Chapter 1: Flower Shop
Chapter Text
(@Korai_R)
Sweet fragrance of peonies filled his lungs with freshness, indicating a bright day ahead of him as he took the recently delivered batch of flowers to arrange it on the corner shelves. After tending them properly, he arranged all the flowers securely in their vases, setting them on the shelves, spraying water on them and on all the other flowers in the shop.
Taehyung loves his flower shop a lot. Different kinds of flowers ranging from our lovely regular red roses symbolizing eternal love to the brightly colored wild sweet peas with as sweet a message of appreciation. The poinsettias of Christmas decoration with red and green foliage to the weird tiny succulent cacti, bunny ears cactus. He loves all of them equally. Weird or beautiful, he loves everything about the shop. More because it used to be his mother’s. Everything about this shop reminds him of his mother.
All this flowers contains the same sweetness, the same warmth his mother used to emit.
He has been taking care of the shop since his mother passed away by a sudden heart failure. It was devastating for him, after all, he was just a mere eleven year old. A young person like his mother wasn’t supposed to leave like that. A young child such as Taehyung wasn’t supposed to suffer like that. Still, that isn’t how life works.
It hurts Taehyung a lot that his mother’s not with him anymore, physically but in his memory his mother will always live, for a long, long time.
As much as it hurts, it’s not the only reason that made his life insufferable sometimes, Taehyung’s father’s the reason.
No, he isn’t dead or anything like that, no. His father is the only family he’s left other than his maternal uncle, what hurts him the most.
His father who didn’t seem to care for his mother’s death, at all. To be honest, he never cared.
He never cared when they had nothing to eat, just because all he spends his money on, were cheap liquor, he never cared when his family had to go to sleep with an empty stomach, he never cared when he had raised his hand on his wife and a two year old child. And he certainly didn’t care when his wife had decided to open this flower shop with all the savings, just so they could earn enough for their survival and Taehyung’s further education. But he did care when his mother started to earn a good income. Every single day, he asked for money so he could go and waste the night drinking in some cheap bar. Beating both the mother and child after coming back drunk.
As much as Tae wants to protect his mother, he couldn’t, what can a two year old do when an adult man abuses him and his mother.
Till this day, his father raised his hand on him and he lets him, it’s better to have a parent than having none. Somewhere in his heart he blames himself for his mother’s death and suffering. If only it’s not for him, his mother would’ve left his father a long ago. If only it’s not for him, his mother wouldn’t have to suffer like that. If only he was not a carrier, his father would’ve loved him like a normal kid. They couldn’t be a normal family because of him and he thinks he deserves to suffer as much as his mother did, even more, if he’d be honest.
No one outside of his family knows anything about that happens in his home… with him.
This year, Taehyung will be twenty-one this year and he isn’t very eager to let anyone know. Things are good this way and he plans for them to remains like this.
Taehyung’s a university students, double majoring in botanical science and finance. His future plans are to make his flower shop business booming and flourished. Although, he knows a lot about plants and how to take care of them, he also wants to extend his knowledge of them. It’s gonna help him in taking better care of the shop. Therefore, he needs more money to pay for both courses. He also pays for the electric and water supply bills as well as every other necessities in his home. Basically, he’s the sole earner in his home with a good for nothing drunk and abusive father. But his father has something that Taehyung needs and that being this very house.
Their house is a two-floor building with four decent sized rooms in both floors. One of the room in ground floor is Taehyung’s, the other is occupied by his father. Ground floor is consist of a kitchen, the only kitchen in the house and living room and a bathroom while the first floor has two bedrooms, one of them has been used as a store room while the other room is empty and fully furnished with double bed, a couple of cushioned chairs, a small tea table and cupboard mounted at the corner wall. All in all, it’s a decent sized house for a family of five people. All under his father’s name.
Taehyung’s grateful, his father didn’t decide to throw him out, even if he has to give his father 25% of his earning of the flower shop. He does not make enough to pay for an apartment that he’ll buy together with his father’s expenses. So, even if he has to make some sacrifice he doesn’t need to bother to look for an apartment.
Anyway, Taehyung has decided to rent the top floor, so he could earn a little more to pay the university fee, electric and water supply bills and the only worker he has in his flower shop, Chanhwa.
He’s like Taehyung, just a little older than the twenty-one year old boy. Chanhwa takes care of the shop when Taehyung goes to the university. He has helped Taehyung a lot when he was just eleven and couldn’t take care of the shop alone, Chanhwa being fifteen back then. He’s like a sworn brother to our Taehyung.
After attending some regular customers, Taehyung gets ready for his classes, waiting for Chanhwa to arrive and take over. Today being an uneventful day, he can take leisure walk to the bus stand. That’s a good thing about afternoon classes. It allows him to open the shop in early morning, check the list of the clients, future appointments and sales records. Checking everything twice, he makes a neat record of his early morning purchase of the batches of new flowers, seeds and manure.
He takes the calculator, calculating the sales and purchase before punching everything in a notebook neatly. It’s not that he doesn’t keep a digital record, he does, mostly for attending the bill but he likes to keep a hand-written copy of everything. He’s a little old school with his business and it also helps Chanhwa to take over the shift without getting confuse over technology. Both Chanhwa and Taehyung keep a hand written and digital copy of everything as they attend their decided shifts.
They have a wedding in the list this weekend. Although, wedding decorations are the most difficult projects, they have to give their all, if they want the business to grow, wedding ceremonies are the best functions to promote and showcase their works and it also makes them more money than regular days. This wedding’s colors are white, so what’s better than the beautiful white lilies, the brides demand. That’s sound simple, right? However, it’s not.
Last time, when they decorated for a wedding, which was yesterday, the Sunday. They made a beautiful arrangement of pink carnations, which had taken a lot of time but at the last moment, it didn’t satisfy the bride, so she demanded to change everything with white roses. Chanhwa had to drive back and retrieve every single white rose from the shop back to the venue. It took twice the time it takes for a single arrangement as they had to take out all the carnations, replacing it with the roses. And Taehyung charged twice the price it would take for a single arrangement. What? He can’t take a loss in business just to make a whining brat of a bride happy in her wedding day.
*
Closing the notebook after punching the sales record in the desktop, Taehyung sighs loudly, massaging his shoulder softly. Yesterday was one hell of a day, no way his body won’t ache like this. At little sweet ding echoes in the shop, indicating someone’s arrival. Alerting him, Taehyung peeks at the door smiling warmly at person, who’s none other than Chanhwa.
The elder boy shrugs his jacket off, walking to the room behind the shop to change in his work clothes, which is a simple black polo shirt of khaki pants over that he wears an apron much like Taehyung’s own.
“Good afternoon hyung.” Taehyung chimes as he follows Chanhwa in the back room to go to change for his classes. Removing his apron and then the clothes one by one, changing in a short sleeve white shirt black jean, black and green flannel over the white shirt. He grabs his backpack as they both come out dressed.
“Taehyung-ah, what’re you planning to do for the wedding in the weekend? I seriously don’t want a repeat of yesterday.” Chanhwa sighs loudly, pinching the bridges of his nose, probably reminiscing the horror of yesterday.
“It would be lilies as decided but I have prepared some white roses and amaryllis in case of change of hearts. Don’t worry hyung we’ll pull this off perfectly, believe me. But now I should run, my class would be starting in an hour. Bye.” he’s about to leave but not before he grabs a white orchid stem, running out of the door. Chanhwa sighs shaking his head after him, at the younger’s innocence.
Taehyung walks to the bus stop, from it would take half an hour to reach the university. He plans to have a meal before his class start, in the university caféteria. But before all that, he needs to meet someone, someone he brought the orchids for, as very other day.
The bus comes to a halt when Taehyung’s running through his plans. Cheerfully jumping off the bus, he makes his way to the university caféteria.
“Hello hyung, where are you? Yeah, I’m at the caféteria. Ok, I’ll wait for you.” He put the cell phone back in his pocket, taking a look at the orchids, the symbol of reverence, beauty.
Perfect for the one he has brought the flower for.
Chapter 2: Beauty and reverence
Summary:
Like every other day, Taehyung has brought some flower with him, he’s been doing this since he came to knew that Namjoon’s here in the university. It’s been three years, he has done this every day without missing a single day. It’s true, they don’t meet every day but when they do, he never forgets to give it his all. Show the elder boy just how he feels about him. The deepened blush on his cheeks and neck, the picked up pace of his heart and that bitterly painful stretched of his smile, all because of a certain person, Kim Namjoon.
Notes:
Hello, everyone. So, so sorry for not updating either ALAYWM or Lavender Field. So sorry again. I hope everyone is doing great out there. It took me 5 days to write and edit this and I'm glad its a long chapter. So, today I won't say more than this and get straight to the warnings. You'll have to know what's in it by reading. So go and enjoy it.
WARNING:
Fluff
Slight Angst
Attempt at humor
Mention of violence against child
Grammatical ErrorPlease read and enjoy and tell me how is it. Thank you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Taehyung has a degree of reverence for Kim Namjoon, more than he has for any man in his life. Kim Namjoon, now the head of department of the Computer Science branch in his university. Kim Namjoon, Taehyung’s best friend since middle school.
Kim Namjoon is Taehyung’s best friend, a couple of year older than him. Taehyung has always like Namjoon’s company. First time, they met in the school library.
Usually, no middle schooler in their right mind would ever set foot in the library but Taehyung was in a need of a better understanding of all the plants and seeds that were in his shop. What’s better than a library? He deduced.
Every day after school Taehyung used to spend sometime in the local library close to his house. Gathering a lot useful information about the various plants and flowers, he loved doing that but the books in the library did get uninteresting eventually.
Although, his library tour brought him a lot knowledge tips better understanding and some temporary happiness, it had its own cons more than pros because after every library sessions, there awaited beating session in home. Why was he late? Who’s gonna do the house chores? Etc.
Library was a temporary happiness but a local library was not enough for Taehyung’s curious brain, he eventually got bored.
Considering his needs, he tried his hands on the school library. But it seemed like even the word “library”, was a taboo among the middle schooler. No one visited there except some eccentrics of the school. Strangely, he was considered one of them, it didn’t get on his nerves much though. Because despite everything, Taehyung was in need of something and he’d do whatever it takes to find it, even if he had to get a beating after or be called an eccentric.
*
Taehyung didn’t know finding a library would be this difficult. No one seemed to know the way, not even a senior.
Just what did these people were doing in the school? Couldn’t even tell the way to the library to a fresher.
And finally when he reached there, he didn’t expect it to be so… deserted… empty. And abandoned, creepy even.
He slowly made his way in, trying not to disturb the peaceful or rather a silent room in the entire school. Tip-toeing to the desired section, he slowly caressed his finger on the spine of a thin hard-back book. Not sensing a presence behind him, Taehyung smiled slowly at the whole shelf. Silly.
“Hello there, may I know what’re you looking for?” a slightly heavy voice startled him, and a little squeal resounded from his throat as his chest squeezed in a gasp. The sadden shock resulted in the books in his arms to scattered around the wooden floor with a banging thud as well as him himself.
“Uh… what?” he raised his head from the position he was in. In front of him, was standing a tall kid, probably from the senior year.
He was tall, at least, more than Taehyung himself, dark brown mop of hair dishevelled on his head going about every possible direction. His eyes were framed with huge specs, giving him a look of someone, you would call a perfect nerd. But what grabbed Taehyung’s attention most, were the deep indentations on both his cheeks. To be honest, they were perfect, prominent. One can always forget that the little indents are actually birth defects rather than a cute facial feature.
Warm welcoming smile stretched on his lips the adorable dimple guy offered him his hands but Taehyung took a bit more time to silently praise the other boy’s dimple before taking the proffered hand in his own.
“Sorry, I didn’t intend to scare you. Kim Namjoon, senior year, by the way.” Namjoon shook Taehyung’s hand which was already in his grasp.
“Yeah… what? I… uh… mean. Hello to you too. I’m Kim Taehyung, fresher and yeah… you didn’t scare me. I was just a bit surprised to find anyone here.” really he tried but he couldn’t sound as convincing as he wanted to be.
“Okay… Anyways, are you looking for something specific? I could help you with it?” Namjoon offered with a friendly approach. Unfortunately, Taehyung was still in daze with the shocking dimples. He didn’t seem to grasp what the elder boy was saying.
Taehyung squeezed his eyes narrow as he leaned forward to look at Namjoon’s lips, probably dimples, before realizing what kind of rude behaviour he was manifesting. His hand, still on Namjoon’s. As the realization resurfaced, Taehyung’s whole body temperature increased in embarrassment.
Pulling his hands back to his side, he gave the elder boy a 90° degree bow in apology.
“I’m very sorry, Namjoon-ssi, that was a very rude behaviour. I’m sorry.”
“Shush… Taehyung-ssi, we’re in a library, right now keep it down, please.” Namjoon shushed Taehyung as he smiled apologetically to the few people in the room. Slowly, he asked the younger boy again.
“So, looking for anything specific?”
“Yeah, could you help me find it?”
*
And that’s how those two met and continued to do so.
Every day, Namjoon and Taehyung used to meet in school. They’d get to know a lot of things about each other in the daily library session at lunch break.
Taehyung got to know that Namjoon’s the top student of class, perhaps, the whole school. Almost everyone knew him, moreover, he didn’t see a negative comment about the senior boy. If ask anyone, Namjoon was humble and friendly natured boy. He was not like someone the student called nerd, in actuality. He was cool, has awesome taste in music and really open minded guy. And… he knew how to speak English. And that’s very cool in Taehyung’s eyes.
And Namjoon got to know that Taehyung runs a flower shop on his own and looking for any information he could use to run the shop efficiently and smoothly. He got to know that Taehyung wants to make his flower shop business a hit. He knew a lot more about plants and trees, even more than their teachers. Namjoon liked it, he’d never seen someone as diligent and as independent as Taehyung. While he himself didn’t know of his future plans, someone as young as Taehyung, is already working for it.
He’d also get to know that Taehyung lost his mother a few years ago, the flower shop belonged to his mother once. So, Namjoon wanted to support the younger boy as much as he can, bringing him as much information and tips as he can gather. Eventually, he’d get to know that the young Tae’s a carrier. Anatomically damaged in half of the word’s eye.
And although, he was a bit shocked, he didn’t care as much for anyone’s anatomical condition to consider them his friend. Especially, Taehyung. He didn’t care as long as the younger remain the Taehyung he knows.
Taehyung liked Namjoon for his unconditional support.
Truth be told, he was not expecting Namjoon to accept anything less than perfection. He… loved it. He loved being not judged every time he declares he’s a carrier.
He loved being true to Namjoon, he loved being friends with Namjoon. He loved… well, in fact, he loves Namjoon.
After Chanhwa, Namjoon’s the only one person, who never judged Taehyung for being Taehyung. Not even his father accepted him but here Kim Namjoon accepted him and continued to be friends, giving him support and he sometimes even comes to the shop to provide a helping hand. Like every Sunday, he comes and helps Tae and Chanhwa in the shop as Sunday being the busiest day of the week.
Since then, they formed an unbreakable bond, since then, Tae began to like Namjoon intimately.
Although, he has never confronted the older boy about it, he has always tried to make certain gestures to show him. Unfortunately, the so called genius Namjoon just doesn’t get it.
Namjoon was Taehyung’s senior, so eventually, he had to graduate from school, that didn’t make a slightest dent in their friendship or Taehyung’s growing love, per se. They kept meeting for the library sessions somewhere else and Sundays were their day in the flower shop.
As time passed, there friendship grew to a level they couldn’t live without seeing each other at least once a week, Namjoon makes time to meet Taehyung, even if he faces a hectic schedule every day and vice versa. Weekends have proven to be the most fun part of the week for both of them.
In high-school, Namjoon was offered to skip courses and graduate earlier than most of the young population of school. He was a bit confused and a little bit sceptical too as this could prove to be a career deciding decision for him.
If he decides to graduate earlier, what’d he do after? What if, he won’t be able to stand up to everyone’s expectations? Parents? Teachers?... Tae’s? What if he’d mess it up entirely? What the hell does he even want to do in his life, anyway? Or if he decides to rejects the offer, then what? Would that be a good decision either?
Damn.
So, his head was in a complete befuddled state. Thinking clearly was causing him a severe headache. So, he decided to head to the best advisor he had. Unfortunately, it was Taehyung.
And although, Taehyung didn’t like the idea of Namjoon leaving him again and couldn’t share classes with him again, he asked Namjoon to do what he truly wants to do not anything under immense pressure. It’s his life and he should lead it however he like, regardless of the future events, which haven’t even occurred yet.
Taking the younger’s advice, now Namjoon’s a professor in the same university Taehyung goes. The current acting head of department of the Computer Science and Engineering, going for his PhD.
Though, not the same, Taehyung manages to spend time with elder boy.
Like every other day, Taehyung has brought some flower with him, he’s been doing this since he came to knew that Namjoon’s here in the university. It’s been three years, he has done this every day without missing a single day. It’s true, they don’t meet every day but when they do, he never forgets to give it his all. Show the elder boy just how he feels about him. The deepened blush on his cheeks and neck, the picked up pace of his heart and that bitterly painful stretched of his smile, all because of a certain person, Kim Namjoon.
*
The same Kim Namjoon, who has stepped inside the caféteria after a long, long wait. Apparently, that’s how Tae feels, except, it’s been only ten minutes, more or less. Tae’s smile widens as much as it can, face brightens up as if it could light up the whole caféteria alone. His big eyes transforms in crescent before disappearing under his bangs. He just can’t tell anyone how his entire body shuddered with a single smile Namjoon gives his way, how his stomach feels like a million butterflies have erupted inside.
His chest aches slightly with the heaviness of his heart as he feels like it has increased in size, squeezing his lungs slowly, restricting his respiration. How happy he is.
Namjoon slowly walks his way resulting the whole caféteria ogling at him. Oh, how Taehyung wants to punch everyone in the face who ever dares to even glances at Namjoon, let alone ogle at him. Basically, he didn’t even know when he came to hate the whole women population of the university and few men.
“Hey, Taehyung-ah, how are you doing today? At least, after the disaster of a wedding you had to attend yesterday.” Namjoon ruffles Taehyung’s hair affectionately, it wouldn’t be a surprise to say, the entire caféteria erupts in gasps and widened eyes, even if it’s an everyday occurrence.
“Anyways, I bet the orchids are for me, isn’t it? It’s beautiful Tae-ah, symbol of beauty and reverence. I love it, thanks Tae-ah.” Namjoon plucks the orchid stem off Taehyung’s grasp. Smiling a dimple smile at him as they take their seats.
Small conversation begins taking place.
“So, hyung, how’s the day going for you today? Anything new happening in the classes or something?”
“Nuh-huh… nothing new, just the usual. If you can call a bunch of internet stolen project that the entire department is copying for the term submission, then yes, the usual.” Namjoon emphasizes the “the usual”, curling his fingers around the words in the empty air, sarcastically. Gaining a cute giggle from Taehyung.
So on, they talk, their subjects ranging from Taehyung’s studying to Namjoon’s teaching. The beautiful weather and seasonal flowers Tae’s going to work with this season or upcoming wedding he has to attend or what kind of projects the computer science department are going to do. By the projects they mean Jeongguk, what kind of new hilarity he’s gonna bring this time.
Jeon Jeongguk, an year junior than Taehyung, star of the Cs dept. one of Taehyung’s closest friends. One of the best students in the entire department and also Namjoon’s cousin.
To Namjoon, that kid’s a handful but the cutest. To Taehyung, he’s a younger brother he never had. Jeongguk has come from Busan to study in Seoul as he had always wished to visit the capital, studying here is only a blessing. Though, he had insisted to live alone or in the dorms, his parents had requested Namjoon to keep him with him, safe, if not more, considering how unpredictable the younger boy can be.
So, Namjoon welcomed his little cousin happily. He really doesn’t have a problem, considering he lives alone in his apartment he had bought a couple of years ago. Jeongguk’s a star that light ups the barren apartment and a dimwit that managed to fire up the whole apartment itself when he tried his hands in the kitchen.
Well, that trait runs in his family because Namjoon’s even worse in the kitchen. Jeongguk’s not the only disaster not when Namjoon is living under the same roof.
Namjoon and Jeongguk are amazing roommates for each other, they keep each other entertained with their antics.
Oh, how Taehyung would love to be a part of this family. A family that cares about each, that stay together no matter what problem they have to face. A family that doesn’t hurt each other for apparently no reason. How he wish to be loved by a family. Just how.
Taehyung gets pulled out of his thoughts when a shrill voice echoes on the hallways, running up to them. Taehyung recognizes this voices as his Jeongguk’s. He wonders what the younger had done now. Taehyung shakes his head as he sighs, waiting for the new drama to unfold.
“Oh, hyung, oh, hyung.” the younger boy comes up sprinting through the caféteria, calling for his brother.
Gosh, you can leave it to this pair of brothers, to grabbing attention wherever they go. Again, the entire population sitting in the caféteria turns around to drool over Jeongguk.
The younger comes halting in front of Namjoon, almost dropping his bag which’s hanging on his left shoulder. He inhales some deep breaths, doubling over, both palms resting on his knees.
Namjoon heaves a long sigh, calming himself down before, in case, Jeongguk had done something he could get upset over. After two or three breaths, he manages to relax his body before attending to Jeongguk’s problem or probably, their problem.
Slowly, he inquires Jeongguk, proffering a glass of water to the ravenette.
“Calm down Gguk-ah, drink slowly, yeah? Now tell me what you did this time. I mean what happened to you this time?”
“Yeah, hyung, so, I was trying to make lunch for both of us… and I was pouring some oil on the pan and chilli pepper and… and I… uh don’t know how the pan… caught fire. I…uh dammit, hyungthekitchencaughtfireandeverythingalmosteveryisnowburntdowntoashes.”
He says it so hurriedly that Taehyung can’t even grasps the half of it but looking by Namjoon’s expression he must have set the house on fire.
Ah…What? The house on fire? Taehyung can’t… he can’t believe his own words.
“What? What have you done? Fire? The house? Jeongguk-ah…” Namjoon panickingly rises from his seat grabbing a hold of the younger’s shoulders.
“Jeongguk-ah, nothing happened to you, right? Are you injured anywhere? Difficulty in breathing? Let me check you properly, come here.” Namjoon man-handles Jeongguk almost every direction, looking for any form of bruises or injury or anything that can be dangerous for the younger’s life, till he’s satisfied. When finding none, he grabs Gguk’s face, turning it sideways for the very obvious reasons.
That’s just like Namjoon, family’s safety is more important than his now burnt house. Taehyung loves this eccentric brothers. His eyes are filling with happy tears but Jeongguk’s whining brings him back once more.
“Hyung, nothing happened to me. See? Not a single scratch although, I don’t think we’ll be cooking in our kitchen, not in near future at least.”
“And yeah, Jimin-ssi helped me extinguish the fire safely. He’s so mad. I don’t think he would let us step in this kitchen, like for… ever?” saying this, Jeongguk wonders on his own like this is an everyday occurrence in their household.
Namjoon and Taehyung sighs relievingly in unison. Thanks to whatever up there, nothing happened to the kid. If it’s not for Jimin, they would’ve to spend the night in a hotel or it could’ve been a hospital too.
“Jeongguk-ah, from now on I’m banning you to enter the kitchen as well as myself. We should just let that place be or in Jimin’s care, okay?” Namjoon shakes his head in defeat, resulting Jeongguk to give an eye blinding grin. This kid really. Then his attention is directed to the younger Kim, first time since he’s entered the caféteria.
“Oh. Hi, Taehyungie hyung, how was the wedding yesterday, a little birdie told me, you were strung up in a disaster.”
“That was not a little birdie, it was obviously me who told you. Have some respect for your elders Gguk-ah, and yes, it was not a disaster, our Taehyungie managed to avoid any disaster and complete his work smoothly as we all know he would. He’s not dumb and messed up like us two. Now you can leave for your class they’re about to start. And I should find Jimin-ah and apologize to him once again. Go.” Namjoon turns Jeongguk around and pushes him forward as all three of them leave the caféteria and step in the hallway, heading for their classes and in Namjoon’s case, to find Jimin.
But it seem like he doesn’t need to as the said brunette enters the hallway himself.
“Jimin-ah… we’re here.” Taehyung runs up to Jimin, his best friend. Besides Jeongguk, Jimin’s the only one he considers his best friend. A soulmate, a secret keeper, a shoulder to cry on, a brother and most importantly, a family.
Park Jimin, Taehyung’s best friend since the first year’s first day. He and Tae are in same year, shares the class of financial studies.
Like Jeongguk, Jimin’s from Busan too. He’s studying Hospitality Management in university as he’s the next in line to take over the chain of Hotels his family’s well known for. Jimin’s the sole heir to the throne of Park family’s hotel business. Parks, who are known as the top hotelier in the whole country, manage several chains across South Korea. It’s Jimin’s dream to take the already successful business even further, make it international.
And yes, he’s the one who always save Namjoon and Jeongguk from their harmful kitchen activities. Basically, Jimin is their neighbour and that also how he met the brothers.
When Jimin had come to Seoul first, he shifted in the apartment his parents bought him, even when he insisted not to. The very next apartment to Namjoon’s. And Namjoon here, had done the same thing Jeongguk did today. And let me remind you, it was even worse than Jeongguk’s attempt. Jimin, like a good neighbour, had come to his rescue in time and save Namjoon from further damage.
He also advised him to stay away from the kitchen but Namjoon couldn’t eat the convenience store food more and attempted a second time, resulting in the same consequence. Jimin had to rescue him again and this time he was not taking a third attempt and finally asked Namjoon to stay the hell out.
But after that, he felt bad that he screamed on his neighbour who, he also found out to be a professor in their university, who also, owns the very kitchen. He offered to cook for the elder in apology as he too, is living alone. He really doesn’t like to eat alone and cooking food for both of them would be a good exercise to learn the guest’s need and reach their expectations. Ever since then, he has been cooking for Namjoon and later when Jeongguk joined his brother, Jimin was even determined to take care of them as he was lusting over the younger brother. For a while, things went like that, then Jeongguk, with a lot of difficulty and shyness asked Jimin out.
Honestly, Jimin was in heaven, he even prepare a feast, a whole class could eat. Jimin’s an angel, he’s a saviour to this pair of brother and Jeongguk’s in so love with him, he can’t afford to lose him.
This cooking of today must have been for Jimin, Taehyung’s suspecting, it was supposed to be gesture of love and gratitude… well that, if it would’ve gone smoothly.
Nonetheless, Jimin would love it and remember forever even if things didn’t go right, Jeongguk is safe and that’s all for Jimin and for Namjoon and Taehyung.
*
Taehyung calls after Jimin as he made his way towards them.
“Oh, hi, Namjoon hyung, Taehyungie. And yes, Namjoon hyung, Ggukie burnt your kitchen again and its bad but we managed to extinguish the fire but you’re definitely gonna need a renovation there. It’s bad, extremely bad. I tell you.”
“Aish, Jimin-ah, thanks again. Really, if it’s not for you, I and Ggukie would’ve been grill meat a long ago. I should really consider even having a kitchen in my apartment.” the elder sighs, his eyes wandering off to some place in the empty air probably, thinking about having a kitchen or not.
“Anyways, now you two head for your class. I’m gonna check on the damage done in the kitchen before my next class starts. Bye.”
And he leaves just like that, sighing continuously, with a heel of palm massaging on his temple.
Taehyung chuckles as he watch the elder’s retreating back.
Namjoon’s handsome. Actually he’s super sexy in formals. That’s what Taehyung’s been eyeing. Unethically.
“So, orchids today, huh?” Jimin enquires squinting his eyes at his best friend followed by an eyebrow raise teasingly. Gaining a light punch on his shoulder by the younger boy and cute complaining pout.
“Don’t start on it again Jimin-ah. When you know everything.” whines the younger boy as they walk through the hallways to their class.
“So… when do you plan to tell him, Taehyung-ah? It’s been what? Nine year-ish since you met him and you still couldn’t… confess, even Jeongguk-ah is better than you. He did it in like what? One and a half year? Taehyung… you need… well, you need to hurry before someone else does it.” Jimin is concerned for his friend, he knows of his love for the elder brother of his own love, Jeongguk. Basically, he’s the only one who knows besides Chanhwa, who had his suspicions since… well, since forever. Taehyung had to come out clean to him after a lot of one-on-one interrogation.
Jimin knows how Taehyung brings flowers from his shop without missing a single day. When he couldn’t meet Namjoon, he passes the flower to someone who’s going to meet the elder, mostly, his delivery boy is Jeongguk, sometimes Jimin too.
Even tries to cook something sweet every week as Namjoon has a world known sweet-tooth. Though, he fails most of the time because he’s only good with regular food, he never gives up on attempting. At least, one meal a week and one dessert attempt is a routine for Taehyung from several years now. It’s just that he’s attempts at desserts never seems to see success, no matter how much efforts he puts in it.
“Taehyung-ah, so what’re you thinking?”
“About?”
“About telling Namjoon hyung that you like him, dummy.”
“What’re you saying, Jimin-ah?”
Hot red paints down his neck as well as it creeps up his cheeks. Unfortunately, Taehyung’s blushing face doesn’t help at all, contradicting his actions from his statement.
“So, you don’t like Namjoon hyung? You should’ve told me earlier, Tae-ah. I would’ve asked him out myself. But now that you’ve cleared it, I think I should tell Jihyo, she was asking me if Namjoon hyung is single or anything, right?” Jimin teases Taehyung as the redness of fuzzy blush starts to turn into red hot anger. His teeth gritted in anger, Jimin swears he can hear a whistle blow and steam coming out of his best friend’s ear.
He even brings out his phone pretending to look for the phone number of the said girl.
“Jimin-ah…” Taehyung growls loudly, grabbing the whole class’s attention at once. At instant, Tae’s hands grips Jimin’s shoulders shaking him harshly back and forth. Followed by them being thrown out of class by their professor.
Being shoved out in the hallway, Taehyung and Jimin face each other amusedly before breaking out in a loud fit of laughter. Again, resulting in a hard scolding by the professor. No worries the period is almost over.
Jimin and Taehyung makes their way to their next class, they have a fifteen minutes break between each class, so they walk leisurely together before they’d separate to go to their own classes. Making small talk as Jimin chews on the protein bar.
“But really Taehyung-ah, you should tell hyung about your feeling as soon as you can. You know as much as everyone, how popular Namjoon hyung is, not just in the university but even out in social life. There’re lot of people lining up for him, lot of girls and even guys have tried, it just that, its hyung who doesn’t taking interest.” this time, the elder of the two looks serious as he relies his genuine concern. Which doesn’t seem to set right with Taehyung.
He just doesn’t understand why, lately Jimin’s been quite forceful pressuring Taehyung to confess again and again. And the pitiful looks he gives Taehyung whenever he talks about Namjoon, which is every time. He couldn’t help but think the elder boy’s trying to hide something from him and if not hiding he’s not even telling, which’re two different things.
To remove this unsettling feeling deep down his stomach, he decides to ask Jimin why. He just can’t tolerate this much suspense in his life. His life doesn’t lack problems anyways.
“Jimin-ah, can I ask why’re you so concerned about me and Namjoon hyung and what’s with the pitiful look you always seems to be giving me whenever I say anything about hyung.” it’s not supposed to come out so harsh or so deprecating as it sounds like but it’s been eating Taehyung for a while now. Though, not intending, he may have hurt his best friend. Jimin’s agape mouth’s enough an evidence.
“Jimin-ah. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just, I don’t get it why. Why’re you asking it again and again? It’s unsettling for me. Do you perhaps… do you know something. I don’t know. If that’s the case Jimin-ah, please tell me. You’re not hiding something, are you?” Tae asks Jimin eyes squinting in suspicion, that unsettling feeling doesn’t seem to go away.
Jimin gulps the bite raising in his throat, trying not to give anything away. He places a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder forcing a light smile.
“There’s nothing like that, yeah? But it’ll be great to see you both together. I’m just concerned, that’s all. And wasn’t it you who doesn’t seem to shut up about Namjoon. It’s always Joon hyung. Since you starts a day till the end, Joon hyung this, Joon hyung that. It’s always him, in your mind he occupies most of the space. So, why not say it to him, right?” he tries to clear, it just couldn’t look convincing.
And before Jimin could say anything further, Jeongguk arrives running up to them.
“Jimin-ssi, Taehyungie hyung.” Jeongguk pants heavily because of all the running in hallways, folding in half. Jimin and Taehyung stares at him before welcoming him with an amused smile. Taehyung swears he can hear Jimin’s pounding heart and feel the warmth radiating from him. Fuzzy love and sweet affection seeping out of his best friend’s very being.
All for Jeongguk, only for Jeongguk. Their palms slips and locks together as Jeongguk offers his rather sweaty hands toward Jimin. Apparently, he’s here to escort Jimin to his next class as always. But before they leave…
“Taehyungie hyung, do you have something you wanna pass to Namjoon hyung?”
“No, Jeongguk-ah, already met him earlier before your whole kitchen fiasco, did you not notice me?”
“Oh, yeah. I remember. White Orchids, right?” scratching his nape the youngest boy replies, sheepishly. It’s not unusual for Jeongguk to forget Tae’s presence. When Jimin’s involved, he doesn’t see anyone, even if it’s his own Namjoon hyung.
This kid.
“Jeongguk-ah, how dare you always forgetting me, even when I’m standing right in front of you, huh?” Tae threatens him… well, he tries, widening his eyes, curling his arms on his hips. It could’ve been a threatening gesture had Taehyung not looking like a kid with big wide eyes. Not like he doesn’t look mature or anything but an emotion as heavy as anger is not his style, doesn’t suit him. And it’s also not that, he’s ignorant or naïve, he’s just kind, that’s the true maturity for him. Being kind and forgiving is what made Taehyung, The Taehyung today.
“And yeah, Tae-hyung, I wanted to tell you something. Last week, the dinner you made for me and Namjoon hyung, I ate that all alone. It was so good, you’re the best hyung.” Jeongguk raises his hand in a thumbs up, he’s front teeth showing. He truly appreciates his cooking, that makes him happy but why Namjoon hyung didn’t eat anything, didn’t he like the food. It bugs him. For a better explanation he decides to ask Jeongguk himself.
“Jeongguk-ah, you said you ate alone, why? Don’t hyung like the food or you didn’t not share with him again?” he asks suspiciously this time his gesture seems a little bit menacing.
Standing beside Jeongguk, Jimin squirms uncomfortably, luckily it goes unnoticed by Taehyung as his full attention being occupied by Jeongguk.
“Oh that day, Namjoon hyung was out with Jin- ”
“Jeongguk-ah, my class is about to start, we should get going. Bye, Tae-ah. We’ll meet you after class, ok?” with this, the couple leaves waving their hands with a parting smile.
Enough for Taehyung to notice the uneasiness it brings Jimin, every time they talk about Namjoon these days but not enough to notice the tight squeeze Jimin gives Jeongguk’s hand when he was telling him the reason of Namjoon’s absence at the dinner that night.
Anyway, he too is getting late for his class.
Notes:
Here's my Twt.
Chapter 3: Family
Summary:
Cheolmin’s not really religious or anything, he doesn’t believe in pre-written fate but he sure believe in karma, believes that it happened because he had destroyed a lot of family by his own two hands and this is a payback. Hence, proving his point for his dislike for violence.
Notes:
Hello everyone. So sorry for coming late. Today will be an interesting chapter because MIN YOONGI is HERE... My hero. Let's go straight to the warnings then. And yes, whatever happens in the story are fictitious, take as a fiction and if you can't please stay out.
WARNING:
Light Angst
Family Fluff
Mention of violence
Original Characters(parents)
Inaccurate Data(more like fictitious)Please enjoy and tell me how is it in the comments. Your support keeps me going. Thank you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As the next weekend rolls, Tae and Chanhwa prepares for the next wedding ceremony. Coming back and forth on the calls from the flower vendors. Fortunately, there’s no change of plans by the bride’s side or any other side. White roses and amaryllis as highlights. Gorgeous and classy for a chic wedding. Taehyung’s dexterity with flower arrangements is bang on. He’s tremendously agile with his hands.
After the beautiful wedding, Tae charges as generously as he has performed. You can’t risk business for a happy wedding.
And for the successful weekend, he decides to make dinner for Namjoon, Jeongguk, Jimin and Chanhwa.
Tae has been running around the spacious kitchen in Jimin’s apartment, he’s definitely not gonna invite his friends in his own home and have his appa wreak havoc and humiliate him in front of them. So, he already made dinner for his appa before leaving the house for the night.
He has some fresh clothes and his toiletries packed in his book bag for himself, so he could spend the night at Jimin’s and leave for university the next morning without bothering to go back all the way home to freshen up and bring his books.
Dinner menu’s been decided, he and Jimin are going to make ochazuke and oyakodon with some side dishes and let Chanhwa rest for the night. He does a lot in the shop while having another job as a librarian in a university which he’s the alumni of.
When Namjoon enters Jimin’s apartment, he’s met with dark smoke emitting out of the kitchen, while Jimin and Chanhwa are setting the table and bringing out the dishes, which seems perfectly fine.
Namjoon gives a slight bow to Chanhwa when the elder welcomes him with a familial smile but when Jimin turns his way, Namjoon arches one of his eyebrow in question.
“Taehyung-ah.” Jimin mouths his reply wordlessly, shaking his head helplessly.
“Making dessert, isn’t he?” Namjoon says rhetorically and takes his place in the dinner table with a wide dimpled smile adorning his lips. Not making any comment further.
Namjoon may have not make a comment but Jeongguk sure is not Namjoon, the moment he enters the apartment, his nose catches the ever irritating smell of burnt food.
“Is Taehyungie hyung making dessert again?” he asks loudly, shuffling across the apartment, sitting himself down next to Namjoon.
Namjoon nods, so does Jimin and Chanhwa.
“Oh no… not again.” Tae’s screaming can literally be heard from a mile away. Imagine what these four are feeling.
When all of them settles down in the table, Tae comes out of the kitchen, head hung low and the burnt dessert in his oven-mitt cladded hands.
Slumping down loudly enough to jerk the table up a beat.
“Failed again.” is all he says, pouting sadly.
“Don’t worry Taehyung-ah, you’ll get to it…” Namjoon say, then muttering “someday” under his breath. It sounds doubtful to his own ears. He ruffles Tae’s hair lovingly.
“Hmm…” pouts, jutting his bottom lips out at the elder Kim half-heartedly.
Namjoon couldn’t help but coo at his antics.
“Anyways, let’s start eating, shall we?” Chanhwa urges everyone as they start eating.
“Whatever happens to your dessert Taehyungie hyung, you never fail to make good meal.” Jeongguk chuckles before finishing. “Just not good as Jimin-ssi.”
“Shut up brat and be grateful I’m even inviting you to these regular dinners lest you would’ve starved yourself alone.”
“I can always go to Jimin-ssi.”
“And I can stop Jiminie to cook food for you whenever I like.” he sasses back. And with this, they bicker non-stop, throughout the dinner. But stop here and there to tell Namjoon every single thing that happened this week.
Namjoon listens, commenting whenever he feels like it. Sometimes humming in agreement, sometimes stating his points.
That’s how they are, never let anyone left out of the conversation even when only they’re talking, everyone else can join if they like to.
Tae likes this family so much, he like spending time with them… with Namjoon especially.
Yoongi doesn’t really favour violence in particular, however, he’d admit, it’s a rather affective way to have their work done. There’s this unexpected flexibility in violence that even a single flick of his wrist is enough for a million won land deal or contracts. Still, he doesn’t like violence as much. Honestly saying, it’s too much work and doing so much is not Yoongi’s style.
Reclining on his super comfortable chair with his legs propped up and crossed ankles on the table, is Yoongi’s style. However, despite being as lazy as Yoongi, his father doesn’t approve such behaviours.
Min Yoongi, the current acting head of Min family and every single business that comes under their name. Min family owns about 20% of country’s major businesses, real estate being their favourite with an amazing amount of clubs and restaurants and hotels. However, the South Korean underworld is the true family business for the Mins.
Min Jaehyung, Yoongi’s grandfather, had started as an owner of a small local garage, a mere mechanic, who, in the later years had become the head of a small but strong family in underworld. Even he didn’t know how all this happened, seems likes, lingering with the local mafia was not the best choice of his life, however, it was a good choice. Although, he had work hard… well as a criminal, he did it amazingly. Just like Yoongi, he too never liked violence, he didn’t resort to it unless he desperately had to, smuggling being his pillar business as the started with small cartels. And just like that, the Min family came in the light, occupying more than half of South Korean underworld. Rising to the top own their own feet.
Yoongi’s father, Min Cheolmin, succeeded his father, polishing their name precisely. In his own time, he extended his reins, capturing the real estate, clubs, restaurant and hotel business, making them a full-proof cover for the illegal business.
Cheolmin wants to convert their black business white, so they could lead a normal life as a businessmen but one cannot leave the underground so easily, once entered. After all, everyone needs the flexibility that comes with shady illegal deals. So, he let that aspect of their life be. What he really wants can only be happened once he becomes a politician, so when Jin comes of age, he decided to step down and started to involve in politics more and more. Winning favours of the politicians and businessmen slowly.
Min family maybe involve in the underground but they never hurt anyone for their own benefits but having a strong hold over the underworld is a must, it’s even necessary then being a politician, after all, underworld has an upper-hand over the politics and business industry these day.
What Jin and Yoongi learnt from their father and grandfather is that, when Min family plays, they either win the entire game or lose everything completely, no in-between, no runner up and no consolation prize.
If they rule the underworld, they’ll rule the business industry and be the politician as well. No rock unturned. No in-between as they say.
However, when Cheolmin stepped down for Seokjin to succeed him, Min Seokjin, Yoongi’s elder brother, had refused the position of head of the family.
See, that’s where he and Yoongi differs as much in opinions as in personalities.
Min Yoongi is like a true copy of Min Cheolmin and Min Jaehyung. Silent, emotionless, dangerous when needed, demands utmost respect without even asking for it in the first place, a complete introvert and lazy as fuck, meaning the perfect candidate to be the head of the family. While Min Seokjin is a complete opposite, he’s loud, expressive, not so introvert and pretty active as a human being.
According to Cheolmin, Jin is just like his beloved, deceased wife.
Oh how much he loves her but she had passed away a few years ago.
How much Jin and Yoongi reminds him of her, Jin especially. He’s the fun type just like his mother, perfect for the lazy Mins to keep them in their toes.
Cheolmin’s not really surprised by Jin’s refusal, just like his mother, Jin feels strongly about his opinions and he’s doesn’t find a career in underworld.
So, Min Cheolmin accepted his advice to make Yoongi the head of the family, not just because of his similar personality traits as Cheolmin but his true potential as a leader. Yoongi has everything in him that makes a perfect Min boss.
Both of them grew up alongside their father, looking up to him, and learning from him. Loved by him and their mother but Yoongi has been the best.
Yoongi and Jin have trained together but one can see the difference between him and Jin, even Jin knows that.
Yoongi’s a diplomat, perfectly knows how to handle a situation more civic and rationally, he’s trained as a soldier, he has made himself unbeatable in a physical combat and he know how to handle business.
Min Cheolmin never compromised both his children’s education as a leader, both children are trained to succeed him.
Jin’s more of a businessman than a mafia boss, he has advised his father to make Yoongi the family head while he’ll manage him and half of the business they own.
Jin’s main interest is the bakery, his mother used to own, he likes to spend most his time there, the very reason Cheolmin fell in love with her.
His extreme love for sugar had brought him to the bakery, his then not-wife owned.
She was a fierce woman, local mafia was in contract with some big businessman to remove the then small bakery of its existence. Again, she was fierce woman and she wouldn’t let anyone ruin her dream business.
Cheolmin was there when the other mafia group came to threaten her, not expecting her to fight tooth and nail. Though, it was verbal, she had a way of talking, talking people into either submission or anger. He couldn’t tell who was being threaten here then, her or the mafia boss.
Cheolmin was in love by the end of the argument and in a fight by the end of the day.
That’s how he won the extra sugary chocolate chip cupcakes as a token of gratitude and after visiting the bakery every day, he won the heart of the woman he later had the privilege to call his wife. Sweet and cliché.
Even when his wife, then girlfriend, came to know of Cheolmin’s background, her love for her man never decreased, on contrary, she loved his strong and decisive nature, even the laziness.
Few years later, they got married and had Jin, their sweet bubbly Seokjin and then a couple of years after, they had their lazy, introvert Yoongi. A cute, beautiful but a fierce family of four.
Jin learnt everything from his mother, even how to handle the Mins. When he was not training with his father and brother, he’d spend his time in the bakery, learning baking and managing the shop. As for Yoongi, he used to laze around the corner and steal most of the bakery goods for him and his father, trying to do it as surreptitiously as he could. But Jin and his mother always caught them when they had to go to the training grounds to bring Yoongi and Cheolmin back for lunch or dinner or whatever they were having, not even surprised to find both father and son duo munching on the stolen snacks leisurely.
They had an amazing family but Yoongi and Jin’s mother couldn’t be with them more, losing her life to leukaemia.
Cheolmin’s not really religious or anything, he doesn’t believe in pre-written fate but he sure believe in karma, believes that it happened because he had destroyed a lot of family by his own two hands and this is a payback. Hence, proving his point for his dislike for violence.
Anyways, so when Jin elected Yoongi as the lead, Yoongi didn’t protest or even put up a fight as he knew this is his fate. He became the head, letting his father’s smooth transition from a mafia boss to a business and now, to a politician happened. That… doesn’t mean, he’d let Jin live happily after piling up all the hard work on Yoongi’s plate.
He, Min Yoongi took his payback by making Jung Hoseok, his best-friend and Jin’s then boyfriend, now husband, his right hand man.
Jung Hoseok, the only son of the Jung family and the Min’s best-friend, is Yoongi’s right hand man and Jin’s husband. The Jung family’s crown prince in a way.
Mins and Jungs are friends since the first day of Jaehyung’s reins. All three generations have serve the Min family as an ally and boss.
Jung Hoseok has been friends with Yoongi and Jin since diaper days. They have trained together, schooled together and played together. And by spending all his time with the Mins, he fell in love with Jin in middle school, couldn’t control himself and asked his uncle Cheolmin for Jin’s hand in marriage as soon as Yoongi was made the head.
Although, Jin acted like a brat, Yoongi knew he was in cloud nine when Hoseok asked him out in high-school.
Cheolmin didn’t have to think twice before he approved and gave blessing to the Jung-Min couple. Both of them are his own children after all.
Now with Yoongi as the family head, is out of his mind after he has come back from the dungeon at their dark, stinky basement of the huge Min mansion.
Propping his legs over the coffee table while he leans back from the sofa, both his hands behind his head.
Loudly sighing… intentionally for his father to hear, who has joined him on the sofa mirroring Yoongi’s gesture, waiting for the maid to finish cooking.
“You bored, Yoongi-ah?” his father asks casually as they both eye the empty air in front of their eyes.
“Ah… uh.”
“I never thought someone as lazy as you, could be bored sitting comfortably on the sofa. What?”
“Says the laziest man in the entire house.”
“That’s why I’m saying this because I’m lazy and I don’t get bored sitting around comfortably.”
“True, you know, I usually don’t get bored like this but not having Jin hyung and Hoseok-ah to torment with the paper work… is so damn boring. I admit.” with that said, both father and son duo bursting laughing. This only happens in their home, usually, Yoongi and Cheolmin keep their bitch-face on, when they’re out working.
“Right, my baby Jin-ah and his never ending desire of weekly honeymoons. Poor Hobi-ah. Anyways, when’re they coming?” the elder Min asks.
“Probably, tomorrow. I assure they’d regret ever leaving me here alone.” Yoongi sneers evilly, probably, thinking about everything he’d do to get on Jin’s nerve.
“Aish… Yoongi-ah, they’re married, you can’t tag along with them, everywhere. They need privacy and you pry too much.”
“But Jin hyung does too.” He whines, complaining.
“Yaa… he’s older than you and you’re not married yet, to have that kind of privacy. Come on, let’s have dinner before it gets cold.” Cheolmin raises from his seat ushering Yoongi with him.
“And yeah… what did you do to that Jae Kwon guy, get any info on the Kwon group?”
“Uh-huh… perfectly beaten and tortured into interrogation and yeah, they were the one who took the contract of the assault that happened last week.” pinching his nose bridge and sighing softly, he continues.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve taken care of the Kwon family, no one can touch a woman without their consent, especially, if they belong to the Mins.” he declares confidently, his father couldn’t help but puff out his chest in pride as he gives few pats on Yoongi’s back. Making an easily slide in the dining table, their conversation goes on.
Notes:
Here's my Twt.
Chapter 4: Uncustomary
Summary:
How to explain the unusual action of his tiny heart? The rapid pace it gains the moment Namjoon comes closer? And those pink and peach clouds bursting inside his stomach? Or how about the sweat that covers his forehead with even a single look from the elder Kim? How to express the appreciation he has for Namjoon? Namjoon, who has always been so kind and nice to him. Namjoon, his closest friend, the Namjoon, who Tae’s in love with since high-school.
Notes:
Hello everyone. Its the first update of this month and I have decided that I won't edit the dialogues in italic because its irritating to read, really. Sorry for the torture you people were going through in both fics. So today, it will be a bit sensitive update so hold your heart carefully. Now, because I don't have anything interesting to say, lets move to the warning.
WARNING:
Angst
Swearing
Domestic Abuse
Hurtful comments
Heartbreak and sadness
Grammatical Error(as always)Please enjoy and please tell me in the comment section. I' m dying for it and shamelessly asking for it too. And your are very well welcome in the twt too. Thank you.
Chapter Text
Warm tears prickles behind his eyelids as he keeps his eyes tightly shut, itching to break loose and fall effortlessly face-first down on his badly bruised left cheek. A harsh painful whimper resonates around the closed room as soon as it escapes his lips. Reflecting on the dark, lifeless walls of the room. Blaring his own ears as his father slams his shoe-cladded foot on Tae’s ankle, so hard, it might break if more pressure would be applied.
“Who did you ask before having a sleep-over with that Park brat, huh? Where were you this morning?” a hard kick at his shin. When he begins to explain.
“Shut up.” the older man growled lowly, angry teeth gritting together. Reaching down right before Tae, hovering over him, he smooths his fingers on Tae’s hair before abruptly tugging and yanking his son forward, not giving him enough time register the moment clearly, only to sneer ruthlessly on his face.
“Haven’t bothered to ask me before leaving now, Tae? Guess I too am dead to you like your mother, huh?” a solid, ear-ringing slap connects to Tae’s left cheek.
“I… m so...rry, appa.” Tae barely manages to mutter, salty tears wetting the reddened cheeks finally, leaving a soft burning sensation in its wake on the raw peeled skin.
“Shut up.” lower growl, again,
“You’re sorry, huh? Because you didn’t make breakfast today or because you slept over… or because you hid the money for all this month, hm?” finally, spitting the real reason out his disgusting mouth. Taehyung hasn’t given a single dime to his father this month as he’s had to pay the admission fee for this semester and also settle the account with flower vendor. Also, the last few weeks have proven super hectic with his client.
Although, he rarely refuses his father his hard earned money to keep his abuse at a minimum, he’s not quite surprised to find himself down on the floor in his father’s room, getting beaten up, this isn’t something unusual rather an everyday occurrence. Nothing a palette of make-up can’t hide but the real problem is, his abused ankles.
Jimin and Chanhwa hyung would definitely find his limping suspicious… he wonders if he should skip the class for next two days. No one would find it suspicious, right? As he never in his lifetime has skipped classes for two days in a row. He wonders what Namjoon would feel or if he’d even notice his absence.
Honestly, he doesn’t really feel good this time, his ankles are hurting real bad like it’s smashed and torn and thrown on blazing hot coal, his scalps burning too like thousands of needle prickling it.
He doesn’t really feel good these days, his father’s beating are hurting more than before… like… like his body’s giving up on the tolerance it had before. However, he can’t fight back right now and mess in anything he doesn’t want to be. He has his dreams to fulfil, fighting back now will only decrease the chances of its ever happening.
He needs his father or rather his property right now.
He can’t pay every single bill on his own incoming and still expect to have some saving for his shop.
All these thought are running in his brain in lightning speed while he’s laying down and receiving kick by his drunk father. He doesn’t even cry anymore, it all happens because of the pain not because of his emotions. He already has stopped trying to correct his father, stopped trying to believe his father would ever stop abusing him.
After a good painful hour of beating session, his father finally stops and leaving after snatching some money from Tae’s bag.
True to his word, he slowly gets up limping his way to his room, so he could take some rest after patching himself up. This day couldn’t get any worse.
He surely gonna skip classes for the next two days, a nice and practiced lie can never hurt Jimin, could it? And also, he’ll try convincing his father to rent the upper floor, he needs it badly as he also is in a need of money to pay his regular hospital visits. With these thought, he closes his eyes for the night, never bothering to even have dinner or something to eat for the night. The usual.
Next two days goes with him pampering his drunkard of a father as he slowly tries to slip the room renting matter in between.
He has been doing everything around the house to impress his father enough to convince him to rent the upper floor. Even with the immense pain in his ankle.
That alone is not his main concern, as expected, his cell-phone doesn’t stop ringing the entire two days. His entire call log only contains missed calls from Jimin, Chanhwa and Jeongguk.
Chanhwa’s call are lesser than Jimin as he had asked him to take care of the shop for next two days, not telling him the reason of his absence intentionally. However, telling Jimin that he has caught a cold is not very affective as a lie because it isn’t the first time he has caught a cold but it surely his first time to take two days off because of it, more importantly, he doesn’t go to his shop, which rarely ever happens, so, not a surprise Jimin’s trying to call him, even text to visit him but Tae threatens him with the contagious effect of cold.
Now, when he’s serving dinner and about to talk about the renting again, his phone rings one more time, Jimin’s selfie flashing on the screen. He silences it before his father’s gaze falls on it.
“Ahem…” fake cough. His father glares at him, now giving him his full attention.
“Appa… you… did you… I’ve been thinking… thinking I mean. If you’d like… I want to suggest that… If you’d like.”
“Hurry the fuck up.” his father growls, nose flaring in anger as he slams the chopsticks on the dinner table.
“I’ve been thinking… that we should rent the upper floor.” he says it in so hurry that even he doesn’t understand what he’s saying.
A sneering noise resonates around the room. As his father scoffs.
“And why do you want to do that? Isn’t your flower shop making enough money, so you could spend it on your useless self?”
No, really. It feels bad as it sounds worse but Tae needs the money and for that he needs the permission. Sucking the tears in and gulping the lump in his throat back, he endures the harsh words thrown at his way by his own father.
“It is.” he whispers half-heartedly.
“But we should… I need a little more to pay the fees appa.”
“Aren’t you friends with Park heir? Why don’t you serve him, he’ll definitely pay you well.” his father, very casually… so casual says that a smirk putting at the corner of his lips.
His eyes widens as the words stings sharper than expected. He couldn’t hold the tears in as his lips agape, opening closing. Unbelievable.
“That’s not… it’s not… like that appa.”
“How do I know, huh? Not like I pry in your personal life, now do I?” smirk widens.
“No, it’s not like it.” he jumps out of his chair in impulse, standing and shivering in front of the man, who’s the entire reason for his hell of a life.
Tae’s father casually folds his hands on top of the chair propping his chin on top of his clasped hands. Clearly enjoying he distress on his son’s face.
“Here’s the deal Taehyung. You’re gonna give the 75% of the rent money to me, ok with this? Or forget it.” he places his deals on, waiting for Tae’s response.
Tae doesn’t know what to say anymore, he doesn’t know why his father riled up his emotions like this before flashing the deal in front of him. All he knows is, that he’s more than hurt, he’s devastated but… he doesn’t want let this opportunity go.
At the end of the night, he makes an agreement with his father, not 75 but 60%, however, he’s not gonna give even 60% to him, obviously, his father doesn’t know what the actual amount of rent he has planned. Rent amount is set a bit higher than he told his father. As long as his gives him money his father won’t talk about the rest.
Jimin rushes to Taehyung, when he sees him entering the university gate, Jeongguk following closely behind.
“Tae-ah, how’re you today?” is the first question he asks before even greeting him. Jimin’s concerned, he’s been concerned since Tae called him two days ago, informing him of his cold.
That day, Jimin didn’t buy it, so now, he’s damn concerned about his Tae. What really happened and why’s he not saying it? He didn’t come to classes for two days, ok. He didn’t talk to Jimin, basically, ignored him for two days, still ok. But how could he forgets to send flowers to Namjoon, which… doesn’t happen often. Not ok.
Searching for any hint, his eyes roams the entirety of Taehyung’s body, finding none because of the clothes cladding. Not even remains of cold as he was told.
“Jimin-ssi… Jimin-ssi.”
“Huh?” Jimin’s brought back from his daze at Jeongguk’s call.
“Jiminie, what happened? Why’re you staring at me like this?” Tae asks, shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably.
“Oh, nothing. Let’s go.”
They leave for their classes after that interaction.
“Tae-ah, you haven’t brought any flower today?”
Oh, so that’s the weird feeling he’s been feeling before taking bus from the shop. That’s what’s wrong, Tae realizes it. Even he himself couldn’t believe. Where was his brain when he left home today?
“I… forgot?” the reply sounds more like a question even to his own ears. Jimin’s, even Jeongguk’s eyes blown wide.
“Strange.” Jeongguk whispers softly not quite believing.
*
All day long, Tae only stares blankly at every professor that comes and goes. Still, thinking, just how he missed bringing flowers for Namjoon, no wonder Chanhwa gave him a suspicious, scrutinizing look when he has left the shop today. Really, his brain’s not working properly today.
When all his classes ends in the evening he leaves too, walking slowly out, not apply more pressure than need on his ankles.
Jimin and Jeongguk are waiting by the parking for him.
“Taehyungie hyung’s here.” rhetorically informed Jeongguk.
Making Jimin’s attention fall on his line of vision, he smiles cutely at his best-friend, who’s approaching them more slowly than usual. Looking at Taehyung, Jimin couldn’t help but frowns, something’s totally wrong with Taehyung, Jimin knows it, he just never comments.
“Hey, guys, you’re still here?”
“Of course.” they reply in unison, like “duh”. Three of them burst out laughing in unison after that.
“We’re waiting for you and Namjoon hyung, he said he’ll leave with us today, so yeah.” Jeongguk explain for his information.
“Oh, ok.” Tae nods, considering for a moment before saying.
“I guess, I should leave.”
“Why? We’ll drop you?” Jimin straightens up as soon as Tae says that, truly not liking how Tae’s behaving.
First time in three years, Jimin’s not seeing Tae jumping in excitement when he mentioned Namjoon. How? Why? Just what happened in last… two days? He again stares at the younger for even a slight give away.
“Jimin-ah, don’t be bothered. I’ll go by bus and I have to go to the shop first, so you don’t have to take a detour for me.” with that Tae tries to leave. When he doesn’t want to think, whatever his father said last night is still running in his ears. He feels so ashamed that he doesn’t want to meet Jimin’s eyes… at least, not right now.
But as he begins walking backward, his body collides hardly with another body, Tae jerks forward by the hit , falling right into Jimin’s arm, who’s standing across him. A painful gasp escapes his lips as in the whole process his ankles feels a shocking impact.
“Tae-ah, oh gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Tae-ah, are you hurt… Tae-ah?” Namjoon’s deep raspy voice fills every crevice in his ears.
In the process of stabilizing Taehyung, Jimin drops him completely in Namjoon’s arm, stepping back with a slight smirk that goes unnoticed by everyone but Tae.
Anyways, Tae doesn’t get the time to react to his friend, as right now, there’s an incredible increase in his heartbeat and an electrocuting effect in his body. He wonders how Namjoon’s unable to hear his thumping heart, while still standing so close.
Namjoon’s literally back hugging him, concern written in bolds all over his face, questioning eyes squinting at Taehyung, looking down to the slim slumped figure in his arms.
With a little strength in his legs, Tae pushes himself upright, untangling Namjoon’s… certainly strong arms from around his bust.
“No, it’s… uh ok hyung. I’m alright. Thanks.” he stutters moving himself beside Jimin. Glaring at Jimin wildly.
“Hyung, you didn’t find it strange?” Jeongguk asks to Namjoon interrupting all their thoughts… as obliviously as ever.
“Strange, what Gguk-ah?”
“Taehyungie hyung didn’t bring you flowers today and last two days too.” he giggles, as obliviously as he says it.
Taehyung stands there, mouth going open and close like a fish at the youngest, seriously. Jeongguk, did you have to say all that? Couldn’t keep your mouth from running like that?
“Yeah? Is that so? I didn’t notice.” Namjoon carelessly shrugs his shoulder, smiling at his younger brother, Jeongguk smiles back.
However, Tae has an entirely different effect.
So, Namjoon didn’t notice his absence, all this time?
Although, he has been curious, he never thought in reality that Namjoon wouldn’t mind his absence, let alone it’d go unnoticed.
While on contrary, Namjoon’s the only person who never leaves his mind.
It hurts, pretty badly.
Tae stares at Namjoon, looking for anything that would convince him otherwise, unfortunately, finding none.
He bits his lips hard, stopping the whimper to come, that’s been building in the back of his throat. Never knowing when hot droplets brimmed in his eyes. With his father’s growing hate for him, Taehyung has been feeling overly emotional these, vulnerable too.
Blinking back the tears, he lets out a heavy but quiet breath.
“I should go now, it’s getting late.” with that, he turns around and leaves slowly, not giving or receiving any word from the others.
“Tae…” he hears Jimin say but couldn’t dare to turn around and expose his miserable and ugly crying self to his only family.
While travelling back to his shop by bus, he begins thinking about everything that happened today and last two days. Reflecting on it and realizing how much his life is fucked up, he couldn’t help but laugh at his own self, sarcastically, burst crying the next moment.
He understand why his father hates him but it never mattered as long as his friends and Namjoon especially, cares about him but it seems like it’s not the case.
Namjoon doesn’t even seem to notice his presence or absence, let alone care about him.
Is it because he doesn’t care enough or is it because Tae never told him his feelings? If that’s the case then, Tae decides he’d confess to him as soon as tomorrow but how is he going to do that?
He thinks about it the whole bus ride and when he reaches the shop. So much that Chanhwa notices and question it.
“Tae-ah, what’re you thinking so seriously about?” Chanhwa asks narrowing his eyes at figure who’s staring at the empty air while spraying water on the wall behind all flowers, absentmindedly.
“Huh?”
“Taehyung-ah?” Chanhwa slams his palms on the counter he’s been standing at, to grab the absent attention of his donsaeng.
“Huh? Oh, sorry hyung?” coming out of hazy brain, Tae rubs a hand over his face, sighing helplessly.
“Care to explain, what’re you thinking all day?”
“I… uh. I’m thinking about confessing to Namjoon hyung tomorrow.” his words fades at the end and eyes drops down to his feet. But Chanhwa sure is happy. The older boy squeals in excitement, running to Tae and giving him a big teddy bear hug.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
Tae spends the entirety of the night thinking how to do the confession. Should he buy a gift especially for Namjoon or should he take him to a fancy restaurant for dinner, if not, so how should he do it? So, Namjoon would truly understand his feelings, those feelings that he’s been hinting since years.
How to explain the unusual action of his tiny heart? The rapid pace it gains the moment Namjoon comes closer? And those pink and peach clouds bursting inside his stomach? Or how about the sweat that covers his forehead with even a single look from the elder Kim? How to express the appreciation he has for Namjoon? Namjoon, who has always been so kind and nice to him. Namjoon, his closest friend, the Namjoon, who Tae’s in love with since high-school.
Without blinking a moment, Tae passes the whole night thinking like this.
When the morning comes, he has decided, how he’s gonna do this. Today, he’s feeling are going to be in front of Kim Namjoon.
Taehyung doesn’t prepare anything extravagant like he thought he would. No fancy restaurant, no special gift.
All he doesn’t, is to prepare a very… well, very uncustomary bouquet.
A bouquet that consist of three deep red roses, a stock of white dittany, a stem of Matthiola incana, a pair of swirly pink and ivory buttercups and the evergreen purple and pink tulips. All these unusual combination tied in a colourful bunch with a purple silky ribbon.
Anyone with a little knowledge of flowers would think of the bouquet as the most abnormal bouquet ever made, could even think it’s made by someone rookie in the business or even someone crazy.
However, for Taehyung, it’s all his emotions in a tiny bunch, in his hands.
Red roses and the tulips are his immense love for Namjoon that he couldn’t express before, the white dittany is his passion and the feelings. The spicy cinnamon scenting incanas are the symbolization of never fading beauty he knows Namjoon possesses in abundance and lastly, the swirly, bulbous pink buttercups are the appreciation of Namjoon’s charms.
He doesn’t have anything better than this to express himself. After all, he’s a florist, that’s how he talks, expresses and even screams. For him, it’s his perfect way to tell Namjoon that he likes him.
Even Chanhwa doesn’t ask him about this unusual combination, when greets him and wishes him good luck for today.
*
Upon reaching the university with the bouquet in his hands, he walks as slowly as he can to where he’ll find Namjoon but before he could reach there, a shrilly and sweet voice, that is Jimin, stops him in his tracks.
“Morning Tae-ah, I see you came early, you’ve morning classes today, right?” Jimin halts in front of him panting heavily as he has ran to Taehyung.
An “oh” leaves the slightly elder guy as his eyes lands on the bunch of flower in Tae’s hands.
“Are those for Namjoon hyung?” he asks as he always does. It’s a rhetorical question of which’s answer he had known all these years.
“Good morning, Jiminie and yes, these are for Namjoon hyung.” he nods in conformation but his expression are rather emotionless.
Jimin nods in understanding, a bit slow, clearly not getting the abnormal combination of his bouquet.
“Don’t you think that it’s quite unusual?” he questions pointingly at the flowers.
“I guess.”
A moment of silence falls over them, both friend stands there awkwardly before Tae draws a long breath.
“I’m gonna confess to Namjoon hyung.”
“Oh.”
“I mean… that’s, that’s amazing Tae.” Jimin chirps in small, somewhat weirdly… and suspiciously. And contradicting to his actions.
Tae squints his eyes at him but before he could question Jimin’s weird behaviour, Jimin open his mouth.
“How about we go wait for hyung and Ggukie at the parking.” Jimin drags him out where the parking is, not even letting Tae give consent to his suggestion.
They stands there waiting. Tae staring suspiciously at his best friend while Jimin’s hardly trying to avoid his gaze. It goes on for few minutes before…
Taehyung’s breathe catches in his throat when Jeongguk’s car halts beside them, unable to notice the same breathe catching in Jimin’s throat.
Jeongguk greets them when he steps out of the passenger seat. Quickly, holding hands with Jimin. His eyes narrows at his boyfriend’s when he feels Jimin’s grip tightened around his palm.
Both turn to look at Taehyung, who walks slowly to Namjoon.
“Morning hyung.” he slightly bows at Namjoon first and foremost, forgetting Jimin for now.
“Morning Tae-ah, what’s with the unusual manner today, huh?” he ruffles Tae’s hair, like he always does.
“Hyung… I want… to talk to you about something.” somehow he manages to complete his stutter. Asking permission in a way.
“Yes, Tae-ah, what is it?”
“Not here hyung, somewhere else.”
“Oh? How about the library. I’ve some books to collect and there won’t be anyone, we can speak privately.”
With Namjoon’s suggestion, they moves to the library, Jimin and Jeongguk following them.
Namjoon seats himself on the chair across Tae at a secluded area in the library, when they reach the library. Jimin drags Jeongguk behind the bookshelves, closely spying Namjoon and Tae from there.
“Hyung… I have.” he begins but stops immediately, shaking his head in contemplation.
“Here, these’re for you.” not able to form any words he presents Namjoon with his flowers first.
“Well, thank you. Tae-ah, I might not know a lot about flowers but these are beautiful. Again thank you. And yeah, Tae-ah, what do you wanna talk about?”
“Hyung, I… uh… these flowers. I brought these flowers today. I brought because…” he starts and stammer and stammer. Of course, it’s Namjoon before him. Tae never learnt the proper decorum to interact with this giant oaf and with his own giant crush on him.
Tired of his endless stuttering. Tae stops and inhales a deep breath before exhaling it, preparing himself to continue and this time, he’d say it clearly.
“Hyung, I brought you these flowers today to let you know my feelings. I… uh… like you, since, we met first time. I really liked you but in high-school, I had started feeling for you. All these years, all these flowers I brought every day, so I could let you know how much I like you, how long I’ve liked you. Every single day, every single flower had a meaning, I don’t know if you notice or not. You really are an amazing guy and I like everything about you, every.”
“I like how kind and intelligent and sensitive you are, I like it when you talk about all those stuffs you like. I like it when you encourage and empower people with your words. I like it when you easily wins the hearts of other with just your kindness. Hyung… I even love you maybe… I don’t know.” well, he does know he loves Namjoon but Namjoon might not be ready to hear that so soon.
“For years, I looked up to you before but now, I couldn’t help but fall. I even tried and keep trying to make you desserts because you like them a lot, right? You are amazingly bright and I love that about you. I lo… I like you, hyung. I wanted to tell this for a while but couldn’t gather enough courage to do so. I was afraid of things going awry but didn’t want to be the coward that, it will become a burden on my own self. And I wanted to do something extravagant that would be up to your standard but I could think of anything better than this.” it turns out to be a long speech but Tae’s helpless for it.
“Hyung, please answer honestly, do you feel anything about me?”
Namjoon, who’s listening all of it quietly, gawks at Tae speechlessly, not knowing what to do anymore. Well, that’s expected, at least for him.
He gulps hard before clearing his throat.
“Tae-ah, I like you a lot. I really do but I…” he stops to rub a hand over his face.
“Didn’t Jimin-ah tell you?” he questions the younger first.
“Tell me what?” Tae narrows his eyebrows at him, question mark bold all over his face.
“That I’m dating Jinyi. She studies here too junior year and shares some classes with Jimin. She asked me out three months ago. I liked her at the time as a student but I like her now as a woman. Tae-ah, like really like her. Yes, some of her actions I find are completely unbearable but it’s common in relationships, right? And yes, I like you too but not as I like Jinyi. I… uh I can see a future with her. She’s fun and cute and amazing. She’s perfect and I love that about her. You get it, right? And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I wanted to be sure before I tell you because you’re important to me. However, then I forgot, thought Jimin or Ggukie must have told you. I’m sorry Tae-ah but I don’t…”
“Yeah, I understand, really.” Tae cut him off in the middle of the sentence.
“It’s ok, you don’t have to explain everything to me. I’m happy for you, really. Jinyi… must be very nice, an amazing girl I bet. Congrats, anyway.”
Taehyung, he’s feeling a lot but mostly, he feels humiliated and doesn’t even know why. Gathering his bag from the floor, he stands up quickly. He wants to listen to Namjoon, didn’t want to cut him off mid-sentence, however, he’s here for an answer and got more than he asked for, more than he could deal with. So it’s enough as it is.
“Tae-ah.” Namjoon starts but again goes interrupted by Taehyung again.
“I should be going and you should too. Classes are about to start, ok. Bye.” he literally makes a run from the library, dashing out colliding with every passer-by in the hallways but couldn’t dare to stop or turn around to look back at the library door, where he knows Namjoon, Jimin and Jeongguk are standing and about to chase him.
He doesn’t stop.
Panting heavily as he slows down only when he reaches his class, walks to seat and slumping hard on it.
He rest his head on his folded arms propped up on the table. Heavier breathe leaving his lips and fogging the close space between his arms.
Should he cry? He doesn’t know anymore. Wasn’t it expected? After giving this much efforts? No, it’s not expected. He never expected because Namjoon has never shown interest in anyone before. Is this the reason for his ditched Sunday meets? Or that day, Jeongguk said he at dinner alone, was this the reason?
Was Taehyung not expecting it?
To be honest, he doesn’t but Namjoon never exudes as single ounce of disinterest for whatever Tae does, so, how’d he know what Namjoon wants?
He’s brought back from his miserable state of mind when the professor enters in the room.
Tae sits there, he stares and stares. His eyes roaming right and left as the professor strides across the room back and forth. Then his gaze goes down on the floor to up to the ceiling.
Even after one and a half hour of staring blankly, he doesn’t get what the professor’s saying, his mind pushing back to the scene in the library one and a half hour ago.
Raising a hand to run over his hair, he sighs and got up abruptly.
“What happened Taehyung-ssi?” his professor asks in concern clearly seeing the lines of distress on his student’s forehead and red puffy face.
“Sir, I don’t feel really good, I mean I’m feeling a bit sick today. Can I have a day off?”
“Yes, Taehyung-ssi, I think you should take some rest. I heard you had caught cold. You shouldn’t have to come before you’re completely alright, ok? You can leave Taehyung-ssi.” the professor says affectionately, understanding the stress in his student.
Before the professor could escort him out the door he’s already in a lightning fast dash, out the door and the university.
He doesn’t stop running till he reaches the bus stop.
Only when he board that he starts crying, uncontrollably, unstoppably and ugly.
He should’ve known he and Namjoon were never on the same page. True, Namjoon can’t see his future with him. How can he, when Tae’s on the last page on his book, while he’s the beginning.
Never thought his story would end in the library as it had begun in one. Strange.
Chapter 5: Crimson Stain
Summary:
Yoongi walks out the mansion, leaving the three headaches giggling in the living room. In a pair of black hoodie and sweat pants, he only has his phone with him.
He just wants a night stroll after dinner, afar from the three headaches in his home. Chuckling thinking about them. Yes, they’re crazy but they’re his family and he loves them to the moon and back.
Yoongi loves a leisure stroll like this, in a moonless night when the soft night breeze caresses his warm skin. People say, he’s lazy but if enjoying this type of moment is being lazy, then he doesn’t mind the title at all.
Notes:
Hello! everyone. Thank you all for the kudos and comments and support. And so sorry for the late and short update. I'm ashamed. Sorry. I have nothing to say today but please keep supporting like this. Now the time for warnings.
WARNING:
Violence
Gang-war
Blood
Bad words
Grammatical ErrorPlease read and enjoy and I'll try to update better. Tell me in comments how do you feel about it. Thank you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Wiping the thumb over the crimson stain of blood on his left cheek. Yoongi stares blankly at the figure down in front of his feet.
Face swollen with multiple cuts, skin on the forehead cleanly torn opened with a knife, the entire body has a cover of shreds in the name of clothes. The figure not only seems beaten but tortured too. With his teeth broken and nails plucked out. The toe of his right foot missing, blood has been seeping from the ugly cut.
The figure is panting, unable to draw a proper breath, continuous tears staining his beaten-up face.
“Fuh… for… forgive… me bo… ss.” the figure says, barely able to form a single word. His hand rising to reach and rest on Yoongi’s ankle.
The Min boss smirks, shaking his head in humourless disappointment.
“Should’ve thought before betraying me.” shuffling the cold metal knife in his hand, he stands and turn to leave the dungeon but not before instructing his men what to do next.
“Gauge his eyes out, let him bleed in pain and throw his body at the Choi’s when he’s dead. They should know what they’re messing with.” emotionally ordering his men, he walks out of the dungeon with Hoseok hot on his heels.
Both brothers sit down in the living room at Min’s comfortably talking.
“Ruthless as ever Yoongi hyung. I don’t think anyone can melt you unless its Jin hyung or uncle Min.” Hoseok chuckles softly, shaking his head at his brother-in-law and best-friend.
“Uh-huh, I don’t think even me and appa could melt him. Impossible.” Jin, who’s entering with his father, chimes as soon as he steps on the threshold. Laughing afterwards, loudly and with a very peculiar squeaky sound, Cheol-min too, couldn’t help but laugh with his eldest as they come and sits beside Yoongi while Jin goes to sit with Hoseok, slipping his hand in Hoseok’s palm.
“I agree with Jin-ah, even your mother couldn’t calm his temper once flared, isn’t it Yoongi-ah? Let alone me and Jin. Seems like you’re dealing with the Choi’s again, son.” Cheol-min pats Yoongi’s shoulders with a whole-hearted laugh, resulting Yoongi to groan disapprovingly.
“Appa, I don’t understand what to do with this people. No matter how much I warn or block his shipping or even drop dead bodies of his men in front of his eyes. He doesn’t seem to back down. He’s getting on my nerves, big pain in the ass.” sighing tiredly, he reclines back on the sofa, massaging his forehead.
“If you’re asking me, I have only one advice.” Cheol-min pauses.
“Wipe them out.”
Yoongi, Hoseok and even Jin’s head shoots up, disbelief in their eyes. Hoseok opens his mouth first.
“Uncle Min, you’re saying that? I thought you don’t want us to involve with them.”
“Honestly, I don’t but this line of work… is not something we could drop tomorrow and live a normal life from the next day, its gonna take time. I know my lazy Yoongi-ah wouldn’t like that much of work. But kids, I don’t want anything to happen to you three, I’d like to avoid a repeat of today. Your own man was hired to assassinate you. That’s why I never liked new recruits. Yoongi-ah, yours and Jin’s image in the society is of businessmen and we’ve spent a lot to achieve this, at the end, all of us want a normal life, right son?” he squeezes Yoongi’s knee in a soothing way.
“We don’t want to tarnish what’s letting us lead a normal life, even if it’s not the complete truth. And I don’t want anything harming you three. And also, Choi’s are outdated, they don’t excite me as much.” he says, evil glint in his eyes, so in Yoongi and Jin and Hoseok’s before they begin laughing as if the elder told a joke.
“I guess, you’re right, thanks appa. Let’s have dinner then.”
“Oh, Jin hyung, Jin-ah, did you bring the cheesecake we asked you to bring?” Cheol-min and Yoongi says in unison as they are walking to the dining room.
“These two, now I understand what eomma felt like.” Jin says exasperated and disapprove, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger, shaking his head.
It takes almost one months to launch a full-scale attack on the Choi’s, however, they aren’t Min for nothing.
Choi’s drug cartels were busted as soon as the assassination attempt on Yoongi.
Yoongi knows the Choi’s like the back of his hands, unlike Mins, they never managed to build a strong connection in industry or politics or even underground. Choi’s are hollow, they’ve more dents in their own family then any connection else.
A nicely formulated plan with their dear friends the Kim family of buying a huge consignment of coke and report it to the police was as easy as cliché a plan to bust the Choi’s in front of the government.
First step over.
Next was to wipe all out, every single person or helper of Choi’s. That was taken care by Cheol-min himself, a politician and the next candidate to be elected as the member of National Assembly.
People of Min and Jung’s in the police were enough for the Choi’s, so it was almost a legal action than a gang-war.
Jung-Min family were on their tail, tracing and trailing every single person in the group, not even arresting but killing on spot. They did it till every man in the group was dead, except, the boss. Every business that the Choi owned, whether it’s a legal or illegal one, Min and Jung had wiped out every single one of them, like a storm that came to destroy and don’t stop unless it had the desired result.
Right now, Yoongi, Jin and Hoseok are witnessing the big boss, their appa, Cheol-min sitting in front severely beaten and barely alive Choi Hae-il in his feet with a custom 1911 locked and loaded in his hand.
“Choi Hae-il, bold of you to assume you’ll get with it. Trying to kill Yoongi and planning to harm Jin and Hoseok, huh?” he chuckles humourlessly.
Licking his lips as a habit before his eye roams the shattered state of Hae-il’s body.
“Could’ve lived with peace.” he softly whispers.
“Any last words.” he asks rather politely.
“Fuck you, Min.” well, wrong decision Choi.
“Too bad, I’m already fucked up.” with that whispered, he raises the gun, point blank shooting right in the middle of Hae-il’s eyebrows.
Crimson liquid spatters on the floor where the dead body is and on Cheol-min’s shoes.
Strong gust of air leaves the trio’s mouth, even they didn’t know they were holding in.
Although, after working with their father since a young age, Yoongi and Jin still not as prepare as they should have been. They don’t like this side of their ever-loving and cool appa.
Basically, they hate it at its best.
“Burn the body and clean up this mess.” Cheol-min orders the men in the dungeon, while wiping his hand with a white napkin, staining it red in the process.
“Let’s go kids.”
“You know, I hate this side of you.” Jin tells his father, while he’s resting his head on his father’s lap as all of them are resting in the place.
“Uh-huh, I hate it too, dear.” Cheol-min says as he continues stroking Jin’s hair lovingly.
“You’re cool appa. I don’t think I’d ever be like you.” Yoongi, who’s sitting across them with his legs propped up on the coffee table and a tall glass of cold coffee in hand, says.
“Exactly.” Hoseok agrees, who’s sitting beside Yoongi in same position.
“And why do you two want to be like me? You should be yourself. Be Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi, you’re already out of my shadow. You two already have bested me.”
“Chill and enjoy. You three deserve a nice vacation and isn’t it time for Jin-ah to go to your weekly honeymoon. You didn’t go to any, this entire month. Its time you should go to one and also… Yoongi-ah, what about you? Anyone you like, huh?” he wiggles his eyebrows at his son.
“Appa, no. Don’t do this, you sound like Jin hyung and eomma.” Yoongi groans dropping his head back on the back rest of the sofa.
“What? I have to be interested in it for the sake of your eomma, alright? Right, Jin-ah?”
“Of… course, what’re you expecting Yoongi-chi, we’re not leaving you alone. Right, appa?”
“Gosh. You two are so overly dramatic, right Hoseok-ah?”
“Well, they have a point.”
“Shut up.” he groans.
Yoongi walks out the mansion, leaving the three headaches giggling in the living room. In a pair of black hoodie and sweat pants, he only has his phone with him.
He just wants a night stroll after dinner, afar from the three headaches in his home. Chuckling thinking about them. Yes, they’re crazy but they’re his family and he loves them to the moon and back.
Yoongi loves a leisure stroll like this, in a moonless night when the soft night breeze caresses his warm skin. People say, he’s lazy but if enjoying this type of moment is being lazy, then he doesn’t mind the title at all.
He likes when the usual bustling city falls quiet. The bright yellows of the city merging beautifully with the ink-dark of the night, creating an outstanding scenery before a living being.
Walking slowly, he enters the city, allowing his eyes to roam the street, clubs are bustling with young enthusiastic crowd, young girls going home from the hours long shopping trip, office-worker returning after office hours.
Yoongi makes his way ahead, he’s about to turn the street when a figure collides with him.
At first, he thinks its some passer-by but before he could apologize for the inconvenience, the figure brings forward a knife and stabs Yoongi in his left rib, its actually not really serious but the shock it has come with is slightly overwhelming.
“You kill my whole family Min, you deserve it when you left me alone to suffer.” the figure before him, is a young man. Yoongi can tell he’s related to Hae-il. He has his eyes. Yoongi do not forget the people who tries to hurt his family. Not so easily when he saw the man die down his feet a few hours ago.
Yoongi has never seen him underground though, definitely, someone with the lesser involvement in business. No wonder, Yoongi hasn’t seen him anywhere near Hae-il.
The figure tries to run after stabbing but Yoongi doesn’t seem to let him, he’s holding the boy’s hand firmly and drags him to the nearest dark alleyway.
“Leave me… let me go.” the boy struggles but his order or request falls on deaf ears as Yoongi drags him hard and inside the alleyway.
“True… seems like I have to finish what I had started completely.” with that said, he digs the knife, out wincing at the painful impact, holding the boy’s mouth shut, he stabs the knife deeply in his throat, then again and again, not letting a single noise leave the boy’s mouth.
“I truly hate this.” throwing the knife somewhere in the garbage can, he leaves the dead body in the alley.
Walking out, he knows he’s bleeding and losing blood slowly is blurring his vision that he can’t even manage to fish out his phone from his pocket and call for help.
He walks ahead, waddling aimlessly, till he finds a metal bench before a flower shop which’s about to close.
Last month has proven to be an extreme emotional turmoil for Taehyung. Since the day he had confessed to Namjoon, his life has jolted upside-down, not able to face Namjoon, he basically, has stopped giving him flowers and the weekly dinner and dessert attempts are over too.
He even stops meeting Jimin and Jeongguk often. Either they meet in university or never. His already half-assed social life is completely over, no friends, no meetings.
Now-a-days, his phone keeps filling with Jimin and Jeongguk’s missed called and texts unanswered.
He spends more and more time in the shop, even Chanhwa’s concerned for him. Although, they’ve attended three successful wedding, two engagement ceremonies and a small business inauguration. To Chanhwa, Taehyung doesn’t look happy as he should’ve been.
Business’s going amazingly well, even after working for Taehyung for almost ten years now, he can’t believe being a florist can earn this much incoming. Chanhwa earns the most here, Taehyung’s an amazing and generous boss.
He even raised his pay after this month’s success but seems like its only Chanhwa who’s happy right now. Tae’s still struggling with life and his cheap father.
It seems like not receiving any response for the room rent is his fault too. He got beaten badly three times this month for that alone.
Seems like this month would be the same as it has started so disappointingly, all they had today are customer attending funerals. They need to order new batch of Lilies and Chrysanthemums.
University has been even boring, Taehyung keeps avoiding Namjoon all day, while Jimin and Jeongguk are chasing after him.
Its already 9 in evening, Chanhwa has left for his night shift in the 24/7 library. A really cool library it is as it has a coffee shop in the ground floor and library over it, very popular with young Seoulites.
Taehyung’s planning to visit there as he doesn’t go anywhere in weekends now, visiting a library seems like a good idea.
With all this running in mind, he starts punching the sales and purchase of today from his notebook to the desktop system. He’ll leave after this.
While working in the desktop, he allows his eyes to focus on the dark figure sitting… more like sleeping on the bench, right on pavement before his shop.
Taehyung’s been watching him for more than an hour now but doesn’t bother to investigate. However, now all the surrounding shops are closing, he wonders what the stranger’s still waiting for.
After finishing the entire accounts, Taehyung steps out from behind the cash counter, deciding to ask the stranger, to may be go home or whatever.
“Hello, Mr. Excuse me. Are you all right?”
Yoongi has been sitting on the bench for almost one and a half hour now, bleeding slowing, vision blurry. He tries to fish out his phone but it’d proven to be more difficult than he thought it’d be, he doesn’t even seem to recall his password now.
Better shut eyes for a moment.
He doesn’t know how long he waited in the bench but a hand gripping his shoulder jolted him awake.
A deep heavy voice feels his ears, echoing inside his head, somewhat soothing and comfortable. Yoongi blinks his blurry eyes open, it takes a moment for his heavy eyelids to flutter open.
Meeting directly to a pair of big doey eyes, curly long fanning eyelashes complimenting those big eyes.
Yoongi’s gaze halts on the fluttering pink lips as the tongue came out wetting the lips glossy, he knows those lips are telling him something but with this state of mind, it all seems incomprehensible.
Again, a jolt shakes his entire body.
“Oh my, you’re bleeding. What should I do?” listening to the soothing voice, Yoongi closes his again.
Notes:
Here's my LINK.
Chapter 6: Addicted like it's wrong
Summary:
Usually, Min Yoongi’s known to be a bit short-tempered, considering the nature of his work, he knows how to make people work for him, he’s used to rule not being ordered. Someone who dares to provoke him or do otherwise, doesn’t live to see the next hour. That’s Yoongi’s normal.
Notes:
Hello everyone, thank you so much for the kudo and reads. Its all appreciated. Now, I know I'm late like always, apologies for that. All I wanna say that Our boy Yoongi is here everyone. I beg everyone shamelessly to give kudos and comment cause that's what keep all of us motivated. I'm not very confident about this chapter so I'd like to know your thoughts too.
WARNING:
Mention of alcohol consumption
Fluff and fun
Mention of violence
Grammatical ErrorPlease enjoy the chapter and thank you. Stream MORE, YET TO COME and LEFT AND RIGHT.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Next time when he opens his eyes, he finds himself in a decent-size bedroom, a large window shaded with white curtains blocking the sunlight from outside. Light on the ceiling overhead are off, Yoongi lays back on the double bed, he’s been lying on, in the middle of the room consists a nice wall mounted cupboard, small coffee table and cushioned chairs. A nicely furnished room.
Yoongi smooths a hand over the stab wound, not feeling the wetness of blood that was seeping through his clothes before, instead, there’s cotton patch sticking securely over it. He rolls his clothes he’s wearing over, to look at the wound. A large patch of rectangular cotton covering the cut, surgical tapes securing its edges. Rolling the shirt down, he slumps back on the pillows of the bed, an arm coming up to rest over his forehead, eyes going shut before he suddenly realize he’s not wearing his black hoodie but a black polo. T-shirt, over in size.
“Where’s my phone, anyway?” he finds himself mumbling, hands moving along the surface of the bed to look for the device.
He finds it on a small table beside the bed drained out of the battery and plugged in charger.
Not knowing the time and extremely tired, Yoongi decides, he could use this rest, slumping back with a thump on the bed. “Ouch” groaning when his action hurts the wound.
Yoongi wakes some hours later, the window on the far wall across the room, the translucent window panes are painted in a pale orange hue, filtering the early morning shine in.
He rubs a fist over his eyes massaging the sleep away, long yawn escaping his mouth. He swears, he hasn’t had a sleep as fine as this in years. He could die to have a sleep like this again.
Unplugging the phone from the charger, he pushes the switch on, few missed calls from his brother and Hoseok are flashing on the screen, 8:15 in the morning. He doesn’t bother call back for he’s too lazy to do that so early in the morning and his family knows it too.
Yoongi gets off the couch, making his way out of the room.
Suddenly, various kind smells hits nostrils at once, there’s sweetness in the air around him, a bit spicy, some even exotic. Allowing his eyes to glance at the large staircase leading down, he turns around, finding one more room beside the room he was in. Not bothering to inspect further, he makes his way down where the amazing smell’s coming from.
As he walks further, the smell becomes more prominent, sniffing the smell, he knows that’s coming from food, he walks out in the kitchen.
Awkwardly, standing there, he looks at a ragged looking old man, who’s sitting on the dining table, looking back at him.
Then he looks at the boy, his mind supplies that he had seen last night, the angelic looking boy with big doey eyes and curvy pink lips and fluffy brown hair.
The same boy, who’s looking at him like he’s seen a ghost, Yoongi’s hands are itching to caress the soft brown hair… he doesn’t dare.
For more than ten minutes, he stares at the young angelic looking boy in front of him. befuddlement both ways. He couldn’t help but keep staring at the heavenly entity before him, his insides melting in more ways than not.
“Who’s he?” unfortunately, the old man interrupts their staring, causing the boy to startled in surprise.
“Oh, he… he’ll be renting the room appa. You were sleeping last night when came.” the boys deep stuttering voice resonates in the room, Yoongi wonders why he’s stuttering like that and yeah… when was he looking for a room when he has a billion won worth mansion?
Anyways, looking at the innocent boy’s eyes, expecting him to go along with the lie. Yoongi smirks internally, the evil that’s lurking inside him, is jumping in excitement to play along.
“Hello, I’m Min Yoongi and yes, I’ll be renting the room sir.” he finishes, bowing politely to the old man.
“Nice meeting you Yoongi-ssi. Hope you’re comfortable here.” the old man couldn’t help the smirk that stretches on his lips.
Not asking anything further, he gets off the chair.
“I’ll be leaving now.” he says, before leaving.
The boy stands there, Yoongi stands there, a thump of the door opening and closing resounds in the house before Yoongi strides slowly towards the boy, a big visible smirk gracing his features.
“So, I’m the paying guest, huh?” he asks rhetorically, coming face to face with a boy.
The boy seems startled but doesn’t back away, pink tongue coming out to wet his chapped lips, a habit perhaps. A dangerous habit… an inch closer and the tongue would be tasting Yoongi’s lips.
“Thanks for playing along, now you can get lost Min-ssi.” a sudden confident in the boy’s tempting voice but Yoongi doesn’t miss the certain hitch present in it. Smirk grown wider.
“No thanks, I’m extremely comfortable here.” mocking a fake yawn, Yoongi stretches his hands above his head and slumping down lazily on one of the dining chairs.
“What’s for breakfast, kid?” he questions the boy’s looming figure. A gasp comes from the boy’s mouth, frowning at the word “kid” disapprovingly.
“I’m Kim Taehyung, not a kid. You baby-faced criminal. I knew, I shouldn’t have helped you in the first place. I’m calling the police right away.” he threatens Yoongi, very seriously.
And baby-faced criminal? Last Yoongi checked he’s got a dashing facial feature and a dominant aura. This kid… dares to threaten Min Yoongi?
“Sure, do whatever you wanna do, not like I did anything wrong.” he calmly retaliates, provoking Tae’s anger, surely. They stare at one another, Yoongi obviously calling Tae’s bluff.
“And who are you calling a criminal, kid?”
“So, what about the stabbing wound, huh? Can you explain that?” Taehyung challenges, raise an eyebrow in confident arms come to rest across his chest.
Good question, Yoongi monologues.
Yoongi waits for a moment, wondering what to say, not like he can tell this beauty, that he got stabbed by a kid whose father was killed by his family. Thinking a little, he manages to form a perfected lie for the situation.
“Aish…Taehyung-ssi, you won’t believe when I’d say I was robbed and stabbed last night, you wouldn’t know how I saved myself last night.” he lies and even sighs dramatically, looking through his lashes as he looks for Tae’s reaction.
Who looks pitying and hurt at Yoongi’s fake story.
“Oh my, you’re ok now, right? I patched you myself as I thought the wound is not that deep. We can go to the hospital if you feel like it, Yoongi-ssi.” trapped.
Taehyung says a long sentence but Yoongi hears is, the “Yoongi-ssi” at the end, the deep concerned voice melting Yoongi’s insides. Damn. It’s the first time.
Well, it’s unclear who is actually trapped. Taehyung or Yoongi?
“I’m ok, don’t worry.”
“You sure?”
“Uh-huh.” Yoongi affirms nodding.
“You can rest back in the room Yoongi-ssi. I’ll make something for breakfast.” Tae pushes Yoongi’s back, urging him to go back to the room.
Suddenly Yoongi’s eyes fall on a pamphlet on the kitchen counter. A room for rent it says, with this areas location’s address Yoongi assumes and a “CONTACT KIM TAEHYUNG” with a phone number in bold.
Yoongi smirks wickedly as he makes his way back on the couch.
Taehyung drops Yoongi at the room, certainly, leaving to bring the breakfast back.
While Yoongi lays his head carefreely on the bed, arms going behind his head and ankles crossed one over another. This is what you call life.
“It’s even better than home, gosh, I’m starting to like this.” he murmurs to himself as he smiles thinking about it.
So, Kim Taehyung, huh? In search of a paying guest? Guess, he doesn’t need to look anywhere else now.
Still, Yoongi wonders how this kid doesn’t know him. Well, he wouldn’t say he’s extremely popular among the youngsters but still as a businessman, he’s famous, maybe not as famous as he’s in the underground, yet, still he’s counted in the top ten of the country’s businessmen.
Innocent kid.
After about ten minutes, Taehyung comes with a tray balanced in his hand.
“Here, Yoongi-ssi, breakfast for you. As much as I want you to get lost, I’ll play the nice guy for now. Because it’s pitiful and I’m a good person.” Taehyung sasses in front of him, placing the tray on the coffee table. Turning around to leave.
“And where are you leaving?” Yoongi immediately gets off the bed, playful mood dissipating, regardless of his wound.
“I don’t know about you but I have a lot of work to do, unlike you, freeloader Yoongi-ssi.” the younger mocks and sticks his tongue out.
“And yes, take care of the house while you’re here and I swear, if you steal anything or anything out of place, I’ll hunt you down even if I have to go to the moon.” the younger warns, both fists placed on the hips, eyes glaring down at Yoongi.
“Steal? Me? Please. That’s too much work. Worry not, I’ll be here when you come back” he lays back in the same position again.
“We’ll see about that.” Tae nods his head slowly in mock, turning around to leave. Mumbling a “thief” under his breath before leaving the room.
“Thief? What the fuck. Does this kid even realize what he’s saying? I own a multi-fucking-million won empire.” again monologuing, Yoongi gets off again to bring the tray of breakfast to the bed as he stomps aggressively.
“I’ll see you Kim Taehyung.” he babbles while ravaging the tasty food aggressively.
What Yoongi thought would be few hours of absence, proven to be longer than he’s expecting. Taehyung doesn’t come back home even after six in the evening. Yoongi wonders what’s taking him so long.
He’s been sitting in the living room when he hears the opening and closing of the door forcefully. Thinking, its Taehyung, he goes to inspect but instead finding Mr. Kim.
Mr. Kim, who seems utterly drunk and reeking of alcohol.
Yoongi’s maybe a criminal or has involvement in underworld but he hates some aspects of it, one of them is the exceptional consumption of alcohol.
Honestly, Yoongi drinks too, sometimes exceeding it enough to be dragged home after, however, he doesn’t do it every day, not to this extent. Is that why, this old man look this ragged?
“Who are you?” the man asks him again, barely managing to stand upright without shaking alike a fallen leaf.
“Min Yoongi… your paying guest?” Yoongi informs, more like questioning it himself. He looks at the man for reaction, intensely. Finding it weird for the man to smirk widely whenever he mentions “paying guest”.
“Oh, yes, yes. I remember. I hope you’re comfortable in here, Yoongi-ssi.”
“Very much. Thanks for asking anyways.” he smiles uninterestedly.
“Have you had dinner, Yoongi-ssi?”
“No, I haven’t. I was just about to go make something. I can use the kitchen, right?” though he had already used the kitchen for lunch in the afternoon, he asks again, anyways.
“Sure, you can but don’t bother. Taehyung will make the dinner when he’ll come back.” he waves his hand dismissingly at Yoongi. Yoongi contemplates before agreeing. Good for his lazy ass.
While the old man goes to take a nap, Yoongi sits back in the leaving room, watching Tv for the time being.
Even past 7:30, there’s no trace of Taehyung. This, somehow, bothers Yoongi for some reason. Where the fuck is Taehyung. He left at nine in the morning and its almost eight now.
Yoongi turns the Tv off and stands up to go out. Walking out on the front porch, Yoongi let his gaze to go right and left, no trace of a living being he’s been waiting for. Giving up after 10 more minutes, he’s about to turn and go back inside, when he sees a figure appearing in his line of vision. Coming sprinting up the street.
The figure, who’s Taehyung, halts in front of him, folded on knees, panting heavily, Yoongi doesn’t comment. Let the younger stabilize from his unofficial marathon.
“So, you’re still here, huh? I guess, you’re not a thief but that doesn’t mean I trust you. I’ll still throw you out.” Taehyung says as soon as he stands upright, pushing Yoongi aside to go in.
“Good evening, Taehyung-ssi.” he grins before following the younger in.
“Your appa’s home.”
“Already?” he asks in disbelief, already big eyes going bigger.
“Why? Shouldn’t he?” Yoongi asks the younger with growing suspicion.
“None of your business, get lost.”
“I guess, you’re right, none of my business. Anyways, your appa asked me to tell you to make dinner for us.”
“For you? Make dinner? Never.” Tae rejects the idea straight on his face.
Usually, Min Yoongi’s known to be a bit short-tempered, considering the nature of his work, he knows how to make people work for him, he’s used to rule not being ordered. Someone who dares to provoke him or do otherwise, doesn’t live to see the next hour. That’s Yoongi’s normal.
However here, he is standing in front of one Kim Taehyung. Being rejected of a simple dinner meal. Still, not a single blue vein popping on his temples or reddened face in anger. Nothing.
While in actuality, he’s having so much fun, flaring Taehyung’s temper. Irritating the younger to the edge and it’s not even been a single day, since he’s brought here by the same Kim Taehyung.
Brave, very brave Kim Taehyung. Min Yoongi’s enjoying the company here.
Yoongi’s been standing patiently, waiting for the rest of the insult about come from Tae’s mouth, when the old man’s drunk voice filter through his room.
“Taehyung is that you, aren’t you boy?” the growling voice of the old man causes Taehyung to flinch. Now, Yoongi doesn’t know if its surprise or fear but the expression on Tae’s face seems more of fear than surprise.
“Yes, appa. I’m preparing dinner.” he answers, slightly stuttering. Again. Answering a question, the elder didn’t even ask.
He runs in the other room, probably his own room with his backpack leaving Yoongi standing dumbfoundedly in the living room. He watches as Taehyung dumps his bag in room and runs to the kitchen.
Yoongi doesn’t know what’s happening in this household anymore.
Talking about the household, he hasn’t seen any female presence here since he came. There’s not a single hint of another person’s presence, at least, he hasn’t seen any.
While Yoongi’s occupied thinking of all this and ignoring calls from Jin and Hobi and his appa, Tae calls him and his father to have dinner.
Yoongi even prepares himself, if Tae’s appa inquires him of his background but it seems he’s too drunk to even call his name properly, let alone inquire. Taehyung too, doesn’t inquire but Yoongi already has a perfect answer for him.
Dinner passes uneventfully in silence. Taehyung doesn’t seem too interested to talk to him and his appa’s in a hurry to finish the meal.
When Yoongi retires to his room afterwards, he decides to call Jin.
As soon as Jin pick the phone up, he’s shouting at the other end, blaring and deafening Yoongi’s ear.
“Where’re you Yoongi-chi? Do you even know how worried we are? Appa almost sent the whole family to look for you. Tell me right fucking now, so I could come pick you up.” Yoongi can hear Jin’s voice shaking, he feels bad to worry them like that.
“I’m really sorry to worry you all like this hyung. But know that I’m fine.”
“So, where’re you now?”
“Nowhere you need to worry, hyung.”
“And when will you come back, Yoongi-ah?”
“I’ll tell you when I’ll know myself.” Yoongi chuckles mirthfully.
“Yoongi-ah, I swear if you are…”
“Shh… no, I’m not doing anything life threatening and you don’t have to worry, I’m in the city but I don’t think I want to come back right now, so have fun managing office, hyung.”
“You… at least, come to the office, I’m not doing your piled-up paper-work, ok? And yes, Yoongi-ah, when I’ll find you, you’ll have a lot to pay. Goodbye and take care for now, don’t mess in anything that could harm you.” with that said, Jin hangs up.
Yoongi throws the phone on the bed for laying down in his favourite comfortable posture but before he could shut his eyes, Tae barges in, shut the door quietly behind him.
“So, Min Yoongi, don’t think you’re safe from the inquires because appa didn’t do it. I handle everything in this household.” he whispers not raising his voice more than require.
“So, you’re here to interrogate me, Taehyung-ssi? And what will be your first question?” never in a hurry, Yoongi calmly asks as he gets off the bed walking slowly to Tae.
“Obviously, what do you do for living?” Tae tries to uses sasses again but his breath catches in his throat seeing Yoongi coming closer to him, till Tae finds himself backed on the wall.
Yoongi standing inches away, slowly places a palm on the wall beside Tae’s head.
“That’s… none of your business, right?” Yoongi mocks grinning at the young boy. Returning his own reply back to him.
“Sh… shut, I’m the host here and I deserve to know this much regarding my guest.”
Yoongi laughs audibly at that, shaking his head.
“That, Taehyung-ssi, I won’t tell you, however, you’re right, you deserve to know me better.” saying this, Yoongi brings his other hand over, finger coming to caress Taehyung’s soft cheek.
The skin under his finger tips are utterly soft and warm, he can see the hint of red dusting over them like the unblemished skin is struggling to breath under the pressure of his fingertips. Making a soft trail down the bouncy surface. Yoongi glances at the pink plump lips. Dangerous.
Never in his lifetime has Yoongi ever seen a beauty as pure as this. In simple words, Kim Taehyung is gorgeous. Even Yoongi’s ex-girlfriends pale in comparison. And mind you, he even dated models and idols.
The honey tan’s clearly a great compliment against his own pale skin.
The fearful brown eyes with lashes fanning and curly and long. His eyebrows lines are thick, giving an amazing depth to his gorgeous and angular face.
Yoongi can’t describe his beauty in words… its otherworldly… is all he knows.
“Yoongi-ssi, stay away or you’ll regret it.” the lips whisper to him before Tae ducks down and slips out of Yoongi’s grip.
Yoongi watches him run away, frantically… longingly.
Shaking his head to clear his vision. What the hell was that? What was Yoongi thinking just now?
“Snap out of it… Yoongi-ah, out of it.”
Notes:
The title of the chapter is from the song Dessert by Dawin. Come say Hii on twt everyone. Thank you.
Chapter 7: Tiny Pieces
Summary:
Jinyi… is a… very beautiful girl. Long wavy dark hair and cute heart-shaped face. She’s tall, as tall as Taehyung, especially, with her six inches of high-heels. She’s wearing a flashy cherry red figure-hugging dress. She’s looking amazing, even Taehyung can’t deny the fact, however, that doesn’t mean Tae’s happy to see her. His heart literally breaks into tiny, tiny pieces. She’s looking good with Namjoon. Really, they are looking perfect together.
Notes:
EVERYONE SOOO SORRY!!! FOR DELAYING THE UPDATE. AS I said I have no excuses for my own incompetence. THANK YOU FOR THE IMMENSE PATIENCE. Short, short update for today. I'll do better than this next time. Promise. Please enjoy as much as you can and tell me in the comment. Please.
WARNING:
Heartbreak Slightly
Grammatical ErrorsThank you and Please enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I just can’t tell Jiminie, how my blood boils… even at his dummy face. I hate it so much, his gummy smirk and his face, it looks like a boiled dumpling. This guy… I swear.”
Jimin, from the last half an hour, had been hearing Taehyung badmouth his new paying guest and it’s been almost three weeks since he’s been listening Taehyung babble like that. Every day for half an hour. It’s included in their everyday routine. Taehyung would badmouth him and Jimin would patiently listen everything, sometimes even commenting in between, sometime, even Jeongguk would company him in his struggles.
However, it better than the silence from Taehyung he had to endure the entirety of last month, at least, Tae’s talking to him.
Jimin can endure his best-friend’s anger, his annoyance, his senseless talk but his silence is one thing, he never had imagined he would’ve to endure and that, for an entire month.
“Do you even know he’s been freeloading since he came to my home. I so… want to throw him out but I couldn’t find a replacement Jiminie.” he pauses to breath, nose flaring, then continues.
“How come there’s no one looking for a room in a place like Seoul and it’s a fully furnished room. Can you believe it? I don’t know what to do anymore. Jiminie, I don’t… Aish.” Jimin watches him sigh in exasperation but couldn’t help the smile that comes on his lips, looking at his friend’s dramatics.
“You’re so funny, Tae-ah. Look at your expressions.” he coos at Tae, giggling but Tae doesn’t seem to find it funny.
“….”
“What? It really is funny, look at a mirror if you don’t believe me.”
“Shut up, Jimin-ah. I’m serious about this.” he swats Jimin’s hand which’s resting on his shoulder all this time, a puffy pout on the way.
“Alright, ok. I’m sorry, how about we go for coffee, in that new café everyone’s talking about?” he offers, swinging his arm to hook around Tae’s neck but Tae swats it away again.
“No, no. I can’t, not right now. I got to run to the shop, it’s been pretty hectic lately, I can’t even explain how the client behave? Gosh.” Tae turns to leave.
And Jimin has no plans now, what should he do now?
“Wait, Tae-ah, can I come too?” so, he decides to go with Taehyung, if the later would let him.
“Sure, Jiminie. I could use your help.” of course, Tae would agree.
Both of them take the bus back to the shop. Jimin informs Jeongguk to pick him from Tae’s shop as he had dropped him to university earlier today.
True to Tae’s word, the shop is packed-jammed, even some of the customer are waiting outside.
Jimin’s been attending the bills while Taehyung and Chanhwa are busy with guiding the customer and then wrapping their orders and running around the shop from one customer to other. Now Jimin understands, what Tae meant when he said “hectic”.
He couldn’t help but appreciate Tae’s efforts, not only he does this everyday but has been doing this for ten years, while shuffling his studies alongside.
Jimin can’t even handle one of these properly, seems like appa needs to find a new heir to run the business.
“Jimin-ah, what’re you thinking suddenly?” Tae snaps his fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to earth or back out of his daydreaming, whichever fits better.
“Nothing, just thinking how appa needs to find a new heir for business.” he pouts at his younger friend.
Taehyung squints his eyes in question at him.
“Why’s that?” he asks.
“Looking at you and me, I realized how hard you work while I can’t even hold the cash counter properly. How am I gonna manage an entire chain of Hotels?” rubbing both his hands over his face, he slumps on the counter, sadly.
Tae could only giggle in response, looking at Jimin’s slouched figure.
“Oh, Jimin-ah, you’re doing great and I believe you’ll be even better when you’ll take over, so don’t worry too much, yeah? Now come on, we have a couple of hours more to go.”
“Or you can take rest, I’ll take it from here.”
“No, I need to do this, need to challenge myself or else how am I going to take over?” they both giggle at each other before going to their work.
They’re still running around as the clock struck 7 at evening. Jimin’s on the verge to collapse but Tae’s running with the same energy, Chanhwa already left today, he’s going to chill with his friends, they came to pick him up half an hour ago.
“Tae-ah, you sure you’ll go for one more hour?” he asks from the counter, he’s slouching again in tiredness.
Tae’s reply filters through across the huge shop.
“You can take a rest now Jiminie. I’ll handle it.”
Unlike, two hours ago, Jimin takes his advice and step out of the counter, striding across the length, he sits down on the chair, that’s situated before the cash counter, pushed back on the wall.
Tae’s standing across the room, arranging the now empty shelves of flowers. All he needs to do now is pack up, punch the entries in the desktop and make a list of the next purchase. Calculating, it’d take an hour, he returns to the cash counter. Smiling at Jimin’s miserable state, irritating the elder more.
“Jimin-ah, you look funny, you know?”
“Shut up.”
“Alright.” he giggles whispering.
“Now, I know why Namjoon hyung looked so ragged whenever he returned from your shop.” realising it after he looks at Tae for reaction but the brunette doesn’t reply, not even raising his head from the counter where he’s writing the entries in notebook before punching it in the desktop. Clearly trying to ignore Jimin.
Jimin sits upright, on the chair a bit alert, a bit embarrassed and a lot sorry. He’s about to apologize but before he could do that, the doorbell chimes, indicating someone’s arrival.
Tae and Jimin turn their heads to look the figures approaching opening then closing the door behind.
Jimin opens his mouth in a silent gasp, his head turning to Taehyung at lightning speed, looking for a reaction, any reaction.
Taehyung stands there still, somewhat lifeless as if a porcelain doll standing before him, cold and still, cause, the figures approaching them are Namjoon and… his girlfriend Jinyi.
Of course, they wouldn’t’ve expected that, not Namjoon anyways.
“Hey, Jimin-ah, Taehyung-ah.” Namjoon waves at them, he seems so nervous as if Tae would throw him out this instant.
Taehyung doesn’t reply instantly, he bows after, Jimin waves back. Its very formal for a greeting, the silent ‘Oh’ that leaves Namjoon, doesn’t go unnoticed by Jimin’s sharp observation.
Yet, Namjoon walks to Tae’s counter but turns to Jimin.
“Jimin-ah, Ggukie asked as to pick you up from here, we’re planning to go out tonight, so I asked him to join us with you. And also, so, he could get ready after classes. He apologized for not to be able to come himself.” Namjoon informs him, smile at the younger good-naturedly. Deep dimples exuding. And turns to Taehyung.
“Hey, Tae-ah… I… uh. It’s been a while.” he nervously tries again.
Taehyung, who eyes are glancing over Namjoon’s back snap out of the stupor.
“Yes. Hi.”
“We’re going out, would… you like to join?” Namjoon tries again. Tae doesn’t reply, looking intensely at Jinyi.
Jinyi… is a… very beautiful girl. Long wavy dark hair and cute heart-shaped face. She’s tall, as tall as Taehyung, especially, with her six inches of high-heels. She’s wearing a flashy cherry red figure-hugging dress. She’s looking amazing, even Taehyung can’t deny the fact, however, that doesn’t mean Tae’s happy to see her. His heart literally breaks into tiny, tiny pieces. She’s looking good with Namjoon. Really, they are looking perfect together.
“Tae-ah. Taehyung-ah?” Namjoon say a bit louder this time.
“Huh?”
“I said, I heard from Jeongguk-ah. You have paying guest finally.” Namjoon tries a casual approach.
“Don’t ask about that damn guy.” Tae whispers cursing under his breath, Min Yoongi, ever managing to swing his moods to ruin.
However, his cursing doesn’t escape Namjoon’s ears.
“What?” he asks anyway.
“Nothing.” Tae discards.
“So, you’ll join? I actually wanted you to meet Jinyi-ah.” as he mentions the girl, Jinyi waves over his shoulders.
“Hey, I’m Jinyi.”
“Hi, nice to meet you.” Tae waves half-heartedly.
“So, you’ll join, right?” Namjoon presses a bit. Again.
“No. I can’t. Appa must be waiting, I’ve to make dinner. Sorry, hyung. Maybe next time.” he bits his lips, smiling at Namjoon, while he discards his plans.
“Ok, Ok. How about our weekly dinner?” Namjoon asks with hope in his eyes.
“No, weekends are getting busy these days. I don’t think I can. Anyway, you should go enjoy the night. I need to pack up, yeah?” discarding the idea again, he ceases the light in Namjoon’s eyes to exists, hiding his unshed tears behind a smile.
“Oh. Sorry to bother you. We should leave now then.” the elder Kim turns, taking his girlfriend with him.
“Bye, Taehyung-ah. See you tomorrow.” Jimin, who’s been watching all this sadly, waves his goodbyes as he leaves with other, grabbing his backpack.
After everyone leaves, Tae couldn’t help but let the tears he’s been holding fall.
Notes:
STREAM SEXY NUKIM!!! AND JACK IN THE BOX. BECAUSE I HAVEN'T STOPPED TOO.
Chapter 8: Stalker
Summary:
Folding the cover over, Yoongi is met with a smiley postcard size photo of Taehyung, he couldn’t hold his own smile at the cute display of innocence. However, he knows what level of innocence the younger have.
Notes:
Hello everyone!!!! here with the new update. Not gonna say a lot today just thank everyone who read it. It's one of my most hard worked fic and I love it. It's sad not much people are reading it but its not something in my hand so... yeah. Anyways, I'm writing a thread fic in twt, if anyone is interested find me at there.
WARNING:
Grammatical Error
Realization
Lazy day
Stalking
Attempt at humour
Enjoy the chapter and please tell me at the comment. Thank you so much.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Yoongi has been staying with Kim for three weeks now, best life. He doesn’t need to go to work, not in the office or undergrounds. He can laze around the house all day long and the most exciting time he looks forward to, is when Tae comes home. Basically, he loves… to irritate the younger boy as much as he can.
He loves seeing Taehyung annoyed and angry.
However, he still couldn’t find out why the younger comes home so late, even when he leaves around 7 in the morning. Slowly but efficiently, he’s learning the Kim family’s dynamics. It’s kind of same as his own family.
Tae lives alone with his father, just like Yoongi but the biggest difference is, Yoongi doesn’t have a drunkard for a father. Right, the elder Kim is always found drunk, whether its morning or night, more in night.
And yes, though, Taehyung has never told Yoongi this personally, it seems he doesn’t have a mother too.
Tae leaves home at 7 in the morning and comes back around 8 in evening or an hour later maximum. Prepares breakfast before leaving and prepares dinner after coming back, no question asked.
He completes the entire home chores alone, his father only eats and sleeps, after he comes back. Well, Yoongi does the same but he makes his lunch every day and it should be appreciated because he doesn’t do even this much in his own home.
Normally, Yoongi’d go to sleep and scroll his social media feeds, which is made up of a fake name. However, today, is a different day. Because...
Last night, he had promised Seokjin that he’d come to the office, at least, once every week, after Jin’s constant begging over the phone call. He had decided to go today after Tae and his appa leaves. And he leaves in time but…
When he sees Tae going around the street slowly, an idea pops up inside his head, gummy smirk stretching his lips.
///
Yoongi follows Tae from a safe distance, realizing its been a while since he left the room at the Kim’s.
Tae’s going slowly and turning around and then walking to the bus stop, sitting down on the long bench. Waiting for his bus to come, his eyes gazing at the distance to his right, probably, where the bus would come from.
Yoongi smiles from where he’s hiding behind the wall, looking at Tae, who’s swinging his legs without a care of the world from where he’s been sitting.
Seems like the bus would come in a few minutes as some more people walk to the stop, joining the little crowd.
Yoongi immediately fish out his phone from his pocket.
What? He did go for shopping, alright, he didn’t but he had ordered an entire wardrobe from where Jin and Hobi usually buys their and Yoongi’s clothes. The expensive store where it needs to have a registered appointment to even step in. Well, that’s how Jin and Hobi work, expensive guys they are.
Anyways, he calls his driver, asking him to bring their least flashy car with him and meet him at the corner of the street, so Tae couldn’t see him and most importantly, do not tell anyone, like anyone. That anyone being, his appa, Jin and Hobi or anyone from Hobi’s family.
Yoongi’s ride arrive at the same time Tae’s bus, perfect timing but what’s with sleek black sedan his driver has come with, he remembers asking for the least flashy. Not having time to argue, he climbs in.
“I asked you to bring the car that’s not flashy.” he whisper-yells to the driver in lowered voice.
“I’m very sorry boss but this is the least eye-catching of all the vehicles you own.” replies the driver, who has come in a suit. A lot for not being flashy, huh?
Yoongi shakes his head disappointedly.
“Whatever… just follow that bus for now.”
“Sure, boss.”
Keeping an appropriate distance behind the bus, they begin their pursuit. Yoongi eyes stuck on the back of Tae’s head, who’s sitting on left row at the window seat. Eyes on the passing scenery.
Yoongi wonders, what the younger could be thinking right row.
Among every possibility in its vastness, a piece of his brain supplies an unnecessary question that even Yoongi knows, is not possible, still he questions.
Questions, if Taehyung ever, even just for a fraction of a sec… thinks about him.
Discarding the thought with a shake of his head as soon as it comes in his mind, he continues to pursue the younger. About half an hour, the bus halts at the stop, he recalls he was stabbed that night, around here at the alley.
Yoongi tells the driver to stop, right before the alley a bit further from where Tae’s dropped.
He had told his men to take the dead body and take care of it as soon as he had time after Tae and his father left home that day. So, he doesn’t even blink that way.
As soon as Tae begins walking the street, Yoongi follows after.
After walking about a couple of minutes, Tae stops in a flower shop. In his hazy memory, he remembers it as the location, he lost consciousness before finding himself in Tae’s home.
He tells the driver to stop at the corner.
“Hey, Jaehyung hyung?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Wanna have a breakfast?”
“Oh no, boss thanks but I already had -” cutting his driver off before he completes the sentence, Yoongi drags him out and in the café, right opposite of the shop Tae went in, quickly.
Taking a window seat in the end corner, he ends up ordering every possible dish in the menu. With his hoodie up and dark sunglasses on, he spies every single moment of Taehyung, sipping on a tall glass of orange juice with the help of a straw.
He certainly looks, well, dumb and suspicious. Jaehyung sure having fun with all the food.
“Can I ask you something boss?” devouring everything happily, Jaehyung asks.
“Hmm?”
“Are we spying on the shop owner of that flower shop?”
“Kind of, I guess. Why do you ask?” not removing his eyes from Taehyung, who’s going back and forth in the shop, now wearing a black polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants, under an ivory coloured apron, he asks back to Jaehyung.
“You should have told me earlier, I know him pretty well as I’m their regular customer.” he chimes, still happily.
“Is that so?” Yoongi perks and eyebrow at him, now turning fully to him, giving his employee all his attention.
“How do you know them? No, actually who’re you talking about exactly? Who’s the owner?” Yoongi asks to confirm as he doesn’t know if Tae works there’s as a worker or boss.
“Kim Taehyung-ssi is the owner and the other boy is Chanhwa, his employee.”
“Oh, and how do you know them exactly?” he asks, now curious. So, Tae owns a shop as huge as this?
“I know them from several years now, they even did the flower arrangement for my wedding. Chanhwa-ssi actually a librarian and Taehyung-ssi is in university junior year.” Yoongi stops him before he could go ahead.
If Taehyung is in junior year that means, he must be around 21 years now, more or less. And Jaehyung is married for six years now. And Tae must’ve been fifteen back then. He’s totally confused now. Calculating everything, he decides to voice his confusion.
“But you’re married for six years now, how did they arrange for your wedding?”
“Good question.”
“I know, so how?”
“This flower shop is originally belonged to Taehyung-ssi’s mother, who passed away with a sudden heart failure when he was eleven. Since then, Taehyung-ssi is managing the shop. Chanhwa-ssi was older around fifteen, he’s been helping him since then.”
Oh… so, Yoongi was right about his mother. Amazing, an eleven-year-old managing a flower shop on his own. Remind him of his Jin hyung, though, even Jin hyung was not this younger when he took over their mother’s shop.
“This shop used to be so small but since Taehyung-ah has taken over, he has made an astonishing amount of progress. Making the business as big as this.” Jaehyung smiles at his boss. Yoongi listens patiently.
“Once a week, me and my wife visit here for fresh flower she likes.” Jaehyung finishes, continuing his eating.
Yoongi turns to the window, watching Tae smiling and bowing to the bustling herd of customers in and out. After watching for a while, Yoongi jolts up his seat.
“What happened boss?” Jaehyung shrieks as he clutches his chest right over his heart in utter shock.
“He’s leaving, let’s go.” ushering Jaehyung off the seat, Yoongi runs to the counter to pay the bills and order the rest in a pack-away. As soon as they get the pack-away in their hands, more like Jaehyung’s hand, they run out and climb the car. Again, stalking Taehyung, who has boarded the bus again.
This time, they reach the university. Must be the place Tae studies at.
An easy access, he couldn’t help the gummy smirk to spread on his face. After Taehyung flashes past them in a lightning speed, Yoongi leisurely climbs out of the car with Jaehyung following him with the packed food.
They follow Taehyung ahead, however, they don’t follow him to the class but Yoongi turns to the way to the university director’s office.
Upon reaching the reception out of the office, they’re stopped from going past the reception without an appointment.
The woman, who’s manning the desk, calls them over.
“Sir, you can’t meet the director without an appointment.” she kindly informs both men.
Yoongi turns to look at Jaehyung, who’s mirroring the same expression. Very funny.
“Tell the Director that Min-ssi is here.”
“But sir?”
“Tell him.” Jaehyung rumbles lowly this time, both the boss and employee expressionless. Yoongi feels bad for her but not much.
“Oh... ok.” biting her lips, the receptionist drops her head before power-walking to the Director’s cabin.
And the shock written all over her cute face, looks damn funny, when the Director frantically runs out of his cabin to greet The Min-ssi.
Wiping the sweat that has gathered on his forehead with a napkin, the Director bows deeply before Yoongi, greeting him with all the respect he knows he deserves.
“Min-ssi, very welcome, may I know the reason of you visit, sir?” the Director stammers, barely managing to form the full sentence.
“En... should we go in?”
“Sure, sir. Why not?”
Yoongi walks ahead like the King he is, Jaehyung and the Director following his lead.
He takes the seat across the Director’s desk, Jaehyung sits down beside him and the Director takes his seat across his desk.
“So, Min-ssi, what can I do for you?” the Director asks with a tight smiling.
“Nothing.” snorting, he reclines back on the chair, then sliding across the room. Yoongi settles before the huge window, looking at the window, the building across the office.
Coincidently, he can see Taehyung, sitting at the back of class, taking notes with a serious face. As the Director’s office building is parallel to the classroom building.
“Actually... you can Director Lee.”
“It’s nothing serious, I just want a detailed information of one of your university students.” Yoongi finally lays his demands on the table.
“Sure, sir. Which one?” without hesitating, the director replies, even Yoongi knows its not legal to provide the personal information of a student without their consent.
“Kim Taehyung, junior year.” as soon as Yoongi states the name, the Director presses the intercom switch to call the assistant in.
The lady at the reception they met a few minutes ago, enters the cabin and exits with a bow when the Director orders her to fetch the student record from the archive room.
“Anything concerning that I should know about Kim Taehyung-ssi, sir?” he asks Yoongi, who’s still looking out of the window reclining on his chair with his right ankle crossed over the left knee.
“Not anything I know of right now.” he pauses then continues.
“Have you ever met him Director Lee?”
Shaking his head, the director responses in negative.
“As far as I know, Kim Taehyung-ssi is double majoring. That’s all I know.” the Director adds the information he knows.
“Double majoring, huh?”
Few minutes later, the assistant arrives with a blue manila folder under her arms. The Director urges her to give the folder to Jaehyung and leave.
Jaehyung quietly passes the folder to Yoongi after the secretary leaves.
Kim Taehyung is printed in bold letters with the small white rectangle, down on the front of the folder.
Folding the cover over, Yoongi is met with a smiley postcard size photo of Taehyung, he couldn’t hold his own smile at the cute display of innocence. However, he knows what level of innocence the younger have.
Yoongi foregoes information that are not so important in his eyes, like parent name or occupation or his residential address, etc. He, however, keeps in mind his major and age, maybe, his academic record or anything he finds important.
It’s the recent registered profile of Taehyung for this academic year. Yoongi meticulously sifts through it, gathering as much information as he could. Nothing out of ordinary, just a university student with decent grades and a flourishing business.
Closing the folder and placing it over the director’s desk.
“Thank you, Director Lee for your co-operation, I hope this won’t go out of this room.” he gives the Director his signature gummy smirk.
“Any time Min-ssi any time.” the Director smiles tightly as he understands the underlaying threat more than a gratitude.
“May I have the permission to look around the campus a bit?” Yoongi stretches his hand over his head as he gets off from the seat.
“Sure, sir why not? Would you like me to accompany you?”
“No, thanks but you sure can entertain my friend Jaehyung here.” with that said he leaves the cabin.
Yoongi goes around the campus before he starts to stalk Taehyung again.
Using his talent in discretion, he hides finely, he knows he looks stupid and out of ordinary but he also knows Taehyung’s a bit dumb, he wouldn’t find him out even if he goes past him. Still, he takes precautions with his hoodie and sunglasses.
He himself is feeling like a creep.
If one month ago, someone would’ve asked him to do it, Yoongi had shot them dead the instant, even if it’s a billion won contract. Because, Min Yoongi doesn’t stalk people, a civilian at that.
However, he doesn’t know why he’s doing all sort of weird things and enjoying it on top of that.
That’s how he follows Taehyung to all his classes. Lingering close, at the same time as far as he won’t get caught.
According to his observation, Tae’s an exceptionally diligent kid. He manages his studies, a double major alongside the flower shop. Which is a pretty big deal. He does all the home chores alone. Yoongi likes this kind of person, even if he’s a lazy ass.
Yoongi finds Tae very different from today’s youth intriguing. For some reasons, he feels like the younger is asking something behind his cheery smile, his light-hearted character, something a lot heavier, a burden. But, who’s he to speculate someone’s character.
For now, he’d just observe him.
With the abnormal pursuit, Yoongi’s all day goes behind the bushes, by the toilets, behind the walls or at a corner. Gingerly following and hiding.
As the afternoon nears, he finds himself behind the tree trunk, watching Tae closely, who’s been sitting with his friend a short-heighted, angelic featured blonde. Yoongi wonders if all Tae’s friend look like an angel.
The blonde kid has been listening Taehyung from about half an hour, blabbering non-stop about something Yoongi’s too far to get.
Then both the students begin to grab their bag and walk out of the campus.
Yoongi calls Jaehyung down as he begins the pursuit again. By that time, Jaehyung has eaten up all the packed food they have brought earlier.
At their pursuit ends back at the flower shop, where they see Chanhwa leaves earlier with some people, while and the blonde angel replaces him in the cash counter.
With the same energy as earlier, Taehyung goes around the shop running from one customer to other.
Yoongi takes his place at the window in the café with Jaehyung again ordering a lot but this time, lesser than before. Eyes not leaving Taehyung across the road.
As the time passes, the sky darkens from its golden hue but Yoongi doesn’t seem too tired from running an entire day. Funny thinking, he’s the Min laziest Yoongi.
Jaehyung across him, has already fallen asleep on his seat. Yoongi doesn’t disturb the poor guy and lets him rest while he stares at Taehyung.
Blinking his eyes after raising his head, which has been resting on his arms over table. What’s the time now?
He blinks again to clear his vision as he stares at the watch on his left wrist.
Its quarter past 7.
Immediately, with a swift jerk of his head, he looks right at Taehyung shop, sighing in relief when he finds Tae on the cash counter.
Jimin’s sitting on the chair before the counter, while Tae’s talking to a figure, who’s face Yoongi couldn’t see as the figure is back facing him.
He notices a girl sitting beside the blonde kid as the male figure talk with Tae.
For some reasons, Tae doesn’t raise his eyes at the figure smiling tightly once in a while.
About 10-15 minutes later, the male figure leaves with the girl and blonde following behind.
However, as soon as the three leaves, Taehyung bursts out crying. He continues to cry as he works on the counter, clean the entire shop and packs everything.
Yoongi’s heart, for the first time in long time, is aching, seeing the ugly tears in Tae’s now swollen face. He wants to cross the road, burst in the shop and take the younger in a big tight hug. He resists.
He wants to wipe the fat tears descending from the gorgeous face of the younger. He resists.
He wants to place feather light kisses all over the younger’s face. It’s the first time, he feels this way about someone, not even his various ex-girlfriends were able to melt him that way. He resists.
He wakes Jaehyung up ordering him to drop him back where he picked him up earlier. Yoongi leaves the café and goes home... Taehyung’s home.
Notes:
Find me at TWT.
Chapter 9: Unacceptable
Summary:
Hoseok, chasing Jin’s plumpy full lips, now swollen and sweet. Eyes hazy with huffs of breath, fogging up their senses. Tongue entangling hungrily with even a little pressure applied. After about five minutes or so, the couple separates from each other, hugging tightly again, then stare in each other’s eyes with all the love in the world.
Notes:
Hello everyone!!! Thank for all the needed support you all are giving this fic. Its appreciating. Now, this one is a short chapter bc I'm not as organized in this fic than I'm in ALAYWM, so its somewhat uneven. There'll be hurt in the end of the chapter, so ready to get emotional by the first half is kinda crack, fun ad all. Let's go than. Keep listening to RM's INDIGO and JIN's Astronaut and JK's dreamers and JHOPE's JITB. Thank you. Please tell me the the comments.
WARNING:
Hurt
Kisses/Intimacy
Grammatical ErrorEnjoy and say hii to me in twt, I'll follow be.
Chapter Text
(New moodboard. Yahhh)
Jin has asked Yoongi to come to the office, just once a week. Seems like Yoongi can’t even do that. Jin has to manage the companies as well as the bakery, alone.
Furiously, signing the documents, Jin snorts angrily. Where the fuck is Yoongi?
He hasn’t seen his younger brother for over more than a month now. He doesn’t come to the office, haven’t visited the bakery since then and he hasn’t been home, since the last he had seen him.
Even their appa is concerned now.
Breathing out a strong, emotionally exhausted sigh before putting the pen back and gathering all the crisp white papers in a thick stack, placing it in the file folder.
He’s tired, far more than he’d like to admit. He wants Yoongi here, like right now. All he wants, is to go back to the bakery for sometimes. But no, his lazy ass off a brother wants to have a vacation unannounced.
Pouting sadly at the paperwork, he decides to call some of their men to go find Yoongi but before he could take his cell-phone off the table to make the call, the door to the cabin opens and in comes his sweet, sweet husband.
“Tired?” Hoseok asks as his strides toward him, taking a seat across his desk.
“Hmm…” he replies pouting cutely.
“Come here.” Hoseok invites Jin, opening his arms.
Not wasting a single second, Jin literally jump on Hoseok’s lap, hugging his husband tightly as he makes himself comfortable on the younger’s lap.
Hoseok rubs his warm palm over Jin’s back, while the elder hooks his arms around his neck. He kisses the elder’s forehead gently, trailing the kisses down both his cheeks, peppering kisses all over Jin’s face, Hoseok makes his husband giggle and giggles himself.
Even they don’t know when this cuddling session turns into a make out session.
Hoseok, chasing Jin’s plumpy full lips, now swollen and sweet. Eyes hazy with huffs of breath, fogging up their senses. Tongue entangling hungrily with even a little pressure applied. After about five minutes or so, the couple separates from each other, hugging tightly again, then stare in each other’s eyes with all the love in the world.
“What were you doing before I came, hyung?” he asks, caressing a thumb across Jin’s reddened cheek.
“Paper-works. Courtesy of Min fucking Yoongi, I was about to call some of our men to go find that rascal, before you came in.” Jin sneers angrily at the mention of Yoongi’s name, mood turns a total 180, making Hoseok chuckles at his facial and emotion expression.
“About that… actually, I was going to talk about that but of course, make-out session is more important for us, right baby?” he chuckles loudly, his signature heart-shaped smile adorning his features, contagious to Jin too as they both starts laughing together.
“About what?” Jin asks when they calm down from their fit.
“About Yoongi?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I found Yoongi hyung’s whereabouts. And You’ll be surprise to hear the whole ordeal.” Hoseok states confidently, a sly smile gracing his features.
“You do? Tell me where’s the fucker, so I could drag him back here by his ears after breaking both his legs.” Jin growls, a fist punching up in the air in immense anger.
“Not so violent honey, we don’t favour violence, right? And Yoongi hyung is your brother and my precious brother-in-law, I don’t wanna kill him, yeah?” Hoseok chimes pinching Jin’s cheeks with his thumb and forefinger. Pouting at Jin as he plays with his handsome face.
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. So, where is he anyways?”
“Hehe…” Hoseok snickers behind his palm.
“What?” Jin grits his teeth in frustration, from the suspense Hoseok was creating in crucial time like this.
“Two weeks ago, when uncle Cheol-min and I were having a drink, he asked me to find Yoongi hyung, see if he’s not in any danger. So, the next morning I sent some of our men and… you’d be surprised of what the results I’ve got from the findings.” Hoseok drags the last part to raise Jin’s curiosity. As Jin’s almost leaning over him, eyes glinting in interest, that Hoseok has bet would be there.
“So, what is it? Hobi-ah. Tell me already.”
“Alright. So, Yoongi hyung, when that night he left for a stroll after the dinner, he was… well, he was stabbed by Choi Hae-il’s teenager son. His second wife’s, not involved in the business much, so, we hadn’t known of his existence.” As soon as those words leaves Hoseok’s lips, Jin gets off his lap, eyes blown shocked, gasping for oxygen as he heaves.
“Hobi… and you’re telling me this now?” he whispers as he’s barely able to form words. Oh my, if anything happens to Yoongi and Jin’s not even aware off it, what kind of elder brother that proves Jin to be.
He’s about to run out of the cabin, with tears brimming in his eyes but Hoseok grabs him by the wrist before he could take another step.
“Calm down, I haven’t finished yet. At least, hear the rest before you go wage another war on the already dead Choi’s.”
“But Hobi-ah, Yoongi-ah is…”
“Hyung is perfectly fine. That day, he ended the last of the Choi’s. you know how he is, have some faith. Min Yoongi doesn’t and cannot go down without a fight. And the attacker was just a kid.”
“Oh my Hobi, you should’ve told me earlier.” Jin sighs as he slouches down on the chair next to Hobi’s, their hand still connected, Hoseok gives him a slight reassuring squeeze.
“So, what happened to him? Why didn’t he come back for over a month?”
“According to our informer, he was bleeding severely but walked ahead only to lose consciousness on a bench on the pavement. Funny thing is, he was rescued by a flower shop owner, who’s shop is behind the same bench I’m talking about.” Hoseok tells him.
“So, why hasn’t he came back, yet?”
“Oh, that’s the most important part. The flower shop owner is a 21 year old kid. Who was, also, looking for a paying guest to rent a room in his home.”
“….” Jin nothing but clueless.
“So, you’re telling me that, Yoongi’s living in a rented room now, leaving an entire mansion here?” Jin narrows his brows in question. Hoseok shakes his head, rolling his eyes disappointedly.
“Hyung, when have you become so dumb? And how didn’t I realize it all these years?” he says rhetorically, obviously making fun of Jin. Resulting in a painful swat to his bicep by the elder.
“Shut up, that’s not funny.”
“Ok, ok, but you heard what I said?”
“What?”
Hoseok sighs this time, pinching his nose bridge in frustration.
“Hyung. I said, flower shop owner is a 21-year-old boy.” Hoseok hints, yet, Seokjin doesn’t get it.
“So?”
“So, Yoongi hyung is living in his home, leaving an entire mansion. No, actually, let me re-phrase this correctly. Yoongi hyung is freeloading in the kid’s home. A twenty-year-old.” He stats slowly for Jin to understand. And when he does, the expression on his face’s like a deer caught in headlights.
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh. And the kid wants to throw him out because hyung is literally freeloading but hyung asked all our men to stop anyone in the entire Seoul, who come to rent the room in the kids home. And it seems like the kid’s not aware of Yoongi hyung status, which makes it even easier to fool the kid.”
“Ok, now I get it. What’s more?”
“A couple weeks ago when you asked him to come to office, he was coming but changing the plan, he had stalk the kid all day long with Jaehyung hyung. He even went to the kids university and asked for his personal profile. Do you get now?”
“I guess I do. Aish… unbelievable. Yoongi wouldn’t bother to walk to the toilet even if he want to take a piss and now he’s following a kid around.” He evilly smiles at his husband, who’s mirroring the same sly expression.
“Have you told appa yet?” he asks Hoseok, who shakes his head in a negative response.
“Look like we have to look for a room. Hobi-ah.”
“I guess we have to.”
///
Taehyung now, is royally pissed off. Min fucking Yoongi is getting on his nerves like no other.
He… he, fuck. He hasn’t paid is rent and Taehyung doesn’t know what to tell his father when the elder Kim would ask. On top of that, Yoongi follows him to the shop now, it’s his routine for a week now.
He follows Taehyung to shop, claiming he’s bored alone in home and bothers him till he goes to the university and comes again when he comes back from university, to continue his procrastination.
He’s been bothering him a lot now-a-days, walking behind him, when Tae’s attending the customers or sitting on the countertop all day throwing bits of snack there, creating mess. He does listen when he told him not to trouble them. However, he listens to Chanhwa when he scolds him but never Taehyung, like they’re enemies made in heaven.
No efforts, no scolding, nothing… nothing works when Taehyung is involved.
He’s been evading Taehyung’s personal spaces in home too. Always touching him unnecessarily, in his most vulnerable state.
That day, he was standing right behind him in the kitchen, running a fucking long and slender finger of his big, veiny hands, down Taehyung’s spine over the thin shirt he was wearing.
Causing a solid tremble run down, shaking every bone in the process in his body. Taehyung almost lost his consciousness for a second there by the strange sensation, he only ever felt when Namjoon touches him.
How in the world he’s going to explain his appa, if he’s caught in a vulnerable situation like this? His father’s gonna end him that day.
///
“Jiminie, no. You don’t understand what he does in home.”
“But didn’t you say he does nothing by himself, aside from sleeping.”
“Yes, that’s true but Jiminie… oh god, I can’t explain.” Hiding his face behind his palms, he couldn’t stop blushing. Now, he doesn’t know if its redness of anger or shame.
“Tae-Tae-ah, you know? You complain about this Yoongi a lot these days, like he’s the only one running in your mind.”
“I agree with Jimin hyung there.” Jeongguk chimes but both of couple aren’t able to hide the frown drawing their eyes brows in.
They’re sitting by the tree in the campus, their usual meeting place. Hearing Taehyung go on and on about this Yoongi. Taehyung’s lunch, long forgotten on the table while Jimin and Jeongguk chew on their’s slowly, they know Taehyung would leave the food as it is by the end of their conversation.
But having a mix feeling about all this. They were glad, that Taehyung is opening up after a long, painful and tiring silence but all he talks about now, is Yoongi, who, they don’t even know. Is that concerning? They don’t know. What they know, is that, they really don’t like it as much. Why? Because, in their eyes, this Yoongi is replacing their Namjoon hyung.
Namjoon, who has always been Taehyung’s centre of affection’s attention, his care and his love is now getting replaced with this Min Yoongi. They know, Tae’s not aware of this change in his own self but he should.
Of course, they wouldn’t want Taehyung to suffer the unrequited love he has for Namjoon, while Namjoon enjoys his life with Jinyi, however, they are not liking the pace everything’s going in. Changes as fast as this, are not to their liking.
And also, they don’t like Jinyi, she seems too fake a woman. Why’s Namjoon even dating her in the first place. But even Namjoon doesn’t talk about Jinyi as much as Taehyung talks about Yoongi. They have feeling, that, Namjoon likes Tae and will reciprocate his love in double. So, why all this farce?
“Yoongi hyung is so, so… I don’t know anymore.” Tae’s usual deep voice interrupts them from their thought.
“Hyung? When did you start called him hyung?” Jimin asks a bit annoyed now, hearing Yoongi’s name again and again.
“I mean, he’s older, probably… so.”
“Probably? So, you don’t even know if he’s older or not, really now? Taehyung-ah?” utters a gasp in disbelief.
“What does it matter, Jiminie? Why are you two getting so hyper over it?” not knowing the reason, Taehyung gently places his hand on Jimin’s shoulder only to have it swatted away.
“Matter is, you don’t really love Namjoon hyung anymore.” Flaring in anger, Jimin growls loudly, even Jeongguk jolts in surprise.
While Jimin’s heart aches seeing the hurt etched across Tae’s face, his anger’s over-powering. Even Jeongguk isn’t able to stop him.
“Why are you saying this Jimin?” he almost mutters inaudibly, looking up at Jimin, who’s been standing since his outburst.
“Why, you say? Have you even realized how much you’re mentioning this Yoongi, over and over again? Yoongi does this, Yoongi did that. It’s like you’ve forgotten Namjoon hyung completely. I thought, you’re hurting inside when you didn’t utter a single word for an entire month but now that you do, all you ever talk about is, this Yoongi.” He pauses for a breath.
“Is that how much you love Namjoon hyung? Is it so easy to replace him? Forget everything he did for you? And now, you’re calling this Yoongi, hyung? All of a sudden, just cause you know him for two months now. Great, Taehyung –ah, just… Let just go, Jeongguk-ah, we’re wasting our time all this time. Glad, Namjoon hyung has realized this sooner than later.” Grabbing his backpack and Jeongguk, Jimin turns around, leaving Tae shocked and alone again, “At least, Namjoon hyung has a normal person to love now.” is the last sentence muttered before the pair leaves his sight.
Tae only manages to sit there with his breath caught in the throat. Pressing heaviness, he’s feeling in his heart, is unexplainable as if its gonna explode any minute now. Searing pain pumping every chamber in his heart. And when he tries to get up, his wobbly legs give out. Thumping back on the bench.
First time in the whole two years, he ditches class, not because he wants to but because he’s not able to get up from the table.
And when he does, all his classes were already over. Not taking bus this time, he walks all the way home, equivalent of one-hour bus ride from shop to the university and one-hour bus ride from his home to shop.
Informing Chanhwa to close the shop earlier as he won’t be able to reach in time.
Walking back slowly, he rethinks about the conversation he had earlier with Jimin and Jeongguk.
Taehyung doesn’t blame Jimin for his outburst, he might’ve talking about Yoongi a lot. He never realized. He doesn’t blame Jimin or Jeongguk because he knows they don’t know about Taehyung and Namjoon, not more than a couple of years.
What hurts him, is that simple sentence Jimin mutters before leaving.
Now, even Jimin and Jeongguk thinks he’s abnormal, someone not socially acceptable. That hurts a lot, it really does but also he knows he can’t change the one thing he despises about himself the most.
Chapter 10: Find replacement
Summary:
Owner of the massive apartment floor in the most expensive building of Seoul, Jung-Min Seokjin and Jung Hoseok are here to rent a room no more costlier than the cheapest pair of wrist watch in their closet.
Notes:
Hiii, everyone again. 15th of Jan was the 1 year anniversary of Lavender Field. Though, it doesn't get much attention, I love writing this fic sooo much. So, happy anniversary my dear fic.<333 Hope this year is good for you. So, this update is going to be a tad bit sensitive, take out your tissues, not much though. There'll be warnings, so any of you are comfortable, you can skip the part, its not the long. Thank You and enjoy the update. Tell me how's is it in comments.
WARNING:
Domestic Abuse
Blood and violence
Hateful and abusive behavior
Crying
Grammatical Error
Chapter Text
Taehyung hadn’t come to the shop this evening, Yoongi has been waiting for him in his usual, on the countertop, when Chanhwa receives a call and call it a day, packing away everything.
“What happened, why’re you closing so early, hyung?” he asks Chanhwa, who is gathering and bringing everything in.
“Tae said he won’t be able to make it here and to call it a day.” Chanhwa shouts from outside of the shop.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe he missed his bus.” Chanhwa says with a shrug of his shoulders. Yoongi doesn’t ask anything further, jumping off the counter, he helps Chanhwa to wrap up and close. Before they go their separate ways, bidding a good bye.
He finds Taehyung in the kitchen when he reaches home, preparing dinner, his appa nowhere to be found.
Kicking his shoes off in the front, he makes a b-line to where Tae is. He climbs on the countertop with a jump, sliding his butt back to sit comfortably.
Tae doesn’t response, cutting the ingredient without even raising his gaze. Yet, looking unfocused.
“Didn’t come to the shop today, why?” a simple sentence, poking his finger on Taehyung’s side.
“I was not feeling well.” And a simple answer whisper.
“Hmm.” Yoongi nods in understanding, sarcastically, not really believing Taehyung. “Well, nice try but come again.” Yoongi says jumping off the counter.
He stands beside Taehyung, staring intensely at him. Doesn’t know when but he finds himself standing right behind the younger. A hand reaching up and up, yearning to just have a feel of the silky brunette hair, almost there. But suddenly, he curls his fingers back, retracting his hand back, not reaching, not touching, instead, it goes down on Taehyung’s waist, where the belts of the apron Taehyung’s wearing, are tied in a cute, messy bow. Reaching for its one end, Yoongi gently pulls the tied bow.
Taehyung stills, the moment he feels his apron coming undone, he couldn’t have realized Yoongi’s presence when he’s so tired and hurting but the slow sensation of the slipping fabric and the slightly ragged breath behind the back of his neck, makes him grasp the strange feel.
He misses a mere second before the apron completely slips open, abruptly, turning around he comes face to face with Yoongi. No further than an inch.
Yoongi doesn’t know what came over him but it’s not his habit to back down from a challenge and a challenge as troubled as Taehyung, just only riles him up more.
Letting the end of the belt fall, he walks Taehyung back, trapping him between the counter and himself.
“What’re you doing, hyung?” comes a ragged response from Taehyung’s lips. Again, licking his lips wet in nervousness. Then sucking the bottom lip in.
Yoongi can’t help but stare at the juicy, glassy lips.
“I asked, why didn’t you come to the shop today?” lowly, enunciating every single word, Yoongi asks him.
First time in two months, Taehyung realizes Yoongi has a deep, deep, raspy, weighted voice just like his own but it has a texture, ruffed and ragged. Taehyung’s stance falters at the feeling of it. Even though, he chooses to defy the commanding voice and spit a reply cruelly.
“And why does that matter to you? Why do you care?” staring hard at Yoongi’s delicate lips, he mutters as low as Yoongi did. Surprised, a chuckle resonates from that same baby pink lips that hides the evil gummy smirk behind it.
“Of course, why should I care?” he pauses, throwing his head back, eyes roaming the ceiling for a second. “Is it strange, if I do care? Isn’t it normal as I live here too?”
“You, Min-ssi, are not living, you’re freeloading in here and I’d really like you to leave before my appa realizes you’re not paying the rent. Aish, sorry I forgot, you’re so lazy that no one would even hire you their employee, for you to pay rent in due time, right Yoongi-ssi?” he whispers deliberately low, fake gasping even, to rile Yoongi and flare his anger, just to see the real side as he calls it, of Yoongi.
However, his determination crumbles in pieces when Yoongi snorts a deep resounding laugh.
“Right, no one hires me because of my laziness. Now you know, still you want me to leave, then where’ll go. Sleep in streets?” he says that, so seriously, feigning innocence and by the looks of it, Taehyung has bought it, he’s pretty sure of that.
“But you could go look for a job, then I won’t have any problem keeping you here.”
“Oh, Taehyung-ssi, I don’t think I’m feeling like it. I like living here but of course, you can try to throw me out but I’m sure you won’t get any replacement, another paying guest.”
“And why not?” Taehyung straightens up, almost touching Yoongi now.
“Just because.” Yoongi says, straightening up himself not realizing when his hand goes forward to hold Tae’s waist and pulling him flush to against his chest. Tae lets out a gasp, shocked as Yoongi backs him on the counter.
“What’re you doing?” he manages to mutter, voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t… know.” A whispered reply as well, Yoongi sub-consciously snakes his arms around Tae’s waist as he comes close to the trembling lips.
Faint smell of rich smelling flowers emitting from Taehyung, continues to fog Yoongi’s brain with the intoxicity. The spice, the sweetness, a bit bitterness, some richness, all at once. In a single person. Only from… Taehyung.
However, when his gazes fall right in Tae’s eyes. Not missing the sombre tone of his rather brilliantly dazzling eyes. Edges red and puffy, a confident trace of cruel tears. The moisture remains of said tears, still prominent, clinging on those beautiful long lashes. And the vastly spread despondency is tangible.
Reaching a hand out to drag his thumb along the edges of Tae’s eyes, his eyes roving to the rest of the younger’s feature.
“You were crying?” his words as sure as his doubt.
Both Taehyung’s hands, which has been resting on Yoongi’s biceps, grips the fabrics of Yoongi’s cloth lighter at the older’s question, contradicting his bleak reply.
“No.”
Yoongi doesn’t like the reply, not knowing the depth of situation is, what Yoongi hates the most. Now that Tae’s involved, he’d like thorough explanation as to why the brightness he was dragged here for, has dulled now or if it’s always has been there and he’s not aware of. Too delusional to notice.
After all, he only knows Taehyung for a mere two months’ time, who is he for Taehyung? That he’d share his problems, his feeling with him?
However, the biggest question is, why Yoongi even wants to know? Why does he care, really? Taehyung’s question is valid. Why is feeling all this?
Before Yoongi could figure out all his, Taehyung’s name resounds in a low growl from behind and he gets harshly pushed away by Taehyung. Tumbling back on his heels, he looks over his shoulder.
Tae’s appa standing there, pretty expressionlessly.
Yoongi doesn’t response as much, bowing in greeting like usual but Tae squirms on his feet, now hurrying to prepare the dinner. Yoongi, before leaving the kitchen, he stares back at Tae’s figure, trembling insanely. Nothing pointing anything out, he leaves for his room upstairs.
///
While having dinner, Tae was thinking how his father didn’t react after seeing him in Yoongi’s arms. It sounds weird even to his own ears but he was in Yoongi’s arms, embraced vigorously, as if, Yoongi wouldn’t let go even if the god would ask him to. And Taehyung too, was quite unconscious, standing there dumbly and looking in Yoongi’s eyes, losing his mental balance of standing, as though, he was intoxicated with just a taste of Yoongi’s deep voice.
However, now he knows why he didn’t.
With his palm pressed upon the shreds of broken glass cup by his father’s foot, he gets all the answer in the sharp sting and crimson blood. Again the face’s swollen with big hand prints on either side of his cheeks. New development being the internal cuts inside his mouth by the impact of those solid slaps. And the hand, which’s gripping his throat harshly, cutting off Taehyung’s breathing. He tries to claw the hand away but his attempt goes futile.
“So, this is happening behind my back two months Taehyung, two months, where’s the fucking money?” His father’s unusually not drunk this evening.
“You’ve brought him here to sleep with him, huh?” He growls.
“No, appa, you’re wrong. That’s not… what happened.” He barely manages to breath out, wheezing helplessly. Unusually, he doesn’t blink his tears away but cry as soon as this session has started.
“Then what was that I saw in the kitchen? Actually, you know what? I don’t care whatever you do, sell your useless self in the market for all I care. But if you don’t give me the money I swear I don’t spare your life for even a single day. I’ll make it a living hell for you.”
“And from now on, I’ll have the half of your everyday earning, I’m so pissed with you right now, if you want to live, do as I say. You get it?” loosening his grip from Tae’s throat, he lets Tae’s body land on the floor, wheezing and panting coughing blood and removing his foot from Tae’s hand, he leaves the room.
Leaving Taehyung trembling, panting and hurting. Palm bleeding with millions of tiny shreds embedded in it.
He’s scared, scared for his life, scared by this truth… scared of his father. He’s afraid no one’s going to save him, for his life worth nothing. Afraid of how the closest person to him right now, is not even aware of what’s happening to him downstairs.
Truthfully, he’s glad Yoongi doesn’t know any of it, glad no one does or else how he’s going to explain, when every single person in his contact believes he’s abnormal, not socially acceptable. And he knows it’s not their fault as he’s himself, doesn’t find himself acceptable. All his life till now, he never questions anything that had happened to him, he’s born a carrier, he has an abusive father, his mother passed away and he’s still being abused more severely than before. He never questioned, however, now, he wants to ask why.
Why was he born a carrier, why does his father abused him, hurt him, why is he rejected by the only person he ever loved. Why his friends find him abnormal now? Who did he ever wrong, that he’s being punished like this?
This night passes slower than ever before heart-breaking cry, muffled in the wet pillow, untreated wounds bleeding and soaking on the bedsheet. Chest aching painfully as it gets heavier and heavier each passing second. Even breathing is harder than ever before. He literally had to breathe through his mouth.
///
Taehyung never had to buy this much of make-up palettes and medical supplies before and the amount of ice he has to use to bring the swelling in various parts his body down. The now reddened bandaged wrapped around his palms, will always going to remind him of his place.
He’s in so much pain and he has a wedding after this clothing store inauguration to prepare for. A day couldn’t be worse than this. And he also has a Min Yoongi behind him, who just couldn’t stop asking about his hand injuries even when he said it’s the broken glass, leaving the part where his father had beaten him a week ago.
Seems like, he has to ignore everything and everyone. Even if Yoongi wouldn’t ever ask, there’s Chanhwa too, who’s more than sure by now that his boss’s being abused by his dear father. At least, Tae believes that Chanhwa’s suspicious, by his consistent interrogating. Ignore… he has to ignore him, he has to ignore Yoongi, ignore his father and ignore his injuries, for now.
He smiles wholeheartedly after so long, stepping back to admire the colourful Hogarth shaped arrangement on an erected European style marble pedestal, a beautiful slender ceramic vase supporting it. He tilts his head to eye the perfection made by his own two injured hands.
“Gorgeous as ever Tae-ah.” Chanhwa’s voice brings him back from the dreamland.
“Yeah? You like it?”
“Hmm… very much. But now, we don’t have time. We have to run for the wedding.” Pointing his thumb over his shoulder, Chanhwa clicks his tongue. Taehyung, not wanting to go home immediately after the wedding ceremony, leaves for the shop just for some hours of evening.
Yoongi, who had arrived to bother Taehyung at the wedding arrangements, now disappointed to miss it, follows him back to the shop, dropping Chanhwa to his apartment.
Yoongi takes a seat at his usual place while Tae keeps ignoring the man. According to Tae, Yoongi is what you can call when you dress up “bother”, the word itself would look like.
However, he doesn’t seem to mind the older much now, his gummy smile is too bright for his rather bleak life. He doesn’t know whether it’s good or bad but he lets him do whatever Yoongi wants, knowing the elder would leave too, as soon as he’d know how abnormal Taehyung is. It’s good to reserve some distraction before his much anticipated dismay.
Spraying water on the leftover batch this week, Tae’s been dreaming sub-consciously, even when Yoongi’s been poking him with a Gladiolus stock.
They are not quite much customers as they’re about to close for the night, when a two people enter the shop.
///
Yoongi has been thinking about a lot these day. For example, how did Taehyung get injured? Why was he feeling empty when he was pushed away by Taehyung that night? Why’s Taehyung ignoring him like this? And everything related Taehyung but his biggest concern in question is, why didn’t Jin hyung react or scold him harshly or anything along those line, when he went to office after being missing for two months?
Yoongi could be very intelligent but he knows Jin hyung’s not someone who could be predicted beforehand.
Now he knows how right he was and also why Jin didn’t do what he was expecting he would.
When he sees Jin and Hobi entering Taehyung’s flower shop, at the verge of closing for the night. Yoongi pales at their sight, at their knowing smirks. Why the fuck are they here?
Hearing the doorbell chime, Taehyung shouts without raising his head.
“Sorry, we’re close for today?”
Hoping for them to leave, he keeps silent. Eyes for both his brothers to leave but dropping his head in disappointment when Hobi comes resting his elbows on the counter as he hunches over it beside Yoongi’s thighs. And of course, wiggling his eyebrows at Yoongi.
And gives him a long evil smile, before he turns to Taehyung.
“Kim Taehyung-ssi?” he calls out, even when Yoongi signalling him a big “no”.
“Yes?” Taehyung turns around confused.
“Hello, I’m Min Seokjin and this is my husband Jung Hoseok. We’re.” proffering a crushed pamphlet at Taehyung, Jin and Hobi smiles cutely, toothy.
“We were looking for a room, saw you’re renting. Is the offer still stands?”
So, that’s the plan. Actually, he still doesn’t get it. Jin hasn’t dragged him out yet? Something’s not right, his insides are churning in anticipation.
Owner of the massive apartment floor in the most expensive building of Seoul, Jung-Min Seokjin and Jung Hoseok are here to rent a room no more costlier than the cheapest pair of wrist watch in their closet.
Yoongi’s stunned, this’d be the first cheap thing he’d ever saw Hobi and Jin buy, after all, they’re one for only top quality. And that, if Yoongi leaves the room, which’s not likely happening any time now.
But the speed Taehyung’s head whips around in, glaring at Yoongi, glaring dangerously, Yoongi’s sure the younger has started planning to throw him out.
Bowing deeply in greeting, Taehyung warmly welcomes the couple in. Causing Yoongi to slap his forehead internally at his ignorance. Just how this guy couldn’t connect simple dots. Min Seokjin? Min Yoongi? No? Ok, then.
“Min-ssi, can we talk alone for a second?” he asks Jin, but before Jin could answer, Taehyung drags him to the backroom, closing the door behind, with Jin watching him pretty amazed.
“Seokjin-ssi? Can I call you that?”
“Sure.”
“Seokjin-ssi, honestly, I don’t really have a problem giving you and Jung-ssi the room but you see, that guy sitting on the counter? He is my current paying guest and he’s not planning to leave even if I’d force him to and he hasn’t even paid rent for last two months.” He grimaces helplessly at Seokjin, who’s doing a great job hiding his laugh behind a mature and understanding look, nodding his head time to time to look engaged in the talk.
“And also, I… uh… don’t want to throw him out unnoticed. You see, he doesn’t have a job now and too lazy for anyone to hire him. If I’d throw him out, he has no place to go to. So, yeah.”
“Oh, Taehyung-ssi, you’re so kind to my… I mean, oh my, that guy’s not paying his rent? Still, you’re willing to keep him in.” Reaching his arms out to capture Taehyung in a warm hug. Jin rubs his back.
Yoongi-ah, you really are deceitful, lying to a kid, so innocent and pure. Jin thinks, rolling his eyes internally.
“Ok, thank you.” Hugging Jin back, Tae replies awkwardly, blushing.
Taehyung tightens his arms around Jin, experimentally, just to have the familial warmth a bit longer, closing his eyes at the sensation.
It doesn’t go unnoticed by Jin, who even though, confused but let the younger have his way, tightening his own arms.
Pulling apart, the both grins at each other.
“You’re so handsome hyung. Wait, I can call you that, right?”
“Sure, Tae-ah.” Jin giggles at him and receives deep giggles in reply.
“I hope you can understand, hyung.”
“I can Tae-ah, you’re so kind.”
Tae blushes at that.
They step out of the room, Hobi and Yoongi, who’re talking in hushed tone, stop immediately.
“Hobi-ah, I think we have to look for another place.” Jin says reaching for Hoseok, who pulls him in a side hug as soon as his husband comes in arm-reach. Placing a light kiss over Jin’s head.
“Really? Can’t we, at least, take a look of the room?” Hobi pouts at Jin. After all, they’re here to get Yoongi’s update. They need to know how their brother’s faring.
“Can we, Tae-ah?” Jin asks Taehyung directly.
Thinking for a minute, Tae nods in agreement.
“How about tomorrow, I’m not opening the shop as I’ve to visit somewhere, I’ll meet you here in front of the shop at 1 pm. Would that be alright, hyung?” Tae asks them, as he explains his schedule for tomorrow.
Yoongi isn’t aware of the shop closing tomorrow as he hasn’t seen Taehyung taking a day off, except that day a week ago. Wondering why.
“That’s fine by us Taehyung-ssi. Are you closing now?” Hobi chimes, his smiles so contagious that Tae couldn’t hold himself smiling in reply as he nods his head strongly.
“Would you like to have dinner with us? I swear we’re not kidnappers.”
“Oh, that’s great idea, Hobi-ah, why didn’t I think about that? Yes, Tae-ah, let’s have dinner together.”
Tae isn’t sure and he tries to turn the offer down but Hobi and Jin insist. After a bit more insisting he agrees to go with them. He doesn’t have anything to give them, even if they’re kidnapper.
After all, his father would beat him at night anyway, might as well have a fulfilling dinner with some nice people. Wrapping the shop up, he changes his uniform with his normal clothes, leaving Yoongi at the front with couple.
“Hyung, why?” Yoongi whines in whisper at his brother.
“And you too, Hobi?”
“Shut up, Yoongi-ah, you’re really, really deceitful to that innocent kid.” Twisting Yoongi’s ear with his fingers, Jin scolds him.
“But really, great choice. I like Tae-ah already.” He knowingly approves Yoongi of what that, even Yoongi isn’t aware of. Nudging him with his elbows, suggestive smirk bunching his cheeks.
“What great choice? What’re you even saying, hyung?” trying to hide the blush, he doesn’t know he’s exuding, he denies all and any allegation that his brother is accusing him of.
“Oh, my. Is Min Yoongi blushing? Are you finally melting my brother?” Jin mocks, but still, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Is Taehyung all Yoongi needs to come out of his, rather dark life? Strange, is all this is.
Before Yoongi could sass a reply, Tae comes out changed and clad in dark clothes. Apart from his face and hands, everything is hidden behind dark fabric. That’s how he’s dressing these days.
“Bother you hyung, let’s go.”
“Let’s go.” Hobi and Jin turns around to step out. Yoongi, who’s standing there silently and expressionlessly, steps back to give way to Tae.
“I’m going home.” He whispers as he steps behind to follow everyone out, so Tae could lock the shop.
Suddenly, a hands comes to grab hold of his wrist. None other than Tae’s.
“Hyung, Yoongi hyung can come too, right?” Tae calls out to Jin, causing the couple to turn around. Eyes going directly to Tae’s big innocent eyes and then down where his hand is being connected to Yoongi’s wrist in a tight grip.
Melting their hearts in an instant. Why’re they cheating him like this?
“Sure, Tae-ah.”
All the four walks out at regular looking SUV, standing in front of them. Yoongi wonders how Jin got this cheap and regular looking vehicle, while he had the sedan with a driver when he has asked for a least expensive car.
They even go to a regular restaurant, nothing like Jin and Hobi’s taste. Food’s great here, anyways.
Yoongi stays silent, while Tae and Jin and Hobi talk casually, like old time friends. Jin tells Tae, that he and Hobi run a bakery, noticing the eye-blinding brightness in Tae’s face at the mention of baking.
They perfectly masked everything Yoongi would like to keep hidden for reasons only he knows.
The dinner goes pleasantly with Taehyung not caring about the inevitable.
Chapter 11: Purple Tulips
Summary:
And now all he ever hears from Jimin and Jeongguk is, Taehyung talking about his paying guest Min Yoongi. Somehow, this name tings the bells in his brain, sounds familiar to his ear, he just couldn’t pinpoint where, but anyways, he knows he’s not liking this at all. Gguk said Tae talks about him every time they meet, as if, he’s the only topic of his interest. It doesn’t sound right to Namjoon.
Notes:
Hello everyone!! I hope you are doing well, bc I'm not having the best time of my life but anyways. Firstly, I'm so sorry for not updating any of my fics, I'm really going through things and I'm trying my best I swear. Secondly, please stream and buy the new album Face and D-Day hard. The new songs are soooo good. Thank you.
WARNING:
Hurt/Comfort
Mention of death(not graphic)
Mention of alcohol addiction
Grammatical ErrorPlease enjoy and tell me how is it. Thank you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Taehyung had expected his father to be waiting for him in home with a searing anger bubbling in his chest, that goes without even saying. He was waiting there for the night to fall silent and Yoongi to sleep.
What he was not expecting is, standing in Yoongi’s room, cornered on a wall, with one of Yoongi’s arm wrapped around his wrist and his soft lips caressing his ear as he whispers.
“So, you think you can throw me out of this home, Tae-ah?” Yoongi whispers calmly, Tae couldn’t spot any maliciousness in it.
Shocked but daring to reply, he says.
“So, you think I’ll let you get away without paying the rent, Yoongi, hyung.” Emphasizing the “hyung”, he throws sass, gripping the elder at the torso to keep his knees from buckling beneath him by the intense sensitivity he’s feeling.
“Try all you want but you’ll never get to it.” Yoongi whispers, so close to him, that Taehyung can feel his warm breath on his face.
Yoongi doesn’t know what came into him but suddenly, he feels his lips go softly placing a gentle kiss right on the tender skin behind Tae’s ear.
Pulling away immediately and throwing Tae out of the room, he let out a gush of breath, he doesn’t know he’s been holding all this time. Failing to know the same is happening out of his door.
-o-
Namjoon hasn’t seen Taehyung for a while now, no, actually, he has. He sees him every day in university, going about his classes. Since the “sorting out of feelings incident”, Tae keeps avoiding him at any cost, as if, he has some contagious diseases, that the younger wouldn’t want to touch him. Not a single stem of a flower has been delivered to him from last three months. No message has been sent through Jimin or Gguk. No library sessions, not even a weekend dinner, everything has ultimately stopped. No sign of Taehyung around him.
And now all he ever hears from Jimin and Jeongguk is, Taehyung talking about his paying guest Min Yoongi. Somehow, this name tings the bells in his brain, sounds familiar to his ear, he just couldn’t pinpoint where, but anyways, he knows he’s not liking this at all. Gguk said Tae talks about him every time they meet, as if, he’s the only topic of his interest. It doesn’t sound right to Namjoon.
Why’s Tae avoiding him? Doesn’t he like Jinyi? Of course, Namjoon had somewhat rejected his feelings but is that the only reason for Taehyung to do this? He hasn’t even met Jinyi properly, yet, so how can he judge so easily?
All this stuffs running in his head, is not letting him sleep at night. Is Taehyung forgetting him? Doesn’t he want to meet Namjoon anymore? Turning and twisting under the covers, he couldn’t help but think.
Even after two hours of turning on his sides, gazing at the ceiling, he wasn’t able to fall asleep. Deciding to go out in the living room to watch TV for some time to get himself distracted from the problems, he slips out of his room.
Upon walking in the living room, he finds Jimin and Jeongguk cuddling in the sofa as they’re watching some movie Namjoon knows they’re not interest in watching. As Jeongguk’s patting Jimin’s head, which’s laying on his lap. Dry trace of tears bold on Jimin’s pink cheeks, causing Namjoon to frown in concern.
“You two haven’t slept yet?” he asks them, stealing their attention from the TV as he slips on the single sofa adjacent to them.
“Oh, hyung, we are just not feeling sleepy, so thought we could entertain ourselves.” Jeongguk replies as he helps Jimin get up and pull him in his embrace, letting Jimin settle against his side, adjusting the blanket over them.
“I see, you two aren’t feeling very well, care to explain?” reaching out his hand, he ruffles their hair, lovingly.
For a minute, no one says a word and let the silence roam in the empty space around them, before Jimin couldn’t stop sniffling as tears pools in his eyes again. Jeongguk squeezes him tightly, rubbing his shoulders gently.
“I… uh… -” Jimin begins but couldn’t complete.
“It’s ok, Jimin hyung, calm down, thing happens.” Jeongguk tries to coax him in any way he can but fails miserably.
Namjoon shifts to their sofa, pulling a hand over Jimin’s knee, he tries too.
“Jimin-ah, whatever that has happened, I’m sure is not your fault, yeah? Please, stop crying, I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“No, it’s my fault… my fucking fault.” Sniffling loudly now, the younger tries to speak, or more like, blabber.
“Hey, hey, calm down. How about you tell me what happened and I’d tried to help as much as I can.” Namjoon offers, now rubbing his back, Jimin nods his head in agreement before he begins explaining.
“I… uh… today. I… Tae…” he sniffles.
“Slowly, slowly.”
“Today, I… we were talking to Taehyung and I snapped on him because he was talking about Min Yoongi again.” He manages halfway but the mere name of this Min Yoongi, has Namjoon’s anger searing beneath the surface, though, he keeps his calm and let Jimin complete.
“I said a lot of bad things to him and at last, I called him abnormal.” With that said, he bursts out sobbing again.
“Oh.” Even Namjoon couldn’t say anything for that.
On one hand, he believes Jimin only said it mistakenly but on the other hand, he can imagine the impact it must’ve had on Taehyung. As he knows how insecure Tae’s about being a carrier, it’s only natural. However, hearing it from his best friend is whole another level of hurt. And Tae only has few friends, they could be counted in one hand. Only Tae knows how it really feels to be different from other around him. According to Namjoon, he’s one of the few of his kind and the society doesn’t take that aspect kindly. And if the people he cares about doesn’t accept him, then who’s going to?
Still, Jimin’s his first concern right now, at this moment.
Smoothing his hand over Jimin’s back, drawing big circles, he talks sweetly to the younger.
“Taehyung will understand, Jimin-ah. Its fine, yeah? We’ll go talk to him. How about the next weekend, its Tae’s mom death anniversary, we should go visit the columbarium. I’m sure he’ll be there.”
“Hyung, will he forgive me? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Jimin-ah, Tae doesn’t stay upset for too long, you know that, right?” even if he says this, Namjoon’s not quite sure himself as it seems like Tae hasn’t forgiven even him, yet.
Enduring a painfully long week, gritting his teeth in anticipation and wait, Namjoon, Jimin and Jeongguk leaves for the columbarium around 11 at a beautiful Sunday. Tae’s mother’s death anniversary.
They make a stop at a flower shop, obviously not Tae’s. They know it’d be closed for today. Perhaps, they’d ask Tae to go out with them to sort things out between all of them. A get-together or something like that.
Buying white lilies from the shop, they distribute few stem among them evenly, all four having a thin bunch in their hands.
Right, four.
Namjoon has also brought, Jinyi, with them, in an intention to bring her and Tae a bit closer, if he can. So, he wouldn’t have to compromise between his girlfriend and best friend, every time they’d want to spend some time together.
After all, he knows he should’ve told Tae long ago, when he came into relation with Jinyi, it might be his fault, all this is happening in the first place. But he’s willing to change whatever it is, not being able to see Tae in person getting his mood sour consistently, so much that, he’s already has broken up with Jinyi three times in these three months. Small, barely significant things are causing them to snap and argue with each other.
Hopefully, today would be different.
Namjoon leaves the shop with this hope.
-o-
Strange, how a place that’s known to be creepy and disturbing for some, is turning into so peaceful and healing. The premise of the columbarium has a peaceful ambience, not anything one is supposed to be afraid or agitated of. On contrary to the traditional burials, columbarium is neither creepy, nor perturbing. Its better this way.
They make their way in, Namjoon knowing where Kim-ssi’s niche is, walks directly without a stoppage, while everyone follows him. He walks to the other side of the premise, the backyard where the personalized glass front columbarium niches are kept. It’s similar to a cemetery but with cremated ashes, instead of tombs of the deceased family members. More lively in a way, he can say. Namjoon is initially not from Seoul, so no member of his family line has their cremated remains here, it only Tae, who he ever comes here for.
A familiar figure has been standing in front of the many garden suites memorial niches, a legacy styled columbarium niche, with stone walls and glass front that could be opened.
Although, Namjoon has accompanied Taehyung to the memorial every birth and death anniversary or any festivals for years now, it’s still unsettling to see his best-friend silent and sad before his mother’s memorial, standing quietly. Greeting when coming and whispering a goodbye when he goes.
As every year, Tae’s here with purple and white tulips in his hand, knelt down as he places the flowers inside the opened cabinet consisting the urn containing Kim-ssi’s ashes and an A-4 size framed picture of Kim-ssi, smiling widely before the camera. The person was an epitome of love and endearment in their own self. No wonder their son is like this.
Trying not to disturb any visitor, they walk silently in a line to where Tae is, causing the younger to notice the crowd walking his way.
Taehyung looks at them, perhaps, about to say something but closes his mouth leaving the word unsaid, just nodding in acknowledgement.
All of them bow before the memorial, before kneeling down to whisper their prayers. Eyes clenched shut and palm folded together in a prayer stance. After few minutes of prayer, they open their eyes and one by one place the flowers they’ve brought inside the cabinet alongside Tae’s tulips. Namjoon being the last to put flowers, notices the hand-written note, he knows Tae always leaves here whenever he visits.
Taehyung closes the door of the cabinet after the rites, locking it. Everyone wait for him to finish saying goodbye.
“Hey, Taehyung-ah.” Waving a hand awkwardly at Tae, Namjoon greets, Jimin and Jeongguk following after, while Jinyi stands there expressionlessly, neither bothering to greet, nor bothering to reply when Tae bows at her. Tae lets that slide.
“Hey, hyung, Jimin-ah, Ggukie. I didn’t expect you to visit this year. Thanks for coming, anyway. Its feels better to have you all here.”
“Why’s that?” Namjoon questions, feeling a little lost at Tae’s doubt. Why wouldn’t he come? Doesn’t he come every year with him? Cutting Namjoon’s train of thought, Tae answers for his question.
“I thought you wouldn’t remember but anyways…-” Tae shrugs his shoulders, not going in details, Namjoon wants to ask why but before he could open his mouth, Jimin gasp collapsing on to Tae, hugging the younger tightly.
“I’m sorry, Tae, I really am. I didn’t mean to say all that nonsense. Please forgive me, Tae. I was not thinking anything before saying all that, it was totally unintentional, please.” Jimin begs crying in Tae’s arms. Wailing to be honest, like a baby. Taehyung hears his apologise, quite pitifully. It’s really pitiful, he feels bad. He hates not talking to him for so many days now.
“There, there, Jimin-ah. Its ok. It doesn’t matter now.” Tae tightens his arms around Jimin patting his wailing best-friend’s back as he tries to coax him.
“Wrong, it does matter. I shouldn’t have said that. I swear I don’t think you’re any of that I said you’re. I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok, I forgive you, if you think I’ve a right to but believe me, it really doesn’t matter.” He smiles at Jimin serenely.
“Not like anything is wrong in whatever you said.” Muttering under his breath.
“What?” Jimin asks disbelievingly.
“Nothing. We should leave now.” He replies shaking his head, discarding all and any doubt in Jimin’s mind, turning to bow at the memorial again before walking out.
“So, Tae-ah, we were thinking if you’d like to go out with us, like somewhere we could eat and talk peacefully. You know like to sort this all, yeah? You’d come?” Namjoon asks him, awkwardly, scratching at his nape, as if, he’s asking Tae out on a date not a get-together and he’s sixteen.
He waits for the younger to reply but Tae stands there dumbly staring at him, expressionlessly, like Namjoon is talking in some foreign language that he can’t understand.
“Tae-ah? Tae-Tae-ah?” Namjoon waves his hand in front of the younger’s face after not receiving a response for a full minute. What has happened to him? Damn it.
“Huh?”
“I said, would you like to go out with us, like for a lunch somewhere, so we could chat nonsense to each other like usual?” literally screaming his lungs out, he repeats his question.
“Wow, that’s well... relieving. It’s been a while since we have last done that, right?” he smiles coughing in his fist as the pedestrians stares at him and his weird ass antics.
“No.”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean I can’t today, hyung. Sorry.” Taehyung apologizes at all his friends and Namjoon, who he can’t help but watch as a heavenly entity, talking to him, a poor slave kid. Weird, seems like he’s been watching too much of those shitty historical dramas.
“Taehyungie hyung, why?” Jeongguk asks as he pouts at Tae, trying to persuade him otherwise, with his bunny baby eyes.
“No, I can’t today. I’ve some guests coming over.”
“Guests?”
“Yeah, a couple looking for a room. I’m thinking to rent the room to them, so I could throw Yoongi hyung out but really, next time, yeah? Oh, I should leave, they’ll be by the shop at one. Bye, everyone.” Taking a glance at the watch on his wrist, which’s showing 12:50 on the display, Tae groans as he steps back to run to his destination, waving a hand at everyone as they stand there watching him dash through the crowd.
Namjoon watches him disappear in the crowd as long as the younger turns a corner.
Again, Yoongi. Why does he feel like he is losing Tae to Yoongi? Over and over again. Why does it feel like a punishment to not be able to see Taehyung more than these few run-ins? Whatever this is, Namjoon’s not liking it one bit.
-o-
Last night when Tae had said that this day the shop will be closed, it had Yoongi thinking why as there’s no festival or celebration tomorrow.
Now, he knows why. His decision to follow Tae again had brought him to the columbarium in the middle of the city. The only difference is, Hobi and his brother, who’ve followed him here, anyways. Hobi also had to pay a visit to his grandma’s memorial as yesterday was her birth anniversary, he couldn’t come with his family then, so he and Jin decides to do that, stalking Yoongi, who’s stalking Taehyung.
Though, Hobi’s grandma’s memorial is indoor on the second floor, Yoongi can see Tae from here at the backyard niches, kneeling down in front of an unlocked cabinet. Some flowers are place inside with something that seems like a paper from here.
“Who do you think that memorial belongs to?” Jin asks Yoongi as the three of them are watching the younger’s figure leaning close to the cabinet after they had paid visit to grandma.
“Must be his eomma.”
Jin’s head whips around, to glancing at Yoongi, eyes questioning.
“Tae’s eomma?” pointing out, Jin trails off, letting Yoongi fills the blanks.
“Yeah, 11 years ago. Heart failure.”
“Oh, he was just a baby.” Jin says, dropping his gaze to the floor. Who’d understand it better than both brothers. Losing their mother at such a young age but seems like they’re not alone. Tae was even younger than them.
“He manages his home alone.”
“And his appa?”
“A drunk bastard. At least, from what I’ve observed in these few months.” Yoongi and Jin are making conversation about Tae, Hobi doesn’t interrupt, instead, he prefers to look down at the yard, where the younger is.
“Hyung, you know those people?” Hoseok mutters audibly for Yoongi and Jin to hear. Pointing his finger out down where Tae’s being hugged by the blonde kid, Yoongi remembers from the university.
“I saw those kids with Taehyung in university, he even came to help Taehyung at the shop the other day. The blonde one.”
“Must be Tae’s boyfriend.” Jin suggests as he and Hobi nods in agreement, not even bothering to raise head from out of the window. However, Yoongi doesn’t like the way Jin stated that.
“ What? What do you mean?” deep frowning draws between his eyebrows as he narrows his eyes at his brothers.
“What do you mean “what”?” the eldest pouts at his younger brother, feigning innocence. But, its Yoongi, who’s he is dealing with and Yoongi knows him like the back of his hands.
Letting out an aggressive sigh, Yoongi rolls his eyes annoyed before stating the question once more.
“What do you mean by “boyfriend”?” enunciating the pronunciation as he presses on the last word. Demanding an explanation from his brother straight away.
Hobi smirks deviously but one glare from Yoongi and he shuts his shining teeth close. “Sorry” muttered on the way. Jin answers, trying his best to not trigger Yoongi more than he already is now.
“I mean, he’s so young and unnaturally beautiful, you know, that cute smile that displays his teeth framed rectangular. And his large eyes, big and doey and yes, his voice. Damn, it’s a total turn on. I’m sure it’s enough of a reason to fell for this angelic creature you call Taehyung. If it isn’t for Hobi, I’d like to have Tae as my husband too, I’d be surprised if he’s not dating a person as gorgeous as an angel as the blonde. Right Yoonges?”
“The fuck not and don’t call me Yoonges or anything along those lines.” Snapping at Jin and Hobi as soon as he hears Jin, Yoongi stomps out of the building. Leaving Jin and Hobi behind, who’re having a great time giggling and snickering behind their hand as Yoongi leaves. Their shoulders shaking as they couldn’t stop laughing at Yoongi.
“Let’s go, hyung. We gotta meet Tae at his shop.”
“Right, Hobi-ah, let’s get going.” Hands joining with Hoseok’s, he and Jin kissed each other gently before following after Yoongi, who, they’re sure, might have left already.
-o-
As soon as Tae leaves all of them in front of the columbarium, an impenetrable silence falls over them. No one dares to speak a word as they can feel the atmosphere around them darkened.
All eyes on Namjoon as the elder has been staring the way Tae’s left. Jeongguk knowing his cousin, can see one side of his cheek protruding as Namjoon tongues the inside of his cheek, jaw clenched. He’s angry, no, actually, more than that, he’s frustrated for some reason and the reason seems to be Taehyung and Jeongguk knows that.
Even a touch can be harmful at this moment, Jeongguk steps back a bit, pulling Jimin by the wrist with him to give some space to the elder. It feels like the temperature around Namjoon has risen to some degrees.
Jinyi, who doesn’t know Namjoon as much, steps forward, doing the very mistake Jeongguk has been afraid of doing all this time.
Grabbing Namjoon’s arm in both of her hands, she leans on it. She pulls his arm to her chest.
“Namjoon-ssi, what’re you still looking at? He’s gone, we should continue our day, right? What does it even matter if he stays or not, it’s enough that we’ve came here to pay a visit to his mother’s memorial for all I care. He should be grateful after wasting our time like that. Weirdo.” She, for some reason, is sneering all that under her breath, which fails to go unnoticed by the two youngest, who’ve recognized her tone as the slightest form of anger. Unfortunate of her.
Namjoon slowly, like in very slow motion, as if, everything around them are moving in fast forward mode except them, turning his head, staring blankly at his girlfriend, looking down at her before once again he glances back where Tae had disappeared a few moments ago.
Suddenly, he wrenches his arm away, out of her grip so violently, that it grabs almost everyone’s attention who’re passing by, Jinyi steps back shuddering as Namjoon sneers at her but at the same time particularly to no one.
“I’m not going anywhere.” With that, he turns around making his strides long to reach the parking lot fast. Leaving Jinyi stunned behind him. Even Jimin, who has never seen Namjoon so indignant only because Tae had left.
However, Jeongguk, who knows Namjoon enough to know how his hyung is, just shakes his head in disappointment, not at Namjoon but at Jinyi. Even after dating for over 6 months now, how much does she exactly understand Namjoon?
Notes:
Hello in Twt
Chapter 12: Rose-petal Panna-cotta
Summary:
Placing a tiny mountain of rose petal panna cotta with raspberry iced tea in front of him, while he places a chocolate mousse cake with strawberries in front of Yoongi. Then sits down beside Hoseok, who raises the spoon full of soufflé to feed Seokjin.
Notes:
Hello everyone. I'm here to tell you that I'm and I'll be here, thank you all for the support. Happy Festa everyone, its Bday month. And yes, Namjoonie, I'm so proud of you. Mr. Public Relation Ambassador. *salute*.
WARNING:
Mention of family passing away from illness
Mention of alcoholism and light abuse
Family fluff
Grammatical ErrorsPlease enjoy everyone and make sure to tell me how is the update.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Tae’s running late, literally, he’s running to the shop to meet Jin and Hobi to go home with them, so, they could’ve a short tour of his home. It’s the best time as his appa won’t be home in afternoon.
“I’m so sorry, Jin hyung, Hoseok hyung, you had to wait here for so long.” Panting heavily as he makes a stop right before the couple, who’re waiting for him out their decided place. The couple snickers under their breath, before Hoseok tousles Tae’s hair, discarding any formalities.
“Don’t worry, Taehyung-ah, shall we go now?”
“Hmm. Let’s go.”
Three of them leave for the younger’s home.
Jin notices the neighbourhood is a bit off-centred to the city, a nice place for most, as it is most known to resident the 9-5 working class, company employees and all. Great and peaceful.
Tae’s home is an average family home but slightly bigger than that, as it has four bedrooms with a living, dining, kitchen and a laundry room with a single bathroom. Impressive.
Tae gives a tour of the ground floor first, letting Jin and Hoseok explore.
Patting his back internally, at his amazing work at hiding every single beer bottle that was previously laying on his appa’s room’s floor. And also at cleaning the entire house up before the couple visit.
He’s not letting Yoongi live in his house without giving a single secret away for nothing. Even after he gets beaten up every day, he doesn’t let the older know. Again, it’s better this way.
“Can we go upstairs?” Jin asks pointing his thumb over his shoulder, indicating upstairs.
“Sure, hyung. There’s two room up, one is used as store room and other...” Stopping to let out a tired sigh.
“It contains Min Yoongi.” He says lowly as he leads the two up. Both the elders boys shuddering uncontrollably as they’re unable to let out the laugh openly.
Not bothering to knock, Tae barges in room that’s obviously containing Min Yoongi as Tae said.
Min Yoongi, who’s laying on the bed right before them, shirtless, for your information, and pant-less. In his boxers, Jin and Hoseok stop right behind Tae as the younger gasps loudly, eyes gone wide.
“What’re you even doing here, shirtless? Gosh, at least, you don’t have to embarrass me in front of hyungs like this. Have some decency?” he shrieks cringing, turning away from Yoongi, who just stares at Tae, blankly.
“Who told you to barge in uninvited?” Yoongi replies nonchalantly, not doing any effort to put on a shirt, or a pant.
“This is my home. I can come whenever I want. You can, of course, leave if that’s bothering you.”
“As if I would.” He “tsk” mockingly.
“But, you can sure come whenever you just want, just come alone.” Yoongi smirks, knowing he caused the baby pink flares on Tae’s cheekbones and the tip of his strained ears.
“Shut up, as if, I ever would.” Tae slumps his head on his shoulders, turning away, as he crosses his arms around his chest.
Finally, finally the couple who’s witnessing this great comedy show, couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of their mouths. Clutching their stomachs as the pain shots across when they couldn’t stop wheezing.
“You two… are amazingly funny. Really.” Hoseok manages to say through the panting.
“Agreed.” Jin mumbles.
“Hyungs.” Tae whines annoyed, pouting in anger, which’s looking cuter as he narrows his eyes at them. Humph-ing and puffing his cheeks.
“I’m going to go down-stairs, you can carry on with this asshole.” He stomps out to go down, leaving the three brothers in the room. Thinking nothing of it.
As Hobi locks the door behind, Jin walks across the room, sitting himself on the edge of Yoongi’s bed, scooting the younger aside, his laughing hasn’t stopped yet.
“So, asshole, how’re you faring?”
“Shut up, hyung and see with your eyes, how I’m faring.” He smirks at his elder brother, getting even more comfortable on the bed.
Hobi, who’s been inspecting the room with his cupboard opening and closing, sitting on the cushioned chairs, bouncing on it a bit, prompting his legs up the coffee table, to test its durability and finally striding across to sit on the other edge of Yoongi’s bed, groans in satisfaction.
“Not gonna lie, this room is very cosy and comfortable, no wonder you don’t wanna go home. Anyways, who cooks here? I know you can cook but do you bother doing that here? Considering you don’t do that at home.” Hoseok asks, grinning widely as he allows his eyes to inspect the room further, suddenly causing Yoongi to kick at his shoulder from where he’s lying flat with his arms under his head. Ouch. The man is offended.
“Tae does, breakfast and dinner. I cook when both the father and son is not home. Lunch every day.”
“And laundry?”
“I do my laundry some time but mostly force, Taehyung to do it.”
“No need to work, no home chores, a cute small family home and a gorgeous partner to do all this. No wonder you like here so much.” Hoseok dares to tease further, rubbing on his injured shoulder and about to dash out as Yoongi’s looking around for something to shoot at him to injure him even more. Finally, hitting him with pen cap lying around the side table, now sitting upright on the bed.
“He’s not my partner or anything.”
“Hyung, is that all you heard from the entire sentence I said?” snickering viciously, Hoseok rubs his injured forehead where the flat surface of his skin’s now swollen and pink. Yoongi rolls his eyes at his brothers, irritated now.
“Is that why you two have come here? To laugh at me?”
“Oh, no we’re to inspect how you’re living and if you’re ok and of course, we’re also here to laugh at you. It’s so damn funny to see you so whipped and finally melting. I thought you like girls Yoonges.” Jin pats knees, shaking head in disbelief or more like mocking Yoongi as the shit-eating grin is an evidence enough. Finger gun and a cringing wink accompanying that.
“So, any plans to come back home? You know how worried appa is, Yoonges.” Jin ask this a tad bit serious after. Yoongi doesn’t answer, right away. He waits to exhale a breath and think carefully.
“I come to office as you wish, right?”
“But he hasn’t seen you from three month Yoonges, be home, at least, one day.” Jin presses insisting.
“You know, I don’t have a problem to come home but what am I going to explain him when he’d ask for reasons?”
“Isn’t this simple? All you’ve to say is, “appa there’s this guy I like so much and I’m totally whipped for him, he runs a flower shop downtown, would you like me to get the new son-in-law for you?” Isn’t it simple Yoonges?” again Jin mocks him with Hoseok giggling in chorus.
“Look, hyung. I’m not whipped or anything and you two are not getting a room here. So, get lost.” Yoongi gets off from the bed, forcing both his brothers, he insists on saying he’s not whipped but the dark tint of red in his rather pale skin is telling a different story.
“Really Yoongi-ah, what happened to you? You’re never like this before, not even with the sweetest girl you liked.” Jin thinks but doesn’t voice his concern as he’s forced out with Hoseok, who couldn’t stop teasing his brother.
They find Tae at the dining table as they come down. Resting his head on his arms. The poor kid looks more tired and fatigued.
“Taehyung-ah, hey, kid.” Hoseok volunteers to wake the youngest from his afternoon nap. Gently shaking him awake.
“Hmm?”
“You’re sleeping in afternoon?”
“Oh, sorry hyung. I’m not feeling well today. But anyways, did you like the room? Is it comfortable for you two?” he asks fisting his still closed eyes roughly. He’s such a baby.
“It’s ok, Tae-ah. Your home is really nice, I’d like to stay here but it seems like Yoongi-ssi needs a place more than we do, he needs a home, right? But really, we’ll manage. Thank you so much for giving us your time.” Jin whispers in Tae’s ear when he strides across to stand by Tae, giggling afterwards.
“So sorry for the inconvenience, hyung, really sorry.”
“Its fine, Tae-ah.” He tousles Tae’s hair in a friendly way.
Tae gets off to see the couple out, Yoongi following behind. When Jin turns about mid-walk out.
“Tae-ah, would you like to go to the bakery with us? We’ll order lunch there. Thinks it’s a treat from me. And you also look tired, a nice dessert would be uplifting.”
Suddenly, the lost shine is back, again glinting beautifully in Tae’s big sparkly eyes. Even the name of bakery would enough to do the magic. Had he known earlier, Yoongi would’ve brought some for him when he had visited the bakery last week, just to have a nice view of those brilliant eyes.
“You sure, I wouldn’t be bothering you in anyways, right?”
“Of course not, Tae-ah. Lets go.” Jin says like “duh”, waving him off as he turns around to reach backwards, pulling Tae’s arm to lead him back to their car.
“But hyung.”
“Hmm?”
Tae leans to whisper in Jin’s ear, cupping a palm around the elder’s ear.
“Can we take Yoongi hyung? He’d be alone and hungry.”
Jin couldn’t help but smile at the innocent intention of this young kid here. Now getting why Yoongi’s so drawn to him. Yoongi’s melting and it’s all Jin could ever ask for. He wants to tell his appa right away.
He already has started to love the idea of Tae, being around with them in the family. Hoping this would work out for Yoongi and for all of them.
-o-
Finding himself in heaven as soon as he steps inside the bakery. Tae doesn’t hesitate to do a full-blown inspection of the huge bakery, of course, with Jin’s permission, which the elder gives him gladly, even giving him a tour meticulously around the shop.
Jin now in his chef’s uniform, prepares the current speciality in his shop, right before Tae’s eyes and especially, for him. Tae has never feel so special ever before. Oh, how he wants to learn baking.
Recalling every single weekends, he had attempted to bake for Namjoon. He likes baking and more than that, he likes Namjoon, loves him. If the swell of his heart, only at the mention of the older, is enough an evidence. Alas, his dream boy doesn’t think the same. Taehyung wonders if he should give up on Namjoon completely, the older is out of his league, out of his reach. Namjoon is slowly becoming like a far-fetched dream for him, they don’t even talk now, let alone meet. However, Namjoon is still so kind to come visit the columbarium today, Tae knows he would’ve been broken completely had Namjoon not visited today, it was their ritual. It holds some sacredness to it, such purity, a thread holding both of their genuine feeling together.
“Here you go, Tae-ah.” Jin snaps him out of his bitter-sweet reverie. Placing a tiny mountain of rose petal panna cotta with raspberry iced tea in front of him, while he places a chocolate mousse cake with strawberries in front of Yoongi. Then sits down beside Hoseok, who raises the spoon full of soufflé to feed Seokjin.
Yoongi rolls his eyes at the couple but internally, he knows he enjoys this homely side of Jin and Hobi’s relation more. However, it seems like Taehyung loves it even more as the younger’s been watching the husbands lovingly spoon-feed each other, smiling, giggling and stealing kisses in-between, dreamily.
Tips of the ears tinted pink, so does his cheeks. A simple and serene smile spreading on his lips. He spoons some panna-cotta, leaning to take a small bite and melting the moment the sweet substance glides on his tongue.
“Say, Taehyung-ah, what’re your plans for next weekend?” Hoseok asks generally as they all are enjoying the treat in front of them delightfully.
Chewing the dessert satisfyingly and gulping it down the content, before answering, Tae giggles.
“An engagement ceremony the upcoming Friday night at Myeong-dong. It’s a huge event hyung, to be honest, it’d be the biggest of my career till now.”
“Are you excited?”
“More like nervous. Its an expensive event, the theme colors would be blue and white.” Taehyung tells them excitedly, happy when he receives the several nods of acknowledgement.
Under the table Jin’s patting Hoseok’s thighs, blinking as some sort of signals, Hobi blinks back. The message is, well, the engagement ceremony Tae’s talking about, is one of their business partners’ son’s. and Jung-Min family is specifically invited. Looks like they’ve to force their appa to go alone if they don’t want to get caught red-handed by Taehyung.
Moving on, Jin asks about Tae’s plans for the ceremony and all that things along the line.
“Blue and white, huh? So, what’re your plans for that? I wanna know more about your business even if I don’t understand even the basics of flower arrangements.” Jin asks propping his elbow above the table to rest his chin on his upturned palm, Yoongi and Hoseok listens as well.
“Hydrangeas, baby breath and berries are my plans. It’d go perfectly with the theme as its classy, at the same time romantic.”
“Tae-ah, don’t you have only one employee in your shop? How’re you managing big events like that?”
“Hmm. You’re right but whenever we work for an event, I always ask for a helping hand from my vendors as they’re the most reliable, partially also, because they know me since…” he halts abruptly at his words falter, all eyes on him. Spoon now hovering over a crushed panna-cotta.
“Since my eomma used to run the shop, I know them over 15 years now. They’re the best. I’ve learnt a lot from them, like, how I should tend to the flowers and plants and keep them safe and healthy and all the basics.” He finishes but with so much difficulty.
“Oh, wow. Aren’t you a genius Tae-ah?” a rhetorical praise from Jin has Taehyung blushing badly to the core.
Who is a better person to understand the emotion Tae’s feeling as he too runs the bakery that used to belong to his eomma.
“I can understand as this shop used to belong to my eomma. I love working here.” As much as he doesn’t want to give up their secret, Jin couldn’t help but lay bare before Tae, at least, for this matter.
“Oh, is she not around?” glancing at Jin’s face, Tae notices the same sadness he knows, seeping through the hyung, he knows not more than two days now.
“She.. passed away five years ago. Leukemia.” Jin smiles sadly, warm tears brimming in his eyes, threatening to fall without permission.
Hoseok wraps his arms around his husband, trying to sooth the ever-present grief in him and Yoongi, who he knows, is itching to jump across the table to hold his brother in his arms to share the grief and sadness with him.
Hoseok swipes the stray tears that escapes Jin’s eyes even after his utmost control. Pecking his cheeks sweetly, whispering gentle nothing in his ears.
“She’ll always be with you. Right here and you know that.” He puts a palm over Jin’s chest, right where his heart is, while his other palm is cradling Jin’s face softly. Jin nods in response as he understands, kissing Hoseok square on lips, somewhat catching the younger off guard.
Yoongi’s grateful for Hoseok for always be by Jin’s side. That’s why he deems no one but Hoseok worthy of Jin’s love. Recalling the events that had taken place before their marriage.
Seokjin had never lacked peers, people exuding infatuation in their eyes, a flicker of affection mistaken for love. All wanting Jin in some way or other, whether, it’s his beauty or wealth or his status. However, no one was deserving enough to have him for real.
Hoseok has always been that guy, admiring the fierce and strong headed Jin from afar, pure and unadulterated love, as Cheol-min and Yoongi like to say, in his eyes only for Jin. His childhood friend and crush. He’s been shy for what he wants but it took him quite a time to confess to Jin, who’s already lusting over him.
Although, Jin and Hobi are most weird people to be around but that doesn’t stop Yoongi from loving these idiots. He won’t trade them for the world. Its just he can’t show his love right now in front of Taehyung, who’s in a full-blown fit of crying. Sniffing audibly.
“I’m sorry hyung. I shouldn’t have.. said.. I shouldn’t. Sorry.” Hiccupping and streaming non-stop, he manages to stammer this much.
Yoongi, who’s watching all this with a slowly shattering heart, raises a hand to put on the younger’s shoulder but Tae, in his sadness, just jumps into Yoongi’s arms. Literally, wiping his tears and snot all over Yoongi’s chest, Yoongi, not having a choice but to coax the younger, pats his back awkwardly.
“There, there, kid.”
After both the cry-babies calm down, the rest of the day goes giggling and telling tiny anecdotes of each other’s shop. Hoseok and Yoongi watching them with fondness in their eyes. Hoseok’ eyes - not Yoongi’s, right? Right.
At least, he’s trying to convince himself that.
-o-
Tae and Yoongi walks to the bus stop to go back home, boarding the bus at the last hours of sunset. Yoongi has never seen Tae so bouncy and giggly before.
Two nice big piece of lemon tart packed in the box, is resting over Tae’s lap securely, both of his hands are around the small box as the wide grin has stuck on his face.
Yoongi’s been watching all this, from the columbarium to the bakery. How, how many emotions are there, he wants to see every aspect of Kim Taehyung, wants to feels it, the immense intensity of the younger’s emotions. This kid sure is unpredictable.
“Aren’t you looking cheery today?” he teases, if his blank expression can depict anything.
“Hmm. Seokjin and Hoseok hyung are so cool. I had so much fun today. And did you see how Jin hyung made that dessert? I just loved it.”
“Yeah? I wonder how those weird couple can become your favourite people but not me.” Extending his teasing, he goes further.
“Hey, don’t call them weird and you don’t pay rent, freeloader Min-ssi. I have no reason to like you.” Taehyung kindly offended at his new hyungs’ insult, swat Yoongi at shoulder, pouting his annoyance out. Yoongi chuckles rubbing his swatted space, gummies out in display.
“Hyung, do you think I can learn baking too?” it’s being the first time he’s hearing Taehyung calling him “hyung”. It shoots a different kind of ache running through his entire nervous system, till it reaches his heart. Blood pumping in his veins harder than ever before.
“I? Well.. I don’t think so. You should only cook, baking is not your best suit, I can just feel it.” His clicks his tongue pitifully, shaking his head as if he’s sure Tae can’t bake.
Tae stands up from his seat, looking down on Yoongi with such rage that Yoongi snickers internally, still stays expressionless in front of Tae, looking up to Taehyung.
“How.. just how? You’re so cheap and I’ll show you I can bake.” Tae declares, as if, he’s standing to take an oath but a sudden jolt from the halting of bus has him stumbling back, then forth, as he struggles to balance the pastry box in his hand and finally losing his footing, coming down. He’s expecting Yoongi to catch him but as soon as he falls, Yoongi quickly on his feet, catches the pastry box effortlessly and let Tae fall back on his seat. Ouch.
“Oh, we’ve reached home. Let’s go.” Yoongi grins at the younger as he stands up and walk off bus, while Taehyung lays crooked on his seat, looks at his retreating back dumbfoundedly, before following the older out of his shaky legs, with his twisted, pouty face after a full minute.
-o-
“So, yeah, Jin hyung runs a bakery and believe me, Jiminie, when I say the place is heaven. That panna-cotta was amazing, I can still taste it on my tongue. We’ll visit again someday, ok?”
“Ok, Taehyungie. We’ll visit.”
Jimin listens as Tae tells him all about yesterday. Thinking that he had thought Tae didn’t have plans to go anywhere after the visit to the columbarium, seems like Tae had.
Still, it’s better than last year when Tae had spent all his day coped up in his room, crying his eyes out swollen.
“Hey, Tae-ah, you have that engagement ceremony this Friday, right? Will you attend class that day?”
“No, Jimin-ah, I’m afraid I won’t. We don’t have time that day and I don’t want anything to go wrong. So, that’d be a busy day.” He pouts at Jimin sadly.
Suddenly, an idea pops in Jimin’s head.
“Tae-ah, remember that event’s gonna be a formal one. A black tie event or something like that, I heard that Min and Jung family are also invited.” He’s telling Tae, slowly weaving his plan in action.
“Huh, who’re they again?”
“Gosh, Tae-ah, what rock are you living under? Min and Jung family?” he hints but Tae seems lost. Sighing in disappointment, he decides to tell his best friend, how utterly he’s lacking a social life. Putting both his hand on Tae’s shoulders, he shakes the younger in the process slowly.
“Min Cheol-min and both his sons that I don’t know the name of, are the owner of 10% to 15% of the country’s business industry alongside the Jung and Kims. Min Cheol-min is also next most favoured and trusted candidate for the National Assembly position in the upcoming election.” Jimin widens his eyes to show the seriousness of the situation.
“He’s going to be the member no doubt. He stepped down from his position as their company’s director to enter the politics and believe me his doing amazing, everyone loves him. And you know the Jungs are their in-laws as the eldest son is married to the only son of Jungs a few years ago. My appa had told me as appa, himself hosted the event in our hotel. Although, they’re our business partner, appa told me to treat them as though they’re kings, of course, they’re some sort of royalties, owning most of the business under their names. I’ve never met them before though. I definitely want to.”
“But didn’t your family host the wedding?” Tae questions, still kind of lost.
“It was in Japan and I was in here in Busan because of school.”
“Oh.”
“So, Jimin-ah, what should I do, from your explanation it seems like, there’ll be lots of important people. What have I missed?” harshly biting down on his finger with a distressed expression on his face, Tae asks Jimin.
“You’re invited too, right Jimin-ah?”
“Yes, I’m and my parents are coming from Busan tomorrow to attend the ceremony. And what you missed Tae-ah, is an appropriate outfit, you here?”
“Then?”
“Then what? We’re going shopping. How about today? Tell Chanhwa hyung to close the shop and I’ll pick you two up by 6.” He suggests Tae.
“You’re right, the outfit, how can I miss something so important.” Tae murmurs to himself more than to Jimin, nodding his head in understanding now.
“Ok, so I don’t have class right now, so I’m going to the shop. You’ll come at 6, right? Make sure you do.” With that Tae steps back slowly, before dashing out in full speed, waving a goodbye to Jimin as he zooms through the crowd of the students, coming and going to and from the university campus.
Jimin smiles as he stares the younger disappearing. Silly Tae.
Pulling out his cell-phone from his pocket to dial a number. The next phase of his plan.
Notes:
Meet me here Twt.
Chapter 13: I know they’re flexing but it’s me you should be checking
Summary:
Inside the room, Tae’s close to tears, hiding his face behind his palms as he slumps tiredly on the chair provided for him. Hearing the door opening and closing, he raises his head to look in Jimin’s eyes as his own wells up with the unwanted tears.
Notes:
Hello there! Long time no see again. Sorry about that. A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT EVERYONE!!!! I HAVE CHANGED MY TWITTER ACCOUNT BECAUSE OF THE SHADOWBANNED I WAS GETTING AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR NO REASON. I had to change the whole account. My new twitter @ is @purplepixiu. I'll post the link here, though my old twitter account is alive, I'll close it some time later. Today's chapter is light hearted but there are few, tiny, tiny scene, I'll place the warning but they aren't so big. Thank you. The title chapter is from song Tenu suit suit karda, a fun song I'd recommend everyone to listen. Enjoy and tell me how is it. One more thing, I've set up fic navigator threads in my new twitter, which allows the user to locate the chapter easily and individually. Please use that locator to locate chapter you wanna read for both of my multiple chapter fics. Spread the words, please. I want more people to reach my fics. I know nothing about fashion brands.
WARNING:
Mention of alcohol abuse
Mention of domestic abuse
Hurt/Comfort
Emotional rollercoaster
Grammatical ErrorHere's the new Twitter account everyone. Twt.
Chapter Text
Since yesterday, Namjoon’s not in his very best of moods. Only he knows how he’s keeping his temper at bay with all these overexcited students, not younger than a couple of years than him and there’s also Jinyi breathing down his neck non-stop since the outburst of yesterday.
Namjoon stares across the room where Jeongguk’s sitting, working in some new technically advanced, revolutionary software, perhaps, with so much concentration that even Namjoon doesn’t possess.
His younger cousin is his salvation right now, keeping him sane and productive, lest Namjoon can destroy the entirely of Seoul with the intense angry burning inside him.
Namjoon decided to check what all the students are up to on their seats before the class ends, before the class ends. Getting up from his chair, he casually roams the class, watching and giving tips if asked for, here and there.
Namjoon reaches Jeongguk’s table the last, extremely interested in the younger’s project now but as soon as he peeks, he’s met with a digital drawing of a puppy in his graphical pad. Namjoon couldn’t help the sweat that forms on his head dramatically.
“Is this what you’re doing all this time, Gguk-ah?” he asks patting his shoulder gently. Jeongguk looks up, raising his head at Namjoon, giving his bright bunny smile to his hyung.
“You like it?” he asks innocently.
“Of course, Gguk-ah, you’re so talented. If I were in your place, I would’ve messed up the entire thing, all it’d look like is, a ball of hair and that’s too uneven.” He gives appreciation to his brother’s art work as he also needs something light hearted to talk too.
Soon the classes are over, both brothers make their ways out, when Jeongguk’s phone rings. He fishes out the phone and take the call.
“Yeah, Jimin-ssi, shopping? Tonight? Ok, I’m coming to you. Yes, Namjoon hyung is with me. Ok, I’ll ask, bye.” Talking for a few moments with his boyfriend, Jeongguk pockets his phone back, before calling for Namjoon, who’s walking aimlessly, staring ahead of him, somewhere on the hallways.
“Hyung, Jimin-ssi wants to go shopping tonight, he asked me to ask you too.”
“Shopping on weekday?”
“Yeah, remember? This Friday, the engagement ceremony at Myeong-dong.”
“Oh, right but shopping?”
“Hyung, we gotta have proper outfit for that ceremony, don’t we? And I don’t have a single suit in my wardrobe as of right now.” He says bouncing on the way happily as both brother walk.
“Right. Seems like we need to go shopping.”
-o-
Namjoon’s not expecting two things in this shopping trip, first, Jinyi clinging to his arms, when he’s working so hard to keep his mood better for the shopping trip and second, Taehyung joining them with Chanhwa.
He’s a bit surprise that Tae agreed to go shopping when he’s clearly been avoiding him. He’s feeling better now. However, this one of his illusion shatters as he remembers why Tae’s joining them, he’s in contract for that engagement event. Right. Or why else Tae would join them when Namjoon’s present.
Namjoon’s in his own car with Jinyi on the passenger seat, while Tae’s with Chanhwa, Jimin and Jeongguk in Jeongguk’s own car.
Jinyi insists to tag along as she’s going to be Namjoon’s date for that event and of course, Namjoon should buy her a new dress. At least, that’s what she said.
“After picking Tae and Chanhwa up, they head straight to a chic, overly expensive, designer clothing store, highly famous for their formal attire collection.”
An awestruck expression is being displayed on Tae and Chanhwa’s face as they don’t even have a long distance relation with this kind of place.
As soon as all of them step inside with Jimin leading them, they are greeted by an entire army of the store staffs bowing 90° before Jimin, who after slightly bowing at them, made their way straight to the huge elevator which leads them to the fourth floor. Seems like Jimin has already booked a private appointment as they’re led to a large room, every wall of it are, floor to ceiling mirrors, four panels of mirrors in one side of the room, while four are across them, giving the whole room a look of illusion of a castle of glass. Far up on the ceiling, is a massive glass chandelier hanging over their heads and down on the floor is, a small platform, a stage like structure, right before the staffs has placed single cushioned chairs with pillows for all of them.
One female and five male staffs with the manager are standing before them, bowing to greet.
After taking seats, Jimin begins to tell them their requirements, what they are here for. And Tae, who’s been sitting beside him, is sporting sweaty palms.
“Hey, Jimin-ah.” He leans on his best-friend’s shoulder, whispering as softly as he can with his rather soothing voice.
“Yes, Tae?” Jimin whispers back as gently.
“I think this place is a bit, no, a lot expensive for my small pocket. We should leave or at least, I and Chanhwa hyung should leave. I’m going, bye.” Panickingly, Tae starts to get up to leave with Chanyeol, who’s sitting on Jimin’s other side, agree undoubtedly.
“Where are you two going?” Jimin pushes both of them back on the chairs, before glaring them down on their seats.
“But Jimin-ah.” Tae tried his best trick, whining. Dragging the “Jimin-ah” longer.
“No and shut up. You two are not going anywhere till we buy the perfect suits for you two.”
“But Jimin-ah, we don’t think we can afford it. How are we going to pay for these?” Tae panics as he grimaces and frowns at Jimin, who rolls his eyes at Tae
“I’ll pay for you, think it as an advance birthday gift, Tae-ah.”
“No, I won’t. I can’t make you pay for me and especially, for something this expensive. No, Jimin-ah, please.” He somewhat begs to Jimin but Jimin isn’t hearing any of that. He wants everything best for Tae.
Taehyung, first of all, never pampers himself, even when he gives his best at everything, his 100%, be it his studies or his precious shop. And Jimin knows he deserves it more than anyone. Unfortunately, the latter doesn’t think so. And after what Jimin did to him that day, he wants redeem his mistakes, the mistreatment he made Tae go through, he wants Tae to know he cares, that he knows of his mistake and he wants Tae to know that he can rely on him whenever he needs.
And second of all, he knows Tae would never do anything to pamper himself, that’s how he is. Thankfully, Jimin’s here to do it for him.
Taking Tae’s hands in his, Jimin smooths the soft skin over with his hands.
“Tae-Tae-ah, you don’t have to worry for anything for I’m here. Its just a little gift, yeah?” Jimin smiles frankly but Tae isn’t having his sweet talk. Snatching his hands away from Jimin, Tae frowns even deeper, not liking one bit of it.
“Even so, I don’t want.”
“But Tae, please.” Jimin sigh helplessly and he thought he could convince this stubborn kid.
And he also thought, this trip would be fun. Seems like that’s not the case.
“Ok, how about you pay the sum you’ve got and if anything is lacking, I’ll add to it?” Jimin offers Tae, after Tae doesn’t get convinced.
Tae scratches his chin to think carefully, before agreeing to it, so does Chanhwa.
Jeongguk and Namjoon, who’re listening all of it carefully, smile at the end. Jinyi, of course, enjoying the most as she’s already on her fifth dress trail.
Settling the matter, Jimin allows all of the staff to lead each of them to separate dressing rooms, which they now notice, are situated behind those glass panels.
Tae and Chanhwa are being ushered awkwardly through the mirror doors by the store staffs.
-o-
Namjoon, after an hour of constantly changing tux to tux, he makes his decision to settle with the Saint Laurent silk trimmed tuxedo jacket with front flap pockets, peaked silk lapels and welt pocket. Silk cummerbund wrapped around his waist, over the white mulberry silk-satin tuxedo shirt, giving him a more, well sculpted took, completing it with a velvet bow tie and his mirror polished derby shoes from the same brand.
Exiting the dressing room with the staff, who has been assisting him till now, Namjoon steps over the platform in the middle of the room. Admiring his now debonair appearance. He runs a hand down the front of his jacket, feeling the top-notch texture of the expensive fabric. Not to be boastful but he’s looking dashing, in simple words. Smiling at his reflection on the mirrored walls, his tips quirk up on the edge.
As he stands there admiring his own self, the dressing rooms facing his back, unlatches with a smooth slide, revealing a sharply dressed Jeongguk. While Namjoon chooses the Saint Laurent, sophisticated piece. Jeongguk goes with the glamour of D&G. Nothing’s like the Italian tailoring, right?
His tuxedo is one of those, that are crafted from a blend of virgin wool and silk in sleek black and a three piece, as if, it’s his own wedding. The blazer jacket displays the peaked notch lapels, long sleeves with button cuffs, a chest and front flap pocket, inside layering a V-neck waistcoat with front button fastening, two front pockets and an adjustable back strap welt pockets and an avant-garde applique stripes at the sides. Smart and sleek, unlike his normal days’ black outfits. This kid.
Jeongguk strides to the platform too, to come to his cousin, grinning animatedly. Then, another dressing room unlatches. Comes Jimin with regal glory, unlike his sweet and sensitive everyday self. And of course, he’d go with the most unconventional. Something made to stand out from the rest of the crowd. A black DNA three-piece jacquard tuxedo suit from the same Italian tailoring as well. Single breasted blazer with shawl lapels, long sleeves and button cuffs, a chest pocket. The suit also consists a single-breasted waistcoat and a pair of tailored trouser. And of course, the silk bow tie as Namjoon and Jeongguk. Completing the look with Balenciaga leather derby shoes.
“Aren’t we feeling like Bond, Gguk-ah?” Jimin chides, dramatically straightening his tie and winking at his boyfriend after. Causing the youngest to flame red with blush, still he answers.
“More or less, hyung.”
“You two, really.” Namjoon shakes his head at them, smiling himself. All three of them laugh after that.
The fourth panel opens and a blushing Chanhwa comes out in small steps towards them and joining the other three.
“Aren’t you looking handsome, hyung?” Jimin snickers, shoving Chanhwa’s shoulder with his own lightly, causing the tip of Chanhwa’s ears turn even redder, blush intensifying.
“But still, Jimin-ah, isn’t it a bit extravagant?” leaning at the younger, Chanhwa mutters. Still not satisfied with Jimin’s offer.
“Hyung, please consider it an early birthday gift. I really want you two to dress nicely for the engagement ceremony, you’re going for business there, so the businessmen should look neat too, right hyung?” Winking at playfully Chanhwa, Jimin blows a kiss his way, trying his best to convince, one way or another, whichever works. Chanhwa frowns at that but doesn’t say anything, probably waiting for Tae to make the decision.
Chanhwa’s been wearing a two-piece tuxedo, crafted with black wool mohair blend, with notched lapel jacket, long sleeves with button cuffs. The usual chest pocket and front flap pockets, combined with slim-fit trousers. Looking handsome and very cute at the same time.
While Chanhwa fidgets uncomfortably in his suit, panickingly over the price, two more doors behind the mirror unbolted simultaneously. And here comes, Jinyi and Taehyung.
Jinyi joins over, flaunting her floor length evening gown, a deepest shade of black, silk-cotton blend with sparkly sequin embellishment, square neckline giving a more broaden, more open look. It’s a beautiful dress, nothing short of gorgeous. As expected from D&G.
Jinyi’s so gorgeous and chic, Namjoon and her do look perfect for together, for the upcoming Friday. If only Namjoon sees her, however, he’s busy right now, looking over Jinyi’s shoulders, actually, not just him but all of them are looking at the back, expression dumb-strucked.
Frustratingly, when Namjoon doesn’t look her way even with forcing, she turns around to look at the source of their incredulity herself.
Upon turning, even she can’t deny the fact that Kim Taehyung is the most captivating from all of them alongside Jimin. He is, in simple words, truly bewitching.
Not even in her lifetime, Jinyi has seen a human as ethereal as Kim Taehyung, not even women. And well, she doesn’t really like this fact.
Namjoon just stands still, his amazed eyes not leaving Taehyung, who’s standing there for at the corner fidgeting even more than Chanhwa a moment ago.
His eyes casting down, don’t know what’s so surprising about the floor but the unquestionable stain of the deepest of pink on the strained tip of his ears and his ever glassy high-cheek bone are a sight to behold.
The midnight blue of his Dolce & Gabbana martini tuxedo suit has a feel to it. Soft blend of silk and virgin wool, lapels notched with chest pocket and button cuffs. The central rear vent and padded shoulders are some extra detailing which, Namjoon makes sure not miss, as its giving a total Bond look to his Tae, completing the look with front ironed pleated trouser, leather derby shoes and the silk bow tie as all of the boys.
In simple words, he’s looking as stunning as ever, just this time in a formal suit.
Namjoon steps ahead to reach him, just to touch him to make sure he’s real and not some heavenly entity. He comes closer with every passing second, only for Tae to step back and run inside the dressing room.
Why does it always happen? Whenever he wants to reach, to grab a hold of Taehyung, the younger slips from his grip, as if, he’s the sand inside an hour glass. Whenever Namjoon walks his way, Tae turns the other.
And before he could comprehend the situation. Jimin zooms past his line of vision and inside the room after Tae, leaving Namjoon clenching and unclenching his fists by his sides.
-o-
Inside the room, Tae’s close to tears, hiding his face behind his palms as he slumps tiredly on the chair provided for him. Hearing the door opening and closing, he raises his head to look in Jimin’s eyes as his own wells up with the unwanted tears.
“Tae-ah, what happened? Why did you… don’t you like this outfit? We can change it, yeah? You don’t have to worry.” Jimin kneels down in front of him, hunching back on his calves. Gently coaxing his best-friend as he smooths soothing circles over Tae’s knees with his palms.
Taehyung shakes his head, not wanting the tears to fall so easily, just for a silly matter as this.
“No, there’s nothing wrong with the suit. I… I just, Jimin, I don’t think I can afford it right now, I don’t think I can cover the half of its price with the savings I’ve brought with me. And I’d never like you to pay for me, for something this expensive, even if it’s a gift or anything.”
“But Tae, please. It’s just a suit, all I want to do is to see you happy, because even if you’ve, I haven’t forgiven myself from what I did to you the other day.” This time Jimin genuinely confesses as to why he’s insisting this much.
“But you don’t have to Jiminie, I’m not angry or anything at you.”
“If not, then please let me buy this for you.” With that said, Jimin raises off the floor and make his way out, practically running from Tae’s reach, who’s still trying to stop him.
Leaving Tae inside the dressing room, Jimin comes out finalizing his decision to buy the suits.
“Jimin-ah, wait.” Stopping the long stride, he’s taking, Jimin looks over his shoulder to see Namjoon standing by the door with all other on their seats, where they’re previously sitting by the platform.
“Yes, hyung?”
Namjoon walks to the younger, taking his hand and exiting the room completely, standing on the hallway now.
“I just wanted to ask if Tae liked the suit. He’s looking gorgeous in it. Not that he doesn’t look gorgeous usually but… its special occasion, right?” Namjoon scratches his nape, looking away in embarrassment. Jimin couldn’t help the small smile that comes on his lips.
“He does hyung but he doesn’t want me to pay for it.”
“Oh, ok. How about you take the money he has brought and keep it safe. We’ll buy him a nice gift on his birthday and right now I’ll buy him the suit, alright?” Namjoon offers, pretending to look cool but his certain gesture of continuous lip licking unable to hide his nervousness.
Wiggling his eyebrows playfully at the other, Jimin interrogates.
“Hmm? But why hyung?”
“Do you want me to verbalize the obvious right now?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Ok, dammit. He’s looking beautiful, the tux suits him well. He is… he is… you know what I mean now. Just do it, Jimin-ah, for me please.”
“And yeah, don’t tell him or anyone.” He warns at the end, looking down on the now giggling younger.
“Alright, sure. Sure.” Jimin agrees and goes with the devised plan by the Great Kim Namjoon himself.
-o-
With 5 pairs of tux and 1 evening dress and many rehearsed lies to Tae and Chanhwa, the group leaves the store with wide grins adorning their faces.
Tae’s dropped by Jimin and Jeongguk, after they had dropped Chanhwa and Namjoon had gone to drop Jinyi home.
Tae’s not expecting the shopping trip to go this long, its already quarter past 8. Hopefully, his appa won’t be home.
Tae tiptoes inside slowly, peeking from hallways to living room, living room to bedroom, finding no trace of his father. Heaving a long sigh of relief, clutching his heart. This must be one of those days, when his father is too drunk to walk home and have passed out in the bar. Good for Tae, he shrugs his shoulder carelessly only to feel soft tapping on his shoulder.
He freezes in his place. After all, his after’s home. Dropping his head upsettingly at the obvious fact of getting his regular beatings, he looks over his shoulder and stumbling back on his feet from a jump-scare.
“Yoongi hyung, what’re you doing here standing like that? You’ve scared me to death, dammit.” Taehyung manages to take some deep breathes while supporting himself by the wall behind him. His shopping bag long forgotten on the floor.
“Is appa home?” he asks suspiciously quietly to Yoongi, who’s having so much fun looking at a frantic Tae like this.
“He’s not but why’re you late and the shop’s closed earlier today, why?”
“Oh, that, I was– wait a minute, why do you even care anyway? Yoongi... hyung.” Tae sasses at enunciating the last two word, grabbing the bags from the floor then standing to face Yoongi head on.
“Because I haven’t had dinner as of right now and of course, you’d make the dinner, right? Or else I’d tell your father.” Yoongi threatens not understanding the true reason behind the fearfully eyes widened eyes. Enjoying the empty threat, he usually throws at Tae on a daily basis.
“No, no, don’t. I’ll prepare the dinner instantly, just don’t tell him anything. Give me a few minute.” Tae’s about to run to his room to hide everything away and change. If his father ever finds out that he has brought a suit more expensive than his 3-month salary, he doesn’t know what’s he gonna do to Tae. Before he can dash to his room, a hand comes gripping his wrist in a gentle but strong hold, restraining his next step.
“What’s with the bags?” the elder asks, eyeing the bags in Tae’s hand.
“Oh, these.” Tae giggles cutely at him.
“Let me get changed before I tell about these.” Tae pulls his wrist gently from Yoongi’s hold to go to his room.
Yoongi doesn’t interrupt the younger any further, letting him hide everything away in his room, while he goes to sit on his usual place. The kitchen counter-top.
Yoongi waits for Taehyung to come to the kitchen, patiently, swinging his feet back and forth, Tae comes a few minute after, making a straight b-line to the refrigerator to scavenge something to cook for Yoongi.
“So, what’s with those bags?” Yoongi asks again causing Tae to chuckle in delight after that he couldn’t hold himself from spilling everything that had happened today, in a lightning speed that Yoongi couldn’t catch the half of it.
“So, you’re saying that you’ve brought a tux for the engagement ceremony you’re attending this Friday. And that tux is as expensive as equivalent to 3-month salary of your appa?” Yoongi tries to pretending being shocked by the news as this type of expenses are an everyday occurrence in his life.
“Yes and please, don’t ever tell my appa about it. I beg you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Just don’t please.”
“Ok.” Yoongi agrees and let the unusual truce between him and Tae go smoothly.
Yoongi likes it, not just the dinner but the peacefulness of it. Living here, co-existing with Tae, he likes the domesticity of it all.
Tae doesn’t join him for dinner, rather he’d sit with him, while Yoongi eats, insisting that he had dinner with Jimin and others.
Humming in appreciation, Yoongi praises Tae for his cooking internally.
“Say, Taehyung-ssi, is this Jimin your boyfriend?” he asks Tae, not liking that blond kid so much, since he’s been watching him so close to Tae. The “boyfriend” feels bitter on his tongue.
“What? No, no, he isn’t my boyfriend or anything. Jiminie’s with Jeonggukie. They are together for some years now.” Tae replies blushing, as if, Yoongi has asked for his hand in marriage.
“Ok.” A relieving news to Yoongi.
“And why are you so afraid of your appa?” Yoongi questions the main question that has been ticking somewhere back on his brain from last three months he’s been observing Taehyung.
Even the presence of the older Kim is nerve-wrecking for Taehyung, let alone talking to him. Its growing a strong curiosity in Yoongi, who somewhat have the same family dynamics but the behaviour is much more different than his own.
Tae doesn’t answer, doesn’t raise his head from where he’s staring on his hands that’re laying clasped over the table.
“Taehyung-ssi? Taehyung-ssi?”
“Huh, oh… sorry. I– uh… I’m tired, hyung. I’d go, have some rest. Leave the dishes on the sink, I’ll wash it tomorrow. Good night.” As soon as he says that, Tae run for his room. A loud thud of door closing resonates after a moment.
Yoongi’s left in the dining room alone. Mouth opening and closing speechlessly. After sitting there dumbfounded for a minute or two, he gets off taking the plates and cups with him and washes it, before placing it on the rake. Retiring for the night upstairs with his headphones tucked over his ears, like every other night to shut the whole world out.
Chapter 14: My whole life is insufficient to express my love for you
Summary:
Tae reaches his hand out for a second there, it lingers over Yoongi’s outstretched, open palm, before it slowly settles over Yoongi’s dainty, big hand.
Notes:
Hello, everyone. New chapter update.
This is going to an important chapter as Yoongi would get to know Tae's biological status. Hopefully, everyone remember that Tae has female genitalia, right? If not, I want the readers to go re-check the tags, I have it clearly mentioned their for everyone, from the beginning, so if its makes you uncomfortable in any way, feel free to drop this fic. I'm putting warning in every chapter if anything sensitive will commence as the story progress, carefully read the warning and tags before start reader. I only have the best of you interest. Thank you.
Chapter title is a hindi romantic song O maahi from Dunki, a recent release, recommended for all of you to enjoy if anyone wants. Enjoy the chapter and make sure to comment me back your feelings.
WARNING:
Sensitive topic of anatomy
Anatomical inaccuracy(mostly made up for the fic)
Slight mention of panic attack
Mention of monthly period cycle
Grammatical ErrorAlso, have I told you all that my twitter @ has been changed? I'll tag the new one at the end notes, please make sure to check. Thank you everyone, have a good read.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Twisting to lay his body on the side, Tae keeps shifting continuously on his bed, thinking about Yoongi. Min Yoongi, the guy who has invaded his home without an invite and is freeloading since then. The guy that Taehyung doesn’t mind that much now. Actually, he likes having Yoongi around sometime, when he’s not invading in his personal space or when Tae finds the dinner dishes washed and kept on their proper places, house completely devoid of a single speck of dust, even used sheets being washed, dried and folded neatly back to the closet. Yes, he has to do some extra work on his shop to keep earning for the 3rd member of the family, that he doesn’t even know that much now but Tae can bear this, only to keep Yoongi around as long as possible. Even though, knowing Yoongi’s departure from his life is inevitable, as soon as he gets to know Tae enough to realize the abnormality in him. Even the thought of it hurts Tae in a way he can’t explain and keeps him awake at nights like today.
At last, he sleeps after a good amount of wasted hours of night.
He wakes up around the dawn, reaching for his phone on the right side of his bed, on the side table. Time showing on the dial, 5:05.
Usually, Tae’d never wake at this early in the morning, not before six but today seems to be an exception as he feels something disgustingly wet on his bedsheet, beneath him.
He didn’t like the dreadful feeling of it. Not a bit.
No, it’s not happening, not in this time of the day. Certainly not in his bed.
The expression on Taehyung’s face could be said to be synonymous of pure hysteria. He gets off the bed, a horrifying look taking over his now paling face. His eyes widen at the crimson liquid painted over a good portion of his light beige bedsheet and duvet and most probably, the back of his pyjamas.
Muttering a string of no and please under his breath, he begins ripping the big pieces of fabric off the bed and gathering them in his arms, only to run to the bathroom with them in wobbly, hopping steps.
-o-
Yoongi is not a habitual early riser, not enough to get up at this hour of the day since he’s been staying at Tae’s but today truly seems like an exception.
He gets out of his room to go to the bathroom. In this house, everything is perfect but it only has one bathroom and toilet, so they have to share it.
Normally, it’s not a problem as they have their own time to use the bathroom and toilet, however, it seems today its occupied. Strange, who wakes up at this hour in this household? Yoongi wonder without ceasing his stride across the hallway.
Crossing the hallway, Yoongi comes halting right before the door to the bathroom. Sound of running water is the only noise echoing in the entire house in a quiet and faded manner.
Yoongi stands unmoving for a minute in front the door, about to knock but decides against it and goes inside, barging in, so if there’s someone who shouldn’t be there at this time in Tae’s house, would be caught unguarded.
Imagine his surprise when he finds Tae on the bathroom floor, scrubbing the now crimson dripping bedsheet and duvet, mercilessly as if his life depends on it. Front teeth grinding the bottom lip in between, in an attempt to hold the whimpers in his throat has, yet, holding back. However, the tears that are cascading down the apple of his cheeks, falling freely, unstoppable.
Yoongi freezes right there for a minute, before carefully and gently stepping inside with silent movements, closer to the younger who’s crouching down of the floor, on his knees, not realizing another person’s presence inside of the bathroom.
“Taehyung-ssi.” Yoongi calls out as he comes down crouching beside Tae at a safe distance too, trying not to invade his personal space. Yoongi’s voice comes out so quiet and distant there, even he doesn’t know when has he become so nervous.
Tae doesn’t answer immediately, rather, it begins with a thumping flinch, followed by a robotic stillness, sharp but rusty whimper, then full broken out sobs and finally he gives up, slumping completely on the floor, wailing harder than before, head hung low as the tears effortlessly falls on the wet, previously off white but now red tiled floor.
Yoongi lets him cry, eyeing his body to find any possible injury, fortunately or unfortunately, finding none. What’s with the massive exposure of blood then?
Taehyung’s whole body shudders with the intensive crying, sending aches to Yoongi’s heart.
“Taehyung-ssi..” He calls again but this time crawling a bit closer to Tae in the process, causing the younger to raise his head.
“No, hyung, don’t come closer, please.” He somehow manages to speak out but chokes on his cry at the end, resulting in a fit of coughing.
“Ok, ok. I’m not coming closer, alright? But can you tell me what happened, Taehyung-ssi, please? Are you hurt somewhere? Can you show me? Should I bring the first-aid kit to you? Say something, please. It’s so unsettling to see you like this.” Yoongi fusses, not voicing but muttering out the last part in low voice, though.
Again, Tae doesn’t give answers immediately but wails and wails, shaking his head furiously, while hiding his face behind his palms, refusing to face Yoongi at any cost.
“Hush, you’re ok, you’re fine. I’m here, yeah, Taehyung-ssi?”
“No, I’m not ok, never have been. I’m so sorry hyung. I really am.”
This time Yoongi doesn’t respond immediately, thinking twice before saying anything that could possibly be triggering for the current state of Tae’s emotions as he’s still a bit confused but one part of his brain is telling him that he’s aware of what’s going on, slightly aware if he’s not wrong.
“Taehyung-ssi, would you, perhaps, I mean, if you want to tell me what.. had happened or if you’re injured in anyway? All.. uh.. this blood..” But before Yoongi could continue his stutter, Tae cuts him off growling.
“It’s my blood and I’m not injured.”
“Oh..” Is all Yoongi says, could form in that flashing moment of placidity. And before Yoongi could open his mouth to state the next question, Tae interjects again, voice higher an octave or two.
“I’m a carrier.”
“Oh.” If Yoongi says he’s not surprised, it’d be a big, bad lie. After all, it’s his first time ever knowing one in his close proximity, on that. So, it’s the blood from his monthly cycle, ok.
Yoongi may not understand it completely but he understands this could be very disturbing for Taehyung.
Having a body that is not meant for the given biology would be extremely disturbing, as if the upper and lower halves meant for a different body and not consist in a single one, which is exactly how it is. It’s a stigma in most’s eyes, phenomenon in some’s, curse in other few’s and pitiful in others. It’s like being stuck in somewhere middle of the world where you can’t go back where there’s no way and can’t walk ahead where you’re being judged for every single step you’re taking.
Right at the moment, Yoongi doesn’t know what’d be the right course of action to console the younger, that, if he can. Words that wouldn’t be too judging or too pitiful. How far, would be too far to not outreach his limits? How nice, would be too nice for it won’t look like pity?
Yoongi still doesn’t know.
Taehyung is too disgusted from his own self and Yoongi knows anything he’d say to him would be too offending. So, he doesn’t, instead, he offers Taehyung his help.
“Taehyung-ssi, why don’t you go change while I take care of this here?”
“Huh? What? Why?” Tae asks confused, he innocently gawks at Yoongi.
“Because, we don’t want you to get sick and bedridden after sitting here in cold for so long, now do we?” Yoongi gives him a nice, friendly smile but it’s still twitching at the corner however strongly he wants to maintain the harmlessness of it. Proffering a hand for Tae to take.
Yoongi knows Tae is too confused to comprehend Yoongi’s gesture and immediately take it with friendliness, so he doesn’t hurry and let Tae take his time, not pulling his hand back. Moments of silence settling between them, before…
Tae reaches his hand out for a second there, it lingers over Yoongi’s outstretched, open palm, before it slowly settles over Yoongi’s dainty, big hand. The elder of the two let the younger’s tender, yet, slight roughed up palm rest on his own for a moment. Yoongi’s thumb unconsciously caresses one bluer vein, popping prominently on the top of Tae’s hand. His pulse is racing but it is steadily calming down now.
Yoongi’s still surprised at how soft Tae’s hand could feel over his own chapped one, even after the younger working with thick soil, stubborn bushes, thorned stems and veiny wines.
“Now hurry up, you’re already splashed with so much water.” Crawling on his knees, a little closer in front of Tae, Yoongi swipes the soft cheeks with his thumb to remove the ugly, angry tears away. Tae’s cheeks are as soft as it seems.
Yoongi tugs at Taehyung’s hands to give a little encouragement enough for the younger to go get a shower and get changed. Tae gets up at Yoongi’s gentle urging, rubbing a fist over his eyes, red and swollen. Like the baby he is.
Yoongi hurriedly ushers Taehyung to the shower, while taking the cleaning at his own hands.
“This really is a mess.” He mutters under his breath, looking at the huge pile of reddened fabric. Still, he steps up, after all, he isn’t unfamiliar with blood stains. Just this time, it’s not his own.
He lets Tae shower peacefully and changed into whatever he deems comfortable for his sanitary needs, while he easily scrubs the stain off as Taehyung has already poured a massive amount of water over it while it was fresh. With the perfect cleaning agents, Yoongi has managed to remove the blood traces to a minimum.
Tae comes out changed in a loose T-shirt, two size too big and a fresh pair of pyjama, clenching his fits around the hem of his huge shirt, head still down in shame certainly.
“Better now?”
“Hmm.”
“Now, you should go take a rest, its only 7 am. I’ll make you something for breakfast, just give me a few minutes, yeah?” Yoongi urges Tae out and runs to take a soothing shower himself, before he’d start this day. An eventful day that is.
-o-
After preparing a simple breakfast for Tae, Yoongi brings it to his room.
“Here you go, seaweed soup with turnips and steamed rice.” Yoongi places the tray on the bedside table, turning around to see the younger fast asleep on his bed.
“Ok, ten more minutes, then I’ll wake him up.”
Murmuring to himself, he leaves the room to wash the utensils he has left after cooking.
Bringing his own breakfast with him, Yoongi comes back to wake Taehyung up, only to find him waking up and stretching his long limbs as the bones crack one by one.
“You’re awake?”
“Hmm.”
“Good, let's have some breakfast then.” He places the tray on of Tae’s lap, who’s now sitting upright on his bed. Gazing at Yoongi as if he’s seen a ghost. Silent and dumbstruck. With his big baby eyes.
“Thank you, hyung.” Tae manages to whisper, unshed tears clinging on the edges of his long, fanning lashes, overwhelmed by various of emotions.
“It’s ok, Taehyung-ah. Things happen, you don’t have to feel embarrassed and disgusted about them.”
“But I’m a carrier, it doesn’t happen with anyone but me.” His unshed tears glistening like diamonds on the edges of his eyes.
“True. I haven’t seen a carrier before.”
“Two.”
“What?”
“Two. Chanhwa hyung is carrier too.”
“Oh.”
“This is…uhm.. a news to me.” Yoongi hesitates but smiles after that, causing Tae to smile too.
“Are you disgusted with me-hyung?” Tae states his question carefully, eyeing Yoongi for any reaction.
Good question. Is Yoongi disgusted? Or is he shocked? Well, it come out surprising.
“Truthfully, I’m surprised, shocked even but not disgusted, just intrigued. Mind enlightening me a bit?” Yoongi says offering Tae a serene smile, the gummy one, the one that can heal a broken heart and may be can cure cancer too. You never know.
“Nothing that I can explain easily. We are boys too but.. you know the rest. I don’t have to say it out loud and also I don’t have a better choice of word for my biological condition, except that, I was born with this birth defect where I have female genitals and a womb too, instead of its male counterpart. I don’t know, this –this is too embarrassing.” Tae says more to himself than Yoongi, sarcastically mocking his own self as his wrists flicks in slow-motion, swinging the spoon in the soup bowl.
Yoongi nods slowly, sipping his own soup.
“So, your.. um..body works.. like as of a woman’s?” Yoongi questions but he immediately regrets to ask this biting the inside of his cheek in shame.
“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, its fine. It’s true.. our body works like a woman’s, except, I don’t have a huge breast like them.”
“We look more feminine when get pregnant, that’s what’s some facts says anyways, not like I’ve met a pregnant carrier before, if it’s not Chanhwa hyung.”
“No, you’re beautiful. Does that come with being a carrier too?” Even Yoongi know why he said that but the expression on Tae’s face, is a sight worth watching.
“Um.. what? Come again?” Tae asks him to repeat it, as if he didn’t hear it the first time.
Now, Yoongi understands what the phrase cat got your tongue means.
“I..uh..aish.” He heaves a quick sigh, punching his nose bridge. Seems its time to come out clean.
“I mean, you’re very beautiful. Ethereal. If I’d be honest, I’ve seen a lot of people –women, over the top but even they can’t win against you. I wonder if its “being a carrier” effect.”
“Oh.”
“Thanks.. hyung.” Tae completes the sentence with a pause in between.
After a moment of blushing furiously from both side. Yoongi changes his questions to keep the conversation going. He won’t admit but he likes Tae’s company more than anyone’s.
“How, expect me, how many people knows this?”
“Appa, of course, Jiminie, Jeongguk-ah. Chanhwa hyung and.. Namjoon hyung.” The last name is still the hardest to pronounce, of course, Yoongi wouldn’t notice.
“Oh, ok. Here, give that to me and take some rest for now.” Yoongi stands up, collecting both their trays one over another.
“But I have to head to the shop then university, hyung. I can’t be resting now.” A frowns strings its way across his eyebrows as he tries to get up.
“Oh, no, you’re not.” Yoongi glares him down back on the bed.
“But, its important, I have get prepared for this Friday. There’s a lot left to do even now.”
“Chanhwa hyung’s there.” Yoongi tries to reason with him but Tae’s not in agreement.
“But I have taken the project, it’s only fair that I do my share of work. I can’t leave all the burden to Chanhwa hyung.”
“Oh, if that’s the case, how about I go in your place for today and help Chanhwa hyung out.” As soon as he offers his deal in place for having Taehyung keep resting at home for today, Tae bursts out laughing.
“What so funny?” He asks the younger annoyed.
“You, in my places? Hyung, have you ever worked in a flower shop before, actually, you’ve only got to manage the shop, while Chanhwa hyung can do the rest but can you manage?” The younger giggles. Only if Tae knows, Yoongi manages an entire business empire, no actually, two empires, as if they his alternative universes.
Tae’s reaction causes Yoongi a full-fledged smirk, hands going over Tae’s head, ruffling the silky tuft of chocolate brown strands.
“Just tell me whatever you want me to do and consider it done.” Trailing the same hand down and resting it over Tae’s cheeks, leaving the younger dumbstruck again.
-o-
Leaving Tae tucked in his bed comfortably, Yoongi leaves the house to do the managing as Tae has instructed.
After reaching the shop, Yoongi does as the boss and Chanhwa has instructed, Yoongi receives some regular customers and they miss the boss, so much, they’re frowning at him.
True to Tae’s word, this shop is fucking hectic, nothing like this own private cabin in his office. Nice change, Yoongi is not expecting a full blown trading session.
How in the earth not a single person recognises him, he can’t be this anti-social, right? After recording the sales in the notebook and desktop securely as soon as he gets a hang of it, Yoongi closes the shop for lunch as Chanhwa has asked him to do.
He sits down on the chair, stretching his limbs.
“Yoongi-ssi, I think we should close earlier today, I have somewhere to be in about an hour. And we should be prepared for the Friday, till that, I don’t think we have any order this week. Let’s take a rest then.”
“Ok, hyung, so we have to wrap it all up for the day?”
“Yes, let’s do it as soon as possible.”
Deciding the next course of their action, they both begin wrapping everything up and after it finishes, Chanhwa and Yoongi walk their separate ways.
-o-
Yoongi walks lazily back home, taking careful steps as if he’s walking in a tight-rope.
A sleek black sedan comes halting right before his feet. Yoongi can’t help but roll his eyes at the sight of Hoseok and Jin getting out of the car, in a very dazzling and dramatic way. Climbing out of their car with a thudding sound of heavy car doors closing in one swift movement, cladded in expensive three-piece suits, from their tip of hair to their tip of shoes, squeaky clean and neat. Dazzling smiles adorning their handsome faces, before Jin’s lips twists in an unimpressive and complaining pout.
“Yoongi-chi, you again, why didn’t you come to the office today?” Jin practically whines at his younger brother, making an even dramatic dash to Yoongi.
Yoongi grimace throwing his head back, struggling push his koala of a brother away from him.
“Aren’t you enjoying Jin hyung’s company, Yoongi hyung?”
“You’re the one to talk.”
“But I love Jin hyung’s company or why else I’d marry him.” Hoseok retorts back, coming to pry Jin away from Yoongi and back hugging his pretty –crazy husband.
“Aren’t you two bad mouthing me a lot these days? But anyways, why didn’t you come office today?” He glares at Yoongi, squinting to get his answer, as if he’s interrogating Yoongi, who’s accused of a murder and it would work on Yoongi. Hilarious.
“Want me to come now? I’m free right now.”
“No, thanks, we had call it a day after the morning meetings and you haven’t attended the board meeting last Friday, so you don’t need to be present. However, you should have come even just for a while every day.”
“So, where’re you two heading now, hyung?” Yoongi asks his brother.
“Bakery, wanna come?”
“Sure.”
With that all three of them head to the bakery together in the sedan.
“So, you were managing Tae’s shop for Today, huh?” Jin places the little orange tart, in front of Yoongi as Hoseok pours him some ice-tea with it.
“Thanks hyung, Hoseok-ah.” He thanks them before, digging the fork in, taking a nice, sweet bite of Jin’s hand-made treats. Gosh, these are amazing, as good as eomma’s, of course, Yoongi wouldn’t tell that to Jin.
“Why didn’t Tae come to the shop, hyung? Is he sick or something?” Hobi questions as he takes a bite of his own tart. Yoongi’s hands still, early morning’s incident flashing before his fluttering eyes. He heaves a floundering sigh, shaking the stress building up on the back of his neck away.
“Aish.. what should I say. I-don’t know.. if it’s my place to tell anything.” He sighs very seriously, again. Dropping the fork on the now empty plate, glaring at his own hands that are clenching and unclenching over the table, cutlery long forgotten scattered on the table.
Jin, who’s been whisking the batter for the next batch, stops immediately, ears straining to hear his brother. They’re sitting in the huge kitchen, while rest of the staffs are sitting out in front, taking a break.
Hoseok freezes in the middle of gulping the chewed dessert.
“What is it Yoonges?” Jin carefully states his question, now coming down to sit beside his husband, across Yoongi.
“This morning when I woke up–” He begins telling his brothers everything that happened today, still a bit reluctant for its not his secret to tell. However, he also doesn’t agree to keep a secret as crucial as this from his brothers, of a man, he likes to keep around.
After a meticulous explanation, Yoongi finishes heaves a sigh and shifting on his chair, fidgeting. Letting Hoseok and Jin digest everything he has spilt a moment ago.
“So –Taehyung-ah is a carrier.” Hobi licks his bottom lips, speechless and slightly agitated, still in the process of digesting, it seems.
“Yes.”
“And he’s having his monthly cycles and walked on him when he was cleaning his stained bedsheet, yes.” Jin eases his words gently, lightly placing each word one after another.
“Exactly.” Yoongi nods in agreement.
“And your honest thought would be, Jin hyung, Hobi-ah?” He asks in anticipation, eyeing both of them.
“Well, it’s.. unexpected, yes.” Both of them say in unison.
“Disgusted?”
“No, no, no. Why, why would we be?” Again, its being said in unison, shaking their head furiously.
“Well, most of the people would be.” Saying this nonchalantly, Yoongi picks on the edges of his cuffs, eyes not meeting across the table.
“We’re not most people Yoongi-ah, we know our own selves, not like we’re exactly flawless. People may not say this to our faces but everyone know what we’re made of. Not like we’re in a place to judge anyone.. someone so kind and pure.”
“We’re not judging him hyung, it’s just unexpected. Tae’s an amazing kid, it’s not fair or a good enough reason to shunned him away just because he’s built a bit different than our normal. And it does not mean we’re disgusted or anything.” Hoseok articulates his honest feelings, reaching a hand across the table to hold Yoongi’s wrist and giving it a calm squeeze. Yoongi smiles gratefully in return.
“Poor, baby. Let me bake something for him, make sure it reaches him, don’t you dare devour it before you deliver it to him.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Yoongi waves a hand at elder who’s getting off the chair to continue his baking but grins anyway.
“Yoongi hyung?”
“Hmm.”
“What is it, Hobi-ah?”
“You’re whipped.”
“Shut up.”
Notes:
Chapter 15: Strawberry Swiss Cake
Summary:
And despite Jin’s warning, it's proven extremely difficult to not open the box and take a generous bite of the strawberry swiss cake, but Yoongi controls his growing need to taste the sugary substance inside the colourful box. A few more minutes, then he’ll reach Taehyung and they’ll enjoy this cake together. That’s what held his determination.
Notes:
Hii! everyone. I'm here with a Short update. It's gonna be a bitter-sweet feeling, that's all I wanna say. The entire scene will be divided in two chapter, that's what I have concluded, it could increase but till then, here's the first part. So, enjoy and let me know how is it. Thank you. <3
WARNING:
Fluff/Hurt
Grammatical Errors
Chapter Text
“Here you go, Yoongi-ah. Give my love to Tae and call immediately if anything happens.” Jin brings a box out, wrapped nicely with colourful wrapper, now being carried inside a carry bag, placing the item in front of Yoongi on the table.
A mischievous thought comes inside Yoongi’s head.
“Only if you had loved me this much hyung, only.” As he sighs dramatically but he has made a mistake by opening his mouth in front of Jin, in return he receives a swat at the back of his head.
“Shut up.” Jin barks disapprovingly, his handsome face twisting in an irritated scowl. Crossing his arms across his chest, Jin tips his head arrogantly, “hmph”, a scoff leaving his mouth.
“Pamper him, it wouldn’t harm you to spoil someone as sweet as Tae-ah. And also, it might get you a chance with him. Considering he already has a boyfriend.” Jin playfully winks at the younger, then, patting his back as he begins laughing in his own weird way.
Even after knowing Jin all his life, Yoongi couldn’t get used to his laughing style. But it seems Hoseok loves every bit of it. Looking at the fond smile on his lips, Yoongi’s sure of it. Weird couple. Anyways, but what is he saying about Taehyung having a boyfriend? He doesn’t have a boyfriend.
“He doesn’t have a boyfriend hyung.” Yoongi retorts back a bit heatedly, whipping his head towards Jin, who’s standing behind him, glaring up at him.
“He doesn’t? So, who’s that blond kid?”
“Jimin’s not his boyfriend.”
“He’s not? Then who is?”
“Hyung, please, shut up. Jimin’s not Tae’s boyfriend, no one is, alright?” Yoongi practically screams at the Min-Jung couple for this, the silliest conversation he’s ever had in his life.
“Ok, ok. Whatever helps you sleep the nights, Yoonges.” Jin and Hobi couldn’t stop laughing once they began, patting whatever surface underneath their hands, making loud, annoying noises. Infuriating Yoongi to the edge, but he decides to let it go for now, considering its early evening, he'd rather go home to Taehyung.
“Whatever is it, anyways.” Yoongi tries to poke open the box, causing Jin to swat his hand away prickly this time.
“Strawberry swiss cake, only for Tae-ah. So, get your hands off of it.”
“Of course, of course. Thank you for the hospitality, hyung, Hobi-ah. I appreciate it so much.” With that said sarcastically, he gets up to leave. Taking the cake with him, he waves his goodbye, exiting the shop and making his way straight to the bus stop.
And despite Jin’s warning, it's proven extremely difficult to not open the box and take a generous bite of the strawberry swiss cake, but Yoongi controls his growing need to taste the sugary substance inside the colourful box. A few more minutes, then he’ll reach Taehyung and they’ll enjoy this cake together. That’s what held his determination.
When Yoongi arrives home, he’s met with the delicious smell of Tae’s cooking. He walks inside to find the younger in the kitchen and his old man sitting on the dining table, utterly drunk as always.
It's been two days since he has last seen the old man, he wonders where he was all this time. But Yoongi greets him anyways, receiving a drunk nod in return and also, an invitation to have dinner with him. Yoongi politely refuses and makes his way to the kitchen where Tae is.
“Hey, here, take this.” Sliding the carry bag over to Tae, he whispers softly. The younger looks over his shoulder as the low tremor of Yoongi's raspy voice reverberates against Taehyung’s back. Well, that’s how Taehyung feels.
“What is it, hyung?” Tae murmurs back silently, not meeting his gaze. Again, for some reason shivering in his father’s presence.
“I’ve bought it from Jin hyung’s… for you.” Yoongi lies through his teeth, he still doesn’t feel like telling the truth to Taehyung, not now at least. He wants to be surer of his standing in Taehyung’s life.
“For me?”
“Sure, if you want to or I can eat it all alone.” He smirks at the younger, who’s gazing at him as he has grown horns on his head. What even is the matter? Is it the old man or something else?
“No, I’ll take it, can you put it in the refrigerator, please.” He asks Yoongi politely, whispering again.
Taehyung hurriedly serves his father the dinner, before the man could make any fuss in front of Yoongi or all people, waiting for him to eat and go to sleep or wherever he goes usually. Soon his appa leaves, leaving the dirty plates and bowls as it is, retiring to his room for the night, leaving Tae and Yoongi alone in the kitchen, as Tae had wished, he breathes out a relieving sigh.
“Dinner?”
“Sure.”
Tae serves Yoongi and himself some piping hot bossam, alongside bowls of galbi-tang and dongchimi. Looks delicious. Yoongi lets out a content sigh, after taking his first bite, he reclines back on his chair right away, closing his eyes and savouring the flavours carefully, knowing full well that the younger is eyeing him expectantly.
“You like it?”
“Yes, after an entire day of attending to the nagging customers? I love it.” He mutters to himself but the younger smiles openly at the compliment.
“Chanhwa hyung told me, you did amazing at the shop. Thanks, hyung, it means a lot.” Tae lightly bows his head at Yoongi, not noticing the furious redness at the older’s cheeks and nose.
“Oh, ok.”
“No, really, hyung. I’ve troubled you a lot since you came to live here. Although, I don’t approve of your freeloading, but you’ve helped me whenever I needed, hyung. So, I’m so sorry to ever hurt your feelings by bad-mouthing you.” Tae doesn’t hide his disapproval and goes as straightforward as he is, but Yoongi appreciates that, because he’s the only one who can ever tell Yoongi right away what the elder is doing wrong. Never hides anything, beating around the bushes. Not even Yoongi’s family does that, considering his wrath masked behind his calm and collective demeanour.
“Aren’t you getting too emotional, Taehyung-ssi?” He playfully wiggles his eyebrows and fails miserably, knowing he doesn’t have the talent to flirt. Isn’t that why all his ex-girlfriends left him? Well, mostly, because he can’t tolerate their sassiness and tantrums and he sure can’t entertain those women much, other than in his bed but that’s the thing for the past. Yoongi hasn't got laid for… maybe since years now and he’s not planning to be, in the foreseeable future. He doesn’t even plan to leave Tae alone right now?
Did he really think that just now? Wow.
“Maybe hyung but thank you.” Tae pulls him out of his reverie. His voice fills with too much heartfelt emotion for Yoongi’s stability. Finding the need to change the topic or have the younger distracted.
“As a thanks, would you give me the whole swiss roll?” He nonchalantly points his thumb over his shoulder at the refrigerator. Trying hard to mask his inner turmoil and overflow of emotion, the younger is so determined to let it break Yoongi.
“No, not even in your dreams.” This time, Tae replies in a heatedly playful manner.
“I don’t think you like strawberries, right Taehyung-ssi?”
“Taehyung-ah.”
“What?”
“Call me Taehyung-ah.”
“Oh.”
“Well, if you’d like to. No pressure at all.”
“Sure, Taehyung-ah, sure.” Yoongi nods, slowly grinning and liking how the younger’s name slips past his lips without the honorific effortlessly.
-o-
The weeks roll by rather fast and uneventfully, and Friday comes.
Tae doesn’t rest the whole day as Chanhwa keeps going back and forth in the shop before leaving for Myeongdong in the early afternoon with their other employees.
Tae finds it strange for Yoongi to not to follow them today when he manages the shop for this whole week, but he allows his mind to let the tiny suspicion slip for today as he doesn’t have time today.
Hydrangeas and baby breath and berries. That’s what Tae had planned and it seems like one hell of beautiful plan. Everything is looking perfect after a full five hours of hard-work, he and his team just step back to admire the work and after an eyeful of adoration, they scurry away to get ready for the event.
As the clock struck 7, guests started to pile in. True to the words, a black-tie event as such is totally nerve wrecking. Taehyung can literally smell the classiness and expensiveness from the guest as he and Chanhwa stand afar in their own expensive suits. Watching the guests aweing and praising their work. Both of them chuckle slightly ear to ear when a group of women, heavily adorned by expensive jewellery, awe at the main decoration made by Tae’s own hand.
Taehyung and Chanhwa are enjoying the rather grand engagement party from the corner when a hand comes to pat his shoulder, scaring him to death, followed by Jimin squealing silently at him.
“Taehyung-ah, just look at you. Oh my.” He’s literally shaking from excitement, as if anyone can ever look better than Jimin. He’s simply gorgeous, if a man can be. And Tae wouldn’t let anyone say otherwise as he makes sure to shower his best-friend with the best of compliments he can offer.
Both best-friend squeals for a moment before Jimin drags him to meet his parents.
Jimin’s eomma and appa are on the shorter side of stature, just like him, a bit chubby and cute looking couple.
“Hello, uncle and auntie Park. I’m Kim Taehyung.” He greets the couple politely with a respectful bow and a sweet smile.
“Oh, Taehyung-ah, don’t be so formal. We heard a lot from Jimin about you. It’s amazing how well established you are and managing your store. And this,” his appa pauses as he indicates the banquet hall with awe in his eyes. “is beautiful, simply gorgeous. I hope we can work with you in the upcoming future, your talent with flowers is too precious for us to let them get to other’s hands.” Coming circles to their business again, Jimin’s appa sounds determined.
“Thank you, uncle. It's more than I could ask for. I hope we can work together when Jiminie will take over.” He grins brightly at the couple and his best-friend, who’s also blushing furiously.
The elder Park laughs whole-heartedly, bringing his son in a tight side-hug.
“Oh, he will, soon.”
“Sure, Taehyung-ah. I’m planning my retirement sooner than expected.” Eyeing his son with adoration in his eyes. And letting the younger whine cutely in his embrace.
“Appa…”
“What? Don’t think I’m not aware of you helping Taehyung-ah in his shop, which, I don’t doubt, is hell of a hectic work. After all, Jeongguk-ah tell me everything.”
“Appa… don’t-don’t embarrass me like that.” Jimin whines and scolds his appa lightly but the blushing on his entire face is telling a different story.
After few minutes of embarrassing Jimin and teasing him, both uncle and auntie Park leave them to go greet the other guests, most are bowing respectfully to the couple, no wonder the Parks are a big name in hotel industry, even the owner of this hotel are on edge in front of the Parks, coming back every few minutes to ask the couple if they’re comfortable or if they’re liking the services, more than they should be asking the event host.
It's a bit saddening to see how in the upcoming future, Jimin will be running a full-fledged, billion-dollar, family inherited chain of hotels and Tae, he will be running a small, family-inherited, 12 hours working flower shop.
He chuckles, shaking his head at himself, the irony of the situation is it.
This is the first time Tae has seen Jimin’s life closely, aweing at the extravagance of it all. True, he can’t see himself fitting anywhere near it. Jimin’s life is very different from Tae's. In every sense and aspect of it, he wonders if they will remain friends in the future or not.
“What happened?” Jimin notices the paleness looming over Tae’s face in the blink of an eye.
“Nothing.” Jimin and Tae walk to a different corner, now with some beverage in hand. Eyeing the people around, people greeting the now engaged couples, flaunting their pricey attire for the night. And also, the people coming to greet Jimin, the heir of the Parks. And Tae keeps standing beside him, awkwardly smiling at them.
A few minutes later, as he lets his eyes move around the huge banquet hall, they come to a halt at a tall figure with his date clinging on his left arm.
The couple is looking regal, no, correction, Namjoon is looking regal, Jinyi is looking… so-so, compared to him. In Tae’s eyes.
He can’t help but fall for the regal Kim all over again, head over heels, quickly coming out of the trance, before anyone can take notice of his blown look, that he’s giving to a certain Kim. “Not your place Taehyung-ah, not your man,” chanting inside his head.
“Taehyung-ie hyung.” And a certain Jeon’s voice echoes near his ears in whispers. The younger giggling evilly and Tae can see it with a side glance in his peripheral vision.
“What is it, Jeongguk-ah?” he voices out as evil and sickly sweet, turning his full attention on the younger boy.
“Like what you see?”
“And what did I see?”
“Namjoon hyung?”
“Shut up.”
“Just admit it.” The younger whines, but what does it matter? And he voices his thoughts.
“What does it matter now?” It's more of a statement than a question, immediately dimming the twin smile both of his best-friends are adorning on their lips.
Taehyung turns his head away from his centre of attention, only to get Namjoon’s undivided attention on him. It doesn’t even take a full minute for Namjoon to jog his way.
Looking super dashing in his tux, with his hair gelled up and well, Tae doesn’t have more words for him. Kim Namjoon is… well, Kim Namjoon.
“Hey, Tae-ah.” Namjoon waves, before displaying deep dimples, eyeing Tae from head to toe.
“You look amazing, really.” He gasps again, words choking in his throat, Taehyung would’ve noticed the hitch in the elder Kim’s voice, had he not been staring at the dimples so intensely.
“Yeah? Well, thank you.” Tae says absent-mindedly, not removing his eyes from Namjoon’s face. Suddenly, receiving a swift swat at his forearm, judging from the strike from metal covered fingers, it must be Jimin. Gosh, he wears too many rings and swats and punches too often. He registers the slight pain after a few seconds. “Ouch,” forehead wrinkles and nose scrunching at the dull ache.
“What?” He whisper-yells at Jimin snappily. Causing Jimin to do nothing but roll his eyes in an extremely dramatic way.
“Attention please… he’s saying something.”
“Oh.”
Taehyung’s eyelashes flutter rapidly at the realization, turning slowly to face Namjoon, who’s waiting for a reply with a lot more hope in his eyes than it’d termed normal, more like, animated.
“Yeah, thanks. I mean, you look… so well too. Yeah, well.” The younger stammers, still absent-mindedly. Nodding his head and trying to look cool, only to have Namjoon’s hopeful smile dimmed. Tae allows his eyes to roam around their surroundings, still questioning where he fits in this bling, however, why’s Namjoon here anyways?
Finally, finally, after so many years?
Now, finally realizing he doesn’t even know Namjoon’s background as well as he thinks he does. Wow, they’re supposed to be friends from middle school. So, Namjoon too belongs to this bling? And here Taehyung thought he could fit perfectly beside Namjoon. Wishful thinking it is. What kind of joke he’s being played in. All this time, he had thought Namjoon belongs to the same social class as him, his parents are small business owners as his own. He was wrong all along? Just how much does he even know of Kim Namjoon? Or rather he say, how much he doesn’t know of Kim Namjoon?
He literally internally scoffs and eyerolls at his own stupidity. Really.
This reality check hits him harder than expected, in a vulnerably unwanted situation and setting. Feeling humiliated again, he allows his eyes to look down on his shiny shoes, shuffling a bit. Making his mind to step back to take some fresh air.
Taehyung takes a step, separating himself from the crowd of his friends, raising his head up and smiling at his favourite hyung, waving his hand in front of them.
“I think I need some fresh air, let me step out a bit. You guys carry on.” Patting Jimin’s shoulder amicably, he turns around to go out leaving the said crowd speechless.
Undoubtedly, his friends must be dumbfounded.
Tae walks out of the banquet slowly, steps are leisure, as if everything’s going in slow motion, while in reality, everything’s going in fast forward, except for him. He’s the slowest, he doesn’t belong, this is not his life. And most importantly, Namjoon belongs here, far, far away from Taehyung’s league, unreachable. Why is it hurting more than it should? It's not like Taehyung had expected something better. He should have known, just by how Namjoon carries himself, with authority and regality.
Taehyung walks away, as he should’ve done a long ago. Admiring the beautiful banquet hall, embellished by his own two hands, as he walks, mesmerized by every meticulous detail he has woven by himself.
The banquet is looking beautiful, he wishes an amazing future ahead for the engaged couple. Feeling the immediate need to leave and go home and sleep the night away.
As soon as he steps out of the banquet, he fishes out his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Calling Chanhwa to inform the elder that he would be leaving soon and if he wants to tag along. Chanhwa asks him to wait a bit till he’d join him, so they can leave for home.
Taehyung takes a seat in the hallway chairs, rubbing his hand together to get some warmth on them. It's getting colder day by day. He is getting colder day by day.
After so long, he feels like he misses his mother at this moment, his only source of comfort and love, without any judgement or malice. Where do people go when their loved ones need them the most? He just needs his mother right now. He needs to feel the warmth again, just one more time.
Chapter 16: Dear Family
Summary:
How ironic, how coherently Cheol-min can see Daejoon in Namjoon as much as he can see Jeong-hoon in Hoseok and himself in Yoongi. Jin is more like Ji-ah than him.
Notes:
Long time no see, everyone!!! Hope you all been well. Nothing much happening in this chapter unless you are excited about Taehyung meeting Yoongi's dad. <3
WARNING:
Grammatical Error
Hurt/Comfort
Family Fluff/DramaEnjoy the update, everyone. Please make sure to see the end notes, I have something important to say. Thank you.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cheol-min is really not in a great mood right now. First, Yoongi has been missing for the last three months and now Jin and Hoseok are acting fishy. All he wanted was to bring three of them to the engagement ceremony. Certainly, he had planned to flaunt his sons and son-in-law in front of all these people. What? He likes showing off sometimes.
Jin and Hoseok have refused to come along with him, with no reason at all completely bailing out of it, while they helped him get ready for the party. Forcing him out of the mansion alone. Now, he’s damn sure the three of them are cooking something behind his back. But Cheol-min is nothing, if he’s not their father. He’ll get to the bottom of it. However, he has a party to attend first.
Basically, this engagement party is one of his business partner’s son’s and an important one at that but Cheol-min is here to attend because his brothers, in all but blood, his family are coming too, and they’re the most important people for him. After all, he has grown up with them, Hoseok’s parents and the Kims.
Cheol-min enters the extravagant banquet with his bodyguards following hotly behind, his eyes moving as the blinding light from the chandelier shines irritatingly, reflecting from his specs, his jaw slackens at sheer grandeur of the embellished banquet hall. The blue and white embellishment of Hydrangeas and Baby breath and yes, the berries. For a moment, his steps halt to adore the grandiose banquet hall of an evenly grand Hotel. Details are what caught his eyes. See, Cheol-min is no expert in flower arrangement, however, his life spent with his wife has taught him the true significance of details. And this entire place consists of just that.
And the artwork it is. Seems like experienced hands with even more years of experience. To say he is impressed would be an understatement of the decade. It's simply gorgeous, why didn’t he contact this florist in Jin and Hoseok’s wedding?
“What are you staring at so intensely? Oi, Cheol-min-ah?
“Hmm? Are you not seeing the banquet hall or you’ve gone blind with age, Jeong-hoon-ah?” Cheol-min absent-mindedly retorts back, gaze still fixed on the decoration, knowing its Hoseok’s father Jung Jeong-hoon talking, his longtime friend, partner, more than that, a brother.
“You’re right, this is gorgeous. Seoyeon is still gazing at the center piece and believe me when I say, it's been one long hour since we’ve arrived.” Jeong-hoon turns his head to peer where Cheol-min is looking, before he interrupts again.
“Now, shall we go? Lot of people are waiting for you and Daejoon and Seonmi are here already and they’ve brought their son too.” Jeong-hoon chimes happily, his cute but not so deep dimple reminding Cheol-min of Hoseok’s face. Again, forcing him to think why all three of his boys didn’t join them today.
“They’re here with their son? It's been a long time since we last saw the little boy. A brilliant little boy, I must say.” Cheol-min finally turns away from the decorations, shoving both his hands inside his pocket, not before shooing the crowd of security behind him away, as he walks with Jeong-hoon.
“Anyways, where’s Seokjin-ah and Hoseok-ah?” Jeong-hoon asks, noticing the presence of his children. Squinting his eyes around and searching for their own brats behind their shoulders.
“They, well. They didn’t come.” Cheol-min sighs, shaking his head as he knows it was his responsibility to bring them here with him, Jeong-hoon told him over fifty times to make sure to bring them here tonight. But what can he do now?
“I don’t know, yet but there’s something going on between these two and Yoongi, that’s I’m not aware of, yet. But soon, I’ll be finding out. Either they’ll tell me themselves or I’ll force it out of them. Do you even know, Yoongi’s missing for the last three months.” He finishes heatedly, stomping ahead.
“Hoseok-ah and Jin-ah refused to attend this party? Is that it? Man, I wanted them here, even Daejoon-ah brought his son.” He and Cheol-min huffs bitterly, before striding across the banquet hall, greeting guests back and forth.
Cheol-min is getting crowded by the herd of guests. He makes his way to the engaged couple and their families. Congratulating them with a 5 feet tall bouquet of various colorful flowers, something about symbolizing love and care, before taking a flute of rich white wine and moving away from the crowd with Jeong-hoon. Taking a slow sip, he lets his eyes roam around before they catch the figures standing about a few feet away. A gummy smile stretches on his lips, bright as the daylight.
Immediately, putting the wine flute away on the tray balancing on the shoulder of a passing waiter, before he literally jogs the short distance to meet his families.
Kim Daejoon and his wife Seonmi, Jung Jeong-hoon and Min Cheol-min’s friends, actually, families, are together since their father’s time. All the three of them are brothers, sworn their life for each other. They rule the underground together, while Mins and Jungs are here in Seoul. Kim resides in Ilsan, operating their businesses from there. Just like the other two.
How long has it been since they gathered at one place?
Daejoon wonders the same, voicing his thoughts as he opens his arms to embrace both his friends in, sighing contently afterwards.
“How long, huh? Five years? Since Hoseok and Seokjin-ah’s wedding? At least, visit once an year, Daejoon-ah.” Jeong-hoon whines like a child, complaining.
“Too much drama, Jeong-hoon-ah and you don’t even get tired, do you?” Daejoon simply states, sighing exasperatedly. Still, a brilliant smile adorning his face. Seoyeon and Seonmi don’t interrupt their bickering, both of the beautiful ladies only smiling sweetly.
“He’s not wrong though, now, is he?” Cheol-min says with as much enthusiasm as Daejoon, not as much as Jeong-hoon. He can’t and he will never be as dramatic as Jeong-hoon. He’s such a loud creature, they wonder just how he’s aura changes in underground.
“Anyways, where are the kids? I want to meet them, and their future partners. And also, to introduce our sons to each other.” Daejoon’s eyes glint brightly for the prospect of all their children meeting, the next generation. Cheol-min takes his words back, Daejoon is as mischievous as Jeong-hoon.
Cheol-min shakes his hand disappointedly, turns to face Seoyeon and Seonmi, greeting both ladies warmly.
“How are you, Cheol-min-ssi?”
“Perfectly fine, and you two?”
“As fine as we could be with them around.” They both points at their husbands, respectively, still busy bickering and giggling like teenagers in their own bubble, far from the world. Shoving each other's shoulders like they’re in a garden, hangout and not in a high-profile black-tie event.
“But really, where are both of your children?”
“Don’t know, they’re certainly doing something behind my back, that’s all I’m sure about as of right now. Yoongi is missing for last three months and both the Seoks are aware of his whereabouts, they’re just not telling me. And I might add, all three of the brats refused to come with me here.” Cheol-min complains, causing Seoyeon to nod and grunt in understanding.
“That sounds like a news. Cheol-min is not aware of something, isn’t it Jeong-hoon?” Daejoon snickers, slapping his palm on Jeong-hoon’s shoulder as they both share a good laugh at that when Jeong-hoon agrees.
“Laugh all you want. However, I assure you both, they’ll soon come and tell me on their own before I put some effort into investigating the matter. I’m not Min Cheol-min for nothing.”
“We’ll see, Min-ah, we’ll see.”
“Get lost, you two.”
Despite, Cheol-min’s warning, Jeong-hoon and Daejoon don't stop teasing him. Causing him to shove them around playfully, also, causing the ladies to roll their eyes at their antics. They are supposed to be adults for god's sake.
“Behave, you three, we are not in a garden.” Seonmi coughs on her fist, a sharp gaze warning the men.
“How I miss Ji-ah. Only if she was here, you three would’ve been behaving appropriately.” Seoyeon says, rolling her eyes once.
Cheol-min's eyes glaze with sadness at the mention of his dear wife as a sad silence takes over their giggling and bickering, before they shift their conversation to everything and anything. Topics ranging from Cheol-min’s political career to the Jung-Min couple, Seokjin and Hoseok.
“Our children are not here but yours is, right Dae-ah? Aren’t you going to introduce him?”
“Oh yes, he is. I had left him around somewhere at the corner with our nephew and his friends. Let’s go there. Oh, did I tell you Namjoon-ah is living here in Seoul?”
“Since when?” Jeong-hoon questions, rather shocked at the revelation. One of their kids is here and they don’t even know?
“Since middle school. He asked me to not show him off like an artwork in an exhibition, something that I’d have liked to do but anyways. He doesn’t want to take over so soon. Something about living normally and all those things along the lines.” Daejoon waves his hand in the air dismissively, as they walk.
“Since middle-school and you’re telling us now?” Jeong-hoon gawks ignoring everything else that Daejoon have said, slowing down his way to Namjoon to the other corner of the banquet hall. However, Cheol-min didn’t ignore as Jeong-hoon did as he adds his agreement to Daejoon’s words.
“Oh, yeah. I get that a lot from the children too. They only want to live normally, till they can, till they really need to take over our business. We need to understand them, to support them as they grow up, right?”
“You’re right. We shouldn’t impose the life on them that we had to live. They’re just kids and I’d like them just as I grow older.”
“It's good they have chosen their way of life better than we did.”
Three of them agree as they follow Daejoon to the corner.
The elder of the Kim-Min-Jung family make their way to the other end of the banquet, lots of high-profile guests blocking their way but they somehow manage to cross.
Finding the small group of young friends, strangely staring off somewhere at the inner courtyard.
“Namjoon-ah, what’re you staring at?” Daejoon’s inquiring voice makes the said boy flinches, before turning around to face his parents. Forcing them a tight smile, he bows at the elders, greeting them one by one.
How ironic, how coherently Cheol-min can see Daejoon in Namjoon as much as he can see Jeong-hoon in Hoseok and himself in Yoongi. Jin is more like Ji-ah than him.
And according to his knowledge and of course, the tongue sticking out inside Namjoon’s left cheek, Cheol-min has an idea, a good one at that, of Namjoon’s dampened mood.
Namjoon is tall and lean just like Daejoon is and very, very handsome, Cheol-min doesn’t doubt one bit at Namjoon’s sweet but deceiving nature. His rather regal appearance is a proof of his strict nature and if Cheol-min is correct, Namjoon is a tad bit short-tempered, he just doesn’t show it.
Cheol-min saw the young lad when he was just a mere 5 years old. Namjoon has grown up a lot.
Daejoon pats Namjoon’s shoulder proudly, his eyes glistening with much pride that it seems like it’d spill down physically any moment now. Being a father is one of those emotions.
“You remember Uncle Cheol-min and Jeong-hoon, right?”
“I won’t lie, only a little bit. My memories with uncles have gotten hazy with time.” Namjoon confesses politely. A diplomatic answer as Cheol-min expected from Dae’s son.
“However, Namjoon-ah, you should have come to visit or even live with us while you’re staying here. We should’ve been informed if one of our children’s staying here around us.” Jeong-hoon whines complaining, letting the sour atmosphere tone down.
“It's fine, uncle Jeong-hoon. I’m good. After all, it's only for a while.” A small sad smile straightens Namjoon’s lips before he sighs dismissing the sad talk, waving his hand.
“Anyways, let me introduce you to my friends. Here, you know this kid but again, Jeon Jeongguk, my cousin.” He pulls Jeongguk beside him, who is blazing red, bowing down to everyone.
“Oh, my baby, how’re you faring here in Seoul?” Seonmi coos, pulling her nephew in a warm hug and let Seoyeon meet him too as they both fawn upon the younger. The increase in the blaze on Jeongguk’s cheeks are a sight behold. She loves him as her own, Jeongguk is Daejoon’s sister’s son, by the way.
“I’m good, actually, I’m enjoying Seoul a lot. Thanks to Namjoon hyung for letting me stay with him.” Jeongguk chimes happily and excitedly. He jumps to hug his aunty again. Mumbling something in her ears, causing her eyes to go wide before a mischievous glint takes on it. Muttering a “do you?” to her nephew. Jeongguk nods his head furiously, pointing his finger at the quiet figure standing beside Namjoon’s other side. Jimin.
“Hello everyone. I’m Park Jimin.” Jimin bows politely but gracefully to everyone in there. Truth be told, he’s a nervous wreck, however, he’s an heir to a huge business and also Jeongguk’s boyfriend and he doesn’t want to let Jeongguk or his family down by not behaving well in front of such important people. He doesn't want anyone in Jeongguk’s family to think he is lacking anywhere.
“Let me guess, the Park’s heir, right?” Its Cheol-min, this time.
“Right, sir.” Jimin nods, this time a little bit more nervous. Noticing stress in Jimin’s face, Cheol-min eases his expression in a genuine smile in an indication for the younger to calm down and have fear for nothing.
“We’re dating.” Jeongguk does nothing but spits out, hurriedly. Resulting in Jimin’s face to go heating up and extremely red. Nonetheless, agreeing frantically.
“Ah, young love. How sweet. Sounds like our children, right Cheol-min-ah?” Jeon-hoon sighs in content, hearts in his eyes. Daejoon laughs while Cheol-min rolls his eyes and Seonmi and Seoyeon giggle excitedly.
“Oh, my. You two are cute together. I’m giving my blessing. Me too. And me three.” Leave it on Jeong-hoon to keep being childish, he’s agreeing with the ladies. Well, not like Cheol-min and Daejoon don’t, just that they didn’t spill it verbally like him.
The elder shares a hearty laugh before they turn to face the last member of this young crowd. A girl around Jimin and Jeongguk’s age.
Seonmi eyes the girl intently, clearly not liking her close proximity with her son, only son. Seeing clinginess, the girl is faking a smile. Seonmi mirror’s her smile at her, inside gritting her teeth.
“She’s Jinyi, Jimin’s classmate and we’re dating too.” Namjoon introduces nonchalantly, not really looking excited. Doesn’t even look like he cares as much. However, no one presses on that and continuing normally, not hyping them up as they’ve done to Jimin and Jeongguk. No one’s even trying to notice the baffled look in Jinyi’s face, not even Namjoon, who’s just partly in the conversation but the other part of him is still out, looking where Tae has left, not more than 15 mins ago.
Seonmi walks over to her son quietly, faking a smile at Jinyi, before snatching Namjoon’s arm away from the girl’s grip and hooking her own arm there.
“What’re you looking at there again and again?” She scrunches her nose distastefully, eyebrows drawing together unimpressed as she interrogates. But Namjoon only nods dismissively.
“Nothing, let’s go. The dinner is starting.”
-o-
Cheol-min going to join the other at the dinner table but he decides to go out as he’s feeling a bit stuffy. Seeing everyone from his family here but not Ji-ah, is a lot overwhelming than he’d like to admit. He now understands why Seokjin and Yoongi didn’t want to come along with him.
Dinner will start in about 15 minutes, he has some time on him, he decides to stroll out in the garden for a bit.
Stepping out, he draws a deep relaxing breath in, hands clenching and unclenching inside his pants pocket. Ji-ah, is all that’s occupying his thoughts. It would’ve been nice if she’d be here with all of their family. Unfortunately, life didn’t want that.
Deciding to sit down for a moment, he strides a few more steps ahead, only to find a young boy sitting, around Jimin and Jeongguk’s age, alone on an empty bench.
Cheol-min halts a step further from him, looking at the boy. The boy seems to have been staring in the empty air around him. The classic music from the banquet hall is still faintly present in the air around them. Cheol-min takes a moment to allow his eyes to inspect the figure in front of him. Can’t help but notice the glistening at the edges of a really big pair of eyes. So innocent, so pure. Strangely reminding him of a pure soul he used to know a long time ago.
Something inside him tells him to go and ease the younger's worry and he doesn’t hesitate to do so. Stepping across and sitting himself down beside the younger.
“Hello.” He chirps softly to grab the attention of the younger and successfully does so. Unwillingly, startling the younger in the process.
“Oh, hello. Hi, sir. I mean.” The younger flutter his eyes rapidly to blink the glistening tears away.
Surprising for Cheol-min, the younger’s voice is very deep, a remarkable tone for the listener. Even Cheol-min’s eyes go wide after listening to him. Schooling his expression back to normal, Cheol-min gives him a comforting smile.
“Min Cheol-min.” He corrects the younger light-heartedly.
“Oh…” For a fraction of second, the younger stretches the “oh” , before his eyes widening in realization.
“Oh, my. Min-nim. You’ve been elected as a member of the national assembly. I’m sorry for my ignorance, sir. It's an honor.” Hastily standing up with his hands folding together in front, the younger bows a full 90° bow the future member of national assembly.
Cheol-min can’t help but chuckle on his fist at the younger’s mannerism and heated up cheeks. He simply motions the younger to sit down, patting the space beside him.
“Easy kid, have a seat first.”
Taehyung picks up a hint of countryside accent, which he is too much too familiar with. The elder sounds like home, is a thought that passes Taehyung’s head.
“Yes, thank you, sir.” Blaring robotically, the younger sits down but stiff and straight.
“And also, relax. You’re not in a bootcamp, kid. And I, by no means, am an instructing officer. A simple old man should be treated simply, right?” Cheol-min chimes lightly. Turning slightly to face the boy beside him. Staring at the nervous state of the younger. Taehyung nods at the rhetorical question.
“I saw you sitting here, upset. I don’t want to impose but sometimes, strangers are better at keeping secrets.” Cheol-min, without stating the obvious, lays an open offer of comfort before the kid. The kid nods again as if understanding Cheol-min completely. Hands coming to grip the edge of the bench they’re sitting in.
Hesitating a little but the younger begins.
“I.. just.. feel a bit.. left out here. Like, I don’t belong here. And I just.. miss being younger. I mean a child. I..uh— ” And with that, he stops. Biting his lips mind sentence. Big eyes filling up with warm saline water. Cheol-min’s heart clenches in a weird way, seeing the younger boy.
The boy is still just a kid in his eyes, so young and innocent for the world, a cruel world. However, he also can see a certain matureness in his eyes. Years of experience with the same cruel world. Cheol-min wonders how much the younger has experienced and has tested the world. A slight confidence simmering behind the younger’s rather heavy words.
Cheol-min has to contemplate and dissect his words before starting anything. Heaving a shaky sigh, he tries to reply to the younger as clearly as he can.
“Your name?” He asks politely, before anything else. Again, startling the younger in surprise as he has forgotten to introduce himself.
“Sorry, right. Kim…Taehyung, sir.” The kid, Taehyung introduces himself.
“So, Taehyung-ah, I won’t say I understand you completely but I understand well, the need to belong. Sometimes, it really comes as a lot heavier than we think we can carry. This need, to belong, doesn’t always have the desired effect as we want. Sometimes, to be yourself, to be comfortable is lot more important than changing ourselves to belong anywhere. I hope you’re getting what I’m saying.”
Taehyung nods, listening intently to him.
“I believe I do and you’re right, however, I think I have stated this incorrectly. I’m so sorry about that. What I wanted to say is that, it’d be easier to accept, if people stop judging you for something you can’t change about yourself, something that makes you, yourself, true self.” He tries to explain and Cheol-min is really impressed, quite unconsciously though, for being so brave for saying what he believes in, without hesitation in his voice. Causing him a strange urge to smile brightly at Taehyung.
Cheol-min pats Taehyung’s shoulder in a prideful manner, impressed with the younger boy.
“You’re right, that’d truly make us belong. However, despite you being so considerate about it, no one else cares, Taehyung-ah. No one does. But I’ sure life let’s us meet some good people, who’d surely restore our faith in humanity. I’m sure of that. I’m saying with personal experiences.”
For a moment both of them let the words settle, not disturbing the calming flow of discussion in the silence.
Then Taehyung smiles widely, bit teary, resulting in Cheol-min to grin gummy, throwing Taehyung off guard as an oh so familiar grin takes place on the elder’s lips. Yoongi’s smile flashing in front of his eyes.
“Thank you so much, Min-nim, for your kindest advice. I’d keep them in my heart for a long time to come. Also, I hope I didn’t waste your time.” Taehyung gets up and deeply bows down in front of Cheol-min. Sparkly glint of genuine feelings are shining in his eyes.
Cheol-min stands up facing the younger, putting his hands on the younger’s shoulder to pull himself upright. Smiling proudly and happily, he gives a reassuring squeeze.
“Glad this old man can be of some use for you, kid. Sadly, I don’t have more time for a good conversation like this with you as the dinner is about to start. Aren’t you gonna join, Taehyung-ah?” He asks the younger.
“Unfortunately, I can’t. I need to head home soon, my appa is waiting for dinner.” Politely declining the older, Taehyung smiles tightly, causing Cheol-min a certain kind of unpleasant feeling but he doesn’t point it out, leaving the matter completely unaddressed.
Before parting ways, Cheol-min again receives a short bow, leaving the younger at the courtyard to join the dinner.
Notes:
Sorry for late update everyone but I'm going through a lot since a few years that its becoming unbearable, most days my mental condition are not stable because of the things happening around me and that's the reason I miss updating most of the time, unexpected things keep happening to me, mostly involving my beloved family members and I can't help but get depressed because of it. That's why I can't promise you all regular updates. ALAYWM may get updated next month or may not, as I said I can't promise anything at this point. Apologies to all, hope you forgive me for my incompetency.
==Twt - @purplepixiu
Chapter 17: I think a part of me will always be waiting for you
Summary:
Daejoon doesn’t reply, just chuckles reminiscing the nostalgic memories perhaps.
Notes:
I don't have much to say but your girl here got a good job and trying her best to stable her life, everyone <333
Meet me at @purplepixiu in twitter if you want to share something.
Chapter Text
Seomin seems distracted throughout the dinner. Her eyes go around, back and forth, measuring the entire banquet hall and halting again and again to look at the blue and white embellishment.
“Aren’t you looking a bit distracted, dear?” Daejoon teases her, lightly chuckling, symmetrically cutting the meat on the plate in front of him with the fork and knife in his hands.
“Maybe because I just can’t take my eyes off of the flower arrangement. This is so, so gorgeous. Yes, that’s the only word that can give a bit of justice to this phenomenal presentation.”
“You like it?” Jimin chimes happily. Despite the compliments initially being for Taehyung and his team, Jimin feels more than happy to hear it for his best friend.
“I simply love it.” Seomin sighs contently with a sweet smile.
“You don’t even have to ask, just look at it. This is so—” She trails off as she once again allows her eyes to gaze around in wonder, dreamily.
“Wonderful.” This time Seoyeon says, adoring the same expression as Seomin on her face.
“Why didn’t we hire them at our children’s wedding, Jeonghoon-ssi? Cheolmin-ssi?”
“I know, right?” Jeonghoon and Cheolmin nod in agreement.
“You wouldn’t have hired him, it was a small business back then.” Namjoon suddenly blurts out absent-mindedly, eyes focused on the food on the table, not noticing the expression of the family afterward and coughing on his fist before steadying his posture.
“And how would you know that, Namjoon-ah?” Daejoon asks quirking an eyebrow, a gesture so familiar with Namjoon’s own. All of their hands halt over the dinner table.
"Because our friend made this arrangement, Uncle Joon?" Of course, Jeongguk has to answer for his Namjoon hyung. Always a devoted little sidekick for his hyung.
Daejoon chuckles ruffling the younger’s hair lightly, leaving the cutlery on the plate, both of them are sitting beside each other. Jeongguk affectionately nudges his head on his uncle's palm on his head.
“Is that so, Jeongguk-ah? Isn’t your friend a genius? However, I asked why he couldn’t have done it 5 years ago. Also, have you all children befriended an old florist? I thought you’d enjoy with the young population in Seoul, isn’t that why Hye-rin sent you here, Jeongguk-ah?” Daejoon finishes, still grinning heartily with his nephew now. Both uncle and nephew are having a great time together, meeting after so long.
“Well, you have to tell eomma that she doesn’t have to worry and you too, the florist isn’t an old man, he was just 16 years old back then. And the business was small, that’s why Hyung was saying he couldn’t have. This—” He points at the decoration.
“—is his first big project till now.” He finishes kindly giving the information away.
“16 years old back then? It doesn’t look like it. It seems so professional, so intricate.” Seomin says as she is very impressed but more than that, she looks blown. Surprised.
“Exactly.” Seoyeon hums in agreement.
“Yes, he is amazing at it. Best, actually.” Jimin joins Jeongguk, both of them grinning proudly at the praises their best friend is getting from their families.
After the conversation, the night goes on, families enjoying the engagement party, a fulfilling dinner, cracking jokes and just having the time of their lives after so long.
After the dinner, the entire family bids farewell to each other and a parting greeting to the engaged couple and their families for the night.
Cheol-min asks Daejoon and Seomin to go with him as they will stay in the city for some time but the couple declined the invitation for tonight.
And today, Namjoon’s not in the mood to escort his girlfriend anymore than he has already done, so he leaves her at her own device, quite un-gentlemanly (that's how she had muttered under her breath), even when she tries to throw a tantrum but after Namjoon’s one sharp and piercing gaze and she leaves him immediately.
Jeongguk is taking Jimin home, while Namjoon is riding with his parents.
“Been a while since I’ve come back to Seoul.” Daejoon sighs heavily, eyes glistening from the lights outside on the road from the various stores shops, and buildings.
Namjoon chuckles from the passenger seat at his appa’s remark.
“How long, appa ?” He teases lightly.
Daejoon doesn’t reply, just chuckles reminiscing the nostalgic memories perhaps.
“Grant me the honor to tell the reason for Daejoon-ssi's nostalgia.” Seomin voices dramatically, yet, heroically, as if a knight in shining armor, beside her husband.
Namjoon smiles at her through the rear-view mirror, while Daejoon shakes his head surrendering, and lets his wife continue.
“He hasn’t been here since we’ve gotten married.”
“What? Isn’t that like 25 years? How do you meet Uncle Jeonghoon and Cheol-min then?” Namjoon asks surprised.
“I always ask them to come to our city or meet me somewhere outside Seoul.” Daejoon casually answers.
“And the reason behind all this?” The younger Kim teases again, snickering.
“First love, sweetie, first love.” Seomin joins her son but tease clears in her eyes when she turns her head to look at her husband.
“Really, appa?” Namjoon asks but serious this time.
“Well, the person was one hell of a beauty. Wasn’t the case, Daejoon-ssi? No wonder you still think of them, don’t you?” Seomin says, however, there isn’t a single tint of malice in her voice, just casual teasing.
“No good in lying there, right? It's not just about the beauty. Yes, I do think about them. I wonder where they are right now. How are they doing in life? Do they have a family?” He pauses for a moment there. Then as if on a second thought, he says, “What am I even saying? What kind of people stay unmarried for 25 years?” Clicking his tongue in a slight “tsk”, Daejoon laughs humorlessly.
Seomin slides closer in the seat to lean her head on his shoulder, gently rubbing circles on his forearms. She feels down to see her husband feigning nonchalance. Daejoon smiles gratefully in reply, circling the same arms around her shoulders, before giving a gentle squeeze.
Namjoon’s lips tighten at their somber expression. How can someone still be sad for their first love after spending almost 25 years of their life with another person? How come his eomma isn’t upset over this?
Something tells him inside to voice his concerns. And, he does while trying to lighten the dejected, heavy air inside the car as he voices his concern with a slightly teasing tone. Still, he is inquiring anyway.
“Aren’t you upset, eomma? After all appa’s talking about his first love?”
“You’re right, dear? But had you met that person, you would have felt the same I bet.”
“Why? Were they that beautiful?”
“Well, again, it's not about being beautiful in all itself but I’d like you to know that person was simply gorgeous. Even saying that to describe their beauty would be an understatement of the century."
“That beautiful, huh?”
Daejoon doesn’t say anything and lets the mother-and-son duo tease him.
“Appa, how did you let them go then if they were so—well, gorgeous?” He questions casually. However, somewhere in his heart, he’s more than eager to know what his appa has to say.
“I didn’t let go, not willingly, at least. They left.”
Once again, the air hardens inside the car as soon as Daejoon completes the sentence.
“Left? What does that even mean?” Namjoon squints his eyes, a frown knotting his eyebrows together uneasily.
Daejoon visibly heaves a long sigh before uttering the next word, raking his fingers through his hair.
“We used to know each other for a while. Jeong-hoon and Cheol-min too. They had come to the capital for further studies, younger than us by a few years. Back then Cheol-min was desperately after Ji-ah and we had to accompany him to Ji-ah’s bakery so he could stare at her working from the corner table. That’s where we met, they were working for Ji-ah as a part-timer after classes. After that day, I began tagging eagerly along with Cheol-min.” Daejoon pauses to let out a chuckle again before continuing.
“You know the rest, Namjoon-ah. Cheesy pick-up lines and colorful, fragrant flower bouquets. That never changes, right?” He says rhetorically, causing both the others to cackle loudly.
“Right, appa. Nothing beats the old-school and cliche.” Namjoon hums satisfyingly, Taehyung’s smile with a bouquet from his shop flashes in front of his eyes, causing his smile to go down again.
“However, they were too intelligent to fall for my non-existent ability to flirt. But that wonderful smile told me something entirely different, so I was hopeful.”
“Is that so?” Seomin quirks her left eyebrow sassily.
“Well, you know me. Anyways, after some time of acquaintance, I did confess to them. And after that day I never saw them again.” Daejoon’s voice and expression fade at the end as he trails away. Saying the "confession" and "never saw", almost in the same line hurriedly that, Namjoon couldn't grasp the essence of the difference between those two sentences, which were going entirely in different directions. Opposite direction.
“You didn’t try to look for them?” Namjoon asks in a small voice, hesitating as he senses the heaviness in his father’s shoulders.
“Well, I tried to find them but—you could only do so much.” He finishes somberly.
After a thick silence falls over them, none of them sitting there dares to penetrate it for a stretch of a long moment.
Then after some minutes, Namjoon licks his thick chapped lips nervously before uttering the next question cautiously.
“Do you—miss them?”
Resulting in Daejoon’s smile recurring but with a slightly sad tint to it.
“Miss them? I don’t know anymore. But I think about them quite a lot. Does that count as missing them?” He asks back to Joon, then turning to Seomin.
“Does that count as cheating, dear?”
“State precisely, you want to ask if I’m jealous or angry? That…I’m not. Because I know you adore me as much do them.” She says, right on Daejoon’s face, meeting his eyes.
Namjoon stares at them blankly through the rear-view mirror. Staring at his parents. Their trust for each other, their love for each other.
Is that even possible? To love someone as much as you love the other? For years along the line? Is Namjoon capable of that? Can he ever become someone like his appa? “Think about them quite a lot", is this not mean missing? Is that not love?
-o-
Leaving the hotel premises with Chanhwa, Taehyung’s been feeling lighter, somewhat weightless after the conversation with Min Cheol-min-ssi. He wonders why a big name like Min Cheol-min feels like an outcast. However, despite everything, it feels great to talk about his insecurities with someone older and wiser than himself. Receiving valuable life advice in the end. Actually, it felt really, really nice, as it was the first time he received something close to fatherly advice from an elder man as old as his father. Is that how parents sound when they talk to their children? Is it this comforting to talk to parents?
A warm smile takes on his lips, reminiscing about the evening as the vehicle halts in front of his house. Climbing out, he bids goodbye to the elder boy.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been thinking of his own father a lot these past few days so it comes as a surprise to find the said man sitting on the living room sofa, looking sober than he has ever looked in his entire life.
A harsh gust of breath leaves Taehyung’s body, leaving him trembling in impending fear. And Yoongi’s nowhere to be seen, he doesn’t know if it's good or bad.
“Appa…” His voice comes out in a squeak, echoing in the empty air, but its silence is enough to strain the elder’s ears sharply.
“Where were you?” He asks rather casually, nothing more nothing less.
“I—uh—engagements ceremony—I was…I” He stammers pitifully, can’t even manage to talk properly, standing in the doorway. Before he could understand his own words, he finds his hair harshly grabbed by his father’s huge hand as he’s being dragged to his room.
And that is exactly how, he finds himself on the floor of his room with his suit jacket ripped away from him and the back of his white shirt in shreds, stained red. It feels as if his soul is wrenched away from him, with countless severe injuries on his body from head to toe. Pain is shooting through every inch of his broken body. The continuous kicking on his ribs and ankles are taking a great amount of his attention, however, he’s busy silently counting the whipping belt coming down on his back.
Taehyung’s ear stingingly ringing from the cold slap he received earlier from his father.
One thing is for sure, his appa is more dangerous sober than drunk. Today, he doesn’t even know for sure if he’d survive this night. This is unbearable, truly unbearable. He doesn’t feel like living a moment longer than this. Self-harm is a matter he’s been avoiding for so long but even breathing the next moment is taking a great toll on his frail body.
He just wants to close his tear-swollen eyes and shut the world out, his father out, this painful moment out. Forever. He wants to draw a long breath before his body gives up forever. But his throat is constricting him to do so, suffocating him further and stronger.
No more words have been exchanged between his father and him since all this beating has begun, that would make an hour till now. It got bloodier before it came to a halt, barely conscious, he couldn’t make out what happened before his body gave up. Shutting down.
-o-
Yoongi just can’t believe his eyes as he takes the scene before him.
Taehyung lying on his room floor with his father hovering over him, whipping his already bloodied body more, with the thick belt in his hands, every snap of his wrist leaves a deep red welt on Taehyung’s back, leaving the fragile boy shuddering and wheezing for the next breath.
His face’s swollen and red from the obvious assault, the shreds of his expensive suit clinging to his sore and torn skin while the jacket is thrown aside.
All this time, is this the cause of his various injuries, that broken ankle and the cut and shredded palms that still healing? His trembling from the certain fear of his father?
What kind of father does that to his own child? Their only child. And here Yoongi thought his family is cruel.
Right now standing here, out of the slightly ajar door, all of his doubts vanish as he stares blankly and darkly at the same time, at what’s going on behind the closed door. Is this the first time or just a regular occurrence? Did it also happen when he’s living here?
Yoongi’s lungs constrict as a breath gets caught in his throat when the elder Kim yanks Taehyung up by a strong grab of silky brown hair, taking in the disheveled appearance of his bloodied and injured son before an ear-shattering slap resounds in the rather silent room.
All Yoongi wants right now is to throw open the door and take the loathsome little swine’s throat in his unforgiving claws before ripping his sorry life out of his even sorrier body. But he holds back. Now is not the time… not the right time. Soon, very soon.
He’s gonna take all his time to slowly torture the fucker. Limb by limb, not even a single drop of blood wouldn’t go to waste.
But before all that, Taehyung is his first priority. Coming back from his mindscape where he was punishing the elder Kim to his heart's content, he looks up only to see the older loosening his grip on Tae’s hair, causing him to drop harshly on the floor with a loud thud.
Yoongi hurriedly steps out of the doorway as he sees the man approaching his way, walking to a corner where the rage-filled man wouldn't notice him standing.
He gives himself some time, till the elder’s room’s door shuts loudly. Heaving an angry sigh, Yoongi steps forward and runs to the injured boy.
The said boy, lying barely conscious in a dense pool of his own blood.
Yoongi carefully but hastily, drops down on his knees as he mindfully cradles the young, broken boy in his arms, whispering hushedly in his ears.
“Taehyung-ah, hey kid. Taehyung-ah, stay with me, please.” His voice comes out tender and tired, somewhat sorry, restrained.
He’s been staying under the same roof for the last three months. And all this was happening under his nose? Just how? He used to pride himself on his keen observations, what now? One single deceptive smile from Taehyung and he was able to let go of his guard?
True, all Taehyung has been doing to him is, deceiving.
He’s been deceiving Yoongi with his sweet smiles, he has been deceiving him with all the fake confidence, sarcastic remarks, and bratty taunts feigning around Yoongi.
True, Yoongi was being so careless, the certain trembling in the presence of his father, the unusual obedience to that despicable man, all of this was the real facade of Kim Taehyung and Yoongi was unable to see that. Huge regret. He’s going to regret it for the rest of his life. He’s going to regret if he’d lose Taehyung in this nasty situation.
“Stay with me, please. Taehyung-ah.” He whisper helplessly again, however, this time he gets a reply from the younger. His voice is hoarse and strained, barely audible.
“Hyung, Min-ssi, is that you?”
“Yes, yes, Tae. I’m here. Hold on, Tae-ah. I’ll get you out of this.” He promises the younger but it sounds more like a promise to himself than the younger.
Yoongi waits, waits as that pathetic man leaves for somewhere. Yoongi keeps cradling Tae in his arms snuggly. He lets the time pass not moving much.
Then, he slowly fetches his phone to call Hoseok, quite absent-mindedly, yet urgently.
“Hobi… Hoseok-ah. I—I need your help—right now dammit—please.” He cries helplessly. Trembling.
-o-
Hoseok and Seokjin are enjoying some sweet time after forcing Cheol-min to go to the engagement party. Hoseok is cuddling Jin on the couch while the elder is busy marking the younger’s neck with gentle bites when his phone goes off with a loud and blaring sound, causing the couple to fall off the couch in shock.
“The hell man. Who’s dying in the middle of the night.” Jin curses loudly as he crawls on his feet, getting off the floor. Looking at Hoseok, who’s looking for his phone that might have slipped under the couch when it fell with them.
“Who’s it, Hobi-ah?” He asks gritting his teeth in slight anger, angry for getting interrupted while having a chance of a possible makeout session.
“Wait a sec hyung. I need to get my phone from down there.” Hoseok crouches on his knees with a hand trying to find his phone under the couch. “Got it,” he murmurs under his breath as he reaches the device.
“Strange, Yoongi hyung is calling, so late in the evening?” He squints his eyes at the caller’s ID. Finding it strange for Yoongi to call him so late at night. Shrugging his tense shoulder casually as he picks up the call.
However, before he could relax again, Yoongi’s heavy heaving breath enters his ears but with a helpless plead.
“Hyung—we need to go to Tae’s, now.” He nothing but shouts at Seokjin, immediately getting up and taking the older's hand in his.
“What? Why? Hoseok-ah—what happened?”
“I don’t know, hyung but it seems serious—very serious.”
Grabbing their jackets from their room, both run down and out of the Min Mansion. They even hear Cheol-min shout after them but judging from Yoongi’s voice, they’re not in a place to stop and listen what their appa has to say.
Climbing in the vehicle with Seokjin in the passenger seat, Hoseok drives faster than the sound itself. The atmosphere inside the car is so intense that you can’t even whisper through it, even Jin doesn’t dare to speak his usual nonsense to lighten the mood.
It has taken a while for Hoseok to pull before Taehyung’s house, about half hour to be exact.
Hardened breath leaves his mouth as he stops the car. Stepping out, he helps Seokjin out too while with the other hand, he fishes out his phone from his pant pocket.
Calling Yoongi out, strangely in the middle of the night.
He wonders what had happened for Yoongi to sound so—well, strained.
All his questions get answered when his best friend comes out of the door with a severely injured and bloodied figure carried on his arms, cradled snuggly to his chest.
Seokjin gasps beside him, bringing him out of his stupor. Suddenly, his legs feel like jelly at the same time they feel rock hard and heavy under him, giving out at the mere sight of the sweetest younger he’d ever known, bleeding from various parts of his body.
Seokjin catches his unstable husband to keep him upright but the eerily funny fact is, he too is shaken badly to the core.
And that is exactly how all three of them find themselves in a waiting room of the Seoul Central Hospital.
With Yoongi pacing frantically around the room with Tae’s dried blood still staining his entire body, with Seokjin about to scream in frustration with his hair snatching with his own hands, and with Hoseok leaning on the doorframe, waiting for the doctors to come with a comforting news .
Seemingly, none of that is happening.
-o-
“Yoongi-ah, how?” Only words Jin manages to utter since they’ve arrived.
“My fault, hyung. All my fault. I should have known, all those injuries behind the makeup. How the fuck did I miss? Damn.” Raking both his hands through his hair furiously. Breath coming out of his mouth in frantic pants. Regret is written all over his face.
Been a long since they’ve seen Yoongi so—helpless. First, since he’d become the head of the family. Last it has been his mother’s death. What happened?
Is Taehyung’s impact so intense on him? These three months, were all that was need to melt the ice-cold underground boss Min Yoongi? The regret staining Yoongi’s rather pale face is a bitter contrast to his heavy leadened emotions. And the serious concern is not hidden well enough either.
Seokjin sits quietly beside Yoongi, reaching a hand forward to caress his brother’s disheveled hair.
“Yoongi-ah, what happened to Tae? Who did this? I could never even think that someone like Tae could have enemies around?” He asks softly but the deep creases of frown on his forehead betray his outer exterior of calm words.
In return, Yoongi only scoffs audibly as a sarcastic smile quirks the edge of his lips.
“Enemy you say? Would it be surprising if I say it's his own father? Has been doing since I don’t even know when, how long, how much.” He trails off at the end biting his lips to hold his tongue to spill something he’d regret later.
This time, its Jin and Hoseok’s turn to scoff, however, its more of disbelief than any other usual emotion.
“What’re you saying, Yoongi-ah? He wouldn’t, right?” Hoseok asks disbelievingly, leaving the manners behind, as he strides across with heavy steps, coming crouching down to his knees in front of Yoongi.
Yoongi shakes his head heaving a sigh, discarding any doubt both the Seoks are having.
“Yoongi, fathers don’t do that to their children. This can’t be…”
“He’s not. Not everyone can be as loving and understanding as our appas, hyung, Hobi-ah.”
“But what kind of father does that to their children?”
“I don’t know, hyung. Never met that kind before.” He pauses.
“However, I’ll make sure that he pays in double. Limb by limb, bit by bit. I’ll make him suffer more if it's not the first time he did this.” Yoongi grits his teeth, about to curse further. But before he does that, they’re called as a doctor comes out of the room Tae’s been admitted to.
Taehyung’s broken body is patched. Fortunately, no bone is broken as Yoongi has been fearing. But the injuries are serious. The belt welts are worst, heavily bleeding, it took a lot of effort to handle that, and his previous injuries that are being opened again are patched up too.
Currently, he's on heavy sedatives with an IV line jabbed in his vein to the back of his palm. He looks like a mummy with white bloodied bandages all over him. Good, at least, he’s not dying anymore. The doctor has permitted them to take him home by the afternoon the next day.
Three of them heave a relieving sigh, but a sad smile takes on their features as they take the sight before them.
Frail and fragile Taehyung on the bed, unconscious, no happy smiles or snarky comments or even the cute pout, nothing. So unusual for Kim Taehyung.
“Just wait, Taehyung-ah. I’ll make sure he suffers worse than you ever did.” Yoongi thinks to himself, determination in his eyes blazing furiously.
Chapter 18: Safety Zone
Summary:
Tae can feel himself going soft for the elder boy, too. Yoongi’s doing a lot for Tae without even realizing. Taehyung feels his gratitude for Yoongi has grown beyond what words can express. And Taehyung has started feeling something utterly weird for him, slowly but surely.
Notes:
Hello, people. My lovelies. I'm here with an update. Fashionably late, AS ALWAYS ;P <33 Don't have anything more to say. The title is from Safety Zone by our own dearest Hobi aka Jhope aka Jung Hoseok. You won't believe me how long it takes to edit this fic, BECAUSE what the hell did I write in 2020-21????
AND yess, here me LOUD and CLEAR. IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE ALL 7. WE LOVE MY sweetheart JIMIN. And this is just a fanfic, so anyone who will comment trash about any of the characters or boys, WILL BE IGNORED.
::TRIGGER WARNING::
Hurt/Comfort
Hospital
Mention of abuse
Family FluffTHANK YOU.
Enjoy the chapter and do tell me how it was. Love you guys.
Meet me in Twitter @purplepixiu
Chapter Text
Taehyung stays unconscious for the rest of the next day, only waking up at about four in the afternoon. The instant he stirs awake, Yoongi is already by his side.
“Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi calls out, then immediately quiets, letting the younger slowly piece his thoughts together, coax his limbs into motion, and take in the unfamiliar room. The room’s pristine walls and curtains seem almost blinding to his weary eyes, while the sharp sting of disinfectant in the air only further assaults his senses. Wisely, Yoongi holds his tongue, letting Tae gather himself in silence.
For a full minute, Tae doesn’t utter a single word as he adjusts on the bed, wincing when he registers the pain from the various injuries on his body.
“Yoongi—hyung—" he tries to speak, but his throat is far sorer than he expected, each word a struggle to force out. Hoarse and harsh.
“Hey—hey, kid. I’m here, it's ok. You’re safe.” Yoongi takes a seat beside Tae on the edge of the bed. A hand reaching to settle on the younger’s blanket-clad thighs.
Tae, having his head hung low, lets out a pain-filled whimper as he bites down on his lower lip harshly, scrunching his eyes close.
“Hyun—g—” he whimpers again, causing Yoongi to scoot closer to him. And it doesn’t take more than a few seconds for Taehyung to burst into a heart-wrenching sob. Falling forward and into Yoongi’s arms, clutching the older tightly from the back of his jacket, Taehyung sobs and sobs.
Yoongi doesn’t respond immediately, he lets the moment sink in before circling his arms around Tae’s waist softly, cautious of the bandages but firm enough to let the younger know he’s safe where he’s resting.
“Hyun—g—” Tae hiccups again.
“Yes.”
“It—hurts—a lot. I—I didn’t do anything, hyung. I swear, I didn’t.” Shuddering with the tender wail, Taehyung admits, as if admitting to a serious crime. He is still hiding his face in Yoongi’s chest.
“I know, kid. I know.” Yoongi waits to ask something he’s been dying to ask all this time, but he's been holding back and trying not to get personally involved. It seems like he can't do that, not anymore.
“Does it happen often?”
Taehyung does reply, silently, but the silence was enough of an indicator for Yoongi to understand.
“He does it often, always. He used to hurt eomma too before her death. He never let us live peacefully. He doesn’t work, consistently wasting his money on alcohol. Hurt us every day. Hurts me.” Taehyung stops with a wince, sniffling as his breath comes in short, ragged intervals.
Hearing the usually gentle and cheerful boy hurting so badly, Yoongi’s danger instinct kicks in as his protective clutches around Taehyung tighten. However, he can't help but wonder why. Why is he feeling all this? Of course, sympathy is human nature—but this runs deeper, sharper, almost biting. He has seen worse. Why melt now? Why just for this younger boy? What’s so special about Taehyung that attracts Yoongi like bees to the nectar?
Yoongi usually never plays with young boys, but with Taehyung, he feels like playing with fire. Like a wax candle, melting severely under the small flame, harmless if not provoked, innocently lighting the space.
Despite this, he doesn’t want to stop till he melts away in the younger’s flaming presence. All he wants is to remain by the boy’s side, to guard him from any more wounds his father could inflict. He swears he’d get that man for this, marking his own words.
He urges the younger to tell him why, why is he letting that man hurt him anyway? Listening to Taehyung recount his past, he silently grits his teeth when the younger admits he deserves it for being an ‘abnormal’ child—willfully ignoring the truth that it never was, and never could be, his fault.
He understands that his father is the only family Taehyung has, and he doesn’t want to let go of that. However, for him, that man isn’t worth so much effort if the results are like this. His father doesn’t deserve Taehyung’s love and care.
And he knows that even though Taehyung understands this too, his exhausted, emotionally drained mind refuses to accept it—instead clinging to the fear of losing the only family he has left.
Yoongi wants to clear the fog of deception clouding Tae’s mind, to make him understand that what his father has done to him and his mother isn’t just wrong—it’s an inhumane crime. And more than that, he wants Taehyung to know that he is not some abnormal child.
“Let’s go home, and I’m promising you, for now on, I won’t let anyone and anything hurt you, ever,” he promises the younger.
-o-
Jin and Hobi have left Yoongi and Taehyung to have some privacy. Last night was tiring for all of them. Jin couldn’t hold his tears when he caught the ragged sight of Taehyung. To think that his father has done that to him is as disbelieving as it sounds.
As much as he likes to think he and Taehyung are similar in more ways, they differ even more.
He doesn’t know a cruel father who has been hurting his own child, has been doing so forever, and who hurts his wife. Force them to do anything to survive on their own. He doesn’t, and he doesn’t want to know.
And he doesn’t want to stay here longer and look at the younger, unconscious, and hurting. So, he asks his younger brother if he can’t leave, because he’s not really feeling well. Yoongi nods softly, giving him and Hobi permission to return home. Seems like he is still not willing to burst his front before Taehyung. It's better that way, all of them aren’t ready to come clean in front of an utterly emotionally messed Taehyung.
Seokjin turns to leave. Hoseok’s already out in the car.
No words are being exchanged throughout the entire drive home. Hoseok seems most traumatized in all three of them for some reason.
They haven’t had anything to eat since dinner last night, and it's already evening.
When they finally sit down in the living room, glaring intensely at the ceiling aimlessly, a fake cough resonates in their surrounding.
Surprised to find Cheol-min sitting on the armchair resting parallel to them, which Hoseok and Jin have been occupying. Resulting in both the younger ones sitting upright.
“Good evening to both of you,” Cheol-min greets with a slight nod of his head, weirdly formal for a person sitting at home.
They both stare at him, but never meet his eyes. He is waiting patiently as they fidget in their seats, eyes going everywhere but him.
“Good evening, appa,” replies the two as awkwardly as their father did.
“I wouldn’t want to interrupt your—meditation, but you two,” he paused before leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, a serious expression took over his rather sweet-looking, handsome face.
“Are finally in my grasp. Now, I’ll only ask this once. What are you three up to since the last three months, and where did you two run to last night?” sternly stating his question, emphasizing every word clearly. He leaves not a shred of doubt or confusion, carrying himself with the same commanding certainty as Min Cheol-min, the head of the family.
For a fleeting moment, the two Seoks regarded Cheol-min in stunned silence. For a long moment, neither makes any move or tries to speak, but today, Jin has been feeling too emotionally drained to hold back any secrets, and his tears, too.
His eyes welling up, hot tears burning the back of his eyes, a dry sob on its way, resourced from his even dried throat. Jin couldn’t stop the sad whimper from coming out, hurriedly dashing the short distance between him and his father.
To say Cheol-min is surprised would be a pathetic excuse to hide the obvious. He quickly scoots aside a bit on the sofa and opens his arms to catch Jin in his warm embrace and settle him beside him on the spare space. Hoseok seems as if he’d like to do the same, but is restraining himself from doing so.
Cheol-min caresses the back of Jin’s head gently, letting his eldest quietly cry on his chest, rubbing his face till it's red and swollen from those angry tears.
“What happened to you, Seokjin-ah? Is there something you’d like to tell me? You know, you can tell me anything, yes?” Cheol-min softly asks Jin, his hands still patting the back of his head and shoulders. All the stern demeanor leaves his body as soon as he sees his eldest child so upset, so vulnerable.
“Appa, I thought I wouldn’t say it as it's Yoongi-ah’s matter, but I don’t think I can bear the burden, not anymore. I can’t.” Seokjin hiccups before he takes a deep breath, wiping the tears away harshly.
He begins recounting everything to Cheol-min from the very beginning—Yoongi leaving after dinner, the stabbing that followed, and finally, the most important part: Taehyung.
Cheol-min’s expression changes a handful of times throughout the confession. However, the most that can be seen is surprise. He seems extremely surprised.
“Calm down, Seokjin-ah, you’re going too fast for me to grasp the point here.” he stops Seokjin from going further. He gulps hard, the lump forming in his throat.
“So, Yoongi is living with a boy, who’s a florist, huh? And he’s going—uh—soft for him, and also the boy is a—carrier.” he gulps with an “ahem”, licking his chapped lips, coming to the conclusion. Hoseok and Seokjin nod in unison.
“Oh—kay.”
Hoseok and Seokjin nod like children every time he finishes one sentence.
“Soft Yoongi-ah, huh? Sounds unbelievable. Na, Seokjin-ah, do you—perhaps think—that Yoongi-ah, I mean. Is he and the boy—Taehyung-ssi—is something—going on?” Cheol-min falters several times, the question catching in his throat as he struggles to phrase it.
Seokjin shoots his father a long, incredulous look, as if he’s completely done with him.
"Well, yes. What else can happen? And to Yoongi-ah above all? Why would you think Yoongi-ah would go to such lengths for a random nobody walking on the streets? But that's not why we are sitting here, appa."
“Then for what?” Cheol-min questions softly, cautious like a kicked puppy after the surface-level scolding from Seokjin.
“Taehyung-ah is in the hospital right now. He is—hurt severely by his appa. And I think he’s probably been doing it since he was young.”
“He does what to a kid?” Cheol-min snaps his head to the side, eyes going wide as much as the narrow shape of them allows. No one says a word, just a nod in affirmation.
A long and disappointed sigh escapes Cheol-min’s lips as his eyes go back and forth from Seokjin to Hoseok.
He gestures for Hoseok to come close, only to gather both boys in a big family hug.
“Thank you two for telling me, however, I would’ve liked it better if you had told me all this sooner. Now, do we have to do something about this abusive man?” he asks. A strange kind of seriousness clouds his features, one they know from the days spent inside the dungeon when they all were way younger than today.
He lets out a breath to lighten the decidedly thick atmosphere. This causes Hoseok to smile tightly, while Seokjin mirrors the same look as his father.
“You don’t have to do anything, appa. You know how Yoongi is, he’ll take care of that man one of these days. Just don’t let Yoongi-ah know we told on him. And also for Tae, we don’t know Yoongi, he freeloads in Tae’s house. We’re nothing more than bakery owners, not Min Cheol-min the business tycoon, nor the son of a future national assembly member. You understand?” Seokjin grabs Cheol-min’s face in both his hands, emphasizing everything clearly, nodding after with Cheol-min mirroring the nod at the same time.
“Oh, Jin-ah, you’re no fun. But I’ll visit my Yoongi-ah one of these days.”
-o-
Taehyung never thought he’d ever tell anyone about his entirely messed-up life and abusive father, let alone Yoongi. Notably, not to a freeloader in his house, who somewhat exhausted him.
However, these past few days have proven to be the safest days of his life, strangely in Yoongi’s embrace.
Since the bathroom incident, Yoongi has become soft toward Taehyung. He no longer invades his personal space, hasn’t bothered him all week, and even keeps his secrets—whether it’s about being a carrier or that expensive shopping trip earlier in the week.
Tae can feel himself going soft for the elder boy, too. Yoongi’s doing a lot for Tae without even realizing. Taehyung feels his gratitude for Yoongi has grown beyond what words can express. And Taehyung has started feeling something utterly weird for him, slowly but surely.
Is it because he never had anyone to take care of him since his mother passed away? Is it ok to feel this way for a total stranger? Yoongi has been living with him for three months now—and that feels like a long time, doesn’t it? And what should he consider those significantly awkward moments when Yoongi slips his arms around his waist in the kitchen, or when he follows him to the shop every day, or when he had pecked the space behind his ear that day? What might those be? And what about Tae’s own reaction to all of these? When he goes slack in Yoongi’s arms or when his heart pounds loudly as if it has shifted to his ears from his chest, thumping noisily, blaring his senses, causing them to go haywire.
Does this mean Jimin was right? Has he stopped caring for Namjoon? Is he being selfish? Ungrateful? Why? What’s wrong with him?
Actually, he knows what’s wrong with him, but does being a carrier mess someone’s emotions up? He needs to confirm with Chanhwa.
However, right now his senses and emotions are getting overwhelmed, choking his throat as trading a single breath without feeling suffocated is getting harder.
Eyes brimming willingly, sob stuck right in the middle of his throat.
But before he could let the dam break, the door to his hospital room unlatch with a soft sound.
“Taehyung-ah, we’re going home.” Yoongi raises his head from his phone to look at the younger, only to find the younger’s eyes reddened with tears, about to cry audibly. Yoongi does nothing but frantically dash across the room.
“You’re crying? Taehyung-ah, what happened? Why?”
One look at Yoongi and Tae couldn’t help but let the dam let loose, falling slack in Yoongi’s arms, again, like all the other times.
Yoongi gives him all the time to lighten his heart by wailing as loud as he can. Caressing Taehyung’s sides as he has his back bandaged thickly. He doesn’t interject in the younger’s outburst, supporting anyway as he can.
Almost half an hour of crying, Tae’s crying subsides into low hiccups. Still, his grip doesn’t loosen on Yoongi’s back.
Yoongi moves his head a little to look at his face.
“Let’s go home now, Tae-ah.”
Rubbing his tear-stained face with the back of his hand, Tae nods his head like a little child. A scared child.
Yoongi gives him his very rare gummy smile.
Aside from everything, Taehyung decides he likes having Yoongi around, and he’d like to keep it that way. Even closer, if he’s allowed to.
-o-
Yoongi had decided he won’t let anyone harm Taehyung, not anymore, especially not his father. And Yoongi will make sure of it.
He’s taking Tae home, and he’s not gonna leave his side no matter what. Tae’s not in a condition to handle university or his shop, so he’s not letting the younger do anything, even if his father forces him to.
Yoongi intends to introduce himself to Taehyung’s father soon. But for now, his priority is caring for the younger boy—who has this strange, irresistible way of sending his heart into endless somersaults.
“Hyung, who paid the hospital bills?” Taehyung asks innocently as they’re making their way out. Yoongi supports half of Taehyung’s body in a side hug, with his own thick winter jacket wrapped around Tae’s shoulders as the younger is still in his pyjamas. Tae clings to Yoongi with an intensity that suggests he wouldn’t let go, even if God himself demanded it. Truthfully, he’d just be afraid he might fall if he tries to stand on his own, and yes, Yoongi seems reliable, squishy, and comfortable.
“I did?” Yoongi replies in a gentle tone, withholding any further detail. He allows his hand to smooth a gentle stroke on Tae’s side, as he glances into the deep, wide, innocent eyes.
“How, hyung? You didn’t have money on you?”
“I had some, that was enough for the bills.”
Bright brown eyes dim the instant as the younger worries his lips between his pearly white teeth. Casting his eyes down on the pavement, he looks ashamed.
“I’m sorry, hyung. For always being a burden on you.”
“Hey, Tae-ah, look at me. And hear me out because this is the last time I’m saying this. You are not a burden, not for me or anyone else. You’re so independent. Most kids your age can’t even decide what to do the next day, yet you’ve already come halfway toward achieving your dreams. And that’s not what being a burden is. You hear me? Now, let's go home, you need rest.” Yoongi enunciates every word with precision, determined to clear away the fog of doubt and disgust his father spent years embedding in his innocent mind. Slowly, little by little, he’s gonna remove that mindset from Tae’s head.
And the first and foremost step to do so is to stop the abuse, and that would require a meticulous introduction with the boy’s father, personally.
Guiding Taehyung out of the hospital premises, Yoongi makes way to the parking.
“Why’re we here, hyung? We don’t own a car.” Tae wonders, allowing his eyes to go back and forth in the parking lot.
“I asked Jin hyung to drive us home.” Yoongi absentmindedly answers while his brain is busy concentrating on the “we” Taehyung just said. Again, the weird thing is bubbling inside his stomach, creeping up to his chest, making him feel fuzzy and swollen. Is that acidity? Yoongi is worried about his health for the first time in his 25 years of life. Are these side effects of being utterly leisurely all the time? He doesn’t know, and right now, he doesn’t want to. Taehyung is his priority, who is giving him an extremely incredulous look with the same innocent puppy dog eyes.
“You told him?”
“I’m sorry, Tae-ah. I had to. My brain was not working, he’s the only one I could ask for help.”
“But, hyung?”
“Don’t worry. He wouldn’t judge. I promise you that.”
Looking at Yoongi’s super confident remark, Taehyung shuts his mouth, but the fearful tension on his face gives him away.
As soon as they reach the parking, a strong gust of wind comes their way.
And Taehyung finds himself engulfed in a strong but warm embrace.
“Taehyung-ah, dear. How are you? I’m so sorry. I couldn’t help you.” Jin almost cried. His legs go slack, but before he could fall, Hoseok manages to break the fall, catching Jin in his arms.
“Jin hyung,” Tae whispers, about to tear up too. Taehyung muffles his cry behind his hand over his mouth, shaking his head, choking and wailing on his sobs.
“No, hyung, it's not your fault. No one’s fault. Please stop crying, please,” he slowly strides towards Jin, coming to hug the elder with his frail and injured arms.
Seokjin, straightening up on his legs, fits Taehyung snuggly into his chest. Careful of his bandaged areas. Letting Taehyung and himself cry till their hearts' content.
Hoseok and Yoongi stand aside, watching both of them with fondness in their eyes. They give the emotional club some time to settle before leaving for Tae’s home in Jin and Hoseok’s car.
Hoseok and Yoongi can’t deny the fact that Jin has some utterly different connection with Tae, as if he has gained one more brother, the youngest of all, who is in dire need of being taken care of.
Glancing at the backseat, they smile in affirmation as they look at Taehyung snuggly hugged in Jin’s chest, dozing off, while Jin keeps stroking his head lovingly.
-o-
Yoongi lets Taehyung settle comfortably in his home, however, the younger can’t help but fear the obvious presence of his father. Flinching and shaking every time he hears footsteps.
Yoongi doesn’t leave his side for even a fraction of a second. Almost about to raise his hands on Tae’s father, who once tried to come close to Tae in such killing intent that Yoongi had come so close to revealing his real identity.
During that week, Yoongi kept Tae on strict bed rest—likely for an extended period. He never let the younger out of his sight except for brief bathroom breaks, while he managed all the household chores and even dealt with his bastard of a father. If it's not for Taehyung, Yoongi wouldn’t be tolerating that fucker for a sole second, he would have ended his already forsaken life.
“Only for Taehyung, only for Taehyung.”
Chanting this mantra over and over again in his head.
He was busy preparing dinner on a slow Wednesday evening. Almost half of the week had gone by with Yoongi shielding Tae from his father, to an extent, that he was even sleeping in Tae’s room, on the floor.
It didn’t matter to Yoongi, not like he was an old man with back pain. It doesn’t matter to him as long as he’s close to Taehyung. As long as Tae is safe in his presence.
Taehyung’s father stumbled home drunk yet again, just as he always did. Yoongi wondered how this man hadn’t died from liver damage already. Maybe, just maybe, his death has been written on Yoongi’s hands.
Yoongi scoffed, watching the man tumble inside, his ragged and disgusting appearance on full display. To think this man is Tae’s biological father is ridiculous in itself. Where is Taehyung with his angelically ethereal looks, and where is this man with his fucked up appearance?
However, there’s a hint of the angled face structure and strong jawline, as well as the thick eyebrows, telling the miserable tale of his rather charming youth. There’s a fraction of Taehyung in him.
He could have become so much more if only he had valued the blessings in his life instead of giving in to self-destruction.
Continuing his chopping, Yoongi didn’t spare another glance at him. Till—
Till he called out for Taehyung heatedly, moving to reach Tae’s door, and he did reach, kicking the door open, revealing a shell-shocked and very well frightened Taehyung squirming on his bed like a fallen leaf, barely awake from the loud noise of the door unlatching.
But before he could enter the younger’s room completely, Yoongi stopped the slowly unlatching door in the middle, his hand on the door handle, right over Tae’s father’s.
Yoongi allowed his gaze to search for Tae’s expression, which was frightened to the core. Without another word, his face expressionless, he slowly pulled the door shut. Taehyung slipped from his peripheral vision, disappearing only once the door was slammed and he was safely locked inside. Yoongi stood face-to-face with the seething old man.
“What’re you trying to do, Yoongi-ssi?” The man all but growled right on Yoongi’s face, however, that didn’t faze Yoongi, and it wasn’t enough to threaten him, not even 0.01%. If only this man had known. But maybe soon.
“I guess, saving a kid from an abusive man? Isn’t it?” A very, very devious grin quirked one corner of his lips, but never reached his blank eyes. Provoking the older to do something he’d regret later. Well, he already has—after hurting Taehyung.
The old man inhaled sharply through his nose, gritting his teeth. Angry, extremely angry at Yoongi for ever daring to stop him.
“And who are you to tell me that? He’s my son, I’ll do whatever I want with him. If you know him as much as I do, you’ll know he deserves it for what he is?”
“He can be whatever he wants, all I care about is his safety. And you’re not safe for him. Don’t say he deserves it because he’s a bit different than your normal, because he doesn’t need to be deserving to have his father’s love and care. It comes naturally, you should know, you’re his parent.” Yoongi spat back, anger bubbling in his chest and about to burst out. He was going to throw his hands for real if the old man wouldn’t shut up.
“I swear, Min-ssi. If you don’t—” he was about to mention what he’d do, but Yoongi cut him off mid-sentence.
“And I swear if you touch a hair on Taehyung-ssi's head again—” he trails off before continuing. “Then you don’t know I truly am.” This threat was so potent that Taehyung’s father couldn’t help but falter in his steps. His legs buckled up as he stepped away, as far as he could go away from Yoongi this very moment. Backing away from Yoongi, from Tae’s door.
Alas, he didn’t understand the clear threat in his drunk state and was still trying to reach Tae throughout the week. However, Yoongi wouldn’t leave him next time for real.
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