The FORCED MARRIAGE | KTH FF

Chapter 27

As Y/N walked towards the car, she hesitated at the door, unsure of whether Taehyung would let her sit in the passenger seat. It was the same routine—before their marriage, he had always given her the impression that there were rules to follow. She glanced over at him, watching as he smoothly slid into the driver’s seat, his expression unreadable as usual.

For a moment, she stood frozen, feeling a familiar tension in the air. She had gotten used to him being distant and controlling, but somehow, today felt different. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would let her sit there—or if he would impose his "rules," as he had done so many times before.

Taehyung noticed the hesitation in her eyes and the way she lingered by the car, unsure of what to do. He glanced at her briefly, his voice cutting through the silence. "You can sit," he said simply, his words devoid of any warmth but firm nonetheless.

Y/N froze for a moment, still unsure. She had expected him to make her feel awkward, to remind her of her place. After all, his rules had always kept a distance between them, and he never let her forget her position. But today, it seemed… different.

Still, her hesitation lingered, and she didn’t move right away. Taehyung noticed her lingering uncertainty and, with a quiet sigh, got out of the car. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

Y/N looked up, her eyes wide in surprise. She couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. The man who had always kept her at arm’s length was now standing there, holding the door open for her like… like a gentleman.

For a brief moment, she thought she had misread his intentions. Was he playing some sort of game with her? Or was this a small step in the right direction? Her heart fluttered with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

Taehyung, seeing her confusion, spoke again, his tone firm but soft. "Get in, Mrs kim."

The change in his voice startled her, and she quickly got in, though her heart was racing in her chest. She had never felt so uncertain in his presence before, and yet, she also couldn’t ignore the small, gentle pull he had on her heart.

As they both settled in, Taehyung started the engine. "Remember," he said as he turned the key, his gaze briefly flicking to her before returning to the road. "There are rules, even now."

Y/N’s heart sank at his words, but she didn’t say anything. She nodded quietly, still processing the shift in his behavior, even if it was brief. She couldn’t tell if he was teasing her or if there was a deeper meaning behind his actions. But in that moment, despite the coldness of his words, she felt a flicker of something she hadn’t felt before: a softening of the distance between them, just for a fleeting moment.

As the car smoothly glided down the road, Y/N couldn’t help but let her mind wander. Her thoughts bounced between the excitement of their outing and the ever-present tension with Taehyung. But then, her eyes caught sight of something that made her heart skip a beat: a small, familiar milkshake shop nestled on the corner of the street. 

Without thinking, she blurted out, "STOP!" 

Taehyung, startled by the sudden command, immediately slammed on the brakes, the car jerking to a halt. He turned to her, confusion written across his face. "W… what happened?" he asked, his tone a mixture of concern and impatience. 

Y/N, her fingers nervously twisting together, looked at him with a shy, almost embarrassed smile. "Vanilla milkshake," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, she pointed toward the small shop with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. 

Taehyung blinked, his mind instantly flashing back to that moment before their marriage. It felt like a lifetime ago even if they are one week married (Um whatever), yet the memory was so vivid when she had stopped him on the road, just like this, asking for a vanilla milkshake. He hadn’t been able to understand her then, and now, seeing her so excited over such a simple thing, he felt a strange mix of frustration and something else—something he couldn’t quite name.