Chapter 1~

...The Golden Cage...

Five Years Later

"Congratulations, CEO Jeon."

Applause erupted throughout the conference room.

Jungkook stood at the head of the table while executives celebrated another successful acquisition.

Millions of dollars.

Hundreds of employees.

International recognition.

Everything he had dreamed of.

Everything he had sacrificed for.

The giant screen behind him displayed the logo of JK Global Technologies.

His company.

His empire.

The investors looked at him with admiration.

The media called him a genius.

Young entrepreneurs idolized him.

To the world, Jeon Jungkook had won.

Yet all he could think about was the empty penthouse waiting for him at the end of the day.

"CEO Jeon?"

His assistant, Jimin, approached him.

"Your mother called again."

Jungkook sighed.

"Did she leave a message?"

Jimin looked uncomfortable.

"She said you should consider Director Choi's daughter."

Of course she did.

For months, his family had been trying to arrange a marriage.

The daughter of a wealthy business partner.

Beautiful.

Educated.

Perfect.

Everything a CEO should want.

Everything Jungkook didn't.

"I'm not interested."

Jimin nodded.

"I figured."

Because everyone close to Jungkook knew.

Even after five years.

Even after all this time.

He still wasn't over Kim Taehyung.

That night, Jungkook stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse.

The city lights stretched endlessly beneath him.

The view was worth millions.

The apartment itself was worth millions.

His watch was worth more than his first apartment.

Yet he had never felt poorer.

His phone buzzed.

A notification from social media.

A famous art exhibition opening.

Normally he would ignore it.

But one name caught his attention.

Kim Taehyung.

The glass in Jungkook's hand slipped.

His heartbeat stopped.

For a moment, he thought he was imagining things.

Then he clicked the article.

And there he was.

Taehyung.

Standing beside one of his paintings.

Smiling.

Older.

More mature.

More beautiful than Jungkook remembered.

The article described him as one of Korea's most influential modern artists.

Thousands of comments praised his work.

Thousands.

While Jungkook stared at the screen like a man seeing a ghost.

Five years.

Five years without hearing his voice.

Five years without seeing his smile.

Five years pretending he had moved on.

And all it took was one photograph to destroy every wall he had built.

Meanwhile, across the city.

Taehyung stood in his art studio.

His latest exhibition had sold out.

Critics loved him.

Collectors competed to buy his paintings.

His career was flourishing.

Yet tonight, he couldn't focus.

Because his manager was talking.

And talking.

And talking.

"There's someone important coming tomorrow."

Taehyung barely listened.

"Who?"

"The son of a major investor."

Taehyung groaned.

"No."

"Just dinner."

"No."

"He's handsome."

"No."

"Rich."

"No."

"Single."

Taehyung threw a paintbrush.

His manager dodged it expertly.

"Still not over him?"

Taehyung froze.

The answer was obvious.

Five years.

Five years and he still remembered every detail.

The way Jungkook smiled.

The way he laughed.

The way he promised forever.

And the way he broke that promise.

"No," Taehyung lied.

His manager raised an eyebrow.

"You're a terrible liar."

Taehyung looked away.

Because the truth was much worse.

He had never stopped loving him.

Not even for a day.

Neither of them knew it.

But fate had already begun moving the pieces.

A charity gala.

A business partnership.

A jealous rival named Vincent.

An arranged marriage proposal.

And secrets from five years ago that would change everything.

Soon, Jungkook and Taehyung would meet again.

And when they did—

Neither of their lives would ever be peaceful again.

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