"What's wrong, guys?"
The two shared a look, and Namjoon nodded, letting her know she could explain.
"I was from the last people who exited the VIP section because I was worried about Jeongguk, but eventually, I had to leave like everyone else. Once I got outside of the club, I realized I didn't have my purse so I asked Jisoo if I can go grab it. I saw you. You were still talking to Jeongguk, and I didn't want to interrupt, so I went to the booth I was before and found my purse. When I walked towards the door, I saw someone rush towards the exit too." She sighed, her brows drawing together as she thought back at everything that happened.
"I followed him because I found it weird. No one should be there since they took everyone out. The guy came here to the parking lot to meet Wang. I saw him give him something, but I couldn't see what it was. The whole thing was so weird so I just approached him and talked to him. I asked him what was his sidekick doing at the VIP section when only you were there with Jeongguk. Taehyung, he took pictures of you."
"What?"
"He told me himself. His sidekick took pictures of you and Jeongguk, and I was shocked because he just said it so casually. When I asked him why would he do that, he said that these pictures will be useful to earn what he has been waiting for years. I had no idea what he meant by that and I asked him about it, but he didn't say anything. He just left."
Taehyung was throughout confused about what Wang meant by what he said. Did he want something from him? If yes, he had no idea what that could be.
"I think... it has something to do with Jeongguk," Namjoon said, hesitant. "You remember what Jeongguk said about his first meeting with Wang, right? How he called him pretty and how he stared at his thighs. I think he wants... him."
"No," Taehyung breathed out, fear sweeping over him in a matter of seconds.
"He'll try to blackmail you, V. That's for sure," said Hwasa. "You have to keep Jeongguk safe if it's really about him."
"Shit, Tae, are you okay?" Namjoon asked once he detected his teary, hazy eyes.
Taehyung snapped out of his daze and rubbed his eyes in a hurry. "How am I supposed to keep him safe?"
"We'll help you as much as we can. You just can't leave him alone. Ever. At least until we know what the hell Wang wants," Hwasa said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Taehyung nodded as he glanced at them. "Thanks for telling me." He strolled off then, chewing on his bottom lip.
Jeongguk smiled and sighed in relief the moment he saw him come closer, but a pout surfaced on his traits as he observed his stiff expression. "What happened?"
"Nothing." He peeped at him, forcing a smile, and started the engine.
"But you're sad," he mumbled, reaching out to tug at his sleeve.
"It's nothing, little bun, really." He interlocked their fingers and squeezed his hand. "Are you okay?"
"You're changing the subject."
"I am. Will you let me do that?"
His quiet, saddened voice clearly told him he didn't want to talk about it, so he decided to drop it. "Okay."
"How are you?"
"Now that you're here I'm better, Taehyungie." His small smile stretched into a bigger upon noticing that his features mellowed and a similar smile reigned over them.
"Really?"
"Yes. You're making me feel good. I don't know how to explain it." He shrugged but grimaced as his back ached by the movement.
"Don't make sudden movements."
"I forgot."
"What did I tell you before? And look at you, already forgot about it." He shook his head as he scolded him playfully.
"You're mean." Jeongguk whined as he made a cute moue.
Soft chuckles ripped through the car - first from Taehyung, who couldn't control it by his cuteness, and then from Jeongguk, who couldn't control it when he heard his endearing laugh. "You're adorable."
Jeongguk whipped his head in his direction, his eyes bulging. "What?"
"What?" he snickered. "You have literally called me an angel, but suddenly me calling you adorable is shocking."
He gasped as embarrassment engulfed him whole. "I was drunk!"
"Oh, so you remember what happened that night." Taehyung smirked in amusement and shot him a knowing glance.
He peeked at him multiple times as he recalled everything they said. "You said... whatever I do, you can never hate me."
"I did."
Another moment of silence rolled by. "You said you hate everything and you're miserable."
"I did." A sigh tumbled out of him. "I also said you can tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. Do you remember what you said?"
Jeongguk lowered his head, bashful by the memory. "I said I want you to be happy."
"Do you know when I felt happy? When you were coming an hour earlier and we were sitting at my office, talking and drinking. Maybe it didn't last and maybe it was only for an hour, but I felt happy then. Carefree. Nothing was on my mind, nothing else mattered. Only you."
Surprised eyes were raised then and landed on him. "Really? I made you... happy?"
"You didn't make me happy. You are making me happy. I know I haven't treated you well, and we had our... fights and incidents, and it took me a while to understand it, but I really care about you. You have a way to make me smile and forget about my screwed-up life. Thank you for that."
"Tae," he whispered, amazed and feeling once again so soft inside by his words. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. I know you'll get flustered and your face will look like a tomato," he teased, leading Jeongguk to hide his face in his hands.
"This is so embarrassing. I can't help it! I can't control my face."
"So what, you get all red and flustered when you're talking to everyone?" Taehyung asked, an amused smirk playing on his lips.
"No, not with everyone," he murmured, embarrassed to the max, as he slowly leaned back, wanting to shrink into his seat, but Taehyung was quick enough to grab him by his nape and hold him in place.
"What are you doing?"
Jeongguk's stunned expression altered into a frown as he glanced at him. "I forgot again."
"It's okay, just... be careful," he said in a soft tone, caressing his nape, and then retracted his hand.
"Thank you for taking care of me."
"You don't have to thank me for that. But don't think I forgot about what we were talking about."
"Ah, shit," he said, both chuckling.
Taehyung knew how embarrassed he was, so he let it slide for the moment without questioning him more.
Soon enough, Taehyung parked the car outside of his house. "Did you tell Yoongi you're not going home tonight?"
"Oh. No, thank God you mentioned it." He fished his phone out of his bag and sent him a message saying that he was going to sleep at the club again.
They got out of the car a moment later and headed to the door. "Well, this is my house."
Jeongguk scoped the place in silence as they trudged inside. "It's not what I had in mind, to be honest."
"Oh?"
"I mean, I was expecting something fancier. You know, you're rich and stuff." A subdued chuckle accompanied his words as they sat on the couch.
"I don't really care about that. Unless if it's about my clothes."
"Yeah, I've noticed."
"Are you saying you've been checking me out?"
"What? No, why would-why would I do that?" He tittered, clasping his hands together, and ducked his head.
"There you go," Taehyung sing-songed as he pinched his reddened cheek.
"You're torturing me!" he whined, and the older couldn't help but throw his head back as a sonorous laugh flew off his mouth.
"Why, little bun?"
"Thank you for the teasing, hyung, it's really appreciated."
"You're welcome, Jeonggukie," he shot back, pinching both of his cheeks this time.
Jeongguk huffed and sneered at him as he crossed his arms and looked away.
"Are you mad, Kookie?" he asked in a baby tone and leaned closer, searching for his gaze.
"Yes."
"Oh, come on." He chuckled as he slid off the couch and crouched down in front of him.
Jeongguk's face and body grew rigid once he analyzed his position. His hands fell to his sides as if they were lifeless while memories of Wang sitting on his knees in front of him infiltrated his mind.
Taehyung perceived the sudden change of his expression and his brows bumped together in a worried frown. "What's wrong?"
He gulped dryly, fisting the drape of the couch as he squeezed his legs together. "Wang."
"What about him?"
"He had sat like this when he-when he t-touched me."
A blaze of rage simmered in his gut at light speed, but he spared no effort to suppress it for Jeongguk's sake. "Look, there's nothing wrong with me sitting here." He raised his hands, showing him he had nothing to be scared of. "I won't hurt you, and I would never do anything you don't want me to." He stretched them towards him in a silent request to hold them.
Jeongguk's restless eyes roamed all over his hands, and he clawed at them, his tense body loosening as the warmth of his touch trickled through his system.
"See? You just have to replace the bad memories with good ones. Is this a good memory, little bun?" He offered him a heart-soothing smile as he brought the back of his hand to his mouth and peppered it with delicate kisses.
Jeongguk beamed at him, feeling small flushed circles veil his cheeks. "It is. It's more than good."
"Do you have other bad memories I can turn them into good ones?" he questioned as he perched next to him again, still holding his hand.
"I have a lot. But you can't do anything about them."
"Why don't you try me?"
"You can't... turn the memory of my father beating me up into a good one, Tae. Or the memory of Wang's hands on my thighs. Or your hands around my neck."
Silence. An uneasy silence spread between the two as Taehyung's grip on his hand loosened and his head dropped in shame and regret of what he did.
The younger studied his wooden face and squeezed his hand. "I didn't say these to make you sad."
"It's just... I'm really sorry for what I did. I'm such a hypocrite. Telling you to trust me and taking care of you when I hurt you myself."
"I told you it's okay and I meant it, Tae. It's just a bad memory, that's why I said it. I'm not holding it against you, and I'm not accusing you. We've already talked about this."
"Ah, little bun." He heaved a mild sigh, still unable to meet his gaze. "You're right, I can't turn the memory of your father into a good one. But I can change the other two if you let me."
Jeongguk's brows arched at his last remark as curiosity struck him. "How can you do that?"
Taehyung tugged at his hand, silently telling him to get on his lap. Although the younger was confused at first, he comprehended what he was asking, and he straddled him with torpid, faltering moves. "I want to try something," he uttered in a low, sweet voice. "It's a little risky, but if you trust me, I'll try my best to make the bad memories go away."
Jeongguk held his nape in a gentle grip as he smiled. "I trust you."
"Enough to close your eyes too?" he whispered, his heart increasing its rhythm so much he could hear it roar in his ears.
Although a tad anxious about what Taehyung had in mind, he nodded. "I trust you." He closed his eyes, drawing in a mouthful of air, and waited with bated breath.
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🌹Another update is coming today🌹