Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If anyone asked Kim Taehyung what his favourite things in the world were, he would always answer, in no particular order: music, makguksu and his grandmother.

The list constantly changed as he grew up; a few items were added and some were replaced as he found new things to obsess over, a new anime or the main vocal in a popular boy group. But his grandmother never left the inventory, having found a way to reside in Taehyung’s heart permanently. 

Something that Taehyung was not particularly fond of was hospitals. The plain white walls, the artificial floral scent of room fresheners trying to drown the smell of antiseptic wafting through the hallways, the miserable faces of loved ones waiting in the waiting room, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. It was all too depressing for him. Each visit was accompanied by an impending sense of doom that only subsided when he got to leave.

Five despaired faces sitting inside belonged to Taehyung and his family who were huddled up in the far corner of the room, easily distinguishable by the presence of two guards standing next to them. They await his grandmother’s test results that were to come out any minute now, and it’s obvious how on edge the entire Kim family is by the way their feet tap impatiently against the floor and their gazes constantly fall on their expensive wristwatches. 

Taehyung sits a little far away from the rest. The atmosphere is tense and not just from anticipation. It’s been three years since he and his entire family were in one place at the same time. He still remembers the pain in his chest as he dropped his suitcases in the back of a taxi, taking one last look at his family standing at the door of the house he grew up in, the house he was about to leave forever.

He meets up with his mother sometimes and exchanges wishes with his brother on birthdays but his father hasn’t spoken a word to him ever since he told him to get out of his house all those years ago. Even today, the only acknowledgement he received from him was a grunt in reply to his greeting. 

Taehyung subtly takes a look at his family members. His father looks older, the lines of ageing on his face now deepened with time and stress. His hands slightly shake and his brows seem permanently etched together. He still wears his expensive suits and he still looks like he could grace the cover of a magazine but Taehyung can notice the tightness in his body and posture, a clear sign of his nervousness.

His mother looks the same but perhaps that’s because she’s the only one he sees once every few months. Slight wrinkles form at the end of her eyes from years of smiling but she isn’t doing much of that right now. She sits next to her husband, hands clasped tightly, lips murmuring a silent prayer, he assumes. His family is not necessarily religious but they need all the luck and help they can get today. 

He can hear his brother talk lowly on his phone to his right and he curbs the urge to sigh. It’s probably work-related which means his father has finally integrated his older son into the family business. Taeho looks mature as he dishes out non-stop instructions to his assistant, his bottom lip caught in his teeth as he listens to her replies intently, responding in a stern yet calm tone. They’ve never looked similar; Taeho resembles their father a lot whereas Taehyung has taken his good looks and pretty features from his mother but everyone can agree none of his family members lack in beauty. 

His thoughts are interrupted when a hand comes into his field of vision holding a steaming styrofoam cup of what smells like heavenly hot chocolate. 

Taehyung meets the gaze of Han Minji, his sister-in-law, who smiles down at him as she holds the cup. “Here you go,” she whispers in her kind voice, sitting next to him when he takes the cup with a whisper of gratitude. “I heard you don’t like coffee so I brought you some hot chocolate.”

Taehyung thanks her again with a smile. He hasn’t felt like eating or drinking anything since he found out his grandmother had been hospitalised after losing consciousness last night and he had immediately left the listening party he was attending for her. Not that he was having much fun there either.

He remembers meeting Minji four years ago, the daughter of Han Bo-chan, the CEO of Han Industries. Minji, who was twenty-four at the time, was introduced to him as his brother’s fiancee, taking over her father’s position very soon. He always admired her ability to manage everything at a young age and even though the marriage between the two was arranged, he was glad she was the one his parents chose. She’s truly kind, not the kind of person to let their ego ruin her, and Taehyung loved that about her. Their wedding was the last familial gathering he attended.

“Thank you for remembering that,” he whispers, taking a sip and almost burning his tongue. “How’s Heechan?” he asks, referring to their two-year-old son. 

A smile automatically takes over Minji’s face and she shakes her head. “A troublesome monster,” she replies, giggling. “He’s become so active now, it’s hard to keep up with him. Even two nannies don’t feel enough to tame that beast.”

Taehyung chuckles. He’s only met his nephew once when he visited the couple to congratulate them. “Just like his father, then.” He teases lightly. His brother was a fucking terror back then. 

Minji nods. “Oh, definitely,” she grins before falling silent. A moment later, she speaks again. “You should come over for dinner sometimes, you know. Heechan would love to meet his famous uncle.”

Taehyung lips purse and he uncomfortably stares down at his hands. Something twinges in his chest and all of a sudden, he feels queasy. “I don’t– I don’t know if I’m welcome at your house, to be honest.”

“Nonsense!” Minji immediately disagrees, shaking his head. She carefully glances at her husband for a second before meeting his gaze again. “Taeho misses you, you know. He’ll never say that to you but–” she sighs before continuing. “I can tell he does. He talks about you with Heechan all the time, and at every family dinner he always stares at your empty chair at the table.”

Taehyung gulps, feeling his throat tighten. Minji might be exaggerating to convince him but he truly misses his brother. They had a great bond growing up, always spending time together, Taeho gradually becoming Taehyung’s mentor despite their differing personalities as kids. There are times when Taehyung doesn’t know what to do in a situation and his fingers itch to type that text asking for help or make that call but his own ego always stops him. 

What’s the point when he’s been cast out, unforgiven and berated for nothing? He’s so quick to pull his defensive walls up but, the more Taehyung thinks about it, the more he misses his brother. Ego be damned. 

He’s about to reply that he’ll think about it when he sees their doctor approach them with a folder in hand. The four of them stand up in unison, Taeho immediately disconnecting his call when he notices. 

Taehyung can feel his heart thumping in his throat when they all bow to him in greeting. The doctor’s face is unreadable, not even a hint of a smile, and that doesn’t do much to ease his nerves. 

“Good morning, Kims. I have just spoken to the patient and she requested that her results be disclosed in the presence of her family,” he announces and the family shares a look. “If you could please follow me.”

Taehyung gulps as he and the rest of his family tail the doctor leading them to the VIP room far down the hall. His heart thuds erratically in his chest and he feels beads of sweat line his forehead. 

It’s probably nothing , he tries to calm his nerves. She probably has an iron deficiency. 

His phone rings in his pocket. He would usually ignore it but the ringtone sounds like the one he set for his manager, who knows his situation and would not call him if it wasn’t urgent. He clicks his tongue before picking up the phone, ignoring the dirty look his father sends him.

“Hey, hyung,” he whispers, his tone hurried.

“Taehyung-ah, sorry for the random call but this is important. I just checked the news and your argument last night is one of the top articles on Naver right now,” his manager says, halting his steps.

What?

“You’re not serious,” he almost yells, stopping himself in time. He’s getting enough weird looks from his family. “The party was so private, Seokjin hyung. Which celebrity couldn’t keep their mouth shut?”

His head throbs and his palms feel sweaty. Taehyung has never believed in the phrase all PR is good PR . 

Scandals can make or break a career and Taehyung has seen a lot of careers destroyed over the smallest things. He has to play the game, keep a good appearance and do his job well enough to maintain high social favour. 

Seokjin sighs on the other line. “Apparently one of the attendees has a sibling who works as a reporter. I do not know if it was on purpose yet but it’s being taken care of.”

Taehyung rubs his temples. It’s alright, he’s done this many times before. He takes a deep breath. “Okay. Reactions?”

“Neutral,” his manager answers, putting him somewhat at ease. Seokjin would never downplay the damage. “There are a few articles but the responses are the same as always. A few tweets getting annoyed at your ‘attention-seeking techniques’ have popped up but they haven’t gained much traction.”

He clicks his tongue, letting pettiness take over. “How the hell am I the attention-seeker when he started the argument?” He sees the doctor stop at the door to his grandma’s room. Taehyung sighs. This is not the place to be rehashing the utter mess that was last night. “It doesn’t matter. I need to go, hyung. Keep me updated if something major happens.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need something, hmm? Take care,” Seokjin says before cutting the call.

Taehyung clicks his tongue as he pockets his phone. “Everything okay?” Taeho whispers from next to him.

He gives him a reassuring smile. “Nothing I’m not used to.”

He isn’t exaggerating by any means. His fights with a certain someone have been making the headlines of many gossip sites lately, each article more scandalous than the last. 

Petty taunts in interviews. Arguments in person. Dirty looks at the mere mention of the other.

It’s been years and this childish enmity of theirs doesn’t seem to subside just yet. Taehyung is aware he’s currently a walking PR nightmare but he can’t seem to stop butting heads with the man who is the complete opposite of everything he stands for, everything he likes about humans in general. 

Calling him a thorn in Taehyung’s side would be the understatement of the century. He’s like a mosquito incapable of leaving him alone, constantly buzzing in your ear until you want to chop it off. 

It feels like fate is playing a cruel joke on him when he sees the upcoming F1 race advertisement playing on the television in his grandma’s room as soon as he enters. Because as he steps inside those baby blue walls, he’s met with the face he desperately avoids any chance he gets. The face that incites hot, boiling anger inside of him, the face that he urges to punch every time he sees in person. 

Jeon Jeongguk, one of the most famous F1 racers in the world.

The advertisement only shows his face for a few seconds as a participant but it’s enough to sour Taehyung’s mood immediately. His mind flashes to last night’s arguments and he tries to rid himself of the memory of the same pink lips parting open to spew the ugliest words on mankind. His grandma, who now gives him a warm smile while beckoning him, should be his only priority at the moment and nothing else matters to him more than her. 

“Oh my darling, why do you look so stunning?” his grandma whispers as they hug. 

Taehyung is confused for a second before he realises he ran here directly from yesterday’s party and probably looks silly in his shimmery golden top and white pants compared to his family, who are dressed soberly in their expensive clothes. “I, uh– I was attending a party last night when I received hyung’s call,” he explains, gulping as he recalls the way his chest fell as soon as he heard his grandma lost consciousness and was admitted to the hospital. “You scared us, halmeoni.”

His grandmother waves it off. “You worry too much about me. It’s just my old body didn’t get the memo of staying young forever.”

He shakes his head while smiling but he can clearly see she’s lying. His grandmother, who usually has a lively face now bears an expression of extreme lethargy and exhaustion. Her skin, which was supple and beautifully taken care of now clearly sags, the wrinkles around her mouth and eyes more prominent than ever. He gulps in nervousness. She’ll be alright, won’t she?

“Eomma, how are you feeling right now?” he hears his father ask, voice taut. Even though his expression betrays nothing, Taehyung knows he’s equally anxious, if not more. His grandmother has a great relationship with everyone in the family. A stable pillar no matter what came her way. 

Kim Eunjoon stares at all the family members gathered in the room for her and gives them an encouraging smile. “I feel great, everyone. The doctors have taken very good care of me and I’m very happy that the entire Kim family has gathered here for me after years.” If she senses the tension rising by her comment she doesn’t show it, turning to the doctor instead. “I won’t take much of your time, Kang-ssi. Please let us know of my results without much haste,” she requests, never the one to drag things out unnecessarily. 

The doctor takes a breath and opens his file, prompting Taehyung to clutch his grandmother’s frail hand tightly. When did she lose so much weight?

It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be–

“I’m afraid it’s bad news, Mrs. Kim. After checking your symptoms we ran through certain tests to confirm what we suspected. You’re diagnosed with Myeloma, a type of blood cancer of plasma cells…”

Taehyung stops listening after that, a constant loud ringing in his ear replacing the doctor’s explanation. His jaw feels loose as his lips part, body unclenching as the tension slowly dissipates into something else. It’s a lengthy one he supposes; Dr. Kang’s lips move a lot and he uses many terms that go right over Taehyung’s head. He manages to catch the important tidbits, however, and they make his blood run cold and his heart dangerously slows down.

Blood cancer. Stage 4. Technically incurable. Life expectancy is usually 5 years, but due to his grandmother’s age reduced to just 8-10 months.

Dr. Kang is still speaking when the gentle squeeze of his grandma’s hands brings him out of his daze. “Normally, we would suggest a bone marrow transplant but since Mrs. Kim is older and has a higher risk of complications during surgery, I wouldn’t recommend it. We could start chemotherapy as soon as you’d like, but of course it comes with a wide range of side effects and there is no guarantee of survival.”

So basically what he’s saying is, my grandmother is going to die. Soon. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

There’s a constant ringing in Taehyung’s ear as he tries to make out the side effects of chemotherapy. He’s seen the patients and what it does to them, of course. How could he ever see his grandma go through that? How could he bear with the knowledge that his grandmother, someone he loves more than anyone in his life, will soon get thinner and weaker and eventually leave him?

A sharp pain starts spreading across his chest as his father and grandmother thank the doctor, letting him know they’ll think about the chemotherapy before he leaves.

Eunjoon takes a look at all the family member’s reactions. Taehyung’s father looks melancholic, his mother has a few tears running down her face, his brother is breathing a little too fast and Minji’s face is red. 

Taehyung can’t even imagine how he must look at the moment, eyes blurry with tears begging to be shed and his free hand shaking on the other side. 

His grandmother is the only one who doesn’t look much affected by the news, which is pretty fucking iconic if you ask him. She clicks her tongue and gives their conjoined hands another squeeze. “So, who's up for some beer and fried chicken? My treat!”

It’s her jovial yet slightly wavering voice, along with the fact that she’ll always be the strongest and most optimistic member of their broken family is what finally breaks Taehyung down.

He lets out a sob, tries to curb the others on the way but they don’t listen and soon he’s a whole crying mess, tears running down his cheeks as he buries his face in his grandmother’s neck. He smells the expensive perfume she’s worn for years mixed in with their laundry detergent and he just can’t take it. He can’t let his grandmother go, can’t live without her comforting hugs and scent and words and gestures. Even now, when it should be the other way around, his grandmother runs his hands up and down Taehyung’s back, trying to shush the ugly cries that won’t stop coming out of him.

“Oh, my baby bear. It’s going to be alright, darling,” she soothes and it just makes him cry harder, how twisted the situation is and how much of a burden he’ll always be to his grandmother.

“Eomma,” he hears his mother speak, clearing her tear-clogged throat. “You don’t have to be strong at a time like this. You can take all the time you need to deal with the news,” she tries to reason.

Eunjoon sighs. “I truly feel alright, Yeri. I’m not pretending to put on a brave face for your sake. Of course, I’m a bit shaken by the news as well, but it’s not like it’s unimaginable, is it? I’m currently eighty-four. My body will naturally deteriorate, it had to happen sometime or the other.”

“No,” Taehyung sobs out, shaking his head planted in her neck. He truly feels like a stubborn child at the moment, but it’s not like he cares. All he selfishly wants is for his grandmother to encase him in her arms and tell him everything is going to be okay, just as she used to when he got hurt as a kid.

His grandmother gently pulls back, lifting his face to meet her intense gaze. “Now, Taehyung. This is not the time to cry and mope around, you hear me? The doctor said I have around 10 months to live and I refuse to spend them around such a crybaby, okay?” Playfully, she pinches his wet cheek, trying to cheer him with her usual grin. “I need my happy, smiling Taehyungie back.”

Immediately Taehyung’s lips lift upwards into a watery smile. Eunjoon is right. She has such a limited amount of time left, surely sobbing in front of her won’t do either of them good. He can always cry himself to sleep later that night. For now, he needs to stay strong for his grandmother just as she’s staying for him so that her final moments can be as best as they can.

“Besides, it’s not like I haven’t lived a good life, you know?” she tells him as he wipes his tears. “I was raised by loving parents, married your grandfather who never failed to make me happy,” she turns toward her son and his wife, “and gave me such a wonderful son who never failed to take care of me and be successful.” She smiles at the two. “I raised your father well enough for him to find such a lovely wife for himself and because of that I was blessed with the most incredible grandchildren I could ask for,” she finishes, giving Taeho a smile before turning to him. 

The tears threaten to spill again, but he wills himself to hold them back. 

“I could never ask for anything more in life if I’m being honest. I do not feel like I have any regrets or unfinished wishes,” she speaks but then pauses. “Well, except one, but that’s not happening anytime soon.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen and all his senses stand alert as he sits straight. “Halmeoni, what is it? I will make sure to move continents to fulfil it.” Anything. He’ll do anything to make her happy. Fly them to the moon if she asks.

Eunjoon laughs, shaking her head. “It’s simple, really.” She smiles warmly at Taeho and Minji who are looking at her just as expectantly. “Just as Taeho has found a very lovely wife for him, I wanted you to have someone as well, Taehyung-ah.” Taehyung’s brain short-circuits. “Someone who you’re engaged to, someone who loves you more than anyone and who will do anything to see a smile bloom on your face.”

What? Someone who loves him more than anyone? Someone he’s engaged to? 

Yeah, there’s no way that’s happening. Taehyung has always had terrible luck with relationships and none of them have lasted more than six months. Forget someone putting a ring on him, he’s pretty sure his past boyfriends never even said I love you to him.

His grandma seems to know that as well because she simply grins and ruffles his hair. “But our Taehyung has yet to find his prince charming, no?” 

Taehyung knows the word prince has caused a shift in the atmosphere of the room. In between the horrid news he’d forgotten how the rest of his family wasn’t so happy with his love life per-se. Or more so which gender he harbours romantic feelings for.

But he doesn’t have much interest in pondering over that. Instead, his heart gets heavy and his chest tightens as he realises he’s the only reason his grandmother’s final wish will be left unfulfilled. And it’s all because he gets bored easily and his taste in men is equivalent to trash on a hot summer day. 

Fuck this. He’s not going to let his halmeoni think for even a second that there’s something in life she still yearns for. 

The lie spills out of his mouth even before he can think about it. “But halmeoni, I’m already engaged.”

The whole room falls silent as their focus zeros on Taehyung. He sees his grandmother’s smile drop and her expression turns into one of shock. “Huh? Did you just say you’re engaged?”

Taehyung gulps, the weight of his words now crashing in on him. Did he just lie to his dying grandmother? What kind of terrible person is he? 

He still has time to rectify it. He can just laugh it off and say it was a joke to lighten the mood. But the hopeful expression slowly growing on Eunjoon’s face makes him swallow those words back. “That’s right, I’m engaged!” he grins, hoping that none of his family knows how fake it is.

“Taehyung– what?” his mother gasps out, taking a seat on the bed next to the two. It’s a tight fit but no one seems to care. “How– when–” she stammers out, seemingly stunned. 

If he’s managed to shock his usually very eloquent mother to this extent, he’s made a bigger blunder than he can ever imagine. Taeho comes to her rescue. “We didn’t hear anything. Not from you or the news outlets,” he says, his expression equally bewildered.

Taehyung flits his eyes between the two, brain working a mile a minute. “Well, that’s because my boyfri– my fiance and I decided to keep it under wraps as much as possible to protect ourselves. It just happened so fast,” he tries to reason but he knows his family feels a little betrayed. Even if they weren’t on great terms, he met his mother every few months and kept in contact with Taeho. He can’t even imagine how his grandmother, whom he speaks to every week, is feeling right now. Maybe lying about being directly engaged was a terrible idea and he should’ve just said he was seeing someone. At least that would’ve been easier to lie about and it required less mental gymnastics for him. 

“So what? You were going to tell us after you got married to someone we’ve never met?” His father says, tone definitely bordering on anger. 

“It’s not like you would’ve been overly supportive of my relationship anyways, appa,” he snaps, effectively silencing him and the rest of the room. His father’s jaw ticks but he holds his ground. He’s not a scared kid anymore, he doesn’t owe anything to him.

The tension in the room suddenly worsens but his grandmother breaks it as per usual. “It doesn’t matter, Seojun. All that matters is that my baby is happy.” She gives him a bright smile, effectively worsening the burden on his chest. “You are happy, right baby bear?”

The heaviness almost crushes his heart when he nods, smiling at her. “Of course, halmeoni. He makes me the happiest guy in the world.”

“Well, then. Who is it? Who makes my Taehyungie so happy?” his mother asks, gently patting his shoulder.

Oh, fuck. Taehyung definitely didn’t think this far while blurting out his horrible lies. Of course he’ll have to tell them who it is! Did he think he would get away with just letting his family know of his engagement?

“Well–” he starts, racking his brain for a name. He’s truly screwed now, having no idea who to involve in this mess. He could’ve said Seokjin or Yoongi hyung’s name, but his family knows how brotherly their bond is and that Yoongi is already dating someone else. 

Suddenly he feels exhausted to the core. He hasn’t slept a wink last night, his body has been filled with tension ever since he received his brother’s call, dealing with the news about his grandmother’s myeloma and the numerous articles ranking on top Naver at the moment playing at the back of his mind. He, as always, has dug himself a hole so big that he’ll need a miracle to come rescue him from his foolishness. 

All he wants to do right now is go to his apartment and cry himself to sleep. To forget about his grandmother slowly leaving him and those articles damaging his reputation and the man who causes it each time. He’s just so tired .

“Jeon Jeongguk,” he blurts out the name that’s constantly echoing in his head, haunting him every chance it gets.

“Jeon Jeongguk?” his grandmother repeats, trying to place the name. “Is he your fiance?”

Taehyung almost throws up at the question and gasps when the consequences of his actions set in. 

He just told his family he’s engaged. Engaged to Jeon Jeongguk , someone he can’t stand in the same vicinity for more than two minutes. 

Yeah, this can’t get any worse, can it?

“Mhmm,” he hums with a fake smile plastered on his face, unable to actually confirm it using words. 

His grandmother claps her hands in delight. “Well, then. We need to meet this gentleman immediately! Call him for dinner this weekend. The whole family has to meet him.”

Oh this just got a lot fucking worse.

“Eomma, I think you should rest now–” he hears his father start but is silenced with a single deadly stare from his grandmother.

“How can I rest when our darling Taehyungie is engaged?” she smiles wide, kissing his forehead. “Congratulations, my darling. You have no idea how happy I am at the moment.”

Taehyung feels like vanishing from the face of the earth. In his twenty-three years of life, he has never done anything more despicable than this. He needs to come clean as soon as he can be honest about the lie he made up in the heat of the moment. Blame it on the shock of the news or something.

But he cannot crush his grandmother’s dreams just like that, especially not now when she heard such life-changing news. Her smile got so wide and happy. Besides, this is all she wants from Taehyung. How can he take that away from her?

After the dinner , he makes a promise to himself as he accepts the hugs and congratulations his family showers him with. If he somehow manages to convince Jeongguk to attend this one dinner while pretending to be his fiance, he’ll tell his grandmother the truth or at least a good reason as to why they both had to call off the engagement.

It’s just one stupid dinner, anyway. What could go wrong?  

♬♬♬

“Thank you for coming over,” Taehyung tries to say with his mouth stuffed full, the noodle sauce staining the corner of his lips. Seokjin’s makguksu recipe never fails to satiate his hunger and his stomach rumbles in appreciation as he eats his first meal of the day.

“You don’t have to thank us, Taehyung-ah,” Seokjin smiles at his pout. He takes a sip of the wine he, Yoongi and his boyfriend Jimin had brought with them. “How are you holding up?”

Taehyung gulps, eyes stinging once again. “Terrible,” he answers, his voice soft and vulnerable. He isn’t exaggerating. He hasn’t stopped crying since he came back from the hospital the day before and he’s pretty sure it shows in his swollen eyes and dull, exhausted face. He only left his bed to pee and drink water, spending the rest of his time lying under the covers and staring unblinkingly at the ceiling, tears silently streaming down his face. 

A part of him still hasn’t accepted that his grandmother might not be here next year or be able to celebrate his birthdays with him anymore. She won’t spend hours talking to him on the phone and gossiping or won’t hold him when he’s feeling miserable and hopeless. Just as he is now. 

“Oh, Tae,” Jimin whispers before moving closer to him to wrap his arms around his shoulders. Even though they’ve only known each other for a couple of years, Taehyung truly adores Jimin. It’s a miracle that they clicked the second Yoongi introduced his boyfriend to him and Seokjin and now Jimin is basically a part of their group, turning their long-running trio into a quadruplet. “I’m so sorry,” he clutches him tighter. Taehyung truly doesn’t think he possesses a single flaw, except for maybe his choice of friends.

“Thank you Jimin,” he smiles slightly, truly meaning it. “I appreciate you all coming to meet me.”

“How could we not?” Yoongi asks. His voice is monotonous but his eyes swim with concern. He gently grabs Taehyung’s free hand, running a thumb along his knuckles, and that causes him to almost burst into tears. Yoongi barely initiates any kind of physical or affectionate touch, no matter how much Taehyung knows he loves him. “We were worried about you, you weren’t answering our calls.”

Taehyung feels a pang of guilt hit his chest. The moment he came back from the hospital ugly sobs started to escape him and barely managed to remove his shoes and coat before jumping on his bed and crying into his pillow. He could hear his phone continuously ringing in his coat pocket but couldn’t manage to find the will to actually answer it, already knowing what they were going to say on the other line. Pitying apologies and questions of how was feeling could wait until he poured his heart out in his tears. 

Maybe he should’ve at least sent a text in their group chat that he’s alright, just to alleviate his friends’ worries. 

Taehyung sits up a little and wipes the wetness under his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should’ve informed you guys that I’m okay–”

“Hey, you don’t need to apologise for anything, okay?” Seokjin interrupts him, squeezing his shoulder. “We would’ve been concerned about you regardless of your text.” He smiles softly, eyes creasing gently at the sides in a kind expression. 

Taehyung sees the other two nod and smiles, his first genuine one since he heard the dreadful news. Yoongi’s hand in his, Jimin’s arms around him and Seokjin squeezing his shoulder. He’s never been more grateful for his friends.

“I’m cancelling all your schedules until the weekend so you can rest and we three were thinking about doing a sleepover on Saturday night to help you feel better,” Seokjin continues.

Taehyung perks up. A sleepover sounds absolutely perfect after the hell that was this week. But then he remembers. Saturday. The night of the family dinner. 

With his fiance .

“I, uh– I really appreciate the gesture but I’m afraid I’m not free that day, hyung,” he stutters nervously, already expecting his hyung’s reaction when he explains why and not all excited to deal with it. “I have a family dinner.”

Yoongi’s eyebrow raises. “A family dinner? As in, dinner with your entire family? Your father included?” he asks, a certain edge to his voice. 

The three are familiar with his family situation but Yoongi knows exactly what happened and how broken Taehyung was after leaving home since he crashed at Yoongi’s apartment until he could find one for himself. Yoongi must remember how often he sobbed for his family and how many times he thought of dropping his ego and just returning home. He and Taehyung’s family had a good relationship since they were all from Daegu but after the incident Yoongi became wary of his father, stepping up as Taehyung’s elder brother and taking care of him when he needed it the most. 

“Yes,” Taehyung replies, keeping his bowl aside. 

“Is it because of your grandma’s news?” Seokjin asks cautiously as if the mere mention of it might break him.

Taehyung looks down, fingers tracing the lines on his palm as he thinks of how to answer. He decides to just say it once and for all. “No, it’s to celebrate my engagement.”

There’s pin-drop silence in the room, three gazes fixed on him, until Seokjin speaks. “To celebrate your what ?!”

Taehyung sighs, launching into an explanation about what happened in the hospital room, purposely omitting the name of his fiance . He thinks Seokjin should get some time to absorb each shock one by one or he’ll explode, given how red he’s become upon hearing Taehyung’s stupidity.

“Look,” he says, staring back at the gawking faces. “I know how this sounds and what I have done is beyond unacceptable. But you don’t know how it felt–” his words choke his throat and his eyes throb. He takes a breath before continuing. “How it felt knowing that you are the reason your favourite person in the world has an unfulfilled wish when she might not be here in a few months, seeing even the thought of that wish coming true lighting her entire face up.” A tear drops down his cheeks. “And I feel so , so guilty for lying to her but at that moment I only wanted to keep that hopeful smile on her face.”

Another moment of silence passes and Taehyung thinks how hard his friends must be judging him right now, lying to his dying grandmother like that. They must think he’s an awful person because who would do something like this?

This is different. It might be fake but Taehyung just wants to fulfil her final wish. 

Seokjin breathes out. “It’s just one day, right?”

Taehyung opens his eyes and nods slowly. “Just that one night. And then I’ll come clean to her, tell her the truth or at least part of it. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Yoongi simply hums in reply but Jimin speaks up. “Didn’t you mention you have to take your fiance to dinner as well?” He picks up his wine glass and traces its rim with his lips. “So, who is going to pretend to be engaged to you?”

Taehyung gulps, lips pursing. If his friends didn’t judge him before, they surely will now.

“Well, you see…after hearing the news, my family asked me my fiance’s name. Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought that far and in the panicked moment, I blurted out the first name that popped into my head.”

Seokjin’s expression turns queasy as if already knowing Taehyung cut out work for him. “And what name might that be, Taehyung?”

Taehyung shuts his eyes before whispering. “Jeon Jeongguk.”

The response to this, unlike earlier, is immediate. The three yell out a loud what?! in unison, making Taehyung jump a little from just how loud their voices get, and Seokjin lets out the deepest sigh known to mankind right after. “You’re joking,” he mutters, voice full of disbelief. “Tell me this isn’t true.”

Taehyung opens his eyes to see his hands tiredly rubbing his face. He turns to Yoongi, whose eyebrow is raised and an expression of intrigue settles on his face. “The first name popping in your head was Jeon Jeongguk, the man you claim to hate?”

Fuck you, Yoongi for catching all these minuscule details , Taehyung curses, fighting the urge to glare at his best friend. “Yes, because Jin hyung called me that morning and said someone leaked intel about him and I fighting at the party, did you not?” he asks his hyung, who nods in confirmation.

“Well, I still think it’s a bit weird–” Yoongi starts but Taehyung interrupts him by turning to his boyfriend. 

“Jiminie, I need your help,” he says, Jimin’s expression conveying he already knows what he’s going to ask of him. He crumples a little, mirroring a wilting flower. 

“Taehyung, I don’t know if Jeongguk would–” he starts, looking hesitant and unsure.

“Please, Chim. I know he won’t listen to me but Jeongguk is your best friend . Maybe if you ask him he might understand.” 

He’d say the right words, convince him somehow, do the things Taehyung can’t do due to their relationship.

Jimin shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Tae. I’ll arrange a meeting for you two but this is a personal matter and you should be the one explaining the situation.”

Taehyung tries his biggest weapon, his puppy eyes, on Jimin but to no avail. He gives up after a minute, nodding. “Thank you. I appreciate you trying to help.” Something is better than nothing, and getting Jeongguk to agree to meet Taehyung might be harder than convincing him to pretend to be his fiance. 

Ugh, even the mere thought of it brings an unpleasant taste to his mouth.

“I’ll try to call him over to my house tomorrow, if that’s alright with you,” Jimin tells him, taking a sip of his wine. “I’ll text you the time he’s coming but I’m not going to guarantee that he’ll say yes.”

Taehyung nods but his insides feel like mush. How the hell is he going to convince his biggest enemy to be in love with him for one night?

♬♬♬

“Tae, stop fidgeting,” Jimin chides as he watches Taehyung play with the buttons on his shirt sleeve. “There’s nothing to be nervous about, Jeongguk is a nice guy.”

Taehyung looks up and gives him a pointed look to which he sighs. “Look, I don’t know what problem you guys have with each other but the Jungkook I know would never deny such a request.”

A bitter laugh almost pours out from him. Sure, Jeon Jeongguk’s best friend might not be but Taehyung is privy to all the ugly parts of him. He’s sure Jeongguk will cackle right in his face, say something snarky and gross in response to his request, and then walk away.

He’s about to retort when they hear the buzzer, signalling Jeongguk’s arrival. Taehyung’s palms start to sweat as Jimin presses the button to let him in and turns around. “He’s here. Remember, just explain the situation to him honestly and I’m sure everything will go smoothly.”

Taehyung doesn’t share the same sentiments, but he keeps his mouth shut as the doorbell rings. 

Jimin goes to open the door and Taehyung sits up straight as he hears the voice from his nightmares greeting him. He wipes his palms on his pants and straightens his t-shirt just so he appears a bit put together when Jeongguk spots him, which he does two seconds after stepping into the living room.

“What’s wrong, hyung? Is everything alright–” he pauses, words stuck in his throat he takes in Taehyung’s form on the sofa. The way his expression manages to darken should be hilarious if not extremely terrifying. “What is he doing here?” he asks, tone filling with disgust. 

Just great. He seems to have caught Jeongguk in a bad mood. Or maybe that’s how his miserable self is all the time. To think of it, he’s never seen Jeongguk smile in front of him.

Jimin licks his lips. “I think you two need to talk,” he says, taking a step back towards his bedroom. “I’m going to give you two some space, please don’t kill each other. Blood is hard to clean,” he says before opening the door and disappearing into his room without another noise.

Jeongguk stares at him confusedly as he leaves. He’s wearing a baggy dark grey shirt and black jeans, hair slightly damp. He turns to Taehyung, the earrings in his ear shining in the pale yellow light of the room and his gaze automatically hardens as it lands on him. It’s an expression he’s very familiar with, often mirrored on his face. “Hey,” Taehyung starts, voice tight and uncertain. He’s about to request a huge favour, the least he can do is try to be cordial.

“What the fuck do you want?” Jeongguk asks as he takes a seat on the opposite end of the sofa, a comical distance between them.

Anger flares in Taehyung but he pushes it down. Come on, Taehyung. Do it for your grandma.

“I need to talk to you about something important,” he starts, trying to keep his voice even.

Jeongguk’s eyebrow raises and Taehyung’s gaze automatically jumps to the newly added piercing. He was sure Jeongguk didn’t have it two days ago at the party and he wonders when he got it pierced. From the slightly red skin around his eyebrow, he figures it’s very recent. He blinks, trying to focus back on the man. “Are you about to tell me you're in love with me?”

The question was the last thing Taehyung expected and it shows with the way he sputters while answering. “What– the fuck are you talking about? Of course I’m not in love with you,” he says, trying not to shudder. “How do you even–” he stops himself from arguing with the other, which is probably what he’s waiting for. Due to the sudden nonsensical question, Taehyung is thrown off track from his previously prepared speech and simply blurts out, “I wanted to ask you to be my fiance.”

Jeongguk’s eyes widen so big Taehyung is afraid they’ll roll out of their sockets. “ What?! ”

Whoops. Should’ve worded that differently.

Taehyung sighs. “Sorry, I meant to add the word pretend. I need you to pretend to be my fiance for one dinner with my family.” He doesn’t think that’s too far-fetched. One dinner and then it’ll all be done. 

Jeongguk is silent for a long moment, eyes still wide open and unmoving from his face. Taehyung thinks he probably broke him beyond repair. Something he would normally celebrate but unfortunately he needs Jeongguk fully functional for Saturday.

He scoffs after what feels like years. “Is this a joke?” he asks, voice cold. He takes a look around him. “Is this some sort of prank? Are there cameras installed in here somewhere?”

Taehyung wants to be understanding, he really does. He can’t imagine how he would react if the situations were reversed so he tries to be patient with Jeongguk’s disbelief. But it’s so hard to when Jeongguk stares back at him with that typical condescending look of his, tone disdainful. As if Taehyung isn’t even worth a morsel of his time. “It’s not, so if you could just let me explain–”

“I have better things to do than to listen to you, frankly,” he says, standing up and turning to leave. Taehyung resists the urge to yell at him, knows he can’t, and the pressing reality that his carefully thought out plan isn’t going to work starts a prickle in his nose.  “I don’t know what’s going on or why you want me to be your pretend boyfriend or whatever but I have zero interest in getting involved with your bullsh–”

“My grandmother is dying,” Taehyung says softly, voice choking up. The words make Jeongguk pause his outburst and stop him mid-step towards the door. He turns after a moment and stares at him, eyes softer than before. 

Or maybe Taehyung is just imagining things in his desperation. His slightly blurry eyes aren’t helping.

“My grandmother is dying and her final wish is to see me happily engaged to someone.” Jeongguk doesn’t reply, choosing to stand and stare at Taehyung instead. It’s not a refusal to hear him out, so Taehyung starts explaining before he changes his mind. “I lied and said I already am engaged to make her happy and accidentally blurted out your name as my fiance.” The younger still doesn’t speak, head slightly tilted in confusion. Taehyung knows it’s now or never. “I know you have no reason to help me but I–” he swallows before speaking, “I need you– your help, that is. It’s just one night and then you never have to see me or talk to me ever again.”

This definitely piques Jeongguk’s interest just like he thought it would. His eyebrow raises again and his face looks like he’s deep in thought, conflict in his eyes. 

He needs an incentive, something to cement Jeongguk into this plan. Taehyung can’t just force him to come to a family dinner and then tell him to fuck off. 

“No more arguments in public, no more subtweets or jabs in interviews. I’ll try my best to stay away from you and I hope you do the same.” Taehyung gulps. This is it. This is all he can offer and now the ball is in Jeongguk’s court. He plays with the hoop in his ear as he sees Jeongguk think about it, bottom lip trapped between his teeth. 

“Fine,” he finally replies, so quietly that Taehyung thought he imagined it. 

“What?” Taehyung asks just to be sure.

“Fine, I’ll do it. For your grandmother,” Jeongguk confirms, letting out a breath.

“You–you mean it? You’ll do it?” Taehyung blinks, heart thudding a little faster.

Jeongguk looks away. “Don’t make me say it again or I’ll change my mind.”

Taehyung doesn’t know if he’s serious but he doesn’t want to challenge it. A small part of him is grateful that Jeongguk is not, contrary to his accusations, made of stone and has enough of a heart to do it for his dying grandmother at the least. 

“Right,” he says simply, not knowing exactly what to do or say now. Frankly, he didn’t think he would get this far.

Jeongguk seems to share the same sentiments and now stands awkwardly near the other end of the sofa, switching his body weight from one leg to the other. “So…when is it?” he asks, averting his gaze from Taehyung and choosing to stare at the framed picture of Yoongi and Jimin instead.

“It’s on Saturday at 8 p.m. Hopefully you’re free.”

“I am.”

“Great. See you Saturday, then. Jimin will text you the address of my family home,” Taehyung informs him, trying to rid himself of the formality in his tone. 

He doesn’t know what’ll be worse, he and Jeongguk fighting in front of his family or behaving like two awkward strangers. They have to brush up on their acting skills before the day after tomorrow somehow in order to sell their story properly.

“Don’t you think your family will find it suspicious that we arrived at dinner separately?” Jeongguk asks and Taehyung hates how right he is. Why didn’t he think of this before? 

“Yes,” Taehyung admits through gritted teeth, hating the way a smug smile slowly spreads on the other’s face. 

“Seems like you haven’t thought this through very well,” Jeongguk says nonchalantly and Taehyung thinks it’s not too late to drop-kick him and just confess the truth to his grandmother. Anything is better than spending time with this bastard–

“I’ll pick you up at 7.”

Oh . Well, Taehyung didn’t expect that. He expected Jeongguk to just pick him up at some point in the journey from his apartment to Taehyung’s house. This seems very…gentlemanly of him.

“Why an hour earlier?” he asks, trying to rid his mind of the word.

Jeongguk stares at him as if the answer should be obvious. “We need to get our stories straight. How we met, when we started dating, et cetera.” Fuck, Taehyung is really bad at this. Jeongguk takes a step towards him. “You don’t seem to be taking this seriously,” he says, his voice suddenly octaves lower, grazing his eyes over Taehyung’s front with flecks of disgust and something else he can’t decipher in his eyes. “Are you sure this isn’t some ploy to fulfil some freaky fantasy of yours?”

What the fuck.

Taehyung takes a step back in disgust. “I don’t have fantasies involving you in any way, shape or form, Jeon.” His lips tilt upwards into a smirk, loving the way the other’s expression crumbles. “You, however, seemed too familiar with all of this.” He tilts his head, voice taunting. “Thinking about taking me out on a date often?”

Jeongguk narrows his eyes. “I wouldn’t think about dating you even if you were the last man on earth, Kim .”

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “If we were the last two men on earth, I’d cook and eat you instead.”

It’s childish and petty, exactly like every other argument of theirs. 

Jeongguk scoffs. “You would straight up resort to cannibalism?”

Taehyung shrugs. “Anything is better than dating you.”

The racer shakes his head. “I’ll make sure to eat poison before I die so when you do eat me, you’ll get poisoned as well.”

Taehyung is about to send a jab back when the door to the bedroom opens and Jimin walks out, looking exasperated. “Aren’t you guys tired of this nonsensical bickering?” His hands are on his hips, dripping with disappointment.

Taehyung frowns. “He’s the one who started it!” 

Jeongguk rolls his eyes and sighs. “Are you seriously shifting the blame right now? What’s next, you’re going to stomp your foot and throw a tantrum?”

“Oh I’m definitely stomping my foot on your face next–”

“Enough!” Jimin interrupts them, sounding like a tired parent who is thinking of putting his kids up for adoption. He sighs irritatedly. “Did you guys decide on where and when to meet?”

They both nod, sulky expressions on their faces from being scolded.

“Great,” Jimin sighs, taking out an iced coffee from his fridge. “Now both of you, I’m sure you lead hectic lives. Go find someone else to annoy,” he shoos them away, tone light-hearted.

Jeongguk sticks out his tongue at him before turning to Taehyung. “Saturday, 7 p.m.” He turns to Jimin again. “Hyung, text me his address,” he instructs, leaving before waiting for them to reply. The door slams behind him and there’s a brief moment of silence where Taehyung feels like he’s been left out in the sun for too long. 

Then he sighs, rubbing his face. “Seriously? This is your number one choice for a best friend?” he asks Jimin before slumping back on the sofa. 

Jimin laughs. “He’s not bad, once you get to know him.”

Taehyung shudders. As if it’s any bit reassuring. “Hard pass on that. I hope after Saturday I completely forget Jeon Jeongguk’s entire existence.”

Jimin gives him a smile that’s hard to decipher. “We’ll see about that, Taehyungie.”

♬♬♬

Taehyung is in the middle of buttoning his shirt when the doorbell rings. He groans out loud as he checks the time; it’s exactly seven p.m. and he guesses it’s Jeongguk behind that door. He stares at his messy room in despair, clothes strewn around and pouring out of his closet as if a natural disaster had occurred just inside his bedroom. 

He hears the doorbell once again and shakes his head as he makes his way to his door. “Would it kill you to show some patience–”

Oh.

A put-together Jeongguk in a black three-piece suit with thin white stripes stares back at him on the other side, hands crossed and one foot tapping the floor. His hair is shiny and neatly parted in the centre, his piercings glinting as he tilts his head, assessing Taehyung’s form. 

“Is the dress code for tonight be as inappropriate as possible or are you just terrible at managing your time?” he asks, confusing Taehyung for a second before he realises his shirt and pants are fully unbuttoned, his chest and the waistband of his boxers clearly visible.

His face flushes and he turns around, hastily buttoning up. “Shut up, you’re way too early.” God, he can’t believe Jeongguk just saw him like this. It’s his worst nightmare.  

Jeongguk clicks his tongue, shutting the door behind him and inviting himself in. “I already told you I’ll be here at 7. It’s not my fault you have zero planning skills.”

“I have a life, which you don’t seem to have,” Taehyung retorts, tucking in his shirt. “I was with my label discussing my next single.”

He turns to see Jeongguk taking a look around his apartment and suddenly feels conscious. In comparison to his bedroom, the rest of his house was thankfully clean. He’s sure Jeongguk lives in a much bigger apartment, probably in a fancier area, something he can’t afford yet because his career hasn’t taken off. His grandmother had offered to buy him an apartment when he moved out but he wanted to stand on his own two feet for once and do something without his family’s wealth or help. Turns out being independent isn’t easy and the prices for the flats all his friends live in are atrocious, so he had to start with something more lowkey than he’d expected. He normally didn’t care about where he lived and was satisfied with his home but in moments like these, when someone who’s surely from the class Taehyung previously belonged to visits him, the hyperawareness in him flares up. Hopefully, Jeongguk possesses enough class to not throw some cheap comments at his house.

Thankfully, he keeps his remarks to himself and instead takes a seat on the sofa. “How much more time will it take for you to get ready? We should get our stories straight about the history of our relationship before we leave but we shouldn’t be too late either.”

Taehyung almost shudders at the mention of their supposed relationship. And why is Jeongguk being all authoritative, anyway? Who decided he would call all the shots for this evening?

At least he has an idea as to what he’s doing, another voice speaks inside Taehyung. This is your predicament and you’re not even trying to solve it.

“We can talk about it while I get ready,” he proposes, starting to walk towards his room but then remembering the state it is currently in. Jeongguk does not need to see that. “Give me two minutes,” he says, rushing inside and closing the door. 

He grabs every article he can find and dumps it all in his closet, shutting the door and hoping he needs nothing else from that mess. Ridding the room of the rest of the clutter by throwing it into random hiding spots to deal with later, he opens the door a little out of breath. “You can come in now.”

As Jeongguk steps inside, Taehyung realises how bizarre it is that the last man he thought he would see in his room is currently sitting on his bed, waiting for him to get ready. His life truly has been unpredictable lately.

He sits in front of his dresser, watching how awkward Jeongguk looks as he plays with his jacket sleeve. He sighs. Might as well start this uncomfortable conversation and be done with it as quickly as possible.

“So, I was thinking we should get a backstory ready about how we met and got together,” he starts, applying concealer under his dead, tired eyes. 

Jeongguk nods and thinks for a moment. “I say we keep it close to the truth. We met due to mutual friends and you liked me first and asked me out.”

Taehyung pauses dabbing his makeup sponge and scoffs. “That’s not close to the truth. I would never ask you out.” Would rather die than be the first one to make a move. 

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “And thank god for that. But this whole relationship isn’t really supposed to be realistic since it well– it doesn’t exist, I don’t think these minor details should matter.”

Taehyung clicks his tongue. “They matter to me . My family would never believe I would ask anyone out, let alone someone like you .”

The younger just stares at him in disbelief. “Someone like me? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what that means,” Taehyung shrugs, going back to reapply his concealer.

He sees Jeongguk cross his arms in the mirror. “I actually don’t but whatever. If it really matters so much, I asked you out in our story. But just for the record, even if you did ask me out, I would laugh in your face before rejecting you.”

“Is that how every person you’ve ever asked out has rejected you?” He prods, feigning sympathy by overly pouting and clasping his hands to his chest. Jeongguk seethes. 

“I would have you know I haven’t ever received a single rejection–”

Their bickering is interrupted by Taehyung’s phone ringing, and he sees his mother's name and picture flashing on the screen before he picks it up. 

“Hello sweetheart,” her voice pours through the phone in greeting. “Are you and Jeongguk on your way?” 

“Not yet, Eomma. But we will soon, did you need us to pick something up?”

“Oh no, I just wanted to know if Jeongguk had any special allergies we needed to take care of!”

Oh, shit. Taehyung has no idea about any of Jeongguk’s allergies and it’ll be suspicious if he asks now. A good fiance is supposed to know everything about the person he’s supposed to marry, right?

“He’s allergic to shellfish, actually!” he says, trying to sound like he just didn’t pull this out of his ass. 

Taehyung’s mother hums on the other line. “It’s good that I asked, I think clams were on the menu for tonight. All right then, I’ll see you soon then, bye!” She quickly cuts the call before Taehyung can say a word. He can imagine how busy his mother must be tonight, trying to arrange nothing but the best for her son and the fiance that no one in the family ever expected to have. And given Taehyung’s terrible track record with men, he can’t really blame them.

“What did she say?” Jeongguk asks the minute he sets down his phone, the curiosity clear in his tone. 

“She asked what you were allergic to and I said shellfish,” he answers, rummaging through his jewellery box for something less flashy due to his father’s dislike for accessories or makeup on men. Normally he could give a rats’ ass about what his father thinks but since Jeongguk is going to be with him tonight, he’d rather not cause a scene. He surely doesn’t need to see the ugly side of the otherwise overly loving and harmonious Kims.

“But I love shellfish!” Jeongguk protests, tone almost whiny.

Taehyung groans in response. “You’ll be deathly allergic to them for this one dinner, you hear me? It was an accident, I blurted it out without thinking.” Jeongguk continues to sulk in his spot like a little kid being told no for the first time in their life. 

“You do a lot of that, it seems. If you could just use your brain before opening that big mouth of yours, we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”

He has a point, of course. But Taehyung doesn’t like it when Jeongguk has a point. Pisses him off more than anything. 

He’s about to retort when Jeongguk grabs the family picture on his bedside table and peers at it. “Tell me something about your family.”

Taehyung doesn’t answer as he fastens on the single pearl earring in his right ear. His family. Where should he start? Should he talk about the beautiful memories he made throughout his childhood and adolescence, playing football with his brother in the enormous yard, or falling asleep to his grandmother’s stories, or sitting on his father’s lap as he heard him talk about his day in the huge company that he was one day supposed to inherit? Or should he talk about the heart-wrenching pain he felt the day he threw his bags in the taxi, the anger in his veins flowing just like the tears down his mother’s cheeks? The pain that feels to this day as he stares at the framed photo every night before he sleeps?

He grabs the suit jacket matching his pants and stares at himself in the mirror as he drapes it on. Off-white suit and a white slightly sheer shirt underneath. Prim and proper. A true Kim.

His neck feels too bare so grabs a white scarf to match and sits on his bed, keeping ample space from Jeongguk, who stares at him, puzzled over his silence. Jeongguk watches Taehyung grab the picture that was taken at his brother’s wedding from him, gazing at it for a few seconds before raising his head and pointing to his father. 

“This is my father, Kim Soohyun. He founded and is the CEO of Kim Electronics and the K-Plaza Shopping Centre in Gangnam. He’ll be the only one not too happy with our relationship.” He doesn’t want to speak about his family members in detail. The less Jeongguk knows about them, the better. The racer looks up at him at the last comment but doesn’t say anything, thankfully. 

“This is my mother, Bae Yeri. She’s one of the most sought out lawyers in Korea so we need to be extra careful around her. It’s not like she suspects anything fishy is going on but one slip up and she might know something is amiss.”

“Be careful of the mother, the father probably already hates you. Got it, who’s next?” Jeongguk comments and Taehyung has to curb the smile spreading on his face. 

He tells them a few tidbits about the rest of his family until it’s time to leave. Stuff that’ll fare well in simple conversation so things aren’t too robotic between them. This has to be as natural and close to reality as possible. While Jeongguk gathers his things and straightens his suit, Taehyung tries to tie the scarf around his neck in an intricate knot. 

His fingers are slightly sweaty and shaky from nerves so they fumble and twist around the silk until Taehyung huffs in annoyance. 

Jeongguk, who grows even more frustrated with Taehyung’s struggles, swats his hands away from the crumpled cloth. “Give me that, I’ll do it,” he groans exasperatedly. 

Taehyung, whose face feels a little hot at the moment, tries to distract himself from the feeling of Jeongguk’s fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of his neck. The smell of his cologne is, annoyingly enough, really nice and soft. He’s got rings all over his fingers and one of his hands has tattoos lining them. 

Averting his attention back, Taehyung taunts him.  “Do you even know how to do it?”

Jeongguk clicks his tongue and meets his gaze. “What, you think you’re the only one who knows how to dress well?”

Taehyung doesn’t know if it’s a jab back at him or an indirect compliment and the way Jeongguk stares at him intensely and his knuckles graze his neck is knotting his stomach unpleasantly. As if he’s some touch-starved, basement-dwelling, incel experiencing simple human contact for the first time. It’s pathetic. 

 “All done,” he whispers, the pads of his fingers touching his Adam's apple as he moves away from him. Taehyung swallows heavily. The touch is weirdly electric. 

He immediately springs up from the bed, wanting to maintain as much distance as possible between the two. “Let’s go, shall we?” He should go and get some fresh air. The stuffiness in his room is causing some strange reactions. 

“Wait,” Jeongguk says before rummaging in his pocket and producing a red velvet box. He stands in front of Taehyung and opens it. 

Taehyung almost lets out a gasp at the beautiful engagement ring in front of him. He flicks his gaze to Jeongguk, who stares back at him expectantly. “What?” he asks, a little confused as to why there’s a real , expensive, gorgeous ring right in front of him. “You do know this is a fake relationship, right?” he teases, a smug grin making its way on his face.

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “Well, it’s supposed to be very much real for your family. And any engaged person wouldn’t be one without a ring, would he?” He takes out the ring from the box. A huge, beautifully cut diamond rests atop a simple, yet elegant silver band. Exactly Taehyung’s style. “It was my mother’s and she gave it to me so I could propose to my fiance with it.” Taehyung stares at the ring in awe. Whoever gets to wear it must be one lucky person. Aside from dealing with the person whose fingers are attached to it for the rest of their lives.

His throat goes dry, heart pounding. Why is the air between them so weird?

Jeongguk scratches his nape with his other hand, ears tinted pink. “I tried wearing it but my fingers are too thick. We can try it on yours and hopefully, it’ll fit.”

And before Taehyung can form a reply, Jeongguk takes his left hand and gently slips in the jewellery on his ring finger.

Taehyung’s words stick in his throat as he stares at the beautiful band circling his finger, fitting perfectly as if made specially for him. It looks foreign yet stunning on his finger, complementing his honey-like skin wonderfully. 

They both stare at the ring in silence for a few moments before Jeongguk subtly clears his throat, breaking Taehyung out of his daze. “We’re going to be late if we don’t leave now.”

Taehyung blinks twice. “Lead the way, captain,” he replies sarcastically before switching off the lights in his room. 

As he locks the door to his apartment he can’t help but repeatedly glance at the ring. The weight of it feels different on his finger and every time Taehyung uses his left hand the diamond flashes at him. It’s just for a few hours, he has to remind himself as the two wait for the lift. Just a few more hours and you’ll never see this ring ever again, and with it, Jeon Jeongguk.

♬♬♬

Jeongguk halts his car in front of the huge familiar gate with a giant K embossed in gold in its centre. Taehyung gulps as he stares at it, the memories pouring back in like a high tide wave. His breathing feels laboured and a huge weight has settled on his chest as if the guilt inside him is telling him to run away, to remind him that he isn’t welcome here anymore.

It’s been 4 years since these same gates closed the path to his home forever.

Jeongguk looks at him after pressing the intercom in what looks like slight concern. “Are you okay?”

Taehyung nods, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just a little nervous that we won’t be able to pull it off and I’ll let my grandmother down.”

“We’ll do well and make sure your grandmother won’t suspect a thing,” he says and even though his tone isn’t particularly reassuring, Taehyung feels a little at ease. 

The gate opens and they drive on the long gravel path leading towards the huge mansion, the white and gold highlighted by the yellow lights at the base of the tall marble pillars. 

“Holy fuck,” Jeongguk breathes out as he stops the car right in front of the steps leading to the main door. “For a moment, I forgot you belonged to the richest family in Korea.”

Taehyung’s lips quirk up at his astonishment and the way his eyes widen, turning all doe-like. He also sometimes forgets his family is incredibly wealthy, belonging to the top 0.1% of the South Korean population. Living in an apartment on the outskirts of Gangnam that is smaller than his friends’ certainly has humbled him a bit, but he can’t say he doesn’t miss living in a home as luxurious as this.

“Isn’t your family loaded as well?” he asks Jeongguk as he parks his Lamborghini Veneno next to his brother’s and his family’s three cars. He’s aware Jeongguk’s father was one of the most famous F1 racers in the world during his prime and his mother is one of the top surgeons in Korea currently.

“Yeah, but they’re not this rich. This is just insane,” he murmurs as he unlatches his seatbelt and grabs a gift bag from the back. 

They walk towards the off-white main door and Taehyung presses the doorbell. His suit feels too hot in the spring air and sweat has started to bead his forehead.

This is for halmeoni, he reminds himself. You cannot fuck up whatsoever.

His train of thought derails when he feels a hand clasping his. Gasping, he jerks it back and frowns at Jeongguk. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “Calm down, princess. Don’t you think couples in love hold their hands whenever they can, especially before meeting one’s family?”

Taehyung makes a face, but he knows Jeongguk is right. “Fine. Only holding hands for the night. Don’t go further than that, my family isn’t too big on public affection either.”

Jeongguk scoffs. “You think holding this disgusting, clammy hand is fun for me?” He still slips his hand inside Taehyung’s, their fingers loosely slotting together.

Taehyung is about to argue back in his hands’ defence when the sound of the door opening interrupts the constant crickets chirping in their garden. His hand involuntarily tightens in Jeongguk’s hold and his heart skips a tiny beat when he feels a squeeze back. 

Their huge front door opens and Taehyung’s mother comes into view, a huge smile decorating her stunning face. He sees her eyes flick to their conjoined hands before she engulfs Taehyung in a tight hug. “Welcome home, baby,” she whispers, Taehyung shutting his eyes as he wraps his arms around her. 

Home . Oh, how he’s missed that word.

She detaches herself from Taehyung for a moment and smiles at the man next to him. “And you must be Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk nods, immediately bowing in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you–” he’s cut off by Yeri’s hug, eyes widening a bit before he hugs her back, a little awkwardly.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Jeongguk,” she says while pulling back. She glances between the two. “Let’s go in, everyone is very excited for tonight.”

Jeongguk glances at him and they share a little nod when his mother turns her back on them, a little gesture of encouragement for the night they’re about to go through.

Taehyung enters the house he left years ago with a little heaviness in his chest, his throat bobbing as he takes in the unchanged white walls with intricate gold designs that encase the entire structure. Jeongguk’s eyes widen as he takes in the grand marble staircase leading to the upper floor, made up of the same colour as the walls next to it and the same stone as the floor underneath them. 

Taehyung bites his lips as Jeongguk’s mouth visibly hangs open and his eyes constantly flick around, taking everything around him in. Taehyung nudges him slightly, hands holding the lapels of his coat. “Let me take this,” he says, his mother giving him a smile as she sees him hang Jeongguk’s coat next to his own.

“Your house– It’s incredible, Yeri-ssi,” he blinks a few times, trying to bring himself back from his daze. 

She pats his cheek. “I’m glad you think so. Please make yourself at home and just call me eomonim.”

Eomonim? Did Jeongguk win over his mother this easily? Or is his mother trying to get their defences down so she’ll catch them in their lie when they least expect it? It’s her most famous move in court after all–

“Taehyung-ah?” he hears her ask, her hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

He nods, blinking twice. He needs to stop being so paranoid or else he might do something stupid and make everyone suspicious of his erratic behaviour. Maybe his mother truly is very happy to have Jeongguk here.

“Yes, of course,” he replies and gives her a reassuring smile. He looks around the long, empty hallways leading to the kitchen and living room. “Where’s the rest of the staff?”

Yeri waves it off. “You know how your halmeoni is, don’t you? She sent them all home since she strictly wanted it to be a family dinner tonight.” She squeezes Jeongguk’s arm. “And now that includes you too, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk gives her a little smile in return, an expression of something similar to guilt flashing on his face for a second. “That’s such an honour, Ye– eomonim,” he still manages to say.

The three walk to their living room and Taehyung hears Jeongguk gasp under his breath as he takes in the living room designed in Beaux Art architecture, the high ceiling painted blue with wisps of white depicting the sky, the furniture a mixture of white, gold and navy blue, the last colour a recent addition. A shiny black piano sits in one corner of the room next to the huge windows now draped with navy blue curtains. The lit-up chandelier bathes the room in a pale yellow light and Taehyung sees various family members scattered across the room, waiting for them. He, of course, rushes to his grandmother first.

“My baby bear!” she exclaims before standing up from her usual chair and giving his cheeks a few good smacks, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

“How are you feeling, halmeoni?” he asks her, trying to keep his voice stable and his vision from blurring.

“Pssh. Of course I’m feeling just fine!” She smiles at Jeongguk standing awkwardly behind them, ears a little pink from how the attention of every member in the room is focused on him. Taehyung almost feels bad. 

“Especially now that I get to meet my Taehyungie’s prince charming!” she gushes, holding his surprised face and giving him a kiss on each cheek. 

“Halmeoni, I’m Jeongguk, nice to meet you,” Jeongguk greets with a smile and is about to bow when she stops him and pulls him in a hug. 

“I’m so happy to meet you, Jeonggukie,” she whispers and Taehyung’s heart clenches when he notices her eyes are slightly wet.

Oh god, what is he doing, lying to his grandmother like this? How can tell her the truth about him and Jeongguk when their supposed relationship brings happy tears to her eyes?

The guilt weighs down his body, crushing his entire being from within. He, unfortunately, doesn’t have time to sit and ponder over his actions, with how he needs to be an Oscar-worthy actor at the moment, but he knows he’s going to think about this night in shame for the rest of his life.

He introduces Jeongguk to his father when his grandmother finally lets go of him, not before showering him in praise about how handsome he looks and how lucky Taehyung is to land himself a man as gentlemanly as him.

Handsome? Gentlemanly? Taehyung has to curb the urge to scoff.

Jeongguk pretends to look a little nervous as he hands him a gift wrapped in beautiful golden paper. “I really hope you like this, Kim-ssi.”

Taehyung’s father doesn’t reply anything other than a hum, opening the wrapping carefully to a bottle of whiskey underneath him. When did Jeongguk even find the time to buy this?

Seojun’s eyebrows raise slightly as he turns over the bottle to read the label. “The GlenDronach Grandeur Batch 11,” he nods at Jeongguk. “A man of good taste, I see.”

Taehyung bites his lip as he watches Jeongguk chuckle. “That goes without saying, given how I’m marrying your son.”

Taehyung’s family laughs around him, even his father giving Jeongguk a small, amused smile. Jeongguk grins at Taqehyung and he has to remind himself to force a smile back. 

How is he so good at this? How can he keep his dislike for Taehyung aside so easily? How has he already won over his family, who’s usually so sceptical and analytic about the rest of his boyfriends?

“I’m Taeho, this is my wife Minji and this is our son Heechan,” he hears his brother introduce himself before shaking Jeongguk’s hand. 

Taehyung blinks himself out of his daze. If Jeongguk is trying to pull this off well then he should be trying much harder, given how this is all his fault and problem in the first place.

Jeongguk smiles and shakes their hands as well, grinning at the tiny boy who is shyly hiding behind his father’s legs. A rush of affection overcomes Taehyung upon seeing him. He’s always been fond of children but seeing his nephew, who looks so much like his father when he was a child, makes him incredibly happy. Maybe he should visit Taeho sometimes.

“Hey there,” he says softly to the boy, crouching down on his level. “Do you know who I am?”

Heechan nods, a small smile blooming on his face. “You’re Tete.”

Taehyung laughs, nodding and holding his arms out to pick him up. “That’s right buddy,” he grins when Heechan comes forward to be picked up, “I’m your samchon Tete.”

He gives his cheek a little kiss once he hoists him up, Heechan’s face lighting up. He looks at Jeongguk and points to him with his tiny finger. “Who?”

Jeongguk giggles, the unexpected sound sending a slight shock down Taehyung’s body, and boops his small nose. “I’m Jeongguk, Taehyung’s fiance.”

It’s obvious that Heechan has no idea what the last word means, because he immediately turns to his mother, looking a little confused. 

His mother smiles. “Just like your eomma and appa love each other a lot, Tete and Jeongguk love each other a lot as well.”

Taehyung doesn’t know if Heechan understood the explanation or not but it was enough to burn his cheeks a little. 

His mother calls out to them. “The dinner is ready and the table is set.”

They all walk to the dining room, Jeongguk’s hand constantly brushing his, until Taehyung decides to hold it. Jeongguk already said it’s what couples do and honestly, he needs a little support while walking since his legs feel like jelly from the anxiety filling in his body. So what if it’s from the person he cannot stand even the slightest?

They all take a seat at the huge 8 seater dining table; Taehyung’s father on the head chair, his mother and grandmother on either side, Taeho and Minji sitting next to their mother, with Heechan in a baby chair next to them and Taehyung and Jeongguk next to his grandmother. The table is laid with expensive china with beautiful designs on them. There’s a small rotating table laid on top which has vessels filled with steaming food on it, smelling heavenly. Taehyung can’t wait to dig in.

The dinner starts well, with a few questions thrown around here and there about how their lives are going while they devour the salads and appetizers. Taehyung almost thinks his family has known enough about their relationship and won’t ask any more questions when his grandmother speaks.

“So, how did you two meet?” she asks while serving some kimchi on Yeri’s plate. 

Taehyung, who has a mouthful of rice at the moment, looks at Jeongguk to help him out. 

Jeongguk smiles at him, which almost gets the food stuck in his throat, before speaking. “Well, I met Taehyung officially for the first time when Jimin and Yoongi introduced us. I’m Jimin’s best friend and he thought it was a great idea for both of their groups to merge. Taehyung and I kept in touch after that day and before I knew it, I had fallen for him. I asked him out a few weeks later and the rest is history.” Taehyung breathes out a sigh of relief. Just as they had practised.

Taeho nods along and Taehyung’s mother and grandmother smile at the story. “You said ‘officially for the first time’,” Minji points out, leaning her chin on her palm. “Had you met him previously as well?”

Taehyung raises his eyebrow. He hadn’t noticed the addition in their made up story and was himself curious as to what Jeongguk was referring to. He did know Jeongguk by name before they had first met but it wasn’t for a good reason, which had ended up causing their first argument. But he had no idea Jeongguk too had known about him before they met, since Taehyung was still preparing for his debut back then.

Jeongguk looks at Taehyung sheepishly before laying down his fork and knife back on the table and sitting straighter. “Taehyung doesn’t know this, but I had seen him for the very first time a few years before we met, when I was 13.” Taehyung sets down his cutlery as well, suddenly very interested to hear this bullshit story Jeongguk was cooking up.

“I was dragged to some charity event for all notable people in the country by my father, for a cause I didn’t really care about. The whole evening was full of boring old people talking about business and politics and whatnot and I was so bored out of my mind, regretting every second I spent there instead of playing GTA back home.” 

Taehyung glances at his family members hanging on to his every word, even his father who had an intriguing expression on his usual stoic face. 

“Until I saw him,” Jeongguk says, bringing Taehyung’s attention back to him. He bites his bottom lip once before continuing. “There was a boy on the table opposite mine. His hair was dyed a light lavender at the time, something I found utterly fascinating. He looked around my age and equally as bored as I was.” He takes a breath. “And I knew, the second I laid eyes on the beautiful boy in front of me, that I was a goner.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened at that. The story sounds a little too well-framed and detailed to be fake and he even remembers having lavender hair around the ages of 14 or 15. But this cannot be true, could it? Jeongguk was basically admitting to having a crush on Taehyung when he was 13, years before they knew each other. How is that even possible? How could he go from that to hating Taehyung’s guts the second they introduced themselves?

Minji lets out a small aww and the rest of the family have smiles on their faces, with the exception of his father, of course. “That’s very sweet, Jeongguk,” his mother says, honey dripping from her voice. “Did you talk to Taehyungie that night?”

Jeongguk shakes his head. “Oh, I couldn’t muster up the courage to talk to someone so handsome at first. But by the time I gave myself a pep talk to approach him, Taehyung had disappeared and I had to leave.” His lips lift up slightly. “The crush disappeared in a few days but the boy with the purple hair never left my mind. When Taehyung debuted, it didn’t even take me one second to recognise him. And the moment I saw him sitting next to Yoongi on the restaurant table, I knew my luck couldn’t get better than this.”

Taehyung wants to laugh. Their actual first meeting could be called anything but lucky. He realises Jeongguk was done with his story and his family was waiting for his reaction, given how he had never heard of this before. 

Jeongguk had been the one taking all the initiative to prove how in love they were until now and now it was his turn. He gives Jeongguk the sweetest smile he can muster while looking at his annoying face and intertwines their fingers together. “I wish you would’ve talked to me that time,” he says, voice sweeter than candy, “We could’ve been happier together for longer.”

Ugh, happier with Jeongguk out of all people? Barf .

Jeongguk gives him a little smile before subtly detaching their hands, which shows how they’re on the same page about these over the top PDA gestures. He doesn’t know how true Jeongguk’s story is but he’s sure even if they were at the same gala that night, Jeongguk had anything but a crush on him. He probably wanted to strangle Taehyung even then. 

The rest of the dinner goes by quickly and before Taehyung knows it he’s eating tiramisu for dessert, his mother’s speciality which brings tears to his eyes after eating the first spoonful. Throughout the dinner his family kept asking Jeongguk questions about himself and his profession, wanting to get to know as much as possible about the man Taehyung is supposed to marry. Jeongguk doesn’t mind giving detailed answers to each question, no matter how personal it is, and it bothers Taehyung. Why is he pretending so hard to like his family? Jeongguk is getting nothing from this in return and he was only supposed to be present as his fiance for one night. But he genuinely seems to have fun during the entire dinner, laughing along to every funny incident being narrated and even telling a few fun stories of his own, adding Taehyung in here and there to make their relationship seem more real. 

Taehyung wishes he could have more fun during the whole dinner. It’s not like he wasn’t having any but the pressure of not slipping up and the tension between him and his father that was evident every time he made an unpleasant face at the mere mention of his relationship with Jeongguk or his music career. Taehyung loved having dinner with his family each night who would come back home in time for dinner no matter how busy they were but now that joy was gone too. 

Nothing will ever be the same, he realises miserably, his eyes stinging with unshed tears as he spoons some more tiramisu. Even if they manage to resolve their differences down the years his grandmother won’t be here to see it. Or won’t meet the man he will marry for real, who truly loves him for who he is.

He’s lost in thought for a while, the conversation a low hum in the background, until Taehyung’s mother asks Jeongguk an unexpected question. “Who proposed between the two of you? And how was it?”

Taehyung and Jeongguk turn to each other immediately, praying that none of his family members see the desperate look in their eyes. They hadn’t ever expected this question and hence never prepared an answer, which was insanely stupid on their part. Taehyung’s brain scrambles for one at top speed, now instantly put on the spot. 

Jeongguk, who seems to be an expert at creating bullshit stories at record speed, comes to their rescue. “It was me who proposed,” he starts, once again grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. 

“That’s a very beautiful ring,” Minji compliments, staring at Taehyung’s hand holding the bowl. 

Jeongguk smiles. “Thank you. It’s my mother’s. She gave it to me when I turned 18 and said that this was the ring my father proposed to her with. I was a little worried that it wouldn't fit Taehyung and I would have to resize it but it slid in without any resistance.” He smiles at Taehyung. “And that’s when I knew he was fated for me.”

Holy shit. Where did Jeongguk get all these cheesy rom-com-like lines from? Taehyung’s heart almost traitorously skipped a beat.

“So for the actual proposal, I took him to Paris,” he starts. 

“That’s Taehyungie’s favourite place!” Taehyung’s grandmother interrupts, stars in her eyes as she stares at Jeongguk, who nods.

“Yes, he’d mentioned it on one of our first dates and I just knew it would be the perfect place for the proposal. Anyways when we were in the city, the entire time the ring was resting in my pocket and I was just waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question. Every time I built up the courage to ask him, it didn’t feel like it was time, you know? I know everyone thinks of the Eiffel Tower as the most romantic place for these things in Paris but honestly? It’s too crowded for such an intimate and personal moment, in my opinion. I would rather prefer the Sacre Coeur, which is an even more beautiful place.”

“I paid the guards there a little extra and took permission to stay after 10 pm, which is the closing time. So there we were all alone, standing against the balcony and looking at the beautiful view of the city below us. And as I looked at Taehyung, bathed by the moonlight and his eyes glittering while he stared at the twinkling city lights, I knew there could never be a perfect moment to propose to him, since every moment spent together was perfect for me.” 

Taehyung gulps, his breath heaving as he listens to the tale, enraptured as the other people in the room. 

“So I did it, right there. Under the moonlight, the lights of the city of love shining in front of us.”

“Oh, sweethearts,” Taehyung’s grandmother speaks after a moment of silence, dabbing the corners of her wet eyes.

“That was beautiful, Jeongguk. Thank you for making our Taehyungie feel so special.” his mother sniffs.

Minji’s eyes are watery as he looks at Taehyung. “How did that proposal make you feel, Tae?”

Taehyung doesn’t know why his vision is blurry or his throat feels clogged with emotion over an untrue story of someone proposing to him. He’s only heard of these kinds of proposals in fairy tales or exaggerated romance movies that make you believe that perhaps true love is really possible for a few moments. He doesn’t know how Jeongguk came up with such a beautiful proposal in mere seconds but he knows he would do anything to be on the receiving end of one so magical.

He clears his throat before he replies, feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden. “I–uh, I felt like the luckiest man in the world, to be the one receiving so much love. I felt incredibly lucky that I was about to marry a man who was so thoughtful, kind, caring and who loved me so much,” he chokes up a little on the last part when Jeongguk’s gaze meets his, emotion surprisingly swimming through them. “I felt like I didn’t deserve that kind of love.”

The last part felt too real, too honest coming from his mouth and he blinks away his blurry vision. What is he doing, getting swept away by some phoney words and pretend gestures? He thinks it’s time for them to go home and end this act once and for all.

Taehyung’s about to voice out their departure when Jeongguk takes his hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. “You do,” he whispers, and it feels so true for a moment that Taehyung forgets of their long history and their petty bickering and the two only stare at each other as if frozen in time. The only things he can feel or see are the intensity in Jeongguk’s eyes and the feeling of his thumb caressing his hand.

“He’s right baby bear, you do deserve it and don’t ever think otherwise, okay?” his grandmother reassures him, putting her hand on his shoulder and breaking their moment. Taehyung pulls back his hand quickly, as if burnt.

What the fuck just happened?

♬♬♬

“Thank you for joining us tonight, Jeongguk,” his grandmother says as Taehyung and Jeongguk put on their coats. She gives him a hug when he’s dressed. “Please join us for dinner again very soon.”

The hope in her voice sends an arrow of guilt piercing through Taehyung’s heart as he sees Jeongguk smile at her with equal guilt subtly scattered across his face. “Of course, Halmeoni. I’ll try to be back as soon as possible, alright?”

He watches him bid goodbye to each of his family members, even managing to kiss a very sleepy Heechan’s cheek. He looks a little sad, as if he’s truly sorry he’ll never see any of them ever again.

How much of tonight was pretending, Jeongguk? Are you really that good at acting?

“The car is here,” he hears his father say as he walks down the staircase donning a coat, ready to go.

Since all of them had a drink or two earlier, Taehyung’s mother had decided it was too dangerous for them to be driving back home and had called their driver to drop them both off at their apartments. Surprisingly, Taehyung’s father had decided to accompany the two as well. Taehyung knows his father very well and he knows that he never does anything without a legitimate reason, so he just has to find out what before either of the two fuck up.

Taehyung too quickly says his goodbyes to his family. He hugs his mother tight, who whispers, “Come home sometimes, baby. We miss you here,” before detaching, almost leaving him a sobbing mess right then and there. 

Luckily, Jeongguk is there to distract him as he once again holds his hand, even though Taehyung thinks he can stop with the charades for now. They’ve done enough pretending to last their whole lifetimes and besides, he thinks his entire family has bought their act.

Still, he doesn’t pull his hand back as they sit in one of their family cars, Taehyung’s father in the front seat and Jeongguk and Taehyung in the back. They let go of their hands as soon as they’re seated but Taehyung thinks he can still feel the warmth of Jeongguk’s touch lingering. 

Maybe he should’ve declined the third wine serving. 

The driver starts the car and they set off, the mood in the car hilariously uncomfortable. Taehyung’s father doesn’t speak a word in the beginning but his eyes keep flicking to the rear-view mirror, as if he might catch the two shamelessly making out in the backseat or something. 

Well, you don’t have to worry about that at all father, Taehyung thinks as he stares out of the window, the trees around them lessening as they get closer to the city. After tonight, I’m never seeing my beloved fiance ever again.

“So Jeongguk, you’re 21 years old, am I correct?” his father suddenly speaks, breaking the twenty minute silence that settled between them. 

Here we go.

He thinks Jeongguk might have actually dozed off for a bit, with how dazed he looks while answering. “Yes, Kim–ssi.”

Seojun hums. “Don’t you think that’s a little too young to be engaged, given how Taehyung is just 23 as well?”

Jeongguk blinks a few times at Taehyung, trying to decipher how to answer this question. Taehyung knows they’re both thinking the same thing: is this a test? Is his father still not convinced of their relationship?

Jeongguk is truly caught off guard this time, with how he stutters in the beginning of his answer. “Well– yes, I’d think so. I don’t think any of my friends would want to get engaged at our age, even if they’ve been with their partners for a long time.”

“So what made you want to ask for our Taehyung’s hand in marriage, then?” his father asks, his sharp eyes staring at them through the mirror. “Because you see, Taehyung was single for a long time as far as we knew and one day, right when his dear grandmother wished she see him engaged before her passing, he suddenly reveals he is, in fact, engaged to a man who we’ve never heard about before.”

Oh, fuck . He definitely doesn’t buy their bullshit love story, at least not completely. Taehyung can’t blame him. He too would find everything too convenient and suspicious if he were in his father’s place. He’s pretty sure the rest of his family must’ve also had the same thought to varying degrees but didn’t want to ruin his grandmother’s happiness by raising those doubts tonight.

Taehyung sends Jeongguk a subtle panicked glare, feeling a little bad that he’s the one taking the fall each time with his intricate stories. But this time it’s a simple answer.

“I got to know Taehyung over the past two years in every way possible, the good and the bad,” he turns to look at Taehyung and gives him a smile. “And when you know, you just know. I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life, so I made sure of it with a ring. We might take a while to get married but for now, I’m at peace knowing we belong only to each other.”

Oh wow, how does he manage to spin this nonsense even in a half-asleep state? 

Taehyung’s father stays quiet for a while before speaking again. “And what about your parents? What do they think about your piercings and tattoos, your reputation, your choice of partner and your… lifestyle ? Especially your father?”

“Appa please,” Taehyung says quietly, his tone holding some warning in it. He knows his father has done his research and knows about Jeongguk’s issues with the media, probably from the years of articles badmouthing Jeongguk’s careless, don’t-give-a-fuck-about-anything way of living. Taehyung himself isn’t really a big fan of it but it’s impolite to ask about how Jeongguk’s parents feel about it, especially in the first meeting.

And if Taehyung’s father knows about Jeongguk’s reputation, he certainly knows about his and Taehyung’s endless arguments and enmity in the media currently. Of course he doesn’t buy their bullshit act of being in love. Taehyung should’ve known.

He starts to sweat upon the realisation, desperately praying he doesn’t say a word of it to his grandmother or the rest of his family. He racks his brain for a way to make his father believe in them, something that won’t feel too over-the-top or sudden due to this conversation, but stops when he hears Jeongguk answering.

“Well, Kim-ssi. My father might be the person I respect the most, but he cannot dictate or micro-manage every single part of my life. Especially the things beyond my control.”

Taehyung knows he’s referring to his sexuality and even though he knows he wasn’t saying it in a particularly malicious way, he selfishly hopes his father feels a little sting from it. Taehyung has been struggling to say the same thing to his father for years and although he knows Jeongguk didn’t say it for him , he still thinks his father got the message for the both of them. He looks at Jeongguk when his father doesn’t have a reply to that and gives him a smile, the first real one that evening. The first real one ever, probably.

His father doesn’t ask any more questions after that and Taehyung almost cries in relief when the driver tells them they’ve arrived at Jeongguk’s apartment. They both get out of the car after he tells his father he’ll be back after saying goodbye.

The two walk towards the glass door to his apartment building in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. The fact that they both mutually decided to never speak to each other after this hangs between them, and even though he knows he might see Jeongguk from time to time due to their mutual friends, he isn’t going to engage in petty fights or meaningless conversations anymore and stay pretty clear of him altogether.

So as they stand in front of the door, they both know it’s their last time speaking to each other.

“I hope everything was alright, tonight,” Jeongguk breaks their awkward silence, eyes anywhere but on Taehyung. 

“I hope so too,” Taehyung replies, voice overly formal. He really should leave before he blurts out something stupid and gets them in trouble again. 

“Thank you, for tonight. I’ll forever be grateful for what you did for me and my grandmother.”

Jeongguk waves it off. “I did it for your grandma, mainly. She’s a very sweet lady, I wish her the best of health.”

Taehyung nods, front teeth gnawing his bottom lip. “And I’m sorry about my dad’s question from earlier about your parents’s opinion about you. That was way out of line.”

Jeongguk finally meets his gaze, shaking his head. “It’s alright, I don’t mind talking about how much of a disappointment I am to my family,” he grins, Taehyung giving him a small smile back.

Taehyung knows it’s time to leave but he also knows his father must be looking at them from inside his car. Waiting to see what he would do next, if he would treat Jeongguk any differently from his other boyfriends, add a point to the list of his reasons that this is a sham.

Taehyung always kisses his boyfriends goodbye.

Jeongguk is turning to go inside when Taehyung grabs him by his arm. “Is my father looking at us?” he whispers to a startled Jeongguk. Oh god, what is he doing?

He sees his gaze flick from the car back to him. “Yes, I think.”

Taehyung gulps as tries to decide if what he’s about to do is the right thing or something bordering on insanity. He shouldn’t even care about what his father thinks of the two of them but the fear that he might even let his grandmother know what’s really going on makes him take the hasty decision that’s about to change his life. Overthinking be damned, everything he’s been doing for the past few hours is only to keep his grandmother happy. 

“I’m really sorry about this,” he says before closing his eyes and the gap between their lips, placing a simple but a little longer than necessary peck on Jeongguk’s lips. They feel softer than he’d ever imagined. Not that he has ever imagined kissing Jeongguk per se. His left hand cups Jeongguk's jaw for it to look more natural. He doesn’t move his mouth and neither does Jeongguk, who is probably too stunned to react, so they just stay like that, stuck to each other for a good ten seconds.

He pulls back, watching Jeongguk widen his eyes so big he’s afraid they’ll roll out of their sockets. “Good night, Jeongguk,” he says softly and leaves before Jeongguk can comment on what just happened, before his mind has a chance to react as to what he did.

As he walks towards the car, he touches his lips, still feeling the foreign pressure on them, completely missing the rush of the bushes right next to the entrance, just as they both had missed the click and flash of a camera snapping during their kiss.

He sits in the car, the reality of his actions slowly dawning on him. 

It doesn’t matter , he thinks as he buries himself under the covers as if they’ll save him from his embarrassment. He’ll apologise to Jeongguk about the kiss by text or pass a message through Jimin. It was just a simple peck on the lips, he doesn’t need to make a big deal about it. He’s never speaking to Jeongguk ever again anyway.

He closes his eyes, the exhaustion of the whole ordeal finally taking a toll on him and lulling him into a sleep so heavy, that he completely misses the constant vibrations of his phone, Seokjin and Yoongi trying to reach him to inform him about something that he’d never expected would happen.