"Oh, thanks-" Taehyung sat up straight and took the can from Jungkook. "Thanks, Jungkook-ah."
Jungkook shook his head as he cracked open his own can. He glanced at Taehyung with a smile before taking a sip out of his own can. "It's nothing, hyung."
The two of them sat in the open field in the late afternoon, sipping on their soft drinks in silence... until the conversation finally came up.
"Are you sure this is really what you wanna do, hyung?" Jungkook asked cautiously. "If I were you, I'd think it through really carefully."
"It's too late anyway-" Taehyung laughed melancholically as he held up his phone with the sent message. "The deed's already been done."
"Like... why are you doing this?" Jungkook frowned. "You can just tell her face to face, why do you have to do this over message?"
"Because this way, it hurts less, Jungkook-" Taehyung swallowed hard as he looked into the far distance. "If I see her in person, I don't think I'll be able to do it. I'll want to hold her, I'll want to tell her how much I like her back, I'll lose all my grit to do what I know's best for her. This is the best gift I can give to her before I go. I want her to hate me - I want her to hate me so much that she'll never wonder where I am. That way, I can leave her in peace."
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"But where exactly are you going, hyung?" Jungkook pursed his lips as he glanced at Taehyung. "I'll promise not to tell them as well, so can't you just tell me?"
"I would, if I could." Taehyung sighed. "But I myself have no idea. The plan's to flee overseas, find somewhere to settle down and work really hard. I'm gonna have to pay off my dad's debt eventually, and hopefully start my own architectural and interior designing firm."
"Woah, that's ambitious, not gonna lie-" Jungkook chuckled softly. "Like... how long exactly will that take?"
"As many years as I need," Taehyung said. "If I work hard enough, just working non-stop, there will be one day when that happens, no?"
Jungkook pursed his lips. "So you're just gonna leave Jisoo-ssi behind, as well as your dad, huh."
"Leaving Jisoo behind..." Taehyung sighed. "That's really tough. I really wanted to tell her how much I liked her at least once... but I know I can never truly be with her, so what's the point of that? But for my dad, I don't really care, I guess. And I feel bad saying this, but I'm actually kinda relieved he's in jail right now. I may have to work hard to pay off his debt for him, but at least the person I'm most afraid of isn't always waiting for me at home. It ain't too bad without him, frankly."
