FREVOR

20

Jin ah pov:

I sat at my desk in the office, trying to concentrate on the mountain of paperwork before me. But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept drifting back to Niki. Where had Taehyung taken him? Was he okay?

Unable to stand the uncertainty any longer, I grabbed my phone and dialed Niki's number. The phone rang and rang, but he didn't pick up. "Damn it, Niki, answer your phone!" I muttered under my breath, frustration boiling over. A string of curses ran through my mind. "Ugh, why is he such a stubborn little brat? That useless, infuriating donkey!"

My heart pounded in my chest as the call went to voicemail. I slammed the phone down on my desk, clenching my fists. "What the hell is Taehyung doing with him? If he's hurt him, I swear to God..."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of worry and anger swirling inside me. I couldn't let this consume me. I had work to do, and I couldn't afford to get distracted. But every time I tried to focus on the documents in front of me, my mind kept wandering back to Niki and Taehyung.

"Get it together, Jin Ah," I scolded myself. "You can't fall apart now." I forced myself to take another deep breath, then picked up my pen and began to work through the papers, one byone.

Hours passed in a blur, the steady rhythm of work helping to dull the edge of my anxiety. But every now and then, my thoughts would drift back to Niki, and I would have to force myself to refocus.

Just as I was starting to make some real progress, my phone buzzed on the desk. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw Niki's name flash on the screen. I grabbed the phone and answered it immediately. "Niki? Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick!"
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Author pov:

Taehyung glanced at Niki, who sat beside him in the luxurious car, staring out the window with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. The young man was clearly still shaken from the events of the morning, but Taehyung knew he had to play his cards right. Winning Niki's trust was essential if he wanted to smooth the path to marrying Jin Ah.

"Relax, Niki," Taehyung said, his voice calm and controlled. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to get to know you better."

Niki shot him a skeptical look. "Yeah, right. What's your angle, Taehyung? Why are you really doing this?"

Taehyung sighed, his patience wearing thin. "Look, I know you don't trust me, and I get it. But I care about Jin Ah, and by extension, I care about you. You're important to her, which means you're important to me."

Niki snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, sure. You care about me. That's why you dragged me out of my house at the crack of dawn."

Taehyung tightened his grip on the steering wheel, forcing himself to remain calm. "I did that because I wanted to spend some time with you, away from all the chaos. I want you to see that I'm not the monster you think I am."

Niki raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Taehyung glanced at him, a small smile playing on his lips. "By showing you a good time, of course. We're going to spend the day together, just the two of us. No pressure, no expectations. Just... getting to know each other."

Niki looked unconvinced, but he didn't argue. "Fine. But I'm keeping my guard up."

"Fair enough," Taehyung replied. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Back at the office, Jin Ah was anxiously waiting for Niki to pick up the phone. Meanwhile, Taehyung and Niki were arriving at a high-end arcade, the bright lights and bustling energy a stark contrast to the tension between them.