Taehyung POV
I immediately grabbed the trashcan once I got into my room. The urge to puke was becoming overwhelming.
I emptied my whole stomach content into the bin & wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
"Damn, she's really bad at cooking." I muttered under my breath.
The scene earlier came to mind. I touched my lips, the lips which had caressed her finger, & my heart began to beat faster. I inadvertently smiled at the image of her cute surprised expression when I put her finger in my mouth. It sounded perverted but I felt like she was a part of me now that I'd tasted her blood.
I threw myself onto the bed & replayed the scene repeatedly in my head. Then something occurred to me. There was no sound coming from the room next door.
Why hasn't she gone back to her room?
I slowly opened the door & popped my head out. She was slouching against the dining table with her back facing me. I tiptoed closer to her & found that her eyes was closed, her hands still wrapped in rubber gloves for dishwashing.
She must be tired.
She didn't even stir when I stroked her hair with my fingers. So I took off the gloves & lifted her up bridal style. I laid her gently on the bed & put a blanket over her body.
She's the most exquisite thing I've ever seen in my life. I thought to myself as I watched her sleep.
My heart was overflowing with love for this girl who couldn't even fathom the effect she had on me.
I hesitantly inched closer to her & lightly kissed her forehead.
"I love you Song Y/n & I'll protect you no matter what." I whispered.
Then, I rose from my seat & turned off the lights.
Good night my love.
I smiled at her before I closed the door behind me.

Y/n POV
You opened your eyes as soon as you heard the click of door closing.
Oh. My. God.
You covered your head with the blanket & muffled your squeal as your whole face combusted into a shade of deep red.
You'd actually been awake since he carried you back to your room, but you kept pretending to sleep. Thus, you heard everything he whispered earlier. Your heart was pounding so hard that you were surprised he hadn't heard it.
He really loves me. And I think.. I'm beginning to fall for him too.

The following morning, you woke up much earlier than usual to prepare breakfast for Taehyung. Fortunately, nothing was burnt this time.
You looked up from the dishes when you heard Taehyung stepping out of his room.
"Morning." You smiled at him as you put down two plates filled with eggs & toast on the dining table.
He seemed stunned to see your extraordinary behavior & stopped in his track.
"Morning." He mumbled & continued walking.
"Have some breakfast. I know last night's food was awful, but I promise you this time it tastes ok." You signaled him to sit down.
He glanced skeptically at the plate of food & a frown furrowed his brows.
"Come on. Sit down. You can spit it out if it doesn't taste good." You pulled his arm & sat him down.
He hesitantly put a forkful of food into his mouth & his eyes perked up.
"How does it taste?" You asked nervously.
"It's- It's ok. Better than last night." He muttered without looking at you.
"Thank God. I don't know how you managed to swallow the food last night. It was horrible. I'm sorry, I should've tasted it first."
"You tried your best, but I seriously thought that you were trying to kill me." He said flatly.
"What? No! Of course no-" You answered in panic.
Then, you saw the corner of his lips lifted & both of you bursted into laughter.
It was heartwarming, seeing him laughing so openly like that with you again. You realized that you had taken his kindness & warmth for granted back then.
"What? Is there something on my face?" He asked when he noticed you staring.
"I missed that laugh." You accidentally said your thought out loud.
You covered your mouth with your hand instantly. The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
"Ehm.. Anw, I'm done. Thanks for the food." He abruptly stood up & put the empty plate in the sink.
"Just put it there. I'll wash them later."
"Ok. Oh, this is for you." He took out an envelope from his bag & handed it to you.
"Thanks but I can't take it. You've given me enough." You sighed & returned the envelope to him.
"But-" He protested but you wouldn't have it. You opened up his palm & placed the envelope on it.
"I don't need that much money. Like I said, you've given me enough. Thank you."
"Well, ok then.. I'll be going first." He put the money back in his bag & stepped towards the front door.
"Wait! Your tie.." It was crooked & you moved closer to fix it without further thinking.
"There you go." You smiled in satisfaction & looked up at him. The look on his face froze your smile.
His face was only inches away from yours & he was staring intensely at you, like he wanted to devour you. Butterflies flew in your stomach & you had a sudden urge to kiss his plump lips.
"Thanks. I really need to go now." He broke eye contact & pushed you gently away.
"Oh. Yeah. Right. Haha. Ok, stay safe. I'll see you again tonight." You awkwardly waved at him, but he didn't turn around & kept going until he exited the apartment.
You collapsed onto one of the chairs & hit your head.
"Why did I fix his tie? Everything was going so well.." You heaved a deep sigh.
I hope he doesn't distance himself again.

Night came. Not wanting to risk burning everything again like the night before, you'd bought dinner & waited for Taehyung to come home.
Feeling bored, you picked up the cleaning appliances & began tidying up the apartment.
An hour passed, you'd cleaned the living room, kitchen & bathroom, but still no sign of Taehyung.
"Hmm.. what else can I do?"
You walked through the corridor, passing your room & Taehyung's room.
"Should I clean his room? Nah, that's an invasion of privacy."
You kept walking until you reached the room at the end of the corridor. The door was slightly opened, so you peeked inside. It was an office of some sort.
"The door is opened so I guess he won't mind if I clean this room." You walked in & flipped on the light.
Stacks of papers & books were strewn all over the table. Some even were placed on the floor.
You carefully made your way to the table & started wiping the dust off, but your elbow accidentally bumped into a stack of files causing it to tumbled down to the floor.
"Shit!" You immediately stooped down to collect them.
Then, you saw it, something unmistakably familiar.
Your favorite painter, V's signature.

-•-

You sat down on the sofa, staring at the wall processing the information that you had just discovered.
Kim sonsaeng is V. V is Kim sonsaeng.
Another shocking thing that you'd found out was that he was a member of the jury for the painting competition that you had won.
Did he rig that competition on purpose so that I could win? Why didn't he tell me any of these?
What else is he hiding from me?
What else.. has he done for me?
The sound of doorbell ringing startled me.
That's odd. Did he forget his keys?
You rushed to the door & opened it.
"Kim son-"
"Long time no see 우리 딸 (uri ddal = my daughter)." The person you dreaded to see the most, your stepfather, stood in front of you with an evil smirk spread across his face.
"What are you doing here?! You can't be here! Go away!" You shouted as you pushed him, but he wouldn't budge.
"Awww, is that how you greet your old man? Woah, you've been living so comfortably. I was worried for nothing." He shoved you away & walked into the apartment.
"Get out! Or I'll call the police." You threatened.
"Go on. I'll tell them that your beloved sugar daddy is holding an underage child, which is you obviously, against her will. Let's see which one of us will be put into jail." He snickered as he plopped down onto the sofa. His presence in the apartment stained your once pristine microcosm, like an ink blot on a white sheet.
"I stay here on my own will. He doesn't force me." Your fingers were still hovering over the keypad of your phone, but a sliver of doubt prevented you from actually pressing the numbers.
"Well ok, go on then. We'll just have to see who the police believes." He crossed his arms & leaned even deeper into the plush sofa.
"What do you want? Money? I'll give you money."
"Ouch! That really hurts my feelings. Do you think I come here because I want your money? No honey, you are my most precious commodity. I'm here to take you back home." He abruptly stood up & stepped closer to you.
"No! I don't want to go back to that hell hole ever again!" You yelled at him as you retreated away from him.
"You have no choice darling, coz you're still a child. Unless.." He snatched your arm & pulled you closer to him, so close that you could smell the alcohol in his breath.
"Let her go!" Taehyung's sudden roar made you both turn around.
"Ahh, finally we meet. I'm Y/n's father, how are you?" Your stepdad released your arm & extended his hand towards Taehyung.
Taehyung didn't take it, all he did was look him up & down in obvious disgust.
"Wow, you guys are two peas in a pod." Your stepdad lowered his hand & scoffed.
"Say what you want & get out of my house." Taehyung muttered in an eerily low tone.
"Ok. I'll be straightforward then. I'm coming here to take her back, because her mom & I miss her so much." His pretentious expression made you want to gag.
"Unless.. you can give me something to compensate for our loss." He quickly added.
"How much?" Taehyung asked.
"Aww you make me sound like I'm selling my daughter.."
Taehyung stared at him for a few moment before he pulled a checkbook out of his bag & scribbled on it.
"Is this enough?" Taehyung tore the check & gave it to him.
Your stepdad glanced at it disinterestedly, but when he took it & saw the numbers on it clearly, his eyes lit up & a wide grin broke on his face.
"Well, this should be enough. For now." He quickly folded the check & put it inside his wallet.
"That's all I'm giving you. Don't ever come here to bother us again." Taehyung sternly said.
"Yeah yeah. Sure. I'll get going now, thanks for the check. I'll use it wisely. Y/n ah, make sure you serve him well." He winked at you & left the apartment.
You felt like disappearing into a hole right that moment. You couldn't even look at Taehyung because you were so embarrassed.
"I'm sorr-" Looking down at the floor, you finally mustered the courage to say.
"Don't. It wasn't your fault. Just forget about it." He coldly said.
"How much did you give him? I'll pay for it slowly."
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't that much."
"B-but-"
"Just drop it, will you?!" His harsh tone of voice startled you.
Tears inadvertently rolled down your cheeks & you hastily wiped it away with the back of your hand.
"O-ok. I-I'm sorry. I'll go back to my room now." You bowed slightly at him & rushed towards your room, suppressing the tears that were about to fall.
"Wait." His hand snatched yours, stopping you from moving further away.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you. Would you forgive me?" He sighed.
You nodded silently, but your tears kept flowing uncontrollably.
"Hey, don't cry. Hey.." He shook your shoulders in panic as he saw the stream of tears on your cheeks.
But you still couldn't stop crying.
Suddenly, he pulled you into a hug & gently stroked your head.
"Shhh.. Please don't cry. None of this was your fault. I was just angry at your stepdad for treating you like that. I'm sorry for yelling at you." He uttered as he placed his chin on the top of your head.
The sound of his steady heartbeat instantly calmed you down. You felt safe inside his warm embrace & wished that you could stay there forever. That was the moment you knew that you'd fallen for him.
You pushed him slightly away & raised your head to look at him. This beautiful man who had done so much for you, who cared & treasured you more than your own family did, who didn't ask for anything return for all his kindness.
"W-What?" You could feel his heart beating faster under your gaze.
Then, you stood on your tiptoe & kissed his lips.

Taehyung POV
My mind went blank as her soft lips pressed against mine. For a moment, I got lost in the momentum & wrapped my arms around her delicate shoulders.
She wriggled her body closer to mine. The unintentional friction against my body made me lust for her even more.
That was when the alarm in my head went off. I pushed her away like she was a bag of hot coal & distanced myself from her.
"What are you doing?!" I panted.
"I- I'm sorry.." She stuttered, her face as red as an overripe tomato.
"Didn't I tell you to never do that again?! I don't need you to repay-"
"I love you." She stared right into my eyes & said.
My heart skipped a beat hearing her confession. I could feel the seed of hope growing inside me.
S-she loves me?
But a sliver of doubt remained.
"Stop lying. I don't believe you." I scoffed.
"What should I do to make you believe me then?" A frown formed in between her brows, her frustration apparent.
"I- I don't know.." Honestly, I wanted to believe her. This was the moment that I'd been dreaming of, she loving me back. However, I was scared that this was all just an illusion & my heart would break when she snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, she dashed towards her room & came out carrying a stack of things.
Are those..?
"Here. I'm giving you back all your money. I haven't used a cent, except for buying the ingredients to cook for you last night. Now, do you believe me?" She asked as she shoved the envelopes of money into my hands.
"Why didn't you spend it?" I stared at the unopened envelopes in disbelief.
"I didn't feel comfortable spending it because I hadn't done anything to deserve it. I thought.. I thought you wanted my body when you said that you wanted to be my sugar daddy. I didn't expect that you did all this because you loved me. Slowly, I started having feelings for you as well. I felt like slapping Yoojung when she gave you those cookies & you smiled at her so charmingly. I had thought that that smile should've been mine."
Listening to her sincere confession, my seed of hope blossomed into a beautiful flower.
"It had always been yours." I muttered as I put the money down onto the table.
"Huh?" She looked up at me in confusion.
"My smile, my heart. They had always been yours. So you don't need to be jealous. Besides, I threw those cookies away." I stepped closer to her & put a strand of hair behind her ear. The euphoria in my heart made me want to hug & kiss her, & scream my love for her for the world to hear, but I had to restrain myself.
"Really?" Her clear dark brown eyes fluttered at my touch.
"Really. You have no idea how much I love you Song Y/n." I smiled at her, proceeding carefully so that I wouldn't step over the boundaries, because I knew that once I dived in I wouldn't be able to pull myself back.
"T-Thank you." She shyly replied.
"Now go to sleep. I'll clean this up." I patted her head & turned away.
Out of nowhere, her arms snaked around my waist & held me tight.
"Wait for me. I'll be an adult in a year, then I'll be able to show my love for you." She took off right after saying that.
I turned my head around & saw her back disappearing behind the walls of her room.
A smile curved my lips upwards. I had to bite my lips to stifle the giggle that was about to escape my mouth.
I'll wait for you. No matter how long.

Y/n POV
The following days had been nothing but pure bliss now that you'd confessed your feelings to him. Taehyung was back to his old warm self, but he still put a safe distance between you & that only made you love him more. You appreciated his thoughtfulness & respect, although sometimes the temptation to just ignored all the rules in society was very strong.
You were humming to yourself as you carefully cut the vegetables. You wanted to give a try again at cooking to compensate for your awful dinner a while ago.
The door opened with a smooth click. Taehyung was home.
"You're home." You said without turning around, still focusing on the vegetables.
"Are you cooking?" You could hear his footsteps nearing.
"Yes, but don't worry this time I'll taste it. How was-" Your words got stuck because he suddenly put his head on your shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?" You wanted to turn around but he stopped you.
"Just stay like this for a while." He sounded sad & tired, so you obliged without saying another word.
After a few minutes, he lifted his head up.
"Did something happen today?" You turned to face him & asked in concern.
"No. Don't worry about me, I'm just tired." He smiled at you but you knew he didn't mean it.
Your heart clenched seeing him like this, so you pulled him into a hug & patted his back lightly.
"I know I can't be much help, but you can lean on me once in a while. I'll try my best to soothe your pain."
His body tensed up, his usual reaction whenever your bodies came in close contact. You knew that he was restraining himself from doing more, so you released him.
"Thank you. But like I said, I'm fine. I'll go take a shower first." He ruffled your hair.
That was when you saw it. The small dots of red blood on his shirt underneath his suit.
"Omg, did you hurt yourself?!" You frantically opened up his suit & breathed a sigh of relief when you found no more blood.
"Ahh this. It's probably just red paint. I went to the warehouse earlier, maybe it got splattered onto my shirt by accident. I feel filthy, I need to wash up now. You go on." He grabbed your shoulders & pushed you away before walking towards the bathroom.
You knew he was lying. That definitely wasn't red paint, but you decided to drop it.
If he wants to tell me, he will.
-•-
"Dinner's ready!" You exclaimed.
Taehyung readily got off the sofa & turned the TV off.
"Woah, these look amazing. But.. you've tasted them, right?" He glanced at you skeptically.
"I don't repeat the same mistake twice." You replied confidently.
He took a bite & his eyes lit up.
"Wow, this is very good. I can get used to this." He said as he engulfed all the food in his bowl in seconds.
The sight of it warmed your heart so much that you involuntarily smiled to yourself.
Is this what people call happiness?
Both of you talked & laughed as you ate dinner. Such simple pleasure was enough to make you feel that sun had finally shone on your dark little world.
"Is that the last one?" Taehyung asked as he put the last plate on the rack.
"It is. I could do this on my own actually, you didn't need to help me."
"You've cooked dinner. The least I can do is help you clean up."
Awkward silence followed as each of you walked to your bedroom doors.
"Well.. I guess, good night then. See you tomorrow." You said to him as you opened your bedroom door.
His hand suddenly snatched yours, stopping you from going in.
"Can you accompany me tonight?" He said, hesitation filled his voice.
"Y-You mean.." Surprised by his request, your heart began to beat faster.
"No no no. I mean just cuddle. Not like that.." The tips of his ears reddened in embarrassment.
"Oh. Ok." You closed your bedroom door & waited for him to open his.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes. Just cuddle, right?" You smiled to assure him, but inside your heart was racing like crazy.
He opened the door to his room & guided you towards his bed. Both of you climbed up in silence & he covered your bodies with the thick fluffy blanket.
He opened up his arm & you snuggled close to him. His musky smell filled your nostrils, his warmth radiated through the thin fabric of your pajamas.
"Did you have a bad day?" You asked.
"Sort of.." He answered as he put his other arm over your body.
Your heart felt like it was about to explode from the close bodily contact, but you pretended to be calm.
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"Maybe next time." His tone was final so you didn't ask anything further.
Both of you stayed like that for a few moment, before he lifted your face & stared deeply into your eyes.
"Thank you." He muttered softly.
"For what?" You tried to cover up your nerves by chuckling.
"For existing. For being with me right here, right now. Please remember that I love you so much & everything I do is for you." His words were sweet, but he sounded gloomy.
Something was definitely off.
Is he implying about the painting competition? Or the fact that he's V?
But you didn't ask. All you did was caress his cheek gently & smile at him.
"I know. Thank you for always being there for me. I love you too ssaem."
He moved his face slowly closer to yours & you closed your eyes anticipating his next move. When your lips touched, you felt like you were complete & nothing else mattered in this world.