Pairing: Jungkook x Reader, Taehyung x Reader
Genre: Angst, Humour, Toxic attachment, Emotional Immaturity, Y/N's toxic for once.
Summary: Jungkook is devastated after discovering that his relationship with you was built on lies.
After a breakup with his longtime girlfriend Hana, Jungkook falls into the arms of the one person who always seemed to understand him: you. Loyal, brilliant, dangerously devotedâyou become his comfort in the aftermath of heartbreak. But six months later, the truth surfaces, and everything he believed about love collapses.
Because Hana never cheated.
His best friend Taehyung found that the evidence was fake.
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01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 Last one! :')
Lying in Taehyung's bed after the absolute disaster that was yesterday feels surreal.
His sheets carry the faint scent of his favourite cologne mixed with fresh laundry, and for the first time in what feels like forever, you feel a warm sense of safey. The kind of comfort you'd always imagined Saturday mornings were supposed to hold, which is soft, unhurried, and entirely yours.
When you open your eyes, the first thing you notice is the absence of something.
You can't remember the last time you woke up without a heavy feeling sitting on your chest, like your first conscious thought wasn't immediately followed by every bad decision you've ever made lining up for inspection.
For a few blissful seconds, there's nothing, then Taehyung shifts behind you, you feel his arm tighten around your waist as he attempts to pull you closer, only to immediately fidget and readjust because apparently every inch of his body hurts after last night. Your back brushes against his chest before he winces, adjusts, and tries again.
You let out an irritated little tut.Â
He ignores you, so you try to shuffle away and he pulls you back.
The complaints immediately leave his mouth, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. "Why do you keep trying to cuddle me if your entire body hurts?"
His eyes remain closed, a lazy grin stretches across his face, and you have the horrible suspicion he's decided your early morning sass is his favourite version of you. You sit up and look down at him, the pillow having left little creases along your cheek.
âIâm being serious.â You say as you run your fingers through his hair. He snakes a hand up your thigh and rests it on the curve of your hip.
âHearing you and Jungkook fight last night was probably the worst thing I had to sit through, worse than dealing with my brother.â You say softly this time, more sincere.
His eye flutter open and his gaze settles on you.
âIâm sorry.â He mumbles, feeling guilty for how things escalated. He talked it through with Jungkook before he left, and he can understand why he got angry, but nothing that night happened the way anyone thought it would, tensions were thick in the air.
Your shoulders slump and you let out a soft sigh. âGood, stay sorry.â You mumble softly.
His laugh rumbles through the mattress, the sound is so deep and warm that it immediately annoys you for being affected by it. He takes your hand and presses small, absent-minded kisses against your inner wrist.
âI also canât believe you told him about my brother.â You add.
Taehyung groans and covers his eyes with your hand. âIâm sorry. I shouldnât have.â
You pause to reflect on it properly. Hana had sought you out because she'd overheard enough of the conversation to know you weren't okay. They now know there are parts of your home life you'd spent years hiding from everyone around you, but Taehyung hadn't told them everything. He'd never mentioned the addiction and stopped short of exposing the pieces of the story that weren't his to tell.
âI actually donât think Iâm all that mad.â You confess
âNo?â Taehyung takes your hand off his eyes and blinks up at you in confusion.
âNoâŚâ you pause as you try to think what youâre feeling.
"The angriest I felt was when you kept insisting on taking me home, I spent most of my life hiding that part of me. Then you showed up and within a very short frame of time everything exploded."
The memory still feels strange.
"I swear the entire thing felt like psychosis, but afterwards..." You trail off. "After you brought me back here and Hana sat with me, she apologised."
"She said she felt guilty for not knowing about my brother, and then I admitted I was glad she stood up to me when I was being awful to her all these years."
Taehyung can't help but smile at that, not because the situation was easy, but because it wasn't. You'd both had every reason to stay angry. Yet somehow, you'd found yourselves sitting together, apologising for the things you regretted instead of adding to the hurt. He knows how difficult it was for you to admit where you'd gone wrong, and he knows how much kindness it took for Hana to respond with understanding instead of resentment. For the first time in years, it feels like both of you are moving forward instead of standing in the wreckage of the past.
You shake your head slightly, the room falls quiet and you look down at your hands.
"After everyone left and we went to bed, I still had this weird feeling."
"Like everything was exposed."
Taehyung thinks for a second, then, predictably, he says out loud: "More exposed than when you flashed my mother and that dry cleaner?â
You pause mid-thought, biting back a laugh as the memory hits. Instinctively, you reach over to pinch him before remembering he's currently held together by bruises and stupidness. Of course he can't let a single heartfelt conversation survive without slipping in one of his ridiculous comments.
"You're so annoying I could strangle you until your eyes pop out."
The threat loses all credibility the second it leaves your mouth, mostly because you're smiling far too hard to be convincing. Taehyung mirrors it instantly, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
âCharming. So, as you were saying, you felt nakedââ
"âExposed." You point at him, biting back a laugh. "One more comment and I'm leaving."
"Okay, I'm sorry. Please continue." He gives your hand another light kiss.
"What Iâm trying to say is, this could be what people mean when they say they've been completely exposed. Not physically, but emotionally. Every secret, every shame, every part of yourself you've spent years trying to hide suddenly out in the open, and weirdly enough, I woke up this morning feeling different."
âYeah? Good way or bad?â
"A good way. I woke up this morning and I wasn't immediately cringing at every terrible choice I've made since birth. My chest doesn't feel heavy. My shoulders arenât up around my ears. I just felt⌠lighter, like if everyone knows the truth, I don't have to spend so much energy carrying it around anymore. It also feels like I don't care who knows going forward. It's strange. Part of me wants everyone to know that my brother is struggling with addiction. That I grew up in an orphanage. That both my parentsâ"
The words catch somewhere in your throat. Even now, the ache of missing people you never got the chance to know is something you're still learning how to live with.
"What I'm trying to say is..."
You trail off, losing grasp of the thought as quickly as you'd found it. Taehyung studies you for a moment before quietly stepping in.
"âthat maybe once the truth is out in the open, the people who stay are the people who truly care about you?" he says, completing the thought so naturally it feels as though he'd been walking beside it the entire time.
Your expression softens, because somehow he's taken the tangled mess of feelings in your head and translated them perfectly.
âYes. Thatâs exactly right.â
âAnd have you?â He says with a proud smile.
âYes. Iâm looking at one right now.â You say as you poke his nose.
He smiles, genuine and wholesome.
"Good. Well, I'm glad it's me now and not Kook. No offence to him, but I was always the better option." He says it with confidence thatâs met with the shake of your head and a smile that only seems to encourage him.
"Yes, you are better. Jungkook's old news. No offence to him."
After a brief pause, you blink at him through sleepy lashes. A quiet look passes between you, soft and lingering, the kind that says more than words ever could. His thumb brushes lazily across your palm, and you find yourself smiling at how natural it feels now to be held by him.
"Yeah, well, this is all very heartfelt but I'm actually really thirsty." The declaration is so matter-of-fact from you that it earns a quiet chuckle from him. Taehyung pushes himself upright, wincing slightly before settling beside you in the same position.
Heâs a little bummed the heartfelt conversation is already over, on the tip of his tongue was dancing the thought of telling you how much he loves you, adores you for how far youâve come, and respects you for possessing a kind of resilience he only wishes he could have.
He feels it. He definitely feels it.
But after the messy, chaotic trajectory of your relationshipâfrom something purely physical, to a secret situationship neither of you knew how to name, to you moving in with him far sooner than either of you had plannedâTaehyung has decided he doesnât want to rush the words.
He wants to tell you properly. Somewhere that feels worthy of it. Maybe over a rooftop dinner, with the city glowing beneath you and your hand resting in his across the table. Maybe on your first holiday together, when youâre sun-warmed, laughing at something stupid, and the world feels far enough away for him to finally say it without anything interrupting.
Wherever it happens, he wants it to be special. Something youâll remember. Something that doesnât feel like it was squeezed out between all the chaos youâve already survived together.
So for now, he keeps the words tucked safely behind his teeth.
"You won't go into the kitchen?" He asks instead, curious as to why you're sitting here dehydrating, because he'll happily go get a drink for you, but he's also curious.
You immediately shake your head.
He stretches the word out shamelessly, sounding far too amused by your suffering. You narrow your eyes at him, both of you know exactly why.
The smell of fresh coffee has been drifting under the bedroom door for the last hour, every so often you can hear cupboards opening, dishes clinking together, and the quiet sounds of someone moving comfortably around the kitchen.
His mother has been awake since dawn, which means somewhere beyond this bedroom door is the woman whose first impression of you involved a trench coat, lingerie, and a level of confidence that rapidly evaporated the second she opened the door.
You huff. âBecause I donât know what to say to your mother, I'm not emotionally prepared for a sequel.â
He chuckles softly and rests his forehead on your shoulder. âEasy. You say⌠âGood Morning Mrs Kim.ââ
âAtleast come with me.â You say, and he places a gentle kiss on your shoulder.
You drag out your bathroom routine as long as possible.
You brush your teeth far more thoroughly than necessary. You wash your face twice. You spend several minutes staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror contemplating whether moving countries would be easier than facing his mother over breakfast.
A quick kiss becomes several. An encouraging little, 'You can do this,' somehow turns into you hiding your face in his shoulder while he laughs softly into your hair. Every time you make a move toward the bedroom door, you somehow find another reason to stop.
Anything to delay the inevitable.
Eventually, after entirely too much stalling, an unreasonable amount of reassurance, and enough lip-smacking, Taehyung finally manages to coax you out of the safety of his bedroom with a light pat on your bum.
As you trail behind Taehyung through the apartment, the kitchen slowly comes into view. His mother is already there, moving around with the quiet efficiency of someone who's been awake for hours. She's dressed in pyjamas beneath a long dressing gown, a single hair roller clipped neatly into her fringe as she prepares breakfast.
The sight is almost disarming.
She looks so unmistakably motherly standing there in the morning light, coffee brewing, whisking away at her eggs, and yet, despite the domesticity of it all, there's still something about her that commands respect. An effortless authority. The kind of woman who could offer you a second helping of breakfast and make you question every life decision you've ever made with a single look.
She's warm, but she's also exactly the sort of woman you'd be terrified of giving the wrong opinion to.
"Morning, beautiful," Taehyung greets, all easy charm as he presses a quick kiss to the back of his mother's head.
She hums in acknowledgment.
The response comes from behind the rim of her glasses, her lips twitching with amusement as she watches him weave around the kitchen and make a beeline for the fridge.
You clear your throat softly and hover nearby, suddenly unsure what to do with your hands, your feet, or yourself in general.
"Good morning," you offer.
It's quieter than you'd hoped, but at least the silence is broken.
Once the greeting is out in the open, you immediately retreat to the end of the table, lowering yourself into a chair with all the urgency of someone whose legs have decided they no longer wish to participate in this interaction.
You didn't think you had it in you to be this shy.
You've met boyfriends' mothers before and never thought twice about it. Usually you'd be witty, confident, perfectly capable of holding a conversation without feeling like your heart was trying to escape through your throat.
This time, though, it's different. Yes, yesterday's catastrophic first impression certainly isn't helping matters, but beneath the embarrassment is something else. The thought that this is Taehyung's mother, and somewhere along the way, her opinion started mattering to you far more than you'd like to admit.
There's a brief pause as she stops chopping the green onions for the gyeran mari she's making. Slowly, she looks up at you over the rim of her glasses with the same sharp expression a teacher gives the student she's already decided is responsible for the chaos.
Then she really looks at you, sat all the way at the end of the table, furthest from everyone else, shoulders tucked in slightly as if you're trying to make yourself smaller, like a startled little baby bird that accidentally flew into the wrong house. A complete contrast to the fiery, sharp-tongued diva she'd spent six years hearing stories about from her son.
You're alarmingly well-behaved.
A soft chuckle leaves her. Warm. Fond, even, and somehow still terrifying enough to make you consider fleeing back to the safety of Taehyung's bedroom out of pure embarrassment.
You immediately look at Taehyung in alarm, silently trying to figure out why his mother is laughing at you.
Your very first proper 'Good Morning' had just been met with amusement. Which, in your opinion, feels less than encouraging.
Taehyung only shrugs in response, a mouthful of coffee preventing him from being remotely helpful. But the way the apples of his cheeks lift gives him away immediately. He's smiling too.
"Good morning, dear," she says.
Relief washes over you so quickly your shoulders almost sag.
You remain sitting perfectly upright, suddenly determined to become the most polite and least problematic version of yourself imaginable.
Mrs. Kim sets the very delicious-looking omelette in the centre of the table, and Taehyung instinctively moves to help her finish setting everything out. The whole thing looks so natural between them, so practiced, like they've repeated this exact morning routine hundreds of times before.
You stay perfectly still in your seat, wanting to help but suddenly becoming painfully aware that you have absolutely no idea what you're supposed to be doing. Every time you think about getting up, Taehyung has already handed her another plate or his mother has already moved onto the next thing. By the time you finally convince yourself to stand and offer assistance, the table is already fully set.
Mrs. Kim smiles at you again, softer this time.
"No," you answer immediately.
Her eyebrow twitches slightly with amusement. "Good. I love cooking, and one thing that genuinely upsets me is when people won't at least try what I've made for themâ"
"I'll eat anything," you cut in quickly.
The eagerness in your voice surprises even you. Mrs. Kim bites back a smile. It's oddly endearing watching you trying this hard to be liked. Truthfully, she doesn't particularly care whether someone touches every dish she makes or not. The comment had less to do with food and more to do with wanting to see how you'd respond.
She can practically feel the nerves radiating off you. Every answer is careful. You're trying so hard to be polite that it softens something inside her. Which is exactly why she's already decided that by the time breakfast is over, you're going to feel comfortable in this kitchen if it kills her.
Mrs. Kim decides to leave you alone for the moment. Instead, she turns her attention toward her son. A knowing smile tugs at her lips as she catches Taehyung reaching for another piece of gyeran mari.
Time to shift the pressure elsewhere, specifically, onto the child she spent twenty-six years creating. She looks at him with a kind of maternal amusement, deciding a little playful terror might be the perfect ice breaker.
"I've got about thirty different types of supplements to give you, seaweed, castor oil, fish oil⌠I've restocked your kimchi for the next month... I've also cleared out your fridge. You really need to check the due date on some of theâ"
Taehyung rolls his eyes on instinct, the response automatic. The second he sees the look his mother gives him, he immediately backtracks.
A sheepish smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you. Really. I know."
This time he says it properly, warmth replacing the petulance as he offers her a small, close-lipped smile.
She sighs softly, so he pipes up again.
"I swear, I spend most of my life trying to prove I'm a functioning adult," Taehyung complains, frowning down at his breakfast. "I clean. I do my laundry. I buy groceries. I look after myself."
He gestures vaguely with his chopsticks.
"And then you visit for five minutes and somehow manage to identify seventeen things I've been doing wrong."
Mrs. Kim looks entirely unbothered.
"Because there were seventeen things."
Taehyung lets out a wounded sigh and takes an unnecessarily large bite of his omelette, as though being dramatic might strengthen his argument.
You sit between them, blinking as your gaze shifts from Taehyung to his mother and back again. The two of them carry on so naturally that you almost feel like you're witnessing a well-rehearsed routine. Frankly, you're just trying to keep up.
"I'm sorry honey. Next time I won't bring you anything. Actually scratch that, I won't even show up next time."
Taehyung eyes roll to the back of his head like he knows that's never going to happen. He turns to see you biting back a laugh and he fights his own too.
"She's such a wind up." He muses.
"You're worse." You tease, and his mother freely laughs at that.
"He was worse when he was a kid. He'd run around the care home I work in, terrorising everyone."
That takes you by surprise.
"You work in a care home?" You say in intrigue.
"Yes. I've been working there for about twenty years now. Never left.â
âOhâŚâ you say, in silent confusion, because youâre sure Taehyung grew up with rich parents. The apartment he lives in is proof of that, and from what youâve heard where she lives with her partner is even bigger.
"I've watched so many people pass through those doors over the years," she says softly. "Coworkers, residents, families... some stayed a long time, some only briefly."
"The funny thing is, my job never changed all that much. It was always there. Consistent. Predictable." Her smile grows a little more wistful. "Meanwhile, the rest of my life seemed to exist in a permanent state of chaos. When Taehyung was ten, his father left us with more debt than I knew what to do with,â she says quietly. âWe moved around constantly after that, always chasing cheaper rent, always packing before weâd even had the chance to feel settled.â
Her fingers tighten slightly around her cup.
âIt got bad for a while. Worse than I ever wanted him to remember. There were nights we slept in the car because there was nowhere else to go. Once, we even spent the night at the care home.â
She turns to Taehyung then, her expression softening with something apologetic.
âDo you remember that?â
He only hums in agreement.
Youâre taken completely by surprise. For all the stories youâd built in your head about Taehyung, the pampered prince with the expensive apartment, the effortless taste, the maddening charm, you had never once imagined him experiencing hardship like that. Not real hardship. Not sleeping in cars. Not hiding in the corners of care homes because home had become something temporary and uncertain.
Mrs. Kim seems to notice the shift in your expression, but she only smiles faintly into her cup.
âWe got caught, of course,â she continues, a small laugh escaping her at the memory. âAnd I was so certain I was going to lose my job. They called a meeting and everything. The head owner of the care home came in too, so you can imagine how serious it felt at the time.â
She shakes her head, still amused by it now, though thereâs a heaviness beneath the humour.
âI remember sitting there thinking, this is it. Iâve ruined everything.â
âBut then...â She smiles softly at the memory. âWhen the meeting was over, the owner told me she wasn't going to fire me after all.â Her gaze drops briefly to the table.
âInstead, she told me I was keeping my job. I remember being so confused. I'd spent the entire meeting preparing for the worst. But apparently, when she'd spoken to everyone beforehand, not a single person had a bad word to say about me. Not the staff. Not the residents. Nobody.â
The smile on her face grows a little warmer. âIn fact, several of them told her they'd be genuinely upset if I left.â
âThatâs because you worked harder than anyone else and cared more than anyone else,â Taehyung says simply.
Mrs. Kim waves him off immediately.
âYes, well, that was my job, wasn't it?â
She says it as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. As though showing up for people, remembering their birthdays, staying late when someone needed help, and treating every resident with dignity wasn't anything particularly remarkable.
Taehyung just shakes his head.
âNo. Most people do their job. You made it your life.â
His mother rolls her eyes at the praise, but you catch the small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. The kind that says she appreciates hearing it, even if she'd never admit it.
âAnyways, I ended up staying,â she continues with a soft laugh. âAnd the owner of the care home helped us more than I could ever properly explain. She let us stay in one of her properties for incredibly cheap while I worked on paying off the debt and getting back on my feet.â
Her smile turns fond at the memory.
âWe became very close after that. Best friends for a good few years, and then,â she says with a chuckle, âapparently somewhere along the way, being best friends became something a little more serious.â
âBest decision you ever made.â Taehyung says immediately, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair with a smug smile.
âOnly because she spoils you rotten and dotes on you far more than she should.â His mother shakes her head, though there's far too much affection in the gesture for it to be genuine criticism. âHonestly, I have spent years trying to raise this child not to be so obsessed with money.â
âI think you need to splurge more, if I'm being entirely honest,â Taehyung counters.
Mrs. Kim gives him a look over the rim of her glasses. âNo, not at all.â
âI am perfectly happy as I am.â She says it with such certainty that it immediately kills any hope of winning the argument. âI spend money when I need to spend money. Beyond that, I don't see the point.â
Taehyung opens his mouth to protest. His mother continues before he gets the chance.
âI still have enough energy left in me to work, and as long as that's true, I'll keep working.â
The conviction in her voice is unwavering, not because she needs the money or has to, but because the work itself still means something to her.
Taehyung lets out another dramatic sigh, slumping further into his chair like a man carrying the unbearable burden of having financially responsible mother.
Youâve spent most of breakfast quietly listening, watching the two of them bounce back and forth so naturally that it almost feels rehearsed. The teasing. The bickering. The affection hidden beneath every complaint.
So, after sitting there absorbing the conversation for the past several minutes, you finally decide to speak up.
âThatâs actually really cool,â you say after clearing your throat, offering Mrs. Kim a small smile. âI like that you stayed there all those years,â you continue thoughtfully. âAnd that having money never really changed you.â
The words come out slowly, like youâre piecing something together in real time. For so long, youâd associated success with proving something. Bigger achievements. Better clothes. More recognition. More everything. Somewhere along the way, money had become tangled up with validation, like if you stopped chasing the next thing, people would stop seeing your worth altogether.
But sitting here now, listening to her speak so casually about stability, purpose, and simply being content with what she already has, something shifts quietly in your head.
âI think I could probably learn from that a little,â you admit with a soft laugh. âSpend less money on things I absolutely do not need.â
Taehyung raises an eyebrow at you.
âSo does that mean youâre spending less on clothes and shoes?â
Your lips form a flat line.
âNo. Iâm still doing that.â You say, not being able to let go of that yet. âIâll find something else to cut back my spending on.â You clear your throat.
Taehyung hums, and tries again.
âWhat about your nail appointments?â
âNo.â You say immediately.
He bites the inside of his cheek to hide a smile.
âWhat about your perfume collectionââ
You snap, possibly the politest rage heâs ever seen. Soft and playful but just enough bite for everyone to see youâre being wound up.
âDonât come for my perfume.â You warn.
Mrs. Kim can't help but laugh at that, not in a judgmental way. In an endeared way, because, really, isn't that most people?
Everyone likes the idea of self-improvement. The difficult part has always been the sacrifice required to get there, nd judging by the immediate way you'd defended your wardrobe, it seems you've found your limit.
She hides another smile behind her teacup.
The more this conversation continues, the more relieved she feels that she's never been the sort of person to form opinions based solely on someone else's stories.
Because if she'd relied entirely on six years' worth of Taehyung's complaints, she'd have expected someone completely different. Instead, she's finding herself sitting across from a young woman who is thoughtful, surprisingly self-aware, and trying far harder than she gives herself credit for.
A young woman who is clearly carrying the weight of her past while simultaneously trying to become better than it, and perhaps most importantly, someone who makes her son look happier than she's seen him in years.
Mrs. Kim studies you for a moment over the rim of her cup.
Because she gets the distinct feeling that there's still so much more to learn about you.
She's genuinely looking forward to it.
Youâve had to postpone the project you were working on for Katseye. You canât ever seem to schedule a meeting with all of them at once, not to mention theyâve already lost a member temporarily.
You try not to worry too much about it. Instead, you've started using the unexpected downtime to help everyone else.
The poor guy has looked like he's been one stressful meeting away from a nervous breakdown for the past month. Yoongi finally decided it was time for him to lead a project on his own, which would be exciting if Hanseo didn't look like he was carrying the weight of the entire company on his shoulders every time someone asked him a question.
You've noticed it more and more lately.
The way he stumbles over his words when presenting ideas. How he immediately assumes he's wrong whenever someone challenges a suggestion. The way he apologises for things that don't require an apology at all. His confidence seems to disappear the second he steps into a meeting room.
Which honestly confuses you, because from everything you've seen, Hanseo absolutely earned his place here.
You hover beside his desk, eyes scanning over the design mock-ups spread across his monitor for Le Sserafimâs upcoming album, ANTIFRAGILE.
He glances up at you and immediately tenses.
âTheyâre only drafts.â He defends himself quickly, like heâs got all of his guards up the minute he saw you walk by. Hands hovering to cover the printed mock ups.
âTheyâre good.â You counter, tilting your head as you look at the visuals. You can see Taehyung has rubbed off on him a little, itâs clear in how concise and detailed his visuals are.
One cover idea is a box with tape wrapped around it that reads âAntifragileâ instead of the original âfragileâ in bold red letters. Simple. Effective, but maybe playing it too safe.
Then theres another one, and this one is almost a little funny. Itâs depicting someone trying to smash a glass bottle against the edge of the table, but the texture of the glass is like rubber and bends in an abormal way.
Hanseo glances up at your reaction and sighs.
âI know what youâre thinking.â
âThat theyâre shit.â
You bite back a laugh at his choice words. Heâs really starting to settle in to the dynamic of this office alright.
He catches on to your expression and hides his own smile, like the stress has finally got to his head enough for him to let loose and find the humour in his own panicking.
âTheyâre not shit.â You swivel a chair over and sit next to him. Assessing the work.
âThese are interesting ideas. If I had to pick between the two, itâs definitely the one with tape, but something about it seems so⌠obvious? You know? Like the title already reads as âantifragileâ so the album art feels a little too bland when itâs depicting the word so clearly.â You explain, your tone is light despite yourself.
âToo obvious?â He says, a little confused on how to approach it without blatantly telling the viewer what to think.
âI think⌠you need to lean into something thatâs more realistic. We have fragile tape for a reason, because no matter how immensely we try to protect something, itâs bound to break if youâre not careful.â
Thereâs a pause as he thinks, because itâs true. We have fragile tape for a reason. But antifragile tape? You might as well post the box without any tape at all. Then he starts to realise how pointless it really is, but what else could he actually do?
âSo what youâre saying is I need to go against the album title and what the artists are trying to express?â He says, confused.
âNo. What Iâm saying is. Things break. Whether thatâs an object, or a persons feelings. RelationshipsâŚâ
âSo maybe we need to explore what happens when something has completely broken apart already. What happens to those pieces?â
Hanseo inhales a deep breath, and sits a little straighter to hide his growing stress. Despite this, heâs eager to do it right this time round. He forces a little nod, his lips forming a straight line like youâve given him an impossible task.
âJust think about it.â You say, with a encouraging smile.
He feels less tense now, enough to say: âYou know you should smile at me more.â
âOkay. Iâm leaving now.â You bite back a laugh.
âYou smell great too.â He throws in the final, cheeky comment that has you shaking your head as you walk away with a laugh.
Taehyung has definitely rubbed off on him.
A week later, Hanseo is setting up for the final pitch.
The conference room is already busy by the time you walk in, design boards lined neatly across the walls while the large presentation screen glows with the opening slide for Le Sserafim's Antifragile album concept.
To Hanseoâs simultaneous excitement and absolute terror, all five members are here in person to review the final draft. The atmosphere feels bigger because of it. Staff move around preparing drinks and adjusting seating while Hanseo stands near the projector trying very hard to look calm despite the fact his soul appears to be actively leaving his body.
You can tell heâs nervous from the way he keeps checking everything repeatedly. Then your attention shifts toward the back of the room.
His lecturer is here too.
Which immediately strikes you as strange, not inappropriate exactly, but unnecessary, but he's insisting they're doing this as part of his final project grading. From the subtle way Hanseoâs posture tightens the second he notices the man enter, you can already tell his presence isnât exactly comforting. Hanseo had mentioned him before in passing. Never outright insulting, but enough for you to pick up on the dynamic. Overbearing and always hovering.
The type of mentor who mistakes pressure for guidance.
You watch Hanseo subtly straighten his shoulders, trying to compose himself under the added scrutiny, and immediately make up his mind. No matter how intimidating this room feels today, nobody is dimming his confidence.
Not after how hard heâs worked for this.
Taehyung is sat across the room looking absurdly proud, itâs ridiculously older-brother coded, with two thumbs up as Hanseo sets up his presentation. You're sat next to Taehyung, stirring your green tea, and Hana is quietly talking with Yoongi.
Once everyone's attention is on him, he clicks to the first slide.
âLet me tell you about this little thing called Kintsugi,â Hanseo begins, a small glint of excitement breaking through his nerves now that heâs finally speaking about the work itself.
âTraditional kintsugi doesnât try to hide damage. Instead, the cracks become part of the objectâs story and are highlighted with gold lacquer. The object is considered more beautiful because it has survived being broken.â
He clicks to the next presentation page that shows a fractured, angular streaks of glowing golden seams.
âLike kintsugi pottery, it has clearly been broken, but the cracks are not portrayed as flaws, theyâre the most striking part of the image.â
âThe visual message is: We were tested, cracked, and challenged, but those experiences became the source of our strength, it has become part of our identity and made us stronger.â
For a moment, nobody says anything.
The silence stretches just long enough for everyone in the room to absorb what they've just seen, not only the visual itself, but the thought process behind it. It's one thing to create something that looks good, it's another to create something that means something.
Across the table, the members of Le Sserafim glance at one another, their expressions lighting up almost simultaneously.
You open your mouth to begin first, but his lecturer beats him to it.
You open your mouth first, ready to praise him before his confidence has the chance to evaporate. Unfortunately, someone beats you to it in the form of a sarcastic huff of laughter cuts through the room.
The atmosphere changes instantly.
Hanseo's lecturer leans back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, wearing the kind of expression that suggests he's about to say something he believes is incredibly intelligent. The kind of man who mistakes criticism for insight.
"Interesting concept," he says.
The compliment sounds less like praise and more like a setup, his eyes flick toward the presentation screen.
"But the cover itself is incredibly bland."
The room grows noticeably quieter. "You couldn't think of anything beyond a gold paint splatter on a white background?" He says, voice laced with an annoying kind of authority that makes him think heâs saying something entirely profound and everyone in the room is agreeing.
Hanseo falters, and everyone can see the look of disappointment that briefly lingers in his eyes. For a second, he was hoping his lecturer would finally have something nice to say.
âOh⌠well, I have other colours tooââ
ââthatâs not what Iâm asking. Changing the colour wonât do anything for something that looks like it was done in five minutes.â He crosses his arms and his neck scarf makes your head want to spiral at how outdated this man looks.
Taehyung, Hana, and even Yoongi turn to look at you, because theyâve known you long enough to know you.
Youâre not liking a second of this manâs words.
You slam your mug down, not enough for it to be outlandishly loud, but enough for everyoneâs attention to focus on you now.
Youâre quietly seething.
âI think we should let the idols decide for themselves. Shall we? After all, this is their album.â
âYes but darling, Iâm the one marking his final project.â
You grit your teeth, Taehyung swears he could hear it grind. This man has been giving you sleazy eyes since he walked into this office like he owns it, and now heâs trying to tell you how to run the place with unprofessional pet names? Last time you checked, it was you and Taehyung who got away with creating your own terms around here.
âOkay well, sweetheart, you can mark Hanseoâs work, thatâs completely fine with me, but right now youâre sat in our office, at our place of work, and right now? Itâs Le Sserafim who get to decide if they like it, and Yoongiâs final decision to sign it off.â You say, leaning back with your arms crossed.
Hana bites back a smile and Taehyung coughs into his hand to hide his amusement. Itâs good to know you havenât lost your bite, itâs just directed with every intention to protect the people you care around you now.
It was definitely needed at this moment, because, as well as criticism is, thereâs a time and place, and when this man is refusing to read the room, and may have a superiority complex going on and an incessant need to breath down his students neck right until the very second, a wake up call in the form of a fiery woman sassing him out is definitely needed.
The man falters, and you almost feel bad, but then he seals the deal with his arms crossed, painfully stubborn. âNothing I said was wrong.â
At that point you all decided not to give this man the time of day, because if heâs going to act like an ass and repeatedly refuse to acknowledge theyâre in the wrong? Might as well pretend theyâre not there.
Eunchae raises her hand with a smile.
âYes⌠Eunchae.â Hanseo says politely, his voice cracks a little as he tries to catch his bearings. Bless his heart.
âI love everything about it. The story behind it is so cool, I can tell you definitely spent longer than five minutes coming up with this.â She says with two thumbs up to cheer you on.
Hanseo immediately perks up, a smile of relief crossing his features as he says a small thanks and bows his head.
One by one the girls sing their praises and talk about how excited they are for this to be the final design, and when itâs yoongiâs turn to speak. He nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders.
âIâve come across a lot of designs, sat through a lot of presentations, but I have to sayâŚâ he pauses for dramatic effect.
It only makes Hanseo more nervous, his adams apple bobs in anticipation. You roll your eyes at Yoongiâs teasing.
â⌠That this is probably the easiest sign off Iâve ever had to do. The second you finished your presentation I was proud.â He says with a smile. âYouâve done well kid. Weâre glad we took you on.â
Later on that evening, you, Taehyung and Hana sit in the bar across the street from your studio. You havenât touched your drink yet because youâre caught up on how Hanseoâs moment was almost ruined by his lecturer.
âHonestlyâ did you see the way Hanseoâs face dropped? What possessed him to start tearing into his work like that like heâs a first year student?â You huff and sit back with your arms crossed.
Hana shoots a smile at Taehyung which he recieves, he looks back at you, mirroring that. âItâs okay, it all worked out didnât it?â
ââonly because I gave that man a very small piece of my mind. Iâm in my healing phase but I will bite back if I see something like that happen againââ
âGood to see thereâs some character development going on here.â Jungkook says as he walks behind and you and takes a seat next to Hana.
You falter a little, maybe because youâre still trying to navigate how to act around him. The last time you saw him he was throwing hands at your boyfriend, and maybe now that you're more level headed than before, you're definitely wondering what possessed you to cling to him so shamelessly at one point.
âHow's your precious nose, by the way?â you ask sweetly. âHave you and Taehyung made up yet, or do we need to form a circle, hold hands, and start issuing formal apologies?â
Jungkook immediately snorts.
âNo need to worry,â He says, shaking his head. âWe made up. We're playing golf tomorrow, aren't we?â
âWe sure are. Taehyung replies without hesitation.
The answer alone tells you everything you need to know. Not that long ago they were shoving each other around a living room and exchanging punches like two emotionally constipated idiots.
Now they're discussing golf.
âThatâs cute, but you also didnât tell me did you? So what am I supposed to do on a Saturday morning by myself?â Youâre definitely winding him up by acting like a clingy girlfriend but also, you are a little annoyed. Before Taehyung can defend himself, Hana pipes up.
âYou can come to yoga with me if you want.â She says with a hint of excitement, and your eyes light up at the cute invitation.
She wants to spend time with you.
Jungkook and Taehyung are practically a background noise around you now as the two of you are lost in your little conversation. Asking questions varying from: What should I wear? What time do you go? Is it beginner-friendly and are the people there pretentious or nice?
Jungkook pipes up, as always, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. âI can pick you up and take you both there, and Taehyung and I can go play golf after.â He suggests.
You pause your girly conversation and glance at him.
"Thank you for your offer. I'm sure you'll make an excellent chauffeur. Try not to get distracted by your own reflection while driving," you say sweetly.
Jungkook almost bursts out laughing, because he's really fallen that far in the rankings, huh? He was your number one priority at one point, and now he's apparently been reassigned as a chauffeur for you and Hana's social calendar. The promotion-to-demotion pipeline is brutal. Thankfully, watching the two of you talk so comfortably with each other is unexpectedly heartwarming.
âAnytime.â He says with a mock offended smile.
A lot can change in a year.
Relationships shift. People drift. You hadn't heard from your brother in months after leaving your old apartment. There had been a handful of messages in the beginning. Some angry, some cruel, all designed to make you feel guilty.
Not to the insults or the accusations, you'd made one thing clear from the start: if he genuinely needed help, you were only ever a phone call away.
What you wouldn't do anymore was give in to demands for money. It was a boundary you'd spent years failing to enforce, but deep down, you knew it was necessary, because some forms of love look a lot like rescue. Others look like finally refusing to drown alongside someone.
Taehyung's mother had told you once that sometimes the kindest thing you can do for someone is step far enough away that they're finally forced to confront themselves. At the time, the advice felt cruel, now, you understood exactly what she meant.
The less you gave in to your brother's demands, the less you enabled the version of him that only reached out when he wanted something.
Without your money cushioning every consequence, he was left alone with his own behaviour for the first time in years, and because you were the only family he had left, the silence started affecting him more than he expected.
The longer he went without hearing from you, the more he began to miss you.
Then you got it, the one message.
"I'm sorry I failed you. I'll understand if you never want to see me again, but I just needed you to know. I don't want to be living this way anymore."
Your heart felt like it was being pulled in a dozen different directions at once, but the main one was love for the brother who had once protected you when nobody else would. It all crashed together so violently that you couldn't separate one emotion from the next. All you knew was that by the time you lowered your phone, you were crying so hard at work, at your desk, you could barely see the screen anymore let alone care who was around to witness it.
Whether he'll ever have the same place in your life again is something you're still trying to figure out, but the one thing you know for certain is that, despite everything that's happened between you, the thought of leaving him behind doesn't sit right with you. For all his mistakes and the pain he's caused, he's still your brother, and some stubborn part of your heart still wants him to find his way back.
Which is why you message him back, and tell him that Taehyungâs mother has a friend who works in a rehabilitation centre. A silent offer for a new start, which he comes to accept.
On a lighter note, you and Hana somehow become best friends. Which, in your opinion, might genuinely be the biggest plot twist of the year, and also the most heartwarming.
Because somewhere along the way, Hana turned out to be everything you never realised you needed in a friend. Steady. Thoughtful. Patient in all the ways you aren't. The kind of person who checks in on you without making it feel invasive, who notices when your mood shifts before you even say anything, and somehow always knows when to give advice and when to simply sit beside you in silence.
And judging by the way she's happily receiving your messages, says yes to your shopping spree invitations and saving you a seat beside her during lunch breaks at work, it's safe to say the feeling is mutual.
It just feels easy, like the two of you accidentally skipped past years of mess and landed exactly where you were supposed to be all along.
Which means Taehyung has become significantly clingier these days.
Not that he minds your growing social life. In fact, he secretly loves it. He loves seeing you build something healthy around yourself, with new routines, yoga classes, little activities that get you out of your own head, and a circle of people who genuinely enjoy being around you. He especially loves how much happier you seem because of it.
He very badly needs you to put your phone down.
âBaby.â He says as he gently moves a stray strand of hair away from your face.
âHmm?" You glance up from your phone. "Oh. Sorry."
Reluctantly, you tuck it away into your handbag before pushing yourself to your feet and following him into the ultrasound room. At just two months pregnant, your bump is already far more noticeable than anyone expected, you've received comments on it more than once, not that it had changed the way you dressed.
A pair of thigh-high leather boots with a subtle snakeskin texture hug your legs, paired with a tailored longline black coat that falls elegantly around your frame. Your hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail, every strand in place. The fact that you're carrying a baby has done absolutely nothing to weaken your commitment to fashion. If anything, it's become another challenge you're determined to win.
The nurse glances between the two of you and briefly wonders if she's ever seen a couple who complement each other quite so unfairly. You're both annoyingly attractive, the kind of couple people look at and immediately assume their future children are going to win the genetic lottery.
You settle into the reclining chair while Taehyung instinctively moves to help. He takes your handbag before you can ask, gently moves your coat aside, and frees the sleeve when it catches on the handrail. It's all done so naturally that it barely seems deliberate.
The nurse notices anyway.
"He's very attentive," she says as she pulls the ultrasound monitor closer and begins preparing the equipment. "You're very lucky."
"I've trained him well." The response leaves your mouth so dry and matter-of-fact that the nurse nearly pauses mid-motion. For a split second, she isn't entirely sure whether you're joking, then she catches the smile you're desperately trying to suppress and the look of mock offence spreading across Taehyung's face.
He lets out a long sigh and shakes his head, as though he's suffering a great injustice.
"God help me," he mutters, earning a laugh from you.
Despite the complaint, his hand finds yours a moment later, absent-mindedly threading his fingers through yours as he settles beside you, looking entirely too content for someone claiming to be oppressed.
The nurse holds back her own smile, clears her throat and begins. âLetâs get started shall we?â She says in her kind voice as you roll up your top and recline in the seat.
The sight makes Taehyungs heart melt, itâs the sweetest thing, seeing how your belly is growing with his baby. Youâve been so careful with everything as well, considering none of this was planned, because letâs face it, when you moved in with him you two continued your favourite pass time which was fucking, a lot of it. Enough enthusiasm and not quite enough caution to accidentally fast-track yourselves into parenthood.
Despite the pregnancy being completely unplanned, something in you seemed to shift the second you found out. It was like a switch had been flipped, and suddenly, you were ready to meet it head-on.
You bought every pregnancy book and pamphlet you could get your hands on, highlighted pages, bookmarked advice, asked endless questions during appointments. You became stricter with your diet, more mindful of your routines, and committed yourself wholeheartedly to the yoga classes.
Taehyung watched it all happen in quiet amazement. The same intensity you once poured into your work had transformed into fierce care and protectiveness, and somehow it only made him love you more.
Before the nurse can spread the cold gel across your stomach, Taehyung leans down and places a chaste kiss on the side of your belly, earning a soft smile from you.
The moment the gel touches your stomach, you jump slightly at the unexpected coldness.
A shiver ripples through you, and your nose wrinkles in immediate disapproval.
The nurse smiles sympathetically as she spreads it across your skin.
"That's one word for it."
"I have to say," she muses as she presses the ultrasound probe against your stomach and begins guiding it across the gel, "your bump is surprisingly prominent for only two months."
Her brows lift slightly as she studies the screen.
"You've definitely got everyone at reception talking."
"Everyone keeps saying that," you sigh dramatically. "I've heard every theory imaginable at this point."
You roll your eyes as the nurse moves the probe across your stomach.
"Apparently if the bump is bigger than expected, it's a girl. If it's a boy, you're smaller and all your beauty is in tact because boys are kind enough to let you have it." The sarcasm dripping from your voice is impossible to miss.
Taehyung snorts beside you. "For the record, you still look beautiful."
You glance at him. "You're obligated to say that."
The nurse chuckles softly, already beginning to understand exactly how the two of you operate. âWell⌠do you want to know the gender?â She asks.
You both immediately nod your heads. Yes, you need to know what cute little outfits youâre getting in advance.
The nurses lip twitch into a smile.
"Well..." The nurse's smile softens as she looks at the screen. "It's a girl."
For a second, neither of you say anything, then your eyes light up instantly. A girl. A tiny pout forms on your lips without you even realising, and beside you, Taehyung mirrors the exact same expression as he stares at the monitor in disbelief.
Truthfully, neither of you would've cared either way. Boy or girl, you already loved this baby more than you knew how to explain, but hearing it out loud suddenly makes everything feel painfully real.
There's really a little person growing inside you.
Then the nurse completely shatters the moment.
She says it with such casual professionalism that, for a second, neither of you react, as if she'd just commented on the weather. The silence stretches, and Taehyung does something you'll never forget about this moment.
His eyes slowly widen until they look genuinely at risk of leaving his skull. You're no better, holding a hand over your mouth because otherwise it'd be dropping to the floor.
The word leaves both of you at exactly the same time.
The nurse points at the screen. "Three."
She sounds far too calm about this, far too calm for a woman who has just informed you that you aren't carrying one baby, but three little girls. Your brain immediately shuts down, because one thought crashes into your head with terrifying force.
What if they're all miniature versions of me?
Taehyung blinks rapidly, looking every bit like a poor man doing the maths and realising the male-to-female ratio in his future household is about to become deeply and permanently unbalanced. You are already a handful, yet the universe looked at that and decided the appropriate response is to make three more.
âCheck againâ please, triple check.â A moment of panic creeps in, because never in his life he thought heâd have to bear the challenge of raising three kids at once.
The nurse snorts. âTriple check?â
You burst out laughing, the absurdity of this not getting lost on you. You turn your gaze towards Taehyung and he meets you there, then slowly, the laughter follows.
Tears immediately sting your eyes, and at first you can't even tell where the emotion is coming from. Part of it is pure shock. Your brain still struggling to process the fact there are three babies on that screen instead of one, but beneath the panic and disbelief, something else blooms so suddenly it almost takes the breath from your lungs.
The kind that spreads through your chest so fast it hurts, because all at once, you're hit with the crushing realisation of just how far you've come.
There was a time you genuinely believed your life had been damaged too badly to ever build a real future from it. You spent years believing you were difficult to love, but now? You're sat here beside a man who looks at you like you've hung the moon itself, being told that not only did you survive everything that tried to break you... Your body is growing three healthy little girls.
You look at him skeptically, sniffling.
"Why do I feel like youâre crying for an entirely different reason?"
"Thatâs because I am.â He jokes through the tears.
The nurse bites the inside of her cheek but can't contain her laughter anymore.
"You two are going to be fine. Don't worry."
