𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 | VMINKOOK

Up Instead Of Down

Like most mornings over the course of the past two weeks, I woke up with with a pounding headache, and a hangover that felt closer to a brain aneurysm.

My head was spinning, and my mouth felt dry, but that was to be expected considering the night I'd had the day before.

What was not to be expected, however, was the sight of my second butler, Kim Taehyung, standing right beside my bed with a breakfast tray clutched in his hands and a silly smile painted on his face.

My headache instantly intensified.

"Paper," Taehyung said, handing me the morning paper and pointing at the front page headline.

SON OF BANKER STRIPS HALF-NAKED AT LOCAL CLUB

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Of course they had a picture of me. Of course I looked absolutely blasted, standing on a table and swinging my shirt around in circles like a wild caveman.

"Very nice," Taehyung said with a grin, setting a cup of tea and a plate of scones down on my nightstand.

"No, not nice," I sighed, rubbing my tired and red eyes. "Quite the opposite, actually."

This was my third appearance in the papers but, surprisingly, I hadn't heard a thing about it from my father. Did he not care about what this could do to his reputation? Didn't he mind the things people would way? I couldn't believe how far I had fallen... he was probably too disappointed in me to even call.

"Dance."

I looked up at Taehyung with a frown. "What?"

"You like dance? You... move hips, move feet? I myself, no dancing. I suck."

I closed my eyes as a chuckle managed to sneak out of me. "You suck, huh?" I asked, shaking my head at my own immaturity.

Taehyung nodded. "Yes, much! So bad."

I rubbed my browbone. Why did Jin and Namjoon think teaching him a word like that would turn out well? "Thank you for bringing me breakfast, but I'm not very hungry. I think I'll just spend my entire day in bed... decaying, or something."

Taehyung curiously cocked his head, and I knew I had spoken too much. He was lost.

"Food very good!" The man said, petting his stomach. "Scones I tasted. Very nice."

"Yes, well, that might be so, but I--"

Taehyung grabbed a scone, dipped it in strawberry jam, and brought it to my lips. "Eating? Tasting, please?"

For some reason, despite my non-existing appetite, I didn't have it in me to refuse the boy. I opened my mouth and took a bite, chewing slowly and with a forced smile as the butler stared down at me.

He seemed pleased, his eyes crinkling like a proud mother as I ate. "I helped make," he said after I swallowed, dipping the scone into a swirl of whipped cream.

I raised my eyebrows, my body moving on autopilot as I opened my mouth again and let the butler feed me. "What? Why? We have a cook now, don't we? Jung Hoseok... I haven't actually met him yet, but--"

"Small," Taehyung interrupted. "You is small. Scone make... bigger."

I huffed, unsure whether I had to be offended by that comment. I liked being small. I used to hate it, but I no longer cared if I looked masculine or threatening in any way. The time for that was later. All I wanted now was to be pretty. Pretty like a doll, so I could be loved by men.