the boy

Before the cigarettes.

Before the alcohol.

Before the loneliness.

There was a boy who only wanted freedom.

Jeon Jungkook was born into one of the wealthiest families in the country.

His father was a respected businessman.

His older brother was the perfect heir.

His older sister was elegant, intelligent, and admired by everyone.

From the outside, they looked like the perfect family.

Inside the mansion, however, everything revolved around reputation.

Every smile had to be perfect.

Every word had to be measured.

Every mistake became a stain on the family name.

Jungkook felt trapped.

His dreams were never his own.

His future had already been decided.

At eighteen, he made a choice that shocked everyone.

He left.

Without asking for permission.

Without looking back.

His father called it rebellion.

His brother called it foolishness.

His sister begged him to stay.

But Jungkook walked away from the mansion carrying only a small bag and a stubborn belief that freedom was worth any price.

The price turned out to be higher than he expected.

The first few years were brutal.

He worked countless jobs.

Waiter.

Delivery worker.

Cashier.

Office assistant.

Some nights he slept hungry.

Some nights he slept in tiny apartments barely large enough for a bed.

Yet he never returned home.

Every hardship reminded him that his life belonged to him.

Slowly, things changed.

His intelligence and determination opened doors.

He climbed higher.

Worked harder.

Learned faster.

By twenty-four, he had become the CEO of a growing company.

By twenty-six, he had built his own business from the ground up.

Investors respected him.

Competitors feared him.

Employees admired him.

The boy who had walked away with nothing now owned more than he had ever dreamed.

Yet success didn't bring happiness.

The expensive apartment felt empty.

The luxury cars felt meaningless.

The awards decorating his office gathered dust.

The higher he climbed, the lonelier he became.

At first, drinking was harmless.

Just a few glasses with coworkers.

A few celebrations with friends.

A way to relax after exhausting days.

Then the friends became busy.

The calls became less frequent.

The celebrations stopped.

The silence remained.

And silence was dangerous.

One drink became several.

Several became a habit.

The habit became dependence.

Soon alcohol wasn't a choice anymore.

It was an escape.

An escape from empty rooms.

From sleepless nights.

From eating dinner alone.

From waking up with nobody waiting for him.

When alcohol stopped helping, cigarettes followed.

Then stronger distractions.

Anything that could make him forget how lonely he was.

Anything that could fill the emptiness.

Nothing worked.

Until Kim Taehyung appeared.

Taehyung entered his life quietly.

Like sunlight slipping through a crack in a closed room.

He never judged Jungkook.

Never looked down on him.

Never cared about his wealth or status.

When everyone saw a powerful CEO, Taehyung saw the exhausted man hiding underneath.

For the first time in years, Jungkook laughed without forcing it.

For the first time in years, he looked forward to tomorrow.

The empty apartment no longer felt cold when Taehyung was there.

The city looked brighter.

Food tasted better.

Life felt lighter.

Without realizing it, Jungkook began healing.

He drank less.

Smoked less.

Started sleeping properly.

Started smiling again.

His employees noticed.

His brother noticed.

Even his sister, who secretly kept track of him, noticed.

Nobody understood the reason.

The reason was simple.

Kim Taehyung.

The man who walked into his lonely life and painted colors over every shade of gray.

Jungkook believed he had finally found peace.

He believed the hardest part of his story was over.

He didn't know fate was preparing something cruel.

Because while Jungkook was learning everything about love...

Taehyung was hiding a past that could destroy them both.

And somewhere in that hidden past, death was already waiting.

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