One by one tears fell in silence as you tried your best to hide them from the taxi driver, not wanting to answer to the questions that would usually follow. How were you even supposed to answer them? 'Yes, I am crying because I just told the boy that used to have a crush on me but I rejected and who is now in a relationship with another girl that I loved him and I couldn't even stay to hear his reply because my chest was already tightening and I was this close to crying and embarrassing myself in front of him. How pleased would he be to hear my story.'  You thought. You almost laughed at how stupid the whole situation was. But as crazy as it sounded, it was real. Buildings, people and trees were passing before your eyes with great speed but your mind was traveling even faster back in time, to a summer night a year ago. You remembered the shivers that went down your spine as Jungkook told you how he felt. His expression just a few moments ago was probably the same as yours back then. Surprise, confusion, disbelief and a bit of joy, all perfectly fused together.

Thinking about it made you realize just how hard it must have been for him, if to you it felt like someone had his fingers wrapped around your neck, tightening the grip as the pain in your heart grew. And still, he never showed it. He brushed it off with a smile that he kept all night long, he erased every trace of it and kept it locked in the name of friendship. And you who was responsible for all of it just broke the seal and let the feelings engulf your whole existence in just one blow. Because the pressure was too much, because the room in which you buried them became too small. And with every step he took further away from you, it became clearer and clearer. You loved him. Maybe you did ever since the very first moment he stepped into your studio, but as having him around became a habit, it seemed as nothing more than friendship. And from the moment your eyes landed on Jieun dancing with him, the first domino piece fell, pushing the others one by one till those words finally left your lips.

"Miss?" The voice of the taxi driver took you by surprise.

"Hm! Yes?" You looked at him, confused by his sudden intervention.

"We're here."

He was right. The car had come to a standstill while you were still lost in thought. Your mind was all over the place. You apologized, took your stuff and went straight to your apartment. The protective space between those walls was making you feel lighter. You could finally let your feelings take over, let them explode. You felt as if all this time they were tearing your insides apart. You let your body fall back on the mattress, closing your eyes as sobs crushed the silence. The alarm you had set on your phone to make sure you would be at the studio on time started ringing, bringing you back to your senses. You stared at the screen, emptiness filling your heart as you realized there was nothing to go back to. And so another wave of torture began. Your energy was slowly fading as your memories turned to dreams. Your only consolation.

Days passed like flying birds across the sky, leaving you empty. But the world did not seem to care, it kept spinning. Hoseok was now in your place, his voice breaking through the music as he explained the steps. It was not easy for him either, but Jieun was clearly more motivated since you were not there anymore. It was as if her master plan worked out just the way she wanted. She had Jungkook all for herself, only that he was not the same either since that day. Jieun's calls would often go ignored, her messages lost in the huge pile that only kept growing, her touch was not as warm to him anymore, nor did he miss it. The silence and solitude in his small studio were comforting yet painful, but the way their embrace made him feel good, safe. But it was just an illusion. Hidden underneath this peaceful picture, a storm was unleashing, ripping everything apart. All the words he said to you, all the time spent together, the emptiness that came with you leaving, they were all haunting him. Hoseok noticed how silent and isolated Jungkook had been since that day, and he knew why. It was obvious. But it was not the time for this, he still had to perform on the dance show.

A small knock on the door went ignored as Jungkook was lying on the sofa, music coming from the earphones that were keeping him away from the world. Light slipped into the dark room through the slightly opened door, making him open his eyes. Hoseok was hovering over him, face showing traces of anger and relief at the same time.

"Hoseok..."

"What are you doing here, Jungkook?" His voice was low.

"Uhm...it's my studio..."

"Don't joke with me, this is not the time. Why are you not coming to the rehearsals? Jieun already learned the choreography, you need to practice it together."

"I was just...not in the mood."

"You were not in the mood. Jungkook, the broadcast is in two days, you have no time for this. Y/N didn't work her off just for you to ruin everything."

"Don't bring her into this." He stood up and went to his desk.

"Why not? If anything, she is the only one that should be brought into this discussion. This is her hard work, her piece of art. It was enough that she had to change it in such a short amount of time just to adjust it to your girlfriend's level, now you're saying you're not going to do it anymore? Are you really going to destroy everything she created?"

"I didn't say that!"

"But you are acting like it. Look, she spent day and night trying to make everything perfect and even after all you and your girlfriend did to her, here you are again giving no s about it. Do you hate her so much?"

"That's not it!" He was slowly raising his voice.

"Listen, I don't care what you want, but I'm not going to let you ruin her work just for your stupid revenge or whatever this is. If you have something to say to her, go ahead and say it! It's your problem, and you need to solve it, not waste your days crying over your ty actions like a coward. I want you in the dance practice room tomorrow, no excuses. If I don't see you there, we are done!" And just like that he was gone.

"Damn it!" He smashed his hands against the hard wood of the desk and clenched his jaw.

There was no other choice. Hoseok was right, after all. It was the last project you worked together on, it had to be perfect. His parts did not suffer great changes so in just one day he learned everything. It was hard to hide the coldness of his heart as Jieun was showering him in cheesiness, the kind that would make anyone cringe. Jungkook was clearly not in the mood for all of this, but he was trying his best not to upset her. Especially because the broadcast was now only a few hours away and they had to act like the most loving couple, even if people were not aware of their relationship.

If for Jungkook time was passing fast, for you it felt like it was crawling as you kept looking at the clock. You missed dancing, feeling the wooden floor under your feet, getting lost in the loud music as your heart raced. Now it was all silent, all still. It was one of those boring routines that drove people crazy. You started roaming around the city to escape from it. It was interesting to watch people rushing through life while you were there sitting on a bench. You were once one of them, running to the studio early in the afternoon, ignoring the surroundings, the old shops that were now out of business, the way the sun was making the streets glow, how thick the air seemed at that time. But now you could see everything. The sad part was that even though it amazed you how beautiful everything was, you still felt incomplete. You found joy in running around, dancing till your feet felt numb, laughing at your silly mistakes, and crying when things were not going your way. A bitter smile spread across your face and a sigh soon followed. That was already in the past.

The big day was already here. A vast range of voices were mixed together in the studio. Producers, technicians, managers, stylists, dancers, and artists were moving past each others in a rush to finish everything before the cameras went on. It was a live broadcast which required everything to go smoothly.

"Jungkook" a soft and cute voice echoed around the dressing room before it became stronger and more on the annoyed side. "Hey, Jungkook!"

He moved his eyes from his phone to the mirror standing in front of him. He looked at the figure standing behind him, no emotion on his face. "Yeah?"

"Is my outfit pretty?"

"Yeah," just one word and he was back to his phone.

"That's all? Hey, I'm talking to you!" A hand grabbed his arm and pulled it with just enough force to make the chair turn.

"What do you want, Jieun?" He rolled his head and looked at her dead in the eye.

"What?!" she was clearly irritated. "You've been doing this since the day that stupid girl left!"

"Hey, watch your mouth!" He stood up.

"No, you watch it, Jungkook! You want to call it quits? Fine! I am out!" She was heading towards the door, angrily pulling at her clothes, when Jungkook stopped her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Haven't you heard me? I AM OUT!"

"No, you're not! You don't deserve to be out! You wanted this, you wanted her place, you are the reason she quit, now take responsibility for it!! Cut the crap, I'm not falling for any of it! I know you want to go up that stage just to show her that you've done it, that you won, and even though right now I want to let go of this hand and forget everything, I can't, because it's her work that deserves to shine, even though she is not the one I'll hold tonight."

Jieun stood there not able to say a word. He nailed everything. She was not even angry anymore; if anything, she was surprised that he saw everything yet ignored it. He already had all the answers, but he was still denying everything out of fear. And it was not fear that his image would get ruined, but that you would end up being hurt even more. It was love. Not the kind that blossomed again after a while, but the one that escaped from the tiny room where it was trapped and it was now engulfing his whole existence. It was smashing against his every cell like waves against the rocks during a storm. She started laughing.

"What? Did I get something wrong?"

"No, Jungkook, you got it all right. You're right, I'm here to steal the spotlight, to show that I have everything." She played with the collar of his shirt, closing the distance between them.

"Enjoy the last taste of it." His voice was low and somewhat tired.

10 minutes left. 5 minutes. 1 minute.

Camera rolling. Let the show begin.

You looked at the clock. It was already the time. Another sigh left your lips before you took your bag and started blending in with the moving crowd. The sky was already getting dark, the air colder, perfect setting for the city lights to work their magic. Images of what it could have been were creeping in your mind. Maybe that was the actual reason you went out that night; to avoid everything. The city had an amazing ability of making you think of all sort of things and clear your head at the same time. Jungkook and Jieun were supposed to end the show with their performance. It was going to be a long walk. Minutes passed fast as the streets got more crowded. It was time to go back home. But fate was not going to cut you some slack.

"Agh, damn it!" You exclaimed as the light turned to red, just when you were about to put your foot on the crosswalk.

You smiled thinking that you could have ran to catch that green light, but for some reason you felt way too tired that day. You looked at the light again. Still red. And then what you wanted to avoid so much, pulled you right into it. Your eyes traced to the bright colors of the large screen that stood on top of a building on the corner of the street. Your lips parted, breathing stopping for a second, when you saw Jungkook's radiant smile. A blast of emotions hit your chest. Everything around started to fade to black as you focused on the broadcast. They were both dressed nicely, getting into position to start the performance. The song started playing in your head as they took the first steps. Shadows were moving around you while you were sitting there, ignoring the green light. Tears started to blur your vision as the dance was coming to an end. It was beautiful, but not how it was supposed to be. It felt cold, empty, simplistic. They were both smiling as everyone was clapping. Seems like people liked it, that was enough. You looked away, a tear falling down your cheek. Green light.

"You did well! The performance was amazing!" One of the staff members patted Jungkook on the shoulder.

"Thank you." He showed a faint smile and bowed in respect.

"We are going to a bar after to celebrate. How about you two join us?"

"Sounds good to me!" Jieun said excitedly.

"I am sorry, I think I'll skip."

"Oh, come on! Don't be like this! Come with us!"

"I'm sorry." He bowed again and made his way out without minding about the face Jieun made or the things the staff member was saying.

He was clearly tired. He was pleased by the outcome, but not as much as he would have been if you were there. He started to see all the cracks in his relationship with Jieun and how from the beginning it was clear that you were still more important to him than anyone would ever be. And just like that he got lost into the night, hiding into his own world, without anyone knowing.

Phones were ringing like crazy everywhere. Panicked faces were roaming around the city in search for something. But there was no trace. And so another day passed, darkness embracing everything around. You were the complete opposite, laying in your bed, under the warm sheets, your heart at ease. That until the phone started ringing. Unknown number.

"Hello?"

"You ! You ruined everything!"

"Excuse me?! Who is this?"

"Listen to me, ! Jungkook is MINE!!"

"Jieun?" Your eyes widened. Was she drunk?

"Do you think you can steal him from me?!? Hahaha! Look in the mirror, you ugly !"

"Are you drunk right now? You really need to calm down. I have no idea why you even called me. Ok, Jungkook is yours, be happy! I don't care anymore, nor do I want to."

"This is ing with me. Listen, loser, I already won, so tell me where he is."

"Where is who? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Haha! Look at her going on with the lies. I know you know, so tell me...Where the is Jungkook??" She screamed.

"Wait...did Jungkook disappear??" You sprung up, heart beating fast.

"Stop the acting, you stupid ugly !! Where is he??"

"I'm here, Jieun." A low voice took her by surprise.

"I don't know where-" and like that she hung up on you.

"Jungkook..."

"I told you to watch your mouth, didn't I?" His brows were furrowed.

"Jungkook, I-"

"I don't want to listen to it. I heard enough."

"How-"

"I just came thinking you might be here. I needed to talk to you."

"Oh so now you want to talk?"

"Yes. I need to end this."

"What?!"

"You heard me. We are done. I'm breaking up with you."

"You must be kidding me. You can't break up with me!"

"Then think of it like you breaking up with me, then. I don't care." He turned around to leave.

"Don't just go like that! I am not done talking! Jungkook!!"

Jieun's screams were fading into the background as he left everything behind.

Glass after glass, the alcohol was taking over J