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Check out my new story 'Arcade'! Taehyung and Y/N both lose someone special in their lives, causing them to be drawn to each other. However, they might end up playing a rather dangerous game...
Taehyung POV
I cannot preach with featherlight tongue, of the things I haven't lived. I lack the wisdom and experience, that only the years and life, can teach.
I lack self-direction; I cannot show you the ways of life. I dissolve in thousands of moons, in the corner of longing, I sit every night.
But in this world full of wonders. One heart is all I need; which I hold. To love and to be loved.
Thats kind of what I feel like whenever I'm with Y/N. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, I have no experience whatsoever, but yet, I have this longing feeling for love, a feeling I always had but never gave into.
Every human has the desire to be loved, even if we tell ourselves we don't, something I told myself for years. Things were different, I was loved and cherished by my family and they gave me the opportunities life would never grant a mere mortal.
But in the end, love disappointed me, just like everyone else in my life. My mother left, betraying me. My father, using me as a tool to improve his empire and make more money. And I, who left his own feelings in the dust to rot and to never return.
I refused myself any form of happiness, happiness would never last and therefore would disappoint me in the end, I didn't want to feel that disappointment ever again, which meant that no form of love could ever enter my life again.
And then Y/N showed up, turning my entire life upside down. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm only human after all, I need love and affection in order to feel energised, happy and fulfilled, and Y/N was the person who was able to make that happen for me.
Breaking down my barriers, bringing out the person within me, the person I used to be before everything that happened in my life. Someone with passion, dreams and desires, desires to be happy and loved.
I glance at Y/N, admiring her beauty as I put my focus on her instead of the movie playing on the tv. She looks so peaceful, calm and happy, exactly what I wanted for her, to be happy and to feel loved.
After what happened yesterday, I feared for her well being. The fact that someone would do something as gruesome as this shocks me. I used to be rather gruel myself, perhaps I still am, but this would never occur to me.
It was her home, her safe place, but someone took that from her, invading her personal space in ways. It must have been someone who had access to her home, making me convinced Jackson was behind this at first.
But the last time Y/N encountered Jackson was weeks ago, and not to mention, they actually talked and communicated. I felt bad for him at that point, how broken he was after everything that happened, a failed romance.
So why would he do this? He seemed to be heartbroken and upset, yes, but I don't think he would want to bring harm to Y/N, why would he want to harm the woman he so clearly still loves?
That's why I've started to doubt my assumptions, it could be possible, but it doesn't make any sense to me. It must be someone she knows, this was targeted, nothing was taken which makes me think someone has a vendetta towards her.
But I don't want to bring it up right now, looking at her and her happy smiles refrains me from talking about it. I don't want to bring her spirits down, the police is investigating what happened and they will take care of it.
Besides, she seems to be somewhat content with everything right now. Sure, she is devastated, but like she said, everything can be replaced, except for the things that really matter, which aren't materialistic objects.
She is right, besides, she can replace everything, perhaps even stay with me a little longer. Everything is going to be okay and as long as Y/N is happy, I am happy too. That's all I really want, for her to be happy.
All this made me almost forget what happened before we entered her home. Things were in fact getting quite heated out there. It felt like she was ready to give herself to me in ways I've never had her before.
Understandingly, that didn't exactly happen in the end, but that can't quite escape my mind just yet. The way she touched me, the way she looked at me and kissed me. There was a certain kind of neediness and hunger to it I've never felt from her before.
I've been waiting for her, but to be honest, I was being a little provocative yesterday, just to see where we stand and how she would respond to me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind waiting for her, but I do feel the increasing need for her.
And I think she felt it too, I know she did. I don't want to rush things, especially if she's not ready for those kind of activities, but knowing she might be changes things. Of course, after everything that happened yesterday, she may want to put it off for a while longer.
But there is no harm in talking about it right? Perhaps that's what I should do, to know where she stands on this specific subject, making sure I won't rush her into anything. I want to be absolutely sure she wants to take this step with me.
I glanced at her and smiled to myself. Only the thought of touching her the way I want to touch her and her touching me on places I could only dream of her touching me is making me go insane, like my dreams really.
I lift my hand and put a loose strand of hair behind her ear as I caress her cheek for a moment, feeling her soft skin against my fingers. She looks up at me and pauses the movie, but my gaze never leaves hers, causing her to frown.
"You have been looking at me like that for about 15 minutes, what is going on?" She says as a chuckle escapes her lips.
"I just got distracted" I say as I continue to stare at her whilst caressing her cheek.
"You just got distracted?" She asks me with a smirk on her lips, making me look down for a moment.
"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about" I say with a serious expression as she sits up straight.
"Well, tell me, what's going on?" She asks me as I sigh.
"Alright, I was wondering how you feel about-" I said but got interrupted by my phone ringing.
I groan and grab my phone to see who is calling me during the most inconvenient time ever. As I glance up to my phone, I frown, seeing that it's Seokjin who is in fact calling me. It's 8 in the evening, what could he possibly want now?
"Pick it up, it must be important if he is calling you after office hours" Y/N says as I frown, but she caresses my cheek.
"Don't worry, we can talk about this after your call right?" She says as I nod, quickly standing up to take Jin's call.
I walk inside the hallway and close the door for a little. For him to be calling me this late after office hours must mean something urgent is going on, which means this could be a private matter. I press the green button and hold the phone up against my ear.
"Hello Jin?" I say as I pick up the call.
"Taehyung." He says in a flat tone, making me frown.
"Hey, what's up?" I ask him as he remains silent for a little.
"Is there something going on?" I ask him as my frown becomes even deeper.
"Yes there is" He firmly says as I'm just confused right now.
"And in fact, it has something to do with you" He says as I gulp.
"What is it then?" I ask him as he scoffs.
"You can't answer that yourself?" He asks me back as I frown.
"I honestly have no idea what this is about Jin" I respond.
"The last time you called me about a problem concerning me and my work it was about me leaving one of the board members in tears, if this is something like this again-" I say but Jin cuts me off.
"To be honest, it has something to do with one of the board members" Jin says as he sighs.
"Does mentioning Y/N ring a bell to you?" He asks me as I widen my eyes.
They know.
"Why would it?" I ask but Jin just laughs at that answer, something I expected to be honest.
"You tell me Taehyung" He says as I gulp again, drops of sweat starting to form on my forehead.
"It has come to our attention that the two of you are romantically involved" Jin says as I close my eyes, knowing exactly what is going to happen next.
"Just be honest with me and tell me if this is true or not" He says as I sigh.
I know there is no point in lying, Jin doesn't just go off on rumours, he needs proof in order to make a judgement call like this. If he is confronting me now, they must have some form of proof to support these claims.
This will change everything, they know and there is nothing I can do about it. If I tell him it was just a one time thing, he would ask me to break it off, something I can't do. We wouldn't have been able to hide this forever anyways.
"It is, I'm in a relationship with Y/N" I say as I look down to the floor, fearing his answer.
He remained silent for a while, making me think the worst. I know how this works, now that I have admitted we are in fact in a relationship. Jin isn't stupid, he wasn't with Namjoon and he isn't going to be now.
We won't be able to just quit our relationship like it's nothing. My career is important to me, but so is Y/N and I won't be able to just pretend like we don't love each other. That means two options will arise.
One of us has to either be transferred, which is difficult concerning the fact that we are both part of the board. Or another option, one of us has to go, one of us has to leave SNT and find a job elsewhere.
I gulped, feeling tears pricking in my eyes at just the thought of Y/N leaving SNT. I know Jin, I've been here longer and am the son of one of the founders, there is no way in hell he would want to keep Y/N over me, making me worried about this.
"I want you to be in the board room in 30 minutes" He says before he hangs up.
I remove the phone from my ear and sigh, feeling a lone tear roll down my cheek as I look down. This was what I feared would happen, this was exactly why I refrained myself from pursuing her, I know what happened to Namjoon and I didn't want that for Y/N.
But now it's happening. I know for sure they must have called or informed her too so I slowly make my way to the living room and spot Y/N sitting on the couch staring ahead with a blank and numb expression.
She notices my presence and turns her gaze to me, that's when I spot her tear stained face. I quickly make my way over to her and hold her tightly, letting the remaining tears fall down on my cheeks as she clenches my shirt.
"Just know that I love you" I say as she nods.
"I love you too Taehyung" She says as she turns to face me, pecking my lips as I taste the salty tears through the kiss.
"I'm so sorry" I say as I give her one more kiss, connecting my forehead with hers as I close my eyes for a moment, preparing myself for what was about to come.
The nightmare continues.
***
Love, a boundless feeling. Free to give, free to receive. But not a love like mine, forbidden, not a love like this. Such love must stay hidden inside dark corridors beneath my ribs.
You must not look at me tender. You must not talk to me sweet. You must not give this wild bird its desired pair of wings.
But true love always prevails, it is visible in ones gaze and movements. Unconsciously, I look at you tender. Unconsciously, I talk to you sweet. Unconsciously, you gave this wild bird its desired pair of wings.
To fly.
I glanced at Y/N who was seated next to me trembling in fear. She is tough, but I knew she was scared right now, scared to lose it all, and so was I even though I appeared rather calm, unusually calm.
I held her hand tightly as I stroked my thumb over her tiny palm, trying to assure her things were going to be okay. She must wonder how I could be at peace right now, knowing what was about to happen, but I can't exactly explain it myself.
I looked around the room and saw the board members sitting around the table as we were waiting for Jin to arrive. I noticed no one was really speaking, which made the tension in the room even thicker than before.
Yoongi seemed to be awfully occupied with his phone, probably pretending to be busy. Hoseok was shifting in his chair, glancing at Y/N from time to time with sad eyes, probably feeling bad for us.
And Namjoon couldn't even look me in the eyes. I know why and I don't blame him, only a few years ago, he had to go through the exact same thing with his own girlfriend, now wife. I remember the look on his face all too well.
The way his girlfriend was crying her eyes out, having to give up her job for him, only because she fell in love with him. The way he wasn't even able to utter a single word, how he would send her glances, knowing this was his fault.
That was set and stone, his girlfriend was just a co-worker whilst Namjoon was one of the CEO's, everyone knew it was going to be her who had to leave. This however, is a little different as it concerns two people from equal positions.
Y/N is the CEO of About The Fit and a member of the board, making her my equal instead of me being in the superior position. That's perhaps why I was at ease and so calm, I knew they couldn't just get rid of her.
But I know that when it comes to it and a decision has to be made, she would be the one that has to go due to the fact that I'm the son of one of the founders, they could never fire me as it would be in conflict with the SNT legacy.
That's when Jin walked inside and we all rose from our chairs, showing respect. Usually, things are more casual around here, but the situation was different right now. It was tensed and serious, and I knew that I had to just shut up and listen this time around.
"Thank you for gathering here at this time, I know it was sudden, but I'm afraid this couldn't wait" Seokjin explains as he takes his seat, making all of us sit down.
It was silent, pin drop silent actually. I knew everyone was on egde and no one would want to utter the first words. But that silence couldn't last forever, Jin glanced at the two of us and sighed before speaking.
"It had come to our attention that Y/N and Taehyung are romantically involved with each other" He says as the room remains silent.
"They have both confessed they are in fact in a romantic relationship, confirming our suspicions" Jin states as he looks down for a moment.
He takes a deep breath as he holds his hand in his palms, clearly frustrated about the situation. I know Jin never wanted any of this to happen and I know he is a good and kind person, but this is his job and he is after all responsible for the entire corporation.
"If I may express my honest opinion" Jin says as he looks up again, looking me straight into my eyes.
"I'm just extremely disappointed in the both of you" He states as I gulp.
"Especially you Taehyung" He says with a sharp tongue.
"I don't know how you used to run things at About The Fit Y/N, but around here, co-workers being romantically involved is unacceptable" Jin states as Y/N looks down.
"But I expected better from you Taehyung, you are well aware of our policies haven written a few of them yourself" Jin states as I nod, refusing to look weak right now.
"How could you let this happen? I trusted the both of you, I trusted you two to bring this corporation the glory it deserves, and this is what you have been doing behind the scenes" He states as I nod again.
He is right. It may have never been our intention, but it is disrespectful towards the corporation. Jin put his trust in us, working on this project together, he put the faith of SNT in our hands and we took advantage of that trust, going behind his back like this.
"How long has this been going on?" Jin asks us as I glance at Y/N before answering honestly.
"Since the gala two months ago" I say as everyone widens their eyes.
"You are telling us that the two of you have been seeing each other for two months already? Lying to our faces?" Yoongi states as I nod.
"Does this mean that whatever is going on between the two of you is serious? Like a serious relationship?" Hoseok asks us as I glance as Y/N again who can't even look them in the eyes anymore.
"It is, we are in a serious relationship" I state as Hoseok looks down, probably knowing what this means.
"I'm in love with her" I state as Jin softens his gaze hearing those words coming out of my mouth.
He has known me for years, he knows how much I've struggled to let people in, to care for people and listen to my feelings. It must make him happy to see me happy with someone, someone I love.
But right now Jin isn't in the 'friend' seat, he is in the CEO seat and has to make a decision, a rather hard one. He is probably feeling horrible and I don't blame him, I would feel the same, but it has to be done.
"I'm sorry to say this, but you are leaving us no choice" Jin states as he slowly rises from his chair.
"As a friend, I'm happy you have found your happiness with Y/N, but as a CEO, I cannot accept this relationship" He says as I look down whilst Y/N silently cries.
"We can't make exceptions, it would be a poor example towards all of the employees who had to resign or be transferred for the same reasons" Hoseok states with a sad smile as I nod at his words.
"Therefore, we are left with only one option as we cannot transfer either of you" Jin states as he looks at me in pity.
"One of you is going to have to leave SNT and resign from your respected position" Jin states as Hoseok widens his eyes.
"Jin are you sure-" He says but Jin cuts him off.
"It's the only way, even though it will hit us, we cannot tolerate this and allow this relationship to unfold in the office" He states.
"I don't want the two of you to be forced to leave each other, but we cannot allow the two of you to be working together anymore" Jin says as he sits down again, seemingly upset about this.
"The choice is up to the two of you, unless you want us to make it for you" Jin says in a frustrated voice.
I glance at Y/N and give her a soft smile. I know what she is about to do, I could see the sadness and determination in her eyes, but I don't want her to sacrifice anything for me, she has already lost everything, I won't allow her to lose her job too.
That's perhaps why I was at ease all this time, why I was so calm. I already knew what I was going to do, I wasn't going to let this happen to Y/N. This is her passion, her dream and I won't take away her dreams, especially because this isn't my dream.
It was never my dream to become a CEO, to work here and walk in my father's footsteps. I never wanted any of this, which is why I'm going to be chasing my own dreams from now on. I stepped forwards as Y/N gave me a confused expression, but I just gave her a smile.
"I, Kim Taehyung, will hereby give up my position as CEO at SNT Corporation" I said as everyone widened their eyes.
"Consider this my resignation"
***
Well that took a turn...
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! How do you guys think the board found out about their relationship? 👀 Let me know!! Only 5 more chapters to go... Love, Bangtarifics 💜