Jennie hated this time of year. So many lights and lanterns decorating their town in a futile attempt to mask its tragically worn-down state while simultaneously blinding her. Thousands of citizens squished in a small, confined area laughing and pretending all was right in the world when the entire country was in shambles. Don't even get her started on the 'music' the less than qualified musicians had been playing for the past 2 hours. She would rather be almost anywhere else.
Sure, there were some aspects of the festival she didn't entirely loathe, like dressing up in her most fashionable outfits and making use of the gorgeous natural assets she had been blessed with; her fierce eyes and attractive figure, just to name a few. However, seeing the people she loved most smile was by far the highlight of her night.
Glancing at her parents dancing in front of the musicians while Taehyung's parents endlessly mocked them, Jimin flirting with Lisa under a tree (and using his cat as an excuse – how typical), Yoongi smirking as he picked another argument with Jisoo, and Taehyung appearing more relaxed and content than she had ever seen, she couldn't help but smile as well.
She supposed she could put up with all the annoyance for one night. Maybe it would be worth it.
Or maybe not.
"Hey Jennie!" Seokjin called out, dodging his way through the colourfully dressed crowd while pulling Taeyong behind him with a rope tied securely around his waist as if it were a leash.
Jennie whipped around immediately and began to run in the opposite direction, anticipating danger when she saw the desperation in Seokjin's eyes. But, the long-legged man-boy had already reached her before she could even attempt to avoid him.
"No!" Jennie exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring daggers at him, "absolutely not."
She knew exactly what this was about, and she was not succumbing to peer pressure again. She was done babysitting.
"But-"
"No."
"Jennie-"
"I said no!"
"You don't even know what I'm going to say," he said in exasperation when Jennie finally allowed him to get a word in.
Jennie rolled her eyes, "you're going to ask me to watch mr. hostage over there as you go cook or eat or both."
He scoffed and crossed his arms too, mirroring her posture, "wrong."
"Then, what do you want?" she snapped, "stop wasting my time Jinsuck."
"It's Seokjin," he snapped right back, and Jennie didn't know whether to smack him or laugh at the sass he was blatantly showing her.
"You stand corrected. I was going to ask you to watch mr. hostage while I go and feed the pond ducks."
Jennie groaned in frustration, "and I already told you I'm not doing it. Get one of your people to watch him. He's not my responsibility."
"Look around, Jennifer," he raised his hands and waved around the area dramatically, "everyone is busy doing something enjoyable with their lives. You're the only one who's doing absolutely nothing. Frankly, you should be thanking me because I think you could really benefit from his company."
Jennie was so shocked that he had called her 'Jennifer' that she just gaped at him for a few seconds, dumbfounded. Unfortunately, she realized in that moment that Seokjin was smarter than he looked, because he wasted no time taking advantage of the situation. And before she knew it, he had dropped the rope into her hands and disappeared into the crowd.
"That's not even my name!" she called after him, but he was already gone.
Jennifer was something Taehyung called her when he wanted to be extra annoying, because he knew it bothered her. Apparently, one other asshole had also picked up on that fact.
"That's disappointing," Taeyong muttered sarcastically, "Jennifer is a much sexier name."
Jennie finally turned towards the man who had been torturing her to no end for the past few days, simply by existing. She was about to snap at him but stopped herself when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the tiredness displayed all over his face. He looked like death.
"Damn, what did they do to you?" she pursed her lips together to contain her laughter.
Never in a million years would she have expected Lisa and Seokjin to have a knack for torturing people. But, as she had come to learn, stranger things had happened.
"I don't wanna talk about it," he sighed, and Jennie actually allowed herself to chuckle at how defeated he appeared.
"I think Lisa and Seokjin may have broken you," she laughed.
He glared at her, his sharp jaw set firmly in place, "it's not funny."
She continued to laugh, trying to picture just what the two of them did to convert all the rage within this evil man into pure exhaustion, "it's a little funny. I have to admit I severely underestimated them. I mean, it doesn't look like they physically harmed you, so just what did they do?"
"Untie me from these restraints and maybe I'll tell you."
Her laughter immediately ceased, and she stared at him, unimpressed, "nice try."
She began walking through the crowd, tugging on the rope and dragging him behind her
"I find it quite unethical how there are thousands of people here right now and literally none of them are concerned that you are dragging a tied up, grown man around," he stated firmly, causing Jennie to roll her eyes.
"Ya well, this is a pretty unjudgmental town. Trust me, stranger things have happened here."
She stopped next to the field where the archery competition was being held, tying the end of the rope to a nearby tree before plopping down on the grass.
"Like?" He sat down next to her, the rope keeping them a safe distance apart.
She turned towards him with an excited smile, "well, Yoongi was telling us the other day—"
Then she realized who she was speaking to and immediately stopped. She didn't know what had gotten into her. For a brief moment she had forgotten that it wasn't a normal man who was sitting next to her, but a serial killer who was loyal to the corrupt king. A man who would most likely kill her the first chance he got.
She rose from her seat in an instant and clenched her jaw, "you're a hostage."
It was supposed to be an internal reminder for herself that she wasn't planning on stating out loud, but of course her lips had formed the words before she could control it. And of course, he had to respond to it.
"Thank you, I'm aware," he replied sarcastically.
"I can't talk to you. We're not friends," she stated firmly.
"Good," he said calmly, and then grinned, "because I was hoping we could be so much more."
Jennie groaned in frustration. She had recently discovered that the most a man had ever given her was a headache. Now with this hostage's flirting, her torture was bound to increase exponentially.
"I need a drink," she muttered, leaving him there all alone as she stomped away towards the nearest jug of wine she could find.
~{❀}~
"I swear, if you cheat," Jisoo warned as she got into position in front of the clearly marked line on the road.
Behind her stood 11 of the strongest people she could find in Daegu, forming a well-organized row.
Yoongi scoffed, standing in front of her with his team prepared behind him, "I never cheat."
She had to admit, the aggressiveness and intensity radiating from the other side of the rope was a little daunting. One would argue that this whole thing was unfair, given the fact that Yoongi already had knowledge of and close ties with the strongest people in the town, but she was ready to defy all the odds that were stacked against her. She was going to win this tug-of-war game fair and square.
After all, there was a lot riding on this one match. If he won, not only would she have to endure the humiliation that his gloating would trigger, but she would also be forced to go on a date with him as well. But, if she won, he would never be allowed to speak of their embarrassing naked encounter and she would finally be free.
It was a risk she had to take.
"Alright everyone, on your marks," Namjoon's voice called out, silencing the crowd of spectators that had gathered to watch the much-anticipated challenge as he stood in front of Jisoo and Yoongi with an air of authority.
Yoongi raised a brow at Jisoo in amusement, "since when did Namjoon become our referee?"
"Since I recruited him," she announced proudly as everyone began picking up the thick rope, "he's the most unbiased person here, so it's only fair."
"Are you really that worried you're going to lose?" Yoongi chuckled, causing her to flash him a quick glare.
"Is everyone in position?" Namjoon called out.
Jisoo gripped the rope firmly in both hands, glancing over her shoulder quickly to ensure her team was prepared before facing Yoongi again with an expression of pure determination.
"On the count of 3, we will start," Namjoon ordered, placing a stabilizing hand in between Yoongi and Jisoo's to ensure neither of them begin too early.
"1."
Jisoo smirked at Yoongi, strongly believing that she was about to kick his ass and silence him forever.
"2."
He mimicked her expression, bending his knees slightly and tightening his hold, prepared to defeat her and win her over at the same time.
"3."
The crowd began cheering as both teams began pulling on the rope with all their might.
Jisoo liked to believe she was a pretty athletic individual. With the amount of training she completed on a regular basis and the weapons she always carried with her, she expected to easily overpower Yoongi and his team. But unfortunately, things did not go quite as smoothly as she had anticipated.
It was a perfect tug of war match, with Jisoo's team being snapped in one direction for a brief second before they suddenly gained the advantage and managed to pull Yoongi's team forward for a second. It continued this way for several moments, both sides matched evenly.
Jisoo's palms burned from the friction of the rope against her skin and her muscles were beginning to shake from over-exhaustion. Thankfully, her team continued to persevere despite her fatigue, motivating her to work harder. Yoongi's side had become entirely drenched in sweat, with Yoongi providing most of the force and determination as everyone else grew increasingly tired.
During a moment of weakness, Jisoo's team somehow mustered all the strength they could and began to pull their opponents with a relentless force. They had almost pulled the other team across the victory line, when Jisoo, rolled her ankle on the road, losing her footing and providing Yoongi with the perfect opportunity to offset the balance in the group and aggressively pull on the rope.
Jisoo and her entire team came tumbling forward. The force of 11 other bodies smashing into Jisoo's caused her to crash against Yoongi's chest with so much momentum that they both toppled down to the ground, along with some of the other players on her team.
He broke her fall as always, wrapping his arms around her instinctively as she landed on top of his warm, sweaty body. If she had a silver coin for every time they ended up in this compromising position, she would be rick. While attempting to convince herself that the pounding in her chest was only due to overexertion, she managed to glance up at him.
"I always enjoyed a good woman on top," he chuckled, the sound echoing through his chest and also causing her to groan in frustration.
She tried to get up as quickly as humanly possible, but he only tightened his arms around her.
"You'll have to get used to this..." he whispered in her ear, "now that we're officially dating."
Sighing in complete exasperation, she forcefully pushed him away and jumped to her feet, a part of her already regretting partaking in this competition.
"Fine. One date," she said through clenched teeth, "that is all you're getting."
She began walking away with a mind full of confusion and a heart full of emotions. To be honest, she had no idea why he was even pushing her to go on a date with him in the first place when he clearly still had feelings for Jennie. Perhaps this was a game to him, and maybe he wanted her for the same reason all men wanted her.
But a small part of her was surprisingly open to the idea of spending more time with him. There were bits and pieces of him she had seen that she hated, but there were also parts of him she couldn't help but admire. She had realized that there was a lot more to Yoongi than meets the eye, and she was (dare she say it) excited to unravel those secret pieces.
Maybe that's why she let him win.
~{❀}~
Chaeyoung sat down in front of the lantern booth, a bittersweet smile on her face as the sky darkened and the citizens began to crowd the small pond, releasing their bright lanterns into the sky like dozens of floating stars. She picked up the last lantern on the table – the one she had been saving for herself – and examined it curiously.
It was believed that these lanterns had the power to grant a wish when it was released into the sky on the first full moon of the year. No matter how absurd or how unattainable those wishes were, you were guaranteed to receive your hearts desires on a night like this one. She had spent her entire childhood believing in this innocent tradition and had wasted all her lanterns on superficial things like a new toy or a new book.
Now that she had matured, she wished she could reclaim every single one of those lost lanterns and release them all tonight. Maybe then she could have the one thing she wished for most in this world. Happiness.
"Why are you the only one left at this table?" Taehyung's low, amused voice caused her to immediately glance up at him, "you were supposed to be exempt from lantern festival duties, remember?"
She smiled despite herself, because no matter how she was feeling, he always had this effect on her.
"Yes, but relationships are blossoming and I –"
"and you're a sucker for romance?" he finished her sentence, causing her to laugh lightly.
"I was going to say I had nothing better to do, but I guess that also works," she muttered.
In fact, his comment was probably more accurate.
He chuckled quietly, causing her to smile again. A comfortable silence engulfed them momentarily as they just stared at each other, their eyes holding a whole conversation of their own.
"Can I buy a lantern?" he asked suddenly, placing a few coins on the counter, "I need to make a wish."
"We're all out," she replied apologetically.
He raised a brow and glanced down at the lantern she was still holding in her hands, "what about that one?"
"This is mine," she said automatically, and clutched it closer to her body protectively, causing him to laugh in amusement.
"Fine, I'll just go steal Yoongi's."
He turned and began to walk away but she got up and held his wrist to stop him.
"Come on," she sighed, pulling him towards the empty bridge over the pond, "we can share."
"But it only grants one wish," he argued but allowed her to drag him anyways.
She stopped when they reached the middle of the bridge and turned towards him, her eyes filled with emotion.
"Maybe we have the same wish," she said softly, offering one end of the lantern to him.
Without any hesitation, he gripped the bottom of the pale, cream-coloured lantern, his large hand overlapping with hers as she lit it up. Together, they released it over the bridge, watching silently as it joined the hundreds of other lanterns in the sky, surrounding the entire town in a mesmerizing yellow glow. Hundreds of people with thousands of dreams and wishes that one could only hope would eventually become a reality.
"I have a gift for you," he eventually broke Chaeyoung out of her reverie, "a little birdie told me it's your birthday today."
She glanced at him in surprise, "you didn't have to –"
"Shh," he placed a long finger on her lips to silence her before pulling out a beautiful, fully bloomed red rose from the sleeve of his hanbok.
She gulped back the lump that had formed in her throat and blinked rapidly to restrain the tears that were threatening to pour out. However, as soon as her fingers touched the soft petals and floral scent hit her, she could no longer control her emotions.
"Oh shit, are you crying?" his eyes widened as he lowered his head to try and meet her eyes, "I'm sorry, I saw you pick a rose from the palace garden the first day I met you and I just assumed you liked them –"
She laughed through her tears at how panicked he sounded and began to rapidly wipe her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt, "I love them, Taehyung thank you."
"Then why are you crying?" he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed his other hand along the side of her face, using his thumb to wipe her tears.
She looked up at him through her glossy eyes, unable to mask the emotion in her wavering voice, "I'm crying because I'm happy."
He furrowed his brows in concern, and she knew he understood what she was trying to say.
"For the first time in my life, I'm genuinely happy," she sniffled, trying to blink away more of her tears, but they just would not stop flowing, "but, I don't know how long this happiness will last."
Taehyung sighed and pulled her to his chest, hugging her gently and causing her to cry even more.
They were from different worlds. As the firstborn of the royal family, she was destined to become Queen – whether she wanted to or not – and all he wanted was to settle in Daegu and never leave. She needed to protect her people and he needed to protect his. He had no interest in ruling, and quite frankly neither did she, but the difference was she had no choice and he had the freedom to live the life he had always desired. And she could never take that freedom away from him.
It was easier to convince herself of these facts when she was alone, but whenever he was near, all voice of reason eluded her and nothing else mattered. Her mind and heart were constantly at war and she was constantly hoping her heart would emerge victorious.
"Both of us know we can't do this forever, Tae," her voice was muffled against his chest, "I have to become queen and you have to come back and protect your people. We may be travelling on the same path right now, but we have different destinations."
"I know," he murmured, resting his chin on her head as he tried to contain his emotions as well.
"I wish I was never born a royal," she whispered, "I wish the fate of the country didn't rest on my shoulders. I wish I had no obligation to take over the throne. I have never wanted to rule, Taehyung, never. But I have no choice."
He pulled back and cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze, "Chaey, I know."
"You have become such an important part of my life and I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to give up something I want to fight for with every fibre of my being. But I hope you know that you were by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. Taehyung, I lov—"
Before she could say the words and shatter his heart further, he cupped her tear-stained face and kissed her silent, pouring every ounce of affection he held for her into it, along with every stab of pain her words had caused him.
As he felt her soft lips press against his for the last time, he tried to capture this moment in his memories – painting a perfect image in his mind of everything he was feeling. The comfort he felt with her body held tightly in his arms, the fluttering he couldn't control whenever she was near, her rose-lavender scent that drove him insane, the warmth of her touch, and the softness of her lips. The past few months flashed through his memories in a split second and he couldn't help the tear that rolled down his cheek.
And as he began to pull away, he released the memories from his heart one-by-one, until that perfect image in his mind was wiped clean. A blank canvas again.
"I know," he whispered again. Because he knew exactly how she felt, but it would crush him to hear her say it out loud when neither of them could do anything about it.
He pressed a soft kiss against her forehead and began to turn away while he still possessed the courage to do so.
Blinking back the stinging sensation behind his eyes, he began to walk away, keeping the real gift he had been planning on giving her hidden within the pocket of his hanbok, wishing he had given it to her sooner. Maybe then, she would be reassured that he felt the exact same way.
~{❀}~
A/N: Thank you all for reading! Let me know all your thoughts, frustrations, thoughts and theories in the comments :) I always love reading every comment! If you haven't realized by now, I'm a hoe for angst 🤷🏻♀️