The Ardent Lovers

017

"Hey. I'm done, let's go."

"Wait a minute," Jungkook mumbled.

Dahyun creased her forehead as she saw the male still folding paper.

"What are you doing?"

"Tada!" Jungkook shouted. In the hours that he waited for Dahyun to finish her work, Jungkook had managed to tear a page in the magazine and convert it into a flower origami. Seeing Dahyun's eyes shine in wonder, he took her hand and placed the origami on her palm.

"A friend of mine taught me how. Am I more amazing than that boyfriend of yours now?" Jungkook asked in a teasing manner as he tilted his head.

"Well," Dahyun smiled. "On my seventeenth birthday, Taehyung gave me paper flowers too – a whole bouquet of them."

"Argh," Jungkook groaned and frowned while Dahyun chuckled at his reaction. As she gave back the paper flower to him, he immediately crumpled it and threw it into the trash can.

"Why did you throw it?!" Dahyun complained.

"Giving things that remind you of another man is one of the worst moves in courting," Jungkook whispered as he wore his bag behind him.

Dahyun's face turned serious at the mention of Jungkook's intention. She looked at him in the eyes as she said, "Jungkook. I already told you – "

"Yep, you did," Jungkook immediately cut her off and flashed a smile as he added, "But I insist."

"You'll just get your heart broken," Dahyun whispered with a sigh.

"That possibility is always present once we fall," Jungkook answered, "And I would never blame you for it."

Dahyun opened her mouth to retort but Jungkook then added, "I am not asking for your permission Dahyun. I am only informing you of my decision, and there's nothing you can do about it."

When she pressed her lips into a thin line, he knew that she had already accepted defeat, so he smiled yet again as he suggested, "Let's just go home."

She slowly nodded with a small smile. However, as both of them took a step outside the office, a black car parked in front immediately captured their sight, and almost at a split second, their gaze stopped on the man leaning on it.

As soon as Dahyun saw Taehyung, she wanted to run towards the male and envelop him into an embrace, but with the presence of Jungkook beside her, she prevented herself from doing so. Instead, she slowly walked towards him, and gave him a quick hug. She saw the confusion in Taehyung's eyes, but she immediately brushed away as she asked,

"Since you've brought your car, can you help me bring some files home?"

"Sure," Taehyung answered with a smile.

As she entered the office again, she was waiting for either male to offer their help, but then she was left alone.

Taehyung tried to smile when he was left alone with Jungkook as Dahyun re-entered her office. He was thinking of a good way to start a conversation with a person who just recently discovered about the dysfunctional relationship he was keeping. However, the trouble came off his shoulder when it was Jungkook who spoke first.

"I'm courting Dahyun," was what he bluntly said.

His whole body became rigid at the sudden threat. He blinked numerous times before replying, "Y-You can't. She's already in a relationship – "

"With who?" Jungkook taunted, "With you?"

Taehyung noticed both the coldness and hatred in Jungkook's eyes when he chuckled bitterly and said, "You're in a relationship too, a legally binding one in that matter. Doesn't that invalidate the relationship she's in now?"

He gulped, once, twice, and numerous times as he couldn't think of a good rebuttal. All that he could say was, "It's me whom she's in love with."

"For now," Jungkook replied. "Once I make her fall, everything would become simple."

"I don't plan on giving her up," Taehyung uttered.

Jungkook displayed a smirk as he said, "I was thinking of the same thing."

As silence grew, so did the tension between the two. Their stare on each other was unwavering. But then, both of them heard the door of the office open, revealing Dahyun with three paper bags at hand. Taehyung sighed before walking towards Dahyun and when he passed by Jungkook, he heard the latter whisper.

"Once you make a mistake, there would be no turning back," Jungkook told him.