Taehyung was once the bright light in every room-the boy who's laughs had the power to light up another's world, who spread positivity and warmth to everyone around him. He was the friend you could count on, the one who never let anything dull his s...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Taehyung leaned against the cold metal shelves, his eyes fixed on the ground as he waited for Jungkook's answer. The storage room was silent except for the faint hum of the lights above them. He'd already tried waiting on their spot yesterday, shivering in the evening chill, hoping-expecting-that Jungkook would show up. But like too many times before, he hadn't.
"Why didn't you come?" Taehyung's voice was soft, laced with a tremor that he couldn't suppress. "You promised."
Jungkook shifted uncomfortably, looking away. He could still feel the weight of his own guilt, yet he fought it down, masking his feelings with a guarded expression.
"I...I got busy," he mumbled, not meeting Taehyung's eyes. He wanted to explain himself, but the excuses sounded flimsy, even to him.
"Busy," Taehyung echoed bitterly, his heart cracking just a little more. "Busy with them?" He didn't even need to say who-they meant Jungkook's new friends, the ones who seemed to occupy all his time now.
Before Jungkook could respond, the door swung open, and in walked his so-called friends-Jisoo, Hyun, and Minseok, each smirking as their gaze landed on the two of them. Taehyung's face drained of color. He could already feel the tension suffocating him, knowing exactly what these friends of Jungkook's thought of him.
"Look who's here!" Jisoo snorted, crossing his arms as he looked Taehyung up and down. "The little puppy, right where he always is-following you around, Jungkook."
Minseok chuckled, nudging Jungkook. "How do you put up with him, man? Must be exhausting."
Taehyung glanced at Jungkook, hoping he would say something to defend him, to brush off their taunts like he used to. But the silence stretched, and each second chipped away at the last bit of hope Taehyung held. Jungkook's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Hyun laughed, sneering, "Poor guy probably doesn't even realize he's just...clinging. Pathetic."
The words stung, and Taehyung flinched, his fingers clutching at his sleeve, desperately trying to hold back the hurt. Clinging... pathetic? The way they spat those words burned in a way he hadn't expected.
Jungkook's fists clenched at his sides. The shame and frustration boiled over as his friends' taunts echoed in his mind. He couldn't handle their relentless taunting; he could feel their judgment piercing him, tearing down any semblance of peace he'd felt with Taehyung here a moment before.
In an impulsive, heated second, Jungkook's hand shot out, shoving Taehyung back, hard enough to make him stumble. The sound of metal scraping filled the small room as Taehyung hit the shelves, his eyes widening in shock.
"can you stop being so......needy ?" Jungkook spat, the anger in his voice sounding more directed at himself than at Taehyung. "You don't get it, do you? I have things to do, other friends. I'm not...not your babysitter."
Taehyung's eyes glistened, disbelief mixing with the sting of hurt as he struggled to hold his composure. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. For a second, he thought he saw regret flickering in Jungkook's gaze, but the anger on his face masked it too quickly to be sure.
The friends smirked, nodding in approval. Jungkook's stomach twisted, his insides churning with a feeling he couldn't quite name-something that felt horribly like regret but buried under the layers of his own frustration and pride.
"Come on," Jae snickered, giving Jungkook a nudge. "Let's leave the puppy to whine alone."
With one last cold glance, Jungkook left, the echo of his footsteps fading as Taehyung slumped back against the shelves, fighting back the tears stinging his eyes. He could still feel the imprint of Jungkook's shove, but the physical ache was nothing compared to the hollow feeling in his chest.
Alone in the storage room, Taehyung closed his eyes, the words ringing in his ears: Needy. Pathetic. They cut deep, deeper than he'd ever let Jungkook know.
---
Taehyung stood in the storage room long after Jungkook and his friends had left, the silence around him heavy and crushing. He leaned against the cold shelves, his heart pounding in his chest as Jungkook's words echoed in his mind, over and over.
"Needy.. pathetic?" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened. He'd never thought he'd hear such words from Jungkook, his best friend-the one person he thought would stand by him, no matter what. The sting of Jungkook's shove was still fresh, but it was the words that hurt the most, each one like a shard of glass digging into his heart.
Forcing a shaky breath, Taehyung pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the text thread with Jungkook. The cheerful messages from days before felt like they belonged to another life-back when they'd make plans together, share secrets, and laugh until their stomachs hurt.
He scrolled through their conversation, his vision blurring as he read his own unanswered texts.
Tae: "I got the movie tickets!you will be coming tonight , right ?"
Tae: "I waited at our spot for a while. You okay? Let me know when you're free."
Tae: Miss you kook. Hope you're doing okay!."
Taehyung shut his eyes, feeling the weight of his loneliness settle over him like a heavy blanket. He had always waited-always been there. And now, the emptiness felt like it was swallowing him whole.
He wanted to tell Jungkook how much it hurt, how each broken promise cut deeper than the last, but he didn't have the strength anymore. The words were trapped in his throat, strangled by the knowledge that they'd probably fall on deaf ears.
In the midst of his anguish, Taehyung's phone buzzed with a new message.
Kook:"taehyung sorry I.......it just happened in the heat of the moment"
A hollow laugh escaped Taehyung's lips, bitterness coating his voice as he read the message. Heat of the moment?.. He'd heard it so many times it felt like a cruel joke now.
He finally typed out a message, his fingers trembling as he hit send.
Tae: "yeah get it don't worry about it."
Even as he sent it, he knew Jungkook would read it and move on, not realizing that Taehyung's heart was breaking piece by piece.
