Cheaters ✓

Kulti

Jimin sipped her vodka cautiously, knowing one of them was already losing it, and someone had to be sober to take care of things.

'When I heard Yoongi died of a disease and then discovered he was probably killed, I thought it was my duty as someone who genuinely loved him to find out who did it and bring them to justice, but the more I delved into it, the more I discovered things which repeatedly damaged the image I had of him when he was with me.'

'You mean the multiple affairs?' Jimin smoothly slid his query in.

'It's not that. It's the lies. I was never aware of them. Not that he was obligated to tell me about all his affairs but he should have at least told me the truth when I asked him direct questions.'

They drank in silence while the place continued to buzz with a live musical performance. When Jimin looked at Taehyung, he didn't see the boss who had his life sorted out or the man he admired for being a gentleman. He saw a broken man. He could almost see the bruises that love had given him.

'I know we should get in touch with Ryle. I checked his Instagram. It's pretty obvious Yoongi used to frequent his place. The lumberjacket he is wearing in one of his photos is Ryle's. And the fact that he hasn't posted anything since Yoongi died and his absence from the academy tells me he may be involved.'

'Jimin grasped his hand Taehyung averted his eyes from his glass to look at his hand.

'You don't want to find out who killed the one you loved?'

'I want to but...'

'I understand you are scared of what you might unearth about him in the process. You are scared that you might not like what you discover and you might stop loving him altogether.'

This time Taehyung glanced at him. That was it. His fear. Spelt out loud and clear. And he was glad he wasn't the one who had said it.

'But you might uncover a bigger truth than the truth of him being killed.'

'Which is?'

'That maybe he was involved with multiple men, but it was only with you he found peace?'

Neither spoke after that. They quietly finished their drinks, Taehyung paid up and they both ambled to the exit.

'Are you sure you can drive?' Taehyung asked, giving his parking token to the valet.

'I got a driver,' Taehyung mumbled.

A moment later, he said, 'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure.'

'Why didn't you ask for anything in return this time?' Jimin's car had arrived.

'We'll talk about it later,' Jimin said and got in. One more second, and his eyes would have become moist, which she didn't want him to see.

The next two weeks were very busy for Taehyung and his team. His company was organizing an event as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, where NGOs working with underprivileged children had been invited. They were also bringing along the kids they worked with. One of the biggest halls in the city had been booked for the event. The police were also there to ensure decorum. Special arrangements had been made for those on duty, especially the traffic police, who slogged day and night. Jimin was responsible for the media coverage. He didn't disappoint Taehyung. Apart from the local newspapers, journalists from a few national outlets were also covering the event. They had been allotted time slots to interview Taehyung.

In the past week, Taehyung had found solace in working long hours, attending relentless work calls and finally hitting the bed at night, totally exhausted, with no time to think. On the day of the event, when Taehyung visited the hall, he was happy with his core team's efforts and promised them a treat. As he went around checking the arrangements, he met several police constables and officers who hailed his efforts and asked him to do such events more frequently. Taehyung promised them he would try his best to pull this off once every quarter, starting next year. A traffic police officer, Kulti, was looking at him expectantly, so Taehyung struck up a conversation with him.