Ties of Fate

What?

The morning had settled into its usual routine. Taehyung and Jungkook were back in the office, each caught up in the day’s tasks, the familiar hum of business meetings and discussions filling their schedules. Taehyung was reviewing a document on his computer when his phone buzzed on the desk beside him.

He glanced at it absently, expecting a routine business message. But when he saw the sender's name on the screen, his breath caught in his throat.

Bogum Park – Invitation.

His heart skipped a beat. Bogum? That name was from a part of his past he thought he'd left behind. He hadn’t heard from Park Bogum in years—his old college friend and the person Taehyung had secretly crushed on for what felt like forever. The one who didn’t know.

Taehyung blinked and unlocked his phone, his mind suddenly swirling with memories he had carefully tucked away.

"Hey, Taehyung! Long time no see. I’m throwing a birthday party this weekend, and I’d love for you to come. It would be great to catch up. Hope to see you there. —Bogum."

The message was simple enough, but it sent a ripple of confusion through Taehyung. He hadn’t spoken to Bogum since... well, since the day Taehyung decided to let go of his feelings. Now here was Bogum, casually inviting him to a party as if no time had passed at all.

Before he could process it further, his phone buzzed again. Another message.

Jimin .

Taehyung frowned and opened the text. It was from his best friend, Jimin.

"Taehyungie, I got invited to Bogum’s birthday party too! Are you going? It’s been forever since we’ve seen him."

Taehyung stared at his phone, suddenly feeling more overwhelmed than he had anticipated. Jimin’s going too? This party was shaping up to be more complicated than he thought. Jimin knew about his old crush on Bogum, of course, but Jungkook didn’t. Taehyung had never mentioned it, mostly because it wasn’t relevant anymore. Jungkook didn’t need to know about his past crushes—they were ancient history, right?

Yet the thought of seeing Bogum again, of Jungkook being completely unaware of the awkwardness that might unfold, made Taehyung’s stomach twist in knots.

Just as he was about to text Jimin back, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Something wrong?”

Taehyung looked up to see Jungkook standing in the doorway of his office, one eyebrow raised in concern. He must have been watching him for a while, noticing the change in Taehyung’s expression.

Taehyung quickly shook his head, trying to mask the flustered feelings that were bubbling up inside him. “No, nothing’s wrong.”

Jungkook wasn’t convinced. He strolled over to Taehyung’s desk, leaning casually against the edge. “You sure? You look a little... I don’t know, shocked.”

Taehyung hesitated. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, but he also didn’t want to hide it. He took a deep breath and held out his phone for Jungkook to see the message from Bogum.

Jungkook scanned the screen, his eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise. “Bogum? You’ve mentioned him before, right? College friend?”

Taehyung nodded, trying to keep his tone casual. “Yeah. We haven’t talked in years, but he invited me to his birthday party this weekend. Jimin’s going too.”

Jungkook handed the phone back, his expression thoughtful. “Huh. Are you going?”

Taehyung shrugged, feeling uncertain. “I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting to hear from him.”

“Is it going to be awkward?” Jungkook asked, his tone light but genuinely curious.

Taehyung bit his lip. More than you know. “Maybe a little. We just... kind of lost touch after college.”

Jungkook smiled gently. “Well, if you want, we can go together. No need to feel weird if I’m there, right?”

Taehyung’s heart warmed at Jungkook’s easy offer. Having Jungkook by his side would certainly make things less uncomfortable. But then, his stomach fluttered with an odd sense of nervousness. He still hadn’t told Jungkook about his old crush on Bogum, and suddenly, the idea of walking into the party with his current husband, standing next to the guy he used to have feelings for, seemed a little too... tense.

He was about to say something when his phone buzzed again. Another message from Jimin.

"Also, just a heads up... Bogum’s single again."

Taehyung’s eyes widened, and he almost choked on his breath. Of course, of course, Jimin would send that little tidbit of information. Taehyung’s mind raced as he tried to figure out how to respond.

“Taehyung?” Jungkook’s voice cut through his panicked thoughts, and he looked up to see Jungkook’s curious eyes fixed on him.

Taehyung quickly put his phone down, locking the screen. “Uh, sorry, just Jimin being... Jimin.”

Jungkook chuckled, completely unaware of the storm brewing in Taehyung’s mind. “I can imagine.” He straightened up and gave Taehyung a warm smile. “Seriously, though. Let me know if you want me to come with you. We’ll handle it together.”

Taehyung nodded, though his mind was far from settled. He appreciated Jungkook’s support, but now the idea of attending the party seemed even more daunting. Bogum was single. Not that it mattered—not anymore. But still, the thought nagged at him.

Later that day, Taehyung found himself texting Jimin back.

"I don’t know if I’m going yet. Jungkook offered to come with me."

Jimin’s response was instant.

"You should totally go! It’ll be fun. Besides, it’s not like you still have feelings for Bogum, right? 😉"

Taehyung groaned at Jimin’s playful tone, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks even though Jimin couldn’t see him.

"Of course not! It’s just... complicated."

Jimin’s reply came quickly.

"Don’t overthink it, Tae. Just come to the party and bring Jungkook. It'll be fine. Plus, I’d love to see the two of you together—it’ll make Bogum jealous. 😜"

Taehyung sighed, knowing Jimin was just teasing. But the thought of making Bogum jealous hadn’t even crossed his mind, and he certainly didn’t want to get involved in any kind of drama.

He glanced up at Jungkook, who was back at his desk, working on something without a care in the world. Jungkook was steady, reliable, and completely oblivious to Taehyung’s inner turmoil. And Taehyung preferred it that way—for now.

After a moment, he sighed, typing a final message to Jimin.

"Fine. I’ll go. But I’m bringing Jungkook, so don’t even try to start anything."

Jimin’s response was a string of laughing emojis, followed by a simple:

"Deal. 😏"

Taehyung put his phone down, leaning back in his chair as a mix of excitement and nervousness churned inside him. This weekend was definitely going to be interesting.