"Oh, Jungkook," Hoseok gushed. "You're so handsome."
Jungkook stared at his reflection. Hoseok had helped with his makeup and the hairdresser had just finished his hair. It wasn't exactly what his mother had wanted, but Hoseok had assured him the more natural styling was better.
"I'm not even wearing my tux yet."
"What if your mom doesn't get here in time?"
Jungkook chuckled, but his stomach twisted with nerves. "She'll be here. Dad says she's raising holy hell, insisting it shouldn't take so long to fix a dislocated shoulder and a scratched cornea."
It had been hard to talk to his father on the phone without confronting him, but he'd forced himself to set his anger aside. Jungkook knew without a doubt his father loved his mother—his voice practically broadcast it as he relayed Ae-ri's current status—and was mature enough to realize things weren't always black and white. He only had to look at his own mess to see that. Still, a new heaviness had settled over his heart. His father wasn't the perfect man he'd always believed him to be.
"Do you think she'll really wear an eyepatch?" Hoseok asked.
"Maybe she's wishing she'd picked a pirate wedding theme instead."
Hobi laughed. "If anyone can pull off pirate chic, your mother can."
"I know." Jungkook cast a glance at the door, feeling heavy-hearted. "I don't think Namjoon-hyung's coming."
Hoseok put his hands on Jungkook's upper arms. "Namjoon will show up."
"It's almost time to get dressed." Jungkook's nerves were getting the best of him. "Hyung hates me. I haven't answered any of his calls today and I wouldn't listen to him last night. He's not coming."
Hobi gave the younger a side hug. "He doesn't hate you. Give him a few minutes. He'll be here."
They were silent for a few moments, and Jungkook started to pace. Finally, he stopped and turned to Hoseok. "Aren't you wondering why Tae and I are going through with this wedding?"
"No."
"Really?"
Hobi smiled. "No, this feels right. You feel it too, or you wouldn't be here right now. You and Taehyung are perfect for each other."
"But Namjoon would say—" Jungkook lowered his voice to a growl, "—'then go on a date, Jungkook. Don't do something rash, like marrying someone you barely know.'"
The door swung open. "I don't sound anything like that," Namjoon said, marching through the doorway with a brisk stride, a large bag slung over his shoulder. "My voice isn't that deep. Although the rest is reasonably accurate."
"Hyung." Jungkook clutched his hands in front of him, feeling like he was about to puke.
"You've been ignoring my calls, texts, emails, voice mails, and carrier pigeons, Kookie."
Namjoon not only showed up but used his nickname. Jungkook grinned. "I never got the carrier pigeons."
"Ah-ha!" Namjoon pointed at him. "You just admitted that you received and ignored the other three."
"You're playing the role of an attorney, hyung. I need you here as my friend."
"Well, you're going to have to tolerate the attorney for a little while longer, because there's something I need to talk to you about. If you feel like going through with this preposterous endeavor once I've said my piece, I will be here for you one hundred percent."
Tears stung Jungkook's eyes. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." He hung the garment bag on the rack that held Jungkook's wedding tux, spread out in all its bedazzled glory. Namjoon stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight of it, his mouth gaping. He pointed to the tux, then Jungkook, then back at the tux. "Really?"
Jungkook shrugged, over it all ready. "Knickers."
Namjoon looked around. "Where is she anyway? I expected to find her here with a riding crop and a whistle to keep us malcontents in line."
Hoseok snickered. "I haven't heard her call us malcontents for years."
"She's not here. And after Gran asked me earlier today if Tae and I were into BDSM, I don't want to hear another mention of whips or crops for a very long time." Jungkook shuddered. "She's at the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and a scratched cornea. She'll be here soon."
"You're kidding?"
"I'm more interested in finding out how Gran knows about BDSM," Hobi said.
Jungkook rolled his eyes. "She says she read Fifty Shades of Grey."
Hoseok burst out laughing. "That explains so much."
"Tell me about it," Jungkook grumbled, his nerves pinging with anxiety. He was ready to seal his fate.
Namjoon lifted his eyebrows. "What happened to your mother?"
Jungkook sighed. "It's a long story, but I'm more interested in the story you have to tell me. I'm ready to hear it now." When Namjoon blinked in surprise, Jungkook added, "I know you have something important to say. Tae told me that much, but not the details. You investigated him, didn't you? After I expressly ordered you not to."
All the fight left Namjoon, who looked more vulnerable than Jungkook had seen him in years. "What would you have me do, Jungkook? I wasn't willing to stand by and watch you get hurt by one more jerk, especially when the last one still can't seem to take no for an answer. I swear, if Taehyeon makes one more annoying call..."
"What are you talking about?"
"That man's been calling me nonstop since Friday morning. Finally, after your fiasco of a rehearsal dinner last night, I told him you were in Busan, which meant you couldn't go out to dinner with him so he should stop calling me. To his credit, he seemed genuinely surprised to hear you were here. I said the only way you would even fathom going out with him was if he hopped on a train, found you here, and groveled at your feet. Thank God, that seemed to do the trick, and my phone has been mercifully silent ever since."
"Why would you tell him that? I wouldn't go out with him if he were the last man on earth. Especially after meeting Taehyung."
"Yeah...well, you shouldn't put Taehyung on a pedestal just yet." Namjoon put a hand on his hip and cocked his head. "What did he tell you?"
"I told you. He didn't tell me anything. I figured out you had something to do with it after he punched his brother—oh, God!" he said, realization hitting him. "I have no idea where Jin is or where he stayed last night."
Hobi's mouth contorted. "I know the answer to both of those questions."
Jungkook froze, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know?"
"You didn't!" Namjoon gasped.
Hoseok's back stiffened in defense. "What? He didn't have anywhere to go, and he was really upset."
"Hyung!" Namjoon said.
"What?" he asked in genuine confusion. "Oh! You think—no!" Disgust washed over his face. "Doesn't he like you more anyways?"
Namjoon stared blankly at Hoseok.
"There's nothing between me and Jin. He just needed a friend last night."
"A friend?" Namjoon asked, turning his attention to Hoseok. "That kind of guy doesn't do friends."
"Yeah, I know," Hobi said. "That's what was so confusing. We stayed up almost all night talking." Hoseok widened his eyes, as if sensing they were about to pounce on him. "What? It's true. And he never once made a move on me. Honestly, I think he's lonely."
Namjoon stared at him, speechless for several seconds before shaking his head. "Lonely? Whatever. One Kim man at a time." He turned his gaze to Jungkook. "There are a few things you need to know. I can't believe he didn't tell you everything before I could get to you."
"No, Namjoon-hyung," Jungkook said, his tone brisk. "He told me to listen to what you had to say, then make up my own mind."
Namjoon sighed. "He's playing you, Kookie."
"No, hyung. He trusts my judgment. He said if I decide I don't want to see him again, he'll respect my choice." Jungkook took a deep breath. "So tell me."
Namjoon cast a glance toward the still-silent Hoseok.
"Hobi-hyung can stay," Jungkook said. "He's part of this too."
"I think you should sit." Jungkook obeyed and fought his rising nausea as Namjoon told him about the patent, Taehyung's business, and how he wasn't sure it was a coincidence that Tae had sat next to him on the train. And when he was finished, all three men sat in silence.
Jungkook stood and wandered over to the window, looking out at the waves breaking on the shore. Parts of it made sense. He knew Taehyung's company was in trouble. He'd told him that he had two choices—either his employees would lose their jobs or he'd hurt someone he cared about.
Jungkook had thought that someone was Jin. Turns out it was him.
So why had he continued with this charade?
Because Tae hadn't stolen the information he needed yet.
If he left, he couldn't look for it. Jungkook felt like an idiot when he realized he'd given his father's password to him, providing him with carte blanche to all of his father's electronic files. What had he done?
He was going to throw up.
Then he thought about the man he'd gotten to know—a man who would never steal something for personal gain. He had too much integrity. It might not look that way, since he'd helped him for reasons that weren't on the up and up, but Jungkook couldn't ignore how Taehyung had refused to have sex with him that first night. He'd wanted to—badly—but he'd stopped because he was afraid of hurting him.
But what about Tae's feelings now? When Jungkook examined every minute they'd spent together, he kept coming up with the same answer. What the elder felt for him—what they felt for each other—was genuine.
"Why was he so upset with Jin?" he finally asked, turning to face Namjoon.
"How should I know?"
Jungkook stared at him, lifting his eyebrows. "Try again. I know you had a part in it."
"Why would I interfere with their relationship?"
"Tell me."
Namjoon released a sigh. "You know how much I love you, Jungkook. I may not say it often, but I figure actions speak louder than words. So I acted."
"What did you do?" Jungkook's words were tightly controlled.
"I had a document prepared. After I presented my key evidence, I gave Taehyung an out. I found another investor to take the original one's place—one of my divorce clients who received a very large settlement—but if he wanted my help, he had to promise to leave you and never speak to you again."
Jungkook felt lightheaded. "You did what?"
"He refused to sign it. I know he wants that patent, but if he doesn't have the money by next week, he'll have to shut down. For all his whining about how devastating it would be to his employees if he had to shut his doors, he never even stopped to consider it."
Jungkook put his hand on the back of his chair to help support his shaking legs. "He gave up his business for me."
Namjoon scowled. "I know it looks that way, but you don't know that."
Jungkook shook his head. "No, hyung. I do. I know how desperately he wants to save his employees. He came on this trip for no other reason. And give me a break, there's no way he could have arranged to sit beside me on that train unless he hacked the company. He said he left this trip up to fate, and sitting by me was definitely fate. He cares about me. I know it." Jungkook's voice broke. "If he didn't, he would have signed that document and gone with the sure thing." He pressed his fingertips to his temple. "This morning he told me it was up to me if I wanted to move forward with the wedding...and with him. He wouldn't do that if he didn't want to be with me." He looked up at his friend. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Namjoon's mouth twisted as he considered the younger's words. "I admit that it confused me when he tore up the document. While I expected a half-hearted denial, I didn't think he would act so offended."
Jungkook lifted his chin. "Why was he so furious with Jin?"
Guilt washed over Namjoon's face. "Seokjin had already signed the document. I caught him before the rehearsal."
Jungkook sat in the chair, feeling even more lightheaded. "Oh, hyung. What have you done?" He glanced at Hoseok, who was sitting on the other side of the room, to gauge his reaction. There was a strange look on his friend's face, and when he didn't say a word, Jungkook narrowed his eyes. "You already knew. That's what you talked to Jin about all night."
Hoseok gave a tiny shrug. "He was upset. When he signed it, he had no idea that Taehyung was in love with you."
Jungkook bolted out of his chair. "He's what?"
Hobi's eyebrows rose. "You didn't know he's in love with you?"
"No..."
Namjoon snorted. "Hell, he told me himself last night when he tore up the paper. I didn't buy it when he told me, thinking it was some way to outmaneuver me. But now I'm reconsidering, and I'm more cynical than the two of you put together. Supposing there are no other mitigating circumstances, what man gives up his family legacy for a man he kind of likes?"
"Oh, God. I have to talk to him." Jungkook bolted for the door, but Namjoon blocked his path.
"Wait. He stopped me when I was on my way in here."
"What? He's here?"
Namjoon rolled his eyes. "Of course he's here. He said if you were still open to going through with this after I talked to you, he wanted me to give you something from him."
"And you agreed?" Jungkook asked in shock.
Namjoon shrugged, looking irritated. "I have to admit, before I talked to him, I was convinced he was guilty as hell. But after I talked to him... I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I see some flaws in my theory."
"What does that mean?" Hobi prodded.
Namjoon scowled, looking aggrieved. "I may have been wrong."
"What?" Hoseok teased. "The all-knowing Namjoon might have been wrong?"
Jungkook shook his head. "Get back to the present part."
"It's out in the hall. Like I said, he asked me to give it to you if you didn't hate him after hearing my version of events."
"And you agreed?"
Jungkook shrugged. "I'm not entirely cold-blooded, and like I said, there were some holes in my theory." Namjoon left the room and came back with a white box that was almost as big as he was. "If I'd known it would be this hard to carry, I would have asked for a delivery fee."
"What is it?" Jungkook asked, pushing makeup aside on the large table to make room for the box.
"No idea. I'm just the delivery person. Open it and find out."
Jungkook's hand shook as he tugged on the end of the giant white bow and pulled it loose. When he lifted off the lid, he gasped. "It's my tux," he whispered in shock.
"What tux?" Namjoon asked, peeking around him.
"His original tux," Hoseok gasped in awe. "But how? Knickers canceled the order."
"They said it was too late to cancel it. So both were delivered to the store, but they wouldn't exchange it."
A card sat on top, which he pulled out to read.
Jungkookie
I know how much this tux means to you. If you decide to go through with the wedding, you should feel like the most beautiful man in the world, although it doesn't matter to me what you wear—you are already the most beautiful person in the world.
Taehyung
Hoseok peered at the writing. "That is the most romantic thing ever."
Jungkook grabbed the corners of the tux and lifted it out of the box. "I can't believe he bought my tux."
Namjoon grunted. "This still doesn't mean he's innocent."
"Yeah," Hoseok mumbled. "Because a guy who's trying to scam him would obviously buy him a three million won wedding tux."
Jungkook held it in front of him, studying his reflection. "I can't believe he did this."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hoseok asked. "Let's get you dressed. There's less than an hour until the wedding."
Twenty minutes later, Hoseok and Namjoon were dressed in their navy blue bedazzled monstrosities, arranging Jungkook's lapels. They stepped back and studied him.
Tears filled Hobi's eyes. "I can't believe you're getting married."
"I'm not really getting married," Jungkook gushed out.
"It looks like you are from where I'm standing," Namjoon said.
"It's not real. It's all for Knickers, and she's not even here to enjoy it."
Hoseok squeezed his arm. "She'll be here, Kookie. Wild horses couldn't keep her away."
There was a knock at the door and Namjoon went to answer it, poking his head through the opening. He turned around with a scowl. "He wants to talk to you." A tiny grin broke through his tough exterior. "And I suppose the fact you're wearing the wedding tux means you want to talk to him too." Namjoon tugged on Hoseok's sleeve. "By the way, it's not fair that you got to dump the fairy prince tux and we're still stuck with ours." His eyes lit up with a devilish gleam. "But I'm getting married soon too, and paybacks are a bitch."
They filed out of the room, leaving the door open to reveal Taehyung. He was gorgeous. He wore the pinstriped black tux he'd tried on the day before, but today he looked different. Nervous, but there was something else Jungkook couldn't put his finger on. Tae stood at the threshold, hesitating. "Can I come in?" he asked in a hoarse rasp.
Jungkook nodded, not trusting his voice.
Tae entered the room and shut the door behind him. He openly stared at Jungkook, his eyes wide in awe. "You're beautiful," he whispered softly.
Jungkook smiled shyly in the spotlight of his unabashed wonderment. "You saw me wearing this yesterday."
Taehyung shook his head. "Not like this." He moved closer, stopping several feet in front of him. "You didn't tell me to go to hell. I'm going to take that as a good sign."
"I have some questions."
Tae pressed his lips together. "Okay. Anything. Total honesty."
Jungkook took a deep breath. "Did you know I'd be on that train?"
Taehyung shook his head, his eyes pleading. "No. I had no idea... I didn't have much of a plan either; I just knew that Jeon Seongjin's son was getting married. But I freely admit that I boarded the train with the intention of finding evidence that your father's firm stole my design."
"Your design?"
His gaze held Jungkook's. "I came up with it, and Jin and I were working on funding and paperwork for the patent. Jin had a spare set of plans with him at a convention and he... lost them."
"Lost them?"
Tae grimaced. "He slept with a woman and when he woke up the next morning, the bag and the plans were gone."
Jungkook couldn't believe his father would involve himself in such a thing, but two hours ago, he would have sworn an oath that his father wasn't capable of cheating on his mother. "How do you know this isn't some big coincidence?"
"Because when Jin was at your father's firm yesterday, he saw a photo of the woman." He paused. "She's Lee Seungsoo's fiancé."
"Lisa?" Jungkook gasped. "I knew Seungsoo was underhanded, but to have his girlfriend sleep with your brother..."
"So you believe me?"
"Of course I believe you, but I still don't understand how you ended up as my substitute fiancé."
"Everything I told you is true. I carried you out of the train, and your mother heard me telling people you were my fiancé. I did try to correct her, but then your father introduced himself, and...I figured I was being given the chance to help us both out. I really did leave this trip up to fate, and it seemed like this giant gift had been delivered to me, wrapped up in a bow." He took Jungkook's hand in his. "I never meant to hurt or humiliate you. You have to believe me."
The younger nodded. "So the reason you didn't want to break up with me in the beginning was because you hadn't found what you needed?"
"Yes, at first."
"And then Jin came to help."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"And then yesterday? When you used my father's computer...?"
"I was ready to let the business die. After our night together, I knew I couldn't lose you."
"But something changed."
"When I checked my email, I got a note from our business manager, Chan. He told me that an employee who's been with the firm for over twenty years had a heart attack." Tae swallowed and reached forward to squeeze his hand. "He's counting on me, Jungkook. How will he survive if my business fails? I felt like I had to make a choice between saving him and the other people in my firm and my own happiness. I've sacrificed so much for this business, but I didn't want to give you up. It ripped my heart out to even consider it—"
Jungkook closed the distance between them and kissed him. "You're not giving me up."
Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Jungkook into a hug, kissing the younger softly for several seconds before releasing him.
"Do you have any hard evidence against my father's company yet?"
Guilt flickered in his eyes. "No. Just circumstantial."
The younger hesitated, not knowing if he wanted the answer to his next question. But he was tired of hiding from the truth. "Is my father involved?"
Taehyung didn't answer and Jungkook pushed out a breath, trying not to cry.
"We don't know, Jungkook. That's circumstantial too."
But there was a good chance he was involved somehow, and the thought nearly killed him. "How'd he pay for this wedding, Tae? My parents don't have that kind of money."
"I don't know."
Jungkook pressed his lips together and nodded, taking in a deep breath. "So we need to get the evidence to save your business, right?"
"You want to help me?"
"You have people depending on you, don't you?"
"Well... yes... but..."
"Do you have a plan?"
Taehyung shook his head, as though letting the realization that Jungkook was there for him, that he wanted to help, sink in. "Lee Seungsoo and his fiancée are supposedly coming to the wedding. Jin is going to pull her away and try to get her to confess to stealing the plans and capture it with a video recording. If we can get her confession, the rest falls into place."
"And how does Jin plan to get her to confess?"
Tae's face reddened. "He has his... methods."
"Oh." Jungkook was sure he did.
"Hoseok's agreed to help him too. He's going to record it all." When Jungkook's eyes widened in surprise, Tae added, "Jin stayed with him last night. Supposedly they're BFFs now."
"I heard. And what about you and Jin?"
He grimaced. "We're working it out. He's making an effort."
"So if Hoseok and Jin are trying to get a confession, what is there for me to do? I want to help you."
Taehyung's eyes were soft as he smiled at Jungkook. "Your job is easy. You just be you."
"And what's your job in this?"
"To stand next to you and be the luckiest man in the world."
The younger's face flushed. Were Hoseok and Namjoon right? Did Tae actually love him?
Did he love Tae?
Jungkook glanced down at his tux. "Thank you for this."
"If we're going through with this, I wanted today to be as wonderful for you as possible." Tae started pacing, then stopped in front of Jungkook and said, "I have another gift, if you'll accept it."
Why was he so nervous? "Okay."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver ring. The band was engraved with an intricate pattern. Two smaller diamonds flanking a larger one were embedded in the metal. "I don't want to stand in front of all your mother's friends and go through this ceremony with Kang Taehyeon's ring on your finger. Jin called our mother on the way to the rehearsal dinner last night—after he'd realized what a screw-up it was to sign that damned paper—and asked her to overnight this." Taehyung held it in front of Jungkook. "This was part of my grandparent's wedding set. I figured we could swap out his engagement ring for mine. There's a wedding band too." He searched the younger's eyes. "And maybe when the ceremony is over, you'll keep wearing the engagement ring."
Jungkook's mouth dropped open in shock as he got down on one knee. "Jeon Jungkook, sitting by you on that train was the best thing that ever happened to me. And when I thought about losing you, I was devastated. I don't want to live without you. I don't know how I fell in love with you so quickly, but I did. I know it's probably too soon, and this is so unlike me, but I love you. I know deep in my gut that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
Jungkook laughed between his tears.
"Are those happy tears?" Tae asked, still on his knee. "Please tell me those are happy tears."
Jungkook nodded.
"Is that a yes? You're leaving me hanging, Jungkookie, and this floor is hard. But I'll grovel if I have to. I'll do anything to prove myself to you."
"Yes. Yes."
Taehyung stood and pulled Jungkook into his arms, kissing him until they forgot everything around them.
When Jungkook looked into the elder's eyes, he smiled. "I love you too."
Taehyung laughed. "I sure as hell hope so. You just agreed to marry me for real."
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A/N: asbfbabfhiqwbeirfbq this proposal was so fluffy and cute my heArt