Perfect

Story of us

Late at night, Taehyung was drinking alone when he heard a knock on the suite's door. He frowned, thinking, "It's too late for any staff to be here." Concerned, he approached the door cautiously. Just as he was about to check, a familiar voice came from the other side, "Hyung, if you're awake, let me in."

Startled, Taehyung quickly stepped away from the door, grabbed a room spray, and doused the air before hurrying to wake the manager. The older man, roused from sleep, glared at Taehyung, irritated. "Seokjin’s at the door. Get up and let him in," Taehyung said urgently.

Groggy and grumbling, the manager stumbled out of bed, muttering curses under his breath as he made his way to the door. The moment he opened it, he found Seokjin on the floor, crying. "What’s wrong?" the manager asked, quickly lifting Seokjin up. "What happened?"

Through sobs, Seokjin choked out, "I had a dream. It felt so real... I saw Taehyung. I miss him so much, hyung." He broke down even more, tears streaming down his face. The manager quickly brought him inside and closed the door. "Hey, it’s okay," he said softly. "Do you want to talk to him?"

Jin shook his head, "No, no, he must hate me for leaving him."

"I’m sure he doesn’t hate you. If you don’t want to call him, I’ll do it for you," the manager said, raising his voice slightly so Taehyung could hear from the other side of the door. "No, it’s alright, don’t," Jin protested.

Taehyung was struggling to hold himself back, resisting the urge to burst through the door and wrap Seokjin in his arms. Instead, he grabbed his phone and dialed Jin’s number. When Jin heard the ringtone, he pulled out his phone and saw Taehyung’s name on the screen. "Pick it up," the manager urged. "See? He must’ve felt it, too."

Jin hesitated but finally answered the call with a whimper.

"Baby?" Taehyung’s voice came through, full of concern. "Are you crying?" But Jin couldn’t bring himself to reply.

"Please stop crying," Taehyung continued gently. "If you want, I can come to you." Still, there was silence from Jin. "It’s okay if you don’t want me to come. I’ll just stay on the line with you," Taehyung said, his voice soft and comforting.

Seokjin doesn’t say a word; he just cries, and Taehyung listens in silence, whispering soft reassurances until Jin finally drifts off on the couch.

The next morning, Seokjin wakes up in his own bed. The memory of the previous night floods back, and he groans as he gets out of bed. “It felt so real,” he mutters to himself. “Why do I feel better today? Maybe it was that phone call.”

Unbeknownst to him, Taehyung had scented him after he fell asleep. When Seokjin steps out of his room, he notices breakfast on the table. “Did hyung come in?” he wonders aloud as he sits down to eat. Eating alone feels strange now that he’s grown accustomed to Taehyung’s presence. The more time passes, the more he realizes how much he misses Taehyung.

It doesn’t take long before tears start to fall again as he eats. “I don’t think I can live without him,” he sobs. “But it would be selfish to seek him out,” he tries to reason with himself.

He cried for a while but eventually wiped his tears away. "I shouldn’t think about going back. I’ll see him once, and then I’ll leave."

The thought of leaving broke his heart all over again, and before he knew it, he found himself back under the covers. The days leading up to Taehyung’s concert passed in a blur, each one leaving him feeling sicker, but the emptiness he’d felt in those first few days had dulled somewhat.

On the day of the concert, Seokjin got up early to pack the few belongings he had taken from their place and checked out of the hotel.

"Your flight is an hour after the concert ends," his manager informed him as he paid for Seokjin's fresh juice—his go-to breakfast lately, since caffeine had started to upset his stomach, "Are you sure about leaving, Seokjin?"

"I don’t think I’ll ever be sure, hyung, but what other choice do I have? I’m miserable, and it’s my fault for mating. I have to leave."

He steps out of the café to head to his company. "Can you smell something on me?" he asks, turning to the manager.

"No," the older man quickly dismisses the question, aware that Taehyung has been heavily scenting Seokjin. "Why did that lady scrunch her nose when I walked by?"

"Maybe she’s just sensitive to scents," the manager replies.

When he reaches the company’s lobby, he’s met with a commotion at the reception desk.

"Please, let me see him just once," a woman pleads.

"I’m sorry, we can’t, for the sake of our artist’s protection—"

"Mrs. Kim?" Jin interrupts from behind, "It’s okay, let her through," he signals to the receptionist.

"Seokjin, thank goodness. I’ve been trying to reach you. Can you please spare a few minutes to talk? I’ve been trying to get in touch."

Jin nods. "Of course, please come with me," he says, leading her toward his office. "Here, have a seat. I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls; I’ve been swamped with work—"

"Busy abandoning my son and your mate, to be more specific, Seokjin," Mrs. Kim said. As her words hit, Jin's ears started to ring, and his vision blurred. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Kim, I have my reasons," he managed to say, clearing his throat as his body heated up with anxiety. "If he doesn’t have a problem with your scandals, neither do we. So, Seokjin, why are you going so far as to leave him? Do you realize what you’re doing to yourself?"

Jin stared down at his feet, knowing full well he was risking everything to secure Taehyung’s future. He pursed his lips and said softly, "I’m sorry, but I think it’s for the best."

"It’s not," Mrs. Kim insisted. "As an omega, I’m trying to understand you, Seokjin, but as a mother, I can’t. This is pure nonsense. I’m not invalidating your feelings, but why punish yourself? Taehyung called me crying. He wants you, Seokjin. Why not be selfish for once and just stay? I promise you, he’ll never hurt you again. And if he does, I’ll make him walk out of your life. Please, I beg you, give him another chance. Give yourself another chance, Seokjin."

She finished speaking, waiting for Jin to respond. "I’m sorry," was all he could say in return.

"Alright," she says as she rises to her feet, "do whatever you feel is best. But never forget, Taehyung and I will always be here for you." She pauses, glancing back at him. "Taehyung doesn't know I came. He would have stopped me from disturbing you, so don’t hold this against him."

"You didn't disturb me," Jin says, following her lead and standing up. "I'm glad you came," his voice falters, barely holding together. He quickly lowers his head, trying to hide the tears threatening to spill over.

The next thing he knows, he's wrapped in the warm embrace of Taehyung's mother. "I'm sorry my son couldn't make you see that he loves you just as deeply as you love him," she murmurs, holding him tightly as he finally lets go, breaking down in her arms. "Being apart from you will break him just the same."