A glaring sunbeam at the side of his body protruded from the window. Its gentle glow coaxed Taehyung's eyes open, where his blurred vision gradually began to clear.

It was morning now. Through repeated blinks and a quiet yawn, the man slowly began to tune into the world around him, only to realize that he was laid over the hospital bed still, quiet sounds of bird chirps seeped in through the window at the other side of the wall.

He shifted, sat up on the mattress and rubbed slowly at his temple. And that was when he had taken notice of the sleeping boy on the chair beside his bed. That being, of course, Jeongguk— whose arms were still atop the bedsheets, head rested over his own forearms. Taehyung narrowed his eyes, somehow unsurprised that the boy had stayed the night by his side instead of returning home like he'd wished he would do.

And truly, the alter planned on giving him an earful over that topic.

But maybe for now...

For now, he'll let the boy get more sleep.

Taehyung, or rather V, let his dark eyes take rest over Jeongguk's cutely flushed cheeks, and the naturally pouting state of his lips adorning that peaceful expression on his dozed face. He watched the length of his lashes, and the adorable placement of the scattered hair strands concealing the young one's forehead.

His teeth sank deep into his bottom lip.

Jeongguk looked so serene. So cozy. Like nothing in the world could ever harm him in this state. A world of true bliss.

Taehyung couldn't help but find it helplessly endearing.

It seemed the boy had ways to grasp that part of him that had been dormant for much too long. The part that took the time to stop and admire even the mundane things in life. Without the complex feeling that came with something like love, V tended to shift focus into the harsher parts of his life, often.

But as he'd caught sight of the ethereal boy, at the innocently tender sleeping angel beside him; he just couldn't help but cease all useless thoughts and instead direct his focus entirely to staring at him. At that sweet peaceful face, lips gaped open while the boy inhaled and exhaled in softened quiet breaths.

It nearly took the older's breath away. A feeling he had been desensitized from since the breakup that had changed his life. The last time he had been in love.

Still immersed completely at the sight of the cute boy, Taehyung sat up on the bed, leaning forward to get a closer look at the other. Jeongguk's face seemed a bit pale, probably because the room was particularly cold. Without thinking much of it, the older lifted his hand and quietly reached forward, hovering his palm beside the young one's cheek with temptation.

And then he continued to gaze down at him, contemplating whether or not he should really follow through with caressing the slightly pink skin. His fingers twitched, oddly yearning to touch Jeongguk's face, and he was on the verge of coming to a decision before there was a sudden knock at the door, followed by the knob turning open.

Taehyung quickly retreated his hand and leaned back against the pillows, wide eyes shifting towards the window to pretend as though that was merely what he'd been doing—just watching the outside view of Seoul from the glass barrier.

"Good morning, Mr. Kim. I see you're awake, hm?" A female voice spoke up, and Taehyung finally allowed himself to turn his head and meet eyes with the nurse that had walked into the room. "How are we feeling today? Any pains?"

He watched as the nurse made no movement to stop, and instead proceeded right towards the heart rate monitor to begin to input his info to some notes on her clipboard. His eyes then shifted towards Jeongguk, who was beginning to stir awake from the sudden noise in the room.

"No pain. I'm doing just fine," Taehyung's coarse voice then spoke up. "So may I be discharged within the hour?"

"Whoa, slow down there, tiger." The nurse laughed softly. "Let me check your vitals and verify all is good before we send you back out into the wild, okay?"

Taehyung's eyes narrowed in mild annoyance, and then the two turned to look at Jeongguk, who was now leisurely sitting up in his seat and rubbing his eyes, confused hums leaving him quietly beneath his breath.

Hm. How cute.

"Ah I'm sorry to wake you, sweetheart," the nurse said in a slightly amused but gentle voice. "You stayed here all throughout the night to keep your friend company... you two must be very close."

Jeongguk lowered his hands to his thighs and blinked slowly at her, then began to speak in a sleepy voice. "I-It's... not a problem, I s-should've woken up long befor—"

"Actually, he's my boyfriend." Taehyung suddenly cut in, and the two stopped to gaze over at him at the correction. "Not friend. Boyfriend."

A silence began to settle into the room, the rhythmic beeping of Taehyung's heart rate seeped from the monitor in consistent beats, and the nurse raised her pen up from the clipboard and parted her lips, seemingly in awe.

"Oh! You two are-... dating?" The nurse's voice was laced in obvious shock, eyes glancing toward Jeongguk who was now looking down, cheeks obviously redder than before. "I didn't... think you'd actually admit that. Most people don't have the courage to." She then continued. "Well that's very sweet. I, myself, used to have a girlfriend in high school, but well... My parents weren't all too fond of that, obviously."

The two men's brows seemed to rise simultaneously at her sudden words.

"Y-You're also... gay..?" Jeongguk quietly spoke up, surprised to have a nurse fully admit that. Then again, she must've felt more comfortable upon learning about him and Taehyung.

The woman gave another gentle smile while she raised an infrared thermometer to Taehyung's head.

"Mhm, well I swing both ways," she clarified. "But unfortunately the society we live in has clear preferences on how they want you to live your own life. Of course, you always have the option to choose whatever path it is you want to walk towards, but I quickly found I wasn't strong enough to fight those odds." She raised her left hand, showing off a shimmering silver ring on her ring finger. "At least he's nice, thoughtful... and I do love him."

She retreated the device and moved to jot a few more things down on the clipboard.

"But every now and then I wonder what my life would be like had I tried harder with her. You know... The girl I loved." The nurse trailed off, a forlorn look on her face. She then shook her head and quickly cleared her throat. "A-Anyways, everything looks good here. I need to check in with the Doc and I'll return to report back to you."

As she began walking off toward the exit, Jeongguk and Taehyung stole a quick glance at each other, and then the nurse abruptly came to a stop.

"Oh and-..." Her lips lifted into a warm smile. "I'll be rooting for you guys."

And with that the lady was gone, leaving the two men in sole company of only each other. There, in the brightly-lit medical room.

※ ※

Seoul was particularly gray this afternoon.

Small specks of snow would shed from the sky at random, but it wasn't quite snowing fully just yet. The city was as lively as any other day, though there was an odd, peaceful undertone to the way people carried themselves on the streets today. As though the cold weather had numbed down the energy levels the crowds felt all at once.

Taehyung, or rather V, stood beneath a store awning, leaned against the wall beside the entrance, smoke rising from the lit cigarette between his lips—a much needed smoke after a long overnight hospital stay. He was attentive to his surroundings, as usual. Not quite because he anticipated any form of gang activity, nor did he particularly detect any danger. But rather...

He was currently seeing the world around him through different lenses.

Life, through an alternate perspective. It was bizarre. Truly.

Because to him, right then and there, Seoul didn't really seem all that gray. Not quite as blue as he usually saw it, even. Behind the tiny specks of white snow, he somehow saw a warm glow to people's faces, a calmness instilled even in the frigid air pushing past strands of his hair, and coloring his skin in a rosy hue.

The sound of soft chimes rang directly to his left, and the door swung open simultaneously while a cute boy emerged from behind it, holding up two warm cups of coffee.

When his and Taehyung's eyes met, the boy gave a quiet giggle and stepped closer toward him. The older took hold of one of the cups when it was handed to him, and then the two began to walk down the pavement in close proximity.

"Tae doesn't really like coffee, but... You actually kind of enjoy it, don't you?" Jeongguk spoke up with a hint of a smile.

A small grin pushed to the corner of the other's lips. "I like things that are bitter."

"Right, well you could really use a little more sweetness in your life." Jeongguk huffed teasingly, then lifted the lid of his cup up to his lips to embrace the hot steam that emerged from the opening. Once the hot liquid soothed down his throat, he lowered the cup beside his hip and decided he'd continue teasing the alter. "So... I'm your boyfriend now, huh?"

His big eyes lifted, settled their gaze over Taehyung, who was facing ahead, a faint grin still visible on his lips.

"Do you not belong to me, baby?"

Jeongguk blinked at the response, lips parting in awe while he fought the light flutter emerging inside his heart.

"Well, I... belong t-to Taehyung," he said slowly, somehow wanting to challenge the alter for once. "And Vante... and Dot. But I... was never really sure how you've felt."

This made the older fall quiet for a moment, until his raspy voice uttered a simple response.

"What's theirs is mine." His piercing eyes met Jeongguk's meek gaze. "And you've told me before. Who you really belong to. Don't lie to yourself."

Jeongguk gulped down his saliva, unable to retaliate the man's combat. So he quickly accepted defeat.

"Yours.." He whispered, head dipped down. "Of course I'm yours."

Taehyung merely looked at him, a somewhat satisfied glint in his eyes despite his blank stare. And Jeongguk continued.

"But you'd-... never admit that to someone. Using that word." He breathed out. "Boyfriend."

The man returned his focus ahead of them and lightly gave a shrug of his shoulders, a rumbling hum emitting from his throat.

"I wanted to try saying the words out loud," he said simply. "To see how it would feel."

The boy gave a quieter hum in response.

"And how did it feel?"

They glanced at each other. For a brief moment, their eyes met gently. Jeongguk watched the same poker face V had on all the time, watched his dark gaze that usually spoke his true emotions for him. The slight tug of a smirk at his lips let him know that the alter wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of giving him an answer to his question. So Jeongguk would have to deal with a second defeat, for now.

And just like that the two fell into a cozy silence, the sound of their footsteps gentle against their ears while they simply took a walk together. Side by side.

They strolled down the concrete pavement in no particular rush to get anywhere, and their gazes would trail over flying birds or passing people, or cars that would proceed down the road. Jeongguk held his coffee with both hands, his fuzzy gloves shielding his smaller hands from the cool breeze; while Taehyung held his own drink in one hand, the other preoccupied with lifting his cigarette from and toward his lips as he consumed it.

The two eventually reached the side entrance of a park, where they continued down a broad pathway, admiring the scenery of nature beside them while they strolled. Jeongguk sipped down another warm gulp of his coffee, and the older's deep voice suddenly pushed into his ears.

"I started going to therapy again."

Jeongguk nearly coughed his coffee back out, but instead choked on air for a curt moment before he snapped his head toward Taehyung with widened eyes.

"W-What, you're-..." He managed the words out. "Really? Since w-when?"

The older's face remained stagnant while they continued forward. "The very day we came back from Boryeong. I called my therapist and told her I want to start our sessions back up."

Jeongguk gaped at him in complete disbelief, and the older felt the need to elaborate.

"Taehyung doesn't know a thing. I made sure to shut him out whenever I would front for our sessions. But in reality whenever you and Tae weren't together I'd take control of our body and sneak off to go to the first few appointments. I let Dot and Vante listen in, of course."

The boy pulled himself together and lowered his coffee, now paying full attention to the alter's words. It was unlike V to be so open about... well, anything really. So Jeongguk knew that at the very least, he was finally being trusted with this kind of information.

"W-Why are you keeping Taehyung in the dark about this..?" He slowly spoke up. "I'm sure he'd appreciate these sessions, too."

The older took a drag of his cigarette and let a string of smoke dissipate into the air. "I suppose. But I wanted to try a different approach this time."

"A d-different approach...?"

"Mhm." He hummed. "Obviously with these new sessions, our therapist prescribed us drugs that we'll need, with our condition. So far there hasn't been any new medicine, but rather... Three of us are instructed to take antidepressants again, for varying reasons."

He slowly licked his lips, the taste of nicotine rubbing off at his senses.

"This is usually how our overdoses happen, and why it happened again yesterday. We just can't seem to coordinate on our medicine intake. If I take our daily dose of a drug and Vante then switches in, he may take his dose, not knowing I already fed that drug into our system. Then, say, maybe Taehyung switches in and remembers he needs to take that same drug before bed. We're all feeding our body too many doses 'cause we don't know if another alter has already taken the daily dose. It's much too uncoordinated."

Jeongguk kept quiet. The explanation sounded awfully familiar, and he knew why. At least, he remembered Namjoon telling him such things back when he kindly explained Taehyung's condition to him.

Taehyung continued, "I thought I'd try managing it between fewer of us. 'Cause without treatment Vante gets more hallucinations." His foot skid past the concrete beneath them while they walked. "And I... obviously get more anger fits. So you can see why treatment's a necessity for us all. To reduce those risks."

A brief pause.

"I just don't want to keep having all those outbursts that may push you away. Ironic, isn't it? I've tried so hard to do just that—push you away. And now here I am, trying to prevent that from happening."

The younger lowered his head, the sound of their footsteps loud in his ears. "W-Why did you try so hard anyway..?" He quietly spoke. "To push me away, that is.. I get maybe you may think you don't deserve happiness. Or maybe it's the side of you that your uncle grained into you. You k-know.. all those homophobic tendencies and whatnot.."

With a quiet hum, Taehyung's head turned to the side. "Hm. That may have been part of it, without me knowing it." He finally reached the coffee cup to his lips and sipped in leisure. "I could say it was because I didn't yet trust you; but I suppose it was mostly because I know myself. I can't be faithful. So I didn't want to put you through that."

Jeongguk's head lifted in curiosity, his big eyes settling to the side of the older's face. Truthfully, he was aware of V and Yerin's past. At least the bits he'd hear about, mostly from Yerin herself.

So he knew things. Things like the fact V truly loved her, but would indulge in unfaithful behavior. Or how his anger outbursts had built up to the point Yerin couldn't take it anymore.

The concept of their relationship was always so odd to him.

In a way, Jeongguk could see a world where the two could've worked things out. But the more he heard about what had happened, the more he would realize that Yerin and V were always doomed to fail in the end.

It all felt much too tragic for him.

"Y-Yeah, I.." He slowly spoke up. "I've heard. But I was told that was mostly because you spent more time at underground clubs, so... naturally you'd get drunk and party too much. And because you were rarely sober you'd make those bad decisions—like, sleeping with strangers.."

The low laugh that followed in response to his words had puzzled Jeongguk for a moment, his brows gradually contorting into a frown.

"That what she told you?" Was the older's response.

The boy found himself running his finger around the rim of his coffee cup.

"Is that not the truth?"

Taehyung swallowed another gulp of the caffeinated drink. "Well I suppose it's not entirely incorrect." His feet came to a halt, and Jeongguk stopped beside him on the pavement. There was a lingering silence that followed their puffed breaths before the man finally continued. "Do you remember a while ago, when you first told Taehyung you're in love with him?"

Jeongguk's lips parted, a light flush over his cheeks while he nodded. "Before I knew there were five of you..?"

"Yes." Taehyung's deep voice answered. "He said he'd think about it, and give you an answer. But the truth was, he wanted to consult the alters about it first. In truth, he wanted to accept your feelings. Wanted to give it a shot for once. But I was the one who stopped him."

Jeongguk's focused gaze narrowed. "S-So.. that's why he sang that song to me? About not being faithful..?"

The older suddenly started down the concrete path once again, and Jeongguk was slow to follow after him, his thoughts suddenly busy with every revelation he was met with in his head. They continued with a brief lack of words, until Taehyung turned to their left and plopped himself down on an empty nearby bench with a sigh. Jeongguk meekly took a seat beside him, leaving a comfortable space between them, and Taehyung lifted one leg to rest it upon his own thigh.

"I wasn't aware of it much before..." the man then spoke, gaze fixated ahead of them, a view of the Han River accompanying them in the distance. "But all the alters have a complicated obsession with women."

Jeongguk merely blinked at the words, and though a thousand questions arose from that sentence alone, the boy allowed the other to continue by simply remaining quiet.

"Of course, that includes me. I've always been very curious about the opposite sex, and therapy made me realize it's not just plainly in the typical-teenage-boy type of curiosity.." He looked down at the cigarette in his hand, watched as it slowly burnt at the seams. "Our therapist says it's because Taehyung's strong emotions—the ones that miss his mother, have affected all of us."

The boy let a long breath leave his lungs, head then nodding in slow comprehension. "I see.. So that's why you-.. seek the attention of women.."

"Or something like that." Taehyung finally took another drag from the blunt in hand, then lifted his head while remnants of smoke rose from his lips. "It's not just me. Taehyung's popular with the ladies, and he may not know it, but he loves it. It's why he was okay with dating Yerin, even though I was the one who selfishly made her mine. Ours. Vante's not attracted to women, but he still caters to them a lot. It's why he was so eager to take care of Misun during that time you and Taehyung weren't on speaking terms, despite knowing we weren't the father to her kid. Dot—he tends to blindly follow a girl's every word, even when they don't have great intentions."

He rubbed at the side of the cigarette.

"And me... Well, why do you think it's hard for me to stay faithful? I love pleasing them, especially during a good fuck. I'm the one who's explored women in every aspect. Romantically, sexually. I've even indulged in hating them. But even when that Eunha bitch wanted things her way I'd strangely act unlike myself. 'Cause if she was a man I know I would've done merciless shit to that whore a long time ago."

There was no direct response from the younger, and Taehyung let an abruptly taunting laugh hurl past his lips.

"Isn't that fucking hilarious...?" A dishonest grin had formed on his face. "My fascination with women was the reason I couldn't stay loyal to the one woman I actually cared for."

Jeongguk kept his head lowered, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip while he processed everything the man had told him. And somehow, it all made sense.

Somehow, he found solace in the way there was reason to Taehyung's way of being. To V's way of being. That it all hadn't been some arbitrary coincidence drawn from nothing but thin air.

And after careful contemplation, and a much needed thoughtful pause, Jeongguk found himself speaking in a quiet breath.

"Your mother, she-... I'm sure despite everything, and-... despite taking her own life.. I'm sure she still wished for Taehyung to be happy. And of course, if she knew about you alters, she'd wish the same for you all as well.. I'm sure of it."

The older quirked a brow up, slowly lowered his cigarette. He turned to look at Jeongguk, a stagnant swirl in his dark eyes.

"Taking her own life...?" He uttered in a drawled, deep voice. As if to contemplate if what he had heard had really been correct. "Is that... what Vante told you?"

Jeongguk's head turned to meet the older's piercing gaze. "Is-... that not right either..?" A slow blink. "I w-was told that-... That, um.. Hyukjae was really just the unborn sibling Taehyung was supposed to have. His mother had a miscarriage, a-and with the pain of losing her husband too, she... took h-her own life. R-Right?"

A low hum.

Taehyung sank a bit while he shifted to a more comfortable position on the bench.

"Ah.. So that's the lie I went with, huh..?" The alter then mumbled, loud enough for the words to reach Jeongguk's ears. "I had forgotten all those details."

"W-... What?" The younger let out cautiously, causing Taehyung to merely exhale in somewhat of a grunt.

"That whole thing... It was a lie I told the other alters." The man pulled his gaze away towards the lingering, distant clouds above them. "Only X and I know the real truth."

"The real truth?"

"Yes."

There was a moment in which neither of them spoke. Jeongguk merely sat there, anticipating the man's next words, attempted to mentally prepare himself for an incoming explanation.

For the truth.

And when Taehyung had finally delivered it to him, it had truly left the poor boy entirely speechless, unable to feel even the slightest breeze over his frozen limbs.

"Our mother didn't kill herself." The older's rumbling voice continued. "She was murdered."

Jeongguk's jaw lowered, breath caught in his throat. A nauseating feeling began to brew inside his stomach, unable to swallow the reality of what he was now realizing had truly happened.

"Murdered by our uncle, nonetheless. The fucking asshole drove himself to poverty, and he knew his own sister well. Knew that Taehyung's mother was too kind for her own good. And he also knew, that if anything were to happen to her, he'd inherit everything she had. Would you believe it? Her worth even shot up the moment our father died in that accident, seeing as he was a successful businessman with plenty of money laying around. So—" A dry click of his tongue. "He murdered his own sister to inherit her house, her possessions, her fortune. The only problem there, was that he would also inherit custody of her now orphaned son, too. Of Taehyung."

The unobtrusive blow of the wind that followed rustled only a few tree leaves, ones that hung on by a thread. Taehyung's gaze lowered down to his cigarette, watched the dim flame begin to diminish.

"The dumb fucker was going through a bad break up one night," the older then continued, "He got really drunk and, like the brainless idiot that he was, he spilled the entire truth to me. Confessed to his crimes. Taehyung must've been around twelve years old at the time. And what a fucking mistake it was that I was the one fronting that night. Because finding out the truth nearly drove me crazy."

Jeongguk remained frozen where he sat, his eyes locked to the concrete floor in front of them, hands balled into fists as he tried desperately to stop his body from trembling the longer he listened.

"I wanted him gone. I couldn't let us live in that house and undergo all that abuse for a day longer, let alone with our mother's killer. But, I didn't have the means to run away. And that... That confession from him pushed me to the edge. I knew he kept a gun hidden in his bedroom closet, so I decided quickly in that moment—I was going to take revenge. For myself, and for our mother."

And there it was.

The truth.

"He was the first person I killed. My own family." There was a faraway look in the man's eyes, casted by the dark shadow that always seemed to linger there at his pupils. "And it landed us in juvie, where we then met Namjoon. Shit slowly started to get better for us. But even so, Uncle, he... He haunts me, still. Even in death, he haunts me. And I wish so fucking badly to see his wretched face of disgust upon learning that I fuck boys. Wish I could see his face when he realizes he couldn't tame me. That I didn't turn out how he wanted me to. Even if his disgusting behavior rubbed off on me, because I learned strength from him, I want him to know my actions would still contradict with his influence.." He tightened his grip harshly over his cup, nearly crushing the contents out of it. "Because of him I'd fuck guys but never kiss them. Never even think to date them. And you.. You were the first boy I've ever kissed, Jeon. My contradiction."

Jeongguk's vision began to blur out, a flood of tears pooling at his eyes while he listened in complete silence, letting the older speak the words he may have long wished to secrete from his chest.

"Your innocence. And strangely enough, your frailness. How I can't help but have the need to protect you, despite how I may have felt about you. Because oddly enough, since the beginning you've reminded me of when Taehyung was younger. How I'd do anything to protect him. Ensure his happiness. Even if it meant killing his own uncle. But that being said, with Uncle's mindset engrained into me, I also couldn't help but hurt you. The same way Uncle was always hurting Taehyung. And the same reason I thought I could hurt you. Because you're mine."

Jeongguk's heart pulsed in a painful throb.

It hurt him.

Hurt him to think about what all the alters must've endured growing up. To have that kind of mindset rooted so deep into one of them—to the point that hurting someone you love became acceptable. With that thought, the boy wished nothing more but to embrace Taehyung and never let go of him.

"Is-... Is that why you said that one night, that you and I are alike..?"

The man was silent while Jeongguk's words spluttered out of him.

"Both Taehyung and I were innocent, good kids. The o-only difference is we grew up in different environments.." A short pause, followed by a sniffle. "While Taehyung lost both his parents, I... grew up with my amazing mother and father. A-And because of your uncle's abuse, the f-five of you grew up in the k-kind of world I've a-always been able to stay ignorant to.." The palm of his hand slowly opened up. "Even though I know... if the roles were reversed... If I was the one who grew up with the childhood Taehyung went through.. I would've ended up the s-same way."

"Well," Taehyung hummed calmly, letting his burn out cigarette drop to the floor where he crushed it with his foot. "I'm glad it was us, instead." His head turned to the side, avoiding the smaller one's gaze. "You deserve the upbringing you received from your old folks. It's.. made you into the kind of person I have a hard time believing is even real."

Jeongguk gaped at him, fingers curling at the man's words.

"Besides, I'm strong. So I can get Taehyung and the others through our pain."

The younger's lower lip quivered. He shut his eyes, letting the stream of tears he had held at bay up to this point finally rush down his paled cheeks. Taehyung turned his head and watched the crying boy reach his hands up to wipe continuously at his dampened eyes.

Before he knew what he was doing, he reached up and grabbed Jeongguk's wrist, prying his hands from his face so he could wipe off the younger's tears himself. He let the pads of his thumbs rub over the wet substance, and his palms grabbed the pretty boy's face in a possessively firm grip.

Jeongguk's quiet hiccuped cries subsided. The two men gazed into each other's eyes with an inexplicable sense of passion gleaming in their dilated pupils.

Then, Taehyung tilted his head, and Jeongguk's eyes closed in response. Because a second later their lips would gently meet, push against each other in a careful embrace. Their senses were quickly consumed with each other's taste, and a satisfied hum slipped from the younger.

Their kiss remained relatively tame for a moment, the two simply wanting to stay that way for a while longer; and then the older's grip tightened, tugged the other closer towards him. But before anything could escalate Jeongguk slowly pulled back, landing a hand at Taehyung's chest while he breathed air back into his lungs.

"Too rough.." He exhaled in a huff, chest rising and falling with his short panting.

Taehyung merely blinked back at him, and lightly rubbed at the sides of Jeongguk's cheeks, where he had apparently grabbed him too harshly.

"Mm. I thought since you're a man I could be more rough with you." His deep voice pushed into the air between them. "But it turns out you're just as delicate as the women I've been with, hm?"

The hand on the older's chest gave him a light slap while Jeongguk frowned. "Gender's got nothing to do with it." He responded in somewhat of a whiny tone, then reached to cup Taehyung's face into his much more delicate embrace. "Here.. I'll show you the gentle way."

Taehyung's stagnant eyes simply watched him, letting the electrifying touch of the boy shoot toward every inch of his skin.

"When it's someone you care about... you have to be kind and nurturing. Like this.." He leaned forward, nibbled lightly on the older's lower lip before engaging him in a tender kiss, to which Taehyung responded to by shutting his eyes and slowly kissing back, not taking initiative to control the tides of their kiss.

Jeongguk let one hand slip to the other male's nape, where he brushed through the hair strands of his wavy locks, then eventually pulled back to lick the man's saliva from his lips.

The tips of their noses brushed against each other's, and the boy met Taehyung's radiant gaze, noted his clear desire to express something to him.

So he was patient. Waited on the man to speak what it was he wanted to say, until his words were finally uttered out loud.

"I want to try with you.." The man said in a lowered whisper. The words that set Jeongguk's heart ablaze, coated it in layers of disbelief and exhilaration and, love.

Because, of course, he still loved V.

He loved all sides of Taehyung. Every part of him.

But the unreachable alter was right there in front of him, saying he wanted to give them a try. Wanted to be with him.

And Jeongguk wouldn't ever take it for granted. No, he'll show the alter that he's in this with them forever.

That once he gave them a try, he'll never, ever want to go back.

They'll be stuck with each other, always.

That much is certain.

✱ ✱ ✱

{ A / N }

wow, it's the first chapter of 2023.. here's to another year of this journey we're going on together 😳

seriously though, i may be busy with other things a lot but i always look forward to writing these chapters for you readers. and when you guys give even the littlest of feedback, like voting on a chapter or commenting, it makes me feel like, whaaaaaat people actually enjoy reading the shit i'm writing?? kinda cool :]

hope we can continue this for another year, or two, or even after our lovely bangtan boys are 7 again 💜

for the new year, i also completed the full trailer for Under His Spell, which you can find in my profile bio! if you follow me, you may have gotten an early look at it. but if you don't, here it is: 😌

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

thanks again for sticking around with this long ass book. can't wait for our future time together through this coming year~

💜 💜 💜