Taehyung couldn't even register how long he was standing still, holding a small box in his hand. He was unable to move. He had the impression that he was holding in his hands all his fears and worries, materialized in the form of two small, shiny rings. He didn't know, even when his right hand grasped one of the wedding rings in his fingers. He carefully pulled out the smaller one, the one that was certainly not meant for him.

As he held it in his fingers he thought the jewelry was burning his skin, causing him pain, but he knew very well that it was actually something else that hurt him — a sudden feeling that he had already lost him, though perhaps he had never really belonged to him...

He twirled the wedding ring carefully in his fingers, feeling his throat tighten with every passing second. When he saw the engraved inscription inside, he inhaled loudly, struggling to hold back a sob that pressed against his emotionally quivering lips.

"Forever Yours"

A promise of eternal love that Jeongguk was going to make to someone else.

With a trembling hand, he began to place the wedding ring back on the black pillow when suddenly, behind him, he heard the soft patter of bare feet hitting the wooden panels. But before he could do anything else, that beautiful, slightly drowsy voice crept into his ears, which made his heart squeeze again painfully.

"Tae, why are you awake?" Gguk asked, leaning his hip against the door frame leading to the bedroom. "It's still early. Come to bed..." he added, running a hand through his sleep-disheveled hair.

Taehyung turned instinctively towards him. Jeongguk looked too sexy to even describe it. The young CEO now wore only one of his sweatpants with a red dragon on his right thigh. Black cotton fabric framed his narrow hips, hiding that damn sexy V-shaped line that he loved to run his tongue over. The boy was standing on the bedroom threshold, nonchalantly leaning against the door frame. He smiled gently at him, his soft lips curving into a beautiful, lazy smile. His eyes, still slightly asleep, sparkled vividly. The locks of dark hair were still curled from yesterday's rain, but it only made him look even sexier. Looking at him, he wanted to reach out and run his fingers over the almost jet-black strands, and after a while, pulling them, pull him towards him and place a tender kiss on his lips.

But Kim hadn't flinched, so painfully aware of the weight of the little box that was still in his hand. He parted his lips to say something, but before any words left his lips, he realized that the young CEO was no longer looking at him. His dark irises were now fixed on his slender, tattooed hands that still held the black velvet box. At the sight of what was in his hands, the man's body immediately tensed, and his strong back tensed like a string.

"I didn't rummage in your things..." Kim gasped, quickly moistening his lips with his tongue. He felt as if his body was beginning to tremble involuntarily from the panic overwhelming him. He didn't know what to do, but it was too late now to pretend nothing had happened. "It's just... I wanted to clean your clothes from the floor, and when I picked up your suit jacket... It must have fallen out of one of the pockets..." he explained quickly, nervously feeling his suit jacket in search of a pocket, to put the box with the rings back into it as soon as possible, as if this could make them disappear forever and make everything be alright again.

His heart was beating so hard it felt like a moment longer for it to pierce through the tissues and bones, popping out of his chest and crashing against the cold panels at his bare feet. He was so nervous that he couldn't find the pocket, so he gave up after several unsuccessful attempts and looked up again to find Jeongguk's gaze. He stared at him for a moment in total silence, gathering the courage to finally speak.

"Should..." he finally began hesitantly. "Should I ask why you have wedding rings in your pocket?" He asked, so damn afraid of an answer he might hear.

It seemed to him that every word he had just said was literally cutting his throat. Jeongguk looked him straight in the eye, but he quickly looked away as if he couldn't bear the weight of his gaze, and it made Taehyung feel as though he was going to fall apart and never be able to pick himself up again.

"I-it turns out m-my father knew Lisa would be back, so... he decided it would be a good time to give me this gift," Jeon began to say after a moment of silence. But he didn't look at him, as if he feared that when he looked at him, he might not be able to say it aloud. "These are the rings my mother prepared for me before... My father wants it to be our wedding rings... Mine... and Lisa's."

"But why did you take them if... If you and Lisa are going to break up?" He asked, though deep down he was almost certain he knew the answer to that question, though he so much wished it would be otherwise.

Jeongguk was silent. Even though the silence lasted only a moment, it seemed to last forever. Taehyung felt as though he were about to suffocate. Everything swirled around, and suddenly he was so damn short of air, even though he had left a balcony door ajar in the living room a moment ago, through which the cool morning air crept in.

"T-Tae..." he whispered finally, looking up with his dark chocolate colored eyes.

Their eyes crossed, and it was enough for Taehyung to know the answer to the question he had just asked. There was so much emotion in the young CEO's gaze, but the stars that seemed to be born with each new day they spent together suddenly disappeared somewhere. His gaze was blank, resigned, as if he knew he couldn't win this fight, and it was finally time to just give up.

But he couldn't give up on them.

Not yet.

"There's something I need to tell you..."Jeon said softly.

The tattoo artist turned to face him as if he feared that by standing slightly unscrewed he might miss something essential, but he did not dare to speak. It seemed to him that he was slowly dying. He felt like a prisoner, waiting for the verdict of the court to condemn him to eternal torture, and he could not breathe.

He lowered his arms along his body, as if he had no strength to hold the weight of the black box up any longer, and clenched his hands tightly into fists, his fingers gripping the velvet material. He stared at the athletic figure of the man standing in front of him. He could easily see the young CEO's body tense as well, and his naked chest twitched, rising in troubled breathing.

"Yesterday I thought a lot about it all. About what is happening in my life... And what should I do..."

The young businessman paused and shifted nervously. Taehyung saw his hands clench into fists like his own. Jeongguk, however, gripped them so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Kim was pretty sure his fingernails were cutting painfully into the palm of his hand, almost cutting the delicate skin into blood. He wanted to stop him, put his arms around him, or some other way ease his pain, but something stopped him, not even allowing him to twitch. Once again, he had this awful feeling that struck him as soon as he woke up.

He had the feeling that Jeongguk was slipping out of his hands, like sand you scoop into your hands and that is slipping through your fingers anyway. And as much as he wanted it, he didn't know what to do to stop him.

"I think that... That I should do it..." The brunet confessed, again shifting his gaze to his bare feet.

"To do what?" The tattoo artist asked, hoping that he was only too hastily interpreting the boy's words and that he would soon correct him by knocking these horrible thoughts out of his head with his melodious laugh.

But deep down, he knew that perhaps he would never hear his beautiful, carefree laugh again.

"What everyone expects from me... I think... I think I should marry Lisa..."

"Gguk..." Taehyung whispered.

He wanted to say something else, but the words stuck in his throat. He bit his bottom lip, keeping it from trembling. He was under the impression that he would just cry like a little child whose most precious possession was taken away from him.

"I've been thinking about it and... I guess it's the only right thing to do... If I don't... My family may lose everything. You can lose everything... And I..."

"Gguk, screw their money! Their fortune is not worth as much as your happiness. And I will lose everything by losing you."

"Tae..." Gguk groaned. His voice was visibly trembling, as was his slender body. "My brother... Seokjin knows about us," he finally confessed. "He saw us in the park yesterday. When he told me that, at first I wanted to deny it, but he showed me the photos of us kissing in front of your car and there was no way to undo it all."

"And, I guess, he probably wasn't too happy about it?"

Jeon nodded, then looked him straight in the eye again. There was something new in his gaze. Something he hadn't seen before - pain.

And it was enough to let him know that Jeongguk's brother did not react well to the news. He guessed that both Lisa and the boy's father wouldn't take the news that Gguk's new partner was another man well, but when he talked to Jin for that brief moment, he had the impression that he was different. He hoped that at the end he would be on their side.

"He w-wasn't," Jeon admitted stiffly. "Actually... It was much worse than I expected..." he added, almost involuntarily wrapping his arms around his naked chest as if he suddenly felt cold. Taehyung could have sworn the young CEO's body began to tremble slightly.

"G-Gguk..."

"T-that's not everything..." he interrupted, as if afraid that if he did not say this now, he would not have enough courage to continue. "My brother... He'll tell them everything. My father. Lisa."

"Then let him tell them. We'll deal with it somehow."

"I can accept it... their disappointment and their anger or non-acceptance, but I cannot put you at such risk."

"Gguk, what are you talking about? I don't care if anyone finds out about us."

"Y-you don't understand..." Jeon protested. "Some time ago... someone stole a flash drive from TJE's headquarters with a project worth millions. It made my brother look for some irregularities in our company and... He knows I brought you there in the middle of the night. He has seen the footage of the cameras in the hallway, and he also knows we were in my father's office. It is said that this flash drive was hidden there."

"But what does this flash drive have to do with us?"

"Jin is convinced you stole it."

Taehyung snorted involuntarily. What Jeongguk was saying was ridiculous. How could anyone have thought he was the one who stole that flash drive? Their family money could not have mattered less to him.

"You know that's not true. You don't think I might have had anything to do with this?"

"I don't, but Jin... He thinks you stole it, and I helped you with that. He was convinced that was why I brought you to TJE and then to our father's office. It also turned out that... There are also cameras in my father's office. I had no idea about it. Jin obtained the video from that night and threatened that if I did not tell him the truth, he would find out and watch it himself..." Jeongguk fell silent again, clearly struggling with his emotions. "I didn't want him to find out about me like that..."

Taehyung cursed involuntarily under his breath. He felt guilty about this whole situation. Even then, he knew it was a bad idea. He shouldn't have let Jeongguk lead him to the TJE office building, much less let passion and lust take over his common sense that night.

"I don't know if he saw that video, but I didn't know what to do to stop him, so... I told him the truth. About myself. About who I am," saying that, Jeongguk looked him straight in the eye. "I thought that when I finally had the courage to tell someone the truth... I was hoping that I would be relieved, that I would be happy that I could finally stop pretending and really be myself, but it is not like that at all... There was no relief, nor any euphoria of purification. I only felt shame and I felt disgusted with himself..." he confessed, and Taehyung saw that his eyes glazed over and something squeezed his heart painfully.

He wanted to protect him.

He only wanted to bring him happiness. Due to the fact that he appeared in his life, Jeongguk had to face something he was not ready for yet. And he was unable to help him with that.

"If you saw Jin's expression when I told him I was gay..." he gasped, then instinctively covered his mouth with his hand to keep from sobbing. "I knew it wouldn't be the most enjoyable thing to do, but... I didn't think it would be so fucking hard."

"Gguk, if only I could... I would protect you from all this."

"You can't protect me, but I can protect you," Jeongguk replied.

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows together, not quite understanding the boy's words.

"What are you talking about? What to protect me from?"

"If it came to light... The fact that I'm gay, that I broke off my engagement because I'm dating another man... The media will have a field day. A scandal will break out. Competition will use this to outclass our brand in the eyes of customers. TJE will lose a fortune. My family will lose what my father worked for so many years - respect. It will affect you too. You will find yourself in the middle of this hell..."

"Don't worry about me, Gguk. I don't care what they think about me. They can challenge me, judge me, mix me with the mud... It doesn't matter," Kim argued, instinctively taking a step forward to close the distance between them.

Still, he left a safe distance. He could see that Jeongguk was very shaken, so he did not want to put additional pressure on him.

"For me, only what you think about me matters. You know the truth..." he added.

For a moment, a declaration of love hung from the tip of his tongue, but once again he held back. He did not want to confess his love for him, feeling that now was the only thing that could stop him. He wanted Jeongguk to stay with him, not because he feels obligated to do what he expects of him, but because he wants it himself. He knew that perhaps it was very selfish in the present situation, but he wanted to be the most important thing for him.

"Seokjin is convinced you stole that flash drive, and he is going to go to the police with it. He wants to notify them of the theft on Monday."

"Let him do it," Kim replied without hesitating. "Let them interrogate me, search my apartment, search my car and studio... They won't find anything. I have no reason to hide anything. I did not steal this pendrive, so I have nothing to fear..." he explained, trying to assure Jeongguk that he did not have to worry about him.

"If the police become interested in you, they will quickly find out what you do," the brunet interjected, interrupting him. "They will find out that you tattoo illegally, that you do not have the necessary education..."

"It's okay. When I decided to enter this profession, I knew what the consequences could be. If they find out, it's okay. I will accept the consequences of my own actions, but I cannot allow it to be you sacrificing yourself on my behalf," he protested firmly.

The certainty in his voice surprised him. Many times, he thought about the consequences that could befall him due to the fact that he tattoos without a medical education. He was very stressed about it when he started, but eventually he got used to it. He treated it as a necessary risk inherent in his profession.

"They can take Jae from you," Jeon said, his words echoing off the apartment walls like the loud tones of a church bell.

At these words, the tattoo artist's body involuntarily tensed. He knew that he could not fight and argue with it. There was no argument to counter this objection. Every day he pushed the thought somewhere on the back of his head. He had to work to be able to support himself and his son. But he didn't like to think that his profession was putting him at risk of losing Jae, that if he had problems with the police, the boy could go to foster care.

He was a good father. Jae was his whole world. He would do anything for him. His profession did not make him a worse father than some self-righteous millionaire. He knew it well, but he was also aware of how the law worked and what he would look like in the eyes of any official who would get his file to make a decision that would determine his later life.

So he did not answer anything, feeling that he was unable to win with this argument. He would have sacrificed anything to help Jeongguk, but he couldn't put his own son at risk. Jae's safety and happiness came first. They both knew it well.

"So, what are you going to do?" Kim finally choked out with difficulty. "Let others decide for you? To decide who to spend the rest of your life with?"

"Apparently there's always a choice..." Jeon replied resignedly, then smiled faintly. "I can fight for my happiness forgetting the ones I love and put them at risk, or I can do what I should have done right from the start... Apparently I'm just a naive kid who for a brief moment really thought that he could change his life..."

"Gguk, you can't do this..."

"You don't even know how difficult this decision is, but I thought about what Jin told me. What my father always told me when I was a child. Perhaps sometimes the right decision is not the one we want to make? Maybe sometimes you have to go against yourself to do the right thing."

"So it's... the end?" Kim finally asked, struggling to pronounce the last word.

He didn't know why, but suddenly it felt as if the doctor had told him that he had an incurable disease and that there was nothing that medicine could do to save his life. No matter how many more days and weeks he got from fate, the end was inevitable.

The very thought of breaking up with Jeongguk, he felt an unimaginable pain in his chest, as if someone had torn the heart out of his chest alive, and then tear it to shreds in front of his eyes and throw it into the garbage. He had never felt like this before. Even when Jiwon decided to disappear from his life.

Back then, he was filled with grief, fear and sadness.

Now he felt as if he were dying.

"Wh-what?" Jeon asked, as if he hadn't realized his words before. "N-no... I..." he protested quickly, taking a few steps towards the tattoo artist.

Instinctively, he reached out to grab his tattooed arms, but at the last moment he stopped himself and took his hands away, lowering his arms along his body.

"It's just two more months... Two months and it will be over..." he said, shaking his head gently as if trying to convince himself that what he was saying was true.

"W-What will happen in two months?" Taehyung asked, feeling a strange tightness in his chest, even though the dark-haired man had not yet managed to answer his question.

"One of the couples who were supposed to be having a wedding at the Grand Hyatt hotel canceled the date. Father booked it for us..."

"Is that why you have these wedding rings in your pocket? Have you set a wedding date?"

Jeongguk looked him straight in the eye. He could have sworn he hears the tattoo artist's heart slowly breaking at his words. Onyx irises glistened with gathered tears.

"Lisa and I are getting married in exactly two months," he confessed.

The tattoo artist parted his lips, letting a trembling sigh come out of his mouth.

"Gguk... Don't do it..." he whispered in a pleading voice.

"I have to do this."

"What about me? About us?"

"Nothing has to change... We... We can still see each other..." he said quickly, taking a few steps towards him, closing the distance. He stopped only a few centimeters from him.

Taehyung laughed involuntarily. His laugh, however, had nothing of its beautiful lightness. It was heavy, filled with sorrow and pain.

"Gguk, How is it supposed to work?" He asked. "Do you really think when you get married to Lisa, nothing will change? You will suffer. You will be even more unhappy than when I met you, and I just can't look at it. I can't watch you destroy your life. Just the thought of you getting out of here now makes me sick. So damn sick, I think I'm going to throw up. I can't bear the thought of you being with someone else..."

Jeongguk took another step and grasped his face in his hands, forcing him to look at him. Taehyung felt the young CEO's body tremble and knew the boy was on the brink of the abyss, but he didn't know what to do to stop him from leaping into the black hole.

He wanted to show him the sky.

He wanted Jeongguk to run his fingertips over the clouds, flying three meters above the sky, and now they both fell into the black abyss, seeing no help.

"But it may be like now... We can still see each other..." he said, spitting the words in increasing panic, realizing so painfully what this conversation was leading to. "Even if I marry Lisa... Nothing needs to change. After all, I can still have friends... Jimin... Jimin is my friend. And Hobi... I will still meet them... And I can also meet with you..."

"Gguk..." the tattoo artist gasped, feeling that the tears building up in his eyes slowly started to roll down his swarthy cheeks. Now he too was trembling. Jeongguk leaned forward and rested his forehead against his. He felt the young CEO's shaky breath crash against his parted lips.

"With you, too..." Jeon repeated, pronouncing the words against his lips, then gave them a gentle kiss. His trembling lips only glided over the one of the tattoo artist, tasting his salty tears. "With you too..." he whispered, and pressed their lips together in a chaotic kiss.

Taehyung let the young CEO's tongue slip inside his mouth, rubbing against his, hoping that this moment would last forever and that this was not the last time they tasted each other this way. His tattooed arms involuntarily framed Jeongguk's trembling body, pulling him tighter against his tattooed chest, as if he wanted them to melt into one so no one could separate them anymore.

"We can still be friends, right?" The brunet asked quietly, tearing his lips only for a few centimeters. His hands still held the tattoo artist's face, and his chocolate irises stared imploringly into Taehyung's dark eyes, seeking confirmation that this was not the end at all. "We can still meet... we can... we are friends..."

The tattoo artist raised his hands over those of Jeongguk, then reluctantly pulled them away from his face. However, he did not release them from his.

He couldn't let him go just yet.

"Jeongguk... We are not just friends for a long time. I don't think we've ever really been..." Kim replied. "There is too much between us..."

"What do you mean by that?" The brunet asked, although he knew well what the man meant.

"I won't be able to be friends with you... Not when you belong to someone else. I... It's too hard... I won't be able to come to your wedding and watch you promise love to someone else. I won't be able to watch you kiss her, knowing what your kisses taste like. I want you. All of you. With your scars, with everything that you don't think is worth loving... There must be another way out."

"Th-there is no..."

"You love her?"

"No," he replied without hesitating. It was the first time he was so damn sure about it. "You know I don't."

"Then don't do it. We'll find another way out."

"Tae... my family..."

"What about me? What was between us meant nothing to you? It was just sex? Temporary entertainment?"

"You know it wasn't."

Taehyung stepped away from him and sank his hand into his fiery red hair in frustration. He couldn't and didn't want to understand it. He couldn't accept that Jeongguk was about to commit what was perhaps the biggest mistake of his life, and that he was to look at it idly.

"And last night... What was that? A goodbye sex? A consolation prize? You asked me to say how I feel about you... What is this for? Why did you want to know if you were going to leave anyway? Did you want to torment me even more?"

Jeongguk stared at him for a long time without saying anything. He could still feel the taste of his kiss on his lips, and he wanted nothing more than to just disappear now, as long as he could still taste his kiss.

"I couldn't leave without knowing what it was like to be loved by someone like you..." he finally confessed.

It was the first time he had felt so exposed. He had never told anyone before that the only thing he wanted all his life was for someone to love him. He wanted to be loved, despite how fucked up and incomplete he felt. He wanted someone to look deeper under the layers of his expensive clothes and see what was really hidden under them. Only Taehyung was able to do this. And although he saw what Jeongguk was most afraid to show, he loved him.

He could feel it.

He knew, even though the tattoo artist had never dared to say it outright. Yesterday, he wanted so much to hear these words from his lips. He wanted to know what his velvety voice sounded, caressing every vowel in those three short words. He wanted to remember how the tattoo artist looks at him, declaring his love for him, as if it was only through this memory that he would survive what awaited him. He felt a bit like a soldier going to his death with a declaration of love ringing in his ears and the image of his beloved's face under heavy eyelids.

"You don't even know how many times I've imagined what it's like to confess my love to you. As it feels to finally dare and say aloud what has been on my lips for a long time. You don't realize how many times I've had these words on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them anyway, fearing that you weren't feeling the same way I felt about you. I was afraid that I would never be good enough for you, that you would choose her anyway..."

"It's not like I choose Lisa..."

"And what, Gguk? Do you want me to still be your embarrassing secret? Something you need to hide and be ashamed of? If you marry her, we'll be gone... It'll be you and Lisa. I'd do anything for you, but this is the only one thing I can't do... I can't watch you being with someone else. Besides, it's not just about me... What about Jae? He's already lost his mother, I can't let him lose another person."

"You know how much he means to me. I love him as if he were my son..."

"And what will you do after you get married? Are you going to play the role of a weekend daddy? I've been through this before, Gguk. Luckily, Jae was small enough at the time that he doesn't remember, but I do remember... The longer you stay by his side, the more he'll suffer after you disappear..."

"I love him. You know I don't want to do anything to hurt him, just..." The brunet said gently.

"And what about me?" The tattoo artist asked suddenly, and Jeongguk looked at him.

Taehyung shifted nervously from foot to foot, then moistened his lips. For a few seconds, he wanted to tell the young CEO not to answer his question, but something prevented him from withdrawing.

He had to know.

"Do you love me?" He asked again, looking him straight in the eye.

Jeongguk stared at him without even blinking. Taehyung could have sworn he had stopped breathing for a moment. After a moment that seemed to take ages, the young CEO finally parted his lips. The tattoo artist was almost convinced that in a moment the boy would tell him what he really felt for him, but the brunet just pressed his lips into a narrow line again, saying nothing.

Silence.

A damn long and painful silence...

It was his answer.

Taehyung felt as if his already torn heart had just broken into a million pieces. So he nodded with understanding and took a step backward, increasing the distance between them. He wanted to collapse underground, crumble to dust as if he had never existed.

"They say silence is sometimes the best answer..." he finally said, pronouncing the words in a distinctly trembling voice. "I never thought silence could be so meaningful..." he added, and finally dared to look at Jeongguk again.

The brunet looked at him with wet eyes, clenching his hands tightly into fists. His chest rose irregularly, as if he was about to have a panic attack.

"You know..." Taehyung suddenly began, then smiled faintly. "When I met you... I told Yoongi that there is something about you... that I could break all my rules for you. And I broke each one without blinking an eye. Don't date your clients. Don't flirt with them. Don't kiss them. Don't go out with someone who is in a relationship..." he began to enumerate, curving his lips into a gentle smile that did not reach his dark eyes.

He still remembered how proud he was that he had never broken his rules.

Until he met him.

When he met Jeongguk, he broke them all with a smile on his face.

He knew the boy was worth the risk. And even now, facing him with tears in his eyes and a broken heart in his chest, he knew that for him, he would break them all again if it meant that he could spend even just one day with him.

He would trade all his tomorrows without him, for just one yesterday spent with him...

"And if I had to decide again... I'd break them all over and over again. There is only one, only rule that I was hoping I would never break because of you..." he confessed. "You know what rule is that?"

"T-Tae..." Jeongguk gasped. The boy was so pale that Taehyung thought for a moment that he was about to pass out, but he couldn't stop now. He had to say it at the end. He had nothing to lose anymore.

"Ask me," he commanded.

"Tae... Please... Don't do that..."

"Ask me what rule is it, Gguk," he repeated in a relentless voice.

Jeongguk looked down and looked at his bare feet again. He was silent for a moment, as if trying to summon the courage to ask the question. Eventually, however, he raised his head again and looked the tattooist straight in the eye. At least that was what he owed him.

"What rule is it?" He asked, struggling to squeeze the words down his painfully clenched throat.

Taehyung smiled at the question. His smile, however, did not reach his eyes and was filled with pain.

"Don't fall in love with someone who will never be yours..." he replied, looking him straight in the eyes.

Hearing this confession, Jeongguk felt a strong twinge in his chest. He wanted so much to hear the declaration of love roll down from those beautifully carved lips of the man who had become his everything. But it wasn't supposed to be like that... It was going to be the best day of his life, not the worst... It was supposed to make him happy, not hurt him. Now he only felt unimaginable pain. Pain he had never known before.

Taehyung raised his tattooed hand and quickly wiped a tear rolling down his cheek as if to hide how badly hurt he was, then quickly turned on his heel and headed for the living room. Jeongguk immediately lunged towards him, then grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving. He couldn't bear the thought that a man might disappear from his life.

"Tae..." he whispered. His voice trembled as much as his body. "Please don't go," he said miserably.

The tattoo artist turned to face him and looked him straight in the eye. His onyx irises were wet with tears, and that only broke Jeongguk's heart again.

"Give me at least one good reason why I should stay..."

"I don't want you to go..." Jeongguk confessed, not knowing what else to say to stop him.

He felt his whole body literally tremble, and once again instinctively he wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to hold back the oncoming attack. He still felt the pain in his chest from yesterday's attack, and was afraid the next one might be much stronger.

Taehyung snorted reflexively. He wasn't laughing at all, however. On the contrary, that soft laugh was filled with pain and helplessness. He raised his hand up and pushed his fiery red hair from his face.

"I'd like to have millions of won, and not be forced to figure out how to make ends meet, but apparently we don't always get what we want," he replied dispassionately. "It's not enough, Gguk..." he added, finding the gaze of the brunet's chocolate irises.

He started forward again and only stopped at the door. He knew Jeongguk was running after him, but he felt he had to get out of here. Get out before he falls apart in front of him like never before. He pulled out his black sneakers and slipped them hurriedly over his bare feet, then grabbed one of his sweatshirts and pulled it over his head, covering his bare chest while tugging at his red hair.

"W-What are you doing?" Jeongguk asked, as if the tattoo artist getting dressed wasn't enough of an answer.

"I have to get out of here..."

"Do you want to end it like this?"

"I don't know what I'm feeling anymore. I have to get out of here, or I'm going to go crazy... Cause every time I'm with you, somehow I forget to breathe... And now... I hate you... And at the same time, I love you so damn much... And I wish you'd go away and never come back to my life again, and at the same time I don't want to lose you so much... And I just want to hold you in my arms, kiss your lips and repeat that you are everything to me... But I can't watch you with someone else... I don't want to be just your friend, Gguk. I can't."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"If you're really going to do this... If you want to marry her in two months..." he began, gripping the handle, so tightly his knuckles turned white, his voice breaking. "I don't think we should see each other anymore..." he choked out with difficulty. "I thought my love would be enough. I thought we could build something damn beautiful and strong together... that we would be a family. Me, you and Jae. But maybe some things are written off from the beginning. We are from two different worlds that should not have met. We both knew this from the very beginning. We've been living with stolen time for a long time. We knew there was a storm raging around us that would engulf us, but we still felt we could overcome it ... But clearly we can't..."

"So it's over?" Jeongguk asked, biting his bottom lip to hold back the tears.

"Perhaps this is what our fairy tale was supposed to look like... So beautifully unfinished..."

Taehyung fell silent and stared at Jeongguk's face for a few short moments as if he were memorizing it for the last time, then pressed the handle, yanked the door, and ran quickly out of the apartment. As he ran down the stairs, he could almost hear pieces of his broken heart shatter on each step.

***

The sun broke through the non fully closed curtains, falling straight onto the bed, its golden rays dancing in matted sheets. The blond moved slightly, still not lifting heavy eyelids. Rolling to his side, he almost involuntarily threw his arm in front of him to nestle against his lover's body, which lay beside him. But as he felt his hand fall limply, he quickly opened his eyes and looked at the empty space. Dissatisfied, he wrinkled his nose, then, with a loud sigh, lunged on his back.

As he stared at the ceiling, trying to adjust his eyes to the morning light, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and something reminiscent of sweet rolls crept into his nostrils. His lips involuntarily curled into a blissful smile. He must have done something damn good in his previous life, if fate had decided to reward him like that. He still couldn't believe he was so lucky.

With a smile on his lips, he rose to a seating position, then stood reluctantly, throwing the sheets off his legs. He reached for clean boxers and quickly tucked them on his buttocks, and after a while he pulled on his elegant pants. Yesterday he had to stay longer in the office, so he came here straight from work. Sleeping here was slowly becoming his routine, but he loved it much more than falling asleep alone in his fancy apartment. Not bothering to pull on a T-shirt, he left the bedroom to head towards the kitchen.

As expected, Yoongi was standing at the table, pouring the coffee he had just brewed into mugs. With a smile on his lips, he began to creep towards him. He put his bare feet on his toes so that the man would not hear him by accident, and when he finally reached him, he wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his face against his bare back, and inhaled his sensual, masculine scent.

"Good morning, darling," the tattoo artist greeted, then turned to face him.

He brushed his blond strands aside with his hand, and after a while a gentle kiss was placed on his lips.

"Did my lovely boyfriend get up early to prepare a delicious breakfast for me?" Park asked, though he knew the answer well enough.

"I had an almost empty fridge, but I bought us fresh croissants at the bakery across the street. I took the ones with double chocolate, which you liked so much the last time we were there," Yoongi explained, offering him a plate of fragrant bread.

Jimin leaned towards him and gave his lips a quick kiss, then collapsed into a chair in the kitchen and, without delay, grabbed one of the buns in his hand. He bit into the pastry, purring in pleasure like a pleased cat. Yoongi laughed under his breath, then sat down opposite him and for a moment only watched as Park was eating with relish.

"I thought maybe you'd like to go to the movies today..." he said after a moment. "It's Saturday. We could go to the cinema and then..."

"Do you want to go to the cinema or a movie with me?" Park asked, cutting him off.

As Yoongi looked at his boyfriend's face. As he expected, his mouth was adorned with a mischievous smile. The tattoo artist snorted reflexively.

"It's not yet twelve, and you're already being naughty?" He teased.

"It's already well past twelve somewhere in the world," Park replied quickly, then bit into the croissant again, not caring about the fact that a few crumbs had fallen on the table-top. "If it's a good movie, we can watch it, and if it's a disaster, we'll go to the cinema and do some canoodling," he added after a moment, winking at him.

Yoongi laughed out loud, shaking his head. He was about to add something when the young businessman's phone rang suddenly. They both looked at each other. After a while, however, Jimin slipped a croissant into his mouth and reluctantly got up from the table to go get his phone. It was still early in the morning, and he hadn't expected a call this early. He entered the bedroom again and picked up his phone from the nightstand. Seeing his friend's name on the display, he frowned. Jeongguk knew him well enough to know what a sleepyhead he was, and he practically never called him at this early hour.

He gripped the croissant in his fingers and took it from his mouth, then pressed the green button to answer the incoming call. He was already parting his lips to greet his friend with some amusing comment or some joke when he suddenly heard Jeongguk's trembling voice on the other side and immediately became serious.

"P-please, come get me..."

"Gguk?! What's happening?" He asked, frightened. "Everything's all right?"

He knew it was a goddamn stupid question. Nothing was okay since Jeongguk called him in a state like this. The boy was visibly shaky, he heard his heavy, shaky breathing in the receiver. He could have sworn the young businessman was crying. But nothing else occurred to him. He could feel his panic rising. He was concerned that his friend might have another attack and end up in the hospital, like he had at Lisa's goodbye party a few weeks ago.

"Please, take me out of here..." Jeon gasped, his voice trembling, and hearing the despair in his friend's voice, Jimin's hand tightened on the phone.

"Gguk, listen, I'll come for you soon. Just tell me where are you? In your apartment?" He asked, simultaneously running to the chair where he had hung his shirt yesterday. Holding the phone with his shoulder, he began to quickly pull his shirt over his body. "Are you at home?" He asked again when the boy didn't answer.

"N-no..." he finally replied.

Jimin slipped his shirt all the way over his shoulders and grasped the cell phone again in his hand.

"Okay, Gguk. Look, you need to send me your location, okay? I'll be right there for you, just tell me where you are. Can you send me the location?" He said, trying to keep his mind as clear as possible. He knew he couldn't let his nervousness take over.

"Y-yeah," the boy agreed. "Just, please... Get me out of here..."

Jimin felt the phone in his hand vibrate, which meant Jeongguk had sent a message to him. He put the cell phone away from his ear for a few seconds to see if it was the location he had requested.

"Okay, I guess I'm pretty close. I'll be there as soon as possible." He grabbed the phone again and ran out of the bedroom.

Jeongguk said nothing more. He just hung up. Jimin looked at the phone again, and when he saw that the boy had really hung up, he cursed under his breath.

He immediately headed towards the corridor and began quickly putting on his shoes. He threw on his shoulders the suit jacket in which he came to Yoongi yesterday and put his hand in his pocket to make sure that the keys to the car were in it. When he found them, touching the cold key ring with his fingertips, he raised his head and noticed that Yoongi was standing in the kitchen doorstep, staring at him in confusion. So he ran up to him quickly and placed a fleeting kiss on his lips, then stroked the man's cheek with his hand and put the rest of the unfinished croissant in his hand.

"Gguk called me. I guess something bad happened because he was terribly upset. He asked me to come get him," he explained quickly, making sure one last time that he had everything he needed.

"You want me to take you to him?" Min asked, shifting nervously, as if Jimin's nervousness had affected him as well.

"No. There's no need to. I can handle it. I guess."

"Okay, if you need any help, give me a call."

Jimin placed a light kiss on his lips again, leaving the sweet taste of chocolate croissant on his lips. But before Min could lick his lips, Park was already running down the stairs.

He couldn't even remember the last time he'd run so fast. He was fit. He had run with Jeongguk at times, but perhaps he had never traveled the distance so fast in his life. He couldn't explain it, but he knew something serious had happened, even though his friend hadn't explained it to him.

He jumped into the driver's seat and slammed the door of his blue Ferrari. Normally, if someone had slammed his car door that hard, he'd have been scolded badly, but this time he was so nervous he didn't even realize how hard he'd done it, and it didn't really matter now. He quickly took out his phone and looked at the location Jeongguk had sent him. He didn't know the area, so he quickly punched in the GPS the address and started the engine.

Luckily, Yoongi lived a short distance from the neighborhood where his friend was supposed to be. It was not supposed to take him much time to get there, but he pressed the gas pedal as hard as common sense allowed him, but he probably broke dozens of traffic rules. It was Saturday morning, so luckily the streets were almost empty. Along the way, he only honked and almost called out one guy who he thought was slowing traffic down excessively, even though the man was driving within the speed limit.

When the GPS finally told him he was in the right place, he turned off the engine and jumped out of the car, almost as burned. He slammed the door and looked around, but Jeongguk was nowhere to be seen. Instinctively, he slipped his hand into his pants pocket, wanting to pull out his cell phone, and realized that it was still on the dashboard of the car. So he opened the door again and quickly dove inside. He grabbed the phone in his hand and slammed the door.

He took a few steps ahead and looked around again. He didn't know the neighborhood. Coming from one of the richest families in Seoul, he hardly ventured into similar areas. The neighborhood seemed quite safe, although not very well-kept. The rich people certainly did not live here. He didn't know what Jeongguk could be doing here.

He picked up the cell phone and looked at the display. He was about to call his friend again when he suddenly saw a black Mercedes out of the corner of his eye. The car was parked a short distance from him, facing one of the five-story blocks. From this distance, he couldn't see the number plates that could confirm his suspicions, but he was sure it was Gguk's car. Certainly, such expensive cars did not appear very often in a similar neighborhood.

So he ran towards the black car, but when he got to it, there was still no sign of the young CEO. The car was empty, and at first his panicked and creative mind gave him a vision of the attack. He thought maybe someone had robbed and beaten Jeongguk. The Mercedes, however, looked intact.

Jimin raised his hand and ran his fingers through his bleached blond hair. He didn't know what to do or where to look for him. He put his hand up and quickly dialed his number. However, when he heard the signal on his cell phone that the phone was making a call, the ringing of his friend's phone crept into his ears. He quickly turned behind him and, pressing the phone to his ear, tried to locate the sound of the ring.

He took a few steps towards where he thought the sound of the melody was getting louder, and suddenly he saw him. The boy was sitting on the cracked stairs of one of the buildings. His head was bowed, his arms wrapped around his body as if he was trying to hide from something, but he was sure it was him. He immediately disconnected the call and ran towards him, covering the distance between them as quickly as possible.

"Gguk! Gguk, I'm here!" He called quickly, crouching down in front of him.

Jeongguk looked up at him. There was something about his appearance that made Jimin feel a strong twinge in his chest.

The boy's hair was more wavy, a bit disheveled, as if he had been slipping his fingers into it a moment ago, brushing back wavy strands. His eyes were bloodshot, still wet with tears, and so were his cheeks. His bottom lip was gently slit, as if he had almost gnawed it to the blood, still trembling slightly, as was his entire body.

He was also dressed completely differently. He didn't think he even remembered seeing him in a similar state. The young CEO was wearing black sweatpants with a red dragon on his thigh. His chest was covered with a large, also black hoodie with some gothic graphics. From this perspective, all he could see was some terrifying skull staring at him through empty eye sockets. He was almost convinced that these were not the clothes that belonged to Jeongguk, but he did not know where his friend could get them from or why he was in some dingy staircase like this.

The boy was still very shaky. Even beneath that layer of clothing, he had no trouble noticing that his whole body was shaking. The brunet hugged his arms, sticking his nails firmly into the black fabric of his hoodie, as if trying to stop his body from trembling. His breathing was jerky, heavy, as if every, even the slightest, gulp of air introduced into his compressed lungs was an almost impossible challenge.

For a moment he even considered calling an ambulance, but before his hands could dial the correct number on the keypad, Jeongguk lunged towards him and wrapped his arms around his neck, cuddling against his body.

"You came..." he gasped, his voice breaking. "P-please, get me out of here..."

After a short while, however, it was Jimin who decided to move away. He grabbed Jeongguk by the shoulders and looked him closely for any wounds or other physical injuries, but he could see nothing of it.

"Are you hurt? Should I take you to the hospital?" he asked, and the brunet only denied it with a shake of the head.

Jimin nodded and helped him get up off the stairs. Throwing his arm over his neck, he walked slowly towards his car. He knew there was no way Jeongguk would get behind the wheel and drive his car now. He was too shaky to let him drive. He would take care of his car later, he had to help his friend first. However, they managed to take only a few steps, and the brunet stopped and looked over his shoulder to indicate something that was lying on the ground close to where he was sitting a moment ago.

"M-my bag," he said.

Jimin looked in the direction indicated and only now noticed that on the ground at the corner of the stairs was a black sports bag. So he carefully removed his friend's arm and ran towards it. He grabbed it quickly and, throwing it over his shoulder, returned to the brunet. He wrapped his arm over his shoulders again and started toward the Ferrari. Jeongguk had no visible wounds or injuries, but his entire body was literally shaking, and his breathing was oddly shallow and chaotic. He was concerned that the boy would pass out on his way to the car, so he preferred to hold him up to make sure nothing of the sort happened.

When they got to the blue Ferrari, Jimin opened the passenger door and helped his friend in, slammed the door behind him and ran around the car without even bothering to toss his bag in the trunk. He slipped into the driver's seat, placing his bag on the seat next to him. The zipper was unfastened, so he could easily see that Jeongguk's clothes were inside. Even though he did not look closely, he had no trouble noticing the white shirt with the Versace tag and the Gucci suit jacket in which he had seen his friend a while ago.

But he didn't ask for anything. There would be time to answer the questions, he knew. He just wanted to take him to a safe place as soon as possible and do something to calm the boy down. He looked quickly at Jeongguk, who was now huddled in the seat next to him. The boy hadn't even fastened his seat belt, he was sitting exactly in the same position in which he had left him, he was still hugging his own body tightly with his arms.

"Should I take you to your home?" He asked, looking at him, even though Jeon's head was bowed and his eyes were fixed on his shaking knees.

The boy's hair was much longer than usual, so the jet black strands prevented him from seeing his profile. But he could have sworn that his words made his body tense again, as if the mere thought of a friend taking him to his penthouse was unbearable to him.

In fact, it was the word "home" that made Jeongguk's insides twist painfully.

It wasn't his home anymore...

But he was unable to utter any words through his clenched throat, he merely denied it with a shake of his head, hoping Park would understand and take him to his place. He still couldn't breathe normally. His chest hurt so badly that every breath seemed impossible. His arms tightened strongly around his body, trying to keep them from shaking, but he couldn't calm down. He barely remembered how he had even managed to leave Tae's apartment and go downstairs.

Jimin drove all the way in silence. He didn't say anything to him, didn't ask questions, just glanced in his direction every now and then, as if he was ready to change direction at any moment and, instead of his apartment, take him to the nearest hospital. He was concerned about Jeongguk's breathing, but he didn't want to put any extra pressure on him.

When he finally pulled down to the parking lot under his block, he breathed a sigh of relief. He parked quickly and picked up Jeongguk's bag, then ran around the car and helped him out. He held him up all the time until they finally entered his apartment together. Without thinking, he tossed the sports bag in the hall, and he and Jeon headed for the living room. He sat him down on the couch and, without saying anything, ran towards the kitchen to get him something to drink.

He didn't know what could help him, but his grandmother always made him hot tea when he was unwell, so he couldn't think of anything better. He put the water down and stood over the kettle, tapping his fingers nervously on the table-top. He was staring at the burner all the time as if it might speed up the process. It was enough that a soft squeal crept into his ears, indicating that the water was ready, that he almost threw himself towards the kettle.

He quickly poured out the tea he had prepared in advance and was about to take it to his friend when he suddenly had an idea. He walked quickly to the mini bar next to the kitchen island and quickly looked through its contents. He did not shy away from alcohol and liked to collect various species in order to be able to serve the guests with the drink of their choice, so he quickly scanned the rich selection of his mini bar to finally find something suitable. Finally, he grabbed one of the bottles and quickly unscrewed the one with the black rum before pouring quite a large amount into the hot tea.

That should help, he thought with satisfaction.

He put the bottle back in place and grabbed the drink in his hands, then started toward the living room. He walked cautiously towards Jeongguk, who was still sitting in the same place, and sat down carefully next to him.

"Drink it. This will help you calm down," he ordered, holding out the mug towards his friend.

Jeongguk looked up at him, then carefully reached out with his trembling hands and took the cup from him. Holding the vessel in both hands, he brought it slowly to his mouth and took a sip of the tea. But as soon as he had time to wet his lips, he began to choke. He looked at Jimin again, wiping his mouth with the back of his trembling hand.

"It's rum..." Park explained with a shrug. "I thought a hot tea with rum would do you good," he added, and when he saw his friend's furrowed eyebrows and his incredulous gaze, he let out a loud breath. "Okay. Maybe it's more like rum with tea..." he admitted. "You are so shaky. I wanted to help, and maybe I poured some... A lot of rum..." That said, he stretched out his hand and put the cup back to his friend's mouth. "Drink it. It will do you good."

Jeongguk made no more protests. Perhaps subconsciously, he felt Park was right. His whole body was still trembling, even though it wasn't caused by the cold. He dipped his lips again in the hot liquid and took a few sips into his mouth, letting the alcohol mixed with the hot tea slowly drip down his throat. They sat in silence again. He didn't even know how much time had passed, but it felt like ages.

"Gguk... What happened there?" Jimin asked finally, breaking the silence.

Jeongguk was still silent, as if trying to get the body to start to cooperate with him again.

"I-I lost him," he gasped, his hand tightening around the cup, with still unfinished liquid.

"Who? What happened?"

"T-Tae..."

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows together, not understanding what or whom his friend was talking about. With every moment he thought he understood less than before. He dropped to his knees, sitting on his own heels on the carpet in front of his friend, so he could see his face. Jeongguk's head was bowed now, dark, wavy strands of his hair obscured his eyes. Hands gripped the cup tightly, as if he wanted to crush it.

"What happened? What were you doing in that neighborhood? Did you have an argument with Lisa? Rose told me yesterday that Lisa is back..." he asked. "Is she the reason you are in this state?"

"T-Tae..." the boy gasped again.

"Who's Tae? Is that the girl you're having an affair with? Did you quarrel with her?"

Jeongguk finally lifted his head and looked at him. His eyes were wet with tears, and his breathing grew more chaotic again, as if the memories of today's events had come alive and had gripped his throat again. He moistened his chapped lips with his tongue and gently parted them. Jimin could see they were still trembling, and he wanted to hug him, but he didn't flinch, as if he was afraid that if he did, Jeongguk would no longer have the courage to tell him the truth.

"There is no girl... There never was..." he finally confessed.

Jimin looked very confused by his confession. He certainly hadn't expected this. He was convinced that what his friend was telling him was true. Moreover, he saw how Jeongguk changed under the influence of this girl. He saw him blossom. He could see the smile he had so missed reappearing on his face.

"Gguk, what are you saying?"

"I lied to you..." he admitted. "Or maybe I let you believe what you assumed... I didn't have the courage to dissuade you, and then... I didn't know how to do it."

"I-I don't understand... You're not having an affair?" Park asked, trying to somehow arrange his friend's words in his head.

"I have... Or rather... I had."

Jeongguk fell silent. Talking about it in the past tense made his throat tighten again. He felt as if he had razor blades in his mouth that cut with each word. He stuck his tongue out and ran it over his chapped lips as if to see if he could feel the metallic taste of his own blood on them. But he could still taste Tae's lips, and he hoped it would always be that way.

He didn't want to forget him, and he knew he would never be able to. The tattoo artist was supposed to tattoo his back and he pierced through a layer of skin, tissue and bones, tattooing his soul. He knew no one would ever change that.

He looked at Park. His friend looked deeply moved, but also lost in his chaotic confession. He couldn't blame him. He could only blame himself. He had lied to everyone for so long that even he himself began to get lost in it. What was he to expect from them? But he knew it was time to tell the truth. There was no point in lying any longer. He was afraid of Jimin's reaction, but he knew he had to be honest with him, so he moistened his lips again, and with the taste of Tae on his tongue, he continued.

"Tae... It's really Taehyung," he confessed, looking him straight in the eye.

"Taehyung?" Jimin repeated, as if he couldn't remember anyone with this name. "But we don't know anyone..." he began, but broke off in mid-sentence as he suddenly realized the meaning of his friend's words.

They didn't actually know any girl with that name, but he realized he knew someone with that name...

Kim Taehyung.

He blinked a few times and looked at Jeongguk in surprise.

"D-do you mean..." he began hesitantly, not wanting to jump to conclusions too quickly.

"Yes. It's about this Taehyung. A tattoo artist," he confirmed. His heart was beating so hard it felt as if it was about to pop out of his chest. Nervous, his hands began to tremble so much that he could no longer hold the cup with the rest of the tea. So he set it down on the table and rubbed his hands nervously on his thighs, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated on them. "I-I don't know how to explain it... It's just... There's something about him..."

"Hey, Gguk, calm down," Jimin said quickly, placing his hand on his, stopping his nervous movements. "It's nothing weird that you want to try something different... Especially since you and Lisa did not go well. You are young. You should experiment..." he explained gently. He could see how upset Jeongguk was, and although he had a million questions in his head, he refused to pressurize him. "I won't say I'm not surprised because I didn't think you were even thinking about trying anything... with another man. But all in all... Taehyung is... Jesus, he's fucking hot. I have to admit that I envy you a little, he is a real treat," he joked.

"It wasn't just an experiment... It's... It's more than that," he admitted. "It's so much more..."

"You think you're bisexual?" Park asked, straight away. "O-of course it's nothing wrong. You know I'm bisexual myself," he added quickly, not wanting Jeongguk to feel uncomfortable.

He didn't know how to talk to him so that Jeongguk would know that it didn't matter to him whether he liked men or women. He wanted his friend to feel his support and know that he could tell him the truth. Just as he knew when he first told him he was dating a man.

"No. I'm not," he replied quickly, but in a remarkably confident voice, as if he had no doubts about it. Jimin looked surprised again. No wonder, considering that he had just confessed to him that he was having an affair with a man, not a woman. "I think... Or actually... I'm practically sure that I'm not like you... I'm like Yoongi..."

After that, he fell silent again, letting his words fall to the ground. He looked up and dared to look his friend straight in the eye. Despite his orientation, he was afraid that he would find in his gaze the contempt and disgust he had seen in his brother's gaze. Jimin, however, smiled gently at him and took his hand. In his amber eyes, he saw nothing but love and care.

"Gguk, I love you. You're like a brother to me. Maybe even more than a brother. I don't care if you sleep with a man or a woman," he said without hesitating, squeezing his hand. "Although now I'm beginning to understand why you have such a shitty taste for women," he joked to loosen the atmosphere a bit.

Jeongguk snorted at his remark. He knew Jimin hated Lisa. However, thanks to this remark, his body relaxed a bit, even though he still found it hard to breathe. His whole body felt as if he was in pain.

"Can you tell me what happened today? I don't know if I've ever seen you in a similar state..."

"Yesterday... Seokjin found out about us. He saw us kissing in the park... He was furious. If you could only hear him... If you could see how he looked at me. He said so many terrible things, and I didn't even know how to defend myself... I know cheating is wrong. I won't justify it because I know it's wrong. Lisa is what she is, but she doesn't deserve to be cheated on and lying to her. I'm not proud of it. But... I was hoping... that maybe at least he would try to understand me. He said what I'm doing is disgusting, that I bring shame to our family, that our mother..."

"Gguk!" Jimin interrupted quickly. "That's not true," he protested, his fingers tightening around his friend's hand. "Don't you even think that, do you hear me?!"

"I've been thinking about all of this... He's right. I'm a disgrace to them... And if anyone finds out that I'm dating a man... it'll only get worse."

"Maybe tabloids will write some stupid article or two... so what? They wrote about me too," Jimin explained quickly with a shrug. "The important thing is that you are happy. Are you happy with him, Gguk?" He asked.

"Very," Jeongguk gasped, automatically covering his mouth as if to choke out a sob. "But I d-don't deserve him..." he added, letting the first tears roll down his cheeks.

"Gguk, what are you talking about? You deserve the best. You're the best guy I know," Jimin protested.

"Once in the middle of the night I took him to TJE. He loves art and beautiful views. I wanted to show him the view from the roof. He was delighted. If only you could see his face. He is afraid of heights, and yet he stared at the streets in awe. I was so happy to be able to show him a part of my world. But I didn't think it might mean that I would put him at so much risk... I should have known better... Because there's nothing good in our world. In our world, everyone is only looking for your weaknesses to destroy you at the earliest opportunity or to take advantage of you. Some time ago, someone stole a flash drive from my father's office. Seokjin found out that Tae was there, and he is convinced that he is the thief. He told me that... that if I didn't end this relationship, he would tell about this to our father and Lisa on Monday, and worst of all, that he would file a report with the police and tell them that it was Tae who had tricked me to go into TJE's headquarters and stole this flash drive..."

"It's ridiculous! Besides, since it's not him, the police will quickly find out that Tae had nothing to do with it..."

"What they're doing is illegal, Jimin. Neither Tae, nor Yoongi, nor Namjoon have any medical training. The police will find out about it. And Tae... Tae has a son..."

Jimin smiled at him involuntarily at the mention of a little boy he met a few days ago.

"Jae..." he whispered understandingly.

" I can't let anyone break them apart."

"Is that why you quarreled?" Park asked.

Jeongguk was silent for a moment. His eyesight was absent, as if the boy was recalling what had happened. After a while, he finally moved slightly, but still didn't say anything. He slipped his hand into the right pocket of the black sweatshirt he was still wearing.

The hoodie was a bit too big for him. Jimin noticed that it was quite worn and he guessed it was the tattoo artist's clothes. He should have guessed as soon as he saw Gguk dressed head to toe in black. It was so typical of Tae that he wanted to snort at the thought, but he held back, not wanting to intimidate Jeongguk.

He knew that it must have cost him a lot to tell him all this and to expose himself to him in this way. Looking at him, he had the impression that one bad word or inappropriate gesture would be enough for the boy to crumble to dust like a delicate porcelain doll. He was as fragile and delicate as ever.

As he saw Jeongguk slowly taking his hand out of his pocket out of the corner of his eye, he looked back at him. After a moment, he saw a small black box in his friend's hand. The brunet held it for a moment in his hands, as if he was afraid to open it. Finally, he lifted the lid and held out his hand so that Jimin could see what was inside. He saw two rings. Drawing his eyebrows together, he looked at them closely. When he realized what he was looking at, he moved his surprised gaze higher, finding his friend's face to look him straight in the eye.

"Taehyung found it in my suit jacket pocket," he confessed. "That's why we argued..."

"What do you need wedding rings for?" The blond asked, equally surprised at what he just saw.

"I've thought a lot about all of this. What my father told me. What Seokjin told me. About what I'm exposing my family and Tae to..." He paused, wincing slightly, as if each word would literally hurt his throat. "Seokjin is right," he finally choked out. "I have these wedding rings because..." Jeongguk sucked a gasp of air into his lungs. The hand that held the black box began to tremble involuntarily. Embarrassed, he closed the box and quickly put it back in his pockets, tucking his hands into them as well to hide their trembling. Jimin saw it anyway, but said nothing. For a while he struggled with his body, which began to rebel again, to finally choke out what was inevitable. "I'm getting married to Lisa in two months."

"You're kidding, right?" Jimin snorted, not believing what he was hearing.

"It will be best for all of us," Jeongguk replied quickly, avoiding his gaze.

"For who, Gguk? For you?" He pressed, but Jeongguk refused to look at him. "What about Tae?"

"I-it's over..."

"I thought that what you have is something serious."

"When I was with Lisa, I always missed something. It always seemed to me that I was insufficient, that I needed to dress better and earn more. I knew that everything had to be expensive and bloody perfect for Lisa to be at least a little happy. And I tried. I really tried to be who everyone wanted me to be. I studied at night to graduate with honors from my studies, which I hated, only to make my father proud of me. I tried to do well at work, although I had panic attacks more than once before a speech or a meeting, because you know very well how much I hate public speaking and how damn stressed I get every time I come out in front of a group of strangers who will judge each of my gestures. I put on damn expensive suits, ties I hate and put a fake smile to sit half an evening at an expensive restaurant with Lisa's friends who I don't even like and who are interested in nothing but my name, but despite all these efforts, it was never enough. I wasn't enough... And then you took me to that studio and suddenly everything changed... I can't explain it, but he made me finally feel like I'm enough... Maybe because he didn't expect anything from me. He didn't want my money. He didn't even know my name for a long time, and even when he did, he still treated me the same. He is different from everyone else. He can see what is under those expensive clothes. He saw my attacks, my scars, yet he thought I deserved to be loved, and he made me believe it with each passing day. Lately, I've been wondering more and more what it would be like for someone like Tae to love me. I can't even count the number of times I've imagined him confessing his love to me. I know that for most people it's just words, but not for him. I knew that when he said it, it was because it was real. And I wanted to be worth these words so much, because I knew he would not love me for my last name Jeon, or because my bank account had a few new zeros. He's gonna love me even though I'm so fucking fucked up..."

"Gguk, you're not fucked up..."

"Jimin, we both know I am. For ten years, I've been pretending that it's not like that... I pretend that ten years ago I got out of that damn wreck, but I'm still stuck there...

And I don't know how to get out... And thanks to him... For a moment, I really thought I could do this."

"Then why are you giving up on him?"

"It's the best thing to do. Besides... After Tae saw the wedding rings... If you could see how fucking hurt he was. He said if I do this, he doesn't want to be in contact with me. It's too much for him, and I'm not surprised at all. He admitted that... that... He said he loved me. You don't even know how much I wanted to hear those words from his lips, and today when he said it... It broke my heart because I know I don't deserve his love. I never deserved and will never be worthy of it, and yet... He loves me."

"And you? Do you love him, Gguk?"

"Taehyung asked me the same question," he admitted sadly, recalling the moment.

He could see the hope in his eyes that he would also confess his feelings to him, and then how that hope faded away in an instant when Jeongguk broke his heart so brutally.

"And what did you tell him?" Jimin asked, genuinely interested.

"Nothing," he confessed, feeling his throat close again. "I wanted to tell him so many things... but I didn't say anything..." he repeated, his lips curling in a sad smile. "I have been lying to everyone for years, but I could never lie to him..."

***

Ayashee:

Ooooh! My Taekook heart is broken
😭 💔

This is probably one of the most important chapters in this book, but I must admit it is also one of the most difficult. I don't think I can even count how many times I cried when describing these scenes.

I hope I was able to describe the emotions of our Taekooks well.

What do you think will happen now?

Will Jeongguk really marry Lisa even though he doesn't love her?

Is this the end of his relationship with Tae?

Or maybe the red thread of destiny will reunite them and fate will give them a second chance?

xoxo