The Taste Of Ink | Taekook | ENG

59. I'LL FIND YOU AGAIN

"Jisoo is wonderful," Jeongguk agreed. "And I know you will be very happy together," he added, smiling at him.

He was happy that his friend would soon marry with the love of his life. Hoseok deserved the best. He and Jimin always supported him. They were with him after the accident and did not leave him when something went wrong in his relationship. Had it not been for them, he would have probably broken down long ago.

"I should have listened to my intuition more. I was never sure about my feelings for Lisa. I was always missing something, but I kept telling myself that it should be like that," he admitted, reflecting on the past.

He had doubts about their relationship many times, but everyone told him that he and Lisa were such a great couple. He was told he was so lucky to find her and that they were made for each other, and he tried hard to believe it. Now he regretted wasting so much time living in a toxic relationship. It was only when someone really loved him, giving him real affection, did he understand that what he and Lisa had in common was nothing like love. Now he was sure she had never really loved him.

"When I was with Lisa, I thought about the future many times, and I could never imagine our relationship in five or ten years. Not to mention growing old by her side... When I think about Tae... I can't imagine a future without him..." he confessed, looking at the little box that he took in his fingers almost unconsciously. "I want to go home and lull Jae to sleep, then fall asleep in the tattooed arms of the man I love, to wake up by his side tomorrow. And I want it to go on forever. It is with him that I want to spend each day. To the end of the world and one day longer."

"Have you thought where you will do it?" Hoseok asked suddenly, breaking him out of this strange trance.

Jeongguk looked at his friend again and smiled. He knew exactly what this place would be. Taehyung did not need expensive gifts and great gestures. And as much as he loved to pamper him, he knew well that he didn't need a diamond ring to steal his heart. He didn't have to pretend with him.

"His art studio," he said confidently. "Because it was there, sitting on panels damaged by paint, that I realized that I love him..."

***

Jeongguk cut the engine and looked in the rearview mirror one last time to make sure he looked good. He raised his hand and ran his fingers through his already dark, slightly longer hair, ruffling it gently. He knew Taehyung loved it when they were slightly disheveled, falling softly on his forehead. He shifted his hands towards the collar and grasped the tie that was still binding his neck. He loosened the knot and took it off, then tucked it into the pockets of his elegant trousers and raised his hands again to the white collar. He swiftly undid a few buttons, just enough to show his slender neck and the line of his collarbones, still adorned with a few hickeys. Without worrying about it, he opened his shirt more and smiled to himself.

He was ready.

He thought he was going to be nervous, but he was remarkably calm. Perhaps because he was sure that was what he wanted. He tended to question his decisions. For years, he had expected the approval of others. Allowance for him to do what he wanted. He wouldn't even count how many times he gave up on something he wanted to please others or not to disappoint their expectations. Now he had the courage to do what he wanted, and was convinced it was the right decision.

He felt a strange pressure on his lower abdomen, but he knew it wasn't nervousness at all. He couldn't wait to see him again. It felt like he was a little kid again, waiting for a Christmas. Only this time, his gift had gorgeous onyx irises and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

He opened the car door and ran around it quickly. He opened the trunk and looked inside. His mouth curved into a smile at the sight of what was there. He reached out and grasped the painting, then carefully lifted the cloth with which he had secured the painting. He created it a few days ago when Taehyung was working longer, but was forced to hide it somewhere. He couldn't let the tattoo artist find it.