The Taste Of Ink | Taekook | ENG

62. SOMEONE YOU LOVED

"Uuuu, nice. I don't think I know anyone brave enough to say something like that to your father in the face," Park replied, raising his right eyebrow in appreciation.

"I know one person who would have the courage to do something similar," Jeongguk suddenly said, laughing, but when he realized what he had just said, he almost immediately became serious and involuntarily found his friend's gaze, as if expecting to hear the criticism or to see the pity in his eyes. "But he's not here, so..." he added quickly, then looked away and grabbed the coffee mug in his hands.

To hide his embarrassment, he raised the mug to his mouth and took a few sips of coffee, quickly swallowing the hot drink with a distinct hint of caramel. From the events of a year ago, when he ran like a complete idiot in the rain, chasing the ghost of Taehyung through the Italian streets, he refrained from talking about him. It's not that he wasn't thinking about him. Perhaps he thought of him even more than before, but he had learned to hide his longing. He did not pronounce his name aloud. He avoided talking about him. He did not ask questions. He didn't mention that he had a dream about him again or that he was chasing someone around town again because he smelled his perfume. He has not admitted to anyone that he is still listening to the recording the man left him on the answering machine over two years ago. That he had his picture in his wallet and the bracelet he had left on his wrist.

Pretending he didn't miss him was easier than explaining why he was still thinking about him.

Why he can't move forward. Why he is still waiting...

"And how are you doing?" Jimin asked suddenly, also getting serious. Jeongguk didn't dare to look at him, but he felt his friend's eyes on him nonetheless. "Recently you have been so busy with this exhibition that we did not even have a chance to meet and talk in peace," he explained. "And I think... I think a lot has changed in your life..." he added after a moment, carefully weighing his words. "How are things with..."

Park hesitated for a moment. He knew Jeongguk avoided talking about his love life. He never liked it and was always very secretive, and he had clearly been reluctant to talk about similar topics since Taehyung's disappearance, and he knew that he avoided these conversations because every mention of the tattoo artist hurt and cut him like a razor. That is why he did not question and put pressure on him, not wanting to open the already deep wounds.

When the former CEO was in Europe, their contact was hampered by the time difference and their relationship suffered somewhat. He was busy spending his free time with Yoongi, he was crazy in love with him, and Jeongguk was painting all day, working on his skill. He mentioned several times that he was going to therapy. He was so proud of himself for finally taking his attacks almost completely under control, and Jimin was happy that his friend was finally getting adequate help. He remembered the first time he heard Yugyeom's name, he had asked if the psychiatrist was as handsome as all the medics always are in romantic drama, but Jeongguk only laughed at him. It was only under pressure that he admitted that the man was very attractive. However, he immediately noted that they were only linked by the doctor-patient relationship, to be sure Park accidentally won't get too excited about it.

He also knew that after the end of therapy, they began meeting on a private level, but still maintained a purely platonic relationship. Yugyeom became his friend. Probably the only one he had next to him, being thousands of kilometers away. It was only when, after returning to Seoul, that the young artist introduced him to him during some random meeting in the city that he began to suspect that perhaps they had more than an ordinary friendship. Even though the meeting lasted maybe several minutes, he did not miss the way the psychiatrist looked at his friend. The rest of the 'testimony' had to be almost forced on him, and as a result, he only got scraps of information. He understood that maybe the thing between them was so fresh that the boy just didn't want to talk about it just yet, but in light of the new events, he couldn't understand why his friend hadn't mentioned a word about him being engaged so far.