saudade | taegguk

07

~

Taehyung was now hundred per cent sure something was up with Namjoon and Seokjin. He was going to barge in but the hushed voices stopped him.

"Joon, should we just bring him in tomorrow or on the day of the ball?" 

"Up to you baby, it's your choice." 

"Taehyung knows I'm hiding something and you know him. It's going to take him less than a day to figure it out." 

"Jin, baby, we will just act like how we have been doing for the past 9 months. I'll cover up for you. Isn't Min-hee coming to pick you up today?" 

"Shit, I forgot. I need to pick up the Jeons too." 

"I got your back baby, I'll go in place of you." 

"Thanks, Joonie. I love you." 

"Love you too Jin." 

Taehyung was hiding behind the marble pillar as he watched Jin sneaking out the back and Namjoon distracting the maids out front with small talk. 

He was determined to figure out what those two were hiding but he had his own duties to attend to. He quietly left, heading towards his room in the east wing. 

"Good morning, Prince Taehyung, is there anything you need?" A maid bowed, greeting the boy. 

"Are the rooms ready for the royals from the Jeon Kingdom?" 

"The Jeon King and Queen have their room in the West Wing but the crown prince has his room on the opposite end of yours Prince Taehyung." 

Taehyung's room was the only one occupied out of the two rooms in the East Wing on the third floor and he truly enjoyed the serene environment there. He was reluctant in letting a stranger ruin his peaceful space. But, it was just for a week or two so he was willing to let it slide. 

"Prince Taehyung, your parents are requesting your presence in the dining hall." Another maid bowed before both of them left. 

~ 

"What's for lunch? My tummy is grumbling like a tiger!" Taehyung walked into the dining hall rubbing his tummy with his sweater paws, looking down at his belly. 

"Your son is truly so cute!" Taehyung heard an unrecognisable feminine voice gush. 

Taehyung's eyes widened in shock. He stood there looking at his feet, fiddling with his fingers. Taehyung peeked through his bangs to see a woman and a man smiling at him. Beside them, he saw a boy almost his age with a stoic, if not cold, expression on his face staring right at him. 

It was almost as if those eyes were boring into his soul. Those eyes. He had seen them in his dreams. Black onyx eyes which sucked him into a never-ending void. 

He quickly averted his eyes away from the unknown stranger trying to calm his racing heart. 

"Come sit down Tae, the Jeons just arrived and I invited them to have lunch with us!" Kim Areum spoke cheerily. He quickly sat down in the only empty seat left, opposite the boy who possessed the eyes which haunt him in his dreams. 

"Hello, Taehyung! I am Jeon Ophelia and this is my husband Jeon Donghyun, nice to meet you!" The woman beside Taehyung introduced and hugged him. The said husband waved at him to which he waved in return. 

"This is our son Jeon Jeongguk, hope you two will be friends!" Jeon Ophelia introduced her son to Taehyung throwing a small glare at Jeongguk which meant, "behave". 

But, did Jeongguk care? No. 

He continued staring at Taehyung and Taehyung almost thought he had something on his face. Nevertheless, Taehyung smiled and waved at Jeongguk trying to get any sort of reaction from the other but to no avail. 

"Taetae!" Jimin ran into the hall mauling Taehyung in a hug. Jimin pecked Taehyung's cheek and said "I missed you so much!" 

"You haven't seen me for a day and you are already like this?" 

Jimin and Jin had the habit of kissing Taehyung on the cheek, something about the boy being too cute to resist. Fully platonic though. 

Taehyung glanced to the side and Jeongguk's expression sent chills down his spine. His face was passive as ever because the aura he radiated at that moment was murderous. He suddenly felt the need to stand miles away from Jimin. 

Shaking his head lightly at his thoughts, he elbowed Jimin who bounced away from him in pain. 

After another round of introductions, everyone ate in a comfortable silence enjoying the meal with small talks here and there. Jimin left halfway, something about "duty calls". Everyone was acting confusingly all of a sudden. First was Jin, now Namjoon is also in on it. Taehyung also had his suspicions on whether Jimin was in on it too. Taehyung gave him the benefit of the doubt, now focusing on reality. 

Taehyung gazed at Jeongguk. The boy was handsome almost as if God himself painstakingly created him. He looked like art. The porcelain skin, high cheekbones, onyx eyes, plump pink lips. 

"Taehyung? Taehyung!" Taehyung snapped back from whatever daydream he was in seeing that everyone was staring at him. 

"Pardon me, did you ask me something?" 

Namjoon chuckled, "No, you were toying with your food so I asked what's wrong and you were spacing out." 

Taehyung tugged at his lips, biting his bottom lip harshly in embarrassment. His eyes flitted back to the gorgeous boy. His eyebrow slightly arched, almost teasingly but he couldn't see any expression on his face. Taehyung could feel the red hue painting his cheeks as he looked down, no longer being able to take Jeongguk's strong gaze. He peeked through his bangs to see Jeongguk's lips twitch up slightly but when he looked again only the impassive nature of the other was observed making Taehyung believe he was just delusional. 

"Tae, do you want to show Jeongguk to his room?" Kim Jaehyun asked. 

"Sure Appa." 

Taehyung didn't want to be rude although being alone with the impassive boy who unknowingly makes his heart race was not his first choice. 

With all the courage he could muster up, Taehyung murmured, "Prince Jeongguk let's go." 

~

slightly longer than usual but they finally met each other!

L