Chapter 20: The Emotions

The small, sparsely furnished office felt suffocating, the silence thick with unspoken emotions, a stark contrast to the tempest raging in Jungkook's heart. He sat across from Taehyung, the man who held his entire world, seeing him for the first time in seven years. Seven years of aching absence, seven years of a love that refused to die, now manifested in the unshed tears welling in his eyes. The reunion, so anticipated, so fraught with hope, felt both exhilarating and terrifying.

Taehyung offered a cup of coffee, the rich aroma, a fragile attempt to soothe the raw, exposed nerves humming between them. 

"Here," he murmured, his voice a low, gentle hum against the symphony of Jungkook's pleas.
  
"Hyung," Jungkook began, his voice thick with unshed tears, an anxiety running through his usually confident tone. His gaze held a desperate intensity. "How are you?"

Taehyung returned with a hesitant smile. "I've been…fine," he replied. "And you?"

"I'm…fine now," Jungkook managed, a shaky smile finally breaking through the dam of his emotions. "I'm glad…I'm so glad to see you again."

A sharp, physical pang shot through Taehyung's chest. He'd known Jungkook for years, seen him through laughter, but never like this. Never this vulnerable, this exposed. The years of separation were etched onto Jungkook's face, in the lines around his eyes, in the tremor in his hands, in the raw, unfiltered emotion pouring from him.

"I'm happy to hear that," Taehyung whispered, his own eyes shimmering with tears, a mirror reflecting the depth of Jungkook's pain. 

Finally, Jungkook's voice, a mere whisper, shattered the suffocating silence. 

"Why, Hyung? Why haven't you come back? I've been waiting…" His voice trailed off, his fingers nervously twisting together, a visible manifestation of his anxiety, his unspoken fears.

"At first, returning was an option. But…Jungkook, I've thrived here. I've built a life, a life I never imagined possible. The thought of going back…it simply doesn't occur to me anymore. Why would I return to Seoul? I have no reason to." His voice was laced with a quiet conviction, a painful honesty that cut Jungkook to the core.

A crushing weight settled on Jungkook's chest. He'd anticipated this explanation, yet hearing it from Taehyung's lips was a different kind of pain altogether, a deeper, more visceral wound.

Taehyung's gaze softened, a hint of sadness clouding his eyes, a reflection of the regret that gnawed at him. "Seven years, Jungkook. Didn't you think… that living without me would allow you to have a normal life? A proper life?"

"Those seven years were the worst of my life, Hyung. Can you truly blame me for waiting? For searching? For loving you?" Jungkook stated, trying to speak properly.

Taehyung sighed, his voice laced with a mixture of regret and concern, a painful awareness of the sacrifices Jungkook had made.

"You're amazing, Jungkook. Incredibly talented. It's a waste…this waiting, this searching. You have so much potential, so many opportunities." Taehyung told him, admiring Jungkook.

Jungkook's tears flowed freely now, a torrent of emotion unleashed. "It's not a waste, Hyung. I…I wanted to see you because I love you."  

Taehyung's heart ached, a physical pain mirroring the emotional turmoil he felt. He knew, with a chilling certainty, that his words were causing Jungkook pain, that his attempt to protect Jungkook was instead causing him suffering.

"Even if you love me," he began gently, his voice laced with a painful understanding, "loving me won't make our lives easy. I'm a man, Jungkook. Our love…it would ruin your life. Don't throw away your opportunities for me. You're young. You deserve a better life. I don't want you to regret your choices." He spoke from a place of deep consideration, a painful awareness of the societal pressures and the potential consequences of their relationship.

He loved Jungkook, but he also knew that their love, in the eyes of the world, would be a constant battle. Criticism, judgment, and the weight of societal expectations loomed large in his mind, a heavy burden he couldn't bear to place on Jungkook's shoulders. Love alone wouldn't solve everything; it wouldn't protect them from the harsh realities of their world.

"Do you still see me as a child, Hyung? What must I do to prove I'm not a child anymore? How can I show you the depth of my love? Will you ever believe I can fight for us? Isn't my love enough?" Jungkook's voice was choked with emotion.

Taehyung started to protest, to explain, to justify his actions, but Jungkook's voice cut through his words, fierce and unwavering. 

"I don't care! I don't care what others think! I just want to love you, Hyung!" He furiously wiped away his tears, desperate to regain his composure, to prove his strength, his resolve.

Taehyung let out a heavy sigh, a sound laden with regret and a sense of helplessness.

"You'll regret this…" The words were a warning, a desperate attempt to protect Jungkook from the pain he believed was inevitable.

Fueled by a desperate hope and a fierce determination to prove his love, Jungkook stood and knelt before Taehyung, his eyes filled with a sincerity that transcended words.

"Can't you let me show you my love is real? Just give me one more chance, Hyung. Please. I'm not a kid anymore. I know what I'm doing. If you truly can't…if you can't be with me, tell me. I'll go back to Seoul alone. I'll be happy knowing you're happy, Hyung. I won't let you regret your decision." A small, brave smile touched his lips.

Taehyung stared into Jungkook's eyes, witnessing the depth of his unwavering devotion. The years of longing, the silent hope, the love – it was all there, etched onto his face, in his eyes, in the tremor in his hands. He was speechless, utterly amazed by the transformation in the young man before him. This was not the Jungkook he remembered. This was a man, mature, resolute, and deeply, hopelessly in love.