Speeding Into Trouble || Taekook

20

Taehyung barely made it three steps toward the door when his father's voice cut through the house like a blade.

"Taehyung!"

Fuck.

His fingers twitched around the doorknob, debating. He could just leave. He could pretend he didn't hear and make a run for it.

Except that would make things so much worse.

So, with all the enthusiasm of a man walking to his execution, he turned around, smoothing his expression into something unreadable.

"Yes, Father?"

His father stood with his arms crossed, a familiar weight pressing down on the room.

The kind of weight that left no room for disobedience. His dark eyes flickered with something Taehyung recognized instantly-interrogation mode.

"How's it going with Sara?"

Ah. That.

Taehyung resisted the urge to exhale loudly and instead forced an easy nod.

"We did fittings for the engagement," he said, casual, like this wasn't a prison sentence in disguise.

His father's eyes narrowed. "That was last week."

No shit. "Yeah."

"And after that?"

Taehyung wanted to scream. He had never understood why interrogators repeated the same question in different ways, but now he was living the nightmare firsthand.

"We, uh-" Think, idiot. "Went to a few cute cafes."

That should work, right? That sounded realistic enough.

His father smiled. Fake as hell. A smile that said, I know you're lying, and I'm going to enjoy proving it.

"Oh, that's lovely," he said smoothly.

And that's when it happened.

The slap came out of nowhere, sharp and blinding.

The crack echoed off the walls, his head snapping slightly to the side. His cheek burned, but Taehyung didn't flinch. Didn't react.

Not a muscle moved.

"Then why the hell did I hear you've been ignoring Sara's calls after the shopping day?!"

Oh. So that's what this was about.

There was a sharp, sinking feeling in his stomach, but on the outside? Nothing.

He blinked once, slowly, then-because he was either fearless or fucking insane-he muttered, "Because I didn't want to answer?"

The room froze.

His father's face darkened so fast Taehyung swore he saw the light die in real-time.

"Shut up!" His father's voice was like thunder, rattling the walls.

"I'm letting you off easy this time, but if I hear you've disrespected Sara again, we are going to have a serious conversation. Do you understand me?"

Taehyung, who was currently seeing his life flash before his eyes, somehow kept his voice steady. "Crystal."

His father stared him down for another agonizing second before turning sharply on his heel and disappearing down the hall, tension still thick in the air.

The moment he was gone, Taehyung exhaled, rolling his jaw to ease the lingering sting. Jesus.

He hated this. The suffocation, the control. The way he had to dodge questions like bullets.