𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐌 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐄 (𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤)

//034.👠

ALL ALONE AMONG THE GRANDEUR

Jungkook moved closer to him, so close that their noses were almost touching. Tae tried her best not to close her eyes or look away. He didn't want him to think he was scared and he was sure he was only doing it to try and get a reaction from him. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking away.

"So what if it's the first day of the month, huh, Taehyung?" He asked, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I-It's easier to count the days. To complete the month," he blurted out, a little dazed, and Jungkook laughed. His pleasant laughter echoed inside the luxurious place.

But then he sighed.

"Little tigre... I really have no words left for you." He was both amused and frustrated at the same time. Only he could give him such a childish answer as that and get away with it.

He looked around the large room and noticed that it was very quiet. "Are your family not home?" he asked innocently and Jungkook lifted his chin with his finger.

"I live alone, Taehyung," he said, suddenly becoming serious. "But it looks like this house now welcomes its new guest."

Taehyung's eyes turned wide. W-what? He lived alone in this massive house?!

"A-alone?!" He looked at him with shock and disbelief.

"Oh, well, the butler is here and maids as well. They do count as people living here, too, I guess..." He smiled wryly and Tae didn't know how to react.

Jungkook's eyes then fell on his luggage and he took another deep breath.

"You didn't run away from your house, did you?"

He shook her head. "I talked to my dad properly last night."

"But I bet that you didn't tell him the whole truth, did you?"

Tae pressed his lips tightly, causing Jungkook's lips to curve up again.

"Let me see... You told him that you're going to stay with that friend of yours, right?" he said and Taehyung flushed. This man, he realized, was not only dangerous because of his physical capabilities; he was dangerous because he seemed to also see through him like a glass window.

"Well, well, well. This good little tigre actually told an untruth to his family. What a gutsy little tigre," he murmured.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" He asked innocently as he looked at his face and successfully diverted his attention from his actions to his own.

Jungkook bent forward so that their foreheads almost touched.

"I just got home, Taehyung. Actually, right now, I very much want to punish you for disturbing my sleep." He smirked playfully. "But I'll let you off the hook for now," he added as he straightened up and called out a name.

"Xun," he said and the butler immediately appeared as if he was in the corridor this whole time, just waiting for his name to be called.

"Yes, master."

"I'll leave him to you," Jungkook ordered before he looked at Tae again and whispered in his ear.

"I'll go to sleep first, Taehyung. You rest, too. We'll talk later."

He shivered as he felt his warm breath touch his ear and he swallowed subconsciously. Before he could say, 'Rest well or goodnight', he was gone.

As he watched his back as he walked up the stairs, the butler coughed and drew his attention. He then introduced himself to him.

"My name is Xun Ning, but you can call me Xun. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim."

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr.-I mean, Xun."

"Come with me, please. I will show you to your room," he said respectfully.

"Don't worry about your luggage; I'll send a maid to bring it up."

The butler led him towards the grand staircase, which led to the second floor.

As expected, it was even more breathtaking than the ground floor. What he saw was another large and fancy open space. Velvet curtains were tied back to let the sunshine through the windows and he saw antique-looking brass candelabras that hung on the walls in between the windows.

They each held three candles and he wondered if those candles had ever been lit. As soon as he saw this area, he immediately thought that if it were back in time, this room would be where grand balls were held, like the ones he once saw on television when he watched a documentary about how royalty lived a century ago.

He could also see two doors on the far wall and wondered where they led. He imagined that these would perhaps be the rooms where the men went to play cards, drink, or talk business while their wives gossiped in the main ballroom-at least that was what he deduced from watching that documentary.

Taehyung was speechless. There were no words in the English language that could describe this place. It was definitely a 'one had to see to appreciate it' type scenario. Again, Tae was curious beyond belief. Why was Jungkook living in a place like this? And why was he living by himself?! He was getting more and more curious by the minute.

They continued up the stairs and up the third floor. Again, he was met with a large open area in the middle, but this was smaller than the second floor. It seemed to be the lounge area, as there were couches and coffee tables neatly arranged by the big window overlooking the garden area. This seemed to be where the living quarters were located because he saw doors on either side, which, he presumed, led to the bedrooms.

Xun stopped in front of tall, heavy-looking double doors and pushed them open. The room he walked into was so beautiful and welcoming and Taehyung had never seen this kind of grandeur and elegance before.

But then again, as he looked around at the cavernous room that was in front of him, he didn't know why but even with all this beauty and display of elegance and grandeur, he felt a little sad.

He could tell from the moment he stepped inside this house that this was a whole different life and what he wondered about the most was if Jeon Jungkook had been happy living in this huge and majestic place.

_____

Finally Tae is at Jungkook's house! What do you guys think?

Also check my story, silksutra