Jeon Jungkook| Closed heart

For as long as you can remember, Jeon Jungkook has always been there.

In elementary school, he was the kid who sat in the back, the one who made fun of you when you raised your hand to answer, the one who stole your lunch just to see your sullen face.

As a teenager, he became the rebel. Hidden tattoos, intense looks, constant suspensions. You became the nerd in the top 1 of the school rankings. And he... chaos.

Two opposite worlds. That were always colliding.

You hated the way he laughed when he made you angry.

He hated the way you made his heart beat faster just by existing.

But what you never knew is that every time he teased you, it was because he didn't know how to love you.

The truth is that Jungkook already loved you since you were a child. But love, for him, always came with pain.

And seeing you with others, smiling at people who weren't him... it hurt more than any punch he'd ever taken.

Years passed. You grew up. You changed.

So did he... but he continues to hide behind the same wall he built to survive.

Now you meet again, by chance.

You're different, more confident. He still has the black jacket, the serious look, the headphones. But inside, he's at war.

You don't understand why he still treats you with irony, why his gaze burns, but his mouth denies it.

Until one night changes everything.

• 🌒THE NIGHT

You hadn't seen each other in years.

You were with a friend, walking through the streets of Seoul, when you entered that cozy bookstore-cafeteria — the last place you'd expect to find him.

But there he was. Leaning against the wall, headphones in his ears, the same black coat, the same closed posture. He was scribbling something in a notebook that he quickly closed when he noticed your presence.

You froze for a second.

And so did he. But he was the first to speak.

“It was too good to be true...” he murmured with a crooked smile. “You even show up here.”

You frowned. “Relax. I didn’t come for you. And I didn’t plan on seeing you again, if you must know.”

He chuckled softly. Annoyingly. “Of course not. You always had better things to do. Like getting perfect grades, being the teacher’s favorite... all that proper nerd stuff.”

Your friend noticed the tension and moved away discreetly.

You crossed your arms, trying to stay calm. “You know what’s sad, Jungkook? Years have passed and you still act like a 16-year-old kid trying to get attention.”

He got serious.

“And you still think you understand everything, huh?” He replied, his voice lower, drier.“Always acting superior.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that I’ve grown up. And maybe you should try too.”

He took a step closer. His eyes were on yours. For a second, you saw something there. Something that had always been there, but that he hid too well.

“You have no idea what I’ve hidden. What I’ve swallowed.” he said, his voice breaking a little. “And you come here, out of nowhere, throwing it all in my face... like I’m just some idiot.”

You blinked, confused.

“I never hated you.” he blurted out suddenly.“But you made me feel things I couldn’t handle. And every time I saw you with that little smile of yours... I lost control. And I hated it.”

Silence.

“So you treated me like dirt because... you liked me?” you ask, almost in disbelief.

He runs his hand through his hair and looks away.

“If I said yes... would it make a difference?”

You swallow hard. His words are all stuck in your chest.

“Maybe I would have.” you answer.“If I had told you before.”

He sighs deeply, stares at you for a moment.

But doesn’t say anything else.

He just turns his back and leaves.

♡ After the Fight...

You stood there, with your heart racing, watching Jungkook walk away. You didn’t scream. You didn’t go after him. But something inside you didn’t let it end like that.

During the following days, you tried to convince yourself that it was better that way. That it was in the past. That he didn’t deserve any more space in your life.

But every time you put your head on the pillow, his words echoed:

“You made me feel things I didn’t know how to deal with.”

“If I said I liked him... would it make any difference?”

And I did.

I did a lot.

📱 Two days later... a message.

It was almost midnight when the phone vibrated. Unknown number.

Jungkook: "I'm sorry for talking like that. I was trying to push you away again. It's what I always do. But it didn't work this time."

You stared at the message for a while. Without answering.

Until the second one came:

*"Do you still have that smile that irritated me? The one that made me forget where I was every time I saw it?"

Your fingers stopped on the screen.

Pride told you to ignore it. But your heart... well, it was beating faster than it should.

You typed, deleted. Typed again. And then sent:

You: "Why send me this now?"

It took a few minutes. But he answered:

"Because, for the first time, I'm really scared I'll never see you again." "And even if you don't want to see me anymore... I needed to tell you. I liked you from day one. I just didn't know how to love you the right way."

Silence.

You looked at the ceiling, remembering the old times — the books falling to the floor, the teasing, the quick glances he thought you didn't see.

You: "Maybe you don't know yet. But if you want to try to learn..."

You didn't finish the sentence. He read it. He was online for a few seconds. Then he appeared typing.

Jungkook: "If you let me... I'll try. For you, I'll try."