peace | taekook

chapter two

taehyung felt very lucky to have grown up as he did. a beautiful family home, money to blow-

his father was ceo of an aggressively large insurance agency that focused on scamming everyday people out of basic medical costs. it was backwards and an ode to a broken system but that didn't stop the kids from graciously accepting their roles within society.

it had always been said that his brother would focus on climbing the ladder next. he had basically been a business prodigy since birth, it only seemed right for him to slip into that role but taehyung didn't feel the same spark towards work.

he preferred to run through life with arms open, catching miscellaneous opportunities as they came by usually in the form of fashion, modeling, and anything that allowed him to show his true creative self.

tae knew that in order to continue this, he had to attend one obligatory meeting a month with the board of directors to discuss basic financial patterns, market growth, and an abundance of other terms that he would never truly learn.

"you made it." his father had a piping hot cup of coffee steaming into his face as he ran through a packet of paperwork before the afternoon, "because your brother called you a few days ago and you blew him off."

taehyung could feel the tension, thick with distaste for his son's lifestyle, "we both know that namjoon isn't the boss of me." he felt childish saying it, "i just get in the way when i'm here!"

"but we still want you here." his father barely glanced up but tae could tell that his eyes were sad, wishing both his sons shared his passion.

"well, i'm here today!" he desperately wanted to change the subject, "what are we going to be discussing today? why didn't i get a fancy packet?"

namjoon slipped in from the other side of the door, two in hand as he set the sheets of paper on front of tae.

"my guardian angel!" the youngest joked, digging in his father's pen cup for a highlighter.

"good to see you in a suit." the eldest brother fell into the chair next to tae, "did your assistant finish the slides?"

"at the top of the hour. check your email, they should come direct!" the man who looked older than he was leaned back in his chair, "are you ready for your promotion to cfo?"

namjoon nodded curtly, "as ready as i can be without actually stepping into the position."

taehyung felt his stomach growl with a hint of hunger... and maybe jealousy. he'd always felt like such a black sheep and these meetings never helped.

"i have a few colleagues who we'll be having dinner with tonight. i emailed over the brief to both of you regarding their background."

"i read." namjoon perked up, "surprised you're encouraging us to mingle with people who went to princeton."

the elitism made taehyung want to vomit.

"well, you have to do charity sometimes!" his father and brother shared a laugh over a joke the youngest of the group wasn't sure he'd ever understand.

despite his own advanced education, he never felt the need to brag over scores and wings donated in the family name all so he could wear a sweatshirt from yale while he held a diploma that meant nothing. what made him any better than a state school or community college graduate?