It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon. The air smelled of blooming flowers, summoned by a gentle breeze. Jeongguk loved days like this. It was perfect - not too warm, not too cold. He closed the Mercedes door behind him and turned his face towards the sun. He closed his eyes and let the sun's rays warm his milky skin for a moment. When he lifted his eyelids again, he shifted his gaze to his right hand, which held a small bouquet of daisies he had bought a moment ago. He smiled softly at the very thought of the person it was meant for. In the right pocket of his coat, however, he felt the strange weight of a small square box with a pink velvet ribbon on it.

He didn't like expensive, lavish gifts intended only to emphasize how much his wallet weighed, but he knew that was what Lisa expected. He also knew that at her farewell party, everyone's eyes would be on them - a lovely, happy pair of brides who had to part ways. He didn't understand at all why everybody was making such a big deal out of this trip. Rose was throwing a party for Lisa, as if she was going to the other side of the world for at least six months, and not for two weeks to the second branch of their company, which in fact is just over a thousand kilometers from Seoul.

Knowing, however, that this is what everyone is expecting from him, he bought another damn expensive gift for her, which the girl will be able to show to her friends to make them literally green with envy. This time, he just popped into a jewelry store and bought the earrings the saleswoman had chosen without thinking. He remembered well the failure of his last choice, and he had no intention of worrying about such things.

Not today.

He smiled to himself again and checked his watch. It's time, he thought. After a moment, exactly as expected, the faint bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. Instinctively, he turned his head towards the small, low building, from which a group of kids slowly started running out, running quickly towards their parents. He looked closely for the familiar face among them, and when he saw it, he smiled even wider.

Yoo was wearing a warm white sweater and bright jeans, and over it was a bottle-green coat. She was wearing a beanie of almost the same shade on her head, which made her look like a dark green version of Smurfette. Jeongguk was sure that Yerim was the inspiration behind her daughter's choice of outfits. The little one always wanted to steal her mother's clothes, even though they were much too big for her.

The girl looked around for her mother, but she couldn't see her car anywhere. Seeing her uncertainty, Jeongguk took a step forward and parted his lips to call out to her, but at that exact moment their eyes met.

"Ggukie!" the little girl squeaked, immediately rushing towards him.

The brunet grabbed her in his arms almost on the run and kissed her ruddy cheek.

"Hello, princess," he greeted her. "This is for you," he said, handing her a bouquet of daisies.

"How beautiful!" Yoo judged. "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad told me you missed me and I missed you, so I decided to spend the afternoon with you, how about that? I have a surprise for you," he said, walking with the little one towards his car.

"Yes Yes! I want. What surprise is it?" she asked.

"We're going to visit my friend," he explained.

He felt the corners of his mouth twitch in an involuntary mockery as he spoke the word friend.

Oh, yes. Taehyung was definitely not just his friend.

"Tae?!" Yoo squeaked again, clearly excited. "Are we going to visit Tae?!"

"Maybe," he replied, teasing the little one, and opened the car door for her. "Jump in, princess, and buckle up in the car seat. I promised your mom that I would drive you back safe and sound."

Yoo took her seat immediately, and Jeongguk walked around the car and quickly slid into the driver's seat. Fortunately, Yoo's ballet school was not far from Jae's kindergarten, so the journey didn't take long. He spent more time looking for a parking space near the kindergarten building, cursing mentally every time it turned out that the spot was not free at all. Fortunately, after a few tries, he managed to find a place to park the car. He stopped his black Mercedes and switched off the engine, then got out quickly.

He walked around the car and opened the passenger door, then unlocked Yoo's seat belts and helped the girl free herself. He took her little hand in his and led her out of the parking lot onto the sidewalk. Seeing that the girl had her shoe untied, he crouched down and began tying the shoelaces to the bow so that Yoo would not accidentally fall over on the way.

"Oh, I see that you have a child after all,"  an amused, female voice said suddenly.

Jeongguk immediately raised his gaze and saw the woman he had spoken to during Jae's last performance. The brunette smiled at him charmingly. She was dressed in a beige, elegant coat and long black boots. A little girl was standing next to her, and she was shyly looking from behind her mother.

"This... This is my niece," he explained quickly.

"Oh! She is really cute. Have you come to see the performance of this handsome friend's son?" she asked with a smile on her face, even though it didn't sound like a question at all.

"Yes. His son is playing a bunny today. I couldn't have missed it," he replied with a gentle laugh.

"Oh! It's wonderful. My baby will play a cherry tree today. Yesterday she had been practicing standing still with her arms raised all day," she said and laughed out loud, gently covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even introduce myself! My name is Yeon-jin." As she spoke, the woman extended her hand to him.

Jeongguk hesitated for a moment, staring at her hand, but finally reached out to her and shook her hand carefully but firmly.

"I'm Jeongguk, and this is Yoo."

"Nice to meet you, Yoo."

"Good morning," the girl said.

"And this is Hyo-ju," the woman added, but the girl only hid tighter behind her. The brunette laughed out loud. "I do not know how she does it, that now she is hiding, and in a moment she will enter the stage."

"Children do a lot of amazing things," Jeon agreed. "And... Your ex-husband had more important plans again?" he asked.

"Business meeting," she nodded. "Money always comes first. Well, maybe except for some young chick he was sleeping with on the side," she added, snorting gently under her breath. "It turned out that when I was taking care of our daughter, he was cheating on me. This is the worst thing you can do to anyone. Oh! I'm sorry to tell you this. I shouldn't have bothered you with such things. We don't know each other at all, and I..." she added quickly. "Actually, we are not together anymore, but we are just finalizing the divorce, so it's still a difficult topic for me..."

"It's okay," he answered quickly. "And I'm sorry... About the divorce and... What he did to you."

He wanted to say more, but the words stuck in his throat. Would Yeon-jin put him next to her husband? He knew he hadn't done right to cheat on Lisa. He should have broke up with her when he noticed that he was thinking more about Tae than about her. He should have kept his distance. Wait until he breaks off the engagement to begin developing his relationship with Tae. And he knew there was no excuse for that. He could say he was fucking lost and not sure of his orientation. He could explain himself in a million ways, but he knew that in the eyes of others, he would be the one who owed everything. There was no room for shades of gray here. Everything was white or black, and he was the villain in the story.

"I-I guess I should go now, because I have to help her change into a tree costume... but it was nice seeing you again, Jeongguk," the brunette said, after a moment of awkward silence. Her lips curved into an apologetic smile.

"It was nice to see you too, Yeon-jin," he replied.

As Yeon-jin started walking, Jeongguk watched her go before exhaling loudly. He couldn't let his own insecurity ruin his day once again. He was going to see Tae and have a lovely afternoon with him.

"Ready?" he asked, looking at Yoo, the girl nodded and grabbed his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"You remember my friend Tae?"

"Yes! Tae! Are we going to see Tae?!"

The little girl began to jump with excitement, and Jeon laughed out loud, all stress forgotten in an instant.

"Yes. We're going to see Tae," he confirmed. Yoo squeezed his hand tighter with her hand and began to pull him towards the building to get inside as quickly as possible. Jeongguk chuckled softly at her reaction, but then stopped short. "Wait, princess," he ordered, then turned the little girl towards him. He moistened his lips and swallowed loudly. "Yoo, listen to me carefully. I need your help. Will you help me, princess?"

The girl nodded her head vigorously, staring at him with dark, doe eyes.

"Tell me honestly, what do I look like?" he asked, feeling his nervousness grow again.

Yoo giggled and started running around him, watching him from all angles, until she finally faced him again. She rested her little hand on her chin as if she were just doing some great pondering, until she finally sighed aloud.

"Is not so bad. You look like my dad when he comes home from work," she said honestly.

"Oh, no. Seriously?!" That said, Jeongguk groaned involuntarily. "This is bad, very bad..." he muttered.

His hands instinctively traveled towards his dark hair, ruffling his black curls in the same way Taehyung did when he came to his apartment on their date. Then he grabbed the skinny black tie and at first only loosened the knot. In a moment, however, he removed the tie completely. He tucked it quickly into his coat pocket and thought briefly about how he could still improve his appearance. As a last resort, he decided to unbutton a few top buttons on his shirt. He didn't have much room for maneuver, so that would have to be enough.

"Better?" he asked, and Yoo nodded quickly. "Okay, let's go, because we'll be late," he said, grabbing his niece's hand again and walking towards Jae's kindergarten.

As he entered the building, he let a woman with two children pass in the doorway, then ushered Yoo inside. There were already a lot of people inside, some parents were already seated in the audience, some were still standing with their children, a group of children was playing in front of the stage. Jeongguk scanned the room quickly with his careful gaze for that one special person. When he finally spotted the boy with fiery red hair in the crowd, his heart beat faster.

He studied him for a moment, absorbing the sight of him. He liked to watch him when Taehyung had no idea he was being watched. That was what he liked best. The boy was talking to a young couple. They were probably the parents of one of the performing children. As usual, the tattoo artist was all dressed in black. His arms were adorned with a leather jacket draped over a black T-shirt. Even from this distance, he could clearly see his beautiful caramel skin, covered in black ink, and the red lotus flower adorning his slender neck. The black T-shirt was cut enough to show his luscious collarbones. He dreamed of nothing else than to be able to walk up to him and move his nose in that exact spot, then lick each flower petal with his tongue. He remembered as well as pouring red wine over his body, only to drink the slightly tart alcohol from his skin a moment later, and he wanted to repeat it so much.

The man's slender legs, as usual, were dressed in tight, black jeans, in which his ass looked almost insane. He bit his lower lip, remembering what it felt like to tighten his fingers against his soft skin, pressing his body tightly against his. He wanted to feel him again. His weight on him, his hot breath, agile tongue, efficient hands. He wanted to feel him tasting him with his lips, caressing him with his hands, and filling him with his hard cock.

Feeling a strange heat seep over his body, he cleared his throat and tried to control his raging emotions. He squeezed Yoo's hand tighter and walked toward Tae, gracefully passing through the crowd. As they were close, he felt the little girl slide her hand from his and knew what that meant.

"Tae!" the little one squealed and ran towards the tattoo artist.

Hearing her calling, Taehyung looked at them. His face was immediately lit up with a beautiful, boxy smile. The boy leaned forward a bit, letting Yoo fall into his arms. He picked her up off the ground and looked at her smiling face.

"Hey, pretty girl," he greeted in his low voice as he pushed her dark hair out of her face.

"You are so beautiful!" the girl screamed, giving him a kiss on the right cheek, and Tae laughed out loud. "Will you be my husband when I grow up?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know if your uncle will agree," he said, genuinely amused, shooting a quick glance at him.

As their eyes crossed, however, Taehyung turned tighter towards him so that he could examine him closely and shamelessly measured him from head to toe, gliding over his body with his hungry eyes.

"Good morning, Mr. Jeon," he said to him, lowering his voice a few tones, exactly to the hue he used when making love to him.

His eyes flashed to the image of Tae, completely naked, staring directly into his eyes with his intense gaze and whispering in his ear 'I want to fuck you Mr. Jeon' and for a moment he felt really hot.

"Good morning, Mr. Kim," he replied, continuing this strange game with him, and he, too, ran his eyes from head to toe over his body, absorbing his beauty.

He was damn sexy with that intense look of his, delicately tousled hair, and fitted black clothes that concealed smooth caramel skin adorned with black ink.

"Yoo, can you see those chairs under the stage? There is a specially prepared place for children to watch the show closely. Do you want to go there? Jae will be performing soon," he asked.

"Uncle?! I can? I can?"

"Sure you can, Princess," Jeon replied.

Taehyung set the little girl back on the ground, then took the green beanie off her head and ruffled her hair with a hand.

"Go. You'll see Jae play the bunny," he said softly, and Yoo ran without hesitation towards the chairs prepared under the stage. The tattoo artist followed her with his eyes, then turned to face him and shamelessly looked him up and down again. "It's nice to finally see you from the waist up, Mr. Jeon," he said, lowering his voice enough that only Jeongguk could hear him.

Saying this, he dragged out all the syllables sexily, which made the brunet feel a pleasant shiver of excitement climbing up his strong back. He almost instinctively moved toward him, closing the distance between them, and looked around to make sure that none of the crowd had noticed the man's bloody inappropriate words.

"T-Tae..." he whispered.

"I couldn't stop looking at this photo," he admitted without the slightest embarrassment. "You're so fucking perfect."

"Tae... We are... Among the people," he said, lowering his voice to a minimum and still looking around.

"And?"

"You're indecent."

"You love it when I'm indecent."

Jeongguk laughed softly at his words. It was true.

He loved it.

When the light in the room suddenly dimmed and a group of children appeared on the stage, they both stood to the side to admire the show. They were standing so close their arms were almost touching, but neither of them was about to increase the distance. On the contrary, they thought the centimeters between them were too much.

"Did you look at my photo too?" Taehyung asked softly.

"Yes. You have a really beautiful smile," he replied teasing him.

He knew very well what Taehyung was asking him about, but he liked this conversation and teasing him too much to let him win so easily. But he was glad that the light in the room was dimmed enough so that the tattoo artist couldn't see the blush on his face. Kim took one more step towards him, pressing hard against his body. Jeongguk could feel the warmth emanating from him, and his heart began to beat so hard he could hear his loud rumble in his ears.

"And the second one... Did you watch it too?" he asked in a whisper.

Jeongguk wondered for a moment if he should tell the truth. They were in a crowd of people and this conversation was getting so bloody indecent.

"Maybe..." he finally admitted. "Once... or twice..."

"Were you looking at it this morning?"

"Maybe... For a while."

"Before the shower?"

"Yes. I needed a cold shower after that," he confirmed, holding back a smile.

"I missed you too, Mr. Jeon." That said, Taehyung gently brushed his hand over that of Jeongguk to let him know that he was close, and the brunet let their fingers entwine together.

They were standing next to each other in a hall full of people, holding hands, soft smiles on their lips, and even though Jeongguk was not ready to announce aloud that the man whose hand is in his hand belongs to him, he felt immensely happy to know that it was so.

Others did not need to know what they had. The important thing was that Taehyung knew what he really meant to him.

***

"Dad! I got dirty," Jae said worriedly as his ice cream started to run down his hands, staining his blue T-shirt with a brown teddy bear.

Taehyung looked at him and laughed softly, then quickly reached for a tissue from the table and began wiping his clothes.

"It's okay, Tiger. When we get home, you'll change your T-shirt," he said gently. "Will you give your hands? Come on, we'll wipe the hands too," saying so, he took from his son an almost eaten ice cream in a wafer in his left hand, and in his right hand he grabbed another batch of tissues to wipe his son's hands.

"I'll do it," Jeongguk said suddenly, seeing the tattoo artist trying to clean his son with one hand.

Taehyung looked up and smiled gently at him, thanking him for his help. He was used to the fact that he himself looked after his son and that he could not count on the help of others. The young CEO took a few tissues and began carefully wiping the melted ice from the boy's hands. After he finished wiping his right hand, Jae held out his left hand to him, showing that it was all dirty and sticky as well. And the man laughed softly and obediently began to wipe the boy's other hand as well.

"Thank you," Kim said, watching the dark-haired man wipe his son's face. After Jeongguk finished cleaning Jae, Taehyung held out his hand with half-eaten ice to his son, letting him bite into the soft wafer again.

"Tae, you don't have to thank me."

"I just still have a hard time believing that someone like you exists," he replied, watching the young CEO's cheeks blush slightly at the compliment.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, and the air between them grew strangely thick. Jeongguk saw the tattoo artist's onyx eyes staring at his lips for a little too long, and he automatically moistened them with his tongue. He wanted to feel the tattoo artist's lips on his own again, and he knew Taehyung wanted that too.

"Uncle, can we go play?" Yoo asked suddenly, snapping them out of this strange trance.

"Sure you can. Will you take care of Jae?"

"Yes! Jae, come on!" the girl ordered, sliding down from her chair.

At her words, Jaesung began to shift nervously in his place. The toddler stuffed the whole wafer into his mouth at once to finish eating his ice cream as soon as possible, and Jeongguk laughed out loud at the sight and instinctively ruffled his hair with his hand. Seeing that the boy was trying to get off the too-high chair by himself, he got up and, grabbing him by the armpits, helped him slide down to the ground. Yoo grabbed Jae's hand, and they ran towards the playground.

As Jeon resumed his seat, he noticed that Taehyung was still watching him closely. His stare was so intense that he felt a bit embarrassed. Instinctively, he slipped a hand through his dark hair, tugging it back, and laughed a little awkwardly.

"Something happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not used to the fact that someone can accept that I have a son and look after him as wonderfully as you do," he confessed.

"Tae, you know I adore you both," Jeongguk replied.

"You adore more him or me?" the tattoo artist asked, and the young CEO laughed out loud, throwing his head back.

"I must seriously consider this for a moment. Jae is damn cute," Jeon teased.

"Are you saying I'm not cute? I think I'm damn cute too," he protested, pretending to be offended.

"Are you telling me you're jealous of your four-year-old son?" The brunet asked, laughing in disbelief.

"Maybe a bit," he admitted. "Ever since I saw you today, I dream about being able to finally touch you, to be able to kiss you."

"I want it too, Tae. Especially when you look like today. I guess you're doing this on purpose to make it harder for me to stay away."

Taehyung gave him a sexy smile, then bit his lower lip.

"And does it work?" he asked, teasing him as he ran his fingertips over his exposed cleavage as if he were caressing his caramel skin.

"It works too much," the brunet confirmed, feeling that his breathing was involuntarily shallower.

He watched closely as the tattoo artist ran his hand over the slender neck and wanted to extend his hand to allow it to trace the route followed by the redhead's fingers. He knew that if they were alone now, it wouldn't be his hand that would caress that voluptuous neck, but his soft lips. He wanted to suck on his skin and slide his tongue over it, he wanted to feel how much his pulse is getting quicker under the influence of these caresses.

He swallowed loudly and forced himself to tear his gaze away from the tattoo artist's neck and shift his gaze to his dark eyes.

"You're hot as hell," he confessed before he could bite his tongue, and the tattoo artist laughed.

"You look good too," he admitted, biting his lower lip.

"That's not true," Jeon protested. "I didn't even have time to change. I just came straight from the office. All I could to do was take off my tie and undo a few buttons on my shirt, so I wouldn't look like I was coming to another business meeting. I put it in my pocket," he added, pulling his black tie out of his coat pocket to confirm these words.

Taehyung reached out his hand without thinking and almost involuntarily grabbed his hand, which was still gripping his black tie, then stroked the back of his hand with his thumb.

"You always look beautiful, Gguk," he said fondly.

Jeongguk looked at the tattoo artist's hand resting on his, and almost hypnotized, turned his hand so that their fingers were entwined together. He loved the warmth of his hand. He was fascinated by how their hands were almost equal in size, but still the tattoo artist's hand was softer, his fingers slender, longer and so damn beautiful, yet so fitting his hands, as if they had been made to hold his hand, to form a coherent whole.

"Is everything okay? Do you need anything else?" a woman's voice suddenly asked, breaking them out of this intimate moment.

Jeongguk, embarrassed, quickly slid his hand from that of Taehyung, pushing his hand away from him and almost spilling his shake like a complete idiot. However, he managed to grab the glass at the last moment, stopping it from tipping over.

"No. We don't need anything," he said quickly, very embarrassed.

He was well aware that the waitress certainly saw that they were holding hands, and she knew well that it was not just a friendly touch. Even though it was only their hands touching, there was something bloody intimate, even erotic about their touch, and he was sure the woman had seen it too. He was also curious about her reaction. He wanted to see if she was disgusted by it, or if on the contrary, he would see either curiosity or surprise in her gaze, but he did not dare to look at her.

"Everything was delicious, thank you," Taehyung said. "Could I have a receipt already? I would like to settle the payment."

"No, Tae. I'll pay," Jeon protested, finally looking up at the tattoo artist.

"No need," he said with a cool voice and handed the waitress his credit card, then smiled gently at her.

The girl took the appropriate amount and returned the card to him, then bowed and went to the next table, leaving them alone. For a moment there was a somewhat awkward silence between them. It took a moment for Jeongguk to dare to look up and look at the tattoo artist again. Taehyung looked a bit withdrawn, perhaps even hurt that he had pushed him away.

"I'm sorry," Jeon said softly. "When I heard her voice... I panicked."

"It's okay, Gguk. I shouldn't have touched you. Sometimes I forget that..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"That I'm such a hopeless case?" Jeongguk finished for him, snorting under his breath.

"No, Gguk!" he protested quickly, holding his hand out towards him, but he reflected in time and withdrew it quickly. He placed a hand on his thigh and gripped his torn jeans tightly and took a deep breath. "It's just that I never had to worry about whether someone thought I'm gay or not, and I don't care what other people think about it. If that was about me, I could kiss you in the middle of this café right now and I'd happily tell everyone how lucky I am to sit next to you, but I know your situation is more complicated."

"I'd like that too, Tae. You are wonderful and everyone here should envy me that you waste time with me at all..."

"Gguk, never think that. I love spending time with you. Every moment I spend with you is so precious to me that I wouldn't let it be taken away for nothing in the world. I know that you are just learning yourself. It's not easy to get out of the closet."

"And what does it mean to get out of the closet? Will my uncle get out?" Yoo asked as she and Jae ran up to them.

"Your uncle needs to dress up for the party. I'm afraid he has so many clothes that he might get lost in his own closet," Tae said, taking Jaesung onto his lap. "This Lisa's farewell party in today, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Jeon replied, sighing heavily. His hand found its way almost automatically to the dark curls. "As far as I know, Rose rented a place for us. Probably there will be a bunch of pompous people, half of whom I have not even seen. I can't wait anymore." That said, he sniffed gently under his breath.

"You don't like such parties? I thought it was a special hobby of the rich," he joked.

"I hate such events. I always feel awkward."

"You're a strange rich man."

"That's bad?"

"That's very good."

"The very thought of having to pretend in front of everyone again makes me sick," he confessed.

"And what will you pretend, Uncle? Mom says it's not good, she says that you shouldn't pretend or lie," Yoo said.

"Because your mom is right. She's a very smart woman," Jeon confirmed, stroking the little girl's dark hair. "Ready? We have to go out or your mom will kill me if I don't get you home in time."

Taehyung rose from his seat, Jaesung still in his arms. The little boy snuggled against his shoulder. The little one was already clearly sleepy, so he carried him all the way to the car. Jeongguk drove them back in his car to Jae's kindergarten, where the tattoo artist had left his car. He parked literally next to the boy's car and turned off the engine.

On the way, Jaesung fell asleep, so Jeongguk got out and held the car door for Tae so that the man could freely move the boy to his car. The tattoo artist tucked the seat belt into place, then turned to face Jeongguk. They were standing so close to each other that their bodies almost touched, but still the brunet took another step forward, and now they were only centimeters apart. He grabbed Taehyung by his black T-shirt and pulled him closer towards him.

"I want to kiss you so much," Tae whispered, looking him straight in the eye.

Jeongguk instinctively looked around as if to see if anyone was watching them, but the parking lot was empty. Only in the distance he saw a couple holding hands. He looked back at the tattoo artist and moistened his lips, then leaned gently toward him. He brought his face close to his and lightly brushed his cheek with his nose, while inhaling his wonderful masculine scent. Taehyung felt the young CEO's hot breath hit his skin, but he didn't flinch. Everything about him screamed for him to pull him against him, embrace his strong arms and kiss him as if nobody and nothing else mattered, but he wanted him to decide how far they would go.

Jeongguk brought his mouth to his and kissed him lightly on the cheek, so that his lips brushed the corner of his mouth. After a while, however, he moved his lips further and touched gently the tattoo artist's lips. For a few brief moments, his lips moved so gently over them that Taehyung felt as if they were just a touch of wind. Until the young CEO's hands tightened strongly on his leather jacket, and warm lips pressed against his. Gguk pressed against them strongly, partying his lips with his tongue and sliding it inside his mouth.

At first, he kissed him a little chaotically, with trembling lips, as if he was trying to convey all his feelings with this kiss, but after a while he clearly calmed down. He kissed him tenderly, stronger, parting his lips so that the tattoo artist could slide his pierced tongue inside his mouth and dominate the kiss. Taehyung did not hesitate for a moment, deepened the kiss, sucking on his tongue. He tasted him, teased him, then bit down on his lower lip and tugged hard on it with his teeth, tearing a groan of pleasure out of his mouth.

"Uncle, has something happened?" a thin girlish voice suddenly asked.

Jeongguk moved gently away from Taehyung and chuckled softly, then licked his lips, sipping the taste of the tattoo artist's lips from them, and turned towards his car.

"No, Yoo. Everything is just fine. We can go now," he said, then glanced at the tattoo artist again over his shoulder. He grabbed his leather jacket and quickly kissed his lips again. "I'll call you tonight," he whispered, then quickly ran around his car and slid into the driver's seat.

He glanced at the time on the display and cursed softly inwardly. They were already a little late. So he moved quickly towards his brother's house. Fortunately, he managed to avoid the traffic jams, and it took them less time than expected to make it. After less than half an hour, he parked the car in front of his brother's house. He got out of the car and helped Yoo out, then took her things and, leading the girl by the hand, started towards the house. They walked through the manicured backyard, then helped Yoo climb the few steps to the house and knocked on the door.

"Ooh, You are here?! And I was beginning to worry that Yoo was talking to you to death," Yerim joked, appearing on the doorstep after waiting.

"I haven't talked that much today, Mom," the girl protested. "We were at Jae's show!" She boasted, grinning.

"Jae?" the woman repeated, surprised by the new name. She knew all of her daughter's friends, but had never heard of such a boy.

"He's my new friend. His dad will be my husband when I grow up," she announced proudly. "Tae is so beautiful and has hair like my doll, Zola!"

Yerim looked at Jeongguk and raised her right eyebrow questioningly, then dropped her hands on her hips.

"My daughter got engaged, and I don't know anything?" she asked amused.

"We were at my friend's child kindergarten play," he explained slightly embarrassed.

In fact, taking Yoo to meet Tae, he hadn't thought at all that the girl might tell her parents about it. So he prepared nothing for this eventuality.

"Oh, really? I didn't know you had a friend who had a child," she said, clearly surprised.

"I met him recently. We don't know each other very well," he lied. "I just thought Yoo might like this show, and I think she had a really good time."

"Yes! I liked it very much. And then I ate ice cream!" Yoo continued. "And I was playing in the playground with Jae, but Tae said Uncle Gguk has to come out of the closet, and he doesn't know if he can make it, so we had to go back."

Jeongguk almost choked on his own saliva at the girl's words and laughed nervously. For a moment he felt as if someone had pumped out all the oxygen, even though he was still outside. He dipped a hand into his dark hair and ran his fingers over it in a slightly nervous gesture.

"The point is, I don't know what to wear tonight. I want to look good," he explained, coming up with something quickly.

Yerim laughed out loud, then reached out and touched the man's cheek, stroking his face tenderly.

"Oh, Ggukie. You'll be handsome anyway. No matter what you wear. The Jeons have it in their blood."

"Thank you, Yerim," he said, covering her hand with his. "See you tonight." That said, he kissed her cheek lightly, then gave Yoo a hug and walked quickly towards his car.

Yerim watched him go, then looked at her daughter and smiled gently at her. She reached out and took the beanie off her head. She brushed the strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear and they both headed inside the house.

"Well, if you already have a fiancé, you can tell your mom a little about him, hm?" she asked, still laughing under her breath at the fact that Yoo already had a chosen husband. "Is he really that beautiful?"

***

Did Jeongguk ever mention that he hated fancy parties, Lisa's pumped up fake acquaintances and fake smiles?

If not. It was definitely the right time now.

Feeling a growing nervousness at the evening ahead, he smoothed his neatly combed hair again with his hand and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. He made sure the cufflinks are properly fastened and the tie is not skewed. It was probably the third time he checked if he had missed a spot by polishing his shoes before leaving.

He was strangely nervous, it felt like he was about to take an exam from History he hated and had always had trouble with at school. And maybe there was some truth in that. He knew very well that everyone's eyes would be on him and Lisa. Her puffed-up friends will follow him closely. He must have told himself at least a million times in his head that Lisa would be leaving on Sunday night, and he would not have to fake anything anymore.

He was also well aware of the fact that even when the girl would come back, and he would finally tell her that they had to break up, things would not be easier. Perhaps only then would all the hell break loose, but he hoped he would be stronger and more confident by then.

Today during a visit to the café, when he and Taehyung were holding hands and a waitress approached them, he panicked. He pushed his hand away, fearing the girl would be disgusted with the two men holding hands, but when he pushed Tae away and looked into his eyes, he knew he felt much worse knowing he had hurt him than if this strange woman had made some unpleasant comment at them.

He remembered just how envious he was of that Frenchman he had met in Paris. He sat leaning against the wall and watched the man kiss his partner in the middle of the street, not caring that anyone might be looking at them. He wanted to have as much courage, although he knew that perhaps he would never have as much courage as this boy. However, he had to admit that he felt wonderful when he dared to pull Tae towards him and kiss him in the parking lot today. He loved it. He loved the feeling of his lips on his, and the fact that he would dare to do it somewhere where someone could see them made him feel proud.

"Oh! Look, honey! Rose did her best!" Lisa exclaimed with excitement in her voice.

The girl cling on his shoulder almost immediately, and he curled his lips in a practiced, fake smile and led her down the hall. Feeling the gaze of unfamiliar people on him, he felt terrible, strangely nervous and sick. He never liked public appearances, he felt bad in the crowd of people, especially those who judged his every gesture, but he knew that it was impossible to get out of this party.

Rose invited many people whom he had never even seen before. Lisa grinned and greeted almost everyone, and he only bowed to unfamiliar faces. Only when he saw a familiar figure in the crowd did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Jimin looked perfect. He wore a red velour jacket that emphasized his silhouette and perfect proportions. In addition, he put on a plain white shirt, which he unbuttoned sexily, almost to the sternum. Black tight pants hugged his slim legs. However, what attracted Jeongguk's attention and curiosity wad the fact that his friend did not come alone.

A man with bleached blond hair stood next to him, and before their eyes met, Jeongguk knew exactly who he was.

Yoongi looked very elegant despite keeping a rather modest style. Such simplicity, however, suited him very well. The tattoo artist was dressed in black, there was no other color in his wardrobe, but he still looked perfect. All he had to do was look at him once, and he knew well that the suit jacket on his shoulders was definitely a gift from Jimin.

For a moment he thought about Tae and how the tattoo artist had tried to dress him up for their date. At the mere mention, he bit his lower lip to suppress a smile. Taehyung was so beautiful that he didn't need any designer clothes. And without clothes, he looked even better than wearing them.

He looked at Lisa standing by his side and leaned gently towards her.

"Honey, I'll go say hi to Jimin," he said quietly, then bowed to the couple they were talking to and turned on his heel, walking away quickly enough for Lisa not to have time to protest. He covered the distance between them in a few quick, springy strides. "Oh, thank God you are here."

"Is it that bad?" Jimin asked and laughed out loud.

"Worse. I don't know these people, I smile like stupid and pretend I know who I'm talking to. Your cousin invited half the Seoul elite here, and most of them could kill themselves by falling from their ego to their IQ," he explained, then re-taped that fake practiced smile to his lips and added, "I love such parties."

"That's why I'm here, and I also brought Yoongi to save you from trouble," Jimin replied. "And you know what will help you even better?" he asked, curving his full lips into a beautiful smile. "Soju. Soju is the cure for all evil."

"You know I'm driving, and I can't drink anything."

"Oh, Ggukie. You will come back by taxi."

"I don't want any more fights, Jimin."

"Jesus, made her leave already..." Jimin moaned, then without question poured the soju into two glasses and handed one to Yoongi.

They both drank their shots while looking at each other, then Jimin smiled gently and leaned toward the man to kiss his lips. Jeongguk instinctively looked around to see if anyone was watching them with a disgusted grimace, but it seemed as though all the assembled people were engrossed in their conversations and apparently no one was paying attention to them.

They talked for a while and joked, but when the first course was served, Jeongguk was forced to move away from his friend and take a seat next to Lisa. The longer the party lasted, the more pressure he felt in his chest. Lisa, on the other hand, clearly felt like a fish in water. She was overwhelmed with compliments, giggled at jokes that weren't funny at all, and praised her fiancé. Jeongguk felt sick every time the girl squeezed his hand or stroked his cheek tenderly as if everything was fine between them.

When he thought he was about to choke, he whispered a few words in Lisa's ear and got up from the table, going towards the bar. He had to get out of there, if only for a moment. He ordered water with lemon from the bar and quickly took a few sips.

"Jeongguk?" a woman's voice suddenly asked, and hearing his name, he turned to face the direction from which the call came.

"Yeon-jin," he said, genuinely surprised.

The woman was wearing a white elegant blouse and a black pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back smoothly and pinned up in a small bun. At first, he thought she was one of the guests Rose had invited, but when he saw the tray full of cheese in her hand, he realized the woman must have been working here.

"I didn't expect to see a familiar face here," she announced. "Are you one of the invited guests?"

"Not exactly..."

"Oh, don't tell me you're serving this party too. Ugh, such terrible company. It's supposed to be a farewell party, but the girl for whom they organized it is a terrible bitch," she added, lowering her voice a bit so that none of the invited guests would hear her. She knew well that such a comment would cost her job.

Jeongguk parted his lips to answer her words, but before he could say anything, he felt someone grab his arm, and after a while the sweet scent of Lisa's perfume crept into his nostrils.

"Oh, honey, here you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. Your father wants to propose a toast for us and wants you to say a few words too."

"Lisa, you know I don't like such appearances..."

"Oh, honey. You are my fiancé, you need to say a few words at my farewell party," she replied, then looked at Yeon-jin and measured her carefully from head to toe. "What are you staring at? Nobody pays you for standing in place, so add some cheeses and go treat my guests, and you are not standing here like a stick," she said, then kissed Jeongguk on the cheek and almost skipped back towards the main room.

Jeongguk moistened his lips nervously, then looked at Yeon-jin and smiled apologetically at her.

"I-I'm sorry about her..." he began, feeling like a total idiot.

He didn't know how to act now. He hadn't expected to meet anyone he knew here, especially anyone he had met while with Tae.

"This is your fiancée?" she asked, surprised, and Jeon felt sick again.

"Look, I know this will sound like I'm the greatest hypocrite, but..." he began cautiously, wondering what words to choose to explain what she had witnessed.

He knew very well that the woman knew what kind of relationship him and Tae had, even though she had never witnessed any tenderness between them, and he had never openly admitted that there was something between them. So he didn't know how to explain the fact that she was currently working as a waitress at his fiancée's farewell party, who had just acted like a total bastard.

"Jeongguk, you really don't have to explain yourself to me. Whether and with whom you cheat on your fiancée is your private matter. We don't know each other, so I'm not gonna judge you. I'm old enough to know that not everything is black or white, and sometimes you have to walk in their shoes to understand someone. And believe me, I know not every guy is an asshole like my ex-husband. He just couldn't keep his dick in his pants," the brunette said, not letting him finish. "In fact, I think I can even understand why you are trying to escape from such a world..." She added, snorting gently under her breath. "That friend of yours... He's completely different, isn't he?" she asked, even though she didn't need an answer.

"Totally different," Jeongguk admitted.

As he spoke the words, he felt strangely sad, as if he was talking about someone completely unattainable, about some beautiful dream that would never come true.

"Take care of him, Jeongguk. And never let him go," that said, the woman bowed gently to him and disappeared into the crowd of guests before Jeon could reply.

***

Jeongguk shifted his gaze to his hand, lying on the table, holding that tiny, delicate hand of the woman he was going to marry in a few months. A pink diamond gleamed on the girl's finger, symbolizing his affection. He should feel proud and happy to be able to hold her hand in his, but the feelings that accompanied him had nothing to do with happiness or pride.

He felt bad at the mention of how he pushed Tae's hand away today. When they were alone, nothing else mattered. He loved the feeling of his closeness, he liked the way his body reacted to the tattoo artist, how his lips fit perfectly with Taehyung's, how their bodies melted into one like two pieces of the same puzzle.

He had never felt like this with Lisa.

However, it was his hand that he pushed away. He felt ashamed and scared that someone might see him intertwining his fingers with his. Now, even though he was holding the hand of a girl with whom he had practically nothing to do with anymore, he didn't have to feel that way. People around them didn't care if they really loved each other, if Lisa supported him and if he was happy with her. What mattered to them was that he was a man, and she was a woman.

He looked at Jimin almost automatically and for a moment he watched his friend whisper something in Yoongi's ear. They were so close that his friend's nose almost touched the man's exposed, tattooed neck. Even though Jeongguk could not see their hands, he was convinced that Yoongi's right hand was holding his friend's tiny hand.

He envied them. He was so fucking jealous of their courage.

He felt himself getting strangely upset at such thoughts. His heart was beating erratically in his chest, he found it hard to breathe. He wanted to get out of here. Hide somewhere so he won't be caught by the curious gaze that he still felt on himself. He couldn't focus on anything else.

When he heard his father tapping his fork on the rim of his glass and rising from his seat, he had the impression that he was about to return all the contents of his stomach. He licked his lips nervously and looked at Lisa, and the girl smiled brightly at him and squeezed his hand tighter.

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for being here with us. It is a special day, because in a few days, on Sunday to be precise, our wonderful Lisa is going to Japan. Fortunately, she will stay there until a new contract is finalized, so I sincerely hope it will not take more than two weeks. But I know that when someone is truly in love, every minute of separation extends by hours. I also know that true love will survive such a separation and even grow stronger, so I don't worry a bit about Lisa and Jeongguk. They are made to be together. I remember the first time Lisa showed up in my office. She was young, ambitious, but also very shy and modest. I want to believe that it was thanks to my son's love that she flourished and became such a confident and beautiful young woman. And I know it's not a secret to all of you that these two are planning to bond for life. Lisa, I believe that you will come back to us soon, and when you return, you and my son, Jeongguk, will get married, and finally I will officially be able to call you my daughter. I couldn't put into words how happy I am that my son has found someone as wonderful as you. So let's have a drink for our future bride and groom and the new Mr and Mrs Jeon," saying that, his father raised his glass, toasting with the gathered guests.

Jeongguk felt he was about to suffocate. Everything seemed to spin. He was barely able to register Lisa's hand stroking his cheek, then her lips pressed against those of his. He blinked a few times and looked around as if looking for help, but met only Yoongi's hard gaze and felt even worse.

His father seemed to be talking to him, but he couldn't register the meaning of his words. It took a moment for him to realize that everyone expected him to get up and say a few words. He hated public speaking. The tie he had tied around his neck seemed to tighten more and more, cutting off the oxygen he needed. He forced his body to rise from its place, and he swallowed hard. He felt his hands tremble and sweat with nerves. It felt as if everyone's eyes were literally burning holes in his skin as everything spun around.

"M-me and Lisa... We..." he began, pronouncing each word with difficulty.

Chaos in his head, unable to come up with simple words. All he could think of were things he shouldn't have said aloud, that he wanted so badly.

I do not love her. And I don't think I've ever really loved her and that I will never be able to love her back. I don't want to be with her and I don't want this wedding you are all waiting for. I really think maybe she doesn't love me either. She is with me because she is so comfortable, because she has everything that you envy her, but we have nothing in common, absolutely nothing. Even that ring you admire so much is not a symbol of our love. It is exactly like our relationship - seemingly beautiful and shiny, but empty and meaningless inside.

"We... Lisa has never left before and..." he gasped finally. "I don't know what to say..." he added, letting a nervous laugh roll down his lips. He felt as if his chest was being pressed down again, and he was afraid he might have a panic attack. He hated public speaking. He felt ashamed and upset. "I should say something poetic, but I never coped well with words... Lisa is smart and beautiful... She will surely manage and delight everyone with her... work and..." that said, he looked at Lisa, who she looked a bit irritated and embarrassed by his awkwardness.

He should have said he loved her and would miss her, that when she finally did come back they would never be parted again, but he couldn't get the words down his throat. Lisa laughed nervously, then tucked a strand of dyed blonde hair away and carefully pushed a small box towards him, letting him at least publicly give her the gift he had bought for her. Especially for this evening. Jeongguk moistened his lips, he had the impression that he had the Sahara in his mouth, he was unable to swallow.

"Yes," he said, glancing nervously at people he didn't know staring at him with a mocking expression on their faces. "I-I'm not good at words, so... I bought you something to express how much... How much I will miss you..." he choked out, taking a small box in his hands.

He prayed that the assembled guests would not notice how trembling his hands were. Fortunately, Lisa got up from her seat and, pretending to be surprised, laughed charmingly.

"Oh, he is so in love with me that he is speechless!" she called, hanging from his shoulder. "That's my lovely Jeonggukie!" That said, she took the box from his hand and quickly opened it, pulling off the pink ribbon. "Oh! Are these diamonds? Jeonggukie!" she called, then threw herself on his neck, and before Jeon could react in any way, the girl kissed him on the lips.

As she moved away from him and excitedly began showing the jewelry to her friends, Jeongguk raised his head and met Yoongi's dark eyes. For a moment everything went dark in front of his eyes, and he couldn't breathe again.

What if Yoongi thinks he's only playing with Tae. He had only just convinced him, and now he was witness to it all. He saw how Lisa kissed him, how he held her hand in his, how he smiled artificially at her side.

He threw a few words quickly towards Lisa, telling her that he was going to the bathroom, and moved quickly towards the restroom. He couldn't stay there any longer. He was afraid that he would have a seizure in a moment. Walking along the narrow corridor, he was safely sliding his hand along the wall so as not to accidentally lose his balance.

Luckily the toilet was empty. Jeongguk closed the door behind him and immediately approached the sink. He rested his hands on the cold marble and lowered his head. His breathing was heavy and choppy. He closed his eyes and for a moment tried to even his breathing. He was just starting to pretend it when he heard someone open the door. He turned sharply behind him.

Yoongi appeared before his eyes. The tattoo artist smiled softly at him, then without asking, slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Jimin noticed something was going on with you, and he wanted to come here... But I told him to let me talk to you," he began carefully.

His voice was gentle. Jeongguk immediately noticed that the man had deliberately kept a distance between them, as if he feared that if he got too close to him, Jeon would feel like a wild animal trapped in a cage. And that's how he felt most of the evening. He was suffocating and could do nothing to finally be able to breathe fully.

"This kiss..." he began, feeling a growing fear that this was what Yoongi wanted to talk to him about.

"Don't worry, Gguk. I saw that she kissed you, and besides, I know everyone here thinks that you... I didn't come to talk about it," the tattoo artist replied quickly. "I just came to make sure you were okay."

Jeongguk studied him for a moment. His chest was still rising and falling in the chaotic breathing.

"Nothing's okay," he replied, his voice trembling. "You heard them... How am I going to tell them that... that me and Lisa... that what was between us is long over. How do I tell them that... that I'm just like you..."

"Jeongguk, I won't lie to you. Seeing your family... your fiancée... It won't be easy, but you are not alone."

"What if I lose them? If my father behaves the same as yours? What if my brother will be disgusted with me and won't let me see my niece? What if I am left alone? I don't know if I can make it, Yoongi."

"Gguk, if that happens, they'll lose someone amazing. But even if they turn their backs on you, you won't be alone. You will have Tae, who is crazy about you and will do anything for you. You will have Jimin, for whom you are like a brother, and you will always be able to count on me too, although we have not known each other for too long. You'll have that little toddler Jae who talks about you all the time. I am also sure that Tae's mom will fall in love with you, and believe me, this woman took me in as if I were her child. She will do the same for you. If you lose the family you have, you will gain a new one. Like me, I gained. You should be surrounded by people who really love you."

"Thank you," he gasped, feeling his throat tighten.

"I'll leave you alone for a moment, but remember that you can count on us," Yoongi added, then placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

He left the bathroom without saying anything else. Jeongguk turned to the sink and looked at his reflection. He was oddly pale, perhaps because he was so hard to breathe. He still felt shaky, his hands were sweating and trembling with nervousness. He turned on the water and slid his hands under the cool stream. He washed his hands, then splashed water on his face, trying to even his breathing.

"A little more, Gguk," he whispered to himself. "A few more days and it will be over."

He stood there in silence for a long moment, his hands resting on the marble and breathing deeply. When he finally felt the pain in his chest ease, he reached out for some paper towels and dried his face with them. He ran a hand through his hair, making sure it was smooth, and straightened his tie. He left the bathroom and headed towards the bar. From the stress of this embarrassing speech, his mouth felt dry.

"A glass of water with lemon, please," he said to the bartender, who nodded at him and began preparing the order.

Jeongguk looked at the cuff of his shirt and adjusted the gold clip that adorned his sleeve. His hands were still trembling slightly, but he was feeling a little better now.

"This was a very bad speech. You should have said, you won't miss your fiancée at all because you actually prefer to suck cocks on the weekends. Surely you'd get more applause," said a suddenly amused male voice behind him.

Before he could turn around, he knew who the voice belonged to, but he prayed for a moment that his senses would confuse him. With a strongly galloping heart, he turned behind him and, as he expected, he saw a tall, athletic brunet with a charming smile on his lips.

"Minho..." he choked out with difficulty.

"Does your fiancée know about your new hobby?" he asked again.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Minho," Jeongguk replied, trying to pretend to be unfazed.

The bartender laughed out loud, theatrically throwing his head back, then stared at him, eyes narrowing.

"I'm saying you like taking it up your ass and sucking cocks. Preferably thick, with pierced head."

"What I like is definitely none of your business," he growled, feeling the pressure in his chest tighten again.

He looked around nervously to make sure there was no one he knew to hear them.

"Oh, you're wrong. Since you decided to spoil my date and snatch my guy away, that's my business," he growled through his teeth.

"Taehyung was never your guy." That said, Jeon took the glass of water the bartender handed him and turned on his heel to walk away as quickly as possible, but only took one step when the bartender's strong hand held him back from leaving.

"I'm not done with you yet, Jeon Jeongguk, future CEO of The Jeon Electronics."

Under these words, Jeongguk felt a wave of nausea rising up his throat.

Minho knew exactly who he was.

He felt like he was about to faint and the world around him began to spin again.

"Oh, I can see I have your attention now," he said sarcastically. "When I saw you for the first time, I thought your face looked familiar, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. Just think what my surprise was when I found out I was supposed to be working as a bartender at the party for the future CEO TJE's fiancée, and then saw you two together. Do you think your beautiful fiancée would like to know what her fiancée is doing when she is not home for a long time?" he asked, though in his mouth it didn't sound like a question at all.

"Fuck off. You don't know anything about me," Jeon replied, struggling to control his breathing. He was forced to put his glass back on the bar counter as his hands began to shake with nerves.

"I am satisfied with what I already know. I don't think your fiancée would be so happy and so in love if she found out that when she's not watching you suck cocks. Or maybe just this one, huh? Taehyung is someone special to you?" he asked, provoking him.

Venom oozed from his mouth, and each word stole the oxygen from Jeongguk's lungs. Brunet leaned against the wall, feeling that the pain in his chest intensified so much that he was no longer able to breathe normally.

"What do you want?" he choked out with difficulty.

"Look at you. You stand here in your tailor made Gucci suit, elegant shoes that shine like dog's balls, you grin like silly at the side of the beautiful bride who hangs on your shoulder and sighs to everyone how wonderful you are, showing off a pink diamond, that you gave her for her engagement. Your father flexes his chest proudly, boasting what a wonderful son he has and how happy he is that you are getting married in a moment. And I? I stand in front of you in a rented suit, shoes borrowed from a friend, and I pour drinks to your rich friends who don't care about me. You have everything, and when the fate finally smiled at me, you suddenly come with your broad smile and innocent eyes to take away what I have earned. Don't you think you owe me?"

"I don't owe you anything."

"And I think you do. I wonder how much the knowledge I have is worth?" he replied, pretending to think about something. "Or how much is my silence worth?"

"If you think that you will get any money from me, then you are wrong."

"Well. If you say so, why not go to your beautiful fiancée and tell her that you are cheating on her? And not just with anyone. This is definitely not some blonde chick you met at some corporate party. Oh, no. You prefer to be fucked. You like feeling his hard cock inside you, huh? I must admit that Taehyung knows his stuff. He has a nice dick, huh?" he said, pushing against Jeongguk who was breathing hard. "Do you like to suck him off, faggot?"

Jeongguk pushed him hard against the wall, resting his forearm on his throat. He felt his anger mingle with his fear and tighten around his throat. Everything swirled around.

"It's funny that someone who is a fag say something like that," he growled, and Minho just laughed in his face.

"But I have nothing to lose. And you... From what I can see, you can lose everything. If you don't pay me, I'll find your fiancée and have a nice chat with her. And then, I'll go to your father. I hope that old Jeon has no heart problems, because I wouldn't like him to have a heart attack after he was told that his son likes sucking cocks."

Jeongguk was silent for a moment, fixing his gaze straight into Minho's. He knew the bartender was not joking. He could see it in his determined gaze.

"How much do you want?" he asked.

"Five million Won," he replied without the slightest hesitation.

Jeon released him and jerked away abruptly, placing a hand almost automatically on his chest.

"Are you kidding? I won't give you that much."

"Oh, then let me talk to your lovely fiancée," he said and turned on his heel and started walking.

Gguk tried to catch up with him, but was unable to move. Everything was spinning so much that he wasn't sure he would even be able to take a step.

"W-wait!" he called after him with clear desperation in his voice. He felt his wallet almost blindly and took out a checkbook.

"I'll wait, but to convince me... You have to write ten million on the check," he said, smiling broadly.

Brunet took out a pen and with a trembling hand wrote a check for the indicated amount, then handed it to the bartender.

"Please... Don't tell anyone about this," he asked, his voice trembling.

"I don't know what Taehyung sees in you. You're pathetic," Minho said, tucking the check in his pants pocket. "Have a nice evening, Mr. Jeon," he laughed out loud as he said it, and walked forward, swinging his hips.

Jeongguk leaned back against the bar, trying to calm his breathing, but with each passing minute it became more difficult. The pain in his chest was so bad that he couldn't stand straight. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone he knew, so he cautiously moved on.

When he made it to the room where all the guests were, he scanned the faces of strangers desperately, looking for Jimin, but the image before his eyes began to blur.

"Gguk!" a familiar voice suddenly called, but Jeongguk felt as if the call came from a great distance, as if someone would call him over the edge of a precipice into which he was slowly falling. He was gasping for oxygen. "Jesus, Gguk. What's happening?" Jimin asked, holding him down as Jeongguk stumbled as if he was drunk.

"J-Jimin... I... I can't... I can't breathe..." he choked out with difficulty, then he slumped to the ground, still clutching his aching chest.

"God, somebody call an ambulance!" Jimin shouted, crouching beside Jeongguku. "Gguk! Oh God, what's going on?" he repeated quickly.

Jeon could hear Jimin saying something to him, but his words grew blurry and distorted. He was clutching his chest all the time, hysterically pulling his sweaty shirt away from his body, but still gasping for breath. Soon the pain in the chest was almost excruciating, and for a moment it seemed to him that he was really dying. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something, trying to ask someone to help him, but before any words left his lips, it was too late.

Total darkness enveloped him.

***

Ayashee:

And how are your impressions after this chapter?
What do you think happened to Jeongguk?
Will Taehyung find out about what happened at the party?
What will he do then?

Thanks for the stars and comments!

xoxo