Can I kiss you?
Taehyung bites down the bubble of panic as he whirls his head around, searching for any sign of Jeongguk, who'd been at his side just seconds ago.
He catches a glimpse of the navy blazer that Jeongguk had been wearing, and he breathes a sigh of relief as he follows after the man, walking briskly out of the restaurant and into the lobby.
Taehyung calls out to him, but Jeongguk just ignores it, walking through the main doors, and-- much to Taehyung's horror-- right into the pouring rain.
Taehyung yelps, quickening his pace and bursting through the exit, ready to yell at Jeongguk to get back inside, but something makes him pause.
Jeongguk stands just a foot away from the large awning covering the entrance of the lobby doors, eyes squeezed shut, head tilted back as the rain pours over him, soaking his clothes and hair.
He looks so pained, like he's about to shatter into a million different pieces, and the only thing that's holding him together is the cold patter of the rain against his skin.
Taehyung's heart lurches, and finally-- finally-- he feels like he can see Jeongguk clearly. All the carefully hidden layers of hurt, betrayal, unadulterated sadness, coming to the surface in a moment that Taehyung wasn't supposed to see.
Vulnerability.
And Taehyung wants to wrap the man in his arms, protect him from a world that has been so cruel, and hold him. He wants Jeongguk to be happy, to know his worth as a person, but how could he show him? When the entire world was saying otherwise?
Taehyung steps up next to Jeongguk without even thinking, shivering as he himself become drenched, water seeping past his suit and into his very core. Whether Jeongguk acknowledges his presence is a mystery, but they stand there, together, watching the ever-busy Seoul traffic whirring past them, as the world continues to turn and life goes on, despite the tragedies and the sadness that occur around every corner.
"I thought I had gotten over it, but apparently not," Jeongguk says suddenly, breaking the silence between them. There's no sarcasm in his voice, no malice. He just speaks as though he's telling a simple truth. His eyes are trained above them, to the billboard across the street. A pair of eyes, advertising double eyelid surgery. Taehyung feels like they're being watched.
"He was way out of line," Taehyung growls, the anger still acrid on his tongue. He had been under the impression that he had surrounded himself with good people in this situation, even knowing how socialites could be. But even good people could be prejudiced, misguided. He just wishes it wasn't at the expense of hurting Jeongguk like this. But just thinking that, he knows he's the biggest hypocrite of all.
"That meeting shouldn't have gone like that. He shouldn't have said those things to you."
Jeongguk laughs, sharp and bitter. "But it's true, isn't it? About me? You said so yourself."
Taehyung's stomach churns, and his eyes sting with tears unshed, for Jeongguk, for the guilt. He wonders when the younger man had begun to internalize the self hatred like this, and Taehyung knows that he, himself, is part of the problem. He knows he'd apologized, but he still feels so incredibly sorry.
"No, it's not," Taehyung says firmly, staring straight at Jeongguk, and he wishes the younger could believe the words he's saying, but he knows they're probably falling on deaf ears. But he tries anyway. "I-I was angry when I said that back then. But you are so much more than what I or any other ignorant socialite says."
Taehyung takes a shaky breath, wondering if he should say the words that sit on the tip of his tongue. It's probably not his place. Nothing will probably help, but he has to try. "I-I think you were lying. Back then, when you said help people for salvation," He gulps, and Jeongguk stays stone still beside him. "I think you help people because you care. Because deep down you're a good person."
