It's time to grow up
Taehyung sighs for what seems like the millionth time, scrolling through the pictures on his cell phone. Everything about that night brought a smile to Taehyung's face, but then again, anything relating to Jeongguk made him happy.
"TaeTae?"
Taehyung looks up and smiles sheepishly at Namjoon from across the table. His brother was in town for a few days, and they had agreed to try out one of the new restaurants Rise had acquired.
"Sorry, my head's kind of been in the clouds lately."
Namjoon's lips curl up into a lopsided smirk. "Since when is your head not in the clouds?" he asks, reaching forward to push Taehyung's forehead back with his finger. Taehyung laughs, swatting his hand away.
"Honestly, I'm a little jealous," Namjoon continues. "I'm sitting right here, your hyung, your hero," he says dramatically, and Taehyung snorts. "But you're just on your phone the whole time."
Embarrassed color rises in Taehyung's cheeks. "Sorry hyung," he mumbles.
Namjoon examines him closely, joking smile fading away. "Are you still hanging around Jeongguk?" he asks, voice serious, but careful.
Taehyung furrows his eyebrows together. "Yeah, of course, we're dating. Did you think we broke up?" Something twists in his stomach.
Namjoon sighs. "I figured it was a fling, that you were just messing around."
"Why would you think that?" Taehyung asks, more defensive than he would like. He looks down at his untouched steak. He usually has a huge appetite, but something about the way Namjoon is looking at him throws him off.
"That's what you did with Minah," Namjoon says evenly, and regret stabs hot against Taehyung's chest. "I figured you would get over it quickly."
"B-but. The champagne, the hotel. You didn't like Minah, but you like Jeongguk."
Now Namjoon looks regretful. Taehyung hates that look. He's hardly ever on the receiving end of it, but he knows it can never lead up to anything good.
"I did. I mean, I do. But--" Namjoon takes a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling, obviously trying to figure out how to but his words. "-- that was before. Before I found out who he was."
Taehyung's fist clench in his lap as he narrows his eyes. "What does that mean?"
Namjoon sighs. "Don't look at me like that, Tae. I know what you're thinking, but you have to hear me out on this."
Taehyung stays silent.
"With Minah, it was fine. She's the heiress to Bang Industries. She has status. It goes well with us, and if you had been serious, I figured it could lead to some sort of lucrative merger--" Namjoon reads the obvious bewilderment rolling off the young boy.
"Don't give me that look, Taehyung, you know this is the way I have to think. Always two steps ahead, thinking about the future. We're not just... normal people, you know? The entire country is watching us, so we have to be careful."
"What does this have to do with Jeongguk?" Taehyung asks, voice quiet, because he's still trying to wrap his mind around the knowledge that his brother is thinking about marriage and mergers.
Taehyung wanted nothing to do with the company, the rules and regulations that came with it.The weight of his name.
"I figured he was similar to Minah. If you're at Bangtan, then you have to be affluent to some degree, so it was the only sensible assumption to make. But I came across an article-- something about Bangtan taking in a student on scholarship--"
"Jeongguk is a fucking genius, hyung! He deserves to be here, maybe more than me--"
"That's not what I was trying to say," Namjoon says, fixing Taehyung with a look that said let me finish. Taehyung purses his lips together, an unfamiliar irritation and anger buzzing under his skin.
"I'm sure Jeongguk is very deserving of the education he's getting. And I wish him well. But..."
Namjoon sighs. "He's not one of us, Taehyung." He brings up a hand to stop Taehyung from blurting out whatever he might have wanted to say. "He's not a socialite. He doesn't have money. He lives in an orphanage , Taehyung. Do you honestly think he'd fit into this world?"
Taehyung's lip quivers, and he curses himself for being so affected by the words, but he'd never had to hear anything like this before. When was the last time Namjoon had talked like this? His brother had always taught him to be humble, to never look down on anyone based on money or circumstance.
"If the media got a wind of him and your relationship, they'd tear him to shreds. He wouldn't last a day in our world. And it's only going to be a trainwreck. Is that what you want?"
Taehyung winces. "What about what you always say? About a little kindness going a long way? Why can't you show Jeongguk a bit of--"
"This isn't about kindness, Taehyung," Namjoon says, voice flat and serious. "This is about our reputation, one that our parents, our grandparents, their grandparents built. You want all that to come crumbling down because you went crushing on an orphan?"
"We're orphans too, hyung," Taehyung bites, his vision blurring from the tears. Namjoon's eyes harden.
"But we're in a much better situation than him. I took care of you, Taehyung. I took care of the company. Who did he have? No one. How do we know he was raised properly?"
"So now that he finally has someone, you want me to abandon him?"
"I'm not telling you to stop talking to him entirely. But you know a romantic relationship won't lead to anything good. You have to be serious for once, Taehyung."
"H-how can you ask that of me?" Taehyung whispers, heart clenching uncomfortably. "How can I do that to him?"
"My advice would be to talk to him. Explain everything, communicate. He'll understand, and it'll be safer for both of you, and the least painful," Namjoon explains, and Taehyung's never been more irritated by his older brother's pragmatism until this moment. The idea of having to tell Jeongguk all of this, after making all those promises, makes Taehyung nauseous.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Taehyung. But you have a duty to yourself, and the family. It's time for you to grow up."
____________________________
I wanna be a child again.
🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣
