The Way I Read And Finished This During Work But I Couldnt Get Enough Of It. I Loved Watching When In

The way I read and finished this during work but I couldn’t get enough of it. 😭 I loved watching When in Rome, so this was such a fantastic spin to it! TAEHYUNG WAS LITERALLY EVERYTHING IN THIS AND I WAS OBSESSED. I also completely get her…not having someone in a long time can just automatically mean afraid and shut down. But the way they made up is so sweet and loving. AHHHHH great plot, fantastic characters, but also…did she and Hobi make up HFILWEFHWEILFH Enjoyed every sentence!! 💝 💝 💝 💝 💝 💝

all in | kth (m)

summary: hopelessly unlucky in love, you thought relationships and true love in general may not be for you. but that was until a spontaneous trip to las vegas for your old college roommate’s wedding changed the game entirely. loosely based on the 2010 rom-com “when in rome”.  pairing: museum curator!taehyung x f reader genre: one shot, strangers to idiots to lovers, fluff, angst, smut rating: 18+  word count: 18.5k warnings: a whole lotta swearing, alcohol consumption, mentions of marijuana and vaping, bestie hobi, crack humor lmao, rom-com cliches, too many poker references, sexual tension, angst!!, making out, dry humping, ass + titty fondling, tae is a simp lol, dirty talk, pet names, consent (v important), explicit smut so oral (f receiving), fingering, handjob, unprotected sex (pls be safe frens), big dick!tae, soft dom!tae, penetrative sex, tae has a pain kink + reader has a praise kink, multiple orgasms, lowkey breeding kink, creampie, aftercare, lotta feels ♡

a/n: ahhh the time has come (here she is) my first fic on tumblr! i really hope you all enjoy reading this as much i enjoyed writing it. i love feedback, so please don’t hesitate to dip into my ask box •ᴗ•

“So let me get this straight,” 

It was a quarter past noon on an overcast Tuesday in Greenwich Village when you joined your colleagues in the break room. Your blue lidded Tupperware container of homemade Greek salad was long forgotten as you showed them the Facebook event invite on your phone.

You were startled, mid zoom meeting, by a notification indicating that you had been invited to an event by your old college roommate. It had been well over a year since you’d last seen Jules, with the both of you living in different cities now for work. 

From what you’d seen on social media, she was thriving in Los Angeles whilst you continued to gradually (but surely) climb the corporate ladder in Manhattan. Evidently she was thriving much more than you had originally anticipated, as the event was to cordially invite you to her wedding.

Meanwhile I’m still single and binge watching the first season of Love Is Blind for the third time.

“You? Getting something straight?” Alyssa snorted, poking a stainless steel fork into her seasonal fruit salad, “that would be a first.” 

Hoseok rolled his eyes instantly, ignoring her little quip as he shifted his gaze back over to you, “as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” it was your turn to snort this time, unable to stop yourself at his exaggeration, “you were invited to a wedding in Las Vegas and you’re thinking of not going? Are you insane?” 

You had explained about twenty minutes prior that you were in two minds about attending the wedding, and for good, solid reasons: 

Firstly, the wedding was in two weeks and there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in your mind that it would take a hefty amount of overtime, plus excessively ass kissing your impertinent boss in order to receive time off work. 

Secondly, it would be taking place in Sin City! That requires a hotel reservation, return flights, transit money—rather important things that needed more time than roughly seventeen days to arrange. Especially for Las Vegas and their luxurious resorts (which came hand in hand with eye watering prices). 

And thirdly, you wouldn’t know anybody there besides the bride. Insert prolonged awkward silences and social anxiety. 

“No,” you defend yourself, “what’s insane would be to go.” 

Your response had Hoseok blowing out a noise, waving you off like what you said was no big deal. This caused you to raise an eyebrow as you folded your arms over your chest. He was blowing off your reasoning? I’d like to hear his thoughts then! 

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, babe,” Hoseok chuckled, “I just think it would be a missed opportunity not to go.” 

Alyssa hummed in agreement, putting her fork down, “I agree. Y/N, you haven’t had a vacation in, like, forever. Besides that, you were clearly invited for a reason. Your friend wants you there and I really think you should consider going.” 

Uncrossing your arms, you sunk back in your chair and pursed your lips in thought. Your friends weren’t wrong: it had been well and truly over twelve months since you had a vacation. The last time you were able to take time for yourself was before Jules permanently moved to California… Perhaps they had a point. 

Maybe a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas was exactly what you needed. 

“I see those cogs turning in your head; you’re gonna go, aren’t you?” Hoseok grinned wolfishly, his cocoa colored eyes glimmered with anticipation, “and please don’t tell me you’re gonna turn down the possibility of getting a lap dance from an exotic dancer.” 

“Hobi!” You stifled a laugh, shaking your head at his antics. Before you could continue, Alyssa donned a teasing smirk, “something tells me Hoseok wants to go along with you so he can get that lap dance.” 

“Bitch please, I can get one at home any time I want.” 

Both you and Alyssa raised one eyebrow and that saw the man mumbling sheepishly, “okay, well, maybe I have to give Yoongi a little push…” 

All three of you cracked a knowing grin because Yoongi would do absolutely anything for Hoseok. 

“So,” Alyssa cleared her throat, turning the attention back onto your predicament and not the possibility of Hoseok’s boyfriend giving him a lap dance, “are you gonna give it a shot?” 

Truthfully, what did you have to lose? You’d been woefully single for three years now and after many (countless) unsuccessful attempts at dating, you’d completely given up on the idea of ever finding that special somebody. But that shouldn’t mean you miss out on witnessing a good friend get married to her special someone.  Alyssa was right; Jules invited you for a reason and it would be cowardice to turn down the invitation. 

“Yeah, why the hell not?” You caved, sporting a cheerful smile as your friends cheered, completely ignorant to the fact your lunch break ends in mere minutes. 

“Atta girl!” Hoseok gave you a one armed hug while Alyssa began shoveling down her lunch before you were due back to your cubicles. “Now let’s find the hotel with the hottest men! I heard they hire topless waiters!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain, welcome to Las Vegas. Local time is eleven-thirty in the morning with temperatures sitting at a pleasant seventy-five degrees.”

The second the seat belt sign was turned off, you quickly unclasped it and retrieved your handbag from the bottom of your seat. 

Whilst the flight attendant continued with the announcements over the PA system, you slung your bag over your shoulder and hastened to turn your cellular back on. You hoped to be able to reach out to Jules and potentially catch up before the big day (not like there was much time, the wedding was tomorrow for god’s sake). 

“On behalf of myself and the rest of the crew here at American Airlines, we’d like to thank you for joining us on this flight and we hope you have a safe journey.” 

Fifteen minutes later—having successfully deplaned and now off the aircraft—you made your way towards baggage claim. Why did I have to bring a bag? I should’ve sucked it up with carry on, you chastised yourself as you sauntered past the slot machines that occupied the airport terminals. 

You triple checked your messages, wanting to have made sure that you sent a text to Jules, asking if she wanted to get cocktails and hit the day spa at your hotel. The tiny delivered underneath the message bubble relieved you but not entirely. You wanted her to read it so that you wouldn’t be spending your first day in Vegas by yourself. 

“Carousel seven,” you murmured to yourself, glancing up to confirm that you had in fact arrived at the correct baggage claim. The last thing you wanted to do was stumble around Harry Reid International Airport in search of your luggage. 

Passengers huddled around the carousel as bags began to descend. Indistinct chatter could be heard around you, with people most likely planning how to get to the strip from the airport. 

You’d already looked into that and planned on waiting for a Lyft. 

According to threads on Reddit, the wait for ride share apps were on par with taxis, so why subject yourself to creepy cab drivers and ridiculous rates? 

Your suitcase finally appeared. Dark gray, a little scuffed and scratched with a Hello Kitty luggage tag. You walked up to the carousel and bent down to retrieve your suitcase, when your handbag slipped from your clutches and emptied the contents all over the ground.

“Shit!” You cursed. “Fuck me!” Panicking a little as your suitcase was sliding away from you but you also didn’t want anyone snatching up your belongings. 

Scrambled, you knelt down and shoved your things into your handbag haphazardly with your eyes still locked on your suitcase. “Please no! No, no…” You were seconds away from resigning to chasing it down, when you noticed a tall, dark haired man picking it up with ease. 

“I got it,” he said, approaching you with your suitcase upright on its wheels with the handle extended for your ease. He was donning a kind, squarish smile that had your heart skipping a beat. 

Taking the suitcase from his large hands, your cheeks flushed crimson, “oh my god, thank you so much!” 

You took the opportunity to really drink in his appearance. The male was much taller when standing at his full height, with a mop of black curls atop his head. He had the broadest shoulders you’d ever seen and somehow that made him seem even bigger. He had kind onyx eyes that lightened any time he smiled. Holy shit he’s so handsome! 

“No biggie,” your lifesaver shrugged, flashing you another boxy grin, “I saw you picking up your stuff after it dropped so I thought I’d help you out.” And he’s super sweet too! 

“That’s so kind of you, thank you, truly.” You gushed. You felt heat rising to your cheeks again, feeling a little mortified that he’d witnessed you fumble the bag. Literally. 

The raven haired male offered you a bashful smile, “it’s really no problem.” He turned for a quick moment, his back to you as he lifted his black Adidas duffel bag from the carousel and slung it over his shoulder effortlessly, “I’m Taehyung by the way.” He held out his right hand. 

You shook his extended hand, “I’m Y/N.” 

Light touched his eyes then. He opened his mouth to say something else, when the sound of his name was being called from the automatic doors by the exit. It appeared he had somebody to pick him up. 

Taehyung gave you one last smile. “It was really nice to meet you, Y/N. I hope you enjoy Vegas.” 

“You too, Taehyung. Thanks again!” 

He gave you a departing wave before dashing over to the man by the exit. 

You turned your attention back to your own belongings, placing your handbag on top of your suitcase so you wouldn’t have a repeat of the incident earlier. Taking your phone from your pocket, you sighed in relief when you saw a text from Jules: 

[ jules ]

OMG! i’m so down! text me when u check in & i’ll meet u wherever! so happy ur here babes! xx 

Finally, your vacation was about to really begin.

The first half of the wedding had been rather wonderful, despite the cringeworthy Elvis impersonator officiating the ceremony.  

Even though it had been held in one of those corny chapels with outdated decor and a hot pink vintage Cadillac parked out the front; the way Seokjin looked at Jules when she walked down the aisle made everything else seem irrelevant. 

The two of them made a beautiful couple. Not just in looks—because Seokjin was undeniably handsome and Jules practically resembled a Victoria’s Secret model—but personality wise as well. They each had a heart of gold and a gentle soul. It wasn’t hard to understand why they adored one another. 

You wholeheartedly wished them all the happiness in their future together. 

“Y/N!” 

Jules beamed in your direction, immediately prancing over to you in her gorgeous ivory dress with a petite bouquet in hand. 

“Ah! Congratulations Jules!” You embrace her in a hug, being cautious not to squash the flowers or crinkle her dress, “I’m so happy for you.” You really were. Your friend had found her soulmate and was now embarking on the new stage in her life as a married woman. It was nearly impossible not to be joyous for her. 

Squeezing you gently, Jules broke free from the hug and flashed you a bright grin, “thank you babes! I’m so glad you came. It meant a lot to have you here.” 

“I’m so honored to be here, Mrs Kim.” 

“Shit… I really am Mrs Kim now! I can’t believe I’m married!” She peered down at her left hand with fondness in her eyes, absorbing the silver band that had joined her engagement ring, “oh, that reminds me! You need to meet Jin, come!” 

And with that, she grasped your wrist and tugged you towards her husband. Seokjin looked dapper in his three piece navy suit. He was so attractive that he could put the most desired actors and models to shame. With ease. He was surrounded by his groomsmen in black tuxedos and another man in the same colored tuxedo, although without a boutonnière. 

“Jinnie!” Jules called, garnering his attention and peeling him away from his friends, “I wanted to introduce you to my roommate from college, the one I was telling you about. This is Y/N.” 

The warmth that embodied her tone of voice made your heart soar. Knowing she still talked about you after all this time? Jules was a real one. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I’m Seokjin. Everyone calls me Jin though.” 

You expected a handshake, but Seokjin went right in for a hug. He enveloped you into his arms and gave you a gentle squeeze; one that felt brotherly and comfortable. 

“Likewise, Jin. Thank you for inviting me. It was a gorgeous ceremony.” Your words were spoken with such earnestness, accompanied by a brightened smile. 

“No thank you for coming. I know Jules would’ve been pretty bummed if you couldn’t make it.” 

“He’s right, I would’ve.” Jules nodded in agreement, planting a soft kiss to her husband’s cheek. Cute. Way too fucking cute. “We have a photo-op in like ten, but we’ll see you at the reception?” They both looked at you expectantly, four pairs of eyes full of hope. 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

Jules clapped her hands together in delight, “great! The bridal party will be coming with us but Jinnie’s cousin can go with you to the venue, right hon?” 

Seokjin nodded without hesitation. “Oh for sure—Taehyung! Over here!” 

Taehyung? Surely there was no way—

“Hey man, what’s up?” 

Did your eyes deceive you or was the same man who helped you with your baggage yesterday here? It was most definitely him. Despite being dressed up in a tailored suit with his hair swept off his forehead; that familiar box shaped grin was unmistakable. 

“We gotta get our photos taken but I was hoping you could take Y/N here to the venue?” Seokjin gestured towards you and not even a second later, your heart was stammering against your rib cage. Why? Because Taehyung was looking directly at you. And he was beaming. 

“Easy done.” 

“Thanks Tae, you’re a lifesaver man.” 

The bride and groom looked ecstatic. You, on the other hand, were feeling a little bewildered by the fact you’d met Taehyung yesterday out of the blue and now he was here. At the wedding. 

That was one hell of a coincidence. 

“Shall we go then?” He asked. 

You simply nodded, giving a quick wave to Jules before walking alongside Taehyung to the nearest exit. 

It didn’t take long for the two of you to hail down a cab. Taehyung opened the back passenger door for you (like a true gentleman) and then slid in after you had situated yourself. Being within this close proximity of him was nerve wracking. His scent was salivating; an intoxicating mixture of musk wood, oak moss and bergamot. Masculine but with a citrusy freshness. You didn’t miss the impressive rings that adorned his long fingers or the hoops in his ears. His fingernails were painted too—could this guy be any hotter? 

“So when will I get my reward?” His deep timbre broke the silence, a mischievous glint in those ebony eyes. 

“Huh?” 

“I believe I’ve saved your life twice, no? Shouldn’t I be rewarded for my efforts?” He was grinning wolfishly now and you had to stop yourself from flushing at the sight. Taehyung was far too gorgeous for his own good. You couldn’t be this affected by a man you barely knew! 

Humming softly, you pretended to think over his suggestion by rubbing your finger underneath your bottom lip, “hm. How about I owe you a dance?” 

His lips quirked upwards. “Just one dance?” 

“Two then. A dance for each time you saved me from unfortunate circumstances.” 

Taehyung couldn’t say no to that.

The fourth hour of the reception had ticked by and you were feeling a little brave. Liquid courage in the form of sparkling champagne had taken control of your night. 

About an hour ago, Taehyung chased you up on the two dances that you owed him. He had been ridden of his suit jacket by then, donning a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You felt your thighs clench together at his appearance. Where your mouth was drier than the Sahara, your panties were wetter than the Nile. It had been a long time since you’d soaked through your lacy underwear in such a way. 

You danced rather innocently, despite your brain urging you to press yourself against him. Taehyung twirled you around a few, his eyes locked on you the entire time. You couldn’t stray away from the intensity of his stare either. It was almost as if the two of you had been put in a trance the second you began dancing. 

Your heart palpitated when he shifted his prolonged gaze to your lips. 

“I’m gonna get another drink,” you murmured a little breathlessly, unlinking your arms from around his neck and putting a step in between your bodies, “I’ll be right back.” 

You excused yourself without another word; desperately needing a moment to catch your breath. You felt his gaze on you as you retreated to the open bar. Was it foolish of you to leave during such a fervid moment? Possibly… But you needed a second to breathe. A minute to clear your head. 

Fetching your phone from your clutch, you tapped on your messages with Hoseok. You needed some advice and you knew he’d be the only one to smack some sense into you. 

[ you ]

help! met a 10/10 at the airport yesterday who’s also @ the wedding. just danced w him & now i’m wet af 

[ hobi ]

why r u texting me for? fuck him bitch! 

[ you ]

i’m scared :( he’s really nice & funny too. you know it’s been a while for me

[ hobi ]

if he’s as nice as u say he is then he will treat u right! u deserve to have fun n be dicked down y/n! don’t overthink it! 

[ you ]

you’re right. i’m gonna go for it! 

[ hobi ]

i’m always right. updates pls omfggggg 

That’s what led you to ordering an entire bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Here you were, bottle and two glasses in hand, ready to invite Taehyung out onto the terrace and then hopefully back to your hotel room. 

Jules and Seokjin had disappeared by the third hour—no doubt hurrying to their honeymoon suite to get down and dirty for the first time as husband and wife—so there was nothing wrong with you pursuing Taehyung. 

Until you saw him with another woman. 

Frozen in your spot, your lips parted in disappointment as Taehyung had a gorgeous young woman draped over him. Her manicured fingers trailed down his chest until she reached his crotch, blissfully ignorant of the fact they were in a public setting. 

Of course he has someone. I’m so stupid. 

Putting the glasses down on one of the tables, you tighten your grip around the neck of the wine bottle and prop your clutch under your arm. It would be a damn shame not to drink the wine (it cost you a pretty penny after all). But you also knew that you couldn’t stay at this reception any longer. Not when Taehyung was busy with someone else. 

So that’s what coaxed you to leave the reception hall. You aimlessly wandered through the casino floor of the hotel until you found a rather quiet bar (well for Las Vegas standards anyhow). 

Hoisting yourself up onto one of the bar stools, you mentally thanked the previous bartender for having popped the cork for you before taking a decent swig of the sweet red wine. 

“Rough night?” A voice from behind the bar startled you, causing you to look up. There stood a male with blonde hair and a friendly smile, drying a beer glass with a microfibre towel. 

“Not really,” you shrugged, taking another gulp from the bottle, “just came from a wedding reception. Without a date, as you can see.” Jeez, talk about souring the mood! 

The bartender nodded knowingly, placing the towel down and leant on the bar top. “Weddings can be like that. It’s why we have that.” He nudged his head to the left. 

You followed his directions curiously, your beady eyes settling on a large glass bowl that resided near the first cash register. It was filled with all kinds of poker chips. 

“You place bets on weddings?” To say you were confused would be an understatement. You took another gulp of the red wine whilst you waited for his response. 

The bartender chuckled and shook his head twice. “Not exactly. The bowl started off as a gimmick but now it’s kinda become a pillar of hope.” 

Okay now you were definitely confused. 

Sensing your puzzlement, the blonde male continued after a beat, “it’s called Single Chance. Single people from all over the strip will toss a poker chip into the bowl in hopes to find their one true love.” 

“For real?” You snorted. 

“You bet. Some people really believe in fate. And I’ve heard from patrons that it really works.” 

He left you alone after that, taking the tray of beer glasses into the back room. In his absence, you chugged down a few gulps of your wine and then glared at the bowl of poker chips. 

“True love? Yeah fucking right.” 

Nose turned up in scrutiny, you brazenly reached over and dipped your hand into the bowl. You plucked five poker chips, all different styles and colors. You stuffed them into your clutch and laughed darkly to yourself. If fate was going to be a bitch to you, then you were going to be a bitch right back. 

Finishing off the rest of the wine, you discarded the empty bottle into the garbage and stumbled your way back through the casino. You desperately desired to get out of these heels and into a steaming hot shower. 

But first, you needed to call Hoseok.

Monday morning at the office was just like every other Monday morning—except for the fact you were feeling a little sluggish from your weekend in Vegas, having landed at LaGuardia around ten the night beforehand. 

Your boss welcomed you back with a stack of emails, all of which were due within the next forty eight hours. The head of your department was ruthless like that; the thrice divorcee always overloading those back from vacation with a mountain of work. You’d been working here for two years and you’d never once seen the woman crack a smile. So it was utterly unsurprising to see your inbox that morning. 

“Look alive, sunshine.” Hoseok said cheerily, entering your cubicle with two venti caramel lattes. You swear you could kiss the man. 

Except you wouldn’t dare. Because Yoongi would be chasing your ass down for touching his man like that. 

“Coffee!” You exhaled in relief, taking the cup from your favorite colleague’s hands and immediately taking a sip of your sweet beverage. “I needed this so bad, thank you Hobi.” 

“You’re welcome. I saw your Instagram story last night. When I saw you didn’t get home ‘til midnight, I knew a coffee was in order.” 

Nodding vigorously, you slurped down the caramel goodness whilst opening another email from your boss. Hoseok occupied the seat beside your desk, enjoying his own beverage as you worked. You’d given up trying to shoo him off to his own desk after five hundred attempts. He would leave when he decided he was bored of your company (or when the monster in charge walked by). 

You were in the process of overviewing a contract on behalf of your boss when your phone vibrated against the desk, indicating that you had a new notification. All employees were required to have their sounds turned off while in the office, so you settled for vibration instead.

“Another text from Dominos with a promo deal?” Hoseok snickered, his lips pulled up into a teasing smirk. 

“Fuck off,” you flipped him the bird, picking up your device and furrowing your brows when you see it’s from an unknown number, “I don’t know who it is.” 

Unlocking your phone, you brought up your message inbox and read the multiple texts that had been sent. 

[ (xxx) xxx-xxxx ]

hey y/n

it’s taehyung. i got your number from jin, i hope that’s ok 

ngl i was pretty bummed to find out we weren’t on the same flight yesterday

i hope you made it home safely 

anyways the real reason i texted you is cuz i wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me sometime? 

i know the reception was kinda overwhelming but i think we hit it off pretty well yeah?

let me know if you’re down

sorry for the spam i’m kinda nervous >.<

“It’s from Taehyung.” You blinked, rereading the thread of text messages over once again to make sure you interpreted his words correctly. 

Hoseok placed his latte down, an eyebrow raised in intrigue, “you mean Taehyung from Vegas? The same guy you caught fondling some hottie at the wedding reception?” 

You scowled. “Yes, that one. Thanks for the reminder Hobi.” 

“What did he want?” 

“He asked me out,” you took a sip of your coffee in hopes to get rid of the bitter taste Hoseok’s reminder left in your mouth, “because we’re both in New York.”

“No shit? Well, are you gonna do it?” 

“I don’t know. I still feel weird about what happened. What if that was his girlfriend or something?” You felt really small at that moment. 

Rolling his eyes, Hoseok reached across the desk and snatched your phone. You uttered out a ‘hey!’ but he blatantly ignored you as his fingers flew across the screen. 

“Hobi give that ba—”

Thrusting your phone into your hands, you noticed that he had texted on your behalf. 

[ you ]

hey taehyung. it’s ok abt the number. hope you made it home safe too 

i dunno about going out. you seemed pretty cozy on the weekend 

“Jung Hoseok! Why would you say that?” 

[ taehyung ]

oh you saw that? i swear it was nothing. she wanted to hook up but i wasn’t down

i looked for you afterwards 

i guess i know why you left. now i def want to take you out 

Mouth agape, you couldn’t believe his response. Actually, you couldn’t believe that Hoseok was the one who prompted his response. Noticing your reaction, the male in question grinned widely. 

“You’re welcome bitch! Now please go out with him. Love you, bye.” He dumped his empty coffee cup in your garbage can, blew you a kiss and sauntered off to his desk across the office floor. 

You shook your head at his antics, but really, you kinda owed him. He’d gotten to the bottom of the thing with Taehyung and now you felt like you might actually have somebody interested in you for the first time in three years. 

[ you ]

okay. one date. no funny business 

[ taehyung ]

one date’s all i need. i’ll make it worth it, promise ^-^ 

can i pick you up on friday at 8? 

[ you ]

sure. i’ll text you my address 

[ taehyung ]

i can’t wait. see you then :)

Locking your phone, you placed the device onto your desk and leaned on your elbow, covering your smile with your hand. Maybe you were looking forward to tomorrow night more than you thought. 

You owed Hoseok a damn coffee.

The day before your date with Taehyung, you were undeniably in good spirits. You’d woken up before your alarm, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after a pleasant seven hours sleep and instantly dived into your morning routine. You managed to leave your apartment fifteen minutes earlier than usual with a skip in your step. You also planned on swinging by a deli to get a breakfast bagel for yourself and Hoseok. 

Everything was going splendidly. The weather was mild, the sun was shining and your walk to the subway had been smooth sailing. 

Until… 

“Y/N!” An unfamiliar voice called out from behind you. “It’s me, Eric! Your bae!” 

Pausing in your spot and turning around, your eyebrows furrowed when a young man in a letterman jacket waved enthusiastically at you. You’d never seen that guy before in your life. Varsity? How does this college kid even know me? Did he just call himself my bae?

A little unnerved, you proceeded on your walk to work, ignoring the jock behind you. He continued to call out your name. Weird. 

You didn’t think twice to cross the road; wanting to implement a little bit of distance between yourself and the college boy. Puffing out a breath, you moved on from the strange encounter you just had when another man approached you. 

“Y/N, there you are,” the burgundy suit-clad stranger reached for your hand, placing a kiss to the top of it, “I’ve been searching all over this city to find you.” 

What? 

“Uh, do I know you?” You yanked your hand away from him, feeling the same way you did a few minutes ago. 

“Of course you do, you hold the key to my heart.” He handed you a key with the name Daniel engraved. The top of it was stylized into the shape of a heart. 

You could smell marijuana. Albeit, Manhattan always smelled like weed but for your own sake, you presumed this guy was high. 

Hastily shoving the key back into his hand, you scurried off to the nearest subway entrance. You needed to get off that street as there were so many weirdos out this morning. How did they know your name? It wasn’t like you were wearing a name tag or anything. 

A little freaked out, you pushed the two encounters to the back of your mind as you swiped your metro card through the reader and pushed through the turnstile. This subway station wasn’t where you usually got on in the mornings, but anything was better than facing the pedestrians on the street in downtown Manhattan. 

Once at the platform, you looked through your bag for your wireless earphones when you heard the sound of an acoustic guitar. You always loved buskers. 

“Oh Y/N, can’t you see? This cruel world is too big for you and me. So take my hand, let’s go to a far away land…” 

You immediately stiffened. This can’t be happening. The sound of guitar strums drew closer to you and before you could blink, the male musician was right in front of you. Serenading you. Emo fringe and all. 

The subway was your saving grace. You stepped around the guitarist and hopped onto the train before he could get on himself, as the singer was too busy clambering around with his guitar case. 

What the fuck is going on? 

“I know right.” The man beside you said. Shit, you must’ve muttered that aloud. “I didn’t get the Versace gig. Which is crazy! Cause like, look at me, I’m fucking perfect.” 

Glancing over at your seatmate, you forced a friendly smile, despite being unamused by his arrogant attitude. Big mistake. 

“We could be perfect together, Y/N.” The well groomed male purred, reaching out to touch your cheek with his ring clad hands but you jerked away from him. 

“This is my stop!” You rushed out. It wasn’t. “Don’t follow me out, bye!” 

You’d never bolted off the subway so fast in your life. Your heart was thumping wildly in your chest. Putting your hands on your knees, you tried your hardest to catch your breath. Were you dreaming? Is that why your morning has gone from marvelous to disastrous? Pinching yourself, you let out a low hiss—nope, definitely not dreaming. 

You couldn’t wrap your head around what had just happened. Who were those guys and how did they know you? Your mind was spinning so fast you were almost dizzy. 

You had to talk to Hoseok; he would be the only one able to make sense of all this. 

Thirty minutes later, you placed your hands in your lap and chewed on your bottom lip. “Well?” 

“I think it’s fate.” 

“You what?!” 

Placing his hand on yours, Hoseok flashed you a reassuring smile, “think about it. It’s not every day you get approached by four handsome strangers!” 

You looked unconvinced. 

“Listen, everything happens for a reason. You had been so hesitant about going to Vegas because you were shit out of luck with men. Since the trip, you’ve landed a date and now have four men chasing you! That’s fate, sweetheart.” Hoseok chirped, nodding his head at his own explanation.

You didn’t comment after that. He made a bunch of valid points, but you weren’t entirely sure if you liked the idea of being chased by those men. Especially when you had a date tomorrow night with Taehyung that you hoped would go well. 

Clearing your throat, you decided to change the subject: “Let me show you what I’m wearing on the date.” 

“Where are you taking me?” You giggled, walking slowly as Taehyung kept his large hands over your eyes, shielding your vision. “You aren’t some axe murderer, are you?” 

A chesty chuckle came from behind you. “Damn, you figured me out.” He teased you playfully whilst he gently guided you towards your destination. 

All you knew about tonight’s date was that Taehyung had parked his 2014 model Hyundai Elantra in an underground parking lot and had opened a door with a set of keys earlier, when you were requested to keep your eyes firmly shut. He was certainly going out of his way to keep the details a secret and you couldn’t deny that your heart fluttered at his valiant efforts. 

“So where is this murder taking place?” You joked, keeping up the banter that the two of you had going on as Taehyung brought you to a stop. 

“Here,” he spoke against the shell of your ear, removing his hands to reveal the lobby belonging to The Modern Museum of Art. Wow. Your mouth dropped open and your eyes widened as you looked around in unabridged amazement. 

Sure, you’d visited the MoMA museum a couple of times as a Manhattan resident, but the fact you were here without the hustle and bustle of tourists, school groups and staff? You were in awe. 

“I’m a junior curator for the New Photography exhibit,” Taehyung revealed shyly, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, “I know things got a little backwards in Vegas, but I wanted to show you a piece of who I am.” 

Your heart soared. Reaching out, you took his hand in yours and squeezed gently. “I love it, Taehyung.” The sincerity in your voice had him grinning like a fool; his shoulders losing tension and his hand dropping from his neck. 

“C’mon, let me show you around.” 

Hand-in-hand, Taehyung guided you through the museum. He was so knowledgeable, acting as your own personal tour guide by providing small facts about each major piece and answering any questions that you had. He was attentive the entire time; never losing eye contact and never letting go of your hand. The undivided attention he gave you had your stomach doing backflips. 

His little tour ended with the most famous exhibit in the entire museum: Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’. Taehyung couldn’t control his excitement as he spoke about the piece, his eyes full of passion and admiration. He couldn’t tear away his gaze from the painting and you couldn’t tear away yours from him. You’d never been so emotionally and physically attracted to somebody before. He was ticking all your boxes and even some you didn’t know you had. 

Perhaps Taehyung had a point when he said he would only need one date… 

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, leading you over to one of the benches. Your smaller hand really fit in his so perfectly. 

“Just how much fun I’m having.” You responded with a smile, leaning into him a little bit. “I love it.” His arm instinctively wrapped around your waist as the two of you sat in front of one of the world’s most renowned artworks. 

“I’m really glad,” he said earnestly, “I wanted to make things right… because honestly Y/N, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we first met.” 

Your cheeks burned. This absolutely wonderful man has been thinking about you all this time? You almost melted into a puddle right then and there. The blush on your cheeks only intensified when Taehyung cupped your face, his eyes imploring into your own. 

“Are you seeing anyone right now?” 

You shook your head without missing a beat. “No.” 

“Neither am I.” he murmured, his eyes flickering down to your lips—the same way that he had done at the wedding reception. Only this time, you weren’t running away. You wanted this. You wanted him. His tongue poked out to wet his lips, “can I kiss you?” 

“Yes please.” You breathed, nodding once.

He gently rubbed his thumb against your cheek before connecting your mouths. His lips were plump and plush, moving with yours in a rhythm that you could only describe as mind-numbing. 

No thoughts, head empty. 

All you could focus on was Taehyung and the way his kiss made you feel. You were floating on cloud nine. With Taheyung, you didn’t want to come back down to earth. You wanted to bask in the moment with him. 

He reluctantly pulled away, his hand still cupping your cheek delicately as his face broke out into a triumphant smile, “I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you at the wedding in that gorgeous dress.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle bashfully, cheeks burning up again. It was like this man’s sole mission was to make you blush! “You can kiss me again if you like.” 

“I promised no funny business,” he reminded you with a laugh, “but I can’t make any guarantees for our next date.” His lips quirked upwards into a half-smile, half-smirk. 

“Oh so there’s going to be a second date?” You just had to tease him. 

“I’m really hoping there will be.” 

You tilted your head and pressed a kiss to his cheek, taking him by surprise. You could have sworn that his cheeks turned a little pink at the action. Cute. “I’d love to.” 

After idly chatting for another twenty minutes or so, Taehyung took your hand in his once again and escorted you towards the exit. He exchanged a polite nod of the head with the night security who had just started their shift, wishing them a good night. 

Taehyung had parked his Hyundai across the street in the underground parking lot you recalled from earlier. So you patiently waited for him to lock up, wrapping your arms around yourself as a cold breeze passed through. 

“Y/N!” That voice didn’t belong to Taehyung… “Wow, you look stunning!” Eric exclaimed, walking right up to you in the same varsity jacket you’d seen him in when he approached you on the street earlier this week. 

Your mind was reeling. Where the hell did he come from? Why was fate being a haughty fucking bitch right now? 

“Y/N?” Taehyung muttered your name from behind you, causing you to turn on your heel almost instantly. He looked confused, eyebrows knitted together as he analyzed Eric. “Who’s this?” 

“Oh I’m Eric, her b—” 

“Best intern!” You interrupted, lying through your teeth, “crazy how we just ran into each other!” You laughed, grabbing Eric by the wrist and tugged him away. 

“Y/N? Where are you going?” Taehyung called out, eyebrows almost touching his hairline in shock. He wanted to chase after you but he wasn’t sure if that’s what you wanted. You were pretty determined to get the hell out of there. 

“Eric wants me to help him with a file! Sorry! I’ll text you!” 

You felt horrible for lying to him but you couldn’t risk Taehyung thinking that this college frat boy was anything of importance to you. You don’t even know how the kid knew your name, for crying out loud! 

You needed to get to the bottom of this.

A noncommittal noise escaped Taehyung’s mouth as he waited for his coffee to be made, standing off to the side of the counter with his best friend (and biggest pain in his ass), Jimin. 

“Dude, what’s that noise mean?” The blonde haired male demanded, arching an eyebrow in his direction. “How could you be totally unfazed? Another dude crashed your date!” 

Blowing out a raspberry this time, Taehyung ran a hand through his curls. His perm was really remaining in shape these days. “He didn’t crash it, we were about to head to my car.” 

“So? You didn’t even get to drive her home!” Jimin clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disbelief as the barista called out their names above the squealing sounds of the steam-wand frothing milk.

Taehyung sighed, approaching the counter and taking both coffees in his hands. He bowed towards the barista to express his gratitude, before turning on his heel and passing his best friend his beverage. 

“It’s really not that big of a deal,” Taehyung shrugged as the two men exited the coffee shop, making their usual trek towards the museum before its opening hours, “she got caught up with work. Shit happens, right?” 

Jimin wasn’t at all convinced. “I think you’re wrong.”

Whipping out his sleek smartphone from the slanted pocket of his trousers, Jimin opened up the Instagram app and typed in your name. Your account was the third option to pop up. 

“This is Y/N, right?” Jimin quizzed his best pal, flashing him the screen that was currently showcasing your social media profile. Taehyung nodded, recognizing your username from when you both swapped usernames a few days ago. 

“Chim, this is ridiculous. She told me she isn’t seeing anybody else—”

“Ah-ha!” The blonde clicked his fingers, pointing towards the comment section of your most current post, “I fucking knew it.” 

Peering down at the screen, Taehyung frowned when he noticed four recent comments: 

@ericzyaboi: beautiful 😍

@daniel.real.estate: key to my heart 🔑❤️

@vernxnmusic: my muse 🎶

@jcksnmodel: a babe just like me 

To make matters worse, these four same usernames had commented similar things on your three most updated posts. He didn’t like the unsettling feeling in his gut right now. 

“I’m sorry bro,” Jimin patted his back, tucking his phone back into his pocket, “I know you liked her but there’s plenty of fish in the sea.” 

Taehyung sipped his coffee, keeping quiet for a moment before coming to a standstill. He turned to Jimin with a determined glint in his eyes, “I need to up my game.” 

“Tae, you can’t be serious?!” His best friend was baffled. “She told you she wasn’t seeing anyone else and yet she has four guys thirsting over her!” 

“She might not be seeing them!” He sounded downright naive to his best friend, but the blonde decided to keep his mouth shut. There was no convincing him otherwise. “But they sure as hell want her… and I can’t let that happen.” 

Taehyung wasn’t going to let you walk away from him the second time. Not when you had an indisputable connection. Not when you clicked with him better than any other woman he’d ever met. 

He needed to up the ante. 

The weird twist fate had thrown your way hadn’t left you damn well alone. In fact, since your little run in with College Boy Eric after your whimsical museum date with Taehyung, things had only gotten worse. 

On Monday, you arrived at the office before you were required to clock in, with a few minutes to spare. Panting heavily, you rushed to your cubicle, only to find a grandiose edible arrangement consisting of cupcakes, candies, brownies, truffles, cookies and cake pops. Attached to the basket of goodies was a note printed onto pastel pink cardstock: Girls love their sweets. But nothing is as sweet as you. Love, Daniel. 

Tuesday, your desk was newly decorated with three framed photographs of the man that sat next to you on the subway. They looked to be modeling headshots, by which he had signed the shirtless one to your name: To my Y/N. May our children be as good looking as the both of us. Yours truly, Jackson. 

Wednesday, you discovered a jewel case CD by your computer monitor. It looked to be homemade, with chicken scratch handwriting scribbled across the front in bolded Sharpie. The disc was labeled When Fates Collide and there was a post-it note attached to the inside: You inspired every lyric. For you, my muse - Vernon. 

Thursday, your cubicle was void of any unprompted gifts. You exhaled in relief and went about your workday. However, as soon as lunchtime rolled around, you were obstructed from taking your break by a delivery man holding an impressively large bouquet of red roses. You took them gingerly once he informed you they were for a Miss Y/N Y/L/N. Of course, there was a note propped inside the center: A red rose for every time I thought of you! From Eric. 

By Friday, you were ultimately fed up. You had become mentally and emotionally exhausted with this whole turn of events and it didn’t help in the slightest that Hoseok was nothing but supportive. 

“You should be enjoying this!” He declared, lifting his arms in the air jovially.  “What’s the harm in living a little? Take the gifts and see where it takes you.” 

Although you knew he had good intentions, you couldn’t quite agree with Hoseok on that one. Fate was messing up your life and you were growing tired of it. You wanted these men to leave you be. Their affections were far too intense, considering you’d never even gone out with either of them! 

The sound of your phone vibrating snapped you out of your reverie and drew your attention to your notifications. You immediately beamed when you saw the contact name. 

[ taehyung ]

i haven’t been able to get you off my mind all week 

[ you ]

that sounds like a you problem hehe 

[ taehyung ]

no it’s a YOU problem :P 

are you busy tonight? 

[ you ]

hm depends 

[ taehyung ]

on what? 

[ you ]

depends if you’re asking me on that second date or not 

You were giggling and kicking your feet like a schoolgirl, swiveling around in your office chair as you awaited his response. Even though it was just a couple of text messages, Taehyung had you feeling giddy for the first time in a long time. You really couldn’t wait to see him again. 

[ taehyung ]

and what if i was? would you be available at 7? 

[ you ]

for you 100% 

[ taehyung ]

perfect :D i’ll pick you up? 

[ you ]

i can’t wait xo

You really couldn’t wait. You’d been impatiently glowering at the clock every twenty minutes or so, wishing with all your might that time would move by faster. 

By the time five rolled around, you hastened to log off your work computer and gathered your belongings. You felt Hoseok’s eyes on you as you scurried out of the building, wishing everyone a great weekend. No doubt he was smirking, since your best friend was far too invested in your love life.

You thought nothing could top the first date you had with Taehyung. A private guided tour of the MoMA museum after hours? That was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But the man took you by complete surprise yet again. 

He’d taken you to a night market in Brooklyn. 

“I come here every time the locals run the event.” He informed you with a genuine smile, his eyes crinkling at the sides. His pure excitement was infectious. 

“Lead the way.” You mirrored his excitement. He took your hand in his then, intertwining your fingers like they were two missing puzzle pieces destined to be conjoined. 

The streets were illuminated with warm honeyed lights strung through trees and along the power lines. Vendors of all sorts had set up along the sidewalks, displaying their signature dish, designs and decor. Everything was handmade and authentic. Just when the vibe couldn’t be more organically wholesome; there were mom and pop food trucks, street performers and even a couple of carnival games for children of all ages. 

This was a core component of who Kim Taehyung was as a person. He was giving you fragments of his life, his personality and his interests through your dates. There was no bullshit, no catch, no fine print. 

Your heart skipped a beat at the realization: you liked Taehyung. A lot. 

“Are you hungry? I was thinking we could do a little smorgasbord?” 

Taehyung never shifted his gaze away from you, his eyes warm and softened. He gestured to the vast variety of food trucks and stands. You were absolutely spoiled with choice, so getting a little bit of everything sounded unequivocally perfect. 

“Absolutely, I would love that.” You enthused with bright eyes, squeezing his hand when he flashed you that infamous boxy grin you’d quickly grown to love so much. 

As the two of you walked along the concrete—stopping by each vendor to weigh up your options for a mid-evening snack—you shivered from the wind chill that had suddenly come out of nowhere. I knew I should’ve worn a coat! You internally criticized yourself for not dressing warmer, despite how cute your leather jacket looked on you. 

“You’re cold?” Taehyung asked, although it sounded more like a statement. He frowned at your quivering form, not wasting a second to shrug off his coat and gently draped the garment over your shoulders. 

“No Tae—” 

“Please, I insist. I don’t want your lips turning blue… I’m kinda hoping I can get another kiss before the night ends.” He admitted with a sheepish expression, adjusting the oversized coat so it covered most of your body. 

You wanted to kiss him right then and there. But the night was still young, so you resorted to a sweet peck on the cheek with a tiny “thank you.” The way he blushed afterwards had your heart pounding. This man was way too good to be true. 

“So how do you feel about churros?” 

Taehyung spoiled you. He purchased a serving of chocolate filled churros with caramel dipping sauce, four mini beef tacos, a pork hot dog with all the fixings and trimmings, plus two cups of steaming hot chocolate to share. He hadn’t been bluffing when he suggested a smorgasbord. You offered to pay him back for half of the cost but he blatantly refused. He wanted to treat you for the night and you couldn’t argue with those big puppy dog eyes. 

You ate happily together, exchanging entertaining stories from your childhoods. Everything felt natural with Taehyung. The minutes ticked by without you even noticing. You were just so comfortable with him. Frankly, you could’ve sat there all night long and swapped anecdotes with him until the sun came up. 

“We should probably head back…” Taehyung murmured, his hands toying with yours as your head rested on his broad shoulders. “But I don’t want this night to end.” 

“I feel the same,” you whispered, slowly lifting your head so that your eyes met, “want to walk across Brooklyn Bridge with me?” You hadn’t intended on suggesting such a thing but you shared his sentiment of not wanting your date to conclude just yet. So you chose an activity that would surely give you another hour in each other’s presence. 

Taehyung’s eyes twinkled, “I would love nothing more.”

You accumulated all the trash and disposed of it in the large garbage can while Taehyung patiently waited for you. He looked adorable in his moss green cardigan. You were pleasantly surprised how well he endured the cold, after declining your offer to return his coat back more than once. 

“Ready?” He asked, taking your hand in his almost immediately. You hoped he would never stop holding your hand. 

You nodded gently and the two of you embarked on your trek across the Brooklyn Bridge. The sky was rather clear, meaning the stars were visible. The moon was in the form of a crescent, shining down on the two of you and the rest of New York City. 

“So you’re in marketing?” Taehyung struck up a new conversation, shifting the topic to your careers this time around. 

“Yeah. A junior position though, like you.” You smiled, bumping his shoulder playfully and evoked an airy laugh to escape his plump lips. 

“Do you enjoy it?” 

“Honestly…? Not all the time. It’s pretty much the same as every corporate job, some days are better than others.” You shrugged, glancing up to see him nodding along in understanding, “it’s really the people I work with that make it enjoyable for me.” 

He began to swing your arms between your bodies. You giggled at his ministrations. Taehyung was a child at heart and it was one of the many things you adored about him. He deserved to be cherished. 

“What do you like to do when you’re not at work?” He enquired. “And please tell me to shut up if I’m being too inquisitive. I just want to know everything about you.” 

You flushed a shade of ruby. “No it’s okay, I like that you’re interest—” 

“Y/N, my darling!” A shirtless Jackson sporting nothing but a fur coat (in this weather?) interrupted you. “What a coincidence we are here at the same time. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you so we can arrange that nude photoshoot.” He flashed you an award winning smile, accompanied by his signature wink. 

You blanched, lips forming into a tight, thin line. “I, uh, think you have the wrong Y/N!” You rumbled out, hastily tugging Taehyung further down the bridge with you. 

“Who was that?” Taehyung sounded breathless, his eyes wide with bewilderment. 

What were you supposed to tell him? That he was some random guy you met on the subway last week and now he won’t stop popping up out of nowhere confessing his affection for you? That made you sound like a lunatic. 

“I don’t—” 

“Sweetheart!” Daniel called, jogging over to you with a blistering grin, “Y/N! I knew I would find you here. I have two tickets to the NBA game tomorrow. The seats are prime real estate—I would know. When can I pick you up?” 

You felt Taehyung’s eyes burning into the side of your skull then, no doubt astonished by the two back-to-back encounters. 

“Never! Sorry!” You pushed past him, still holding onto Taehyung’s hand for dear life. You hoped like hell that he wouldn’t leave. You wished with all your heart that he wouldn’t jump to conclusions and be willing to hear you out. Even though the truth sounded irrationally stupid. 

After having fled further down the bridge, your date stopped and pulled his hand away from yours. The rejection smacked you hard in the face. Taehyung frowned, tonguing his cheek. “What’s going on, Y/N? You told me you weren’t seeing anybody. Who the hell were those guys?” You heard the disappointment and confusion in his voice, making your heart fall to your ass. 

“Tae… I…” You trailed off, unsure of how on earth you were going to explain yourself. Never had you been so mortified. How could fate pull such a rotten stunt on you?

“Just tell me the truth, that’s all I ask.” 

Before you could answer, you felt an arm be slung over your shoulders. “The truth is she’s my muse and she’s gonna come on tour with me and my band.” Fucking Vernon! 

Taehyung stood gobsmacked, reduced to silence. 

“No! Get off me!” You shrieked, shrugging Vernon away from you and shaking your head back and forth vigorously. Your worst nightmare was coming true. “I’m sorry.” You whispered out to Taehyung, eyes welling up with tears as you shrugged off his coat and bolted down the remainder of Brooklyn Bridge. 

You ignored the calls of your name, belonging to five different men as you cried. Tears cascaded down your cheeks in rivers. Your perfect night had been ruined. Your phenomenal date was destroyed. All you wanted to do was go home and bawl your eyes out until there were no more tears left. 

Within forty minutes you were exiting the elevator, eyes swollen and bloodshot from the sheer amount of crying you’d done in the cab. Retrieving your keys from your pocket, you dawdled to your door, only to find Eric sitting there with a box of Krispy Kreme donuts. In that obnoxious jacket. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” You shouted, eyes now ablaze. You weren’t holding back this time. You were beyond done. 

“I came to surprise my girl with donuts, see!” He chirped, grinning from ear to ear. “Why don’t you look happy?” 

“Because I don’t even fucking know you! I’m not your girl, I’m not your anything! Leave! Go home!” You demanded furiously, shooing him away from your front door so you could unlock it. 

“I don’t wanna go home! You’re my true love!” He whined out childishly, trying to squeeze himself in behind you but you were quick to slam the door in his face. You locked it and tipped the deadlock. He grumbled something incoherently and retreated from your apartment. 

Backing up from the door, you panted heavily with your mind facing a million miles per hour. True love? Where did I hear that recently? 

Then it dawned on you. 

With your face paled, you darted off to your bedroom. Your hands scrambled through your half unpacked suitcase. Blinking back tears, your whole body froze when you found what you were looking for.

You sank back into your heels, hands trembling as you held the Ziplock bag of poker chips in your hand. 

“It’s called Single Chance. Single people from all over the strip will toss a poker chip into the bowl in hopes to find their one true love.” 

“Fuck…” You hissed, glaring at them. There were five poker chips in total: one for Eric, one for Daniel, one for Jackson and one for Vernon. You’d only been pursued by four men the past week—or so you thought. “No!” You croaked out, shoulders slumping defeatedly. 

There had been a fifth. Taehyung. 

Your phone broke the dreadful silence with a text tone. Speak of the devil. 

[ taehyung ]

i was an ass tonight. i’m so sorry 

i bombarded you for answers when i should’ve been making sure if you were ok

i don’t care if you’re dating other guys… we aren’t exclusive. yeah i wish you didn’t lie to me about it but i can understand why you did it. gotta protect your heart. i get it 

can i make it up to you by taking you out to dinner? 

they just opened up this new all you can eat sushi bar and i remember you said you liked doing that with your coworkers 

please let me know. i’m sorry again :( 

Needless to say, the text messages went unanswered and you cried yourself to sleep that night.

You came to the painful conclusion late last night that you needed to return the poker chips back to the guys. You couldn’t have them continuing to chase you against their will. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t moral. 

Also, you couldn’t have this charade go on because you liked Taehyung. You really liked Taehyung. Hell, you were certain that you were falling in love with him. 

It wasn’t fucking fair. 

Wallowing in your self pity for a couple of hours, you resorted to doing the one thing you weren’t all that proud of: binge watching Love Is Blind. You hiked your comforter up to your shoulders and nuzzled yourself (more like buried yourself) in bed, with your laptop propped up on a pillow. 

This wasn’t exactly how you predicted your Saturday to go. 

Amidst the fourth episode, your phone began ringing from your nightstand. Puffing out a breath, you unraveled yourself from your cocoon of blankets and rolled over to the edge of the bed so you could unplug your device from the charger. Glancing at the contact name, you sighed. You knew he would just keep calling if you didn’t answer. 

“Hey Hobi,” you mumbled in a resigned way, rolling back to your previous position underneath the comforters, “what’s up?” 

A sardonic laugh filled your ears. “You’re shitting me right? What’s up? Care to explain why your Bitmoji hasn’t moved from your apartment since last night?” 

“I—” 

“Did you get laid? Bitch, I asked for updates!” 

You sighed defeatedly. Hoseok clearly picked up on your mood because the tsking noises he was making came to a halt. 

“Y/N? What happened with Taehyung? Did your date not go well?” 

That was the moment the dam walls broke. You came clean to Hoseok about what happened last night; from start to finish. Your best friend remained silent throughout your long winded rant, only providing a small hum or “ah” when necessary. 

“He asked me out for dinner and I can’t bring myself to respond. It’s not right, Hobi. Not when this whole thing between us is a farce.” You sniffled, feeling the way your heart cracked at the harsh reality. God, it hurts like a motherfucker. 

“Go on the date, Y/N.” 

Eyes bugging out of your head, you stared down at the phone in disbelief. “Are you crazy? Did you not hear a word I just said?” Was he pretending to listen this entire time? 

“I heard you loud and clear, babe.” He sighed, no doubt running his hand through his hair like he always did before he gave you a piece of advice, “I also know that you deserve to be treated well. You’ve been through so many trashy boyfriends and I’ve been waiting for someone like Taehyung to come along.”

“But it’s all fake.” You hiccuped. 

“How do you know that? This could be the real deal, Y/N.” 

“But there was five—” 

Hoseok cuts you off with a curt mention of your name, “if you’re so sure that he’s under some kind of trance, then why not make this last one count? I think you owe it to yourself to feel happiness for once in your life.” 

His words stunned you to silence. Your lips parted as you contemplated his proposition. A soft hum came from the other line. 

“Text him, babe. Go to dinner with him.” 

“Thanks Hobi. I’ll keep you updated for real this time.” You sniffled down the receiving end, pressing the red button to disconnect the call.

Your best friend was right. Where was the harm in allowing yourself to be happy? Sure, you could risk falling for Taehyung even harder but wasn’t that the whole point of dating? Putting yourself out there and jeopardizing getting hurt or rejected? It was all a gamble after all; a game of chance. 

[ you ] 

sorry i just needed the night to clear my head. you don’t have to apologize. i’m sorry it all got so messy 

i’d love to still go out if you’re still available? 

[ taehyung ] 

for you? always 

so are we on for the same deal this friday? 7pm? i’ll pick you up? :) 

[ you ] 

wouldn’t miss it for the world x 

Putting your phone down, your dreamy smile faded away when your gaze landed on the five poker chips taunting you from across the room. 

“Just one last date… then I’ll give it back.” You said aloud to nobody in particular, but rather to convince yourself that you weren’t making a colossal mistake.

Dinner dates weren’t exactly your favorite. You’d certainly endured your fair share of catastrophic dining dates. Everything from being served shrimp scampi containing three press-on nails and your date making a giant fuss like he was Gordon Ramsey, to your date admitting he asked you out because you looked like a younger version of his mother. 

All in all: you were rather scarred from past experiences. 

But of course, as to be expected, Taehyung pulled out all the stops. He’d taken the liberty of reserving a table in advance, so you didn’t have to wait outside in a queue for the newly opened restaurant. He even went out of his way to inform the staff of your soybean allergy. 

To say you were touched was the understatement of the century. You couldn’t believe he had remembered such a small detail from your last date. 

It’s not real, Y/N! You’d reminded yourself of the harsh reality you hadn’t exactly come to terms with just yet. 

“Goddamn that was good,” Taehyung groaned, leaning back in his seat and placing his palms on the food baby he’d developed, “that shit was some of the best I’ve ever had.” 

Snickering, you finished off your glass of water, “you know that’s quite the innuendo you just made.” Your eyes glimmered with mischief as you teased him. 

He raised an eyebrow at you whilst a smirk crept up on his lips. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Y/N! We’re in a public setting.” 

You had to hand it to him, he knew how to tease you right back. You giggled at his response and in turn, he chuckled along with you.

The both of you continued your flirtatious banter for the next fifteen minutes until the waiter came over with the check. You quickly went to pick it up, but Taehyung was faster. 

“Why won’t you ever let me pay?”

“Because I’m a gentleman,” he grinned, his cheeks lifting up, “and I like treating you. Sue me.” 

It was damn hard to argue with that. 

Once he paid the check, Taehyung reached for your hand and helped you out of your seat. He never failed to leave you breathless at the best of times, taking you by surprise time and time again. He was so chivalrous that it knocked the air right out of your lungs. He couldn’t be more perfect… 

“Would you like me to take you home?” Taehyung asked, escorting you out of the restaurant and towards the all too familiar Hyundai. “Otherwise I have two pints of Häagen-Dazs ice cream back at my place.” 

Deep down, you knew you should go home. Everything would be a lot less complicated if you chose the former, but your heart was urging you to pick the latter. 

“Tempting… what flavor are the pints?” 

Taehyung chuckled. “One’s vanilla bean and the other is mint chocolate chip.” 

“Hm, sold!” 

You arrived at his apartment approximately thirty five minutes later and the ice cream was long forgotten. Somewhere in between parking his car in his reserved spot and withdrawing his keys from the ignition, your mouths had collided in a fervent kiss. You couldn’t exactly pinpoint who made the first move, the moment simply advanced organically. 

The only time the two of you separated was when Taehyung clumsily unlocked his door. The second he got it opened, he tossed his keys and cellphone haphazardly across the room. The sound of the device tumbling to the floorboards almost compelled you to pull away. 

“I’ll pick them up later.” He hushed against your mouth, his foot kicking the door shut behind you both as he led you further into his one bedroom bachelor’s apartment. You giggled at his urgency, causing him to smile toothily into your impassioned kiss. 

Taehyung ushered you over to his leather sofa then. He carefully sat back on the cushions and brought you down with him. Your legs slotted against his thighs, with your hip bones almost grazing. His lips remained attached to yours throughout, only parting briefly so that you both could catch a breath. 

“Baby…” He rasped, the low timbre of his voice sending pleasurable shivers down your spine. His large, ring-clad hands found purchase on the lower half of your waist (nearing dangerously close to the roundness of your derrière). 

“Mmm, Tae.” You whimpered. 

Already your panties were leaking with arousal. The barely-there fabric was clinging to your folds now. You flushed at the thought of Taehyung being able to feel your wetness through your skirt. Flattening your hands against his pectorals, your fingertips brushed over his clothed nipples and that had his pelvis bucking upwards. 

“Shit!” Taehyung groaned unabashedly, his hands maneuvering their way down to the globes of your ass. He squeezed the flesh with fervor, invoking a slew of desperate yelps from your swollen lips. He swallowed every moan with an all-consuming kiss. The man had your mind reeling and you didn’t want it to stop. 

“God… the things you do to me,” he sounded completely out of breath, reluctantly breaking away from your intensive kiss so he could gaze up at you through hooded eyelids, “I’ve never felt this way about anyone.” 

His admission felt like a bucket of icy cold water being dumped over your head. You stiffened and scurried off his lap, staggering to your feet. You hadn’t realized you were crying until you felt a droplet touch your hand. 

“Y/N? Baby?” Taehyung’s eyes widened instantly, concern flickering across his facial features as he sat upright. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” 

You cried harder. “No,” you blubbered, your head shaking back and forth as you reached for your bag, “you did everything right.” 

“I… I don’t understand?” He furrowed his eyebrows, lips curved downwards into a confused frown. He pushed himself off the couch, reaching out to take your hands into his, “were we moving too fast? We don’t have to do anything, I really did bring you here for ice cream.” 

You flinched, tugging your hands free from his grasp, “it’s not that.” 

Hurt flashed across his sable eyes, only for a second or two before he composed himself. “Then what is it? Talk to me baby… Let me in.” 

“I can’t be here anymore. It’s not right, especially when all of this is against your will.” 

Taehyung furrowed his brows together in discombobulation. “What are you talking about?” 

“It’s not fair, Tae! You don’t like me like that!” You sniffled, slinging your handbag over your shoulder as you prepared yourself to leave his apartment. You never should’ve come. Agreeing to this date was nothing but an enormous mistake. 

“Are you kidding me?” Taehyung looked astounded, mouth hung open, “when have I ever given you the indication that I’m anything but super fucking into you? Can’t you see how smitten I am?” 

“But it’s not real! Everything you’re feeling, it’s all fake!” You lamented, shoulders slumping while your lips quivered. “I’m going to fix this. I promise.” 

Taehyung shook his head and tried to reach for you again, but you recoiled. You whispered out an apology and swiftly turned on your heels. You dashed out of his apartment before he could stop you. 

“Y/N! Y/N wait!” Taehyung exclaimed, chasing after you in desperation. He watched on with a forlorn expression as the elevator doors closed, successfully shutting him out. “Fuck!” He hissed in frustration, reaching up to aggressively tug at his raven strands. 

His head was still hazed from your outburst. 

What did you mean by fake? Did you really think his affections were misleading? Taehyung was at a loss. He thought he’d been pretty damn obvious with how he felt about you. Couldn’t you see how much he liked you? 

He returned to his apartment with a heavy heart, closing the door behind him and exhaling dejectedly. 

Taehyung picked up his phone and contemplated sending you a text message. He decided against it. He would give you space for tonight and reach out tomorrow. He was determined now more than ever to prove to you that he wasn’t messing around. Taehyung wasn’t some fuckboy looking for the next notch in his bedpost. He wasn’t playing games. He was serious about this and he was serious about you. 

After tonight, all bets are off.

[ taehyung ] 

y/n baby 

please talk to me 

idk what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours but we can work this out. i know we can 

Your heart was aching. 

The last time you felt heartbreak of this capacity was in high school, when your boyfriend of two years confessed to fucking your neighbor in the back of his daddy’s pick up truck. 

Nothing could’ve prepared you for this, though. 

You’d cried your eyes out until you ran out of tears; soaking your pillow to the point it smelled like salt. Your cheeks were puffy, eyes bloodshot and swollen and hair thrown into a half-assed ponytail that frankly resembled a bird's nest. You looked atrocious and felt a thousand times worse. 

Each text message you received from Taehyung went ignored. You were avoiding him to the best of your ability, as you hadn’t yet conjured up enough courage to block his number. Once you returned one of the poker chips to him, then you would do it. You needed more time before you were able to do that. 

Deja vu hit you around noon. It had come to your attention that you’d spent the entirety of last Saturday doing the exact same thing at present: withering away in isolation, drowning in your own self-pity. 

How pathetic, you thought to yourself glumly. How could you fuck things up this badly? You never should’ve allowed yourself to go out with Taehyung—perhaps you would have spared yourself the heartache. 

You were so entrenched in your loser party of one that you hadn’t heard your front door unlock, nor did you hear it open and close again. 

“So this is what you’ve been doing,” Hoseok commented from your door, leaning against the frame with a tiny front,  “I knew something was up. You didn’t text me.” 

You barely acknowledged his existence. 

It didn’t trouble you that he was here, in your apartment, without a heads up. Hoseok knew where the spare key was and you trusted him more than anyone else on this godforsaken planet. 

“Y/N.” Hoseok tried to garner your attention once again, “I’ve never seen you like this… talk to me. What happened?” 

Peeking your head out from underneath the covers, you were met with his gaze. He looked worrisome. That’s when you knew he was dead serious, because gone was the happy-go-lucky version of Hobi that you knew inside and out. 

“I think I’ve fallen for him.” 

Oh how it burned to confess those words aloud. You felt your throat close up as you forced back tears, being far too exhausted to cry again. 

Hoseok’s eyes softened. “What’s so wrong about that?” 

“Because it’s not real for him, Hobi!” You sniveled, shaking your head sadly. “It’s wrong to string him along any further. I won’t be able to live with myself if I continue to see him like this… it’s against his free will.” 

Hoseok sighed, lifting himself off the doorframe and wandered over to you. He joined you on your bed, sitting on the edge. He looked rather distressed, fiddling with his fingers. 

“Y/N… I need to come clean about something.” 

The way his voice wavered immediately caught your attention. Pushing your body upwards, you situated yourself against your bed head and urged him to continue. 

“I set the whole thing up.” 

“What? I don’t follow…” 

Turning to look at you, Hoseok chewed his bottom lip nervously, “you called me that night—in Vegas. You were drunk out of your mind and jabbered on about how a bartender told you this silly myth about this bowl of poker chips being the key to finding true love. You laughed like a maniac and told me that you stole five of them.” 

You definitely resembled a goldfish by now. 

“But your drunken ass also told me about Taehyung. You raved about this amazing guy you met and when he asked you out the first time, I saw how nervous you were. How quick you were to try and turn him down. I knew I had to do something…”

Hoseok ran a shaky hand through his hair before continuing, “so I hired those guys. They’re all paid actors. I thought if I could play up on the myth, convince you that those strange men were all infatuated with you, maybe you would be more open to giving a genuine guy like Taehyung a chance.” 

Your head was spinning. The giant atomic bomb that Hoseok just dumped on you left you dumbfounded, bewildered and totally overwhelmed. 

“I know I let things get too far and I’m so fucking sorry for that—but Y/N… you need to know that everything you have with Taehyung is real.” 

Squeezing your eyes shut, you wrapped your arms protectively around yourself. There was so much information to absorb all at once and you didn’t know what to do at that moment. 

“This is a lot to take in.” 

Hoseok nodded guilty, “I know. You have full permission to hate my guts for the rest of eternity but please don’t avoid Taehyung. You’re meant to be together!” 

You rubbed your temples profusely, as you could feel a tension headache brewing. “Hobi, I love you, but I’d really like some space for a little while. I just need time to process everything.” 

Your best friend’s face fell, a tiny pout forming on his lips as he nodded sadly. He looked like you’d kicked his puppy and told him that he wasn’t getting any candy for Halloween—but he’d brought it upon himself. 

“I understand. I’m really fucking sorry for all this. Take as long as you need… I’m only a text away.” He offered you a despondent smile before exiting your bedroom without another word. 

A split second after you heard him gently close the front door, you bursted into heavy, shoulder wracking sobs. However, your sobs were lacking tears due to the fact you’d drained your tear ducts earlier that morning. 

You weren’t sure if you were reacting in such a way because of Hoseok’s confession, or, the possibility of having ruined your chance with Taehyung. You’d gone and accused his actions of being fake and under pretense after all. 

God, how you wished you could be angry with Hoseok. The way he convinced you that the likes of Eric, Daniel, Jackson and Vernon, were actually vying for your attention and for your heart. Those men drove you into insanity. They wore you out to the point of emotional exhaustion and even provoked you into ditching Taehyung more than once. 

But on the contrary, the exposure to strange men such as those four, really made you appreciate every moment you spent with Taehyung. You came to realize how different he was from the rest of them. Perhaps that’s what Hoseok meant. In some totally fucked up way, he really had been looking out for you. 

You swung your legs over to the side of your bed and pushed yourself up. You decided right then and there that you needed a stiff drink. Or two. Or three. Trudging out of your bedroom and towards your kitchenette, you went to scour your refrigerator for any kind of booze, when a loud knock sounded at your front door. 

Multiple frantic knocks followed swiftly afterwards, leaving you to believe that Hoseok had returned because he forgot his vape on your coffee table or something (it wouldn’t be the first time, nor would it be the last). 

Having closed the fridge, you shuffled over to your door. There were two more knocks rapped against the wood. Jesus, somebody is impatient! 

You sighed and opened your front door, “Hobi, look, now is really not—” 

“Not a good time?” 

Your eyes immediately lifted from your floorboards at the sound of that familiar baritone. 

There—in all his handsome glory—stood Taehyung. 

You blinked rapidly for a few moments, unable to comprehend that he was here. Standing outside your apartment. Even after the way you had run out on him last night. 

“Taehyung,” you breathed his name, shock plastered across your facial features, “what.. what are you doing here?” 

Hands stuffed into the front pocket of his gunmetal blue denim jeans, Taehyung gave you a small smile, “may I come in?” 

You jerked a nod, stepping to the side so he could enter your apartment. You closed the door behind him, swallowing thickly. Why did he come? Is he going to chew my head off for the way I acted yesterday? 

Taehyung took a brief moment to let his eyes waltz around your tiny one bedroom apartment. His was larger, there was no doubt about it, but you were living in Manhattan so naturally your place was the size of a shoebox. It may be on the smaller side but you made it work for your lifestyle. 

“Very cute.” He tossed you a smile, the corner of his eyes crinkling, “very you.” 

You felt your face heat up at his compliment. 

“I’m sorry for coming over unannounced... is this a bad time?” 

You realized you hadn’t cleared that up earlier when you opened the door. “N-No, it’s fine.” You couldn’t believe you were stammering in his presence! He had you acting like a teenage girl with a giant crush—you really were falling. 

“Okay, that’s good…” He trailed off, bringing one hand from the front pocket of his jeans to scratch the back of his neck, “I didn’t originally intend on coming here, and I know you don’t wanna talk right now but honestly I just found myself driving here.” 

“Tae—” 

“No, please, let me finish. I came up with this whole thing on the drive over.” His rich obsidian eyes pleaded with you, resembling that of a baby bear. He looked extra adorable in the oversized black hoodie he was wearing.

“Okay.” You whispered and gestured for him to continue. 

“I drove through horrendous Manhattan traffic to get here because I don’t want you to think my intentions are fake. I don’t want you to think that I’m just messing around with you or playing my cards right. This isn’t a game to me, Y/N.” Taehyung paused briefly, taking a step closer and timidly reaching for your hands.

You hesitantly allowed him to take them. 

“I know you’re scared. Hell, I don’t blame you for being scared,” he spoke softly, his eyes imploring into yours, “Y/N… I don’t know what shit those other guys were pulling but I’m not bullshitting you. There is no bluff, no secret agenda, no ulterior motive.” Every word was delivered with such conviction. He was so assured, so confident and so real. 

“Tae—”

“I know I acted immaturely before our last date. At first I was pissed off that you lied about not seeing anybody else, but then I realized you don’t owe me anything. We were never exclusive and I was just jealous,” he rubbed his thumbs along your knuckles then and you felt like your heart was going to explode, “I was jealous because I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be the one surprising you with gifts and taking you out and calling you cute little nicknames. I wanted you to be mine.”

“Taehyung—”

“I know it might be too soon or too crazy but I’ve liked you since the day we met. You’ve been all I’ve thought about since the moment you dropped your handbag in Harry Reid International Airport and I—mmph!”

You crashed your mouth onto his before he could say much else. It was your turn to cut him off this time. 

His hands dropped yours in an instant, only to plant them gently on either side of your face. Taehyung kissed you deeply. He moved his mouth with yours in a way that you could only describe as poetic. His lips were making up for the words that he didn’t get to say. 

You kissed him irrevocably, as if he was going to vanish from your life in a split second. You poured every ounce of feeling you had for the man into the kiss, hoping that he would be able to decipher exactly how you felt about him. 

No words were spoken the entire time you kissed and that only further enriched the moment you shared with him. You wanted to stay in that bubble with him forever. 

Breaking apart to catch his breath, Taehyung rested his forehead against yours. He brushed his nose over your own in a sweet, tender motion. You couldn’t help but crack a broadened smile at his affection. 

“Now if you had let me speak,” You began, your tone light and playful, “I would’ve told you that there wasn’t any competition. I wasn’t interested in those guys. I only wanted you. I’m only ever going to want you, Tae.” 

You snagged a glimpse of that breathtakingly gorgeous boxy grin of his before his lips covered your own once again. 

This kiss was different from the one before. Taehyung consumed you with his mouth. One hand circled around your waist, bringing you flush against his hardened torso while the other held the back of your neck. 

“Mm.” A strangled whimper escaped the back of your throat. 

Taehyung used that little slip of yours as a newfound opportunity to glide his tongue into your mouth. You itched to feel his fingers tangled up in your hair. He ached to feel your hands underneath his hoodie. 

“You’re only ever going to want me, hm?” He murmured against your mouth, his lips slowly (and teasingly) now leaving hot kisses along your jawline. “Need to hear you say it, baby.” 

“Yes, Taehyung. I only want you.” You mewled, head tilting to the side to allow him access to the column of your throat. You wanted his kisses on your neck. You wanted him to mark you there with reddish purple splotches. You just wanted him and you had no qualms when it came to professing that desire. 

Detaching his lips from your skin, Taehyung’s eyes found your own, “I love the way you say my name.” You could tell he was beginning to become aroused, given the way his pupils had dilated. He looked effortlessly gorgeous, with his tousled raven curls falling on his forehead, swollen lips and hooded eyes. 

You, on the other hand, looked totally disheveled. The ponytail you had lazily pulled together earlier in the day was on the verge of unraveling and your lips were red, kiss-bitten and puffed up thanks to Tae’s handiwork.

But to Taehyung you were an angel personified. 

“We don’t have to go any further,” he rasped, his fingers gently drawing invisible circles along your shoulder blades, “I’m more than happy to kiss you all day long. I just want to be here with you.” 

His admission had your entire body melting. If you had the ability to dissolve into a puddle on the floor, you absolutely would without question. Every word that left his mouth resulted in your heart skipping a beat and for once you didn’t feel like it was too good to be true. 

“I wanna be with you too.” You assured him with a saccharine smile, eyes glimmering with adoration for him. “But Tae, I’ve wanted you to fuck me since that damn wedding reception so please don’t hold back.” 

Once your vulgar words had settled in his mind, Taehyung’s smile transformed into a devilish smirk. 

“Oh? You’ve wanted me for that long, angel face?” 

You simply nodded, your hands reaching out to fist the soft cotton material of his hoodie. “You had me soaked that night.” 

He hissed out a husky fuck, his eyes darkening with lust. “Hm. Such a filthy girl. Getting wet for a stranger at your friend’s wedding reception.” 

While his words taunted you, his hands began toying with you. He slipped his long fingers underneath the material of your tee, splaying his palms flat against your tummy. 

“Touch me,” you whined. 

“I am, baby.” He chuckled hoarsely, exploring your lower torso with his large hands. He slowly hiked up your tee, exposing your bare breasts. He marveled at the way your nipples peaked as a result of his ministrations. 

“Tae!” You whimpered his name, seemingly growing impatient with his teasing. “Please!” 

“There we go… good girl.” He murmured, ridding you of your t-shirt and immediately cupping your breasts. His lustrous eyes remained fixated on your face, not wanting to miss a single reaction. 

Your back arched up into him the second his calloused fingers made contact with your sensitive nipples. 

“So pretty,” he breathed out, gently twisting and prodding your nipples. He was readying them for his lips. Taehyung had full intentions of getting your tits in his mouth—he’d been dreaming about it since the moment he saw you in that satin slip dress at the wedding. “Feel good, baby? I wanna hear your sweet little noises. Don’t be shy, okay?” 

“Oh..kay...” you stammered, trying your best to nod your head to show him that you understood. Never in your life had you encountered a man encouraging you to be vocal during sex. Hell, this wasn’t even sex! This was the beginnings of foreplay and already Taehyung was making you keen into him

“Good girl,” he praised you gently, pressing a delicate kiss to your collarbones. 

You shivered deliciously at the praise. 

He blindly guided you to your sofa, not wanting to have you standing while he suckled on your tits. Not only was that a safety hazard but he wanted you to be comfortable. Your pleasure was his top priority and he was going to make sure you understood that. Undoubtedly. 

“Comfortable?” He questioned in a gentle-like tone, allowing you to get situated on your couch. 

“I’m perfect, babe.” You assured him dazedly, your eyes hooded as you peered up at him with an eagerness he’d never witnessed before. 

He couldn’t wait to feel you. 

Pecking your lips, Taehyung brought his hands back to your breasts and began to squeeze the soft flesh. He then placed hot, wet open mouthed kisses to your skin as he worked his way down from your mouth to your chest. He was a man on a goddamn mission. To have you writhing beneath him before he even got to explore between your thighs. 

“Oh god, Taehyung!” 

Your head fell back against the cushions the moment his hot mouth encased around your left breast. His hand continued to play with the other while he swirled his tongue around, teasing your areola and flicking your hardened nipple. 

He swapped sides after a few minutes, wanting to make sure that each titty got the attention it deserved. He also loved the way you gasped, heaved and whimpered for him—so he had to string it out for a little while longer. 

“Prettiest fucking tits,” he grunted, lifting off your breast with a lewd, wet pop, “so fucking beautiful, baby.” 

He knew that you got off on praise, so the words of affirmation didn’t stop. He complimented your body as he worked his way down, pressing his lips to every inch of your skin. His onyx colored eyes glanced up to marvel the way your face would contort in pleasure or contentment, after every few kisses. 

When he reached your bike shorts, Taehyung tugged his lower lip between his teeth. “May I?” He referred to taking off your shorts, his fingers hovering at the waistband. 

You nodded eagerly, wetting your lips. “Please.” 

Satisfaction glimmered behind his irises as he hooked both of his index fingers under the waistband of your shorts. Anticipation flooded your body, your skin sizzling at his every movement. 

“Just perfect.” 

Your bike shorts joined your t-shirt in a rumbled heap on the floor, with Taehyung’s next target being your soft black panties. His eyes drank in your appearance, utterly mesmerized by your practically naked form. 

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” you whined, jutting out your bottom lip into the most exaggerated pout, “I wanna see you too.” 

Chuckling, Taehyung couldn’t deny you the simple pleasure of seeing him without clothes. “You’re so cute,” he mused as he reached up behind him, grasping the fabric of his hoodie and shrugging the item off his body. He was thanking his past self for not wearing a plain white tee for once, because the way you gawked at him like you’d won the lottery was such a confidence boost, “Y/N, you’re staring baby.” 

“Because you’re a fucking god, Taehyung. Like, c’mon, who just looks like that?” 

He grinned wolfishly at your compliment. Box-shaped smile on full display. Yeah, he wanted confidence boosts from you all day, every day. 

“I could say the same about you, angel,” he assured you, dropping a playful wink in your direction as he proceeded with dragging your panties down your legs, “now let me see that pretty pussy of yours.” 

The moment you kicked off your underwear, Taehyung expertly spread your legs with his skilful hands. He then pushed your calves gently upwards until your knees were bent, giving him the best view of your sopping pussy.

His mouth popped open, “you’re so fucking wet.” Dragging his predominant pointer finger along your slit, Taehyung couldn’t get over the sight of your glistening cunt. 

“Tae—ah fuck,” you mewled, eyes fluttering closed as the tip of his finger teased your little hole. 

“You’re drenched.” He groaned, using his fingers to spread your pussy lips to expose more of your wetness to him. “Fuck, I’m so hard.” 

You wanted to open your eyes to catch a sneaky peek at his erection but that idea disappeared from your mind the second Taehyung licked a bold stripe up your folds. 

A strangled moan escaped your lips, eyes rolling back into your skull whilst Taehyung dove in for another taste. He absolutely devoured you. His tongue waggled over your folds, lapped at your slit and prodded your entrance with fervor. His nose nudged against your clitoris time and time again, giving you the perfect bounds of stimulation. 

“Taste so fucking sweet,” he rasped against you, tongue circling your clit, “wanna get drunk on this fucking pussy.”

You were practically incoherent at this point. Words were lost on you as he ate you out like a man starved. All you could muster up were broken moans and desperate gasps. At one point, your fingers entangled themselves in Taehyung’s curls and eagerly tugged at his scalp whenever he flicked your clit just right. 

And boy, did he fucking love that. His deep, guttural groans enticed you to keep pulling his hair whilst also turning you on. The noises he made had your pussy throbbing and leaking like a goddamn faucet. You knew that Taehyung loved it because seconds later, lewd sounds filled your apartment as he slurped up your juices. 

“Could eat this sweet little pussy all night long.” He husked, looking up to catch a glimpse of your face. He revered the way your eyebrows knitted together as you chewed on your bottom lip. “So perfect for me baby. You feeling good?”

Opening your eyes lazily, you glanced down to meet his lustrous gaze and nodded dumbly, “so good.” Your words were slurred, totally high on pleasure. He looked so sinful between your legs, his hair matted to his forehead and lips glistening with your slick. 

“Good,” Taehyung grinned broadly in triumph, “are you close? Gonna be a good girl and come for me?” 

His filthy words had your pussy clenching, a desperate sound falling from your lips. “Uh-huh… n-need—” He sensed your urgency and plunged two fingers into your entrance without warning. 

Your jaw hung open and your eyes squeezed shut, your legs beginning to tremble as Taehyung started fucking you with his long fingers. He didn’t need you to verbalize that you were close, he could tell by the way your body shook. You needed to come and he was going to get you there. 

“You’re so tight around my fingers, shit,” he cursed, jack hammering into you and curling his fingers upwards to brush that spot, “can’t wait to feel this tight little cunt around my cock—fuck baby, you just squeezed my hand so much.”

“Ngh Tae!” You whimpered, back arching off your sofa as your climax approached, “I’m s-so close… wanna come!” Your legs began to stiffen and your toes curled into the cushions while that familiar tightening in your stomach grew more intense. 

“I know baby, I know. I got you,” he cooed, pressing the pad of his thumb to your clitoris and harshly rubbing at the sensitive nub, “let go for me angel. Come all over my fingers.”  

That’s all it took for your orgasm to crash over you like a tidal wave. A high pitched scream of his name fell from your lips. Taehyung hadn’t ever witnessed something so breathtakingly sexy in his life. He was absolutely enamored with you and he wasn’t ashamed of it for a second. 

Slowly easing his fingers out, Taehyung waited for you to lazily open your eyes before propping his fingers into his mouth. He moaned at the taste of your release. The sight alone had your pussy clenching around nothing. 

“Like peaches and cream,” he smirked, wiping his fingers off on his jeans and gently reaching out to cup your face with the other hand, “how are you feeling? I wasn’t too much, was I?” 

Your chest heaved as you tried to regain your breathing pattern, eyes drooped from the earth shattering orgasm Taehyung had just given you. “No,” you breathed, shaking your head a little, “I’m feeling like I’m on cloud nine right now.” 

He chuckled, beaming with satisfaction. He didn’t say anything else, instead he pushed himself towards you and gently pressed his lips to his. Although you could taste remnants of your own cum, you weren’t fazed by it at all. Not when you were still riding on your high. 

“I wanna return the favor,” you mumbled  into the kiss, tugging on his bottom lip with your teeth. 

He groaned huskily in your mouth, “you little minx.” He reluctantly pulled away and then pressed a kiss to the swell of your breasts. “Tonight is about you, baby. I just want to make you feel good. You can return the favor another time.” 

You were awestruck by his response. Never in your life had you met a man so selfless when it came to sex but then it occurred to you that Taehyung was truly one in a million. One in a billion, more like it. 

“Besides, I’m so fucking hard right now that if you put those pretty lips on me I might blow my load straight away.” He admitted with an embarrassed laugh. 

That drew your attention to the impressive bulge that was noticeable through his jeans. You could’ve sworn you felt your mouth dry up at the sheer size of it. His hardened cock was straining against his zipper to the point you thought it was going to bust open. 

“If you keep looking at me like that I’m going to take you right here,” Taehyung said in a low voice that sent shivers down your spine. 

“And what’s so wrong with that?” 

His tongue poked out to wet his lips, “I wanted to treat you right. Make love to you in your bed.” 

Your naked body keened into his, brushing his denim clad bulge. 

“Fuck!—Y/N, if you keep that shit up I’m gonna fuck you right here, right now.” 

As much as you wanted Taehyung to make love to you like he’d hoped; you wanted him to fuck you. You were so desperate to feel his well endowed cock deep inside you, that you didn’t want to waste anymore time. Romance could wait for another day. 

So that’s what prompted you to dip your tiny hand beneath the waistband of his jeans and find his rigid cock. He immediately grunted at your touch and that caused you to smile innocently. 

“That’s how you wanna play it?” He growled out, eyes darkening as you took his cock out from its confines and slowly pumped his raging erection. He immediately groaned, his head knocking backwards. 

“You’re so big.” You breathed unevenly. He was so hard. So long. So thick. Your clit pulsated at the thought of him stuffing you full with his cum. You gently swiped the beads of precum from his slit and lathered it over his bulbous head.

Taehyung’s breathing became labored. You were driving him absolutely insane and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could endure your teasing. 

“Baby—ah fuck—stop,” he rasped, reaching out to gently pluck your hand off his throbbing dick, “I need to be inside you. Now.” 

You nodded eagerly, shimmying yourself up on the couch so that Taehyung could shrug off his jeans. He yanked off the denim so aggressively, as if the jeans had personally offended him. Soon enough, his jeans and Tommy Hilfiger boxer briefs joined the rest of your clothes. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” He inquired in a gentle tone, his eyes gazing down into yours. Taehyung didn’t want to pressure you into anything. He wanted your consent before taking anything further and your heart hammered in your chest at his attentiveness. 

“More than okay. I want you Taehyung.” 

“Say that again.” His dick twitched while he hovered over you. 

“I want you Taehyung. Please fuck me.” 

Slamming his lips down onto yours, Taehyung positioned himself between your legs. He hoisted your calves over his hips and gently pushed your thighs towards your chest. The current position had you both panting into each other's mouths and he wasn’t even inside you yet. 

Fisting his cock, Taehyung hissed into your feverish kiss while pumping himself once, twice, three times to get ready for your tight little pussy. Lining his throbbing cock up with your entrance, Taehyung eased himself in slowly. 

You whimpered at the intrusion and clutched at his shoulder blades with frenzied desire. Inch by inch, Taehyung pushed himself inside your tight cunt and you were nothing but a moaning mess below him. 

“Fuck!” He grunted after bottoming out, your pelvises aligned with his throbbing dick now completely sheathed by your warm walls. “You feel so fucking good angel. Squeezing my dick like crazy—uh shit, not gonna last long.” 

“Me neither,” you whined, allowing yourself a few moments to adjust to his impressive girth. 

Taehyung reached down between your bodies and located your clit, rubbing slow circles over the bundle of nerves in order to help you loosen up and accustom to his size. Your comfort and pleasure came before his tenfold.  

“Ungh,” you gurgled, unable to construct sentences, “move. Please move, baby.” 

He kissed you softly then, slowly drawing his hips back and rocking forward to test the waters. Upon hearing your mewls against his lips, Taehyung knew you were feeling good and decided to pick up the pace. He began thrusting up into you with a steady rhythm, kissing your cervix with the head of his cock in a way that had your eyes rolling back into your head each time. 

“Best fucking pussy I’ve ever had,” he panted, slamming his hips against yours and kissing you messily, “so wet and warm.” 

“Tae,” you whimpered in desperation, feeling your second orgasm quickly approaching. You clung to his biceps, digging your nails into his taut muscles, craving him in every way possible. 

“I’m here honey, I’m right here.” He croaked gravelly. “I know what you need. I’m gonna give it to you, ‘kay?” 

“Please.” 

That one word was all it took for Taehyung to pound into you. It was like something inside of him had snapped. He plowed his hips against yours, determined to trigger your second climax of the night. He wanted to feel you come around his cock. He wanted to pump you full of his sticky cum and watch it seep down your thighs. 

The both of you had resorted to moaning messes. All that could be heard through your apartment was the obscene sound of skin slapping skin and the occasional curse word. You wondered if you were going to receive a noise complaint later today. 

“You close angel?” He puffed out through swollen lips. 

You nodded meekly, your thighs trembling against your breasts. Your eyes were welling up with tears from how good he was fucking you. 

“Me too.” Taehyung heaved, his skin starting to glimmer with sweat. He gently grabbed your ankles and hauled your legs over his shoulder—the new position allowing him to hit all the right spots that had you crying out his name. “Come with me baby.” He begged, his thrusts getting sloppier and more erratic as his orgasm loomed on him. 

Noticing the way you arched up off the couch, Taehyung quickly rubbed his fingers over your clit and within seconds, you were climaxing around his cock with a shout of his name. 

Following suit, Taehyung gutturally groaned out your name. He buried his face into the crook of your neck as his dick twitched sporadically and spurted his cum deep within your cunt.

You were utterly spent. 

The two of you stayed there for a couple of minutes, allowing yourselves time to catch your breath and steady your heart rate. 

Taehyung used the time to slowly pull out and paid witness to the way your pussy dribbled with his cum. He then, of course, pushed it back in with a wolfish grin. 

You couldn’t deny that you loved being stuffed. 

About a minute later, Taehyung placed a kiss on your jugular. “You’re so perfect.” 

The unexpected compliment had you blushing. He could tell you’d gotten all shy by the change in your body language, so he reached out and gently squeezed your breast. 

“Tae!” You gasped, lightly slapping his bicep. 

He broke out into a fit of cheeky giggles, lifting his head from the curve between your neck and shoulder. “What? Don’t get  all shy on me now honey. I just pumped you full of my cum after all.” He teased you playfully with a devilish smirk. 

You rolled your eyes and pushed him by the shoulder. He grinned boyishly at your response. 

“I meant it though; you really are perfect,” Taehyung reached out and gently moved your hair from your face, “and I’d love it if we could be exclusive from now on.” 

“Tae…” You were crimson red. He really made your heart race in a way that you couldn’t describe. 

“Not just because we slept together, but because I can’t stand the idea of going another day without being able to call you my girl.” 

You kissed him passionately in lieu of a yes. He happily returned the sentiment. 

Needless to say, you were more than happy to be Kim Taehyung’s girl and not even ten minutes had passed before you were giving him that blowjob he turned down earlier.

Later that evening (after your three rounds of toe-curling sex), Taehyung ordered fried chicken and beer to be delivered for you both to share. 

You were dressed in nothing but a clean pair of panties and Taehyung’s hoodie, which looked adorably oversized on you. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, had opted for his boxer briefs and nothing else. 

Not that you were complaining in the slightest. 

Curled up in his embrace, you were mindlessly watching the new season of Love Is Blind (as it turns out Taehyung also loved watching trashy reality dating shows) when he cleared his throat to grab your attention. 

“Hm?” You turned to look at him with pure adoration in your eyes. 

“Honey, can I tell you something? It's super cheesy and dumb but this show just reminded me of it.” 

Eyebrows raising in intrigue, you nodded and gestured for him to continue. 

Chuckling nervously, Taehyung ran a hand through his messed up curls. “Back in Vegas, I tried to look for you after you left the reception,” he began, making your heart sink to your stomach for a brief moment. 

If you hadn’t jumped to conclusions, then maybe you and Taehyung could’ve gotten together earlier. 

“I was buzzed so of course I had no idea which direction you went. Anyways, I ended up at some random bar by the casino,” he mused, rubbing his index finger along his bottom lip, “the bartender was super chatty and asked me where I had come from, ‘cause I was all dressed up. I told him I was just at a wedding and met this amazing woman that took my breath away, but she’d left.” 

Of course, you blushed at his confession. The fact he told a stranger about you warmed your heart. 

Chuckling, Taehyung reached his hand down and took a hold of his vintage denim. You had no idea what he was doing with his clothes, so eyed him curiously. To your shock, he retrieved a single poker chip from his back pocket. 

You were rendered speechless. It couldn’t be… 

“He told me about this bowl on the bar that had a bunch of poker chips in it. Said that people all over Vegas toss one in for a chance to find their soulmate,” he paused, twiddling the poker chip between his fingers and then gently placing it in your hand, “so I stole one. Because I didn’t need a chance… I’d already met you.” 

Tearing up, you glanced down at the poker chip that rested on your palm. You’d both been there that night. You’d both heard the story and purposely went against the fantasy. 

You’d both created your own fate. 

And that led you to each other. 

“I know it’s corny and lame but I was already falling in love with you. I didn’t need a poker chip to convince me of that.” Taehyung said, his fingers gently tucking your strands of your hair past your ear. 

“It’s not at all,” you whispered, tossing the poker chip onto your coffee table and then wrapping your arms around his neck, “I’m falling in love with you too.” 

His eyes brightened, the elated sparkle that shimmered in them leaving you warm and fuzzy. The way Taehyung looked at you was more than enough proof that he was telling the truth. That everything he had said to you was spoken straight from the heart. 

No games. No bets. No bluff. Cards off the table; he was real. 

You leaned in to kiss him, brushing your nose against his endearingly before whispering: “I hope you know you’re in for one hell of a ride with me, right?” 

“I know, baby.” He crashed his lips onto yours, “and I’m all in.” 

© tattookoo. all rights reserved 2023

▸ click here to join my taglist for future works!

Glimpse of Us | KTH Chapter VIII: Please Don’t Break It

Pairing: Problematic Idol Taehyung x Grad Student Reader

Genre: Idol AU, Ex-Childhood Best Friends into—, Angst (Hello, welcome to my angst central), Fluff (mainly in the flashbacks), Slow Burn, Eventual Smut

Summary: BTS’s V has been living a lavished and successful lifestyle, but underneath all of that, Kim Taehyung is far from the perfect image the media and fans made him out to be. All he wants is to relive the feelings of happiness and purpose in his life, but how can he when he left behind those memories years ago? The same memories, he hopes to see a glimpse of.

Warning: Angst (but what’s new), mentions of incompetency, scenes of therapy, mentions of past substance use (alcoholism, drugs), brief mentions of withdrawals, alcohol consumption, intoxication, aggressive behavior, violence/fights, mentions of murder (no one gets killed) descriptions of panic attacks, vomiting, crying, [Disclaimer—how panic attacks occur varies by the individual. I for one have experienced panic attacks and used some of the methods described. It may not work for everyone but it worked for me and how to cope]

Word Count: 12.6k

Chapter VIII: Please Don’t Break It || Series Masterlist

After the school bell rang, second-year middle schooler Taehyung exited the classroom with his three other classmates. They were talking in-depth about the new volume of One Piece that came out recently. As they were doing so, a flyer plastered on the school’s bulletin board caught his eye.

Geochang Middle School’s Annual Talent Show.

Taehyung remembered last year’s and it was absolutely remarkable. The singing, dancing, the tricks, students performed. He was impressed yet slightly envious of their confidence. He wished to sign up, but he was actually shy about his abilities. He has been practicing the saxophone, but he didn’t think he was all that skilled yet. He can dance?? It was a trial and error, but he didn’t look weird doing it.

But the thing he loved doing the most was singing. He loved it and learning how to sing songs and melodies. Although he never really performed in front of others before, well, except you and his family.

“Hey, Tae! Your girlfriend is coming.” One of his classmates tapped his shoulder for his attention. The other two snickered in the back, making him roll his eyes at their playful teasing.

“Not my girlfriend.” Taehyung corrected as always before turning his head and smiling to see your bright one.

It was your first year in middle school and was so excited when you got into the same school as your best friend. Though you weren’t in the same classes, you were still able to have lunch with him and walk to and from school with him. With your stuffed backpack carried over your shoulders, your uniform bounced in the air as you eagerly walked towards him.

“Whatever you say!” His classmate scoffed before the three of them went their separate ways. Taehyung waited for you as you headed down the hallway.

Once you reached him, he pulled you into a big hug and shook your body happily in his arms. “You think you did well with the quiz after lunch?”

As you parted away, you nodded proudly with your shoulders high. “It was surprisingly easy. Algebra equations weren’t as bad as I thought.”

“Only you would say that because you love math so much.” Taehyung retorted before his eyes diverted back to the board. “Hey, Blue.” He then pointed at the flyer. “What do you think about the talent show?”

Your eyes followed his pointing and hummed in thought, “I haven’t seen it, but it sounds like fun. Of course, I could never do that.”

Taehyung chuckled softly at your evident shyness from the spotlight. His curled lips progressively sunk as the nerves got to him by the thought. “W-What if I…signed up?”

Your head pivoted at him as your irises gleamed with glee. “If you signed up, you’re gonna be amazing, Hyungie! You have so many talents!”

A tint of pink powdered across his cheeks and nose from your compliment. “Stop, you’re just lying.”

You gasped dramatically before slapping his arm, “I can’t believe you think I’d stoop that low. I would never lie! I’m always honest with you.” You pouted childishly as you crossed your arms over your chest.

Taehyung cooed at your fond expression, wrapping his arms around you once more. “Of course, my Blue. Forgive me!” You shook your head before getting away from him. He quickly followed behind and caught up.

The two of you walked out of the campus and headed down the pathway toward your houses. There was a moment of silence before you spoke up about the talent show. “So…are you gonna sign up?”

He sighed as he stared up into the clear sky. “I’m not sure, like what if I’m not good enough?”

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s a middle school talent show where anyone could sign up for anything.”

“Wow, you say it so rashly.” He laughed, throwing his head back. “I don’t wanna make a fool out of myself. Middle schoolers are mean!”

“You’re not gonna make a fool out of yourself.” You reassured, holding the straps of your backpack. You pulled on it, so it’ll lift higher. “Because you have talents. Singing, dancing, playing an instrument…”

“Rapping?”

“No.”

“How can you be so cruel??” He shouted, his prepubescent ego shattering at your comment.

“I told you I’m always honest with you!” You giggled mischievously but spotted him pouting like a puppy. “Hyungie, I’m serious though. If you sign up, it’s gonna be a decision you won’t regret.”

“Really?” He asked, still having doubt.

“Of course, because if you won’t, you’ll keep thinking about it and wondering what if.” You linked arms with him as you leaned into his body. “If you do, I’ll support you every step of the way, okay?”

You sure knew how to make him feel better. Like how you needed reassurance, he needed some cheering on too. He looked down at you with a sad smile on, “You know how nervous I get, Blue.”

You nodded empathically, then squished your cheek towards his arm. “As I said, I’ll be the one to support you every step of the way.”

-

“So from all of this, how do you feel about her back in your life?” Dr. Im looked at Taehyung sitting across on the couch as practice and routine. In the idol’s opinion, the past sessions have been dreadful. Dr. Im said nothing negative regarding his client, but through his therapist’s non-verbal responses, it was best to say he even agreed.

Taehyung was aware he was at fault. He hasn’t been honest with him, despite certain sessions’ moods consisting of feeling good and better. Though the idol first entered into therapy to “get better,” his goal remained undetermined. Dr. Im tried very hard to cooperate with his stubborn client. He got him talking about happiness in previous sessions, but even that had gotten static. 

Taehyung didn’t know why he was so hesitant into telling Dr. Im about his life. Before their meeting, the company provided a file for the professional so he knew everything about him including his alcohol and drug use, minor fights and under-the-table conflict, and even his…episodes that only his close-knit circle knew about. 

Dr. Im reminded him again that these sessions would lack if nothing was spoken. He was brutally honest when he spoke that though progress wasn’t linear, actions and words had to be made to see progress. He was there to help by all means within the time frame. Because they both knew that Taehyung wanted to feel better, be better. Yet the term was used so often that it felt futile.

Though he was worried, Taehyung eventually opened up about something. He explained how unsatisfying life has been, including the struggles of feeling happy. But one good thing that has happened recently for the last months was reuniting with you. He described your childhood friendship, how close-knit you were with him and even his family, the fights and distance that happened leading up to the falling out, the reunion, the start, and potentially the beginning of the end once again.

It was the way Taehyung rambled about you for such a long time that there were only ten minutes left in the session. Though Dr. Im enjoyed every minute of how willing the idol talked, he needed to get out some answers to all of this.

“So how are you with her now?” His therapist asked.

The idol frowned at the recent memory. It has been two weeks since you’ve last spoken to him or since he last saw you. When it reached the one-week mark, he have had enough and tried to go to the restaurant to see you. But for some reason, Jungkook convinced him that you didn’t want to see him. Why? The answer was through Jungkook’s phone. You texted him saying he was forbidden to see you.

Everything he experienced about that felt so wrong to him that it stabbed him in the chest. The distance between you two seemed to grow as days went on. He missed you and wanted to talk to you. He didn’t like how close you were being to his member, nor did he like how you text Jungkook instead of him. The youngest even texted you right in front of him with a fucking smile too.

You were his best friend. Not fucking Jeon Jungkook.

Nevertheless, Taehyung grinned appreciatively as he reminisced about his time with you those weeks before. “It’s nice, I love it, a lot…” His responses were curt but genuine. “I, uh, she was actually part of my memories when I was happy. She was a big part of my life and helped me through a lot. I guess you can say, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her.”

“Which is…”

The idol squinted his eyes as he dived into the question. “Well, being an idol. To tell you the truth, I used to get quite nervous in front of crowds or people in general. In earlier times, performances used to trigger…my episodes.” His face grimaced at the worrisome experiences, especially the ones when you weren’t there. “She was there to help me, and also encouraged me to sign up and audition.”

“What I’m hearing is how appreciative are you of her?” His therapist smiled empathetically, making Taehyung nod. “I’ve noticed from the way you talked, you must really care for her too despite the years away. She is very important to you.”

“I’ll always care for her,” Taehyung confirmed pridefully with no arrogance slipping out. “Even when I accidentally become a dick sometimes.”

“And why do you think that?”

Chewing on his lips, Taehyung looked at the man as if he caught something that wasn’t supposed to show. He could lie to his therapist, but what good does it do for him? He was spending his money on this anyway. Either way, Dr. Im was wise and has been in the game for decades. A problematic idol wasn’t going to outsmart him because he’ll eventually find out about it.

So he gave up his internal battle and sighed. “I guess because I’m selfish.” And before Dr. Im could say what the meaning behind it was, Taehyung continued. “Since my life was in shambles and was in the dark for so long, I wanted a little bit of control in my life.” 

“Care to explain? I remembered you talking about being an idol and the exposure to the world.” 

Today was shockingly growth between him and his therapist. Taehyung was willing to let most of his vulnerability flow out in hopes to find at least one other person who understood his thoughts and feelings without shaming him for what he has been doing. “And to be honest, I feel like I haven’t made progress. It’s been the same bullshit every day for the past year and…I don’t know. I don’t feel good at all.“

“You’ve been going through a lot, especially recently.” Dr. Im responded as he scribbled down more notes on his clipboard. Once he was done, he placed his pen and clipboard on his lap to look over at his client. “I know you may think and say that you haven’t done much, but from seeing you when you first came to now, I’d say you’ve changed.”

Snorting in disbelief, Taehyung rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his seat. “Stop lying, sir.”

“As someone in this field of work, it is unethical to lie. Well, when was the last time you used or took substances? Recklessly drunk? Been into fights? Or even have your panic attacks?” His therapist listed meaningfully as he observed the idol. 

Pursing his eyebrows together, Taehyung pondered on the thoughts. Sure, he has gotten drunk and had minor episodes but it wasn’t to an extent compared to last year. Jesus Christ, last year was a whole mess. Taehyung was going through scandals back to back and HYBE had to cover it up because most of them were true.

Substances…he promised Namjoon and Jimin that he’d stop for the sake of the group, but he took it hard with his withdrawals. Screaming, hitting, throwing things around, and being tackled by a member or his friends. One of the only coping mechanisms was drinking or fighting with the members, and even that still wasn’t good.

Taehyung merely shrugged, “I still drink but less, I guess. I don’t know about the rest…probably a while. I was forced to stop when I came here. The…substances that is.”

“That’s amazing, Taehyung. You’ve pushed through that very well.” Dr. Im praised and nodded. “There have been improvements. You just haven’t been entirely aware of them with everything else that’s going on.”

“You think?” The idol asked softly. He always had this concern. His life never felt any better—apart from you—to fully accept how much he overcame in the past year. There were still more problems, but fewer than before.

“Of course, I’ve kept track and listed down all we discussed and the concerns that were brought up from the first time.” Dr. Im explained. “I commend you with your strength.”

“But what if I fuck up? Won't disappointment come my way?”

“Having those negative emotions will not benefit the situation, whether it’s internal or external. The hars truth would still be that you messed up, but there’s always time to get back up. Relapsing happens, but it's not the end. It may take longer but have patience with yourself.”

Taehyung didn’t realize that a tear ran down his cheek until he hiccuped a sob. But it wasn’t by the comment. It was the realization that Dr. Im was the only person who understood him being like this—a fucked-up unhappy person. Someone who won't blame him or scold him around.

But still, the hard-hitting question lingered in his mind. With or without all the problems he had, why was the feeling still there? “But even with all of that, then why am I still unhappy?”

-

You were wiping down tables while Kenji took a nap behind the cash register. You glanced at him before shaking your head in disappointment as always. He was lucky that it wasn’t busy today, it was practically empty. Then again, rush hour for lunch was over so all that was left was to wait until dinner time.

You heard rummaging through the tarp before looking up to find Jungkook and Jimin smiling and waving at you.  “___! Hi!” Jungkook greeted you before coming towards your frame for an unexpected hug.

You flinched at the touch before carefully hugging him back. “H-hi?” You lightly pushed away from him despite his strong grip. You waved at Jimin with a friendly smile. “W-what are you two doing here?” You were kind of shocked to see them. It wasn’t a bad thing because they’d been here before, but those times, they would be with Taehyung.

You haven’t spoken to or seen Taehyung since the somewhat incident. You weren’t angry at him, but the behavior still bummed you out. You were still undecided about how to think about it, but it didn’t mean you wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Ugh, you regretted those words out of your mouth. It didn’t even help that you even texted Jungkook you didn’t want to see Taehyung at all the day after.

Wow, you were dramatic and exaggerated everything. Can’t really blame yourself because of all the trauma and hardship that you’ve experienced. 

You wanted to see Taehyung again, and knowing how stubborn he was, you expected him to come and disregard your insult at most a week, the earliest being the following day. But now it has been two weeks, and you were rethinking your actions. Though it was to protect yourself, you were still so hard on him. Every frown, sad twist on his face, the deflating in his shoulder, it killed you.

You always hated seeing him like that, even when you were younger. If Taehyung hated seeing you cry, then you despised seeing him sad or scared. He was never good on his own with things like that, so you wondered how he held up all those years.

These months reuniting with him were flourishing. When you were able to push the tension to the side, you’ve seen a new light of this Taehyung. More mature, more charismatic, and more confident in himself, which made you very proud to see knowing his struggle.

But after reflecting and being honest with yourself, you truly saw your Taehyung in him. Still playful, still has a shit ton of friends, still caring, still affectionate, still thoughtful, you’ve seen him all the time.

You just weren’t fully trusting of him to even accept it. You were scared, but you had every reason to be. You knew the effort he made while you gave very little. Maybe he too had his reasons for the mishap. You shouldn’t think of him so lowly, he was trying his best while you weren’t. You felt guilty about what you’ve done and now suffered the consequences. 

You dearly wanted his friendship, whether you liked it or not. 

You did miss him within the weeks that passed. Maybe it was your turn to approach him.

“Jimin Hyung actually just came back from a trip to America.” Jungkook stretched a smile at you. “That means to eat your heart out with homeland food.”

You chuckled at him as you threw the used cloth into the bucket behind the cashier, though you purposefully missed so it hits Kenji hard enough to wake him up. He startled awake and groaned when he smelled the dirtied fabric on his face. He threw it rightfully into the bucket before standing up and glaring at your calm state. It happened before, but it always got to him like it was the first time.

“So I’m assuming you both are here for dinner? It’s pretty early for that, but doesn’t matter.” You quipped as you pulled out two menus for them.

“Actually, no.” Jimin shook his head, which made you confused. “We wanted to invite you out…for dinner.”

“Uhh, what?”

“Please, it’ll mean so much for us if you could come.” Jungkook came forth to you and grabbed your hand with both of his. Gently squeezing it when you tensed up, you seemed to relax right after. “It’ll be fun! We have to go to our company building really quickly, but we’ll eat!”

Though their invitation remained harmless, you couldn’t help but be hesitant of them and their doings. For starters, you were working and it was a weekday. You were sure you explicitly mentioned that you worked every day of the week except weekends. Though Jungkook and Jimin were kind, you don’t know much about them. Yes, you texted Jungkook from time to time but he’d usually initiate it and if you hung out with them, Taehyung would be in the picture.

“Umm, just us?” You asked. When you felt another pair of eyes on you, you glanced to the side to find Kenji staring entertainingly.

“Well, Hobi Hyung and Namjoonie Hyung will come too! That’s why we have to go back to the company.” Jimin responded enthusiastically. “Everyone else has a schedule or other prior engagements—”

“Then I remembered you, and we haven’t hung out in a while!” Jungkook interjected impatiently, squeezing your hand again for encouragement. “Please, please, please, come!”

Now there was too much hand-in-hand contact with this man. You pulled your hand away from him but lightly laughed it off to avoid any awkwardness. You waved him off and shook your head. “Thank you for the offer, but as you can see I’m w—”

“___ can go!” Kenji shouted out of the blue. He sped towards you before wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you into him. You huffed at the unexpected contact with your smiling coworker before scowling up. “We aren’t as busy today actually, so we don’t need two workers here. I’m the boss so…”

“Excuse me, you are definitely not—”

“Give yourself a break from time to time, ___.” Your coworker suggested. “The last time you did so was when you were in the hospital, which shouldn’t really be the only time to take a break.”

“Kenji!”

“Halmeoni will understand and will be happy for you!” Kenji wasn’t taking no for an answer. You thinned your lips into a line before pushing him away.

“Just because you’re their grandson doesn’t give you special privileges!”

“Uhh, it absolutely does.” He scoffed, enjoying your angered state. Well, not only him. The two idols were quite fond of your reaction. “Just go, ___. Plus you need to eat.”

“I’m not a child. I can remember things like that by myself.” You rolled your eyes before crossing your hands over your chest.

“So you’ll come?” Jimin’s eyes lit up with hope. “The Hyungs don’t mind at all! I even texted them.”

Having dinner with four highly-acclaimed and handsome idols all by yourself? The offer was very intriguing, to say the least. “But wor—”

“___, Halmeoni would get mad if she saw you here and not me because she knows how much you work for your gra—”

You smacked your palm over Kenji’s mouth while you glared deadly into his pupils. You didn’t want them to know your business, despite telling your only coworker and perhaps friend—you don’t even really hang out with him outside of work—in confidence. With your eyes piercing holes into his brain, he quickly shut his mouth. “Don’t speak of it if you want those to be your last words.” He nodded, agreeing in a heartbeat before you released him.

Your coworker gasped exaggeratedly, getting a nasty shiver from you. “But ___ can go. I don’t mind working the whole dinner rush and closing up alone.”

“I don’t even have money to spend!”

“We invited you! It’s our treat!!” Jimin announced with a very lovely smile.

You sighed, still contemplating. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure! Go have fun.” Kenji reassured.

“If you text help, I’ll drop everything to come back, okay?” You told him, making sure that he was free to ask you.

Kenji shook his head, knowing how much you liked to help but never wanted it back. “Yeah, I will.”

You turned your head to spot Jungkook and Jimin being all giddy. They couldn’t believe they got you out of work so easily. They were mentally high-fiving and slapping each other’s shoulders. “Yeah, I’ll come but will it be okay? I know you’re idols and privacy and all that stuff.”

“Not to worry about that.” Jimin shooed that idea off. “Let’s go!”

You took your apron off and hung it back on the hooks. You barely grabbed your bag when Jungkook reached for your hand and tugged you to follow him out. Your irises looked back at a waving Kenji as he watched you three leave.

This was going to be an interesting experience. Maybe it’ll be good. Help you put yourself out there again after years of keeping to yourself. That was what you and Taehyung wanted after all.

Though you left, you didn’t realize that you forgot your phone inside your apron pocket.

-

Taehyung mindlessly stared into the lit TV screen with a random drama playing. The cascading sun began settling down for the day through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Yeontan rested on his lap while the idol stroked his coat. Not bothering to pay attention to his surroundings, he was deep into his thoughts which all resorted back to you.

He wondered how you were, probably working right now since it was close to dinner time. But he wanted to know if you were okay, with school, with work, with everyone going on right now. He understood that you practically banished him and tried to respect your wishes, but the selfish devil on his shoulder told him to fuck that and run back to you. But he reminded himself of what his therapist told him a couple of days back.

“Though it’s great for you to have her back in your life, you can’t force her to do things that you want and she doesn’t.” Dr. Im informed carefully. 

“That’s not fair!” The idol whined. “I know she does, she’s just so hesitant with me after all that I did.”

“Well, think about it this way—if someone made you do things you didn’t want but they did, how would you feel? Both sides have to consent, right?”

Taehyung kept silent, knowing the right and moral answer to it. But he knew you were different. Your friendship was different compared to anyone. Simply accepting defeat and parting away from either side was wrong and cruel, making that a bad best friend in the eyes of Hyungie and Blue.

If there was one trait you and Taehyung’s relationship was always strong about was stubbornness and adamance. Your friendship stood long because neither side wouldn’t give up on the other, even if communication lacked at some points. You’d bother and irritate (mainly Taehyung) but also protect and care for one another by all means. Because you knew what was best for each other, whether you liked it or not.

If anything, he knew more about you than you did yourself and vice versa.

“Honey, I’ll be back!” The high-pitched voice sent shivers down his spine. She seemed too giddy for his liking right now. Scowling a bit before relaxing an emotionless expression, he shifted his attention towards his dolled-up girlfriend. He was about to ask where she was going, but remembered she had dinner plans with friends she hasn’t seen in a while.

“Have fun. Hope you black out for me.” He piped, but his demeanor remained.  

Clara rolled her eyes, then laughed. “Will you be home alone? You haven’t been out with anyone.”

Ahh, there it was. Yes, what she said was true. After making up with her, Taehyung stayed home all day or at the company building. He hasn’t seen you, Seojoon, or any of his members despite texting. There were no in-betweens, making the growing feeling inside eat him alive.

Life sucked, but hey, his girlfriend wasn’t biting into his ass. The past two weeks Clara was soooo lovey-dovey, sweet, and happy seeing him always in the house. She would ask him if he was going out or not but knew the default answer which she would get all excited over. She spent so much more time with him in that time frame than this past year.

But Taehyung was going mental. Actually, that was the reason why he remembered where she was going because it was finally away from him.

“I’ll be fine.” He hummed, trying to go back to focusing on the TV before him, or whatever he was doing.

“I’ll miss you.” She cooed as she skipped towards the couch. From behind, she bent down to kiss him on the cheek. He scrunched his nose, keeping his hands on his sleeping dog. “Bye, I love you!”

“Me too.” He muttered. Once Clara left and closed the front door, Taehyung realized he held his breath. He felt suffocated, it wasn’t good. Like a time bomb ticking waiting to be detonated any minute, he seemed a bit more alleviated now that he was in the house alone for the night.

Yet he didn’t want to turn into that woman from the Yellow Wallpaper Namjoon talked about before. Maybe it was time to get out. He needed it, but most importantly, perhaps he needed to go to the restaurant to make up with you. He had to. It didn’t sit well with him knowing that you were away from him. He just needed some good right now and if it doesn’t happen, he’d crack.

He turned his head slightly to spot the peace lily plant he had bought for you sitting on the coffee table. It has been sitting there since that night. He took care of it in the meantime, searching online on how to maintain it.

He hoped you understood and forgave him. He didn’t comprehend why he tried to kiss you, but he’ll do anything to get you back.

-

“Jesus Christ, this place is top-notch.” You muttered under your breath when you observed Jimin scan his face to make the elevator function. Jungkook heard your comment, making him giggle beside you. Jimin pressed a floor button before it began to move.

“Our safety is important, especially when visitors come regularly,” Jungkook explained. “That’s why there’s security everywhere.”

“Yes, but it didn’t help that they accused me of being a sasaeng when you both were on my sides smiling.” You mentioned the unfortunate mishap. You stood there embarrassingly without any knowledge while Jimin had to report to them you were a friend. But you weren’t on their friend list, so you needed to make a pass and fingerprint scan. It took longer than anticipated, so you were slightly uncomfortable.

“Sorry about that.” Jimin blew a chuckle out of his nostrils. “Precautions, that’s all.” You hummed in response, patiently waiting for your floor. 

Once you were on the fifteen floor, your trio walked out of the lift. You followed them down a hallway where you reached a spacious lounging area. It shouted out rich and expensive because the couches were built into the floors. Table tennis in the corner, unlimited stocks of water, juice, and other endorsements HYBE groups had, but what fascinated you was the spread of plants surrounding the room.

It looked like the nursery you and Taehyung went to, but of course, the plants were for aesthetics than grabs. You were in awe, scanning through them while Jimin spoke up.

“I texted the hyungs but they aren’t answering, so I’ll bother them. Be right back.” Jimin announced before separating and going down another hallway, leaving only you and Jungkook here.

While you were preoccupied staring at the greenery, Jungkook stared at you nervously. There was something he wanted to ask you but didn’t know how to or when would be the appropriate time especially since it was difficult to hang out with you. The maknae was confident in himself, but yet he was still shy at heart. But this was probably the only time he had a moment alone with you.

“___?” He called your name. Turning your attention to the youngest member of the group, your eyes grew wide in acknowledgment. “C-Can I ask you something? I promise it won’t take long.”

“Sure.” You agreed while keeping a wondering yet polite look.

“I know we only text and we don’t usually hang out but…” Jungkook began. He paused to bite his lower lip to calm himself before gazing his doe eyes onto yours. “I was wondering if we could like…go out together…alone…like a date?”

The sudden confession made you blush red like a tomato with eyes blinking rapidly to wake yourself up in case it was just a dream. But it wasn’t. Jungkook asked you out with confidence and genuineness.

You knew he had a crush on you, but you assumed it was nothing more. Kind of like his crush on IU, it was there but there was no action. Then again, you weren’t an idol. You didn’t even look like IU or even up to par with her visuals…why did he even like you?

“Why?” You wondered aloud.

Your one-word questioning shocked him yet amused him with your furrowed eyebrows and puffed pout. “What do you mean why?”

Your eyes roamed around you to avoid his staring. “Like…why? I’m nowhere near your type!”

His lips twitched upwards. “How do you know if you’re not my type?”

“Well, even though Taehyung and I parted ways before you all debuted, I still kept up with news and music.” You responded, still not meeting his eyes. When he knew you were trying to avoid his stare, he grabbed your chin. Turning to face him, you finally meet his eye contact and cocked your brow. “I-I know I’m not your type. You said it was IU, or anyone will long hair and nice thighs or something. Sorry if I come a bit rude.”

“You’re not.” He smiled, shaking his head. “And that was my type, so who knows what my type is now?”

“You. You would know.”

Jungkook squinted his eyelids at you. A bit sassy, yet you come off so blunt like it was obvious. It reminded him of someone close. “Type can also be different from attraction. But regardless of type, I’m still asking you if you’d wanna hang out. I wanna get to know you.”

Though Jungkook was a good guy, a good person actually, it would be wrong to lead him on when you were not interested in him. He was handsome, sweet, and a bit silly, but it didn’t feel right with him. You knew it wasn’t a good sign to affiliate with him or any of the other members personally.

“Jungkook, thank you for the offer but—”

“Fuck, I knew this was gonna happen.” Jungkook groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in despair, already thinking the worst.

“No, no, hear me out.” You tried your best to give the benefit of the doubt. “I-I just want to focus on my studies right now. Graduate school is a pain for a simpleton like me. Adding onto work, it’s a lot.”

“You’re not a simpleton…” He spoke softly.

You grinned sympathetically. “Either way, I don’t really want to lead you on if I’m not putting all my effort into it. I hope you understand.” It made sense, though there was more to your reasoning than what was said. But he didn’t need to know that.

Jungkook sighed, “Fortunately, and unfortunately, I do. I should have known better than to ask you since you are Taehyung Hyung’s best friend like you’re…” He scanned around cautiously to see if anyone was around. “The..B word.”

You were taken aback, so much questioning running through your mind. First of all—“The B word? You’re not thinking bitch, right?”

His pupils dilated, waving his hands in denial. “No, definitely not that! I meant your nickname!”

“Nickname?”

“Blue!” He yelled but then slapped a hand over his mouth. He acted like he said a cursed word that brought a demon around us. Still confused, you tried expressing your concern but the man beat you to it. “Sorry, we’re not supposed to call you that, that’s why.”

“It’s not some forbidden word though…” You weren’t offended, but his high alert left you baffled. Taehyung was the only one who ever called you that. Not once did anyone else tag along with it, or at least followed through. You remembered that his younger siblings tried calling you Blue and he was not happy about it.

The nickname held much meaning to you and was kept deep into your heart, even with the hurtful memories that came with it. You haven’t heard the name in a while, so your heart longed for it, yet didn’t like it, especially when it came out of the mouth of someone else. But again, Jungkook didn’t need to know that.

“Hyung gets angry with it.” Jungkook chuckled nervously, easing the awkward tension he created.

“Relax though. It’s not harmful.” You tried calming him down. He nodded and stood quietly, but you still had more questions you wanted to ask. Your heart slowly grew anxious. “But what do you mean you knew better? What does me being Taehyung’s best friend have to do with that? But also I must remind you that we aren’t be—”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, but it’s okay. I still want to get to know you better. I wanna be your friend at least!” The youngest member shrugged, shifting the topic.

He just blew you off like that, but it was whatever. A weird conversation…but you too wanted it to be over.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You agreed slowly. Jungkook gave you two thumbs up and a loving bunny smile. You then heard a group of footsteps progressively getting louder, so you turned your head to see Jimin, Namjoon, and Hoseok coming back. You praised the heavens after that.

So much going on, very little knowledge…

-

“What do you mean she’s not here?” Taehyung questioned a sitting Kenji who was finished with his remaining customers leaving. The restaurant was still open, but no one but the idol was there for dinner.

Halmeoni then came out from the kitchen and noticed the handsome idol right away. “Oh, Taehyung! You’re back. How are you?”

He looked at the elderly woman and forced a smile and bow at her. “Hello, Halmeoni. I-I’m fine, but Kenji said ___ isn’t here.”

She hummed in response, “Yeah, she’s not here! Kenji convinced her to take the night off. She needed it.”

“Do you know where she is? Is she at home?”

“She’s actually having dinner…with some guys,” Kenji smirked playfully because he saw Taehyung’s eyes bulged out and jaw unhinged.

“What?” The idol yelled a little too loud, making the younger man giggle.

“Finally, she’s hanging out with people!” Halmeoni cheered.

Knowing how much stress and concern the idol was in, Kenji decided to alleviate it. “Relax, it’s your bandmates.” He informed explicitly to get it into Taehyung’s head. “Jungkook Hyung and Jimin Hyung came to visit and asked her out for dinner. Taehyung nodded, also recalling that Jimin was also back from his trip. “Seems like you weren’t invited if you didn’t know?” That brought a scowl towards the younger man, but he couldn’t care less as he kept a smile on his face.

His expression relaxed as the words sunk in. Though it probably was a simple and casual dinner, Taehyung felt insulted and sad. You’ve been away from him for a while and said that you never wanted to see him again. Yet Jungkook and Jimin had the privilege of hanging out with you.

He was hurt, not at you. The entire situation. He hated where everything was going and what changes are happening. It wasn’t fair for him and his feelings. But this was all his fault, right? His doings led to this, so he had to deal with it, right?

He hated it, he hated himself even more. Nothing really was going his way and he had to suck it up so he couldn’t be selfish? Let others be happy and enjoy one another while he sulked and self-deprecated alone by himself. So much for improvement, right Dr. Im?

With that being said, he bolted out of the restaurant in a scurry, leaving Halmeoni and Kenji baffled and wondering what just happened. Now he needed to get away. He wanted to be alone right now. There were so many things that he couldn’t do and have. Well, enough was enough.

He needed an escape fast.

-

“Cheers!” The sounds of the glass filled clashing together echoed through the private dining room. You smiled and nodded as the boys cheered rowdily at the simple gesture. All of you then took a gulp or sip of the foamed beer that caused you to make a repulsive face with your nose scrunched.

“Don’t like beer?” Sitting next to you, Jimin laughed as he saw your expression.

“Uhh, yeah but it’s fine.” You smiled through the gross bitter aftertaste. “Don’t really like drinking as much.”

“But when you do, what kind do you like? We can order some.” Namjoon, who sat on the other side of you, asked with a friendly dimpled smile.

“I usually just go for wine or any flavored soju. Soda is nice too.” You answered while forcing yourself to drink the beer, making a soured face.

Hoseok, who sat across from you, laughed as he pulled the drink away from you. You grew big-eyed like someone stole your candy. You reminded him of someone and it was so adorable. “You don’t need to force yourself. We’ll get you those.” You muttered a thank you. Before you could even put a vegetable in your mouth, Hoseok wondered, “So how are you? We haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you. Just work and school has been my life right now.” You quickly threw slices of pork belly into your mouth and chewed while thinking of anything else to say. “I’m not doing anything big like you all.”

“___, please. Though our lives are different from yours, we still equate and emphasize the importance of what and why others do.” Namjoon argued as he watched you eat. You stuffed your face and pouted when you did so. It looked so familiar…

“Well, yes. I agree with you.” You shrugged, gulping down the food. “But really, life is…alright.” You hoped they won’t ask because it would be an opening of a dam you didn’t want to let out. 

“Feel free to hit us up though!” Hoseok offered, making you relax. “We loved spending time with you at the party! I especially love meeting and getting to know new people.”

“O-Oh, thank you. Just me?” You chuckled politely. You also couldn’t help but be in an intimate atmosphere with your bias.

“Yeah? And the other members too if they want. We all like you.” Jungkook mentioned as he kept grabbing more food off the plates.

Okay, you weren’t expecting this at all. Usually, especially with friends of Taehyung, would only put up with you because of him. They wanted him, not you but you were a package deal. So it was surprising to know they wanted to be friends with you. Perhaps this was what Taehyung meant when they were different than his past “friends.”

“Thank you.” You thanked them, smiling shyly and looking down at the dishes of food.

“You don’t have to be so formal with us.” Jimin giggled as he poured the bottle of wine given in a new glass for you. “You’re acting like it’s your first time making friends.”

“Technically, yes. I’m practically a loner.” You pursed your lips as you looked up to meet all their perplexed yet concerned stares. Obviously, it was true but you made it into a joke, but they didn’t know so you shook your head. “I mean yes, that’s true. But…it’s fine.” You laughed awkwardly, but they continued their gazes, causing you to stop. “I don’t really have many friends.”

“Like…at all?”

You pondered on the thought, trying your best to think of some people. “I guess, there’s my coworker. But we just talk at work most of the time. Oh, and his grandparents!”

“H-How about in Geochang?” Hoseok inquired with a smile. “Taehyungie said he had a lot of friends there! Since you were his best friend, we assumed that they were yours too!”

“They were still his friends. I only was there for Taehyung when he would spend time with them. For the most part, those friends didn’t want me there.” You responded. “His sister was my age. She was my friend, but I barely contacted her after her family moved out. All of them actually…”

Okay, maybe you made this dinner more depressing than it should have, judging by their empathetic faces. Your eyes bounced off of them as you let out a laugh. “I mean now you’re all my friends, right? It doesn’t matter anymore.” You balled your hands in fists and waved them in the air, getting all excited out of nowhere.

Assuming what you were trying to do, Namjoon joined in your laughter to die down the awkwardness. “Yes, we’re friends. Don’t worry, we want to spend time with you too, whether Taehyung’s here or not.”

“Hyung’s right!” Jungkook agreed. “We should be able to hang out with you, even call or text.”

“I guess so, sure.” You said. “Again, I work and go to school. It’s my priority. I’m here in Seoul for that reason.”

“Of course, we respect it.” Jimin nodded reassuringly. “But don’t exert yourself too much. Wouldn’t want to repeat the hospital thing Taehyung told us about?”

With the mention of his name, you were curious if they knew how he was. But you refrained from doing so. For some reason, you didn’t want to ask them. They probably would have meant well, but your gut feeling begged to differ. After all, this was your first time alone with them so you simply nodded. Maybe one day you’ll ask Taehyung about it. 

“By the way, let’s get your phone number or username, whichever you prefer.” Hoseok pulled his phone out of his pants pocket. 

You accepted and were about to get your phone out of your bag, only to notice it wasn’t there. You checked through the pockets and doubled into the bigger space, but came up empty-handed. You realized you must have left it back at work. “I forgot my phone at work. Can you please bring me back there?”

“Sure, but after dinner, of course,” Jungkook answered before placing meat wraps on your plate. You raised a brow at him, to which he winked cheekily. You scoffed before taking a bite of it.

“___, if you’re not busy on Saturday, I was hoping you could tag along with me to this trendy cafe. I was supposed to go with my sister, but she had a last-minute thing. They have this amazing mango dessert and iced Americano.” Hoseok invited, making you blush. You were experiencing too much with your favorite of the group, but you didn’t want to show how flustered you were. 

“I’d love to actually. Weekends are my day offs.”

“Wait, I wanna come too!” Jungkook pouted, not giving up on getting closer to you. “You talked about the place before and it sounded good.”

You shrugged, not minding at all. “Sure, but I hope iced Americanos aren’t the only drinks they serve. I don’t like coffee.”

“They have a lot more drinks like this coconut refresh—” Hoseok couldn’t even finish his sentence when you grimaced at the words. But he merely laughed at your displease. “Not a big fan of coconut?”

“I get queasy from the smell and taste.” Just by imagining it, you swore you could smell the scent, giving you shivers down your spine.

“You’re so much like Taehyung…” Namjoon mumbled, but the rest of you heard him speak. Jimin asked him to reiterate what he said. “I said, you’re so much like Taehyung.”

You blinked at the leader as you straighten your back. You weren’t expecting that either. “Wh—How?”

“You make faces when you don’t like something, you don’t drink coffee, you shake your fists in the air like him, and you pout when you chew.” Namjoon listed his observations, which not only freaked you out but the others. “S-Sorry, I was just looking and thinking. I’m sorry if I disrespected you.”

You shook your head and waved him off. “No, you didn’t. Uhhh…I didn’t think people would notice enough.” After many years and some months reuniting with Taehyung, you realized how many of each other’s habits you took after even to this day. It wasn’t a bad thing but showed how much you influenced and impacted one another.

“I thought I was the only one…” Jimin chimed in as well. “You’ve been doing these small things, like him. Weird…”

“But it’s kinda cute.” Hoseok hummed. “Maybe a best friend thing?”

A soft grin appeared on your face, reflecting on what he said. You weren’t insulted, you didn’t deny, maybe he was right. Maybe Taehyung was still somehow your best friend. “Maybe.”

-

The clear liquor burned down his throat as he chugged the green bottle in one go. Once it was empty, he threw it to the side of him. The other finished bottles crashed together on the cold concrete ground in the corner of the alleyway. 

Taehyung wiped off the excess leaking on the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes roamed around the dark cold night. Blurred blobs of people passed through his hazed vision. None bothered to take a glimpse of a drunken man sitting on trash and dirt. Not even the police were supposed to patrol the area because they didn’t bother to care enough for a place that was deemed sketchy, and probably illegal. Not their business at all.

At some point, the soju and cognac naturally became water to the idol and made him feel something the past two weeks couldn’t do. He cracked, going with the “alcohol can make it better” route he hasn’t done so for a while. He did contemplate his… other methods, but he couldn’t get it right away so this was probably the most convenient way.

He laughed to himself, in a pitied and disappointed way. If his past self saw him like this, the idol he “wanted to be,” he knew the younger him would want to punch present him in the throat for deciding to throw his life away. Because despite being one of the most renowned idols in the world, what the fuck was going on with him inside? He couldn’t help himself with all that was happening to him and the spotlight of V. In the morning, he read articles about death threats and dating scandals with another Blackpink member. Can reporters at least be creative with their fake news? He didn’t like the implied coverage of him running through the group.

He didn’t want to let it get to him, but as a human, it was hard not to. When things spread, it got frightening for him because he knew some of it wasn’t true. He couldn’t have issues that he could keep to himself. A handful of people always had to know, oftentimes before him too.

All these words made him feel discouraged and pressured but hid all his emotions and feelings away to not make anything worsen. Not let those online who read too much into his behavior speculate and spread rumors. But also not let those around him talk down upon him when he suppressed his happiness for theirs.

He fucking hated this. He was feeling too much and there was nothing he could do. He felt it all inside his chest, waiting for it to explode. He didn’t want to cry anymore, he did that within the first hour of drinking. He has been in the same spot for at least three hours. It was probably close to midnight but couldn’t give a single fuck.

He stared at his last unopened bottle, it was Yakult flavored. He never tried it before, only saw them on the shelves. But he couldn’t resist it because it somehow reminded him of you. You used to love Yakult, drinking it at least once a day. It was also because Taehyung gave you one every day to satisfy you.

The alcoholic taste was gone in his taste buds, so he assumed that it tasted like juice. Shrugging, he uncapped the bottle and lipped, gulping in a hefty amount in his mouth.

“Look at that man. Some worthless piece of shit.” Taehyung’s ears twitched at the voice. Turning his head to the sound, he spotted three men staring down at him in disgust. Examining the trio swaying and trying their best to keep still, they were tipsy. Despite being a famous individual, they don’t seem to realize it as their intoxicated minds overpowered their vision.

But Taehyung wasn’t about to ignore another stranger blatantly insulting him. Though with half of his mind only functioning, he lets more of his guard and restrains down. He became more reckless, and messier, and doesn’t give a fuck about consequences. His pride was the center of the cause and he was not about to let a low life say shit to him.

Using his palms, he pushed himself from the ground to stand tall. Well, unsteady but he supported himself with the building wall. He glared at the trio who seemed about the same size as him. At a glance, they looked much older but couldn’t see clearly with their bangs covering their eyes. “Dude, fuck off. You’re one to talk with your five-millimeter dick.” Taehyung slurred.

“The fuck did you say, you bastard?” The center, we’ll call him the leader, a person garbled back as he stepped forward.

“Say it to his face.” The one on the left acted all tough.

“I did. You’re just so stupid, you can’t understand anything any human being says.” The idol snapped back and then glanced over at the other one.

“Acting all brave when you’re a skinny guy.” The one on the right finally came up and slightly pushed Taehyung but he was able to keep his balance.

“Pft, acting all that when you can’t even reach the cupboards above.” Taehyung spat back before hiccuping. “Now leave me alone. I minded my own business and you three shitheads should too.”

“Fuck that, you’re gonna get down on your knees and apologize for what you fucking did.” The leader butted in, getting more riled up than before.

“I didn’t do shit. I’m not apologizing.” The idol shook his head.

“We’ll get it out of you.” The leader came forth and was about to punch Taehyung in the face. But Taehyung threw a jab on the leader’s cheek. The guy fell back on his butt on the ground, caressing his pained cheek. “Ahh, you fucker! You’re gonna get this!”

Then all of sudden, the other two helped his friend by attacking the lonesome idol. But little did they know, Taehyung has had experience with situations like this.

-

It was the day of the talent show and Taehyung was fearfully worried. He has been practicing day and night and right after school whilst dragging you along with him. You stayed up with him the night before to help him with pronunciation, support, and anything he needed.

This was his first time singing in front of an audience and you were so excited for him. You knew he was going to do well. He always had a beautiful singing voice. It was so worthy enough for him to be an artist, an idol, anything to do with his talent. But you also knew how nervous he was. You had to hold him and run your fingers through his hair last night to calm him down. You cheered him on, praised him, and gave him pep talks, but yet his unconscious thinking dragged him down.

An hour before the talent, his family did quick errands and bought flowers to congratulate Taehyung, leaving you alone with him at his house. You both were dressed up and ready. Him in black dress pants and an ivory buttoned-down shirt while you were in a sage-green dress. Your best friend wanted to do last-minute rehearsals before you left for school.

You clapped proudly as you sat on his bed, watching him finish the song at the end of it. You bounced off and flattened your skirt. “Hyungie, that was amazing. I’m so excited!”

“I felt like I was off-key at the end.” He frowned, criticizing his perfect practice. “Let me do it ag—”

“Taehyung, you did great. There’s no need to practice again. You’ve been practicing so much, you’re gonna hurt your vocal cords.”

“Blue, I know but—”

“No buts.” You squeezed his shoulder as a sign of comfort. “Sit down and rest a little before we leave. I’ll make some tea for you.” He nodded and sat down on his desk chair.

Once you left his room, his thoughts occupied him. He knew how agitated he was. It was because he wanted to do well. He wanted to perform and showcase his talent to not only you but his family, friends, heck, everyone in the school. Sure, there was no winning or losing, but the pride was still there to brag about how well you did.

But this was really for him to prove himself. Though having many other talents, he wanted to think that he was a good enough singer. He enjoyed singing, perhaps even using it to make a career as an idol. But that sounded too far-fetched.

It was the self-confidence he lacked drastically. He couldn’t help but think lowly and envisioned embarrassing himself in front of everyone, giving them and him no hope in his singing. You told him otherwise, and it did help him throughout the weeks before the talent show. But now being on less than an hour before the talent show, every bit of assurance flew out the window and now the negative notions began shining.

Was there even hope for him? How much does he believe to actually go through with this? Maybe he can drop out last minute? He doesn’t think the amount of work and effort he did was enough. Will he disappoint you? His family? The entire school? Himself? He was going to do a shitty job, he just knew.

His hands suddenly became clammy, opening and closing his trembling fists. His breathing felt like it dropped, making him feel choked up and find it difficult to even inhale. The beating of his heart increased rapidly, unable to catch up with it. He winced as the pressure worsened. He got out of his seat hastily, pacing around his room.

He couldn’t process everything clearly, he was getting antsy and afraid by the second. His uncontrollable eyes moved around his surroundings as he felt his tear ducts swell up from the overwhelming state of his body. It was happening again, but this was the worst one yet.

He tried those breathing exercises you taught him to do. “D-Deep breaths. Deep breaths.” He respired quiveringly, but after a few attempts, it didn’t feel like it was working. “Come on, Taehyung. Breathe.” He lets out an alarmed sob. It wasn’t getting better, and he couldn’t come up with anything else.

Unknowing of his episode, you entered calmly into his room with a fresh cup of tea for him. Once you closed the door behind you, you turned around. “Taehyung, I got yo—” You spotted him all frazzled, wheezing, and weeping. He walked all over his room, feeling out of control.

“Bl-Blue!” He wept, going towards you. “I-I’m scared. Pl-Pl-Please.” He grabbed your unoccupied hand into his quaking ones.

You placed the cup down on his table, so your hands were fully occupied with his. “Hyungie, let’s do the deep breaths. You got this. You remember those, right?” Your voice balanced, and relaxed as possible.

He shook his head and cried, “I tried it. It doesn’t work.” He began heaving heavily. You rushed him to sit down on his bed and you followed for support.

You had to think fast about what other things you could do. If deep breathings weren’t enough there has to be something else that can help. Questions? You didn’t have anything cold. Closing your eyes. Maybe distractions?

“Hey, Hyungie. Look at me. Focus on me.” You squeezed his hands. His moving eyes hurriedly gazed at you. “Remember that one song we learned. I love that song and its lyrics.”

 He shook his head again. “Wh-What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you remember it?” You ignored his questioning. “How ‘bout singing me them, come on? I’ll sing with you too.”

“Blue? I ca—”

“Come on. Just you and me, Hyungie.” You encouraged his panicked state.

-

“Are you sure you want us to leave you from here?” Jimin asked through the rolled-down passenger window. As promised, they took you back to the restaurant. They were willing to wait for you so that they could drop you off at home but you denied. You didn’t want them to know where you lived because it was in a bad area, and they probably had a busy day tomorrow. You didn’t want to bother them for too long.

“Oh, I’m sure!” You promised, shouldering your bag. “I live pretty close to here anyway.” Technically, you needed to ride the bus but that wasn’t anything you didn’t do before.

“Yah, why is this in a scary area?” Hoseok was in the backseat, looking around the area through the tinted window.

“Ahh, it’s not scary. Trust me. I’ve always left here around this time.” You reassured, trying to ease their worries. “I just don’t go down the road we drove through.”

“Yeah, we should take another route,” Namjoon suggested from the backseat, scrolling through his phone. “I think I saw a drug exchange and it’s not sitting right with me. I feel like an accomplice.”

“___, are you really sure?” Jungkook asked once more, ducking down from the driver’s seat to look at you.

“I’m perfectly fine, I promise.” You smiled. “Thank you for dinner and paying. I appreciate it. Jungkook, send my number to everyone.” Jungkook clicked his tongue and threw a finger gun at you.

“Anytime, ___. We’re grateful to have spent time with you.” Jimin chirped happily.

“Call or text us any time!”

“I guess, I’ll get going inside so bye!” You waved your goodbye. They said theirs back and watched you go into the restaurant before they drove off.

Once you flung the tarp open, Kenji was about to yell that they were closed until he saw you again. “Oh, why are you back?”

“I forgot my phone in my apron.” You sighed as you headed towards the hooks. “You know when I was manhandled out of the place.” Your coworker laughed as he started putting up the chairs. You dug into your apron pocket and finally retrieved your phone.

Through your Lock Screen, you noticed many messages and calls. The most recent ones were from Jungkook and unknown numbers, which were probably the other boys. Some messages were from Kenji, but they were irrelevant since most of them were memes. But what intrigued you the most was that there were twelve missed calls and messages from Taehyung. The messages consisted of where you were, how are you, please tell him if you were okay, and other concerns he had.

These were the first contacts from him in a while, telling you that he never bothered giving up. Your lips curled slightly at the thought before you put your device into your pocket. “I guess I’ll get going again. Thanks for covering my shifts.” You announced.

“No need to thank me. It wasn’t bad.” Kenji shrugged. You were about to take your leave before he called for you. “By the way, Taehyung Hyung came to the restaurant and asked about you.”

You stopped your track, diverting your head to your coworker. “H-he came?”

Kenji crooned in response. “Yeah, it was a little while after you left. I just told him you were casually out with his members.” Though it was casual, you spectated that Taehyung could have possibly thought worse of it, especially since you two still weren’t on talking terms yet.

“Do you know where he went?” You gulped, growing concerned.

“No, he didn’t say. Just dipped out.” Your coworker informed. “He was probably pissed that he wasn’t invited.“ Maybe, or maybe even more.

You nodded again before saying your goodbyes. Once he said goodnight, you were out of the restaurant with your phone back in your hands as you wondered where Taehyung was. He may have gone back home, but you weren’t so sure. You could text any of the boys if they knew, but you weren’t so sure if they did since they were with you the entire time. They also mentioned the rest of the members were busy. But now you were questioning how busy Taehyung was if he managed to come here for you.

Calling him should be okay since he texted you back. It should be okay to do so. It would also mean that you were good with him again. As you began your way to the bus stop, you pressed on his contact to call. But after long-awaited rings, it went straight to voicemail. So you called again, but again with the voicemail. Deja vu…

Shaking your head at that thought, you left a voicemail. “Hey, Taehyung. I saw your calls and text. Sorry, I couldn’t answer right away. I left my phone back in the restaurant. I also found out you stopped by. Call me when you received my message…” You were feeling alarmed for an odd reason. “Stay safe, okay?” You ended the voicemail and threw your phone back into your bag.

You couldn’t understand the tingling sensation inside of you. It left you uncomfortable, almost like something was wrong but there was nothing to be concerned about. Your night was restful and enjoyable. The members were indeed affable and kind towards you. Though you were a bit shy with your responses, they knew how to ease you in. They knew how to make people comfortable; you admired that trait of theirs.

While you were walking quietly, you then heard thumps and grunts at a distance. It didn’t stop your feet though, you clutched onto your bag as you pushed yourself to get through. It could be a couple doing public indecency, a burglar, or maybe even a murder. Usually common in areas like this.

But the one thing you had to remember was to protect yourself, so you weren’t about to get into other people’s business and suffer. Unless it was an innocent bystander, you carried pepper spray with you at all times.

The volume of the noises increased as you continued your way. It was until you reached an alleyway that you noticed four figures over each other. It seemed like a fight, but in addition to the emptied bottles you found through your scrutiny, it was a drunken fight.

Because of that, it was not your business, and was about to leave the premises when you heard a shout. “Fuck off!” That voice…was familiar. But senses could deceive you, so you were battling your curiosity with your rationale. You were alone, with nothing but pepper spray and your hands as self-defense, but still, it wasn’t enough if it would be four against one.

Yet if you left, you’d have some sort of guilt if it was someone you knew. But then again, who would it even be? Kenji? He was still at the restaurant. There wouldn’t be anyone you knew, unless—

The sound of glass shattering broke through your mind. You sneakingly stepped forth at the end of the alleyway. You hid behind trashed boxes, observing the people fighting. The streetlights were dimmed and blinking. You were able to see faces and silhouettes, but they were still a bit unclear. 

You squinted your eyes. A man held a broken bottle while two stood in front of him. One was on the ground possibly passed out. But you noticed liquid near his head, and it didn’t look like a good sign.

“You fucking killed him!” One of them shouted at the man holding the glass.

“No, I didn’t!” That very man screamed, and it sounded very distinct.

“Yes, you did. You murdered my friend!” Another yelled back.

“No, I didn’t!” The man repeated, voicing out through a sob. Then the two figures attacked him, coming from his sides. They threw punches, kicks, and blows at his body but the man was still standing strong, being able to take both of them. “I’m not a murderer!” He grunted as his back slammed on the concrete wall, throwing down the broken glass.

Through that angle, you were given a vivid image of him. Once you saw it, you swore your heart dropped.

A teary-eyed Taehyung swung his arms and aimed at their face and kicked their chest. One fell back and groaned while the other held his stomach. “I’m not a murderer! You’re hurting me! You’re hurting me!” The vein on his neck was prominent and straining as he kept shouting. He kicked the man on the ground in the chest while he kneed the other in the stomach again.

The two were on the ground, groaning in pain and moving weakly. Taehyung panted, looking down at them. You watched him lean on the wall for support before he covered his face with his palms. You heard soft crying coming out of his mouth, twisting your heart in ache. How did he even get here? How did this happen?

Your thoughts remained, but they were immediately pushed back when you scrutinized him more. His body was notably shaking, even at the distance you were in. He jerked his hands in the air as if it would alleviate him. You could hear his harsh wheezing densely as he began circling the three men on the ground.

It was as if your body was on high alert because you felt yourself running toward him. You curved and jumped over the men to get to him. He then felt another figure coming towards him and was about to get defensive again until he found your eyes, eyes that knew how to calm him down.

“Bl-Blue.” His voice cracked through his heaves, stepping away from you. His eyes went out of control as he looked over at the unconscious men, making him realize you saw him like this. Saw him in a way you have never seen him before.

He feared the worst.

Then all the fears from within traveled from his stomach to out of his mouth, retching all the liquids he consumed on the concrete. You shifted away from the vomit. His throat burned furiously as he gagged the intoxication and dizziness out. Tears pearled down his face and his nose reddened by the forced action.

As he somehow managed to finish, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. But his hyperventilation intensified as he whined at the piercing pain within his chest. Holding where his heart was, he folded down. Before he could crash down, you hooked an arm under his form and guided him away from the scene. Your steps were wider and brisk until you stopped at the corner that had boxes stacked enough for him to not look at what happened.

You helped him stand steadily with cautious hands on his shoulders. “___, I-I-can’t breathe.” He squeaked, his body convulsing under your touch. Despite the signs of a panic attack, when he was in this state, he always needed a loved one’s touch.

“I’m sorry. Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll get through this. Let’s do deep breaths.” You shushed him. You led some exercises you recalled from your memories. Inhale, 2, 3, 4. Hold, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 2, 3, 4. Hold, 2, 3, 4. But it wasn’t working as he shook his head, the breathing was still weighted and tears slipping out of his puffed eyes.

You focused on him, being as peaceful as possible. It wouldn’t help the situation if you were the opposite. You had to think fast, attempting to recollect past things you’ve done. But it was such a long time ago; it was challenging you. You didn’t think he still had them after he overcame his stage fright, but this was probably for a different reason and his coping stayed constant. 

But the pleading eyes of Taehyung ached you, wanting nothing more but to help him be free from his episode. You didn’t have anything you used to help him.

Then your eyes lit up at a method, one that worked every time.

“Tae—Taehyung, focus on me. Your eyes on me, okay? Can I hold your hands?” His tensed eyes landed on your solaced ones. He nodded before your hands made their way down until you grasped onto his hands tightly. The feeling of your touch soothed his fragile condition. “Do you remember that one song we learned when we were in middle school?”

“A-A song?” His lips trembled in fear.

“Yeah, let’s focus on that because I forgot how much I loved it! Do you remember it?” You smiled joyfully, scrunching your nose.

“D-Do you…mean…” He gasped as the pain pinched his heart, causing him to fall forward. But you kept his support, carrying some of his weight through your arms. You motioned him to sit down on one of the boxes. While he did so, you bent down on your knees to meet his eye level.

“I’ll start it, okay?” You told him and he couldn’t get a word out but he kept his gaze and nodded. “Okay.” You let go of one of his hands so you could snap your fingers to the beat in your mind, doing a little shoulder dance and sounding soft tickings as the introduction. You were trying to ease him away from tension.

“L is for the way you look at me,” You sang merrily as you looked at him. “Your turn.”

“O-O...is for…the only…one…I see,” He sang slower while you silently mouthed the lyrics for him to follow, but his breathing control got better. You nodded as your smile grew wider.

“You’re doing so well,” You praised. “V is very, very extraordinary,” You pointed at him and tried your best with that high note where you found his lips curling.

“E-E is even more than anyone that you adore,” He stayed on tempo, but still shaky. Yet you were so proud. He inhaled deeply and exhaled.

“All together!” You expressed. His trembling hands came back to your calming ones before you decided to lace your fingers together. You swayed your intertwined hands side to side with the unheard beat when the two of you chorused, “Can love is all that I can give to you. Love is more than just a game for two.”

“Two in love can make it,” You vocalized, while you saw his eyes weeping out more tears. You let go of him. Your thumbs reached out to wipe them off his face but kept your palms on his cheeks.

“Take my heart, and please don't break it.” Though he sang perfectly, his voice cracked with his bawling. He wrapped his hands around your wrists, holding you in place.

“Love was made for me and you,” You sang together and you motioned one more time for the ending. “Love was made...for me…and you.” You both held out the last note, but it was slightly off from Taehyung’s cries. But it was all okay because you saw that he felt a lot better and his breathing became stabilized once again.

Only the noises of his sniffing and breathing rang through your ears as your glassy eyes stayed on him, waiting for his green light. But unexpectedly, he slithered his arms around your waist and pulled you into his lap. He kept his grip tight as he buried his face into your chest. 

Your body hardened, but then felt the familiar warmth he gave out like when you were younger. Not wanting to reject him after his episode, you let it be and circled your arms around his torso. When he realized you didn’t push him away, he cried in relief. The wetness of his tears drenched your shirt, but you didn’t bother to care. You rubbed his back and rocked yourselves while humming a random tone.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Blue.” He chanted into your skin, having light hiccups in between.

“You’re fine, Hyungie. You’re good, you did so well. No more fears right now.” You hushed as his weeping remained. 

You took it all in, never having any doubts at this moment. All you wanted right now was to make all his troubles go away. It was hard, but it wasn’t impossible. And you would do them in a heartbeat because now you took the first step of having him back in your life.

Accepting him. All of him. 

Tagged: @manuosorioh @kaal-ee @stfxthv @dahliasbouqet @bertqut1 @fuckthinking @taebangtanbabe @tan-veee

Glimpse of Us | KTH Chapter IX: Hear Me Out

Pairing: Problematic Idol Taehyung x Grad Student Reader

Genre: Idol AU, Ex-Childhood Best Friends into—, Angst (Hello, welcome to my angst central), Fluff (mainly in the flashbacks), Slow Burn, Eventual Smut

Summary: BTS’s V has been living a lavished and successful lifestyle, but underneath all of that, Kim Taehyung is far from the perfect image the media and fans made him out to be. All he wants is to relive the feelings of happiness and purpose in his life, but how can he when he left behind those memories years ago? The same memories, he hopes to see a glimpse of.

Warning: this was long for no reason lol, LOTS of crying in a one night, mentions of substance use and alcoholism, brief description of therapy, hints of depression and anxiety, the media is the absolute worse, mentions of panic attacks, a very emotional yet soft flashback, brief description of past infidelity (just want to hug oc :c), very brief mention of unexpected pregnancy (don't worry, it's none of them), insecurities on maintaining a relationship, Seojoon is back ayeee, verbal fighting

Word Count: 12.8k

Chapter IX: Hear Me Out || Series Masterlist

Settling down a glass of water and a plate of leftover homemade cookies in front of Taehyung, you both sat at your futon table, sitting across from one another. After you calmed him down, you knew he never wanted to be alone after an episode. You suggested bringing him home, but he refused and told you to not tell anyone what had happened. So ultimately, you brought him to your small apartment.

You still made sure that the unconscious men were still alive, and they all had pulses. The liquid that the first blacked-out men were on top of was soju. They probably would have forgotten what happened, so you escaped the premises holding a partially drunk Taehyung before someone caught you.

He muttered a thank you before drinking the water in one go and taking a cookie to help him sober up. Only the chewing and crunching from Taehyung cracked through the air as vocal silence was somewhat necessary after the events. 

While he did so and stared at the bitten treat, you played with your fingers as you eyed around your apartment. Though he didn’t mind, you were a bit embarrassed showing him where exactly you lived. Everywhere screamed skeptical and empty. You couldn’t help but compare it with his multi-billion won high-security house with a fucking nice backyard.

“Sorry if…uhh, my apartment’s not much.” You didn’t know why you had to apologize for your living situation. It wasn’t your fault.

Looking up from the baked good, he found you and your cheeks fairly pink while doing your habit. He fuddled while lifting a brow. “You don’t need to apologize. If anything, I should be thanking you for bringing me here.”

“But still…you’re not used to this type of lifestyle.” You shrugged awkwardly. “I don’t even have a couch.”

“___, I could care less if we used the floor as a table or you used your hands to scoop the water I’m drinking.”

You nodded, staying quiet. However, you grew more lax with his reassurance, even letting out a sigh of relief. You watched him pop the remnants of sweet before taking another one from the plate. He looked rather functional, but of course, still infused with alcohol. You didn’t really speak after you sang the song together. He merely followed you silently while you said short instructions.

“How are you feeling now?” You asked softly, a tinge of worry dipped into your asking.

He stopped the cookie mid-way from his mouth before closing it. He placed the dessert back down and sighed, “Thank you for saving me back there. Who knows what would have happened to me if you weren’t there.” He pushed the plate away from him. “You didn’t need to though, could have left me to suffer the consequences.”

“Please, no. Taehyung, you were having a panic attack.” You disagreed, couldn’t even imagine not helping. “I couldn’t leave you like that. I would have done that to anyone.”

To anyone…right. The idol hummed, taking in your statement. “Guess you helped me escape from the law, my lovely accomplice.” He quipped with a smirk. You rolled your eyes before a small grin crept on your face. “You should know you’re still one of the only people who knows how to calm me down like that.”

Your lips faltered in confusion. “Who’re the others?”

“My mom, grandma before, and Jimin.” He replied. “I forgot about the song. It’s the most effective for me.”

You smiled, recalling the first time you used it. It was hours before the middle school talent show. The only reason why you did it was to distract him. He needed to focus on his mind away from his rough breathing. It was on a whim, but it worked great and now the song always calmed him down whether he went through an episode or not.

His list was expected as they were the most important people in his life. However, it was shocking that a specific person you thought of wasn’t on the list. “Not even Clara?”

Taehyung snorted as if you said a joke, “Please she doesn’t know anything about calming someone down. All she cares about is her image.”

Well, that was completely out of nowhere, baffled by his reveal. He spoke on it so casually, yet it was like a blow to his relationship. You couldn’t help but be curious as to why he might have said that, but you chose not to ask as it was the least of your worries right now.

Ignoring his comment, you decided to ask other questions that came to mind while you were on the bus ride home. “Before tonight, when was the last time you went through an episode?”

Tilting his head to the side, he stared at the wall across as he went through the folders of his memories. “Like a full episode, probably last year. Short breaths from time to time, but nothing too serious like tonight.”

“Taehyung…” You frowned, scooting closer to him. You kept your palms on your thighs when you kept your stare on him. His expression remained blunt, almost as if these mini-episodes weren’t at all concerning.

“No worries, ___. They weren’t big. When they happen, the breathing exercises help.”

“Could I ask what caused your last one? Wait, how’d you get into that situation?” Some things weren’t adding up. You were getting more and more perplexed.

He paused for a moment, gazing into your irises. You kept a worried demeanor as you waited patiently. The warm light of your floor lamp in the corner shined onto a side of you, cascading soft shadows of your side profile on the wooden ground.

“If I tell you, then I’d have to tell you things that I’m not proud of.” He explained softly, almost frightened that you’d want nothing to do with him. “You might hate who I’ve become.” His eyes filled with sorrow as he could feel the tears welling up again.

You sucked in your lips as you contemplated a move. Before you even made a choice, you crawled next to him before making yourself comfortable and sat, feeling the warmth he radiated. You looked up at his puzzled face. Before he could question, you motioned him to come and patted his lap.

Though stunned at your forward behavior, his eyes softened. You smiled tenderly and nodded, indicating it was okay. You did your motions once more before he placed his head on your lap, laying his body on the ground. Once his head settled, your appendages caressed through his ebony tendrils to soothe him, repeating the action over and over again.

“Taehyung, I could never hate you.” Your voice was so delicate, but held the heaviest meanings that Taehyung heard in a long time. “Though I don’t know what’s going on with you, please know that your resilience grows every day, more than yesterday, less than tomorrow. You’ll get through it.” You nodded to yourself, deep into thought. “You overcame so many things; bike riding, lighting, stage fright, endless training, close to disbanding. You’ve become successful and loved by many, Taehyung. You reached your goals! I would assume you’d be happier.” You sounded so positive, like how you were when you were younger, his little hope. But the familiar light only shattered him, becoming overshadowed by his intrusive thoughts. Only he knew it wasn’t all true. 

With shaking lips, a cry escaped from his mouth not realizing that he was holding it in. You whispered caring nothings while you brushed your fingers into his scalp. His body pumping as his shoulders trembled as the sobs continued to fall. 

It was at that moment he realized that you were probably gonna find out the side of him he has been trying to hide from you. The side that grew when you were gone in his life, the tragic shit of his life. He didn’t want to tell you, but he knew he could never lie to you. He trusted you.

He will always trust you.

“You say I’m resilient when I’m not.” He began with denial oozing at the words “You may think that my life has been nothing but glamorous with expensive name brands, International celebrity connections, and being loved by millions, from all my “success”. That my happiness is from all of that.” He chuckled, yet there was no humor in his tone. He bit his lips, quietly attempting to stop his sorrows. “But it’s not, ___.” He stabilized his breathing, feeling pressure in his chest. “I haven’t been happy for a while, and…and I don’t know what happened. I don’t know at all.”

He turned his head up so that he saw your face. Your arm hooked around the side of his face, your forearm feeling against his supple yet worn-down cheeks. Your digits were still attached to his hair. Your eyes were crystal clear, shining at him with the worrisome expression you’d been carrying since he saw you tonight. Yet you were getting confused, “What do you mean?”

The waves of sadness, the trickling of despair in his voice, and the tiredness against the hallows of his eyes and cheeks remained evident in the idol as he revealed what he has been dealing with for the years apart. His increasing anxiety and depression, therapy, the band, the scandals and cover-ups, and hurting numbness to his feelings ultimately resulted in his battle with substances and alcoholism.

Though he mentioned the overcoming of drugs and being clean for a year, the feigned chuckle in his voice indicated no other improvement to all the other shit happening to him. He still felt ashamed of what had become of him. V of BTS, Kim Taehyung, your Taehyung, your Hyungie grew up in a reckless brain of disappointment behind all that fame, fortune, and success. The continuous pressure of being this inhumane super idol representative of his national country in the public eye when really he was a human man struggling to find himself and the joy that was once in his life.

Even instances where he almost ran into mayhem from his behavior. If his members, mainly Jimin and Jungkook, or his friends didn’t find him on time, the paparazzi would have arrived to mess up his reputation and possibly his life.

Through the pain seeping out his voice and the straining tears on his face, you could tell how much it was affecting him, giving a hard time to even say it out loud. You knew he hid something, but it was nothing that you expected. Yet you knew how much he feared, how much it hurt him, having the control of his life being taken away by something he loved doing. 

You kept silent, listening to his speaking while patting his hair. Your pants were soaked by his tears. At times, he had to pause for a moment to let out longer sobs when the feeling got too much. Once it seemed his story met the end, he sat up from your lap to stare into your eyes with his dull ones. “All this love and support, yet I still feel fucking empty!” He raised his voice out of nowhere, making you flinch. Noticing, he apologized quietly through his pupils. He spoke softly this time, “It’s all too much to handle, and adding onto everyone fucking keeping their eyes on me like I’m some zoo animal or puppet to attend to their needs. I just hate it.”

Stillness met around you much longer than anticipated because honestly, you didn’t know what to say to him. You didn’t want to say something he might not want to hear. He might have heard it before and it probably didn’t work. When in doubt, sometimes silence and listening would be the best thing to do.

“___?” He called your name out so timidly. You slightly nodded, telling him you were still here with him. “You think I’m a piece of shit, right?”

You furrowed your eyebrows at his accusation. “What? No, I don’t.”

“You’re lying.”

“Taehyung, I may have been harsh to you but I would never think of you like that.”

“Why not? There’s obviously something wrong with me.” He countered, not truly believing you. “All this shit is because of me.”

“No, nothing is wrong with you.” You fought back, shaking your head. “Things happened to you, Taehyung. You’re not what those events are.”

The idol kept his sodden eyes on you, hardening by the second. However, you too had your pupils focused on him, almost as if you were fighting to win yet your stare was much more gentle and empathetic. With that, it made him believe the authenticity of the words you were saying.

He softened his look and sniffed as he looked away to gaze over at your corner lamp. “You’re the only person who isn’t blaming me for my mess.” Turning his head back to you, he sighed “Whatever I do, I just feel like shit and get blamed. I feel lost and so tired of everything.”

“It’s okay to feel lost. You should give grace to yourself. I mean, you have been in the spotlight since you were young, so the pace is slower, unfortunately.”

“But how long am I gonna be like this?” He groaned in agony. Tears are physically drained out of him, but the redness pierced through his skin. “It’s been years!”

You thinned your lips and nodded, acknowledging his grief. “You should know I can’t answer that.” Though your answer wasn’t the best, it didn’t seem like he was bothered by it at all. “I know I’ll never be in your shoes and I will never know what’s going on in your head, but I do know how strong you are, Taehyung. You’ve always been, for yourself and others.” He remained quiet. But the dimming within the dark hues of his irises suddenly sparkled faintly.  “It sucks and frustrating, and all these annoying shits because people don’t always understand you. You’re kinda hard to crack at times. Maybe that’s why it’s taking longer than usual. But those who truly know the lengths you have to take to overcome this. They will help you understand what you need to bring the goodness and happiness out of you.”

“Will I ever be happy, ___?” He spoke ever so timidly like he desperately needed an answer. 

You leaned back, resting your palms on the hard wooden floor. “They always say good things will happen especially when you least expect it. It’ll come when the time is right.”

But you’re here now and you were the best thing that ever happened to me.

Taehyung had an exhaustive look within his gloom, taking in your words. It was true, not many people understood him especially personally. Even if they did, they’d argue his logic like he was wrong for that. So at that moment, he remembered how much you were the one true person that made him be seen. Exposed and vulnerable. You saw the real Kim Taehyung.

With that, you weren’t expecting the idol to crawl towards your form to wrap his long arms around you as he rested his head in the crook of your neck. His nose gently grazed your skin, letting you inhale sharply. Luckily, he was too deep into his thoughts so you placed your palm on his back before fully reciprocating back.

“Thank you.” The vibration of his voice moved through your goosebumps. “Thank you for your words, for saving me, for everything since you came back. Thank you for being here again, Blue.”

A subtle smile ghosted on your lips at the sound of the nickname, letting him get away with it only this time. “You don’t need to thank me. I’ll be honest when I say I hate it at times, but I’ll be on your side no matter what.”

“Really? Even when I fuck up? Or when the members are mad at me?”

“Well, yeah.” He parted away to look into your eyes. “I’ve known you longer than those around us. It’s your word against theirs; I would believe you than them.”

The way you explained yourself had Taehyung’s heart skipping in a fluttering rapid manner. You spoke so honestly, it said it all on your face too. The gentleness and reassurance he knew and loved.

“Of course, it doesn’t mean I agree with you. I’ll tell your shit with the back of my hand.” Though your words were hard, you continued that tendering tone with an empathetic smile that would make all living entities’ hearts melt. But the contrast made the idol let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head while you weren’t fazed at all. “I’m only being honest.”

“As you are,” Taehyung confirmed before biting his lip. He knew how late it was, but still rejected the thought of going back to his house…with Clara if she was back. He didn’t want the members or his friends to get roped into this because that would require him to explain what happened tonight. “Do you think I could sleep over here?”

You looked taken aback at his question, cocking your brow up. “Tonight? Here?” You asked, then he nodded confidently. “A-are you sure?”

“Please? After what happened…I don’t want anyone else to know and bug me.”

“But…” You had mixed feelings about his request. Sure, you had tons of sleepovers in the past but it was in the past. There were certain things to consider with your decision, and most of it had to do with your boundaries and your hesitancy despite your now willingness to fully accept him.

“Please?” He asked again, with so much vulnerability leaking out of that single word.

But after these recent events and the fact he revealed the darkness of his life update to you, all you wanted was for him to feel safe.

“Do you wanna shower too? I have a spare towel, but I need to dig for larger-sized clothes.” You got up from the floor and started heading down the hallway to your room. “I think I brought some of my grandfather’s pajamas by mistake.” Your voice echoed through your apartment.

Though you didn’t explicitly say yes, Taehyung knew the answer, making him grin like an idiot as he watched your form disappear into the hall. He then crawled up to follow you. It took him a couple of seconds to see where your bedroom was located as it was the only door that was wide open with the lights on.

Once he entered, he noticed that the only furniture there was a neatly made blue-sheeted bed and oak dresser. The surface of the dresser was filled with books, a jewelry box, empty cans of Coca-Cola, and various miscellaneous items.

You were living a very minimalist life, he thought. When the two of you were younger, you always decorated your room. You had a multitude of plush toys on your bed given by your grandparents, his parents, other neighbors, and him too. You liked to plaster pictures of family, him, and art, and posters of your favorite artists on your wall, and displayed your rock collection that remained in one corner of your room.

Nothing in this room screamed “you.” It felt very temporary like you weren’t belonging to this place.

Taehyung then turned away from looking to spot you digging through your closet. He heard you let out an “umph” before you sat back on the floor with a red sweater and a matching-colored pair of plaid pants.

“I was right! I did bring a box of his clothes on accident!” You smiled when you looked up at the idol standing. “They were supposed to be donations, but I grabbed them by mistake and just kept them.” You raised the clothes to him. 

The idol gladly took them into his hands and grinned. “You know your grandfather is a very tall man. I don’t know if I could even fit his clothes.”

“Nonsense, I think you’re as tall as him now. I mean it has been some time.” You got up from the floor and let out a sigh.

“How is he anyways? How has he been since your grandmother passed?”

They were harmless questions that Taehyung asked as simple curiosity and wanting to know how your family was doing. But those very questions made your smile drop into a sorrowful frown.

Taehyung stared at you questionably at the shift in your mood. It seemed like your brain was gearing up, trying to process what he said. He didn’t think it was anything bad but with the slight thinning of your lips with your nostrils flaring, he felt like he said something wrong.

But before he could even defend himself, you nodded casually as you put back a small grin. “Oh yeah, he’s fine. Same strong, gentle old man. Just been busy with the farm and everything. Just thinking about him working in his old age frustrates me, you know?” You were rambling, and it happens because of three things: you got nervous, angry, or you were hiding something.

Taehyung immediately knew the choices but didn’t speak further. It has been a rough night for him and probably for you now, so he didn’t want to add more stress. “He should retire soon, or pass the farm to you or someone else.”

“Yeah…” You sighed, already wanting to change the subject. “You should go shower. Towels inside the hallway closet and I have a spare toothbrush under the bathroom sink.”

The idol nodded, “Maybe, you should go first. It’s late, and a school night. You also have longer hair than me, so it’d take longer to dry.”

Completely forgetting that tomorrow you had a morning class, you mentally cursed yourself. It was close to one in the morning, and usually around this time, you’d still study but you didn’t have the mental capacity right now. You were exhausted and needed to get as much sleep as possible.

“Are you sure?” You asked.

“Of course, Blue. I don’t mind, you’re literally housing me.” He patted your head as you stared up at him.

Your eyebrows pinched before you formed a pout. “I told you to stop calling me Blue.”

“It’s a force of habit.” He shrugged before squeezing your cheek. “Do you know how hard it is for me to call you by your name?”

“It’s not as hard, you know. A normal person calls me by my name.”

“I don’t give a fuck if I’m not normal or not. Blue will forever be your name for me.”

Though you’d normally get angry or show some type of anger, you were forcing yourself to suppress a smile at what he said. A smile that he noticed, so he didn’t take it as seriously.

“Whatever, Taehyung.” You shook your head before gathering up your clothes to shower and change.

“That’s not my name for you.” He denied.

“I’m not saying it. I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” Now he was acting a bit playful, which you didn’t mind. “It’s Blue and Hyungie! Not ___ and Taehyung!”

“You can’t be serious. We had those nicknames when we were kids. We’re nearly in our thirties!”

“Does it look like I care if we’re almost thirty?” The idol reasoned once more. “You being Blue means so much to me. You, of all people, should know how much you mean to me.” He spoke gently when he explained himself, almost sensitive to this topic.

You didn’t know how to respond at that. Though you knew how much you cared about him, you didn’t know how much it was reciprocated back. You had partially low expectations now on how much importance you were towards Taehyung’s life.

So you honestly said, “No, I’m not sure about now…”

The devastation wasn’t enough to describe his expression. A bit of concern, a lot of worry, maybe even frustration. Whatever emotion there was, Taehyung felt worse, realizing the immense strain between you and him. You didn’t trust him, you didn’t know how much he cared and meant to you, it was almost as if every memory made was completely garbage to say the least. At least that was what he thought.

Before he could even say a sound, you quickly changed the subject. “I’m gonna go shower. Just make yourself comfortable.” You said in a rush as you collected some clothes and your towel hanging on the door knob.

Taehyung stood there dumbfounded and exhausted. There was too much to think about and all he wanted to do was not think. He just got to you, he shouldn’t be greedy with this. 

-

While you showered, there wasn’t much for Taehyung to do. You lived in a rather infinite yet empty apartment. He roamed around your place about five times, so he was sure he saw everything you owned here.

Well, almost everything.

He was back in your room, eyes scanning the dresser. Items were still in the same position as he first saw them, but now he had more scrutiny, specifically for your jewelry box. It caught his eyes the most; it was worn down, graphics and patterns faded over time, yet still managed to keep its shape.

He soon realized it was the one his family gave you during a Christmas of your childhood.

The campfire that Taehyung’s father, Jitae, made blazed brightly outside in the back of their house. You, your grandparents, and his family surrounded the fire, taking in the warmth while being covered in jackets and snuggled in thick blankets provided by his mother.

While his siblings, with the help of his grandmother and father, were making s’mores and roasted marshmallows, you and Taehyung shared a blanket and sat in a large woven chair as he wrapped his skinny limbs around you for extra warmth and comfort. It was a relaxing Christmas Eve, and both families wanted to celebrate together because the more, the merrier. The bond was always strong between each other so it was only fair to do so with one another.

“Would you kids like to open one present before Christmas?” Taehyung’s mom, Miseon, asked with a smile. She already had two gifts while your grandmother had the other two.

The obvious answer was saying yes with immense joy in our tones. So when the two women distributed the presents, greedy hands from the Kim siblings snatched them right away. You, on the other hand, looked at his mom curiously when she gave you one. 

“___, this is from us to you,” Miseon informed. “Gifts are never enough to show how much we truly love and care for you, dear. You’ve always been a great blessing to us.”

“HEY!” Sungyeon, the youngest of three, pouted. “That’s not fair!”

“Sungie, don’t be selfish.” Their mom scolded gently but her face showed all the strictness, which ultimately shut him up, and continued opening his toy. Then looked back at you with a more calmer and happier expression. “We hope you like it.”

Smiling, you proceeded to unbox your present. Unlike the others, the way you opened gifts was done in a very neat way. Peeling off the tapes on the sides, carefully slicing the wrapping paper, and sliding it off with precision.

Meanwhile, Taehyung shredded the paper.

You opened the lid which ultimately made you confused. You took it out and observed the outside of it. It was another box, yes, but it was light blue with gold accents around the surface, edges were also gold but felt like metal. The edges were sharp and crisped. Some of the gold engraved your initials on the top of the lid. It even smelled nice too.

You found the opening latch, which also had the option to put an additional lock on it. When you unlocked it, the top popped open surprising you in the process. Nevertheless, you were in awe. There were what appeared to be velvet containers and organizers within the box with a fairly decent mirror. But the thing that made you fall in love was the small ballerina pirouetting slowly as a toy box jingle of Swan Lake played.

“It’s a jewelry box,” Miseon explained to your confused ten-year-old self. “You can put your necklaces, rings, and bracelets in here for safekeeping. I know there’s that necklace your parents gave you and the bracelets you’ve been making.” You nodded as you unconsciously grabbed onto the flower pendant you still used and never took off. “You can put them in here, or any sentimental items you have.”

“Thank you, auntie! I love it.” You cheesed at the box. Anything they gave you, you always took it with pride and honor. Your grandparents watched with smiles as you touched and caressed your jewelry box. Taehyung even stopped to look at you and admire your gift, his present in his lap was long forgotten.

“You know ___, remember you can also call me mom.” Miseon reminded you. A while back, his parents asked permission from your grandparents if it was okay. Because you lost your parents at such a young age and the way you seamlessly meshed into their family, they both wanted to be there to support and love you as their own. Your grandparents were fine with it, knowing the trust that has been built through the years but it was only the matter if you’d accepted them.

“And call me dad.” Jitae chimed in as he sat on the edge next to you. You pursed your lips before nodding quietly, still not giving them a clear answer to their offer.

 “Why do you want ___ to call you that?” Sungyeon asked with a hit of jealousy. “You’re our mom and dad, not hers!”

Then Eunjeong slapped the back of her younger brother’s head, making him wince in pain. “You dummy, don’t be mean! ___ doesn’t have parents, that’s why!” She meant well, but all the adults and Taehyung gasped, knowing how sensitive you were about the mentioning of your parents.

Taehyung slithered his arms around you before pulling you back into his body before you could even react, “Both of you, be quiet! I told you not to talk about that! Blue is sensitive, you know!”

“Now children, calm down.” Your grandmother stepped in, wanting to ease the tension between the angered eldest and the now frightened younger two. “Be careful with your words because they can hurt others. ___ does have parents, they’re just not here anymore. She knows that. And second—”

“It’s okay, grandma.” You interrupted your grandmother, making everyone crane their heads at you. You finally spoke after being silent, feeling it was right to do so. “Yeah, I know my parents are gone…I still miss them.”

“Blue, it’s okay. Cry it out.” Taehyung cooed, tightening his grip on you but his coddling made you laugh and shake your head before parting away from him.

“Hyungie, I’m not sad about it as much.” You reassured. “Besides, I have a family here!” You opened your arms, showcasing to those around you. “I have my grandparents…siblings…a best friend…” You turned to face his parents, showing all the love you had for them in your eyes. “Parents?” You said it so softly but it was enough for both of his parents to have tears in their eyes.

You got up from the chair to stand in front of Miseon and looked up at her. “I have a mom, but…you can also be my mom too.” You craned your head over to Jitae. “And you can also be my dad too!”

Your reveal made his parents rush to hug you with a strong yet welcoming embrace. You were squished between the two but felt the love they emitted.

Though you barely had time with your actual parents, you still held and thought of them very highly. You remembered what they did with you, how much love they had for you, and giving you what you wanted and needed. But the memories were fading as you grew older, the distance between them and you, their faces were only shown in pictures. It was harder since they weren’t physically here anymore.

You were finally willing to bring them in, willing for them to be part of your life from now on.

Sungyeon was about to protest but Eunjeong nudged him to be quiet to not ruin the beautiful moment. 

Taehyung smiled at the innocent memory. You were always well loved by his family, his parents treating you as if you were their child and even taking care of you when your grandparents were busy. In some ways, his parents wanted you to be part of the Kim family.

His siblings seemed to love you more than they did with him, which never bothered Taehyung at all since he got to see that bright smile on your face.

Even after the falling, his parents or siblings would mention you from time to time, wondering if you were ever okay and doing well for yourself. They tried their best to contact you, but it seemed that you were incognito and keeping your distance. It hurt both ends, but at least they wanted the best for one another. You were also a memory for them since it’s been years since they last saw you or your grandparents.

Mindlessly, Taehyung opened the box which revealed pouches of earrings and necklaces and a row of rings. You know the typical items inside a jewelry box.

However, what caught his eye was a handmade craft he didn’t think he’d ever see again. 

It was your friendship bracelet, also worn down, whithering over time, yet still intact. Despite a few chips, scratches, bumps, and a little piece of your initial charm missing, everything was there! He couldn’t believe that you still kept yours all this time. He never thought about you keeping yours, he assumed it was gone forever. But this was incredible for him.

Especially knowing that he too kept his.

It was kept in a box filled with childhood memorabilia inside his closet including the pictures of you and him through the years. Gifts, notes, letters, everything that he could bring to Seoul. During his training days, while everyone was asleep, he would read them late at night when he felt himself missing you.

Which was every day.

But after your friendship was over, Taehyung hid all those physical memories from everyone including himself. Though feeling so guilty and ashamed of his explosive younger self, he knew deep down he didn’t have the heart to throw away the box of you. Just the thought of it was a complete absurdity. He refused to erase anything of you.

Even now.

He had a sudden urge to open the box immediately once he gets home, without Clara of course. If she didn’t know shit about you, then she definitely won’t know about that box.

-

After washing up and getting ready for bed, the two of you were in pajamas. Taehyung sat on your bed, scrolling away on his phone. You went back to your closet, retrieving some thicker blankets. He heard ruffling before looking up to watch you retrieve one of the pillows on your mattress. You didn’t think much about giving up your bed for him, so you were getting ready to leave the bedroom before he stopped you.

“What are you doing?” He questioned, getting off of the bed to stand.

You stopped your track, giving him a confusing expression. “What?”

“Where are you going with that?” He worryingly nodded toward what you were carrying.

“Uhh, going to the living to make my bed?”

“Wha—___! Don’t do that.”

“Why not? I need to sleep somewhere.” You weren’t affected by this decision, but Taehyung begged to differ.

“Yeah, that’s why there’s your bed right here.” He said matter-of-a-factly.

“You’re the guest, Taehyung. You need to be comfortable.”

“I don’t feel comfortable with you sleeping outside of the bedroom.” He reasoned softly. “No offense, ___, but your living room looks lonely…”

You snorted, “I think you’ve mistaken lonely for poor.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“I’m teasing, Taehyung.” You rolled your eyes as you reassured him but he continued to look stooped and pouty. You decided to leave him be to walk your way to the living room. But before you can do so, Taehyung jogged up to you and took the blankets out of your hands. “It’s fine, I got th—wait, you’re going the wrong way!”

Carrying the fabrics, he settled them down on the bed. You followed behind and tried to get them back but he lightly pushed your face away. You were taken aback as you glared at him, having the urge to kick his shin but you held back.

“Don’t sleep in the living room. Stay here, I’ll sleep out there.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m gonna say no.” You ruthlessly shut him down.

“___!”

“No, Taehyung, you’re not sleeping out there. It’s rude for me to give you the floor, especially after your panic attack. I need you to feel cozy and secure.” You explained. “Do you still have trouble sleeping at night after an episode?”

“Y-yeah, but—”

“Exactly, so just take the bed. It’s already late, and I have class tomorrow. I don’t want to argue.”

Taehyung bit down on his lips, wanting to counter back. But he knew you were right. He always had trouble sleeping after his panic attacks. Even his doctor told him he needed to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

But the last time he felt that away after an episode was sleeping with Jimin, and the last other person to do that for him was you. And with you, it’s different.

“Fine, I’ll take the bed.” He ultimately gave in, which satisfied you. But then he said, “But if I need to be comfortable, then I don’t want you to stay in the living room. I’ll feel unsettled knowing you’re out there.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Why?”

“I just am! I feel bad too, you’re uncomfortable in your apartment.”

“I’m not, I actually sleep on the floor from time to time, intentionally and unintentionally because I pass out after studying.” You simply said, but you don’t seem to get his point.

“Don’t sleep in the living room then.” He pressed onto you.

“Then where am I going to sleep? The bathroom?”

“Here.”

“What do you mean here?” You further inquired, wary of what he meant.

“I mean here.” He pointed down, motioning to the room. “You can sleep on the bed with me too…” Your eyes bulged out of the sockets, making him realize what he said. “Come on, I didn’t mean it like that! Just sleep! Just sleep.”

“Taehyung…”

“You don’t need to sleep on the bed, it was just a suggestion. I swear! Want you to be comfortable too.” He defended himself. “If not, at least sleep here on the floor.”

“Do you think that I would be comfortable sleeping here? What if I’m not? Even after you said that.”

Taehyung’s mouth opened then closed, struggling to gather his words. He didn’t think about that, and now he felt like an asshole wanting what he said. “D-do you feel uncomfortable at what I said? I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention. Really, I—Good night then. Sorry again.”

“Don’t be sorry, Taehyung. I get what you mean, and I’m not uncomfortable.” You promised, lightly smiling. “I don’t mind but I didn’t want to suggest it.”

“How come?”

“Are you really going to ask me that?” You rolled your eyes, thinking he wasn’t being serious. But when he stared curiously at you, he didn’t understand what you meant.

Today was too long for you. However, though you were exhausted, your mind was wide awake, recapturing all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. That also included what went through your head while you were away from him.

You didn’t want to have this conversation yet, but maybe this will make him understand how you feel and your boundaries. That way you’d feel a little lighter and not have to worry about it from now on. “Taehyung.”

“Hmm.”

You wanted to be direct, and as clear as possible. “Were you really trying to kiss me?” More forward than that. “Actually, scratch that. Why were you going to kiss me?”

Okay, he didn’t expect that to come out of your mouth, especially now. Yet he knew exactly what you were talking about. The question now was what was he going to say? How was he going to respond?

He thought long and hard as you anticipated his answer. “Uhh, I don’t know.”

You blinked, “you don’t know?”

“I…I don’t know, ___, or at least I don’t know how to put it into words.” He shook his head at himself, gathering his feelings. “I guess I was… at the moment? Look, ___, being with you always made me feel right. It reminded me of how we were. I’d hold you, kiss your forehead, temple, cheek, anywhere really.”

“So you were wanting to be like old times?” You wondered, still puzzled.

“Kinda? Well, now you know the shit I’m in, so hanging out with you felt like going back in time when nothing was like this. I felt so alive, and safe. Like I wasn’t V, but Kim Taehyung.”

That still didn’t answer your question, especially when you wanted to say that he was going for your lips than your cheek or head. It didn’t matter as much right now because he said something else that sparked your interest. “Our past was innocent and young, we didn’t know anything! That’s why it was like that and unfortunately, Taehyung, we’re older. Our younger selves would have never known what was happening with us and between us. We can’t sink into the sand of our memories. That’s how people aren’t able to move on.”

“I know, but all I want is to feel happy again and the only times I truly felt it was when I was younger.” He sounded like he was begging, but you didn’t know to who.

“How do you suppose to do that then? You can’t go back in time and relive your prepubescent self.”

He chuckled lowly, “I can’t go back, but I can make new memories. Hopefully, they’re happier and less traumatizing.” 

“I do want you to have that too. Don’t think about happy memories, focus on happy experiences in the present.”

“Maybe, especially when you’re back.” He shrugged.

“Don’t say stuff like that.” You sighed, not wanting to hear that.

“I know, but knowing how you were in my past when I was enjoying life, helps to hope for those “joyful” experiences.”

You mumbled incoherent sounds before grabbing the blankets to prepare your makeshift futon next to the bed. Slumber was slowly getting to you and you wanted to mentally cry at the time—close to three in the morning and you had to wake up at six to get ready for your 8 AM class, then work. Yup, the day was nearing. Should you skip it? No, that would be a waste on your loans.

As you mentally prepared yourself for the morning, Taehyung got into the covers and cuddled with the single pillow he had for the night. His head could sleep without it.

He watched you place the layers of blankets down on the floor. As he did so, he recapped what you both discussed earlier. Now it was his turn to ask some questions, but he forgot to do something first.

“I’m sorry, ___.”

You finished the last layer before you turned, spotting him laying on his side holding a pillow. He too had the face of defeat, but yet he continued when you kept your silence.

“I’m sorry that I tried to kiss you. It wasn’t my intention to, I don’t know what came over me. Nonetheless, it still happened and it got you angry.” He explained, cautiously and neatly. “I also want you to know how much I value you and our relationship. I never want to hurt you. Even get you angry, but that always happens.” You nodded calmly, taking it all in. “I still want your friendship. I’ll do what it takes. Please don’t give up on us like that. I’m stupid, but I’ve been like that and I’m trying.”

Taehyung waited fearfully for your response. You appeared composed and unaffected, but that was probably because you were so tired to feel any rigorous emotions right now. You just wanted to go to bed, but you knew you needed to say something.

You closed your eyes and exhaled before peeling them open, “Taehyung…if I say yes, there need to be boundaries.” You finally replied.

His face scrunched at your request. “Like what? We’ve never had something like that before.”

“Well, it’s now. Don’t think about the past right now.” You shook your head. “We’re older, so there should be respectful walls between us.”

Taehyung nodded slowly, understanding your needs. “I’ll be respectful. I’m sorry again for trying to do that.”

“As long as it never happens again, and besides you have Clara, remember?” You mentioned, putting a distasteful expression on him. “You don’t wanna ruin your relationship over someone like me. Don’t wanna follow that same route again.”

Your words piqued his interest, “Again? What do you mean again?”

Fuck, you slipped that out so casually, exposing yourself in front of him like that. “Huh, oh, nothing. I…yeah, nothing.”

“___, it doesn’t sound like nothing,” Taehyung said, maneuvering himself to get a good look at you. He rested his elbows on the mattress, cupping his cheeks. He observed your avoidance, eyes roaming everywhere else instead of him. “___, what happened?” He had to think again. “If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t need to tell me. I’m sorry if I’m overstepping.”

You sighed, shaking your head. You finally gazed at him, his stare so attentive towards you. “You’re not overstepping…it’s just…I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Try your best. Say it ugly if you have to.”

“When you tried to kiss me or something, I got triggered.” You tried to find the words, biting your lips as you thought about how to approach this. “I was…scarred in the past.”

Furrowing his eyebrows together, Taehyung questioned. “What do you mean? What happened? Were you okay?”

“It’s done and over, but it still makes me unsettled.” You explained. Taehyung waited patiently for you to continue. Though he stared in silence, his aura encouraged you to be vulnerable in front of him…like the old times when he made you feel safe and sound as you used to tell him everything.

Well, not everything.

“It was back in undergrad, but uhhh, when I was a freshman, I dated an upperclassman.” You exposed yourself. This was something you hated thinking and talking about, but it was also something that needed to be clear and said, especially to Taehyung.

You dated someone?? That surprised him. Not saying he never expected you to date, it just surprised him that you actually dated someone. He had so many questions—who was he? What did he look like? What was he like? Did he ever savor your glory? Did he ever laugh the way he did? Was he ever part of your story, one that Taehyung gave up on long ago? Did he fill in his part?

Then again, you said you were scarred, so that fueled some fire within him, getting irrationally upset about this unknown dude. 

But he stopped himself and asked, “Wait, you did?”

You nodded calmly as opposed to his shocked yet steady demeanor. “He was a TA for a class. I asked for help, and it happened. He was sweet, nice to me, and brought me flowers a couple of times. Guess you can say he was my first boyfriend, well, a lot of my firsts…”

Taehyung frowned, his mouth curling down deeply. There were visions in his head he wanted to push away. “So what happened?”

“What he didn’t tell me was that he had a girlfriend.”

“Wait, so he cheated on you?!”

“No, he cheated on her with me.” You said flatly, but your heart squeezed from the visceral memory. You breathed in and out carefully, hoping you weren’t going to cry over something stupid years ago. You shouldn’t cry over that man. “I was the other woman, yet I did not know of it for like almost an entire year. No one even told me, so who knows if others knew this whole time.” Your fists clenched as you pulled your legs to your chest. “Eventually, she and I found out but she put all the blame on me and spread a rumor around campus that I was a home wrecker. They broke up, but I guess my reputation got destroyed. Or even worsen? I didn’t have any true friends even before that. Civil roommates, but that was it. Everyone knew me as the home wrecker so…”

You were also tired of crying about that horrific past, yet it still haunted you. When it happened, it felt like everything was your fault. What was worse was that you had no support system anymore. Everything you did, through college and other hardships, you felt incredibly alone and lonely. Those years truly felt the lowest for you.

The tears escaped without your permission, but you didn’t bother wiping them away because if you did, you’d acknowledge you were crying. But Taehyung wasn’t going to lay there and do nothing, so he scooted off the bed and sat next to your makeshift futon. He pulled you into him as you sniffled and the streams continued down your cheeks, also staining his shirt. He rubbed your back and wiped the tears for you.

“Taehyung, I promise this isn’t meant to guilt you but I wished you were still there for me.” Your lips quivered, breaking both of your hearts at your sad confession. “Everyone hated me. It was so hard without my best friend.”

Yet Taehyung felt the guilt eating him alive. He left you alone, with no one by your side to protect you. He wished he could cry because seeing you in this state would leave him sobbing like a baby, but it seemed the tears and overwhelming events restrained him from doing so. He hated seeing his Blue sad.

“I’m so sorry again. I still feel like shit about what happened.” He said, holding you tighter in his arms.

“It’s whatever already.” You sniffed, letting it go as it was the least of your concerns at this point. You quietly apologized for ruining his sleepwear, but he didn’t care. “It did hurt, but I’m sure you had your reasons.”

He did have his reasons, but it wasn’t the time to say so he nodded. “That’s horrible though, what you experienced. I’m sorry you had to go through with that.”

“I was a stupid teenager who didn’t know any better,” You reasoned. “I think I was too focused on the fact that someone actually liked and wanted to be with me. It was like a miracle.” You lightly joked at the end, but Taehyung took it seriously.

“Why’d you say that?”

“Taehyung, I wasn’t necessarily a catch, even back in Geochang.” You told him. “I mean my first kiss was even made into a joke. In general, I never had someone who truly loved me in that sense.” He stayed silent as he looked at your reddened face. You didn’t bother to notice his expression directed at you, as you went on. “When I was with him, it felt exciting at first. Only now I realized how much I kept saying yes to him because I thought he loved me and I didn’t want to make him upset.”

“Why?”

Your teary eyes met his hardened ones before you simply answered, “If I made him upset, then he’d leave me.”

The air grew slightly thick from your response. It was unintentional, yet intentional. You’ve said so much, yet so little. Taehyung realized now that there was much more you haven’t spoken about the in-between gap. While he spoke up, you chose to stay silent. Yet everything that has happened without him, like this experience, made a clear effect on you, and somehow also bit him in the ass.

He wanted to stir the conversation slightly, otherwise, the night will become light in no time. “You were still in Geochang, right?” You nodded tiredly. “Who was this fucking son of a bitch? Do you remember his name?”

“Kim Minjae.”

“Wait, I know that fucker. We were on the same soccer team. I’m gonna find him and bea—”

His response made you chuckle softly, patting his head in delight. Your smile eased his temper, despite biting his tongue. “Taehyung, it’s okay. You don’t need to do that because he got a teacher pregnant and is now working as a fisherman to pay his child support. I think he knows what he’s done.” The universe was on your side this time. You also remembered being flabbergasted but lowkey satisfied when that drama spread from the college to the entire town of Geochang. It was not pretty at all, but it got your name out of everyone’s mouth.

“Still, you were all alone and you went through that unnecessary shit.”

“Yes, but I overcame it. Well, not really. You just saw me cry over something that happened when I was 18. But my skin and heart are tougher, harder to break through.”

“Nah, I could poke you and know that you’re the biggest softie I know.” He cooed, causing you to roll your eyes but grin lightly. 

“Anyways, I’m saying this because though we were friends again, we shouldn’t be so affectionate with each other.” You revealed. Though his touch comforted you, you pulled and moved away from him, giving some space in between.

But Taehyung appeared insulted and hurt. “Why? That’s how we always were.”

“Yes, but I’m sure no one else would understand.” You countered, scratching your neck. “Your members, friends, Clara, might get the wrong idea, and…I don’t wanna end up in that position again. Even though nothing’s happening between us and I’m sure your actions mean well, but for my sake. I-I’m scared.”

Was it asking for a lot? Maybe. But you needed to get it out of you. This may be a sudden realization as to why you weren’t as sure about bringing Taehyung back into your life. You’ve seen those articles and comments media and some fans put out for the world to see. People misinterpreted things all the time, or worse, warped them as bait to cause drama.

Though Taehyung understood what you meant, that didn’t mean he liked hearing it. He always took pride in your bond with him, something that no one ever quite understood and instead led to various assumptions. Yet most of the time didn’t bother to care and went along with your day.

Boundaries were never discussed, but that was only because they never existed between the two of you! Although if the memories weren’t mistaken, oftentimes, there were restrictions. 

But this was slightly new territory for you and Taehyung. A rather comfortably uncomfortable situation. Nevertheless, it needed to happen to make this work for your strained relationship.

Taehyung sighed before nodding in agreement, “Okay, for you. But can I at least hug you?”

“Sure.” You shrugged. “Friends hug.”

“How about sleeping on the bed?”

“Taehyung, that’s pushing it.” You said sternly, suppressing the light grin on your face. Taehyung always did reason with you.

“Hey, I slept on the bed with my members and friends!” He argued back. “We even cuddled with each other.”

“Taehyung, I’m serious.” You groaned, raising your voice.

Taehyung laughed a hefty one out loud, almost sounding forced which frightened your irritable and tired state. You stared with eyes wide bewildering.  “I’m sorry, but I’m getting tired of you calling me Taehyung.” He brought this up once again.

You raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s your name!” Seriously, why was he taking this so seriously? It was getting quite bothersome.

“But you call me Hyungie.” Taehyung sounded as if he was correcting you condescendingly. You were about to throw tired hands, but he continued. “And you’re my Blue. Look I know I keep bringing this up and you’re probably annoyed, but it shows the importance to me. You’re important to me! More than you know, and not doing it creates distance from us, which makes it so weird. I’ll try but I’m not used to it. I know you don’t trust me either, hell, I don’t trust me either but please have faith in me. Compromise with me!”

“Taehyung, we talked about this. I-I’m not ready for that, please understand. Little by little.” You wanted this to be over, at least for the night. It was late and you needed to get up early. “I’m trying, okay? I want to trust you, but again, there needs to be boundaries. I’m not doing this as a punishment.”

“But—”

“If it must happen, fucking just call me Blue. But I won’t call it back. No, absolutely not. I can’t.” You stood your stance, shaking your head. It was too much for you. “That’s my compromise and that’s final.”

The draining stare you offered him with no budge had him fear you slightly. You were always a scary one especially when you get upset with him. It was rare, well before, but it triggered him to stop his whining and give in to what you voiced out. It had to do for now…

“Okay, that’s fine…” He sighed as he dramatically turned his head to the side to stare at your dresser, pouting like a child. He wasn’t completely satisfied, but this was what he could get. Yet the faint grin plastered on lets him side-eye you in glee. “…Blue.”

You rolled your eyes once more before pushing him off your futon. He laughed as he crawled back into bed. “Okay, that’s settled so let’s go to sleep. I’m tired, I have to wake up early.”

“Are you sure about sleeping on the floor? The other side of the bed sure feels—”

“Taehyung, for the last time and I’m not fucking repeating myself, I’ll be fine sleeping down here. Take all the bed space or don’t, I don’t give a rat’s ass right now.” You snapped back, throwing whatever he had to “convince” you out the window. “Good night, okay? If you still have trouble sleeping, you can have my pillow too.” You grabbed your cushion and handed it to him.

“No, thank you. I need you to be comfy too.” Taehyung quickly denied it before getting into his sheets and hugging his pillow. “This is more than enough. Thank you for everything again. Thank you for opening up to me too.”

“You’re welcome.” You yawned widely as you scratched your head. “No problem with that…It was nice letting it out. Haven’t talked about that in a while. Hope tonight wasn’t that intense for you.”

“I’ve had worse nights.” He said lightly. “But man, Blue, no offense you probably have bad taste men.” He joked; the playful gleam sparked through his reddened eyes as he finally laid his back on the mattress.

“Don’t even talk about that.” You groaned, knowing he was probably right. You too laid down and were about to go to bed. “Don’t make fun of me right now, I’m sensitive.”

“Okay, I won’t. I promise.” He grinned, yet you stuck your tongue out to him. “Again, I’m sorry you had a bad first love.”

Now it was your turn to laugh forcibly to which Taehyung grew confused. “Luckily for me, he wasn’t my first love, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t be caught dead with that assumption.” You scoffed as you closed your eyes. Sleep came sooner than imagined that you didn’t realize what you said, too drowsy to notice.

Suddenly Taehyung was energized again, curious about your statement. “Really? But you said you had so many firsts with him.”

“Dates, relationship, sex, heartbreak,” You mumbled languidly, listing while pondering the thought. “First love wasn’t on the list.”

“Then you had a first love?” He questioned.

You only let a groggy noise, but it confirmed his inquiry.

“T-then who was your first love?” For an odd reason, Taehyung felt nervous asking this. Despite being best friends, the two of you never discussed each other’s love lives. Well, there wasn’t any on both sides, to begin with. He knew about your first kiss before and first boyfriend just now, but never knew anything about this. Maybe it was someone within the ten years apart? But you would have mentioned it, right?

Judging by the timeline of this boyfriend, it was when you first entered college so you were still young and most likely eighteen. That could mean your first love was way before then. If he analyzed his thoughts deeply and if the timeline was correct, you might have loved someone when he was still around.

Then the question now was who?

But no answer came from the other end.

When he turned his head, he found you knocked out spreading arms with long strands all over your face. He figured how tired you were, having done physical, emotional, and mental labor through the whole day so he lets it be.

His hand reached out to push back your hair away from your face, revealing your soft and relaxed expression. Your nose scrunched at the touch, but back to its resting state. He watched your chest rise slowly, lips slightly apart with the low sounds of your snoring escaping your mouth. Yeah, you were definitely gone.

He grinned to himself before saying, “Good night, Blue.” His back ultimately pressed down to the fabric as closed his eyes. Once shut, he realized how badly he too needed to rest.

Despite that, the question remained in his head and led to his dreams.

-

Though rushing this morning, you carefully placed the delicious breakfast plate on the kitchen counter. You woke up a little earlier than usual so you could rush down to the nearest convenience store to get some breakfast for yourself and the sleeping Taehyung.

Well, more so for him. A protein shake and breakfast bar usually sufficed for you. After an intensive night, you assumed he needed some sort of joy in the morning, and what better way than to cook him chocolate chip waffles and cut strawberries on the side?

You never cooked this much even for yourself, but you weren’t complaining. You thought of this as a warming gesture and an apology for leaving him alone in your apartment. Which by the way, you were about to miss your bus ride if you didn’t leave within the next ten minutes.

You placed a metal food net over the dish, then wrote a little note for him and placed it under the cover. You went back to your bedroom to retrieve your backpack and textbook but also noticed Taehyung sprawled out like a starfish on your bed. He held a pillow to his side while the other one was under his head and was placed by you when you woke up. You also added another layered blanket for him. You spotted his signature pout resting on him with his curled strands falling on his forehead.

The sight of his slumber had you smile pleasantly, relieved that he slept soundly and comfortably the night through. Granted, a little over four hours have passed since the two of you snoozed away but you still considered it a win.

He’ll manage around your living spaces without you and would most likely leave an hour or two after. You didn’t have much to entertain him here. You also won’t come back until late in the nighttime after your shift anyway, so who knows when will be the next time you’ll see each other?

But you hoped that it wouldn’t be as long as before.

-

Taehyung woke up in an empty apartment. Your makeshift futon had been folded and tucked in the corner near the closet. This morning was rather cold. He noticed one of the blankets you used on top of him and your pillow under his head. You did all of that without even waking him; though he was too deep in sleep to even hear you.

Once he brushed his teeth and splashed his face with some cold water, he walked towards the kitchen. Sunlight peaked through your window and reflected over the whiteness of your walls and somewhat empty apartment.

As he scoured around, he finally spotted a metal cover on the kitchen counter. He went over to pull it up, revealing the waffles with melted whipped cream and strawberries. Immediately, his mouth watered at the sight. He didn’t know how long it had been out, but he didn’t care any less. It was close to noon and he needed something to eat.

He then saw a note next to the plate. Picking it up, he read—“Sorry for leaving you here alone! I didn’t want to wake you. I have early classes and then I’m going to work. I won’t see you today (unless you stop by at the shop). Please enjoy your breakfast and I’ll see you soon! :) P.S. Feel better too <3<3!”

A smile crept up on his face, chest warming up at your kind gesture. He appreciated that in you. You probably had a busy morning, which surprised him that you had the time to make this.

Nonetheless, he devoured his breakfast, a little cold and mushy but the taste surpassed expectations. While he savored the last of the sliced fruit, he noticed all these unread messages, missed calls, and voicemails from Clara. He grimaced deeply. All her messages were repeated lines of “Where tf are you?” “Why aren’t you picking up?” “Who are you with? Seojoon oppa??” “I called Seojoon oppa and he says you’re not with him. Tae, where are you?!?!? And who??” “You shouldn’t have gone without me knowing!” and “Tae, I swear to God if you don’t pick up, I’m calling the police.” The last one typically held no threat because he knew she threw that in a bunch of that through the years. 

He didn’t even bother going through voicemails because they’ll be repetitive and hearing her whining voice was not something he wanted to hear. Everything was so peaceful and relaxed for him up until now. Ugh, he was frustrated, his mood ruined by her constant bickering and overpowering control.

Right there, he decided to ignore it all. Knowing her, she was either working or probably at their shared house waiting viciously for him to come back home. Thus the idol decided to not go home and headed over to Seojoon’s.

The younger man knew his older friend had a day off—his Wooga Squad had a shared calendar to know their schedules. What better way to spend his day than to bother Seojoon.

-

“Bro, where the fuck were you last night?” Seojoon questioned as he plotted on his couch with Taehyung spread comfortably on the side of him, both had strawberry and banana smoothies on hand provided by the idol. “Clara called me like five times in panic wondering where you were.”

Taehyung sipped on his drink quietly and casually before rolling his eyes. “It seems she always runs to you when she needs help trying to find me.”

Seojoon kept a glare at his friend, shaking his head. “Duh, because you fucking disappear like Houdini.” He gulped his smoothie before proceeding. “Also I guess she’s more comfortable with me than the others.” He referred to Wooshik, Hyungsik, Sunghwan, and Joohyuk.

The idol eyed his friend, hardening his bothered stare. “Right…she’s not as close with them, I guess.”

“So are you gonna tell me where you went?” The actor settled his drink on the coaster on his coffee table. “How about this? Did anyone else know where you were?”

Taehyung bit his lip, contemplating if he should tell him. His panic attacks weren’t a secret. He was open enough to tell his friends about his experience episodes but none of them ever were there to see it happening. But the idol might as well tell it, right?  

“Yeah, I was with ___ last night.”

Seojoon cocked an eyebrow as a wave of questions flooded his brain. But he only asked, “What happened?” He didn’t want to say beyond what he thought.

“Well, we made up.” Taehyung leaned forward, hunched over as he looked at his smoothie. “Uhh, there was more to it.”

“How so?”

“Last night, I got, uh, hammered.” The idol began. “To the point where I got into a fight.”

“Oh my God, Taehyung! Are you okay?” Concern washed Seojoon’s face as he scanned through his friend’s features, then he saw the bruising of his knuckles. “You don’t look too bad, but still. You broke your streak, you were doing so well. How did it happen?”

“Same thing on how most of my fights happen,” Taehyung huffed.

“What led you to that then?”

“I don’t know…I was really sad and hurt, and I hated what was happening with me and ___.”

“But you said you made up.”

“Yeah, after she found me knocking three dudes down, then I threw up and had a fucking panic attack.” The younger man sighed, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “It was the worse one yet.”

“Oh, Tae.” Seojoon’s voice softened. “Did you manage?”

“More than manage because she was able to help me get back down.” The idol also settled his drink down before meeting his friend’s eyes. “I was still scared, so I didn’t wanna go back home and asked her if I could stay the night.”

Seojoon nodded softly, going into deep thought. “Anything else?”

“I told ___ about my shitty life, literally everything.” Well, almost everything. “If I wanted her to still be in my life, I didn’t want to hide that part, or whole, of me. ”

“How’d she take it?”

“Pretty well, I guess. She opened up to me too.”

“Well, that’s good…” The actor did his best by being supportive, but he was also a worried friend. “Did you tell Clara this? She’s probably worried sick.”

“No,” He scoffed. “Pissed me off with all her calls and text.”

“Taehyung, you know she’s concerned for you. Even if she’s gonna be more in distress when you tell her about your panic attack, she’ll understand.” Seojoon reasoned.

“No, she won’t.” Taehyung disagreed. “Because all she’ll ask was where I was, and if I tell her I was with ___, she’s gonna flip shit. She can’t even handle my panic attacks, so in my head, it’s like what’s the point?”

“Why are you making this difficult?” The older man complained yet it was said in a collected way that Taehyung never deflected on yet.

“Because she’s difficult and will never understand my perspective.” 

“Aren’t couples supposed to have good communication? What’s wrong?”

His relationship never had the greatest communication, he couldn’t lie about that. But for the past year, it has gotten worse despite the somewhat progress Taehyung achieved. Her presence was getting too much for him. It overwhelmed all aspects of his being. He never felt like he had a rest from it. Something always happened and either side, mainly him, got drained.

He needed to get away.

Suddenly Taehyung had an idea, disregarding Seojoon’s question. “Hyung, can I ask you a favor or two?”

-

“So you never bothered to answer my calls, had me anxious, then you fucking come home after disappearing for almost an entire day with no clear explanation, and now you’re telling me this?”

Taehyung’s jaw clenched, pushing down what he wanted to yell as he continued to pack his luggage. “Fine, you want an explanation—I had a panic attack and I didn’t want to be home, so I rested at Seojoon’s house.”

Clara’s anger diminished went she heard those words. She started looking at him pitifully, which Taehyung never wanted from her. “Oh, Ta—”

“Save it.” He interrupted as he finished packing his clothes. “While being away, I realized that I need space.”

“W-what do you mean?”

He breathed out annoyed as he threw back his head to calm himself. “When I have panic attacks, you don’t know how to deal with them or even help me properly. You just fucking leave while I’m over there alone.”

“W-w-well, I want to but you told me to just leave you alone!” Clara tried to defend herself.

“Because saying the words ‘calm down’ and ‘relax’ to a distressed and anxious person is not helpful. Better to be alone than to hear that crap.” Taehyung responded as he left the bedroom to grab his beauty products from the bathroom, but not without Clara following his tail. “Besides the point, I realized something or I’ve been realizing.”

“What?”

“I know I’m not the best communicator, but I’m getting sick and tired of you breathing down my neck. If I don’t even talk to you for like an hour, I get hit with two hundred calls from you. You were never one to be needy. Why now?” His voice was stable and direct like he had practiced. He grabbed his items, then went back to the room.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?” Clara scoffed as she walked behind him.

“Well, it feels like it.” He muttered as he put his products into pouches. “I can’t do anything without you watching my every move. I feel like I can’t be me right now, especially in my home.”

“So what then? Is that all that you’re going to say?”

“No, like I said I need space, which is why I need time away from you.” Once he had everything, he zipped up his luggage and pulled it to stand up. “I’m going to stay with Seojoon Hyung for a while. I need this.”

He then remembered something. He rushed to his closet and rummaged through his clothes and shoes before discovering his box filled with old memories. He quickly uncovered the lid and searched through many memorabilia including the pictures of the members and you. Finally, he found what he was looking for—his friendship bracelet.

Old, scruffed, but surprisingly, in pretty good condition where Taehyung puts in on and admired the handmade accessory for a while before he took a couple of childhood pictures of you and him for the road. He sneaked them in his pants pocket, then went back to his baggage.

Meanwhile, Clara was too busy with her feelings and thoughts to even question what Taehyung was doing. “Are you breaking up with me?” She asked in a whisper. “Please don’t. We can make this work. We—”

“No, I didn’t say that. I said I needed space. I wanna be by myself.”

“But you’re with Seojoon Oppa.”

“He has his own things to do, so I won’t even know he’s there,” Taehyung responded as they headed towards the hallway into the living room to get to the front door. “Remember a couple of sessions ago when my therapist told me to try and be alone since I get overwhelmed by the slightest of things?” She nodded. “Well, I want that right now. This is all too much for me. I’m not at my limit, but it’s getting there.”

Clara pursed her mouth. They both knew she didn’t like this one bit. She finally had Taehyung around, enjoying his presence and it was being taken away from her by the same man. But if this needed to happen to make this work, then so be it.

“If that’s what you need, then I’ll give it to you.” The socialite willingly accepted. Of course, either way, Taehyung was still going to do it. “But at least call me while you’re away.”

“Clara…” They reached the front door, now facing each other. One looked desperate while another looked depleted.

“Or at least text me! A simple good morning and a good night is fine too!” She pouted, still wanting a smidge of contact with her boyfriend.

Taehyung exhaled. Now he was taking pity on her, but in this case, she liked it. “Okay, fine. Good morning and good night. No more, no less. I’ll be okay and safe. If anything, call Seojoon if you need more updates.” He patted her head gently, staring blankly.

“I’ll miss you.”

“…Miss you too.”

“I love you, okay?” She tippy-toed to kiss him on the lips before hugging him tightly.

Taehyung reluctantly reciprocated it back, embracing his girlfriend for the last time in a while, “Okay, love you too.”

Tagged: @manuosorioh @kaal-ee @stfxthv @dahliasbouqet @bertqut1 @fuckthinking @taebangtanbabe @tan-veee @calmoistorm @militaryvvife @ellesalazar

---

This is such a spoiler, but once we hit chapter 10 and the second half of the story, there isn’t much flashbacks and the present time will get…intense 🤭 so expect WORDS. AND WILL BE CRYING

The way I find out that the GOU word count is over 100k before chapter 10 djdbdjdjdj sorry for the teleserye/telenovela

---

Hello Marli! So sorry for the late reply 😭 but literally so thankful to hear your comments! I really added on to the tae elle cover wave tho 🧍🏻‍♀️ starting having visions immediately with bad boy tae. But hope you have a fantastic day too <3

Good for Me | KTH

Pairing: Bad Boy Taehyung x Wholesome Reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, PWP (porn with plot LMAO),

Summary: You went home for the weekend, leaving a pissed-off and bruised-up Taehyung dry and devastated. So what does he do?—follow you home. Insane? Probs, but you’re always good for him so why not?

Warning: OC’s parents are those strict nosy parents who still tell you what to do even if you’re 50 years+, mentions of Christianity hfrowhouw SUE ME, i have no idea what oc and tae are but you know there’s something, mentions of violence, blood, fighting, sneaky sneaky, dom tae x subby reader but tae is needy and whipped for her, he’s just a little shit, tae has a favorite curse word—it’s fuck, TAEHYUNG IS HUGE AND HUNG, aggressive handling (but oc consented), degradation/praise combo, pet names (because I’m a simp), oral (m. and f. receiving), fingering, spanking, tae enjoys seeing oc cry, licking, i think i have an obsession with orgasm control/denial, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, unprotected sex (don’t be like them), cream pie, cum play, the ending though MWAHAHAHAH

Word Count: 7.8k

A/N: I’m adding on for the taewhores and also wrote one lol BLAME THE FUCKING ELLE COVERS BECAUSE THIS SHOT OUT OF MY BLEEDING VAGINA DJDBDBSB I’M REPENTING AFTER THIS also cross-posted on AO3. Posting this at 2AM because that's when the feral wolf comes out :D

“You know ___, you shouldn’t be going out and partying. What if you do drugs and we don’t know? You know you should focus on yo—”

“Dad, for the last time, I’ve been focusing on my studies.” You rolled your eyes, not wanting a whole ‘nother lecture when you’re here, and you got here today! “I rarely go out too, plus if I do, I know I have to finish my work! You’ve seen my grades!”

“Yes, I know but still. Those worldly activities won’t get you anywhere in life but trouble.” Your dad expressed his continuous concern for you. He can’t help that you were his youngest. “Especially with boys! I mean your sisters have boyfriends but we don’t want that for y—”

“Dad, please. Nothing’s going on with me.” You semi-lied. You pinched the bridge of your nose before you stared exhaustingly at him. “It’s also not fair, but I don’t want to get into that.” You muttered under your breath as your father rested his hands on his hips.

“I’m just worried about you, sweet pea, especially since you’re farther away from us than your sisters were.” He reasoned worryingly. “We rarely hear from you too.”

“Because I’m just tired and I’m usually studying.” You shrugged. “I’m safe, okay? If I’m not, I know to call you or mom.”

“Fine…” He still didn’t look convinced, but it was enough to end it…for today only. “I always pray for your safety regardless. You should get some sleep since we’re waking up early tomorrow for the church fellowship.”

“I still don’t know why you wanted me to come for the weekend.” It was random and unexpected. But your father called you a couple of days back telling you to come back home for the weekend, so as a good and obedient daughter, you did.

“Of course, you needed to come.” He said like it was obvious. “As the pastor of the church and the one who’s hosting it, I’d like all my children to come.”

“But why aren’t the other two here?” You questioned. You haven’t seen your two older sisters yet.

“I mean they live around the area, unlike you since you’re hours away. We figured that they’ll meet us over there.” He responded. 

Great, you were the only one and had to deal with both of your parents for the entire weekend alone. At least your mom was already sleeping, but once she wakes up, it’ll only be twice as worse.

“Alright, well, I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.” You announced before hugging him. “Good night, love you.”

“Love you too, sweet pea, and remember, dear, the Lord is watching.” Your father pointed upwards, indicating the invisible yet existent one. You gulped before nodding obediently and going under your sheets. Before he left your room, he held the doorknob and said, “No boys, and don’t forget to pray!”

“Okay.” You didn’t even bother to look at him as you were situating yourself comfortably in bed. The bedroom lights were clicked off, yet the only light source was your bedside lamp. You heard your door closed shut and the sounds of his heavy footsteps disappeared away from your room before letting out a relieving sigh.

You don’t even know how long you could keep like this. There were many reasons why you wanted to be away for college, and this was one of them. You cheered yourself on right now, knowing that it’s just this weekend and you’ll be back in your freedom in no time.

This was where prayer came in handy, asking for the amount of strength and patience you’ll need with your parents. But it was all interrupted by the blue light and vibrations coming from your phone resting on your nightstand. This sigh you let out was more exasperated than before. You turned your head in that direction. You couldn’t really what was on it at this angle, but you definitely knew who it was.

You snatched your phone to find the 43 messages, 12 missed calls, and 2 voicemails from the one and only Kim Taehyung.

You honestly don’t know how you got into this mess, or how you weren’t able to get him away (probably because you still wanted him to be within reach). But the cycle continued.

It was probably because you were new to that town, having no background about your new hometown, and usually, those who lived there continued to stay there. You were fresh meat. But don’t get it wrong, people were nice and brought you in like you were always part of the community. You found new friends, even living with a girl who treated you so sweetly and caringly. It almost felt like they wanted to protect you from something…or rather someone.

That happened to be Taehyung.

You see here, folks. Kim Taehyung had a…infamous reputation. His name always got a reaction since the day he came into the world. What that meant was people were afraid of him. He grew up as a delinquent, had some family issues, got into loads of trouble, got suspended from school, was shipped to boarding school but got expelled and came back, and even got into countless fights. You recalled someone mentioning he once beaten his teacher up because he got a low grade that he shouldn’t have deserved.

He tended to get what he wanted. It didn’t help the fact that he came from a pretty well-off family, so whatever he did, it didn’t reach the police. Right? Fucking rich people.

Nevertheless, Taehyung’s behavior with or without his familial status was rogue. There have been rumors about him getting into gangs, drugs, you know the typical dark side of society. You couldn’t confirm nor deny it because despite his willingness to tell you, you never wanted to hear anything about it. Ignorance was bliss under this circumstance.

With that being said, when you first came here, you were instantly warned to stay away from him or else…You reasoned with, “or else what?” But then they proceeded to say the same things to you—he was dangerous, he harms others, he doesn’t care about anyone else but himself, if you’re in his way, he’ll wipe your entire existence away, and your life would get fucked up.

You did in fact listen and stayed away. You rarely knew of him or even saw him around, but it was better safe than sorry. Of course, fate begged to differ. 

Oh, that’s right. That’s how you got into this mess. You were partners with him in a general requirement course, and then after briefly talking to him, you realized he wasn’t all that bad.

First off, the dude was immaculate looking, like, who wouldn’t want to stare at his chiseled features? Yeah, he stared intensely almost like he wanted to kill you, but it affected you in other ways. His voice was cavernous and velvet like you wanted him to read the Bible to you.

He looked annoyed, yet he was a chill dude. There you thought—give him a chance and a break.

Oh boy, you thought wrong. So so wrong.

But did you love it? Absolutely.

This was why you needed to repent.

You didn’t even bother reading his texts. You decided to call him and annoyingly sat up from your comfortable position. The call didn’t even ring twice because, after the first one, he answered immediately.

“Petal, where the fuck are you?” He shouted through the phone. You squinted to yourself but weren’t as affected by his tone since you were used to it by now.

“I went home for the weekend.” You simply replied.

“And didn’t fucking bother to tell me?”

“It was a last-minute thing, and it slipped my mind.” You shrugged, then you pulled your blankets off of you to get up and habitually pace around the room while you talked. “Plus, you don’t have any authority to know where I am.”

“I absolutely do have the authority whether you like it or not.”

“Ew, red flag, why?” 

“I need to know if you’re safe.” His voice subsided this time, knowing he was probably pouting yet you couldn’t see it. Okay, this was rather valid since you were associated with the bad boy of the town.

“Well, I am safe. I’m away from school and all of that.” You blushed, feeling the butterflies in your stomach. “I’m with my parents too. My holy parents, might I add.” 

“Right, holy parents and your holy sisters who got married to other holy men.” You could hear the sarcasm leaving his mouth. “Yet there’s nothing holy about their slutty little girl and the man that’s been fucking her to hell.”

“Shhhhh, don’t say stuff like that, Taehyung!” You whisperingly yelled as you stopped your pacing to clench your legs together. You always hated how much of a potty mouth he was. Though you internally loved it. “You know I don’t like that.”

“Come on, Petal. I’m just lightening up my mood, especially since you left me.”

“I won’t be gone for that long. It’s only the weekend, and I’ll be back in no time.” You resumed your pace before standing in front of your window with your back facing it. 

“That’s too long for me to not have you.”

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do!”

“You can come back, Petal.”

“No, I can’t!” You shook your head. “My parents will get mad if I leave, for a boy too.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to let you take.”

“Taetae, no!” You were trying to stand your ground. You already had four lectures with your parents, you can’t argue with him right now. “I need to sleep, it’s getting late too!”

Though his heart fluttered at the use of the nickname, he was getting pissed off that you weren’t being a good girl for him. “Babydoll, be careful with your words. I’m warning you.” His voice went an octave down, shocking your body especially your cunt. Even hundreds of kilometers away, he had such a powerful effect on you.

“I am being careful! With everything. Now please, I have to get up early tomorrow. Good night, okay Taetae? I’m sorry.” You rushed your words in fear that you were getting too loud that your parents might hear.

“This isn’t ov—” You didn’t let him finish because you decided that this conversation was over. You didn’t want to get into trouble on both ends, but your parents scared you more than him. They’ll probably want to purify you if they found out you were stained by the lustful demon-like Taehyung.

Despite ending the call, here came Taehyung calling you over and over again. You could not be bothered with it, so you settled it back onto your nightstand. You were exhausted, frustrated, and horny, but sleep was above all right now. You had to bite your tongue and go to bed.

You were about to get back into your sheets when suddenly your window from the second level of the house opened, and a gust of wind pushed its way inside. Your head snapped back at the speed of light, then a large palm covered your entire mouth before you could scream your heart out.

Though in low light, your wild widened eyes saw his face.  But what sparked you was his concerning appearance. While disheveled ebony hair was pushed back with little strands falling off his forehead, yet there was a deep cut with dried-up blood around its corners. Hues of purple and yellow covered his rich eyes that gleamed in the night whilst glaring deeply into your soul. The perfect bridge of his curved nose had another pained gash. His ever-so-plumped lips were peeled and split open and the corner of his mouth held bruising. Despite all, he looked so perfect in your dazed eyes.

“Good night, okay Taetae?” At a lower volume, he mimicked your voice at a higher pitch than how you actually sounded. He dropped his hand off of you and started waving both hands around. “Oh, look, I’m ___. I need my rest to go to church with my pastor dad and repent all the nasty shit I do with my Taetae.”

You didn’t even bother to point out how he was inaccurately impersonating you because you were shushing him to shut up. “Taehyung, be quiet. My parents could hear you.” You shook your head, eyes shifting from the closed door to him. Then you realized it wasn’t locked, so you rushed there to lock it immediately. You checked the knob and once it didn’t budge, you peered back at the frustrated man standing tall and intimidating. “How did you even find me?”

“I always find you.” He snorted as his eyes roamed around your childhood bedroom. Very pink with an unhealthy amount of plushies scattered around and you had so many pictures of your family. Not to mention the Bible at your desk. “We also share each other’s location.”

“I don’t even look at yours.”

“That’s your fault.” He retorted back.

“Taetae, you’re all bruised up!” You gasped as you finally saw patches of blood stains on his denim and army fabric jacket. A sleeve was torn and ripped. His knuckles held more bruising cuts and discoloration. You couldn’t even process that he had no shirt underneath because battered markings painted his torso. It wasn’t unusual to see him like this because these things occurred regularly but never made you less at ease. You reached for his hands and inspected for any other cuts and bleeding. “Noo, do you feel like you have a concussion? Is your head also okay? Will you need stitches agai—“

Out of nowhere, his long fingers grasped under your jaw, pulling you closer to his face. His grip tightened, causing you to wince in pain. Dang, he was so furious. Not bothering to answer you, he interrupted your worries. “Now the fuck you were doing, talking back at me and hanging up? You’re not being a good girl right now.”

Though you were in a light panic for him, you didn’t like when he scolded you like that. You frowned profoundly, “I-I’m a good girl, Taetae.” Your cheeks were puffed and squishy, he even struggled to put a hard exterior.

You were always so soft even before him. You didn’t like getting scolded despite hearing numerous lectures from your parents. You always wanted to be obedient to those you loved. 

However, Taehyung’s scoldings hit a little differently.

“Oh yeah, does a good girl leave their man without permission?” Taehyung patronized you, he knew how to get you to fear him. You merely shook your head and apologized, but he wasn’t having it. “Words, Petal. Speak up.”

“No, they don’t. I-I’m sorry, Taehyung.”

He lets out a dark chuckle before he pressed his injured lips to your forehead. They felt soft and warm on your skin. “I don’t think you’re sorry, babydoll. Seems like the bad girl needs to be punished.”

You shook your head, lips pushing out into a pout. “No, please.” You breathed. “My paren—”

Taehyung tutted and rolled his eyes before using the hand that held your face to coerce your head down so you can drop down to your knees. “Kneel before me, slut.”

You whimpered weakly as your knees landed on the ground with a loud thud. Your palmed rested in front of his dirtied boots. Your heart palpitated fast in fear of getting caught, but your mind was preoccupied with the unexpected slap from the man before you.

You bit your lips deeply, trying not to make any more sounds. The tears in your eyes threatened to be released but you also held back by squeezing your eyes shut. More so to not give Taehyung satisfaction. But when you peeled them back open and looked up, it was over for you.

He leered down at you, his stone demeanor expanded by the second. You noticed his naked chest raising harshly from the breaths he took. You immediately felt smaller and smaller the longer you stared at each other in this position.

“Be a good girl and take my cock out”. He commanded as he threaded his fingers through your hair and yanked you closer. “Now.”

You didn’t hesitate any longer. Your trembling hands tugged his belt off. You tried your best to quicken up the pace, but it seemed to hold you back as you struggled with the button pants and zipper. Taehyung noticed too so he fastened his grip on you to tell you to hurry up, making you weep.

“S-sorry.” You apologized quietly but it wasn’t enough for him. Once you pulled his pants down, you were met with a familiar bulge in his underwear. When you freed him, his monstrous dick slapped his toned stomach and bounced before you.

Taehyung never failed to amaze you with how colossal he was. The first time you saw it you wanted to run away, but he caught you and you got hooked. His darkened mushroom head was huge while the base was thick and his curved length was long and veiny. It was the prettiest dick you’ve ever seen and seemed that God blessed him very well. 

Nothing happened between the two of you yet but the slit of his tip pearled fluids. You gawked agape with your mouth parted and tongue swiping your lips. His dick twitched, waiting for you to do something but you were too mesmerized.

Impatiently, using his unoccupied hand, he seized your jaw again, keeping your mouth open. “You’re fucking taking too long.” It didn’t take him long to bring your lips to his cock and push all of him in one motion.

You let out a muffled cry with watery eyes. If the tears fell before, they sure did now.  Your throat muscles throbbed around him from the unexpected slamming.  You gagged painfully, especially since his blunt head hit the back of your throat. Your mouth produced trickling drool all over him and down your chin. You were by no means prepared, but Taehyung didn’t seem bothered as he began his harsh pace.

You held onto his muscular thighs. You were crying so much but your sobs were smothered by the cruel thrusts of his rabid cock. Despite the sting, the actions sent a flood to your thin underwear. The familiar warmth covered your stomach, clenching your thighs together for some pressure on your poor leaking cunt.

“Fuck, Petal. Shit.” He cursed lowly. His cavernous moans echoed through the air. “Look at me.” His order sounded like a threat. He stopped his movements; his cock halfway in your mouth. When you opened your heavy lids, he looked so hot and bothered even in your blurry vision. “My pretty girl.” His thumb wiped off the trail of tears. 

You were always pretty in his eyes, smiling, and laughing, even when you get angry at his annoying ass. But he especially thought you were pretty when he made you cry like this. 

Then he went back to bobbing your head brutally on him. Your nails scratched his thighs, leaving indents on them. You retched again, spit drenching all over him. “Fucking amazing for a slut like you. Is this what you wanted, since you’re a fucking bad girl?”

You wanted to say no, but you couldn’t so you shook your head and whimpered. You weren’t a bad girl. You were good!

You were getting lightheaded, feeling so stuffed to even breathe. Taehyung observed your face getting a little pale. You always forgot to learn how to breathe when giving him a blow job.

He pressed into you once more and a bit longer than usual, so he can imprint the feeling of your mouth again into his spank bank. He ultimately pulled out, leaving a long string of drool from his tip to your crimson lips. His dick covered in your sweet saliva. 

You heaved profoundly and wept here and there. You wanted to tell him off, but you were too scared to say anything. You pushed the tears away with the back of your hand and gulped your words but it pained you to do that.

“God, you’re messy,” He laughed cynically at you. “Aww, you’re upset, babydoll?” He asked condescendingly.

“N-no,” You sniffed, trying your best to be strong. “I’m not.”

“Good, you better not.” He said, letting go of your hair. “Stand up.”

This time you were swift on your feet. Though with painful reddened knees, you stood up wobbly and held Taehyung’s biceps for some support. He hooked an arm around your waist, pulling you to be chest to chest with him. 

Being like this, you saw how he towered over you. The height difference wasn’t compared to a gremlin and the Incredible Hulk but he was still way taller than you. He absorbed your appearance, finally taking in how you wore a cute brown bear pajama shirt and matching shorts. The fresh aroma of roses from your body wash and your natural scent swirling into his nostrils sent his pheromones into a frenzy. He wanted you so badly.

“Are you gonna be a good girl and let me fuck you while your parents are sleeping?” His hot breath splashed your face, fluttering you into submission. You unconsciously nodded excitingly but it caused him to tut at you. “I’m not gonna tell you again. Exact words, babydoll.”

“Yes!” You shouted too quickly that only after you caught yourself, covering your mouth with your palms. He smirked at your reaction—so needy for him. Just the way he loved it. Your hands slowly traveled to his shoulders as you batted your beautiful irises at him. You didn’t like swearing, but it came often when you were with him alone. “Uhh, p-please f-fuck me. I’m your good girl, Taetae.”

The perfect answer.

He bent down to peck the tip of your nose then went further down to lick the trunk of your neck. He picked a spot before suckling around to mark his territory. You mewled at the sensation, slithering your arms around his nape. He began moving towards your bed while you stepped back, following his lead until you fell back onto the sheets of your mattress. Your back rested while your legs hung at the edge of the bed.

Your unapologetic eyes wandered his frame.

He kicked his pants and boots off his ankles, leaving him in only his jacket. But even that, he took off. The faded and lighter scars sprawled his torso, showing evidence of fights and brawls through the years. The fresher wounds battered his rough skin and once you saw gauges wrapped around his right hip with blood patches seeping through, you sat up straight with pupils dilated.

“Taehyung, your—”

“I didn’t tell you to speak,” He growled, and stalked to the bed before pushing your shoulder roughly to lay back down. Your body bounced, trying to process what was happening but he tugged your shorts and panties down and off your skin.

He kneeled in front of you, callous palms spreading your thighs apart to reveal your leaking puffy pussy. He didn’t even touch you and you were this soaked. He inhaled deeply, taking in your sweet essence.

Jesus Christ, you were always embarrassed when he did that. It was like his human nature devolved into animalistic instincts. His mouth had a mind of its own, nibbling your inner thighs and placing even more marks on you like he wanted to claim you. You gasped quietly, jerking a little. So sensitive as always. His thumbs stretched your nether lips apart, revealing more of you to him. The petals of your sex opened for him. Your little hole throbbing around nothing but secreted so much wetness, even spotted your tiny clit inflamed, begging to be touched.

But to your luck, Taehyung wasn’t the type to get on with it right away…well he can, but most of the time, he chose not to. No, sir, he took his time with you, to the point you had to drop your pride and beg. His fingers lightly caressed your sex, enough for you to feel it but do no pleasure.

“Tae,” You whined, hands reaching for him but he swatted them away.

“Don’t touch me, put them on your sides.” He seethed through his teeth.

“But—”

Smack! The slap stung your cunt, making you welp loudly. He does another and your head turned to the side. You cried, pressing your face into your blankets. Taehyung continued hitting your pussy until it was red and sensitive.

“Naughty girl!” He slapped your lips once more, jolting your feeble body. “What’s wrong with you tonight? You think just because you’re with your family that you forgot all the rules we had, hm??”

“N-n-no.” You sobbed, shaking your head cowardly. “I promise I reme—”

A knock came on your bedroom door.

Both of your heads shot toward the direction with wide eyes. Another knock happened again before the person on the other end said, “___?” Another knock. “Sweet pea, I heard noises. Are you good?” Then the fucking knob jiggled, but fortunately, you locked it. “Why’d you lock the door? What are you doing?”

Shoot, it was your dad. Your pastor dad. Now your heart was heavy and dropped down to your uneasy stomach. You needed to say something quickly, but no words came out. You shifted to see Taehyung who shrugged and smirked devilishly, leaving you to fend for yourself. 

It was only until your dad said, “Do I need to use the spare keys to open the door?” That you spoke up.

“No! I’m good, I just…I accidentally dropped my phone on my face.” You lied, praying he’d buy it. 

“You and your dang phone.” He complained through the door. Taehyung’s mouth went wide with silent laughter hearing you get scolded. You pursed your lips, shaking your head. He was no help at all because there was a gleam of mischief and it wasn’t a good sign at all. “You need to get off of that thing, sweet pea. You won’t have enough sleep. Remember you’re joining the praise team in the morning.”

“Yes, dad! I know. I’m sorry to—unghhh.” Your sentence was interrupted by the sudden breach from Taehyung’s two long fingers sliding in so smoothly into your cunt. 

“___? ___, are you okay?” Your dad questioned as he continuously knocked on your door.

It didn’t take long for Taehyung to find your g-spot, curling his fingers to muscle memory. His digits pumped into you, and at times, he thumbed your clit. He had your eyes rolling back and biting your lips to stop your struggling whimpers. “I-I’m f-fine right now. D-d-ahh worry!”

“Are you sure you’re fine? You sound like you’re in pain.”

Taehyung dived into your pussy, taking a long lick before wrapping his lips around your sensitive nub. The tips of his fingers did their magic hitting your insides, playing with the squish of immense ecstasy.

You shrieked involuntarily, fisting the blankets under you as you threw your head back. “Yes, I’m fine!” You groaned distressingly. “I-I’m so…touched by my prayer before sleeping.” You swore faintly when Taehyung suckled and flattened his tongue on your clit.

“Prayer to the Lord is always so emotional, sweet pea.” Your father pointed out, but you really didn’t give a shit. “Alright, don’t want to disturb your time. Hope you get some sleep soon though. Good night.”

His footsteps faded away and you mentally cheered that you didn’t get caught, but you had sudden guilt that you basically spoke to your father with a guy eating you out.

Taehyung released his mouth off you to see how you appeared, crumbling at his touch. Your face wrinkled together with your mouth parted, and you saying his name with your pretty voice had his aching cock twitching. He reached over to the hem of your shirt and pulled it up, revealing your soft bare breasts and hardened nipples. “Such a pretty girl. Touched by the prayer? No, no, I’m the one you should be praying to.”

“D-don’t say that.” You moaned he knew you were very much in tune with your spirituality but he also liked to mess around with you.

“Why, Petal? You don’t like what I say, hmm?” He pouted mockingly, pushing his fingers deeper into you. You gasped, digging your head into the mattress. “I’ll give you everything that you want.” These blankets did no justice, you needed to hold onto him. You put your hand out, silently asking to hold him. Taehyung was mean but he wasn’t that mean…at least not today, so he accepted your request and intertwined his vacant hand with yours.

He felt your cunt getting tighter, understanding what was about to happen. Well, remember how Taehyung wasn’t that mean? That statement was taken back because he said, “Don’t come until I say so.”

You whined, giving your best doe-eyes and pinkest pout. “Please, Taetae. Wanna cum.”

Without removing any touch of you, he stood from his feet before covering your entire body with his large one. His face leaned down until your noses touched. “No.” He simply replied, yet his pace wasn’t slowing down. “Hold it.”

Your eyes twitched, wrestling to keep your orgasm under control. He always loved to play with you like this. You attempted to stabilize your breathing, deep and slow breaths. In…and out. In…and out. Yeah, this wasn’t working when Taehyung’s four-inch fingers were jamming into you. The pressure in your stomach tightened, clenching your abdominals to get your reach. It wasn’t a good girl thing to do, but he was mean!

“Can’t! Please!” You begged once more, knowing it couldn’t be stopped.

“No, be a good girl.”

Sorry, Taehyung but it was too late. Your eyes were already going to the back of your head, and you were prepared for the high of it all. But once you started arching your back, he pulled his fingers and hand away from you. You still had your orgasm but it felt so weak going through it without him helping you come down. Your pussy burned unpleasantly.

He glared at you, watching your lousy orgasm go to waste. All because you didn’t listen to him. But whose fault was that? Taehyung will never take the blame.

Pathetically unsatisfied, you came down and exhaled. It physically and emotionally pained you how shitty that orgasm was. And with a pissed-off Taehyung looming over you, it’ll be torture.

“Bad, bad girl.” Taehyung was disappointed at you, something you grimaced over. “I told you not to but you didn’t it anyway.”

“I couldn’t stop it…” You whispered.

“Couldn’t stop yourself? You really are a fucking slutty bad girl.” Getting slightly self-conscious from his jeering eyes, you closed your legs and covered your chest. Your face flushed with post-orgasm and shame.

Taehyung saw your actions, softening his tough demeanor. He lifted you to the middle of the bed before climbing over your concealed body. At this angle, the moonlight struck his body. Every muscle and indent defined, every wound and bruise visible, every part of him shined so beautifully and perfectly. 

His knees spread your legs open to go in between while carefully pulling your arms off your chest. His face goes down to yours, planting little kisses all over your face in hopes he doesn’t make you feel too bad. “Tell me if I go too far, Petal. Don’t hide from me.”

You shook your head, “You’re not. I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I’ll be good, I promise.”

You were soooo good to him. He smiled tenderly, pecking another on the tip of your nose before the demon smirk came back. “Then you’re still gonna get it. Get on your knees.”

You nodded and were about to twist your body when Taehyung grasped your waist and flipped you over. He pushed down your back, arching your ass up before landing a loud slap to it. You cried into the pillow, hugging it as if it was like your protection. He slapped the other cheek, receiving another reaction from you.

“Since you’re weak at controlling yourself,” He grabbed his thick length. His head played with you, gliding across the slit and collecting your saturation until he aligned it with your hole. He puts a little bit of pressure, enough to make you moan for more but then stopped. “Maybe I should punish you by giving more than what you can handle.”

That was…even worse. But you had to accept it, so you could be the good girl for him. 

Knowing he could maim you, he steadily filled you up. You felt every inch of him getting deeper and deeper inside, the stretch of your pussy left a dull ache. He held your hips as he guided himself in. Once he bottomed out, the both of you let out a sigh of relief. Every time you do this, it always felt like the first time because of how big he was.

“So fucking tight, Petal.” He hissed. The sensation of you pulsating had his head thrown back.

After a while, the two of you knew it was time for him to move. Taehyung pulled himself back, leaving his head and then piercing back in. You jolted forward, but he kept you firmly to continue his aggressive yet even pace. Each penetration to your spot left you wailing into the pillow, gripping its covers. The slapping of your skin resonated in your childhood bedroom, the only sound that could be heard other than Taehyung’s heavy breathing and your keens.

“This is what you wanted, right?” Taehyung asked lowly before speeding up his movements, making you louder in the cushion. When he didn’t get the answer that he wanted, he looped your hair around his hand and hauled your upper body until your back pressed to his sweaty chest. You winced in pain but you hooked an arm around his neck.

“I want—unggh, y-yes.” Tears fell on your cheeks. Your neck extended to the side, giving him full access to licking and sucking your skin. “A-am I being a—your good g-girl?”

“You’re such a fucking good girl, Petal. Fucking good girl.” He praised you, muffling into your neck. His other hand kneaded your boob, massaging your nipple between his appendages. You groaned at the added touch. The twist in your stomach rose, sensing another high coming soon. Taehyung noticed you tightening around his ramming shaft, so he slid his hand down to your clit and made circular motions. “Cream around my cock again. Come on, pray to me. Bless my name with your sweet sounds.”

“Taehyung, please, please, ahh.” You breathed heavily, bringing your head back to rest on his shoulder. His length ravaged your insides and his fingers pinched your sensitivity until the knot released. You splashed with blistering ecstasy, almost about to scream at the top of your lungs but his palm covered your pitched sounds. You stifled chants of his name with your rolling eyes, even lapping your tongue over his callous. His thrusts slowed down this time, easing you down. He showered you with compliments, kissing your jaw and cheek. 

Once you came back, he took himself out of you to lay you down. He needed to see your face clearly at least once. He grabbed himself and plunged in again. You keened in volume, but Taehyung shushed you. “Babydoll, be quiet. Don’t want your dad to exorcise the both of us.”

You nodded pliantly and slapped hands over your lips. He moved at his previous pace, yet your sensitivity increased after your two orgasms. You were overstimulated but pushed through to help him meet his climax. He handled your hips where it would leave bruises days after. He hunched over to your chest, latching onto your nipple and swirling it with his tongue.

His touch was a mixture of all—needy, urgent, warm, cool, rough, and supple. You loved it all, you wanted more of him. You quivered into your palms, muting the uncontrollable noises escaping you.

He popped off your nub. His thrusts jerked faster and sloppier, recognizing how close he was. His resonant whimpers rung through your ears. It was like his thumb was magnetic to your clit because it was on you again and flicking rapidly. You shuttered, shaking your head at the intensity. It was too much. “One more for me, Petal. I wanna feel you, please.”

Darn, he said please. There was no way to deny him. After four more pumps, he buried himself still. He painted your insides white with his cum, whining your name. Meanwhile, you tirelessly came again. Blinding white spots came into your vision, ringing happened in your eardrums. The feeling of scorching euphoria spread all over your body as you curved your spine. Your hands were replaced with Taehyung’s mouth, sluggishly kissing you and keeping you as quiet as possible but let’s be real.

He kissed your lips once more before scooting in between your neck and shoulder to leave more smooches on your perspiring skin. His cum inside electrified you, feeling it flood around. It wasn’t until his softening dick pulled out of you, that the dam of cum seeped out your weeping pussy.

What an immaculate sight that he couldn’t resist.

Your energy-drained body thought it was over. But Taehyung had other plans because once you felt his tongue on your enlarged overloaded clit, you gasped in shock. “Taehyung, can’t anymore!” Your fingers attempted to push him off of you but you were too helpless and fatigued to overpower his strength.

He tasted the concoction of both of your cum, playing with the juice all over you and his mouth. He was addicted to the taste, vibrating another low moan to your clit.

You begged for him to stop, but he wasn’t going to finish until you came one more time. He lets go hastily and said, “Last one. Come on, Petal.”

Then there was your last orgasm. It was weaker than the previous, better than the first, but the most agonizing one. It burned but was so divine. You shoved your face into your cushion, crying away from every sensation and emotion you felt. 

Taehyung was finally off of you and went up your body to kiss you again. But you were so lethargic, you couldn’t keep up and lay there like a Twinkie. You didn’t even comprehend how he walked out of your bedroom to look for the bathroom, knowing damn well your parents could see him.

But he made it back alive and unseen with a damp cloth to clean you up. He wiped you clean as you stared at him with so much endearment and swell to your heart even after pounding you like an animal.

After he was done cleaning, he threw the dirtied rag to the ground before climbing back in bed and putting the covers over your naked bodies. “You did so good, ___. My good girl, my favorite girl.” He pressed a kiss on your temple before you fell into slumber.

-

“___, wake up! We’re gonna be late!” Harsh knocks through your door disrupted your dreams. You groaned loudly, wanting to go back to sleep. “Sweet pea, get dressed!” It was your mom calling for you. You rubbed your eyes sluggishly in your raggedy state and rolled over. With squinting lids, you searched for your phone to check the time.

You overslept, and you panicked a bit. You kept your cool, it was fine. This was a small bump, but you’ll get over it.

Suddenly, something or someone shifted beside you. You turned your head before you were fully awake by your heart dropping down and coming out of your ass. A peaceful hibernating and naked Taehyung was by your side, cuddling your body. No wonder you woke up with furnace-like heat against you.

Immediately, you shot out of your bed to stand up but you completely forgot that after a night with Taehyung, you become temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. So you stood up and your feeble numb legs made you drop to the floor.

“___, are you awake? I heard a noise.” Your mom questioned again.

“Yeah,” you grimaced at how raspy your voice was. “I-I just woke up, I’m sorry.” You crawled towards the other side of the bed where Taehyung was.

“You have 30 minutes! I told you not to stay up late at night! You know…”

You tuned out her lecture because you were trying to wake Taehyung up in fear that you might get caught. “Taetae, wake up.” You were usually so gentle because it took him a while to fully get up but you slapped the shit out of him.

His eyes stammered open in surprise. He bolted awake and in pain. He was about to yell but you covered his mouth as you stared with alarming pupils. “It’s morning, my parents are awake. I need to get ready and you need to leave.”

“___! Are you listening to me? Do I need to open your door to get you ready?” Your mother complained, trying to open your door but it was still locked. “I’m getting the key—”

“No, mommy!” You protested. Both of your heads directed to the door with widened eyes. “I swear I’ll get ready. I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Okay…I’m almost done with breakfast.” She announced.

You breathed out in relief, knowing you were clear for now. But once you looked over to the naked man still in your bed, you had another morning task to do. “You need to leave. If I don’t come out in five minutes to go get my teeth brushed, my parents will come to get me out.”

Usually, Taehyung would play around, but he knew this time meant business. He nodded obediently. You rolled away to give him some space to get out and gather his scattered clothes. As he was getting dressed, you watched him.

The bruises, the cuts, and that deep wound were all still there. It made you upset, frowning at the mere thoughts of what Taehyung dealt with before coming to see you. You never liked what business or situation he was in, you didn’t know fully but again, just by looking at it, it was not good.

Taehyung detected your staring, but he was surprised at your sad state. “What’s wrong, Petal?”

“I know I said I don’t wanna know what you do, but it won’t change the fact that I don’t like seeing you get hurt.” You explained. “I’m seeing all of this and I’m worried sick, Taetae.”

He sighed, putting his jacket back on then walking over to pick you up on your feet. You used him as leverage. You acted like a baby dear standing on its legs for the first time, making him chuckle at your struggling state but it was too adorable. “I’m sorry for worrying you. You probably wanted to know what happened and I’ll tell you more about it later, but let’s just say I’m trying to get out of the things.”

Your eyes sparkled with joy, “You are? You’re not just saying that, are you?”

He smiled and shook his head, “I’m not just saying that. I’m serious. I’ve been…in it for a long time but I’ve been also wanting to stop.” You nodded understandingly. “Wanna do this for myself, but for you. I don’t want any of them or other affiliations to find you and use you against our will. It’s not easy, hence why I arrived like this, but it’ll come to an end.”

“Okay,” You grinned sweetly before puckering your lips and waiting for him to come.

He leaned down and accepted you, He circled his arms around your body as he kissed you tenderly. He parted away, foreheads touching. “I’m gonna miss you, Petal.”

“As I said, it’ll only be this weekend. I’ll be back tomorrow night.” You reassured but it wasn’t enough to prevent the pout on his lips. “Come on.”

The two of you walked over to the window. He opened the pane as he prepared his descent. His legs were out hanging, his arms and torso still inside your room. You went over to give him one last kiss for his travels back.

“I’ll miss you too, Taehyung.” You giggled, captivating his entire heart.

Feeling overwhelmed with the thoughts and emotions of you, he blurted out, “I love you so much, ___.” It was the first time either of you said it, and he just realized what he said when his eyes grew the size of saucers and stared at him like he was insane. You were a fish, opening and closing your mouth with no words coming out. You didn’t know how to react, but you definitely felt your heart palpitating briskly. 

Before you could finally say anything, he abruptly goes, “Okay, well, yeah bye. See you in psychology class.” He descended as fast as he could, trying to get away as possible. You didn’t even watch him out the window, which was a good thing for him as reached the ground. While walking away, he was mentally screaming at himself and fisting the air at what he did.

-

You were finally dressed and appropriate for church. You fixed the clip in your hair before walking out of your room and down the stairs. Yet your thoughts were elsewhere and about the boy who was in your room not too long ago.

He said I love you. The fucking bad boy of the town confessed his love for you. What the fuck? First of all, you weren’t even together. You didn’t know what you were, whatever. The only thing you knew was that Taehyung would beat the shit out of any guy that came your way. Second, it was an odd choice to say a confession after a sneaky night at your lover’s childhood house with their parents sleeping at the end of the hallway.

Thirdly, you knew what your feelings were but the little shit didn’t give you a chance to comprehend and tell your side. Ugh, now you have to deal with him opening up once you were back in town.

You reached the kitchen, greeting your parents. Your mom told you to take a seat as she prepared a plate for you. She glanced at you, then took another look intently yet you didn’t seem to notice.

Once seated, your father scrolled his phone for news and reread his notes for his sermon. He gazed up at you, then did a double take before raising an eyebrow yet you didn’t see his stare as your mom walked towards the table with your breakfast.

You were too busy looking down at the settled breakfast before to spot the questionable looks your parents made. Once you were about to devour your eggs and kimchi, your dad stopped you. “What were you doing last night?”

You blinked, “I was on my phone late at night, and did my emotional prayer, remember?” Your father hummed, nodding eerily calmly.

Then your mother spoke up as blunt and knowledgeable as she was. “Then why do you have hickeys all over your neck?”

A/N: There will NOT be a part two :D

All rights reserved for ©️ icedmatchatae 2023 (｡●́‿●̀｡)

---

The way I find out that the GOU word count is over 100k before chapter 10 djdbdjdjdj sorry for the teleserye/telenovela

---