Chapter 5 The Distance Between Us

The Jeon mansion had always been too large for two people who barely spoke.

That night, the silence felt heavier than usual.

Taehyung stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair slowly with a towel. He didn’t look toward the bed. He didn’t look toward Jungkook. He moved around the room as if he were alone.

As if Jungkook didn’t exist.

In his previous life, this room had been where he waited.

Waited for a glance. Waited for a word. Waited for affection that never came.

He used to stay awake just to hear Jungkook’s breathing. Used to pretend he wasn’t asleep when Jungkook entered late at night. Used to hope—

Just hope—

That one day Jungkook would look at him differently.

But all he ever received was indifference.

Cold shoulders. Short replies. A back turned toward him in bed.

And the night of the banquet… the night the photo was sent… that had been the worst.

Jungkook hadn’t shouted.

He hadn’t accused loudly.

He had just looked at Taehyung like he was a stranger.

Like he was disposable.

“I didn’t think you were this kind of person,” Jungkook had said quietly.

That quiet disappointment had shattered Taehyung more than anger ever could.

He had cried alone in this same bathroom.

No one knew.

No one cared.

And three months later—

He died carrying that heartbreak.

Taehyung folded the towel neatly and placed it down.

Not this time.

This time, he wouldn’t wait.

He wouldn’t chase.

He wouldn’t beg.

He walked to the far side of the bed and lay down without a word, turning his back toward Jungkook.

A clear line drawn.

Jungkook noticed.

Of course he did.

At first, he said nothing. He assumed it was temporary. Maybe Taehyung was tired. Maybe the banquet had drained him.

But days passed.

Taehyung stopped waiting at the dining table. Stopped asking about his schedule. Stopped texting him reminders. Stopped trying.

He was polite.

Respectful.

Distant.

And that distance was… unsettling.

One evening, Jungkook returned earlier than usual.

He expected the lights to be dim and the house quiet.

Instead, he heard soft music coming from the living room.

Taehyung was sitting on the floor near the glass window, reading a book, completely absorbed. The warm lamp beside him softened his features, making him look almost untouchable.

Peaceful.

Jungkook stood there longer than necessary.

In the past, Taehyung would have stood up immediately.

“Welcome back.”

“Did you eat?”

“You look tired.”

Now—

Nothing.

Taehyung turned a page.

Only when he sensed the presence did he lift his eyes briefly.

“You’re back.”

No smile.

No lingering gaze.

Just acknowledgment.

Then his eyes returned to the book.

Something unfamiliar tightened in Jungkook’s chest.

“Why are you sitting on the floor?” he asked.

“I like it.”

Short answer.

Again.

Jungkook loosened his tie slowly.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Taehyung didn’t look up this time.

“Have I?”

“Yes.”

A pause.

Then Taehyung finally closed the book gently and looked at him.

“I just don’t want to disturb you.”

The words were calm.

But they carried history.

In his past life, Jungkook had once said, “Stop hovering around me. It’s annoying.”

Taehyung had laughed it off back then.

But that sentence stayed with him.

Now—

He was simply respecting it.

Jungkook frowned slightly. “You’re my husband.”

It sounded strange coming from him.

Taehyung held his gaze for a long second.

“Yes.”

But the way he said it…

It felt like a title.

Not a relationship.

That night, Taehyung slept facing away again.

Jungkook stared at his back longer than he expected to.

Why did it bother him?

He had wanted space before.

He had preferred silence.

So why did the room feel colder now?

Why did Taehyung’s quiet acceptance feel worse than his previous clinginess?

The next morning, Jungkook woke up earlier than usual.

Taehyung’s side of the bed was empty.

Perfectly made.

No trace of warmth.

Downstairs, Taehyung was having breakfast alone.

He stood up politely when Jungkook entered.

“I have plans today,” Taehyung said calmly. “I’ll be out in the afternoon.”

“With who?”

The question came out sharper than intended.

Taehyung blinked slightly, surprised.

“Just going out.”

Jungkook didn’t like that answer.

Didn’t like not knowing.

Didn’t like the unfamiliar independence in Taehyung’s voice.

In his previous life, Taehyung’s world revolved around him.

Now—

Jungkook wasn’t even at the center.

And that realization lingered in his mind the entire day.

By evening, when Jungkook returned, he found himself looking for Taehyung without meaning to.

The living room was empty.

The bedroom was quiet.

When Taehyung finally walked in an hour later, slightly tired but calm, Jungkook was waiting.

“You’re late.”

Taehyung paused.

“I didn’t realize I had a curfew.”

Jungkook’s expression darkened slightly.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

Their eyes locked.

The tension wasn’t explosive.

It was subtle.

Deep.

Jungkook stepped closer.

“I don’t like not knowing where you are.”

Taehyung’s heart skipped—

Just slightly.

But his face remained composed.

“You never asked before.”

That was true.

Painfully true.

And Jungkook had no immediate response.

For the first time—

He felt it clearly.

The distance between them.

Not physical.

Emotional.

And it was growing.

Slowly.

Quietly.

Like something slipping through his fingers before he even realized he was holding it.

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