26 • The Other Side
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You've never considered yourself dramatic, but the Young backyard has your jaw permanently slack. You descend the stone steps alongside Taehyung, holding his strong arm tightly for security since you're too busy gawking to watch your step. Porcelain baby angel statues stand on either side of the walkway, serving as guides through the lush hedges and flower bushes encompassing you. You hear the faint sound of a harp, further encouraging the tiny voice in the back of your head already whispering that you're in heaven.
The walkway leads to a tiered marble fountain, an angel spritzing water from its mouth at the top. It's enormous, rivaling the size of a carousel while guests around sit on its bank and marvel in the serenity of the atmosphere.
"I can't believe you grew up around this," you breathe out.
Taehyung smiles softly, admiring the childish grin on your face as you discover the string quartet in the corner. "Yeah, me neither."
The music compliments the ambiance beautifully, the soft strums of the harp alongside the plays of a violin making the garden feel even more peaceful than it already is. You can't help but feel in a fairytale, living out your princess dreams being a guest in a castle. With a prince.
You look over to Taehyung, tracing his line of sight to catch him eyeing an old couple swaying softly to the music on a patch of grass nearby. The woman wears an obnoxiously large sun hat, proving beneficial as it shields even her husband's bald head from the May rays. Yet, he doesn't seem to mind as he holds her tightly against him.
"They look happy," you comment.
Taehyung's lazy smile returns, nodding in agreement before taking your hand in his and tugging it.
"Where are we going-"
He lifts one of his long fingers to your glossed lips with a small shush, winking as he drags you away from the rest of the guests. The music begins to fade as he guides you through the damn maze that is the Young backyard, walking towards the hedge that separates their estate from the lake on the other side.
"Tae," you ask, concerned when he continues to walk straight towards the vegetation without hesitation.
Just as you're sure he's going to walk through it, he easily parts a thin layer of leaves. It seems unlikely that the Young's would allow even a blade of grass to be out of place, much less an entire hole in a hedge. Sensing your hesitance, Taehyung crouches and walks through, prompting you to silently follow.
You find yourself stepping straight onto a bank, the saturated soil causing your weight to shift suddenly and you reach out for Taehyung to regain your balance. Taehyung laughs while you grumble over the death of your nicest pair of strappy heels.
"Shit, Taehyung. How am I gonna meet your family with muddy shoes?"
You look down at your soiled feet, the squishy sounds of the mud each time you move fueling your distress. And suddenly you no longer feel the mud underneath your feet. You yelp as Taehyung lifts you, cradling you in his arms bridal style. With the arm under your bottom half, he shakes your legs slightly until your heels fall in the mud with a plop.
"Taehyung!" You freak, but it falls upon deaf ears when he dips with you still in his arms and grabs both shoes just to chuck them into the lake. You gasp, watching in horror as your shoes disappear into the water with a splash.
However, instead of scolding your careless boyfriend, you can't help but tear your gaze away from the lake. Ripples form along the teal water, creating small waves that rise and twinkle when they're kissed by the sun. It's quiet, other than the soft music you can still hear from the party. Rolls of green hills sit on the other side of the lake, reaching for the white puffs littering the sky. The Young backyard was beautiful, but outside of the walls is an even better beauty, a kind that can only be formed by nature.
"You spent too much time inside. You almost turned into one of them."
Your brow furrows as Taehyung walks you to an old gazebo off to the side.
"One of them?"
"They care about nothing. Nothing that matters, anyway. You were so worried about your shoes and impressing my family, you didn't even notice what was right in front of you." He sets you down on the wooden floor of the gazebo, tilting your chin up to face the scenery once again. "I found the hole in the hedge when I was a kid. I couldn't believe that they'd try to keep people from seeing this."
You watch his smile fade into a pained one as he settles next to you, leaning on one of the pillars with a sigh.
"It's beautiful," you say, hoping to lift his spirits a little by rubbing his back. At some point your gaze fixates on his dirtied dress shoes and it's then that you realize that Taehyung didn't care to take off his own.
"This is." He stares into your eyes, making you wonder what the reference is directed towards.
"I'm glad you brought me here." And you are. Taehyung, like you, has never been an open book. He's practically Fort Knox when it comes to his family. The tidbits that he wishes to tell you are surely enough, yet your heart swells at the thought of Taehyung sharing an aspect of his childhood with you.
Moving behind you, he wraps his arms around your frame. Taehyung always makes you feel so small but never powerless. He has the unique ability to make you feel protected even when you're vulnerable, and there's nowhere you'd rather be than in his arms as you both stare out into the lake.
"My pretty Honey," he croons against your hair, the vibrations of his rich voice sending a shiver down your spine. He hums along to a tune from the party, swaying you along to the music as you two continue to marvel in each other's presence.
Mother's day has never been the happiest of holidays since your mother's death, no matter how hard you and your family have tried to make it so in past years. Yet, instead of the pit feeling that gathers in your stomach at the sight of other people celebrating their mothers, today all you can feel is joy.
"My mom would've loved it here." You look up at the blue sky, a ring of clouds seeming to form around the sun as it shines over the lake.
Taehyung's smile stutters for a moment, the corners twitching before he joins you in looking up. "Mine too."
"Do you think they are? I mean, enjoying wherever they are?"
He ponders your question for a beat, resting his chin on top of your head with his arms tight around your waist. "I hope so. I believe their auras are still out there. I'm sure Venus can feel how happy I am whenever I'm with you."
You turn back to look at his face, not failing to notice how he refers to his mother by her first name. You half-expect a sad expression but are pleasantly surprised when he sends you a peaceful smile to which you return. Taehyung's chocolate eyes seem to darken a shade when he looks into yours, so much so that you can see your own reflection in his pupils. You cup his sharp jaw, inching your lips closer to his pink ones unknowingly. Taehyung's always been so beautiful to you, it's hard to resist kissing him all the time.
"Miss Choi," he warns, a teasing smirk on his lips. "You can't go around giving looks like that. It can give guys the wrong idea."
You roll your eyes. Leave it to your cheeky ass boyfriend to ruin a romantic mood. Before you can uncup his jaw, he places his hand over yours to lock it in place.
"But...it's a good thing you're mine. And all of those looks are towards me."
You hum in agreement. "It's a shame you're so cocky. Maybe if you'd stay quiet for a little longer I could actually compliment you on how pretty you look."
Your eyes widen when you feel Taehyung's face heat up, a light pink dusting his cheeks at your words. Have you ever seen him blush?
"Look at you!" You giggle, kissing his reddening nose. He tries to turn away but you continue to tease him, trapping his face with both your hands now so he has no choice but to look at you. Curious to see how flustered you can make your boyfriend, you say, "God, I could stare at your forever and it still wouldn't be enough."
"OKAY!" He forcefully peels away your hands as you laugh, his now replacing where yours once were to cool down his flared up cheeks. "I GET IT, YOU LOVE ME!"
You smile, prompting his boxy one before you hook your arms around his neck. "Who knew I'd ever fall this deeply in love with you, Mr. Kim."
He squirms in your embrace, rolling his eyes as he whines, "stahhhhp, you've proven your point. Stop saying all of that. And for the record, I knew."
"You knew?"
"Of course I did. Since the first night I saw you at Bang's. I knew, someway or another, you and I'd eventually end up together."
Now it's you blushing, turning your attention towards the water in a desperate attempt to shake away his. "Y-Yeah, right," you counter, "you got me. You don't have to pull out your flirty lines with me anymore."
"Nothing's ever been a line when it comes to you."
The sentence makes you do a double take, the lack of playfulness in his tone causing you to do a 180. You scan his face for a hint of a joke, the ghost of a smile or even the slightest twitch of his eye. But you find nothing. Taehyung is dead serious.
Through dark tendrils he looks down at you, constellations swirling in his irises as tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear.
"You make me stutter," he starts, a shy smile forming on his lips, "you make me jealous. You make me feel...at peace. I could barely get through a full sentence without sweating when we first met. Trust me when I say, nothing about this was planned."
Though your heart feels it may burst at any second, you humor him further. "Maybe it's all just a coincidence."
A small scoff escapes him before his lips gravitate towards yours. Your eyes glaze over his face, as if trying to commit every inch of him to memory. The sharp curve of his cupid's bow. The mole on his nose. The shape of his thick eyebrows.
"A coincidence?" He asks softly, his lips gently brushing over yours. He cocks his head slightly, smirking when he notices your own lips chase his, your body melting as he steadies himself to support you.
"Maybe it is," he drawls. With the light touch of his index finger, he tilts your chin up so that the tip of your nose is just barely grazing his.
"Or maybe we're just written in the stars."
Kissing Taehyung is like dreaming. It's serene, a bliss unlike any other. He's never too aggressive, his grip on your waist just tight enough to make you feel secure. Pillowy lips moving against yours in perfect synchronization that have you sighing in content. All while you allow yourself to slip further and further into a euphoric reverie, hopelessly hoping that it will never come to an end.
But the best dreams are the worst because eventually you have to wake up. There's nothing poetic about it. It isn't like a gradual fade back into reality and it comes with no warning. It's harsh and abrupt, which is exactly why you can't help but pout when his lips finally do leave yours. Taehyung's always been the first to pull away.
He hums in satisfaction before his tongue darts out to lick his lips. "You taste like raspberries."
The sweet custard of the fruit tart returns to your memory and you smile shyly while Taehyung shoots you a knowing look.
"You want another one don't you?"
You nod, grinning as he sighs and turns for the hedge.
"I'll go get you some, but promise me you won't wander off around in there alone again." He motions toward the party.
You scoff, leaning on the wood of the gazebo. "You think I can't take care of myself?"
"I know you can." He glances back at the hedge as the clamoring voices grow, indicating the pour of guests into the backyard he assumes. "They can't."
A little confused, you wave him off with the promise that you won't leave and he disappears behind the hedge again. Once alone, you bask in the serenity of the atmosphere again. The air seems fresher, the sun seems brighter, the water looks bluer. Maybe it's just the ties Taehyung has to this place that make you feel so happy to be here.
Taehyung, Taehyung, Taehyung.
You shake your head as you try to get the addicting man out. But it's no use.
At some point you realize your feet are still bare and your spirits slightly droop. You appreciate the point your boyfriend was trying to make but now you're shoeless and on the opposite side of the estate. There's no way to get home besides walking through Taehyung's family barefoot. Maybe Jungkook's girlfriend...err friend could lend you a pair at least until you get to Taehyung's car considering this is her home. Gosh, as if you weren't already from another world, now you're asking to borrow shoes.
"Hello?"
A deep voice rings out from behind the hedge, freezing you right in place. You don't recognize it as Taehyung's, nor Jungkook's or Hoseok's, so it could only mean it's another guest.
Or a serial killer.
You purse your lips, pulling down your dress in an attempt to conceal your toes if it unfortunately does happen to be one of Taehyung's rich friends. For a second you think the man left, but then you hear the rustling of leaves and immediately panic. Before you can think of an escape plan, a head pops out of the same hole Taehyung had left from.
How does he know about it?
"Oh," the blonde man exclaims as he scans you, his face conveying surprise yet his tone conveying something different. "There you are!"
You frown in confusion, trying to ignore the alarms sounding in your head as he emerges from the hole and onto the same bank. He grimaces at the mud, demonstrating his lack of knowledge of the area.
Noticing your expression, he breaks out into a friendly smile. He resembles a walking stick of dynamite with his red blazer and slacks, padding towards you with smoldering eyes. But what really throws you off, is what's in his hands.
Tracing your line of sight, he chuckles. "Oh right, Taehyung said you might need these."
He holds out a pair of ivory Chanel heels, the signature emblem twinkling on the tip just like the lake. Your brow sinks deeper. He seems to sense your weariness, which is why he clears his throat and holds out a hand.
"My apologies, I didn't mean to be so sudden. I'm Kai. I work down at the firm with Baby Kim- I mean, Taehyung and Mr. Kim."
You return his hand shake, eyes still trained on his fleeting ones. "We've met before, haven't we?"
"Yes, but I don't think ever so formally."
"You said Taehyung sent you?"
"Ah yes! You saw the way those women ambushed him earlier. He only shows his face once a year to everyone, once they saw him back inside, well...he wasn't fortunate enough to shake them off so easily so he sent me to come fetch you."
"Really?" You ask, skeptical. Though Kai's reasonings aren't out of line, you remember how ardently Taehyung wished for you to stay put.
"Yes, plus imagine how happy he'd be to see you wearing his gift." He sets the heels before you on the gazebo floor.
It's all too strange. Taehyung's never been one to show off his wealth, much less in the form of expensive gifts to you. Come to think of it, Taehyung seemed much more appreciative of the experiences money could buy rather than the materials.
Observing your hesitance, Kai grows impatient. While you're staring at the shoes, he allows his brows to crease and the smallest sigh to escape him. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't notice. But even since the job fair, Kai's gives you the creeps and you don't deem it wise to drop your guard around him.
"Taehyung would like you to meet his father."
Your head snaps up. Kai's expression is serious, he no longer wears a malicious smirk. No wonder Taehyung wants you to suddenly wear shoes. Even he recognizes the possible judgement. Suddenly you feel the anxieties that Taehyung had previously kissed away come crashing back and a pit forms in your stomach.
"T-Taehyung's father? He wants me to meet him?"
Kai nods, watching as you frantically slip into the heels. You know how much Taehyung loathes his father, you can't recognize whether him wanting to introduce you is a good or bad thing.
"Shall we?" Kai holds out his hand, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile. Too consumed by your nervousness, you fail to notice.
With a sinking heart, you grab his hand.
There's only one way to find out.
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dont kill me lol
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