapsed.
Jungkook froze. The color drained from his face.
"Taehyung?"
The name sounded exactly the same.
Ten years disappeared instantly.
Neither moved. Neither breathed.
Then Jungkook began walking toward him.
One step. Then another.
As if he were afraid Taehyung might disappear.
When they finally stood face to face, tears were already forming in both their eyes.
"It's really you."
Taehyung laughed shakily.
"It's really you."
For a moment they simply stared.
Trying to memorize each other all over again.
Older. Different. Yet exactly the same.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That evening they sat beside a lake surrounded by snow-covered mountains.
The sunset painted everything gold.
Jungkook looked at the water.
"I hated them for a long time."
Taehyung knew who he meant.
"So did I."
"They took away ten years."
Taehyung nodded.
"Yeah."
Jungkook laughed sadly.
"I kept thinking maybe one day I'd forget you."
"Did you?"
Jungkook looked at him.
The answer was obvious.
"No."
Taehyung smiled.
"Me neither."
Jungkook's eyes filled with tears.
"Do you know how many times I imagined this?"
"Hundreds, thousands."
Taehyung laughed.
"Same."
A silence settled between them.
Comfortable. Familiar.
Like coming home after being lost.
Then Jungkook asked quietly,
"Do you still love me?"
The question hung in the cold air.
Ten years of longing. Ten years of memories. Ten years of unfinished love.
Taehyung reached for his hand.
The same hand he had held on that snowy hill years ago.
"I never stopped."
Jungkook broke down.
Years of pain poured out all at once.
Taehyung pulled him into his arms. Jungkook held on tightly. As though letting go would mean losing him again.
"I never stopped either," Jungkook whispered against his shoulder.
For a long time they stayed that way.
Neither speaking. Neither moving.
Simply existing together again.
Finally.
After ten years. After all the heartbreak. After all the waiting.
Jungkook lifted his head.
"What happens now?"
Taehyung looked into his eyes.
The same eyes he had loved since he was sixteen.
Then he smiled.
"For the first time in our lives..."
He squeezed Jungkook's hand.
"...we choose for ourselves."
Jungkook smiled through tears.
"And what are you choosing?"
Taehyung leaned his forehead against his.
"You."
Jungkook laughed softly.
"Just me?"
"Always you."
This time, there were no angry voices.
No families pulling them apart.
No doors closing between them.
Only the quiet snow. The mountains.
And the love that had survived ten years of silence.
A love that had finally found its way home.
