The Arrangement

58

"This is Kim Taehyung."

Taehyung stared with wide eyes at the camera, not quite sure what to do. The people on the other side, the people who loved and supported Jungkook, hated him. He was afraid to look at the computer screen and see all the nasty comments rolling in.

But luckily he was saved from doing anything for the moment.

"There are a lot of things I want to make clear," Jungkook spoke confidently to the camera, his hand rubbing soothing circles on the elder's back. "And I hope you all listen with an open mind and heart."

Before diving into everything, however, Jungkook leaned into Taehyung's side. He brought his mouth to the elder's ear and whispered, "I want to tell our story. Blink twice if that's okay."

Despite everything, Taehyung chuckled. He blinked his eyes two times, making the action deliberate and purposeful. Jungkook giggled in return and did something that would stun the thousands of fans watching.

He leaned into Taehyung and kissed him full on the mouth. It was soft and chaste, but it still sent a clear enough message to the fans.

"That's not the first time I've kissed Taehyung," Jungkook announced to the viewers. "That picture in the tabloid . . . I kissed him then, too. I also initiated our first kiss months back. But can you blame me? He's just so cute."

Taehyung kept his eyes on the younger, wondering how in the world he got so lucky. Jungkook repeatedly came to his defense time and time again, the only person to ever do so. He was the only person who really saw Taehyung as someone capable of saving.

After a small pause, Taehyung turned his attention to the camera. His nerves were running high - not for himself, but for what the outcome of this live would do to Jungkook's career. The younger just risked it all for him, so the least Taehyung could do was make the most of this opportunity.

"Hi, everyone," he began, his tone gentle. "If you're watching and think Jungkook is an idiot for doing this for me, I agree wholeheartedly."

The younger nudged his shoulder playfully, but remained silent. This was Taehyung's chance to tell his story and share his past.

The elder took a deep breath before continuing. "Many of you have known V for so many years now. You've known him as an irresponsible and ungrateful artist. I . . . I intentionally acted that way. I know it doesn't make sense, but I was in a lot of pain. I couldn't deal with my past and I had no interest in healing myself for the future. So I acted out. I let V become the complete opposite of Taehyung, so that way I'd never have to get hurt again. But V quickly became all I knew. I lost the person I used to be."

His eyes flitted to Jungkook, needing a little bit of reassurance in the moment. When he found it, he kept going.

"But Jungkook helped me find that missing piece of me again. We've actually known each other since I was seven years old. We grew up together and we were best friends. He was my everything . . ."

The two revealed their shared history together, talking from both of their perspectives. Nothing was left hidden - not Taehyung's abuse, Jungkook's betrayal, or even how Taehyung staged publicity photos. They didn't dance around their relationship during the time of the mentorship program either; they simply laid out all the facts.

It took a while to get through everything, but they didn't skimp on any detail. This was their chance to finally be free. By opening up to the public, they were showing the world they weren't ashamed of their past mistakes. They accepted their faults and talked about how they were working to improve them. Once they finished saying everything they needed, both felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of their shoulders.