ᴄʜᴀsɪɴɢ ʀᴀɪɴʙᴏᴡ

~59. A studio apartment

I Found - Amber Run

"What is it about you that you are working for Jimin now?" 

Jungkook looked at Taehyung like he was amazed, but then he made it make sense that Taehyung knew. Jimin was his best friend, and of course, the man told him. The words were on the tip of Jungkook's tongue, but he bit them back.

"I didn't know it was his gallery."

He had gone through the getting over Jimin process once and failed. He didn't want to set back on his path now. He wanted to win for a change. He didn't need to know anything about Jimin, despite the therapist's words.

"And how did you feel?"

"Well... He didn't want to have anything to do with me then. I am sure he wants the same thing now."

"What did you think? He will run to you?" Taehyung asked, hibernated anger giving way to impatience. "What did you expect? He will leave his family. Remember, he chose her over you, and now he has a son. If you have any hope, Jungkook. I have to warn you to kill it."

Jungkook picked up the napkin and wiped his lips, not wanting to hear another word coming from the man. "Thanks for the dinner, Hyung. I'll see you around."

When Taehyung saw Jungkook stand up and turn to leave, he stood up, too, rushing to stop him. "I vowed to protect you, Jungkook. When you were almost dead and I heard after the most horrendous night of my life that you'd make it, I told myself that I'd never let anything happen to you."

"I didn't ask you to," Jungkook rebuked in calm disappointment and rage. 

"Too bad," Taehyung hissed. "Do you know the kind of toll it takes on a person to see their loved one on their deathbed?"

Jungkook jolted from the intensity of Taehyung's words. How could he not understand that? His parents still tiptoed around him, not wanting to unload their emotions and feelings. But he suffered, too. He suffered the most, and after speaking about it after years of silence, only to hear the jibes in return, it rubbed him the wrong way. "Do you know how hard it was to speak about the things I told you?" He asked, his eyes burning as he fought back tears. "I needed a friend, Hyung. More than anything. I didn't need your judgment today."

Taehyung's chest tightened, and sensing that the younger man was right, it felt like he would melt into an embarrassing pile of shame. His lids fluttered to the ground as he tried to speak, but before he could, Jungkook slowly turned around and walked away, leaving Taehyung to drown in accountability.

Jungkook flagged a taxi outside and got in quickly. "Where to?" The driver asked when the man didn't give him an address instantly. 

He took out his phone and looked at the address. He then showed it to the driver, who nodded and revved the car in the desired direction.

The lost man looked outside the windows, feeling nothing but an all-too-familiar pain. Why did he think talking to a therapist would be a good idea? He thought his pain was numbing, but it all felt overwhelming again. Some people were born to be great. He thought that maybe he was born to experience one heartbreak after another and to be the biggest disappointment to his parents. 

He still fought hard against all odds, but some pieces of his story pushed him back to the ground, making it harder for him to get up each time. 

Remember, he chose her over you, and now he has a son.