You walked along the streets of Seoul, walking past busy people on their way home, groups of teens ready to start the night, and some older ones, searching for a cozy place to eat and drink. Since Taehyung was wearing his cap, mask, and oversized clothes, no one batted an eye. So you could slowly walk next to each other, talking and laughing, watching the sun slowly sink behind the skyscrapers. You liked his humor and his enthusiasm, his eyes sparkling as he talked to you about jazz, opera, and the old masters. He was very happy to hear that you loved opera and classical music too and also went to many theatres. As a matter of fact, one of your siblings was an actress, so you regularly visited her, as she was playing on the stage in your old city.
"And where is she now, your sister?"
"Ah, she moved to England a few years ago. Alexis loved to play in the theatre, but her passion was always movies. So she moved to London to pursue a career there." You smiled, proud of your little sister.
"And how is it going?" He asked curiously.
"Well. It isn't easy to be in the entertainment industry." You looked over to Taehyung, just to see him looking back at you, probably grinning under his mask. You continued. "So, she has to fight her way sometimes. But I heard she has a casting for a bigger historic series in the next few weeks. So we will see how that goes."
"Are you close?"
"We grew up together. We had our fair share of fights, don't get me wrong. We are very different characters. But we do love each other and always had our backs." You smiled, remembering some of the old stories from your youth. "You have siblings too, right?"
"Yeah, a younger brother and a younger sister. I love them very much. But of course, we had our fight too. I think growing up together, developing as humans, everyone in their direction is always hard."
"I agree. But it is worth it, don't you think?" You smiled at him, looking into his eyes.
"Hmm..." He hummed. "Family is always worth it." He smiled back, based on his eyes sending out a beautiful warmth.
You continued to walk and chat about our family. You shared some funny stories about your upbringing, your siblings, and how you were when you were younger. You were so absorbed in our conversation, that you almost walked past the entrance of your flat.
"Wait, Tae. We arrived." You chuckled, took a few steps back, and searched for your keys.
"Oh, already?" He turned around and watched you rummaging through your backpack. "Well, it is still early, don't you think?"
You found your phone first and checked the time. Oh, he was right. It was like time stood still while you talked, but not in a negative way. You were in your own bubble, forgetting about everything around you.
"Yeah, I thought it was much later." You chuckled and fumbled with your keys. You didn't want to end the night just yet. But you also didn't want to overstep your boundaries, not sure of your feelings just yet. Not being clear about this "Jimin calling Taehyung Baby thing". But your thoughts were interrupted.
"Y/N, can...can I come up?" Oh, this damn, low voice.
You lifted your head and looked into the now unmasked face of Kim Taehyung. He smiled, just one corner of his lips turned up. You exhaled, letting go of these confusing thoughts currently whirling in your head.
"Why not." You smiled at him as his face lit up. "Let's go."
You turned around to lock the door and walked into the big, modern building. He followed you quietly to the elevator, your steps echoing through the large marble entry. You didn't have to wait long until the doors sprung open and you could enter the glass cabin. With a swift motion, you pushed the button to your floor and the doors closed. You stepped back and leaned on one of the elevator's railings. Across from you Taehyung mimicked your position and then looked at you. Your eyes got caught in one another. You couldn't manage to look away. Almost hypnotized, you observed each other. Sparks flew between you and your breathing got faster. So was your heartbeat. You smiled, enjoying this feeling. He returned your smile almost at an instant. His hands tensed around the railing, almost as if he had to hold back from taking those few steps over to you. His dark hair, peeking out of his cap, was falling messy around his face. He had rolled up the sleeves from his sweater and you could make out some seriously toned arms. His caramel skin glowed in the lights of the dim-lit elevator and with all his casual beauty he just overwhelmed you a little bit.
Suddenly the doors sprung open once again and the spell was broken. You exhaled quietly, letting out all the steam you collected the last few moments and started to walk in the direction of your flat.
You entered your current home, Taehyung always one step behind you.
"So...welcome." You smiled and waved your arm around. "In my temporary home."
He looked at you surprised. "Temporary?"
"Yes. A friend of mine got me this place, but only for a limited time. I couldn't manage to find something that I liked, back when I was in my hometown. It was very difficult since I couldn't take tours or meet the owners directly. But I am sure that I will find something, now that I am here." You said as you stored your things and took off your shoes. He did the same, putting down his cap and leaving his mask at the entrance.
He followed you down the small hallway, entering a spacious, modern room. Since it was a one-room apartment, the room contained an open kitchen, a cozy seating area, and a queen-sized bed. The bed was hidden behind a low wall, separating the room into the living area and sleeping area. On the right side were two doors. One was the relatively big closet and the other the bathroom. You were a little sad that your flat did not contain a bathtub, since you loved soaking in one while hearing music or reading books.
"Oh, but not bad for a temporary home." He looked around. "It feels welcoming."
"Hm, I like it too. But I have to say, it is a little too impersonal for my taste."
"What do you mean?" He looked at you, curious.
"I like warmer tones, colors, wood, and most importantly many plants. Maybe even some vintage furniture and paintings. I get the modern glass, metal, and stone look of this flat, but it just isn't me." You shrugged and walked over to the kitchen. "Tea?"
"Yes, thank you." He answered and then started to slowly walk around the room. "I get you, really. I love nature and would prefer more natural materials and colors myself. And I love traditional architecture. But since I live together with seven other individuals, everyone having their own taste, it is quite difficult finding some kind of compromise." He chuckled.
"Oh, I can imagine. What are the overall tastes?" You filled up the kettle with water and looked through the cabinets, to find your tea selection.
"Well, Namjoon and I are more on the natural side. I like vintage too, Namjoon likes natural materials like sandstone and wicker. Jimin, Jungkook, and Hobi love modern, minimal architecture and interior. Metal, glass, you name it. Yoongi is something in between. I think he mostly likes functional things. Jin is into luxurious stuff, maybe with some vintage elements. But overall we settled on modern with some warm accents and plants." His voice was now coming from behind the wall, parting the living room and bedroom.
You found your tea and overlooked the selection.
"What flavor?" You flipped through the small basket containing your favorite teas. You loved coffee, but sometimes a big mug of tea was just what you needed.
"Hm..?" His voice was a little absent-minded.
"Of tea, Tae?" You laughed, waiting for his answer.
"Oh...you choose."
"Alright." You mumbled to yourself. You grabbed some tea filters and a white paper bag with lively handwriting on the front. It was from your mother. You carefully took some of the dried herbs from the bag and maneuvered them into the filters. Remember the day you harvested them together with her, carefully laying them down to dry out. Lastly, you threw the freshly made tea bags in two big cups and poured your hot water over them. As you turned around with the cups in your hand, you couldn't spot Taehyung. Did he go to the bathroom?
"Tae?" You called into the quiet room. A rustling came from behind the wall.
"I am here."
Curiously you followed the voice and found the man scattered over your bed, looking at the framed pictures you had set up next to it on a shelf.
"Here you are." You smiled as you set the cups down on the nightstand.
"Yeah." He looked at you. "Join me?" Then he rolled to the side to make some room for you.
You just chuckled and laid down beside him. His hair was sprawled around his head and he crossed one arm behind it. You closed your eyes, enjoying his closeness, listening to his calm breathing. A few quiet moments went by and you almost fell asleep, blissfully and relaxed. Strained from the eventful day.
"Who are they?" You opened your eyes, his voice awakening your senses, and followed his pointed finger to the shelf with the photos.
"That's my family and some of my friends." You slid a little bit closer to him, one hand reaching over his body to point at the pictures. The first one showed two smiling people, standing in front of a big bridge. "These are my parents. They were on a business trip in London and brought me along. There I took a picture of them." Then I pointed to a picture with a blonde woman, dressed in an elegant black dress. "And this is my sister Alexis. It is from a theater production where she played the leading role." I pointed to the picture next to it, showing four people. "These are my other siblings. This one is Alexis, that's me, that is my older brother David and my other older brother Elias. Both of them are only my half-siblings, but I do love them like a full one." You chuckled.
"Your parents were married to other people before?" He looked back at you, curious for your answer.
You nodded. "My father was. My mother was not. But there are no hard feelings today. I even know the first wife of my dad. She is nice."
"Okay." He smiled at me and then pointed at the last picture. In the picture you could see yourself and a person, hugging each other and laughing. "And who is he?"
"Oh, this is Soo-jin. My best friend, if you want to call them that. They helped me get this flat. Their parents are the owners. I met them back in my hometown. We needed a photographer for our project and a business contact gave a tip about a talented and known photographer, currently in town. So we met and instantly got along. And since then we try to meet as much as we can. Mostly on our travels."
"You seem close." He looked at you.
"Yeah, we are." You smiled fondly.
"But only friends?" He turned around and laid on his side, looking directly at you. You turned around as well. Now you were facing each other.
"Only friends."
He seemed to like the answer, as he started to smile and his eyes sparkled. For some time you just looked at each other, mesmerized. Just like in the elevator. His dark, brown eyes shimmered in the dim-lit room. They reminded you of a smoldering fire, waiting to be aroused again.
"I am so happy that I met you in that damn park, Y/N." He slowly held out his hand and carefully caressed the side of your face. His soft touches left goosebumps all over your body. You closed your eyes.
"Me ... me too." You sighed, enjoying every moment of his long fingers, gracing gently over your skin.
"Y/N..." You heard him whisper. "Open your eyes, please."
The pleading tone made you shiver and you obeyed, slowly opening your eyes. As you did you realized that his face was only inches away from yours. His soft curls fell over his face, his full lips turned into a gentle smile.
"You are so beautiful..." He whispered as he got closer. His hand lightly pulled your face to his, closing the distance. His soft lips graced over yours, barely touching, testing the waters. Giving you room to back off.
But you didn't want to. The feelings you managed to push away at the entrance of the building came back with one loud crash. The longing, the lust was unbearable and you crawled closer to him, deepening the kiss. You buried your hands in his soft curls, pulling him closer to you. His hands wandered all over your body, shooting sparks through you, clouding your mind. His deep voice rumbled in content, sending shivers down your spine. Shooting butterflies all over your body. Everywhere he touched your skin tingled, yearning to be touched again. He backed off and started to kiss every inch of your face, your cheeks, your eyes, along your jaw. His hot breath ghosting over your skin.
"Since the moment I had seen you, sitting on that bench, smiling over your book, I was in awe. Those damn shoes were only an excuse." His voice was raspy as he whispered in your ear. "Don't get me wrong, I still love them and your work. But dang... I was really whipped from the beginning." He chuckled and backed off to look you into the eyes.
You smiled and thought back to the day, a few weeks back. The warmth, the butterflies. You didn't make that up, he did feel it too...
And then you remembered.
"Baby."
And with that, you suddenly shoot up looking around helplessly.
There was someone, right? Didn't he have Jimin? So why was he kissing you? All the confusing thoughts came back and you touched your head, trying to put everything in order. The guilt was almost unbearable. One of your principles was loyalty, no matter if it was in romance, friendship, or family. The thought of potentially being the "other one" was just too much to handle. And it didn't fit with your perception about Taehyung at all! He was kind, open and so full of love. He wouldn't cheat on someone, or would he?
"Y/N, is everything alright? Did I say too much?" He sat up too and carefully laid a hand on your shoulder.
"I...I don't know." You shook your head, still confused.
"Please, dear. Tell me." He laid his head on your shoulder, his voice was pleading.
You closed your eyes, concentrating on his breathing, his skin touching yours. You calmed down, the storm inside your head finally dying down. And with that, you knew exactly what to ask.
"Tell me, please. What is your relationship with Jimin?"
Your question seeped away in the room, getting lost in the sudden quiet. You exhaled slowly, waiting for something to happen. Stil with closed eyes you've tried to capture the atmosphere tried to predict the outcome of this moment.
Suddenly you felt a hand on your cheek, softly turning your head to your left side.
"Y/N, could you please open your eyes once more? I want to speak with you properly." His voice was soft, not angry or offended. You took one moment for yourself, enjoying the warmth from his hand, the burning feeling tingling in your heart. And then you opened your eyes. His face was far away from being displeased. He smiled and it just confused you more. Nevertheless, you waited, knowing it would be alright.
"You heard us over the phone, right?"
You just nodded.
"Hm, I thought so. I wasn't sure, since I sometimes don't notice when I use pet names." he chuckled. "It is hard in live interviews, I can tell you. In the pre-recorded ones, you can edit it out. But in the live ones, nothing can slip."
"So, is it true? You are a couple?" You asked, your voice trying to be calm and collected.
"Yeah." He smiled lovingly. "We are."
You gulped. But if your apprehension was right, what the hell happened here?
"But he knows."
W...what?
"About what?" You asked. Your mind was still a little bit slow from all the new information collected in the last few minutes.
"About my feelings. For you." He carefully took your hand and started to caress it softly. Then he chuckled again. "As a matter of fact, he noticed it first. That I was head over heels for you. I thought it was just interest in your art and interest for you on a friendship level. Maybe just a little crush. But I couldn't stop thinking about you and then Jimin met you over the video call. And from that moment he knew that something was there. Something special."
He continued to caress your hands, sending all kinds of conflicting emotions through your body. You just sat there and took all of his words in, without judgment, curious but careful. "But to answer your question, yes we are together. But we have some kind of open relationship. It is a little bit complicated." He shrugged apologetically.
"Please, explain. I want to understand you." You looked him in the eyes, searching for an answer, something to soothe the restlessness in you. You were an open person, accepting all kinds of relationships and not judging anyone. But your experience was mostly based on a monogamous life, so you needed time to understand this new concept.
"Well...okay." He collected his thoughts. Then he smiled. "Jimin and I were best friends from the first time we had met. We just understood each other, knew what the other was thinking, like soulmates." He continued to softly play with your hand, drawing circles and unspoken words. "After some time it developed into something deeper. We agreed to start dating and it worked out well. He was my first relationship with a man and I was his, so we tested the waters, one step after the other. And then Jimin fell in love with someone. Hard. Really hard. But he was sure, his feelings for me didn't change. It was difficult accepting it in the beginning. But then I realized that I fell for someone too, well...two persons to be exact."
"Two people?" You were surprised. But not really about the number of people. His honesty was the thing you were surprised about. The trust he gave you. Especially in his position as a worldwide known artist.
"Yeah." He laughed sheepishly and a blush crept on his face. "It was wild. But we spoke about it, we worked it out. And we are really happy with our current life. Jimin and I have a special bond. Our dynamic is unique, so is the dynamic between all of us. Sometimes we tend to be more on the best friends side. But sometimes we like to share intimate moments, whisper sweet nothings in our ears."
"That sounds good." Finally, you managed to emerge from this deep ocean of doubts, questions, and fears. You smiled, happy over that special bond he was sharing. "And how does this work? Do you meet many new people?"
He shook his head and then held your hand on his heart with a loving smile. "No. You are the first one since....forever."
"Really?" Your heart skipped a beat and the tingling in your body was back.
"Yeah." He softly stroked your hand on his heart. You could feel his strong but quick heartbeat. "But for clarification. I am currently in an official relationship with three wonderful people. They all know about my feelings for you and are okay with it. We all have different dynamics, but I do love all of them. But we don't date openly. We are a somewhat closed group of people, only including the other partners. Only when someone unexpectedly finds someone new, we talk about it. But it rarely happened, well...until you came." He grinned at you, his dark hair falling in his face.
You sighted. It was really something to take in. Three other people besides you. Could you live with that? Is this something you want? You didn't know.
"Y/N." He placed a hand under your chin and lifted your head carefully. "I really like you. Would you consider dating me?" His voice was warm and soft. Just as you first heard it back in the park. Shivers. Butterflies. Heartbeat.
"Tae, I like you too. Since that day in the park, I couldn't stop thinking about this damn, deep voice of yours." You grinned at him and he answered with a grin himself. "But..." You sighted.
His face dropped to a sad pout. His hand still holding your chin tensed a little.
"...hey, don't be hasty!" You laughed at him, his reaction was cuter than concerning. "But, please let me think about it. I need time to process this. Need to sort out my feelings. But I promise you, I will answer your question properly." You caressed his chest with your hand, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat.
He nodded with a little smile, taking your hand and placing a kiss on it.
"But, do tell me." He looked up upon hearing your words. "Who are the other two you are dating? Anyone, I know?"
"Yeah, you could say that." He chuckled.
You looked at him, curious about his answer.
"Here, I'll show you." He reached down to his pockets and grabbed his phone. After a few moments of scrolling through it, he smiled triumphantly and turned the screen around.
"Let me introduce you to my two other beautiful boyfriends."
In the picture, you could see three figures, cuddling together to take a selfie. All three of them wearing warm winter clothing, posing in front of a big mountain. The person in the middle was Taehyung, being kissed on the cheek by the other two. All the three were smiling brightly, eyes full of love. As you observed the picture closer, you finally managed to recognize the other two people - Namjoon and Jin.
- - -
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