Marriage with Benefits ♡

Enviable

"How tough could a wedding be...? Are you trying to scare me off? As if I'm dying to marry you.... Don't try to scare me...No use at all... try convincing Yoongi hyung... I'm trapped just like you.." Koo sighed, his eyes rolling with a mix of resignation and mild detachment.

" I know you are not keen to marry me... same here..." Tae retorted..

" Then why are you trying to scare me off??!" Koo asked incredulously

"Didn't Jimin fill you in on our customs and rituals? I didn't mean to intimidate you... and no one forced me into this... try to show some gratitude for my sacrifice..." Taehyung retorted, his tone a blend of defensiveness and a hint of underlying concern.

Sacrifice?

Marrying me is a sacrifice?!

"No... Jimin didn't divulge anything about the rituals... and how challenging they can be? Isn't a wedding supposed to symbolize a joyous union of hearts? How is it an sacrifice.. ??! You are kinda too much hyung!! " Koo's inquiry held a genuine curiosity, mingled with a hint of apprehension.

"It's more of a series of trials and tasks for couples, rather than just a joyous union, a mere party, and festivities like yours in mainland... of course parties comes after task... but a tasks are still tough tasks.." Taehyung explained, his words carrying a weight of experience and a touch of solemnity.

"What kind of trials and tasks?" Koo's voice wavered, a tinge of worry coloring his tone.

"You'll come to know... just brace yourself for the worst, so you won't be caught off guard..." Taehyung cautioned, his expression mirroring a mixture of empathy and resignation.

"The worst?!" Koo's apprehension peaked, his heart beginning to race.

"Yeah... why do you think I hesitated to do this namesake wedding...?? Simply because I didn't wish to endure all this again in my real wedding...it's comparatively easier when you're tying the knot with someone you deeply care for... hope you understand.... and it's going to be a more difficult for both of us..," Taehyung confessed, his gaze reflecting a depth of emotion and a hint of vulnerability.

"Hmmm..." Koo hummed, lost in thoughts...
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Minutes later..

When they passed the first small island in the chain of islands, which happened to be the mountain where Akira's mansion is situated.

"Is that place..." Koo tried to ask, but Taehyung caught him off guard, gently holding his chin and turning Koo's face away from the rocky mountain cliff. And the very gesture really caught Koo off guard..

thump...

thump...

thump thump... thump thump...

thump thump... thump thump...

thump thump... thump thump...

Koo's heart, once a serene lake, now churns like a storm-hit sea, its waves crashing against the shores of his ribs. Each beat, once steady, now quickens with an intensity that fills the air like thunder rolling in the distance, momentarily deafening him..

The flutter of butterfly wings within his chest, seeking freedom from the cage called ribs, mirrors the rush of adrenaline coursing through veins like wildfire.

In that moment, his heart becomes Taehyung's, struggling to listen to its own instructions. Koo's soul wanders elsewhere, rendering his body lifeless for seconds under Taehyung's softened gaze.

"I don't know what you went through there... I wish you could forget about it... please, don't dwell on it. I know it's hard, but forgive us for disrupting your peaceful life," Taehyung said in a calm voice, but Koo remained silent, absentmindedly staring at Taehyung's lips, struggling to process his words.