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The morning sun lazily flowed through the curtains of Taehyung's room, waking up Taehyung from the land of dreams. He squinted his eyes, the morning light was radiant despite the cloudiness of the sky. He took a deep breath and yawned, stretching his sore limbs. His arm stretched to the spot beside him, only to find it cold and empty.
Taehyung narrowed his eyes, heart heavy as if he was missing something very important. Something he should be remembering.
Then it clicked.
Jeongguk
He'd slept with Jeongguk the previous night. But where was he now? Had he left? Before Taehyung could wake up? He had never done that before.
Taehyung gulped down the bile in his throat, anxiety filling him to the brim as he wondered if he had said or done anything wrong the previous night. He was panicking. What if Jeongguk had actually left him for ever?
Then he heard shuffling in his closet. Taehyung hoped off bed, quickly putting on his underwear from the previous night that was discarded at the foot of his bed, hopes high to find Jeongguk inside. He took careful footsteps towards his closet.
Jeongguk emerged from his closet, clad in one of Taehyung's boxers. Taehyung sighed in relief as he saw his lover walk towards him.
"Oh Taehyung, good morning! I just took a shower. I'm borrowing one of your underwear. Why do you only have black and white ones? Not any other color? I have all sorts of colors. I even have this one boxer shorts with superman-" Jeongguk was cut off by Taehyung stepping towards him and wrapping his arms tightly around Jeongguk.
A surprised whimper left Jeongguk's mouth as Taehyung buried his head in Jeongguk's shoulder as he squeezed Jeongguk in his embrace. Jeongguk was confused at first, but returned the embrace as soon.
"I thought you left" Taehyung's lips were cold against the side if Jeongguk's neck.
"I didn't" Jeongguk managed, despite the tight embrace is making it difficult for him to breathe. "I won't"
"Thank you" Taehyung continued to embrace him, constantly inhaling Jeongguk's heavenly scent, grip around his body never faltering. It was as if Taehyung was trying to wrap it around his head that Jeongguk was actually still there, and hadn't left.
"I can't breathe" Jeongguk mumbled.
"Oh sorry" Taehyung withdrew from the embrace and Jeongguk took a deep breath, smiling gently at Taehyung.
"There's nothing to thank me for" Jeongguk said, stepping close to Taehyung until their bare chests touched. Happy is what Taehyung felt when Jeongguk's lips stretched into a soft smile, making his eyes crinkle at the end and his dark orbs twinkle. It was the same smile that had been painted on his face in every memory Taehyung had with Jeongguk. The same pure and blissful smile that had Taehyung thanking the universe for his own existence. The smile that was enough to make all of his worries vanish.
"Aren't your parents home?" Jeongguk asked, as he brought his hand to touch Taehyung's cheek. The pad of his thumb caressed over Taehyung's cheekbone and around his mouth, a gentle smile still tugging his lips upward. Taehyubg's hands had placed themselves on the small of Jeongguk's back, the place that had curved so beautifully and Taehyung always found himself placing his hands there.
"My dad had to stay at the hospital for some medical tests. My mother stayed with him. They'll be home later today. Said something about going to meet Namjoon's father on the way too" Taehyung said as he pinched Jeongguk's waist, making the younger erupt into giggles.
"Does that mean I should get goin-"
"It means we can cuddle more" Taehyung said, grinning.
Jeongguk erupted into giggles again, bunny teeth full on display. Taehyung mirrored his lover's actions. He planted a kiss on top of Jeongguk's forehead. He smelled of lavender, Taehyung's body wash.
"My clothes look better on you than on me" Taehyung said, smiling. Jeonggguk looked fucking sexy in his boxers and every other day, he'd had spent the night with Taehyung, Jeongguk would wear Taehyung's clothes in the morning.
Jeongguk giggled again, a furious blush appearing on his cheeks. His hair was a bundle of messy, brown curls atop his head and he looked absolutely adorable that Taehyung wanted to smolder him with kisses all over.
"You need a shave, my love" Jeongguk said, thumb caressing over the stubble around Taehyung's mouth.
"Really? I thought you'd like me all manly and masculine and daddy-like" Taehyung grinned.
Jeongguk rolled his eyes. "You can wear pink from head to toe and you can still be manly and masculine and daddy-like. Masculinity has nothing to do with how someone looks or how they dress" Jeongguk said.
A chuckle left Taehyung's lips upon hearing his lover's words. "You have such a sexy brain, darling" Jeongguk giggled again in delight.
He was about to kiss Jeongguk's plush lips when-
"Hyung do you-"
Taehyung's bedroom door creaked open, revealing a skinny boy in pajamas. The bowl of cereal he was holding fell onto the floor, a loud cracking sound echoing through the massive room.
Kim Beomgyu, Taehyung's younger brother stood at the entryway of Taehyung's bedroom. Jeongguk and Taehyung broke away as if they were electrified, Jeongguk jumping away from Taehyunhg and then scurrying to hide behind him. Taehyung had totally forgotten that his younger brother had been staying at the house with them. He had returned from college to attend Taehyung's engagement party.
Beomgyu's eyes were wide as saucers as he took in the situation before him. He visibly gulped and Taehyung knew he was fucked. The last thing he wanted now was a family member finding out about his love affair...with his family's rival.
"Beomgyu-" Taehyung started, nervously gulped. His brain seemed to have short-circuited because nothing came into his mind. He just stared at Beomgyu, horror-stricken.
"Is that.." Beomgyu's voice was laced with bewilderment. "Is that Jeon Jeongguk?"
Taehyung wanted to say something like I can explain, but before he could even muster it up, Jeongguk was stepping forward, he had thrown on Taehyung's silk shirt from the night before, that Taehyung had a vague memory of spotting it on on the floor not ten minutes ago, a few buttons done. Taehyung didn't know when he had put it on. But he watched as as Jeongguk stepped in front of Beomgyu, a smile playing at his lips. The shirt failed to cover anything more than his ass. And the tight boxers only covered halfway down his thighs. The last thing Taehyung wanted to do was watch his younger brother finding out about eongguk this way. He can obviously see that they slept together.
Taehyung watched in confusion and horror as Jeongguk bravely stepped towards Beomgyu and stretched his hand out. "I'm Jeon Jeongguk. Nice to meet you. You're Taehyung's little brother, right? Taehyung had told me all about you. Though I'm sorry you have to meet me this way" Jeongguk said, his voice like honey.
Beomgyu stared at Jeongguk, mouth slightly open from shock as his gaze fell from Jeongguk's face to the outstretched hand. He looked at it like someone had offered him something he'd never seen before.
A few moments of silence passed, the silence so loud that you could hear a pin drop. Then Beomgyu slowly took Jeongguk's hand and shook it, lips a tight line.
"I'm Beomgyu" The youngest of the three said.
Now it was Taehyung's chance to interfere. "Beom-" Taehyung started but he met his brother's gaze and it made his throat go dry and his words to die in his throat.
"You cheated on Jennie Noona?" Beomgyu's voice was thick.
It hit Taehyung like a brick to his head. He flashed back to the previous night where he and Jennie were congrajulated for their engagement. The way they thanked everyone and danced together. The way they drank champaign to celebrate his and Jennie's engagement. He was engaged now. He has a fiancee.
But that wasn't Jeongguk.
"Beom I can explain" Taehyung said.
"Later. I'm in a hurry. I need to go to the library to finish some assignments that I need to submit next week. Just...just don't get caught? Mom and Dad will be home soon. He should get going now" Beomgyu said, already turning to leave. He then looked at Jeongguk. "Nice to meet you too"
The door slammed behing Beomgyu as he took his leave, leaving the two lovers n their privacy again.
"I'm sorry" Jeongguk said, turning to look at Taehyung. "I should've left earlier"
"Don't be. He would've found out at some point. I hardly keep anything from him. Especially things from my love life" Taehyung said.
Jeongguk nodded and shrugged off Taehyung's shirt, placing it on the bed. "I'll leave now"
Taehyung stayed silent. As much as he wanted Jeongguk to stay, he couldn't. "Can we meet again this afternoon? I missed you"
Taehyung heard Jeongguk sigh. "You're engaged. I know we messed around last night like we were still dating but you're engaged to Jennie. We shouldn't do this anymore. You...you should move on from me. If we keep doing this, it's going to be problematic to your future"
"But I want to be with you! It's you that I want!"
"I know that! You think I want to leave you? If you want me in your life you might as well do something to make that happen! I know you're stuck in this situation but I offered you everything I could. I told you I'm ready to financially support you and even merge our companies just because I want to be with you! But I don't see you putting that much effort to this relationship" Jeongguk said, voice breaking from time to time.
Taehyung just stared, eyes on the floor as be let Jeongguk's words sink in. He was nothing but right. Taehyung felt a tear escape and then he had sunken to his knees before Jeongguk, head held low.
"Jeongguk please don't leave me" Taehyung whispered brokenly.
"What do you want me to do!? There's nothing-"
"Tell me what do do! I don't know what I should do. I've been told all my life that my company and family comes first but now you're here too. My company is my life. I was raised to be the CEO of my family's business. That was the only thing I cared about my whole life but not anymore. Not anymore now that you're here in my life. And I don't want to lose you. If I choose you, I'll lose my company. If I choose my company, I'll lose you. I'm not used to making such big decisions, Jeongguk. I'm just-" Taehyung started sobbing.
I'm just a twenty five year old boy.
Jeongguk wrapped his arms around the older boy. He understood. He knew Taehyung had no other choice.
Taehyung sniffed, drawing away from Jeongguk to look him in the eyes but still holding his hands in his.
"Do you know why I hated you?" Taehyung said.
"Because of my blood?"
"No" he said, "Because you made me question everything they told me"
Jeongguk stared.
"They told me my only priority is my business. That everything comes second. They said that everyone I meet in my life want something from me. And that they're gold diggers. They told me that love isn't real. That it didn't matter. That what mattered is money and my business. I didn't want to be in any kind of relationship because I didn't want it being a nuisance to my work. I didn't want a special someone if they're only by my side to gain something for themselves. Nor did I ever believe in love. Until I met you.
"You tore down my walls and entered my heart and made me feel safe and strong and you became my everything. You make me stronger, Jeongguk. You were never a burden. And there's nothing you could possibly want from me other than...me. Now my biggest priorities are you and my family"
Taehyung sighed, meeting Jeongguk gaze, they were glassy with tears pooling on the edges.
"I don't want to choose"
Jeongguk brought his hands upwards to cut Taehyung's face. He brought his own face close to his so that their foreheads were touching.
"I can't tell you what to do, Taehyung" Jeongguk whispered. "I don't have a right to tell you what to do especially when it comes to your family. So I'm going to leave you to take decisions. I can't do that for you. I just want you to be happy, Taehyung. If you need any kind of support, I'm always here"
Taehyung sniffed. "I don't want to loose you. You're the best thing that happened to me"
"I love you. I think I always will" Jeongguk said and kissed Taehyung. Their lips brush against each other and Taehyung sighed against his lips, feeling the familiar bliss if kissing Jeongguk.
Jeongguk stood up afterwards. "I should get going"
He really did. Taehyung's parents would be home any second. So Jeongguk left, after getting dressed, leaving Taehyung to drown in his problems again.
-
"Hyung"
Taehyung looked up from his laptop as he heard his brother call him from the entrance of his study.
"'Sup?" Taehyung said, darting his eyes away from the emails he was previously looking at. Beomgyu had returned from the library right before lunch. They had just had had lunch and Taehyung had work to do. A lot of it. But he needed to talk to his brother.
"You want to tell me about that boyfriend of yours?" Beomgyu seated himself in one of the plush chairs in the room, close to Taehyung.
"Yeah. Sorry for not telling you earlier. We wanted to keep it a secret." Taehyung said.
Beomgyu laughed, earning a confused look from Taehyung. "The fuck is so funny?" Taehyung said.
"So you guys are boyfriends. Like actually dating" Beomgyu mused. "That's fucked up, you know? He's your enemy. You guys are supposed to hate each other. Ok. Let's put that aside. You're about to get married! You have a fiancee!"
"Yes. Yes. You don't have to spell it out for me, ok?"
"How did ya'll even get yourselves into this mess?"
And Taehyung told him. He told his brother how he used to hate him but after the project they got closer. And that he wasn't planning to fall in love but ended up falling head over heels for him. He totally left out the fucking part. He used the word messed around because fucking seemed too vulgar to say to his baby brother. But Beomgyu got the idea.
"Damn that's fucked up" Beomgyu said. "What are you going to do now? You're supposed to marry Jennie. You don't like her at all?"
"I mean she's cool and shit but I'm not into her. I've never been into her. Besides I'm in love with Jeongguk. I don't want to let him go"
"Bro you've got to do something about this. Forget that he's a rival, the most concerning thing here is that this marriage. We must stop it"
"But how? There's no other way to save the company"
"No, listen. I heard the other day dad talking to someone. I think that's Namjoon's dad. This was way before shit went sideways with the company. The point is that they've been planning this marriage since the day you and Jennie were born. So whether or not this damage to the company happened, ya'll would've been set up for marriage sooner or later whether you were in love with someone else or not" Beomgyu said.
Taehyung looked at his, surprised. He knew his parents liked Jennie. But he didn't know that this was planned all along.
"You should talk to them. Tell them you have someone else. There's literally no other way to solve this. If you want Jeongguk, go for it. And make sure there's no regrets. Because if you seek another way to get out of this situation, there's no going back. Is Jeongguk really worth all this effort?"
"There's nothing more I want than to spend the rest if my life with him" Taehyung said without a second thought.
"Damn you guys are serious in this" Beomgyu laughed. "I don't know much about this stuff but I don't think you should sacrifice your happiness for the business"
"I've been thinking the same thing" Taehyung said.
"You should go talk to them or just fuck it up. And choose love. What's meant to happen will happen" Beomgyu.
"You're smarter than you look" Taehyung said, smiling at his brother.
"I think you're dumber than you let on"
"You-" before Taehyung could attack his brother, he'd run out of the room, screaming "your welcome!" As he did. And Taehyung grinned watching him run.
-
Taehyung decided to confront his parents that evening. His mother, specifically. Because he'd always found it easier to talk to his mom rather than his father. So after the four Kim's had tea, he found his mother in the living room, looking through her emails.
His father was in his room. He'd rest at this time. His mother raised his head as Taehyung stepped closer to the couch she was sitting in. Her blond hair was done in a bun and she wore an oversized sweater with trousers. She looked beautiful as ever. Taehyung's mother smiled as she waved her son over to sit beside her.
Taehyung did, a gentle smile playing at his lips.
She placed her laptop on the coffee table in front of her and turned her whole body towards Taehyung and caressed his cheek lovingly, inspecting his face.
"You look tired, my love" She said, brows knitting together in worry. "Have you been over working yourself? I told you not to stress too much about this. Everything's settled now. There isn't much to worry about. You should-"
Taehyung smiled. "Mom I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something"
"What is it? Since you're busy all the time we hardly get to sit together and talk. You know you can tell me anything"
Taehyung nodded, leaning into her touch. He built up the courage and spoke.
"I'm in love with someone"
"Well that's great. Jennie is a very sweet girl. It's hard not to love-"
"It's not her" he said.
Taehyung's mother looked at him in confusion. "You mean you're in a relationship with someone else? Before you agreed to marry her?"
Taehyung nodded.
"But I thought you said there usbt a problem with marrying Jennie" his mother said.
"I didn't have a choice"
"Oh Taehyungie" she said. "Who is this?"
"Doesn't matter, mom. He is a good person. I'm in love with him and I can't marry Jennie"
Her mother was about to speak when boisterous laughter came behind them. Taehyung whirled around to see his father standing in the doorway. Taehyung's eyes widened as fear rise in his chest. His father had heard him?
"Foolish child. Do you have any idea how stupid you sound? You sound like a five year old boy" he said, approaching the mother and her son.
"Eunjin-" his mother started but was cut off by his father.
"What are you, in love with him?" He asked mockingly.
"Yes!" Taehyung said, angry at how his father was not taking him seriously. He stood up from his seat to look at his father.
"So what? You were really thinking of marrying a man? I'm not against you being bisexual, son. But numerous times have I told you that your first priority is your business. You can't even pass the business to another generation if you marry a man" Eunjin said.
There are ways! Taehyung wanted to say but he didn't. He didn't because he hated fighting with his parents.
"You love him? Keep the affair. I don't give a damn. Marry Jennie, and you can do whatever you want after the companies merge. You must do anything and everything to keep up the place we have in this industry. And at the end of the day, that's all that's going to matter. We raised you so you can make this company thrive like it did for generations. But you failed. You failed to make some women agree with a deal. And now you're trying to back up from the only chance you've been given to make this company great again? Are you even my son?"
"Eunjin!" Taehyung's mother stood up and shot his husband a look of disbelief.
Taehyung kept his head low as his father continued, ignoring his mother. "You will marry Jennie. That is your responsibility. I raised you, injecting the idea of how important to keep up the legacy is into your brain. But you'd foolishly think that you want to sacrifice all you've held dear and every responsibility because you're in love? This isn't sone fairytale!"
Taehyung kept his head down, unable to meet his father's gaze. He knew he'd tear up if he did. He didn't want to cry in front of his parents.
"You will marry Jennie and merge our companies and get Tan Corporation to the place it was. And then you can do whatever the hell you want. Am I understood?"
Taehyung gulped. "Yes, father"
Afterwards he went to his room, called Jeongguk because he needed to hear his voice and cried himself to sleep.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't. His life seemed like a ball of yarn. Unsolvable. There's no way he can make ends meet.
~*~
Thank you for the support
I love you❤