"I love you, Koo hyung"Taehyung confessed,his words hanging in the air like a fragile promise.
Caught off guard,Jungkook's mind raced, grappling with the stark reality."But you are seventeen and I'm twenty-seven.do you know what that means?"he prote...
"While waiting may be painful for many, I find solace at the window, holding the rose you gave me and wearing the smile you loved."
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. . . .
Jungkook held the rose to his chest, its delicate petals a stark contrast to the turmoil inside him. He opened the window again, letting the cool night air wash over him as he stared into the darkness outside. Time had lost its meaning-two hours? Three? He couldn't say. He was lost in a vortex of his own thoughts and emotions, unable to escape the haunting memories and the pain he had just inflicted on Taehyung.
He replayed the scene over and over in his mind, questioning if he had done the right thing. Telling Taehyung that they couldn't be together, that their age difference was too significant, had felt like the only option. But now, as the silence of the night wrapped around him, he doubted his decision. He didn't want to be the one to destroy Taehyung's life, just as someone had once destroyed his.
In Taehyung's eyes, he saw a reflection of his younger self-the same desperation, the same intensity of emotion. It was a mirror image of the time when Jungkook had begged for love, only to be left broken and discarded. Every little string in his heart ached with the memory, the old wounds reopening. He wondered if that person had felt even a fraction of the pain he had endured. Probably not. To feel another person's pain, one had to have empathy, and that person had shown none.
Jungkook didn't want Taehyung to suffer the same fate he had. He didn't want the younger boy to chase after a love that might never be reciprocated, to lose himself in the pursuit of someone who could never truly be his. He cared about Taehyung too much to let that happen. That's why he had pushed him away-harshly, but necessarily. He had to do it now, before Taehyung got even closer, before the attachment grew stronger and the potential for heartbreak more devastating.
Staring out into the inky blackness, Jungkook's thoughts wandered back to his own past. He remembered the sleepless nights, the endless tears, the feeling of hopelessness that had consumed him. He remembered running after someone who kept moving further away, never looking back, never caring about the wreckage left in their wake. Jungkook didn't want Taehyung to experience that same suffocating pain.
In the past four months, Taehyung had made remarkable progress. He was starting to look and act like a normal eighteen-year-old again, shedding the shadows that had clung to him for so long. Jungkook had seen the light return to his eyes, the joy in his smile. He couldn't bear the thought of Taehyung losing all that because of misplaced love and devotion.
As the night deepened, Jungkook clutched the rose tighter, its thorns pressing into his skin-a reminder of the hurt he had caused, but also of the necessity of his actions. He had to protect Taehyung, even if it meant breaking his heart now to save him from greater pain later. It was a cruel kindness, but one he believed was essential.
Jungkook sighed deeply, the weight of his decision heavy on his shoulders. He knew that Taehyung wouldn't understand now, but he hoped that one day, the younger boy would see that it was done out of love and concern. For now, he would endure the ache in his own heart, knowing that it was the price he had to pay to keep Taehyung safe from a future he had once known too well.
