Chapter 20 - Rewinds and Regrets

Rewinds and Regrets

Taehyung met Minseo at a quiet café, far from campus.

He owed her that much. Not because he still loved her. But because closure was a ghost he'd stopped chasing a long time ago.

Minseo walked in like she belonged everywhere heels clicking, lips glossed, eyes sharp and knowing. The same way she always had.

But something was different now.

A hesitance in her smile.

"Tae," she said softly, sitting across from him. "You look good."

He didn't respond right away.

"You left without a word," he said.

"I know."

"For two years."

"I was scared," she said, her voice quieter now. "My parents wanted me to marry into a company family. Geneva was the only escape I had."

Taehyung's jaw tensed. "And me? Was I just... a sacrifice?"

"No," she said quickly. "That's the thing. I loved you. And that's exactly why I had to leave. Because if I stayed, I would've chosen you over everything and I wasn't strong enough to survive what came next."

He looked away.

"I thought I could come back and fix it," she whispered. "I thought maybe... we could find our way back."

Taehyung met her eyes.

But all he saw was the past.

And all he could think about... was Y/n.

Her fire. Her silence. The way she looked at him like he was both the danger and the safe place.

He shook his head.

"I'm not the same person," he said quietly. "And I'm not the boy who waited."

Minseo's eyes glistened. "Is it her?"

He didn't deny it.

And that was enough.

Across town, Y/n sat alone in her family's indoor greenhouse, surrounded by orchids and silence.

Jennie walked in without knocking, holding two cups of hot chocolate.

"I figured you'd be brooding."

Y/n didn't respond.

Jennie sat beside her, nudging her gently. "Want to talk about it?"

Y/n shook her head. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't talk. Just feel."

Y/n swallowed, staring at the wilting orchid in the corner.

"I hate how much I feel around him."

Jennie stayed quiet.

"I hate that I let him see the parts I usually hide. And now..." she sighed, voice trembling, "now I feel stupid for trusting something that wasn't even defined."

Jennie took her hand.

"You don't have to be anything with him. You can just be. And that terrifies you more than anything."

Y/n let a tear slip.

"I'm tired, Jennie."

Jennie leaned her head against hers.

"I know."

Taehyung showed up at the Park estate gate two nights later.

He didn't text first. He just stood there, hoodie pulled over his head, hands in his pockets, like he had no idea what he was going to say.

Y/n came out wearing a plain cardigan, hair damp from a shower, no makeup, eyes still slightly red.

They stared at each other.

He finally spoke.

"She left me because I was her weakness. You? You make me stronger."

Y/n's throat tightened.

"I thought I was strong on my own," she said softly. "But lately... I don't know who I am unless I'm fighting."

"You don't have to fight me."

She looked down. "I know. That's why it's scary."

He stepped closer.

"I'm not asking you to fall," he whispered. "Just... lean."

She blinked. "And if I fall anyway?"

He smiled. Sad. Soft. Hopeful.

"Then I'll catch you. Every single time."

And without warning, her walls cracked.

Y/n leaned her forehead against his chest, breathing in the scent of him warm, steady, familiar.

Not a promise. Not a confession. But it was the first time she allowed herself to rest.

And Taehyung wrapped his arms around her like she was made of something sacred.

Upstairs, her mother watched from the window.

And for once, she didn't see the daughter shaped by pressure...

She saw a girl on the edge of something new—

Something terrifying.

But maybe, just maybe... Something worth risking it all for.