Anymore| TaeGyu

[12]

It was like any other party his mother had thrown before, the only exception being, that it was way more exhausting for Taehyun. He couldn't hide away in his room, he was the reason people were here. It was his responsibility to greet almost every person at some point, meaning he went through a lot of meaningless conversations, that all started to sound the same.

He'd talk about where he had been for five years, then introduce them to Youngmi. The woman seemed even more exhausted than Taehyun, and that wasn't surprising. Imagine having to meet 500 strangers all in one night. She did her best though, and Taehyun was grateful for that.

"How are you feeling?" He asked the woman, guiding her to a quiet corner of the room.

She looked to him with distress, breaking that composed front she had been putting on all night. "I hate this Tae, it's getting harder and harder to pretend. What if I mess up? If I say the wrong thing? It's really stressing me out."

"I understand, and I'm sorry for making you do this." Taehyun replied, sighing as he glanced around the room. "How about you go upstairs and have a break for a little bit? I'll make up an excuse for you"

"What will people think? It's my engagement party, I have to be here." Youngmi spoke frustratedly. This was clearly the last place she wanted to be.

"You've already met a ton of people, and I'm pretty sure there's no one major left to introduce you to. Just take five minutes Mi."

"Okay...thank you Tae."

Taehyun nodded, taking the woman's hand, and walking her over to the stairs. He smiled at her as they separated, silently saying another apology. He really felt like he couldn't apologize enough. The guilt was heavy, weighing down on him more and more. He could tell Youngmi wasn't happy, and at the moment, there wasn't any way he could make things better.

He waited until the woman had disappeared from sight, before tearing himself away from the stairs. He took a glance into the grand lounge, where most people had gathered, deciding that he himself needed a break as well. 

To the kitchen he went, since guests weren't allowed in that area of the house. The chefs were cooking away like mad, making hundreds upon hundreds of canapes for the party goers. They didn't mind Taehyun's presence, because to them, he was still that cute little kid who was obsessed with lemon cheesecake.

"You wouldn't mind if I took this?" Taehyun asked, tone depleted, he pointed to a full tray of mini cheesecakes. "I'll take the blame when mother comes storming in here to scream about the missing mini cheesecakes."

"Rough night?" One of the chefs chuckled.

"I just need to get use to this all again." Taehyun replied, meaning more than he let on. It wasn't solely about parties, more painfully about, hurting the people he loved.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." The chef reassured, pushing forward the tray. "But for now, take the cakes."

Taehyun smiled taking the tray. "You're the best." He gripped the metal, carrying the tray over to the center counter. Immediately he paused, seeing someone he'd been trying to find all night, sitting on one of the stools. "Kai."

The male snapped his head towards Taehyun. "Oh hi..." He said awkwardly.

"What are you doing in here?" Taehyun questioned, dropping his tray next to the tray of roast beef canapes his cousin had been chomping on.

"I- uh...I just got hungry." The brunette mumbled out, frantically stuffing another slice of beef into his mouth. "See!"

Kai had always been very bad at lying. Throughout their whole childhood, Taehyun couldn't recall one time where Kai had gotten away with a lie he told. And from what it seems, he hadn't improved on the skill any further into his adult years.

"You can be honest with me, I'm hiding in here too." Taehyun took the seat beside his cousin, picking up a mini cheesecake, and eating it in one bite. That zesty lemon flavor engulfed his taste buds, bringing him a sense of comfort. "Who are you hiding from?"

Kai relaxed slightly, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "My assistant Yuna. We're working on closing a big deal; she wants me to sign off on it tonight."

"And that's a problem why?"

"This is my first big closing without my fathers guidance, I'm gonna screw it up."

"I guess you'll never know until you do it." Taehyun shrugged, eating another mini cheesecake. "How come your assistant's chasing after you? Can't you just tell her you're not ready yet?"

"Well don't tell my father, but she basically did everything. She's really passionate about real estate, it's a shame she's only an assistant." Kai replied, replacing one of Taehyun's mini cheesecakes with his beef canape. He ignored the glare he got from the older, carelessly eating the cake. "I really wish my father was more like yours; not forcing me to take over the company."

So he wanted a father who doesn't care about his child unless it benefits him?

Taehyun's uncle was extremely different to his father, being way more loving and supportive of his family. Kai really didn't know how lucky he was. He may have complained about being forced into the role, but if he really didn't want to do it, his father would let him go. He had the ability to do whatever he wanted, be whoever he wanted. It just happened that it all fit into the perfect standard set for the boys.

There was no reason to lecture Kai, he didn't care enough to do so. He let his cousin think what ever he wanted; having something more important to discuss with the younger. "Talking about real estate, I'm thinking about buying a house here in Korea. I'll be joining my fathers company, so I'll be moving back here, and I want a space for me and Youngmi, away from my parents."

"You want me to be your realtor?" 

Taehyun nodded.

"Okay, uh, I'll need to talk to-"

"Shin Yuna." A tall, pretty ravenette stood in front of the cousins, reaching out her hand towards Taehyun. "I look forward to working with you Mr Kang."