Innamorarsi - to fall in love (with each other)
Taehyung has everything - wealth beyond measure, a tech empire he built from the ground up, a penthouse, a never ending list of connections at his disposal and fame that spanned over the whole continent. He has everything; you name it, he has it. Everything, except a social or romantic life.
While he was in college, he had developed a passion for computer softwares and all things technical. He chose computer science as his major in university and he spent most of his time developing softwares and figuring out how to enhance cyber security for his own home network. He had a small start up in his parents garage who had helped him secure a small loan to start his own business. It wasn’t long until Taehyung had figured out how to provide data protection on computers. At 23, he managed to demonstrate how his software works at a small technology fair and at 25, his product which he called Safeguard , was already being bought by companies all over the country. The product sold itself in the best and biggest way possible. He’d become a millionaire by the time he was 28 with just about a dozen of people as his staff. And now at 33, he has over 2,000 people working for him and his networth is nearly in the billions.
Sat in his lavish office, Taehyung watched the ice in his glass of whiskey twist as it melted.
Namjoon, his legal advisor and confidante sat down opposite him. “You haven’t spoken a word since we left the boardroom and you’re drinking on a Monday during work hours.”
“Well, who’s gonna stop me? I’m the boss of me,” Taehyung said and pulled the glass closer to himself.
“You haven’t even taken a sip yet. I can tell whatever you blurted out is really haunting you right now,” Namjoon said as he tried to bite back an amused smile.
“No sh*t.” Taehyung placed his finger around the rim of his glass and watched the ice again, tempted to take a sip so Namjoon could drop the topic.
Taehyung’s father had made an unexpected appearance at the investors meeting that Monday morning. As one of the investors of Taehyung’s company, he hardly showed up to the meetings so the morning’s surprise appearance had caught Taehyung off guard.
However, it was not the appearance that shook Taehyung, it was what his father had said. He had announced plans for a company gathering in just two weeks’ time. A fundraiser to raise money for college scholarships and it was to be attended by all members of the Tech Fort team. He asked staff to spread the word and send out invitations to other companies. And then, with a smirk playing on his lips, he made a joke about everyone having a plus one – everyone except Taehyung.
For years, Taehyung had gotten used to being the butt of such jokes. The young and rich bachelor who is too busy to find a partner. Which was entirely true, but this time, something inside him just snapped and in a moment of frustration, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
“Yes I do have a partner!” – a lie out of desperation. He claimed to have a partner, someone he had been talking to and seeing for months, someone who would be accompanying him to the company fundraiser.
As soon as the words left his lips, Taehyung mentally hit himself. He knew he made a big mistake and the realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. His father’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he studied Taehyung’s expression. And then with a smile, he told Taehyung he’s expecting to see his partner at the fundraiser and there’s no backing out. A demand that left Taehyung panicking. He had lied, and now he has to face the consequences. With less than two weeks to spare, he has to find a partner to play the role of his significant other before the deadline expires.
“You need a break. Like a proper vacation.”
“No, Namjoon,” Taehyung retorted. “What I need is to find a “partner” not a vacation.”
For Taehyung, success had come with a price paid in loneliness. As Taehyung’s wealth and influence grew, so did the demands of his work. The pursuit of success had left him with very little to no room for anything else – including meaningful relationships. Despite his efforts and attempts at romance and trying to maintain a relationship, all his attempts often ended in disappointment. Taehyung found himself caught in a never ending cycle of short lived flings which lasted 2 months at most. Every relationship seemed superficial and the romance fizzled out quickly. Most of the time, his partners would crave for affection and attention that he couldn’t provide due to his busy schedule. And others were drawn to him for all the wrong reasons – his wealth and status. It seemed to Taehyung that everyone wanted something from him but they all had nothing to offer in return. With quite a few failed attempts at romance, he chose to divert all his time and attention towards his career and refused to waste his energy on relationships that were bound to end in disappointment.
“Give me your phone.”
“Why?” Taehyung’s gaze snapped back to Namjoon in suspicion.
“Just trust me, I won’t do anything strange or stupid.”
“Fine.” Taehyung sighed. He took a sip of his drink then fished out his phone from his suit jacket and handed it to Namjoon.
He watched Namjoon as his fingers flew over the screen for a few minutes before handing back the phone.
“It’s been a while since you broke up with Bogum, right?” Namjoon asked.
“It’s been over a year and I don’t have the time or energy to go on a bunch of dates again.”
“Okay, I’m going to tell you something but I want you to keep an open mind.” Namjoon gazed at Taehyung before he continued, “so instead of going on a bunch of dates, why don’t you just pay for one?”
“f*ck no, that doesn’t sound ethical at all,” Taehyung said but looked at his phone screen anyway.
A couple sharing a passionate kiss is what he saw. Under the logo Euphoria was written in bold letters . “What the hell is this, Namjoon?”
Namjoon put on his best poker face then said, “it’s an app that lets people with the same particular interests find each other, agree on certain arrangements then go on dates or do other things.”
Taehuyng’s thumb scrolled through the app, seeing icons of men and women, young and old. “You’re seriously suggesting that I become a sugar daddy?”
“That is absolutely what I am saying.”
“This isn’t a joke?”
“In no way is this a joke or a prank, Taehyung. You are running out of time and this is the only way you can find someone to agree on your terms without fearing that it’ll be a scam. The app does some serious background checks.”
“You’re doing this aren’t you?” Taehyung reached over and grabbed Namjoon’s phone before he could move it. He typed in the passcode as if it was his phone and went straight to the app and opened it.
Namjoon folded his arms over his chest and waited for Taehyung to finish looking through his app’s profile.
“I can’t believe you actually do this. How much do you pay for this?”
“Well, it all depends on what is done. With my agreement, I give a 3,000,000 ₩ ($3000) allowance every month. Anything sexual obviously means I have to pay more money, and then I pick up the tab any time we go out to eat and I take them on a shopping spree every once in a while, some vacations, blah blah blah you get the gist.”
“What the f*ck, Namjoon.”
“It’s quite practical. You have a mutually beneficial arrangement. You set the terms of the deal and you both follow the rules. You gain something and so does your sugar baby. It’s a win-win.”
“So you’re what? Like some pimp?”
“No, I’m a sugar daddy who has a sugar baby.”
“And you think I’d want to be with someone I’m not interested in? Someone I don’t have feelings for?”
“Take it easy, Taehyung. I’m not saying settle down and get married. Everything is all agreed upon. The amount you give, how many times you meet or go out. It’s not always sexual. There are some sugar babies who just offer companionship. So you just pay them to attend social gatherings with you and that’s where it ends. No sex or feelings included.”
“I don’t know… it still sounds too weird.”
“Just give it a try Taehyung. It might be good for you. Maybe you’ll end up leaving your penthouse for once on a Saturday.” Namjoon snickered.
Taehyung sat deep in thought. It was his only option if he was to bring a plus one to the fundraiser.
“Think about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Namjoon grabbed his phone and put it in the pocket of his jacket then turned to leave Taehyung’s office.
On his way home, all Taehyung could think about was the idea Namjoon had put in his head. When he reached home, he opened the door to a very neat but very silent penthouse. The automatic light of the corridor blinked on as he walked through. Taehyung has never minded the silence and solitude but he wouldn’t mind having something or someone to look forward to. Last week he had entertained the idea of getting pet, specifically a cat or a dog but then gave up on the idea when he thought about the fur getting all over his clothes and sofas. Well, he was much more frightened of commitment more than anything else. Getting a pet meant giving them your time and that is something he doesn’t have.
Taehyung liked routine and order. Everything in his penthouse had a place. He took off his shoes and placed them on a rack by the door as soon as he entered his home. His keys and wallet into a small basket on the coffee table in the living room. He walked to his room and into his walk-in closet where he stripped down to his boxers and put his dirty clothes into a hamper and changed into some comfortable satin pyjamas. He looked at his watch while taking it off and placing it in one of the drawers assigned to hold all his luxury watches. 9pm. He figured he’d sleep early.
He walks to the kitchen to grab a glass of water along with a coaster. He places the glass on his night stand coaster and covers it with another then plugs his phone into the charger. As he got comfortable under the covers, the thought of Euphoria infiltrated his mind again. He reached out for his phone and unlocked it. He stared at the home screen for a few seconds, thumb lingering over the app’s icon.
“Ugh, f*ck it. Not like setting up a profile would mean anything,” he mumbled.
He uploaded an inconspicuous profile picture, showing only half his face and set his username to KTH. After filling out all the necessary fields – KTH, 33, seeking a sugar baby for companionship, might want cuddles some times but no intimacy; he started scrolling through the babes seeking daddies.
To his disappointment, it was turning out exactly the way he thought it would be. Every sugar baby he had seen for over 10 pages was only seeking intimacy and to be spoilt rotten. A waste of time . He thought.
“This is ridiculous why did I even fall into Namjoon’s trap,” he mumbled again.
He locked his phone, placed it on the night stand and stared at the ceiling, hoping to fall asleep soon. He knew he wasn’t going to get a response and the idea would be a complete waste of time.
❈❈
At 29, Jeongguk has led a pretty simple and mediocre life. He has his average apartment, a full time job at a tech firm that is slowly sucking the life out of him, a loving family, his friends and some hobbies. Raised by loving and hardworking parents, Jeongguk couldn’t find it in him to constantly ask them for money. His deep sense of pride always led him to spare no expense in making sure his parents are leading a life of comfort; even though he was struggling to make ends meet.
Lost in thought, Jeongguk thought about 7 years ago when he first moved to Seoul and life was stress free. He was accepted into university on a scholarship to complete a degree in technology studies. Eager to chase his dreams, he set out of Busan and moved to Seoul to build a future for himself.
“Hello!! We’re still here. Can you at least pretend that you’re not ignoring us,” Jimin whined at Jeongguk then proceeded to slurp a mouthful of strawberry milkshake.
Jeongguk was so engulfed in his thoughts, he had had completely forgotten that he was sat at a corner table in a small cafe near his workplace. The small coffee shop located near his workplace was always his go to for his daily freshly brewed coffee. The place buzzed with customers bustling in and out, the aroma of coffee was in the air and the sound of clinking cups mingled with the sounds of laughter and people talking. Every table was occupied, either by families, people dressed in formal attire or students hunched over their textbooks.
“Jimin, stop being over dramatic. I’m not ignoring you,” Jeongguk said, looking up from his laptop. “And I’m also not going to do whatever it is you want me to do.”
Jimin moved and pulled a chair to sit close to him, tugging at his shirt while whispering “come on, Jeongguk. It’s not like it’s going to be a permanent thing. You can do it until you make some money then you can just quit. Can you say something, Hoseok.” He turned and stared at his friend who seemed to pay more attention to his phone than to what was happening near him.
“I know you’re hesitant but just hear us out,” Hoseok finally chimed in, locking his phone and placing it into his trouser pocket. “It brings in a lot of money and you get gifts almost on a daily basis. I don’t think we need to mention your love for gifts.” Hoseok winked at him.
Jeongguk met Jimin and Hoseok, his best friends, at university 7 years ago when he moved to Seoul. Both older than him and following different majors but they all shared love and passion for one thing; dance. A form of art that allowed them to escape the stress of their daily lives. They met at the university dance halls where they spent time practicing routines and some times danced into the late hours of the night. Their friendship quickly bloomed into a strong bond of joy, support, secrets and promises.
“I don’t know you guys. I’m just not comfortable with the idea of trading intimacy for money,” Jeongguk answered, furrowing his eyebrows with skepticism. “It just doesn’t sit right with me.” He shrugged and he picked up his coffee cup to take a sip. He nursed his cup of coffee as he watched his friends sigh in agitation. To them, it seemed like whatever they say, to Jeongguk didn’t make a difference.
Jimin leaned in close again with a small smile, “Jeongguk, trust me on this. Just give it a try. You already know how amazing it was for me and I met Yoongi through this. Doing this honestly also opened up so many doors for me. I got to meet so many incredible people when I accompanied Yoongi to his company gatherings and if I work just a little bit harder as a dance teacher I’ll finally be able to set up my own dance studio.”
Jeongguk had known about Jimin’s boyfriend and had initially thought that it was not going to last long, given that their relationship started off as Jimin being Yoongi’s sugar baby. He never thought it would develop into something meaningful, but the genuine happiness on Jimin’s face every time he spoke about Yoongi seemed to say otherwise.
“Exactly, Jimin,” Hoseok spoke up, his tone soft. “It’s not just about the materialistic benefits, Jeongguk. Sure, the gifts and the financial support are great, but you also make a lot of connections that can help you. My experience so far has been great even though I’ve only met my sugar daddy a handful of times.”
Jeongguk attentively listened to every single word his friends were telling him. He weighed the pros and cons of the idea. On one hand, the idea of financial stability and the opportunity to meet new people and make connections seemed tempting. But, on the other hand, the idea of compromising with his principles weighed heavy. A transactional relationship of nothing but materialistic and monetary gain left a bitter taste in his mouth.
It’s not that Jeongguk doesn’t trust Jimin and Hoseok; he trusts them blindly and implicitly. He can see their genuine concern for him. They hate that Jeongguk accepts all sorts of gifts from them but draws a line on money. Again, his sense of pride always gnawed at his insides if he even thought of asking them for money. He genuinely pondered on their idea and seeing their lifestyle definitely tempted him but he still hesitated.
“Can we continue this later. My lunch break is almost over and because of you idiots, I kept myself busy to avoid this conversation instead of actually taking a break. I don’t know why I even agreed to see you guys in the middle of the day. You just won’t drop this silly idea and now I won’t be able to focus at work,” he continued as he started gathering his belonings from the table and prepared to head back to work for the rest of the afternoon.
“Fine! I’ll let you breathe for the next couple of hours. But, you better expect us at your place for dinner tonight.” Jimin whispered into Jeongguk’s ear, “I promise this is not where it ends.”
“Thanks, Jimin. I’m really looking forward to discussing my financial struggles on a Friday night.” Jeongguk sarcastically answered and sighed as he ran his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time. He watched his best friends walk out of the cafe as he slowly followed suit.
Jeongguk has always been a planner; meticulously scheduling his study sessions during his university years, gym sessions, budgeting his finances, going to work on time and also making time for his hobbies. Jeongguk was happy and he always felt a sense of satisfaction knowing he was moving as he planned.
He doesn’t remember when it all went downhill. As he walks back to work, he thinks whether life would have been different if he had pursued another major at university. Would he be happy? Would he be financially stable? He couldn’t help but wonder if he had made the right decision in pursuing a degree in technology. While he had always been passionate about the field, the demands of the job were weighing him down. He wondered if it was too late to change career paths or was he doomed to spend the rest of his life working a job that now seemed like a punishment.
As he settled into his cubicle at work, he couldn’t help but think about what Jimin and Hoseok were talking about. The questions and curiousness gnawed at his mind. He glanced at the clock on the wall opposite him, hoping that the hours would zoom by faster, but it seemed like time was not moving. 1:30 pm – it was like the hands on the clock were frozen in place and everything had come to a standstill.
With a sigh, he bowed his head and started flicking through the papers piled on his desk. All he could do was hope that the hours would pass by quickly so he could rush home. He yearned for the freedom of leaving the place even if it was for 2 days. Jeongguk forced himself to work as the minutes ticked by agonisingly slow; at a snails pace.
When the clock finally struck 5 pm, he gathered his belongings and hastily made his way out of the confines of the office to escape. He stepped out of the building into the bustling streets of Seoul and he smiled as the cool evening air and the setting sun that cast beautiful hues in the sky reminded him of the little joys life had to offer. Joy de vivre he thought to himself. It’s the little things in life that count. The smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning, the smell of the morning dew, the beautiful sunrise and sunset, children’s laughter, the feeling of going home on a Friday evening after a long week.
As soon as Jeongguk stepped through the threshold of his apartment, he kicked off his shoes. The bus ride home did little to help him relax after a long day and had left him feeling sweaty and sticky. With a sigh of relief, he rushed towards the bathroom for a deserved long hot shower to wash away the dirt and grime of the long day.
The hot water fell over his tired muscles, soothing away the tension he had built up during the day. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax in the warmth of the water and steam that engulfed the bathroom.
He left the shower snuggly wrapped in a plush grey bathrobe, feeling refreshed. Happy that he was finally swapping his work suit for comfortable clothes; a soft baggy oversized t-shirt and a pair of worn sweatpants that felt familiar. With a contented sigh, he padded over to the living room and sank into the sofa. He looked at at his phone and there were a few messages from Jimin letting him know they were on their way to his place, and they hope he hadn’t forgotten the promise Jimin made during lunch. He chuckled at the use of multiple angry emojis Jimin had sent.
Jeongguk reached for the remote to turn on the tv but the sound of the doorbell startled him. Jimin and Hoseok definitely didn’t get to his place this quick, right? With a frown he made his way to the door and swung it open, only to see his bestfriends grinning at him.
“Hey!!” Jimin exclaimed.
Hoseok waved to accompany Jimin’s greeting.
“How the hell did you get here so quick?” Jeongguk questioned, genuinely curious.
“What do you mean so quick?”
“You literally just sent me that string of texts like 5 minutes ago.”
“No, I didn’t. Check your phone. I sent those messages over an hour ago.” This time, Jimin frowned as he pulled his phone out and hovered it in front of Jeongguk’s face for him to see.
“Anyway,” Hoseok fake yawned. “Are you going to let us come in or are you just going to keep us standing here like idiots?”
It’s not that Jeongguk is not happy with them showing up at his apartment. In fact, he’s ecstatic that they’re going to keep him company for the night. The issue is that Jeongguk couldn’t shake off the nervousness coursing through his veins. He knew that his friends were very likely (definitely) going to broach the topic of becoming a sugar baby soon and he was trying to mentally prepare himself for the conversation that was going to follow.
As they settled into the sofa together, Jeongguk made an effort to steer the conversation in a different direction. He cleared his throat and tried his best to sound casual.
“Hey, how about I order us some pizza and then we can watch a movie?” he suggested.
Jimin and Hoseok exchange glances and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Jeongguk. They go along with the suggestion anyway.
“Sounds good to me,” Jimin replied.
“Yeah, pizza and a movie sounds perfect,” Hoseok nodded in agreement with a grin on his face.
As the credits rolled on the tv and the last piece of pizza disappeared from the box, Jeongguk started feeling nervous again because he knew there was no other way he could avoid what was coming next. He slowly reaches out for the remote and turns off the tv. Then he collects the plates and empty cans of soda along with the empty pizza box and makes his way to the kitchen.
Jeongguk tried his best to stall time as he stood by the kitchen island looking into the living room. He sees Jimin and Hoseok exchange glances and he knew they were prepared to broach the topic again as soon he returned to join them. Jeongguk’s heartbeat quickened as he walked towards the living room, knowing that the conversation he had been dreading was about to begin.
“So…” Jimin says as soon as Jeongguk joins them in the living room again. “We need to talk.”
“I know what you’re going to talk about, Jimin,” Jeongguk sighed and threw his head back as he sat on the sofa again.
Jeongguk’s stomach churned with nervousness as he looked at his friends. He won’t lie and say he is not curious about how a relationship between a sugar daddy and a sugar baby works but he is still not convinced that it is the best thing for him to do.
“We know you’ve been struggling, Jeongguk. We see it. We’re not blind,” Hoseok said, his voice firm. “And we all know the what the quickest solution to your financial worries is. You refuse to take money from us, so this is the only way you can make money without overworking yourself.”
Jeongguk’s heart sank at the mention of his financial struggles for the second time that day. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. He had been trying so hard to keep up appearances, to convince himself that he was okay and could handle everything on his own. Deep down he knew that he was drowning under the weight of pretense. He has spent almost a year lying to his parents, telling them that he is making enough money to shoulder all his responsibilities and make ends meet so they should not send him money and should spend it on themselves instead.
Jimin hesitated for a moment before speaking as he glanced at Jeongguk’s face, trying to read his expression. “Why don’t you just give it a try?”
The idea of becoming a sugar baby was so foreign for Jeongguk, it was not even on the list of things he had considered doing to end his financial woes. But right now, curiosity stirred within him due to the way his best friends were pushing the sugar baby idea.
“I don’t know you guys,” he replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “I already told you I’m not comfortable with the idea of getting intimate with someone I don’t have feelings for.”
“Okay, but not all sugar daddys want sex and intimacy. You can look for someone who just wants your companionship,” Jimin said with a smile.
“He’s right, Jeongguk,” Hoesok spoke up. “There are so many sugar daddys out there who are just looking for someone to spend time with because they’re lonely or someone to accompany them to some events or dinners,” he explained.
“There’s no harm in trying, Jeongguk. You can at least just browse through the app and see what it has to offer, or in this case who it has to offer.” Jimin was practically pleading at this point. He knew he had nothing else to say that could convince Jeongguk if this doesn’t work.
Jeongguk still hesitated for a moment, weighing his options again. The idea of becoming a sugar baby was daunting to say the least, because for him it was against his principles. However, the mere thought of financial stability and the chance to finally get rid of his worries was making him tingle in a good way. He would love to be happy and worry free. He would love to live the life he pretends he lives while talking to his parents.
With a sigh, he finally nods in agreement as he makes the decision to at least explore the possibility of being a sugar baby.
“Okay,” he says, voice steady.
“Okay what?” Jimin questioned.
“Okay I’ll do it. I’ll give it a shot and see how it goes,” Jeongguk reaffirmed, more reassuring himself than answering Jimin’s question.
“Are you sure?” Hoseok asked, voice filled with worry. “You don’t have to do it just to please us.”
“No, I’m sure. I want to try it out,” Jeongguk says, and it’s only partially true. He doesn’t want to do it but he needs to do it if he wants to make ends meet without asking his friends or parents for money.
Jeongguk reached out for his phone, downloaded and opened the app ‘ Euphoria’ that Hoseok told him about then began filling out the necessary information to create his user profile. A feeling of unease crept at the back of his neck but he ignored it as he held on to the hope that perhaps, just perhaps, this could be the solution he had been searching for all along.
He finds himself scrolling and scrolling and scrolling through the app. It was endless. He felt like a total creep, opening profiles to look at pictures and read bios. He discovers there are a lot of gross people and psychos out there. The amount of old men “looking to have a good time” gets him wondering again if he really wants to become a sugar baby but the stack of bills in the middle of the table catch his eye and he immediately goes back to scrolling.
Just as Jeongguk was about to give up, he finally stumbles on a profile that catches his attention. He’s so sleepy and he thinks he should just handle it in the morning but the profile has him intrigued. The profile picture only has half the face visible. Jeongguk takes a look at the man’s information and requests and finds that not much information has been provided. Username: KTH, 33, looking for companionship. He didn’t even bother reading the rest. He blames his judgement on his tiredness. If he turns out to be a total creep, it won’t be my fault because it’s almost 3am and I am drained.
He presses on the message icon on KTH’s profile and sends a simple ‘Hi’.
Jeongguk regrets it as soon as he sends the message, but there’s no delete option available so he realises that there’s no turning back. Maybe I can just tell him I sent the message by mistake and he should ignore it. He’s relieved when there is no instant reply so he heads to his room and places his phone on the nightstand then goes to sleep. I’ll deal with whatever is going to happen in the morning.
❈❈
Saturdays – Taehyung hated Saturdays with a passion. Most people look forward to the weekend as a time of relaxation, away from the rush and stress of the week. For Taehyung, Saturdays were always a reminder of the time he cannot be as productive as he wished to be. Well, the truth is that Taehyung loathed Saturdays for another reason as well – they were his loneliest days. Due to his extremely busy and hectic schedule, he hardly ever had time for a social life. He was always stuck in his penthouse surrounded by nothing but silence on Saturdays.
Taehyung wakes up with a heavy sigh as he rolls around in bed and stretches. He stares at the ceiling for what seems like an eternity, then reaches out to the nightstand to grab his phone. He sighed as he scrolled through the endless stream of notifications, full of nothing but reminders of his upcoming responsibilities and meetings. Taehyung reluctantly keeps scrolling through the notifications until something caught his eye. A notification from Euphoria. It was something he wasn’t expecting. He had pushed the app and his profile to the back of his mind after a whole week of waiting, convinced that there would be no response to his profile. For the first three days, he was constantly trying to keep himself busy to stop himself from checking the app every time he remembers he had set up a profile. He tried his best to remain optimistic but he was gradually losing hope so the notification from the app was a surprise. His breath caught in his throat as his finger hovered over the screen.
Taehyung’s heart pounded as he opened the app and waited for it to load. A small smirk spread across his face when he saw the small red dot on the inbox symbol signifying that there was a message waiting for him. Internally, he hoped that it wasn’t one of those stupid messages from the app’s admin. He opened his inbox and saw a message from ‘JJK’. He quickly opened the message, only to find a simple ‘Hi’ staring back at him. Even though the greeting was small and brief, Taehyung was intrigued. Instead of immediately replying, he decided to take a look at JJK’s profile hoping to get more information on who this person is that reached out to him. To his disappointment, he was met with more questions than answers because the bio was also vague – JK, 29, male, interested in companionship. There were no personal interests listed and no hint of who the person is behind the profile. Even his profile photo just showed JJK’s back at the beach with the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.
For a moment, Taehyung just stared at the profile unsure what to make of it. He hesitated, thinking that maybe it’s just a prank. Looking at the message, he decides to reply and see where it leads. No harm in trying , he thought to himself. Taehyung composed a simple ‘hello’ in response and hit send. He looked at the time on his phone which read 11:30am so he locked his phone and headed for the shower.
The warm water of the shower flowed over Taehyung’s body, but he found his mind wandering to the thoughts of JJK. Who is he? Why is his profile so mysterious? Was he about to be a waste of time? Thousands of questions swirled in Taehyung’s mind but he made the decision to ignore them and focus on the simple pleasures of the moment. In this instance – the stream of warm water.
By the time Taehyung emerged from the shower wrapped in a towel it was 12:15pm and he had made peace with how things are going. Que sera sera - what will be, will be. I’ll deal with it later. He thought there was no point dwelling on something he doesn’t know the outcome of.
Dressed in casual attire – a plain white tshirt and a pair of lilac sweatpants, Taehyung made his way to the grand kitchen of his penthouse. He prepared himself a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, a bowl of fruit and a glass of orange juice. He mindlessly scrolled through Twitter to keep himself entertained as he ate.
He moves to the living room after finishing his breakfast and clearing the dishes. He carelessly drops on to the sofa with a sigh, unsure what to do for the rest of the afternoon. Before he could consider his very brief list of options, a notification on his phone disrupted his thoughts.
From JJK:
Hi, again?
To JJK:
Hello, I guess
Are we just going to keep saying hello
From JJK:
Sorry.. I don’t know how this works
I don’t even know what to say or ask
To JJK:
How about we first introduce ourselves
You don’t even have your name on your profile
From JJK:
You’re one to talk
You don’t have yours either, KTH
To JJK:
I like to keep my identity hidden
To stop trolls from wasting my time
From JJK:
I’ll tell you my name if you tell me yours
To JJK:
You won’t believe me if I told you
From JJK:
Try me
To JJK:
Kim Taehyung
From JJK:
As in Tech Fort founder and CEO Kim Taehyung?
To JJK:
That’s exactly who I am
From JJK:
That’s impossible
Stop messing with me and tell me who you are
To JJK:
I knew you wouldn’t believe me
How about we meet face to face?
Taehyung had sent the message and stared at his phone screen. There was no response for over 5 minutes and his confidence was beginning to wane. Had he been too forward with his proposal for a face to face meeting? 10 minutes later and there was still no response. Taehyung was starting to think that JJK had blocked him because he was freaked out by his suggestion. Anxiety gnawed at Taehyung’s insides. He kept looking back at his phone every couple of minutes in hopes that the screen would light up with a response from JJK.
After what seemed like eons, his phone screen finally lit up accompanied by the sound of a notification. JJK had finally replied.
From JJK:
Okay let’s do it
But it has to be at a public place
To JJK:
Why?
Do you think I’ll kidnap you or murder you?
From JJK:
Your words not mine
Taehyung couldn’t help but giggle at the response.
To JJK:
Okay, I’ll take you out to dinner tonight
I’ll send you the address
And you still haven’t told me your name
From JJK:
It’s Jeongguk
To JJK:
Jeongguk…
Dress semi formal for dinner tonight
I’ll see you at 8 sharp
As he set his phone down, Taehyung’s gaze drifted to the clock on the wall – 3pm. Five hours until their meeting. He reached out for his phone again and proceeded to make a reservation for two at Pierre Gagnare a Seoul, one of the most luxurious restaurants in Seoul. It was the perfect choice for their meeting. Public place as JJK requested but also a place sure to impress – elegant and refined.
Once the reservation was confirmed, he sent the location to JJK and put his phone down again. With the details taken care of, Taehyung turned his attention to the flat screen tv mounted on the wall and started browsing through Netflix for something to pass time with. As he scrolled through the countless options, he couldn’t help but smile.
Taehyung is happy on a Saturday after years. Perhaps, just perhaps, today was going to be different.
❈❈
Jeongguk was pacing back and forth in his apartment. He was full of doubts and questions and it seemed too good to be true. The idea of someone like Kim Taehyung – a man of fame, riches and influence being on an app like Euphoria didn’t quite add up. He surely had no shortage of admirers (men and women) throwing themselves at him begging for his attention. With trembling fingers, Jeongguk revisited their conversation trying to analyse every single word that was said. He hoped that he would find some clue that would help him decipher whether the man is indeed Kim Taehyung or if it was a joke.
“Guys, I don’t know what to do,” Jeongguk confessed. “I mean why on earth would a man like Kim Taehyung be on Euphoria? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Like every weekend for the past 4 years, Jimin and Hoseok had spent their Friday night sleeping at Jeongguk’s small apartment. An unvoiced agreement amongst the three – takeout, a movie and a sleepover every Friday.
Jimin and Hoseok just stared – first at each other then at Jeongguk.
“Jeongguk we understand that you’re hesitant,” Jimin said gently. “But sometimes you just have to go for it.”
Hoseok nodded in agreement. “What if it actually is Kim Taehyung behind the profile? You’ll be missing out on something big if you don't go.”
Jeongguk thought over their words of advice. Maybe they are right, he thought to himself. Maybe he’s just letting his doubts and paranoia hold him back from a life changing opportunity.
Despite trying to reassure himself, Jeongguk could still feel a sense of unease churning in the pit of his stomach. He was definitely getting swayed by Jimin and Hoseok’s words, but he still wasn’t 100% on board.
“I promise we’ll literally track your location from the moment you step out of your apartment,” Jimin reassured Jeongguk.
“Come on, Jeongguk. It’s already 5pm. You only have 2 hours to get ready so you can leave and make it to the restaurant on time,” Hoseok moved from where he was sat on the sofa and started ushering Jeongguk towards the washroom.
Jeongguk reluctantly agrees. What’s the worst that could happen? A prank or a no show, right? He sighs and enters the washroom.
Feeling refreshed, he leaves the shower and heaves a heavy sigh. As he dried himself off, he knew he needed to make a good impression, no matter who shows up tonight. He had to present himself the best he could. He took his time getting ready, planning each step in his head.
After overthinking about what to wear, he carefully selects a pair of sleek black slacks and a matching black shirt. He opted for no tie and left the top two buttons undone to strike the perfect balance between casual and formal. Jeongguk took a moment to assess his appearance in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair to ensure it was perfectly in place. He then added a few accessories – a watch, a couple of rings and some subtle earrings. He stared at himself in the mirror again and with a nod he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, allowing the vibrant colours of his tattoos to be on show.
“Perfect,” he mumbled to himself.
With one final spritz of cologne, he smiled at himself in the mirror then picked up his phone and keys then left his room. He walked into the living room again to his best friends and thought about what he was doing one last time as they walked up to him.
“Guys what if it’s some crazy psycho setting me up?” Jeongguk asked, his nervousness evident in the way he was shifting on his feet.
“Just go, Jeongguk. We’ve already spoken about this,” Jimin said as he started to push him towards the door.
“Okay but I’m leaving it to you two to look for me if I get kidnapped… or you can seek revenge if I get murdered tonight,” Jeongguk joked as he put his shoes on.
Every nerve in Jeongguk’s body felt like it was on fire as he stepped out of the cab. He stared at the enormous building in front of him. Hesitantly, he took small steps towards the revolving doors of the building. He was greeted with exquisite, polished marble flooring and a lavish chandelier overhead. To one side of the area, there were couches and arm chairs with mahogany coffee tables serving as the centre pieces. Opposite the seating area, a reception desk stretched across the lobby and was occupied by half a dozen employees. The walls were adorned with oversized artwork encased in golden frames.
Jeongguk scanned the space once more. He had never imagined himself stepping foot in such a place.
“20 minutes early,” he whispered to himself after taking a look at the time on his watch while walking towards the reception area.
“Hello,” he greeted a young man by the desk. “I am looking for Pierre Gagnaire a Seoul.”
“Hello, sir. That would be on the 35th floor. Please follow the corridor to the left and take the elevator up to your destination.”
❈❈
As he approached the glass doors of the restaurant, Jeongguk’s heart was about to burst out of his chest while his mind ran through an infinite number of scenarios of what could happen tonight. He prayed and hoped that tonight would be the night he bids farewell to his financial struggles. Please let it be Kim Taehyung. Like a mantra, he repeated the sentence a million times since he left his apartment.
With a deep breath, Jeongguk pushed open the glass doors and stepped inside. The opulent surroundings of the restaurant once again reminding him why he needs to make money. The air was filled with the aroma of gourmet cuisine and the ambience was set by the classy jazz music playing in the background.
At the front desk, a polite young lady greeted him with a smile. “Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?” she asked.
“Good evening,” Jeongguk replied, still nervous. Not only did he never imagine himself walking into such a place, he never imagined being treated to dinner by Kim Taehyung.
“Yes, I do,” he continued. “It’s under the name Kim Taehyung.” He tried to remain calm at the mention of the name even though he had butterflies fluttering in his stomach.
The young lady’s smile widened at the mention of Kim Taehyung’s name and Jeongguk couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he frequently visited the place or if it’s because he’s famous and everyone knows him. She gestures Jeongguk to follow her, leading him deeper into the restaurant to show him to their reserved table by the window.
Jeongguk settled in his seat by the window and his eyes were instantly drawn to the breathtaking view of Seoul. He stared at the view in awe, the lights casting a beautiful glow in contrast to the dark nightsky. However, despite the beautiful scenery, Jeongguk found it difficult to focus as he was yet again consumed by his nervousness. He restlessly shifted in his seat and each passing minute felt like an eternity. He repeatedly checked his watch and as the minutes continuously ticked on, a small voice in his head started nagging at him. Just leave, Kim Taehyung will not show up at all.
His heart sank at the thought of being shown up. He thought that even if it was not Kim Taehyung, whoever it was didn’t deem him worthy enough to show up. Jeongguk began to tap his foot anxiously on the floor as he waited. He hoped that he was wrong and that Kim Taehyung would walk through the door at any moment.
“I’ll just wait until 8:15 and if no one shows up, I’ll leave,” he silently said to himself.
Just as the clock struck 8, a figure appeared in the doorway causing Jeongguk’s heart to skip a beat. Dressed in an impeccable tailored suit, Kim Taehyung walk through the restaurant’s glass doors. He confidently strode towards where Jeongguk was sat and took the seat opposite him.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through Jeongguk’s veins, his breath catching in his throat as he looked at the man sat opposite him. Kim Taehyung – in the flesh, sitting mere feet away from him. For a few moments, he simply stared, his eyes wide with disbelief. He took a deep breath and held it in for as long as his lungs could hold then exhaled. Jeongguk looked out of the window and then back at Taehyung who still staring at him. A small smile played at the corner of his lips and quickly turned into a chuckle.
“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” he confessed.
“I was hoping more of ‘hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Taehyung teased.
“Oh… um.” Jeongguk mentally cursed at how awkward he felt. “Hi, I’m Jeongguk,” he finally managed to say.
“We’ve already established that haven’t we?” Taehyung replied. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
There was a brief silence between them.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Jeongguk said reluctantly. “I thought it was going to be some psycho setting me up.”
Taehyung laughed and Jeongguk felt his cheeks turning red. He looked at the way Taehyung relaxed in his chair and threw his head back . He noticed that Taehyung is hot , with boyish charm and a cute boxy grin. Jeongguk had to look away for a couple of seconds to catch his breath.
“I mean, I would think so too. But I hope now you understand my need for anonymity, at least on the app,” Taehyung replied, politely.
“Of course, I–”
Jeongguk was interrupted by the arrival of a waitress.
“Are you ready to place your order?” She asked with a smile.
“Allow us a little more time, please,” Taehyung said, “We haven’t opened the menu yet.”
The waitress bowed slightly and turned to walk away.
Jeongguk was the first to open his menu. His heart sank when he saw the menu in full French and there were no pictures accompanying the dishes. He felt like everyone in the restaurant was staring at him. He was out of his league and he knew it. Jeongguk, for the second time that night, felt like he didn’t belong. He was starting to second guess himself and the advice his friends had given him. Maybe this was a mistake. He thought of apologising to Taehyung and leaving before anything went further.
As if sensing Jeongguk’s discomfort, Taehyung nodded at the waitress and whispered something into her ear as soon as she approached him. To Jeongguk’s surprise, the waitress walked away in a hurry and reappeared a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and another menu in her hand which she handed to Jeongguk. He offered a small smile to Taehyung who smiled back and continued to read through the menu.
Jeongguk’s mind was finally at ease but the first thing he noticed when he opened the menu was the lack of prices next to the items. His gaze flickered briefly towards Taehyung, who was too engrossed in reading the menu laid out before them. Jeongguk turned his attention back to the menu, his eyes scanning the pages in search of something familiar. He scanned over the items and skipped a few delicacies which he had never heard of before. His stomach knotted with anxiety as he tried to make sense of what was on the menu. In his world, menus came with prices which allowed for proper meal budgeting. But here, in the world of extravagance, the absence of prices was a reminder of his financial limitations and reality. Jeongguk felt insecure yet again feeling out of place.
“I’m sorry,” Taehyung said, catching Jeongguk’s attention. “I had hoped bringing you to a nice place like this would impress you, but I can see that I made you uncomfortable instead.” He let out a small chuckle.
“Oh no, I’m not uncomfortable,” Jeongguk assured, “I’m most certainly impressed but I’m just not used to all this.”
“You’ve been staring at the menu for 10 minutes,” Taehyunng pointed out. “Don’t worry about the prices, just order anything you want. It is my treat, afterall.”
“Are you sure?” Jeongguk asks, looking at Taehyung over the menu. His principles push him to press over and over again to ensure that it is okay for him to order and not pay for what he’s about to eat. He skims over the list of items available and is fully convinced he won’t even be able to afford a salad.
“I’m sure,” Taehyung chuckles.
Feeling embarrassed at the lack of familiarity with the menu, Jeongguk musters up some courage and asks Taehyung to take the lead in ordering for them. He watched as Taehyung called out to the waitress and effortlessly rattled off the names of the dishes in a language that was foreign to Jeongguk. When the food arrived at the table, Jeongguk’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the lavish meals placed before them. Lobster, garlic shrimp and spaghetti bathed in a creamy white sauce.
“So…” Taehyung cleared his throat to get Jeongguk’s attention as they both ate their meals. “What do you hope to get from this? ” He gestured between them.
Jeongguk thought of the many ways he could answer the question. Unfortunately, all he could think of was ‘I am not looking to have sex so that’s off the table’ and ‘I think I go with you to places and you give me enough money to pay my bills and actually have decent meals every once in a while.’
“You’re pretty direct aren’t you?” He asked instead.
“Honestly, I don’t have time in my life for beating around the bush,” Taehyung said, “And given that our interests do match, as in you’re looking for the same kind of relationship that I am, I figured that you’d appreciate some directness.”
“Okay, if that’s the case then let me ask you. What are you offering and what do you want in return?” Jeongguk asked.
“How rude of me,” Taehyung said a moment later. “You obviously don’t comfortable answering that question. For me, all I’m interested in is an intelligent young man, like yourself, to accompany me to family gatherings and a variety of social functions. It could be company get togethers, fundraisers, gallery auctions and a few banquets here and there.”
Jeongguk nodded. “I could do that. But I’m guessing there’s an ‘and’ somewhere in there,” he said.
“And I will appreciate some cuddles every now and then.”
“Cuddles?” Jeongguk asked, tone dripping in skepticism.
Taehyung laughed. “I’m a busy man, Jeongguk. I do get lonely. While I do very much enjoy sex and I prefer to top, I assure you that you are under no obligation to do anything apart from spending time with me. So I do literally mean cuddles, nothing sexual.”
“I do appreciate your honesty and I’m glad we’ve cleared this up front,” Jeongguk smiled.
“While we’re on this subject, I have to tell you that this is as strange for me as it is for you. Does that make you feel any better?”
“It actually does. I’ve never done this before. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone for, you know…” Jeongguk’s voice grew smaller by the time he reached the end of the sentence.
“Money?” Taehyung interjected, filling in the last part of Jeongguk’s sentence. “If it helps, I’ve never done this as well. It’s really odd for me, sitting here making these kinds of prepositions to someone I’m seeing for the first time. I don’t want you to think that I go around paying people to spend time with me.”
“So how is this going to work?” Jeongguk asked and took a sip of his wine.
“Long story short,” Taehyung responded, sounding thoughtful. “This is going to be a relationship where you provide me with companionship whenever I call and I provide you with an allowance; spending money, vacations when you need, shopping sprees, dinner like tonight and other numerous gifts.”
“You don’t mind that I would only be your friend and nothing more?” Jeongguk asked and looked up to stare at Taehyung.
Taehyunh huffed a quiet laugh. “That would be perfectly alright. As I mentioned earlier, I am not going to force you into anything you don’t want to do.” He lifted his glass and swallowed a mouthful of his wine. He set the wine glass down and licked his lips. “I will be paying you 6,000,000 ₩ ($4000) a month for your companionship and I’ll pay for every time we have a meal out. Other perks do include me choosing what you wear every time we go for the social gatherings.”
Jeongguk’s ears perk up and his eyes widen at the mention of money. Money. Money means he can finally live like a normal human being without having to worry about over budgeting every single penny he makes. It means he won’t have to compromise on many things and it certainly means that he won’t have to be lying to his parents anymore. So what if the money came from being a sugar baby? It’s not like he’s not working for it. He’ll keep Taehyung company and in return Taehyung will pay him for it.
Maybe the idea of being a sugar baby was starting to grow on him. Maybe he liked the idea he idea of earning double his salary. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of getting a lot of money by doing the bare minimum.
He leaned back in his chair. “You do realise that is a lot of money, right?”
Taehyung laughed and Jeongguk couldn’t help but be charmed by it. “And you do realise that I have a lot of money. More than I’ll ever be able to spend. It’s a simple transaction. You helping me out with companionship and me helping you out with money. It’s give and take. 50/50. A mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“So this means you’re now my sugar daddy?” Jeongguk whispered.
“I guess I am but please don’t call me that ever again.” Taehyung grimaced at the use of the word daddy.
“Don’t I have to sign an NDA or any of that sh*t because you’re like a celebrity or something?”
“I am not a celebrity, let’s start there. No NDAs will be signed. You can end this arrangement whenever you feel like things are going the way you hoped they would; and same goes for me. We can end this at any time.”
“Sounds good,” Jeongguk smiled.
“Great,” Taehyung replied, with a reciprocated smile. “Let’s finish our dinner, then you can go home and we’ll discuss more terms on our next date.”
Jeongguk’s insides melted at the use of the word date . He is no stranger to romance. In university, he thought he’d found the perfect guy in Mingyu. Yeah he was young but he was exceptionally mature for his age having seen his parents. He knew exactly what he wanted in life and in a partner. He was convinced that he would settle down and build a life with Mingyu but everything came tumbling down when he confessed and Mingyu told him he was only looking for a no strings attached fling. After that, Jeongguk had been so bitter for the first time in his life. He hated the feeling and couldn’t shake off the sadness at first but after many months of anger, he finally moved on.
“No problem, I’ll leave you my number and you can text or call me whenever.”
They enjoyed their meal together along with a bottle of wine. They spoke of their love for computers and technology. Some times there was a comfortable silence that passed between them and some times they exchanged smiles.
Taehyung glanced at his watch. It was 10pm already.
“I had a wonderful evening with you,” Jeongguk spoke up before Taehyung could initiate conversation.
“So have I, Jeongguk. Let me pick up the tab and we can leave.” Taehyung smiled and called for the waitress. The pair left the restaurant after Taehyung paid the bill and they headed out to the elevator.
Jeongguk was a nervous wreck for the entire elevator ride down back to the lobby. He wondered if he should initiate conversation again or just let the silence engulf them. He breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator dinged and indicated they have reached the lobby.
“I’ll call you a cab so you can go home. I’m sure you won’t be comfortable enough telling me your address just after the first meeting.”
Jeongguk smiles at how thoughtful Taehyung is. They exhcanged numbers and Jeongguk found himself unable to sleep that night, his mind constantly reeling and buzzing. He kept thinking about the meeting earlier and thought about how the terms seemed pretty simple.
It’s nothing more than a salary from working. He constantly tried to convince himself even though the money Taehyung offered was way more than he had ever imagined getting. He could probably quit his job, pay rent, send money to his parents and still have enough to live a decent life on the monthly allowance. His brain was running at a hundred miles per hour so he decided to give up thinking.
Glancing at the clock, he sees that it is almost 2AM, so he decides to text Jimin and Hoseok to update them on what happened. Closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep, his mind drifts back to Taehyung again. Jeongguk has a feeling whatever it is they’ve started is going to change his life forever. His eyelids start feeling heavier by the second while he’s still consumed with thoughts of Taehyung.
❈❈
About 3 days after the first meeting, Jeongguk was starting to think it was all a prank because Taehyung had not gotten in contact with him. Just as he got home from work that Tuesday night, he received a text.
From: Kim Taehyung
Dinner tomorrow. You like steak?
To: Kim Taehyung
Yeah I like steak
What time?
From: Kim Taehyung
Does 9pm sound good?
To: Kim Taehyung
9 should be fine
From: Kim Taehyung:
Great. I’ll send you the location
❈❈
Jeongguk had only heard about the Margaux Grill before, but he’d never been there. It was one of the restaurants that opened with a lot of grandeur and fanfare and attracted a lot of high profile names. The restaurant was surprisingly empty at the time of the night but he thought it was a weekday so the restaurant would obviously be empty. The place was so intricate with everything matching, from the carpet colour to the tablecloths and the paint on the restaurant’s walls.
Truth be told, Jeongguk was impressed yet again. A grin spread across his lips. He had expected Taehyung to bring him to another expensive restaurant but it still caught him off guard. The place was quiet and private so he understood why Taehyung would choose such a place.
Suddenly feeling awkward by the way he was gawking, Jeongguk stopped in the middle of the restaurant, in search of Taehyung. He was surprised that no waiters had given him a second glance when he walked in. They probably didn’t mind if he had a reservation or not and would have gladly taken him as a walk in customer, given that the restaurant was so empty. He started panicking when he didn’t immediately spot Taehyung. Was he supposed to reach out for a waiter and tell him about the reservation or was he just supposed to grab a seat at any table and wait for Taehyung? Does Taehyung have a preference of where to sit? Should I just go outside and wait for him?
The sound of a text message on his phone shook him out of his thoughts. He fished it out of the back pocket of his jeans. He had a new message from Taehyung.
From: Kim Taehyung
Look to your right
Past the bar
Jeongguk looked and Taehung waved at him from where he was seated in a dimly lit corner.
“Hi, I’m sorry about that,” Jeongguk said as he sat down opposite Taehyung. “Did I make you wait long?”
Taehyung casually waved his hand dismissively. “Only got here about 10 minutes ago. Let’s order something first, please. I’m starving and I had a really long day at work.”
They both ordered mushroom pepper steak with a salad and some garlic fries. Both opted for some beer. The food was served quicker than they expected it so they both began digging into their respective dishes.
The food was delicious, absolutely scrumptious. Jeongguk usually doesn’t feel the need to make any small talk while eating. He preferred to put all his focus on the food he’s eating, to appreciate every single bit that he ate. But this wasn’t any dinner, it was specifically set up by Taehyung so they could discuss the specifics of their … arrangement.
Jeongguk was torn between trying to struck a conversation about something meaningless, just to lighten the mood or simply just ask Taehyung head on. What is it you need me to do?
Taehyung was washing down his last bite with his beer when he noticed some sauce on the corner of Jeongguk’s lips that he must’ve missed.
“You have something there,” Taehyung said politely, while pointing to Jeongguk’s mouth.
Without thinking it through, Taehyung grabbed his napkin and wiped Jeongguk’s lips. His thumb accidentally brushed Jeongguk’s lips and Taehyung made note of how pink and soft they are.
Then the reality of what he had just done registered in his brain. Both Taehyung and Jeongguk froze in their seats. Taehyung’s hand awkwardly dangled in front of Jeongguk’s face and he could feel the small puffs of his breath on his fingers. He was so close to Jeongguk he could just reach out and touch his lips again. Taehyung abruptly pulled his hand away from Jeongguk and cleared his throat.
“So we’re here to discuss the rest of the terms for our arrangement ,” Taehyung begins. “But first, I’m curious. What got you into something like this? Seeing that it is your first time. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Everyone has their personal reasons for making certain decisions and if you wish for me not to know then I’m okay with that.”
Jeongguk fidgets in his seat a little, then swirls his beer and gulps some down. He’s not sure if he should really just say the truth but he has a terrible poker face and he wouldn’t be able to get away with a lie. He’s not sure if his reason is good enough to be doing something like this but his mind is blank and he can’t come up with anything believable. He curses himself mentally and opts to tell the truth.
“I’ll be straightforward with you. I have a hellish job which doesn’t pay enough and I have rent and bills to pay and I would like to send my parents money every month. My salary isn’t enough to cover all my needs. When I pay rent,I live on instant noodles and fast food for the month. My friends thought this was worth a shot because I refuse to mooch off them. So, long story short, I’m in a financial crisis and right now only you can save me.” Jeongguk explained.
He winces at how harsh he sounded. “I’m not saying I’ve been forced to do this. I was against the idea at first but my friends convinced me to do it and I thought I should try it too. It’s just that I find it extremely unethical being with someone I don’t have feelings for. I understand I need to treat this like a job but still…”
“It’s fine, Jeongguk. Relax. I understand what you’re saying. I completely agree with what you’re saying. I, myself am very against being in a pretend relationship where there are no feelings involved.” Taehyung reassured him.
“So you’re saying if your situation wasn’t pressing enough then you wouldn’t have done something like this?” Taehyung continued.
“Yeah, that’s what it is,” Jeongguk answered. “And what about you?”
“See the thing is, normal relationships are not for me. I spent years trying but nothing seemed to fall into place and most of the people I met always had an ulterior motive. So I do have a lot of trust issues and it takes a lot to let people get close to me. I’m not emotionally available and I don’t have time to devote to another person.” Taehyung explained.
“That’s why you just want someone you know you’re paying that way you won’t have to be worried about me scamming you?”
“Exactly. Dating is too time consuming. Requires too much work and it’s too hard for me. Are you going to be okay with all this?”
“I’ll be okay with it.” Jeongguk nodded.
“And lastly, there are 3 more things I need to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
Taehyung held up his index finger. “One. I’m not gonna lie, I will be calling you frequently. Mostly for lunch and dinner. I’ll be calling you without notice so I will need you to be available at all times.”
“Sure.” Jeongguk nodded. He had expected it to be like this anyway. He saw the way Jimin and Hoseok lived their lives. Always on call with no prior notice yet they managed so he knew he could do it too if he put his mind to it.
“Two. I want this, as in us to be exclusive. I can’t have the public thinking my significant other is sleeping around with other people. I have a reputation to maintain.”
“ Your significant other?” Jeongguk questioned. He ignored whatever Taehyung had said. It was not like he was intending to sleep around with other people like a whor*. He had never been one for meaningless flings and one night stands. He wondered if the condition was going to apply to Taehyung too but the thought was brief because he wasn’t going to be having sex with Taehyung anyway, right? So he didn’t have to worry.
“Yes, and that brings me to my third point,” Taehyung continued. “We have a company get together thing on Saturday. A fundraiser, and I’m expected to bring my plus one. I want you to go with me and pretend to be my boyfriend. I desperately need a plus one.”
Jeongguk co*cked his head to the side and hummed, as if in thought. He clasped his hands together beneath the table then sighed. “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Great. Now the little details of where and how we met. Easy. Just say you were at the TechWhiz fair in Incheon six months ago and that’s where we met. We exchanged numbers after becoming friends because of our love for softwares and the rest is history. Believable story because I never miss the Incheon fair,” Taehyung said confidently. “You already know all the technical talks so I don’t need to be worried.”
“Do I have to quit my job?” Jeongguk asked.
“That’s entirely up to you. If you feel like the allowance I give you will be enough to support you then you may do as you like. Just give me a heads up so I know when to call you during the weekdays,” Taehyung told him. “But if you’re planning on quitting your job because you want another job then I can help you out with that too. You’ll probably get too tired catering to me and to a full time job but that’s just my opinion and the choice is entirely up to you.”
All of this was unexpected for Jeongguk. He hadn’t thought so far. For the first time in his life, he hadn’t planned for the near future. The possibility of solving his financial worries seemed impossible for him so planning for his future once he was financially stable was the last thing on his list of priorities. He was strangely touched, once again reminded of how thoughtful and gentlemanly Taehyung is.
“I’ll think about it and let you know.” He said instead of making a decision on the spot.
“Now we have all of these minute details sorted, I’ll take you shopping Friday evening so you can get some clothes and a new suit for the fundraiser.”
“Sounds like we have a deal.”
Like their first meeting, Taehyung picked up the tab this time too. They exit the restaurant and walk towards the car park. Here we are again. Jeongguk thought. The awkward goodbye from the first meeting replaying in his head over and over again. Thinking that Taehyung was going to call a cab for him again, he prepared himself to say goodbye and leave. Just as he was about to speak, Taehyung beat him to it.
Taehyung turned around with a smile on his face. “How about I drive you home tonight?”
An unexpected suggestion which Jeongguk was happy about. He didn’t know why he was happy and why Taehyung’s suggestion made his stomach flutter. He nodded and accepted the offer but for his own selfish reasons. He was happy about spending a few more moments with Taehyung.
When the valet brought Taehyung’s sleek limousine where the pair was stood, Jeongguk was left awestruck. He couldn’t help but stare at the car. It was in impeccable condition and so clean you’d think it’s a new. He stared at the vehicle again for a few moments and hesitated like he was afraid to touch it. Taehyung’s voice broke him out of his reverie.
“Let’s go,” Taehyung said.
Jeongguk nodded and climbed into the passenger back seat. He read out his address to Taehyung’s driver who punched it into the limousine gps system. The car ride home was comfortable with slow music playing from the radio. Jeongguk was strangely content in the way things were going. He found a strange sense of comfort in Taehyung’s presence. Despite the awkwardness of their situation Jeongguk was happy.
When they finally reached Jeongguk’s apartment building, Taehyung turned over to him with a smile and Jeongguk’s breath caught in his throat. All sorts of thoughts were reeling through his mind. He didn’t know what was going to happen. Suddenly, Taehyung made a simple request–
“I forgot to ask you during dinner. Please text me your account details of where I should be sending your allowance.”
Jeongguk nodded and murmured a goodbye then stepped out of the limousine. He walked to his apartment with a smile on his face, feeling a strange mix of emotions. He was happy of course – Taehyung is sweet, considerate, thoughtful, gentlemanly, kind and extremely hot . His smile faltered as he realised that he’s thinking about Taehyung. Jeongguk quickly shook his head and changed the course of his thoughts. It’s not Taehyung that makes me happy. It’s the thought of financial stability and a brighter, happier future. He settled into bed that night still thinking about the events of the evening.
❈❈
That Friday, Jeongguk learnt that Taehyung was serious when he said he’s taking him shopping. He’d gone for fittings to Taehyung’s personal tailor and ended up getting six tailored suits and a pair of tuxedos, a dozen dress shirts, some ties and bow ties and half a dozen of cufflinks which Taehyung insisted on getting more. Then at the shopping mall, Taehyung bought him two luxury watches, eight new pairs of shoes, four designer jeans and some casual t-shirts.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 6pm.” Taehyung had said to him after bringing him home.
❈❈
Jeongguk’s eyes flick to the suit nicely laid out on his bed. Black slim fit Tom Ford suit with a shawl collar of satin. He chose to wear it because it’s Taehyung’s favourite. Taehyung didn’t tell him, Jeongguk just knows because he remembers Taehyung’s smile and how his eyes lit up when Jeongguk walked out of the fitting room.
After wearing his suit, Jeongguk looks in the mirror and sets his hair as best as he can. He wears his luxury watch – an Audemars Piguet, which costs a total of what he makes in a whole year. He sprayed on some cologne and headed to the living room.
He’s sat ready and waiting. He checks the time on his phone and suddenly gets a text from Taehyung telling him he’s waiting at the entrance of the building. Jeongguk walks to his room and takes one last look in the mirror. He needs to look perfect; he is Kim Taehyung’s significant other afterall. All eyes will be on him tonight. He grabs his wallet ( he might need it, you never know) and keys then heads out.
There is a limousine waiting for him outside his apartment building’s entrance. As he approaches the vehicle, an unfamiliar man gets out of the car and opens the passenger door for him.
“Hello, Mr. Jeon. I’m Lee Byeongho, Mr. Kim’s driver.” He introduced himself as he held the door open.
“Hello,” Jeongguk greets the man with a smile then gets into the car.
“Well, you clean up nice,” Taehyung said to Jeongguk as soon as he entered the limousine.
“You make me feel under dressed,” Jeongguk replied and chuckled. The compliment had made him blush and his compliment did the same to Taehyung.
Jeongguk stole a glance at Taehyung and was left breathless. He took note of how Taehyung looked like a masterpiece. He literally looked flawless . He looked every bit like a successful CEO. His hair was swept back from his forehead with a parting on the side. It was something different from what Jeongguk had been seeing in the past couple of weeks. He was used to seeing his forehead covered with bangs. Even though he had seen Taehyung looking like this in interviews and magazines, seeing him in the flesh looking like this was doing something to Jeongguk’s insides. The sight is nothing short of mesmerising. He couldn’t stop staring. Taehyung is beautiful.
Taehyung couldn’t take his eyes off Jeongguk. He looked absolutely stunning. Taehyung was seeing a different side to Jeongguk today. He was used to seeing Jeongguk in a different way – rugged, tired and always down due to the demands of his job and how his life had been. But now, in this moment, Jeongguk was glowing. Taehyung was noticing things about Jeongguk he hadn’t noticed before. His innocent eyes, his sharp jawline but soft chubby cheeks, the mole under his bottom lip which he would love to kiss.
For the first time in the two weeks he had been seeing Jeongguk, his heart fluttered. It fluttered until he couldn’t speak. The strange emotions he felt in his heart were hard to explain. But as quickly as the feeling had come, Taehyung was twice as quick in pushing it aside. He remembered the nature of their “relationship.” This is just business. Just a deal struck between two individuals for their own benefit. There was no room for feelings in their arrangement – it was purely transactional, nothing more.
❈❈
They stepped into the fundraiser venue and Taehyung heard Jeongguk audibly sigh. The humungous ballroom was filled to the brim with people dressed to impress. It was a sight that Jeongguk was never interested in. He always hated these gatherings because he never fit in. He believed that fundraisers and other similar gatherings were always the breeding ground for superficiality. A place for the higher class to display their wealth and status. Yes, he agrees that there are those who genuinely care about the cause and are passionate about making a difference. However, for every genuine soul there were two who were there to show off their riches. They attend fundraisers to stroke their egos.
Jeongguk didn’t mind how people inflated their egos. It’s none of his business to be honest. After all, even while showing off, they were still raising money to help those in need. What he couldn’t stand were the endless rounds of small talk and meaningless conversations. The fake smiles and insincere compliments always frustrated him. He loathed the way people would approach him with the same tiresome questions. “How’s work?” “Are you seeing anyone?” “What are your plans for the future?”
He hoped tonight was going to be different.
His sigh didn’t go unnoticed by Taehyung. He wondered what caused to Jeongguk to sigh. It could be nerves. Despite his curiosity, he chose to ignore the sigh in favour of offering his elbow for Jeongguk to hold and so he did. He held his elbow out for a few seconds and when Jeongguk didn’t respond, he placed his hand on his back, causing Jeongguk’s breath to hitch.
Joeongguk was caught off guard by the gesture. He stood frozen in his place. It was unexpected and strangely intimate.
“If we’re going to make this work, we’re going to have to stop acting like this is the first time we’re seeing each other,” Taehyung said as he held out his elbow again for Jeongguk to hold.
“I’ll try my best,” Jeongguk replied as placed his hand around Taehyung’s elbow.
They made small talk as they walked into the ballroom, or at least they tried to. Making small talk or finding a common topic to talk about was difficult for Jeongguk. Being by Taehyung’s side as his plus one, his significant other, was making his limbs shake.
To his relief, no one had noticed them yet until they made it half way through the room. He looked at the men and women mingling and parading their designer wear like status symbols.
“Taehuyng! So glad you’re finally here,” a voice called out from behind them.
The both turned around, and Jeongguk saw a man, probably in his late 50s, striding quickly to reach them. He had a wide smile on his face and his hair was short with grey strands. There was a gleam behind his eyes and happiness was apparent on his face. Jeongguk liked him immediately, and hoped he would be someone he’d get along with.
“Dad,” Taehyung said, sounding just as happy as the man who called out to him. For a moment, Jeongguk was shocked. “Looks like you’ve been handling this well in my absence.”
“And who’s thing young man here?”
“This is Jeongguk, my date,” Taehyung replied, his cheeks turning a crimson colour. “Jeongguk this is my father.”
His father’s eyes widened in surprise at the introduction. “Well, well, well,” he said, his voice filled with amusem*nt. “I must say, Taehyung, I never thought I’d see the day you’d bring someone sas your date. I thought you were just joking last week when you said you have a partner but I’m happy to see that I was wrong.”
Taehyung chuckled at his father’s words.
“Jeongguk, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Sanghoon,” he said, extending his hand in greeting. “It’s not every day that Taehyung brings someone as his partner. I mean, it is the first time ever, that he has introduced someone to me so you must be special. Take good care of him.”
Jeongguk returned the handshake, feeling a sense of guilt eating him from within. He knew this was probably one of the very few time he will be meeting Taehyung’s father, given the nature of their relationship.
“Of course, sir,” he replied, trying to meet his gaze with as much sincerity as possible. “I’ll do my best to keep him happy.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go do some talking with the other guests present.”
Jeongguk let out a sigh of relief. Hoping that he was the only person he needed to introduce himself to.
“Sorry about that.” Taehyung cleared his throat, scratching at the back of his neck.
“Yeah its okay,” Jeongguk replied and shifted on his feet. It started getting awkward again and Jeongguk was getting nervous again. “So… I heard you get amazing food at places like these.” He teased.
“Excessively,” Taehyung smiled. “You can go check out the food, I’ll get you something to drink.”
Jeongguk nodded and slipped away, manouvering his body in all sorts of ways to get in between people to make his way across the room. Taehyung watched him for a minute before shaking his head and turning to go look for a waiter with a drink tray. It was a sad moment for him. He realised that he had to pay someone to bring to an event, almost like he isn’t interesting or worthy enough for someone to like him for him and not for his riches or status.
Jeongguk grabbed a small plate and started filling it with some finger foods. He picked something from the many trays laid out but avoided anything which he knew could spill. There was a wide variety of delicacies and the selection was amazing. Jeongguk wondered again just what kind of world these people lived in and how it would feel to be among them.
He shuffled to the side and looked over, trying to find Taehyung.
“I saw you earlier with Taehyung,” a man said to him, flashing him a friendly grin. “Are you his date?”
He looked at the man and the first thing he noticed is how tall he is. Impeccably dressed with a three piece suit that accentuated his body in all the right places.
The main raised his eyebrows at Jeongguk and smiled again, flashing his perfect row of teeth and a dimple.
“Yeah, I’m Jeongguk. Taehyung’s date,” Jeongguk replied with a firm smile on his face.
“So… where’d you two meet?” The man asked and took a sip from his champagne flute.
Jeongguk panicked. It was a question he had been dreading all evening and he thanked the heavens that no one had asked that question. He hoped that no one would ask that question. He opened his mouth to respond, but the words were stuck in his throat. He was left stammering and searching for the right answer. Nothing seemed to leave his mouth even though it was a scenario that he and Taehyung had discussed.
Fortunately for him, Taehyung stepped in with two champagne glasses in his hand. He smiled at Jeongguk and turned over to Namjoon.
“Please spare the interrogation,” he said, with a teasing tone. “Jeongguk, this is Namjoon. My company’s legal advisor and also my best friend. He already knows the nature of our arrangement so you don’t need to make up any stories for him. In fact, he’s the one who gave me the idea in the first place.”
Jeongguk watched Namjoon laugh.
“I’m so sorry, Jeongguk. I just thought I could have some fun. It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
Jeongguk kept his smile firm for a couple more seconds before letting the mask fall off his face and sagging his shoulders. “Thank God. I thought I’d have to tell you a whole story of how we fell in love.”
He turned around and smiled at Taehyung. “Thanks for the save.”
The night progressed and the three engaged in small talk and light banter. Jeongguk found his nerves slowly easing. The small talk between them helped distract him from the reality of why he was there and he began to feel at ease in Taehyung’s presence.
Namjoon told them the plans for the evening. An auction fundraiser was supposed to start after dinner. Jeongguk sighed at the mention of an auction. A place for wealthy socialites to show off their riches.
When dinner was served, Jeongguk found himself seated between Taehyung and Sanghoon, who seemed intent on getting to know him better. Jeongguk’s stomach churned with guilt every time Sanghoon called him ‘son’ or ‘my sons boyfriend’. Despite his efforts to remain calm and forget their arrangement for the sake of having a peaceful evening, he couldn’t shake off his nervousness. He legs trembled uncontrollably beneath the table.
Jeongguk feared he was going to throw up. The panic and guilt were eating him from inside. Just as he thought he should excuse himself for the night and head home, he felt Taehyung’s hand land gently on his thigh. The touch sent shockwaves through Jeongguk’s body, doing the opposite of calming him down. He turned and looked at Taehyung, who offered him a gentle smile as he pressed his palm on Jeongguk’s thigh to calm him.
Feeling Taehyung’s hand on his thigh, Jeongguk found his nerves begging to settle. He found himself slowly calming down. Jeongguk was not supposed to feel like this. Taehyung’s touch was not supposed to make him feel good. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax into Taehyung’s touch, convincing himself it’s just a show of support and nothing more.
❈❈
For the rest of the night, Jeongguk faded into the background watching as Taehyung with all his elegance began catching up with people. He spoke with sophistication and poise. Something Jeongguk admired. He hadn’t realised that Taehyung had put his hand on the small of his back, resting it there as they walked together as partners around the ballroom.
When the bidding started, Jeongguk noticed that he was right about such gatherings. Tonight wasn’t any different. The fundraiser was a clear power-play. Almost every single person in that room that night was trying to prove they were richer than everyone else. The wealthiest in the field and the most connected. Outside the fundraiser, they all acted like they were friends and not competitors but the event proved otherwise. And he knew, after the event, they would all go back to greeting each other with insincere remarks. Yes, Jeongguk wanted to make money. But he never wanted to be a rich snob like these people in the room.
Taehyung is different. He thought to hismelf. He noticed Taehyung sighing and shaking his head every time someone bid higher for something that wasn’t even worth that much money. It was crazy there. One of the strangest things Jeongguk has ever experienced.
Well, it was. Until Taehyung invited Jeongguk over to his place that night.
Oh my god he’s going to touch me isn’t he. A cuddle session that’s going to escalate quickly into something else.
Jeongguk had just agreed. This was one of the things Taehyung had requested for their arrangement. Cuddles. He’s going to keep his word. This is only going to be a cuddle session.
❈❈
They reached Taehyung’s penthouse in about half an hour after leaving the fundraiser venue. Jeongguk was speechless once again as he stared at how luxurious the place was. Expensince furniture, classy paintings, some small decorative ceramics here and there and the view was absolutely splendid. The penthouse was like something out of a movie. Everything matched nicely. The pristine white tiles in contrast to the black furniture and black countertops. A clear view of the living room from the kitchen
As expected, Jeongguk was nervous, and it was obvious to Taehyung. He tried to calm him down by being overly welcoming.
“Wow… you sure have the life I’ve always dreamed of.. A good life,” Jeongguk said, unconsciously. He walked over to the floor to ceiling windows, not even blinking. The lights in the night were a sight to behold. He bit his tongue as soon as he realised what he had said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to voice out my thoughts like that.”
“I have a lonely life, Jeongguk.” Taehyung said in a flat tone. Almost sounding sad. “This is not the life yout want. The place might be amazing but it gets too quiet and too lonely.”
Jeongguk just hummed in response as he turned around to look at Taehyung who was already undoing his tie.
“So why don’t you just get into a real relationship? If you had someone, then they would cuddle you to sleep every night.”
“Because a relationship requires too much work, Jeongguk. I thought we’ve already spoken about this. I like spending quality time with someone but a relationship demands my time. There’s bound to be fights. There’s going to be constant nagging about how I’m always busy. So I’d rather just pay someone to cuddle with me every night.”
“That’s what your previous relationships were like?”
“Yes, Jeongguk.” Taehyung sighed. “They either complained all day or the person I was with was just with me for the money and fame, nothing more.”
Taehyung walked to the kitchen and gulped down a whole glass of water before walking back to Jeongguk.
“It’s nearly midnight. Can we just go to bed please?” Taehyung asked and wrapped his arms around Jeongguk’s waist.
Jeongguk’s body stiffened. The unexpected gesture sent sparks through his whole body but he stood firm in his place. All he could say was ‘okay’.
“I’ll give you some pyjamas. Come with me.”
❈❈
“Hmmm… this is good. This is what I need. We fit together nicely,” Taehyung mumbled tiredly, and Jeongguk ignored the butterflies in his belly when Taehyung curled his arms around him one more time that night.
Turns out Taehyung was one big baby. He had fallen asleep within half an hour of getting into bed and cuddling Jeongguk.
Jeongguk realised it had been way too long since he had been in the embrace of another man like this. He turned to look at Taehyung and couldn’t stop admiring the man’s ethereal beauty. The windows allowed in just enough moonlight to keep the room lowly lit. Jeongguk looked at Taehyung again and traced his index finger along his sharp jaw then moved a few stray hairs from his face. Taehyung stirred in his sleep, causing Jeongguk to go back into a lying position so Taehyung could embrace him again. He reached over the night stand for his phone to check the time. It was already 3am.
He tried his best to fall asleep but the excitement of being in Taehyung’s arms kept him awake. We fit together nicely. Jeongguk sighed and let out a small chuckle at the sad reality of his life. Taehyung has everything he had ever wanted. Money, fame, a job he loves and a gorgeous penthouse. But, he still had to pay someone to get a peaceful nights sleep. Jeongguk would’ve killed to be Taehyung’s actual boyfriend. Well, not literally kill. But he would give everything to have Taehyung’s arms around him without the monthly payment that comes with it. He laughed again at his reality and closed his eyes to get some sleep.
Jeongguk hadn’t slept as peaceful as he did that night. All because of Taehyung’s big, lavish bed and the comfortable eucalyptus silk sheets. Maybe it was the mattress and the pillows. Or was it because of Taehyung’s arms? Who knows.
❈❈
Jeongguk stirred in bed as he he opened his eyes. He feels the warmth of another being in bed and suddenly remembers where he is.
“Good morning,” Taehyung greets Jeongguk. Nothing more than a sleepy mumble. But what wakes Jeongguk is the feel of Taehyung’s warm lips on his neck.
Too stunned to reply, he goes rigid in Taehyung’s arms.
After a few moments, he clears his throat and finally plucks up the courage to ask, “What time is it?”
“Just after six.”
“In the morning? Are you kidding me? It’s a Sunday! Go back to sleep.” Jeongguk grunted and pulled the covers over his face. “Why the hell are you up at six on a Sunday?!”
“I’m sorry I woke you. This is my normal routine. I need to prepare some things for work tomorrow,” Taehyung said as he moved to get off bed and Jeongguk immediately missed his warmth. He looked back at the bed when he reached the washroom door. A smile made it’s way to his face as he admired the sight on his bed. He’s so cute . Taehyung loved the way Jeongguk pouted even in his sleep.
By the time Jeongguk got out of bed, it was nearly ten thirty. He woke up to a note on the night stand underneath his phone.
I didn’t want to wake you (again) so I’ve put out a new toothbrush for you in the bathroom and a set of clothes is ready for you in the closet. Take your time.
After freshening up, Jeongguk made his way to the kitchen, where he fund Taehyung also dressed in casual clothes. He couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter at the sight – Taehyung looked adorable. With his hair still wet, Jeongguk guessed it hasn’t been long since Taehyung had taken a shower. He walks over to where Taehyung is sat at the dining table and pulls out a chair for himself.
“Hello bed head,” Taehyung says as he watches Jeongguk yawn.
“H… Hi,” he mumbles. He finds himself unable to look away but at the same time he couldn’t look at Taehyung in the eyes.
“I made breakfast. Don’t know what you like so I made pancakes. Everyone loves pancakes.”
Jeongguk sat across from Taehyung at the dining table, his gaze flickering between the plate of pancakes and the cup of coffee in front of him. The food looked delicious and Jeongguk is famished. Despite the inviting aroma wafting from the food, he couldn’t bring himself to eat.
He was thinking again. Why would Taehyung pay him to be his fake boyfriend when a man like him could get anyone. More importantly, why did Jeongguk agree with the arrangement. Deep down, Jeongguk knew the answer – it was the money. Plain and simple. The promise of financial stability was too tempting to resist. But since he saw Taehyung, and especially after last night, he knew it was more than just about the money.
He glanced up at Taehyung and met his gaze across the table. He saw a loneliness in Taehyung’s eyes. A loneliness he has come to know too well. In that moment, Jeongguk knew that they weren’t so different after all.
Taehyung watched him play around with the pancakes on the plate. Jeongguk stabbed the pancakes with his fork but didn’t take a bite.
“What do you want to ask now?” Taehyung broke him out of his reverie.
“What do you mean?”
“You haven’t had a bite of your food and you look like you’re about to have a permanent frown on your face.”
“You’re so hot… I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” Jeongguk blurts and his cheeks suddenly turn red. He’s embarrassed and surprised. He doesn’t know how he said what he just said.
“I mean you’re… so attractive and sexy and pretty and… you’re you,” Jeongguk mumbled. Stop talking you idiot. He took a deep breath and tried to stop himself from spewing nonsense.
He looked at Taehyung who was staring at him with an amused expression, a smirk on his lips. “And?”
“Sorry, I sometimes don’t have a brain to mouth filter so I just talk sh*t,” Jeongguk says, embarrassed. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m sure anyone would die to date you. Like you could walk up to anyone and say ‘hey, wanna be my boyfriend’ and the answer would be yes. So why pay for this? I know I already asked you last night but I’m asking again. Why don’t you just date for real?”
“Okay, I’ll be completely honest with you. I’m sick and tired of people tyring to set me up with their friends, daughters, sons, nieces, nephews. It just never ends. Plus, I already told you dating is really hard for me,” Taehyung said in one breath. He looked at Jeongguk and hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether he should tell him everything or not. He gathers up some courage and goes for it anyway.
“It’s not that I haven’t tried dating. I have. Numerous times. I’ve been betrayed a lot so I’ve stopped opening up to people. An arrangement like this is great for me because I know there are no romantic feelings involved. I know I won’t be getting disappointed because there are no emotional expectations to begin with. It’s convenient. I help you and you help me and neither of us will have romantic feelings. Sound good?” He finished.
Jeongguk nods in understanding. “And what happens when one of us falls in love?”
“When you fall in love with someone else?”
“No… I mean when one of us falls in love with the other. As in, what happens when feelings get involved?”
“Then we’ll have to end the deal, Jeongguk.”
They sat in silence for the rest of the morning and Jeongguk was happy with that.
I can do this. Just go to boring events and cuddle. No feelings involved. It’s just another job. Easy.
Only it wasn’t easy and Jeongguk was going in way over his head.
❈❈
For a year now, Taehyung and Jeongguk had maintained the facade of their fake relationship. They had both gotten so comfortable with each other, they played their parts with ease. Throughout that time, Taehyung had made giving gifts to Jeongguk a habit. He would always shower him with extravagance. Jeongguk in turn had become accustomed to accepting the gifts with a smile and a ‘thank you’. What Taehyung and Jeongguk never did was talk about money or how much any of the gifts cost. It was like an unspoken agreement between them. Besides, Jeongguk didn’t want to know the value of Taehyung’s lavish gifts. One thing was for sure though, Taehyung never shied from spending money when spoiling Jeongguk.
Taehyung’s gifts for Jeongguk varied. Sometimes the gifts were a little bit too expensive. From vacations, luxury watches, and designer clothing. While Jeongguk appreciated the thoughtfulness behind the gifts, a part of him couldn’t help but feel guilty at the thought of accepting all these expensive gifts on top of the monthly allowance.
But there were other moments of pure sweetness that Jeongguk promised himself he would cherish for a lifetime. Like the times Taehyung would surprise him with a bouquet of flowers durin their dinner dates. Such gifts were always invaluable to Jeongguk. A small gesture but meaningful. Moments like those made him dream for a little while and pretend that what they have going on is real. He would always blush and turn away when Taehyung would give him such gifts inexpensive gifts in expensive restaurants while people stared. Whether they were awed or jealous, he could never tell but all eyes were on him in those moments. He was never the type of person to attract attention to himself but being with Taehyung, it was something he had to get used to.
The gifting got to a point where it was embarrassing for Jeongguk. It was like Taehyung was spending all his free time (which he always said he didn’t have) searching for things online to deliver to Jeongguk’s apartment.
Jeongguk was sitting in his shabby apartment with Jimin and Hoseok on a Sunday when there was a knock at the door. Jeongguk’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced at his best friends. They rarely ever had visitors, especially on Sundays and they certainly didn’t order anything. They looked at each other before Jeongguk went to answer it. There stood a man in a delivery uniform and two other men behind him.
“Are you Jeon Jeongguk?” The man at the front inquired, holding out a clipboard.
“Yes that’s me, can I help you?” Jeongguk answered, confused.
“Great, delivery for you, please sign here,” the man replied as he handed over his clipboard and a pen to Jeongguk.
Jeongguk slightly frowned as he signed on the clipboard, his eyes never leaving the package that the delivery men brought.
“What is it?”
“It’s a tv.” The man flatly replied.
“I didn’t order a tv–”
“It’s been paid for by Kim Taehyung.”
Jeongguk blinked a few times before he moved and made room for them to bring in the huge box.
Two other men entered with the large box while the man with the clipboard stayed back to speak to Jeongguk.
“Would you like us to take the old one and set this one up for you?”
“You can take the old one, I’ll set this one up myself when I have time. Thank you,” Jeongguk replied.
Once the delivery men had left, Jeongguk sighed and sat with his friends again.
“He sent you a flat screen tv?” Jimin asked and let out a small giggle.
“Wow… that’s impressive. But he hasn’t been up to see your apartment, has he?” Hoseok asked, amused.
Jeongguk was flustered. He hadn’t thought about inviting Taehyung up to his apartment even though he has dropped him home so many times.
“It’s obvious he hasnt, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent something so big. This is going to cover your entire wall.” Jimin laughed.
After the tv, the gifts didn’t stop. One week later, he received a fridge and then a new bed and after that a laptop. And just when Jeongguk thought it’s over, he received a new sofa set, then a gaming console and a new dining table. Jeongguk felt a pang of guilt again. Taehyung was going above and beyond to spoil him, which was something they never agreed upon. Jeongguk didn’t want to be receiving things he didn’t work for. As it is, Taehyung was already giving him a lumpsum of money for the things they agreed on. Like going to gatherings and dates and cuddling. Maybe it’s just Taehyung’s way of showing gratitude. So the gift giving went on.
❈❈
As they sat across each other during one of their lunch dates, Taehyung noticed Jeongguk’s expressions shift every moment. Within that one year, he had gotten to know Jeongguk so well. How he frowns when the food is good, how he bites his bottom lip when he’s nervous, how he pouts in his sleep, how he throws his head back when he laughs, how he gets shy whenever he’s complimented. There was an endless list. Taehyung had come to know these nuances like the back of his hand.
This moment wasn’t any different. He watched as Jeonggguk toyed with his food. It was a sign that he had something on his mind. Jeongguk never played with his food unless his mind was elsewhere during meal time. Taehyung felt a smile tug at his lips as he recognised the familiar pattern. It was just like that day, one year ago, after their first cuddle session and Jeongguk had so many questions to ask the following morning.
“What is it now?” Taehyung asked Jeongguk with a smile.
Jeongguk looked at Taehyung, eyes wide. He loved how Taehyung always knew how he was feeling without him having to voice it.
“Taehyung,” he bagan, tentatively. “I wanted to ask you about the gifts you’ve been sending me.”
Taehyung’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion, then his expression turned to one of concern. “Is something wrong? Did you not like them?”
Jeongguk shook his head quickly, “No it’s not that. It’s just that, I’ve run out of space in my apartment to keep them all.”
Taehyung’s eyes widened in shock. He was in disbelief because how could one possibly run out of space for things that are meant to be in a house. “What do you mean? I thought I was just sending you things you needed for your place.”
A chuckle escaped Jeongguk’s lips. “Well you have been sending stuff needed for a house, but my place is small. Like really small and you’ve been sending so much that I can barely find a place to put them. Besides that, I am getting weird looks from the other people in the building.”
Then Jeongguk laughed and Taehyung was captivated. He stared at how Jeongguk threw his head back as he laughed until his eyes watered. And in that moment, Taehyung realised he has fallen for Jeongguk. He realised how much he cherished Jeongguk’s company, his laughter and all his little habits. Taehyung knew he would do whatever it took to see that smile on Jeongguk’s face every day.
Taehyung feared. He knew this was not supposed to happen. This was not part of the deal. He was not supposed to get feelings involved into the arrangement. What the hell am I supposed to do? He was falling for someone that was with him for money and yet he somehow wanted more. He wanted it to be real.
“If you’re so confused about how I’m out of space then… How about you come see my apartment after dinner tonight?” Jeongguk asked with a small smile.
“I’d love to.” Taehyung smiled back.
❈❈
Jimin threw a pea at Jeongguk and he frowned when it hit his forehead. “Earth to Jeongguk. What’s got you all day dreamy? It's the second time you’re zoning out on us!”
“He’s definitely thinking about his sugar daddy ,” Hoseok cooed. “He’s always the topic nowadays. How he’s caring and understanding and hot,” he said, and Jeongguk ducked his head and smiled.
In reality, it was true. All he could think about was Taehyung and how he has been doing everything in his power to make sure Jeongguk is living a comfortable life, and he’s really hot so that’s a plus.
“Guys, I don’t want you to freak out but I’ve invited Taehyung to come see the apartment so he can stop sending gifts,” Jeonggul said in one breath.
“When is he coming?” Hoseok asked while taking a sip of his orange juice.
“He’s coming today, in like an hour.”
“What?!” Jimin screamed. “It’s a Sunday and we all look like we’ve jumped out of a dumpster. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Well… maybe we should make an attempt to look presentable then.” Jeongguk laughed until his sides hurt. He knows that Jimin has always been conscious about how he looks in front of people that aren’t him or Hoseok, so he was having a ball with Jimin’s outburst.
They move quickly to clean the sitting room and kitchen then they all gather in Jeongguk’s room to get dressed properly.
❈❈
When Taehyung walked into Jeongguk’s small apartment, he was initially taken aback. The place was packed with the various gifts he had sent over the weeks, from highend appliances to home decor pieces. It was clear that Jeongguk was not joking when he said he was running out of space. Taehyung’s eyes widened in shock and bewilderment as he walked further into the apartment.
“Jeongguk…,” Taehyung started, his voice full of amusem*nt. “I didn’t realise just how serious you were about my gifts taking up all the space.”
“Welcome to my humble abode, I guess,” Jeongguk replied, holding back his laughter. “I tried to make everything fit and this is the best I could do.”
Taehyung looked around, taking in every detail. The place was modest, like really modest, compared to his luxurious penthouse. Truth be told, the whole apartment was merely the size of his living room.
Just then, Jimin and Hoseok appeared from Jeongguk’s room. Jimin crossed his arms and gave Taehyung a once-over, his expression serious.
“So… You’re Kim Taehyung,” he said, trying to sound tough.
Taehyung raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Yes, I am. And you are?”
“That doesn’t matter.” Jimin maintained his tough facade. “What matters is what your intentions are with our Jeongguk.”
Hoseok smacked the back of Jimin’s head. He grinned and waved at Taehyung. “Don’t mind Jimin. He likes to play the older brother role.”
Jeongguk rolled his eyes playfully. “Yeah, he’s been practicing that one for years, waiting for the day I bring someone home.”
Jimin giggled. “Hi, I’m Jimin. I can’t believe we have a billionaire standing in here. Welcome to the gang,” He said before breaking into a wide smile.
❈❈
Taehyung thoroughly enjoyed his evening with Jeongguk and his friends. As the night wound down and it was time to leave, Jeongguk insisted on walking Taehyung down to the entrance of his apartment building.
Jeongguk noticed the tension in Taehyung’s posture and the way he kept glancing at him but not saying a word. Just as Jeongguk was about to ask what was in his mind, Taehyung took a deep breath and spoke first.
“Jeongguk, I’m going to tell you something and I hope you won’t take it the wrong way,” Taehyung began.
Jeongguk nodded, giving him his full attention. “Go ahead.”
Taehyung hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I want you to move to a bigger and better apartment. It will be of your choice. I’m not forcing you to do it, I know you’re attached to the place you’re staying now and you can say no if you don’t want to move, but I just want you to stay in a place where you’re comfortable and you won’t have to worry about the rent because I’ll cover it but obviously you can say no if you don’t want to,” he said all in one breath.
Jeongguk smiled, amused at how Taehyung is rambling nonstop. Endearing , he thought.
“Taehyung, relax.” Jeongguk reached out and held Taehyung’s hand in his. “I’ll think about it and let you know, I promise,” he said with a small smile.
That was all the reassurance Taehyung needed. So what if he had selfish motives behind the idea and his intention was to get Jeongguk an apartment near to his penthouse so he can be close to him all the time.
❈❈
It was a dream arrangement for Jeongguk. He was getting everything he hoped for and everything was working just as he had planned. He has a new huge apartment which is near Taehyung’s penthouse and he found a new job at a better firm (Taehyung put in a good word for him, but no one has to know that, right?). He has enough money to cover his rent, money to pay his bills, buy basic necessities, money for shopping sprees and even money to send to his parents every month. He was liiving a life he thought he’d only dream of.
His life was great, minus the fact that his boyfriend is just his sugar daddy that’s paying him to pretend even though he would be his real boyfriend for free. Without a paywall in between them.
Taehyung was the perfect companion. Sweet, funny, considerate and also a little bit flirty some times. It was like a small game they would play, throwing flirty remarks here and there but it never went further than that. Above all, Taehyung and Jeongguk became best friends. Spending almost every weekday night and every weekend together. Jeongguk enjoyed every moment with him. He was certain that his life was perfect. As perfect as he could imagine.
What Jeongguk wasn’t counting on, is developing feelings for Taehyung.
‘Are you in love with him?’ He remembers Jimin asking one night over pizza.
He thought about it. He thought about it hard. He felt something drop in his chest. He rubbed his hands over his face and thought for a long moment. He thought of the nights they spent cuddling. He thought of their mornings after they cuddle. Taehyung always prepared breakfast for both of them and they spent the mornings giggling over anything and everything. He thought about how he made a habit of picking out Taehyung’s ties and cufflinks for him. It was extremely domestic . He thought of the days they walked hand in hand even when no one was watching because ‘they had to make the fake relationship believable’. He thought about how he spends his whole day texting Taehyung about every little thing because he couldn’t wait to see him.
For Jeongguk, it was not about the money anymore. It had stopped being about money a long time ago. His eyes watered a little as he nodded at Jimin. God, he really did love Taehyung.
First he decided that he should just open up his heart and tell Taehyung how he feels. And then it hit him. Taehyung was paying him to do exactly the opposite of what he’s doing now. Taehyung is paying him to not be in love with him. He’s paying him to keep him company without the burden of a relationship or feelings in the mix. Jeongguk then thought of what would happen when they ended their agreement.
He wondered how he would handle the heartbreak after Taehyung is gone from his life.
❈❈
And that’s how it went for almost four years. Jeongguk met with an extremely wealthy and handsome man. They went out to many dinners, lunches, sometimes met for breakfast. They went to more extravagant events than Jeongguk could count. The dinners and late night events were often followed with cuddles at Taehyung’s place. And in return, Taehyung provided for Jeongguk financially.
The beginning was pretty awkward. They went on dates where Jeongguk struggled to find a common topic other than computers. But soon enough, he got bored of talking about the same thing on every date. So he figured maybe he should talk less. However, things got much better when they got used to the rhythm of it all.
Jeongguk would talk and talk and talk. He would talk about his day at work, he would talk about the weather, he would talk about things he saw on his way to and from work. And Taehyung, he would just sit and listen. Laughing where needed, giving an answer when asked a question and humming in approval when required. He learnt that apart from computers, they both have a love for music, sports, art and photography. Jeongguk also found out that Taehyung was extremely serious about having proper meals. No junk food and no surviving on instant noodles They’d go swimming and watch movies together while cuddling on the sofa.
❈❈
Taehyung liked routine and he had a plan. Unfortunately, Jeongguk was not part of that plan. They got much closer than Taehyung had anticipated and his routine changed. The biggest problem wasn’t that Jeongguk quickly became someone Taehyung trusts, it’s the fact that Jeongguk easily became part of his daily routine. Taehyung was used to waking up with Jeongguk in his arms, then they take turns in the shower, he makes breakfast and Jeongguk clears the dishes. It was now normal. His day was filled was silly texts from Jeongguk and Taehyung was finding it even harder to not think about him. He had become a real companion to Taehyung. They were comfortable with each other. Jeongguk was someone who understood him. Someone he could talk to without feeling like he’s oversharing. Someone he could share a comfortable silence with and Taehyung was terrified.
He was terrified because ever since he met Jeongguk, Saturday also became his favourite day of the week because he slowly fit Jeongguk’s routine of lazying in bed until it was nearly afternoon. The morning was spent giggling in bed with Jeongguk in his arms and their legs tangled. Taehyung was enjoying their lazy Saturdays far too much, even to a point where he would bring Jeongguk breakfast (more like brunch) in bed. Jeongguk would beam at him and Taehyung would go as far as feed him a morsel or two. He wanted this. He wanted this every Saturday for the rest of life. The giggling and looking into each other’s eyes and smiling – it was all he wanted. They fit together like puzzle pieces and Taehyung was sinking deeper every day they spent together.
He often fought with his feelings and tried to suppress them as much as he could. He feared that Jeongguk might leave him one day and when he does, it’s going to hurt. It’s going to hurt real bad and that is something he has not planned for. Just the thought of Jeongguk leaving made his heart shudder.
❈❈
“Jeongguk…”
“Mmm,” Jeongguk answered, nearly falling asleep in Taehyung’s arms.
“Do you want to go to my company’s party with me next week? We’re celebrating the successful launch of our new software.”
Jeongguk turned to face Taehyung, confused. “Why are you asking me if I want to go with you, Taehyung? If you want me there, then I’ll happily be there.” I’d love to be there with you. I’ll gladly go anywhere as long as it’s with you.
“It’s just that I don’t want you to go if you don’t want to It’s going to be on a weekday and you have work and I don’t want to exhaust you. You know you can always say no to me, right?” Taehyung was rambling at this point.
“I know, Taehyung. You’ve told me that almost a million times and I always tell you I enjoy your company so what makes you think I would say no to going somewhere with you?”
Taehyung smiled and pulled Jeongguk closer to him. “Alright.”
❈❈
Jeongguk had one aim for tonight when he got to his apartment and that was to go to bed. He wasn’t even going to bother with dinner. He’d just go to bed after the tiring day he had at work training new interns. But as soon as he got home, his phone pinged with a text message. It was Taehyung reminding him that they were to attend his company’s party tonight and he would pick him up at 8. When Taehyung said ‘next week’, Jeongguk wasn’t expecting it to be on a Tuesday, of all days. He would’ve preferred to be home and cuddled with Taehyung while drinking wine on the couch in front of the tv until they fell asleep.
After a long hot shower, Jeongguk stood in front of his closet, thinking about what he should wear for the night. He contemplated wearing something casual but decided against it. He knew the place would be swarming with high profile people dressed to the nines and being Kim Taehyung’s boyfriend, he had an image to maintain.
He reached for a sleek, charcoal grey suit. Paired with a crisp white dress shirt which contrasted beautifully against the dark hue of the suit. Completing the ensemble with a pair of tailored trousers that accentuated his slim waist. He took a look in the full length mirror and adjusted his tie before putting on the suit jacket. A spritz of cologne and his Vacheron Constantin watch were the final touches to his look.
Finally, half an hour later, Taehyung called Jeongguk to let him know he has arrived.
“You look delectable, Jeongguk.”
Seeing Jeongguk dressed in a suit of his choice always made his heart skip a beat. He admired how Jeongguk looked. He blushed at the thought of Jeongguk putting in so much effort to look good for him.
Jeongguk chuckled at Taehyung’s comment, feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside. His cheeks turned a crimson colour at the unexpected compliment.
“Thank you,” he replied, his cheeks tinged with a blush.
It wasn’t often that Taehyung expressed his thoughts out like this. He looked at Taehyung and realised he was wearing the same suit as him, only in a lighter grey shade. It made him blush thinking about how close they have gotten to the point where their choices match, on a lot of things not just suits.
Jeongguk looked at Taehyung for a few more seconds before complimenting him back. “You look gorgeous, just like always, Taehyung.”
When they were finally in the back seat of the limousine, Jeongguk let himself look at Taehyung. He didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he was staring. He tried to find an adjective suitable enough to praise Taehyung but his mind was left blank. All he could think of was sexy and if their relationship was real and Taehyung felt the same way he did, he would have ditched the party in favour of dragging Taehyung back up to his apartment.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Taehyung teased, but that didn’t stop Jeongguk from imagining all sorts of scenarios in his mind.
A brief silence passed before Taehyung spoke up again.
“Thank you for coming with me, Jeongguk,” he said and moved a little bit closer to put his arm around Jeongguk’s shoulder.
Jeogguk leaned in to his touch and rested his head on Taehyung’s shoulder. He could deal with cuddles if that’s all he’s going to get from Taehyung. As long as they are together, even through an agreement. Anything was better than not being with Taehyung at all.
The arrived at the party twenty minutes later with Taehyung’s arm wrapped around Jeongguk’s waist as they entered the restaurant. Jeongguk was familiar with the place only because of the hundreds of gatherings he had attended together with Taehyung. As usual, Tech Fort had the place shut down for the night and the restaurant staff only catered to the people attending the party. The seating arrangement was changed from dining to have an open floor for dancing along with a small DJ booth.
Four years ago, Jeongguk would have wondered how much the whole setting cost. But now, he’s a different man. Now he was just awed at what Taehyung could get done. So, over the years he found himself thinking less and less about money and enjoying himself more.
There were already people in the restaurant, and they all knew Taehyung. They made their rounds to say hello to people, shaking hands or hugging where necessary. At this point, Taehyung no longer needed to introduce Jeongguk to people. Their pictures were all over tabloid magazines and the news. Everyone had fallen for their facade and believed their relationship to be true. Jeongguk had learnt to enjoy the awed glances he would get from people and to ignore the looks of hate and irritation from others. It was bound to happen. Being Kim Taehyung’s boyfriend was not child’s play.
The first hour of the night was spent mingling as more people flowed into the restaurant. Both Taehyung and Jeongguk effortlessly blended in with the crowd as the night whizzed by. They chatted with other guests until dinner was served. Five courses, each more exquisite than the last, all accompanied by a selection of fine wines and champagne.
Before they knew it, four hours had passed and it was already midnight. Jeongguk knows he’s starting to look disinterested as his eyes dart across the room and he was only smiling but not conversing much. He doesn’t even know what people are talking about and he doesn’t really care. He wasn’t expecting to stay this long and he just wished he could go to bed in Taehyung’s arms.
Jeongguk feels Taehyung’s palm on his thigh like he usually does when he notices a change in Jeongguk’s mood.
“Are you okay?” Taehyung leans over and asks.
“Yeah I’m okay.” Jeongguk shrugs and takes a sip of his wine.
“You don’t look okay.”
“Nothing’s wrong, Taehyung. Don’t worry.”
“You haven’t said a word in the last fifteen minutes, I was starting to think you fell asleep on me.”
“I’m bored, that’s all,” Jeongguk whispers in Taehyung’s ear. He is bored and annoyed because he wants to be in bed right now but Taehyung doesn’t need to know that.
Taehyung chuckled. “Okay, then let’s leave.”
Just as they excused themselves and were about to leave, Taehyung’s father approached them with a mischievous grin.
“Taehyung, Jeongguk,” he said, “I’m so sorry for not spending time with you tonight. I wasn’t expecting to be this busy at a party.”
“It’s okay dad, you can catch up with Jeongguk and I another time,” Taehyung said politely.
“It’s okay, Taehyung. Come with me, I won’t take a lot of your time”
The duo found themselves at another table again. They engaged in light-hearted talk with Taehyung’s father and talked about the success of the launch.
“You know what would be fun?” Sanghoon asked. “It’s been some time that you and Jeongguk have been together and I don’t think he has met the family properly. You’ve always spent Sundays home with us but never came with Jeongguk. Why don’t you both come over to the house this weekend?”
Jeongguk felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety at the invitation. He realised that in their time together, he and Taehyung never discussed their families. The arrangement they have is based on mutual benefit but now Jeongguk feels like it just stayed on surface level. Even though they grew very close in these four years, Jeongguk realised that he didn’t really know anything about Taehyung’s life. They always avoided having deep and personal conversations.
He glanced at Taehyung who just gave him a nod in return.
“That sounds wonderful, dad,” Taehyung said, a smile lighting up his face. “We’ll be there.”
“Thank you for the invitation.” Jeongguk smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Excellent!” Sanghoon beamed. “It’s settled then, I’ll see you both this weekend.”
Jeongguk looked at Taehyung, who seemed genuinely happy about the plan. Meeting Taehyung’s family was a big step for Jeongguk, even though their relationship was somewhat of a facade.
Settled in the back seat of the limousine again, Taehyung noticed the subtle signs of Jeongguk’s nervousness. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his jacket and his eyes darted everywhere around the car except looking at Taehyung. He shook his legs and tried his best to remain calm.
“Hey,” Taehyung said softly, placing a reassuring hand on Jeongguk’s knee. “Everything’s going to be okay, relax. My family is going to love you.”
Jeongguk managed a small smile. “I hope so.”
Taehyung squeezed his knee gently before leaning back in his seat. “You’re staying with me tonight, right?”
Jeongguk nodded, almost automatically. “Yes.”
Taehyung’s eyes twinkled at how quickly Jeongguk answered. “You always say yes. You know you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Jeongguk looked down feeling a bit sheepish. “I know, but I just…” I can’t bring myself to say no to you. He didn’t complete his thought. Instead, he moved closer to Taehyung. Jeongguk put his head on Taehyung’s shoulder and they cuddled on their way home.
❈❈
Taehyung watched as Jeongguk walked through the penthouse worldessly. He made his way to the bathroom and had a shower then to the closet to get his clothes and get dressed. Taehyung followed suit and by the time Taehyung got out of the shower, Jeongguk was already in bed, staring idly at the ceiling. He could tell Jeongguk still had a lot on his mind, but he wasn’t ready to talk so he decided to maintain the silence and get dressed. After Taehyung got in bed, Jeongguk moved towards him and Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jeongguk.
More silence passed between them, then Jeongguk intertwined his hands with Taehyung. He swallowed then leaned to turn on the bedside lamp. He looked into Taehyung’s eyes for a moment before speaking.
“I was 15 when my father had a heart attack,” Jeongguk whispered. “It was during Christmas time when he and I were having our usual movie marathon for the night. We made some popcorn like we always do and sat in the living room covered in my mom’s old blanket,” he said softly, and Taehyung nodded.
“I was so stupid back then. I learnt the signs of a heart attack and a stroke when I was in school but I didn’t even think that’s what it would be. I ignored all the signs.” Jeongguk sniffed, he was on the verge of crying. “He complained of chest pains for a few days but we all just ignored it thinking he was overworking himself at the garage because he was under a lot of stress. And that night, even though we had a fire going and the place was really warm, he kept blowing on his hands and saying they were cold and numb. Then half way through the movie he started complaining of a burning sensation in his chest and he ignored it again saying it’s just heartburn from dinner. Then he laughed and so did I.”
“Oh, Jeongguk. I’m so sorry.” Taehyung hugged him tighter.
“That night when he complained about the pain for a third time, I told him maybe he should go to sleep and everything will be okay once he gets some rest. But my dad was adamant, he didn’t want to ruin our yearly tradition of Christmas movie marathons so he said he’ll have a painkiller and some antacids.”
Jeongguk paused for a little while and made circles with his thumb on the back of Taehyung’s hand. Sharing his life beyond surface level was always daunting for Jeongguk. He never wanted anyone’s sympathy or pity so he usually kept his emotions buried and had never shared anything personal with anyone apart from Jimin and Hoseok. But with Taehyung, things felt different. He trusted Taehyung and he wanted to share everything about his life with him.
So, he continued. “When my dad stood up, he collapsed on the floor in front of me. It happened so fast and I was panicking. I started screaming and my mom rushed to us in the living room. She was shocked and couldn’t move from where she was. We both thought he was dead but then something in me just clicked and I moved to call 119 to tell them my dad is having a heart attack.”
Taehyung sighed. “It must have been horrible for you and your mother.”
“It was,” Jeongguk laughed weakly. “And it only got worse after that.”
“What do you mean?” Taehyung asked.
“When the ambulance took him to the hospital, we didn’t see him for almost two hours and when we did, he was in ICU with tubes everywhere and monitors all around him. The doctor told us my dad had a heart attack which caused him to have a stroke because of the lack of blood supply to the brain. They did say he was going to make it but it’d take a lot of time to recover and there was a chance he would have partial paralysis.” Jeongguk sighed. “I remember my mother telling the doctor we didn’t have insurance. But luckily the doctor said it didn’t matter and they would provide care for my dad until it was safe to send him home. I was young and naive back then. I was just really happy at the thought of my dad coming back home I didn’t know a bill would follow. There were a lot of charges because physiotherapy and cardiac care are really expensive and he was at the hospital for two months. Eveything came to around 120 million won ($90,000).”
Jeongguk’s voice started trembling. He took a deep breath and continued. “To be honest, growing up from then wasn’t easy. My dad came home but his left hand was paralysed. He was getting better with physio but he still couldn’t work. My mom struggled a lot. We could barely make ends meet because she had taken a loan from the bank to pay the hospital bills and we had the mortgage to pay as well. My mom worked multiple jobs just to be able to bring food home. We didn’t have time for anything else and I even contemplated dropping out of school. It was exhausting but I just wanted to be there for my parents. We were really happy when I received a scholarship. The only reason I moved to Seoul was because I knew I’d have a better opportunity at finding a job and helping pay back the loans would be easier but I was wrong.”
“Is this why you chose to be a sugar baby?”
Jeongguk nodded with a bitter smile and tears welled up in his eyes.
“You’ve been through so much in your life, Jeongguk. I’m so sorry you had to deal with everything on your own,” Taehyung murmured then pulled Jeongguk as close as possible. You deserve the best of everything life has to offer Jeongguk and I promise that is what I will give you.
It seemed like they stayed in silence forever.
Taehyung’s sharp intake of breath is what alerted Jeongguk that they were both still awake. Before he could say anything, Taehyung broke the silence.
“As you already know, my mother died from cancer about a year before we met. It was everywhere on the news but what people don’t know is how terrible it was for us at home. My parents were married for 32 years. They got married so young. They were each others’ best friend. They did everything together. Whatever my mom loved doing so did my dad and vice versa. My dad did his best to provide the best care possible for her but the cancer spread quickly and she lost the battle to cancer within a year. She fought hard, you know. She wanted to live for us,” Taehyung spoke, his gaze unfocused.
He took a pause, swallowing hard. “Then my dad forced himself to stay busy to escape the grief. He forced himself to try to think of anything else – apart from my mom. We could tell he was miserable but he pretended to be happy. But my brother and I, we could see it. He tried so hard to hide his pain. It was unbearable. We didn’t even have time to mourn properly with the media constantly in our spaces.” He chuckled.
Jeongguk felt a pang of sadness in his chest. “I’m sorry, Taehyung. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you,” he said softly.
Taehyung nodded, his eyes meeting Jeongguk’s for the first time since he started narrating his story. “It was so hard. I stopped frequenting my parent’s house because it hurt me too much to be there. There were reminders of her everywhere in the house. I couldn’t escape her memories.” A tear escaped his eye and Jeongguk reached out to wipe it.
“I wanted to forget for some time. I thought that maybe if I don’t go for a long time, then it’ll be easier to make peace with what life took from me. So, I started going only once a week just to check in on my dad and my brother. That was also hard. But over time things just got easier. The pain of losing her didn’t go away, it just became easier to bear.”
Jeongguk listened, his heart aching for Taehyung. He could see how much effort it took for him to open up about his sorrows. He couldn’t imagine what life must have been like for Taehyung.
“And I think now I understand why my dad had been pressuring me for years to find a partner because he knows how lonely life gets if spent alone.”
Jeongguk smiled, and so did Taehyung. Jeongguk’s hand was still resting on Taehyung’s cheek and he unconsciously stroked it with his thumb. They looked into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity, their faces inching closer until their breaths were mingling. Suddenly they were kissing.
Taehyung doesn’t know who moved first but their lips were moulded together. He didn’t respond for a second, stunned by what was happening, then instinct took over and he tightened his arms around Jeongguk’s waist pulling him in closer. Time stopped and the world disappeared from around them. It was like nothing existed apart from the two of them in that moment. Kissing Jeongguk was like a slice of heaven for Taehyung. Something he definitely wouldn’t mind doing over and over again for the rest of his life if necessary.
The kiss was soft at first, like they were testing the waters. Then the kiss deepened. It grew more demanding, like they were pouring their confessions into the kiss. Their mouths moved together with a rhythm that felt natural. Taehyung’s tongue probed at Jeongguk’s soft lips, coaxing them to part and Jeongguk obliged. Like always. He let Taehyung’s tongue explore his mouth, to taste.
Jeongguk felt his insides burn at the intensity of the kiss. He could feel Taehyung’s rapid heartbeat against his chest. Each touch and slide of their tongues sent shivers down his spine.
But the kiss ended as quickly as it started. Jeongguk felt Taehyung pull away, unable to look into his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Jeongguk,” Taehyung apologised, his breathing uneven. “This was not supposed to happen. This was not part of the deal.”
Ah, yes. The deal. How could Jeongguk forget. He thought they were finally moving passed that but turns out he was wrong. 9utret
“It’s okay, Taehyung. It was equally my fault,” Jeongguk replied. He felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. Maybe Taehyung doesn’t feel the same way I do.
“Let’s just go to sleep. We both have work tomorrow.”
Jeongguk leaned over and reached to turn the lamp off.
Taehyung’s final thought for the night as he embraced Jeongguk, was how big of an idiot he is for letting his feelings get the best of him jeopardising what he has with Jeongguk.
It was obvious that something between them had shifted that night.
❈❈
Their car comes to a halt after about an hour of driving. They had left Taehyung’s penthouse at around ten in the morning. They decided to go there on a Saturday morning and spend the night there, then leave in the evening on Sunday. The engine sounds faded and Taehyung’s driver announces that they have reached the estate.
Jeongguk’s eyes widen at the mention of an estate. He had assumed that they would be visiting one of the houses in the city, but instead, they had driven to the estate just outside of Seoul. He turned to Taehyung who just smiled at him.
“My dad wanted some privacy,” he explained. “We also thought it’d be a nice change being out here.”
Jeongguk nodded, still processing what was happening.
They stepped out of the car and Jeogguk’s jaw literally dropped. The grandeur of the place was something out of a movie. He took in the sight before him. The estate was expansive, with lawns stretching out for miles in every direction. The main house was a beautiful blend of traditional and modern architecture.
“This is… incredible,” Jeongguk murmured. His breath taken away by the sheer beauty of the place.
Taehyung’s smile widend. “Im glad you like it.”
Taehyung led Jeongguk to walk up the stone path to the entrance. The heavy wooden doors at the entrance opened to reveal an opulent foyer with high ceilings adorned with intricate designs and polished marble floors.
“Welcome! I hope the drive wasn’t too tiring.” Sanghoon greeted them as soon as they entered the house. His face light up at the sight of his son and Jeongguk.
Jeongguk shook his head, still slightly in awe at the palatial beauty he stood in. “No, it was fine. Thank you for inviting me. Your place is absolutely beautiful.”
Taehung’s father chuckled. “Thank you. And nonsense, you shouldn’t even need an invitation to come here. You’re practically family now. Make yourself at home.”
As Jeongguk was taking in the beauty of the estate with Taehyung by his side, he heard an unfamiliar voice calling out, “Taehyung!”
He turned in time just to see a tall, handsomeman rushing over, his face beaming with joy. Before Jeongguk could react, the man had closed the distance and enveloped Taehyung in a hug.
“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!” the man exclaimed, his voice filled with sincerity.
Taehyung laughed, returning the embrace. “Hyung! I didn’t know you’d be here today.”
“Of course I’m here. Did you think I was going to miss spending two days with you for the first time in years.”
Jeongguk tried to maintain a polite smile but he felt awkward. Taehyung pulled back from the embrace and turned his attention to Jeongguk. He placed a reassuring hand on Jeongguk’s shoulder.
“Seokjin hyung, this is Jeongguk, my… boyfriend,” he said, a small shy smile on his lips. “Jeongguk, this is Seokjin, my brother.”
Seokjin’s expressions softened, and he extended a hand towards Jeongguk. “Nice to meet you, Jeongguk.”
Jeongguk returned the handshake. “Nice to meet you too,” he replied, maintaining his smile.
“I was just giving Jeongguk a tour of the estate, you want to join us?” Taehyung offered.
“I’ll catch up with you guys for lunch. I have some business to attend to first.”
❈❈
The tour took more than an hour. Taehyung showed Jeongguk around the estate but Jeongguk knew he’d only seen about half of it. Once they were back in the sitting room, Jeongguk couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful furniture and plush sofas.
He sat across from Taehyung who asked, “So… what do you think?”
“This is amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I can’t get over the arcade room and also I love to swim and play tennis so obviously I loved both the pool and the tennis court. And I can’t believe you have a gym here. This place is more of a leisure centre than a house. I’ve never been to a house that has all these things and no one I know owns a tennis court.” Jeongguk laughed.
“Well, we can come here any time you want,” Taehyung replied.
❈❈
During lunch, Jeongguk sat next to Taehyung, feeling a little bit out of space initially. However, Sanghoon had a way of making everyone feel at home.
“You know,” Sanghoon started, a glint of mischeviousness in his eye, “Taehyung and Seokjin were quite the troublemakers when they were young. Always up to something.”
Taehyung groaned, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Dad, please…”
Jeongguk couldnt help but smile. “Oh, I’d love to hear all about Taehyung’s childhood.” He jumped at the opportunity.
Sanghoon grinned. “Well, there was this time they decided to build a ‘treehouse’ in the backyard. It was more like a bunch of planks nailed together, but they were so proud of it.”
“Ahhh and then we got stuck up there because the ladder broke.” Seokjin laughed.
“We were up there for hours, and then dad came home from work and got us down.” Taehyung added.
Jeongguk chuckled, the image of a young Taehyung and Seokjin trapped in their makeshift treehouse filling his mind. It was stories like these that made him realise how much he doesn’t know about Taehyung’s life outside of their arrangement.
“And then there was a time they decided to bake a cake for their mother’s birthday,” Sanghoon continued. “The kitchen was a disaster. Flour everywhere, eggshells in the batter… But their mother loved it anyway.”
“She said it was the best cake she ever had,” Taehyung added, his voice filled with sadness.
Jeongguk felt a lump form in his throat. He glanced at Taehyung, who met his gaze with a small smile. For the first time, he felt like he fit somewhere. He felt a connection not only to Taehyung but to his whole family because of the stories they shared with him. He finally felt like he truly belonged. Jeongguk found himself laughing at the stories shared and he realised that this is was missing since he moved to Seoul. Yes, Jimin and Hoseok were there for him through it all and they are his best friends. But what he was missing was a family, a home in Seoul and thanks to Taehyung, he found both in the same place.
It was a surreal experience for Jeongguk. He doesn’t remember the last time he laughed so much. The stories Sanghoon shared about Taehyung and Seokjin’s childhood made him double over with laughter, tears streaming down his face at the absurdity of some of the things they used to do. Growing up, family gatherings were always monotonous and a source of stress rather than joy for Jeongguk. But amidst Taehyung’s family, he felt home. The connection he felt with his family was natural and unforced.
When the laughter quietened a little bit, Seokjin thought it would be the perfect opportunity to pull a prank on Jeongguk.
He leaned forward on the table, his expression turning serious.
“So, Jeongguk,” he bagan. “How exactly did you meet Taehyung?”
Jeongguk taken aback by the sudden change in tone, shifted in his seat and stammered slightly. “Uh, we met at the Incheon fair,” he said, glancing at Taehyung who was trying hard not to smile.
Seokjin nodded, his face still stern. “And what are your intentions with my brother? You know he’s very precious to us.”
Jeongguk swallowed hard. “I… I care about him a lot. I just want him to be happy.”
“And what makes you think you’re good enough for him?” Seokjin asked, raising an eyebrow.
At this point, Jeongguk was flustered. He opened his mouth to respond but nothing seemed to come out. He started panicking, shaking his legs uncontrollably under the table. Taehyung places his palm on Jeongguk’s thigh and presses lightly.
Jeongguk opens his mouth again to start talking but Seokjin suddenly burst out laughing, unable to keep up the act any longer.
“I’m sorry, Jeongguk,” Seokjin managed in between laughs, “I couldn’t resist. You should have seen your face.”
Jeongguk blinked, his expression shifting from confusion to relief. Taehyung chuckled beside him and gave his brother a high five.
❈❈
They moved to the sitting room after lunch and Taehyung found himself stealing glances at Jeongguk. There was something so incredibly heartwarming about how effortlessly Jeongguk was fitting in with his family. Taehyung realised, yet again, just how much he wanted Jeongguk to be a permanent part of his life without the agreement in between.
He looked at Jeongguk again, who was now listening intently to Seokjin narrating another anecdote. Jeongguk’s eyes were bright and his expression happy and then he laughed and in that moment, Taehyung made up his mind to end the agreement between them. He wanted to be the one to make Jeongguk and laugh like that every day. He knew he couldn’t keep living with the pretense.
Taehyung made a decision; once they returned home, he ould sit Jeongguk down and tell him everything. No more hiding, no more pretending. He would lay his heart bare, tell Jeongguk how much he had come to mean to him come what may. It was time he was honest with himself and with Jeongguk.
He excuses himself from the family in the sitting room, citing the need to make a phone call. He stepped outside and walked as far down the hallway as he could, heart pounding as he dialed Namjoon’s number.
The phone rang twice before Namjoon answered. “Hey, Taehyung. What’s up? Enjoying your weekend?”
“Hey. Yeah, everything’s fine and it’s been a great day,” Taehyung replied. He took a deep breath and steadied his voice then continued. “I’m going to keep the conversation short, I just wanted to talk to you about something important.”
“Sure.”
Taehyung took another deep breath. “Namjoon your idea of me becoming a sugar daddy because there are no feelings involved was one of the dumbest things I have ever done in my life.”
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Namjoon responded. “What happened? The last time I saw you which was yesterday at work, you seemed very content with how things are going.”
“It’s not what you think.” Taehyung ran a hand in his hair in frustration. “It’s just… spending time with Jeongguk, seeing how he fit in with my family so well today made me realise how much I want this thing to be real. I don’t want us to be a business agreement anymore. I want something real with him.”
“I see… so you called my idea stupid because… you’ve fallen for him?”
“Yeah, I guess I have. It’s hard to explain but I fell for him years ago. Today just helped me realise that I’ve fallen way deeper than I thought. He’s become such an important part of my life. I find myself thinking about him all the time, worrying about him, wanting to make him happy. I can’t keep pretending anymore. It’s getting way too hard for me,” Taehyung said softly.
“Have you thought about how Jeongguk might feel?” Namjoon asked gently. “He might be on the same page as you or he might not be. You need to be prepared for whatever is to come.”
“I know,” Taehyung sighed. “But I can’t keep this up anymore. It’s not fair to him and it’s not fair to me. He deserves to know the truth about how I feel. I love him. I love so much and I’ve made up my mind Namjoon. I want to end the agreement with Jeongguk.”
“If that’s what you want then go for it. But just be prepared for the worst.”
It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He ended the call and stood in the hallway for a moment, gathering his thoughts. The conversation with Namjoon might have given him the morale he needed. He knew what he needed to do but the nervousness that was building up within him made his feet still in once place.
He took a deep breath and walked back to the sitting room.
❈❈
Jeongguk had excused himself to use the washroom and as he was walking back to the sitting room, he heard Taehyung’s voice drifting from the hallway, in the middle of a phonecall. He paused, recognising Namjoon’s name being mentioned. He thought he should wait for Taehuyng so they could head back to the sitting room together but the words he heard next made his heart drop. The words that changed one of his greatest weekends, to the worst weekend ever.
‘I love him. I love him so much and I’ve made up mind. I want to end the arrangement with Jeongguk.’
The words echoed in Jeongguk’s mind, each word stabbing at his chest. Love? End the arrangement? He felt dizzy as his thoughts spiraled and jumped to the worst conclusion possible. Taehyung has fallen in love with someone else and wants to end everything with him so he can move on in life. His mind reeled with images of their time spent together.
He felt a lump form in his throat. He tured away, his vision blurring with unshed tears. He couldnt bear to stay and listen any longer, fearing that the words that came next would be worse than what he had already heard. Jeongguk quickly walked back to the sitting room, trying to compose himself.
When he entered, Seokjin looked up and smiled and Jeongguk forced a smile, though his thoughts were eating him up from the inside.
“Are you okay, Jeongguk? You don’t look too well.” Seokjin’s face showed a hint of concern.
“Yeah, everything’s okay. I’m just tired. I’m gonna head up and rest so I can be up early tomorrow and make most of the day we have left.”
“Of course, Jeongguk. It has been a long day for you. Get some rest. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Sanghoon said with a small smile.
Jeongguk mumbled a quick goodnight before making his way to the room he shared with Taehyung. The moment he shut the door behind him, the facade crumbled. He ran to the washroom and sank in the bathtub, his body shaking with silent sobs. He curled up in the bathtub and clutched his knees to his chest, letting the tears flow freely.
The thought of Taehyung loving someone else was too much to bear. All the emotions he had been trying to suppress for the last couple of years, the feelings he had denied himself from feeling all came rushing back.
He mentally cursed at himself for falling for Taehyung.
“Love sucks,” he whispered.
❈❈
By the time Taehyung returned to the room, Jeongguk had already slipped under the covers. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to steady his uneven breathing and fighting the tears that threatened to spill again. When he heard the door open, he quickly closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Taehyung moved around quietly, trying not to wake Jeongguk. As he slipped into bed beside him, Jeongguk felt the familiar warmth and weight of an arm draping around him and pulling him close in their usual embrace. It was something Jeongguk had grown to treasure over the years but not it felt like a cruel reminder of what he was about to lose. A painful reminder of the intimacy he believed would soon end.
Taehyung’s breath was warm against the back of his neck and for a moment, Jeongguk allowed himself to relax into the touch, savouring it as if it was the last time he was going to be in Taehyung’s arms. He fought to keep his breathing even, but Taehyung’s words played in his mind over and over again.
‘I love him. I love him so much and I’ve made up mind. I want to end the arrangement with Jeongguk.’
The words felt like a dagger to his heart and he wanted to turn around and confront Taehyung. But the fear of the answer, the fear of confirming his worst nightmare made him change his mind.
As Taehyung’s grip slightly tightened around him, Jeongguk swallowed the lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut tighter. He wished with all his might that he had misheard the conversation and that there was another explanation. Maybe he was being paranoid and there was a simple misunderstanding.
The room was silent except for the sound of their breathing and Jeongguk forced himself to stay calm. He wanted to savour this moment, to hold onto the warmth and comfort of Taehyung’s embrace, even if it was just for one more night.
❈❈
The next morning, Jeongguk woke up early, his mind and heart still heavy with thoughts from the previous night. He quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Taehyung and made his way to the pool. The estate was so peaceful and beautiful in the early morning, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon. Jeongguk laughed at the irony of it all.
He dove into the cool water and tried to clear his mind for a little while. A few minutes later, he heard a splash and looked over to see Taehyung joining him in the pool. Jeongguk forced a smile, hoping is doesn’t look as strained as it feels. He couldn’t help but notice how much happier Taehyung seemed.
“Good morning,” Taehyung called out, swimming over to Jeongguk. “You’re up early,” he said with a grin.
“Morning,” Jeongguk replied, trying to keep his tone light. “Yeah, I know. Unusual for me to be up this early on a Sunday. You’ve been trying to get me to wake up early on a Sunday for years and here I am. Just because of a swimming pool.”
Taehyung laughed, a sound that normally brought Jeongguk so much joy. But today it only deepened the ache in his chest. He wondered if Taehyng’s happiness had anything to do with the end of their arrangement. Maybe the idea of moving on from a monetary agreement made him feel free.
They swam side by side for a while, engaging in small conversations here and there. Jeongguk tried his best to hide his inner turmoil, to keep things as normal as possible. He promised himself he would hold it together until they were back in the city.
As they finished their swim session and climbed out of the pool. Taehyung offered Jeongguk a towel and Jeongguk noticed the way Taehyung looked at him with a smile on his lips. It made Jeongguk’s heart twist painfully, knowing that soon this would all come to an end. He dried off quickly, plastering a smile on his face as he excused himself to go shower after they agreed to meet back at the house for breakfast.
Throughout the meal, Jeongguk kept up the facade, engaging in conversations and also laughing at the jokes and stories told. But every time he glanced at Taehyung, he was reminded of the previous night and he wondered if Taehyung’s happiness was because he was ready to end things and move on.
He promised himself he wouldn’t let his emotions show. For now, he would cherish the time they had left even if it was all pretend.
❈❈
Taehyung had been nervous and excited from the moment he woke up. Confessing to Jeongguk was something he would have never imagined himself doing when they first started the arrangement. But, he is staying true to his word. Afterall, he did tell Jeongguk they would have to end the arrangement if feelings ever got involved. He rehearsed his words in his mind countless times, preparing himsel for the moment he finally told Jeongguk the truth. However, every time he tried to approach Jeongguk, Jeongguk avoided him.
It started at breakfast. His dad and brother had left the table after finishing their meal. He took a deep breath, ready to speak, but Jeongguk suddenly remembered he need to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. Taehyung glanced at the jug of water and glasses placed on the table but before he could say anything, Jeongguk was already on his feet, walking away.
Later, Taehyung found him in the garden, hoping to have a quiet moment together. As he approached, Jeongguk quickly excused himself saying he had promised to play a tennis game with Sanghoon.
The pattern continued through the day. Whenever Taehyung tried to initiate conversation, Jeongguk found a reason to leave.
By the afternoon, Taehyung’s excitement had turned into frustration. His heart ached every time Jeongguk went away, ignoring whatever conversation he was trying to have. He slowly noticed Jeongguk’s avoidance and wondered what was wrong.
As the afternoon went on, the frustration slowly turned into sadness. Taehyung wanted to spend their last day at the estate creating beautiful memories and having fun but instead, he found himself alone. He watched Jeongguk from a distance as he mingled with his family, laughing and smiling. But, every time their eyes met, Jeongguk would look away.
The evening arrived and Taehyung stood outside alone staring at the fading sunset. He had hoped this day would be different, that he would finally be able to share his feelings and start a new chapter with Jeongguk. But now, with the sun setting and the day almost over, he was thinking if he would ever be able to tell Jeongguk the truth about how he felt.
Jeongguk eventually joined him and Taehyung mustered a smile, trying to mask his disappointment. He didn’t want their last moments at the estate to be tainted by sadness.
“Beautiful sunset,” Taehyung said softly, breaking the silence.
“Yeah it is,” Jeongguk replied, his voice equally soft.
Then they stood in silence for what seemed like hours.
❈❈
Jeongguk smiled politely as they bid farewell to Taehyung’s father and Seokjin. He thanks them for their hospitality, while Taehyung exchanged hugs and promises to visit again soon.
A daunting silence filled the car once they had settled in and there was a space between them. Taehyung stared out of the window, lost in his thoughts. He wondered if Jeongguk had grown tired of him. The avoidance all day pretty much felt like rejection and Taehyung couldn’t help but worry that Jeongguk had already checked out of their relationship.
On the other side, an equally tormented Jeongguk looked outside the window. He replayed snippets of Taehyung’s conversation with Namjoon, convinced that Taehyung had fallen in love with someone else and wanted to end their arrangement. The thought of Taehyung being with someone else was unbearable.
Desperate to break the silence, Taehyung brushed off his negative thoughts. Maybe Jeongguk was like that because he was in a new place with new people so he was awkward and shy. He gives Jeongguk the benefit of the doubt.
With hope, he asked, “Jeongguk, are you coming to my place?”
For the first time in four years, Jeongguk said no to Taehyung. “No, I think I’ll head to my place tonight,” he replied, his voice low.
Taehyung felt his heart shatter, but he forced a smile. “That’s fine but are you okay?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
Jeongguk sighed, avoiding Taehyung’s eyes. “Yeah, I just havent been to my place for a while. I need to check my mailbox and to make sure if everything is okay.”
It was a lie and Taehyung knew but he accepted it without question. “Alright,” he said softly, his heart aching.
When the limousine stopped outside Jeongguk’s apartment building, he left without looking back, leaving Taehyung feeling like the weight of the world had been dumped on his heart.
That night, Jeongguk cried himself to sleep. He curled up on his bed, clutching a pillow to his chest like it would somehow magically ease his pain. Through tears he asked himself why he fell for a man he couldn’t have. The fear of losing Taehyung had Jeongguk feeling like he was drowning in sorrow. He felt like he was losing everythng that mattered to him. So, he buried his face in the pillow, letting the tears flow until sleep finally claimed him.
Meanwhile, Taehyung lay awake drowning in his feelings. He wondered what he had done wrong, why Jeongguk avoided him all day and why he was felt like everything was slipping away.
❈❈
It wasn’t long before Taehyung noticed Jeongguk;s strange distance. A whole week went by where Jeongguk didn’t go out of his way to see Taehyung like he usually did, even when Taehyung didn’t call him. He missed Jeongguk, terribly. His days were consumed with by worry and heartache. He couldn’t concentrate at work and he was constantly distracted by the absence of Jeongguk. He replayed their last moments and conversations in his head over and over again trying to figure out where he went wrong.
Seeing Jeongguk behave so coldly towards him was unbearable. Every time Jeongguk avoided his gaze, Taehyung felt like a piece of his heart was being chipped away. He wanted to reach out to Jeongguk and ask him what was wrong and if he could help. He wanted to tell Jeongguk no matter what was troubling him, he’d always be there for him. But he hesitated with the fear that while trying to bridge the gap between them, he would end up pushing Jeongguk further away.
Each night Taehyung lay awake, staring at the empty space beside him. He missed the warmth of Jeongguk by his side and the comfort it brought to him. The thought of losing Jeongguk was slowly eating him up from the inside and he knew he had to do something about this situation. He had to find a way to get through to Jeongguk. But, every time he tried to, Jeongguk would shut him out and Taehyung felt like he was trying to hold on to water that was slipping through his fingers.
Taehyung missed Jeongguk. A lot. He missed Jeongguk with an intensity that left him breathless. He wanted Jeongguk near and not just in the physical manner but it seemed like Jeongguk was too far gone. Even while sitting together, Jeongguk seemed aloof. Whenever they attended an event or scheduled meeting to keep up appearances, Jeongguk would mostly interact with other people and keep his distance from Taehyung. Other people were slowly starting to notice the changes and Taehyung hated how bad things had gotten in between them.
It was Friday and they were heading to Taehyung’s place after dinner. They sat in silence and had dinner and they set in silence on their ride home. They walked in silence from the lobby of Taehyung’s penthouse building to the elevator. Jeongguk avoided looking at Taehyung so Taehyung didn’t turn to look at him either. If it was a week ago, then Taehyung would have had his hand wrapped around Jeongguk’s waist as they walked to his penthouse.
Jeongguk knew it was coming, but that still didn’t mean he was prepared enough. They had gone out a couple of times during the week and most of their time in silence. Taehyung in silence because he doesn’t know what Jeongguk was thinking and Jeongguk in silence because he was just waiting for Taehyung to say he wants to end the agreement. He thought it would happen once Taehyung spoke to his father and told him the truth about who Jeongguk is and why they are breaking up, but he was wrong. Just a week after they came back from the estate, on a Saturday, Taehyung decided to put an end to their misery.
Jeongguk fiddled with his fingers while he stood in the middle of Taehyung’s sitting room, waiting for Taehyung to say the words he was dreading. He heard Taehyung sigh and he knew there would be no escape now.
Taehyung sat on the sofa and looked at Jeongguk who was standing in the middle of the sitting room awkwardly. He hadn’t made a move to get comfortable like he usually would so Taehyung figured that Jeongguk would not be staying the night.
“Are you going home tonight as well?” He asked.
Jeongguk nodded. “Unless you want me to stay for some reason.”
Taehyung chuckled. “Sadly Jeongguk, what I want doesn’t seem to matter anymore. It’s now about what you want.”
“What are you talking about, Taehyung?” Jeongguk asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. He was angry because he was prepared for Taehyung to just say the words. So why was he prolonging the matter.
“I don’t know what that means, Jeongguk. You tell me because you’ve been avoiding me since last week.”
“Avoiding you?” Jeongguk let out a bitter laugh. “I’m sorry I’m tired and I just want to go to sleep okay?”
“You had no problem sleeping with me for over four years in this same penthouse and in the same bed that’s in my bedroom right now.”
Something in Jeongguk snapped. Why the hell does Taehyung still want to sleep with him while he’s in love with someone else and was planning to end their arrangement anyway. “Why are you doing this, Taehyung?” He clenched his jaw.
Taehyung frowned, confused. “What are you talking about, Jeongguk?”
“Look, I’ll just leave okay. There’s no point pretending. I know you don’t want me here anyway.”
“What do you mean I dont want you here? It’s you that doesn’t to be here.”
“It’s okay Taehyung, just let it be. You don’t always have to want what I want.” Jeongguk turned to leave.
Taehyung stood up abruptly. “ I’m sorry , okay? I don’t know what I’m apologising for but I am really sorry okay. It’s obvious I’ve done or said something to annoy you or make you sad. I don’t know why you’re sad or angry or annoyed because you’re not talking to me. I don’t know why you don’t want to be anywhere near me. I trust you Jeongguk and I thought you trusted me enough to tell me about what’s bothering you but I guess I was wrong.” Taehyung walked back to the sofa and sat down, defeated. “I thought we were at least friends Jeongguk and friends don’t do this to each other. Being without you just sucks okay. The past week has been hell for me and I don’t know what to do to fix it.” Taehyung’s voice started breaking.
Jeongguk ran his hand through his hair. “Taehyung, you don’t have to do this. You’re lying to both you and me.”
“You’re right, Jeongguk. This is not what you signed up for.”
“This is exactly what we signed up for, Taehyung. Money in exchange for my services. A boss and employee relationship. I just didn’t expect feelings to get involved and cause a whole mess.”
“I did say we’ll end the arrangement if feelings ever got involved and I’d like to keep my word. Let’s end out arrangement. Our fake relationship. Our friendship. All of it.”
It was weird because the words hurt. The words hurt so much and Jeongguk thought it would be easier because he was prepared to hear the words but it wasn’t easy. Jeongguk wasn’t going to beg Taehyung. He knew he was going to cry but it wasn’t going to be in front of Taehyung. He would cry and eventually things would be fine. Even if it takes a year to get over Taehyung, he would do it. Jeongguk was prepared for Taehyung to say the words and tell him to collect his belongings and leave. Like a boss fires an employee, Jeongguk was prepared for Taehyung to let him go without a care in the world.
Jeongguk laughed a little and looked up trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. “There it is. I knew it was coming. It’s not your fault Taehyung. I must have read everything wrong so the blame is on me. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Just go home Jeongguk. We’ll talk about this some other time when we’re not angry and tired. But can we please continue the agreement for now, until I sort some things out.”
“It’s all up to you, Taehyung. You’re the boss here.” Jeongguk snorted then turned to leave.
“What is your problem, Jeongguk. I’m sorry I fell for you, okay? I didn’t plan on my feelings changing. I didn’t plan on being a problem for you but I can’t stop my heart from feeling. If I knew falling for you would mean I lose you then I would have gladly turned back the hands of time.”
Jeongguk froze in his steps and turned around to stare at Taehyung. “What did you just say?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean you fell for me ? What you said doesn’t make any sense. I’m not an idiot, Taheyung. I heard you telling Namjoon that you want to end our agreement because you’ve fallen in love.”
“Yeah you’re right. I have fallen in love and I do want to end the arrangement. I’ve fallen in love with you. Who else would I fall in love with, Jeongguk? We’ve practically been married for four years. You have a space in my closet. We cook for each other and spent time together cleaning up. We sleep in the same bed cuddling. You spend more time at my place than yours. I spend more time with you than anyone else. This relationship has been real for a long time only we didn’t realise soon enough,” Taehyung said in one breath. “I thought you loved me back that’s why I was so happy on that Sunday morning at the estate but you changed that day and I wondered that maybe I had read everything wrong and you don’t have any feelings for me.”
“Taehyung…” Jeongguk called out his name then laughed. He laughed for a while then continued, “I’ve been sad and distant, I’ve been acting weird because I thought you’re in love with someone else that’s why you wanted to end the arrangement.”
Taehyung’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re such an idiot, Jeongguk. Why didn’t you just come talk to me? That’s the exact opposite of what I meant. I meant I wanted to end the arrangement because I love you. Because I’ve fallen in love with you, and I want this thing between us to be real.”
Jeongguk’s eyes filled with tears. “Say it again.”
“I love you, Jeongguk,” Taehyung said and cupped his face then kissed his cheeks. “I’ve been trying to tell you for a whole week but you’ve been avoiding me. I thought you figured out that I have feelings for you and you were upset about it. Does this mean you feel the same way?”
“I love you so much Taehyung,” Jeongguk confessed, causing Taehyung’s breath to hitch. “I was dying inside thinking you were in love with someone else and I was going to lose you.”
“I love you, Jeongguk,” Taehyung said, pulling Jeongguk into his arms. “I love you,” he repeated. “I love you,” he whispered again.
“I love you so much, Jeongguk. And it terrifies me because I’ve never felt this way before. I am painfully and desperately in love with you. I want to be there when you reach amazing new heights in your career, I want to make breakfast with you, I want to sit and giggle with you over every stupid little thing, I want to go running in the park with you, I want to adopt kids and a pet with you, I want to listen to music and dance with you, I want to marry you because I am hopelessly in love with you. I would give up everything I have just to wake up next to you for the rest of my life.”
Jeongguk felt tears welling up in his eyes for the umpteenth time that night. He cupped Taehyung’s face in his palms and kissed him, slow and passionate. “I love you so much Taehyung. You’re my best friend, my soulmate, my everything. My forever home. I want to spend the rest of my life growing old with you and making more memories together, laughing with you and crying with you. I want to wake up every morning with you by my side. I want to hold your hand and watch the sunset with you after a long day. I love you so much Taehyung, more than I could ever explain and I’m so sorry for hurting you.”
“Let’s not waste out time on apologies, love. Let’s cherish every moment we have from now on.”
Taehyung pulled him in for another kiss. Jeongguk squeaked when Taehyung grabbed him by the waist and pulled him closer and lifted him up. On instinct, Jeongguk wrapped his legs around Taehyung while he carried him to the bedroom and threw him on the bed then hovered on top of him.
❈❈
Jeongguk grinned. “Kiss me.”
Taehyung smiled and pressed his lips to the side of Jeongguk’s neck. “I’m so glad I met you. I don’t regret anything that led me here, right now, to this moment. Holding you in my arms.”
Jeongguk’s breath hitched and Taehyung feared that he might have said something wrong. Instead, Jeongguk circled his arms around Taehyung’s neck. “I don’t regret anything that led me here. Not one bit. This is all worth everything I went through.”
In that moment, Taehyung wanted nothing more than to kiss Jeongguk, so he did. He kissed Jeongguk like his life depended on it and Jeongguk moaned softly, barely more than whisper.
Taehyung nipped at his bottom lip and Jeongguk slid his hand from his neck and let it rest on Taehyung’s cheekbone. He stroked Taehyung’s cheekbone and their eyes met in the dimly lit room and Jeongguk placed a soft kiss on Taehyung’s cheek, and then his nose and finally his lips.
“Taehyung,” he breathed, when the kiss was broken and Taehyung moved from his lips to the side of his neck again.
“I love you,” Taehyung murmured. He kissed the corner of his lips again.
“I want you,” Jeongguk whispered, his insides burning with desire.
“Oh, is that so?” Taehyung teased, pleasantly surprised.
Taehyung nuzzled against Jeongguk’s jaw, pressing kisses from his ear to his lips. “And how do you want me? Do you want me to buy you something?” He teased again. “Or do you want me to take you to dinner?” He pecks Jeongguk’s lips. “Maybe you’d like me to cuddle you to sleep right now,” he chuckled.
Jeongguk was not in the mood to play. He slid his hand between them and placed it directly on Taehyung’s growing erection. “No more teasing, Taehyung. I want you so bad.” He pressed on the erection and felt Taehyung groan. “I want you inside of me,” Jeongguk whispered into Taehyung’s ear and felt his co*ck twitch in his hand.
“Can you do that for me?” Jeongguk asked while gently rubbing Taehyung’s co*ck, feeling it slowly harden.
Taehyung swallowed. “Are you sure?”
Jeongguk chuckled then switched their positions. He straddled Taehyung and gyrated his hips over Taehyung’s bulge. He moaned and continued moving his hips in circles until he felt Taehyung’s hands on his hips, guiding his movements.
Jeongguk looked down at Taehyung while he took his hand and guided it to his ass. “I want you in here.”
Taehyung’s eyes widened slightly but followed his instincts as he kneaded Jeongguk’s ass and slightly squeezed it.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Taehyung qiuckly sat up and caught Jeongguk’s lips in a searing kiss. He moved his hands up and down Jeongguk’s back caresing him while kissing. They broke the kiss and Taehyung tugged at Jeongguk’s shirt up and off. He curled his hands around Jeongguk’s neck and kissed him again.
Jeongguk moaned and shivered as Taehyung slid his hands over his nipples. “ Please.”
“What do you want me to do, Jeongguk?”
“ Please just do whatever you want but keep touching me as much as possible.” Jeongguk looked into Taehyung’s eyes, “I just need you to keep touching me,” he said.
“Okay,” Taehyung whispered, kissing him again. “It’s okay. Let me take care of you.” He smiled then pressed a kiss on Jeongguk’s jaw.
Jeongguk let his mind go blank, and it felt so good to finally let go. He let go of all the stress and doubts. He breathed a sigh of relief, afterall, the pain he felt for so long was finally gone. With every touch from Taehyung, he felt his worries melt away.
Taehyung removed all their clothes eventually, and though it was nothing new anymore, it was definitely different. His body was burning with the need to touch Jeongguk and fuse into one entity. He just wanted to be close to Jeongguk and not let go.
Taehyung took his time, savouring the moment. He nipped, kissed and licked every inch and crevice of Jeongguk’s body. He then put Jeongguk on the bed and kissed him from collar bone to his torso. And when he finally made it to Jeongguk’s crotch, he saw his co*ck twitich in anticipation but Taehyung caressed and kissed every part of his body except his co*ck.
“Touch me, please,” Jeongguk closed his eyes and begged.
“God, you are so beautiful like this, Jeongguk,” Taehyung said, voice hoarse with desire. “So pliant and eager for me.”
Jeongguk canted his hips, unable to withhold his arousal anymore.
“I need you, please. Just do something.”
Taehyung’s hands slid up and down Jeongguk’s thighs a few times and on instinct, Jeongguk spread his legs a little further.
“My perfect baby,” Taehyung cooed then proceeded to lick a stripe from the base of Jeongguk’s co*ck to the tip then took him in his hand, gave him a squeeze then let him go.
He lets his mouth fall open and licks Jeongguk’s co*ck from base to tip again. He then puts his lips around the tip and hums in satisfaction.
Jeongguk sucked in a deep breath and let out a lewd moan. “ Taehyung.” His hips jerked without his permission, his body burning with want. The moan Jeongguk let out was something Taehyung wanted to commit to memory forever.
He dragged his teeth down the column of Jeongguk’s throat and sucked a hickey into place, grunting as he watched the marks he left. He sucked a hickey, and then a new one over the top and more under.
“Mhmmm… This is what I’ve dreamed of… you’re what I’ve dreamed of,” Taehyung mumbled, nipping and biting down Jeongguk’s chest, delighted at how responsive Jeongguk is.
Jeongguk moaned when Taehyung leaned down to suck a nipple into his mouth. Taehyung worked on the nubs until they were erect then continues to explore Jeongguk’s torso. He leaves marks behind like a work of art and only moves ahead after he is satisfied with how Jeongguk’s body is covered in reds and purples.
Taehyung palms Jeongguk’s inner thighs and spreads him open wider. He props Jeongguk’s calves on his shoulders and kisses him from his ankles all the way to his thighs. Jeongguk bites his lip in anticipation, expecting Taehyung’s fingers to probe his hole but the next thing he feels is Taehyung’s tongue. The realisation hits him like a truck.
“Oh my god, Taehyung,” Jeongguk babbles incoherently. “f*ck! ”
Taehyung pulls away and looks at Jeongguk. He smirks when he sees Jeongguk clutching the sheets beneath him.
“Why the f*ck did you stop?” Jeongguk asks, aggitated. “Get back to it.”
“You’re supposed to be begging not demanding.” Taehyung smacks him hard on his ass. Jeongguk whimpers again and Taehyung grins. f*ck. “You sound heavenly.” Taehyung gives him another smack on his ass for good measure. Jeongguk lolls his head back and groans.
Taehyung knows he’s doing a good job judging by the gasps, harsh breathing and involuntary whimpers and moans leaving Jeongguk’s mouth. He reached for Jeongguk’s co*ck and started stroking him at the same pace his tongue was ravaging his hole.
“If you don’t stop I’m going to cum right now,” Jeongguk screamed and covered his flushed face with his arm.
Taehyung couldn’t stop even if he wanted to but then he remembered it’s their first time being together like this and he didn’t want Jeongguk to cum too quickly, he wanted to make sure Jeongguk enjoyed it and it took conscious effort to pull away from him. He put his legs down and hovered over Jeongguk again.
“You’re so perfect,” Taehyung whispered then placed a chaste kiss on the side of Jeongguk’s lips.
“f*ck! f*ck,” Jeongguk groaned as he felt Taehyung grind their co*cks together. He whined at how good the feeling was. Taehyung slid his co*ck against Jeongguk’s and ran his nails up and down his shoulders.
Taehyung chuckled and caught him in a deep kiss but hissed when he felt Jeongguk’s palm circle his hard co*ck.
“Need some help with that?” Jeongguk asked with a devilish grin.
He didn’t wait for an answer. He slowly climbed off the bed and helped Taehyung stand up then he worked his way down Taehyung’s torso. He stops and licks his nipples, pecks every part of Taehyung’s torso he can reach. Kneeling on the bedroom floor, Jeongguk looked up and locked eyes with Taehyung as he opened wide and took the co*ck into his mouth. Some pre-cum oozed out on first contact and Jeongguk pulled Taehyung’s co*ck out and licked at the slit, wanting to taste all of Tahyung. Jeongguk licked from the bottom of Taehyung’s shaft to the top before taking him in his mouth again.
Taehyung let out a quiet moan then reached out and held on to Jeongguk’s head while trying not to thrust his hips forward. Jeongguk’s hand slowly stroked the base of Taehyung’s co*ck and his tongue was constantly massaging the head. He took his time pleasing Taehyung, gently bobbing up and down his shaft, feeling the co*ck glide against his tongue with ease.
Overwhelmed by how good he feels, Taehyung held the back of Jeongguk’s head and forced his co*ck deeper down his throat. Jeongguk gagged at the sudden force but held steady. He wanted to show Taehyung he could take it all. Jeongguk pulled off Taehyung’s co*ck and then swallowed him again all the way to the base. Taehyung moaned again and felt like he was going to cum. That was his sign to tell Jeongguk to stop.
Taehyung walked over to his bedside table and dug through the drawer. He pulled out a bottle of lube which looked brand new. He asks Jeongguk to get on the bed with his ass up and Jeongguk complies. Taehyung slides his hands up and down the back of Jeongguk’s thighs then places a kiss on the base of his spine. He cups Jeongguk’s ass in his palms and massages it a little before pulling them apart and licking a stripe from his perineum all the way to his hole again.
He begins to tease Jeongguk to open him up. Taehyung pours some lube on to his fingers then warms it up and adds his index finger into Jeongguk’s rim and pushes it in knuckle deep. He pumps the finger in and out while still working his tongue into Jeongguk. Taehyung fingered him, gradually adding a second finger and scissoring his walls, purposely ignoring his prostate. He fingered Jeongguk for a while until he finally added a third finger into Jeongguk.
“Fuck,” Jeongguk mewls. He tries to push back and f*ck himself on Taehyung’s fingers but Taehyung gripped his hips, holding him in place. Jeongguk grabs his co*ck which was hanging hot and heavy between his legs and tries to get some friction but Taehyung swats his wrist away.
When Taehyung withdrew his fingers, Jeongguk shuddered at the loss. He looked over his shoulder to complain but sees Taehyung pouring a generous amount of lube on to his palm and stroking his co*ck to apply it. He whined at the sight, begging for Taehyung to be inside him soon.
“Taehyung just get in me already.” He snaps.
“Patience is a virtue darling,” Taehyung purred as he continued to stroke his co*ck.
“I want your co*ck in me, Taehyung. I want it so bad. Give it to me,” Jeongguk murmurs and spreads his legs further, putting his rim on show for Taehyung.
Taehyung spreads Jeongguk’s ass apart and places his co*ck in between then thrusts back and forth to spread the lube on his co*ck and Jeongguk. Jeongguk was so tight it took several tries for Taehyung to enter him. Jeongguk arches his back and moans as Taehyung slowly pressed in.
“I’m going to cum. You feel so f*cking good,”
At first, it was just a nice, good stretch but once his body opened up under the pressure, Jeongguk’s mouth fell open with no sound. Taehyung moved his hands to Jeongguk’s sides and held on to him as he slowly bottomed out, his pelvis coming into contact with Jeongguk’s ass.
Taehyung threw his head back, groaning at how tight Jeongguk felt around him. He felt like electricity was coursing through him every time he touched Jeongguk. Taehyung groaned and tried to hold still to let Jeongguk get used to the burn and the stretch.
“You feel so good Taehyung,” Jeongguk said and let out small bursts of air as he started grinding back against Taehyung.
At the first thrust, Jeongguk knew Taehyung was good. He was sure Taehyung knew what he was doing because with every touch and every thrust, he was filled with pleasure. His thrusts started off slow and deep, almost pulling all the way out and entering him again. It was overwhelming how great Taehyung felt inside him.
The kisses on his shoulder blades and along his spine, Taehyung’s co*ck deep inside of him, hands roaming up and down his sides. There was no place of body Taehyung left untouched.
Jeongguk felt his co*ck hanging between his legs, painfully aching as he feels a bead of precum ooze out. He gripped the sheets harder as he slowly rubbed his co*ck against the bed. He looked back and saw a look of pure satisfaction on Taehyung’s face. Knowing how good he’s also making Taehyung feel made his pulse race.
Taehyung made him feel so loved Jeongguk thought he was about to cry. He started pushing back onto Taehyung, only to whimper in protest when Taehyung pulled out of him. Before he could say anything, Taehyung spun him around and had him laying on his back then pushed his co*ck back into Jeongguk in one swift motion. Jeongguk moaned with glee as Taehyung’s co*ck hit his prostate at a perfect angle.
“I want to see your face when you cum.” Tehyung lifted Jeongguk’s hands and interlaced their fingers above his head.
“Right there,” Jeongguk moaned and shut his eyes tight as Taehyung thrust into him harder. “I’m going to c-... cum.” He felt a sudden heat churn in the pit of his stomach as Taehyung kept f*cking into thim.
“f*ck, Jeongguk. You feel so f*cking good clenching around me like this.”
He switched their positions once more, pulling Jeongguk onto his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed. Jeongguk found himself sitting on Taehyung’s lap, knees splayed wide as Taehyung f*cked up into him. Taehyung bit, kissed, licked and sucked on his throat and his chest. He peppered small kisses from his ear to his jawline while showering him with praises before capturing Jeongguk’s lips in a hot kiss.
Jeongguk circled his arms around Taehyung’s neck and tried to stay upright but Taehyung was in him too deep. He leaned his forehead on Taehyung’s shoulder and tried to steady his breathing as he felt his org*sm build up again.
“I’m so close, Jeongguk. You’re doing so well, sweetheart.”
“Harder, Taehyung. f*ck me harder,” Jeongguk said, voice hoarse.
Taehyung reached in between them and took Jeongguk’s co*ck in his hand. Their eyes locked as he started stroking Jeongguk’s co*ck in rhythm with his thrusts.
“You’re so f*cking perfect,” he complimented Jeongguk and nipped at his collarbone.
“Taehyung,” Jeongguk moaned. “Faster, I need you to go faster.”
Taehyung grunted and started f*cking up into Jeongguk at a brutal pace, hitting his prostate with every thrust. Jeongguk’s moans got lourder and Taehyung knew he was close.
Jeongguk grabbed onto Taehyung’s shoulders and clenched around his co*ck as his org*sm flushed through him. “Yes, yes, yes,” he moaned, his body tensed up as Taehyung kept working on his shaft. He shot thick cum through his flushed co*ck and it landed on his chest, some on his stomach and the rest of it on Taehyung’s hand.
Taehyung gripped onto Jeongguk’s co*ck harder and pumped again. Jeongguk whimpered and shut his eyes then suddenly released more cum that filled Taehyung’s palm. When he opened his eyes, he saw Taehyung bring his cum coated fingers to his hand and lick them clean.
“Mhhmmm, you taste so good,” he whispered.
Jeongguk instantly put his lips on Taehyung and kissed him then started bouncing up and down on Taehyung’s co*ck. He let out small cries when Taehyung hit his over sensitive prostate but kept going. He felt Taehuyng f*ck up into him again, but this time the thrusts were sloppy. Jeongguk bounced up and down faster, constantly clenching his ass to make himself feel tighter so he could bring Taehyung over the edge.
“I’m so close baby, keep going, right there.” Taehuyng placed his hands on Jeongguk’s hips and gripped hard until his knuckles turned white.
Jeongguk rode him faster ignoring the jabbing pain on his prostate. The moment he felt Taehyung’s co*ck twitching inside him, he dropped down on his co*ck and took his whole length then clenched hard until he felt Taehyung’s cum fill him.
“ f*ck!” Taehyung moaned and shut his eyes tight while he gripped Jeongguk’s hips again.
Jeongguk gyrated his hips for a while until he felt Taehyung’s co*ck start to soften. With the semi hard co*ck still inside him, he collapsed on Taehyung’s chest while still seated on his waist and planted soft kisses on his jawline.
“I loved every bit of this.” Jeongguk planted another kiss on the side of Taehyung’s lips. “I love you,” he confessed, cheeks turning a crimson shade.
“I love you, Jeongguk,” Taehyung replied and stroked the strands of hair matted on Jeongguk’s forehead from the sweat. He moves Jeongguk and puts him in bed next to him and Jeongguk winces at the emptiness.
They stayed in silence for a while trying to calm down from their high. Ater a few minutes, Jeongguk finally broke the silence.
“So… what does this mean for us?” He asked.
“It means that you and I are actuallyboyfriends now. No arrangement between us.” Taehyung giggled and pulled him in closer.
“One one condition.” Jeongguk sat up and looked at Taehyung. “No more putting money into my account. I will cover my own rent and no more paying for things unless I ask you to.”
“That’s more than one condition.” Taehyung snickered.
“Yeah?” Jeongguk raised an eyebrow. “Well, here’s another one. You always have to tell me you love me first thing in the morning.”
“I can live with that.” Taehyung smiled and kissed Jeongguk. “I also have a condition. You move in with me and I also get to keep showering you with gifts. Do we have a deal?”
“That is two conditions but okay, we have a deal.” Jeongguk chuckled and pulled Taehyung into a hug.
They stayed in each others embrace untli they fell asleep. When Taehyung woke up, it was nearly 3am. He wakes Jeongguk up by gently stroking his cheek and suggests they take a shower.
❈❈
They stepped under the water together, the droplets washing away the remnants of their intense night. Taehyung reached for the shampoo, lathering it in his hands before gently massaging it into Jeongguk’s hair. He softly worked the shampoo into Jeongguk’s hair and Jeongguk closed his eyes, leaning into Taehyung’s touch, feeling all the love and care in each movement. Rinsing out the shampoo, Taehyung grabbed the body wash next. He poured a generous amount into his hands until it foamed.
He started at Jeongguk’s shoudlers, his hands gliding smoothly over his skin. As Taehyung’s hands moved lower, Jeongguk shivered slightly at the sensation and Taehyung noticed Jeongguk’s semi hard co*ck. He smirked at the sight and took him in his hand. He storked Jeongguk until full hardness. He was about to get on his knees but Jeongguk held him by the shoulders and pulled him up into a heated kiss. Jeongguk reached for the shampoo and body wash and mirrored Taehyung’s actions.
He reached for Taehyung’s hard co*ck and started stroking him to get him off but Taehyung pushes him until his back is on the wall. Then he removes Jeongguk’s hand and lines his co*ck up with Jeongguk then wraps his hand around them both.
Jeongguk groans, loud, but Taehyung cuts him off with a kiss. Jeongguk puts his hand on Taehyung’s shoulder for support as he feels his knees buckle with pleasure. Taehyung moves in closer and uses his other hand to palm Jeongguk’s ass and squeeze it. He squeezes a little and Jeongguk loves it so he moans into Taehyung’s mouth. He starts bucking his hips and f*cking up into his hand, sliding his aching co*ck over Jeongguk’s equally hard co*ck.
Taehyung squeezes his hand tighter and Jeongguk feels like he is going to cum. He is. But when he was just about to say something, Taehyung pulls his lips off Jeongguk and places his lips on Jeongguk’s neck. He bites and sucks over the mark and then bites another spot. Jeongguk throws his head back in pleasure and feels his entire body burning. He knows he’s about to cum.
Taehyung’s motions start to slow and his hips stutter. He f*cks up into his hand one more time and slide his co*ck over Jeongguks and then he growls. Jeongguk loves the sound so he pushes himself flush against Taehyung and squeezes them together. Taehyung org*sms first and spills his cum over their co*cks. Jeongguk feels like he’s about to lose composure. He bucks his hips up and down until he feels his org*sm build. Within just a few seconds, he feels his cum spurt. He looks down as his whole body shakes and realises it was a bad move. The sight of his cum mixing with Taehyung’s sent shivers down his spine as he feels more cum spill from his co*ck. Taehyung carried on stroking their co*cks in slow motions until they started softening.
Jeongguk seals Taehyung’s lips in a slow, passionate kiss that left his insides melting.
❈❈
When they finally stepped out of the water, Taehyung helped Jeongguk dry his hair and Jeongguk reciprocated. They got into their pyjamas and changed the bedsheets.
They slipped into bed and Taehyung pulled Jeongguk into his arms, their legs entangling naturally. He began to stroke Jeongguk’s back with soothing motions, his fingers tracing lazy circles on his skin.
“I missed this,” Taehyung murmured against Jeongguk’s temple. “I missed you.”
Jeongguk sighed, content. “I missed you too.” He nestled closer, his body melting into Taehyung’s embrace as the soothing circles on his back lulled him to sleep.
Taehyung watched him for a while, admiring Jeongguk's peaceful face. He tightened his hold, a soft smile playing on his lips.
This is is where they belonged, together, in each other’s arms.
❈❈
The following morning, Taehyung woke up early as usual. He gazed at Jeongguk's face again and he smiled.
Saturday - Taehyung hated Saturdays with a passion. Days filled with loneliness and boredom. But now, Saturdays were no longer filled with the dread they once did. Ever since Jeongguk walked into his life, Saturdays changed.
Maybe Saturday is now Taehyung’s favourite day of the week.
It was on a Saturday that they first met, sparking a connection that they both didn’t notice at first. It was on a Saturday that Taehyung’s heart fluttered with the realisation that he was falling in love with Jeongguk. It was on a Saturday that Taehyung found the courage to confess his love. And, it is now a Saturday and he has woken up with Jeongguk sleeping soundly in his arms after a night full of intimate moments. With a smile on his face, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on Jeongguk’s forehead.
Jeongguk stirred slightly, his eyes fluttering open. He smiled and Taehyung could swear he felt his heart skip a beat.
“Morning,” Jeongguk whispered, his voice husky from sleep.
“Good morning,” Taehyung replied with a smile on his face. “I love you.”
Jeongguk’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “I love you too,” he replied and leaned in to kiss Taehyung.
