Forbidden Love ➸ Taekook ✓

- Thirty-fifth -

John gave the door three sharp knocks. He was both anxious and excited. For him, tonight was the last chance. He wasn't a fool: if Jungkook didn't open up to him after today, then he would accept defeat. Even though Hyeri had insisted that he shouldn't give up, and that they would at least get to know each other later, John didn't agree. He didn't really like the idea of arranged marriages in the first place, and he refused to marry someone who didn't love him. It would only make them both unhappy.

But that didn't mean he was ready to admit defeat. Tonight, he was going to show Jungkook that he was a good man who could make him happy. If he could win over the hearts of Bangtan, and Jin and Taehyung in particular, then Jungkook would surely agree to see him in a different light.

The door suddenly opened to reveal a man in his forties dressed in black.

"You're Mr Lim, aren't you?" the man asked.

John nodded, a little intimidated by the aura the stranger gave off. He'd never seen the man before, but he felt that he exuded an experience that only a middle-aged man could acquire.

"I'm Park Sungha, one of the Kim family butlers. I'm in charge of organising the events held by Mr Kim Taehyung. Please follow me. You're the only one missing."

Sungha stepped aside to let John in, then closed the door behind him. John couldn't stop his curious gaze from taking in the details of the place: the house was relatively small from the outside, which surprised him coming from a Kim, given the wealth they were reputed to have. He'd expected the decor to be simple but chic, but what he found wasn't exactly what he'd imagined: clothes and shoes were strewn all over the entrance, in a bit of a mess, and numerous frames adorned the walls, from the entrance to the stairs. It looked like a... perfectly normal house. Certainly not that of one of the richest men in Korea.

His gaze travelled between the different photo frames, and another detail made him frown: almost all the photos were of him and Jungkook. A few included members of Bangtan, but that was only a minority. They looked like... couple photos.

"This way please."

John turned to Sungha and followed him as the man pointed down the stairs to the basement. Darkness soon surrounded them, and it was only when they reached the bottom of the stairs that voices began to be heard. Sungha led them to a door, from behind which the voices seemed to be coming, and opened it.

John discovered a large relaxation room, with beige and dark green tones. There were two sofas, coffee tables and liquor cabinets, as well as numerous armchairs arranged around the large pool table in the centre of the room. And there Taehyung was, with a pool cue in his hands, seemingly playing with Namjoon, Yoongi and Jin, while Jimin and Hoseok watched from one of the armchairs. John heard something clink to his left, and it was only then that he noticed Jungkook, who was pouring himself a drink.

Everyone turned as they heard the door open, and Jungkook's eyes darkened as he caught sight of John. Honestly, he had hoped that the man would back down and that he would be able to enjoy a quiet evening. Luck was apparently not on his side.

A smile stretched across Taehyung's lips.

"Here he is, my last guest." he said to John. "I don't think you've had a chance to meet the other members of Bangtan. Come, come closer, make yourself at home."

John gladly did so, and introduced himself to all the other members of Bangtan, who tried to do so as warmly and naturally as possible. After all, John didn't seem like a bad person. He'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. Sungha took the opportunity to pour him a glass of whiskey.

"We were playing pool, would you like to join us?" suggested Taehyung.

"Ah, I don't want to interrupt your game..."

"Let's start again." suggested Jin. "Yoongi was winning anyway."

The latter chuckled, but he wasn't competitive enough to object. He was there more for the game than for the win. John finally agreed, and while the four men were busy putting the balls back in place, turned to Jungkook, who still hadn't spoken to him. He approached him with an embarrassed smile.

"Ah Jungkook, I'm glad to see you... I wish we could have got to know each other better, you and I-"

"John, are you coming?" Namjoon called to him, just as the game was starting.

John glanced at Jungkook, who didn't seem at all interested in the man.

"A-Ah, yes, I'm coming..."

The game began, with Taehyung going first. John had to admit that he was impressed by his technique, and a little jealous too. Taehyung seemed to be the kind of man who succeeded at everything. He even suspected that he had a multitude of women at his feet. In fact, he hadn't missed a thing of the Seo Haneul affair. Perhaps the only area in which the man wasn't so lucky was in love.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jungkook approach the table, which delighted him: perhaps this was an opportunity for him to get closer to the boy. However, his heart sank when he saw the scene unfold before his eyes.

Jungkook approached Taehyung, turning his back on the pool table to lean against it, and Taehyung immediately put a protective, possessive arm around his waist and pulled him close. Taehyung's gaze automatically went to John, who was staring at them wide-eyed. And as their eyes met, the man leaned over and captured Jungkook's lips between his own, kissing him languorously. And much to John's surprise, Jungkook, not content to let himself be kissed, feverishly responded to it.

"What's the matter, John? You look pale, like you've seen a ghost!"

John was startled and turned to Jimin, who was watching him with a predatory gaze and a small smile on his lips. The young man was sitting comfortably on Hoseok's lap, lovingly stroking his hair.

"Ah... I... it's that..."

The young man didn't know what to say. He was completely shocked, lost. He wasn't feeling very well. He felt as if he'd hallucinated. And the worst thing about all this was that nobody seemed shocked. Everyone was acting as if nothing had happened.

"This is a joke, right...?" he managed to articulate.

Jimin lazily followed his gaze, stopping on the two lovers, who were whispering a few words in each other's ear, Taehyung sensually caressing the teenager's hips.

"Oh no, it's very serious." Jimin replied, laughing. "You probably haven't met him yet, so I'll introduce you. You're looking at Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung's one and only fiancé."

~🍁~

Do you think Tae is cruel with John? Because, he's kind of innocent...

I can't seem to find good Taekook ff lately, it's soooo frustrating!!!

See you soon 💕