Fake || a kth and jjk ff

|| nine ||

His conclusion was sobering. He realized he could have lavished all the attention in the world his ex, and it still wouldn't have worked. Some might argue the connection he sought was the stuff of fairytales and folklore-- two things Kim Taehyung did believe in, because there had been so much spark in his parents' marriage, they'd glowed with it.

That was why Taehyung found acknowledging his attraction to Jungkook so difficult. He realized he was not only attracted to a guy, but he'd finally found that elusive spark...except with Jungkook, it was more like a blaze. It was crazy. Tae hardly knew him, but there was no denying it. And while he was tempted to take Jin's advice and indulge in his desire for Jungkook before he left, he couldn't do it. From what he could see, Jeon Jungkook's life was full of people dead set on hurting him. Tae didn't want to add his name to that list.

And that strangled him more than he'd expected.

"How far are you going to take this?" Jin asked.

Taehyung sucked in a breath and pushed it out, while simultaneously trying to force the thoughts of the sexy brunette out of his head. "I don't know yet. Seongjin's friends and associates have painted a pretty flattering picture of his character, but that doesn't mean anything. Desperate men go to drastic measures. He seems like an ordinary guy and he doesn't have expensive hobbies—an occasional game of golf, camping, fishing..."

"A boat?"

"It's twenty years old, with a small outboard motor."

"So the wedding is his big expense?"

"I'm pretty sure money slips through his wife's fingers like water. When I asked about his financial planner, one of his friends hinted that Seongjin doesn't have much money to invest. A woman pulled me aside because she thought I might know what was going on. Joke's on her, but she had something interesting to say. Rumor has it he refinanced their house to get the money to pay for the wedding of the year. And it still wasn't enough."

"So he could be the culprit?"

"Maybe. I was hoping Lee Daejung, his partner, would show, but so far he hasn't made an appearance, and it's getting late enough that I suspect he won't."

"Wow. I'm impressed. I didn't think you had subterfuge in you, Tae."

Jin meant it as a compliment, but Taehyung suddenly felt dirty. "Ae-ri mentioned that Seongjin has a home office on the second floor with the bedrooms. I hope to search their house tonight after everyone goes to bed, but I suspect any real evidence is at his business office. Getting there could be challenging. Jungkook's mother is like Mother-of-the-Bridezilla. She's made itineraries for each of us and my time is booked solid up until the wedding. I have no idea how I'm going to get away to go to Jeon's office."

"Doesn't his family think it's weird you don't have any family or friends there?"

"Jungkook said the shithead he was going to marry hardly had any friends, and neither his parents nor brother were planning on coming."

"The guy sounds like a tool if his own parents weren't going to the wedding. Is Jeon's son...?" Jin trailed off.

Tae got his unspoken question. "No. Not from what I've seen. Quite the opposite, in fact. I can't figure out why he was planning to marry the douche bag."

"It doesn't matter. I think you're on to something. And the fact is, if you're busy with all the wedding plans, then you need help."

"What does that mean?"

"Your mother may not be coming to the wedding, but your brother can change his mind and show up tomorrow."

"What? No!" Tae protested in panic.