Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

16:35.

It's unduly early.

Extremely early for Taehyung to be standing behind the bright yellow line painted on the platform and waiting for the subway to arrive at the station. 

Because at precisely 16:35, he should have been in the office and reviewing the next editorial concepts with his colleagues. He had a 4 o'clock seminar but not anymore, he reckons. 

Rather, he's here at the subway station, resembling a pathetic loser with a carton of his office junk. 

It's unmistakable to comprehend for the bystanders that he had newly been expelled from the job. 

Nevertheless, not to feel upset, at the minimum they don't know the entire explanation because, with the sad justification his boss let him depart, he wishes nobody discovers. 

God, this day couldn't have gone horrible. First the breakup and now living unemployed. However, there's more to this day because he still has to attend a family gathering which he's not looking forward to anymore. 

Perhaps if he still kept that relationship, he would have been wonderful. Preoccupied, sure. But he presumes Son Tae Ho was not the type of person you'd prefer your parents to meet. 

Why did Taehyung date him initially? He marvels while getting inside the crowded train. He locates a seat, thankfully and sits down. 

Son Tae Ho wasn't a terrible boyfriend to say, just not the parents material. He was promising in bed, that's for certain but not so adequate in life, generally. Come to think of it, he was slightly ditzy and younger than Taehyung, he had no job but he volunteered in campaigns to increase awareness of environmental issues. He also used to make Taehyung buy him food for the reason he barely earned a salary. 

God, how satisfactory in bed must he be that Taehyung endured him? 

Taehyung picks up the Marie Claire, August issue, from his carton and randomly starts to skim pages. He comes across the health issue and his mind reverts to Taeho who was quite the cyclist. He was fit but not fit at the same time if that makes sense. 

Good thing, Taehyung broke up with him and thankfully, it wasn't a chaotic one. If anything, it was long due. Ever since Taehyung conceded to pursue him. 

The exchange from the morning is still fresh in his memory just like the croissant he had on the way. 

"Hey, so I was thinking if you'd wanna be my date for my brother's wedding?" Taehyung had, not so casually, dropped the question. 

Taeho ceased stuffing his mouth with the kimchi rice to imagine for a moment. 

"There's a vegetarian alternative, I checked, so." He attempted to lure Taeho with his devotion to greens. Furthermore, because he didn't want to go independently to his brother's wedding. Wedding is all about love and couples and food and cake and he didn't want to be lonely stuffing his face like a single even if he would be with his boyfriend. 

"Are your parents going to be there?" Taeho had asked, stupidly. 

Taehyung stared at him for a moment and gave him a straight smile, "At my brother's wedding?" He cleared his throat, "Yeah, I think so." 

"It's just, I don't know, it feels a little serious." 

"Oh," Taehyung nodded, pupils dilated, "I'm sorry, it felt kinda serious to me when you fucked me from behind-" Taeho looked alarmed at the sudden change of tone, "-but I couldn't see you so, I don't know." 

"Hyung?"  

And that was the demise of a very absurd romance. 

So, the day didn't begin great but Taehyung was resolute to make sure he goes through the remainder of the day. But the universe was against that notion because the day he had to break off a 4-month relationship is the exact day he had to be expelled from the job because of "cutbacks" and if that wasn't sufficiently bothersome, he had discovered that it was exclusively him who got "cutback". Therefore, he hunches miserably on the train with a magazine telling his horoscope. 

Namjoon's call comes through and he routinely wears earphones before swiping to answer. 

"Sorry, I missed your call earlier," Namjoon instantly says, huffing.

Ah, yes. Taehyung had called earlier only to end up with a voicemail alternative. He recollects loading his desk's items and contacting Namjoon to say he had been fired. 

But presently, he chooses to let it be and not inform Namjoon. His brother had been looking forward to this day and Taehyung doesn't wish to distress him over a dumb job and ridiculous reason for job loss.

"No worries. I don't remember why I called you, too." Taehyung fibs, flipping the pages of the magazine. 

"Are you on a train?" He inquires. "At this hour?" 

"Oh," Taehyung had momentarily neglected the sharp hearing senses of his brother. God blessed him with fucked up eye sights but made it up with excellent hearing capabilities. "Just took the day off." He lies again. 

"You okay?" 

"Um, no, not really, Taeho and I broke up," He admits. Merely the responsibility of dealing with two fuck ups has taken a toll on Taehyung. He preferred to feel unrestricted and he knows Namjoon will be delighted to hear the news. Another satisfactory reason for his brother to celebrate tonight.  

"Oh, I'm sorry." He sounds not genuine at all. 

"I'm not." Taehyung mumbles. 

Namjoon chuckles from the other end and Taehyung also smiles, feeling relieved for the first time since morning. "I could have told you two months ago, it wasn't going to work out with Taeho," Namjoon confesses. 

"Um, why?" 

"You love meat, you hate cycling." 

It's fair enough, reckons Taehyung. 

"I do love meat," He acknowledges, craving some grilled samgyeopsal. 

"And to be honest, I was always worried about the way he kept wanting to do doggy style," Namjoon confusingly says. 

Taehyung chuckles, "Hyung, some people like that." 

"No, nobody likes it." Namjoon disagrees with disgust marring his face. "Even dogs are just waiting for it to be over." Taehyung bites his lips from laughing out loud publicly and receiving the icy glare of the people. 

He sighs instead, leans against the seat and asks, "How many relationships do I have to have before I find the right one?" 

"Evidently, a lot."

"That seems unfair." Taehyung pouts. "You found Yoongi hyung after three relationships." He complains, stopping over the page that talks about what Korean society thinks of un-marital sex. 

Intriguing. 

"I don't know what to say, Taehyungie." 

Taehyung opens his mouth to whine a little more but another call interrupts him and he groans looking at the contact name, "Don't say anything. Eomma is calling." 

Namjoon chuckles, "I gotta go. The caterers are here." With that, he hangs up while Taehyung picks up the next call. 

"Hi, eomma." 

"Taehyung-ah, when will you be free from work?" How mother interrogates over the disturbances in the background. Taehyung wants to declare he's free permanently now but he doesn't want to begin unnecessary drama. His mother is aware of his schedule, he even reminded her last night but she has to call and ask as if she's clueless about his timings. 

"Eomma, can I call you back? I'm in a meeting." He says instead. 

"But-"

"I'm hanging up, see you later." And he ends the call, letting out a deep sigh. 

He skims through the article printed, quite stunned about how people perceive un-marital sex; which is accepting, most people are approving of it, saying how natural it is for men and women to take the next step of their relationship. But of course, it will be a perfect world if everyone stays on the same page because some people are completely against the idea of un-marital sex, saying it brings bad luck to the house and it is against the Christianity law. 

Leave it to people to bring religion into every topic. 

A particular question, written in big, bold and black font catches Taehyung's attention and renders him curious. 

What's your number?  

He reads through the article and stumbles across another question. 

How many people have you slept with? Too many? A few?  

Taehyung makes a disgusted face at that, what's up with Marie Claire all up and about in his business? 

Seemingly, a survey conducted gave them a definite answer to their question. 

"An average number of lovers a person has in their lives is ten-point fi- what? Ten-point five?! Holy shit !" He says loudly, obviously shocked by the result. It's loud enough to garner a few attention but he never minds them. 

10.5? That's too less, right? Taehyung hopes so because he's calculating the lovers he had in his mind and it's glitching as it goes beyond the number on the survey. So what, people are being conservative all of a sudden? 

The middle-aged woman sitting next to him is still looking at him panicking and he feels like he should justify his behaviour because he's not crazy but this article certainly is.

"I'm sorry," He apologies and tilts the magazine in her direction, "It's just that, it says here an average number of lovers a person has in their life is ten-point five.'" He tells her, sounding perplexed and disappointed. 

"Yeah, that seems high," The woman agrees. 

"High? No, no, no, that's low!" 

Right? It's too low! For sure, people have had at least above 15 lovers! Because 10.5 is too scarce. 

You know what? This magazine was not a good idea, it seems to be mocking him ever since he started reading--articles like office looks for men and women, food that should be eaten to be healthy has really taken a toll on him and now Marie Claire is telling him he's a slut basically for having more than 10.5 lovers. 

He closes the magazine and throws it unceremoniously in the carton. 

Sure, Taehyung has the number higher than what Marie Claire says but it's not that high. It's average for people in slut community, he believes. He recalls a lot of people who've had a lot of relationships in a couple of years. And there has to be someone in his close group of friends who have had more than Taehyung. Surely? 

Maybe if he writes down the number, it won't seem too many? Yeah, that's a good idea. 

He takes a small journal for his box and a pen to jot down the name of the people he had a relationship with. It can't be a lot. Maybe, it's under 10 even! Who knows? 

On top of his head, he thinks back to the name Kang Seoho and writes his name down. Kang Seoho is someone memorable because he was one of the guys who weren’t very weird in college and he was rich and still is. So, it's only fair he's on top of the list. 

By the time he arrives at his apartment block, he has come up with 5 names so far, including Kang Seoho. He greets people on his way, smiling while dying from inside. He's pretending to smile while he searches the names of people he has slept with, in his mind.  

He climbs the stairs as the lift stays out of service for now 1 month, almost. 

Mumbling as he tries to find the keys to the apartment, the presence of someone is felt behind and he sees his neighbour climbing the stairs. But it's not just his neighbour, it's his hot and sweaty neighbour, coming back from the gym, Taehyung supposes. 

"Hey, Taehyung," His neighbour greets with a doll-like smile and killer abs under the sweaty shirt. 

"Hi, um…hey," He smiles awkwardly. 

"Didn't expect you to see at this hour." He starts the conversation while typing in the code. 

"Oh? Yeah-" 

"Got fired, huh?" 

Taehyung takes offence. 

"Why do you think I got fired? Maybe I quit." 

"You look like a kicked puppy, so." He shrugs as if that should explain everything. 

Taehyung gives him a sarcastic smile, opens his door and goes in. 

No matter how hot his neighbour is, Taehyung doesn't like him very much. It makes no sense to him as well but this Kim Seokjin is as infuriating as they come. Always polite to people which is good, but his politeness seems fake, to be honest. 

So it makes no sense that Taehyung hates him but wouldn't mind doing him. 

When he had brought up this topic between his friends, they had reached an interesting conclusion. 

Jimin had said, "Maybe you wanna have angry-hate sex." Taehyung had nodded at that, interesting, very, very interesting. "He looks like who fucks and not makes love." 

"Elaborate."

Namjoon interrupted, "Does he have to?" But his question was lost when Jimin started speaking. 

"Like he would be good at fucking, he would know his way around in that department and he absolutely has some sort of kink. Didn't you say he brings girls and boys often and they don't tend to be quiet?"

Which was and still is true. Seokjin always seems to have someone over. And it's understandable how easily it's for him to score, well, hello looks! Some libido on that man, though. Taehyung is unable to sleep at night with all the banging and the screaming. Are people just sensitive or is he that good in bed? 

Maybe his loins burn when he's close to Seokjin because he wants to know how good this man is in bed.

That's the only conclusion. 

"What's that to do with how I feel?" Jimin had shrugged, sipping his sex on the beach. 

"Hyung, when was the last time you had sex? It's been a while, right? Maybe you just want him to rearrange your guts." Jungkook, obviously drunk, had blabbered on. 

"I'm never coming with you guys again." 

Taehyung would have felt apologetic for his brother if Jungkook had not intrigued him. But this was before his relationship with Taeho and even with Taeho, Taehyung felt this electrifying buzz whenever he met Seokjin. 

Maybe he just needed to fuck Seokjin to get it out of his system. 

But he was never gonna do that. 

Seokjin might look good, he might be good in bed but he's one thing Taehyung doesn't like and that's a playboy. So, he's never gonna sleep with him. 

     ⁉⁉⁉

He gets prepared for the party at his mother's house. He's not looking forward to it because while showering, he came up with 3 more names and that makes it 8 now, close to the average Marie Claire mentioned. He's sullen and he just lost his job. There's nothing to look forward to in life anymore. 

He decides to go because of his brother. Namjoon is excited as the wedding is coming closer and he doesn't want to rain on his parade. So, as a good brother, he's gonna suck it up and face everyone asking about his job and when will he find The One . 

Taehyung arrives at his mom's residence, the faintest of music could be heard from the house. He pays the taxi driver and makes his way inside the house. A lot of people have already arrived, drinking and chatting. Even with familiar faces, he's misplaced in his own house. Thankfully, his mother receives him. 

"Oh, you're here!" She kisses him on the cheek. 

"Sorry, the train was late." He gives an excuse and she doesn't even blink about it. "You look great, by the way." 

But instead of accepting the compliment as any other mother would do, she scans him up and down, eyes stopping at the hairstyle. 

"I permed it a week ago," He reminds. She looks dissatisfied but doesn't let out anything. 

She shakes her head and asks, "Oh, where's Taeho?" 

"Taeho is on a business trip." Taehyung lies while his mother cleans up his suit. In his defence, he couldn't have said Taeho was essentially unemployed but very ambitious about nature. So he settled with chaebol who's away a lot. 

"Ah, I was finally looking forward to meeting him." She sounds disappointed but tilts her head, "At least this one doesn't dress up as a cartoon character and plays with children." 

Taehyung smiles half-heartedly. 

"Why aren't you wearing the suit I had delivered to you?" 

"I am?" 

"Really?" His mother hums, "It looked a lot different on the mannequin." 

Taehyung smiles through the pain. 

"Eomma, where's Namjoon hyung?" He asks instead. 

"He's upstairs, kind of freaking out." She says. 

Taehyung nods, "Well, I am gonna check on him."

"Please do." 

Taehyung's smile drops as soon as he turns away from her. He makes it to the staircase when his mother's voice calls him out. 

"Oh, your cousin, Bongpil is here!" 

"Step-cousin!" He shouts after her. "He's a step-cousin and we are not even related." He says frustratingly and pulls out the little journal from his jacket and writes Bongpil's name shamefully. 

Wow, he didn't really see that number coming. 

Namjoon seems to be stuffing his face with mini croissants, his favourites, as he paces around the room when Taehyung joins. 

"Hey, big guy."

"Taehyung-ah," He says with a full mouth. "Thank God, you're here." And then hugs him tightly. "Eomma has been so bitchy ever since Yoongi hyung's parents arrived." He complaints, cleaning his hands with the tissue. "She just cannot accept that her marriage ended before theirs did."

Taehyung takes a seat on the bed as he listens to his brother ramble nervously, this will happen if you spend time with their mother for more than an hour. It's like a symptom that runs in this family. 

"Well, appa should be here soon, so she'll have someone else to focus her hatred on." He assures him, swinging his feet. 

Their parents got divorced when Taehyung graduated from high school, a fresh young man, ready to take over the university and probably the world. Yeah, he had big dreams. But that aside, it is safe to say their marriage ended with a disaster. The fact that his father cheated on his mother should have been enough to make his mother boil with anger but it was the information that he cheated on someone younger than her, way younger than her. That was something that tipped his mother off and they had to get divorced instead of couple therapy. 

"Uh, appa's not coming," Namjoon informs, applying chapstick. "She wouldn't let me invite him here." He looks at him in disbelief. Ah, how could Taehyung even wonder he'd be here. 

Surprisingly though, he wonders why she wouldn't like all the attention on her as usual but then he imagines she let it go for once for her son. Taehyung is sure this party wouldn't have ended prettily if both eomma and appa were in the same room. 

"Are you inviting him to the wedding?" 

"Ugh, I don't know." 

"He's our father." Taehyung reminds him just in case. 

"Tell that to eomma." 

Taehyung grunts. He would rather not take that route. 

"Can I ask you something, hyung?" Namjoon hums, letting him know he's listening. 

"What was that guy's name living on our road who used to do some really creepy puppet stories?" 

"Who? Sangho?" 

"Yes! Lee Sangho!" Taehyung triumphantly says, sitting up and writing that name in the journal. That's one more on the list.  

God, you were a slut, Taehyung-ah.  

"What are you writing?" 

"Uh, nothing." Taehyung closes his book suspiciously. "Just some notes for my toast." 

"Are you gonna rhyme?" Namjoon asks, face turned one of wretched. 

Taehyung gives him a poker face and then smiles menacingly, "That depends. What rhymes with the orgy?" 

Namjoon flicks him on the forehead for that, "You will not be sharing that story." Taehyung laughs at that. Of course, he wasn't going to share. "Just keep it under three minutes." He reminds his younger brother who nods. "Ready to go?" 

"Uh, you go ahead, I'll be down in a few minutes." He says, looking at Namjoon from top to bottom. "You look good, by the way." 

"Just good?" He teases. 

"Get compliments from your soon-to-be-husband." 

Namjoon laughs gleefully as he makes his departure. Taehyung opens his journal and starts counting the names again. 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

"Holy shit, nineteen?!" He is quite surprised by himself. He has slept with 19 people and not one of them was marriage or love material? Namjoon has probably slept with 3 people and he has found someone with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life. What does that say about Taehyung?

He counts again and he gets 19 again. 

19 people? That's girls and boys included! 

Ever since high school, that is. 

He feels like he's gonna spiral, so the drink that is left on the side table, he picks it up and downs it in one go. He makes a face and coughs a bit but he sucks it up too, picking the champagne bottle and directly drinking from it. He would need this if he wants to survive this party and this day. 

He comes down from the bedroom, visibly drunk while holding the champagne bottle tightly. His mother seems to be in the middle of a toast with people laughing at some joke she cracked. 

Taehyung stumbles upon his step-cousin Bongpil and greets him politely. He looks at him carefully and wonders if Bongpil is good enough to be given a second chance. 

"No, I've had enough of you." He says, hiccups and leaves a very confused Bongpil. 

He enters the living room where all the action is happening, people mostly listening to what his mother has to say. 

"-and we are a family that likes to toast one another, so I'd like my youngest son to come up here and say a few words for his brother and brother-in-law." His mother calls him and he walks over to her, lips pulled taut in a smile. 

He looks at Namjoon and Yoongi who seem to be smiling encouragingly at him. He twirls dramatically around for the effects, getting chuckles from people and then he settles his eyes on the couple of the hour. 

"When Namjoon hyung told me he was dating Yoongi hyung, I couldn't believe it." He shrugs, receiving awes and chuckles from the audience. "I said 'Min Yoongi? The midget from high school who thought he'll become tall enough to qualify in the NBA?' He was such a jerk back then." The audience force a chuckle as Yoongi's face falls. "You guys remember?" Taehyung asks his friends who avoid making eye contact with him. 

Taehyung's mother avoids contact with the people as she looks at Taehyung to signal him to stop. 

"You know how Yoongi hyung broke up with hyung?" 

"Taehyung-" Namjoon calls out softly. 

"He cheated on hyung with his best friend. Who's here, by the way. Hey, Hoseok hyung, stand up." And the said boy stands up awkwardly and smiles and then sits down, hiding his face. 

Yoongi's face hardens at that while Namjoon calms him down by caressing his knuckles. 

Taehyung turns serious again, "But when Yoongi hyung met Namjoonie hyung at the reunion, he understood what a big mistake he had made-- no offence, Hoseok hyung." Hoseok waves him off and drinks his sparkling soda. Taehyung looks at them lovingly, "And now...now Yoongi hyung is this great person! And I can't imagine anyone better suited for Namjoon hyung." He smiles at them. People look at the couple too, happy for them as Namjoon shyly smiles down at Yoongi. 

"You wouldn't believe he's the same person. But he is, except that he hasn't grown a single inch ever since high school." They all laugh and Yoongi rolls his eyes. "Anyways, to Namjoon hyung and Yoongi hyung!" He cheers loudly, clinking his bottle of champagne with someone's glass and breaking it, rather loudly. 

"Absolutely no, it's only the old gang!" Jimin denies Yoong's presence at their next location. As people filter out, Taehyung decides to move the party to a better-suited location for young people aka a club. 

"I'm offended at not being in your gang." Yoongi pouts, holding Namjoon's hand as he wears his shoes. "Namjoon can't handle his alcohol and neither of you kids, so there should be someone adult and responsible." He argues. 

"We are plenty responsible and we'll make sure to deliver your fiance in one piece," Taehyung announces, standing straight from tying his laces. He links his arm around Namjoon's and pulls him, "Let's go." 

"Hold on," Namjoon says and turns to Yoongi, "Go home, no need to entertain the guests." He then leans down and kisses Yoongi sweetly. 

"Okay, that enough." Jimin pulls them apart and drags Namjoon with them. 

⁉⁉⁉

When their drinks arrive, they all toast to Namjoon and Yoongi, clinking their glasses together and laughing at the spillage. 

"Okay!" Taehyung enthusiastically says, "It's party game time."

"Oh, a game? Really?" Namjoon rolls his eyes. 

"Yes, c'mon! It will be fun." He assures. "But which one? God, What to play? What to play?" They all wonder, trying to come with some game. "Ah, let's write down the number of people we have slept with! Good idea, Jiminie!" He quickly dismisses. 

"Me?" Jimin wonders. 

"Okay," He claps his hands, "We just need more drinks and some paper. Be right back!" Taehyung then leaves them and orders vodka shots for everyone. 

Someone closely stands next to him while the waiter pours the drinks for him, "Of all the clubs in Itaewon," A familiar says and Taehyung turns his head sideways to see his boss standing next to him. 

"Of all the cliches in the world," He smiles at him. 

His boss looks different from what he looks like in the office, more laid back and free. Not crisp, neat suit adorning his body and none of that corporate face to greet people. He looks like any normal guy in his regular outfits. And might Taehyung say, quite handsome. 

"I didn't  think you'd take being fired so hard." He jokes as Taehyung rolls his eyes. 

"I don't have to laugh at your jokes anymore. I'm not your employee." Taehyung coyly looks at him. 

"Ouch." His boss says, "Let me buy you these drinks. I feel bad for today." He then pulls out his wallet. 

The bartender pushes the tray towards Taehyung to take it, "Thanks, I can't afford them anyway." He shrugs. 

His boss, Youngjae chuckles and looks differently at Taehyung, "Can I be honest with you?" 

Taehyung hums. 

"You never seemed to like working for the company," He observed. 

"That's not true." 

"It's a little true. And I think I did you a favour there." Youngjae looks at him and smiles, moving closer. "Now you can go around and do something that you love and work with a boss you like." He leans in. 

"I like you," Taehyung whispers haughtily. 

"Really? How much?" Youngjae eagerly asks. 

But Taehyung just smiles flirtingly, picks up his tray and leaves him there to imagine.

"He bought the whole bottle, didn't he?" Youngjae sighs and passes his card to the bartender. 

After swallowing their drinks, they each get a paper and pen and decide to write down the number of people they have slept with. 

"We'll each pick a paper, read the number aloud and we have to guess who it belongs to," Taehyung elucidates as he carefully jots down the number 19. 

He has a strong feeling someone here has gone over number 20 and he's deciding to put all his money on Jimin, his best friend. Jimin is a kinda slut too. 

Once everyone has penned a specific number and folded the paper, Taehyung officially decides they can start picking the paper, after shuffling it. "Hyung, you can choose first." 

Namjoon picks up a paper and reads the number aloud, "Ah, four." 

"Oh, that's me!" Jungkook claps his hands, proudly. 

"No," Taehyung whines. "That's not how it's supposed to be. You're supposed to guess!" He clarifies again. 

"Who's gonna guess Jungkook? He is married to his video games. Nerd." Hoseok comments, laughing when Jimin chuckles. Jungkook pouts and throws a used napkin at his face. "I'm surprised he slept with four people at all." 

"Fuck off." 

"Anyway, Jungkook, you pick." Taehyung sighs. 

"Eight," He reads out loud. They all look at each other, trying to find who's the one who slept with 8 people. "Looks like Namjoon hyung's eight," Jungkook mumbles, inspecting the specific way the number is written. 

"Namjoon?" They look at him. 

"Yep, that's me. I'm twice the man you are, Jungkookie." He plucks the paper from his hands while Jungkook mimics haughtily. 

Taehyung quite down at that. Wow, for all the time they have been to parties together, Namjoon has only slept with 8 people? How? How did he control himself? 

Another paper is picked, another number is recited. 

Six. 

Wow, these people really keep it down with their sex life, Taehyung speculates. 

"Jimin?" Namjoon guesses.

Taehyung is almost about to scoff at that thought but he is stopped when Jimin accepts. 

"What? You slept with only six people?" Taehyung asks in incredulity. 

"Believe it or not." 

"You slept with seven people." Jungkook interrupts. 

"Aaron doesn't count."

"He so does," Jungkook argues and they all look back and forth at the argument unfolding. 

"No, he doesn't because he barely penetrated me. So technically, we never slept together." Jimin argues back and Namjoon is now laughing at the absurdness of the argument. 

"But whatever inch he got to penetrate, it counts!" Jungkook reasons. 

"He only penetrated this much." Jimin raises his hand and illustrates the inch using his thumb and forefinger. "This…this feels like nothing!" 

"Wait a minute! That length is without context. I don't know how big Aaron's dick is," Taehyung says, biting into an olive while Namjoon chokes next to him. 

"I know," Hoseok chimes in. "And that is definitely penetration. So, it counts." He says and then licks the salt off of his finger. 

"Ugh, fine. So, that's seven and if we are counting that much inch, I have slept with nine people now." He confesses, shrugging when Namjoon gasps. 

That's still under 10, so far everyone is under 10 just how Marie Claire predicted. Even Jimin, who has the best ass in their group is under 10. Did Taehyung sleep with people throughout his high school and college?

"Thirteen! What the fuck?" Jungkook shouts as he reads the number. 

Taehyung is alerted. Finally, someone above number 10. He's slightly delighted. 

"That is Hoseok hyung," Jimin informs and Hoseok proudly smirks. 

"You're such a whore!" Namjoon gasps, cheeks turning red from all the drinking and Taehyung knows he'll be due a call from Yoongi hyung tomorrow. 

"Wow, hyung, you're like a slut." Jungkook giggles in his drink. 

"That he is." 

Taehyung is unhappy with the reaction. And a little scared if they find out how many people he has slept with. God, it's too late but he definitely doesn't want his brother to find out. 

"Whore," Taehyung agrees with everyone. 

"What's the big deal?" Hoseok asks, not humiliated by their words. 

"That is thirteen different penises in your hole and vice versa." Jungkook calmly explains to him. 

"It's not like they were there at the same time," Hoseok argues back.

"Still." Jungkook mumbles. 

"Can someone else go?" Hoseok shifts the topic. 

Taehyung picks the last paper, evidently his and he opens it slightly, reading the dreadful number. He cannot show this number to anyone. The reaction they had for Hoseok's number--for the number 13--he doesn't wanna imagine what they'll think of him. Probably write on the face what a slut he is.

He pretends to sneeze to block out the sound of the rip and of course, to tear the paper in half. 

"Oh, wow, look at that, nine." He shows it to others. "I drew myself. Game over." 

"Wait, why did you tear it off?" Jungkook curiously picks up the paper from the floor. He reads the number that says 1. "Oh my god, you're at ninety-one!" He gasps. 

Taehyung makes a face at that idiocy. "No, I am at nine." He repeats. 

Namjoon snatches the paper from both their hands and joins from where it is torn, "You're at nineteen." He judgingly says. 

"Look who was judging earlier," Hoseok makes a big deal about it, plainly pleased Taehyung had a higher ranking than him and seemingly he's sluttiest among his friends. 

"Fine! I admit it. I slept with nineteen people." He dejectedly admits and receives another round of gasps as if they didn't uncover it earlier. "It's almost twice the national average." He leans back against the couch, pouting vehemently. "Marie Claire said that an average person has at least ten-point five lovers. And I'm literally defying that statistic because I'm at nineteen." 

His friends sigh while his brother pats his thigh in comfort. 

"I read this randomly on insta that apparently women who have been with twenty people or so can't find a husband." Jungkook drops a random fact, taking Taehyung's attention. "I think it applies to men as well." 

"Really? It said twenty?" He asks and the younger nods. "I'm one number away from it." He whines to Namjoon. 

"To be honest, if you're too sexually available, it messes with your self-esteem." Hoseok sits up, talking very seriously. "Next thing you know, you're forty-five, with no self-respect and no husband." He shrugs, rubbing his palms on his jeans. 

"And no muscle tone in your pelvic region." Jimin chimes in to which Hoseok agrees. Taehyung is left with an open mouth, horrified at the facts. 

He clears his throat, mind set up as he determinedly says, "Okay, that's not going to happen to me." He looks at them in the eyes. "If twenty is the limit then I'm at nineteen and I still have a chance left." Taehyung confidently says, taking a shaky breath and nodding to himself. "I'm making a proclamation and you guys are my witness."  0

They pick their glasses at that. 

"I'm not going to sleep with one more person until I'm sure he's the one." He announces loudly. "The next person who goes to town on me is going to be my husband and that's final." They cheer at him, clinking each other's glasses. Taehyung stands up confidently. "To seizing control of my destiny." He loudly toasts, engaging nearby audiences. "To better decision making and goal-following through." He says louder than before, getting cheers from everyone. "TO TWENTY!" 

They all cheered loudly and the rest was history. 

⁉⁉⁉

When the morning rolls, Taehyung is essentially dying from the headache. He's unsure how many shots he gulped down but he knows it was almost close to alcohol poisoning. Everything is blurry in his memory ever since they truly started drinking so he's uncertain how he came home. Probably Namjoon dropped him, he looked sober than most of them. 

The light shines brighter inside the apartment, clearly a very sunny day and he just wants to go to sleep. But the light is too bright for some reason. 

He slowly turns on his back, something cracking along as he moves, eyes still shut at the bright light. God, what was he even thinking? He should have tried to sober up when he had the chance. 

Unexpectedly he feels a heavyweight of something on his chest and he opens his eyes in alarm, seeing a blurry image on someone's hand on his chest. He turns his head to find whose body this hand belongs to and he's taken aback by the sight. Taehyung wants to cry out but he holds it in, carefully removes the hand from his chest and leaves the bed, stealthily moving towards his bathroom, right across his bed. 

He finds his phone in the mess of their clothes and dials the first number he sees in his call list.  

"Good morning," Namjoon greets chirpily. 

Taehyung holds back the groan from how loudly everything is sounding. "I slept with my ex-boss." He confesses.

"Mina?" Namjoon halts in his tracks.

"No, the job I just got fired from." He fills him in. 

"You got fired?" 

"This is all your fault, hyung." Taehyung grits his teeth, sensing the creaking of the bed and he looks behind him to see Youngjae rising from the bed. 

"-you cursed me and asked me to leave like a prude." Namjoon finishes, something Taehyung couldn't even hear. "But I'm happy for you."

"Why?" 

"Last night you proclaimed that the twentieth person will be your husband. And now you're at twenty, so congratulations." 

"Shut up," Taehyung rubs his forehead. 

"I have to admit, I didn't think you'll find your husband so soon." Namjoon teases. "But I'm happy for you, bro." And he maniacally cackles, calling out Yoongi's name. "Hey, hyung, Taehyung is gonna get married soon." 

"I don't know Taehyung." He could hear Yoongi's petty response because of last night. 

"I know you're being a jerk right now but maybe he's my husband." Taehyung positively looks at the circumstance. Youngjae is not a bad person for husband material. He's smart, he's clearly rich and he cuts clean. Taehyung looks behind him again to see his ex-boss pulling up his pants, "I don't know why I never considered him before." As soon as he says it, he notices Youngjae putting his hand inside the pants, adjusting his balls and pulling out his hand and grossly inhaling it. 

Taehyung stops the urge to vomit at the sight. 

"Hyung, he's undoubtedly not my husband." He decides and finishes off the call. 

By the time they both are awake and freshened up, Taehyung is on his toes to kick this person out of his apartment. He doesn't remember what happened last night but hopefully, he didn't give him any signals that might compel him to think of initiating a relationship. Because that will absolutely not happen. 

Youngjae comes out of the bathroom, smiling, "You're out of toilet paper." He informs and his hands look suspiciously dry. Taehyung shivers at the thought. "Did you make coffee?" 

"You can grab one at Starbucks." 

"Did you get the newspaper?" He wonders. 

"I don't get one," Taehyung informs. 

Youngjae has taken the liberty to look through his cabinets for some breakfast while Taehyung wants nothing but for him to disappear forever. He's about to tell him that when the bell rings. 

He opens the door to his neighbour, Kim Seokjin. "Hey, six-C," 

"Don't call me that," Taehyung reprimands. He doesn't like being objectified first thing in the morning. 

"What, six-C?" Seokjin points at the apartment number. 

"Oh? Oh, I thought you called me-"

"Sexy?" He asks, "Well, that too." 

"What do you want?" Taehyung asks impatiently. 

"Well, here's your news-" Taehyung plucks it from his hand and chucks it away aggressively. 

"That's not mine."

"Ooookay," Seokjin clears his throat, "Well, I'm locked out. My keys and wallet are inside-" He explains and gets in, making Taehyung roll his eyes, "- can I use your phone?" He asks  

"Sure, I'll get that for you," Taehyung thinks this might be the best opportunity to get rid of Youngjae first and foremost. "Hey, Youngjae-ssi, why don't we talk later?  I think six-A really needs my help." He picks up the phone and looks behind to see Seokjin and Youngjae shaking hands. He holds the urge to vomit again, knowing Youngjae didn't wash his hands after using the bathroom. 

Youngjae makes his way towards him while Taehyung recovers from the fact that his neighbour just shook hands with the dirtiest and perverted person ever. 

"So, how about dinner tonight?" Youngjae asks coyly, trying to hold Taehyung's hands which he sneakily avoids. 

"Tonight tonight?" Taehyung chuckles nervously while Seokjin watches from far, amusedly. 

Youngjae nods. 

"Well-"

"Oh, we have that tenant's meeting tonight." Seokjin chimes in like a saviour. 

Taehyung catches on quickly and blabbers loudly, "Oh right, tenants meeting. We are trying to get this really loud…bird…evicted." He makes up the first thing that comes to his mind. Seokjin tries to hide his chuckle with his cough and Taehyung ignores him. "Why don't I call you later and we can decide what to do next?" He directs it to Youngjae who's not so happy about the turn of events. Taehyung carefully pushes him towards the door. "Maybe another time, we can get together." He fake promises. 

Youngjae is made to wear his shoes unceremoniously as he's strongly pushed outside the door. 

Youngjae leans in to kiss but Taehyung side-tracks it and hugs him half-heartedly instead. 

"Well, go on." He chuckles. 

Youngjae takes the stairs and when he disappears out of sight, someone else is sighted coming out of six-A's apartment, a very half-naked someone. 

Taehyung scoffs a chuckle, he slams his door shut and turns around to find Seokjin hiding behind the couch. "Hey, do you think the man coming out of your apartment could have helped you with your 'locked out' situation?" He accuses, air quoting. 

Seokjin stands up from the crouch position, "Okay, I was trying to get out of a situation as well, unlike yours here, so I-"

"Lied to him and then lied to me?" Taehyung scoffs, pulling out milk from the fridge. 

"I look at it as trying to avoid hurting feelings." He shamelessly says and Taehyung has to roll his eyes. Seokjin then looks around the apartment, well kept with some very weird concept going around. He comes across these mini sculptures of people, kept at several places throughout the apartment. "Wow, this is cool. Where'd you get it?" 

"I made it myself," Taehyung informs, somewhat shyly. A lot of people do not hype him up about his sculptures. 

"No shit!" 

"Shit," Taehyung corrects, "Listen, I don't want to have anything with your crusade to sleep with every walking thing in Seoul," He says, watching Seokjin going through his stuff like some detective. 

"Wow, I thought you'd be cooler about it," Seokjin mumbles, picking up Taehyung's sculpting tools from the coffee table and inspecting it with a pout. "I saw the toast you made on YouTube. Seemed like you'd have a good sense of humour." He looks at him in a very judgy manner which Taehyung doesn't appreciate. 

"Those jerks put up my video on youtube?" He's at a loss for words. "How did you see it already?" He wonders. It's not even 24 hours and he's gone viral already? Enough for his neighbour to come across it? God, could things be any disastrous? 

"I got everybody in the building on Google alert," He says casually as if he hasn't been invading people's privacy. "I come from a family of cops, digging is kinda in my nature." He confesses, moving towards the door, Taehyung follows him. "That ahjussi in four-D tried to marry his dog." 

"No, Nabi?" Taehyung chuckles. 

"Oh, yeah." 

Seokjin looks through the spy hole for a second, "Well, looks like the coast is clear," He notifies, opening the door and looking outside to confirm. He turns to Taehyung and says, "You owe me."

"And I repaid by letting you hide here," 

"But you didn't know I needed to hide, so it doesn't count." He says, smiling to annoy Taehyung. "Well, thanks anyway, you are a peach." He winks at him and salutes.  

"You're a pig," Taehyung rolls his eyes and turns away, hearing the lock click behind Seokjin.

⁉⁉⁉

Namjoon sighs, jotting notes in his planner, "Maybe Yoongi hyung was right, I should have employed a wedding planner." He says, flipping through pages, endless notes from every shop he has visited ever since Yoongi proposed to him. 

Meanwhile, Taehyung can't help but aggressively stuff his face with the vanilla cake presented to them for testing. "Mmm, this is good. This should be your wedding cake." 

Namjoon is disgusted, he stops Taehyung from eating like an uncultured swine, "That's enough, okay? I think the idea is to test the flavour combinations." He says, taking Taehyung's fork and keeping it away. 

Taehyung gulps down the food and shrugs, "Why? No one's ever gonna see me naked now." Pettily, he sighs. 

Namjoon scoffs, "Yeah, like you're really gonna be celibate now." 

"I don't have a choice," Taehyung worries, "I said I was gonna stop at twenty and now, thanks to that finger-smelling fuck, I am at twenty." He curses at his ex-boss and takes the fork back, diving into the pastry again. "Just promise me you won't put me on single's table with Jungkook and everyone." 

Namjoon rolls his eyes, pushing his glasses up as he mumbles, "Seating is really complicated." 

Taehyung gives him a poker face and he conveniently avoids it. The younger of them look around until his eyes notice someone familiar. He tilts his head in confusion, wondering where he knows the guy from who just came in. 

Namjoon notices that and asks, "What?" 

"Do you know who that is?" Taehyung asks, subtly pointing at the guy. 

Namjoon takes a look, "No," He answers, going back to his work. 

"Really?" Taehyung mumbles, trying to remember the familiar face until it clicks and he almost squeals. "Oh my god!" He whispers-screams. 

"What? You remembered him?"

"That's mukbanger Myeong!" He realises. 

Namjoon chuckles at the name, "What?"

"I dated him."

"What? Did I ever meet him?" 

Taehyung looks at his hyung, "No, no one ever did. It was a really short relationship." He informs, looking back at Myeong. "He used to think he can be fit while he eats greasy, cheesy foods." 

Taehyung is taken back in time when he dated Myeong in college. Myeong was never from their college that's why no one ever knew him. He was from their neighbouring college and Taehyung met him at a party, from where they hit it off. 

Their relationship went really well for the first month, Taehyung was happily hiding the relationship and Myeong was smart, funny and a good guy. Taehyung wanted their relationship to be hidden before he let others know. 

And while they were good for each other, they had to break up because Myeong was a fitness freak and Taehyung could have lived with that. But he also was into food a lot, which Taehyung could have lived with, too. Whenever they used to order food, Myeong would order something healthy in contrast to Taehyung's greasy, fat food. 

But then Myeong decided he wanted to become a YouTuber, a mukbang one where he can show his viewers they can eat whatever they want and still stay fit. Taehyung still believes Myeong was giving excuses to eat junk foods without feeling guilty. 

And like a good boyfriend that Taehyung was, he supported him and he really thought Myeong would stay true to his words, given his history of fitness. But of course, the spell the food casts on people, it had cast on Myeong too. His channel went from encouraging people to eat without worrying about their body to simply eating all kinds of food without worrying about his body. 

He started eating more and visiting the gym less, to the point that his weight gain was prominent. All he cared about was the food. It was like he loved food more than anything else in the world. 

And that was enough for Taehyung to pack up his stuff and leave. He told no one about Myeong and when it ended, he didn't let anyone know about it. 

The last time Taehyung saw Myeong was when they broke up and he was 110 kg but now he appears to have lost a tonne of weight. 

"He's kinda cute," Namjoon offhandedly comments. 

Taehyung nods, realising why he started dating Myeong in the first place because he cared about his image. Myeong looks around and his eyes fall on Taehyung who's caught looking at him. He smiles but doesn't do much more than that. 

"Seems like he remembers you too, why don't you go say hi?" Namjoon suggests.

Taehyung thinks for a moment and shrugs, "Why the hell not?"

He stands up and walks towards Myeong in a manner that doesn't suggest forward confrontation, he pretends to look around at the display until he's standing across Myeong who looks up and tilts his head. Taehyung sends another smile, it really is Myeong but it will be embarrassing if he doesn't recognize. 

"Taehyung? Kim Taehyung?" Myeong asks, unsure. 

Taehyung smiles, "Myeong?" 

"Oh my god," 

"It is you." Taehyung chuckles. "Wow, I can't believe it, I actually cannot believe it." He says, looking carefully at Myeong who shows off his weight loss. 

Another person comes from behind and wraps their arm around Myeong's waist. 

"Oh, this is Hyunwon," He introduces while they exchange a handshake. "My fiance." 

"Oh? Oh!" Taehyung is slightly taken aback. Not because Myeong couldn't score a good guy but the fact that he stopped stuffing his mouth enough to care for someone else. "Congratulations! Where did you guys meet?" He asks, awkwardly. 

Seems like even Myeong, who was having an existential crisis, has gotten his life together. Lost a considerable amount of weight, looking fine with a finer human beside him. 

"At a restaurant," Myeong laughs, reminiscing something. "It was a grand opening and a lot of mukbanger and food bloggers gathered that day and that's how I met Hyunnie," He narrates. 

Hyunnie, huh. 

They look disgustingly in love which Taehyung never felt with Myeong. Love? No. Disgusted? Yes, when Myeong used to stuff an Angus burger in his mouth in one go. 

"Can you believe it?" Myeong chuckles. What, Myeong at a restaurant? Sure. "He's a doctor." 

"I'm hardly a doctor, I'm a nutritionist." Hyunwon corrects his boyfriend. 

"You're the best either way," They flirt right in front of Taehyung as if he's not even there which he doesn't even want to be. 

"I get it," He says loudly between their giggles. 

"Taehyung and I are old friends," Myeong finally introduces and Taehyung's face falls. 

Old friend? The fuck? Taehyung supported him when he wanted to conquer the mukbang world. He bought him food, sometimes cleaned up after him! How dare he say they were just friends with that mouth? The same mouth Taehyung used to kiss!

"What-what are you doing here?" Myeong interrupts Taehyung's disgruntled thoughts. 

"Uh, I-I am here for cake testing." He answers, "I'm getting married. In a month." He lies without sweating a single drop. 

They congratulate him. 

"Yeah, so I'm here with my brother because my fiance is up at the north pole...dealing with the whole ice cap situation." He continues lying, folding his arms to look collected. "He's a scientist," If he's lying, might as well make it sound good. 

"That sounds good," Myeong says and suddenly hugs Taehyung while still holding his fiancee's hand. "Well, hey, it was great stumbling upon you." 

"Yeah, me too." 

The conversation halts there while they turn around when their names are being called. Taehyung sulks and goes back to his brother.  

After another half an hour of testing a few more flavour combinations, they finally settled on one, coffee and cognac , which suits both the grooms taste bud.

"So, how was it meeting Myeong?" Namjoon asks as they leave the bakery. 

"He said we were friends. Friends!" Taehyung complains angrily. "Like I was some kind of embarrassment. He had man boobs! His bra cup would have been a D!" He grits his teeth as he power walks. "I can't believe it's the same guy!" 

"A lot of people get better with age," Namjoon informs, matching Taehyung's fast pace. "I mean, you say Yoongi hyung used to be a total douche but look at him now, a gentleman!" 

Taehyung stops and Namjoon does too, facing him. 

A realisation dawns on his face, "You're right! Hyung, you're a genius!" He says, linking his arms with Namjoon and walking again. "If Myeong could change, then so can everyone else." He blabbers excitedly, Namjoon has a hard time picking his words. "Myeong can't be my only ex who has gotten better over time." He realises, stopping in his tracks again, making Namjoon groan. "You know what this means?" 

"What?" 

"I don't have to be celibate or go over twenty," He points out. "This is great!" He hugs Namjoon out of blue and kisses his cheek wetly, "Love you, hyung. See you later!" 

"Taehyung! Taehyung-ah, what are you thinking?" Namjoon shouts behind him but he has already turned around the curb and left. "This feels wrong all of a sudden." He mumbles to himself. 

Taehyung rushes to get inside his apartment, throwing his bag on the floor and skidding across the living room. 

He collects his old journals and yearbook, several other books that could help him locate his exes. He neatly stacks it next to his laptop which he switches on. While that happens, he takes out two bottles of fruity soju and some prawn flavoured chips to go along with it. 

He changes into something comfortable and sits crossed leg in front of the laptop. 

"Okay, let's do this," He rubs his palms and types in the first name in the search bar. The top name in his journal is Kang Seoho. 

A search result of at least 6 million comes up. Taehyung clicks on every possible link but nothing conclusive comes up. He types the name on Facebook and there are another thousand results. He scrolls through photos but no profile picture looks like the Kang Seoho he remembers. 

He gives up on that name for now and moves onto the next name. 

Choi Daewhi. 

When he types in the name, 10 million results come up, apparently most of it about some male idol. He tries to filter the name with more specific tags and the results go down to 5 million, which is still a lot. 

He tries to do this with a lot of names but most of these names are common or that he ends up on a porn website. 

After his third soju, Taehyung is having a headache from sitting in front of the laptop for 3 hours. He lay his head on the table, hoping to take a small rest before continuing again. 

⁉⁉⁉

When he wakes up, it's a lot brighter than he remembered. The sun that has set when he was awake last time has now risen again, radiating his apartment unnecessarily. The birds chirp happily and he raises his head and sees an animated picture of a penis and balls with some eyes and mouth on his screen. 

Just the thing he'd like to see first thing in the morning. 

His headaches badly even with the fruity soju and he groans when the neck cracks hurtfully. He sits straight and looks at the mess he made, papers thrown around, a packet of chips open and trashed.  

Taehyung wills his headache to leave while he rubs his face and then he hears the sound of a person he didn't wanna hear first thing in the morning. It's Seokjin, talking to someone. He groans at the loud noises as he comes back to his senses. 

He looks at the paper with names on it, realising he couldn't find a single person last night. Until Seokjin's voice rings in his head and he collects his paper, gets up, hurts his knees by banging it on the table and limps across the apartment to his main door. He sees Seokjin, naked but at least wearing a boxer, bending down to pick up the newspaper. 

Taehyung slowly opens the door and greets Seokjin. 

"Hey, six-C," Seokjin acknowledges him while peeling a banana. 

"I, um, I see that you have um, company," Taehyung carefully chooses his words, "But could I ask you a question real quick?" Seokjin leans across the door frame and gives him a green signal. His naked body is very distracting to Taehyung. "Remember-Remember how you said you were good at digging up dirt? Do you think that maybe I could pay you to find some people for me?" He asks, unsure while Seokjin contemplates, taking a bite of his banana. 

Taehyung hates bananas but he didn't know someone eating a banana could stir him up so quickly. 

"Sweetheart, if I’m gonna help you, you gotta give me more info than that." He says, leaning off the door frame. 

Taehyung moves towards him, minding a safe distance so he doesn't feel Seokjin's body heat. "Just some guys and girls that I’ve dated." He confesses. 

"Oh, you have herpes? That's not a fun call to make." He jokes. 

Taehyung rolls his eyes, "No, I don't. I...I think one of these people might be worth a second look." 

Seokjin looks at the paper full of names with a title that says; people I've slept with.  

"No," He answers, wiping his luscious lips with his thumb. "I refuse to be a part of this crazy. I don’t know why these people broke up with you and I need to protect them." He says righteously, moving towards his door. 

Taehyung looks offended once again in the presence of Kim Seokjin, "Wait, why do you assume they all broke up with me?" 

Seokjin shrugs nonchalantly, "Because you seem like the type of guy who tries to make a bad thing work." 

"Some people call it optimism!" 

"I call it crazy." 

Taehyung glares at him hard and he storms back towards his apartment. He looks at Seokjin with all the hatred he could muster up at that moment, at 8:42 am and says, "I knew you'd be a jerk about it." 

"Hey, don't be mad," Seokjin says, pouting. "I'll still sleep with you." 

Taehyung makes a disgusted face, "Gross." And then he slams his door shut, breathing hard as he takes off his shoes. He stands there for a moment, trying to calm his anger, not understanding why he let Kim Seokjin get on his nerves. 

Probably because he was naked, otherwise he's civil and in control of his emotions and boner. He's just a sucker for a good body and great abs. 

He looks around and tries to think of some other way he could find his exes until an idea pops in his head. He wears his shoes unceremoniously again and leaves the apartment hurriedly going over to Seokjin's. 

"Seokjin hyung? Seokjin hyung! Open up." He shouts, knocking on his door. 

The door opens and a very confused Seokjin looks at him. "C'mon, we gotta go! Eomma fell in the shower!" He makes up a story, sliding past a very clothed Kim Seokjin and stumbling across his latest late-night fun. "Hi," He greets hurriedly. 

"What's going on?" Seokjin asks behind him, clearly not picking up the act. 

"She fell in the shower!" Taehyung says again, going around picking stuff that he hopes belongs to Seokjin. "She's at the hospital and she's very-" He picks up underwear that seems relatively wet, he shudders and leaves it on the floor, "-wet. We gotta get out of here. They are drying her off right now, as we speak." He informs, picking up a sneaker and a coat just in case. 

He looks around and deems it enough with the stuff in his hands. He then looks at the stranger in the apartment and acknowledges him, "I'm so sorry. You seem like a really nice person. I'm sure he's gonna call you." He says, without any real truth behind his words. 

Seokjin smiles through it and Taehyung walks towards him and pushes him outside the apartment, "C'mon, let's go. Eomma is in pain." He grits and with that, he closes the door to Seokjin's apartment and opens the door to his apartment. 

He pushes Seokjin's clothes against his chest while they get inside. 

"Very impressive." 

"You help me find my exes and I'll help you escape yours." Taehyung proposes the deal with confidence, not bullshitting around. He doesn't have time for that. 

Seokjin looks at him and scoffs, a smirk forming on his face as he looks around. He notices some new additions to Taehyung's sculptures, something that wasn't present when he was here the last time. 

"Wow, this place just goes on and on, huh?" Seokjin mumbles.

He doesn't say anything instead keep looking at Taehyung with a tilted head as if expressing his demands or conditions. Well, this is a deal after all it's only fair, Taehyung reckons. And he's the one who needs desperate help so he needs to bend but not far enough for Seokjin to think he wants to sleep around. 

Taehyung sighs, "And you can use my apartment to hide." He gives in. 

Seokjin drops his clothes and opens his arms, looking cheekily, "A commemorative hug?" 

"Absolutely not." 

Chapter Text

Taehyung brings him to a close convenience store for a reasonable brunch, not like he was already consenting Seokjin to hang around and lie low at his apartment, he's furthermore the one to pay for his survival needs currently. If Taehyung actually sits down and thinks about it, he got the shorter end of the agreement. 

But he doesn't have time to whip out a formal contract so this will have to do. The previous night, he realised discovering people is not a manageable job and if Seokjin tells him he can then Taehyung will be prepared for all the afflictions life or Seokjin throws at him. 

Seokjin sits outside while Taehyung prepares ramen for him. If by the end of this, Taehyung comes to be a servant, it's on him, no doubt. He should honestly take a stance but he's a sucker for hot guys. 

Once the meal is readied, mostly for Seokjin, he struts over to the table. Glancing at the meal tray it appears like Seokjin is performing a minor mukbang. How does he consume so abundantly in the morning and still stay hot as he is? 

He, by chance, takes a peek over at the older's shoulder and sees him swiping left and right on tinder. It's barely afternoon! Taehyung thumps the tray on the table, seizing Seokjin's attention who appears alarmed for once. He puts on a fake smile and sits as well. 

"Can we work now?" 

"I haven't even taken a bite of this ramen!" Seokjin reasons, blowing on the noodles. 

"You know, I could easily hire someone professional instead of taking your attitude." 

He chews beautifully while grinning, "But you came to me first." He brings it up after swallowing. 

"And it's been an hour, I'm already regretting it." Taehyung tears off the wrapper from his cheese sausage and bites into it. 

"That's a first for me," He murmurs to himself and takes numerous tiny sips from the soup, letting out an enormous 'ah' of contentment. He bestows Taehyung a thumbs up, which the younger one is pretentious about. Taehyung might not understand how to cook but he can prepare promising ramen for sure. "You're not paying me, so I'm going at my pace." 

"I offered to pay," Taehyung defends himself. "And, by the way, this-" He implies to the food, "- is me compensating you, in advance." He scowls at him for the impact. 

"What a frugal client," Seokjin shakes his head in dissatisfaction while Taehyung sputters at the remark. "Are you really reimbursing me through convenience store food?" 

"Excuse me, I take dignity in South Korea's convenience store food. They supported me through college!" 

Seokjin shakes his head, flapping his hand to steady the other down. "I get it, but your list earlier appeared very lengthy. I think I should be entitled to get more than a cup of ramen and gimbap." 

Taehyung rises, compiles their garbage and announces, "You'll get a good meal once you finish your job." 

After tidying up, they slowly stroll back to the apartment complex but not before Seokjin asks him to purchase chocolate milk for a drink. 

Taehyung hands him the sheet that has the name of all the potential people he might wanna take a second look at, "These are the list of people you are required to locate for me." Seokjin takes a good look, humming to himself. "There are names, phone numbers and addresses. These are the ones that I primarily remember from the past so I'm not certain how applicable this data is." 

"You haven't talked to them recently?" 

"Not really," Taehyung shrugs. "Just find out who's alive and who's dead. They need to be in this country, okay?" 

Seokjin nods, predominantly enthusiastic about the chocolate milk. Taehyung dismisses him for his benefit because if he keeps attempting to get the older one's attention, their time will be ruined and he's desperate to reconcile any old kindling. 

"Look, I'll take a car or a train but not a plane." He informs and challenges Seokjin's judgy looks, "I prioritised the list so start from the top." 

Seokjin reads the name, "Kang Seoho…is that the one who got away?" He asks, almost teasingly. 

The younger shrugs, "Something like that." He says, grinning. "His dad is Kang Hangyeol, he owns half of the real estate in Gangnam so he should be easy to find." Taehyung provides him with scant but valuable information, not like Seokjin would have ultimately found out but he prefers to assist in any way he can. 

"The Kang Hangyeol?" 

"The only." 

"Well, he may not be arduous to discover but I guarantee he's gonna be tough to get." Seokjin purses his lips that get Taehyung's attention and he realises that it's some lovely ass pair of lips on a pretty ass person, solely judging from the looks. Now, Taehyung is a catch himself, he's heard plenty of compliments throughout his life, so he doesn't relate himself to Seokjin and belittles himself. But Seokjin has this duality that Taehyung can't begin to explain. 

There's an innocence to his face, the kind of face you'll trust in an instance. The kind of face your parents would trust over you. But his body is nothing like his face because his body is like a fucking Greek God, the ones you see in arts, with abs prominent and adorning his abdomen. And if the screams (of pleasure) of his "friends" late at night proves anything, he's damn good in bed. Good might not even suffice but Taehyung can't judge without first-hand experience. 

So, he's an entire package, only physically. Taehyung is yet to dissect his personality and then he'll be a whole-fucking-once-in-a-lifetime-package. 

"Taehyung-ssi?" 

The said boy blinks his eyes several times and hums. 

"I asked if you have a phone number or address for this Kang guy?" 

"If I had that, I wouldn't need you." Taehyung savagely answers. 

Seokjin shrugs, "Fair enough." 

"But I do know Hwang Joonhwi is gonna run for deputy prime minister!" He proudly enlightens and appears closer to peek at the list again, Hwang Joonhwi is at number 7 because Taehyung isn't excessively conclusive about him. He merely recalls him from high school and he remembers he wasn't too into Joonhwi but he was a decent person. He somehow understood Taehyung. There were times when Taehyung wouldn't say anything and he still understood him. Maybe that's why he's a good choice for a deputy prime minister. 

Taehyung's hand scantily touches Seokjin's but he doesn't change positions, instead, he advises him additionally about the list. "Choi Eunseop-- hmm, you can move him to number 4." He decides, "He probably still works at Starbucks but God, he's the best sex I've ever had." 

"If you give me a chance, I can change that thought." Seokjin challenges, smirking. 

The younger one rolls his eyes at the statement. Despite the exterior he's putting on, Taehyung knows Seokjin is probably a beast in the bed, courtesy of long night's where he had to listen to Seokjin's partner scream in pleasure. There are times Taehyung wanted to throw out his integrity and walk over to Seokjin's apartment and offer sex. Just some casual sex, probably a one-time thing, so he could test his theory out. 

But he never went. Would Seokjin like it if he flung himself at him? Conceivably. He looks like he's used to people hurling themselves at him. Taehyung has a lot of self-respect, therefore he has a rule so that he doesn't make that thought come into reality. He never drinks to get drunk in the apartment and if he's out with friends and he's drunk out of his mind, he always camps at Namjoon's those nights. Because what his sober body resists doing, his drunk body might want to do. 

Seokjin furthermore doesn't come across as the kind of person who would take advantage of a drunken situation. 

Taehyung gives him a sarcastic smile, "I've slept with overly confident, struggling musicians, so, I'm gonna pass on that offer." And he begins shuffling again. 

"Struggling?" Seokjin pursues, insulted. "And what makes you think I'm a musician?" 

"Guitar in your apartment and let's not forget a very glaring electronic piano, right by the window. You dress like a horny teenager and I paid for the food you just ate. Struggling musician." He concludes, savagely. He waits for Seokjin to retaliate, maybe insult back or get offended because for some reason Taehyung wants to get the ever resting smirk off of his face. 

Seokjin only lets out a peal of laughter and shakes his head. He doesn't argue and Taehyung hates that. 

"So, I don't get it," He says instead, looking at the paper, "Why go through all the trouble of finding these people? Why can't you just find a new guy?" He inquires. 

Taehyung is taken back, not at the question but at the way Seokjin just sidetracked his insult. It's not like he's a bully or he likes to start a fight but this isn't a normal reaction from someone who was badly insulted. Why does it feel like Taehyung somehow lost this round? 

"N-no, no new guys." He clears his throat. 

"New is always better than old." 

Taehyung scoffs, "Of course you'd say that. I bet the longest relationship you've ever had is with that drink." He says, aggravated while Seokjin sips unbothered. 

"It is a good drink, though." He smirks and takes a good sip, letting out a loud moan of satisfaction that garners a little attention. 

Taehyung is mortified on his behalf and he tries to obscure his face from people walking past them. He then turns and starts walking away from the little show Seokjin is putting on. 

He can hear the crackle of his laughter even from far. 

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung rummages through the tuxedo line, trying to find a good one. He expects to look delicious but he also doesn't wish for scrutiny. There are gonna be a bunch of people and that comprises their relatives who won't rest until they ask Taehyung if he has found someone for himself or how his job is treating him. 

Weddings are the worst for people who aren't brides or grooms. 

"Is this the one hyung picked?" Taehyung asks Jimin who's feeling the fabric. 

"I think so," 

The tux looks expensive and it feels like one under his fingertips. It's jet black with little detailing of velvet on the breast pocket, the cuffs and the collar. It's not a suit that will overshadow the grooms but groomsmen will probably look expensive as fuck at the ceremony. 

"Are you really gonna let us be handsome?" Taehyung teases Namjoon who's changing into his tuxedo for the wedding. "It looks good." He mumbles. 

"I know," Jimin clinks his champagne glass and winks. 

Namjoon pops his head out and looks at Taehyung. "That's for appa. That one's for you guys," He points at the white tuxedo hanging from the railing, glaring and laughing at them. The white is so bright, it hurts the eyes. Taehyung should have known Namjoon would pull such tricks at the wedding. 

"I think I'm gonna be sick during the wedding week," Jimin calls out, looking at the tux in disgust, matching Taehyung's feelings. 

"Sorry, eomma picked them out. She saw it while we were shopping for her dress. She said it will match with her hanbok," Namjoon talks fastly. 

"Why not get a hanbok for us as well? It wouldn't be much of a difference." Taehyung saltily huffs. 

"I'm just trying to keep her happy. Because I invited appa to the wedding." Namjoon informs. 

Taehyung rubs his forehead, god, this wedding will go down in history for worse or for better. "Have you told eomma?" 

"No, not yet." He says and then pushes the curtain aside with a smile. 

A smile that is not apologetic but exciting because he should be. It's his wedding and he has never looked happier before. Is it the thought of marrying someone he loves? Or knowing that he will spend the rest of his life with that man? Or is it the ceremony that will be the proof of their love? Does love or marriage make people so happy that they can't be on the ground? Is that what love feels like? 

"Oh, hyung." Taehyung sighs. 

Namjoon, an ever so handsome man in every attire. His attire changes his attitude and with the tuxedo he's wearing, he seems like he wants to run and get married to Yoongi right away. 

"I've seen you in tuxedos several times and every time I wanted to rip it from your body but this…this is so beautiful on you," Jimin confesses, mostly touching Namjoon's breast area in appreciation. 

"It looks good, doesn't it?" Namjoon asks Taehyung, ignoring the hyenas touching him everywhere. 

"You are and will be the most handsome groom in history." 

"Who will write about me?"

"I don't know, maybe I will write a book just for this." Taehyung shrugs and takes a seat on the couch, looking at his brother. 

"Maybe I had a little too many drinks because I still wanna get you out of this suit," Jimin says, his eyes a little glazed. 

"Gross, Jimin, I told you to leave your horniness at home." Hoseok reprimands. 

"What do you think Yoongi hyung will say?" He asks. 

"He'll be speechless." Hoseok chuckles. "God save him if he'll be able to get his vows out with you looking like this in front of him." 

Namjoon chuckles, getting red from the compliment. He is handsome, he has always been handsome. Taehyung still remembers all his friends trying to get Namjoon's number from him because he was this cool, sexy guy back at college. Jimin, who still crushes over him, had tried to score so many dates with Namjoon but it always ended like a casual hangout. And Jungkook, he was a goner for Namjoon. It's like he found Nirvana when he saw Namjoon first. If he wasn't gay, he became one when he crossed paths with Namjoon. Hoseok never wanted to date Namjoon but he always claimed he'll have sex with Namjoon once before he leaves college. 

He never slept with him, though. 

And now that chance is lost forever. 

So, Taehyung is sure Yoongi is gonna suffer the most during the ceremony. The way he's in love with Namjoon, there's no chance he'll not take him away in the middle of the wedding and get him out of this tux. 

"He won't be able to keep his hands to himself," Jimin says, ruefully. Like that could be him but he missed his chance. 

"Not like he does a good job on normal days." 

"Still," Hoseok says. "Who's gonna top during the wedding night?" 

The groom is taken aback by the question. 

"I know you guys switch." 

"Know-how do you…I'm not telling you that!" He huffs, trying to calm down his heart when Hoseok laughs. 

"I'm just saying you should let Yoongi hyung top that night. I guarantee you'll have the best orgasm!" He says shamelessly. 

It reminds him of Seokjin, from 4 days back when he confidently said he can change Taehyung's mind about best sex. It makes him chuckle and he unlocks his phone to see any messages from him. 

"Are you speaking from experience?" Taehyung teases to which Hoseok glares at him. 

"Joon, that's no-"

"I'm literally over your one-night situation." He assures Hoseok whose face suddenly got wretched. "And you know what? Maybe I'll let Yoongi hyung top me." He shrugs, getting a minor smile from his friend. 

"Ugh, I don't wanna hear what my brother is gonna do on his wedding night." 

"That's okay! Hyung, you can tell me everything!" Jimin chimes in and Namjoon looks disgusted at the thought and pushes Jimin away. "What? This might be my only way to imagine what having sex with Namjoon hyung will feel like." 

"Jimin, you're this close to being uninvited," Namjoon warns him. Jimin pouts and sits on the couch as well, like a kicked puppy. "And stop sending Yoongi hyung threatening messages." 

"I didn't send him that many. I only told him the moment he leaves you, I'll pounce on you and never let you go." Jimin confesses, which earns him a smack from Taehyung. "If you see it, I'm doing the role of a protective brother." 

"Yah, what kind of brother writes such messages?" Hoseok asks. 

"An overly protective kind," 

"That's incest, Jimin-ah." 

"Good because I'm not your brother. We aren't even from the same clan." 

"Then you're a crazy lover," Hoseok concludes. 

Jimin thinks for a moment of the term and he shakes his head, "Good, I like that." 

Hoseok and Namjoon groan at that. 

"Oh my god, he found Jo Yeong," Taehyung says loudly, looking at the information Seokjin has sent him. 

"Are you really tracking down your ex-boyfriends so you don't have to go over the number twenty?" Namjoon asks, disappointed. 

"Really?" Hoseok swivels to him. 

Taehyung shrugs, "If it works out with any one of these guys that means a whole period of my life wasn't a waste." He explains to them logically. 

"Yeah, but it didn't work out with any of these guys because they were all wrong for you." Namjoon points out smartly, negating Taehyung's logic. 

He purposely dismisses him. 

"Jo Yeong?" Jimin turns to him. "Isn't that the magician you dated?" He inquires. 

Taehyung smiles. 

Jo Yeong was Taehyung's first boyfriend when he entered college. Normally a social butterfly, Taehyung had a hard time making friends during the first few months of his college. He tried to blend in with the crowd, pierced his ears to look cool, got fake tattoos to seem like an adult and bought clothes from thrift shops to be with the trend. 

Nothing worked out for him. People at college always kept to themselves, having already formed friend groups and not accepting new applicants. 

Jo Yeong was also the kind of person who did not get along with students. He had a persona different from what people normally know. Jo Yeong used to be an emo kid, with hair reaching his eyes and covering it. He used to wear tattoo sleeves since he couldn't really afford to ink his skin. He also had this crazy amount of piercings that Taehyung was really inspired from that earned him the teasing of a lifetime. 

He was the definition of an emo being and Taehyung found him cool because he knew so many cool people. But what Taehyung loved about him was his job at a club where he could get entry without any ID and he could drink as much as he wanted to. 

Apart from getting into clubs for illegal drinking, Taehyung also liked the fact that he could do some really silly magic tricks. He never knew anyone who could do magic so having met someone who could show magic tricks at your beck and call really astonished Taehyung. He was young back then, he was excited about everything and his criteria were low. 

Jo Yeong's popular magic trick was to pull out coins from behind the ears, a trick that was so common even children could do. But Taehyung gave him the benefit of the doubt each time. Sometimes when they were having sex (a time that is so intimate and sexy), Yeong used to pull out coins from Taehyung's butt, from where he was fingering. Taehyung doesn't know till now if that magic trick has somehow become a habit of his throughout time. But pulling out coins from his asshole was a thing Taehyung couldn't put up with, and then they broke up.  

Also because Jo Yeong couldn't think beyond his edgy persona and Taehyung wanted more maturity. Not some teenager pulling out changes from his asshole. 

At present, Taehyung is far over magic tricks and while walking towards the bar Seokjin called him to, he hopes Jo Yeong is also over his childish, birthday magic tricks. 

If mukbanger Myeong can change, then so can everyone else! Have hope, Taehyung! 

Taehyung slides into the booth where Seokjin was already seated, "Wow, you work fast!" He appreciates the effort of the older guy. Seokjin looks so out of place in this dingy bar. While he still dresses like a horny teenager, his face belongs to the high-end bars on the streets of Itaewon. 

"Well, this one was easy," Seokjin says over loud music, Taehyung has to lean in close for him to hear. Then he takes the last chug of the beer, prominent Adam's apple hobbling as he gulps it down. Why does Taehyung want to lick the soft, creamy skin of his? 

Once he puts the mug aside, he explains further. "He has his website-" Taehyung begins to like Jo Yeong, because wow-- a website? How many people can afford and maintain a website? He's only impressed by that information until Seokjin opens his mouth again after burping, almost shyly. "It's called super sexy magic dot com." He tries to hide the smile but fails miserably. It feels like Seokjin is making fun of him. 

Taehyung knows his choice of boyfriends weren't the best but he was young and obviously stupid. There's no need for Seokjin to laugh about it now. Jo Yeong might have gotten better and bigger with his magic tricks, it's a character development and Taehyung shouldn't be prejudiced over the past self of someone. 

He gives him a sarcastic smile, "Well, I'm sure I can find him, so you can scoot and skedaddle," Taehyung declares, looking around to locate Jo Yeong in the mass of people. 

"And miss the show?" 

Seokjin then points at someone and Taehyung turns his head around to come across Jo Yeong at the bar. 

The hopeful light in his eyes dim at the revelation. There is Jo Yeong, at the bar, flirting with some girl. His appearance has completely changed and it is possible to misplace him for someone else. No more piercing on the face or black kohl around the eyes. He's wearing normal clothes, the colours of which Taehyung has never seen on him. And his hair is cut short by a lot. 

While he has changed his appearance by a lot and for the better, he's still pulling out coins from the girl's ear, using the same old technique he has used on Taehyung in the past and on many people as well. He's at the bar but he's behind the counter. 

Taehyung, to say, is completely disappointed. 

"Nope, I'm fine here." He says and slides out of the booth. 

"That's it?" Seokjin is quick to follow him out of the bar. "Why, because he's a bartender?" He implores. 

"No," Taehyung turns to look at him and sighs, "Because he's still a bartender!" He shakes his head in disappointment. Maybe not all his eyes have changed for the better. "He's exactly where he was nine years ago, an out-of-work magician who sleeps till noon, bartends till three and goes around pulling money out people's bodies," Taehyung lets out a shudder at the memory. 

Seokjin gives him an are-you-serious? look and he has to nod to confirm whatever Seokjin is thinking. 

"And he keeps your cents, by the way." 

"So what? You could have some fun for old time's  sake!" Seokjin suggests and Taehyung addresses him with an unimpressed look. 

If Taehyung was looking for fun, he'd knock on Seokjin's door. 

But he won't tell him that and he won't do that because he's not in it for fun. He's in it for life as in he needs a life partner. 

"No," He shakes his head and tsks a little to himself before he begins explaining the situation. "Even if it didn't raise my number, I can't afford to waste any more time on guys like him." 

All of a sudden, Seokjin catches his elbow and stops him from walking, "Wait, wait, wait. That's what this is about?" He smirks in a way that suggests he's gonna tease the fuck out of Taehyung. "You don't wanna raise your number!" He concludes. "That's why you won't sleep with me." 

Taehyung crosses his arms and scoffs a little at the sudden change in Seokjin's demeanour at the revelations. "No, there's a lot of reasons why I won't sleep with you." He clarifies and then starts walking again, no, away from Seokjin. 

"No, there's not." Seokjin childishly denies it. He catches up with Taehyung, "I don't know why some people care about some random number anyway." 

"Because some people, no, society has this ideal man or woman in their minds and-and if that number is exceeded, we can't be ideal anymore," He argues, face heating up in anger. 

He has been upset about the ideal number ever since the latest issue of Marie-Claire. Who are these people in the survey who decided 10.5 is the ideal number of lovers a person can have? And what if some people have higher numbers than that? Then what? They are sluts? They aren't as ideal as others? Where the fuck did that logic even come from? 

If writing an anonymous email wasn't enough for Taehyung to let out his anger at the article, he is venting out to Seokjin, the least interested person ly care about the numbers. He doesn't look like he's good at maths anyway. 

"The ideal person, huh? Tell me about him or her," Seokjin asks, the interest level at the highest. 

Taehyung is dumbfounded at his interest because he really didn't expect Seokjin to be asking more on this ideal person topic. Seokjin, who has men and women coming out of his apartment every 4 to 5 days a week, doesn't seem like the person who'd care about an ideal man or woman. As long as they are willing to fuck a stranger and be abandoned by the said stranger in the morning. 

"You know, someone you can take home to your family," Taehyung starts, pulling his trench coat tighter around his body to encompass the heat and sniffs as he describes further, "Someone smart but not smarter than you. Somehow who makes kimchi with your mother and plays 'catch the ball' with your dongsaengs." He sucks in the cold air, nose turning one of  Rudolph's as the coldness seeps in through various openings. "And when you are alone and he takes off his glasses-"

Seokjin cuts him off rather rudely, "The person doesn't exist." He says with utmost conviction. "Because if he did, I'd be sleeping with him." 

Taehyung rolls his eyes. Seokjin sleeps with everyone so who's to really say what he knows about the ideal person. 

"And what kind of a guy would care about how many people you have slept with?" He scoffs. 

Taehyung sees their road coming into view and he's thankful that the bar wasn't far. How he missed Jo Yeong, he doesn't know. But now the home seems closer, he can't wait to blast the heater on and slurp on hot ramen until he's warm and tingly all over. 

"Decent guys," Taehyung mumbles and walks away. Seokjin didn't seem like he'd walk sooner to their apartment building and Taehyung was desperate for some warmth as he was wearing a very flimsy t-shirt inside the coat. 

He thinks he expected today's findings to not go well or maybe he wanted this-- a reason to reject and cut off Jo Yeong completely. Because he wasn't the ideal guy before nor now. And if Taehyung is really going to think of marriage or love, he has a list of things he looks for in a person. He's not 22, getting whoever because it doesn't matter. He's 29 and every move and choices matter. 

Taehyung will make sure he ends up with someone ideal or at least close to one. 

If there's a God above, please let Seokjin find Kang Seoho! 

⁉⁉⁉

The next morning, Taehyung roused a little later than usual since he has no job to rush to. He's searching for jobs but ever since the wedding, he has also been busy helping Namjoon. Not only that, but he's also busy finding a guy for himself. 

So all in all, Taehyung hasn't been free even when he was fired from the job. 

He scratches his stomach and yawns once he leaves the bed. He's not sure how he ended up sleeping in his boxers. But no partner was on the other side of the bed so at least he didn't sleep with someone after drinking with Seokjin. 

He slides open the door of his bedroom and there he is, speaking of the devil and he's laying across your couch browsing on your laptop. 

"Hey!" Taehyung confusedly calls out, "What are you doing?" 

Seokjin looks at him, almost sleepily, like he was trying to sleep but it wasn't happening. Taehyung doesn't remember inviting Seokjin to his apartment. He didn't have a lot to drink so he knows he left earlier than Seokjin last night.  

"Waiting for…for-" Taehyung rolls his eyes while the older tries to remember the name of his new sleeping partner, "-Kihoon to leave." He answers nonchalantly as if that is so obvious. 

Which is and should be for Taehyung because that's how Seokjin is but he cannot believe that after he went home, Seokjin was free enough to hook up. 

"You hooked up with someone last night after I left you?" Taehyung asks, disappointed. 

Seokjin puts away the laptop on the coffee table and snuggles into the couch. He looks so soft and wildly warm and to be honest, Taehyung could do some with the warmth. Perhaps it's because he's half-naked and coldness has infiltrated his brain. 

"Hooking up sounds so crass," Seokjin mumbles, sleepily, "We shared a romantic experience." Taehyung rolls his eyes. 

Seokjin opens his eyes and looks at him with a smile, "Then I told him I had an early dentist appointment and I'm hiding on your couch until he leaves." 

Of course, Seokjin made some lame excuses to get out of the situation. It's partly Taehyung's fault for letting Seokjin use his apartment to hide in. Was he that desperate to find his exes? The things love or finding love could make you do. 

Taehyung sighs, he's already tired and it's only morning, he turns around to wear some shirt and pants. It's chilly outside, Seokjin looks unbelievably warm and Taehyung doesn't wanna make bad decisions. 

"You could use this downtime to do some actual work." Taehyung reprimands, shaking his head. 

"I am working," Seokjin pouts and then he sits up, "I set up a Facebook account for you." He informs the younger one. 

Taehyung groans at the mention of Facebook, "I don't wanna be on Facebook." He complains and stops, asking the most important question, "What picture did you use?" 

"The one I just took of you sleeping," Seokjin answers. 

Taehyung's face turns into one of disgust at the mere thought. Out of all the pictures on his Instagram that is open on his tab, Seokjin really had the audacity to click one of him sleeping uglily.

"I think this is better. When you're looking for them, they could be looking for you." Seokjin explains, scrolling through the new notifications on Taehyung's page. 

The younger one shakes his head, he'll let this go. His exes know what a fine man he is. They ought to overlook his sleeping habits. 

"Fine, but I don't want to be on Twitter." 

"Why?"

"Twitter is for ugly people. I'm too handsome to be on Twitter." 

"Or you're un-funny to be a part of the Twitter cult." 

That shuts Taehyung up. 

"Unfunny isn't a word." He says in weak defence. 

Seokjin lets out a chuckle until a notification pops up, "Ooh, number 14, Choi Hyeonggil has sent you a friend request and has tagged you in a photo." Another notification from Hyeonggil comes up and Seokjin lets out a loud laugh, "He's suggesting that you become a fan of So Cheesy Corn Dog." 

"You know, I liked Hyeonggil hyung," Taehyung says, moving towards the couch, "He was so clear cut with his future, it was a good change." 

"I'm clear cut with my future too, but you don't sleep with me." 

Taehyung rolls his eyes and sits down next to Seokjin, clicking on the profile picture of Hyeonggil who has matured up a little more in the past years but is still ever so handsome. "He's adorable." Taehyung dreamily sighs. 

Seokjin then clicks on his profile and his background picture is one of his family, "And so are his wife and child." He moves back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. 

"Well, he clearly doesn't understand what Facebook is for," Seokjin mumbles and shakes his head. 

"If you don't take this job seriously, you're fired from using the apartment," He warns even if it sounds non-threatening. Taehyung looks around the kitchen counter for his mixer, opening several cabinets to find it but he couldn't. He never keeps away the mixer as he uses it every day and he's pretty sure he used it yesterday as well. "Hey, where's my mixer?" 

"Oh, I broke it," Seokjin casually informs. "If you were on Twitter, you'd know about it already." He shoots him with a finger gun and a sexy wink. 

Taehyung stops the urge to strike an apple across his perfect head because he needs Seokjin's head in full functioning mode. 

After a whole day of looking for jobs and giving interviews, Taehyung returns home and the first thing he wants to do is confront Seokjin about the progress of his work. It's been a long day, ever since he couldn't make his protein shake because Seokjin broke it and there is no single publishing agency hiring anyone. 

So he really wants some good news and he hopes Seokjin is prepared for the worst. 

Once he reaches his floor, Seokjin is already standing by his door, shirtless because of course and eating from the take-out box. 

"You owe me thirty-four bucks," Taehyung says sourly, showing him the newly bought juice mixer. 

"How about I pay you back with some really greasy food?" Seokjin offers. 

Taehyung contemplates for a moment. He'll have to call in any way and it seems like Seokjin has ordered in already plus he knows Taehyung, so this might be him paying back and Taehyung can't refuse free food being offered. 

"Did you order jajangmyeon?" He asks, narrowing his eyes. Seokjin nods, "With fried egg?" 

"You'll have to come in and see." 

"Be there in five minutes." He smiles, unlocking the door. "And for God's sake, wear a t-shirt." 

"Why, can't handle a little hotness?" Seokjin teases. 

Taehyung sputters at the offhand comment and his cheeks go red because yes, yes he can't handle seeing Seokjin naked. It's like his abs are talking to him, luring him to lick them once. If Taehyung does something like that then he shouldn't be held responsible for his actions. Clearly, Seokjin is trying to entice him. 

"N-no! I just- I don't wanna see your hairy nipples!" He says quickly and closes the door. 

Seokjin does not have hairy nipples, he has a very beautiful pair of dusty nubbin just rightly placed on his pecs.

Thankfully when Taehyung goes to Seokjin's apartment, the older one has dressed appropriately. Taehyung can breathe. He crosses the kitchen that's right after the foyer and enters the small living cum bedroom. The room is lightly lit that gives off a very soothing vibe. 

At once Taehyung sees a huge whiteboard covered with photos and names that are so familiar to him. There are pictures of his ex-boyfriends stuck on the board with their respective names and information that even Taehyung didn't know about. Some are crosses, some are ticked and right in the middle of it is the list Taehyung handed it to him. 

Even Taehyung did not have this much enthusiasm to find his exes. 

"Wow, this is beautiful," 

"Yeah," Seokjin hums, opening the wrappers of the bowl, "My dad didn't take me to baseball games but we did go on a lot of stakeouts." He informs, licking his thumb sexily in the process. 

"It's impressive, hyung," Taehyung says in awe. 

"Hyung?" 

He turns to him, realising what he has said in the spur of the moment. 

"I mean, Seokjin-ssi?" 

"I mean you can call me hyung," He allows. "I'm just offended that you'd assume I'm older than you. I could be younger than you." He pouts as he talks. 

Taehyung takes a seat next to him, "But you're not." 

"I'm not," Seokjin gives a very doll-like smile and Taehyung's heart flutters at that moment. He hasn't seen a smile this beautiful. He breaks the chopsticks and hands them to him. "So, call me hyung, I like it." 

Taehyung looks away, focusing on mixing his black bean noodles. Maybe sitting next to Seokjin wasn't an ideal choice, when he's smelling like vanilla bean and cinnamon. Taehyung wants to take a bite of him, he's just saying. 

"There are no eggs." He notices. 

"Who said there was?"

"You-"

"I said to come and find out. I didn't say I ordered it." 

Taehyung is left speechless. 

"There are eggs in the fridge if you wanna make one." Seokjin offers and then takes a big bite of his jajangmyeon.

"Ugh, I don't wanna get up." He mutters and focuses on slurping on his noodles. "What did you find out?" He asks with a mouthful. Seokjin doesn't seem disgusted by it because his mouth is also full but he chews and swallows before answering. 

"Let's see, Choi Hyeonggil and Park Hyunsoo are married." He points at the board where two photos are crossed, meaning out of the competition. "So is the exchange student from Australia, Jay." 

"Such a shame." Taehyung shakes his head. "Jay is my age and he's married already." 

"I'm thirty-two and unmarried," Seokjin says and shrugs. 

"Yeah, why aren't you married?" 

"Guess, I haven't found 'the one' yet." 

"Maybe if you'd stayed in the morning with your partners, one of them could have been," Taehyung suggests and looks at Seokjin who's staring back at him. "What?"

"They were never the one, I know." He says and leans closer all of sudden, right in front of Taehyung's face and asks, "Do you feed your nose too?" And then wipes the sauce from his nose, very gently and proceeds to lick the sauce off of his pinky.  

Taehyung wonders if Seokjin can hear his heartbeat because it sure is ringing in his ears. 

He clears his throat and looks away, picking on the onions in the noodles. "Any word on Kang Seoho?" 

"No, I'm sorry." He keeps away his bowl while Taehyung sighs exasperatedly, "I told you, rich people are good at protecting their privacy. Just be patient, we'll find him." He assures and pulls out a set of paper from under the coffee table. 

Taehyung takes a look at it, immediately recognising the picture of the guy. 

"That's Seo Byungja, but I'm pretty sure you know him." Taehyung nods, "He's separated now and his house just went on the market." Seokjin narrates to him between bites of tangsuyuk. "I'm guessing the divorce is right around the corner." 

Taehyung takes a strong chug of the cold beer, releasing a sound of satisfaction. "Huh, okay. Let's try Byungja hyung." He agreed. 

"We've decided on Byungja-ssi then." 

Taehyung plucks the pork from Seokjin's chopsticks and eats it even before the older one could blink. 

"Okay, what's my plan here? A guy getting a divorce…" He trails off, looking far off trying to come up with an idea while Seokjin simply looks at him with something akin to endearment. "Divorce…what can-" He stops mid-sentence and lightens up, "-I could find out who his lawyer is and get a job there as his assistant." He presents, looking proud of his idea. 

Seokjin smiles at that and shakes his head, "Or, we could keep it simple and you could just go and look at his open house." He brightly explains just like how Taehyung was explaining earlier. 

Taehyung contemplates and impressively nods, "Huh." He then quickly chews on his tangsuyuk. 

Seokjin chuckles and all of a sudden cleans the sauce from Taehyung's chin, just like earlier and licks it off from his finger. 

"I-I'm a messy eater," 

"I can tell and I like a mess," He whispers and pushes the plate of tangsuyuk closer to Taehyung. "Eat a lot, Taehyung-ssi." 

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung and Seokjin reach Seodaemun-gu individually. The younger of them had an interview in the early hours of the morning and then his next interview around brunch time. He hardly had time to eat and run errands but he had enough time to get a hot dog for Seokjin who was quite hungry and had "forgotten" his wallet at home. 

Taehyung knew it was a lie because how did he take the subway? But Taehyung wasn't in the mood to argue when he was in this really expensive neighbourhood. He wanted to look like he belonged here and that's why he wore his best suit to interview. Hopefully, the interviewers thought he really wanted this job. He might just kill two birds with one stone. 

Seokjin and he walk towards the house with breezy steps. The houses were old but the cars outside provided the worth of such houses. He knew Byungja hyung was a hotshot but man, has he upgraded! 

"So, normally with the newly divorced guys, you know, they just wanna have fun," Seokjin explains, biting into his hot dog as Taehyung starves a few centimetres away. Maybe he should have taken a sausage for himself. "What you gotta do is give him the best sex of his life." 

Taehyung scoffs proudly. Best sex of his life? Taehyung is gonna take that man to heaven and bring him to reality after the climax. He's gonna make it so good, Seo Byungja would want to go to heaven every night but with him only. Taehyung can confidently manage that area. 

Seokjin glances at him as if doubting his abilities and confidence. "Anyways…he can't realise he's in love with you until it's too late." 

Taehyung stops in his tracks, making the older stop too who raises his eyebrows in question. "So, I'm covering up the fact that I'm marriage material with amazing sex?" 

Seokjin looks at him like it's obvious that Taehyung should have understood but someone the younger feels insulted at the insinuation. "Basically." He agrees. "How's your blowjob, by the way?" He asks bluntly and takes Taehyung by surprise. 

"Excuse me?!"

"Relax," They start walking down the hill again. "This is just business." So he says , Taehyung thinks. "I'm just trying to help you." 

Taehyung rolls his eyes and confidently answers, "If you must know, it's pretty good." And before Seokjin could ask for proof, he interrupts him, "It's the handjob I haven't quite figured out." He mumbles, almost shamefully. They are literally discussing Taehyung's sex moves in the broad daylight! 

"Well, I'm pretty sure he has figured it out, so skip it," He says and stops in front of a house, an open house, ready to be sold to someone else. They plan to find Byungja somewhere in there so they can light the old fire. "This is it," Seokjin says and looks at Taehyung from top to bottom. "You look fine," He concludes, which earns him the roll of Taehyung's eyes. "Actually you know what?" And then he magically unbuttons Taehyung's shirt from the top. 

"Hey…what-" 

"That looks better," Seokjin says. "Don't hide those beautiful clavicles, they might be your killing point." 

Taehyung glares at him, "I might kill you with my hands." And then he's walking inside the house with a laughing Seokjin. 

They enter the house, looking around the beautiful architect and quite expensive decorations. Why would anybody divorce Byungja after this luxury? Fools. 

"This is nice, Byungja hyung is doing good." 

Seokjin hums, looking around the living room, "I wonder where the realtor is, let me check." And he walks off somewhere. Taehyung doesn't bat an eye and looks around. 

Byungja hyung wasn't expensive when Taehyung met him, or maybe he never showed it to Taehyung. They actually met where the younger guy worked as a waiter in a very high-end restaurant, so it makes sense to Taehyung now. 

Taehyung was six years younger than him and maybe it was that age difference he has never touched or the way he spoke so manly but mainly due to his Busan accent, Taehyung was a goner. He has friends who are from Busan but Jimin and Jungkook lost their dialect in Seoul. They rarely spoke in dialect and when they spoke, it didn't look like they were from Busan. 

Luckily, Taehyung had been his server that night. There was a restaurant policy to have minimum chatter with the guests. It was like a manual of single sheet handed to them that had instructions on what to say and when to say. They were only supposed to greet the customer, ask them about the wine they would prefer and the dish they would like to order. That is all the contact they could have with the guests. 

And it worked because where he worked, people were snobbish, they didn't prefer someone interrupting their secrets and gossip. It worked in a way that Taehyung didn't have to make awkward conversation with the guests, it was left to the restaurant manager or the chef. Taehyung was a waiter, he needed to wait at the tables. 

Before Taehyung could even talk about the special, Byungja had interrupted him with a new question. "How long have you been working?" It was the dialect and the weird question that compelled Taehyung to make small talk. 

"Nine months, sir." 

Byungja has hummed, "So, what would you recommend?" He asked, eyes sharply looking at him. His eyes were so trusting and full of lust, lust for Taehyung and the young one would be lying if his own eyes didn't reflect that. 

"Tonight's special-"

"Not the special. I didn't ask for anything special." He had interrupted, putting the menu down and resting his elbows on the table while looking predatorily at Taehyung. 

Something was burning inside Taehyung's stomach, something coiled inside of him. 

"What would you recommend-" He quickly looked at the nametag and rolled off his name in a very sensual manner, "-Taehyung-ssi?" 

"Uh…I-"

"Since I'm sure you'd know the dishes cooked so far in your career here, I hope you'd recommend something tasty." 

Taehyung had lost all his senses and he wasn't sure if Seo Byungja was talking about the food anymore. 

"A little taste of Busan, if that makes it easier. I'm dying for something Busan." Byungja said and rested against the chair while watching Taehyung intently. 

The younger would blame the aura of the restaurant, the fact that he hadn't gotten laid in weeks and also that Byungja looked expensive and he was from Busan! 

"Lobster-" He had started nervously because his Busan dialect wasn't the best. He learned from his two friends who are from Busan but don't speak in that dialect anymore. "-with butter garlic is good here." So he spoke in a cringe-worthy dialect and Taehyung assumed Byungja had known how hard he was trying. 

Because then why was Taehyung in Byungja's car, two hours later, fighting for his breath as they kissed? That was his reward for trying too hard with that Busan dialect -- mind-blowing sex after slaving in a high-end restaurant for snobbish and rude customers. 

But as he looks around the house, he finds pictures of someone who isn't Byungja but an equally familiar face of mukbanger Myeong with his fiancee. 

"The fuck?"

"Excuse me?" He turns around to see Myeong confusedly staring back, "Taehyung-ah?" 

"Myeong! You live here?" 

"Ye-yeah, we moved in three days ago- what are you doing here?" 

"Uh-" Taehyung looks behind to see Seokjin quietly trying to sneak out of the situation and his eyes twitch in anger. So he's gonna leave Taehyung alone? "I-I-I was looking for a house too!" He lies on the spot, earning a confused look from Seokjin who's almost out the door. He signals that he'll call and with one way of goodbye, he's out like lightning. Taehyung thinks Seokjin might have been a thief in his previous life. "My fiance, Seo-Seokjin and I are looking for a place for our home when he returns from the north pole." Taehyung continues with the lie. 

"That's great, but why are you in my home?" 

"The-the door was open and the signboard said it's an open house?" 

Myeong rolls his eyes, "The realtor was supposed to take the sign but she hasn't come by." 

"Oh," Taehyung awkwardly chuckles. "Well, I'm sorry for coming in uninvited." 

"That's okay, you didn't know." He nods in understanding. 

"Gotta live today, huh?" Taehyung notices the two heavy bags from the convenience store. 

"Yep," He says. "Do you mind, Taehyung-ah? My fiance will be here soon and I don't want him to misunderstand." 

"Oh? Oh, yeah! I should leave." He says, embarrassed. Seokjin will pay for it, the embarrassment Taehyung had to go through. 

He is almost at the door when Myeong says something, "I hope you understand why I couldn't invite you to the wedding." 

Taehyung looks at him and smiles, "That's okay. You aren't invited to mine either." With that, he leaves hurriedly. 

Yes! Taehyung: 1, Myeong: 0 

Seokjin is taking selfies with a Tesla when Taehyung comes out of the house. 

"What the hell? You just left me there!" He complains loudly.

"What was I supposed to do then?" Seokjin asks but doesn't even look at him because he's too busy choosing a Snapchat filter. 

"Uh, take me with you?" 

He stands up straight and locks his phone, "You came out anyway." He shrugs. 

"Yeah, with a baggage of embarrassing moments." He rolls his eyes, mood thoroughly soured. He looks down the street to see people walking with their kids to the park. 

"Who was that anyway?" Seokjin asks, slinging an arm around his shoulder that Taehyung pushes off irritatedly. 

"That was mukbanger myeong," He informs nonetheless. 

"Why wasn't he on the list?" 

"Because he was disgusting back then and he has a fiance," 

"Didn't look disgusting now." 

"You have no idea," Taehyung turns to him. "He used to have cheese with chicken, not chicken with cheese. And it would drip down his chin disgustingly," He shivers at the memory. 

"Bold of you to judge someone when you are a messy eater yourself." Seokjin teases, leaning in closer to fluster Taehyung. 

Taehyung pouts, "I-I'm-- Myeong was a disgusting messy eater, I'm a messy eater too but-" 

"A cute one, perhaps?" 

Taehyung cheeks redden at that and he looks away while Seokjin silently chuckles and takes a step back. That's when Taehyung sees Byungja coming out of the car. 

"Oh my god, that's Byungja hyung," Taehyung says, enchanted just like the first time. "He looks good for a guy going through a divorce." 

Seokjin makes a face at the guy, "I don't know." 

"You can go, I can take it from here." Taehyung turns to him and pushes him away gently. 

"Don't shove me," Seokjin pushes him gently too. 

"Get out of here!" Taehyung shoves him again. 

"Don't shove me!" Seokjin says back and then they start hitting each other but not enough to cause injury. 

It certainly gets Byungja's attention from far away until he is near enough to recognise it's Taehyung. 

"Kim Taehyung?" There it is, the fucking dialect. 

Taehyung stops immediately and sends a glare in Seokjin's way. 

"Byungja hyung!" He says, sweetly, as if he wasn't this close to putting Seokjin in a headlock. 

"Is this man disturbing you?" 

Taehyung presses his lips in contemplation, he doesn't know what to say. No, he knows what to say, he doesn't know how to say it. To this date, Byungja never knew Taehyung wasn't from Busan. Or he has never caught on Taehyung's rubbish dialect. 

"No, no. He's just a friend." He makes the same mistake of going along with the accent. He can feel the judgy eyes of Seokjin staring in shock. "Wow, hyung, how long has it been?" And then Seokjin is chuckling loudly, right next to them, with no regards whatsoever. 

"It's been a few years but it's so good to see you!" 

"It is so good!" Seokjin piques in with his rusty, barely-there Busan dialect, mocking Taehyung. 

"Hyung, this is my neighbour, Seokjin-ssi but he has to go now." Taehyung introduces themself quickly and pushes him away. 

"No, I don't," Seokjin proceeds with the dialect, irritating the younger. "I'd like to see this pan out." He mumbles, laughing to himself. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Kim Seokjin," He offers his hand. 

"Seo Byungja, pleasure." 

"Oh, no, no, no. Believe me, the pleasure is all mine." 

Byungja looks uncomfortable, Taehyung notices and before he could intervene, the lawyer out of them speaks again, "I gather you're from Busan as well?" 

"He's not!" Taehyung quickly interrupts. "He's from Seoul and he has to go." He signals Seokjin to leave. 

In the end, Seokjin sighs and gives up teasing Taehyung further. He says his goodbye and leaves reluctantly not because he wanted to hang out but surely just to tease the younger and hear him butcher the Busan dialect. 

"It's so good to see you, hyung." 

"Same here, Taehyung-ah," He smiles and comes closer to hug him. "Since you're here, would you like to have lunch together?"

"Absolutely, hyung!" 

At the end of their little impromptu date, Taehyung returns to his apartment dejectedly and as expected, Seokjin is waiting for him by the stairs. 

"Cross off Byungja hyung," He says loudly as he climbs the stairs. 

"Why?" Seokjin chuckles. 

"My Busan accent is a little rusty-" 

"You don't say," 

Taehyung glares at him, "Shut up." He sighs, speaking again, "I spoke so many dialects today I lost count of it!" At that, Seokjin lets out a boisterous laugh and Taehyung couldn't really tell him to fuck off. He brought it upon himself, the teasing. "By the end, I even spoke in Pyongyang. That was the last straw." 

"I'm surprised it wasn't your Busan accent, to begin with." 

Taehyung whines, "Let's just forget about it."

"What were you even thinking?" 

"Hey, desperate time called for desperate measures!" He defends himself, climbing the last set of stairs towards Seokjin. 

"So, sex?" 

Taehyung presses his lips in shame, "As if you didn't do stupid tricks for sex." 

"Not really," He answers, leaning against the railing. "What now?"

"Who do we have?" Taehyung worriedly asks, at this point none of his ex-partners have turned out exactly how he imagined. Some were married, some in the process and some married and already divorced. And here's Taehyung, trying to pick the best out of the worst. 

"Why don't you meet me on the roof in ten minutes?" 

"I'm tired," Taehyung says as Seokjin moves towards his apartment. "Let's just stay indoors." 

"Absolutely not!"

"Ah, hyung!" He stomps his leg to come off childish and get his way. 

"Go get changed, Taehyung." Seokjin orders, voice dropped several octaves and eyes hold him captive. Taehyung couldn't do much but listen to him as he ordered him to freshen up and for some reason, he wants to be good for Seokjin. 

Maybe he really is tired. 

20 minutes later, Taehyung is opening the latch on the roof door and pushing it to get outside. He walks behind the structure and sees a very unfamiliar setting. 

In a far corner, there's a sitting table covered with a thick sheet and another small table on top of it with take-out boxes. However, there is another set of blankets to protect them from cold air throughout the night. Along with food, there are drinks as well as a guitar. The whole area is lightened by the fairy lights, decorated around the table in a magical albeit romantic way. 

Taehyung is in awe at the simplicity of the night. 

"I thought we weren't supposed to be up here. Didn't you read the memo?" 

Seokjin looks up from adjusting the strings of the guitar, "I wrote the memo." He winks. 

He looks different. No more dressed like a horny teenager but more likely his age and yet he looks younger than he is supposed to. Monochromatic colour hoodie set and hair let down really captures the natural beauty that radiates through his face. Pink lips fuller than ever, accentuating the hue of pink along his cheeks due to cold. 

Taehyung is handsome but he's nothing in comparison to Seokjin, he thinks. 

"Kinda romantic, no?" He says, getting under the blanket. 

"I see you're still in the date mood." Seokjin teases, putting away the guitar and opening the food boxes. 

"Don't remind me," Taehyung groans, taking a bite of the pickled radish. "How did you prepare this?" He asks. 

"The roof was getting crowded, so I wrote down the memo to keep people from coming up here." He informs, mixing the jjampong noodles and handing it to Taehyung, something he has never experienced with his former partners. Not like Seokjin is his partner. "I come up here to practice my guitar and just, you know," 

"I know," Taehyung mumbles despite not knowing Seokjin at all. "Where do you play?" 

"Anywhere they ask me to," He answers, looking up and smiling. "Except funerals." 

Taehyung chuckles at that. 

"When will I hear you play?" He asks. 

Seokjin smirks at the question, "There's a time and place for that Taehyung-ssi," He says, slurping the noodles quickly. 

"A time and place as such," Taehyung comments, eating his noodles. 

"It's not spicy, is it?" He changes the subject. "I ordered a non-spicy option for you." 

Taehyung is surprised by the sweet gesture, he looks at Seokjin in confusion. "How did you know?" Not a lot of people know Taehyung cannot eat spicy food, only the close group of the circle he keeps knows his situation with certain food. He didn't expect Seokjin to know and he's certain he hasn't told him. 

"I noticed," Seokjin shrugs. 

Taehyung looks down at his food, a blush forming on his cheeks at the simple thought. He takes a sip of the soup and finds it warm and right up his alley. "It's good," He agrees. 

After a while of just eating food and making small talk, Seokjin pulls out a file from underneath the blanket and opens it. 

"We have ten possibilities left." He informs him. Taehyung puts aside the food and leans in closer to see the details and names if so call possibilities. "Kibum from Club Volnost Seoul. I'm trying to find him but I need more information." 

Taehyung rubs his forehead, "I'm sorry. It was a two-time thing. Kibum might not even be his real name." He confesses, turning to the next page. "I'm certainly not Jokyeong." 

Seokjin doesn't judge, he moves on to the next possibility, "Uh…Im Chakyung. He's settled in Miami. I know it's not geographically desirable but he's a doctor." He shrugs. 

"I hate Miami. I think too much sun makes people stupid." 

Seokjin chuckles. "Your reasons have to be solid." 

Taehyung pouts and thinks for a moment before he's answering. "I have cholinergic urticaria," He says, determinedly. 

"Are you making up words?" Seokjin suspiciously asks. 

"I'm not!" He defends. "It's a skin condition. A high body temperature or sweat causes itchiness in my entire body." He explains, using his chopsticks to play around with the pickled radish. Seokjin doesn't say anything and Taehyung finds him looking at him intently. "I'm not lying."

"I believe you." He says immediately. 

"Yeah, so, unless you want me to act like a chimpanzee the whole time, let's move on." He says and quickly tries to turn the page but Seokjin catches his hand in the process. 

"Has anybody made fun of you?" He asks seriously. 

"What?" 

"For the condition, has anybody- you ex-partners made fun of you?" 

"Why do you care, hyung?" Taehyung takes his hand back, almost irritatingly.  

"Cause it sounds like you're defending yourself instead of explaining." He shrugs, leaning behind on his palms. 

Taehyung looks down, "It doesn't matter what everyone thinks of me." He says, fidgeting with his fingers out of nervousness to open up so vulnerable in front of Seokjin out of all people. "I only care about people who are close to me." 

"Which is good, Taehyungie but don't even let people close to you make fun of you over something you have no control over." He advises. 

Taehyung looks up and smiles, genuinely. The condition always hindered certain tasks in life. When he was little, even if he liked to play outside with friends, he couldn't play for a long time because his body would heat up and cause him itching. He was to be washed down with cold water every day to lower his body temperature and to stop the constant itching. While it happened one time with his ex-partner, it brought his whole confidence to the ground. A time that was supposed to be sexy turned into a weird itchy moment for him and he still remembers the weird, disgusted look he got from his partner. 

Seokjin wouldn't understand to be judged peculiarly for such a small thing but the consoling is appreciated nonetheless. 

"Thanks, I will. Who's next?" He changes the topic. Seokjin doesn't mind as he dives into the file again. 

"Beom," He says. "I found the mountain man." 

"Pass," Taehyung interrupts him before Seokjin to inform him further. "He always wanted to breathe fresh air. Do you know how exhausting it was to pretend to enjoy the outdoors with that kind of enthusiasm?" Taehyung shakes his head in disdain. Never again. While he enjoys the countryside and visiting his grandparents, Taehyung loves the convenience of city life. 

"More exhausting than pretending to be from Busan?" 

Taehyung gives him an unimpressed look. "I never had to wipe my butt with a leaf when I was pretending to be from Busan." He answers savagely. Seokjin throws his head back and laughs loudly, making Taehyung smile slightly. 

"Then…what about Song Woolim? He's a puppeteer, so he's single, for obvious reasons." 

Taehyung groans and falls back on the table softly, I don't wanna go out with Woolim. Where's Kang Seoho?" 

Seokjin rests his elbows on the table and carefully looks at Taehyung, almost curiously, "I don't understand, if he was so perfect, why didn't it work out the first time?" He asks, watching Taehyung's chest rise and fall soothingly.  

He softly sighs before answering, "We made a pact." He starts, cheeks turning red at the prospect of sharing such gullible information. Seokjin will laugh or judge or both and Taehyung isn't in the mood to be laughed at. "That we would lose our virginity to each other. But Seoho hyung went abroad, in high school and while he was gone I…well, I broke the pact." He smoothly explains, heart beating loudly and waiting for Seokjin to comment. 

"With who?" Taehyung looks at him, narrowing his eyes from where he is laid. "Which one of the twenty gentlemen could have been possibly better than Kang Seoho? And why aren't we looking for him?" 

"You already found him," He answers, embarrassed. 

Judging by the closed and embarrassed expression of Taehyung, Seokjin quickly tries to recognise the guy Taehyung lost his virginity to, someone he's embarrassed to talk about. 

"Woolim?" Taehyung shuts his eyes tightly, "You lost your virginity to the puppet guy?" His silence was enough confirmation for Seokjin to bang the table and laugh loudly at the revelation. 

Taehyung pouts, expression turns one of frustration at Seokjin's obnoxious laugh. 

"Shut up!" He shouts over his loud laughs. 

Seokjin wipes his eyes of tears and tries to calm down but small giggles leave his lips occasionally, face turning red from trying to hold his laughter. He breathes in and out so that he can calm himself, a small smile permanently resting on his face nonetheless which makes Taehyung roll his eyes. 

Once he is done calming himself, "In Takko," Seokjin answers, opening Kang Seoho's page. 

Taehyung sits up, confused. "What?" 

"Kang Seoho, he's in Takko," Seokjin clear his throat. 

"Where's that?" 

"A small village in Japan. He runs his family philanthropic foundation and he’s overseeing the construction of a school there." Seokjin relays the conversation. 

Taehyung leans in closer to take a look, head almost touching Seokjin's in the process. He looks up and sees Seokjin already looking at him, eyes glazed due to cold winds and he's smiling warmly. He looks warm and Taehyung wants to cross the table in between and maybe sit on his lap and hug him, to feel the same warmth Seokjin is radiating. 

"Is he ever coming back?" He whispers. Seokjin focuses on his lips to understand what Taehyung just asked. 

"Eventually," Seokjin nods, pulling his hands from his pockets and instinctively closing them around Taehyung's ears to warm him up. "In the meantime, how about we try Woolim?"

"On one condition, hyung." He whispers even when the silence of the night has engulfed them. 

"Ask away," 

"If it goes haywire, you'll prepare something like this again to lift my mood." 

Seokjin lights up and bumps his forehead against Taehyung's, gently pushing him away. 

"So I'm finding these guys and I'm the one paying for food?" 

"I'll payback," Taehyung promises, still feeling warm and tingly where Seokjin had rested his hands. "Do you promise?" 

"I promise, Taehyungie," He nods and smiles warmly at the younger. 

After a while of discussing more on the matter, they decide to wrap up and go back to the warmth of their apartments. Taehyung has especially started shivering in the middle of telling a story about his ex and Seokjin decided to end the story before they freeze out. 

He walks Taehyung to his apartment, even if it's a few steps away from his own. 

"All right, the puppet show starts at two pm, so I'll meet you by the park," He informs while Taehyung applies his code to the door lock. 

"Okay," He says. Seokjin turns to go to his apartment when Taehyung stops him, "Hey, hyung." 

Seokjin gives him attention right away, coming closer and leaning against the wall next to the door. 

"Thank you for doing all the hard work, by the way." He grabs his hand and caresses the knuckles gently. "I really appreciate it." 

"You do?" He asks and Taehyung nods, "Because it's sometimes hard to tell." 

"Really?" Taehyung is surprised by it. He normally wears his heart on his sleeve so it's a little surprising that he hadn't been so open with Seokjin regarding the matter. "I'm sorry, I'll let you know more often." He says that and hugs him out of nowhere. 

Seokjin reciprocates the hug easily, not at all shocked at the bold move. 

The hug, as innocent as it started, only lasts for a few seconds before he feels Seokjin's palm sneaking down his waist. 

"Is that your move?" Taehyung whispers, unimpressed. 

"Maybe." Seokjin answers. His hand is at Taehyung's plump ass and before he could squeeze it, the younger one grabs his hand and puts it away. 

"You're not on my list." He whispers hotly in his ear. 

Taehyung opens his door and lets himself in before Seokjin could respond but he hears it nonetheless. 

"You could cross off the dead guy!" 

He's shaking his head in disappointment but smiling nonetheless. 

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Chapter Text

Despite conceding to going out with the puppeteer dude, Taehyung wasn't genuinely looking forward to it. He had envisioned Woolim to be that guy with whom Taehyung will never settle down. Even if the hell freezes over. 

So, why did Taehyung choose to go in the initial place? Because there remained nobody at the moment he could explore. All the people remaining proved to be occupied ones who are unless out of the country or running for Senate. 

The undivided arrangement with Woolim was presumed to be a diversion so Taehyung could dawdle for Jin to locate Kang Seoho. Which wasn't as susceptible even for a guy whose father has prevailed in this business. 

Jin hyung has been nothing but worthwhile even when he mooched off from Taehyung who's presently unemployed and in awful need of employment and capital to not merely survive but to the provision to Jin's appetites too. 

As anticipated from Woolim, he wasn't the one . He still performed the puppet show and he was yet fixed upon Namjoon hyung. Taehyung didn't possess the heart to notify him of the reality about Namjoon's wedding. So, Woolim was an absolute disappointment and Taehyung blessed his angels for that. It was unfortunate that he had to relinquish his virginity to that loser but Taehyung will be cursed if he had to settle with the same person from 14 years ago. 

No, thank you, sir. 

Fittingly, his spirit was devastated. He wasn't assuming for Woolim to appear differently anyway. He believes they are squandering time by tracking insignificant people while they could continue searching for Kang Seoho. But he isn't simple to locate, Seokjin had mentioned to him. Despite the discouraging feeling, Taehyung recovered promptly when he and Seokjin strolled throughout the park, observing and making fun of people with their gaudy picnic party. They had then wandered towards the night market, buzzing with the lively voices of vendors and customers purchasing and eating various food. 

Seokjin was courteous enough to pay for their food, they consumed a lot. Taehyung doesn't recollect eating so much in one night. They moved from stall to stall to seek out diverse food items. Seokjin also challenged him for eomuk but Taehyung succumbed by one stick of eomuk in the end. He blames the warm soup he drank while Seokjin skipped those. That should have been counted. So, in reality, Taehyung would have won. 

A day that has commenced horribly somehow ended as one of the most enjoyable days ever for Taehyung.  

When they parted ways to their apartments -- Taehyung very much struggling to keep his eyes open, Seokjin had promised him that he'll find Kang Seoho soon. That had persuaded Taehyung. Seokjin will make it all better. 

Maybe he was sluggish and nearly falling unconscious by the door, but he knew he sensed a short peck on his forehead before he was pushed inside his apartment to go rest. 

⁉⁉⁉

Two days later, Namjoon requests him to have lunch with Yoongi. Taehyung originally didn't want to go because he had to meet this doctor-guy Seokjin had discovered in Jeju but Namjoon had implored him a lot, which was sceptical on its own, although he additionally guaranteed to seat Taehyung apart from the singles group in the wedding if Taehyung were to come solo. 

Given the happenings, that was the bargain. 

Therefore, he attended the restaurant in downtown Seoul where Namjoon had been expecting him. The restaurant was already crowded but it wasn't bustling, people noiselessly talked over, ate and did their work. 

"Hey, is Yoongi hyung coming?" Taehyung questions before sitting down. 

"No, eomma is," Namjoon states and Taehyung doesn't even get to sit before he rises to depart. Namjoon lunges ahead to keep him from leaving, "Don't go. I need you." He says, eyes appealing and voice despondent. 

Taehyung dejectedly remains, "I can't have lunch with eomma. I haven't washed my hair for five days." He replies sincerely, dreading the things he will hear soon. 

Namjoon scrunches his nose in revulsion and Taehyung appears insulted. Okay, sure, he's disgusting but Namjoon should realise how tight the money is. He frankly can't be draining water. Taehyung is very sustainable, he preserves money and the environment by not washing his hair regularly. Namjoon doesn't get the license to judge just because he showers twice a day. Rich people and their behaviour. 

"You can't even tell, it looks great." Namjoon flatly chuckles, obviously lying through his perfectly aligned teeth. 

Taehyung narrows his eyes at him, leaning forward on the table, "You haven't told eomma that appa is coming to the wedding, have you?"

"No,"

"And that's why I am here," 

"Yes,"

"And my hair doesn't look that great?" He asks, despite knowing the response. 

"No," Namjoon truthfully answers, "I can't tell her alone." He argues, lines forming on his forehead from the worrisome situation. 

He laments, nodding. "Fine," Taehyung states, picking up the pitcher and filling his glass. He seems so parched at the probability of the discussion that's going to be taking place. Their mother arrives 10 minutes later, all dressed up like she's leaving for an event subsequently. 

Namjoon embraces her gracefully and so does Taehyung but subtly skip her attention. But between the 3 people, he doesn't know how he thought he would do that. His mother walks past behind him to the other side of the round table, not before trying to style his greasy hair and sighing at the efforts. 

Taehyung clenches his jaw and looks at Namjoon deadly. Namjoon pleads with him and then distracts their attention to their mother. 

"So, how vegetarian is Taeho-ssi?" His mother initiates the conversation, looking at Taehyung. "I mean can he have a little chicken for just one day?" 

"No, Taeho isn't coming. They broke up." Namjoon reveals, puzzled as to why their mother would fret about Taehyung's ex. 

"Hyung!" 

"What? Not again!" His mom seems disappointed, a typical expression she has reserved for her younger son. 

"Appa's coming to the wedding." Taehyung blurts out, expecting to get away from the attention. 

"Taehyung!" Namjoon resembles cheated. 

"What?" Good, now she's disappointed at both of them and perhaps a little miffed at Namjoon. "How could you do this to me?" She demands Namjoon, vehemently. Thankfully, she isn't raising her voice and creating a scene. 

Namjoon catches a deep breath and sighs, "I'm not doing anything to you, eomma." He reassures her, holding her hand in his and caressing. 

She draws her hand from his clasp, "Except making it impossible for me to come!" 

Taehyung observes the scene unfold from the sideline.  As long as he's not under direct eye contact with his mother, all is well. 

"You are not gonna come to my wedding?" He challenges.  

"Not when your appa is coming." She concludes. She composes her favourite coat and gives a statement, directed at Taehyung, "Maybe he can be Taehyung's date, hmm? I'm sure you all will have a lovely, lovely time." She taunts, taking Taehyung's glass and gulping the water. 

Namjoon looks at Taehyung with an icy glare and shakes his head, disappointed. 

Maybe this could have gone a lot smoother. 

They wave her goodbye with pretended smiles. She hugged Namjoon earlier and whispered in his ear about making the right decision. She had nothing to say to Taehyung who thinks he's finally at a place where he can't disappoint her anymore. 

"You have to fix this," Taehyung remarks once her car drives away. 

"No, shit." He grits. "You have to help me fix it." 

"I'll talk to her when I get back," Taehyung promises. 

"Where are you going?" Namjoon questions, confused. He equals his footsteps with Taehyung as they begin walking. 

"Do you remember Im Chakyung?" Taehyung asks, giddily. 

"The guy who threw up on our front porch?" 

"Yeah," Taehyung chuckles, "He's a doctor…well, more of a physician and he's settled in Jeju. I'm going to cross paths with him." 

"But you hate taking planes." 

"I know but I'm not having much luck as I had hoped locally," He explains, considerably bothered, "And really, I'm running out of time and money." 

Taehyung has proposed not to travel anywhere, he was desperate but not sufficient to catch a fucking flight and visit an island. He really dreams he’d find someone here in Seoul but to his luck, all his exes didn't change for good. So, after having not found Kang Seoho yet, his next aim was Im Chakyung from Jeju.  

Im Chakyung wasn't a loud kid nor was he popular. They had a very small, 2 months relationship that Taehyung wasn't even aware of when it started. Im Chakyung was a very ambitious student and looks like it finally paid off. They shared a few classes in college. 

And they were together in a lot of group projects, that's the reason they got close. Chakyung was smart, like Namjoon-smart and he knew about a lot of things that fascinated Taehyung. They would talk a lot, well, Chakyung will and it was a good, steady relationship. 

They had their fun, no doubt in that. 

But when Chakyung got so busy with his classes, he couldn't give time to Taehyung and whenever he would, it always felt like a job for him. Taehyung felt like he was being a distraction to Chakyung and decided to break it off. Chakyung did beg him not to and that he will make it work but it wasn't about that. 

Chakyung had told he loved him and Taehyung still to this day doesn't know if it was a way to stop Taehyung from breaking up or if that was the truth. Taehyung was no way near that zone. He didn't love Chakyung. At the best, he liked Chakyung and his mighty brain and equally mighty dick. He really couldn't see himself falling in love with Chakyung and decided that it was wrong of him to give off that hope that something can work out between them. 

It was a clean breakup, Taehyung would say. He never looked back at Chakyung after that. 

They pause at the pedestrian signal for the light to turn green. 

"So you're telling me that  tracking down your exes is more important than helping me plan my wedding?" Namjoon asks sassily and is slightly discouraged. 

Taehyung pouts and combines his arm with Namjoon as a way of comfort, "I know it sounds stupid to you but it is important to me." He says, dragging Namjoon once the light changes to green. "I feel like everyone around me is moving on with their life except me." He explains, distressed. 

He honestly should have had someone by now, someone permanent and long term so he could look forward to a future, possibly plan out one. Yoongi and Namjoon have been forever in a relationship and now they are finally taking the next step of it and getting married while Taehyung is still seeking to locate someone who would love him. 

And it's especially the most unfavourable time for him to be unemployed at this age when he should have had secured a job. 

"Taehyung, I'm all in for moving on, I really am-" Namjoon takes a deep breath, trying to formulate his words in a way it wouldn't heart Taehyung's sentiments, "-but I feel like the quest you are on, is a little nuts." He responds, concerned. 

Taehyung sighs as they stop at the sidewalk and face each other, "Hyung, if you hadn't given your ex-boyfriend a second chance, you wouldn't be even having a wedding right now." Taehyung reminds him tenderly and Namjoon huffs a little, nodding as if he realises where his younger brother is coming from. "Besides, I should probably get a full body check and he takes my insurance!" Taehyung smiles his boxy smile. 

Namjoon nods, smiling too, "Fine then! Have a safe journey!" He says and they part ways. 

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung didn't prepare to visit for long, just one night and he would fly back if things didn't work out. 

He is arranged to change into a hospital gown and sit at the patient's seat while he waits for Chakyung to make his entry. He doesn't know what to say or how to start a conversation. Seokjin did write him a lot of one-line jokes as his opening like but he certainly wouldn't be applying those. 

Chakyung comes in soon, a note-board in his hand with Taehyung's form and a stethoscope hanging around his neck. He looks aged a lot but Taehyung views medical studies do that to you. He didn't notice it's Taehyung yet, preparing for the examination so Taehyung appears embarrassed and he feels like he should say something, acknowledge his presence. 

"Chakyung?" He squeaks and clears his throat for a clearer voice, "Im Chakyung?" The said person looks up after his name is being called. "Oh my god, it is you!" Taehyung acts stunned and pleased as if he hadn't been researching about Chakyung 24 hours ago with Seokjin at his apartment back in Seoul. 

"Hi?" Chakyung confusedly addresses back. 

"It's Taehyung, Kim Taehyung." 

Chakyung nods, putting away his pad and plucking out the gloves from the box, "Oh, right, from the Zumba class."

Taehyung shakes his head no, abashed. He neglected thinking about the fact that Chakyung wouldn't recognise him. 

"From…oh, are you the grandson of Mrs Lee who lives in that blue rooftop house?" Chakyung asks, snapping the gloves in place. 

"No…" Taehyung bites his lips, "We were in college together." He reminds him. 

"Huh,"

"We dated for two months." 

"How about that?" He responds, impressed as if someone is talking about his accomplishments. 

God, how can Chakyung not identify him at all? Was their two months relationship signified nothing to him? Because it symbolises something to Taehyung and that's why he's on the list! Now that Taehyung guesses, perhaps the breakup didn't end well for Chakyung who confessed his love in the same breath Taehyung ended things with him. 

He stands at the end of the recliner, smiling at Taehyung, almost pitifully for not remembering him. Fuck him, honestly! 

"So, I'm gonna check your genital regions now, for any suspicious lumps or bruises." He informs him, asking for Taehyung to ease and scooch back. Taehyung does as he is made to spread his legs while Chakyung dives under the cloth with light shining through. Taehyung feels his fingers probe his penis, moving it away and pressing his navel in several places. 

Taehyung sighs and drops his arm over his eyes. How ignorant of him to believe Chakyung would remember him instantly and they will somehow reconnect. PerhapsChakyung is deliberately not recognising him because he's still embarrassed about their last time together. Or maybe their last meeting was so painful for him that he has repressed that memory somewhere in his brain. 

He feels Chakyung moving his balls away to the side for a moment and checking under that area and suddenly he looks up, smiling as if something has clocked in his brain, "Kim Taehyung, of course!" 

Taehyung gapes at him and widens his eyes in mortification. 

Oh my god! 

⁉⁉⁉

"He recognised my butthole!" Taehyung bemoans to Seokjin once he's back home, ashamed and still petrified. 

After that brief moment, he yearned to run through the door and never set foot in Jeju. The rest of the check-up was done in awkward silence. Taehyung couldn't speak up anymore and Chakyung wanted to talk more. 

Taehyung had advanced back to the hotel and tried verifying his hole to comprehend what made it memorable for Chakyung to remember him like that. He couldn't view, body too rigid to twist. 

He took the next flight home, all the way thinking about the expression Chakyung had when he recognised him through his asshole. He shuddered throughout the ride and wanted the plane to disappear in a magical blackhole so he doesn't have to remember the appointment. 

Seokjin's laugh rings through him and Taehyung cannot bring himself to think it's funny. At least not now. He needs 10 to 15 business days to recover and probably a month to joke about the circumstance. 

"I gotta say, hyung, I'm a little freaked out." Taehyung conveys worriedly, ascending the stairs, thoroughly exhausted. "What's going on down there?" 

"Well, it would be my pleasure to take a look at that for you," Seokjin smirks, leaning against the railing. 

"Cross Chakyung off the list!" Taehyung states, deciding to ignore Seokjin's remarks. "You know what?" He stops and looks up, "Cross the list off the list." He decides, climbing the stairs once again and Seokjin pitifully looks at him. "What am I doing? Unemployed, spending every last dime to track down these assholes who already broke up with me once!" A frown mars his face, an expression of tiredness. 

"Maybe I should just quit." He mumbles, reaching his floor and patting Seokjin as a form of greeting before he makes his way to the apartment. 

"Well, that's too bad cause I found Hwang Joonhwi." 

That makes Taehyung stop in his tracks, ears perked up in interest. 

"Tell me more." Taehyung turns around, giving his full attention to Seokjin. 

"He's in the heart of Seoul like you said. He's working as an aide and he'll be at the National Assembly library tomorrow." His neighbour informs him. 

"How do you find so much?" Taehyung asks in wonderment. 

"If I tell you then you wouldn't need me anymore." Seokjin grins, walking towards Taehyung with an intent, "And I want you to need me." He whispers, leaning in closer and it feels like he's gonna kiss Taehyung and the younger would even let him but he never does. He stays where he is and smiles playfully with a dangerous smirk. 

Taehyung must be too tired for him to be having explicit thoughts about dragging Seokjin to his apartment and doing unimaginable things. He blinks his eyes to get out of the reverie, body warming up just that the nasty thoughts running in his mind. 

"I'm not gonna sleep with you, hyung." Taehyung mumbles, voice scratchy. 

Seokjin huffs and moves his face away, "I only wanted to help you get a clear idea of what's going on with your butthole." 

"Nothing is going on with my butthole!" Taehyung defends himself. 

"So, let's confirm it."

"Fuck off," Taehyung pushes him away gently, turning away to type in his password.  He opens the door and lets himself in, turning around to see Seokjin already looking at him. "Were you looking at my ass?" 

"I'm trying to use my x-ray vision to see through those pants." 

"I told you my butt and its parts are perfectly fine!" 

"I'm sure they are." Seokjin agrees, backing away to his apartment. "Don't worry about that doctor, Taehyung, I bet you have a cute butthole!" He winks and disappears inside his apartment leaving Taehyung unsupported and a mess at the comment. 

⁉⁉⁉

The first thing Taehyung does in the morning is to go shopping. He doesn't have anything remotely proper to wear when meeting someone from the political side of the business. He really wants to leave an exceptional impact on Joonhwi. Politicians do have high hopes and questions for people they are meeting and Taehyung needs to be equipped. 

What if Joonhwi asks him about the current congressional committee? Taehyung doesn't even remember who the vice president is! 

He's walking towards home after purchasing a very chic suit when he gets a call from Namjoon. 

"Hey,"

"I'm on your street and I need to poop." 

Taehyung makes a face, not greeting, no nothing, just straight-up talking about poop. "Fine, let yourself in. I'll be there in seven minutes." 

He reaches just at the mark of seven minutes, excitedly humming a random song he heard on the street and climbing the stairs. For some reason, he has a good feeling about meeting Joonhwi. 

Once he unlocks the door, he is greeted by the sight of a very naked Seokjin and a very dressed Namjoon on his couch, sitting at the very ends. Seokjin is holding his guitar and strumming unconsciously, while effectively hiding his dick. 

"Hey!" Seokjin addresses, strumming for the effect. 

Namjoon seems painful and a little annoyed at Seokjin. Taehyung wonders why. 

"Oh, god, just please tell me you're not naked on my couch next to my brother." Taehyung hopes, face contorted in disgust. 

Seokjin removes the guitar from his thighs and reveals how he is in his boxers. 

"Apparently," Namjoon clears his throat, voice not one of the sweetness, "He doesn't like to play  without his underwear." He notifies Taehyung who has the decency to feel embarrassed on behalf of Seokjin. "The guitar feels cold against his penis." 

"Yeah, it does." Seokjin agrees. 

Namjoon rolls his eyes while Taehyung moves into the kìtchen to get something to drink. 

"Hey, hyung," Taehyung calls. 

Both Seokjin and Namjoon acknowledge him back. 

"He's addressing me," Namjoon bites back the tone. "What?" 

"Do you remember Hwang Joonhwi?" He asks, voice rising in excitement, "Seokjin hyung found him in Yeouido and I'm going to meet him tomorrow." He keeps away his drink and carefully unzips the bag to show them the suit he bought. "And I'll be wearing this!" He shows them a two-piece suit of grey colour excitedly.  

"Don't you have an interview tomorrow?" Namjoon overlooks the suit and questions Taehyung. 

"That's the beauty of a suit, hyung." He explains, delicately keeping the suit back in the bag and zipping it up. "It works for both; a super boring interview and for an accidental slash on purpose encounter with my future husband." Taehyung winks dramatically, picking up his drink again. 

Seokjin gazes at him curiously and questions, "Hey, do you ever think about selling your freaky little sculptures?" 

"No, he needs a real job." Namjoon intervenes, rolling his eyes. 

"Oh yeah, that's just a hobby." Taehyung agrees, moving back to the kitchen to find something to snack on. 

"I don't know, I think they are amazing." Seokjin mumbles, going back to tighten the strings on his guitar. "You should try though. Not everyone can do what you can." And he sends over a beautiful, genuine smile towards Taehyung. 

Taehyung beams back gratefully. 

He can't sell his sculptures because Namjoon is right. He needs a real job that pays for his rent and food. Selling his sculptures won't pay him enough. It's a tough world out there and Taehyung doesn't wanna rely on his strange craft to move along in his life. He further needs a reason to accuse someone else if his life ever goes downhill. Like blaming the company for their shitty employee management or shitty pay. 

And making sculptures is hard, it's tedious and time-consuming. One sculpture takes him nearly five days to finish. They don't even have a fine finish. Who would buy from him? He doesn't want to hate doing sculptures from having to do them all the time. 

Namjoon clears his throat and pokes Seokjin's naked, broad back to get his attention, "Um, could you give me and Taehyung some privacy, please?" He asks politely, putting up an act. 

"He has to poop," Taehyung states, bluntly. 

"Taehyung!" Namjoon splutters from the couch. "I don't…I don't have to poop." He tries to preserve himself but coughs at the end of the sentence. God, why does it feel illegal to poop in his brother's apartment? 

"Hey, hasn't your guy friend left?" Taehyung questions. 

"No, I guess this one is a late sleeper." Seokjin mumbles, strumming the chords and humming to himself before adjusting it again. 

"Wait, are you-" Namjoon composes himself, face turned in a frown of confusion, "-is he hiding out here because there's a guy in his apartment?" He questions, shifting to stare at Taehyung. 

"He is," Seokjin answers, leaning in closer and smirking. 

"You know what? That's it, I'm going to the restaurant across the street." Namjoon mumbles, collecting his phone and wallet from the coffee table and standing up. "Excuse me." He aggressively pushes past Seokjin to walk towards the door. 

"Hey, do you wanna grab me a sandwich from the store below?" Seokjin asks but Namjoon ignores him and moves out of the apartment, "No?"

Taehyung sighs and walks over to Seokjin, "Okay, give me the keys." He tells and Seokjin tosses the keys to his apartment, mumbling good luck . 

The younger one unlocks the apartment and carefully walks in. The apartment is unusually tranquil until he crosses the foyer and comes further in to see a man standing in the kitchen stark-naked with just an apron covering him from chest to mid-thigh. Thankfully hiding his dick but his ass is all out and about in the morning. 

"Hey, you are- woah , who are you?" The man turns around and is taken aback to find someone else rather than Seokjin. Taehyung is also taken aback by the gorgeousness of this man. Wow, Seokjin doesn't sleep with ugly people, huh? 

"Who are you?" Taehyung questions back. 

"Jihwan." The man answers with his heavy, baritone voice. 

Taehyung starts acting. 

He lets out a fake sob, pinching his eyes shut and shaking his head in disappointment, "He didn't tell you he was engaged?" 

"No…" The man is surprised at the new information. He starts to untie the apron, taking it off and throwing it on the kitchen counter, now completely bare of any clothing. Taehyung looks away. "I'm so sorry. When I told him I'm engaged, he didn't  say anything." Jihwan reveals. 

"Oh, this pain!" Taehyung cries out loudly, slumping on the couch. "I thought he changed, I thought he wouldn't cheat anymore. God! What am I going to do?" He dramatically says his monologue, pretending to be deeply hurt and crying his eyes out. 

"I'm sorry, you deserve better," Jihwan says, standing behind him and keeping a hand on Taehyung to comfort him. Taehyung turns around but he immediately moves back when his eyes come in direct contact with the dangling penis. 

"Dick," He coughs. 

"Sorry?" 

"He's such a dick!" Taehyung improvises.  

"I'm sorry again. I'll go now! I swear I wouldn't have slept with him if I knew he was engaged." Jihwan sounds guilty as he picks up his clothes and starts wearing them. 

"Just go, please. I need to be alone." Taehyung pretends to wipe his tears, sniffling a little. 

"All right, take care!" Jihwan awkwardly chuckles and he's out of the apartment in the next moment. 

Taehyung sighs and leans back on the couch. After a few moments of silence, he hears the door unlock and comes in Seokjin, sighing loudly. 

"Hey, hyung?" 

"Hmm?" He hums as he dresses properly. 

"Wouldn't it be easier if you sleep at their home and leave like a normal guy in the morning?" He asks, out of curiosity. Seokjin always appears to prefer his night rendezvous at his apartment and Taehyung can't seem to retain a single night of Seokjin being away from his apartment, to give any clue that he has slept in someone else's home. It's not like Taehyung was stalking. Just a very keen observation. 

"No," Seokjin answers, moving to his bed to fluff the pillows and arrange it properly. "I once stayed in a relationship with a girl because of the picture she had on her bedside table." He starts, next grabbing the sheet and asking Taehyung to grab the other end. 

"So?"

"It was her dressed as Cinderella on her birthday and every time I tried breaking up with her, I kept imagining the face of that little girl, all happy with a broken front tooth and smiling so hard her eyes were pinched shut." He says ruefully, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking far away as if reminiscing. 

Taehyung stays quiet for a moment, absorbing the story slowly and the meaning behind Seokjin's way of sleeping around. 

"I guess, I just couldn't break the little girl's heart." He sighs. 

"So…" Taehyung starts, formulating words and coming up with his theory in a very general way rather than a complicated story that didn't make sense to him, "So you're saying it's easier to sleep with guys and never call them back if you don't know anything about them?" He asks, confused at the theory in question. 

"Uh-huh," 

"Kinda like a serial killer," Taehyung concludes.

Seokjin thinks for a solid moment about it before he nods, smiling smugly at the comment, "Yeah, I guess so." He says, proudly as if that's a healthy realisation. 

Taehyung snickers and shakes his head.

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung haste out of the bus stopped at the National Assembly station. The time is around 4 pm or 4:30 pm and everybody seems to be speeding back to work. 

He had an interview earlier with a magazine that progressed notably well. The manager of the magazine knew about Taehyung's ex-boss and that certainly aided in establishing a rapport. He was already feeling great about the day and he's expecting to hear back from the company too. Once the interview was finished, he had lunch and then rushed to get on a bus that drives him undeviatingly to the National Assembly Library where Joonhwi is assumed to be present as per Seokjin's reference. 

Appearing elated in his brand-new suit (which was almost ruined in the morning because Seokjin couldn't stop playing around with the smoothie Taehyung had made for himself), he takes the 3-minute walking route to the main building. 

Coincidentally, Seokjin calls to inquire if he has arrived at the library thus far. 

"Wait, hold on, my legs have fallen asleep on the bus," Taehyung says disgruntled as he attempts to walk gradually to not to endure the electrifying sensation in his feet. 

"Punch it," Seokjin recommends, back at home, more precisely, back at Taehyung's apartment, in his bathtub filled with water and fizzy bath bombs that Taehyung had saved for especially bad days. 

"Really?" Taehyung questions but complies, striking his thighs violently on the street as people walk past him, peering at the act weirdly. "What? Your leg has not fallen asleep before?" Taehyung challenges., 

He can detect Seokjin chuckling over the speaker and the mysterious sound of water running. 

"What's that sound?" He questions, walking again once it appears to be better. 

"Oh, nothing." He dismisses, turning off the faucet once the water level feels adequately right. "Hey, I didn't know you were such a big fan of Hwang Chiyeol?" Seokjin wonders, scrolling through the playlist on Taehyung's iPod. 

Taehyung rolls his eyes, smiling dumbly, "You know, looking at someone's playlist is like looking at their diary." He complains, witnessing the building come in view past the giant trees. "I'm here and I've got to go." He rushes, hanging up quickly without providing Seokjin with an opportunity to respond. 

His phone buzzes a few moments later, a photo message from Seokjin with a selca of him in the bathtub with bubbles, posing with Taehyung's iPod and a boyish grin residing on his face, proud of himself. 

"That's my bathroom," Taehyung thinks, smiling at the picture foolishly until he bumps into someone from not looking ahead. 

"I'm so -- Myeong?! " 

"Taehyung…what-what are you doing here?" Myeong inquires suspiciously. 

Taehyung ponders over it for a moment solely because he's startled to see Myeong once again. Ever since he noticed Myeong at the bakery, he has been witnessing him everywhere else too. 

"Visiting my fiance." Taehyung chuckles nervously.

"Your finance, who was at the north pole?"  

"Yep, he's back. Seokjin hyung is back." Taehyung stutters and clears his throat. Fuck, where is he stuck and why? 

"Wow," Myeong nods, "Seokjin-ssi just happens to be in Yeouido right when I'm meeting my fiance too, huh?" Myeong wonders, tone one of suspicion which Taehyung doesn't comprehend why. 

"Yeah, he-uh, he's meeting the President." Taheyung fibs again because he ďoesnt understands what people do here when they visit. 

"Right." 

"It's crazy, isn't it?" 

"That's exactly what it is." Myeong chuckles distantly, moving back and nodding at Taehyung. "That's…hmm." He looks at Taehyung for a moment as if he's going to say something but decides otherwise and turns to leave suddenly. 

Taehyung looks around and wonders what just happened and why Myeong seems to rush all of a sudden. He shrugs his shoulders and makes his way to the library. 

Once he's inside the building, he catches a few seconds to acknowledge the structure and the history of the building. It's essentially placid throughout but the library is packed with people of all ages -- reading, working and talking in hush voices. Seokjin had previously notified him of Joonhwi's whereabouts, through his secretary, so he doesn't spend sufficient time and begins his trail to the central area of the library. 

He gazes around the enormous library and the immense collection of scriptures, books, reports and files and whatnot that is conjectured to be preserved in the library. Stealthily, Taehyung attempts to locate Joonhwi in this colossal library and ends up finding him sitting by the glass walls of the building, reading a book. 

Individual sets of tables and chairs are lined by the wall, some occupied and some not. The one Joonhwi is sitting on is solely seized by him, the opposite seat empty and waiting for Taehyung to occupy, as if. But that may be too calculated and precise. So, he resolves to locate a seat somewhere close by and inadvertently captures Joonhwi's line of vision. 

However, the most neighbouring seat, directly in his line of vision, is occupied by some boys and girls. Obviously, they have to relocate now. Taehyung makes his way to them, they resemble a bunch of teenagers and he knows this will be a troublesome job. 

He taps on a guy's shoulder to catch his attention. The guy takes off his AirPods and directs his concentration to Taehyung politely. 

"Um, do you mind moving somewhere else?" He shamelessly asks, getting everyone's attention at the table. 

"Pardon?" The guy questions, perplexed. 

"I just- uh, I just need to sit here." He attempts beaming to resemble pleasant and not some disturbing bastard. 

"Um, ahjussi , we came- we have been here for over an hour." The guy explains, glancing around presumably to detect security to escort Taehyung elsewhere. 

"I'm like five years older than you, don't call me ahjussi ." Taehyung retorts and sighs, standing straight. "You shouldn't be occupying the seats for so long. What if somebody else wants to sit here?" He tries to seem strict, lips pouted unconsciously. Taehyung looks sideways to see if Joonhwi is watching but he appears to be concentrated on his monotonous political books. 

"Then you should have come earlier." 

"Ah, this rude jerk," Taehyung grumbles, reprimanding him. "Look, just move somewhere else for like, hmm…for like five minutes and then you can have this seat back." He decides to negotiate, pleading with his eyes to the other occupants. 

"Is this a joke?" The guy blurts. 

"You're a joke," Taehyung mutters under his breath, then feeling guilty because it's extremely challenging to get a task accomplished. If Seokjin was here, what would he have done? Probably charmed the girls so they'd move. Or straight-up would have created chaos. He's unpredictable. "I just need five minutes. Please, all I'm asking is five minutes. I'll give you ten won for it, huh?" 

The guy rolls his eyes and stands up, chair screeching against the floor. Taehyung squeaks and jumps back insignificantly. 

"If you don't leave now, I'll call the security." The guy threatens. 

"Why don't you go call the security and I'll take the seat in the meanwhile?" He smiles annoyingly. 

"Yah!" The guy shouts, gaining people's attention. 

" Yah ?" Taehyung squares up, looking down at the guy in anger. He's nearly going to say something meanwhile he overhears his name being exclaimed. 

"Kim Taehyung?" Taehyung turns to the left side to see Hwang Joonhwi standing up, looking confused but expression changing to a delighted one when he recognises it's indeed Taehyung. 

"Oh my god, Joonhwi hyung?!" Taehyung feigns astonishment. 

Without bothering to look at the group of teenagers, he makes his way to Joonhwi with a broad smile. 

"What are the chances?" He wonders, tone of surprise as he hugs Joonhwi. 

"I know!" Joonhwi chuckles and breaks their hug, looking at Taehyung fondly. He signals his head towards the teenagers and asks, "What was that about?" 

Taehyung turns to look too and he sees one of them glaring at him so he quickly turns back around, "Oh, that…just, I was scammed by the guy in the red hoodie." He cooks up a lie.  

"Really?" Joonhwi asks, looking at the said boy, "Looks like from a neat family." 

"Yeah, you know teenagers." Taehyung tries to cut the topic off. "So-so how are you?" 

"I'm excellent!" Joonhwi replies, "I'm so happy to see you, though." 

"Yeah?" Taehyung blushes. 

"Yeah." He nods, "You know what? Let's take a walk." He proposes and Taehyung nods, walking out of the library together with Joonhwi.  

"Oh, my god!" Taehyung shrieks on the call with Seokjin. 

"You're screaming." 

"I know!" He yells again. "Oh, god, hyung. He's taking me to a party tonight." Taehyung excitedly informs him, picking up the complimentary chocolate and falling on the bed in his robe. "I offered to hang around on the street or in the library but he insisted on booking a room for me for a few hours." He dreamingly re-tells the exchange, glancing at the ceiling and snapping into the expensive chocolate. 

Seokjin smiles, hearing Taehyung ramble excitedly, he envisions the smile on his face, wrinkles forming near his eyes which must be shining like stars in the galaxy. Seokjin craves to see it appear. 

"Let me get this straight, he drops you off at the hotel and didn't come up for 'it's good to see you' sex?" He teases, smiling goofily while he struggles with the electrical board at hand. "What did you do to turn him off?" 

"Nothing!" He defends himself, rolling on his stomach. "He's a gentleman, hyung." 

"Or a straight guy. Are you sure he's gay?" 

Taehyung rolls his eyes, lingering touches on his arms are an indication that he's interested in reconciling or reigniting the flames, right? At that moment, the doorbell rings and Taehyung stands up to tend. 

"Well, Joonhwi hyung is a good guy," Taehyung confirms, navigating through the hotel room. "And besides, you wouldn't know a gentleman if he tiptoed behind you and-" Taehyung struggles to open the door and once it finally unlocks he faces the bell-boy and completes his sentence, "-tickled your balls."

The bellboy is flustered and dodges eye contact. He politely hands him the box wrapped up neatly with red ribbon and bows down before leaving. 

"I just received a present hyung," Taehyung informs in wonderment, carefully placing the box on the table. Seokjin raises his eyebrows, slightly vexed at the prospect. "Oh, it's the chicest looking suit I've ever seen or touched!" He squeals again, smelling the fabric and sighing. "I can't even pronounce the name. It's gotta be expensive as fuck." 

"You sound happy for the first time about your date." Seokjin remarks, the mood is momentarily ruined all of a sudden. 

"I am," Taehyung admits, smiling brightly. "I feel like Cinderella." 

"Well, careful, if you don't return by midnight, you might turn ugly." He comments and hangs up the call immediately, tossing the phone away aggressively. 

Taehyung pouts at the sudden change of tone but shrugs, as he begins preparing for the party. 

⁉⁉⁉

He stands rigidly in the elevator filled with people of different classes attending the same party. They smell like rich people of South Korea. Taehyung even risks breathing, feels like the seams of the suit would burst open if he makes unnecessary movements. 

Joonhwi got him a size too less for his physique and it has been a task trying to fit into the pants. His muscular thighs begging to be freed as soon as he had secured the buttons, not before crying about struggling to get the pants on his fat fucking ass . 

He wore the shirt inside from earlier and sprayed a lot of perfume before trying to fit into the tiny jacket of the suit. 

And now he's struggling to simply move about. But they say small sacrifices. So this is his. 

The elevator doors open and people file out one by one. Taehyung is seemingly the last person to leave and he glances around the crowd of people chatting and drinking trying to locate Joonhwi. He sees him chatting with some ladies and makes his way to him, as he's the only person Taehyung knows at the party. 

Joonhwi notices him and smirks widely, mapping Taehyung's body through his eyes and licking his lips. Yeah, he's definitely gay. 

"You look exquisite," He compliments and hugs him gently. 

"Really? Isn't it too tight?" He jokes through the pain he's feeling. 

"I'm sorry but it was hard to tell what was going on underneath the suit you wore." Joonhwi bashfully says, picking up two glasses of champagne from the tray of the waiter passing by them. He hands one to Taehyung and clinks their glasses. 

"Perfect! You ready to mingle around?" He asks. 

"Yeah." Taehyung nods determinedly. As they move towards the main hall, he receives a call and pulls out the phone from his pocket to see it's Seokjin. "Give me- hey hyung , I'll have to talk to you later." He quickly attends the call and hangs up. 

"Ready?" 

"Yeah, let's mingle!" 

An hour after talking to several people in high positions and drinking unlimited amounts of alcohol, Joonhwi and Taehyung excitedly exit the main hall, giddily laughing together. 

"I can't believe Senator Oh and his wife were talking with us for fifteen minutes!" Joonhwi excitedly remarks in a high pitched voice with all the excitement coursing through him. 

"I know!" Taehyung strives to marry his excitement even though whatever happened there went above his head. 

"He didn't even know my name before this and now he wants to hear my ideas of election reform bills!" 

"And-and they want to take us to an exclusive horse riding race!" Taehyung recalls, giggling. 

"We are a great team, Taehyung."

"We are." He agrees. 

 "Together we can own the city." He states earnestly, eyes glazed over with desire for power. 

"We totally can, hyung." Taehyung pretends along. 

"No, I'm serious," Joonhwi says, looking behind to see if someone is listening to them. A few people are loitering by the entrance, uninterested but Joonhwi moves to the other side so he can talk more privately. 

"Look, I have my eyes on the Senate seat and then the presidency," Joonhwi states his intentions. Taehyung is shocked because these plans aren't small, they're huge! He's talking about being the President of the country. While Taehyung thinks plans should be insignificant and achievable. Like planning to eat lunch tomorrow. Or planning to wash hair. 

"What?"

Joonhwi calmly explains to him, "If tonight is any indication of what can happen then we can go all the way together." He holds his hand in solidarity. 

Taehyung nods, taken aback by the idealistic vision, "Yeah, let's do it."

"So we are doing it?" Joonhwi asks, not believing Taehyung would agree so easily. 

"Yeah, we are!" Taehyung enthusiastically and loudly answers, thumping Joonhwi's arm.

"All right then!" 

"Wait, what are we doing?" Taehyung takes a second to regain sobriety. 

"Marriage, Taehyung, marriage," Joonhwi tells him in an obvious manner.  

Taehyung is surprised at the disclosure. He did come here to give Joonhwi a chance and possibly find a future with him but he never thought Joonhwi would be so eager to be in a relationship with him as well. He's not opposed to the idea but he believes it's too early to marry. They haven't dated in so long! 

"Isn't…shouldn't we go on a date first?" Taehyung wonders. 

"No, what? No, Taehyung, we can't date." He admonishes. "This country is not ready for a gay president."

"So…no marriage?" 

"No, I gotta marry." He clears the confusion, "Look, I need to find a woman who would marry me despite my sexuality. Didn't you have a sister? He questions. 

"Uh, no. I have a brother." He answers automatically. Alcohol slowly evaporates from his body as he sobers from the conversation. 

"Oh, damn. I thought you had a sister. This would have worked really well." 

Taehyung blankly looks at him, with nothing left to say. 

"Don't worry. That's not the bigger issue." He assures him. "So, do you wanna join hands? We can reform Korea. Once I become President, you can be the vice president and we can run this country efficiently." Joonhwi asks expectantly. 

Taehyung opens his mouth and shuts close, wondering what to say and how to get out of this situation. 

"Can I…can I get back to you?" He asks, stepping back and taking a deep sigh before he rigidly makes his way to the elevators.

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung dejectedly ascends the stairs to his apartment. It exhibits like a walk of shame, his suit too tight for him to be comfortable. At this point, he completely wants to sprawl in his bed and to watch Park Seo Joon's drama. That's his solace. 

He peeps up and discovers Seokjin not awaiting as presumed. This upsets him further because it substantially shifted to a routine for Taehyung to come home and notice Seokjin expecting him, to discern if it was a success or a failure. 

Once he approaches the apartment, for a brief moment, he considers knocking on Seokjin's door so both could talk, perhaps Seokjin would tell him a ridiculous story and divert him from thinking how amazingly well Taehyung is floundering in life. 

Although he doesn't. He's reasonably in an irritable mood and he doesn't want to appear or state anything regrettable because Seokjin has been so helpful, it isn't his accountability that all his exes were dysfunctional in one way or another. 

He unlocks the door to his apartment, allowing himself in and taking off his shoes. 

"Wait, wait, wait. Don't move. Stay right there!" Seokjin's voice comes in hurriedly. Taehyung is too exhausted to be frightened. It's not an uncommon occurrence that Seokjin is here. 

"What are you doing here? I'm not depressed enough to sleep with you." Taehyung mumbles, slightly irritated because of the entire day. He passes the foyer to come in further. The lights are closed and he can detect the silhouette of Seokjin moving around haphazardly. 

"Close your eyes," He orders, although excitedly. 

"That won't help", Taehyung sighs but complying. 

After a moment later, Seokjin's voice comes floating, asking him to finally open his eyes and when he does, he's a little taken aback by the arrangements done to his living room. 

The light is still closed but fairy lights light up in the two places, bringing attention to the sculptures he has made throughout the years. But it's different because these sculptures are telling a story now, set up in front of a background cut from a magazine for sure. 

Taehyung's grouchy mood gradually melts away because this hobby was essentially to get his creativity going, it's merely a way to spend time. But witnessing the characters set up, adhering to the background, it feels like he can make up a story. 

It's beautiful, Taehyung never realised that his freaky structures could be more than just...well, freaky. 

"What did you do?" He whispers. It was rhetorical, Seokjin guessed that. 

"My wiring's a little spotty. Every time this goes on, your bathroom lights burn out." He confesses, staring proudly at the way a grin makes it onto Taehyung's face. "But I think it's worth it." He states, watching Taehyung makes his way to one of the set up in a trance mode. 

"It is,"

"I think it brings out the details, this way." He says, stepping towards Taehyung and observing him take it in. Taehyung is smiling, so Seokjin feels accomplished trying to lift his mood. "I did not know Geum had gold teeth." He speaks. “Make sense, I guess.”

Taehyung's eyes go to the sculptures with the gold teeth. Honestly, he never bothered naming them because they were a hobby, they were the kind of work that took him away from reality while he laboured to perfect the intricate details of the sculptures. Seokjin naming them somehow brings the sculptures to life and creates a meaning to Taehyung's work and time. 

"I can't believe it. This is so amazing, hyung." Taehyung says in wonderment, smiling so big, his cheeks popping out cutely. 

"Yeah, well-" Seokjin clears his throat, "-you sounded depressed on the call, so…" He trails off. 

Taehyung looks at him and smiles, as if saying thank you then he goes back to admiring his sculptures being brought to life. 

"You hungry?" 

"I'm starving, hyung." Taehyung sighs, turning around to see Seokjin already setting up the plate for Taehyung to simply dive in. 

Taehyung narrates to him what transpired at the party while they consume fried chicken and drink beer. Despite the turn of events, the night is sailing smoothly and this food was literally what Taehyung needed to end his night. 

"If you were so good with the politics side of things, why didn't you try in that field?" Seokjin questions curiously, taking a sip out of the bottle. 

Taehyung shrugs, biting into the crispy chicken, "Being good doesn't mean I was interested." He says, licking the sauce around his mouth. "This isn't spicy!" He realises and bites into the piece enthusiastically. 

Seokjin smiles behind the rim of his bottle. 

The music playing from the jukebox changes to one of Taehyung's favourite ones and he hums along.

"I don't know, doesn't a President need the first lady? I ain't no lady anyway." He shrugs, bopping his head. 

"But you're a lot smarter. And maybe the world is ready to witness the first gentleman?" He jokes, making Taehyung scrunch his nose up and giggle. 

"That'll make history." He agrees. "This is my favourite song, by the way." He giggles, singing along the lyrics of ‘you're gonna live forever in me’ by John Mayer. He stands up when he notices Seokjin's guitar on the couch and eagerly hands it over to the older to present something. 

"I don't know the chords of the lyrics." Seokjin chuckles. 

"Don't care. Play anything!" Taehyung says, smiling to the fullest. 

So, Seokjin sets himself, placing the guitar on his thighs and adjusting the strings. He laughs when Taehyung loudly sings along to the chorus. 

"Hurry! The song is gonna end." He demands. 

He strums the guitar once before going all rockstar on it, without caring about the fact that he's probably playing it rubbish but as long as Taehyung seems happy about it, he doesn't care. And Taehyung doesn't seem to know how a guitar should sound. He's light on his feet, dancing around Seokjin and smiling wildly, a complete contrast to his mood earlier. 

Once the song ends, Seokjin strums the guitar vigorously, ending the performance dramatically. Taehyung stumbles on his feet as he chuckles, cheering at Seokjin. 

"Thank you, thank you," Seokjin eloquently waves his hand. 

"Woah," Taehyung stumbles again, mind fogging up because of all the beer they consumed. But Seokjin offers his hand and the younger takes it, being pulled to Seokjin as they settle on the couch. Seokjin keeps away his guitar while Taehyung unintentionally rests his upper body on Seokjin's chest, head nuzzled in his neck. 

Taehyung, for the first time, appears relaxed and warm. Perhaps because of dancing or maybe the warmth Seokjin is radiating. They have never cuddled because it didn't make sense. Seokjin and Taehyung aren't close enough for Taehyung to cuddle but not stranger enough to not feel relaxed in each other presence. 

"You okay?" Seokjin asks, voice distant to Taehyung's ears even if this is the closest they have been. 

"No…" Taehyung trails off, huffing loudly. He should have exercised once in his lifetime. "I need to lie down or throw up." He mumbles, heart rate going back to normal as he relaxes further into Seokjin's chest. Despite looking (and dressing) like a horny teenager, Seokjin smells nice, like floral but very manly floral if that makes sense. 

Seokjin chuckles, his head thrown back on the headrest of the couch. They rest in silence for some time while Taehyung tries his best to not throw up. The music has changed, something soft tune playing in the background, a tune Taehyung doesn't know. The night is young but it's silent. The usual noises of drunkards smashing bottles or cussing don't seem to flow through the room, nor the loud voices of teenagers. It feels like everyone has gone to sleep early and the only sound Taehyung can hear is the sound of the music playing in the background almost like a movie and the sound of Seokjin's heartbeat. 

This feels surprisingly pleasant. 

"I have to go to my brother's wedding," Taehyung mumbles. He remembers why he's searching for a partner among many reasons. He has executed many bad choices in life and all his mistakes have been scrutinized by his mother. For her to perceive that Taehyung is single and not even close to settling down…it would be hell for him. He wants to come off as responsible, handling work and romance in balance. 

His mother doesn't have to know either of those things are not balanced. Unemployed and single? His mother is gonna have a field day lecturing and pitying. And when she is done, she will definitely try to hook him up with her friends' sons. So, it's safe to say Taehyung is not looking forward to going alone to his brother's wedding. 

"I'll go with you," Seokjin speaks after a short moment as if understanding Taehyung's perfectly complicated dilemma at hand.  

"You'd do that?" Taehyung asks, not hiding his surprise. 

"Yeah, why not?" Seokjin mumbles. 

It's that easy , Taehyung thinks, to not complicate or think about it too much. 

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He says, patting Seokjin's thighs. And the silence envelops them again but this time accompanied by Seokjin humming the tune to whatever is playing in the background. "Hey, hyung?" When Seokjin hums in reply, Taehyung says, "I still think I'm gonna throw up." 

Seokjin chuckles, pushing Taehyung's head from his chest. He stands up from the couch even when Taehyung whines. "Let's go get some fresh air," Seokjin suggests, offering both his hands. 

Taehyung is worn out but the fresh air sounds amazing. So, he takes Seokjin's hands to be pulled up and on feet. 

He assumed they'd stroll alongside the Han river but alternatively, Seokjin leads him to an exclusive clubhouse Taehyung would never dare to take a route to. 

"Where are we?" Taehyung whispers. The clubhouse is way beyond its closed hours and no one appears to be nearby however it seems appropriate to whisper just in case someone is around, like security. 

"A clubhouse," Jin answers in an obvious manner. 

Taehyung wasn't amused. They manoeuvre through various hallways but the younger couldn't see anything since the light was off everywhere. Suddenly Seokjin grasps his hand and tugs him inside a big room. Whatever he could see from the moonlight illuminating through the big glass dome, it appeared like an indoor court. 

This is probably illegal and we are trespassing , Taehyung reasons. 

"What are we doing here?" 

"Just because it's dark, doesn't mean you have to whisper," Seokjin mutters away, locating the switches to the lights. Once he does, he switches on several lights at once and Taehyung is blinded by the view in front of him, mouth open in awe. 

It is certainly an indoor court, especially a basketball court with two hoops erected on either side of the court. The entire place is surrounded by bleachers with leather seats because of course, it's a fucking clubhouse. 

Taehyung walks towards the court in wonder, following Jin and saying, "This is probably illegal." At least in the way, they have sneaked in without a membership card. 

"Yeah, probably." Seokjin agrees, looking around. "I worked here one summer." He begins explaining. "I used to manage the front desk mostly but I was under the manager directly, so he'd give odd jobs that would require a passkey to access several areas of the clubhouse. Once I got fired, I managed to swipe a passkey." He shrugs, being proud of his shenanigans. 

"You got fired?" Taehyung questions, nearly worried because this is unquestionably illegal. At first, he was hoping Seokjin worked here and this was just them trespassing like young kids they think they are. But this is more than trespassing. 

"Yeah, there was an incident with the mascot," Seokjin embarrassingly answers, picking up the stray basketball from the ground. 

"Why, did you sleep with him?" Taehyung teases. 

Seokjin chuckles, dribbling the ball, "Quite the opposite. I punched him." He says, again proud of his accomplishments. "Ever played H.O.R.S.E in Ralpha ?" He asks, passing the ball to Taehyung who swiftly catches it. 

"No-" Taehyung says and from where he stands, he shoots the ball through the air and straight into the net, looking smugly at Seokjin, "- but I have played H.O.R.S.E." 

Seokjin shakes his head, taking on the challenge. He nods and picks up the ball, "Okay, okay." Seokjin holds the same stance and he stoops down before bouncing off his feet and shooting the ball but missing the net. "Fuck." 

"Oh no, H for you, my friend." Taehyung playfully teases, picking up the ball to throw in the next shot but he sees Seokjin sitting on the bottom bleachers and untying his shoes. "What are you doing?" He questions, curiously. 

"We are playing strip H.O.R.S.E." He says, taking off the shoes, "Is there any other kind?" 

"There's the kind where you keep your clothes on," Taehyung reminds him sassily, tilting his head. Don't get him wrong, he's not a prude and he has no problem getting undressed. He doesn't work out and sure, he doesn't have defining abs like Jungkook yet his body is toned enough and he prefers it that way. 

But it's Seokjin! With his Greek God, hourglass body, walking around naked like it's nobody's business. He has no care for Taehyung's sanity at all! What if Seokjin isn't good at playing? He's gonna strip further. And to what point? Where does his morality obstruct him? 

"What's the fun in that?" He asks, putting away his shoes. "All right, H," He counts, pushing his sleeves up. 

Despite Taehyung being completely secure with his body, he doesn't wanna strip in front of Seokjin and he is too good of a player to lose purposely. 

"Backboard," Taehyung announces and let the ball bounce before it makes it to the net for a score. "Yes!" He fist-pumps.  

Seokjin impressively nods and takes his place, going with the same move but missing it as the ball bounces off the rim. 

"Aw fuck!" He curses as Taehyung laughs. Seokjin proceeds to eliminate the socks. 

Next, the younger one stands a few feet distant from the backboard, not facing it and throwing the ball backwards, having it shot straight into the net. 

"Oh, my god!" Seokjin shakes his head, not accepting the shot Taehyung just executed. Yet, he accepts the challenge, the corresponding spot and executes the ball simply to have it miss once again. He was foreseeing that outcome. 

Taehyung provokes him, "Are you naturally this bad or are you purposely failing to get naked?" 

"And what would I gain from being naked?" Seokjin questions back, throwing the ball to Taehyung who shuts up because it's in his head, Seokjin getting naked to seduce him. It's a fantasy and it's in his head. 

"So you're naturally bad." 

Seokjin rolls his eyes and gestures to him to move on, with a smirk on his face. That's how Taehyung knows he hasn't crossed a line. 

In the next shot, Taehyung makes it dramatic, sitting on the floor and pursuing his lips as if calculating the physics behind the chances of goal. The ball rolls on his finger, obviously looking down on Seokjin. 

"You won't make it," Seokjin predicts, arms crossed on his chest and he stands behind him and remains. 

Seokjin wishes he doesn't make it because there's no way Seokjin would make that shot. 

Taehyung looks behind him and narrows his eyes in a challenge. He turns back and effortlessly throws the ball, having it fall through the net perfectly. 

"Sorry, couldn't hear through all the winning streak. Damn, it feels hot being all dressed up." Taehyung taunts and stands up, grinning cheekily at Seokjin. 

For very apparent reasons, Seokjin doesn't make the shot and loses his shirt in the process. 

The next shot, Taehyung loses his shirt (because he took off his shoes when they entered the clubhouse) but he is still covered better than Seokjin. 

"Okay, hyung, It's pants time," Taehyung recalls, focused on the backboard. He jumps and makes the shot easily. "Keep up!" 

Seokjin shouts hysterically, "This game is rigged. It's too favourable for you." He says, dribbling the ball to where Taehyung was standing. 

"Of course losers always blame the sport." 

Seokjin shows him the finger before he tries the shot, having it missed by a few meters. 

"C'mon, pants off!" Taehyung excitedly claps. Seokjin dejectedly pops open the button on his jeans while Taehyung dances around him. "You shouldn't have suggested a strip game if you weren't so good at basketball." 

"I'm perfectly fine at this game. Today is just not my day." He sulks, throwing away the jeans with the rest of his clothes. 

"Ooh, now that's a prize," Taehyung smirks, high on endorphins and stating thoughts without consequences. 

"C'mon, Taehyung, I've still gotta get you out of those pants." Seokjin challenges. 

"You can keep dreaming." He says and twirls around, ready to shoot the ball but he loses his balance and the ball misses the net completely. 

"That's an O!" Seokjin shouts, running to get the ball. By the time he comes back to Taehyung, he has already taken his pants off. 

"It's not fair!" Taehyung complains, "I'm at O and already naked." 

"Should have worn more clothes," Seokjin shrugs, shooting the ball and refraining himself to take off the last item on his body. "That's the game." 

"Well, the game is changing." Taehyung puts his game face on, tilting his head as he states, "It's now one-on-one." And with that, he throws the ball at Seokjin, hitting him painfully on the chest. 

They did not have to get nude than they were but it was about pride, it was about who could score more. And while it was just a trivial game, they played it with every ounce of energy. Taehyung, who had been feeling dejected, felt wonderfully high on adrenaline. 

He played the game like he was one of the team players of the NBA. He secured the ball but sometimes lost it to Seokjin who would charmingly smile and take away the ball before Taehyung could even come back to reality. 

The game got heated a lot, not just because of the sweat but the way Seokjin's naked chest would press against his equally naked back while dribbling the ball. And sometimes Taehyung would face Seokjin, to stop him from shooting through the neck. He would deem it’s just the game but he could feel this different sort of energy between them. Heightened and overwhelmingly cloudy. 

It was his fingers running on Seokjin's chest to hold him from shooting. It was Seokjin's breath fanning across his cheeks in heavy puffs of air that would stutter him to lose control. 

At the end of the game, Taehyung lost the count of the score they both had. But seeing Seokjin completely naked (except for his underwear), with a sheen of sweat adorning his body, Taehyung believed he was the victor anyway. 

"I feel sweaty," Taehyung breathes loudly, chest rising and dropping like he has run a 200 meters race. 

"It's because you are sweating," Seokjin denotes the obvious, sitting up and leaning back on his palms. 

"You know what I mean," Taehyung rolls his eyes, looking at the sky through the glass dome. He couldn't see the stars but the moon illuminating inside felt mystical in a way. "I could use a bath." He reflects loudly. 

At that time, Seokjin stands up, collecting their clothing from around the court before he marches to Taehyung, offering his hand, "Then let's go take a bath." 

"What?" 

Taehyung takes the hand and gets pulled up, stumbling a little on his feet due to sore thighs. 

"Follow me." 

"Hyung, where are we going now?" Taehyung asks, anxious. He believes they are beyond their due time here illegally and they should presumably head back before the security arrives to check. 

"To the place where you can bathe," Seokjin replies, walking around the corridors blindly.

"I meant the one at home." 

"Why would you go home when you can bathe in here?" He asks, opening the doors to one of the indoor swimming pools. 

"We have to go back-- wow! " Taehyung pauses on his feet when he examines the long, rectangular swimming pool. "Why do they have this gigantic pool in here?" He whisper-shouts. 

"I guess to start an aquatic ecosystem here," The older one answers in a serious tone. 

Taehyung pouts and hits him, acknowledging Seokjin is making fun of him. 

Seokjin chuckles and keeps their clothes on one of the pool loungers. He slowly walks towards the edge of the pool while Taehyung watches him, pausing for another moment when Seokjin looks back. 

"You coming?" He asks before he's diving straight in the pool. Taehyung lets out a gasp before he begins his way to the pool, standing by it. 

Seokjin emerges from the water, pushing away the hair from his face and swimming towards where Taehyung is standing. 

"Dive in," He encourages.  

"I can't," Taehyung shakes his head. "It's deep." 

"Can't swim?" Seokjin teases 

"It's not that." Taehyung sighs, sitting by the pool, "I just can't get into deep waters. I have a phobia." He says, dipping his pool in somewhat warm water. 

"Phobia of deep waters?" 

Taehyung nods, "I almost drowned once during a school trip and ever since then, this fear has gripped me."  He starts, swaying his feet. Seokjin moves closer to him, floating between his legs as he looks up, intently listening to the younger. "For the first few months, I refused to go in the bathtubs. I would cry and ask to be showered instead. Then slowly, I started taking swim lessons because Namjoon hyung made me watch this documentary on climate change and how the glaciers are melting and raising the sea level. I thought if I'm gonna survive climate change, I gotta start swimming." Taehyung is flustered because this story is so embarrassing and hilarious, his friends still make fun of him. Seokjin rightfully chuckles but not in a bully way, rather fondly. 

"I can go into waters where I can feel or touch the ground with my feet but if my legs are floating, I panic and…" He trails off, looking elsewhere because Seokjin is still staring at him. 

Seokjin then rests his chin on his left thigh and peers through his eyelashes, "How are you going to survive rising sea levels then?" 

"I'm gonna buy a boat," Taehyung mumbles. 

Seokjin lets out a loud boisterous laugh, it's the best visual. His eyes wrinkling at the side and mouth formed in a perfect doll smile. Taehyung chuckles too because it's ridiculous but when he was 18 years old, he did mention to Namjoon that he's gonna purchase a boat so he requires an investment of ₩ 50,000, for starters. 

Seokjin hums, quieting down but still smiling softly, "Will you be ready with your boat when the water rises?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"You know, what if you are suddenly hit with the calamity? Will you be ready enough to ride that boat?" 

Taehyung ponders for a moment, biting the side of his lips in deep thought, "Then Namjoon will save me." 

"You sure he'll choose you over Yoongi?" Seokjin teases. 

"Yes," Taehyung confidently answers, splashing the water playfully. "Yoongi hyung can swim but I can't. So I'm the priority here. And blood is not thicker than the ass Namjoon is tapping." 

Seokjin lets out another loud laugh and Taehyung feels happy about it for some reason. He feels proud and accomplished to make Seokjin laugh so beautifully and just because of him. He is not lying to make it sound funny, he is being himself and to know that Seokjin can accept his weird antics without questioning them, Taehyung feels his heart flutter. 

"He's not tapping the ass. He's marrying the guy. It's a commitment." 

"Whatever." Taehyung mumbles, "He promised he's gonna save me." 

Seokjin hums, believing him. 

"If I promise to hold you, would you come in?" He asks softly. Taehyung looks at him intently, his lines seem out of some novel but Seokjin doesn't read. 

Taehyung doesn't think much of it, the rising blush -- he blames it on the intense game they had. Not by what Seokjin said. Unquestionably. He's a romantic at heart and Seokjin knows just to say the right words and get him all flustered. 

"Okay," he agrees nonetheless. 

Seokjin straightens himself while Taehyung slowly slips inside the barely warm water. His arms enclosing around the older's shoulder while his leg wrapping around the torso in an attempt to not drown. 

"Don't drop me," Taehyung says softly, their faces inches away from each other so it comes out as a whisper, a warm breath that fans Seokjin. 

"Trust me," Seokjin says and slowly brings them away from the edge of the pool. 

Taehyung hangs onto him like a monkey, rigid body holding tightly around Seokjin like a lifeline. And for that moment, Seokjin was his lifeline. 

It seems uncanny, being so intimate and semi-naked. They haven't done this, be this close to one another, so personally. The air tonight appears different with Seokjin, it always has and Taehyung always had it under control but tonight, he wants to be loose on himself, he wants to break the rules he has set up for himself. 

Having Seokjin rub his naked back does something to him. It makes him want to bury his face in Seokjin's neck, to kiss the skin there, soft and innocent. It makes him want to close whatever gap they have, to feel the rhythm of Seokjin's heartbeat on his skin, he wants to be that close. 

"The water is kinda cold," Taehyung says, to break the weird tension from being so intimately close to one another. 

"Sorry, they had no idea we'd be trespassing."

"I hate you," He knows for a fact he doesn't. 

Seokjin chuckles and starts swaying them in the water while Taehyung tightens his grip. While there's fear edged somewhere back in his mind, due to the trauma he had suffered in the past, Taehyung feels relaxed despite his feet not touching the ground. Seokjin is here and he is going to protect him, he's going to hold him close and not drop him. 

"When are you gonna tell me how you are good at playing basketball?" Seokjin urges, hands settling just by the dip of Taehyung's hips, innocently. 

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Taehyung teases. 

"Maybe the magician can teach me?" 

"Why would you suggest the game if you didn't know how to play?" He chuckles, cupping the water in one of the palms and dripping it over his shoulder. 

"Hey, I'm good!" Seokjin defends. "I was hoping you were not though." He mumbles. 

"To get me naked?" 

"Precisely," He says with no shame. 

Taehyung shakes his head, smiling and avoiding eye contact with Seokjin while he plays with the water around him. They float serenely like they aren't trespassing in a high-security level building and any minute now, security is gonna come and catch them naked. The silence is annoying but also appreciated and the closeness is welcomed. 

"Yoongi hyung is really great at basketball, he taught me everything." Taehyung finally says, just to keep the conversation going. "He wanted to be a professional basketball player but his height betrayed him." And he giggles quietly as if Yoongi can hear him making fun of his height again. 

"Maybe I should learn a few moves from Yoongi-ssi, hmm?" 

"Then I wouldn't see you naked." Taehyung blurts and then laughs loudly as if trying to dissolve the truth behind his words. 

"You just have to say, Taehyungie," Seokjin winks, moving them to the centre of the pool. The younger one holds tightly around Seokjin's body while they are floating. 

"This is nice, thank you, hyung," Taehyung remarks, intently making eye contact. He feels Seokjin's palm sliding to the top, settling at the very centre of his back and he thinks Seokjin is gonna pull him in. They are close but he's gonna pull him in and then he's gonna lean in and maybe, just maybe, they'll kiss. 

Months long of avoiding any advances will shatter any second now. But Taehyung isn't worried about crossing his number. He wants this, he imagines what it feels like kissing those pushy lips of Seokjin, wondering how Seokjin kisses, what he would taste like. He imagines it all, so he wants it. This moment feels like it could lead up to a kiss and Taehyung knows in his heart, this time he will give in to the advances. 

But Seokjin doesn't kiss, he simply rubs his back and smiles at him and Taehyung is disappointed because he was looking forward to it, he wants to kiss Seokjin. But why doesn't he make a move like he does every time? 

A small part of him thinks Seokjin is tired of Taehyung rejecting him, tired of the chase and the unknown. This is disappointing and he understands asking Seokjin to search for potential guys doesn't send the 'i want you' signal. 

Maybe Seokjin doesn't want him anymore. 

"Taehyung?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened? Do you wanna get out of the pool?" He worriedly asks, sending mixed signals to Taehyung. 

"Huh? No, why?" 

"You looked worried." 

"Oh." Taehyung nods. "Just thinking about earlier and what a bust it was." He lies. Ever since he arrived home and saw what Seokjin did with the sculptures, he hasn't thought about the evening. He hasn't thought about Joonhwi or any other guys for that matter. He hasn't thought about Kang Seoho either. His mind kept feeding him with the thoughts of Seokjin. 

Seokjin made a special place for your sculptures. He brought life to the sculptures. Seokjin trespassed to this elite clubhouse with you. He played basketball, he purposely lost sometimes so you would feel better. He's holding you now so you don't panic.  

It has been Seokjin the entire evening. 

"You must have really liked him, huh?" Seokjin asks and Taehyung tries to decipher his tone. Jealous? Or curious? 

"Now that I think about it, I did not." Taehyung shakes his head, "I pretended to study politics so I could get close to him because he was smart and ideal. But I hated every bit of it. The studying, the pretence to like a subject you don't give a shit about." Seokjin hums, acknowledging that he's listening. "Up to that very moment, I went by his rules without realising but when he said that…that-" His face sours, remembering the conversation he had with Joonhwi, "-I realised how different I had been from the very start and I left." He shrugs. 

"That's good, Taehyungie. You should be with someone you don't have to pretend to be someone else." 

Taehyung nods. 

"Hey, you wanna dive?" 

Taehyung laughs, "That is so random, hyung. I can't believe you just said that after imparting such wisdom." 

"I didn't know what to say!" Seokjin complains, lips pouting. 

He tsks, "I was beginning to respect you." 

"Rude." He puffs his cheeks out, perhaps unconsciously but he looks so damn cute, Taehyung giggles heavily at his antics. 

"Fine, let's dive in." He agrees. 

Seokjin smiles, nodding his head. He tightens his arms around the younger's waist and communicates through his eyes. Taehyung takes a long breath and signals Seokjin before he's forcefully pulled in. He's holding onto his breath but he's smiling. Once the bubbles disappear, he sees Seokjin smiling widely too.  

Taehyung taps his shoulder to be pulled out and Seokjin surfaces to the water, breathing heavily, both of them. 

"Oh, my god! Again!" Taehyung excitedly says, voice rising. 

Seokjin lets out a very unique chuckle and says, "You are like a baby." 

Taehyung has the decency to feel shy. He can understand why Seokjin would say that. He's stuck to Seokjin like a fucking koala and he's excited about being under the water. He's a baby. 

"It's been a while since I've been to a pool, I'm just excited." He says in his defence. 

"Didn't say I was complaining," Seokjin sing-songs. He pushes the hair from his face, looking like a fucking model with water droplets dripping down his beautiful face. "Can you hold your breath longer?" He asks. 

Taehyung nods, "I have a good lung capacity," He affirms. 

Seokjin smirks but doesn't say what's going on in his mind. Instead, he asks Taehyung to take a long breath and nod his head three times, then he dives inside again with the younger. 

This time, Taehyung doesn't feel the rush to move out for air. He relinquishes his grip on Seokjin and waits for the bubbles to disappear. Once they do, Taehyung looks around the emptiness in the pool, the darkness of being underwater and he's a little scared of somehow losing his grip and drowning but he tries to calm himself. 

The ground isn't far too down how he envisioned but he cannot stand on his feet and be above water. So this is a good reason to hold onto Seokjin. It's exhilarating, a pump of adrenaline rushing through his body. It's been a while, certainly. His fear always obstructed him to explore further in fear that history will repeat itself. But as he feels anxious right now, he's also very calm about the situation, about him floating.

Taehyung doesn't say anything and he loses his grip on Seokjin's torso, unlocking his ankles and letting it slide down to meet Seokjin's. He's okay, he's fine. Seokjin, not even for a second, leaves his grip on the waist. He holds onto him and for that Taehyung is grateful. The younger sees their feet touching and he smiles brightly at Seokjin. 

It's all so very exhilarating, to overcome a part of his fear. 

Taehyung's palms move across Seokjin's shoulder to his face where he cups his cheeks gently. He doesn't have a secured grip but Seokjin is holding him, not letting him drift at all. Taehyung is overcome by confidence and so he leans in, a clear sign of indication but Seokjin stays, despite looking confused. He can't say what he's going to do as they are underwater so throwing the consciousness out of the water, Taehyung closes the gap between them and captures Seokjin in a kiss. 

He doesn't know what he is expecting out of an underwater kiss but it isn't smooth. He can't really move his lips, afraid to swallow water and choke on it. Neither Seokjin knows what to do, he is surprised by the turn of events but he's not pushing Taehyung away. But they somehow make it work, Seokjin takes the initiative to move his lips against Taehyung, very slowly and carefully while the younger follows his lead. 

It's different, kissing underwater. The viscosity of the water can be felt in between the kiss somehow and Taehyung can't make sense of what it feels like to kiss Seokjin. Magical? Not really. He's thinking too much about water flowing between their lips to think about the softness of Seokjin's lips. 

But it doesn't stop him from kissing Seokjin as he expresses it. He doesn't think too much about the technicality of the situation and rather concentrates on Seokjin as a whole, his presence gripping him tightly and he's getting lightheaded from holding his breath for too long. But all he feels is Seokjin, Seokjin and Seokjin. 

Then Seokjin surges through the water, bringing them up for air and Taehyung gasps out a long breath, chest pumping and oxygen rushing to his lungs all at once. Water droplets fall from their hair up their shoulders and back to the water. 

Taehyung is still trying to get a hold of his breath. 

"Shit, I always wanted to kiss underwater." He says between gasps. 

Seokjin grins and nods, resting his forehead against Taehyung's shoulder and catching his breath. 

"By any chance-" Seokjin asks, breathless, "-did you wanna kiss above the water?" And he moves his head from Taehyung's shoulder and looks at him, a mysterious yet aroused glint in his eyes. 

Taehyung's answer lies in the way he kisses Seokjin, even before nodding to his questions. And it's certainly different than kissing underwater because now he can feel the movement of Seokjin's lips against his own. It's nothing that he expected from kissing Seokjin, rushed and messy. It's exactly the opposite of messy, it's soft, it's neat and it's different. 

And there is no surprise that Seokjin is good at kissing, he has had a lot of practice. But what is in this kiss that Taehyung has never felt before with his partners? What is this tingling feeling in his stomach as Seokjin glides his palms all over his body? 

He doesn't know and while he's afraid to ask, to discover, he's also not going to deny himself this. 

They break the kiss for air, lips still touching teasingly but never closing around. 

"Hyung, you suck at basketball." Taehyung chuckles. 

"Wow, talk dirty to me, Taehyung." 

"But good thing you are good at kissing." 

"Well, I can't be good at everything. Seems unreal, you know?" 

Taehyung moves back and rolls his eyes, the moment has passed but it's still in the air. He knows he can lean in and kiss again and Seokjin will reciprocate. 

Seokjin slowly swims towards the edge of the pool, ready to get out because it's getting late and they are probably caught on CCTV and if security is gonna do rounds, they will be caught and probably spend a night in jail. 

"What else are you good at?" Taehyung asks once he's seated on the floor, out of the water. 

"Not anything particular," Seokjin says and uses the floor as leverage to push himself out of the water. 

"Why not? You are great at playing the guitar!" Taehyung argues, wearing his clothes back on. He shivers a little. If he had known they'd go inside the water, he probably would have worn something warm. His nose is already red and his eyes are bloodshot due to chlorine. He might look sick but he hasn't felt alive like this in a while. 

"That wouldn't pay my rent," Seokjin chuckles, putting on his jeans on wet boxers. "I hate this feeling." He whines as his joggers get wet. 

"You can always make music," Taehyung suggests, buttoning up his shirt. 

"I'm not very equipped in making my music." Seokjin looks at Taehyung, waiting for him to get dressed so they can leave. His arms are wounded around his chest, warming himself. The hoodie Seokjin had been wearing, he moves towards Taehyung and hands it to him. 

"I'm honestly okay," Taehyung says, declining the kind offer. 

"Just wear it, Taehyung, I'd hate it if you get sick." He says it so casually as if it doesn't flutter Taehyung's heart. 

Once they are clothed but still wet (it's not like they can do anything about it) they leave the pool area, Seokjin guiding them through the emergency exit while the evidence of their little shenanigans is left behind in the form of a wet floor. 

They decide to hail a cab and while they wait for one to stop, Seokjin looks at Taehyung, still shivering from the cold air. He comes closer and wraps his arm around his shoulder, hoping to transfer and capture heat between them. Taehyung doesn't look at him or question his move, he simply moulds himself in his arms. 

"You never told me what you like to do," Seokjin says. 

"Hmm?"

"What is it that you love to do?" He clarifies. 

Taehyung thinks for a moment, left leg swaying side by side as he thinks over his hobbies, something he is passionate about. It's not the job he had or the job he's so desperately looking for. Those are just for security. He doesn't feel happy when he's awake and he has to go to work, do work monotonously and come back home and repeat the cycle. He hates being repetitive, his life, all the same, every day. The only thing he looks forward to is coming home and not to relax but to make those sculptures. To wear his dirty overalls and think about a character he'd like to bring to life, to shape it, to scrutinise the details and then to paint it, to make it lively. 

It's what puts him in a good mood. 

"Making my freaky little sculptures," he answers, smiling just at the thought of it. 

"Then why don't you prioritise it?" 

"I'm not gonna make rent through it." Taehyung scoffs at the sheer thought. He'd be on the street in a month. Who'd buy them? They are so urban and don't do well with the natural settling of homes, he knows that. The characters aren't from fairy tales, perfect little things. They are inspiratìons from people around him and humans have imperfections, some are noticeable and some aren't easily noticeable. Who'd want such imperfections in their house? 

"Sure, you can! You just never have tried selling." He shrugs, Taehyung nods. That's right, he's never thought about it. Before tonight sculptures were just a hobby to him, a therapy to strip himself away from the real world. He never thought they would be worth something. "Maybe give it a try." Seokjin nudges him, smiling sweetly. 

"Maybe," Taehyung whispers. 

They reach home soon enough, with their clothes still wet from wet boxers and body cold from the cold breeze. They rush to get inside the apartment first, voices giggling as they skip through the stairs. 

Taehyung puts in his password as they fill in the apartment, haphazardly removing their shoes and giggling all the way through as if they are drunk. Taehyung immediately switches on the thermostat, warming up the apartment while he makes his way to the bedroom to take off his wet clothes. 

"I can't believe you finally got me naked," Taehyung shouts from the bedroom, peeling off his wet slacks. 

"Well, my hoodie does look good on you," Seokjin shouts from the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out the can of beer. 

"Good, I'm keeping it," Taehyung says, giggling. 

"No, you're not," He declares, opening the beer can and taking a quick sip of the froth. "I can't afford to lose more clothes. Guys are always stealing my clothes." He complains, looking up towards Taehyung's bedroom and seeing him leaning against the door frame, with just a white shirt and Seokjin's hoodie on his frame. His ankles are crossed and his legs are completely bare of any clothing. Just skin, honey-coloured of pure, unblemished skin with supple thighs. Seokjin stops momentarily. He stops moving, stops drinking. He stops thinking about anything other than Taehyung at the moment. 

"Guys aren't always stealing your clothes," Taehyung counters, chuckling, "They are borrowing them, fully intending to give them back but you never call." He states, sass dripping from his tone. 

"So," Seokjin starts, keeping away the beer and moving towards Taehyung, "You're saying that if I have fewer one night, I'll have more clothes?" He stands in front of him, eyes serious and gone of any playful mirth from earlier. 

"I-I think so," Taehyung meets his eyes, standing up straight as Seokjin leans towards him, barricading him.

"Well, that settles it," Seokjin declares, slowly unzipping the hoodie, while flicking his eyes towards Taehyung, for any uncertainty. When he sees none, when he hears the hitch in his breath, Seokjin smirks slightly. "I'm changing my ways and I'm not gonna lose more clothes." He says, unbuttoning his shirt from underneath and letting it come apart. 

"Yeah?" Taehyung shallowly breathes. 

"Yeah," Seokjin nods, looking at the younger one while pushing the clothes off of his shoulder. "In fact, I'm going to take this one back right now." He whispers, moving his palms from his arms to his shoulders in one swift glide, resting it by his neck. 

"Hyung," Taehyung stutters, hands fisting by his side and heart thumping loudly in his chest. 

"Stop me now," Seokjin challenges, eyes flicking from his body to his face. To Taehyung, it sounds like a request to stop now before he can't stop.

Taehyung leans in closer, breath fanning across Seokjin's mouth as he seductively whispers, "Take it off." 

Instead, Seokjin crashes his lips against Taehyung, like earlier in the pool.  A gasp leaves Taehyung, not because he wasn't expecting the kiss but because of the intensity of the kiss. Seokjin pins him against the door frame and kisses the life out of him. Taehyung is going crazy, trying to reciprocate the kiss but also wanting to hold onto something so his knees don't buck. 

He fists Seokjin's t-shirt as leverage as he attempts to make sense of the situation, of the fact that Seokjin is kissing him like he has found an ocean in a desert. It's cliche, Taehyung discerns his thought process but he has never been kissed so desperately and all sense of word-formation rushes out of his mind. Seokjin gives and gives, Taehyung takes and takes. 

Taehyung reciprocates the kiss with the same vigour, to show that he craved this to happen as much. He has been denying this to himself, making up excuses in the form of finding his exes so he could steer clear from Seokjin and the storm he brings whenever he's close to Taehyung. Lately, it hasn't been about the sexual tension between them, at least not from Taehyung. It's been more, more than Taehyung wanting to jump on Seokjin and kiss the living daylights out of him, more than hoping Seoķjn would push him against the wall and kiss him as he means it, more than hoping a clear sign of breaking his rule to finally sleep with Seokjin and get it out of his system. 

Of course, he still wants all of that. But he also wants everything other than that. He wants to go on the roof and eat Chinese food with Seokjin while he plays the guitar for practice. He wants to lean his head on Seokjin's shoulder and watch movies. He wants to come home and have Seokjin right there where he belongs, lying about on the couch and smiling as soon as he sees Taehyung entering the apartment. 

It's weird to feel this way because the image Taehyung had of him was opposite to how he has been and that was the image that helped Taehyung dislike him, so he wouldn't give in to temptation and sleep with Seokjin. Yet, Seokjin is nothing like the stories Taehyung had morally cooked up about him. And this feeling -- he doesn't know what to call it -- but this feeling is new and he is still treading on what to do and what to call it. 

The door frame digs sharply into Taehyung's back, eliciting a painful whimper that is easily caught by Seokjin. He hasn't realised that it wasn't because of Seokjin's hands gliding across the expanse of his back. 

"Hyung…hy-hyung," Taehyung tries to speak.  

"I know, I've been wanting to do this for a long time," Seokjin murmurs in his mouth, biting down Taehyung's plump lips. Taehyung knew that but he always thought Seokjin was pulling his leg, trying to lighten the awkwardness between them. He didn't know Seokjin seriously desired to kiss Taehyung. 

"No, no…wait," Taehyung stops him, pushing him away and Seokjin is alert when he hears the word 'no'.

"Wha--did I say something wrong?" He asks, still panting. 

"No, fuck, my back is hurting," He frowns, leaning away from the door frame. 

"Fuck, okay," Seokjin pulls him closer, "I thought you didn't want this anymore."

"No, no, still want this very much," Taehyung smiles, leaning in to softly kiss Seokjin on the lips. 

It doesn't stay the same way because months-long sexual tension is finally pouring out of their body. Their kiss couldn't stay innocent. Seokjin surprises him by picking him up, stunning Taehyung at the sheer act of it. Seokjin's physique doesn't do him justice. He's no buff but his actions prove otherwise. Taehyung is ashamed when his dick twitches a little, hoping Seokjin is distracted enough to not notice. 

Seokjin drops him gently on the bed, crawling on all four on top of him and leaning down to kiss him again without saying much. There is nothing to say, their kiss says it all, they've been wanting to do this for a while. Seokjin glides his palm down, feeling the heated skin of Taehyung as he settles his hand on Taehyung's hip, fingers playing with the waistband of the (replaced) boxer. His breath hitches, mind racing a hundred miles per hour. He has sworn to not have sex until he's found the one. Is Seokjin that one? 

Fuck, he hasn't even sorted out his feelings for Seokjin. How can he have sex right now and break his proclamation? What if he regrets it in the morning? Shit, what if Seokjin isn't here in the morning and avoids him as he does with his one night stands? 

But when Seokjin glides his palm further down and hoists Taehyung's leg over his body, he loses his inhibitions and tightens his leg around his body. Seokjin doesn't seem to give them a break, relentlessly licking Taehyung's mouth and exchanging a gross amount of spit between them.

Fuck, he's such a good kisser. If this is one time, Taehyung is gonna miss being kissed like this. 

He pants into Seokjin's mouth, dick tenting very obviously in his boxers and making him feel uncomfortable with the entrapment. 

"Fuck, Taehyungie, you lips…" Seokjin trails off, mapping the said lips with his index fingers and slightly pushing in, Taehyung doesn't resist the intrusion. He looks at him seductively and Seokjin groans sexily on top of him, replacing his fingers with his mouth again. 

He trails his kisses down, dragging his plump lips against the soft and warm skin of Taehyung's neck and sucking without leaving a mark. He hands maps Taehyung's entire body, air-like touches on his nipples and then dragging to feel his soft abdomen. When Seokjin's fingers dangerously move around the southern territory, something snaps back into place. 

No, he can't have sex. At least not now. At least not until he can see something more with Seokjin. 

"Wait," Taehyung stutters and Seokjin immediately retreats his hand backs and cups his face  

"It's okay, I have one," Seokjin reassures. 

For a second, Taehyung is confused but then he realises Seokjin is talking about condoms. 

"No-" His next words are cut short when Seokjin kisses him again, "Hyung, wait." He says again, pushing at his chest. "I have to slow down." He explains ruefully, almost apologetically, for himself. 

Seokjin looks at him for a moment, head still hazy with lust and Taehyung looks debauched just from kissing, hair spread around his head like a halo, skin flushed with a sheen of sweat making his body glow. How can he stop now when he has seen Taehyung like this? But when his thoughts clear up, Seokjin understands and nods, falling beside Taehyung but still close to him. 

"It's okay, I understand." It's the number. So sacred, Taehyung doesn't wanna cross until he's sure. Seokjin understands but his dick is painfully hard in his jeans and he wants nothing more than to have sex with Taehyung. "I understand." He repeats, breathing heavily. 

Fuck, why did he get so worked with just a kiss? 

Taehyung turns his body and looks at him, something akin to an apology sitting on his tongue. He should not be sorry , Seokjin thinks. Even if it wasn't about a number, even when Taehyung would have changed his mind, Seokjin would still understand. Consent is fucking important, he acknowledges that. 

"What if I just put in a little bit? It wouldn't count." Seokjin jokes, trying to lighten the move and probably get the heady atmosphere to vanish. 

"Hoseok hyung says it counts," Taehyung smiles. 

Seokjin doesn't remember any 'Hoseok hyung' from their previous conversations but he doesn't like the thought process of this guy. Seokjin leans down to kiss him chastely and he's glad Taehyung reciprocates. 

"What if that much?" Seokjin asks again, separating his hands almost 10 cm apart to indicate the length of his dick. Taehyung chuckles, leaning in to kiss him. "It's nothing, you won't feel a thing," Seokjin murmurs into his lips and kisses him chastely again. 

When they separate, Taehyung is still looking apologetic and Seokjin stops joking because Taehyung shouldn't feel apologetic about halting the sex for now. It's his right and Seokjin will respect that. 

He removes the fallen hair from his face and nods when Taehyung opens his mouth, probably to apologise for real. 

"It's okay, I understand," Seokjin says instead, leaning in to kiss him again. "That's fine," He whispers, pulling the ends of the hoodie closer and covering Taehyung. "But can I kiss you more?" He asks for permission, hand resting on the petite waist of Taehyung. 

"Yes, please." Taehyung leans in and pulls Seokjin on top of him. 

So that's what they did, they kissed all night until their mouths were swollen from biting each other. But they soothed each other's pains with soft, kittenish licks. Seokjin tried very hard to not pull Taehyung closer and grind against him, he kept his crotch tucked away from any part of Taehyung's body while they kissed throughout the night. 

At one point, their messy make-up had turned to soft goodnight kisses, with Seokjin peppering kisses all over Taehyung's face making him giggle sleepily. 

Taehyung slips into slumber first, from the feeling of Seokjin's scent and lips. While Seokjin stays awake for a few minutes and just creepily, he might add, admires Taehyung's sleeping form and his heart flutters at the image of the sweet boy lying next to him. 

Seokjin has never explored this kind of feeling before and he's curious to know what it is and why his heart flutters, his stomach fills with butterflies whenever he's near Taehyung. 

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung wakes up with a sharp inhale as if rising from the dead. He stretches on his bed, cracking his back in the process and yawn quietly in the bare morning. He slowly turns around, hoping to find Seokjin still here and to his surprise, Seokjin is very much present next to him, sleeping like a baby. The light from the sun filters through the windows, dancing on the strands of his hair like fairy lights.

He comes closer when the hush of wind fills the room through the open window and creates goosebumps all over his naked back. Seokjin is radiating warmth and Taehyung cannot miss that. 

It takes a while for Seokjin to open his eyes to the loud chirping of the birds outside and the usual chaos of people. The first thing he sees is Taehyung smilinģ at him sweetly and he believes himself to dreaming still. Dream of Taehyung almost lying on top of him and caressing his cheek ever so lightly. 

But when Taehyung leaves feather-like kisses on his lips, it feels too real. 

"Morning," He whispers between their lips. 

"You are so beautiful," Seokjin says in a trance-like mode. Taehyung drops his head on his chest and chuckles. He brings his fingers under Taehyung's chin and pulls him forward for another kiss. 

It's so out of code of conduct for Seokjin to be laying here and kissing Taehyung first thing in the morning. This is not his routine. He's out of his door even before his partner wakes up and then waits for them to leave. He doesn't wake up and kiss them in the morning after a great night of sex. But that's where the first difference lies. Taehyung and he didn't have sex. They only kissed. That's as far as they have gone. And Taehyung is not just some stranger Seokjin picked in a club, he's different. 

He's someone Seokjin looks forward to spending time with. Seokjin sometimes hopes Taehyung's date wouldn't go well with one of his exes so that he'd get to spend time with Taehyung with the excuse of finding his exes. 

And with regard to kissing, he likes to keep it hygienic. That means no kissing without brushing teeth first. He has dodged so many of his partners trying to make up with him in the morning, with ridiculous excuses that make him snort later. 

But here he is, kissing Taehyung's soft and plump lips without brushing their teeth and he cannot stop, he cannot push away Taehyung and get technical about it. So he just pulls him impossibly closer and moves his mouth against Taehyung in a soft, innocent kiss. 

Once they break the kiss, Taehyung smiles at him, eyes still puffy with sleepiness and he looks cute, he looks like home to Seokjin. 

"Hey," Seokjin says, tapping his nose cutely, "How's this for a slice of awesome?" He starts, having Taehyung adjust over him completely, " Running man all day long. I'll run to the store and get us something to snack on-" Taehyung nods in agreement, "- you stay here and whip up some margaritas. Sounds good?" He asks. It sounds perfect, to just stay in and watch variety shows while eating unhealthy food but not caring about it. And maybe they could kiss, pause Running Man and make out like last night and once oxygen becomes important for surviving, they could resume the show. 

But he can't. At least no today. 

Taehyung groans and falls next to his body, looking at the ceiling and blinking, "Shit, I can't. Oh my god!" He groans, sitting up and moving out from the bed. 

"No, no, no, no…" Seokjin whispers, but he's already out of bed, frantically collecting his clothes. 

"No! I'm meeting Namjoon hyung," Taehyung exclaims, worriedly as he starts throwing things in his bag, not realising he has taken Seokjin's phone at the moment. "He hates it when I'm late," Taehyung mumbles, pulling out clothes from his closet. 

"What if I get hotteok from that ahjumma across our street?" Seokjin bribes, hoping Taehyung will stay for a little longer.  

Taehyung compensates by kissing him chastely, "Not today," He whispers against his lips and then adds something as an afterthought, "but maybe later." And kiss his lips several times then getting out of Seokjin's approaching hold before he could pull him to his abdomen and they spiral down the make-out abyss.  

With that, he begrudgingly pulls away and walks to his bathroom for a warm shower. 

"What's with that face?" Namjoon asks, glancing at Taehyung for a second before going back to smelling the flowers. "It's like you're in love or something." 

"Hyung, do you hear the music?" Taehyung asks, dreamingly and soft, barely-there -- smile on his face. 

"Russian roulette?" He asks, hearing the voices of Red Velvet blasting somewhere far away. 

"No, it's like…like a harp." 

"What are you on?" Namjoon asks, confused. 

Taehyung shakes his head and rolls his eyes. Namjoon needs his ear cleaned. He'll suggest that to him before the wedding day. 

"So, I can't believe Yoongi hyung didn't want to pick out these place cards," He sarcastically says, flipping through the heavy file in his hand. 

"He wanted Calibri!" Namjoon says angrily. "It's a wedding not a fucking funeral!" 

Taehyung snorts, not knowing what the fuck Calibri is. 

Namjoon writes a note on the notebook he's carrying, examining the flowers carefully as if he's a fucking botanist. That would have suited Namjoon as a career, he has a weird attachment to plants. "Have you convinced eomma to come to the wedding yet?" He asks, raising his eyebrow in all seriousness. 

"No," And before Namjoon could scold him, he stops him and continues, "I don't have to because you are going to talk appa out of coming." 

Namjoon's eyes widen in surprise, "What? But he's our father!" He argues. 

"Hyung, I hate to be that sibling but let's face it, you know appa is only coming because he thinks he has to," Taehyung says casually. Their father and mother don't have a very good relationship after the divorce, Taehyung and Namjoon were always there in the middle of their fights and arguments. A wedding is a special day and he would only want one of his parents too, especially knowing how his parents react in presence of each other. 

Namjoon sighs, thinking hard and running his fingers through his hair. Namjoon has always been high on emotional intelligence between them, so it's no surprise he wants both of their parents at the wedding. And now he has to choose which parent he can invite to his wedding. Damn, tough love there. 

"Hyung, let's give him a break and make everyone else happy at the wedding." Taehyung tries to make it easier for him. It's not like he doesn't want his father at the wedding but they aren't close to each other and they don't often see each other and his father has carefree, living in the moment -- nature. Taehyung thinks he'll understand why he had to be cut out of the wedding. He can't say the same for his mother. She'll never let Namjoon nor Taehyung forget this betrayal. 

"Fuck, fine." Namjoon agrees and clears his throat. No appa, it seems. 

At that moment, the rest of their friends enter the store loudly, smelling and touching all the flowers on the way. 

"Oh good, you guys are here," Namjoon sighs, pointing at the file in Taehyung's hands, "We have narrowed it down to two, you guys can cast the vote and that will be final." 

Taehyung acts like a presenter, taking this job very seriously. He presents the two nominees very delicately, "So, it's this one and this nearly identical one." He shows them. 

"Monotype Corsiva," Hoseok finalises with a glance.

"How the fuck do you know that?" 

"Because I'm cultured," He rolls his eyes and takes tiny sips of his hot chocolate. Taehyung pouts. 

"Okay, are we done? Because I wanna hear about Yeoeuido-dong . Did you visit the Mulbit Squares?" Jimin asks excitedly, swishing everyone down. 

"No, but that would have been worth my time." Taehyung sighs, closing the file and keeping it away. 

Namjoon listens and walks around, being part of the gossip but also working on his wedding preparations.  

"So there was no sparks with Joonhwi?" Namjoon asks, plucking a branch of weird looking flower and inhaling its scents before making a disgusted face and keeping it away. 

"Joonhwi? What happened to Kang Seoho?" Jungkook chimes in, looking confused like the baby Bambi. "Aren't you looking for Kang Seoho?" 

Taehyung sighs and shrugs nonchalantly, "Seoho is in Japan and Joonhwi only wants to make me a member of his party." He reasons. "But it's okay," He calms them down, "Seokjin hyung is gonna be my date to the wedding." He smiles, the blush rising to the cheeks at just the prospect of it, the progress of last night. 

"Is that the guy who answered your phone and got mad at me for waking him up at two in the afternoon?" Hoseok asks, remembering the conversation earlier he had with the man. 

Taehyung scrunches his nose, "Yeah, I took his phone by mistake." He shows them. 

"You invited Seokjin? Your disgusting neighbour?" Namjoon drops everything and his boisterous voice echoes between them. 

"Do we call him that?" Taehyung jokes. 

"Just behind your back," Jungkook mumbles, taking a sip from his drink and avoiding the conversation. 

"Okay, well, let's not." He says, sitting up straight and looking at Namjoon, "He's a pretty good guy." Pretty good at kissing, for sure, his subconscious unnecessarily provides. 

Namjoon scoffs and smirks, "Oh Taehyung…" 

"What?" 

"You slept with him." He accuses. 

"What? No, I didn't!" He stands up and defends himself, looking at everyone with conviction. And even if he did sleep with Seokjin,1 Taehyung would still consider him good, he has seen past all the facade Seokjin has put up, god knows why. “I didn’t!” 

"Good, don't," Jimin speaks up, looking angrily. 

"Wha-"

"He's not the kind of guy you end up with. He's the kind of guy you date before the guy you end up with." Hoseok explains and Taehyung feels this unwarranted anger towards his friends and brother. How can they judge Seokjin without knowing him personally? 

Sure, he has the playboy name attached to him but Taehyung has slept with 20 people, a feat none of his friends have reached and it's not about competition but if sleeping around is being judged as a characteristic or personality of a person, then Taehyung is no different than Seokjin. 

He doesn't know why he feels the need to defend Seokjin while he's not here. It's just unfair that the man can't defend himself and Taehyung knows him too well not to realise Seokjin is not the kind of guy he presents himself to be. 

Whatever may be his reasons for sleeping around, that doesn't define his personality at all. He's more than that and he's proven that to Taehyung. 

"How do you know? You haven't even met him." Taehyung asks, looking challengingly at Hoseok. 

Jimin speaks up instead, "Because I know him and he ran out on me after I gave him a blowjob in the bathroom of one of the clubs." Taehyung cannot believe the words. That's not the Seokjin he knows and he cannot believe Seokjin and Jimin have met each other under such circumstances. 

"Um, he…" He's at a loss for words. 

"He got a call and he had to 'urgently' leave. He promised to call me later at night and meet up but he never did." Jimin narrates his story and Taehyung clenches his hands, that's not Seokjin. "Hey, I like getting on with people, judge me, I don't care. But I felt so used that night because he was so sweet and complimenting me. He danced and joked around and I actually liked him but it turns out it was his tactics to get me on my knees." Jimin huffs, sitting down next to Taehyung. 

"I'm not mad about not getting some of that action but he's not a good guy, Taehyungie." He rubs his shoulders gently while Taehyung's head hangs low and he tries to regulate his breathing. 

"That's okay," Taehyung whispers. "Maybe he has changed." 

"Taehyung, I have met him and he is dangerously sexy," Namjoon speaks out, "and if he wanted to come in through the back door, you'd let him." His brother calls him out. 

"Don't let him, Taehyungie hyung," Jungkook says firmly. 

"Don't worry, I wouldn't let him in through the backdoor," He assures them, standing up, "He's just a friend, no, just a neighbour who's doing me a favour." He looks at them and smiles, trying to convince them that he's okay. 

The conversation from the flower shop stays in his mind throughout the day. Seokjin and Jimin almost had sex? Did Seokjin really leave Jimin after getting the blowjob? He isn't like that. Seokjin is a nice guy. He orders non-spicy food for Taehyung. He has started storing fruity sojus at his home knowing Taehyung doesn't like the normal soju flavour. Sometimes when Taehyung falls asleep on the roof, he brings him down to his apartment and tucks him in. 

How can they be the same person? 

Taehyung was finally coming to terms with the fact that he might have feelings for Seokjin and this train of information railroaded him all of a sudden. 

He thought about clarifying the situation with Seokjin but what would he ask? And why should he ask? Will Seokjin even remember? That would be worse if he doesn't remember because he has slept with a platoon of people. And it's not like he doesn't believe Jimin, his best friend. But maybe Jimin got it all wrong. Perhaps his side of perspective reflects Seokjin in a bad light. 

Because Taehyung is not ready to believe Seokjin is that kind of person. 

⁉⁉⁉

Taehyung is eventually home, perching down at his station and carving the minor components on the wedding toppers he has accepted as a venture. Carving sculptures enables him a ton in attempting to get his thoughts filtered. Ever since the vile explanation from Jimin, he can't help but question everything about Seokjin and his intentions. 

Speaking about him, he wasn't here when Taehyung arrived exhausted. He was relatively pleased because he hadn't sorted his thoughts (nor his feelings). He understands he has to interrogate Seokjin, get both viewpoints of the statement before he can move on, conceivably quit mistrusting Seokjin. 

He takes a comfortable bath while Seokjin is out for some chore, which he had not been enlightened about, not that he expected to. Seokjin has reminded him of the plan, Running Man but with a decent meal. He had grinned at the text he received, still carrying Seokjin's phone around, unable to exchange it throughout the day. 

This is Seokjin, formulating ideas to remain in and cuddle and kiss and watch Running Man just for the notoriety of Lee Kwang Soo. To eat junk foods and not be judged for his bloated belly. 

When he takes a deep breath after mulling so hard over the sculptures, he receives a message, well…Seokjin does. Reckoning it's honestly from Seokjin to him, he unlocks the phone and sees the name on the notification bar, written boldly 'Kang Seoho Info'.

Curiosity gets the best of a man. 

Taehyung becomes interested in the observation of the name and he clicks on the message. He presumably shouldn't, understanding that this is inundating (with) Seokjin's privacy but Kang Seoho is unrelated to Seokjin and so technically he isn't invading any privacy. 

Once he examines through the chat, he's stunned at first and then disappointed at the disclosure, stomach weaving uneasily as he lowers the unlocked phone on the table. 

Kang Seoho Info 

Tuesday, 4th September

Kang Seoho - 010-617-XXXX

You owe me BIG! 

Thanks man! 

Today, 10th September

Hey hyung, still no call…😕

Did you pass on Seoho's # to Taehyung? 

At that minute, Seokjin cheerfully jams in the code and enters the apartment, "Honey, I'm home!" He announces loudly, taking off his shoes, "And I've brought good food." He enunciates the word 'good' to emphasise the adjective. 

He keeps the food on the table carefully, "So, I thought of getting kimchi jjigae but I smelled the beautiful aroma of galbi jjim from one of the restaurants, I had to get that." He narrates, unaware of the turmoil Taehyung is going through. "Also the convenience store did not have fruity sojus, so I bought us some beers." He explains while keeping the drinks in the fridge. 

Taehyung goes back to his sculptures, mindlessly scraping the softened call from the head part to make it look like hair strands.

"What are you doing?" Seokjin asks, moving closer, "Are you preparing the wedding toppers?" He wonders, standing behind Taehyung and wrapping his arms around his waist, bending down to rest his chin on the younger's shoulder and see the process. He kisses his clothes shoulder several times while nuzzling in his neck and inhaling the fresh scent of peaches without disturbing him.  Don't let me bug you then." He says, kissing one final time and hopping on the couch in the living room. 

Taehyung straightens and clears his throat, hand clammy at the thought of what he's going to inquire about. This is the opportunity to distinguish what kind of a person Seokjin is. The manner Jimin characterized him to be or the one he surmises Seokjin is. 

"Hey, so, just out of curiosity," He begins, taking in a deep breath when Seokjin hums, "did you ever hear anything from Seoho?" He inquires aloud, heart thumping in his chest and wishing Seokjin will divulge him into the facts. There has to be an explanation he kept the information hidden, right? But what was the reason? 

Seokjin stays silent for a moment and Taehyung believes he will tell the truth, he just doesn't know how to. That's why he's taking his time. But Taehyung will understand him nevertheless because he's not fabricating. 

"Ah, nope," Seokjin answers instead, so casually like that's certainly the truth when in existence he has been lying to Taehyung. 

Conversations from earlier come back rushing to his head. 

He's not a good guy, Taehyungie. 

He left me after getting a blowjob and never called back. 

Don't let him in, Taehyungie hyung. 

Taehyung takes another deep breath and nods to himself, "Really? Not a phone call? Nothing?" He implores again, voice flat even when his throat feels like giving in. 

"Nope," Seokjin replies the same. Lies again. 

"Okay, well," He stands up from the chair, grabbing Seokjin's phone and moving towards his bedroom before tossing the phone at Seokjin and excusing himself, "I'm kinda busy right now so I guess I'll see you later." He clenches his jaw, without looking at Seokjin but his rigid stature is sufficient confirmation that he's furious. 

Seokjin stares at the phone and realises, puzzling the pieces together a little too late. 

He rises from the couch before Taehyung could slam the door on his face, "Shit! Taehyung, wait!"

"Just go," 

"Wait, wait," 

"I don't wanna hear any more lies." Taehyung grits his teeth. 

"Yes, Seoho is back in Seoul and I do have his number but-" Seokjin sighs, watching Taehyung pace around, attempting to divert himself from listening to Seokjin, "but I didn't think it mattered now." He confesses. 

"Would you please just go?" He pleads, passing by him to the living room. All the warmth and happiness from earlier is taken off from his face and now reinstated with something harsh and aggrieved. 

"What about last night?" Seokjin implores, brows furrowed.

Taehyung takes a deep breath, putting away the happy thoughts of last night, the basketball game, the moment in the pool and the night ending with lots of kisses. "I think we should forget about last night." He announces with finality. 

"Because of Seoho?" 

"No." Taehyung shakes his head, picking up the trash from his station, something to do so he doesn't have to face Seokjin and be influenced by his personality and lies again. "Because you are not the kind of guy I'm supposed to end up with." He lets out, recollecting what Hoseok warned him earlier. 

"What kind of a guy am I, Taehyung?" Seokjin raises a question, his voice stiffened and face reflecting the hostility he is experiencing. 

Taehyung's heart raps loudly in his chest, deafening his ears as he explains the next sentence, "You are the kind guy you date before you meet the guy you end up with." He tells, turning to face Seokjin confidently, or so he feigns, "And I have already dated twenty of you." 

Seokjin scowls, a view so foreign to Taehyung. "So, you're gonna try to make it work with Seoho -- a guy you haven't seen in years, just so you don't go over the number twenty?" He asks in a voice deprived of any softness or mischievousness that he constantly transmitted. Taehyung dislikes being on the receiving end of it. 

"It's not about a number anymore." He mumbles, controlling his breathing so he doesn't let out anything regretful but he learns that it's extremely late for that presently. 

"Then what the fuck is it about?" Seokjin implores loudly, striding closer. 

"IT'S ABOUT WHAT I WANT!" Taehyung shouts loudly and angrily, chest heaving. 

Seokjin shakes his head, "You don't know what you want, Taehyung." He spits harshly, "You are so busy trying to be what everyone wants you to be, you don't know who you are." 

Taehyung's jaw clenches at that. That's not true, he hasn't been catering to anyone's demands. He's himself, every time and people adore him this way, not because he has altered himself for them. 

That's not likely.

"Well, at least I have relationships, hyung." Taehyung jabs severely, "You can't even hang out with a guy for twenty-four hours without sleeping with him." 

"That was true-" Seokjin stops himself, calming his breaths and lowering his voice, "that was true until I met you." 

Taehyung's inside quivers at the statement. This is how he expected Seokjin to be. But he's not, he's a liar, a manipulative person who purely looks after what he wants. 

Taehyung calms himself down too, "Well, I'm sure you'd be long gone by now if we had slept together last night." He mumbles, striving to maximise the damage for Seokjin. "That's who you are, hyung, and that's how you'll always be." He mutters, walking past him. 

Seokjin stands there, by the kitchen counter, for a moment to soak in Taehyung's bashful words and impression of him. "All right," He acknowledges, standing straight, "Whatever you say, Taehyung. You've already figured it all out." He remarks, making a beeline for the door without glancing back. 

Seokjin unlocks the door and lets himself out, embodying his anger until he enters his apartment. 

"And I know who I am!" Taehyung shouts angrily from behind when Seokjin opens the door to his apartment. "I am someone who's not gonna let another undeserving asshole into my heart…or my hole!" He burst out in anger, veins popping in his neck and face getting red.

"Fuck you," Seokjin whispers, eyes filled with so much hatred for the opposite residence of the building. 

"Shut the fuck up!" Someone shouts from below. 

"Stop fucking your dog, you monster!" Taehyung shouts back from the railing and when he turns around, Seokjin slams the door shut on his face.  

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Chapter Text

Taehyung continued stirring and rolling in the bed, unable to fall asleep with the fight reeling in his head and Seokjin's hard voice ringing in his ears. Many times, throughout the night, he had made up his mind to communicate with Seokjin and apologize for speaking words that were not even his. However, he felt betrayed by Seokjin hiding things from him, especially when he knew how Taehyung desperately wanted to meet Kang Seoho. 

They only kissed one night after Seokjin had acquired Seoho's number. He carried his number for days and did not think to notify Taehyung. He could have given him Seoho's number but he used Joonhwi to steer Taehyung away from Seoho.  

Taehyung cannot bring himself to acknowledge the methods of Seokjin, the way he thinks, the way he feels and how he functions with those feelings. He is slightly glad he could back away before his feelings developed further. 

Once the sky was slowly illuminated by the rising sun on the horizon, Taehyung resolved to at least get up instead of lazing around. He reheated the food Seokjin had bought for them and sat down to distract himself with the cake topper for the wedding. 

It has dried out throughout the night, so he decided to paint them. Mind distracted somewhere else, he attempts to concentrate on arranging the right mix of colors. He glances towards the door, remembering how Seokjin would sneak in to get away from his night rendezvous, or sometimes burst in with food. 

Taehyung knows that's not going to happen anymore. He wonders what Seokjin might be doing. Could he fall asleep? Did he stay awake like Taehyung? Is he even at home? Did he go out only to bring someone to his apartment? Would he really do that after their fight? After how he confessed he changed because of Taehyung? 

He gets his answer in the way he receives a message from Seokjin. Heart thumping in his chest, he clicks on the notification, wondering what Seokjin is going to say. But all he gets is the number of Seoho, the same number that started the fight. There are no greetings of any sort, just the number staring judgingly at Taehyung and mocking him in some way. 

Taehyung locks his phone and chooses to not do much about it for now. He spends the entire day in his apartment, refusing to leave and accidentally bumps into Seokjin without knowing what to say after receiving that number. He does pry and tries to listen to any noise occurring outside to indicate the presence of Seokjin or if he brought someone for the night. 

But he hears nothing. 

And he slowly slumps against the couch before falling on it after the long day. 

❓❓❓

Namjoon calls him in the morning, essentially waking him up. 

"Can you meet me at barbeque nation?" He requests, voice urgent. 

"Hyung," Taehyung whines, his voice laced with sleep. He rubs his eyes and yawns loudly. "I don't wanna meet eomma right now." 

"It's not her, I promise. I-I am…," Namjoon stops and takes a deep sigh before he proceeds. "I'm freaking out a little now the date is so close, I just need someone and I can't talk to Yoongi hyung because he will freak out and there's only you, I wanna talk to right now." He confesses in one breath. 

"You know, everything is fine, right?" 

"Maybe but I'm just open to anything going wrong." He chuckles nervously, "I could come to meet you at your apartment but I don't wanna see your neighbour naked again." He shivers at the thought of it. 

Taehyung swallows and thinks to acquaint  Namjoon with how they had a huge fight last night. But then he will start worrying about Taehyung when he already has so much on his plate. He doesn't mention it to him because it's not a big deal. Later, when the time is right, he will let Namjoon know and perhaps he will be happy Taehyung is not hanging around Seokjin. 

"No, it's fine. I could really eat samgyeopsal." He jokes, stretching his neck and sighing. "I'll meet you in an hour, okay?" 

"Yeah, thank you." Namjoon sighs. "You okay, though? You sound different." 

"I just woke up, hyung." Taehyung dismisses. "See you soon!" With that, he hangs up and starts getting ready to meet Namjoon for lunch. 

While in the shower, Taehyung gives a good thought about what to do with the number. His priority was Seoho, he skimmed through all his exes but he wished for Seoho to be the one. Night after night, he asked Seokjin about the progress in getting Seoho's information. He finally has it, idly saved in his phone waiting to be used. 

He feels hesitant for unknown reasons and that hesitancy argues in favour of not calling Seoho. The other side of him argues why. Why shouldn't he call Seoho? He wanted his number from the very start of this rendezvous, why should he waste this opportunity? 

A tiny voice in his head calls out Seokjin's name as if that's the answer to his questions. 

Taehyung had pondered, again and again, coming up with pros and cons and reasoning them out one by one. In the end, he comes out of the shower, water dripping down his chest and he takes the phone, without any hesitancy, dials Seoho's number. 

Seokjin…it was just a fantasy. It was all physical with him, the carnal desire to have him. 

Right?

"Hi, um hi!" Taehyung stutters, reprimanding himself for sounding unconfident in the voicemail. "It's Taehyung, Kim Taehyung. We uh, we were in college together, I don't know if you remember me, it's been a while." He takes a deep breath, a droplet of water sliding from his hair to his nose, Taehyung wipes it off. "Um, I came across your number and I thought, wow, I should really call Seoho…and leave him a long rambling message on his voicemail ." He chuckles nervously, fingers gripping the towel tightly. Taehyung clears his throat and continues, "Anyway, if you are feeling up to it, uh, you can call-" A small hiccup interrupts him and he widens his eyes in embarrassment.  "Oh, my God, I just hiccuped, I'm so sorry." He apologises and tries again. "You can call-" And he hiccups again, mortified at the coincidence. "You know what? I'll message you instead. Okay, bye!" He quickly hangs up and throws away the phone. 

What the fuck? 

He falls back on the bed and throws a tantrum, thrashing on the bed. "Now, who wouldn't wanna call back the guy who hiccups?" He mumbles to himself. 

Taehyung arrives 10 minutes late to the restaurant, taking some time to get his act together. He was nervous to bump into Seokjin so he stealthily tried to leave his apartment without trying to get caught in the act. 

10 minutes later, he walks into the restaurant, once again packed and spots Namjoon already looking at him and seated at a table that occupies more than 2 people. He doesn't look nervous or worried, instead, he is smiling widely and prompting Taehyung to walk faster. 

Taehyung groans and strides towards his brother with bitterness. 

"Not again." He whines, crossing his arms. "Who's the surprise guest this time?" He implores. 

"So, hear me out," Namjoon begins, "I was supposed to have lunch with appa to inform him that he can't come to the wedding but then he said he's gonna bring his girlfriend-" 

"Sunny?" Taehyung looks irritated. 

"Yes," Namjoon confirms. 

They haven't properly met Sunny, only a couple of times within the minutes of 5 to 10, so they don't know her very well. They have nothing against her but it feels weird to know that their dad is dating a woman who is their age and could easily be Namjoon's girlfriend if he was straight. It's a joke among their friends, one which Namjoon doesn't like for obvious reasons. And the fact that she could be their mother in a few years, kind of makes them feel irked at the prospect. The acceptance part of this relationship hasn't come to them even though they have nothing against the couple. 

Their mother has openly shown her disapproval of the age gap and the relationship in general. Since they are a lot closer to their mother, it feels like an obligation to agree with her even when they secretly have met Sunny a few times. 

She's a sweet woman and she seems to be really trying with Namjoon and Taehyung but it's like a bad breakup. It's not her, it's them. Their father has openly told them that it's okay to be bothered by the relationship and they have no obligation to think she's their stepmother but he demands respect for her nonetheless which is a fair deal. 

"I just couldn't have that conversation with him in front of her." Namjoon reasons. "And so I thought, you know, we could do it together." He smiles a million-dollar smile with his perfectly aligned teeth. Namjoon pulls the chair next to him and signals for Taehyung to sit. 

"I am never meeting you for a meal ever again." He swears, sitting down next to his brother. 

"You don't mean that," Namjoon says, standing up as he spots his father and his girlfriend coming their way. 

"Aigoo! Taehyung-ah! I didn't know you were coming, what a great surprise!" His dad comes in excitedly for a hug as Namjoon rounds off the table and awkwardly hugs Sunny. 

All of them exchange greetings and feign their smiles before taking a seat. 

"Got all my favourite people in one place." Their dad sighs, "I tweeted about it in the morning and everybody wished me a good time." He narrates while the brothers awkwardly look at each other. "You should follow me on Twitter, by the way." He directs at Taehyung. 

"Or…we could just talk right now." Taehyung jokes. 

"L-O-L," His father blurts and laughs at his joke. 

"He's so excited for your wedding, it's all he talks about on his Twitter." Sunny informs them, obviously trying to direct them away from awkwardness. 

"It's because I can't wait for everyone to meet my lovely lady." His father states, getting lost in Sunny's eyes (once again). 

"Oh, you're-you're coming to the wedding too?" Namjoon realises stuttering and smiling. "That's great. That's so great. Isn't that so great, Taehyung-ah?" 

"It's great, it's so great." He agrees. He's momentarily distracted by the call and when he sees the name on the caller ID, he gasps. 

"What's wrong?" Namjoon asks, fretting. 

"Nothing, just…" Taehyung stands up and takes his phone, "I have to attend to this." He tells others. 

"Don't leave me," Namjoon begs through his eyes. 

"You'll be fine, give me a minute," Taehyung says and quickly swivels away from Namjoon's grips, then finds a quiet place to talk. "Seo-Seoho!" Taehyung greets nervously, avoiding the servers moving around. 

"It is you," Seoho's deep charismatic voice fills in through his ears and he shivers. 

"Um, yeah." Taehyung dumbly states. "I didn't think you'd call me back after that-" 

"Your hiccups?" Seoho teases and Taehyung chuckles, leaning back on the walk and relaxing. "That's what intrigued me to call you back." He informs him. 

"Oh, so you wouldn't have called me if I didn't hiccup?" Taehyung teases back, heart thumping in his chest and words calculated before they can make it on his tongue. 

Seoho laughs, "I would have called you back, nonetheless." 

A momentary silence settles between them, one that is awkward. Taehyung thinks about what to say, to talk and to continue this conversation. His brain unnecessarily provides the thought of how easy it's with Seokjin, when they talk and when the silence encompasses them which is comfortable. 

"So,"

"So," 

They both say in unison. 

"You go first." Taehyung politely lets him because he didn't have anything to say in the first place. 

"Would you wanna have dinner with me, Taehyung?" Seoho asks, taking Taehyung by surprise. Taehyung wasn't even expecting that, so soon. 

"Uh, yeah…yeah, I would love that." Taehyung agrees, biting his bottom lips as he feels his cheek warm up. 

"Lovely." Seoho acknowledges. "How about tomorrow night at La Yeon ? Do you know?" He asks consciously. 

No, Taehyung doesn't know but just the name of it screams high-end Michelin guide restaurant. Maybe he will have to ask Namjoon for some money. Taehyung should show some class, after all this is the first time they are meeting after a long time. 

"No, but I will find my way." He confirms. 

"Wonderful!" Seoho breathes out as if he was holding in and waiting for Taehyung's response. "So, I'll see you tomorrow at six pm," Seoho states, an underlying tone that waits for Taehyung to confirm again. 

"Absolutely." 

"Can't wait to see you, Taehyung." 

"You too." Taehyung blushes. 

"I'm gonna hang up now, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Taehyung says goodbye and waits for Seoho to hang up. Once he does, his knees buckle slightly and he puts a hand on his mouth to squeal silently. People nearby give him a weird and irritated look. Taehyung bows down and apologises before moving back to his table. 

He doesn't realise he has been smiling widely until his father points it out. 

Taehyung waves dismissively until Namjoon leans in and asks, "Was that Seokjin?" 

"Why would you think that?" 

"Because you are always smiling around him, even when you message or talk to him on the phone."  Namjoon shrugs. 

Taehyung didn't realise he did that. He reckons he talks like that with everyone but for Namjoon to specifically point out Seokjin's name, makes him conscious of his decision to go out with Seoho. 

"It wasn't him." Taehyung quietly answers, feeling the need to respond and clarify that Seokjin doesn't make him laugh, not since 2 days ago. But he lies because it makes him feel better and it's better than the truth he is keeping locked away. 

"Okay." Namjoon distractedly mumbles. 

"Should we order some food now"? Their dad asks with a smile etched on his face. 

Taehyung nods hides behind the menu and feels the burn of the call he had with Seoho minutes ago when he grips his phone tightly. All the pep talked in the shower and determined decisions swept by Namjoon's one observation. 

❓❓❓

While what Namjoon, so casually, had said bothered Taehyung, he decided to not let it get to him. Because Namjoon clearly doesn't know him well. He smiles with a lot of other people. 

He decided to get ready for the date with Seoho. It might not necessarily be a date but that is what Taehyung is going to call it. He deserves this after the week he has had. 

And he needs to forget about Seokjin, a little difficult task given how they live across each other but he can certainly not think about Seokjin and feel guilty through no fault of his. 

A date with Seoho will do that. 

The commute to the restaurant was very easy because it is such an exclusive restaurant, it wasn't difficult to locate. Taehyung had arrived early to mentally prepare himself and to settle in the restaurant. He has no idea how to behave in a Michelin star restaurant and he hopes he doesn't make a fool out of himself. 

Taehyung had given Seoho's name to the hostess at which he was guided further inside the restaurant. He couldn't help but look around the restaurant and the richness dripping from the people having their dinner. 

They were probably Seoul's elite squad and Taehyung came from a very middle-class squad. Which intimidated him, the very different lifestyle Seoho and he has. 

If it was Seokjin, they would have gone to a night market because the food was tasty and cheap. Maybe even to a very cosy restaurant where people didn't wear Gucci dresses and Giorgio Armani shoes. 

No! 

Why is he thinking about Seokjin when he is on a date with Seoho? 

This is bad. 

He should appreciate Seoho. Think about Seoho. When will he get a chance to come to La Yeon? Never! Unless he is dating Seoho. 

The hostess had seated him in a private room, a table set perfectly for two people, with cutlery aligned well next to each other. Taehyung had taken a seat, palm sweating because of anticipation. He looks outside the glass wall to see the most beautiful view of Seoul. Illuminated by the street lights, it looks very beautiful from here. From here he could see the Namsan tower blinking happily. 

A waitress comes and introduces herself politely, a permanent smile etched on her face while she asks Taehyung about the drink he prefers for tonight. 

"Um," Taehyung doesn't know. It's not like he has knowledge of alcohol. "I think I'll wait for-" and he gestures to the opposite seat, hoping the waitress understands his predicament. 

"Ah, okay. I will bring you some water." She offers and Taehyung bows down to her gratefully. He lick his lips and wait for Seoho 

Taehyung waits for some more minutes, chewing on his lips and drinking water. He doesn't know why he is so nervous that his legs can't stop shaking under the table. This is probably his only chance to make something happen with Seoho. If this doesn't work out, then he has no one on the list to look forward to anymore. 

And then he will have to break his 20 people proclamation. He will forever be considered a whore among his friends. 

He looks around the room he is in, fingers tapping against his thighs as he waits. Maybe he came too early. He bends sideways to see any presence of Seoho and also falls from the chair when he sees Seoho making his way inside the restaurant. 

Taehyung's eyes widen in shock and also in awe. Seoho…wow, Seoho looks good. It's been a while since he has seen him and his Instagram pictures didn't give him justice. He's probably walking at a normal pace but Taehyung doesn't know why the time has slowed down and everything feels so perceptive to him. 

He comes across someone he knows and brightly greets her, hugging her politely and listening to her talk. Taehyung can't hear the conversation as his eyes solely focus on Seoho's expression changing second by second. He politely excuses himself and finally makes his way towards Taehyung who's startled as he tries to sit straight and look neat. He should stand up, probably. Should he stand up now? Or wait for Seoho to come in to stand up? 

In a rush, he does stand up, his knees striking against the table and making the cutlery sing. He wants to course out because of pain but he stops himself when he sees Seoho entering inside the room with a very handsome smile on his handsome face. 

"Seoho hyung," Taehyung croaks, then blushes in embarrassment. He clears his throat and greets, "Hi." 

"Taehyung-ah," Seoho looks at him fondly. 

"Seoho hyung." 

"It's so great to see you."

"Likewise." Taehyung nods. 

Seoho gestures for them to sit down. Taehyung opens his napkin and carefully places it in his lap just like how he learned from YouTube. 

"I can't believe you are sitting in front of me," Seoho says, still intently looking at him. 

Taehyung looks up, a little taken aback by his statement. "What do you mean?" 

"I've been trying to find you." Seoho shrugs, opening his napkin and placing it on his lap too. 

"What?" 

He chuckles, "That sounded very creepy." 

That should have been because it's a very normal reaction when someone says they've been looking for you even when you haven't seen them for a long time. But instead, it makes Taehyung' s stomach flutter. While he had been searching for Seoho, the latter had been doing the same thing. 

What are the odds? 

"I mean, I've been trying to get in touch with you." 

"Oh." 

"I'm sorry if that's creepy." He gives off a very handsome smile and Taehyung blushes before he replies. 

"I've been looking for you too, you know?" He manages to say. Seoho looks surprised but he quickly masks it off with a smile. 

"Guess we were meant to find each other," He says, reaching out for Taehyung's hand that rests on the table and gently holds it. Taehyung looks at their hand for a moment and nods to himself. This feels right. 

Seoho has ordered a lavish meal for at least 5 people but there are only 2 of them now. Taehyung wants to savour the meal but he also wants to listen to Seoho and what he has been up to. 

The date has been going on well, with them exchanging a few stories of the past and what they have been upto so far in life. Taehyung, not much. Seoho, a lot more than him. 

"My brother actually went more into the business side of things and when Dad asked me to run the foundation, it was sort of, you know, a natural fit for me." He explains when Taehyung asks about his business. "I've always been better at giving away money than making it." He shrugs, earning a smile from Taehyung. He takes a sip from his glass, the name of the wine already forgotten because of it's pronunciation. 

"I know it is not good manners to only speak about oneself, so I'm sorry if I'm doing that." Seoho embarrassingly says.  

"No, no. You've been not. It's interesting to hear." Taehyung consoles him. 

"Hey, what about you? Last I heard you were in marketing." Seoho says, cutting a piece of steak and eating. 

Taehyung keeps his wine glass on the table and says, "Yeah, I'm actually in between jobs right now." He explains, embarrassed to have revealed that in front of such a competent person. 

"Well, say the word," Seoho says. "I'll get you an interview in two seconds for any company." He assures. 

"Oh, thank you. I think-I'm thinking about making a change." 

"A change? Why, what do you want to do?" 

He earnestly looks at Taehyung who then feels safe to reveal his plans. 

"I make these clay sculptures. They are sort of these freaky little urban scenes." He says and Seoho looks a little lost so he says, "They are kind of hard to explain, I'd really have to show you." 

"Well, I'd love to see them." 

"Really?" Taehyung asks, unsure. "They are in my shower." 

Seoho wipes his mouth with the napkin and puts it on the table, "I guess we are done here." 

Taehyung understands that that's their cue to leave. 

Taheyung smiles as Seoho looks around the apartment with a smile. Endearment? Taehyung doesn't know but he feels proud of his work. They walk towards the apartment door, given how it is getting late and Seoho has to leave for a flight in a few hours. 

Maybe his bar is a little too low but he is glad Seoho took out time from his busy schedule to meet up with Taehyung and even came up to his apartment for a little while. 

Taehyung opens the door for him and Seoho slips out but doesn't leave right away. Taehyung quickly glances at the opposite door, out of habit before his eyes focus back on the man of the hour. 

Seoho takes his hands gently, “I had a great time tonight, Taehyung.” He says. 

“Likewise,”

“I would like to meet you after I come back. Is that okay with you?” He asks, purely gentlemanly behavior and he checks Taehyung’s all boxes. Okay with that? Taehyung is perfectly fine with meeting Seoho again after tonight. If tonight is proof of anything that could happen in future, then Taehyung would like to meet Seoho again.

“I would be waiting for you then,” Taehyung smiles at him, shyly. Did that come out too desperate? 

But Seoho smiles, a fond one and nods to himself. Taehyung wonders what he is waiting for but then he says, “Kinda don't want this night to end.”

“Me too, hyung.” Taehyung agrees. He just hopes Seoho isn't implying about them having sex because Taehyung isn't ready to take that step yet with Seoho. 

They had sex long back ago when Seoho thought Taehyung was a virgin and the younger one didn't have the heart to tell him he broke their pact. But it is not about how it happened in the past, it is about now. He promised himself that he wouldn't have sex until he found the one. Hell, for that commitment, he even threw away Seokjin’s advances and that's a lot of willpower coming from him. 

He should probably say something, to make sure that Seoho doesn't have any kind of misunderstanding about Taehyung or this situation. 

“Hyung, I-”

“May I kiss you, Taehyung?” Seoho speaks at the same time, leaning in. 

At first, Taehyung is at a loss for words, his heart beating loudly in his chest as he looks into Seoho’s eyes. Maybe his hesitancy was an indication which led to a furrow appearing on Seoho’s forehead, thinking he overstepped a line and before he could apologize, before Taehyung even let him apologize, the younger leans in for the kiss. For some reason, Taehyung did not want Seoho to think he doesn't want more. 

You are so busy trying to be what everyone wants you to be, you don't know who you are.

Seokjin’s words from the previous night cut right through his heart but he doesn't stop. He is not kissing because Seoho wanted to kiss and he didn't want him to be disappointed. He is kissing because he also wants to kiss. 

Seoho is a good kisser, no doubt about it. But is he as good as Seokjin? Absolutely not. Seokjin knows how to take a man off his feet with just one kiss. Maybe years of experience in his bag but he is not going to judge Seokjin based on that. He is no less of a slut, having slept with more than 10.5 people. 

Why is he thinking about Seokjin anyway? 

He feels Seoho's arms wrapping around his waist and it feels nice to be held for once. Seoho might not be an excellent kisser but he is still good because Taehyung has butterflies swarming in his stomach. 

At the same time, Taehyung doesn't want to prolong this kiss and have it advance to something else, so he decides to break it off, eyes opening and slowly detaching his lips from Seoho. 

But instead of his eyes landing on Seoho, like they should have been, his eyes land on Seokjin climbing the last stairs of the floor. 

Taehyung takes a step back. Seokjin…Seokjin looks good, he is dressed better than he usually does and it's been a while since Taehyung saw him. Okay, maybe he is being dramatic since it has been 2 days since he saw Seokjin. 

"Seokjin hyung," Taehyung breathes out without meaning to. Seoho has also taken a turn to look at the guy taking away Taehyung's attention. 

Seokjin doesn't say anything, doesn't even look at Taehyung, his eyes solely trained on Seoho and that too vehemently. Taehyung feels hurt for both of them. He wishes to talk to Seokjin and make things right between them. 

"Hyung, can we talk?" Taehyung jumps on the chance. This might be his only chance to see and talk to Seokjin because he is face-to-face. He ignores the confused look on Seoho.  

"Aren't you busy?" Seokjin bites, still not looking at him. 

"No, I-uh, Seoho hyung was just leaving." Taehyung decides without even asking him. "Right, hyung?" Taehyung looks at him. If his eyes looked pleading then he would answer about it later to Seoho. 

"Uh, right. I was leaving." Seoho agrees, voice confused at what's happening. "Taehyung, I will see-" 

"I have band practice tomorrow early in the morning, so I'm gonna call it in." Seokjin rudely cuts off Seoho, taking away Taehyung's attention. 

"Hyung, it will take ten minutes," Taehyung begs. 

"Well, I need my sleep," Seokjin says, unlocking his door and getting in before Taehyung argues more. The younger one is left standing speechless. 

"Well, he's rude." Seoho mumbles, shaking his head. 

"He-he's not." Taehyung defends him quietly, still looking at the closed door. "He's just hurt." 

"Why is he taking it out on you?" 

"Because I hurt him." Taehyung mumbles, after a  second or so, he shakes his head, "Hyung, I'm sorry, you must be getting late. You have an early flight to catch." Taehyung looks apologetic. Even while having nothing to do with Seokjin, he feels like he's cheating on Seoho. 

"It's okay. I do wish I did not have to go." Seoho says, making Taehyung blush profusely. "But I will see you when I come back, yeah?" 

Taehyung nods. 

Seoho leans in and drops a peck to his lips, leaving Taehyung stunned for a second.  

And then he leaves.

Taehyung contemplates walking over to Seokjin's apartment, knocking on his door and forcing him to talk but he doesn't because this will only hurt his pride. And he will wait for Seokjin to cool down if that's what it will take for them to talk and for Taehyung to apologize. 

For now, he will focus on Seoho and see where this relationship will take him. 

In the months that followed, Taehyung saw less and less of Seokjin because he barely stayed in the country. Turns out, being with Seoho means being everywhere except where home is. 

It's not a bad thing per se. Taehyung is glad he has the opportunity to fly across the globe and attend the high-class parties that serve burgers that finish in one bite or caviar that has a disgusting fishy taste but is enjoyed by the rich as delicacies. 

Being with Seoho also means being in the spotlight, with pictures captured in gossip, celeb magazine and newspaper of high-end parties and the celebrities who attended. 

One such customer of such a magazine is his mom, who finds out about Taehyung and Seoho and decides to call him right away, squealing about how happy it makes her that Taehyung scored such a dashing, wealthy man. 

She wasn't happy about the secrecy but all that ends well, Taehyung supposes. He took that chance to inform her that their father is attending the wedding and instead of being angry, she was accepting of the news because she was on cloud 9. 

Taehyung later made a list of things he needs to confess to his mother while she is still happy. 

Back to Seoho, yeah. 

A lot of Taehyung's time was spent on private jets, day drinking and eating luxury foods. 

And while he loves this life, he also misses a normal life. Where he struggles to earn and pay for his food, where he drinks cheap sojus and gets drunk. A life where people know him and he can make terrible jokes without feeling judged. 

Travelling can get tiring. Even for Seoho. But travelling plus being someone you're not can be exhausting. 

Among the strangers, Taehyung misses his friends whom he barely sees, he misses Namjoon calling him randomly and screaming and crying about how the wedding date is closer and how things can go wrong. He generally misses talking to Namjoon but the time difference doesn't allow them to be connected all the time. They talk when they can and from Namjoon's voice, Taehyung knows he is not happy about Taehyung's weekly disappearance. 

"So you're  bringing Seoho to the wedding?" Namjoon asks on the phone. 

Taehyung sighs and looks at the great view of the city from the 44th floor of the 5-star hotel they are staying in for the weekend. He's glad Seoho booked him a separate room. This way, even for a few hours he can be himself. Sad and depressed. 

"Yeah. He said he would love to come." Taehyung mumbles. 

"So, no more Seokjin?" Namjoon asks back, voice void of any emotion. 

"I guess. You should be happy." Taehyung says, non-vehemently. 

Namjoon sighs, "When are you coming home, Taehyung?" He asks instead. 

"Soon." 

And that's always the end of the conversation. Usually, Namjoon being the first one to hang up, hearing the repetitive thing, he's probably done with it. 

Taehyung is not unhappy. He just misses home. Being away from home means seeing even less of Seokjin and he always thinks of him. 

Seoho does whatever he can do to make up for it. For dragging him to boring galas or making him stay in the air more than on land. 

He's a good person, a great kisser even. 

But ultimately, Taehyung sometimes misses home and he knows home is where the heart is but his heart might just be in Seoul and not with Seoho at the moment. 

Nonetheless, he spends the months leading up to the wedding, wrapped up in the blanket of different hotels of different countries. He does his best to match up to Seoho's level in front of his friends to not embarrass him. 

He does his best to be a good boyfriend. 

❓❓❓

Taehyung packs up everything he needs for the wedding. Namjoon strictly told him not to wear his suit because knowing Taehyung and his ways, he will somehow mess his suit up on the commute. Namjoon should have a little trust. 

So what if Taehyung is a little clumsy? At least he caught the glass before it spilt on the suit bag. Points for awareness of surroundings? Heck yes! 

He takes his phone and wallet and suit bag before heading towards the door. An empty feeling resides in his heart despite Namjoon's wedding today. He's absolutely happy for his brother but he can't find the same happiness for himself. 

Taehyung comes out of the apartment, placing the lock before he hears the opposite door open and Seokjin coming out all dressed in a nice tuxedo. He cleans up so well. 

"Oh, hi, hyung." Taehyung greets, slightly surprised. Seeing Seokjin dressed up in a tuxedo makes Taehyung question his actions. He never exclusively said to Seokjin he cannot come to the event after the fight. So, does Seokjin still think he's invited? But there is going to be Seoho-- Taehyung's actual date. "Fancy seeing you here dressed all fancy. Where are you off to?" He asks with a teasing lilt. 

It has been a while since he properly talked to Seokjin so he's hoping Seokjin's big heart is forgiving. 

"A wedding," Seokjjn answers, nodding, taking Taehyung by surprise. "Not with you." He clarifies with a slight smirk as if he enjoyed that moment. 

"Oh, yeah, of course." Taehyung stutters. 

"You're going to one too right? Today's Namjoon's big day." He brings up. The conversation feels very formal to Taehyung as if they are talking to make polite conversation. He misses Seokjin's flirty nature but he guesses he's not worthy of that anymore. 

"Yeah," Taehyung nods, confirming him and taking a step towards Seokjin, "It's so weird you're going to a wedding too." He returns the same conversation with a slightly familiar tone he's used to with Seokjin. The older one never mentioned any wedding, so Taehyung is simply curious and he's also an opportunist at his best, he will not let go of the moment when he can talk to Seokjin without feeling suffocated under his cold gaze. 

"Ah, nobody you know," Seokjin speaks in one sentence before making his move towards the stairs, before Taehyung could take any more steps towards him. It's certainly hurtful and ironic. The same Seokjin who would find ways to get close to Taehyung is now actively avoiding him. 

"Oh," Taehyung stands near the railing, looking down at Seokjin climbing downstairs, "Is it like a date or something? Are you seeing somebody?" He asks, making sure it doesn't come out investigative which is truly what he is trying to do. 

Seokjin stops for a moment and shakes his head off, a furrow marred on his forehead, he gives a blank stare to Taehyung and says, "Don't worry about it, Taehyung." 

He quickly climbs down after that. 

Taehyung wants to say more, talk more but he hesitates. Obviously for some reason that question soured his mood, and hit somewhere in his nerves and Taehyung doesn't know what was offensive about it. 

He really needs to sit down with Seokjin and have a talk. Clear some misunderstandings and go back to being friends at the very most. 

Taehyung arrives at the venue with a chaotic atmosphere surrounding it. The guests started coming and the wedding was only half an hour away. He was quickly made to change into his suit so that he can look after Namjoon who was having a mild (probably major one so far in the wedding period) panic attack. 

He's shoved towards Namjoon who's shouting around for his bungeoppang. 

"Just get him ready for the altar." Their mother mumbles before leaving to attend to guests. 

"Namjoon hyung, can you fucking calm down?" Taehyung mumbles, trying to close the corset around Namjoon's waist. 

"WHERE IS MY BUNGEOPPANG?" 

"Jimin, can you please fucking find his bungeoppang?" Taehyung groans, tugging the ends of the corset. 

"I'm on it." Jimin quips from somewhere in the room. 

"I'm gonna look so ugly with my fat coming out of this corset." Namjoon panics, seeing Taehyung turning red as he tries to make the corset concept work. 

"Namjoon, don't fucking cry. You'll ruin your base and then you'll definitely look ugly." Hoseok chimes, looking at him from the mirror. 

"Thanks for that." Taehyung sarcastically says. 

"I want Yoongi hyung." Namjoon mumbles. "I want him in the room." He says to Taehyung, eyes welling up with tears. Taehyung panics. 

He stands up and faces Namjoon, "You'll see him in twenty minutes, I promise you." He assures him. "Isn't it bad luck to see your partner before the wedding? Surely, you don't want that." He consoles, rubbing his arms in a comforting manner.   

"Taehyung, who fucking cares? I can't fit into my wedding suit. It is already bad luck." 

"Let's ditch the corset," Taehyung suggests and Namjoon gives him a deathly stare. Strange, how everyone is giving his ugly stares since morning. "Okay, then suck in the stomach and man up." He goes behind him, trying to clip on the corset. 

"And don't cry. You want Yoongi hyung to know you were crying like a baby because you couldn't fit in your clothes?" Hoseok scowls, shaking his head. 

"Hyung, you really need to learn how to console people." Taehyung mumbles, getting the last couple of buttons. 

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna help with something else," Hoseok says and walks out of the room. 

"I found the bungeoppang!" Jimin shouts as Taehyung clips the last button. 

"There we go." Taehyung stands up, smoothing out Namjoon's pants and getting his coat. He puts it on him while the older one is munching on his fish bread. "Are you feeling better now?" Taehyung asks. 

"How long till I see Yoongi hyung?" 

"A little over ten minutes." He rubs his shoulder. Namjoon sighs and nods, he can wait for 10 minutes. "Okay, you have nothing to do so I suggest that you take some bomb-ass photos and try to relax yourself." 

"Where are you going?" Namjoon asks, eyes panicked. 

"Checking over the other groom. He doesn't have lots of friends, does he?" Taehyung jokes, which earned him a hit from his brother. "Sit down, eat your bungeoppang and I'll be right back," Taehyung reassures him. 

The younger of the brothers makes his way to the other room, 3 doors away to see the other groom. His room was almost empty except for a few of Yoongi hyung's work friends who were loitering around. But they left as soon as Taehyung walked in. 

"Hey, groom number two," Taehyung greets. Yoongi looks stunning in his black suit, matching Namjoon's very own wedding suit. Except he's not wearing a corset, a bargain Namjoon had to accept dejectedly. 

"You look well put." Yoongi smiles. 

"Well, if that isn't the best compliment you have ever given me." Taehyung teases and takes a seat on the couch opposite Yoongi. "You are done dressing up?" He asks. 

"Yep, almost an hour ago." Yoongi says, "But I've been told not to leave the room strictly." He trails off, shrugging. 

Taehyung nods and looks around the room, very neatly kept not like the havoc Namjoon has created in his room. 

"He's panicking, isn't he?" Yoongi chimes up. 

Taehyung is surprised that Yoongi knows. Maybe someone told him, maybe that's a given. "How do you know?" 

"I just do. He's probably panicking over his suit." Yoongi thinks for a moment before chuckling. 

"That's precisely it." Taehyung impressively agrees. "You know him so well, don't you?" 

"It comes with dating for a long time." 

Taehyung quiets down for a moment and looks outside the vast venue, chaotic with people running around doing last-minute preparations. His mother is by the altar, talking to the guests and welcoming them to their seats. She looks happy after a long time and Taehyung knows it's because of Namjoon getting married and him scoring a great guy. 

"How did you know Namjoon is the one?" Taehyung quips, eyes still focused on the altar. Yoongi hums, not understanding the question. "Like-how did you know you love Namjoon hyung?" He clarifies looking at Yoongi, "How did you know it was love?" 

Yoongi thinks for a moment, giving Taehyung a chance to think about the answer on his own. He has never been in love, he doesn't know the feeling of love. What criteria and intensity of emotions should he fulfil to know he's in love with someone? Dedicating your life to one person is a huge step and being completely vulnerable in front of them because you love them is a scary thought. So when do you know it's the right person you are baring yourself to? 

"I can tell you many moments where I thought Namjoon was the one." Yoongi starts, playing with the ring on his index finger as he speaks. "And these thoughts come at the most unexpected time for me. Like…like-" Yoongi smiles slightly as he thinks of something and Taehyung smiles even when he doesn't know what he's going to say. "Like when we ordered this Ikea table and Namjoon wanted to arrange it, fix it basically to show he can do it-" 

"Did he do it?" 

Yoongi chuckles and shakes his head no, "He made the table but it was the shakiest thing in our apartment. He put in the wrong screws and he hurt himself throughout the process." That sounds like Namjoon. "And at that moment, I thought, god, I need to take care of him and it was a necessity, it was-it was…it was something I wanted to do willingly." 

"That's how you knew you loved him to spend your entire life with him?" Taehyung asks, quite unsatisfied with the answer. That story is very personal to Yoongi, so Taehyung doesn't know how he can make it his own. He wants a general idea of what love is. 

Yoongi chuckles, "This was not the answer you were seeking?" 

Taehyung shakes his head no. 

"The simplest answer I can give you is -- before I planted the seed of lifelong partnership in my mind, I imagined a world without him and then I imagined the one with him where I wake up to his snores, where I go to sleep watching him reading books. And I desperately wanted that for as long as I can have. So for me, love is finding comfort in the smallest gestures." He shrugs and Taehyung is agape at that. 

He never thought like that. He always imagined and he has seen in movies how affection is shown through big gestures. Even with Seoho, he does everything big, he goes the extra mile to show his affection, to spend time with him even when Taehyung isn't very fond of being in the air most of the time or meeting people he barely can speak to or know. Taehyung never complained because he cannot return the same affection with such big gestures and he believed if he agrees to Seoho taking him across the country on his private jet, that means in a way he was returning that big gestures. 

But in reality, Taehyung finds comfort in small gestures. Like staying in and eating starchy food, dancing to music or-or watching a movie and falling asleep together. 

Seoho has never been able to bring him that sort of comfort which brings a frown to Taehyung's face. 

"You okay, Tae?" Yoongi asks, standing up and adjusting his tuxedo. 

"Hmm," 

"Do you wanna talk to me about something?" Yoongi asks, as comforting as he can be. Taehyung has always taunted Yoongi and made fun of him, he has a very good connection with his brother-in-law. They haven't sat down to have any deep conversation but in his heart, Taehyung knows he can trust Yoongi and if he asks him million won, Yoongi would provide because he's just that. Selfless and caring for the people he truly loves. 

Taehyung shakes his head, "No, not tonight. It's your wedding day!" He says as a reasonable excuse. 

Yoongi smiles and nods in understanding. 

"All right then, I'm gonna go check around and see if we are ready to bring you both out and get you married." He smiles. 

"That would be great, thanks." Yoongi gives him a thumbs up. 

Taehyung stands up and leaves the room that Yoongi has taken on. 

On his way to the altar, he bumps into the wedding planner who has arranged the entire venue for today. She looks panicked and it is not a good look on anyone's face on someone's wedding day. So Taehyung stops her. 

"What's wrong?" He asks. 

"There's no need to panic-" She says in a panicked tone, "-but the harpist is not coming." 

"We hired a harpist?" That's the first question Taehyung asks. 

"Your mother is going to kill me," Choi In Joo, the wedding planner, realizes. 

"Likely," Taehyung mumbles, "But wait, can't the wedding go on without the harpist? I mean nobody knows and nobody cares." 

"Your mother demanded a harpist, she's going to know. And she's the only one that matters today." 

"Yep, not the grooms," Taehyung shakes his head. "So, what are we going to do?" He asks. He wants the wedding to go smoothly for the sake of his brother and mother, so even when he doesn't care, he's going to help In Joo run this show. 

"I have the list of all the weddings happening in the city today, I'll make some calls and find a replacement." She determinedly says, unlocking her phone to call the other wedding planners around Seoul, Taehyung assumes. "And if that doesn't work, I'll just play the horn." She shrugs and walks past Taehyung. 

Taehyung sighs and walks out from the building to look over the arrangement at the altar. 

It's not after a 20-minute delay that they get into positions to start the wedding. The sunset is about to occur in 30 minutes, hopefully, when they recite the vows, they can get some amazing golden hour shots.

The wedding guests are seated, bustling with whispers about the wedding. Taehyung stands at the start of the altar with the groomsmen he is allotted to. 

Namjoon and Yoongi are standing a few meters away from the altar on the sides, hidden by the screen dividers so they don't see each other yet. The torture but it's something they came up with. 

Taehyung looks around the wedding guests and locates Seoho sitting next to his mother, whispering something in her ear and making her giggle. It's as if he feels Taehyung looking at him and he turns his head around to locate the younger guy. 

Taehyung waves and gives him a sweet smile. He's glad Seoho is here, very happy to know that the seat next to him on the table is not empty but for some reason, his heart feels empty. Seoho's presence is welcomed but it's only his mother who feels delighted to have him in the wedding. 

Taehyung, his official boyfriend, is happy too but deep down in his heart he wished for the face of the person with a smile of the doll to be taking Seoho's place next to his mother. Perhaps it's the encounter from the morning that's making him feel such things. 

He doesn't want to put meaning to it. He has been wishing for Seoho for months and now that he's here, at his brother's wedding, Taehyung should be grateful. Thinking about Seokjin should be the last thing on his mind. 

The soft piano starts playing in the background and the guests quiet down as they turn around to see the groomsmen entering the altar slowly. 

Taehyung walks in with his allotted partner, putting on a fake smile as he looks at his mother and father. Seoho, sitting beside his mother, waves at him and Taehyung sends a forced smile his way, heart feeling heavy. They soon find their positions at the altar. The guests stand up as the wedding music starts playing, the wedding officiator reciting a monologue about fated stars that have bound Namjoon and Yoongi. 

The grooms, removing the curtain set up, start walking towards each other, to the altar. Smiling brightly at each other and eyes only on each other. This is what love might be, Taehyung thinks. 

They take their position at the altar, Namjoon immediately reaching for Yoongi's hands and making the guests laugh shyly on his behalf. But it doesn't seem Namjoon cares and Taehyung snorts silently. 

"Did you cry?" Taehyung hears Yoongi whisper to Namjoon. 

"Only because I missed you," Namjoon mumbles silently. 

It feels like Taehyung shouldn't listen to their conversation, sweet as it is to see his brother being taken care of. 

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon." The officiator begins, "Getting to know them has reinforced my belief, while love is universal, every couple is unique in the way they love each other. Many of us who know them as a couple can say we are honoured enough to share this space with them as they are getting married and stepping into a new chapter of their lives. A life that was once individual is now moulded together forever." 

The claps resonated loudly among the guests as the officiator ends her monologue and signals the grooms to read their vows for each other. 

"Kim Namjoon, I thank my stars that it gave me another chance to get to know you properly. I am a man of few words, I tried to come up with words that would make sense, that would be romantic for a day like this but Namjoon…Kim Namjoon, all I can say is, I promise to love you and cherish you for the rest of my life, I promise to complain about your snores every morning, I promise to let you hoard most of the blanket at night-" Namjoon lets out of wet chuckle, hitting Yoongi lightly "-because those promises mean that you will be the first person I see every morning and last person I close my eyes to at night." The guests lets out an "aw" at the vow. 

"And you say you are not romantic," Namjoon mumbles, blinking away his tears. 

"I promise to cook for you, I promise to build things for you, I promise to make you happy and I promise to love you every minute of the day. And I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you, officially…paperwork and all. I love you, baby." Yoongi then slides the official engagement ring onto Namjoon's finger, raising his hand and kissing the ring. 

"Yoongi hyung, you've been with me for seven years, you are the person who knows me the best, who accepts me with my flaws, who doesn't judge me, who always advises me the best. To me, you are not just my husband, but you are so much more. I cannot imagine a life without you. You calm me down, you make me the most excited. There's not a single day, moving forward from here, that I want to spend without you. I don't care how sick you get of me, I want to stay by your side until I can. Thank you for loving me the way I'm supposed to be loved. I love you so much more." Namjoon nods with a smile on his blotched face. Taehyung subtly wipes his tears, clapping for the couple. "I wish there was a better word than 'love'. I really, truly love you. Please know that." He affirms, placing the ring on Yoong's finger. 

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and husband! You may kiss each other." The officiator announces. 

Namjoon need not be told twice to pounce on Yoongi, pulling him closer to kiss the life out of him while Yoongi simply smiles in the kiss and indulges him in front of everyone. 

"Give it up for the newlyweds!" Taehyung shouts, erupting a roar from the crowd. 

The rest of the party moves to a different location, where the music is playing live and everyone is dancing around. Even Yoongi has got some moves to show. 

"Quite a party, huh?" Taehyung's dad interrupts him, nudging him slightly. 

"Yeah, it is," Taehyung says, taking a sip of his champagne and looking at Namjoon dancing with their friends. 

His eyes focus on his mother, dancing weirdly with his boyfriend, who seems cautious of her drunken state. 

"Your mother always had a good laugh." His father replies, noticing the gaze. "Unfortunately, not a good personality." 

"Appa!" Taehyung scolds. "I'm just glad she's happy." He mumbles. God knows how hard he had to try and convince her to come to the wedding after the entire fiasco of not coming. 

Taehyung smiles at Seoho, but not a genuine one. 

"Your mother only wants the best for you," His dad starts, "Unfortunately she thinks what's best for you is to be exactly like her because it's not. You are your person, Taehyung-ah." 

"I know." Taehyung looks down at his shoes and then looks up at his father and smiles. 

"You may have her looks but you also have my rhythm." He winks at his son. 

"I guess that's why she's always disappointed in me." He jokes lightheartedly. 

"I think it's hard for her to see you and find so much of me." He consoles as the music comes to a climax and the vibe changes to a more mellow one. 

Seoho makes his way to them and greets his father before asking if he can take away Taehyung. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to slow dance with Eomeoni," Seoho whispers in his ear as they sway to music gently. 

Taehyung giggles, "That's okay." He says and lays his head on Seoho's shoulder. "I think the last time you slow danced was during the winter solstice." Taehyung smiles at the memory. 

"Yeah…yeah, I think so too." Seoho chuckles, gently guiding their movements. "I also think that was the night when you finally gave me the honour to make you unfit for every man in the village." He smirks, looking down at Taehyung.

Taehyung clears his throat and raises his head from Seoho's shoulder, "Oh boy." He mumbles to himself. Taking a deep breath, Taehyung knows he needs to come clean to Seoho, let him know the truth and not the lie Seoho himself has painted as truth. "I know this isn't an ideal place to tell you, but I want to be honest, hyung." He looks at Seoho with puppy eyes, hoping those charming eyes can mellow down the truth. 

"You weren't my first," Taehyung reveals. 

"I wasn't?" 

"No, I'm sorry." He apologizes because he has led Seoho to believe that the first time they had sex was something special when it wasn't. 

"O-okay, so you've been with two guys in your life. Big deal." Seoho looks at him and reassures him with a smile and shrugs his shoulder. 

"More like two times ten." 

Seoho lets out a laugh at that. "Right. You've had sex with twenty guys. Yuck!" He shakes his head. 

"Ew," Taehyung gulps and doesn't have the courage in him to tell Seoho the entire truth. 

Once Seoho has calmed down, he gently smiles at Taehyung in a comforting manner which doesn't make Taehyung's heart flutter like it used to. "Well, I may not be your first, but I'll be your last, I promise." 

See, lines like this would have swept Taehyung off of his feet but now everything feels wrong and empty to him, his heart does flutter and the blush doesn't rise on his face. 

"Why? You're gonna kill me later?" He jokes, trying to get rid of the weird atmosphere between them. 

"No, but I'm gonna kiss you." With that Seoho leans in, taking Taehyung's lips between his and moving slowly. Taehyung opens his eyes, feeling no spark or fireworks in the kiss and realization hits him hard. 

They break the kiss and Seoho takes his hand, "Come with me for a second." 

Taehyung blindly follows, realization dawning on him slowly. 

"How does dinner in Milan and breakfast in Paris sound like?" He asks, boyish smile on his face, expectant. 

"Starchy." Taehyung genuinely answers. 

"I've got to do a little travelling for my foundation and I want you to come with me."

"Seriously?" 

Seoho nods. 

"For how long?" Taehyung inquires, brows furrowed but a painful smile on his face. 

"For six months," Seoho answers easily. "I know it sounds like a long time but you know, you're between jobs and your little sculpture things can surely wait." He suggests making Taehyung look away in disbelief. "And if you think about it-" Taehyung looks at him, confused, "-the only thing keeping you in Seoul is me and I'm leaving." 

Taehyung blinks at him, mind wandering away to several places. Seoho is not the sole reason for keeping him here, there are many more. Like his parents, who are a little annoying but it's not something Taehyung wants to run away from. Like Namjoon hyung, who has just begun his new life with his partner, something Taehyung doesn't need to be a part of but he wants to stay here to see them together. His friends are here, who understand him better than Seoho's high-end associates. His "little sculpture thing" grounds him on his hardest days, which provides a comforting distraction from the bad things around him.

 And…and like Seokjin hyung, who lives across from him, who buys him food and smiles fondly at the messy way Taehyung eats. Who cooks for him whenever and whatever. Who goes around looking to buy fruity sojus because Taehyung doesn't like normal alcohol. Who knows Taehyung prefers eggs for his jajangmyeon, but Taehyung doesn't like spicy food. Seokjin sings so painfully beautifully that Taehyung wants to sleep listening to that sound. Seokjon who-

"Taehyung?" Seoho pulls him out of reverie and at the same time, Injoo comes to him. 

"It's time," She urgently says. 

Taehyung nods and looks at Seoho, "Would you…um, excuse me." He says hurriedly and walks away with Injoo to the stage where he will read his toast. 

"Hi everyone," Taehyung takes the attention of everyone, smiling into the crowd as the murmur goes low. His eyes land on Seoho but immediately shift to Namjoon and Yoongi sitting at their table. 

"When Yoongi hyung and Namjoon hyung started dating, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. Not because of their history but because it looked like they were serious about making it work." Taehyung nods, smiling at the couple, "And I thought, the closer he got to Yoongi hyung, the further away he would get from me." Taehyung shrugs, smiling at Namjoon who's frowning. "But that didn't happen." He assures. "Not only do I see more of Namjoon hyung, I see a lot happier and better Namjoon hyung." Taehyung smiles at them, eyes watering at the realization of the love they hold for each other. Something he never expected from Yoongi. And not to see him put a comforting kiss on his husband's shoulder who is openly letting his tears fall, Taehyung feels reassured. 

"It's like with Yoongi hyung, he's completely himself." He nods at them then looks at Seoho standing with his mother, smiling at him. His eyes travel to his father, who gives him a nod of approval. "Between me and Namjoon hyung, some people always confuse who's the older among us. And they always assume it's me. " Namjoon shakes his head at that, erasing his tears. "We have a two-year gap, which isn't much, so we grew up like twins. Learned things together, did things together. But there were times, I grew up faster than Namjoon hyung and I'm not complaining about him but at times, I felt like I was his big brother." The guests chuckle at that and Namjoon shies away on his husband's shoulder. "So, naturally I grew protective of him, I taught him things. Our roles were reversed in those moments. I taught him how to ride a bike, how to ask someone out, and the mechanics of the kiss. You are welcome, Yoongi hyung." Taehyung winks at the couple and Yoongi rolls his eyes. 

"I learned a lot from him too," Taehyung tells them. "But recently he taught me something that I never thought I could learn from him. So thank you, Namjoon hyung. Thank you for teaching me that being in love means being yourself." He shrugs. The crowd awes at that and Taehyung smiles at the couple kissing softly, like it's just two of them here. 

"To Namjoon and Yoongi hyung!" Taehyung says on the mic and raises his glass. The band behind him continues to play funky music while the crowd cheers for the couple. Taehyung steps down and steers over to Seoho who's already making his way towards him with a huge smile. 

"You were great!" He compliments, leaning in for a kiss. 

Taehyung moves back, "Can we talk?" 

"Yeah, absolutely." 

Taehyung guides him back to the hotel. They make their way to the room where Yoongi was getting dressed since it seemed the neatest. 

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Seoho asks, closing the door behind him as Taehyung sits on the couch. 

"Yes," Taehyung smiles and pats the space next to him indicating Seoho to sit next to him. "Hyung…" He clears his throat to sound clearer, with conviction, "There's something here in Seoul that's really important to me." He declares. "And as much as I want to travel the world, I'm-I'm not sure I want to do it with you." He lets out a sigh of relief, the constriction in his heart untangling as he lets himself be face-to-face with the truth. 

Seoho looks confused, a furrow marring his forehead as he takes in Taehyung's words. 

"I-" 

"I know it sounds insane because you're perfect," He assures, holding one of Seoho's hands and caressing the back of it in comfort. Breaking up is never easy whether it's done to you or you do it for someone, Taehyung is aware. "But you're not perfect for me and I'm certainly not perfect for you." 

Seoho takes his hand back and scoffs at that. Taehyung is taken aback but he doesn't show. 

"I'm so sorry, hyung. If only I would have been honest with myself earlier, or ever, I wouldn't have put you through all of this." 

"Yeah, that would have been preferable." Seoho rolls his eyes, looking away from Taehyung akin to betrayal. 

"I don't know what to say," Taehyung mumbles. 

Seoho sighs, "I don't think so I'm gonna stick around for the cake. Excuse me." With that, he gets up and opens the door to leave. 

"It's really good," Taehyung whispers behind him and sighs when the door shuts loudly. 

He sits there and basks in silence, waiting for 5 minutes for his brain to catch up with what happened and to accordingly let the emotions play their tasks. Regret? No, nothing so far. This was the best choice. Taehyung can't sacrifice his life for someone whom he doesn't even love, someone who can only give him materialistic love and can't accept him for who he is. 

He deserves to love and to be loved by someone who would wipe his mouth after every messy bite of jajangmyeon, who would serenade him, who would store fruity sojus for him. He deserves such love because he has already given his time and efforts to 20 people who didn't deserve him at all. 

So, in that few fleeting minutes, he makes up his mind. 

He's gonna confess to Seokjin. 

It doesn't matter if Seokjin doesn't feel the same now. But he needs Seokjin to know. After that, they will together decide where to go from there. If Seokjin doesn't reciprocate, Taehyung might need to end his lease and change location. And if he does, then Taehyung's dream of having sex with Seokjin will finally come true…apart from all the romantic things. 

He rushes back to the venue, hearing the soft music playing and some of the guests dancing. Namjoon and Yoongi hyung are wrapped around each other, feeding fruits and laughing about it. 

"Where's Seoho going?" Taehyung's mother questions, startling him as he was trying to approach Namjoon. 

"He's leaving." Taehyung rolls his eyes. 

"What? In the middle of a reception? Why?" His mom looks at him, confused and unhappy at the sudden departure of the most eligible chaebol. 

"I should have never brought him here in the first place, eomma." Taehyung calmly lets her know. 

"What? You're gonna let him leave?" She asks again. "Wh-Why would you do that? You were finally happy-" 

"No! You were finally happy." Taehyung cuts her off, garnering the attention of his brother and his husband and a few other guests. "I don't wanna marry Kim Seoho, that's not who I am." 

His mom whimpers, holding her head in frustration. 

"I'm a jobless whore who has slept with twenty guys-" His mom quickly tries to quiet him down but he doesn't stop. He sees Namjoon standing next to him and says, "And I want to be with someone who appreciates that about me. 

Namjoon smiles at him and nods as if finally understanding. On the other hand, his mother seethes with anger and humiliation, probably. 

"You may not understand me, eomma but you don't have to." He speaks to her, holding her arms in a comforting manner, "You only have to love me." And he says in a manner that it always sounds like a plea, a son begging his mom to accept him for who he is, even when sometimes he's a disappointment to her. 

"I may not be a perfect son but that's why you have Namjoon hyung." He says, consoling his mom somehow. 

Namjoon sighs and holds Yoongi's hand, "Yoongi and I are moving to Australia in two weeks." He looks at his husband and smiles. 

"What?" Taehyung looks crestfallen. 

"What?!" Beside him, his mom grits out loudly. 

She pushes Taehyung aside to come face-to-face with Namjoon. 

"You decided this on your own?" She asks. 

"Eomma-" Taehyung starts as he sees guests whispering among each other. 

But Namjoon remains calm, calmer than how he was before getting married to Yoongi. Taehyung doesn't know how Namjoon manages his emotions perfectly. 

Instead of answering his mother, Namjoon turns to Taehyung and determinedly says, "Go and tell him." 

Taehyung doesn't know what to say, or if he should stay and understand what Namjoon declared so calmly. He's moving? He's leaving Taehyung? Why is this such news to him? When did Namjoon even decide? 

"G-go? Go where? Namjoon, Taehyung…someone tell me now what's happening!" Their mom demands, looking furious as ever. 

Namjoon only pushes Taehyung to get him to walk away from the mess before turning to their mom and explaining the situation. As much as Taehyung wanted to be a part of the conversation, he knew there was somewhere else he needs to be. 

So he makes a run for it. 

He comes across In Joo scolding a waiter, rather indiscreetly. 

"Injoo-ssi, where's the list of all the weddings happening in the city today?" He asks, huffing extremely. 

"Um, it's right here." In Joo shows and Taehyung unceremoniously snatches the paper from her and runs away. In Joo calls for him but he pushes through the crowd towards the exit. 

Picking any car keys from the valet, Taehyung walks towards the parking, in hopes to find the car he has taken the key off. Once he does, he quickly starts the car and backs away from the parking lot. 

He looks at the first address and types it in Naver maps. 

After going through almost all the weddings in Seoul, stealing a bicycle, crashing weddings and taking pictures with several brides and grooms, Taehyung still didn't find Jin in anyone of them. 

It occurred to him several times that Seokjin might have gone home and that's where he should be looking but a deeper part of him knew Seokjin wasn't home. Call it intuition, he doesn't know. 

The sane part of this entire chase would have been to wait at the apartment and then talk to Seokjin but the impatient part of Taehyung wanted to run around Seoul and find Seokjin. So that's what he did for 4 hours. 

When he finds Seokjin, he better appreciate it. 

After crossing off several lists of weddings, Taehyung arrives at the one with the most extravagant arrangement. He highly doubts Seokjin would be here but he won't underestimate his capabilities to end up singing at some celebrity's wedding. 

The camera flashes as he runs through the red carpet. He had a different scene of how he would walk when on the red carpet but that has to wait. 

He's hoping to find good pictures tomorrow on several tabloids but Taehyung is sweating for the past hour and his hair has turned into a bird nest, he looks so out of place. 

No wonder the bouncer stops him, doubtful of the guest. 

"Sir, your name?" 

Taehyung is a little surprised as he thinks of some name to come up with and hopes that name is present in the list. 

"Your name, sir?" The bouncer insists. 

There's a high chance Seokjin is not here. Taehyung could get in trouble for trespassing and he's wondering if it's worth it. Even when he tries to glance around, to get a glimpse, an idea if Seokjin is present, he gets blocked by the bouncer. 

Taehyung sighs, "Uh…you know what? I don't-" 

And that's when he hears Seokjin introducing himself and making a joke. Taehyung's eyes lighten up. He smiles widely and runs away from the crowd. There's no way he can penetrate through the bouncer so he just needs to find an alternate way to get inside. 

The alternate way includes jumping over a very high wall and landing ass down on some thorny bushes. 

The other alternate way included was to wait at home but to each their own. 

The wedding reception was in full swing. Seokjin uses his brilliant voice to serenade the couple. Taehyung needs to find a way to get his attention.

Maybe he can dance in front of the stage. But he doesn't want to bring attention to himself. What if someone calls security and throws him out? 

No, he needs another way to get to Seokjin. 

His subconscious reminds him that there is still a chance to go and wait at home. 

But that's not romantic at all. He needs this big gesture! 

So he makes his way towards the stage, climbing from behind and bumping into the guitarist. Before the guitarist could say anything, Taehyung bows and apologizes. He then move towards Seokjin, doing an original song and strumming the electric guitar. 

Taehyung has heard the song several times in the making. He's not well versed but he can sing in broken sentences. So that's what he does, he takes the mic from the secondary guitarist and starts singing. 

Seokjin immediately turns back to assess the situation and he's quite literally surprised to see Taehyung. This would make sense because Taehyung must be the last person he'd be expecting at this party. 

"I need to talk to you," Taehyung sings into the mic when he realizes Seokjin has stopped singing. "Can you, oh, step down for a minute, oh?" He asks through his singing voice. 

Seokjin sighs and gestures to the band to stop. "Sorry for the interruption. Um…why don't we start with the toasts and we will get right back?" He says into the mic and then invites the father of the bride to take the stage and speak something. 

Taehyung takes hold of his wrist and drags him away from the crowd. He's surprised Seokjin isn't getting away from him after the stunt he pulled that probably cost him the pay. He'll make up for it, he promises to himself. 

Then they turn to each other and stare for a good minute. Seokjin looks good, Taehyung can't deny it. And he missed seeing his face so close up, to feel his body warmth radiating. He missed all of this. But the one thing he missed the most is the warm smile that was always directed his way, mostly cheeky but he missed it. Especially now when Seokjin can't conjure up one for him. 

"That was my favourite song," Taehyung nervously starts. 

"What do you want, Taehyung?" Seokjin asks, with no kindness to his tone. 

"I wanted to tell you something." 

"This couldn't have waited until I reached home?" Seokjin wonders, eyes narrowing and making Taehyung feel unsure and unwanted. 

Taehyund nods, "It could have-" he agrees, "But I had a speech prepared for you, something I wanted to say to you but I worried if I wait too long, I might forget it. So this was the next best solution, to drive, bike across town and tell you." He says earnestly hoping to soften Seokjin’s expression which it doesn't 25%, he will take it as a win. 

"What's the speech?" 

Taehyung nervously chuckles, "It seems like I forgot what I wanted to say." 

Seokjin rolls his eyes and scoffs, "I'm gonna go back to the wedding, excuse me." 

Taehyung whines and grabs his wrist before he can walk off, "No, hyung, I can improvise." He says. Seokjin turns to him, gives him the benefit of the doubt and watches. "Don't look at me, you're making me nervous." He pouts. 

Seokjin takes his hand away from Taehyung's grip, "If you don't have anything important to say, Taehyung-ah, then I'd like to go back to my segment, get my pay and go home." Seokjin declares. 

This time he turns to leave, walking away from Taehyung with no intention of turning back, no matter what he says. 

"I love you!" Taehyung shouts from behind, making Seokjin stop in his tracks. "I-I ah, I didn't mean to confess like this. I-I had a speech prepared to swoon you and all." Taehyung nervously smiles and shrugs. When Seokjin makes his way towards him, he feels a little accomplished. He stands in front of him and folds his arms across his chest, one eyebrow-raising as if expecting a speech like Taehyung mentioned. He gives off a 'well, go on' attitude. 

In any other situation, Taeyung would have conjured up something but he really forgot his speech. It's really not easy to rehearse and remember the roads of Seoul at the same time with the wind hitting your face like an ice pack. 

"Can I summarize?" 

"Anything would be good here, Taehyung." 

"Right." He nods to himself and takes a deep breath. You're a goddammit writer and editor, or you were for a magazine. You can do this! Seokjin clears his throat as if running out of patience. Right. "Well, uh, the gist of it was…I love you, obviously." He nervously chuckles, scrunching his face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He sighs, heartbeat ringing in his ears. 

"That's it?" Seokjin disappointedly asks. 

"I, um, I'm happiest when I'm being myself and I'm myself when I'm with you." Taehyung smiles genuinely, "That was it." 

Seokjin smiles slightly, bowing his head down to look at his shoes scraping the grass. 

"I guess, I was so afraid you were another asshole that I didn't realize I became the biggest asshole," Taehyung explains and Seokjin looks up, an emotion of understanding depicted on his face. Well, Taehyung is getting somewhere. 

"You weren't an asshole. I was an asshole," Seokjin quickly explains, sighing and then stepping forward, hands reluctantly reaching out to hold Taehyung's but unsure if it is welcomed. But Taehyung takes his hands, soft as he remembered. "I should have given you Seoho's number when I had it. I just…I didn't think I could compete with that." He says, insecurely. 

Taehyung frowns and steps closer, cupping his cheeks gently and caressing them with his thumb, "There's no contest, hyung," He says as he leans in, finding Seokjin's eyes closing momentarily. "You're the most decent guys I have met." This earns him a shy smile from Seokjin. 

Taehyung couldn't resist, being so close to Seokjin after months, he leans in and kisses him. Seokjin responds quickly, wrapping his arms around Taehyung's waist and deepening the kiss. Taehyung moves his lips gently, savouring the plush feeling of Seokjin's lips against his dry ones. 

Seokjin decidedly breaks the kiss but doesn't move back, still holding Taehyung. "Your bar is pretty low if I'm the most decent guy." He teases. 

Taehyung rolls his eyes and chuckles, "If we break up, the bar is going to be extremely high for the others." 

"Can we not talk about breaking up? I don't think my band can take another break-up song from me." Taehyung boisterously laughs, throwing his head back in absolute happiness he has felt for months. 

Once he has calmed down, he looks gently at Seokjin and smiles to himself, "I think I love you, number twenty-one." He repeats his confession. 

Seokjin smiles brightly, "I love you, too." He admits, leaning in teasingly and whispering, "Number three hundred and-" 

Taehyung slaps a palm on his mouth, stopping him, "Nope!" He shakes his head. 

Seokjin laughs and removes his hands before chastely kissing him. 

The morning had been productive, Taehyung had gotten up, brushed his teeth and laid down on the bed again to map Seokjin's face with his fingers. It seems like for the past few months, he has forgotten all his moles and that was a crime. So he took his sweet time and caressed his face until Seokjin had woken up from his deep slumber. 

"Good morning, hyung. Can we kiss?" Taehyung had said the first thing in the morning. 

Seokjin smiling sleepily was Taehyung's favourite expression on his hyung's face.  

So all morning they made out on Taehyung's bed, in every position possible, not getting tired of each other's mouth. 

Taehyung was ready to have sex but Seokjin had told him to take it slow, he wants to take it slow because he doesn't know what that feels like. Taehyung thought that was wrong of him because why does that experience need to be with him? He just wants the banging of his life and he has relayed that to Seokjin. 

"I just think it's unfair to me on a personal level." He had pouted. 

"What? Me not having sex?" Seokjin scoffed incredulously. 

"Yes. Because I've heard how you fuck and I've always wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving of that dick and when I have a chance, you wanna be celibate." He had rolled his eyes at that, a pout prominent on his lips. 

Seokjin sputtered at the revelation, "You could hear me have sex?" 

"All the time, hyung." Taehyung said, "And I've been very patient so that's why I think it's unfair that you won't have sex with me." 

"I mean, I did offer you once and you wanted to wait because of your proclamation," Seokjin explained, shrugging as if that was enough for him to win the argument. "Also, I'm not going celibate. I said we should take it slow." He had rolled his eyes at Taehyung's childishness. 

"Fuck my proclamation. You should have seduced me harder!" Taehyung fisted his hands. 

So while they were kissing they also took time to argue. Mostly Taehyung about how he needs to have sex and Seokjin explains to him the magic of waiting and making love. 

Taehyung had gagged which earned him a hit from a pillow. 

"When we are going to have sex, I need you to fuck me. Hard. So I cam limp and boast about it. Afterwards, you can 'make love to me' or whatever." 

That's what he declared. 

And now, it's mid-morning and all Taehyung can do is suck Seokjin's face, straddling his lower waist and timely grinding to get him hard and horny so Seokjin can throw his inhibitions outside and fuck him but Seokjin is very aware, he immediately tighten his hold on Taehyung's hips and stops him from grinding. 

The annoying ringtone of Taehyung's phone almost ruins the mood but Taehyung ignores it, in favour of, of course, pulling the delicious moans out of Seokjin. He thinks it's Namjoon calling or one of his friends and right now kissing Seokjin is more important than them. 

It's until the call goes to voicemail that Taehyung stops at the voice of the person calling. 

'Hey Taehyung, this is Hyunwoo. I don't know if you remember me…you should because I got this weird message from your assistant and I just wanted to let you know we never had sex. You were pretty drunk the night we booked a room and you did this weird, tigery strip tease and gave me a pretty shitty hand job. You called it dry style but it was hurtful. Anyway, you didn't even finish me off, you vomited in a vase and passed out. So we never hooked up. Anyway, uh…see you around or never?  

Taehyung looks at Seokjin in horror and when Seokjin bursts out laughing, Taehyung lets out a nervous chuckle before realizing Seokjin is not laughing at him but at the story and he laughs too. 

"Oh my god, that means I never crossed twenty!" Taehyung sits up and realizes. Seokjin smiles and nods at him. "You're number twenty! I'm still at twenty!" He screams. 

"Congratulations, baby!" Seokjin teases. 

"Hyung! This totally calls for a celebration sex, no?" 

Seokjin groans but nonetheless pulls him in for a heated kiss.