this is us | jjk

fourteen ~ the heartbreak hotel - pt. 2

You walked past the quarreling couple and through the sliding glass door, making your way to your now ex-boyfriend–a phrase you thought you'd never have to utter.

Jungkook looked ethereal as the wind picked up and ruffled his long hair. He gazed up, flashing a small smile when you sat beside him. You wanted to know what he was thinking and how he felt, but did you even have the right to ask anymore?

Should you be the first one to break the silence? What would you even say?

Jungkook moved closer to you, his arm opening to wrap around you and pull you into his frame. You slid right into the crook of his neck, inhaling his fresh scent, small strands of his hair tickling your face, but you didn't mind—you just wanted to be close to him.

"Kook," you whispered, looking up at him.

He quietly shushed you. "I know, Y/n, I know. You don't have to say it." You held tighter onto his sweatshirt. "We won't forget each other, right? What we had?" he asked with a shaky breath, the sadness overwhelming him as he tried to swallow his tears.

How could you possibly forget him? You couldn't even if you tried. You wanted to extract core memories of the two of you and store them in a pensieve for safekeeping, so you could revisit them whenever you missed him, but magic isn't real, and the fairytale of you and him isn't either. You were just a writer caught up in your fantasies, living in daydreams, escaping reality, and projecting your hopes and dreams onto an imperfect person—what a fool you were.

You shook your head, burying it as close as you could into him,

"I will always love you," he murmured, lips trembling as he placed a kiss on your temple. "Bye, Y/n." He quickly stood, rushing off inside, leaving you alone.

You sucked your lips together to keep the aching, painful groan your body wanted to let out. You cupped your hand over your mouth, your eyes misty, tears threatening to fall, and when you closed your eyes, no matter how much your hands wiped away, it felt like a never-ending stream trickled down your cheeks.

Behind you, you could hear the glass door sliding open and feet shuffling. Yuna and Hyunie rushed to your side, hugging you tightly. Yuna cupped your face, wiping away your tears with her thumbs before pulling you into the crook of her neck. Hyunie kneeled before you, wrapping her arms around your frame.

"It's over, Yuna. It's really over." Your whole body shook, trying to hold in the scream aching to come out.

"Everything's gonna be okay," Yuna murmured, gently caressing your hair.

You forced a smile and nodded, humming, in response to her remark. "It hurts so much, Yuna. Make it stop," your lips quivered, the organ pumping blood throughout your body yearning, swelling, gnawing in anguish. You never imagined that breaking up with someone could hurt like this. A part of you never wanted to go through this again. Maybe it was easier to be alone and single for the rest of your life than to keep doing this.

The agonizing wail you let out stunned Namjoon and Taehyung as they watched Jungkook walk through the sliding door. It didn't faze Jungkook because he was feeling the same way. He wanted to scream, to throw something, but he had to keep his composure. Someone had to.

"Where are you going?" Namjoon asked, watching the young man stuff his things in his bag.

"Back to Seoul," Jungkook responded curtly without looking at his hyung, focused on the task.

"You're not flying back with us?" Taehyung questioned, trying to grab Jungkook's bag out of his hands, but Jungkook pulled away.

"I rebooked my flight. I have to go. I can't stay here," he answered, looking around to see if he had left anything else. He patted his pants pocket to ensure he had his phone and wallet.