Taehyung stared at the screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. He wanted to snap back, something sharp, something that’d cut as deep as Jk’s words had, but instead, he sighed, feeling that familiar weight on his chest.

"Nah, can’t be petty about this."

He finally started typing, keeping it light, masking the hurt.

[[@Vantae30_u]
All good, Jk. No big deal.
Hope you’re doing okay.
Let’s chat when you’re free XD

He hesitated for a while, but added a text,

And hey, don’t stress about it.
We’re cool :)

He’d pause, staring at the screen for a moment, debating whether to add more, but then just shrugged it off and hit send.

"Not like it matters anyway," he’d mumble, trying to brush off the disappointment while tossing his phone aside, pretending not to care as much as he actually does.

As soon as Taehyung hit send, he stared at the screen, his heart racing. "Shit, why’d I even send that?" he muttered to himself, suddenly feeling all kinds of exposed. He dropped his phone on the bed, running a hand through his damp hair.

"Damn it," he whispered, pacing around the room.

"What if he doesn’t reply? Or worse, what if he does, and it’s... I don’t even know."

He grabbed his phone again, the screen lighting up, but it was just the same empty chat. No new messages. He sighed, tossing it back down.

"Okay, Tae, chill. You said what you had to say, now just... wait." He tried to shake off the nerves, but his chest felt tight, like he’d just opened a door he wasn’t sure he wanted open.

"Why’s it feel like I’m back in high school or some shit?" he grumbled, flopping back on the bed.

His mind kept replaying all the possible outcomes—Jk brushing him off, ignoring him, or maybe even just sending a quick, dry response. "Shouldn’t have said anything," he whispered, pulling the pillow over his face. But deep down, he knew he had to.

Even if it was awkward, even if it messed things up, he couldn’t just keep quiet. Now, though, all he could do was wait, and that was driving him crazy. "C’mon, Jk... say something," he whispered into the quiet room, his nerves gnawing at him.

Jeongguk dumped the last bit of scrambled eggs onto his plate, eyes half-open as he reached for Bam’s bowl. “Here you go, boy,” he mumbled, setting the food down. Bam didn’t waste a second, diving into the meal like he hadn’t eaten in days. Jeongguk watched him, a small smile tugging at his lips—the first one of the day.

"At least one of us is enjoying breakfast," he muttered, shaking his head.

He put the kettle on, the quiet hum filling the kitchen as he leaned against the counter. His mind was still foggy from the night before, and the dull throb in his head wasn’t helping. He rubbed his temples, trying to piece together everything that happened.

Just as he reached for the tea leaves, his phone pinged from the table. His heart did a weird flip, and for a second, he just stood there, staring at the damn thing.

"Ignore it, Jeongguk," he whispered, turning back to the kettle. But the phone went off again, louder this time, like it was mocking him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on the sound of the boiling water instead of the racing thoughts in his head.

"It’s probably just spam," he muttered, but deep down, he knew. He could feel it in his gut—it had to be V. His chest tightened, and he clenched his fists, trying to keep himself from grabbing the phone.

"Nah, you can’t do this again," he told himself, forcing his attention back to the tea.

Three minutes felt like a damn eternity. He paced the kitchen, doing everything but looking at his phone, but the urge was too strong. "Fuck it," he finally groaned, snatching the phone off the table. His heart was pounding as he unlocked it, eyes scanning the screen.

And there it was—V’s message.

Jeongguk read V’s message, his thumb hovering over the screen as he took it all in.

"Hope you’re doing okay. Let’s chat when you’re free XD And hey, don’t stress about it. We’re cool :)"

Jeongguk let out a slow breath he didn’t realize he was holding. "Shit..." he muttered under his breath, re-reading the message. The tone was so casual, so understanding, like V was just brushing off the whole mess Jeongguk had gotten himself into last night.

It wasn’t what he expected at all. No anger, no awkwardness—just a simple, "We’re cool."

He stared at the words, feeling a mix of relief and confusion. Part of him was grateful, but another part of him felt even worse now.

"Why’s he gotta be so chill about it?" he grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. It was like V wasn’t even fazed by the drunk texts, and that only made Jeongguk feel more conflicted.

He set his phone down and ran a hand through his hair. "What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" he whispered to himself. On one hand, he was glad things weren’t as awkward as he feared, but on the other hand, it felt like V was giving him an easy out, and that wasn’t sitting right with him.

He grabbed his tea, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling in his chest. But as he took a sip, he couldn’t help but think about how cool V had played it, and how much that made him want to respond, to keep talking, even when he knew he shouldn’t.

Jeongguk sighed, looking down at Bam, who was now lying content on the floor. "Why’s everything gotta be so complicated, huh?" he mumbled, feeling more lost than ever.

Jeongguk stared at the message for what felt like forever, his mind racing. He knew he had to say something, but everything felt wrong, too calculated. He needed to be careful, but not too careful. Honest, but not too honest.

"Okay, don’t overthink it," he muttered, fingers hovering over the keyboard. He started typing, then deleted it. Then typed something else and deleted that too.

Finally, he settled on something simple.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Hey, V. Thanks for understanding!
Didn’t mean to freak u out with all that
I was just... not in a good headspace.
Sorry ‘bout that. We’re cool, right? :)

He paused, reading it over. It sounded safe, maybe a little too safe. But it was all he could manage without saying too much. He hovered his thumb over the send button, hesitating.

"Fuck it," he whispered and hit send.

Immediately, his stomach twisted with nerves.

"Why does it feel like I just sent my damn heart through this phone?" he groaned, tossing the phone onto the counter like it was burning his hand.

He picked up his tea, trying to calm down, but his mind was still spinning. What would V think of his message? Would he see through the bullshit? Would he actually believe that Jeongguk was just having an off night, or would he sense the confusion that was eating Jeongguk alive?

Jeongguk sighed, rubbing his temples. "This is such a mess," he muttered, knowing that no matter how cool he tried to play it, things were far from simple. And deep down, he wasn’t sure he even wanted them to be.

He leaned back against the counter, trying to sip his tea and act like he wasn't waiting for V's reply. But his phone pinged almost immediately after he sent the message, making his heart jump into his throat.

"What the—?" He grabbed the phone, fumbling it a little in his haste. He expected some chill response, but the screen lit up with a message that made his stomach flip.

[@Vantae30_u]
Cool as ice, Jk. But...
I can tell there’s something more u’re not saying.
If u ever wanna talk, I’m here.
No pressure, though ;)"

Jeongguk blinked at the screen, his mind racing. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more on edge. V wasn’t buying the easy-breezy act, and that both scared and thrilled him.

"Damn it, V..." he muttered, feeling a mix of frustration and something warmer that he didn’t want to name. His thumb hovered over the keyboard again, but what was he supposed to say now?

As he stood there, sipping his tea, trying to keep his mind from spinning out of control, his phone buzzed again. This time it was Shezam.

Shezam:- "Miss you already, babe. Can’t wait to see you later💜."

Jeongguk felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He couldn’t keep juggling this—two people, two different lives. Something had to give, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal with the fallout.

"Shit, V... what the hell am I supposed to do with that?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

V was making it clear—he wasn’t just some random online friend anymore. This was crossing into dangerous territory.

But then, the message from Shezam sat there, a reminder of everything he had, everything he was supposed to be loyal to. Jeongguk was feeling trapped, like he was trying to balance on a tightrope that was getting thinner and thinner.

He took a deep breath and started typing a response to V, keeping it light, but his mind was racing with thoughts of what could happen next.

[@Jk_moon1997]
Appreciate the offer, V ;)
Just... trying to keep my head straight,
y’know?
Let’s chat, for sure.
You’re something else, man.

He sent the message before he could overthink it, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. It wasn’t a shutdown, but it wasn’t an open door either. He hoped it would keep things in that gray area for a little longer, just until he could figure out what the hell he was doing.

His phone buzzed almost immediately with another reply from V.

[@Vantae30_u]..
Yeah.. but we can still hang, right?
Video call, maybe?
Just wanna see your face,
laugh about dumb stuff.

Jeongguk hesitated, his thumb hovering over the keyboard.
but then reality hit—Wattpad didn’t allow that kind of connection. There would be no call, no face-to-face interaction, no crossing that line. And maybe that was for the best.

He quickly typed back, trying to keep it light:

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Ah, forgot Wattpad’s got us on lockdown.
No calls or anything.  :(
Maybe we can just chat here?

He thought about Shezam, about how he couldn’t let this go too far. But then he thought about V, and how this thing between them was already more than just a casual chat.

There was a pause, then V’s reply popped up.

[@Vantae30_u]
Chat here, huh?
You got any better ideas, genius? :^

Jeongguk chuckled, leaning back in his chair. He could almost picture V’s face, that teasing smirk, the way he’d probably be lounging on his bed with his phone in hand.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Alright, how about this :3

We play a little game.
Something... different? :b

[@Vantae30_u]
Different...how?

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Let’s call it ‘Truth or Dare,’
minus the dare.
Just truths. u ask me something,
I ask you something.
No holding back.

Jeongguk’s pulse quickened. There it was—the challenge, the unspoken dare hanging between them. But before he could respond, another buzz came in. This time, it was Shezam.

Shezam:- "Hey, baby. Missing u so muchhh. Got something planned for us tonight, hope you’re free 💋"

Jeongguk felt a rush of guilt slam into him. Here he was, messing around with V, when Shezam was out there, genuinely caring for him, planning their next moment together. His thumb hovered over the screen, torn between the two conversations.

But V’s next message pulled him back in, dragging him deeper into the mess:

[@Vantae30_u]
Oh, so we’re playing with fire now?

Jeongguk shot back,

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Only if you’re up for it ;)

Or are you too chicken? :/

His phone buzzed again—another message from Shezam, sweet and affectionate, the kind of thing that should’ve made him smile. Instead, it made his chest tighten with guilt.

"Jeon Jeongguk, what the hell are you doing?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. He was playing with fire on both ends, and sooner or later, someone was going to get burned. The question was—who?

[@Vantae30_u]
u wish. I’m game ;)
But don’t cry when I hit u
with something real :b

Jeongguk’s pulse quickened, the challenge in V’s tone pushing all the right buttons.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
We’ll see about that.
U first. :0

He sent the message and immediately switched back to Shezam’s chat, his fingers moving swiftly to respond.

Jeongguk:- "Missed you too. Can’t wait for tonight.🙈"

He hit send, his stomach twisting. He was balancing on a razor’s edge, and the more he kept this up, the closer he was to cutting himself—or worse, cutting someone he cared about.

V didn’t hesitate.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Alright, spill it—
what’s the one thing u’d never tell anyone,
not even ur closest friend?

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I guess... sometimes I wonder
if I’m really as put together as everyone thinks,

Like, what if I’m just faking it
and one day it all falls apart? :D

[@Vantae30_u]
Damn :X

Didn’t expect you to go that
deep right off the bat :c

[@Jk_moon_1997]
You asked for it ;)

[@Vantae30_u]
Okay, my turn.
What’s something you’ve always
wanted to do but never had
the guts to try?

Jeongguk’s eyes narrowed, thinking about it.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Something..
I’ve always wanted to do... probably..
be honest about what I want,
without caring what anyone else thinks.

[@Vantae30_u]
Well, what do you want right now?

Jeongguk hesitated, the question hitting him harder than he expected. He knew what he wanted, but admitting it out loud—or in this case, in text—felt risky. But the game was on, and he wasn’t about to lose his nerve.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
I want...
to figure out what this is between us.
Where it’s going :¿

Taehyung’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected Jk to lay it all out like that. He thought about how to respond, not wanting to give too much away, but also not wanting to back down.

[@Vantae30_u]
I guess...
I’m wondering the same thing :/

But I’m not really sure
where to start ;>

Jeongguk smiled, feeling a strange mix of relief and anticipation.

[@Jk_moon_1997]
Maybe we just take it one step at a time.
See where it goes? ;)

[@Vantae30_u]
Yeah!

Taehyung agreed.

[@Vantae30_u]
One step at a time.

Meanwhile, Taehyung was in his room, still in a towel, dripping from the shower. Ever since JK told him to "keep it cool," he couldn't shake this weird feeling.

"Cool? Yeah, whatever..." Taehyung muttered, flopping onto his bed. His fingers kept messing with his phone, trying to distract himself, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. JK was putting up walls, and it bugged him way more than he wanted to admit.

Then JK messaged, suggesting, "Truth or Dare... without the dare."

Taehyung's heart skipped. "Oh, he wants to play now, huh?"

A grin spread across his face as he quickly typed back. This was new, and the thrill of it had him hooked.

"Let’s see where this goes."

(a/n:- how's the game going guys?? :D)