Veiled In Ice, Heart So Fragile ♡

CHAPTER - XIX ~ 💞WHERE SILENCE ECHOES💞

They posed for the power couple shots—strong, captivating, intense. And just when Y/N thought they were done, Taehyung caught her completely off guard. Then without warning, in one swift movement, he pulled her close by the waist. His grip firm yet gentle. Before she could react, he placed a lingering kiss on her chin, dangerously close to her bottom lip.

The way his lips lingered, the faint suction against her skin—it was too much. Her body betrayed her, heat rushing to her face as if she had been set ablaze.

The unexpected warmth of his lips against her skin, the way he stayed for a second longer than necessary—her breath hitched, and her cheeks ignited with a million shades of vermillion.

The camera clicked.

***

"She didn't need words to know—somewhere between yesterday and today, something had shifted between them."

***

She was frozen, her mind scrambling for a reaction while Taehyung carried on as if nothing had happened. But she knew better. There was a flicker in his eyes—something smug, something knowing.

And she was absolutely, completely flustered. 

When the shoot wrapped up, Taehyung offered to drop Y/N home.

The car ride back was filled with teasing and banter.

"You have to admit," he smirked, breaking the silence, "I absolutely killed that dance."

Y/N rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. If anything, I carried that performance."

"Excuse me?" He glanced at her, mock offense painting his features. "You were practically hypnotized by my dancing."

"You? Carried me?" He let out a deep chuckle. "Buttercup, let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Buttercup.

The nickname melted something in her, but she quickly shook it off, rolling her eyes instead. "Debatable but whatever helps you sleep at night, Kim."

He grimaced. 

"Alright, alright. Fine. I'll admit it. You were... decent."

"Decent?!"

He chuckled, dodging the playful shove she aimed at him. "Okay, fine. You were amazing. Best partner I could ask for."

As the laughter faded, something shifted in the air between them. Taehyung glanced at her from the corner of his eye, heart pounding. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. The realization had hit him like a freight train today—he liked her. More than liked her. Maybe he always had.

He was in love with her.

Not a fleeting infatuation, not an illusion born from proximity. Real, undeniable love. The kind that made his heart ache and his breath hitch. The kind that terrified him.

He swallowed hard, gripping the wheel as if it could anchor him. His mind was a battlefield—one side screaming to tell her, to be honest for once in his life. The other? A dark, familiar whisper reminding him that love was not meant for him.

"Hey, Y/N..."

She turned to him, eyes warm. "Yeah?"

A pause. His heartbeat stuttered, caught between courage and cowardice.

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Clenched his jaw.

His throat tightened. The words teetered on the edge of his lips, ready to spill. But then—