As Jeongguk got off the plane he could practically feel everyone staring at him like they knew. He was still in his clubbing attire but the coat that he'd... "unconsciously" stolen from him was long enough to cover most of it. He didn't have his car when he started his trip since lived close enough to the airport to take a cab, where he caught a plane bound for America's Sin City, Las Vegas, a decision he was regretting now as he hurried through the terminals and began walking the short distance to his home, dragging his travel bag behind him as if it weighed 100 pounds, too embarrassed to flag a cab down, and unable to call anyone for a ride thanks to a dead phone. Most of the walk wasn't too uncomfortable; it would have been a very nice autumn day... except he could still feel the cold band around his finger, even though it was now safely tucked away in his pocket.
Front door finally in sight, Jungkook quick stepped to his home and all but sprinted inside.Never had the warm smell of his own home been more amazing! He threw off the calf-length coat, dropped his bag by the door, and sighed, falling onto his couch and hugging his pillows.
"Jeon Jeongguk!" Kim Seokjin came out of the kitchen, looking the picture of anger. "Where the Hell have you been?"
"I've been in Vegas."
That answer seemed to make Jin madder than he already was. "You're late!"
When Jeongguk looked up at his hyung he was sure the older was ready to kill him. "Let me explain! Please!" he begged. Jin sat down facing him, arms crossed. "Can I get dressed first though?"
Jin narrowed his eyes but nodded at Jeongguk's request. He scampered up the stairs to his room, Jin calling up after him, "Ten minutes!"
Jeongguk entered his room and threw himself on his bed for a moment before he got up and looked at himself in the mirror, a sight which only made him groan. His hair was a mass of ebony all over his head, 'I look like I've been ravished all ni....' He cut that thought off and began to practically peel his club attire from his body one piece at a time, starting with the knee length black boots, moving up to the black leather corset that hugged and emphasized his small waist, before moving on to the black slightly see-through top and black leather pants encasing his legs. He managed to tame his hair before finally coming back down the stairs in a white shirt and blue jeans, the ring tucked in his pocket. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.
Jin was sitting on the seat across from Jeongguk's favorite chair, looking very imposing, "So... I knew you had the week off and were planning on going to Vegas. I even encouraged it." The younger nodded as Jin started to speak. "I texted you around midnight three times on Friday to remind you, just incase you decided to get plastered the night before you had to leave. You didn't reply, so I started to panic. I called Jimin to watch the shop and tell people that the Doctor isn't in because you're sick. I kept waiting for you to appear on Saturday, hoping that maybe your phone had been stolen, but you didn't appear at your allotted time. I went to the airport at least thirty times last night, still no sign." He'd stayed very calm up until this point as he shot to his feet, clenching his fists and practically screamed, "And now, I've spent the whole night worried sick, and here you come waltzing in looking like hell! What happened Jeongguk, did you get married or something?!"
Jeongguk lowered his eyes in shame as he nodded.
Jin blinked, "Come again?"
"I'm sorry hyung," he sighed, "I was still dressed as I was because the clasps on my luggage are jammed, or broken, I couldn't open it, so I wasn't able to change. As for the...getting married part..." Jin sunk to the chair, looking defeated as Jeongguk pulled out the ring, waiting while his hyung examined it closely. It was a gorgeous ring, 14K white gold with four round diamonds at an angle, running diagonally from top to bottom. It was simple and masculine, he remembered he wore a matching ring.
"Start from the beginning." his hyung demanded, handing the ring back to him.
"I don't remember much..." Jungkook hated that look his hyung gave him.
A look of disappointment and guilt.
Jeongguk knew Jin was upset, and felt like he'd somehow done something wrong with his raising of the younger. Jeongguk took a breath and started his explanation, "Well, I went to Vegas and the whole week was great, I saw a lot of great shows, went sight-seeing, I didn't really do any gambling, I did, however, decide to leave my comfort zone and go dancing at one of the night clubs. I was planning on leaving around midnight to get packed, when he came in. God, he was gorgeous. Dark wavy brown hair that seemed perpetually messy, and the deepest, most mesmerizing eyes, I can't even explain them, he was just a work of art. Anyway, he saw me on the dance floor and got me a drink. We drank and danced together, the alcohol was stronger than I'm used to I guess. It's all very fuzzy after the dancing, but we drove around Vegas and-"
Jin stopped him. "What was his name."
Jeongguk visibly cringed, putting Jin on alert. "I don't-"
"You don't what?" Jin ground out.
"I don't exactly know what it is." Jin went pale. "I know his first name is Taehyung."
"So he's Korean?"
Jeongguk nodded, "Yes, but I think I recall him saying he works and lives in America."
Jin sighed before gesturing him to continue.
"We went to a jewelry store just for the hell of it. The ring I liked actually fit both of us, which I still find kinda weird, he bought them before we went to the first chapel that performed gay marriages. I remember signing the papers then going to a really nice hotel, and I swear we got the penthouse, anyway, one thing lead to another and..." Jeongguk simply shrugged.
Jin nodded.
"I woke up really early Saturday morning and found him dead asleep. I flipped. I got re-dressed, stole his coat to cover myself, went back to my hotel, quickly checked out, and got on the first plane for South Korea. The end."
"You stole his coat?" Jin said, slightly impressed.
Jeongguk nodded, "I couldn't walk around South Korea dressed as I was hyung, you know that."
Jin was quiet for a moment, before he asked jokingly, "So, were you married by Elvis?"
Jeongguk smiled at that, glad his hyung was loosening up a bit about the situation, it made him feel a lot less miserable about the whole ordeal, "Surprisingly, no. We found a chapel that didn't employ Elvis as a preacher, which is really hard to find."
Jin laughed a bit, "I bet." He shook his head. "Is there any I.D. in the pocket of that very expensive looking coat?"
Jeongguk shook his head, "I'd dropped his wallet on the floor before I'd left, including all his money."
"Damn... okay, well, any other ideas?"
"Not yet. God, hyung, I can't believe this, what am I gonna do."
Jin moved to the arm of the chair, hugging the younger close. "Okay, we're not going to think about this now, after all, South Korea doesn't acknowledge gay marriage, so you probably have nothing to worry about. Just go to work tomorrow and pretend you didn't just get married, or that you don't even know your last name."
Jeongguk glowered at him but Jin just laughed.
▪▪▪▪▪▪
Taehyung had one of the worst headaches in the world when he woke up. He'd had the weirdest dream; most likely from all the alcohol he'd consumed the previous night. He dreamt he had met one of the most beautiful and entertaining men in existence, and somehow, gotten him to marry him. It's amazing what the mind can come up with. With a groan Taehyung rolled over onto the cool, very empty spot next to him. It had definitely been a dream. Those legs that went on for miles, that tiny waist, big bambi eyes, and a body that should have been a sin, was most likely his imagination telling him of what he really wanted instead of Lorelei. Taehyung roughly rubbed the back of his left hand across his cheek, feeling cool metal scraping along his morning stubble. On his ring finger was the white gold band he had picked out with him last night, just before he'd... no. That can't be right. That boy was just a dream, an amazing one at that, but he could have only been a dream. 'Then why in the world is this ring on my finger?'
Taehyung shot up from the bed and took in the room, scrambling to find his coat. It wasn't there! His wallet and the keys to his rental car were lying on the floor, but the coat was gone. He practically ripped his wallet open and there, folded neatly next to all his money, was the marriage certificate, signed by both of the two witnesses and them. Tae couldn't make out the boy's name because it was written in a sloppy, drunken handwriting. It looked almost like Jungkook...he couldn't read the last name. He sat back down on the bed, holding the paper in his hand and tried to remember last night. The boy been dancing on the floor, looking sexy as hell and he'd bought him a drink...or three, or four. They were both drunk, but somehow got to a chapel and were married. Had he actually bought two rings right then and there? He must have, since the ring he wore wasn't the ring he had planned on giving Lorelei.
He checked his wallet once more and found all his money, ID, and credit cards still there. Well, at least he hadn't stolen any of that; Taehyung had to give him some credit. Somewhere in the mess of sheets that had been tossed to the floor in the throws of the previous night, he could hear his phone ringing. He scrambled around in the piles until he grasped it and muttered, "Kim.""
Were you still asleep?" Daniel growled.
"Yeah, I have a bad headache."
Daniel growled again, "Well hurry up and get moving. You need to be at the airport in one hour so that you don't miss your flight. I need you here to help with the Tokyo presentation!"
"I'm getting ready right now." Tae replied before he hung up. 'Great. I'd been in some very tough predicaments in my life but this was one of the worst. How was I going to explain this to Daniel? I needed to find this Jungkook and get a divorce as fast as possible!'
Taehyung showered, dressed, brushed his hair and was out of the presidential suite after thirty minutes.
▪▪▪▪▪▪
As he was checking out he leaned over the counter to whisper at the lady who was helping him, "Did a man with ebony hair, about this long," he gestured the length with his hands, indicating it to be past his ears, similar to a bob, "big brown eyes, and wearing a calf length black coat, leave here this morning?"
She nodded pleasantly and smiled, "Yes, about two hours ago. He asked to use the phone to purchase a flight to Busan, South Korea, then called for a cab to the airport."
Taehyung thanked her profusely and wrote, Busan on his hand.
He drove his rental at breakneck speeds to the airport, depositing the car in rental area. After forging his way through security, he got to his flight and boarded right on time. As he was settling down in first class his cousin Daniel called him again.
"You'd better damn well be on that plane."
"I am, don't worry. Listen Danny hyung, can you do a search for a Jungkook in Busan for me?"
"Why?" He asked suspiciously.
Taehyung couldn't really tell him with flight attendants and other passengers around, so he just said, "I'll explain when I get back. Just see if you can find anything." Daniel consented and Taehyung hung up, leaning back trying to calm his headache down before it got any worse.
▪▪▪▪▪▪
The flight lasted forever, but the second Taehyung was off the plane, he had his phone out and calling Daniel. "Did you find anything?"
"No. Taehyung, what the Hell is going on?" Daniel demanded.
Taehyung grabbed his travel bag and said, "I'll be at the office in a few minutes and I'll explain. Keep looking." Then he hung up. In his car he popped a few Tylenol and rubbed his temple. This trip to Las Vegas was supposed to be a way to get him to calm down and reconsider Lorelei...
Reaching his office building, he went straight to his lavish corner office and flopped into his chair, staring out the large windows to the cold city below. He'd only gotten ten minutes to himself before his cousin and business partner Daniel Kim, busted down his door and stormed over to his desk.
"Why the hell do you have me looking for some random man in South Korea-" He started, but Tae stopped him before he could really go on.
"I got married last night to a man whose last name I don't even know. I have no idea where he is now because he disappeared before I woke up. When I asked if people knew where he'd gone they said he took a plane to South Korea."
Daniel's hazel eyes widened. "You what?" His gaze fell on the ring resting on left hand like it was sign of all things evil.
"I need to track him down and divorce him." Taehyung finished, turning back to his computer, turning it on and pulling up a search engine.
"Why?"
Taehyung stopped dead in his tracks, hands poised over the keyboard. When he looked up at Daniel, wide-eyed he continued.
"Last week you were about to walk down the aisle and marry Lorelei Monroe, but, ran away a day before the wedding, and instead spent five days lounging around Vegas. You know how tenacious she is, and right now she's still waiting for you. We all know, you absolutely detest her. Use this marriage to your advantage. If you actually go to Lorelei, telling her you got married and you're perfectly happy with your new beau she'll most likely get off your back, or at least back off in order to avoid a lawsuit. Also she wouldn't go to the press about it because, why would she want to tell the press that you married a man instead of her? Find this Jungkook person and woo him, and you'll get rid of Lorelei. It may be a little controversial for a while but you're powerful enough that I doubt anyone will care. Just think about the advantages to having this guy around." Daniel tapped the top of Taehyung's desk,"Think about it and don't forget the meeting."
Taehyung nodded and leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen. Maybe Daniel did have a point. He had only planned on marrying Lorelei because people saw them as a power couple, her; the daughter and only child of a politician and him being the top executive for one of the most powerful technology companies. He really did hate her, but he was willing to put up with being around her just for the convenience of the marriage.
Taehyung stayed at the office, catching up on the work he'd missed, and left after ten to his apartment. He then took another shower, letting the cool water hit my body. It helped because every time he closed his eyes he saw Jungkook's body sprawled out before him and his head began to ache again. He was just about to get ready to change when one single word entered his mind.
Busan.
He wrapped a towel around his waist and sprinted to his computer to type 'Jungkook, Busan', into the search engine. His heart plummeted when nothing came up.
He got up, slightly frustrated as he paced around the room.
"What else could I use?" he muttered as he sat down once more, "He's from South Korea, Jungkook might've been his English name..." He then typed in, 'Jeongguk, Busan', not expecting much from it. However, when the computer processed 'Jeongguk, Busan' the first entry that came up immediately caught his attention; "Jeon Jeongguk, opens Rural Busan Animal Hospital."
Taehyung's hand slipped once as he tried to grasp the mouse and move it to click the link. When he finally did, a web page from the Busan Daily News came up with a picture of the man from the previous night. He looked gorgeous, even in a smock with cartoon bunnies on it. He was in the process of examining a falcon that rested on the table before him; his luxurious ebony hair tucked behind his ear. A handsome young man with broad shoulders and light brown hair, held the bird's wings down, his lips curled into a small smile as he watched Jeongguk work.
The article read that Jeon Jeongguk, had just opened Rural Busan Veterinary Hospital, a small clinic run mainly by him and his brother, Seokjin. Jeongguk specialized in Equine care, birds of prey, and animal acupuncture, the only doctor that offered such services in all Busan. There was another picture with him standing in front of the sign for the clinic with Seokjin by his side. Taehyung quickly copied the link and sent it to Daniel. About thirty minutes later Daniel called. "He seems like a very good boy." His voice dripped with contempt, speaking as if he was talking about a child, "I really can't see him as the type to get married to a complete stranger. I can't even see him going nuts enough to get drunk in Vegas, or anywhere for that matter.I would advise you to actually go there and see him, it would give him a better impression of you. You'll need all the help you can get."
"I'll set up a flight for next week." Taehyung affirmed before thinking, 'What did he mean I'd need all the help I could get?'
"Good idea. Now rest up, I'm sure dealing with Tokyo tomorrow is going to be long and hard."
Taehyung told him good night and hung up, only to look through the article and a few archives about Jeongguk.
He definitely was a character, and from the pictures he seemed like a very sweet guy. Tae almost hated taking advantage of him... but if it got Lorelei out of his way, well, he was willing to do almost anything.
Taehyung smirked and printed off the article, tucking it into his briefcase, and set the ring to the side of his bed before falling into a light sleep.
▪▪▪▪▪▪
The next morning Taehyung found two voice messages on his cell phone from Lorelei.
📱Voicemail: "Hello Taehyung, darling, I just heard through the grapevine that you just got back from Vegas," That actually meant that she had a few of her spies watching his building to see when he got back. "I do hope that you're okay. I was so surprised when you called the wedding off. I know having cold feet is very rough and I'm willing to give you some time to reconsider my offer of marriage. Well, have a good night sweetie."
The second was more of the emotion Taehyung had been hoping for.
📱Voicemail: "I was just told that you got married to some slut in Vegas!" she screeched, "Well, I hope you plan on divorcing whomever this person is, no one there could have possibly been good enough for you!" She audibly took a breath and continued. "If you are planning on getting a divorce I'm more than willing to take you back."
Then she hung up.
Taehyung almost smiled when she did, he could almost taste freedom!
He got up and dressed in one of his best suits in preparation for his day. As he left his apartment, he decided to return Lorelei's call. She picked up on the first ring, "Hello Taehyung!" She chirruped.
"Lorelei. I received your messages."
"Oh good, now that rumor I heard about your marriage..."
"Is completely true. His name is Jeongguk and-"
"His?" Lorelei scoffed loudly.
"Yes, his. He's a very amazing man. Right now he's back in his home in South Korea. We're figuring out how to manage our long distance relationship, but I'm very happy with him, and I was hoping that you, as my long time friend, would be happy for me also."
Lorelei choked on the other line before squawking out, "Yes, I'm very happy. I hope that you can bring this...Jungkook? Yes, Jungkook here to meet us."
Taehyung chuckled, trying to sound affectionate, which to even him, sounded strange. "Someday. Well, I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye Lorelei." He hung up and practically whistled all the way to his car. Yes, today was going to be an amazing day.