Third Person's P.O.V :-
Jungkook was aimlessly walking on the dirt path that led out of the back door of the kitchen and towards the garden area, when Jimin spotted him.
"Jungkook?" He called out from afar and ran towards Jungkook when the later didn't answer.
"Jungkook, hey, why aren't you answering?" Jimin asked as he spinned Jungkook around only to see dried tear strains on Jungkook's cheeks and his lips red and bruised as if he had been biting down on them.
Jimin vaguely remembered the doctor told him Jungkook had a lip biting habit whenever he became anxious. That piece of information only made Jimin more worried as he stared at Jungkook.
It seemed like the later was lost in another world, numb to the events of the present, mind somewhere else, his eyes unable to focus on anything or anyone.
"Jungkook?!" Jimin tried shaking him a little hoping to gain his attention,"Look at me, tell me what happened?" Jimin tried again, growing more and more worried by the second.
"I wanna get better" Jungkook whispered in a tiny voice making Jimin sigh in relief. Jungkook was responding, that was great news.
"Of course, you'll get better, Kookie, you're taking your medicines, you're going to therapy sessions, you're listening to your Doctor, you'll recover in no time and then you won't have to depend on medicines or therapy any more!" Jimin cheerfully said, trying to brighten up Jungkook's mood.
"No..I want to become self sufficient" He whispered as he finally looked up at Jimin, his eyes finally focusing on his friend's face,"You said I paint well, can I sell my paintings? Will I get money in exchange? Are they worth anything?" He asked, his voice conveying a sense of urgency as his pupils shook.
"I.. Ye-yeah.." Jimin whispered out, a little taken back by Jungkook's desperate plea for economic stability,"They can fetch you a good amount if you sell to the right party, in fact, I have a colleague back in Seoul who has a passion for collecting artworks, I could send them a few of your works and see what he says" Jimin said in a reassuring voice, a little happy that Jungkook was thinking about becoming independent, looked like a step towards improvement.
"What if he doesn't buy it?" Jungkook asked instead, feeling insecure.
"Even if he doesn't, he can tell us places where the works could be sold and then we'd sell to the buyer offering the best prices" Jimin once again spoke in a comforting voice, getting the message across that everything will work out in their favour in the end.
"O-okay.." Jungkook whispered and calmed down a little,"When do we send the artwork?" He asked instead.
Jimin smiled at the eagerness,"How about right now? You have your paints right? Let's go paint something and send it to him, I can record you painting and send it saying the artwork was done in one setting, that'll definitely earn a speedy reply" He suggested while grinning making Jungkook smile a little.
"Okay, let's go" Jungkook said and tagged along behind Jimin to follow him back to the guest quarters.
He was a little glad that Jimin showed up, until now he was just wondering around aimlessly not knowing where to go and then Jimin showed up and guided him towards his place.
And that applied both metaphorically and literally.
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"What? Are you certain?" Park Jihye asked as she stopped signing the official documents and looked up.
"Yes, mistress, everyone saw Kim Yeoja dragging Taehyung towards their room, some say that they weren't able to make out what was being said inside but there was definitely crying and yelling involved" One of the spies of Park Jihye firmly stated.
Jihye looked down at the paper with vague curiosity while poking her tongue inside her cheek,"Hmm, interesting" She whispered and looked up at the spy,"Keep an eye on both Yeoja and Taehyung, report to me whenever something unusual happens" She ordered in an authoritative voice.
"Yes, mistress" The spy bowed and swiftly exited the door, softly closing it behind themselves.
"Minjun" Jihye whispered as her faithful servant bowed on her side without another word, ready to carry out any instructions.
"Appoint guards around the guest quarters"
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It was around evening when Taehyung finally was done with the house chores.
He could now confidently say he liked it better in Seoul with all it's technology and machines where in here he's having to do all the chores the ancient way because that's a tradition.
His back hurts from working while hunched over, all day, he stood up straight and stretched for a few minutes.
After that little conversation with his mother, Taehyung immersed himself into the assigned work, trying to forget the events. The more he pondered the more he spiralled downwards.
He had already come to a decision, what was the point of thinking now?
He sighed and started walking towards his and Jimin's shared bedroom.
Swinging the door open, Taehyung was expecting to see Jimin lounging over the bed or the couch but only emptiness greeted him.
Taehyung frowned as he walked up to the bathroom door and knocked,"Jimin? Are you in there?" He asked but no answer.
Twisting the knob, he opened the door but once again only emptiness greeted him.
Worried, he walked out of the room and out of the main residence building.
Where could Jimin be? He was not the one to linger around after lunch nor did he particularly like talking to any of the Park clan members. Normally he'd retreat back to his room and engage himself into work or movies.
All things pointed towards one conclusion.
Jimin must be with Jungkook.
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When Taehyung was crossing the field, the first thing he noticed was the guards that now guarded the guest quarters.
The sight made Taehyung's heart stop for a second.
Why were there guards? They weren't there yesterday. The plausible answer made Taehyung's stomach flip.
'Did they see me sneaking out this morning?' Taehyung thought dreadfully,'No if they did then they wouldn't have left me to roam around freely' he reasoned out with himself, trying to calm down.
Nevertheless, in the end he decided to take a detour and instead of the entrance sneak in through the front porch, just like he had last night.
He never liked having to go through a bunch of guards. They frightened him.
A few yards across the field and Taehyung suddenly felt the winds pick up. It was going to rain again. Looking down at himself, he was wearing pastel coloured clothes again, he needed to hurry up if he didn't want to get mud all over his clothes this time.
When Taehyung finally made it to the porch, the first thing he noticed was Jimin's back as he held up his phone, recording something.
Taehyung stared in perplexity and hurried along.
"What are you doing?" Taehyung asked looking curiously at Jimin's back as he took off his shoes and placed them neatly by the sliding door.
"Oh! Taehyung!" Jimin peeped back a little and exclaimed gleefully,"Come here, check this out, Jungkook painted this within five hours!" He said in excitement, making Taehyung eager to check out the painting.
"Okay" He whispered and stepped inside the room. A big rug was placed on the floor while Jungkook sat in the middle of it with his canvas, droplets of paint littered his clothes and the rug.
Taehyung locked eyes with Jungkook and instantly felt his stomach twisting in a strange way inside his gut.
Tearing his gaze away from Jungkook, he finally looked at the canvas Jimin was talking about.
"Awesome right?" Jimin asked as he came up behind Taehyung and rested his chin on Taehyung's shoulder,"Here, look I took some pictures while it was still incomplete, when you look at the finished product and the initial stages of the painting, it really makes you wonder how talented the painter is" Jimin said holding up his phone for Taehyung to scroll through.
Taehyung gulped down, from the corner of his eye he could feel Jungkook staring at them. Staring at the close proximity.
Hesitantly, Taehyung scrolled through the pictures and just as Jimin said the development truly was amazing. If Taehyung didn't know any better he would have said Jungkook possessed years of knowledge on painting.
"It's amazing" Taehyung whispered, making Jimin grine harder.
"Right? I'm sending it to one of my colleagues to see if he wants to buy it or not" Jimin whispered stepping away from Taehyung as he selected the pictures and videos to send it to his colleague.
"Buy it?" Taehyung asked out with vague interest.
Jimin looked up at him and smiled,"I think all the therapy is finally paying off Tae! He told me he wanted to get better and become self sufficient! I'm so happy!" He whispered in utter joy.
Taehyung tried to smile but his heart felt heavy. He knew those words. That's what Taehyung had told Jungkook to be this morning.
"Oh! Look at that response! He's calling already! Hold on let me go pick up the call" Jimin said enthusiastically and walked inside to take the call as the room was too windy to receive a call in. Leaving Taehyung alone in the room with Jungkook.
Jungkook slowly stood up from his spot and walked towards Taehyung, whose back faced him, hand slowly reaching out to grasp Taehyung's elbow and turning him around.
Taehyung dug his vision on the ground when he was turned around, taking in a sharp breath. His fists clenching up tightly.
Jungkook noticed the downward face and innocently peeped in from a little lower to meet Taehyung's eyes.
Taehyung's gaze, strained on Jungkook face now, raised up along with Jungkook till he was on the eye level with him.
Taehyung felt butterflies erupt in his stomach, at the way Jungkook was staring at him. The stare was so tender, Taehyung thought he could melt in it.
The hand which was resting on his elbow until now slowly reached up to caress Taehyung's cheek, thumb gently rubbing against the slope of Taehyung's cheek.
Taehyung felt tears welling up in his eyes. This was wrong, he knew this was wrong but it felt so right that it frightened him.
"Stop" He whispered stepping away from Jungkook, looking away from him, jaw clenching as he crossed his arms over his chest, urging himself to refuse the advances.
Jungkook watched him distance himself and stepped in closer, gently touching Taehyung's hands which were crossed over his chest and traced it up till he was cupping Taehyung's face.
Getting on his tippy toes, Jungkook leaned in closer and left a castle kiss on Taehyung's cheek.
Taehyung exhaled a quivering breath at the touch and looked back at Jungkook, his eyes once again had turned glassy.
"I'm going to get better and become self sufficient" Jungkook whispered as he leaned back to stand properly,"Just like you asked, I'm going to become stable and reliable and then I'll ask you to be with me" He said and smiled.
Noticing the tears slipping past Taehyung's eyes, Jungkook frowned and reached out to wipe away the tears only for Taehyung's hand to catch his wrist before he could even touch his face.
"I can't be with you" Taehyung whispered firmly,"I won't be with you, I'm married to Jimin and I'll stay with him till the day I die" He added as he let go of the wrist and walked away to create a little more distance between the both of them.
Jungkook felt small at the rejection once again as he looked at the ground,"Yo-you won't be with me even if I'm able to protect you from everyone?" He asked out in a tiny voice.
Taehyung grimaced,"You can protect me but what about my family?" He asked, tightly gripping the hem of his shirt,"What about the consequences they'll face because of my actions?" He asked with a heavy heart.
"Moreover how could you do this to Jimin? You're asking for his help to sell your paintings and then after you earn money you're planning on taking away his own husband" Taehyung whispered genuinely feeling bad for Jimin,"He was a fool to think you were getting better, no sane person thinks like this" He said and walked off towards the direction he knew Jimin had disappeared off to.
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Jimin heard the door slide open and looked up,"Taehyungie!" He said as he stood up,"Come look at this, my colleague said that he'd buy the painting and he thinks that Jungkook should join an art exhibition to get more customers, he sent many art exhibition applications!" He cheered and showed the phone to Taehyung, for him to check.
Taehyung tried to smile at Jimin's enthusiasm and took the phone, looking through them to satisfy Jimin,"This is great news" He whispered handing the phone back.
Jimin's happiness faltered a little at Taehyung's reaction,"What happened? Are you upset? Did grandma do something again? Tell me I'll go talk to her" Jimin demanded and stood up, determined to go and face off against his grandmother.
Taehyung grabbed Jimin's shoulders, stopping him from leaving,"She didn't do anything, sit down" He said pushing Jimin down to sit on the couch again,"Did you have lunch? You said Jungkook have been painting for five hours, then you must have been here since then as well right?" He asked out with both his hands resting on his waist.
Jimin grinned sheepishly,"I might have lost track of time" He said and laughed a little.
Taehyung shook his head in defeat,"Let's go, let's get you some food" He said urging Jimin to come with him.
"Alright but can you go, arrange Jungkook's medicines while I help him clean up the paint?" Jimin asked as he stood up and pocketed his phone.
Taehyung just simply nodded at the request.
When both of them entered the living room again, it was empty.
Jimin frowned and ran upstairs,"Jungkook?!" He called out knocking on the door, Taehyung slowly came up behind him with a guilty expression.
"Leave" Came the muffled voice from behind the door.
Jimin stopped knocking and looked back at Taehyung, a little stressed,"He's in the room but not in a good mood, I think" He whispered becoming a little sad,"He was fine just a few moments ago, did something happen while I was gone?" He asked, making Taehyung gulp.
"N-no...he must be in another one of his episodes again" He lied, his guilt eating away at him.
Jimin looked visibly upset at the words,"And I thought he was getting better" He murmured and walked down the stairs,"Alright, I'll clean up then, Taehyung please arrange the medicines, we'll leave it by the table" Jimin directed, rolling his sleeves up, getting ready to dirty his hands.
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It had started raining when both of them exited the building.
"Master Jimin" One of the servants bowed and handed an umbrella to Jimin.
"Thank you, is there another one?" Jimin asked but the guards just shrugged, none of them saw Taehyung coming in and therefore did not prepare an umbrella for him.
"It's okay, I'll reach the door in two minutes if I run" Taehyung said trying to reassure Jimin.
"What? Why would you need to run? Come share this umbrella with me, stick close to me, the umbrella is small, okay?" Jimin said opening the umbrella.
"Okay" Taehyung said, blushing a little for suggesting a dumb solution.
Taehyung stepped under the umbrella and it was indeed very small.
"Come closer or your side will get drenched in rain water" Jimin instructed pulling Taehyung in by the waist, tilting the umbrella in Taehyung's direction to guard him better.
Taehyung smiled at the thoughtful gesture and wrapped his arm around Jimin's shoulder, getting ready to run in the rain with Jimin.
"Ready? Let's go" Jimin said and finally stepped under the direct rain water, harsh sounds of rain coming in contact with the umbrella engulfed them as they crossed the muddy field.
Taehyung jumped a little to avoid a mud patch making Jimin chuckle at the behavior,"Don't jump the dirt path is slippery, one slip and we'll get up looking like walking breathing brownies" He said making Taehyung smile as well at the thought.
Taehyung looked over and saw one side of Jimin drenched wet while Taehyung's upper body was dry from every angle.
"Jimin, you're wet!" Taehyung exclaimed in concern as he patted the drenched part of Jimin's shoulder, trying to guard it from getting anymore wetter.
Jimin grinned at the remark,"That's what she said" He chimed in and successfully earned a soft bonk on the side of the head, laughing out loud while Taehyung smiled hearing Jimin's laughter.
.
.
.
.
"You can grow to love him again one day, Jimin is a very kind boy, nothing like his own family, he'll keep you happy and treat you right, Taehyung, this is exactly what happens in arrange marriages"
.
.
.
.
His mother's words flashed before his mind as he admired Jimin's side profile.
"Jimin?" He softly asked out, hoping his voice will reach Jimin's ears amidst all the rainfall sounds.
"Hmm?" Jimin hummed out, his eyes looking forward as he carefully stepped over the slippery path, taking Taehyung and the Umbrella with him.
"This morning, you asked me if I'd like to start over" Taehyung whispered, successfully gaining Jimin's attention as his husband stopped in his walk and looked sideways to face him.
Jimin's face conveyed anticipation, as if his CSAT scores were about to be revealed.
"A-and?" Jimin asked out, gulping down a little, his face saddening thinking Taehyung might say no.
How could anyone say no to him if he made a face like that?
"And I want to start over"
There. Taehyung said it.
Jimin's eyes widened as he heard the answer, unable to believe his ears. Definitely thinking he heard the no as yes under the rain.
"Sorry?? Can you repeat that?!" Jimin asked, unable to contain the soft smile that was slowly breaking out on his lips.
Taehyung smiled at the reaction, all his doubts temporarily washing away,"I want to start over" He repeated, reassuringly.
Jimin just smiled at the reassurance,"Thank you" He whispered gratefully.
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A/n :- DRAAAAMAAAA 🍿🍿🍿
The sad face Jimin made while Taehyung was about to answer him :-
(Kyaaa why is he so cute and handsome and gorgeous at the same time KSJSKKSKSJ omg I love him ugh ugh UGHHH 😩😩😩😫😫😫)
Okay but logically speaking though, in this fic I would have chosen Jimin in a heartbeat, like if you choose Jimin there are pros & cons but if you choose Jungkook there are cons & cons mmskskksks 💀💀💀
Although I have NOTHING against people who'd choose Jungkook under these circumstances but like not me tho, y'all stay safe 😂👋
Not @ me just casually making Taehyung of this fic do what I would NEVER do just to make him suffer cuz I like drama 😭😭😭
Apologies for the long af author's note but expect a little Vmin action in the next chappie 👀
Thank you very much for reading, voting and commenting until now guys!
Love ya all!!! ❤❤❤