Ch 5 : A Past That Haunts

[Present Day – University Library]

Taehyung needed space.

After the cafeteria incident, Jungkook had started showing up more often—small encounters that felt too intentional to be coincidence. A passing glance in the hallway. A casual “accidental” brush of their shoulders. An invitation to sit with him in class.

It was getting harder to pretend he didn’t notice.

So here he was, tucked away in the farthest corner of the library, hoping for some quiet. The scent of old books and ink filled the air, and the dim lighting cast long shadows over the wooden tables.

Peace.

Or at least, it was until someone pulled out the chair across from him.

Taehyung didn’t have to look up. He already knew.

“Should I be concerned?” Jungkook’s voice broke the silence. “You’ve been avoiding me like I have the plague.”

Taehyung exhaled slowly before meeting his gaze. “I already told you, you’re overthinking it.”

Jungkook leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “And I told you—you seem familiar.” His voice was quieter this time, more serious. “Like I’ve known you before.”

Taehyung’s stomach twisted.

Jungkook had said similar things in every lifetime. A ghost of a memory, a fleeting déjà vu, but never enough to remember. Never enough to break the cycle.

Taehyung forced a smile. “Maybe we met in a dream.”

Jungkook’s lips curled into a smirk. “Then it must have been a good one.”

Taehyung wanted to laugh. If only he knew.

He closed his book, standing up. “I have to go.”

Jungkook’s smirk faltered. “Running away again?”

Taehyung hesitated, his grip tightening around his book. “No,” he murmured. “Just leaving before it’s too late.”

Jungkook frowned. “Too late for what?”

Taehyung didn’t answer. He turned and walked away, leaving Jungkook staring after him, confusion written all over his face.

But deep down, Taehyung knew.

It was already too late.

\[Flashback – A Past Life\]

The battlefield was painted red.

Smoke curled through the air, thick with the scent of iron and death. Taehyung stood in the middle of it all, sword trembling in his hand.

Jungkook was on his knees before him.

His royal armor was stained with blood—his own. His dark hair was matted to his forehead, and his breath came in uneven gasps.

And yet, even at the brink of death, he was still looking at Taehyung with something softer than it should have been.

“You were never meant to be my enemy,” Jungkook rasped, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “But I would have chosen you over a thousand kingdoms.”

Taehyung’s throat burned.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

But it always did.

With Jungkook at his feet. With regret staining the air between them. With love realized too late.

Taehyung clenched his jaw and raised his sword.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

And then he struck the final blow.

[Present Day]

Taehyung shut the door to his dorm, pressing his back against it. His chest felt tight, his pulse unsteady.

He couldn’t do this again.

Couldn’t let himself fall.

Because no matter what, every life ended the same way.

And he wasn’t sure he could survive losing Jungkook again.

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