Taehyung lay sprawled across his bed, staring at the ceiling with the biggest, dumbest grin on his face.
His heart still fluttered every time he replayed the memory in his headâthe warmth of Jungkook's hands, the way he had kissed him like nothing else in the world mattered, the way his voice had dropped to that ridiculously low tone when he whispered, "You should be responsible for me. Forever."
Taehyung groaned into his pillow, kicking his legs like a lovesick fool.
He had no idea how long he had been lying there, replaying every second of their time together, but one thought kept circling back in his mindâ
"How the hell is he so good at kissing?"
His fingers brushed over his lips, still tingling from Jungkook's touch.
It wasn't fair.
Jungkook had completely ruined him.
Just as Taehyung was about to drown in another wave of emotions, his phone vibrated on the nightstand. He scrambled to grab it, unlocking it quicklyâ
And there it was.
A simple message.
Jungkook: Good night, muffin.
Taehyung froze.
His face immediately turned red, his lips parting in shock.
"Muffin?!"
What kind of ridiculous, embarrassingly cute nickname was that?!
His heart skipped several beats before he let out a strangled whine, rolling onto his stomach and kicking his legs again.
What was he supposed to say to that? How was he supposed to act normal after this?
After a full minute of contemplating and failing to fight off the giddy smile taking over his face, he finally typed backâ
Taehyung: Good night, boyfriend.
The moment he pressed send, he gasped, staring at the message like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.
"OH MY GOD."
His face burned with embarrassment, and before he could talk himself into unsending it, his phone vibrated again.
Jungkook: Cute.
Taehyung let out a squeal, tossing his phone aside and flopping face-first onto his bed.
He was never recovering from this.
His whole body was buzzing with happiness, his cheeks aching from how much he had been smiling. He buried his face in his pillow, giggling uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, across the street, Jungkook lay in his own bed, clad in black pajamas, staring at his phone with the softest smile.
His fingers traced over the word "boyfriend", warmth filling his chest as he read it over and over again.
He sighed, rolling onto his side, his smile never fading.
If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.
Still lying in bed, Jungkook couldn't help but stare at the message againâboyfriend.
It looked so right.
So perfect.
A smug grin stretched across his lips as he sat up, running a hand through his hair. His eyes flickered to his phone's gallery, and that's when he saw itâthe picture he had secretly taken earlier.
It wasn't much, just their intertwined hands from when they were walking home, but it said everything.
Without thinking twice, Jungkook opened Twitter.
He uploaded the picture, the soft glow of streetlights making their hands stand out in the dim lighting. His thumb hovered over the caption for a second before he smirked and typedâ
â¤ï¸
And, because he was feeling particularly bold tonight, he tagged Taehyung.
Satisfied, he locked his phone and flopped back onto his pillow, feeling victorious.
Meanwhile, Taehyung, who had just managed to calm himself down, was startled when his phone buzzed again.
He blinked at the screen.
@jeon_jungkook tagged you in a post.
Taehyung frowned slightly, opening the notification.
And thenâ
He choked on air.
JUNGKOOK POSTED THEIR HANDS INTERTWINED.
WITH A RED HEART.
AND TAGGED HIM.
His soul left his body.
Taehyung sat up so fast he got dizzy, his brain short-circuiting as he reread the post over and over again.
His fingers trembled as he clicked on the comments that was from their family and friendsâ
@seokjin: "EXCUSE ME???? HANDS???? INTERTWINED????"
Taehyung squeaked.
@jimin: "Thanks me."
Taehyung gasped. TRAITOR.
@mingyu: "Is this a soft launch or are we skipping straight to the hard launch?"
@yugyeom: "JEON JUNGKOOK YOU BETTER EXPLAIN."
@mrs_Jeon: "Oh my god, IT'S HAPPENING."
Taehyung let out a wheeze, burying his burning face into his hands.
"Oh my god, he's actually insane."
And yet...
His heart was doing flips.
Still, he couldn't let Jungkook get away with this level of audacity.
With slightly shaking hands, he quickly typed a replyâ
@taehyung: delete.
But the moment he pressed send, another notification popped up.
@jeon_jungkook: no â¤ï¸
Taehyung screamed into his pillow.
________________
Seoul, Late Night â A Dimly Lit Bar
Laughter and the clinking of glasses echoed through the bar as three men sat around a table, nursing their drinks. The atmosphere was hazy, filled with low chatter and the occasional burst of music from the speakers.
Yejoon, lounging on the couch with his phone in hand, suddenly sat up straight. His eyes widened, and his fingers frantically scrolled through the screen.
"No way."
Siwoo, sipping his whiskey lazily, glanced at him. "What now?"
Yejoon looked up, stunned. "Taehyung and Jungkook are together?"
Siwoo nearly choked on his drink. "What?" He grabbed his own phone, quickly opening Twitter.
"Holy shitâ" Siwoo's mouth fell open as he stared at the photo Jungkook had postedâhis and Taehyung's hands intertwined, a simple red heart as the caption, and Taehyung tagged.
Gyungho, who had been silent until now, snickered.
"Him? In love with Jungkook?" he scoffed, swirling his glass. His tone was sharp, filled with disbelief. "That's impossible. He's just playing around."
Yejoon and Siwoo exchanged glances. They knew Gyungho wouldn't take this well, but seeing the bitterness in his eyes confirmed it.
Siwoo hesitated before speaking, his voice careful. "I mean... the comments are exploding. It looks serious."
Gyungho rolled his eyes, but something in his expression darkened.
"Serious?" he muttered under his breath.
Before either of them could react, Gyungho snatched Yejoon's phone from his hand, his grip tightening as he read the post himself.
His jaw clenched.
"How could he be with someone else?" The words left his mouth in a low, dangerous whisper.
Then, abruptly, he tossed the phone onto the couch and stood up. His movements were sharp, tense.
"I'm going to find him."
Yejoon quickly grabbed his wrist, panic flashing across his face.
"Hyung, waitâ"
Gyungho jerked his hand away. His eyes burned with something unreadableâsomething possessive.
Yejoon tried again, his voice firmer this time. "But he already has a boyfriend."
Gyungho laughed dryly. "What's wrong with that?" His lips curled into a smirk, but his eyes remained cold. "It's just a relationship. They can break up anytime."
Siwoo furrowed his brows. "That's not how it worksâ"
But Gyungho was already reaching for his jacket, brushing off their words like dust.
As he walked toward the exit, his mind was racing.
"Taehyung, with someone else? With Jungkook?"
His grip on his jacket tightened.
No.
That wasn't how this was supposed to go.
He should have been the one standing next to Taehyung. The one Taehyung looked at with soft eyes. The one Taehyung chose.
And if that meant stepping in and taking back what was his?
"Fine."
He smirked to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"As long as I take the initiative, he will come back to me."
His voice echoed in his own mind as he stepped out into the night.
"When he returns to school, I'll do anything he says. He'll definitely come back."