Fated Foes ||toptae||

71

Taehyung stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie. His hands were steady, but his heart was racing. This was it. After two years of secrecy, after sneaking around, stealing glances, and pretending to be enemies in front of their families, the moment had finally arrived. He and Jungkook were getting engaged—officially, in front of everyone.

He turned to see Jungkook struggling with his cufflinks. A small smile played on his lips as he walked over, gently taking Jungkook’s hands and fixing them for him.

"Nervous?" Taehyung asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Jungkook huffed. "No. I just don’t want my mother to cry again. I swear, she cried so much when we told them the truth, I thought we’d need a flood warning."

Taehyung chuckled. "I mean, we did lie to them about breaking up. It was bound to be dramatic."

Jungkook sighed and sat on the bed. His mind drifted back to the day it all came crashing down.

Flashback............................

The atmosphere in the Kim household was tense. Mr. Kim sat in his chair, sipping tea, completely unaware of the storm about to hit. Taehyung, who was seated on the couch, was lazily scrolling through his phone when the doorbell rang.

"Taehyung, see who it is," Mr. Kim said without looking up.

Taehyung got up and opened the door—only to freeze.

The Jeon family stood before him.

His gaze instantly landed on Jungkook, who was standing slightly behind his parents, his face unreadable. Taehyung’s heart pounded, but he masked his emotions as he stepped aside to let them in.

Mrs. Kim walked in with a warm smile, but Mr. Kim’s eyes narrowed in confusion. He looked at Mrs. Jeon, who had a firm expression on her face.

"What’s the occasion?" Mr. Kim asked, setting his teacup down.

"We need to talk," Mrs. Jeon said coldly.

Taehyung and Jungkook tensed.

Mrs. Jeon’s sharp gaze landed on Taehyung first. "Do you have anything to confess?"

Mr. Kim’s frown deepened. "What is going on?"

Mrs. Jeon inhaled deeply before she spoke, "I know the truth. Taehyung and Jungkook have been secretly dating behind our backs all this time."

Silence.

Mr. Kim blinked. Then, ever so slowly, he turned to Taehyung.

"Is that true?"

Taehyung hesitated, his eyes flickering toward Jungkook.

Jungkook spoke first. "Yes, it’s true."

Mrs. Jeon clenched her jaw. "Unbelievable. After all the effort I made to keep you two apart, you still—"

"Enough," Mr. Kim cut her off, his voice unusually firm.

Everyone turned to him in surprise.

"I knew this day would come," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "And honestly, I’ve had enough of this charade."

Mrs. Jeon stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Kim looked at her for a long moment before speaking, "You still don’t understand, do you?" He let out a humorless chuckle.