Bound by Shadow Secrets Between Friends

Hello 👋

The library was unusually quiet. Rows of books towered above, shadows stretching across the floor. Taehyung sat by the window, sketchbook open, but his pencil barely moved. He wasn’t drawing… he was waiting.

Every day now, he caught himself searching for Jungkook. In crowds. In silence. In shadows. And every time he found nothing, the ache in his chest deepened.

Library table

The chair across from him pulled back. Namjoon sat down, adjusting his glasses, carrying a thick law textbook. He studied Taehyung for a moment, then spoke softly.

Namjoon

You look like you’re carrying a ghost on your shoulders.

Taehyung

(frowning) That obvious?

Namjoon

To me, yeah. (smiles faintly) You’ve been distracted. Not like you.

Taehyung

(hesitates, then shrugs) Just… painting too much.

Namjoon

Mm. (tilts his head) Or maybe thinking too much about someone?

(Tae’s eyes flickered, startled. Namjoon’s gaze was calm but sharp, like he could see through him. Tae quickly looked away, closing his sketchbook.)

Taehyung

…It’s nothing.

Namjoon

(quietly) Nothing doesn’t make you look this haunted.

(The silence stretched. Namjoon didn’t push further, but his words lingered like a quiet warning.)

Campus garden

Later that afternoon, Jimin found Taehyung sitting under a tree, sketching again. He plopped down beside him, holding two sodas.

Jimin

You’re avoiding me.

Taehyung

(chuckles softly) You always say that.

Jimin

Because it’s true. You’ve been… different. Distant.

(He leaned closer, lowering his voice.)

Jimin

Is it because of him?

(Tae froze. His pencil slipped, leaving a dark mark across the page. Jimin’s tone was gentle, but his eyes held worry.)

Taehyung

(whispers) …You wouldn’t understand.

Jimin

(soft smile) Maybe. But I’d try.

(For a moment, Tae wanted to tell him everything—the rain, the warnings, the way Jungkook’s presence consumed him. But the words stuck in his throat. Instead, he forced a smile.)

Taehyung

Don’t worry about me.

Jimin

(squeezes his shoulder) Too late. I already do.

Empty Parking Lot, Night

Jungkook leaned against his motorcycle, cigarette burning slowly between his fingers. His eyes scanned the campus gates from afar. He had been watching all day. Watching Tae move between classes, between friends, never once noticing the shadow that followed him.

He told himself it was protection. But deep down, he knew it was obsession.

(His phone buzzed. A message from Minho.)

Minho

(text) “You’re slipping. Careful, or the boss will notice.”

(Jungkook crushed the cigarette under his boot, jaw tight. His reflection in the dark helmet staring back at him looked nothing like the boy he used to be.)

Yuna’s room

Meanwhile, Yuna sat cross-legged on her bed, phone pressed to her ear. The call rang, and then—

Voicemail: “Soojin is not available. Please leave a message—”

(She slammed the phone down, frustration bubbling. She opened her laptop, scrolling through photos. In one picture—taken outside the studio days ago—a blurred figure lingered in the corner. Black jacket. Dark eyes. Jungkook.)

Yuna

(whispering): Who are you?

Back in the library, Taehyung packed his sketchbook to leave. The rows of books were empty… except for a figure leaning against the far wall. Jungkook. His gaze locked with Tae’s, sharp yet magnetic.

Tae’s breath caught. His heart pounded

He shouldn’t have been there. Not in the daylight, not in this world. And yet… there he was. The stranger who was no longer a stranger.

To be continued

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