Ch 16 : A Name That Cuts Deep

[Present Day – Yoongi’s Studio]

Silence filled the room.

Jungkook’s breath caught in his throat, his mind racing to process what Yoongi had just said.

"Jin?"

His closest friend. His brother. Someone he had trusted with his life.

Taehyung was quiet, but Jungkook could feel the tension in his body. The way his hands clenched at his sides, the way his shoulders stiffened at the name.

Yoongi sighed. "I know it’s hard to believe."

Jungkook shook his head. "No. It’s impossible." His voice was firm, but deep inside, doubt had already begun to creep in.

Yoongi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "Do you really think fate is cruel enough to keep repeating the same tragedy over and over for no reason?"

Jungkook didn’t answer.

"Someone cursed you both," Yoongi continued. "And that person was Jin."

Jungkook slammed his fist against the desk. "No!" His voice was sharp, desperate. "Jin wouldn’t—he couldn’t do that to me!"

Yoongi met his gaze calmly. "Not this Jin. But the Jin from your past lives? The one who loved you enough to destroy everything?"

Taehyung inhaled sharply.

Jungkook froze.

Taehyung’s voice was barely above a whisper. "Loved you?"

Yoongi nodded. "In every lifetime, Jin was in love with you, Jungkook."

Jungkook’s chest tightened. His hands trembled as memories started surfacing—fragments of a past he had never fully remembered until now.

The way Jin always watched him. The way he had always been there.

And the way, in every lifetime, Taehyung had suffered because of it.

"No…" Jungkook whispered, shaking his head.

Yoongi’s voice was steady. "He didn’t curse you, Jungkook. He cursed Taehyung."

Jungkook turned to Taehyung, whose face was pale.

"Because in every lifetime," Yoongi continued, "Jin wanted you for himself."

\[Past Life – A Gilded Throne Room\]

Jin stood before the grand throne, his fingers curling into fists.

"He will never love you," a voice whispered behind him.

Jin turned sharply, his eyes narrowing. "And you think he loves you?"

Taehyung stood in the doorway, his expression calm but his eyes burning. "Not in this life. Maybe not in the next." He stepped closer. "But love is not something you can force, Jin."

Jin’s lips curled into a bitter smile. "You say that, yet every time, he chooses you."

Taehyung’s heart pounded.

"You could have had a peaceful life," Jin murmured. "But instead, you always come back to him."

Taehyung swallowed hard. "Because I love him."

Jin’s smile faded. His eyes darkened.

"And that," he whispered, "is why you must suffer."

[Present Day – Jungkook’s Apartment]

Jungkook’s hands clenched into fists. "If this is true… then I need to hear it from him."

Taehyung placed a hand on his arm. "Jungkook—"

"I need to know," Jungkook said firmly. "I need to see if it's true."

Taehyung hesitated, but then he nodded.

Yoongi exhaled. "Be careful."