Twisted Devotion | taekook

chapter. 17

After Minji and Jimin left and Jun retired for the night, Jungkook wedged himself into the back of his closet, took out his phone, and messaged the guy he’d matched with on the dating app. The response came immediately, and by the following afternoon, Jungkook had a date set for Tuesday night.

It happened so fast it made his head spin, which was exactly what he wanted. If he thought too hard, he’d sink into the pool of guilt pooling in his stomach. Jungkook had made it clear he wanted to date other people, and Taehyung had agreed. He had no reason to feel guilty; they were officially over. But it was hard to let go of old ways of thinking.

He’s not yours anymore, and you’re not his either. You’re free.

One day, Jungkook’s feelings would catch up with his logic. Until then, he forced himself to give this upcoming date a fair chance.

Jaehyun was charming, well-educated, and handsome in a generic, Ralph Lauren model sort of way. He’d just moved to Seoul from Australia and worked in “business”—a vague term that hinted at a possible trust-fund background, but aside from that, their text conversations were perfect.

“You look great,” Jun said on Tuesday. “Stop worrying and have fun.”

“It’s my first real date in eleven years.” Jungkook didn’t count his dinner with Mingyu, which fell somewhere between platonic and romantic. “What if I embarrass myself? Or we run out of things to talk about? Do people kiss on first dates nowadays, or am I supposed to wait until the third?”

Jungkook fiddled with his necklace. Jaehyun was taking him to a gala uptown—“much nicer than getting drinks at a bar,” he’d assured Jungkook—and he had dressed for the occasion in an all-midnight outfit.

Jun placed his hands on Jungkook’s shoulders. “Stop. Breathe,” he ordered. Jungkook obeyed; no one ever said no to Jun. He’d make a great military general if he ever felt so inclined. “You’ll be fine. First dates are meant to be a little awkward. Just go, have fun, and if things truly go off the rails, call me.”

“Right. Okay.” Jungkook took a deep breath. He could do this. He was an adult; he wasn’t going to run to his friend at the first sign of trouble. “Wait, where are you going tonight? I thought you had work.”

Most people took Christmas week off, but Jun wasn’t most people. He would physically glue his phone to his hand if it weren’t so logistically complicated.

“I do.” He removed his hands from Jungkook’s shoulders and crossed his arms, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. Instead of his usual suits, he wore an off-white crisp top with black bottoms. “I’m meeting a client at a… at a private party.”

Jungkook’s suspicions over Jun’s uncharacteristic stutter faded when his phone and the doorbell rang at the same time. They said a quick goodbye, rushing to answer their respective calls.

“Wow, you’re even more beautiful in person.” Jaehyun’s dark eyes sparkled with appreciation as he gave Jungkook a thorough once-over in the elevator. “I’m so glad we talked and could finally meet.”

Jungkook smiled, ignoring a small twinge of discomfort. “Me too.”

A private car waited for them downstairs, whisking them uptown while they settled into conversation about Jaehyun’s work.

“At least there aren’t animals waiting to kill you around every corner here,” Jungkook teased as Jaehyun complained about the Australian tipping culture.

“True that.” Jaehyun grinned.

Jungkook enjoyed their conversation. He didn’t feel any particular emotional spark, but the night was still young. They had plenty of time to connect.