FAKE LOVE. TAENNIE.

seventeen: red

Taehyung's exhaustion was evident as he stared at himself through the lightbulb-adorned mirror of the dressing room. The rather cluttered dressing room was obviously meant for two, but management had made the wise decision to keep Jennie and Taehyung separate before the premiere to avoid further conflict. A decision that both idols were very thankful for.

He felt sorry for his makeup artist, muttering to herself as she desperately tried  to conceal the dark bags that were now a permanent fixture under his eyes. Although the past week had been busy with promotions, there was always the unwanted thought of Jennie in his mind and the knowledge that he would have to see her at the drama premiere. And that dreaded day had inevitably come.

Taehyung had assumed that their companies would have also prepared two separate limousines for them to arrive in, but soon discovered that was not the case. A pair of black heels belonging to none other than his 'girlfriend' stepped into the car.

He had thought the dress had fit her perfectly when they were at the fitting, but now it seemed as though it were part of her body, the fabric flowing and gathering in just the right places.

But now was not the time for him to think about that.

"Hello", Jennie mumbled as she sat down beside him, not even once glancing at him.

Taehyung didn't respond, too occupied by his thoughts. Being all too aware of the importance of this event, Taehyung had made sure to remind himself of the most important rule: that their relationship was purely professional. And even though deep down he knew their relationship was more than that, he had to act like it wasn't.

As soon as the shiny door of the car opened, screams erupted, cameras flashed, and Jennie's head had already started aching. While riding in the limo next to Taehyung, she had witnessed a whole shift in his demeanour, and honestly it gave her trust issues. At first he had the aura of a sulking child as he ignored her when she first got into the car. But then suddenly, she saw him sit up straighter, hands clasped tightly in his lap, with a blank stare in his eyes.

She had thought he was nervous, but realised that was not the case as he confidently stepped out of the car, holding out his hand to her. Or maybe he was hiding his nerves, she didn't know. Since when was he so hard to read?

"Thank you", Jennie said as she took his hand. So far so good, they thankfully hadn't caused a scene. Yet.

"You're welcome", the curly haired man said with a smile. But as she looked at him, it was clear to see that the smile wasn't genuine, his eyes didn't crinkle at the sides in the way Jennie had grown so familiar with. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt as she realised he had put his walls back up, knowing that it would be very hard to break them down again. But Jennie knew she couldn't think about that now, she had to focus on this red carpet, for both of their sakes.

The couple walked onto the red carpet, its bright colour further enhanced by the constant flashing of the cameras. They stood there for what seemed like the longest minutes of Jennie's life, as they posed for various cameras, listening to the shouts of the cameramen trying to grab their attention. It made Jennie wonder why it was necessary for there to be so many photos taken of them.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling to the point where she was almost thankful for the arrival of Sana's limousine. The photographers finally had given them a break, as all cameras were turned towards Sana.

Any feelings of gratefulness that Jennie had were diminished as soon as Sana stepped out though, beautiful as always, clothed in a dress that outshined Jennie's in all aspects. But then again, she was the one in the drama. Although the TWICE member had been nothing but nice to Jennie, she could not help but feel uncomfortable around her.

Maybe it was because she was co-starring with Taehyung. Or maybe it was because she was so perfect, too good and pure to harbour any cruel thoughts. Jennie decided on the latter.

She glanced at the man who had his hand around her waist. He was looking towards Sana as she made her way towards them, a soft smile on his face.

"Taehyung", Jennie said softly.

"Yes?", he turned his head towards her, and his eyes were cold again.

"C-Congrats on your drama, I forgot to tell you earlier."

Taehyung stared at the girl next to him, wondering why she even bothered to pretend she cared. "Thank you", he said, still not sure whether she was being genuine or not.

"Hey Taehyung, Jennie", Sana said with a bright smile, that matched the glitter on her eyelids. "I can't believe our drama is finally out! It seems like ages ago since we started filming."

"Yeah no shit", Jennie muttered under her breath.

The other two idols ignored her rude remark.

Taehyung smiled back at Sana, an action that made Jennie's blood boil. "Same, I'm going to miss filming it."

Taehyung's manager approached the three cheerfully.

"Taehyung! Congratulations on your drama, this will be so good for BTS's reputation!" He said, clapping his hands.

Jennie, who was watching Taehyung closely noticed the falter of his smile as these words. His manager hadn't even congratulated his efforts, although it was no surprise the manager only cared about image more than Taehyung's talent.

"Thank-"

"Okay okay, now that Sana is here let's get you off the carpet shall we Jennie?" His manager interrupts Taehyung and turned his focus to Jennie, who was standing there awkwardly not knowing what to do.

The manager rather aggressively led Jennie off the red carpet and onto the side, wanting her out of the way so that Taehyung can get all the attention.

As for Taehyung, he let out a sigh of relief as Jennie was separated from him. He had done it. The hardest part of the night was over, and nothing terrible had happened, they were both able to act civilly. However, he knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to keep going like this, he knew that a time would come where he'd have to talk to Jennie and sort things out, rather than running away from the responsibility of his emotions. 

He turned to the girl next to him and held out his arm. "You ready?"

Sana giggled and took his arm.

Jennie was happy that she was no longer in the spotlight, but it meant she had to watch Taehyung and Sana pose on the red carpet.

For a brief second she felt sorry for Taehyung who had to be constantly posing for the cameras, but that quickly dissipated after she saw how relaxed he looked with Sana. Compared to Jennie and him on the carpet, he looked like he was having fun, smiling and laughing with his co-star. They looked extremely natural together, Sana's arm snaked around his in the same way Jennie's had been mere seconds before.

The screams from fans made it worse, it was as if they were supporting the couple.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from Taehyung. There was something so charming about the way his hair brushed the tops of his eyelids, how he stood with such confidence even despite the blinding flashes of the cameras. He was truly a natural.

She averted her gaze, not wanting to subject herself to this torture any longer.

"Taehyung! Sana! Come back!" She heard the desperate shouts of the photographers, which forced Jennie to look back up.

She looked up to realise that Taehyung and Sana had walked away from the red carpet and disappeared.