*46*

Areum pov

The trip was over.

The beach house, with its sunlit mornings and salty breeze, was now just another memory, one that lingered on my skin like the ghost of a summer that had never quite arrived. The drive back had been mostly quiet-Jungkook humming along to the radio, Jimin staring out the window, Minji lost in her phone.

And Taehyung?

He had barely spoken.

When we reached the city, we went our separate ways without much conversation, each retreating to our own lives.

It was strange, how the trip had started with laughter and easy conversation, but ended with something heavier, something that sat in my chest even now, hours later.

I thought coming home would bring me comfort. Instead, it only made the silence louder.

I pulled my blanket tighter around my shoulders, curled up on the couch as the evening stretched on. Outside, the city moved on without me-cars passing, voices rising and fading in the distance. But inside, everything felt still.

A knock at the door broke through the quiet.

I blinked, hesitating. I wasn't expecting anyone. But when I stood and peeked through the peephole, a familiar figure stood on the other side.

Minji.

With a sigh, I unlocked the door. "Hey."

She didn't say anything at first, just stepped inside like she had done a hundred times before, toeing off her shoes and making a beeline for the couch. I barely had time to close the door before she was stretching out, making herself comfortable.

"So," she said, propping her chin on her hand. "You doing okay?"

I hesitated, then shrugged. "Yeah."

Minji raised a brow. "You sure?"

I bit my lip, walking back to the couch and settling into the corner. "I don't know."

Minji sighed, tucking her legs underneath her. "That's what I thought."

I stared down at my hands, tracing the hem of my sweater between my fingers. I knew why she was here. I knew this conversation was coming. But now that it was here, I wasn't sure where to start.

Minji shifted, adjusting her position like she was settling in for a long talk. "Are you gonna tell me what happened?"

I hesitated, then sat down across from her, pulling my knees up. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Minji scoffed. "Areum. Come on. You were a mess the entire drive back. Taehyung barely looked at you. Jimin kept watching you like he was waiting for something. And you? You've been avoiding eye contact with all of us since last night." She crossed her arms. "So yeah, I think we should talk about it."

I let out a slow breath, sinking deeper into the couch. "I just-" I hesitated, the words tangling in my throat. "I don't know how to explain it."

Minji watched me, waiting, her expression softer now. "Try."

I swallowed, picking at a loose thread on my sleeve. "The beach house felt... different this time," I admitted. "Like, no matter how much I tried to enjoy it, something was off."

Minji didn't say anything, just nodded for me to continue.

"I thought I had things under control," I said quietly. "That I knew where I stood with both of them." My voice wavered, and I hated how weak it sounded. "But then Taehyung left, and it felt like everything shifted."

Minji tilted her head. "You mean when he got that call?"

I nodded.

"Did he tell you what it was about?" she asked.

"No," I murmured. "Not me."

Minji's expression flickered with something unreadable, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she asked, "And Jimin?"

I exhaled, frustration pressing against my ribs. "Jimin is... Jimin. He acts like he's moved on, but then he looks at me like-like he's waiting for something. And I don't know what he wants from me."

Minji sighed, leaning back. "And what do you want?"

I let out a humorless laugh. "That's the problem, Minji. I don't know."

Silence settled between us, thick and heavy.

Minji was the first to break it. "Have you talked to Taehyung since we got back?"

I shook my head. "No."

She frowned. "Why not?"

I hesitated. "Because... I don't know what to say to him."

Minji's lips pressed into a thin line, but before she could respond, my phone buzzed on the table. We both glanced at it.

Jimin.

I stared at the screen, my stomach twisting.

Minji sighed. "You gonna answer that?"

I hesitated, then let the call go to voicemail.

Minji gave me a pointed look. "Avoiding him isn't going to make this any easier."

I rubbed my temples. "I know."

Minji studied me for a moment, then said, "You're not just confused about Jimin, are you?"

I looked up at her, startled.

Her gaze was steady, knowing. "It's Taehyung too, isn't it?"

I didn't answer.

Minji sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. "God, Areum. You really need to talk to him."

I swallowed. "I don't even know if he wants to talk to me."

Minji scoffed. "Oh, please. Taehyung has been into you for ages. The guy practically radiates longing every time you're near."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Minji cut me off. "But I think this time, he's tired of waiting."

Her words landed like a punch to the gut.

Tired of waiting.

What if she was right?

"What do I do, Minji?" I rub my face, frustrated.

"What's stopping you, Areum?" Minji's voice was quieter now, but no less insistent. "Because I think you do like him."

I looked up at her, startled. "I-I don't know."

The words felt hollow even as I said them.

Minji's expression softened. "You do know," she murmured. "You're just scared to admit it."

I swallowed, my fingers tightening around the hem of my sweater. "Maybe..." My voice barely carried between us. "Maybe it's because Jimin-he's different now. He's this... changed version of himself. Someone I used to dream about, someone I thought I wanted him to be." I let out a breath, shaky and uneven. "But I'm also terrified."

Minji tilted her head. "Of what?"

"Of getting hurt again," I admitted. "Of believing that he's changed, only to realize that he hasn't. That I haven't." My throat tightened. "Because what if I still love him? What if I let myself fall again and it ends the same way?"

Minji didn't say anything, letting me pour everything out.

"But then there's Taehyung," I continued, my voice cracking slightly. "He was there when I wasn't sure if I'd ever put myself back together. He saw me at my lowest, and he never once turned away." My chest ached as I spoke. "And I like him, I do. But no matter how hard I try, Jimin is still there-in my head, in the way my heart stumbles when I see him." I clenched my hands together, frustration bubbling inside me. "It's like I'm stuck, Minji. I can't move forward, but I don't want to go back either."

Minji sighed, rubbing her temples. "Areum, do you hear yourself?"

I blinked. "What?"

"You keep saying you're afraid of making the wrong choice, but what if the real problem is that you don't want to choose?" Her voice was gentle but firm. "Because if you choose, one of them is gone. And you don't want to lose either of them."

The words hit me harder than I expected.

Because she was right.

I had spent so long tangled up in my past with Jimin, in the pain and love and heartbreak, that I didn't know how to let it go. And Taehyung-Taehyung had become my safe place. The person who never asked for more than I was willing to give.

Until now.

Until he had looked at me with something raw and exhausted in his eyes.

Until he had stopped waiting.

A lump formed in my throat.

"I think," Minji continued softly, "that you need to figure out what you want-not what feels familiar, not what's safe. Just you. What makes you happy, Areum?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

Because I didn't know.

And that terrified me more than anything.

A sudden vibration cut through the silence.

My phone.

I glanced at it, and my stomach dropped.

Taehyung

"Are you home?" He texted me.

I sucked in a breath, my pulse quickening.

Minji peeked at my screen, then back at me. "You need to talk to him."

I hesitated, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Yeah."

Barely a second later, another message. "I'm outside."

I froze.

Minji's lips quirked slightly. "Well," she said, standing up and grabbing her bag. "Guess that's my cue to leave."

"Minji-"

She squeezed my shoulder on her way to the door. "Don't overthink it," she murmured. "Just listen to him."

Then, she was gone.

I barely registered her words as I made my way to the window.

Sure enough, there he was.

Leaning against his car, hands shoved in his pockets, his face unreadable in the dim glow of the streetlights.

For a moment, I just stood there, watching him.

Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my jacket and stepped outside.

The air was cold, the city alive with distant sounds of traffic and laughter. But as I approached him, the rest of the world seemed to fade into the background.

He looked up when he heard my footsteps. His eyes found mine, and for a second, neither of us spoke.

Then, finally, Taehyung exhaled.

"We need to talk."

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Taehyung pov

She nodded, hesitant, but didn't move.

I sighed and gestured toward the passenger side of my car. "Come on."

For a moment, I thought she might refuse. That she might retreat back inside, pretend she hadn't seen my message.

But after a beat, she stepped forward, slipping into the seat.

The silence between us stretched as I pulled away from the curb.

I wasn't sure where I was driving. I just knew I couldn't have this conversation outside her apartment, not with the weight of everything pressing against my chest.

Minutes passed, the city lights blurring as we left the noise behind. I didn't speak, and neither did she.

It wasn't until I pulled near a secluded park-that I finally broke the silence.

"You didn't ask why I left that night."

Areum stiffened beside me. "Taehyung-"

"I waited," I cut her off, my voice quiet but firm. "I waited for you to say something. To ask. But you never did."

Her lips parted slightly, guilt flickering across her face.

I let out a slow breath, gripping the steering wheel. "I got a call from my dad," I said finally. "He's not happy with my choices. Thinks I'm wasting my time." I laughed, but it was hollow. "And you know what the worst part is? A part of me still wanted his approval. After everything."

Areum swallowed hard, like she wasn't sure if she should speak.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this," I admitted, shaking my head. "Maybe because I needed you that night, and you weren't there."

She flinched, but I wasn't finished.

"I've spent so long being the one who listens. The one who waits. The one who doesn't ask for too much because I know you have enough to deal with." I finally turned to her, meeting her gaze head-on. "But I can't do that anymore."

Her breath hitched.

"I can't be the person you turn to when it's convenient," I murmured. "I can't keep wondering if I'm just a distraction. If I'm only here because Jimin isn't."

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't regret falling for you," I said softly. "But I think I need to stop."

The words hung between us, heavy and final.

She looked afraid.

Afraid that she was finally losing me.

But this time, I wasn't sure if she could stop it.

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Her fingers trembled slightly as they curled into the fabric of her sleeves, but she didn't say anything. Not yet.

I exhaled, tilting my head back against the seat. I had spent years keeping things bottled up, waiting for the right moment, the right time. But the truth was, there was no right time.

Not when loving her felt like standing at the edge of a cliff-always waiting, never knowing if she'd pull me back or let me fall.

"I don't know what to say," she whispered finally.

I let out a bitter chuckle. "That's the problem, isn't it?"

She flinched, but I wasn't trying to hurt her. I was just tired.

Tired of pretending that waiting didn't hurt.

Tired of watching her get tangled in something else while I stood just close enough to catch the pieces.

She turned to me then, her eyes glassy in the dim light. "Tae, I-"

"Don't." I shook my head. "Don't say something just because you feel guilty."

Her breath hitched, and she looked down at her lap.

I ran a hand over my face, my voice quieter when I spoke again. "Do you even know what you want?"

She hesitated. That second-barely noticeable, but heavy as hell-was all the answer I needed.

I nodded, jaw tightening. "That's what I thought."

"Tae, please," she murmured, finally looking at me.

But I couldn't do this again.

I couldn't be the guy who waited in the shadows while she figured out whether I was worth the risk.

"I'm done waiting, Areum." My voice was firm, even though my heart was breaking with every word. "I deserve more than this."

She sucked in a sharp breath, her hands gripping the edge of her seat like she was trying to ground herself.

I turned the key in the ignition, the car coming back to life with a low hum. "I'll take you home."

She didn't argue.

Didn't try to convince me to stay.

She just sat there, staring out the window, her reflection flickering in the glass as I pulled back onto the road.

And no matter how much I wanted to walk away...

A part of me still hoped she'd stop me.

A part of me still wanted her to choose me.

But I wasn't holding my breath anymore.

Not this time.

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