heart of ice 「 KimTaehyung * Y/N 」

Chapter 38: The Wounds of the Past

The streets of Paris stretched before them, their beauty tainted by the weight in Y/N's heart. This wasn't just a trip—it was a journey into the past she had tried to forget.

Taehyung walked beside her, his hand gently intertwined with hers as they made their way through the familiar roads. It had been years since she had set foot in France, and yet, the memories of abandonment still clung to her like an unshakable shadow.

When they finally reached the house—her childhood home—Y/N's hands trembled. The grand doors stood tall, untouched by time, yet to her, they felt like a barrier. A reminder of the people who had left her behind.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

Minutes passed.

Then, the door creaked open.

A woman stood before her, aged but unmistakable—her mother. Behind her, a man stepped into view—her father. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, Y/N hoped, prayed, that they would recognize her, that they would reach out and pull her into their arms.

But instead, they stared. Cold. Distant.

"Yes?" her mother asked, her voice devoid of warmth.

Y/N swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's me," she whispered. "Your daughter."

Silence.

And then, her father sighed. "We don't have a daughter."

The words hit harder than she expected.

Y/N's breath caught in her chest, her heart shattering into a million pieces. She had prepared herself for anger, for an argument—but not for this. Not for them to erase her existence so easily.

Taehyung stiffened beside her. "You abandoned her," he said, his voice sharp with restrained fury. "And now you pretend she never existed?"

Her mother's gaze flickered to him before returning to Y/N. "We made our choices," she said coldly. "And so should you."

The door shut in her face.

Y/N stood frozen, staring at the closed door as her body trembled. She had come seeking closure, answers—but instead, she was given nothing.

Her chest tightened, and she turned away, biting her lip to hold back the emotions threatening to consume her.

Taehyung immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "Let it out," he whispered. "I'm here."

And just like that, the tears she had been holding back for years spilled over.

She wasn't just crying for their rejection.

She was crying for the little girl who had waited for them to come back.

The little girl who never understood why they left.

And now, she never would.

The cold Parisian air wrapped around Y/N as she walked alongside Taehyung, her steps heavy with heartbreak. The pain of being rejected by the very people who had given her life weighed down on her chest like an unbearable burden.

Taehyung held her hand tightly, his thumb brushing soft circles over her skin, offering silent comfort. He didn't speak—he knew there were no words that could erase the wounds her parents had just reopened.

They hadn't walked too far when the deep roar of an approaching engine made them both pause.

A sleek black car pulled up in front of her childhood home, its tinted windows making it impossible to see inside. Y/N felt her pulse quicken, her instincts sharp. Something about the scene felt... off.

Then, the car door swung open.

A man stepped out.

Tall, confident, his aura commanding respect. His features were strikingly familiar. Y/N and Taehyung both froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Jung Hoseok.

Her brother.

The brother she had spent years searching for. The brother she had cried for.

Y/N's breath hitched as she took in his face. He looked different—older, more mature, but there was no doubt. It was him.

Taehyung, standing beside her, turned his gaze between Y/N and the man walking toward the house. "Is that...?"

She could barely nod.

J-Hope strode up the front steps with purpose, his posture relaxed yet full of authority. He knocked firmly on the door.

Within seconds, it swung open.

Their mother stood in the doorway, her expression unreadable—until it softened completely.

"Hoseok!" she gasped, and before another word could be said, she threw her arms around him.

Y/N's breath caught in her throat.

She watched as her mother—who had moments ago looked at her as if she were a stranger—now embraced her brother with all the love she had once dreamed of receiving.

Her father appeared in the doorway, his face lighting up at the sight of J-Hope. "You're finally back," he said, his voice filled with warmth.

J-Hope smiled. "It's been a while."

Y/N felt her knees weaken.

It was too much. Too cruel.

Her own flesh and blood had cast her aside like she was nothing, yet here they were, welcoming her brother with open arms.

Tears blurred her vision, her heart splitting into pieces she wasn't sure could ever be mended.

Taehyung noticed her trembling, and before she could collapse, he caught her by the waist. "Y/N—"

She shook her head, stepping back from his hold. "I—" Her voice broke. "I need a moment."

Then, without another word, she turned and walked away.

This time, she wasn't running toward answers.

She was running from the pain of the truth.