Forbidden Step-Love🔞 | KTH

Chapter 17

The stench of disapproval hung thick in the air as you and Taehyung stood in the living room, the walls seemingly closing in. Mrs. Park, notorious for her hawk-like gaze and sharper tongue, led the charge of neighbors, their faces etched with a mixture of disgust and righteous anger.

"This is an outrage!" Mrs. Park screeched, her voice dripping with venom. "An ex-husband and his stepdaughter? Living in sin under the same roof! It's a disgrace to this entire neighborhood!"

A chorus of murmurs rose from the crowd, punctuated by Mrs. Davis' pinched, "Absolutely scandalous."

Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring the accusing faces before you. You clutched Taehyung's hand, his grip the only anchor in this storm of judgment.

"It's not a sin!" you choked out, your voice trembling. "We love each other! And that's all that matters."

A scoff erupted from Mr. Han, the man who took pride in his meticulously manicured lawn. "Love? Don't insult us with such fairy tales, young lady. This is about something far more sinister!"

Taehyung stepped forward, his voice firm but laced with a dangerous edge. "There's nothing sinister here," he growled, his gaze sweeping over the hostile crowd. "We're two consenting adults. Our love is real, and it certainly doesn't concern any of you."

Mrs. Kim, known for her gossip mill of a bakery, shook her head dramatically. "Real love doesn't defy decency, young man! You were practically her father! This is wrong!"

Your voice rose, anger battling with the tears threatening to spill. "He wasn't just my stepfather! He was a friend, a confidante, the only one who truly understood me after Mom passed!"

"And now he's become your lover?" Mrs. Park sneered, her eyes narrowed. "Unbecoming! Unnatural!"

You looked at Taehyung, his jaw clenched tight, his knuckles white from gripping your hand. You knew you couldn't stay here, not with this suffocating disapproval, not with the constant judgment hanging in the air. The accusations stung like a swarm of angry bees. Just as you opened your mouth to retort, a new voice cut through the stifling tension.

"This is enough!" It was Clara, her face flushed with fury. "You have no right to judge them!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Aunt Clara, known for her quiet demeanor and fierce loyalty to family, had never spoken out against the neighborhood gossip.

"Y/N lost her mother," she continued, her voice trembling with emotion. "And Taehyung was there for her. He offered her a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, and eventually, it blossomed into something more. Is that a crime?"

Mrs. Park scoffed. "Love is one thing, Clara," she interjected, her voice dripping with condescension, "but this? This is an abomination!"

Aunt Clara's eyes narrowed. "Abomination?" she spat back, her voice laced with venom. "The only abomination I see here is your intolerance and your inability to see beyond your narrow world view! Love is love, and it deserves respect, no matter the form it takes!"

Her words hung heavy in the air, momentarily silencing the crowd. Then, Mr. Han, ever the voice of reason (or so he believed), cleared his throat. "With all due respect, Clara," he began, "we're just trying to protect the morals of this neighborhood. This kind of... relationship..." he stammered, unable to find the right word.

"Is perfectly acceptable in many parts of the world," Aunt Clara finished for him, her gaze unwavering. "And perhaps it's time this neighborhood caught up with the times. Y/N and Taehyung are adults, capable of making their own choices. If their love is genuine, then who are we to judge?"