The boy in moonlight

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The orchard felt different at night. By day, it was a place of life and chatter—villagers picking fruit, children darting between rows of trees, baskets filling with blossoms and apples. But beneath the moon, it transformed. The air grew still, perfumed with drifting petals, and every shadow stretched long and uncertain.

Jungkook had returned with determination burning in his chest. Jimin’s warnings still rang in his ears, but the pull was stronger than fear. The boy was out there—he could feel it. And Jungkook wasn’t about to let him disappear again without answers.

He wandered between the rows of trees, each step crunching softly on the fallen leaves. His lantern threw out a faint circle of gold, but beyond it stretched endless darkness. Twice, he thought he saw movement, only to find it was the flutter of an owl or the sway of branches. Hours seemed to pass, and frustration gnawed at him.

Then the wind shifted.

Blossoms stirred, though the night was still. A faint shimmer rippled at the edge of his lantern’s glow. Jungkook’s breath caught. He lowered the lantern, his heartbeat thundering.

And there he was.

The boy stood beneath the largest tree, bathed in moonlight as though it had been drawn only for him. His hair caught the silver glow, his eyes reflecting light like stars trapped in water. He didn’t move, only watched Jungkook with a calm that was almost unnerving.

“You came back,” the boy said softly, his voice carrying through the quiet orchard.

Jungkook swallowed hard. “I had to.” His voice trembled, though he tried to steady it. “I couldn’t just… forget.”

The boy tilted his head, studying him. “Most people run when they see what I am.”

Jungkook stepped closer, lantern swinging gently at his side. “You saved me. That’s all I see.”

For the first time, something flickered in the boy’s expression—surprise, faint and fleeting. He glanced away, his gaze falling to the drifting petals at his feet.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he murmured. “The more you linger, the more dangerous it becomes.”

“Dangerous for me?” Jungkook asked.

The boy’s eyes lifted again, sharp and knowing. “For both of us.”

Silence stretched between them, broken only by the whisper of the trees. Jungkook’s chest tightened. Every instinct told him to step closer, to reach out, but something about the boy’s words held him back. Still, he couldn’t leave.

“What’s your name?” Jungkook asked.

The boy hesitated, as though the question itself was forbidden. “Names have weight,” he said finally. “They bind. They remind.”

“I don’t care,” Jungkook pressed. “I want to know who you are.”

The boy’s lips curved faintly—not quite a smile, more like the shadow of one. “Taehyung,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, as if the orchard itself might carry it away.

“Taehyung,” Jungkook repeated, the name settling on his tongue like it had been waiting for him. He felt warmth surge in his chest, unexpected and undeniable.

But Taehyung’s gaze grew distant, almost sorrowful. “Don’t say it too often,” he murmured. “The more you call me, the harder it will be to let go.”

Jungkook frowned. “Why would I ever want to let go?”

Taehyung didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped back, shadows beginning to curl around his form. “Because some things are not meant to stay,” he whispered. “And some meetings are never meant to last.”

Panic shot through Jungkook as Taehyung’s figure blurred like mist. “Wait!” he shouted, rushing forward, but his hands grasped only air. The blossoms fell softly where Taehyung had stood, glowing faintly in the moonlight.

Alone again, Jungkook sank to his knees, his lantern flickering weakly beside him. But this time, despair didn’t win. His jaw set, his fists clenched.

He knew his name now.

He wouldn’t let Taehyung vanish.

Not again.

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