The first week, Taehyung spent almost every night at Jeongguk's place, visibly elated, and while Jeongguk enjoyed it a lot, he couldn't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Even when they showed up together the next Saturday at the bar, and told all their friends that they were together - up until then, only Jimin knew, and probably Yoongi, because Jimin was a bit of a tattletale - seeing everyone cheer for them and raising glasses to celebrate, Jeongguk still felt insecure.
It wasn't going to go away so soon, of course; he'd had four months of bliss with Taehyung in high school before his world suddenly shattered, so four months would be the first stage, the bare minimum for him to relax, he thought.
But of course, Taehyung understood, and every time Jeongguk felt crushed by the weight of his fear, he was there to close the gap and reassure him.
It was weird, getting to know Taehyung again. As could be expected, he'd changed too, over the past seven years. Jeongguk had been actively trying to avoid forming a bond with the new Taehyung up until now, closing off whenever he mentioned something personal about him during the gym sessions, never reciprocating the desperate attempts at conversation that Taehyung was single-handedly kindling, or even snapping at him for trying.
Now, though, he was more than happy to listen to Taehyung's tales from university, the stories of his drinking nights with Jimin, or about his job in a Gucci store, which he didn't know about until now - at least, it explained why he owned so many Gucci shirts - and everything else in between.
The nicest thing, though, was rediscovering the old Taehyung, the one Jeongguk knew and fell in love with in high school (because, no matter what he'd said to him at the time of their breakup, he did love Taehyung a terrifying amount back then).
The quirky, eccentric Taehyung who never did anything like anyone else, but to whom he still felt so attuned. The Taehyung who spoke to angels to win a game of chance. That Taehyung was still there, and Jeongguk loved him.
So everything was progressing smoothly, albeit slowly, until one day.
It was a hot Sunday in stifling August, and Jeongguk and Taehyung, both having a day off, were planning to go to the cinema and then to the restaurant, a perfect date.
One of Taehyung's strange rules was that Jeongguk wasn't allowed to see him before a date, so he could dazzle him when he showed up all dressed up. Which was why Jeongguk was waiting for him in front of the cinema, when he heard a woman's voice say his name from further away.
"Hey, isn't that Jeon Jeongguk? Taehyungie's boyfriend from high school?"
Jeongguk turned immediately toward the voice and froze. There, a few feet away, were two of Taehyung's former friends from high school, the ones he always hung out with, the ones who had dared him to go out with Jeongguk so he could better dump his ass later.
Jeongguk didn't know their names, but he vividly remembered their faces; they were the prettiest ones, a girl and a boy. The girl had long, shiny black hair and a beautiful face, with eyes of a startling light brown color. The guy had such delicate features that he looked like a model. Even in high school, they were the it couple, making people swoon with admiration and envy everywhere they went.
When the girl saw Jeongguk staring at her and understood he'd heard her, she put her hands in front of her mouth with a little gasp, embarrassed. Her boyfriend rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand, and started walking towards Jeongguk, who immediately panicked.
Why were they coming his way? Did they want to talk to him? Granted, it would be rude to not at least acknowledge him, since the girl had just shouted his name, but what were they going to say?
The guy stopped in front of him (he was fucking tall, Jeongguk noted with dismay), his girlfriend in tow.
"Um... You're Jeongguk, right? From high school?" He said tentatively. Jeongguk was somewhat grateful he'd phrased it that way instead of the guy Taehyung went out with on a dare. Some pills were more bitter than others to swallow.
"Yeah," he replied tensely. "And you're..."
"Oh," the guy replied quickly, "I'm Park Hyungsik, this is Go Ara. We were T... Taehyung's friends from high school? I'm sorry, you probably... don't want to hear about him, God, I'm so stupid. Sorry about that."
Jeongguk stared at him, stunned. Of all the things he could have said, Jeongguk wasn't expecting that. "Um," he said nervously, unsure what to reply to that.
Then, as if things couldn't get worse, he heard his name being shouted once again; turning his head, he spotted Taehyung walking towards him, dressed in an unbelievable silky green suit, flared trousers, vest over a white shirt, his newly dyed ash-blonde hair neatly parted on the side, and amber colored shades to top it all. He looked straight out of a fashion magazine, on his way to the catwalk, and people were gawking at him when he passed them by, sticking out like a sore thumb and obviously loving the attention.
Taehyung stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed who Jeongguk was talking to. Hyungsik and Ara, for their part, lightened up.
"Taehyungie!" Ara exclaimed, dashing towards him and almost jumping in his arms.
"Ara? Hyungsik?"
"Yeah, it's us! Oh my god, look at you, you look fabulous!"
"Thanks," Taehyung replied, eyes still wide with shock. "You too! What are you doing here, guys? You're still together?"
"Yeah," Ara beamed, "we're getting married in October! Finally! "
"We were going to an appointment with the wedding planner when we saw..." He suddenly stopped, remembering Jeongguk's presence, unsure whether to bring him up or not.
"You saw my boyfriend Jeon Jeongguk?" Taehyung finished for him with a radiant boxy smile.
Jeongguk's jaw hit the floor, and Hyunsik and Ara looked completely flabbergasted. Taehyung walked to Jeongguk, slid his arm around his neck, and added, beaming: "We're on a date!"
"That's... that's amazing, Taehyung!" Hyungsik replied, still looking shell-shocked. "I didn't know you were still together, thought you broke up back then in high school!"
"Yeah," Jeongguk muttered, embarrassed, "that's a recent development."
"We got back together!" Taehyung exclaimed smugly. "Took some time and effort, but I won him back."
"Wow, Taehyungie, that's great!" Ara shrieked excitedly. "You were so crazy about him in high school, never shutting up about him, it made me so sad when you guys broke up. You were such a cute couple. You still are!"
"I know! Right, Jeonggukie?!"
But Jeongguk had stopped listening around "it made me so sad", completely astounded to hear Ara detailing how Taehyung was crazy about him in high school. Crazy. About. Him.
"T... Taehyung was crazy about me in high school?" he stammered, blushing.
"Man," Hyungsik sighed. "He was always talking about you. Spent the night crying on my shoulder when you broke up with him that day. And the following week. Or month."
Jeongguk couldn't believe his ears. Taehyung glanced at him, looking like he wanted to say something, but Hyungsik was already embarking upon the topic of his own wedding, to which he warmly invited both of them, while Ara nodded approvingly.
Taehyung looked at them awkwardly. "Will, um... Will Yeji be here too?"
Yeji, Jeongguk had finally understood, was the one who kept pushing Taehyung about the bet, and also the one who'd spoken about it loudly in the hallway so Jeongguk would hear. Jeongguk still hated her with a passion, and Taehyung wasn't much better.
"Yeji?" Ara asked, eyes wide. "God, no. She and Seojoon broke up a few months into college, never heard about her again since. Seojoon will be there, though, and Minho and Dain too. Lost touch with Jihan, though."
She then launched into a recounting of Taehyung's friends' lives after high school, chatting animatedly until Taehyung interrupted her. "By the way, weren't you going to an appointment?"
"Oh my god!" she shrieked. "The wedding planner!"
Once she and Hyungsik had exchanged phone numbers with Taehyung, both of them skedaddled, and Jeongguk, still in disbelief about what he'd heard, was left alone with his boyfriend.
"So..." he whispered, looking at him bashfully, "it really wasn't just a dare? You really loved me back then?"
A sad expression crossed Taehyung's face, and he took Jeongguk's hands in his and squeezed. "Yeah, Gukkie. I really was in love with you back then. Do you believe it now?"
Jeongguk stared at him, then grinned and leaned in to kiss Taehyung, to the shock of the passersby around them.
"Yeah, Taehyung. I do."