Time ➳ BTS

10 | Breakdown

The world bled into a dull hum after the call. Your gaze locked on the grimy floor, its texture strangely fascinating. Panic had threatened to consume you, but the distant music, a distorted pulse through the walls, had become your anchor. It took a herculean effort, a frantic clawing your way back from the abyss, but you'd managed to reel yourself in.

Footsteps approached, their rhythm echoing in the tense silence. You didn't flinch, didn't meet their gaze. Not yet. Finally, the steps stopped, and a pair of black dress shoes materialized in your blurry vision.

A hesitant voice, laced with concern, broke through the fog. "Hey."

The familiar voice, a melody lost in the cacophony of your mind, registered only as a distant vibration. A suffocating hollowness had settled in your chest, a leaden weight that pushed the world away. Every other sensation seemed muted, dulled by the invisible burden that threatened to crush you.

Then, a sudden intrusion. Hands, gentle but firm, gripped your shoulders. You flinched before a familiar face swam into your blurry vision. It was Guk, his concern etched in the worry lines marring his forehead.

A hollow echo played where Guk's voice should have registered. You stared blankly into his worried eyes, the vibrant brown dulled to a faint echo of its former color. Guk flinched at the sight, his heart twisting in his chest.

He reached for you, pulling you into a tight embrace. The weight of almost losing you, the horrifying 'what if' scenarios that had played in his mind, it all threatened to overwhelm him.

"Did I do this to you?" he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "Did I make the wrong choice?" The fear that he'd damaged you, the terrifying possibility that his actions had put your life in jeopardy, gnawed at him.

A ghost of a frown flickered across your face as you felt a dampness on your cheek. Looking up, you saw a single tear tracing a path down Guk's face. A realization dawned on you: the weight of your actions hadn't just impacted you.

A hand wiped his tears away, making him flinch slightly. Looking up, he saw you looking at him with a small frown on your face. He didn't even realize that he was crying, until you softly wiped his tears away.

A sob escaped his lips, head shaking, while he mumbled the same words over and over again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.."

The dam within you finally burst. Wrapping your arms tightly around Guk, you buried your face in his hair. His sobs wracked your embrace, a raw and desperate sound that mirrored the turmoil in your own heart.

"I'm so sorry!" he choked out, his voice thick with a blend of grief and guilt.

Here, in the quiet aftermath of your ordeal, the facade crumbled. This wasn't the confident, charismatic Guk you knew. This was a man stripped bare, his spirit battered by the near-miss of losing you.

"Why are you sorry?"

The words felt hollow, even as you spoke them. You knew the burden of responsibility weighed heavily on him. He had thrust you into this world, a world of danger and darkness. But a part of you, a fierce and protective part, refused to let him shoulder the blame alone.

This was your choice, your desperate act. Now, you had to find a way to navigate the consequences, together.

His sobs subsided into hiccups. "I... I didn't think of the consequences it might have for you," he confessed, voice thick with regret. "If something... if something would have happened, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself..."

Silence stretched between you, punctuated only by the distant echoes of the concert winding down. Minutes bled into one another, the tension slowly easing as the final notes faded. Finally, the male pulled back, wiping a stray tear from his cheek.