The Taste Of Ink | Taekook | ENG

32. FALLIN' FOR YOU

Taehyung believed in him, and he had never seen anyone whose works were more beautiful than those of the tattoo artist. Kim was fucking talented. Even if he was forced to abandon his dreams many years ago, he used his amazing talent to adorn the bodies of others. Including his. Thanks to it, he was able to look at his own reflection in the mirror, because now his back was decorated with an angel that reminded him every time who was watching over him.

He knew that forever looking at this tattoo, he would think of the two people he owed his life: his mother, who gave him birth to this world, and Taehyung, who made him live again. He knew this was just the beginning of the road, but he was grateful that the tattoo artist had allowed him to be part of his world and he couldn't wait to experience more.

Suddenly, out of his thoughts, a soft murmur broke him, and instinctively he looked up, finding the face of the man lying on the bed in white, fragrant sheets. Taehyung moved slightly, letting the sound of a sleepy cat purr from his mouth, then slowly lifted his eyelids to reveal beautiful, almost black irises.

"Mmm, you are awake already?" He asked. His voice was even lower than usual, tinged with that morning, sexy hoarseness that Jeongguk loved so much.

"I woke up a while ago," he admitted.

"You should have woken me up..." the tattoo artist muttered softly.

"You need a rest. You should get some sleep, and besides... I just wanted to look at you for a moment," Jeon said, smiling at him, then set the sketchbook aside and climbed up on his knees towards him to kiss his lips sweetly. "Hmm, good morning," he greeted himself.

Taehyung returned the caress while placing his hand on the man's cheek. As he pulled away from him, he caught a glimpse of the headline of an article displayed on the phone screen of the young CEO which he still held in his hand. He quickly shifted his gaze to him and studied his face carefully, as if he wanted to read the answers to yet unasked questions.

"Have you made up your mind?" He asked finally, letting his lips curl into a soft smile and his eyes filled with a look full of hope and expectation.

Jeongguk was confused by his words for a moment. He blinked rapidly, then followed the tattoo artist's line of sight and saw what Kim had just noticed. There was still an article on his phone detailing the steps and rules of the Academy contest.

"No. It's not for me," he snapped quickly, blanking the screen and tossed the phone aside.

"How is it not for you?" Kim repeated, drawing his perfect eyebrows together.

Jeongguk was silent for a moment, as if wondering what to say and how. It was all he wanted. A dream come true. However, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that his works were too weak to compete with gifted artists who had certainly been preparing for this competition for years.

Three people.

So many people had a chance to get to the second stage. He knew there would be so many submissions that it would be a miracle to get to the finals. And even more so when his fingers were no longer as agile as they used to be. 

Seeing that the boy is struggling with his thoughts, Taehyung pulled himself up on his strong arms and reached out his hand to gently lift the brunet's chin, turning his face towards himself.

"Gguk, I've said this many times, but I'll say another. You're damn talented," he said, looking him straight in the eye. "You're not worse than them."

"When you told me about this competition... Did you know that only three artists are choosing for the second stage?" He asked finally.