The drive home from the clinic was quiet, almost suffocating. Jungkook’s knuckles gripped the steering wheel, his jaw tight. Beside him, Taehyung sat with her hands folded on her lap, staring out the window at the passing lights, her chest rising and falling too fast.

When they finally reached the house, Hana’s car was already gone—no surprise. She had mentioned some dinner party with her friends.

The silence stretched until Jungkook finally said, his voice low, “We need to talk.”

Taehyung nodded wordlessly, following him into the living room. She sank into the sofa, her satin blouse slipping off one shoulder, exposing the smooth, milky skin there. Jungkook sat across from her, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on her.

“Taehyung,” he said, her name rough in his throat. “About what the doctor suggested… do you really want to go through with this?”

Her lashes fluttered, pink lips trembling.

“I don’t know what to want. It’s… such a huge thing, Jungkook. That child… it wouldn’t just be yours. It would be… mine too.”

The weight of her words pressed on both of them.

Jungkook leaned forward, his voice urgent.

“I know. And I know it’s unfair to ask you. But… Hana can’t give me a child. She won’t even try. This… this might be the only way. Please, Tae. I’ve dreamed of being a father for so long. Don’t take that from me.”

Her heart squeezed at the way he looked at her—pleading, desperate, yet so full of sincerity.

“But Hana,” she whispered. “If she finds out—”

“She can’t find out,” Jungkook cut in firmly. “We’ll tell her the surrogacy worked. She doesn’t need to know the eggs were yours. If she knew, she’d never allow it.”

Taehyung’s breath hitched. Keeping something so enormous from her daughter… it felt wrong. But Jungkook’s hand reached out then, covering hers, warm and strong.

“Please, Tae. Do this for me. For us.”

Her lips parted, her eyes stung. She had never been able to deny him anything—not his soft words, not his grateful smiles, not the way he treated her with more care than her own daughter ever did.

Slowly, she nodded.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Jungkook exhaled sharply, relief flooding his face. His hand squeezed hers, lingering a moment too long before he let go.

The next morning, they returned to the clinic without Hana. The secrecy of it all made Taehyung’s pulse race as they walked down the sterile white hallway.

Dr. Choi explained the process calmly: retrieving Taehyung’s eggs, fertilizing them with Jungkook’s sperm, then transferring the embryo back into her womb.

Taehyung sat on the exam chair, trembling, while Jungkook waited outside for his part. He clenched his fists when the nurse led him to a private room with a sterile cup. He had never felt so conflicted—knowing his release today wouldn’t just be for medical purposes. It would be going into her.

When it was done, and the doctor confirmed the procedure had gone smoothly, Taehyung lay there on the table, her body heavy with nerves. Jungkook entered quietly, his eyes soft, almost reverent as they landed on her.

Dr. Choi smiled.

“Now, we wait. One to two weeks, and we’ll know if implantation was successful.”

Taehyung nodded weakly. Jungkook helped her off the table, his hand steady on her back, lingering far longer than necessary.

The ride home was even heavier than yesterday’s. Neither spoke, but the silence was charged. Jungkook kept stealing glances at her—the woman who might now be carrying his child.

Finally, halfway home, he broke the silence.

“Tae…” His voice cracked. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

Her chest ached. She turned her head, meeting his eyes.

“Don’t thank me yet. We don’t even know if it worked.”

“It will,” he said firmly. “I believe it will.”

Their gazes held longer than they should have, the air thick with something unspeakable. She quickly looked away, clutching her bag to her chest.

But in that car, with his hand tightening on the wheel, both of them knew they had crossed into forbidden territory—and there was no way back.