Love Me Again...

Chapter 18: Serendipity

"I like how I'm doing all the work while you just stand there doing nothing," Jungkook joked as he put away the last few items in the storage closet. "You look like you know what you're doing," Tae retorted as he stepped aside, "I don't want to get in your way." Jungkook smiled and then surveyed the apartment, satisfied with all that they had accomplished in a matter of hours. Just then an uneasy thought crept into his mind. "Tae hyungie, are you happy with everything I picked out?" he asked quietly. "Yes Kookie," Tae reassured him, "Why do you ask?" "I just realized that I picked out things without considering your choices. This is your apartment after all," he mumbled, "I'm sorry. You can make changes if you don't like anything. You have all the receipts." Jungkook's words tugged at Tae's heart. He rushed over to Jungkook and cupped his cheeks, making him look into his eyes. "Kookie, do you know why I wanted you to see this place?" Tae asked tenderly. Jungkook shook his head, "No." "I needed you to be here because I wanted you to make this space your own. I want every corner of this place to remind me of you. So please don't apologize for making my house OUR home," Tae lovingly explained.

"Our home?" Jungkook questioned. "Yes, our home," Tae emphasized, "'Home' is a safe space, Kook. I want this to be a place where YOU feel safe. A place where YOU always feel welcome. A place where YOU are never uncomfortable. A place where YOU can be yourself. This is OUR home - you & me." Jungkook was overcome with emotion by Tae's words. He pulled Tae into a hug and held on to him tight worried that if he let go, he would vanish. He felt as though his heart would explode with all the emotions that he was feeling. 'No one has ever made me feel like this. No one has ever considered my feelings so profoundly,' he thought, 'Tae hyungie makes me feel like I'm the center of his universe. How did I get so lucky?' He was so moved that he didn't even realize that there were tears streaming down his face. Tae gently pulled back so he could see his face, wiped away his tears with his fingers and then promptly kissed his cheeks. Jungkook found himself leaning in and just as their lips were about to meet, "Grrrr," they heard. Tae's eyes widened in utter shock while Jungkook struggled to hold in his giggles. 'Way to ruin the moment,' Tae thought with disappointment. "Let's get you something to eat!" Jungkook commented as he grabbed his keys and pulled Tae out of the apartment.

As soon as they were about to drive away, Jungkook's phone started ringing. He saw that it was Jin calling. 'Hello Jin hyung,' he answered. 'Kook, are you still with Tae?' Jin asked amusingly. Jungkook looked at Tae and beamed. 'Yes, hyung,' he replied, 'Did you need something? Did you need to talk to him?' Tae reached out and held Jungkook's hand, interlacing their fingers. 'Kook, you said you were meeting him for breakfast and now it's getting close to dinner time! I didn't realize your breakfast date would turn into an all day date!' Jin chuckled as he answered, 'Do you two have dinner plans as well?' Jungkook pouted as finally realized just how much time he spent with Tae. 'Oh! I'm sorry Jin hyung,' he replied feeling a bit guilty, 'We met for breakfast and then one thing led to another. I just lost track of time. We were just heading out for dinner.' Tae felt bad for monopolizing Jungkook's time and keeping him from his other responsibilities. 'Kook, I was just teasing!' Jin replied hearing the drop in Jungkook's tone, ' I called to ask you to bring Tae home for dinner. We can all eat together tonight.' 'Let me ask him, just a second,' Jungkook said as he looked at Tae, who nodded, 'Ok. we'll see you soon.'

"I'm sorry Kook!" Tae whispered as soon as Jungkook hung up, "I shouldn't have taken up all your time. I shouldn't have talked you into doing so much." Jungkook turned to face him and cupped his cheek, "Please don't apologize Tae hyungie! I was here with you because I wanted to spend time with you." Tae smiled as he nodded feeling reassured. In no time they were on the road headed to the Kim house. "Kook, what kind of alcohol does Jin hyung like to drink?" Tae asked inquisitively. "Oh Jin hyung?" Jungkook explained, "He's really into traditional Korean liquors. In fact, last summer he went on a tour to learn how to make Makgeolli. He says it's a dying art so he wants to bring awareness to the variety of traditional Korean liquors." "Oh wow!" Tae exclaimed, "How fascinating! Kook, let's get a bottle of Makgeolli for Jin hyung." "Are you trying to get into Jin hyung's good books, Tae hyungie?" Jungkook teased as he parked by a store that sold traditional liquors. "Is it that obvious?" Tae asked as he smirked, making Jungkook laugh. They bought a couple bottles of highly rated Makgeolli and made their way to the house.