The green glass bottles had taken up most of the space on the table and Jeongguk was already on his fourth bottle of soju of the night. His head was floating and everything seemed blurry. He wanted to cry and scream at the same time. His heart ached like someone was repeatedly punching it.

That someone might just be Taehyung, his now ex for the second time.

"I can't fucking believe your ass" The man in front of Jeongguk... Jin, he remembered, said exasperatedly.

Jeongguk whined.

"You guys were acting all cute just one day ago!" Jin said.

"It's my fault" Jeongguk muttered.

"He is right, you know? I don't know if any of this would even go into your head because you are on the brink of passing out but... you really have to put the past in the past. Taehyung loves you and you only. Always had. That's all that matters"

"He's an ass" Jeongguk muttered. "I chose him over and over again. Even after he discarded the plans we made like they were nothing.... Even after he decided to leave me and chase his dreams. Even after he made such a huge decision about his future without me... I chose him. I was there for him. After all I had done... after all the shit I had to go through... he says this is a mistake!" Jeongguk groaned.

Jin sighed. "It can be frustrating to have someone bring up the past all the time, Jeongguk"

"It was frustrating for me too! What happened last time scarred me. My worst fear of him breaking up with me because of a third party came true. And now it happened again"

Jin watched him with worry. "Taehyung also gives in to his emotions. Like you. Takes hasty decisions. He gets hurt easily, just like you"

"I know that it's me that keeps bringing Beckson between us but..." Jeongguk whispered. "But Taehyung..." Jeongguk felt his throat closing up on itself, a sob threatening to escape. "It's always so easy for him to walk away from me"

"Jeongguk..."

Jeongguk felt a tear make its way down his cheek. "I sacrificed so much for him" He sniffled. "I wanted to be with him so badly. He is the one, Jin"

"What did you sacrifice? You guys broke up because you disagreed to do long distance"

Jeongguk shook his head. "I didn't want to do long distance" he could feel his vision blur and his head swam. "I wanted to go wherever he went"

"But you didn't" A voice came. Where was that voice coming from? Is he dreaming?

"I was going to!" He objected to the voice, feeling the need to justify himself. "I searched and searched for universities in the area he was going to study in. I was going to go to the best university that offered a business degree but I was ready to go to a university close to him, even if it meant I would have to let go of my dream university, just to be with him"

"What?"

"I applied to so many universities, fully aware that I would secure a spot at SNU," Jeongguk confessed in a hushed tone, as if unveiling a closely guarded secret. He lowered his voice, letting the weight of his words hang in the air. "My father went to the lengths of threatening to disown me if I didn't enrol in my first-choice university after being accepted. But all I yearned for was to be with him."

A heavy pause enveloped the room, the gravity of Jeongguk's revelation sinking in like an impending storm. The atmosphere thickened, charged with the intensity of a truth left untold. "I was willing to forsake everything," he continued, the raw emotion evident in his voice. "To cast aside the prestige of my dream university, defy my father's wishes, just to stand by him."

The room seemed to hold its breath, the revelation hanging like a suspended chord, waiting for the moment of release. The man in front of Jeongguk held an expression of pure shock as Jeongguk's whispered words lingered, echoing in the silence. "I chose love over everything. Over expectations, over dreams. But fate had other plans"

"You're kidding..."

"My father called it madness. I called it love"

"You didn't tell Taehyung about this?"

Why was the voice asking silly questions? "Of course, not. Don't be silly"

"You never told any of this to anyone?"

Jeongguk scoffed.

"Petty as ever, Jeongguk. Petty as a teenager, petty even now"

Jeongguk rolled his eyes.

"Your stubbornness and pettiness are going to be the ruin of you. It already has become your ruin"

Now, the voice was insulting him. He ignored it. "I got selected to SNU and the university he applied to, you know?"

"And?"

"I would've gone to his one. My dad can fuck himself. But he broke up with me right before the selections were announced"

A deep sigh came from somewhere around Jeongguk.

"I was ready to sacrifice so much for him. I went through so much for him" More wetness on his cheeks. "But he left me"

"Oh Jeongguk"

A silence surrounded Jeongguk. His thoughts swam on the edge of his consciousness.

"So of course it scarred me" Jeongguk's chest heaved. "Of course that wound still hurts"

Jeongguk's surroundings started to darken and the next moment, his head met the table. A voice called his name and all he could do was mumble incoherent words and-

"The wound just started to heal but he tore it wide open last night"

-

That night, the rain poured outside of Taehyung's apartment, a melancholic symphony that mirrored the storm inside his heart. Loneliness seeped into every corner of the living room, settling as a heavy weight on Taehyung's shoulders. He gazed out at the rain-streaked window, the droplets distorting the city lights into a blurry kaleidoscope. Each raindrop seemed to carry the weight of unspoken words and unshed tears. His life, a euphoric dream only a day ago, was now yet again a thunderstorm, as it was before he got back together with Jeongguk.

To drown his sadness and loneliness away, Taehyung was about to stand up from the couch and grab one of the few remaining bottles of soju in his fridge when the doorbell rang. Confused about who could be visiting him at this hour, he made his way to the door. Taking a peek outside through the glass hole, his eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment upon seeing the familiar face.

He pulled the door open to see a man, drenched wet from the rain, hunched over his knees, panting.

"Jin?" Taehyung asked. "What the hell are you doing here at this hour, man?"

"Taehyung" Jin gasped out a breath.

"Did you run a marathon?" Taehyung asked. "Come on in!"

Jin nodded, walking inside slowly. His boots left wet footsteps on Taehyung's wooden floor.

"Take your fucking shoes off" Taehyung muttered and Jin obeyed.

"Taehyung" Jin said, walking inside barefoot now. "I need to tell you something"

"What is it? Better be important for you to come barging in here at this hour"

"It's about Jeongguk"

Taehyung felt himself straighten up, his eyes widening and his whole body going into alert. "What about him? Is he okay? Did something happen? Where is he?" his voice got objectively louder with every question.

Jin's plump lips stretched into a smile. "He's home. I just dropped him off. He's shit-faced though. Passed out at the BBQ place"

"Oh"

"But that's beside the point"

"What is the point?"

"There's something you need to know about your relationship"

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure that this isn't my place to tell you this and you should probably hear this from Jeongguk himself but I can't watch you two suffer again. You two are meant to be together and it hurts me that the past keeps coming between you two"

"Jin, you're making me impatient. Just say it"

"I know you think that Jeongguk wanted the easy way out back when you were in school when he refused to do long-distance. You thought he didn't like being with you anymore but that wasn't the case"

"I know he didn't want to break up but there was no way we could work out when he kept bringing in-"

"I know, I know. But you must know that he was ready to sacrifice so much for you back then"

"Huh?"

"He was on the verge of sacrificing his dream university to join you at the same one you chose, defying his father's wishes and threats, all to be with you"

🪢

Thoughts?
Thanks for reading, commenting and voting!