Chapter 54: The Countdown || Part 1 ⚠️

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I swallow hard, my pulse thundering in my ears.

I was supposed to be meeting Dara.
That's what she said.

A work discussion. A quiet place. Neutral ground.

But it was never going to be her

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But it was never going to be her.
Because now, it's him.

Jin leans back, exhaling slowly as he watches me. He's calm, collected-exactly how he always was when he was trying to hide something.

Finally, he speaks. Smooth, unreadable.

"You wouldn't have come if you knew it was me."

It's not a question.

I blink, his words hitting me straight in the chest.

Because he's right.

I don't answer. I can't.
I just stare at him, taking him in.

Four years.

Four years, and he still looks like everything I remember and everything I've tried to forget.

The sharpness of his jaw, the effortless confidence in his posture, the way his eyes-warm but cautious-watch me like he's waiting for me to run.

Like I always do.

I inhale, my throat tight.

"It's not-" I stop, my voice catching. "Jin, it's not like that."

His expression doesn't change.

I push forward, desperate now, because I need him to hear this.

"I wanted to see you," I whisper. "God, I wanted to."

Jin flinches.

It's small, barely noticeable. But I see it.

The way his lips press together, the way his fingers twitch against the table-like he's holding himself together.

I swallow hard. "I was afraid."

Jin's brows furrow.

I let out a shaky breath. "Afraid of what I'd say. Afraid of what I'd do. Afraid of-"

"No."
Jin cuts me off, sharp and final.

I freeze.

He shakes his head, gaze firm now. "That's not why I called you here."

I blink, my stomach twisting. "What?"

Jin exhales, his jaw tight. "I didn't ask to meet you because of us."

His voice is steady, but I hear the weight behind it.

"I met you because of Taehyung."

The words hit me like a crash.
Taehyung.

The name pulls me out of the past, forces me into the present.

I frown, trying to grasp onto the shift. "Tae?"

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