Obese Love

Chapter 17

The opulent ballroom shimmered under the crystal chandeliers, a stage set for celebration. Tae-woo, his silver hair gleaming under the spotlight, presided over the gathering with practiced ease. He announced the upcoming event – not just a grand birthday celebration for his esteemed father, but also the engagement of his eldest son, Taehyung, and the rising star of Blue Mist, Kim Seokjin.

A ripple of excitement coursed through the room. Guests, adorned in their finest attire, clinked champagne glasses, their faces alight with congratulations. Taehyung, his smile practiced but laced with a hint of nervousness, exchanged a glance with Seokjin across the room. Seokjin, however, felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach.

The news, splashed across the gilded cage of Blue Mist, had felt like a carefully orchestrated performance, not a genuine celebration of love. The timing – Taehyung's grandfather's birthday, a public declaration meant to solidify alliances and secure futures – felt more like a calculated move than a romantic gesture.

Seokjin, his heart heavy with unspoken doubts, forced a smile onto his lips. He raised his glass, offering polite toasts and exchanging pleasantries with the guests. But beneath the veneer of smiles and congratulations, a storm brewed within him.

The ballroom door clicked shut behind Seokjin, the cacophony of congratulations and clinking glasses replaced by the rhythmic hum of the kitchen. He slumped against the cool metal door, the weight of the gilded cage pressing down on him. The practiced smile he'd worn for hours threatened to crack, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Suddenly, warm arms enveloped him. Jaehwan and Hyubin, two of his closest friends from his pre-Blue Mist days, stood before him, their faces etched with concern. They knew, without a word needing to be spoken, the storm brewing within him.

Jaehwan, ever the pragmatist, squeezed Seokjin's shoulder. "Rough night, huh?" he said, his voice low.

Hyubin, his gentle eyes filled with empathy, offered a silent hug, her warmth a balm to Seokjin's chilled heart. He leaned into her embrace, the tears finally spilling over.

"I...I don't know what to do," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "This engagement...it feels like a trap, not a celebration."

Jaehwan and Hyubin listened patiently, their silence a comforting presence in the sterile kitchen. They knew Seokjin's dreams, his yearning for culinary independence, his unspoken regrets about abandoning the Mushroom Dream with Jungkook. They knew, too, the unspoken pressure he was under, the weight of Tae-woo's expectations and Taehyung's carefully veiled possessiveness.

"You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with," Jaehwan said finally, his voice firm. "This is your life, Seokjin. You get to choose."

Hyubin nodded, her eyes shining with unwavering support. "We're here for you, no matter what. Always."

~~~~~

The rhythmic clang of barbells echoed through the gym, punctuating the silence between Jungkook, Jimin, and Namjoon. On the television screen, news of Seokjin's engagement to Taehyung blared, a gilded announcement that felt like a punch to Jungkook's gut.

He pretended not to notice, his focus laser-sharp on the weight bar before him. Each rep, each controlled breath, was a desperate attempt to drown out the storm raging within. He knew, with a painful certainty, that Seokjin would be happy. Taehyung was everything Seokjin needed – stability, security, a future woven with threads of gold and success.

Jimin, ever the sensitive one, felt the tension crackling in the air. He switched off the television, the silence now a heavy blanket over the room. "It's okay, Jungkook-ah," he said softly, his voice laced with understanding. "You don't have to pretend."

Namjoon, older and wiser, placed a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "Seokjin's happiness is all that matters, right?" he said, his voice a low rumble. "Even if it means..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken words hanging in the air.

Jungkook swallowed, the lump in his throat refusing to budge. "I know," he rasped, his voice rough with unshed tears. "I just...I miss him. I miss the days of dreams and shared laughter... I miss believing we could build something together, even if it was just a tiny thing with a leaky roof and a loyal following."

His words, raw and honest, broke the dam holding back his emotions. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring the gym equipment and the worried faces of his friends. He hadn't meant to say it, hadn't meant to expose the depth of his pain, but the words tumbled out, a torrent of grief and longing.

Jimin pulled him into a tight hug, his warmth a beacon in the storm. Namjoon's hand tightened on his shoulder, a silent pillar of support. In their shared grief.

Next day,The aroma of warm spices and simmering stews hung heavy in the air of the cozy restaurant, a stark contrast to the gilded opulence of Blue Mist. Across the worn wooden table, Seokjin and Jungkook sat, two friends reunited not by celebration, but by the unspoken complexities of their hearts.

Jungkook, his eyes etched with concern, offered a tentative congratulation on the engagement. "Taehyung seems like a good guy," he said, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Seokjin's smile faltered, a flicker of doubt betraying the carefully constructed facade. "He is," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "But..." He paused, the unspoken questions hanging heavy in the air.

Jungkook, sensing his friend's hesitation, leaned forward. "But?" he prompted gently, offering Seokjin the space to unravel the tangle of emotions within him.

Seokjin took a deep breath, the words churning in his gut. "But I'm not sure happiness is a gilded cage, Jungkook. Not when it feels like you've traded your dreams for someone else's."

"What do you mean, Hyung?" His words resonated like a thunderclap in the quiet restaurant.

"I gave up the Mushroom bakery," Seokjin finally admitted. Jungkook, his own struggles mirroring, he understood the ache of unfulfilled dreams and the weight of unvoiced sacrifices.

"You gave up Mushroom Dreams," Jungkook ventured, his voice soft. "For Blue Mist, for Taehyung, for..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken question hanging in the air.

Seokjin nodded, his eyes filled with a well of unshed tears. "For stability, for security, for a future I thought I needed," he confessed. "But somewhere along the way, I lost myself in the process."

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