The Arrangement | Taejin ✔️

Six

I should be providing feedback on a college essay for someone's future, but here I am. Anyway...life goes on.

*****

It had been many hours since Ye-Bin had picked up Jimin and helped Jin choose an outfit to wear. Even though she assisted him in selecting an outfit and advised him to be ready at a certain hour, he was still unclear about the occasion and where he was going with Taehyung since it was not revealed to him.

When Jin saw how good the suit looked on him once he had put it on, he couldn't help but break into a happy smile. Since the event he attended while he was still in high school, he had not gotten dressed up for a long time. Even at his and Taehyung's wedding, he did not wear anything particularly extravagant. Still, he could tell that his suit had been expensively made, and he was certain that he did not want to know how much money it had cost.

He fidgeted for a while in his room before concluding that the best thing for him to do was to go downstairs and wait. He repeatedly checked the text messages on his phone, hoping that Taehyung had sent him anything, but he came up empty each time. As a result, he reasoned that it would be best to hold off until Taehyung came. He was aware that Taehyung's position as CEO kept him extremely busy, and he was not always accessible, which was understandable for him.

As he waited downstairs, he sent a message to Ye-Bin to ask her about Jimin. This was the first time since Jimin had arrived that he had been out of Jin's care, and as a result, it caused Jin to be concerned.

The moment he was in the middle of reading Ye-Bin's response back to him, he heard footsteps approaching where he stood. He gazed up from his phone and looked forward to discovering Taehyung standing across from him.

Jin muttered "hello" before trying to clear his throat and letting out the word clearer.

"I have some very specific rules that I need you to obey tonight, so please pay close attention to what I have to say. If you disobey even one of these rules, we will have a problem. As my husband, you are going to accompany me to an annual VIP event that will be held by my father tonight. Given my increased responsibility and status, I will host this event with him. It is an event that is not open to the general public, and the only people who have been invited are trusted stakeholders, family, and friends.

Regarding the details of our marriage, you will keep all information to yourself. There will be no opportunity for you to provide input about anything. Participation in this event entails nothing more than being at my side when I require you to be. Absolutely nothing further. Do you understand?"

Jin confirmed with a nod and a "yes, I understand."

"Perfect. Because this is the first time you will join me outside, I should make you aware that there will be many people looking in our direction; nevertheless, you need not be worried about this. It is not you that they are staring at; it is me. I have become used to it."

"Okay," Jin said, feeling his nervousness rise slightly.

"Alright, let's go- wait, have you seen my wedding band?"

Jin's eyes went to Taehyung's finger, and when he discovered the ring wasn't on his finger, he shook his head and said, "no."

"I most likely left it in my room. Stay still; I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay."

****

It turned out to be a much longer trip than Seokjin had anticipated on the way to the venue where the event was going to take place. On the other hand, he had not ventured very far from Taehyung's house, and as a result, he was still unfamiliar with the side of town that they were on. He was aware that his mother had told him it took her two hours to visit there.