The Arrangement

54

Taehyung entered his apartment building's lobby as he returned from a walk outside.

This afternoon was one of the first times he'd ever ventured out on his own. Time was an issue previously - he never had enough of it. But now, with time being one of the only things he had to his name, Taehyung wanted to put it to good use.

He wasn't as afraid of being alone with his thoughts anymore, which was a welcome change. The sessions with Lee Hyun changed his mindset and way of reflecting on the past. What once was painful to remember now was easier, since Taehyung could objectively recall the events of his childhood. He had a long way to go, but he already felt so much freer.

Taehyung waved to the security as he headed towards the elevators, only to see them point towards the couches.

"You have visitors," one of the guards announced, directing Taehyung's attention back towards the seating area.

His heart did a little jump, thinking maybe it was Jungkook or one of his friends. It was irrational thinking, since the tour was just extended another three weeks. But hope still coursed through his body as he made his way to the designated area.

When he saw who waited for him, however, all remnants of hope disappeared. He made eye contact with his guests and walked quickly to the elevators.

"Taehyung!" A rich voice boomed after him, echoing around the lobby.

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his escape to arrive. Why were these elevators so damn slow today?

"Please, Taehyung. Just hear us out," a woman's voice said just over his shoulder.

"You said you were going to call Jungkook and you never did," Taehyung hissed out, turning to face Jungkook's parents. "You should really be focusing on your relationship with him rather than coming here to berate me."

Jungkook's father knotted his hands together. "I know. We know how badly we screwed up. And we want to let you know how sorry we are."

"Taehyung, we never knew what happened. We never knew the depth of your friendship all those years ago. And we certainly didn't know you were V," Jungkook's mother added, her voice straining against tears. "We want to make things right with Jungkook. But we feel we need to make things right with you first."

The elevator doors opened and Taehyung stormed inside. He entered his access code to the penthouse and watched as the metal doors started closing. Jungkook's parents looked at him through the narrowing space, crushed.

He stuck his hand in between the doors and they reopened immediately.

"I'm doing this for Jungkook's sake," he muttered, allowing his boyfriend's parents to step inside the elevator.

Five minutes later and they were all awkwardly seated at the dining room table. Taehyung remained quiet, waiting to hear what they were going to say. He'd give them a few more moments of his patience before he lost it completely.

Luckily, Jungkook's mother spoke up. "Taehyung . . . we have so much to apologize to you for. For all the hateful things we said, the assumptions we made. And . . . and for never realizing that you were suffering when you were a child. We'd known you for years but we never got to know you. If only we'd taken the time, maybe we could have helped back then. We are so sorry for that."

Taehyung sat stoically, unsure of how to interpret the apology. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of such admissions. Usually, he was the one expected to be remorseful over his actions.

When he didn't say anything further, Jungkook's father stepped in. "Ever since Jungkook entered into this mentorship program, we never gave you - V - the benefit of the doubt. We'd seen a different side of you when you reached out to us those months ago, a side that made us realize you weren't everything the tabloids said. We should have given you the opportunity to explain before jumping to conclusions. We're so sorry we accused you of advancing on Jungkook without his consent."