Jungkook wakes up with a name on his lips, but it vanishes before he can hold onto it. A lingering warmth clings to his chest, a ghost of something—or someone—he should remember. He presses a hand to his heart, confused. His dreams have been the same lately, fleeting glimpses of a boy with deep brown eyes, a boxy smile, and a voice that calls his name like a song.
But every morning, he forgets a little more.
It’s raining when Jungkook steps out of the café that afternoon, coffee in hand. The city hums around him—buses rushing by, people laughing under umbrellas, neon lights reflecting on wet pavement. And then, in the midst of it all, he sees him.
The boy from his dreams.
He stands across the street, hands tucked into the pockets of a beige coat, his hair damp from the drizzle. Jungkook’s breath catches. His heart pounds, a rush of emotions he can’t name flooding through him. He steps forward instinctively, nearly spilling his coffee.
“Tae—” The name dies on his tongue. But why does it feel right?
The boy looks up, his gaze locking onto Jungkook’s. For a moment, time stands still. A strange sadness flickers in his eyes, something hauntingly familiar, something that makes Jungkook’s chest ache. Then, the boy tilts his head and offers a polite, confused smile.
“Do I know you?”
Jungkook freezes. His fingers tighten around the coffee cup as reality crashes down on him. He doesn’t know what he expected—recognition? Relief? A name? But there’s nothing. Just the rain, the distance between them, and the terrible, sinking feeling that he’s losing something all over again.
His voice is barely a whisper when he speaks.
“I think you did.”
The boy blinks, hesitation flickering across his face before he steps backward, blending into the moving crowd. Jungkook watches helplessly as he disappears, swallowed by the city, by time—by whatever force keeps stealing him away.
His name was…
Jungkook doesn’t remember anymore.
