Y/n stood still, her mind heavy with unspoken thoughts. What do people feel when asked that simple question? She often wondered. It seemed straightforward, yet it carried a complexity that words could hardly capture. Emotions were strange—some people embraced them, some fled from them, and others didn’t know what to do with them at all.

Did they feel scared? Angry? Betrayed? Or were they happy, content, and blissful?

Y/n felt none of these. Or maybe she felt all of them at once. She couldn’t tell anymore. Her heart had been shattered too many times, the cracks now so deep that nothing seemed to touch her. Numbness had crept in, a cold void that shielded her from the world’s pain but also its joy.

There were moments when even the faintest flicker of emotion could overwhelm her, uplifting or breaking her. Maybe it all depended on what people chose to feel, and how they allowed those feelings to shape them. Y/n had built walls around herself, daring someone—anyone—to care enough to break them down. But deep down, she knew that what truly mattered wasn’t just someone breaking through; it was the one person who chose to stay when everything else seemed to fall apart.

Yet, how often did people chase the wrong things? How many times did they long for validation from those who didn’t deserve it, all while ignoring the ones who genuinely cared?

Y/n had heard those comforting words before: “I need you. I’m here for you. I’ll protect you.” Words that should have brought peace but only deepened the ache inside her.

It was satisfying to be needed, but also terrifying.

She had hidden behind a mask for so long that she wondered if it had become her reality. What if that mask, meant to protect her, was the very thing destroying her? Shakespeare’s question echoed in her mind: “To be or not to be?” What should she choose? To feel nothing or to feel everything?

Either choice, she feared, could break her.

And so, she broke—not by choosing happiness, but by surrendering to pain. She told herself she wasn’t worthy of love, that it was easier this way.

---

Taehyung sat at his desk, watching Y/n from across the room. They said the night was darkest just before dawn, but this darkness felt endless. It was unbelievable how quickly a single moment could turn the world upside down, leaving no way back.

She walked into the classroom, her head bowed and her shoulders tense. She didn’t look at him, didn’t acknowledge him. No smile. No light in her eyes.

Silence stretched between them, louder than any words. Sometimes, silence was comforting—a sanctuary. But this silence was different. It was shattering.

By the end of class, Taehyung couldn’t take it anymore. The weight of her silence pressed down on him, suffocating and relentless. He stood abruptly, his resolve firm.

“Ms. Jang, a moment, please?” he called after her.

Y/n turned, her expression unreadable but her eyes carrying a sadness he could feel in his chest. “Sorry, sir, I need to leave,” she murmured, her voice flat.

Before she could walk away, Taehyung reached out, his hand gently grasping her wrist. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. It wasn’t just a hug—it was a desperate plea, a wordless confession. That embrace spoke of everything they couldn’t say. In that moment, Taehyung felt the broken pieces of himself begin to mend.

She fit perfectly against him, and for a fleeting second, time seemed to stop. Nothing else mattered.

“I’m not worthy of you,” Y/n whispered, her voice trembling.

Her words hit him like a knife, sharp and unrelenting.

“I’m neither worthy of you nor your love,” she said again, her head resting against his chest as tears filled her eyes.

Taehyung tightened his hold, unwilling to let her go. “Why? Why now?” he asked, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions.

“It’s always been there,” she admitted, her voice barely audible. “I’m damaged. I’m broken.”

“I don’t care about that,” he replied, his desperation palpable.

“It’s me,” she insisted. “I’m not worthy of you.”

His heart ached as anger, pain, and sorrow coursed through him. “You’re worthy of everything in this world,” he said fiercely. “You’re everything I ever dreamed of when I thought of love. You gave me hope, strength, comfort, and happiness. You showed me a love so pure that it makes my heart ache.”

He paused, his voice softening. “Don’t leave me, Y/n.”

“If I stay, I’ll break you more,” she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her own pain.

“You won’t,” Taehyung said, his tone firm.

“I love you,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “And a lifetime wouldn’t be enough for that kind of love.”

Taehyung held her as if letting go would tear him apart. He knew the truth: he would rather break while loving her than shatter without her.

And then, without another word, she pulled away.

She didn’t look back. Her goodbye was silent, but it destroyed him all the same.

---

COVER CREDIT thvfiqz