Chapter 5 : when everything starts slipping

By the time the sixth month ended, Taehyung’s body had already changed.

But it wasn’t the body that hurt most.

It was the mind.

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The seventh month came quietly.

No announcement.

No clear shift.

Just a slow realization that Eunwoo was not coming home the way he used to.

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At first, it was once a week.

Then it became less predictable.

Sometimes twice.

Sometimes not at all.

And sometimes—

just a message that arrived late at night.

Short.

Empty.

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Taehyung still waited.

Every time.

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But waiting had started feeling different.

Not hopeful.

Not patient.

Just… automatic.

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His stomach had grown heavier now.

His body slower.

His sleep broken.

But none of that compared to the exhaustion in his mind.

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Because something inside him had started repeating the same thought.

Over and over.

Without stopping.

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Something is changing.

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Eunwoo came home one afternoon in the middle of the week.

It was unexpected.

Taehyung didn’t even process it before he stood up.

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For a second—

he felt relief.

Almost warmth.

Almost like before.

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He walked toward him.

Slowly.

Naturally.

And reached out without thinking.

A hug.

Something simple.

Something familiar.

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But when he got close—

he stopped.

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There was a scent.

Not his.

Not something he recognized.

And something faint.

On the collar.

A mark.

Unclear.

Small.

But enough.

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Taehyung didn’t say anything at first.

Just held his breath.

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Then—

quietly—

“Where were you?”

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Eunwoo didn’t answer immediately.

He looked tired.

Or maybe just uninterested in answering.

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“Work,” he said.

Simple.

Flat.

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Taehyung nodded slowly.

But something inside him tightened.

⸻

Then Eunwoo exhaled.

Like the question itself had bothered him.

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“Can you not make everything complicated?” he said.

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Taehyung froze.

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For a moment—

he didn’t understand.

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Then Eunwoo continued.

Not loud.

Not angry.

Just… sharp.

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“You’re always like this now.”

“You don’t trust anything.”

“You keep creating problems that aren’t there.”

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Each word landed heavier than the last.

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Taehyung stood still.

Eyes fixed.

Trying to process.

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Because none of this sounded like what he had been trying to do.

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But it still felt like it was his fault.

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And that was the part that broke him quietly.

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He didn’t shout.

Not yet.

Not then.

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He just stood there.

Breathing uneven.

Holding something inside his chest that had nowhere to go.

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Eunwoo left that same day.

No explanation.

Just departure.

⸻

And Taehyung stayed behind.

Quiet.

Empty.

⸻

Days passed like that.

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He tried to fix himself.

In small ways.

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He tied his hair better.

Changed how he dressed.

Stood straighter in mirrors.

Smiled when he remembered to.

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As if becoming “better” would bring things back.

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But the silence only grew heavier.

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Then, the next week—

Eunwoo returned again.

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Taehyung didn’t hesitate this time.

He watched carefully.

Waiting.

Trying to read before anything was said.

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But when Eunwoo stepped closer—

Taehyung saw it.

⸻

A mark.

On his neck.

Clear enough this time.

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Everything stopped.

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Not dramatically.

Not loudly.

Just… instantly.

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Taehyung’s breath caught.

His hands went cold.

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And then—

something inside him snapped forward.

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Not thought.

Not control.

Just reaction.

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“Who was that?”

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His voice came out sharper than he expected.

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Eunwoo frowned.

“Don’t start again.”

⸻

That was all.

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And something in Taehyung broke fully at that moment.

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He pushed forward.

Not physically violent.

But enough that everything between them shifted instantly.

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“Don’t start again?” Taehyung repeated, voice shaking now.

“You come home like this and I’m the one starting?”

⸻

His breath was uneven.

His hands trembling.

Not from anger alone.

From everything.

Everything that had been building for months.

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Eunwoo sighed.

Like he was tired.

Like he didn’t want this conversation.

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“You’re exhausting,” he said simply.

⸻

And that—

that word—

did something irreversible.

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Taehyung stopped breathing for a second.

⸻

Then stepped back.

⸻

Not because he wanted to.

Because his body couldn’t stay close anymore.

⸻

He left that house without fully realizing it.

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Outside—

the world was loud.

Too loud.

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He didn’t notice where he was walking.

Didn’t notice the road.

Didn’t notice people turning their heads.

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Until he was in the middle of it.

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A grocery bag still in his hand.

Half crushed.

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And then—

he saw him again.

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Eunwoo.

Across the street.

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And everything that had been held inside him for months—

collapsed outward.

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“Do you even care?” Taehyung shouted.

⸻

People turned.

Looked.

Whispered.

⸻

He didn’t stop.

⸻

“You don’t come home!”

“You don’t look at me!”

“You just—just leave and come back like nothing happened!”

⸻

His voice cracked halfway through.

But he didn’t stop.

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Because stopping meant losing it all.

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Eunwoo stood there.

Watching.

Quiet.

⸻

Then turned away.

⸻

And walked.

⸻

Just like that.

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No response.

No explanation.

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And Taehyung stood there in the middle of the road.

Breathing broken.

Hands shaking.

Eyes blurred.

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And people started whispering.

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Too emotional.

Too unstable.

Poor husband… working so hard…

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Taehyung heard it.

Every word.

⸻

But he couldn’t even react anymore.

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Because something inside him had already gone too far.

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Days after that blurred.

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He stopped sleeping properly.

Stopped eating properly.

Stopped thinking clearly.

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Everything became survival.

Nothing more.

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By the start of the eighth month—

his body gave out before his mind did.

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It happened outside.

Near the clinic.

Where he had gone alone.

Waiting.

For Eunwoo.

⸻

But Eunwoo didn’t come.

⸻

Not that day.

Not that time.

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And Taehyung stood there too long.

Too weak.

Too tired.

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And then—

pain.

Sudden.

Sharp.

Overwhelming.

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The world tilted.

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Someone called for help.

A neighbor.

Voices blurred.

An ambulance arrived.

⸻

Everything moved without him.

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He only remembered being lifted.

Cold air.

Noise.

Distance.

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And then—

silence again.

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When he woke up—

everything was white.

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Too bright.

Too quiet.

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A machine somewhere.

A beeping sound.

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His body didn’t feel like his.

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And somewhere else—

his child was taken away.

Too early.

Too fragile.

Too small.

⸻

But Taehyung didn’t move.

Didn’t ask.

Didn’t react.

⸻

Just stared at the ceiling.

⸻

Because even the thought of reaching for anything—

felt too heavy.

⸻

And for the first time in a long time—

Kim Taehyung didn’t want to hold on anymore.

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