Billionaire's Bargain || Kim Taehyung

Approval

Kira never thought she would miss being sick. She was back in her apartment, eating a bowl of cereal with her roommates in the evening while her mind was drifting aloof to her times with him. Kira didn't realize she was smiling like an idiot until Hoseok snapped his finger at her face.

She scowled at the two men next to her, still a little miffed about not being taken on their small vacation. It had almost been a week and she did a pretty good job of ignoring their existence and refusing to talk to them; she was pretty good at being a drama-queen. She mechanically put the spoon full of milk and crisp corn into her mouth while Hoseok started teasing her.

"Kira can't seem to stop thinking about his handsome face." He said while Jin oohed and aahed in response.

"Was it like a scene from a drama? Being helpless and sick while a strong Taehyung took care of you." Jin sniggered. Her face heated up in response and thinking back, she realized how clichéd it seemed. Kira refused to give into their traps of trying to make her talk and ignorantly took out her phone.

There was a knock on the door and the three looked at each other in confusion. Kira scrambled to her feet and opened the door to reveal a brightly smiling Jungkook.

***

His eyes twinkled in excitement as he jabbed the big red button on the machine. The clam grabbed a plushy, lifted it into the air and moved towards the opening. Just before it could land on the slot, it fell back ruthlessly on to the pile of dolls. He hit the sill of the machine in anger and took out another coin.

"Jungkook, as much I want you to win a plushy, we've been standing here for an hour. Stop. Please."

Jungkook smiled sheepishly at Kira. "I can see why people get so caught up playing this in movies."

Just like Taehyung, it came as a surprise to her when she found out that it was his first time in an arcade. He was like a competitive child, fighting toddlers to get in line for games. It was both a delight and nuisance to Kira. She apologized to glaring mothers and ended up buying candies for wailing kids because "Mean hyung won't get off of the racing bike."

When she showed him how to play pacman in an old machine, all hell broke loose as spent another hour on it. He had called her out claiming that he wanted to hangout with her more. They walked in silence, enjoying milkshakes as she finally managed to drag him away from the mob of angry children.

"Ah, you're so fun to hang out with!" He said and Kira couldn't help but have her self-esteem raised like a rocket.

"If hyung hadn't got through to you first, I would have changed my mind about getting into a relationship."

She didn't know how to respond to that and simply nibbled on the straw until his chuckle grabbed her attention back.

"I can understand why hyung loves you."

It was such a humble sentence but she felt like she was choking on her drink. The word 'love' brought a whole new level of 'butterflies in stomach' effect. Jungkook smiled at her, completely unaware of the impact of that simple sentence on her.

***

"Water would be fine." Taehyung smiled.

Hoseok looked concerned holding a bottle of beer mid-way. "Are you okay?"

"What kind of a weirdo turns down beer?" Mused Jin to himself, forgetting that he was in-fact talking out loud.

Taehyung chuckled at their priceless expressions. "I am okay. And one that happens to be dating your best friend."

"Ahh she did mention something about a deal. You both are so weird." Jin concluded, sipping from the bottle.

All three of them sat on the table of a nearby diner, watching people walk around. They'd been bowling for over an hour until Taehyung had won by two points. After Jungkook had dragged Kira unceremoniously from her evening snack, a disappointed Taehyung had ended up hanging out with the two. Hoseok and Jin didn't mind, it just meant that they'd finally get to know the guy who was making their beloved friend giggle in her sleep.

They finally understood what Kira meant. He was a completely different person altogether when he was out of work. His brows were not as strained, his hands were not constantly fidgeting with papers or pens and his talks were not limited to strict business. He talked, mostly, like any other guy they'd meet at a casual party. And all three had a surprisingly good time.

Jin observed carefully as Kira walked in with Jungkook. Her normally stern eyes seemed to search the little diner frantically for familiar faces or more accurately a face. Jin would have mockingly called out on her for this sudden change of demeanour, but instead he smiled knowingly as her eyes softened at the sight of Taehyung.

He had seen similar looks in her eyes before; it was her unique way acknowledging the people she cared about. When Taehyung looked at her, her gaze morphed into something new. There was a particular shine in her eyes as if she had suddenly discovered a great treasure. Few years ago, her eyes had shone similarly but it had lacked the intensity it was carrying now. Her lips parted and broke out into an equally shining smile.

Jin's gaze shifted to Taehyung. His boyish grin had been replaced with a more mature look; one that knew pure love. His gentle smile was welcoming and his gaze had the longing of a ripened wine. At that exact moment Jin knew that she could come down wearing a ragged cloth but that this man would look at her like she was draped a wedding gown.

Leaving Jungkook's normal pace, she rushed to Taehyung who stood up to embrace her. It came as a shock to Jin how they could meet almost every day and still get lost in each other's embrace as if they haven't met for years.

The couple squished themselves next to him, their hands intertwined like it was their last time. Jin had gone through the pain of watching Kira loose herself a few years ago, when she had been ripped away from Namjoon. A pang of sadness and hatred to the fates always seemed to hit him when she forced a smile around people. But now, her smiles were natural and her laughter resonated like it came straight from her heart.

Jin looked across the table at Hoseok who had a similar smile on his face. Their eyes met and a silent message of approval passed in between them. He knew exactly what his brother was thinking. For better or for worse, Taehyung had a chance at stealing their friend's heart.

A/N: I really want to give a huge shout-out to those who keep supporting me despite my lack of updates. Your words of encouragement and support help me so damn much. You know who you are and I hope you know that I am so lucky to have you in my life. ❤️