Taehyung parked his old estate. He rested his head on the headrest and closed his eyes.
How he hated Mondays.
It was only the beginning of the week, and he felt terrible. Since Saturday's events, he has hardly ever slept. He couldn't help but think about Jeongguk and what had happened between them.
Perhaps he was still not ready for dates. After his relationship with Jiwon ended, he was not seeing anyone for a long time. He has only recently begun to meet new people from time to time, but has found it extremely difficult to establish any deeper relationship. He didn't even know why he had asked him on a date.
When he started working here, he set himself clear rules. Never combine work and pleasure. He did not date his clients, much less should not kiss them.
Not as if his life would depend on it.
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, then got out of the car. He glanced at his phone to check the time, but found he had a few more minutes to spare. So he took out a cigarette and, leaning against his car, slipped it into his mouth and set it on fire. He took a long drag, hoping the nicotine would ease his troubled thoughts.
He was fucking sleep deprived. When he got home, he couldn't sleep, he analyzed what had happened all the time, and on Sunday morning he went to visit his mother and spent the rest of the day with her.
The woman saw that he was thoughtful, and she was watching him closely, but asked nothing. Perhaps she figured out that something had happened that he didn't want to tell her.
He almost overslept this morning. When his alarm clock rang, he was unable to get out of bed, and then he literally ran like crazy to make it on time. He had to fry pancakes for breakfast with one hand, and with the other he put on his shoes to make it in time. He was used to how often his mornings were so chaotic. Reconciling all responsibilities was not easy.
Now he finally had a few minutes to himself. Because of all this, he didn't even have time to drink his coffee this morning. He would have liked to go buy his favorite latte across the street, but he didn't have time for that right now. His first client was about to arrive, and he still had to get the studio ready.
Today he was responsible for the opening. Yoongi and Namjoon had clients a little later, so only he was supposed to be in the morning. He took another drag, squinting his eyes against the harsh sunlight. He was about to start walking towards the entrance when suddenly he caught the strong smell of freshly brewed coffee. Surprised, he looked around.
As his dark eyes met that warm chocolate gaze, he froze. In one moment, so much emotion flooded him that he didn't know what to do with himself. The brunet smiled shyly at him. He stood there for a moment, looking so fucking awkward and cute at the same time.
As always he wore a perfectly cut suit that looked like it was made especially for him. His dark hair was brushed smoothly, glistening with the sun's rays. He looked so damn perfect as if what had happened between them hadn't had the slightest effect on him. In his hand he was holding two mugs of coffee, the scent of which was in the air, caressing his senses.
"I told you not to come," Tae said, then took a quick drag on his cigarette.
He pushed himself away from the car and looked at Jeongguk again. His lovely, delicate lips were pressed into a narrow line. He looked like a scorned child who doesn't know how to apologize, but somehow that irritated him more. He dropped his cigarette to the ground and stamped it with his heavy shoe, then walked silently towards the door. He ran across the street and quickly punched in the code.
He swung the door ajar, but before he was able to open it just enough to slip inside, a strong hand blocked it. Taehyung exhaled loudly the air from his lungs, which he had been holding until now, then turned and regarded Jeongguk with his eyes.
"Tae... Please, let me explain..." The dark-haired man finally said.
"It's V for you. Only my friends can call me by my name, and I don't remember you being one of them," the redhead snarled.
"Please, at least, let me stay here..."
The tattoo artist looked at him with his hard gaze, then rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.
"Okay," he agreed finally. "You'll be here today and tomorrow, then we'll set your pattern. I'll get you a tattoo and you'll disappear."
As he spoke, he looked down at the two mugs of coffee the boy still held in his hand. The aroma of freshly ground and brewed Arabica coffee almost attacked his still sleepy senses. So he took one of the mugs from the brunet's hand and looked at it again.
"And I'll take this, but only because it's been a rough morning and I need a hell of caffeine," he said.
Jeongguk nodded without saying anything, then followed the boy inside the studio. He wanted to talk to him and explain what had happened between them, but thought it's better to wait for a more appropriate moment. The tattoo artist was clearly not in the mood, looking tired, as if he hadn't had much sleep lately.
When they got inside, it turned out that there was no one else there but them. The redhead turned on the light and took his leather jacket off the back, then hung it on a hanger next to the reception desk. He turned on his laptop and played the music. Jeongguk wasn't surprised even for a moment when the sounds of one of the famous rock bands burst out of the loudspeaker.
Hearing these sounds, Taehyung immediately relaxed. He clicked something on the laptop for a while, but his head began to nod slightly to the music. Jeongguk saw the boy singing the lyrics to the song under his breath, and he couldn't take his eyes off his moving lips. He bit his lip instinctively, remembering the determination with which he had pressed his lips against his on Saturday night.
Was Tae thinking about their kiss too?
Because he couldn't forget about it. He knew he shouldn't think of it that way. Hell! He should never even have allowed this to happen, but well... It happened. Now he had to fix it somehow.
"Have you been working here for a long time?" he asked, wanting somehow to get to the boy again. Taehyung looked up from his computer and regarded it for a few moments.
"Almost three years. We created this studio from scratch. We did most of the things ourselves. We painted the walls, we chose the furniture..." saying that, he walked around the reception desk and gestured for Jeongguk to follow him.
They walked through the door and the tattoo artist led him to the rest of the salon. They entered a small room decorated mostly in black. There was beautiful graffiti on the wall depicting a retro microphone. There were also other references to music around. Jeongguk watched at it with curious eyes. In the center there was a tattoo chair and a bed.
"When we were setting up this studio, we decided to divide it into three parts. Each of us has our own room. This one belongs to Yoongs. He's crazy about music. Sometimes he mixes something himself and even raps a little. Graffiti is his doing," Taehyung said, and then moved on to the next room.
As he opened another door, he saw a room that this time had a slightly different style. It was still dark, but a beautiful silver and blue car emerged from the wall, painted in such a beautiful, realistic way that it felt as if the car was real. Jeongguk was delighted that each room had its own unique style, yet somehow strangely formed a coherent whole. In each room, the floors and furniture for tattooing were the same, only the paintings on the walls changed.
"It's Namjoon's work. If you ever want to pimp your car, you can ask him. His father runs a car repair shop, and as a little boy he could repair cars," V said.
Jeongguk looked at him with fascination. He liked the way the boy talks about his friends as if he was proud of them.
"It's just a pity that he can't conjure up a new car for me, because this shitty estate is barely spinning," he joked and moved on. When they reached the last door, the redhead stopped and turned towards Jeongguk. "And this is my kingdom..."
Jeongguk felt strangely excited. He knew this was part of Taehyung's world and wanted to know it. He held his breath almost involuntarily and stepped inside.
The floor was black, like the rest of the rooms, as were the armchairs and tattoo bed, but he could see the most beautiful graffiti he had ever seen on the wall. The eyes of a man whose face was hidden behind a white mask stared at him from the wall. The earring saying "Loved" hung from his left ear, but there was something about his eyes that made him unable to look away from them.
He knew that look.
He turned back to see Tae and met the look of the same eyes that had just been looking at him from the wall painting.
"Tae, this is beautiful..." he said, although "beautiful" didn't half reflect what he wanted to say.
"It's nothing special," the tattoo artist said, shrugging his shoulders, then quickly looked away.
He set the cup with half-drunk coffee on the table, walked over to the closet and took out the disinfection equipment. He began to quickly clean the stand to prepare for the arrival of the first client. He prepared inks and a tattoo tool, still feeling the dark eyes on him.
From time to time he would tell him what he was doing to keep the conversation going and avoid awkward silence. Before he looked back, he heard the door code and knew his client was about to appear. When a middle-aged man appeared in the doorway, Taehyung smiled.
"Hey, Woo!" he called, and approached the man to shake his hand.
"Hey, V. What's up? Jesus, I can't wait to finish this sleeve!" the man replied. He moved towards the chair, but when he saw Jeongguk, he stopped in surprise.
"He's my trainee. JK. He would like to observe my work if you don't mind," V explained, quickly coming up with a new nickname for Jeongguk.
In their industry, it was better not to use real names. This provided them with additional security in case someone wanted to denounce them for illegal activity. He also didn't want to put Jeongguk at an additional risk, or raise a wave of awkward or unnecessary questions about who he was or why he was watching everything. Woo's face lightened up straight away.
"Oh of course I don't," he said, waving his hand at it, then approached Jeongguk and extended his hand to greet him. The brunet took it with a gentle bow to the older man. "Believe me, these hands do wonders! You couldn't have chosen a better teacher!" he said. "I have traveled the world and really nowhere have I found anyone more talented than this boy!"
"Woo, we both know that there are many more talented artists, but thank you," the redhead said, and he quickly started preparing the equipment.
Jeongguk gave him a stealthy look. The boy looked embarrassed. It was fucking cute. Jeon cleared his throat loudly and took a few sips of his now almost cold coffee, drinking it to the end.
"Woo's making a Japanese-style sleeve," Tae suddenly began. "We've already done almost three-quarters, so we'll probably be able to finish today. He is one of our regulars," he continued, putting on a black mask.
Jeongguk wished the boy hadn't covered his face. He wanted to be able to watch him, but he could see why the boy did it. After a while he put gloves on his hands and motioned the man to sit on the chair. The tattooist disinfected the man's skin, then grabbed the marker and started drawing the rest of the sleeve. The brunet widened his eyes in surprise as he watched Taehyung quickly create the rest of his creation, covering the man's forearm with lines that soon began to form a koi fish.
"Y-you don't use stencil paper?" he asked surprised.
"He is that good," Woo said and smiled broadly at him. Taehyung glanced at him surreptitiously, but quickly looked away and continued his work.
"Stencil paper is not always necessary. All that sleeve is my concept. Woo gave me a free hand so it's easier to just draw it on his skin and then fill it with ink," he said finally.
Jeongguk could not take his eyes off his hands, which with a simple marker made an unbelievable art. He grabbed the armchair and sat down on it so that he would be exactly opposite the redhead when he was tattooing a man. He felt even more fascinated. What had appeared on the man's forearm so far was simply unbelievable.
The brunet felt that his heart began to beat faster. It felt as if he had finally found something he had been looking for for so many years. Whether or not Tae forgive him, he had to create a tattoo for him. Jeongguk himself was once very interested in art, although he abandoned it more than ten years ago, but watching the boy draw on his client's skin, he wanted to paint something himself. He hasn't felt anything like it in many years.
It seemed to him that he would never come back to this passion, but this red-haired boy evoked in him emotions that he had long forgotten. It was a bit as if someone was losing a string again of a long-disused instrument that everyone had forgotten. Is it possible for a broken instrument to start playing again?
Taehyung talked to the man, questioning him about his daughter, and Jeongguk looked at him as if bewitched. It was as if he met him again today. This time not as a handsome man, but as a bloody talented artist. He wasn't sure which was more appealing.
He couldn't deny that Taehyung was handsome. He was tall with broad shoulders and long legs, which he accentuated by wearing black tight pants. Everything about him was almost perfect, his tattooed hands, red hair, the piercing on his lower lip, beautiful dark eyes and caramel skin, but his passion and talent...
It was literally breathtaking.
Only the sound of the tattoo tool broke him out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times and studied the man's face closely. He wanted to see his reaction and expression the first time the needle met his skin. He wondered what it felt like. He had heard all sorts of outrageous stories about how painful it was to get tattoos. Woo already had experience. Almost the entire left arm was covered in tattoos, as was the right arm which Tae started to tattoo at the moment.
The man wrinkled his nose slightly as the needle stuck into his skin. It was not a strong expression of pain, however. Jeongguk had heard that the back was quite a hard place to tattoo, but he always thought it had a high pain threshold. For a moment he wondered if it was really painful.
Instinctively, he looked at Taehyung's tattooed forearms. He didn't know how many tattoos actually adorned his body. From what he observed, he was sure the boy had both his hands tattooed, including his hands and fingers. He could see the lotus flower on his neck emerging from the mandala on the upper part of his chest. The rest was hidden in a black T-shirt.
He didn't know if the ink also covered his chest or stomach. Instinctively he thought that he would like to see him shirtless someday. Check that under the black fabric, his skin is the same caramel as on strong forearms, whether his body is fit or adorned with more works of art or some more piercings. He wondered if the broad shoulders were covered in ink, whether the strong back was covered with amazing art, or whether it was smooth and tanned.
As they were driving to lunch on Friday, he noticed the boy had a tattoo on his left knee and thigh. He could see a piece of it through the hole in his pants. Did he have more tattoos? Some of these tattoos were probably painful, did Taehyung like the pain? He knew pain wasn't always pain. Sometimes it was downright nice. He knew that people had more than once taken pleasure in procedures that seemed painful. Was the redhead one of them too?
Jesus. He didn't even know why his thoughts had wandered so far. Why was he wondering what a man's likes were? It was probably the fault of Park, who had been joking that someone should manhandle him... But he surely shouldn't wonder if the tattoo artist had similar tastes. It has gone too far.
Knowing his thoughts were going in the wrong direction, he shifted nervously in the seat. Taehyung, as if feeling his eyes on him, lifted his gaze and for a moment their eyes met. The tattoo artist wore a mask, so he couldn't see his expression, but his eyes looked the same as the first time he looked at him. Jeongguk instinctively moistened his lips, feeling that his mouth was dry.
They stared at each other for a brief moment, but the tattoo artist quickly returned to work. He wiped off the last of the ink and blood that had leaked from the tattooed area with his hand and continued on, creating another part of the fish's tail. Jeongguk usually preferred black and white tattoos, but he couldn't take his eyes off the colored ink that marked the man's skin. How Tae chose colors for his work was amazing. The tattoo artist had a great taste.
The sleeve showed koi fish twirling along the man's biceps and forearm, shimmering red, yellow, and orange, flowing in frothy water strewn with petals and lotus flowers. Colors, lines, precision of work - it was all incredibly beautiful.
He didn't even know how long he sat almost motionless, watching closely the movements of the tattoo artist's hand, listening to the sound of the tattoo gun. Several times he caught the dark eyes wandering across his face, but he didn't know how to interpret it.
After a few hours, the sleeve was ready. Woo was delighted. With a smile on his face, he said goodbye to Tae and left, leaving them alone. Jeongguk watched closely as the tattooist cleaned his place in preparation for his next client. The silence between them grew increasingly overwhelming.
"You have a break now?" he finally choked out, feeling a growing nervousness. "M-Maybe you want to go eat something?" he asked hopefully.
He hoped that if they got out of here, even for a moment, maybe he could explain it to him. He held his breath as he waited for an answer.
"No. I have a moment to smoke a cigarette and I have to get everything ready, but if you want, go ahead," the tattoo artist replied, not even glancing at him.
Jeongguk could have sworn he felt a strange twinge in his chest. He nodded and started toward the exit. He felt that if he did not leave immediately, he would suffocate. He knew that every action, that everything you do has consequences. He knew he had made a mistake, but he hoped he could at least explain, apologize. The tattoo artist, however, seemed to avoid confrontation. He was disappointed that Tae treated him so coldly.
As he left, however, he did not see Taehyung's dark eyes staring at his retreating figure. When he closed the door behind him, the redhead exhaled loudly and rested his hands on the black table on which he was arranging the equipment. He closed his eyes for a moment. He was confused. He didn't know what to do.
When he told the boy Saturday night not to come here, he was almost sure he would listen to him. He was surprised to see him here this morning, but would lie to say that when he saw him, his heart did not beat faster in his chest. He felt strangely irritated by this.
He grabbed the packet of cigarettes and headed for the exit. Yoongi was standing behind the counter when he entered the waiting room. It was enough for their eyes to meet for a moment for the platinum blond to walk towards him. They both left the building without a word.
Taehyung leaned against the wall, took out the cigarettes, and held out the packet to his friend. Yoongi took a cigarette, set it on fire, then passed the lighter to the younger one. The redhead lit his cigarette and took a quick puff while leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes.
"What's going on with you and this boy?" Min asked suddenly, taking a drag. "If you want, I'll tell him to get off. Just because I was fucking his friend doesn't mean we have to agree to everything..." he added when Taehyung was silent.
The younger took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and looked at his friend. He moved his tongue over his bottom lip and inhaled again.
"No. There is no need to do anything... I can handle him."
"Seeing you both for the first time, I thought that you liked him..." the blond started, wanting to force his friend to talk.
They had known each other for almost four years. Taehyung really owed him a lot. Yoongi was with him in some of the most difficult moments of his life. He had helped him when things started to fall apart, and was still picking him up when suddenly everything seemed to overwhelm him. He looked at him and knew that even if he didn't say anything, the blond knew him too well not to know that something was wrong.
"In a long time, I didn't like anybody as much as I like him, Yoongs," he finally confessed. "I thought he'd turn out to be a plain pompous, spoiled rich asshole, but when we went to lunch together... he's not like that. It's hard to explain, but there is something about him..." he paused and took another drag.
He rested his thumb on his lower lip and played with his piercing for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. Yoongi remained silent, giving him time to open up. He knew it wasn't easy for him. Tae tended to keep everything for himself. Often you had to extract information from him almost by force.
He witnessed his separation from Jiwon. The boy was devastated when the girl left. He knew it shocked him a lot, and he hadn't gotten involved with anyone since. He had only recently begun to go out to people, but it seemed as if no one could get to him. It was as if his life was black and white, and as this dark haired man walked over the threshold of their studio, suddenly everything turned into color. He saw a gleam in his eyes that he had never seen before.
"I wanted to get to know him better and... I know I said I would never date clients, but I thought it was worth breaking this rule for him and I asked him on a date," Kim confessed. "When I waited for him, I was pretty sure he would set me up..." saying that, he snorted softly under his breath at the memory.
That was the truth, he was pretty sure Jeongguk wouldn't want to go out with someone like him. It wasn't his league, but he had to take the risk anyway. He felt that if he did not do it, he would regret it, and he always tried to live his life so as not to regret anything. But when he saw that the boy showed up...
Perhaps this was a sign, he thought...
"A boy like him can have anyone..."
"Tae..."
"But he came, Yoongi. And I thought maybe this is not just in my head, maybe he felt the same way. And it was so damn good. I have not felt like this for a long time. We were laughing and flirting all the time. When we left the club and I walked him home, it suddenly started to rain. We ran together in the rain, laughing all the time. When we finally stopped and I looked at him... He was soaked, his hair was sticky to his face, and he looked so damn perfect. I kissed him..."
Taehyung fell silent again. He put his hand to his mouth and took a drag on the cigarette, this time holding the smoke in his lungs longer. He could feel a bitter taste of disappointment at what happened next.
"He kissed me back. He pulled me to him and kissed me so hard as if there was no tomorrow... And then everything fell apart... Just like everything always falls apart."
"What do you mean?" Yoongi asked surprised.
"He has someone, Yoongs. He told me he was in a relationship. He kissed me with such passion I couldn't believe it, so I thought maybe his relationship was falling apart, that they didn't love each other anymore... I don't know... And I asked him if he loved him."
"And he told you that he does..." the blond said.
It wasn't even a question, but rather a statement. Looking into his friend's eyes, he knew. The younger nodded and inhaled again, burning the cigarette almost to the end.
"He told me he loved her and that he proposed to her on Wednesday... He fucking proposed, you understand?" he replied, combing his hair in frustration. "And I know I should feel guilty about kissing a guy who belongs to someone else... But you know what I thought when he said that? I thought the world was making fun of me because I was two damn days late... that maybe if I had met him before he proposed to her..."
"What did he tell you? You asked him why he agreed to a date if he had someone? Why did he kiss back? People in happy relationships don't do such things..." he asked.
"And what does it change, Yoongi? A guy like him is dating some long-legged busty model who's just as rich as him, not someone like me. He probably wanted to make fun of me, and he was having a good time watching me make a moron of myself."
"He doesn't seem like someone who would do such things..." the blond began.
"And does he seem like someone who would like to go out with someone like me?"
"I think it's worth giving him a chance to explain himself. Though whatever he tells you, love triangles are a mess. It always ends badly. Especially if it's you, who is the second one..."
"I know. I'm not going to get into it, but..." Kim paused again, frustration growing. "I can't stop thinking about him, Yoongs. About him, about that kiss... I had never felt anything like this before. Sure I had a hook up with a girl who had a husband, but that was different. She did not even hide it. She just wanted to have fun and that was it. We both knew that the next day each of us would just go our own way. But Jeongguk..."
"Talk with him. If you like him, nothing prevents you from being friends with him, but set your boundaries clearly. No touching, no kissing and - most importantly - no fucking."
"You're right," Taehyung agreed. "We're adults after all. We can be friends," he added, as if trying to convince himself. He took a last drag and put out his cigarette. "Let's go inside," he urged and started toward the entrance.
Yoongi quickly followed. They were about to go in when they suddenly heard a car honk. Taehyung looked back and saw a black Mercedes. Before he could do anything else, the athletic form of the Jeongguk emerged from the car. The brunet walked around the car, opened the driver's door and almost dived inside.
When he re-emerged from it, he was holding four thermal food containers. As the redhead guessed, the boy bought food for them. The brunet with difficulty closed the car door behind him, pushing it with his hip and moved towards them, running across the street carefully enough not to accidentally spill anything or drop it. When he was almost next to them, Yoongi took two packages from him and immediately lifted the lid of one of them.
"Yeeez, Tae... these are lamb skewers..." he groaned in delight, sniffing the food. He closed the lid and looked at the younger. "I think I'm in love with you!" he confessed seriously, and the brunet chuckled under his breath. "Just don't tell Jimin about our relationship. He has such a round a..."
"Ooooh no! I don't want to hear about it!" Panicked Jeongguk interrupted him, and Yoongi laughed out loud.
Tae punched in the code quickly and let them in. When they got inside, Namjoon ran up to them and took the food from the brunet. Like Yoongi a moment ago, he also set the boxes on the counter and looked into one of them.
"Is that for us? Jesus, I am starving!" he gushed smiling. Lovely dimples appeared in his cheeks.
"I figured if you don't have time to go eat, I'll bring the food here," Jeongguk explained a bit embarrassed.
He cast a stealthy glance at Taehyung, but the boy quickly shifted his gaze to Namjoon, who without further delay began to eat his portion. Yoongi quickly followed. He sat down in a chair and spread his food out on the reception counter, then slipped a piece of meat into his mouth, purring delightedly.
He looked at the watch in the waiting room. It was already quite late. Everyone's had a busy day today. Were it not for Jeongguk's initiative, they probably wouldn't even have had time to eat a normal dinner. There had been more and more days like this recently. Tattoos were becoming more and more popular, and they had a lot of work to do. However, seeing that Tae had not taken his portion, he frowned.
"Eat it, Tae. Your client will be here in twenty minutes. You still have time to eat while it's hot," he said, looking at his friend. Hearing his words, Jeongguk pulled one of the boxes towards the redhead.
"I'm not hungry," the tattoo artist lied, then headed for his room.
He stood at the table and rested his hands on it. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to even his breathing. He didn't know why he felt so angry. When he finally liked someone after such a time, it must have turned out to be another person who wanted to lie to him or use him. He was furious with himself for allowing himself to let his guard down. He unnecessarily broke his rule and invited him that evening.
Work should stay work.
"T-Tae..." a voice suddenly whispered behind him, and he froze.
He recognized the voice immediately, but was unable to move. For a moment he felt almost paralyzed. He couldn't feel his legs or his hands, as if the body didn't belong to him. He was numb, only his heart was beating so damn hard that he hated it for its betrayal.
He could feel the boy's gaze on him, but he didn't look at him. He took out the disinfection equipment and began cleaning the countertop, even though he had done so less than twenty minutes ago. He heard footsteps behind him, and he tense so hard that his hands began to move even faster.
"If there were any bacteria on this counter, you wiped them out ten rubs ago," the voice said again. Taehyung stopped his hand, crushed the paper in his fist, then turned to face him with a loud sigh. He tossed the paper towel in the trash and folded his hands over his chest.
"What do you want, JK?" he asked dryly, using his new nickname. His gaze was hard, his lips pressed into a narrow line.
"I wanted you to let me explain," he said finally.
"No. We won't do that now," he said firmly. "My life is really fucked up, but here... This is a place where I'm happy and I'm not going to change that. My client will be here soon. I'll get her a fantastic tattoo because I'm damn good at what I do and then..." he paused for a moment, then looked him straight in the eye, for the first time in a long time.
Jeongguk could have sworn his heart leapt under the gaze of those beautiful, almost black eyes.
"Then you can invite me for a coffee..." Kim finished, and the brunet bit his lower lip quickly to suppress a smile. He nodded his head as a thank you for the second chance.
He hadn't the faintest idea what to say to him, because honestly, he didn't know what had happened then. But he was going to be honest with him and answer every question, no matter what.
He was given a second chance and was not going to waste it.
"Will you show me what tattoo you will be making?" he asked, trying to change the subject to ease the tension between them.
At his question, the tattoo artist's body seemed to relax immediately. The boy pulled out the prepared pattern and spread it out in front of him. This time it was three roses, creating a beautiful composition. Seeing the pattern, Jeongguk guessed that this time the client would be a woman. For a moment he wondered if the redhead was also attracted to women. He was not prejudiced against homosexuals. He never paid attention to the orientation of his friends. His best friend had affairs with men, but he had never tried it himself.
He was barely twenty-one when he started dating Lisa. His previous relationships were rather meaningless affairs, but it never occurred to him to try to date another man. But when Tae asked him out on a date, he didn't hesitate.
And this kiss...
He couldn't forget about it. At the memory, he felt a pressure in his lower abdomen. All he had to do was close his eyes, and he was able to feel his lips against his again, the nimble tongue rubbing against his. He knew he shouldn't think about it. It was so fucking inappropriate, but he couldn't help it.
He was watching Taehyung as he assembled the tattoo tool to prepare for the next client. The boy kept talking to him, telling him about the kinds of tattoo tools and needles, but he couldn't even register it. He was staring at his mouth all the time. He couldn't tear his eyes away from his lips, moving gently with each word.
He had never seen any man with such lips before. They were as perfect as if they had been carved by Michelangelo himself, and maybe even more beautiful. He liked the way the boy arranged them when pronouncing the vowels, and the way he moistened them with his tongue, sometimes grabbing his lower lip between his teeth or playing with the black piercing on it.
He had a strange urge to lean forward so that their lips came together again and run his tongue over that ring on his lower lip, then bite it gently. He didn't know why, but he was convinced the boy would like it. Lisa hated it when he did that. She always said his teeth would leave a mark on her lips, so he quickly stopped doing it. Now, however, he wished he could see how Tae would react if he did it to him.
Such thoughts made his breathing quicken, and he felt strangely hot, and he shifted uneasily in his seat, which caught the tattoo artist's attention. Taehyung paused in mid-speech, leaving his lips slightly parted, and looked at him intently. He was about to ask if he was okay when he heard the sound of heels hitting the stone floor.
"V?" the melodic female voice said.
They both looked towards the door, where a young Asian woman with long, dark hair in a ponytail appeared. She was dressed in a tight, black dress that ended mid-thigh. She wore red stilettos that matched the color of the lipstick that marked her lips. Seeing how attractive the girl was, Jeongguk instinctively looked at Tae to check his reaction. The boy, however, looked unfazed.
"Yes. Hi. I am here," he replied and smiled encouragingly. "I've got everything ready, so we can start straight away. My... trainee will be with us today..." he explained, just like before. "Of course, if it doesn't bother you..." he added.
From the way the girl looked at the redhead, Jeongguk was almost sure that she would want to be alone with him. To his surprise, however, the girl did not deny it. Taehyung nodded to her, then quickly put his mask and gloves on. The brunet carefully watched how agile he was moving, preparing everything.
The tattoo was to be located on the thigh, so the girl rolled her dress up. Jeongguk felt strangely irritated by this fact. The redhead, however, looked like he didn't even notice the brunette's looks or the fact that her dress was pulled up a little higher than necessary. His nimble hands glued the stencil paper to the girl's skin. He helped her climb onto the couch, so she could settle down comfortably, revealing her right thigh, while he prepared the ink himself.
He tattooed quickly, skillfully drawing new lines on her body that slowly began to form a beautiful pattern. Jeongguk couldn't take his eyes off him again. He could look at his work for hours. He didn't need to see anything else to know that he wanted Tae to tattoo him. Every dot, every line that came out from under his machine was just perfect.
The brunet sat almost completely still until Tae finally put the tattoo tool down and rose from his seat. The tattoo artist moved his head from side to side, then gently massaged the sore muscles in his neck. As he did so, Jeon noticed that the boy certainly had some kind of tattoo on his back as well. Almost involuntarily, he stretched his neck tighter to see even a scrap of what his black T-shirt hid, but all he saw was a faint outline that betrayed nothing. But he felt even more intrigued.
Taehyung washed the girl's thigh, wiping away any remaining ink and blood, and began to put the bandage on. His hands moved quickly and nimbly, but they felt extremely delicate. It was another thing that fascinated him. He liked the fact that the tattooist was masculine, feisty, but also gentle.
"V, do you have any other client today?" The girl asked suddenly, carefully lowering her dress.
Jeongguk caught her question immediately, but tried to pretend that he was busy with something else entirely. He knew exactly what this was leading to and was curious about the tattoo artist's reaction. The girl was very attractive, and it did not escape his notice that she tried to flirt with the redhead almost all the time. Taehyung was very polite, he joked with her, but was very professional all the time.
However, he was very bold with him, he quickly invited him on a date, then flirted with him openly, and after their kiss, he even tried to make Jeongguk invite him over for the night. Everything he did was just as it should be. He was damn sexy and confident, but not intrusive. He knew the boy wasn't stupid. Surely he also noticed what the girl was doing.
"No. I'm done for today" the boy replied, and as if nothing had happened, he started taking off his gloves. Jeongguk knew it was the last client, but he quietly hoped the tattoo artist would lie to make her go.
"Then maybe you want go out for a drink? I could repay this beautiful tattoo..." she suggested.
Hearing her question, Jeongguk held his breath. His heart began to beat so hard he was afraid the others would hear it too. He took his phone out of his pocket and lit the screen, pretending to be doing something on it. He felt a bit like a fool, but he didn't want Tae to know he was listening to their conversation. He looked at him out of the corner of his eye. The tattoo artist didn't seem to care too much about his presence.
He looked at the girl, squinting his eyes slightly. His mouth and nose were still covered with a mask, making Jeon unable to see his expression, but he could have sworn the boy smiled slightly. Was he happy with the invitation? At the thought, he felt a strange twinge and felt weak.
"It's very nice, but I have a rule that I never break..." Tae suddenly began. "I'm not dating my clients," he said, and Jeongguk almost fainted at the words. His heart beat even harder, bumping against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"Oh... It's a pity," the brunette replied, making a sad face. But she took her business card out of her purse and handed it to the boy. "But if you changed your mind..."
"Thank you," Tae said with a gentle nod of his head, then followed the girl with his eyes to the exit until she disappeared through the door.
He folded the card and tossed it in the trash, then took off his gloves and the mask from his face and did the same with them. He took a deep breath, then began assembling his gear. He unscrewed and cleaned the tattoo tool and hid the ink. Jeongguk was still pretending to be doing something on the phone even though he couldn't even focus on it. He was still repeating the tattoo artist's words in his mind. He was tempted to ask why he had invited him in violation of this rule, but he bit his tongue.
Tae finished cleaning his station, then walked over to Jeongguk and faced him. He tucked his tattooed arms over his chest and watched silently as the brunet scrolled through something on his phone. The boy, as if feeling his eyes on him, looked at him from under the curtain of his long lashes.
"So? What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Invite me for coffee," he ordered, and an involuntary smile appeared on the brunet's face.
Was the arrogant asshole back?
Without looking at his phone again, he slipped it into his jacket pocket. He straightened up, he adjusted his shirt and jacket, then looked the tattoo artist straight in the eyes.
"Can I take you for a coffee?" he suggested.
"I don't know... Can I get a cake too?" Tae asked. His mouth formed a cute, rectangular smile.
"You'll get the biggest and best cake they have," he replied.
The redhead pretended for a moment that he was considering his offer, then pushed himself away from the cupboard and headed towards the exit. Jeongguk bit his lower lip, suppressing a smile, and quickly followed. They said goodbye quickly to the others and headed for the café where he had previously bought coffee. After a few minutes, they were sitting at one of the tables hidden in the back with cups of hot coffee. Additionally, Taehyung got the promised chocolate cake with strawberries on top.
"Mmmm! Jeeeesus. How delicious it is!" Tae decided, quickly taking a piece of cake to his mouth.
Jeongguk couldn't take his eyes off his cute face as he ate the sweet cake. He looked a bit like a little boy who finally got his promised award. It was so fucking cute. The redhead put another batch of cake on a small fork, and then held it out towards him. Surprised Jeon blinked a few times, but then parted his lips and let the boy slide the fork into his mouth. The cake was delicious indeed, it almost melted in your mouth. It was sweet, but not too much. The cream with which it was layered matched the strawberry's slightly sour taste perfectly.
The tattoo artist took the fork from him, then put on another bite and slipped it into his mouth. Using the same cutlery without the slightest hesitation. Lisa almost never wanted to share any food with him, so he felt strangely embarrassed. He glanced around surreptitiously to see if anyone was watching them. Taehyung was as casual around him as if they had known each other for a million years.
"Want another piece?" he asked, and Jeongguk shook his head quickly in disagreement. Tae put the dough on the fork and was about to slip it into his mouth when suddenly Jeon asked a question that surprised him completely.
"Why did you refuse her?"
Taehyung withdrew his hand and put his fork down on his plate, then looked him straight in the eye. He looked as if he didn't quite understand the intentions and the question the boy had just said. The brunet licked his lips nervously.
"That girl..." he explained. "When she asked you on a date. You said you weren't dating your clients..."
"It's true," he replied. "One of my rules is not to combine pleasure with business. I never date my clients. Since I started tattooing, I have broken this rule only once..." He paused for a moment, as if wondering if he should continue talking, but he looked straight at the dark man's eyes with his intense, dark look. "I broke that rule by inviting you..." he confessed.
Jeongguk could not even describe in words what he felt at the words. His heart began to beat faster again. He felt some strange excitement mixed with euphoria and disappointment at the same time. The tattoo artist, as if suddenly embarrassed by his confession, laughed softly, then ran a hand over his neck, averting his confused gaze from him.
"As you can see, it's not good... I should probably have stayed on this rule..." he added quietly, not looking at him.
"Why did you do that?" Jeon asked quickly.
He didn't know why it was suddenly so important to him, but he wanted to know what was driving him when he decided to invite him. The redhead looked at him again. Jeon expected the boy to do something to avoid the answer, or to joke or swiftly change the subject. What the tattoo artist said, however, almost knocked him into the seat.
"Because I fucking like you," he replied without the slightest hesitation.
Jeongguk blinked quickly several times, as if he wasn't sure if the tattoo artist actually said it aloud, or if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. Seeing his surprise, Tae shifted nervously in his seat, then slid his tattooed fingers into the red hair and pushed them back. For a moment, Jeon could see his perfect forehead, but his hair fell back over his face, slightly obscuring the dark irises.
Taehyung wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing, admitting it out loud. Perhaps he should disavow everything and pretend nothing had ever happened between them. To pretend that he didn't like Jeongguk at all, that their date wasn't so successful, that he didn't dream of kissing him again, but something prevented him from lying.
The boy was silent and looked lost, as if he didn't know what to do after making such a confession. Tae remembered those moments in the club as they sat at the bar talking so freely about everything. He hadn't laughed like that for a long time. He didn't think he has ever laughed like that before. Even with Jiwon. He was deeply in love with her and the girl broke his heart by leaving, but he never felt with her as good as with this boy. He thought about their dance, about the run in the rain, about that kiss...
"I'm sorry, Tae..." the boy said suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I didn't mean to lie to you... I should have told you I had someone when you invited me on a date."
"Why did you agree?"
Jeongguk was silent for a moment. He lowered his gaze and played with his fingers, flexing them nervously. He didn't know what to answer that question. Why did he agree? After all, he knew the boy was inviting him on a date. He should have refused, and yet he agreed, and hadn't even stuttered a word about his fiancée all night. Hell! He didn't even think about her for a moment.
"I-I don't know. You fascinated me. I wanted to get to know you better, and I knew that if I told you I had someone... it wouldn't be possible. I should have confessed before we..." He trailed off, feeling the words too hard for him to pronounce aloud.
For a moment it seemed to him again that he was in this alley, soaked with rain, pushed against the wall by the strong body of the tattoo artist who kissed him like no one had ever kissed him before.
"You kissed me back," Tae said finally, lowering his voice so that no one accidentally heard them. "Jesus, you kissed me as if nobody and nothing else existed... And a moment later you tell me that three days earlier you proposed to someone else..."
"I'm sorry... I-I... I don't know what got into me... Lisa... We've been together for three years and I love her, but recently we had a few arguments... Also, that night. Maybe... I don't know."
"I was such a fool. I should have known someone like you was definitely not single..."
"No, Tae. It's my fault. You didn't do anything wrong. You're really great... And this evening was amazing... You're so damn talented..."
"Jeongguk, you really don't have to..." he started embarrassed, but the brunet instinctively grabbed his hand.
"I know... I'm not saying this to make you feel better. You have tremendous talent and I will be very happy if you get this tattoo done for me, but you are amazing too. I wish I could get to know you better. I wish we could start again if possible..." he said in a warm but firm voice.
"Okay, if that's what you want. Let's start again." As he spoke, he extended his hand towards him. "Kim Taehyung," he introduced himself. Jeongguk smiled broadly at him.
"Just Jeongguk," he replied, recalling the way Tae had called him a few days ago.
"I will have to get used to the fact that the Naughty Boy has a name..." added the redhead, and the boy laughed out loud, throwing his head back.
Tae opened his mouth to add something when suddenly the sound of his phone reached his ears. He quickly took out his phone and, without looking at the display, answered the call.
"Yes, it's me," he said. He listened to what someone said to him for a moment, then lifted the phone away from his ear and looked at his watch. "Fuck," he cursed and jumped up quickly from his seat. "Yes, I'm sorry. I am coming. I'll be there in literally twenty minutes."
After these words, Taehyung hung up. He ran a hand through his hair and looked quickly at Jeongguk. He looked nervous. As if he forgot about some important meeting.
"Shit! I lost track of time... I have to go now," he said, smiling apologetically at him.
There was still a half-eaten cake on his plate, and the coffee was only half-drunk. They were both so invested in the conversation that they didn't even pay attention to how much time actually passed.
"It's okay. Nothing happened..."
Tae nodded, took all his belongings, then looked back at the boy who was watching him closely.
"There is only one thing I regret from that evening..." he suddenly said. "I regret that you told me about your fiancée before you invited me to stay with you for the night... I dreamed all night to be able to take off those sexy jeans..." he confessed shamelessly, then turned on his heel and moved towards the exit leaving Jeongguk alone with his eyes fixed on his vanishing figure and heart pounding wildly in his chest.
***
It is said that running is the best method for many people to clear the mind and put your thoughts on the right track. Jeongguk also used this method many times. It was reliable. Whenever he had problems at work, a tense situation with his father, or had an argument with Lisa, running helped him.
At the beginning of his relationship with Lisa, he trained boxing, but when he returned home after a few sparring matches with a black eye or a split lip, she forced him to stop boxing. She argued that the future CEO couldn't show up for work looking like he'd survived a street fight. Then he started running. Yes, he happened to run into the gym secretly and knock few punches in a punching bag. Sometimes he missed boxing, but he didn't take part in sparring anymore.
However, he liked running. It was another form of exertion that allowed him to tire his body enough not to be able to analyze more of what he had no control over. He ran whenever he had a problem. This way he was clearing his mind, but also taking care of his body.
He was always fit and physically active. His body was lean but fit. His leg muscles had grown considerably from jogging, making most of his pants tighter now, but that didn't bother him. He liked his body.
This time, however, his training had nothing to do with trying to keep in shape. He hoped that if he exhausted his body, his head would stop coming back to the words Taehyung had told him as he left the café.
"I regret that you told me about your fiancée before you invited me to stay with you for the night..."
The sentence seemed to be literally imprinted on his mind. He couldn't think of anything else. Taehyung told him so shamelessly that he expected more... that he wanted more...
Now he knew he had a fiancée, and yet he told him about it. Why did he do this? Why did he want Jeongguk to know he regretted he already knew the truth? If he hadn't told him about Lisa, would he have gone much further than this kiss?
Trying not to think about him, he sped up. He could feel his thighs and calves burning. His muscles were working at full speed. It was almost evening, so the sun was slowly going down, but his skin felt as though it was on fire. His dark hair was damp with sweat, making it curl gently, sticking to his forehead. He could feel sweat trickling down his strong back and muscular stomach, soaking into the white T-shirt that was beginning to stick to his body.
While running, he always had his wireless headphones with him, in which his favorite music was played. It was the same this time, but still, he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts returned insistently to a certain red-haired tattoo artist, sometimes wandering into very dangerous nooks and crannies.
He had never been affected in this way before. Yes, when he met Lisa, he sometimes thought of her, but never that way. It was as if Taehyung had literally taken over him. He stole his mind, crept into his imagination, which was constantly creating new scenarios. Tae has completely taken over his senses. When he occupied his thoughts, he left no room for anything or anyone.
As he ran, he repeated his words in his mind, and his imagination created new scenarios of Saturday evening, or rather night. What would have happened if he had not told him about Lisa? Would he himself dare to go further than this kiss? He would have called him innocent, but he knew full well that was not the case. Taehyung was right. He kissed him back. Moreover, he shamelessly shoved his tongue into his mouth. He wanted to taste him. He didn't know why it fascinated him so much. As if the ink on his skin made him taste different.
And it was true.
Taehyung did not taste with the sweetness of lipstick or the innocence of his first kiss with Lisa. He tasted of aggressiveness, wildness and danger. His kiss was not only a shy rubbing of his lips, but a bold savoring of each other. The way the tattoo artist's tongue rubbed against his, it literally sent impulses to every cell of his body, bringing it to life.
It wasn't just a kiss, and he knew it.
Common sense told him to forget it, to forget what had happened and what the boy had told him, but the more he tried to forget about him, the more he couldn't.
Forcing his body to keep pushing, he ran across the street toward the final straight that led to his apartment complex. He sped up again. He ran as fast as he could. He felt as if his heart was about to explode under the effort, the muscles in his thighs and calves turned into fiery flames, and his breath stung his throat and lungs. Only when he ran into the elevator did he lean forward and rest his hands on his thighs, breathing hard. The white T-shirt was sticking to his torso.
Breathing hard, he opened the apartment door and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, he saw Lisa sitting in the kitchen, probably preparing one of her slimming cocktails. Without taking off his shoes, he headed for the kitchen. He immediately ran to the refrigerator, took out the water and took a few large sips, then approached the girl. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tilted his head down to place a gentle kiss on her shoulder.
"Hi, honey," he muttered, snuggling against her tiny body. The girl almost jumped, surprised by his presence, then freed herself from his arms and looked at him.
"You're sweaty," she said, measuring him from head to toe with a scowl of displeasure.
Jeongguk snorted under his breath, then moved away from her and leaned against the island. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, brushing the damp strands back.
"Sure I'm sweaty. I've been running for the last two hours," he replied as if it wasn't obviously. He took a few more sips of water and looked at Lisa. "You look beautiful today," he said, examining her closely.
The girl wore a red, fitted dress that emphasized her assets. The blonde hair was pulled up smoothly in a high ponytail. Eyes highlighted with a black liner, and lips with red lipstick perfectly matched to the color of the dress. A pink diamond engagement ring glittered on her finger, and matching earrings dangled in her ears.
"Thank you," she replied, blushing slightly.
Jeongguk, encouraged by her reaction, took a step forward again, closing the distance between them. He leaned towards her and stole a gentle kiss from her red lips. The girl didn't even touch him, as if she was afraid that his sweaty T-shirt would get her dirty. The brunet kissed her a little harder, while placing his hand on her left thigh.
"I need a shower... Maybe you want to come with me?" he asked, lowering his voice seductively.
"Don't tell me you forgot?" she suddenly said reproachfully, gently pushing him away.
Jeongguk frowned his forehead, then nervously combed his dark, almost black hair back, and sighed loudly.
"Jesus... Is this dinner today?" he groaned. Through this constant contemplation of Tae, he forgot about it completely. The boy occupied his thoughts so much that he couldn't focus on anything else. "And we can't postpone it to another day?" he asked.
He was exhausted after training. He felt his muscles burning him. Just the thought of getting into a suit now and going out to town to meet Rose and the others made him feel sick.
"No, Jeongguk. We have already made a reservation. I'm ready to go, and we're supposed to be there in an hour. There's no way I'm going to cancel it," the girl replied, measuring him with a scolding look. "And don't even think I'm going there alone. You already set me up on Saturday," she added.
The brunet exhaled loudly from his lungs, then combed his hair back again. He didn't have the strength or willingness to go to the meeting, but he didn't feel like arguing with Lisa even more. So he nodded and walked wordlessly towards the bathroom, taking off his soaked T-shirt. He closed the bathroom door behind him and removed the remaining clothes from his battered body, throwing them on the floor. He stepped into the shower and stood under the rain shower. He turned on the water stream. Its temperature was neither cold nor hot, it was just perfect. So he stood right under the lukewarm stream and let the water wash away the two-hour training from his body.
He rested his hands on the wall and stood there for a moment without the slightest movement, letting the stream of water slide down his athletic back. Why was it all suddenly so difficult? Just a few hours ago, he tried to convince Tae that he loves his fiancée, so perhaps he should finally act like an exemplary fiancé? He should go with her to that dinner with a sincere smile on his face and marvel with pride what a lovely fiancée she is, not think about someone else who seemed to be occupying of all his thoughts.
He loved Lisa. Until a few days ago, he was convinced of this. When planning the engagement, he was sure of his decision. Just as he was sure he was doing the right thing by proposing to her. So what has changed? Why was he suddenly so doubtful and questioned every decision he had made so far?
True, their relationship was not perfect. Sure, there were better days and bad days, and their relationship would change over time, but no relationship was perfect. The girl has changed a lot since they started dating, but they were in love with each other, they had a lot in common, and they experienced a lot together. They had been together for three years, it was clear that after all that time there would be some clashes or the excitement so typical of the beginning of a relationship would disappear, right? Certainly all couples experienced it.
Jeongguk was barely twenty-one years old when they started dating. It was clear that at that age he was much more excited about everything. Lisa was pretty and didn't impose herself on him like the other girls he knew at the time, so he thought it might be worth asking her out on a date. There were no fireworks but it was very nice. Lisa is a smart and resourceful girl. He knew that only her mother had raised her. Her father abandoned them when she was a little girl and her mother died before they started dating, so she was alone here. She came to his father's company on the recommendation of Rose, whom they met in college.
It was she who supported him when he argued with his father, when he doubted whether he should work at his side. He owed her a lot, and a few quarrels were enough to almost wreck what they had been building in those three years. What he did was unforgivable. He shouldn't let Tae kiss him, much less should he kiss him back.
Now, however, when they had explained everything to each other, there was nothing to stop them from continuing this relationship. They could be friends, couldn't they? It was just insignificant kiss. They were both drunk. These things happen. It was just a stupid mistake that wouldn't happen again.
With that thought in his head, he turned the water off. But for a moment he stood completely naked in the shower stall, unable to move. He didn't know why he felt so strange again, as if something heavy was on his shoulders. Perhaps that was what guilt was like? He had to pull himself together. It was just a stupid, drunken prank that would not change anything in his life.
"It won't happen again, Gguk," he said to himself. "It can't happen again."
***
Ayashee:
Do you think Jeongguk and Taehyung will be able to forget what happened between them and start over?
Should they be friends?
Is it possible to be friends with someone who is physically attracted to you?
Will Jeongguk persevere in his resolution?
xoxo