Jungkook sat at the window seat again today. His face was as indifferent as it had been a few days ago, but within that indifference, traces of his waiting for me still lingered. His profile reflected in the window was serene, yet within that silence, it seemed to harbor emotions that had accumulated over time.
I knew I couldn't pretend not to know any longer.
The tray in my hand felt strangely heavy. I pretended to clear away the empty glass and approached his table. As I got closer, my heart started beating irregularly, and my feet kept threatening to stop. But this time, I couldn't back down.
“Since that day…”
My voice trembled unintentionally. He raised his head and looked straight into my face. It felt like he was choking, but he continued before it was too late.
“…I was scared to stand on stage again.”
Jeongguk's gaze wavered. I didn't look away. A long-suppressed fear, deep within my chest, surged out.
“It wasn’t you I was afraid of, it was myself.”
“I’m afraid that one small mistake will ruin everything… I’m afraid that I’ll let go of your hand again.
“I’m afraid that if I do that, I’ll end up losing you too.”
As I spoke, tears welled up around my eyes. It felt as if all the emotions I'd been holding back were bursting out at once.
The moment I collapsed on stage, the memory of the lights revealing my mistake, the crippling sense of loss I felt as I turned my back on that light. Everything was woven together and poured out in a confession before Jeongguk.
Jungkook remained silent for a moment. Instead, without taking his eyes off me, he very slowly reached out his hand. The gesture wasn't simply comfort, but a long-awaited assurance.
"know."
A short word reached my ears.
"So I won't force you. You don't have to stand on stage again. Even if what you gave up was your dream, you're still everything to me."
His voice was low but firm. There was no resentment or disappointment in his words. Only understanding and acceptance.
I nodded, swallowing back tears. At that moment, the weight of the burden I'd been carrying seemed to lift slightly.
"but…"
Jeongguk took a moment to catch his breath and then continued.
“Just let me be by your side. It doesn’t have to be on stage.
“Just being in the same place as you is enough.”
I chewed on those words for a long time. The shattered dreams and cruel memories still held me captive, but at the same time, my feelings for him clearly remained.
What I feared wasn't the stage, but getting hurt again, and that hurt would lead to me pushing him away. But Jungkook never turned his back on me.
/
Sunset descended outside the window. A red glow spread across the glass, overlapping the shadows of the two figures. I no longer lowered my head. Through my tear-filled vision, I stared straight into Jeongguk's face. In his eyes was the certainty born of a long wait.
I slowly, very slowly, placed my hand over his. A warmth spread through my fingertips. It was a simple touch, but it contained everything we had been trying to hold onto.
At that moment I knew.
What we were trying to protect was the stage,
It wasn't even a dream.
It was each other.