The campus party was in full swing, the air thick with laughter, loud music, and the faint scent of spilled beer. Jungkook sat by the bar, nursing his drink, trying to drown out the noise and the memories. His reputation as the bad boy, the one with a dark past and a string of broken hearts, preceded him. But beneath that exterior was a man tormented by the choice he had made to protect the one person he truly cared about.

You.

Their relationship had been a whirlwind, a beautiful mess of passion and conflict. He had broken up with you, convinced that being with him would only bring you pain and danger. He had seen too much, done too much, to believe he deserved you. But no matter how many times he promised himself it was for the best, he couldn't get you out of his mind.

And now, as he sat there, he saw you.

The good girl with the kind heart and the bright smile, you were standing across the room, laughing, your eyes sparkling, and it took everything in him not to go to you. He downed his drink in one go, hoping the alcohol would give him the courage—or the numbness—to stay away. But it didn't.

Before he realized it, he was walking towards you, unable to resist the pull you had on him.

He knew you had a new boyfriend now. His best friend, of all people. It was the ultimate betrayal, but also the ultimate proof that he needed to let go. Yet, as he approached you, all those thoughts faded away, replaced by the overpowering need to see you, to talk to you, to touch you.

"All your friends say he's the one for you," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "But does he know where your heart lies?" His fingers closed around your arm, turning you towards him. "Where it truly lies,"