Jeongguk scanned the financial estimate Hoseok had made, carefully comparing the changes that had been made. He had an important meeting tomorrow, and he wanted to prepare properly for it, even though he felt more and more tired. His eyes were starting to sting, and there was a familiar pain in the back of his neck. However, disregarding these symptoms, he continued to analyze the prepared document.
After a few more minutes, the sound of a door opening suddenly crept into his ears. No one ever entered his office without knocking or announcing in advance, not even his father, so he looked up from his report in surprise. His eyes saw such a familiar figure, at the sight of which he snorted delicately.
He could have expected it.
Jimin wore black suit trousers and an écru-colored shirt with several top buttons open. The young rich man did not even bother to put on a tie this time. His blond hair fell over his handsome face, obscuring his delicate features, but Jeon immediately noticed that he was wearing dark sunglasses with the Dior logo, and his full lips glistened with a soft layer of colorless lipstick.
The newcomer closed the door behind him and, without saying anything, walked towards it, then dropped heavily on the leather chair intended for guests. A loud grunt escaped his lips, as if it had taken a lot of effort to get here. Jeon drew his eyebrows together, measuring him carefully with his keen eyesight. Every time Jimin came to spend his lunch break with him, he held coffee cups and a paper bag of cream cakes in his tiny hands. This time, however, he brought with him nothing but personal charm.
Jeon put the papers he had been holding in his hand on the desk top and shifted back in his chair, turning harder towards his friend. Jimin still hadn't spoken, he was sitting in his standard seat with his glasses still on his nose.
"Why didn't you bring the coffee? And cookies?" The surprised CEO asked.
"Please, not so loud," Park groaned, instinctively raising his hand to his temple and then rubbing it with his fingers. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning and I don't know if I'm able to even swallow anything..." he added after a moment. "The mere thought makes me feel nauseous..."
"Park?! Is it only me, or do you have a hangover?" Jeon snorted, amused.
Jimin raised his hands again and, gripping his fingers around the frame of his sunglasses, finally slipped them off his nose. He shifted his gaze to his friend, squinting at the overabundance of stimuli. His expression was deadly serious.
"It's not funny, Jeon," the blond scolded him, then put his glasses back on the desk, and then fell back into the chair again, sighing heavily. "I'm on the verge of death here, literally. I don't know if anyone ever died of a hangover, but if not, I'll be the first..." he added dramatically, massaging his temples again. "Why is it so bright here?" He asked, not expecting an answer.
"It's always just as bright here, Jimin," Jeon replied, genuinely amused. "I assume you had a great weekend, huh?" He asked, even though he knew well where and with whom his friend was.
"Yoongi took me to such a nice club. I've never been there before, and it was really great, I guess I just had too much alcohol. Jesus... I don't even know how much I drank, but I haven't felt so terrible in a long time..." he said quickly, wrinkling his nose at the next throbbing pain in his temple. "Jesus, I'll never take alcohol in my mouth again," he groaned.
Jeongguk snorted again. He knew that promise all too well. Park said the same thing every time he had a hangover after a night out. He had to admit, however, that he had not seen him like this in a long time.
"Maybe I should talk to Yoongi and scold him that he didn't take enough care for you, hm?" He teased. Park raised his head sharply at his words and stared at him with wide eyes.
"No no no!" He protested quickly, a bit panicked. "Yoongi is so wonderful. Damn wonderful. We were together in this club, and we danced on the dance floor until my legs failed me, then he took me over, and we made love all night," he began to tell. "Luckily I'm not the top because I drank so much that I don't think I would be able to get hard," he joked, then slipped his hands into his blond hair. "Jeez," he moaned again, as if he had just remembered something terrible. "And then I did something terrible. I think I ruined everything..."
"Why?" Jeon asked, his brows furrowed together. "What happened? Did you quarrel?"
"Worse," he replied quickly. "We made love and... And I... Jesus... I said that I love him..."
"People say different things during sex. It's just..."
"No, Gguk. You don't understand. I didn't say "I love your dick" or "I love it when you fuck me." I said, "Yoongi, I love you." It's the worst thing I could do..."
"And what did Yoongi say to that?"
"Nothing. I guess he was shocked or just didn't know what to say. And this morning I ran away from his apartment as soon as I woke up. I wanted to leave before he woke up. And now I don't know what to do. Should I avoid him? Say he misheard it? Or... I don't know, should I tell him that I meant only his dick and not everything else attached to it?"
"Jimin," Jeongguk laughed. "Did you really mean that you love only his dick?"
The blond looked at him and licked his lips nervously as if he was wondering what to say.
"I shouldn't have told him that. I promised myself that I would never fall in love with anyone," protested Jimin.
"Jimin, it's probably something we can't control..."
"You know it always ends badly. Everything was supposed to be simple. No strings attached, but then I found out he is cute and funny. He's so damn talented, hardworking, and he makes ridiculously good lamb skewers, plus he's good in bed and... And I like it when he holds my hand because we have similar posture and height, but his hands are much bigger than mine and... When he holds my hand, I feel as safe as ever with anyone. I feel like I belong to someone..." Jimin paused and let out a loud breath from his lungs. Jeongguk noticed that the blond's lower lip was trembling slightly. "Jesus... I... I think I really fell in love with him..." he added, shifting his gaze to his friend.
"It seems so," he nodded, smiling gently at him.
Who would have expected this?
Since they've known each other, Jimin has never come close to feeling anything more than physical attraction for someone. He didn't get attached to his partners, and he seemed to feel good about it. He was free as a bird. Jeongguk often found himself envious of this independence, this freedom.
Courage.
But perhaps avoiding close relationships was not an expression of courage at all? Perhaps it was quite the opposite? Perhaps the greatest act of courage is to open up to someone, to let them know you not only from the best but also from the worst side? Let that someone not look at us, but finally see us. Not only our body and smile on our face, but also what is deeper, what we do not want to show to others. Perhaps the real courage is to let someone approach you like no one before and decide if it's still worth staying? Jeongguk only showed his true self to Taehyung, and yet the tattoo artist was still there.
Could what they had could be called love?
So far, he has not thought about it. He loved everything about him. From onyx irises, to an original slightly rectangular smile, to numerous tattoos that covered his swarthy skin. But it didn't stop there. He had never felt as safe anywhere as in this man's arms. He made him feel complete. Probably for others it would be very easy, but he was terribly afraid to name his feelings for Tae. As if admitting it out loud would ruin everything. He was afraid that when he allowed himself to feel more, it would all fall apart.
"It's all Taehyung's fault. He was the one who got some strange thoughts into my head," Park added after a moment, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Jeongguk once again drew his eyebrows together and looked at his friend with dark chocolate irises.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I met him at this club, and we talked for a while. I was already wasted, and he looked super sexy, and I told him that if I hadn't fallen in love with his friend I would have been hitting on him. And he told me that I should confess it to Yoongi... It's all his fault. Then for the rest of the evening I heard his words in my head like some stupid, intrusive song that you can't get rid of, even though you've long stopped listening to it and when me and Yoongi we were making love... I don't know... Those words rolled out of my mouth by themselves. I don't even know when or how. I just confessed to him that I love him. And now he probably won't want to see me anymore."
"Why do you think it will be so? I got to know Yoongi a bit. He's a really nice guy," Jeongguk judged, remembering everything Min had done for him.
"But he doesn't want to be in a relationship," Park interjected. "So now it'll probably be super awkward between us, he'll be afraid that if he kisses me, I'll hear church bells tolling in my head or something, until he ends up just running away, and I don't want him to run away. I want..." He broke off, still not knowing how to put into words what he felt.
It was all new to him. He had never cared for anyone so much before and did not know what to do. He was afraid that his confession would spoil their relationship. He always acted that way when he felt the other side was getting too involved - he nipped an affair in the bud before it could have turned into anything else. This time, however, somehow he had missed that moment. Perhaps because it was not his partner who got involved too much, but he himself. It had never happened to him before.
"I want him to stay," he finished quietly at last.
"Jimin, why do you think Yoongi will run away? Maybe just talk to him. I think he likes you too."
"I'm hopeless," the blond moaned, leaning his head against Jeongguk's desk.
"You are not hopeless. Don't say that."
"I'm just as hopeless as my father," he said with obvious bitterness in his voice, looking up again. His hazelnut eyes quickly found his friend's gaze. "I've always said I don't want to be like him, and I'm exactly like him," he snorted.
"That's not true, Jimin," Jeon protested. "You are a great guy and I think Yoongi sees it too. You will see that it will definitely not be as bad as you think."
"The best part was that this handsome asshole told me to confess to Yoongi how I felt about him, he messed with my head, and when I asked him if he loved the guy he was dating, he withdrew," added Park, after a pause.
When Jeongguk realized Jimin was talking about Taehyung, his heart stopped, and then it started beating like crazy. His mouth was suddenly dry, and it seemed as if the room was starting to spin. He shifted in the armchair, sitting on its edge, as if he wanted to be closer to his friend.
"Taehyung?" He asked for confirmation, even though he was sure the friend was talking about a tattoo artist.
Who else could Jimin call a "handsome asshole"?
"Yes. He was in a club with that guy of his, so I asked him if he loved him," he explained.
Jeongguk felt his throat tightening so tightly that he didn't even know how he managed to say his next words. Instinctively, his fingers tightened on the elegant black pants that covered his athletic legs.
"And what did he tell you?"
Waiting for his friend's answer, he held his breath as if afraid it would be too loud. He could hear his own heart pounding in his ears, and he could hear the rush of blood fueled by rising adrenaline. Everything seemed to have ceased to exist around him. He stared at his friend's full, covered with lip gloss lips, waiting for an answer.
At first, he thought that Taehyung had certainly denied his assumptions. They didn't know each other for long, even though their relationship was very intense, especially since Lisa left. They spent every spare moment together, and he knew well that their relationship was more than a relation based on the physical closeness of two bodies. He felt it every time he fell asleep in his bed, cuddling against his tattooed arms.
However, as Jimin hesitated to answer, the thought crept into his mind that perhaps Taehyung had not denied at all, that perhaps he had confirmed Jimin's guesses. And he could have sworn that at the thought of his already beating heart pounded even harder, and a flock of butterflies began to swirl at the bottom of his stomach, as if waiting to be finally released.
Jimin snorted, remembering the tattoo artist's skillful dodge. He was quite drunk that night, but nevertheless he remembered their conversation very well and how the redhead reacted to his question.
"Of course he didn't say anything," he replied, letting the corners of his mouth lift as he remembered the tattoo artist's gaze. "He told me he had to go," he added.
"Oh," Jeongguk whispered.
Even though his lips had only pronounced a monosyllable, he could easily catch how strange and unfamiliar his voice sounded. It sounded as if he was disappointed with what he heard.
Was it like that?
He couldn't explain it. On the one hand, he knew well that their relationship was just beginning to crawl. In addition, he was still engaged to Lisa, even though their relationship probably had ended long before he met Taehyung. However, he could not require any declarations from him. Especially when he himself was not sure what actually connects them, but felt a strange twinge at these words. He wanted to know what it was like to be loved by a man like Tae.
"Fucking liar," Jimin snorted again, speaking the words more to himself than to Jeongguk, and shook his head at the mention of the tattoo artist's words.
"What do you mean?" Gguk asked, surprised at his friend's words.
"It's clear he's in love with him," he explained in a firm voice. "He may deny how much he wants or avoid talking about it, but there's one thing you can't fool... Eyes. When I asked him about it, his eyes lit up for a few short seconds. This is enough for me to know."
Jeongguk parted his lips, wanting to ask if Jimin really meant that, but he didn't have the courage to say the words aloud. His heart began to beat so hard he was almost sure Park could hear it too.
Is it possible that Taehyung has feelings for him? Could it be that the strange gleam in his eyes, which he saw when the tattoo artist told him that it all belonged to him, could mean that Kim had given him something far more important than just his body?
"Besides... I'm not surprised he lost his head for this handsome guy," Jimin said suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"W-what?" Jeon asked in surprise, looking at his friend with huge eyes. He swallowed hard at the mere thought that Jimin might have seen more of that evening.
"I don't remember much, but I saw them together when they left the club. This guy of his is definitely hot. If you could see his body. He was dressed in black, had a thick belt around his waist, and he looked almost insane. Too bad I'm the bottom. Seriously. I prefer it when a guy dominates me, although with such a guy I might be tempted to switch roles for a while."
Hearing these words, Jeongguk almost choked on his own saliva. He definitely hadn't expected this. He started choking so hard that Jimin looked at him worriedly.
"Gguk, are you okay?" He asked worried.
"Ekhm. Yes. I just choked," he explained quickly, embarrassed.
He could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment. If only Park knew about whom had just given that opinion. He let his breathing calm down, then turned his gaze intently to his friend. He felt his pulse rising again, but this time it was due to nervousness. Almost involuntarily, he slipped his hands into his dark curls and tugged his hair back. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, his went mouth dry.
"Jimin..." he began hesitantly, then fell silent, trying to summon the courage to tell his friend the truth. The blond looked at him, waiting. "I-I'd like to tell you something..." he finally choked out.
The heart in his chest was pounding so hard he thought it was about to punch through the bones and tissues to break free from his chest. He moistened his lips again, trying to summon the courage to make this important confession. He had already parted his lips, letting his thoughts form more words, when suddenly someone knocked on his office door, and after a few seconds the door gently opened. Jeongguk looked towards the entrance and Seokjin appeared. The older one smiled apologetically and waved with his hand to Jimin greeting him.
"Sorry to bother you, but our father wants to have a word with you, and he's about to leave for an important meeting in a moment. He asked you to come see him," he said quickly, explaining his arrival.
At his words, Jimin got up from his current seat and grabbed the sunglasses with the Dior logo from the desk, and hung them on the shirt that was unbuttoned from several top buttons. He ran his hand over the blond strands and smiled gently.
"I'll go now. We'll talk another time, huh?" He said softly.
Fuck, Jeon cursed mentally.
"Sure," he said, forcing a smile as he rose from his seat as well.
Jimin started to leave, then waved at him, nodded to Seokjin, and then disappeared through the office door. Jeongguka exhaled loudly from his lungs. He buttoned his suit jacket and smoothed his shirt. He adjusted the cufflinks and smoothed his tie, tightening its binding. Only after making sure that he looked impeccable, he moved towards his brother.
"What does my father want to talk to me about?" He asked, feeling strangely nervous at the mere thought of talking to his father.
"I do not know. He didn't say," Jin replied with a shrug. "Maybe you did something naughty," he joked, then winked at him and turned on the heels of his elegant Armani loafers and walked forward, gently swaying his hips.
Jeongguk swallowed hard at the thought of another confrontation with his father. His stomach clenched involuntarily, doing an unpleasant twist, and his breathing became shallow. He ran a hand over his dark locks, smoothing them with his fingers, then started toward his father's office. He knocked on the heavy wooden door, and when he heard permission to get in, he forced the handle and opened the door.
When he opened it just enough to see the silhouette of his father inside the office, he was relieved to see the man's back to him. Jiseok stood at the back of his office, facing the window, as if he admired the beautiful view stretching out before his eyes. Jeongguk slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind him, trying not to make too much noise. But he did not go further, stopping almost at the threshold as if he feared he would be reprimanded.
Usually it was enough to make him feel bile rising in his throat with nervousness. This time, however, something urged him to look around carefully, as if to see if anything had changed since he left here in the morning. The office looked the same, though he felt something had changed. That characteristic nervousness of being here, gone somewhere, and usually restless thoughts, filled the image of a handsome man with eyes filled with desire and a mischievous smile on his pierced lips.
He ran a hand through his dark hair and took a deep breath. He could have sworn he could still smell the intoxicating scent of his perfume in the air, mingled with that characteristic scent of his body and sperm. He hoped it was only his senses that decided to play at his expense, and in fact the office smells as usual, or at least that his father hadn't even noticed. He instinctively moistened his lips, running his tongue slowly over them, as if he wanted to taste the tattoo artist's lips again. He felt the familiar pressure in his lower abdomen, and his pulse quickened under the influence of memories that slowly began to invade all his senses, reminding him of past events. He instinctively shifted his gaze to the heavy mahogany desk, as if to see if he might see Taehyung on it, leaning nonchalantly against the expensive piece of furniture and gliding over his body with his lustful gaze.
To his disappointment, the desk was covered with nothing but numerous papers, and there was no trace of the handsome tattoo artist. Jeongguk moved from foot to foot and wet his lips again, trying to drive away these indecent thoughts.
In his mind, however, he saw Taehyung tying his hands with a blood-red tie and pushing him to his father's desk, then plunging inside him balls deep. He almost snorted under his breath at the thought that the tattoo artist had once again achieved his goal.
This office would never be the same in his eyes.
He stared at the empty desk for a long moment, letting his imagination create different images. It took a moment for him to realize that his father was talking to him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at him. As he did so, he almost choked on his own saliva as he saw his father holding a blood-red tie, the same one that Taehyung had bound his hands with a few hours ago.
"Something's wrong with my tie?" The man asked, seeing his reaction, and he looked curiously at his own hands, holding the red cloth.
"N-no," he replied quickly. "Everything is good. It's a very nice tie."
"I have a meeting in a moment, and I splashed the last one with coffee," the man quickly explained as he threw the tie over his strong neck to begin tying the perfect knot. "I guess this one will fit," he added, not expecting an answer.
"Yes. Certainly," Jeongguk replied, avoiding his father's gaze. He could feel the flushing creeping up his cheeks. If only his father knew what the tie was used for, he would certainly change his mind... Feeling a strange pressure in his lower abdomen, Jeongguk cleared his throat awkwardly. "Jin said you wanted to see me..." he began hesitantly, still trying not to look directly at his father.
The man finished tying the perfect knot, then smoothed his tie and pinned it with a gold clip to his snow-white shirt.
"Yes. You have an important meeting tomorrow. I wanted to make sure you had everything ready," he explained.
"Yes, I remember," he answered quickly.
How could he forget, when from the morning everyone kept reminding him of this meeting.
From the early hours, he sat looking at reports, charts, and everything he sincerely hated just to prepare for this meeting and not to embarrass his father. He knew how important it was. Due to the heavy workload, he allowed himself only a moment of break when Park burst into his office, but he was about to get on with more reports. He wanted to finish it as soon as possible, so he could finally go home - to Tae and Jaesung. Although he knew that by the time he finally left the office, it would be long after sunset, and he would have so little time again. At the thought, he could feel a bitter taste on his tongue. Every time he came back this late, he felt he was losing something important. He had the feeling that the time he was given to spend with Tae was slipping through his fingers so quickly that before he knows it, it will be all over.
"I won't be at this meeting tomorrow. I hope you will not embarrass me, son," saying that, Jiseok began to adjust the gold cufflinks in the cuffs of his snow-white shirt.
Jeongguk watched his gestures, unable to utter a word. He could feel a lump growing in his throat. Sure. What else could his father tell him. Instinctively, he clenched his hands into fists, digging his nails into the palm of his hand. He could feel the bitter taste of disappointment on his tongue, but still said nothing.
"If you need Seokjin's help. Tell him. He'll be in the office until late today. I'm going to a meeting soon, and I won't be back. We're going to the opera with Keiko today," he continued.
"I'll be fine," he finally choked out.
"Are you sure? You've been absent since Lisa left," Jiseok said suddenly, drawing his bushy eyebrows together.
Jeongguk's hands clenched even tighter at these words. He felt a stinging pain where his fingernails cut into his skin, but he couldn't help it. Sure, he was completely different when Lisa was not there.
He was happy.
It was a feeling he thought he would never feel again, then suddenly his life turned 180 degrees, proving him how wrong he was.
"If you can't handle it..."
"I can handle it," he said through his teeth, interrupting his father. "I'll be prepared for tomorrow's meeting. I'll stay here late if necessary," he added, a little calmer, trying to control the trembling of his voice and the troubled breath that had stuck in his throat.
His father studied him for a moment longer, carefully measuring him from head to toe as if trying to read something from his tense posture, but after a while he let out a loud breath from his lungs. He smoothed his tie once more and walked over to the desk to collect the papers. Jeongguk stared for a moment as his father collected contracts worth billions of won from the mahogany countertop that had been covered in his own semen hours before, and for a moment he wanted to laugh.
"Do you need anything else from me, Father?" he asked instead. "If not, I'd like to go back to my office. There is still a lot of work ahead of me," he explained.
"No, no. You can go. I wanted to make sure that you're doing well," the man replied, not even looking at him.
Jeongguk bowed to his father, even though he wasn't even looking at him, and turned on his heel, then started toward the door. He reached out and tightened his fingers on the brass doorknob when suddenly his father called him again.
"Oh, Jeongguk!"
The brunet froze in place at the sound of his name and turned to look at his father. This time the man was already looking at him. His expression was stern, unreadable, making Jeongguk feel his body tense involuntarily. He parted his lips gently to ask what had happened, but no words rolled off his lips.
"Did you take a bottle of Yamazaki from my mini-bar by any chance?" The man asked. "I could have sworn I saw it in the cabinet a few days ago, but now it's gone."
Jeongguk swallowed hard. He might have guessed that his father would quickly catch the disappearance of the most expensive whisky in his collection, but he didn't think it would be that fast. He planned to buy the bottle back and put it at his father's mini-bar at the earliest opportunity, but he did not have time to do so. He moistened his lips as he ran the tip of his tongue over them, and for a moment he felt as if he could still taste Yamazaki drunk from Taehyung's mouth. He laughed awkwardly, then stroked his neck, embarrassed that his father had caught him.
"Yes. I took it," he admitted, however. "Hobi finally proposed to Jisoo. I'm in the office all the time and didn't even have time to go out to buy him a present, so I took the whisky from your bar," he lied, praying his father would believe him. "I was going to buy you that bottle this week," he added quickly. "I'll do it tomorrow."
"Oh, no, you don't have to," the man replied quickly, waving his hand. "I just got upset to see it was gone. You know no one has access to my office."
"I'm sorry. I was gonna tell you, but it totally slipped my mind," the younger man continued.
"It's really nothing. This is great whisky. He will like it, and Hoseok is like family. I'm glad he and Jisoo will get married soon too. First, I'll be able to watch my son get married with his beautiful fiancée, and then Hoseok and Jisoo. We are so lucky this year!" He said excitedly, folding his lips into a gentle smile.
"I-I'd better go," Gguk gasped. "I still have a lot of work to do," he added, and before my father could answer anything more, he bowed and left the office, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.
He leaned his back against it and closed his eyes, exhaling loudly from his lungs. For a moment he tried to calm his troubled breathing, standing still. He hated the way his body reacted to his father. He felt like a scolded little child again.
"Gguk? Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked suddenly.
Jeongguk opened his eyes at once and moved away from the door, almost as if burned. He felt embarrassed and ashamed that once again someone had caught him in a moment of weakness. He looked up and was relieved to see it was Hoseok. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his elegant black pants and straightened, curving his lips into a gentle smile, hoping his friend hadn't seen his nervousness.
"Yes. It's just..." he began, but he broke off quickly, not sure what to say. "It's nothing," he said finally. "You were looking for me?" He asked, trying to change the subject.
"No. I'm just going to see your father. He called me over," Hoseok explained.
Jeongguk felt his nervousness grow again. He swallowed hard, trying to somehow organize his rushing thoughts. Heart pounding in his chest and blood rushing in his ears, he watched as Hoseok reached out to open the door to his father's office.
"Hobi," he said quickly, catching his friend's attention. He wet his lips quickly and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "If my father asked..." he began hesitantly. "Confirm you got a bottle of Yamazaki from me," he asked, looking him straight in the eye.
Hoseok took his hand off the doorknob and turned to him, examining him carefully with his eyes as if he was trying to read the answers to unasked questions from his face. Although his curiosity was certainly eating him up, he didn't ask any questions, letting Jeongguk decide how much he wanted to explain to him. The young CEO debated for a moment what he should say now, but didn't even have the strength to make up another lie.
"I was here yesterday with Tae, and he took a bottle of Yamazaki from my father's mini-bar. I was going to buy it back, but my father realized it was gone, and I told him I had given it to you for your engagement gift..." He explained in one breath. "Please, if he asks you..."
"Don't worry, Gguk. I won't tell him anything," Jung replied softly. After a while, however, his lips curved into a radiant smile. "So you and the handsome tattoo artist keep dating, huh?"
"Yes," he confirmed. Even though he hadn't planned it, the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily.
"But... Wait. Did you say Taehyung took a bottle from your father's mini-bar? Here? From the bar in his office?" He asked with obvious surprise.
"It's a long story," Gguk replied quickly, not wanting to go into too much detail about how they actually ended up here, or what happened when they entered his father's office. He could feel his cheeks turning red again, and he only hoped that in the artificial light of the lobby, Hoseok would not notice his blushes.
"How did you get in here? There is security..."
"I have my own methods," he explained quickly without going into unnecessary explanations.
"Gguk, if it comes out, you'll have problems," Jung said, lowering his voice almost to a whisper, as if he was afraid someone might hear them. "I'm sure your father will be pissed you brought a stranger in here..."
"Nobody will know about it," he replied confidently.
"But there are cameras everywhere..."
"Nobody ever watches these tapes," Jeon snorted.
"Hopefully no one," replied Hoseok, looking him straight in the eye.
If anyone ever sees this, I'll be fucked, Jeon thought, but said nothing, just smiling gently at his friend.
***
Taehyung finished the shading of another part of the angel's wing, then rubbed the tattooed skin again and looked closely at what he had done so far. His lips involuntarily curved in satisfaction. The tattoo looked great. It was definitely one of his best works. He was proud of it. Perhaps it was because of whom he tattooed. He wanted to create something amazing.
For him.
"You are tired?" His client asked suddenly, and he looked up to meet his dark eyes. "We can take a break..."
"No. I just admire," he replied, rising gently from his seat to grasp Jeongguk's lips with his own, giving them a light kiss.
"Tattoo or my body?" The boy asked, teasing.
"Both," he replied truthfully. "The tattoo is really beautiful. Just like its owner..."
"You say that because you want to get into my pants?" Jeon joked.
"I say that because it's true," Tae said, then bit his lower lip and measured him carefully, his eyes gliding down his bare chest. "But I won't mind if it helps me get to your panties," he added, smiling mischievously.
Jeongguk laughed out loud, then leaned toward him, bringing their lips together in a tender kiss. Without asking, he stuck his tongue inside the tattoo artist's mouth, simultaneously gripping his black T-shirt with his hands to pull him closer. His kiss was a bit chaotic, fast, as if he was starving.
And that's how he felt. He needed him.
As the kiss grew too intense, Taehyung gently pulled back, breathing heavily. Their faces were so close that the tattoo artist could feel the young CEO's hot breath hitting his lips.
"Gguk," he whispered, licking the taste of Jeongguk's lips from his own, but before he could add anything else and realize what was really going on, the young businessman pulled him back against him, pressing against his lips.
He kissed him wildly, his lips were hungry, insatiable, his tongue swirled in his mouth, and Taehyung returned every caress. His tattooed hands, still clad in black latex gloves, held a tattoo machine. Gguk rose from his seat, still kissing him, and pulled the tattoo artist's shoulders, forcing him to stand up from his seat as well, before switching places and pushing him into the leather armchair.
Kim almost blindly put the tattoo gun back on the cupboard, and Jeongguk climbed on top of him, wrapping his thighs around his legs, straddling him. Only after he sat on him did his hands move to the red strands, tugging gently on them to force the tattoo artist to tilt his head to give him better access to his mouth. Taehyung groaned right into his lips while clenching his hands on his ass, kneading it.
"Oh!" Jeon groaned. "How I missed you," he muttered, right into his lips.
Taehyung laughed, filling his senses with his low, masculine voice.
"You got out of my bed this morning, you are wearing my underwear, and you smell like my shower gel..." The tattoo artist listed, running his nose along the brunet's neck, as if he wanted to breathe his scent into his lungs. "Hmmm, I could have sworn you still smell like my body..." he added, moving away from him just enough to look him straight in the eye.
Jeongguk reached out and stroked the man's cheek, then traced the line of his jaw with his thumb, then tracing the contours of his now pinker lips, wet with saliva.
"You know what I mean..." he said softly, gently running his fingertips over the man's exposed collarbone. "I was hoping to spend more time with you, and I come home late from the office every day. I hate this."
Taehyung heard that note of bitterness in his voice. It was true. From Monday, Jeongguk came home just when he put Jae to sleep. He also wanted to spend more time with him, but knew the boy had a life of his own. The life he has lived without him so far. He knew he couldn't just drop everything right now and spend every free moment with him. So he was glad that when he left his office at dusk, he would come back to him. He did not want to go to his luxurious apartment and sleep on a huge, comfortable bed. He preferred to go back to that modest apartment on the third floor and cuddle against his body, falling asleep in his arms. They hadn't had sex since last Sunday, but it didn't matter.
Of course, he loved having sex with him. He was not as comfortable with anyone as with Jeongguk, but the mere closeness of his body was enough. He felt drunk with every moment they spent together. It didn't matter if they were drawing together sitting on the floor in his studio, or were fooling around with Jae or reading him a fairy tale by role. Whether he tasted his body during a passionate sex or tugged at the bonds that bound his strong hands, fucking him hard. He loved every moment he spent with this man and couldn't get enough of him.
More and more, however, he found himself thinking about Lisa's return. He would lie to say that he was not afraid of it. He wasn't sure if Jeongguk would be ready to face his fiancée and family by then. The memory of the fear he felt when he found out the boy had a seizure and was hospitalized was still alive. He did not want to expose him to similar experiences.
He liked the way Jeongguk bloomed before his eyes every day. The young CEO became more and more self-confident, aware of his body and what he really wanted. He looked him in the eye and for a brief moment studied his face with fascination.
Jeongguk was beautiful.
In fact, he loved his dark fluffy hair, smooth, milky skin, eyes the color of hot chocolate with a look that spoke more than a thousand words, a shapely nose with a slightly rounded tip, a delicate scar on his cheek, sweet and so damn soft lips which taste he would never forget, and the sharp line of his jaw which edge could cut his skin, yet he loved to glide along it with his fingertips.
On some strange impulse, he leaned forward gently and gripped his lips with his own, reconnecting their lips in a tender kiss. He wanted to tell him how he felt about him. To put into words what was born between them, but he didn't know how to do it. Or perhaps he was only afraid to say the words aloud, as if a confession would ruin everything and make what they had been building in the last few weeks crumbled like a house of cards.
Jeongguk was determined to express every tenderness, pressing his naked torso against the tattoo artist, joining their bodies together. After a while his hips began to move gently, stimulating the hardening cock of the man he was sitting on, and Taehyung groaned right into his lips as he felt a surge of excitement.
"Gguk..."
"Do you have someone else after my session, can we take a short break?" The brunet asked quickly, tearing himself away from the lips of the redhead only for a few short moments to be able to pronounce these words.
"Yoongi will kill me if we have sex here again," the tattoo artist replied, biting his lower lip. "Why don't we take a long shower together when we get home? We will be quiet. Jae won't hear anything." He tempted, then leaned forward and kiss the young businessman's exposed neck. His hands almost involuntarily clasped the man's plump ass, tearing a soft gasp out of his mouth.
With Jae at home, it was hard for them to find a moment to be able to get more intimacy. He knew well that they both hungered for it. He could feel it in his fervent kisses, in the touch of his hungry hands, in the way the man's hips moved over him, wanting to put pressure on his crotch.
"You know that I should not soak the tattoo too much..." The brunet choked out with difficulty.
He knew they shouldn't be doing it here, but unable to help himself, he let the growing lust guide his body and moved his hips again, rubbing hard against the tattoo artist's crotch.
"Then we'll take a shower without water," Taehyung replied quickly, and Jeon laughed out loud, throwing his head back.
"Ah yes? What does a shower without water looks like?" He teased, amused.
"You'll like it" Kim replied without hesitation, smiling sexily.
He leaned forward to grasp the CEO's lips with his own again, but the sound of the door opening crept into his ears. Surprised, he looked up at them.
"Oh, Jesus. I could have expected that this is what your session looks like..." Yoongi groaned, stopping at the threshold.
He looked at the two men and wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. Taehyung was sitting in the tattoo chair, his hands, still clad in latex gloves, clenching the buttocks of Jeongguk, who sat astride his hips, only in his pants. The young CEO's back was facing him, and he could easily tell where Kim had just tattooed. His skin was slightly red.
Jeongguk sighed loudly, then kissed Tae's lips quickly and, pushing himself off his chest, slipped off his lap.
"What is it? Something happened?" Taehyung asked, rising from the leather armchair.
"Jimin's here," Min explained quickly, "He came to watch you tattoo Gguk, so if you're going to keep this little secret of yours, I'd advise you to co-mingle less, tattoo more," he added, pointing his finger at them.
"Oh," Jeongguk groaned.
He had actually mentioned to Park yesterday about his session at their lunch together, but he hadn't thought he would decide to come here. He was afraid that seeing them together would make Jimin guess something was up. It was hard to hide the strange tension between them, especially when Taehyung was so close his breath was hitting his body. How indifferent he was supposed to be when the man he was so attracted to touched his skin.
When he spoke to Jimin on Monday about his feelings for Yoongi, Jeongguk was close enough to tell him about Taehyung. He had the words on the tip of his tongue when his brother cut them off, and then again it wasn't a good time to tell him. On the one hand, he wanted to do it at the right moment, when he felt fully ready to face the thousands of questions his friend was sure to ask him, and on the other hand, he was a little sorry that Park had not entered the studio now. Maybe it would be easier. Jimin would just find out, and Jeongguk wouldn't have to admit that he had lied to him for so long. The more times he called Taehyung "her", the harder it was for him to admit that the mysterious stranger, in fact, was well known to him and had a penis between his legs. In addition, indecently perfect and with a piercing on the tip.
Of course, he hoped that this last part would never be found out by Jimin. He would burn with shame telling him something like that. He remembered Park's reaction when he told him that his chosen one had a piercing in his tongue. In his mind, he had already heard these questions on the news about Taehyung's apadravya.
"I told him to go buy us a coffee in the café across the street to check if you were wearing any clothes, but he would be here soon, so..."
"Okay, Yoongs," Taehyung agreed, taking the gloves off his hand to replace them with new ones before going back to work. "Thank you," he added.
He was sincerely grateful to Yoongi for not interfering with when and how Jeongguk would tell his friend about his orientation. Honestly, he'd rather get over it, but he didn't want to pressure Gguk, and he knew the boy had a lot to process. All he could do now was to be there for him and show his support when he needed it.
"Wow! It's just me. There was no need to do a welcome party!" A melodious voice suddenly called from the doorway, drawing the attention of all the men.
Jimin was dressed all in white. His shirt, as usual, unbuttoned from a few top buttons to expose his collarbones, blond hair combed back, lips curved into a broad smile. Jeongguk measured him carefully from head to toe and snorted gently under his breath at the sight. He didn't know how Park did it. Anyone else he knew would look downright ridiculous in such an outfit, and Jimin was looking stunning and so confident that it was impossible to take his eyes off him.
For a brief moment it occurred to him that perhaps Taehyung was thinking the same, and he automatically looked at the tattoo artist. Kim, however, took a step forward, closing the gap between them, and ran his finger along the lines of his spine, tracing a subtle line just above the waistband of his black pants. This gentle gesture was enough to make the young CEO's body tense at the touch, and a flock of butterflies danced down his belly. No one else saw the gesture, but he knew exactly what the tattoo artist was trying to convey to him.
"Hey Jimin. You didn't say you'd come..." Jeongguk began, breaking the silence.
"I have a free afternoon, so I decided to visit Yoongi and check if you are not crying in pain," the blond replied, winking at him. "I have coffee for you," he added, showing the cups he still held in his hands. "For you, honey, Americano," he said, and he handed one of the mugs to Yoongi.
Jeongguk instinctively raised his eyebrows, surprised at what Jimin called Yoongi. Apparently, however, his confession did not deter the tattoo artist. On the contrary, he could have sworn Min blushed at this nickname.
"For you, your favorite, caramel," saying that, Jimin held the mug towards Jeongguk, and he accepted the vessel from him. A sweet caramel scent crept into his nostrils. "Vanilla for me," he continued. At the name of the drink, Jeon grimaced. From an early age, he hated anything that would even be near the vanilla flavor. Jimin often teased him, knowing that Lisa was using perfume with a distinct hint of vanilla. "And for you..." he began, turning to Taehyung. He took a few steps towards him to close the distance between them and held out the last cup to him. "Actually, I didn't know what you liked, so I took a vanilla for you too."
Taehyung blinked quickly several times, not knowing what to say. He hated the taste of vanilla, but he did not want to be rude, so he curved his lips in a gentle smile and stretched out his hand to take the cup with the hot liquid from the blond. His fingertips only barely touched the mug as Jeongguk grabbed the drink in his hand, taking the cup from his friend's hand.
"I'll take it," he said quickly, moistening his lips with his tongue. "You take mine," he added, slipping the caramel coffee into the tattoo artist's outstretched hand.
"But you hate vanilla," Jimin said in surprise, looking at his friend with wide eyes. Jeongguk snorted gently at the words.
"Me?! Not at all. I drink it sometimes. Just not very often," he lied and dipped his lips in hot liquid to support his confession. The coffee was disgusting, and he forced himself to take a few sips, then forced a smile. "Delicious!" He choked out with difficulty.
Jimin looked at him for a moment longer, as if he didn't believe his eyes, but then shrugged. After taking a few sips of his coffee, he entered the room. He walked over to the tattoo chair and sat down comfortably. He has never been here before, even though he has already visited the studio several times. He looked around, carefully scanning the room. His gaze lingered a little longer on the masked figure on the wall, then returned his gaze to Taehyung, who was standing somewhat confused in the center of the room, holding a cup of steaming liquid in his hands.
"You've had a nice place here," he assessed. "Haven't seen this room before."
"Thanks," he replied shortly.
He tried to avoid the eyes of the blond. Jimin was watching him carefully, as if he was trying to read something in him, and that made him feel awkward. There was something intimidating about his gaze.
"You know what, I have a client in a moment, so I'm leaving you alone," Yoongi suddenly said. In a few quick steps he ran up to Jimin and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I'll see you in two hours. When I'm finished, I'm taking you to dinner."
Park smiled charmingly then nodded. Yoongi moved away from him, turned on his heel and headed for the exit. Taehyung watched him go. He was tempted to ask him to stay or take him with him, as long as he wouldn't be alone with Jeongguk and Jimin. He didn't know how to behave. He was concerned that the way he looked at the young CEO would reveal to his friend that he was the mysterious man he was dating.
So he cursed mentally as he watched his friend disappear behind the door, closing it behind him. There was an awkward silence in the room. Jeongguk raised the coffee cup to his mouth, taking a few sips, and Taehyung, feeling just as awkward, did exactly the same, glancing at him only surreptitiously. Jimin watched them closely, his eyes darting from one man to the other.
"Sooo, what were you doing when we interrupted you?" He asked, and Jeon almost choked on his coffee.
"Wh-what?!" He gasped, panicked, and Jimin laughed out loud, throwing his head back.
"Come on, show that tattoo, you silly boy!" Jimin ordered, getting up from the armchair. Jeongguk breathed a sigh of relief. He turned obediently, displaying his almost finished tattoo. "Oh, how beautiful it is!" Park assessed, glancing over the huddled form of the angel. "Tae, you really are a miracle worker!"
"It's true, Tae is very talented," Jeon confirmed, looking up to meet the red-haired man's gaze. "I'm sure he has many hidden talents," he added.
Seeing the playful gleam in the young CEO's eye and the mischievous smile on his soft lips, the tattoo artist snorted gently under his breath, then returned his smile, stroking his neck with a hand.
"It's nothing. Gguk had a great idea," he explained.
"Hmm, maybe I could get a tattoo too?" The blond said, thinking aloud. "I used to think about some inscription on the ribs or maybe something on the thigh... Maybe you could make me a nice project?"
Taehyung moistened his lips, not knowing what to say. He parted his lips slightly, but before any words came out of his throat, Jeongguk answered for him.
"No!" Jeon protested, a little too loudly. But as he met his friend's surprised gaze, he cleared his throat and laughed nervously. "I mean... Taehyung said he had no vacancies for the next two or three months..." he began to explain, feeling that his cheeks were getting redder with each passing moment. He didn't want Taehyung to touch Jimin, though he knew that touch would have nothing to do with lust. However, he felt sick at the mere thought of a tattoo artist running his fingertips over Park's athletic thigh. He wanted to be the only one with such a privilege. "It's useless to wait so long," he added, trying to model his voice so that it sounded as natural as possible. "If you want a tattoo, better ask Yoongi. I've seen his work. They're great... He made Tae's sleeves."
"Yes. Gguk is right," the tattoo artist agreed. "I've got my hands full of work lately."
He turned his back to Jimin and began slipping a new pair of latex gloves onto his hands, but he couldn't help but smile.
Oh yeah, he loved it when Jeongguk was jealous of him.
***
Taehyung approached the table Jae was sitting at and leaned gently over his son's shoulder. He looked at the drawing the little one had been creating with determination for a long time. Until now, the white sheet was covered with three colored figures. Recognizing whom the boy had painted, he smiled.
"Will you tell dad who you paint like this, honey?" He asked gently, running his fingers through the boy's soft hair.
The toddler raised his big, dark eyes at him, then put a finger to one of the figures he had painted.
"This is Googie," he said. "Googie swings Jae on the swing. This is Jae. Jae is very happy, that's why his smile is so big," he explained, moving his finger to the little boy whose face was filled with a big smile. "And this is Dad. Dad is happy too."
Taehyung looked at the red-haired figure standing next to Jeongguk, and immediately saw their joined hands.
"You painted it beautifully, Little Tiger," he praised him, then placed a gentle kiss on his head.
He stood over his son for a moment longer, watching him color his black clothes. Long fingers moved almost unknowingly over the soft, dark strands. How much he wished that what the little boy had painted would come true. He wanted Gguk to be part of their world. Part of their family.
He bent down again and, placing another kiss on his son's head, moved away from him. He turned back and looked towards the stove where Jeongguk was standing. The brunet was preparing dinner for them and was just frying something in the pan, filling the whole apartment with the wonderful smell of food.
Jeon got his clothes from the closet after returning from the office and changed into comfy black sweatpants and a plain T-shirt, but he still looked gorgeous. His dark hair was still perfectly styled, with only a few unruly strands falling over his forehead. Taehyung looked at his face and saw that the man's gaze was absent, as if only his body was here and his thoughts were thousands of miles away. He watched him closely for a moment when he suddenly smelled that something is burning. Instinctively, he looked at the pan and noticed that the food prepared by the brunet was burning.
"Oh! Gguk!" He exclaimed. "Gyeran mari is burning!"
Alarmed by his call, Jeongguk quickly looked at the pan and, trying to save the food, grasped the handle with his hand, even though he was not wearing an oven mitt. As his skin touched the heated handle, he hissed in pain and jerked his hand away.
"Ah, fu..." he swore, stopping quickly so as not to curse in front of Jae.
Taehyung slipped an oven mitt on his hand and quickly removed the pan from the burner, saving the omelette from burning almost at the last moment, then approached Jeongguk.
"You burn yourself badly?" He asked with a voice filled with concern, at the same time moving towards the brunet. He only stopped when their bodies were almost touching.
"I'm fine," the brunet replied quickly, hiding his hand from him.
"Gguk, show me your hand," he said, his tone menacing. His voice color was warm, smooth as velvet, but firm.
The young CEO looked him straight in the eye, but seeing his expression, he knew he was not going to win. So he reached out and held his hand out to the tattoo artist. Kim took his hand in his and examined the burn carefully.
"It's nothing..." Jeon said softly.
"Something happened?" Jae asked softly, alerted by the strange commotion in the kitchen.
"No, Little Tiger. Everything is alright. You can continue to draw," Kim replied quickly, soothing his son, then without a word he grabbed a clean cloth and padded it in the cold water.
He approached the young CEO again and took his hand. His touch was firm but extremely gentle, as if he feared that even the slightest inattentive movement might cause him suffering. Kim applied the dressing to the burn, then, with worry painted on his face, found the gaze of Jeongguk's chocolate eyes.
"Does it hurt very much? If you want, I can go to the pharmacy and buy something for burns, or..." He broke off as Jeongguk pressed their lips together in a tender kiss.
Only after a long moment did he gently pull away from him and reach out with his left hand to stroke the tattoo artist's cheek. He smiled gently, though for the first time in almost two weeks, his smile did not reach his chocolate eyes.
"It's really nothing..." he repeated.
"Gguk, what's going on? You seem distant today. Since you came back from the office, you've been absent, tense..." Tae said carefully. "Has anything happened today?"
He knew something was wrong. Ever since Jeongguk returned, he has been heavily absent. He kept freezing, as if his thoughts were drifting far away. Usually, despite his exhaustion, the boy smiled a lot, was talkative, constantly flirted with him, joked with him, asked how they had spent the day without him - him and Jae. This time, however, he was very silent, he asked maybe two questions, but then he was almost unable to concentrate to listen to his answer till the end, he was not joking, he did not laugh as usual.
"Yes... Everything..." he began, but the words stuck in his throat. He'd been lying to so many people lately, hiding his thoughts and feelings, but he didn't want to lie to one of them. "Nothing's right," he confessed. "I can't help but think about Lisa coming back tomorrow. I was hoping that when she was gone... I don't know..." He snorted at the mere thought that he was hoping for a miraculous transformation.
He was pathetic.
He thought that during these two weeks he would gain strength, confidence in himself and his abilities, that when the girl returned, he would be ready for this confrontation and proudly face everything, as befits a real man. All this day, meanwhile, he struggled with the rush of negative thoughts, the bothersome feeling of unease that had been with him since he opened his eyes, and those damn anxiety states that hung over his head all day like black clouds in the sky on a rainy day.
"I don't know what I was expecting. I was hoping that when that moment came I would be ready to face it all, and now when I think of it..."
Jeongguk paused again, feeling his breath become unnatural shallow and the world spinning around him. He knew what that meant. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to keep his emotions under control to prevent an impending attack, but he felt anxiety begin to creep under his skin, trying to get out.
"Now that I know she's coming back tomorrow... The only thing I can think about is that... that I might lose everything tomorrow... And I'm starting to feel like I did then... in this wreck..." He began to explain, his voice trembling. "I know the end is imminent, and I can't move and do anything as if my body is jammed in that damn car again and with each passing moment... It's getting harder and harder to breathe..."
With each word, the brunet's body trembled more and more, and his breathing became chaotic and choppy, as if the lungs did not want to take the necessary dose of oxygen. From early morning he felt the familiar unease that had been with him for almost ten years, and with each passing hour an invisible vise tightened around his throat.
He wished he could stop time. Lock them in some bubble that no one else could get into, but he knew the moment Lisa returned to Seoul that bubble would vanish. The more he thought about it, the more fear and darkness consumed him, stealing the oxygen from his lungs and making his eyes mist.
"Tae... I can't breathe..." he gasped, pressing his hands against his chest as if it would help him catch his breath.
Everything was spinning around so much that he was afraid he was about to lose his balance, but when he had the feeling that he was about to slide to the floor, as he usually did during his heavy attacks, something stopped him. Surprised, he looked down to his shoulders and saw something he hadn't expected - strong, tattooed hands that held him back, gripping his shoulders tightly.
He looked up and found those beautiful onyx irises, now filled with fear and anxiety. It was only after a short while that he realized that the man's lips were moving and for a long moment he stared at their movement as if hypnotized, not even being able to understand what the boy was saying to him.
For a mercilessly long moment, all he could hear was the loud rush of his blood and the sound of his breathing, which he tried desperately to catch with parted lips. He didn't even know how long it took for his hearing to register the low, velvety voice he loved and which soothed his senses like sensual music.
At first, he was unable to recognize the words, which merged only into a soothing music of soft vowels and more accentuated consonants, then finally taking on familiar shapes and allowing the sounds to form words. Words that sounded like a beautiful dream he hadn't even dared to dream about before.
"Honey, please look at me. I'm here. I am here with you. Just breathe..." the tattoo artist repeated, looking him straight in the eyes. "Please just breathe..."
Taehyung was so worried and scared as he watched Jeongguk almost struggle with his own body for each new breath that it took him a moment to realize that he might have said too much, but that wasn't important now. He wasn't even sure the brunet had registered how he called him. Until now, he had avoided such nicknames, even though he had already had them almost on the tip of his tongue many times. Every time, however, common sense made him swallow them and keep them for the moment when both of them were ready to make such a confession.
It was only after a long moment that Jeongguk felt his body succumb to those soothing sounds flowing from the tattoo artist's lips. The pressure in my chest began to ease, and his breathing evened out slightly. The image regained its sharpness, but all he could see were those beautiful onyx irises that belonged to a man who was slowly becoming his whole world and all he wanted was to plunge into that wonderful black depth of his eyes and drown.
"Gguk..." Kim whispered, taking a step forward and rested his forehead on the brunet's.
His hot breath hit the young CEO's gently parted lips. Jeon carefully removed his hands from his chest and grasped the cotton material of the tattoo artist's shirt, clenching his fingers tightly with it, and brought his lips to those of Taehyung, inhaling his breath as if only thanks to this he was able to survive.
"Stay with me, Gguk. Focus on my voice. On me."
Jeongguk didn't even know how long it took him to recover this time. Perhaps minutes have passed, perhaps hours. Even so, Taehyung kept him in his arms the whole time, pressing his forehead against his, allowing him to steal his breath. He surrounded him with the soothing warmth of his strong arms, repeating his tender words like a mantra.
When Jeon was finally able to move, Tae took his face in his hands and lifted his chin gently, forcing him to look at him. He stared at his face for a moment as if he wanted to read something in it.
"It's okay now..." the boy gasped, seeing the worry painted on the tattoo artist's handsome face. His voice hoarse.
"Are you sure?" He asked, still not stepping back, as if he was afraid that if he increased the distance between them, the boy would slide to the ground or crumble into a million tiny pieces before his eyes.
It was the first time he had witnessed such a strong attack by Jeongguk, and he hoped he would never experience it again. He didn't know what to do or say. He wasn't even sure what had triggered the attack. They had lived together for almost two weeks, and nothing of the sort had happened so far. On the contrary, Gguk beamed. Even when he knew that the boy was very tired after working all day, it was enough for him to cross the threshold of the apartment for a beautiful smile to appear on his lips, illuminating his eyes.
He moistened his lips and stroked his cheek, looking with concern at his pale face. The CEO's breathing was still altered, but his chest was rising much more slowly.
"Do you have any medications?" He asked carefully. "Should I give you something or... Just tell me what I should do..."
"You don't have to do anything else... You've done enough for me, Tae." That said, Jeongguk raised his hand and traced Taehyung's jawline with his fingertips. "I'm sorry," he added quickly, looking away.
"Gguk, what are you apologizing for?" He asked surprised.
"I didn't want you to see me like that..." he confessed.
He had struggled with these attacks since the accident in which his mother was killed. Some attacks were strong, others weaker, but he tried to hide them from everyone. For three years, Lisa saw his attack only once, on the day of her farewell party, despite having had many during their relationship. He usually hid in the bathroom, sitting on the cold tiles, until his compressed lungs let him breathe. Sometimes the attacks were so intense that he thought he would never be able to breathe again, and for a long time he struggled to get his breathing even a little bit. Thanks to Tae, he was able to contain the attack before the worst came.
"Gguk, I told you this before, but if I have to, I will repeat it and a million times..." the tattoo artist began, turning his face to himself again. "I want you. All of you. Not the one you pretend to be in front of others. I want the real you. No matter how fucked up you are," saying that, he leaned forward and kissed his lips.
He kissed him gently, his lips only lightly running over his, as if he was afraid that a stronger touch would hurt him, but there were so many emotions hidden in this caress that he had never felt before. Jeongguk tightened his hands on his T-shirt again, pressing their lips tighter, thus trying to convey what no words he knew could describe.
Suddenly, however, this tender moment was interrupted by the sound of his phone. The boy put his hand into his pants pocket and after a while he took the device out of it. He looked at the display, then looked at Tae. Kim could swear that Jeongguk turned pale again and knew who was calling him before any words left his mouth. The brunet pressed the green button and raised a slightly trembling hand, pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" He said hesitantly. His left hand tightened almost automatically on the tattoo artist's black T-shirt. "Hey," he said, and for a long moment he just listened to what was said to him.
Taehyung stood so close their bodies were almost touching, but still he was unable to hear what his interlocutor was saying. After Jeongguk's expression, however, he could see that what he heard surprised him, and he felt strangely nervous. He knew Lisa was coming home tomorrow, but he didn't want to think about it now.
"No. Don't worry," Jeon finally said after a long pause. "Yes. I understand," he said shortly, apparently answering questions that were put to him. "Yes. Good. See you later," he added after a moment, then hung up.
He pushed the device away from his ear, but stared at the screen for a moment, as if he still didn't believe what his interlocutor had just told him. His mouth felt dry.
"Gguk? Is everything alright?" Tae asked carefully, breaking the silence between them and that strange tension that suddenly filled the kitchen. "S-something bad happened?" He choked out with difficulty, fearing what answer he might hear.
Jeongguk let a loud breath escape from his lips, then looked him straight in the eye, gently lifting the corners of his mouth.
"It was Lisa," he said finally.
Taehyung had guessed it was her, but he felt strangely nervous at the sound of her name. But he said nothing, just held his breath, bracing himself for the worst.
He felt as if what was coming would literally knock him off his feet.
"She called to tell me that... she wasn't coming back..."
***
Ayashee:
And who of you was ready for such an ending?
Is Lisa really not coming back?
Or is it just a trick?
Will anyone find out about what happened on the sixty-ninth floor of The Jeon Electronics building?
Like the old saying goes, "no lie can live forever..."
Will Jeongguk's secret finally come out?
I am curious what you think!
xoxo