"This mission of yours," he muttered, breaking the silence at last, "there's a reason they sent you back."
I let my body sink deeper into the couch, my head tilting back to stare at the ceiling. "No shit, Sherlock."
Jungkook's gaze snapped to mine, but it was more tired than angry. "I'm serious. If we don't figure this out, you might end up stuck here. Forever."
I let out a hollow laugh. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
Jungkook exhaled sharply, the sound sharp enough to cut through the thick tension. He slammed his notebook shut with a thud that echoed in the still room. "I forgot how annoying you are."
I chuckled lightly, but it didn't reach my heart. Because deep down, I knew he was right. There was something unresolved, something unfinished, keeping me tethered here. My fingers toyed absentmindedly with the hem of my sweater, a feeble attempt to distract myself from the swirl of thoughts that consumed me.
"You thinking of someone? Someone close to you?" he asked, his voice unusually soft.
The words hit me like a punch. My heart lurched painfully, and I froze.
Bogum.
The name settled on my tongue, foreign yet familiar, and it twisted inside me like a sharp ache. I could feel Jungkook's eyes on me, narrowing as he sensed the shift in my expression.
"You thought of something," he said, his voice low but knowing.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "It's… nothing."
"Bullshit." Jungkook leaned forward, his gaze unwavering, intense. "Tell me."
"I need to see someone," I murmured, barely above a whisper.
Jungkook's frown deepened. "Who?"
I sighed, my breath shaky. "Bogum."
Jungkook blinked, his confusion clear. "Who?"
A bitter laugh bubbled up, but I swallowed it down. Of course, he didn't know him. By the time I'd met Bogum, Jungkook and I were already worlds apart.
"He was…" I hesitated, the weight of the truth pressing down on me. "He was my fiancé."
Jungkook's entire body stiffened, his eyes wide with disbelief. For a long moment, he didn't say anything.
"What?" His voice was barely a whisper, as if he couldn't process what I'd just revealed.
I met his gaze, forcing myself to hold his stare, even as my chest tightened. "I was engaged to him."
The silence between us grew heavy, thick with all the things we weren't saying. Jungkook was the first to break it, his voice thick with emotion. "Was he at your funeral?"
I shook my head, the memory of that day cutting deeper than I cared to admit. "No."
Jungkook's brow furrowed, confusion written all over his face. "Why not?"
I hesitated again, and when the words came, they felt like a confession. "I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
I closed my eyes, fighting back the wave of emotion that threatened to swallow me. "We were in the accident together. The night of our engagement."
The room seemed to tilt, and Jungkook went completely still, his face hardening into something unreadable. "You mean…"
"I died," I whispered, barely audible. "And he lived. Maybe."
Jungkook's expression froze, his body tense. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw set so tight I thought it might crack.
"And now," he finally breathed, his voice thick with something I couldn't quite place, "you want to go see him?"
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. "I need to."
Jungkook was silent for a long while, his eyes locked onto mine, unreadable. Then, with a heavy sigh, he stood up, his movements sharp and purposeful. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we do it my way."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what's your way?"
Jungkook grabbed his jacket, his movements quick and determined. "Let's go," he muttered, heading for the door. "We're going to find that fiancé of yours."