somebody to love (taekook)

Chapter 24

It was a gloomy afternoon when the door of Taehyung's house opened wide. Jeongguk looked pale, eyes teary, hands jittering by his side. It was evident that he needed something- someone.

Except, it wasn't Taehyung who opened the door, it was Veronica.

Jeongguk's breath hitched. Veronica looked at him. Jeongguk let his shoulders drop, sucking in a sharp breath. "I-I didn't know where else to go."

Veronica opened the door wider, let him come inside because it was already drizzling and the rain might get worse. Jeongguk stepped inside, feeling like an intruder in her house.

Before Jeongguk could speak, Veronica did. "Rosie found out, didn't she?" Veronica said, and Jeongguk looked at her.

He nodded and then felt a tear go down his face. "I feel guilty. Of- of course, I do. I w-was forced into marriage, but she never did anything horrible. No, Rosie was always so kind, forgiving." Jeongguk gulped. "I didn't expect her to react so discourteously."

"You've been cheating on her for months, did you expect her to laugh?" Veronica said in disbelief.

Jeongguk inched away from her. "No. I expected her to be rather angered with me. But-but she wasn't angered about Taehyung. She was more angered that I'm gay, and-"

"Why, how stupid of her. Her husband fancies her best friend's husband and wants his cock. How dare she react negatively?" Veronica gasped sarcastically.

Jeongguk looked at her, wavering. "I see you're not quite pleased with me, are you?"

Veronica looked away. "What else did she say to you?"

"She said I should be put into a mental facility, that- that I should've just-" Jeongguk toyed with his fingers. "Killed myself. That'd be less bad."

Veronica stilled at that. "Rosie said that? That doesn't sound like her at all,"

"Exactly." Jeongguk breathed out. "She s-slapped me, and-" Jeongguk paused for a second, remembering Veronica's previous nature. "-and said I should go to the hospital. That I was sick in the head. A-and-" Jeongguk felt a tear go down his cheek. "I'm not." He squeaked.

"Sit down," Veronica said after a bit of silence, in a hushed tone. "I'll make you some tea."

Jeongguk sat down on the couch of their living room, his fingers still jittering. He felt unable to think properly, Rosie's words going over and over in his mind. Sick in the head. Jeongguk wasn't. He was so aware of how he felt, what his heart wanted, what his mind wanted. He was so aware of who he was. In fact, the realization of his sexuality made him feel the most normal he'd felt in his whole life.

Veronica returned with a cup of tea. She sat down beside him. "I'll talk to Rosie."

"Thank you," Jeongguk whispered, and grabbed the cup of milk tea in the white cup with a gold handle. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised at how understanding you're being,"

Veronica chuckled. "I feel like," Veronica began, and then took a deep breath. "After years, I've finally found some sort of stability. I ran away from everything I knew at a very young age and got married to Taehyung. We didn't know anything, let alone how to love each other properly. We just knew we were in love, and- and that seemed enough."

"It wasn't?" Jeongguk asked, and Veronica snickered. "No. It wasn't. We were foolish, thought we could outdo the world around us. Thought our marriage was an act of rebellion against arbitrary authority. When really, it was just recklessness."

"But now," Veronica continued. "Now I refuse to speak to my father, I lost my mother, I-I lost a part of my husband because of my own liability. I have-I have a child and, it makes me realize I have someone. I have myself, and now my baby." Veronica smiled, it reaching her eyes before it did her lips.