zero o'clock | tk

六

The sun streamed through the window, its rays falling directly on Jeongguk's face, waking him up with a groggy yawn. He stretched lazily, blinking against the bright light, but quickly noticed something off. The bed space next to him was empty.

A frown tugged at his lips as he reached for his phone on the side table, groaning slightly from the interruption to his sleep. He had to admit, it was a good sleep, definitely, something he could've used more of.

Checking the time, he realised it was already pushing noon. The first thing he did was dial Taehyung's number, expecting to hear the familiar voice. But the call went straight to voicemail. He tried again, but no answer.

Frustration crept in as he tossed his phone onto the bed. Little did he know, Taehyung wasn't ignoring him, his phone was shattered.

Jeongguk, growing more irritated, opened the app to check Taehyung's location, but it was useless. The little icon that usually showed where the blonde was had disappeared. "Phone must be off," he muttered under his breath, furrowing his brows.

His irritation turned into concern. Where could Taehyung be? Was he hiding something?

Jeongguk's phone buzzed in his hand, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was Jimin.

"Yo, Gguk, let's hang out! You got your bike fixed, right?"

Jeongguk sighed, running a hand through his hair. He wanted to spend the day with Taehyung, but the blonde had basically vanished. He hadn't seen him since last night.

"Yeah, I got it fixed. Where you at?"

"Over at Hobi's place."

Jeongguk hummed in response, before he hung up, pocketing his phone.

-

"What can I get for you guys today?" Taehyung asked, forcing a bright smile as he adjusted the cute apron Jin had given him.

One of the guys at the table squinted at him, snapping his fingers like he was trying to remember. "Hey, don't you go to our school? What was your name again... Taeyeon? Tae-something?"

The group chuckled, clearly amused at Taehyung's discomfort as he shifted uneasily, holding onto his notepad a little tighter. His smile faltered for a second, but he kept it up, just trying to get through the interaction.

"I-It's Taehyung, but what would you guys like?" Taehyung stuttered, keeping his eyes glued to the notepad in his hand, desperately trying to ignore the kids chuckling and whispering.

The boy at the table leaned back with a smirk. "Hmm, you guys don't have alcohol right now?" he asked, voice dripping with mock seriousness.

Taehyung blinked, the question catching him off guard. Alcohol? In a cafe? In the middle of the day? And they were in a grade or two below the blonde—definitely not old enough to drink.

"No, we don't sell alcohol here," Taehyung responded, kind of getting pissed off. He tried his best to glare at them, but it only seemed to amuse the group more.

"That's mean, Taehyungie," the boy mockingly pouted, his voice dropping into a baby tone as he leaned forward. "Please get us alcohol." His friends chuckled, clearly enjoying the way they were getting under Taehyung's skin.

Taehyung's patience snapped. Without a second thought, he turned on his heel, muttering curse words under his breath as he walked away. 'Who do they think they are?' But before he could get too far, a firm grip wrapped around his wrist.

Startled, he spun around to see the same smirk plastered on the boy's face.

"Come on, Taehyung, you know my brother, don't you?" The boy's smirk deepened, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Taehyung yanked his wrist free, his heart pounding as he quickly sped away from the table. Of course, he knew who the guy's brother was, Choi Kwan, the one who had made Taehyung's school life a living hell. But Kwan had finally gotten what he deserved and had been expelled, thanks to the principal noticing the bullying.

The memories hit Taehyung hard as he walked. The bruises, the blood, the shame of coming home every day with new marks on his skin—reminders of what Kwan had put him through.

Jeongguk had known about it back then too. But he hadn't done a thing. Why? Because Kwan had been one of Jeongguk's closest friends and would also sometimes 'bully' Taehyung too but would end up apologising his heart out when they were alone. The thought made Taehyung's heart ache even more.

"What did I ever do to these people?" he muttered under his breath, tears welling up in his eyes. His vision blurred as he made his way toward the cash register, trying to push down the emotions threatening to spill over.

In the midst of his haze, he bumped into Jin. "Hey, Tae, you okay?" Jin's voice was soft, his eyes full of concern.

Taehyung quickly wiped the tears that had fallen onto his cheeks, sniffing as he tried to compose himself. "Y-Yeah, hyung. I'm okay..."

Jin gave him a warm, reassuring smile. "It's okay, your shift's over now. Yoongi's clocked in. Go rest."

With a weak nod, Taehyung bowed slightly. "Hmm, bye hyung. I'll come back tomorrow."

He walked out of the café, heavy hearted not feeling the best.

As Taehyung walked down the quiet street, the familiar sound of a motorcycle revving filled the air behind him. He paused, turning around to see Jeongguk on his bike, his dark eyes locking with Taehyung's. The raven-haired boy slowed down as soon as their gazes met, his expression unreadable.

Jeongguk pulled up beside him and, spoke in a low, commanding voice. "Get on."

The blonde hesitated for a moment, staring at him. But there was something about the way Jeongguk looked at him now, something that made it hard to say no.

Hopping on, his arms instinctively wrapping around Jeongguk's waist. The engine roared to life, and in an instant, they were speeding down the street. The wind whipped through Taehyung's hair, but as the scenery blurred around him, he started to notice something off.

They weren't heading toward his house. In fact, Jeongguk was going the opposite way.

"Jeongguk, where are we going?" Taehyung asked, his voice barely heard over the roar of the bike, confusion lacing his tone.

But Jeongguk didn't answer, his eyes fixed ahead.

They pulled up to a massive house, almost a mansion. Taehyung's eyes widened in awe, taking in the pristine lawns and towering gates. This was the rich side of town, the kind of place he'd only ever seen in movies.

"No way, is this your house?" Taehyung asked, his grip still tight around Jeongguk's waist as they sat there, parked in front of the impressive estate.

Jeongguk, however, wasn't in the mood for small talk. He ran his fingers through his hair, his jaw clenched with irritation. "Tell me where you were today, Taehyung. I'm not playing around." His voice was sharp.

The blonde let out a shaky sigh. "I-I just got a job at the café, so I'm working there now."

Jeongguk froze for a moment before turning to Taehyung, his eyes narrowing. "What?! Taehyung, you need to start telling me these things. What happened to communication?" He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he got off the bike, then reached out to help his boyfriend down as well.

Taehyung frowned. "Well, I didn't think it was that important."

Jeongguk ignored his excuse, grabbing Taehyung's hand and pulling him towards the front door of the mansion. "Well, I'm introducing you to my parents today."

Taehyung's eyes widened in shock. Did he just hear that right? Panic set in as Jeongguk practically dragged him up the steps. "Je-Jeongguk, what? No! I don't even look presentable right now! I don't have a gift or anything!" His voice was frantic, heart pounding at the thought of meeting Jeongguk's parents like this, totally unprepared.