FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT| JJENINII

14

As Jennie and Taehyung finished packing in silence, the familiar comfort of her childhood home felt both soothing and heavy with things left unsaid.

Jennie folded the last of her clothes into her suitcase, focusing on each task with an intensity that kept her hands busy and her thoughts contained. 

Taehyung was doing the same across the room, methodically folding and organizing, his focus on his suitcase rather than on her.

Finally, Taehyung spoke, his tone careful. "I'll call the car for us in an hour." He glanced over at her, waiting for a reaction.

She nodded, managing a small, polite smile. "Sounds good, thanks."

Downstairs, Mrs. Kim was waiting by the front door, a warm, hopeful smile lighting up her face as she pulled Jennie into a hug.

She murmured something soft in Korean that made Jennie's heart squeeze painfully, though she simply nodded, squeezing her mother's hand before stepping back.

"Take care of each other," her mom said, looking between them.

"Of course," Taehyung replied with a gentle smile, placing a reassuring hand on Jennie's shoulder.

They exchanged goodbyes, and Jennie and Taehyung made their way out to the waiting car.

As they settled into their seats, the quiet ride gave Jennie space to think back on the past few days, each moment with Taehyung lingering in her mind longer than she'd have liked.

When they arrived back in Auckland, Taehyung's assistant, Minjun, was waiting for them at the curb.

He greeted them with his usual efficiency, a polite smile barely concealing his curiosity. Jennie gave him a brief nod, grateful for his focus on logistics rather than anything personal.

"Your flight is scheduled in two hours," Minjun said, handing Taehyung an itinerary. "I've arranged a private lounge for you both."

Jennie thanked him with a slight nod, falling into step beside Taehyung as they made their way through the terminal.

The lounge was quiet, secluded, and Jennie let out a soft sigh of relief as she sank into one of the chairs.

She hadn't realized how tense she'd been all morning, the quiet pressure of the past few days lingering like an invisible weight.

Taehyung settled in across from her, scrolling through his phone with a slight frown. After a moment, he looked up. "Do you want anything from the café?"

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm fine."

He gave a small nod, heading off toward the café area, and Jennie took a deep breath, finally allowing herself a moment to unwind.

She couldn't stop herself from replaying snippets of the past few days—the small gestures, the late-night conversations, the way he'd slipped so easily into her world with her family.

She couldn't deny the ease of it, or the comfort she'd felt in those rare moments when the act had felt... almost real.

But she quickly pushed the thought away. There was no point lingering on it; this was all just part of the arrangement. She had been in control of her life for too long to let something as fleeting as a business arrangement blur the lines.

Taehyung returned with a cup of coffee, handing it to her. She took it without thinking, murmuring a "thank you" as he sat down across from her.

He was quiet, his expression unreadable as he sipped his own coffee and glanced over some notes on his phone.