SECOND LEAD SYNDROME 2 | JJK

18 | no competition

TAEHYUNG POV::

"Decoration," I say aloud. "Check."

"Cake," I point to the table. "Check."

"Lube," Jimin waves it in the air.

"Check," I give him a thumbs up.

He carelessly tosses it on the couch and joins me at the dining table, eyes skimming down my lengthy list. One by one, he reads off every point just to double check that Yura and I would have the best date night yet.

"I think tonight's the night, I feel it," I couldn't contain my excitement any longer.

"Well, I think maybe you should save it," Jimin covers my lower area with his hand to block it from his vision. "For tonight."

"I talked to my psychic and she said tonight would be the most successful night to conceive. If it all goes right then we'll definitely have a baby," I remove some of the charms and lay them all out on the table. "This one is a token for health, and this one is for putting in her-"

"I don't wanna know," Jimin lays the beads down. "Have you guys even started planning your wedding yet? Recently, all I've seen her focus on is her career— her career which now involves Jungkook."

"So?" I furrow my brows at the sound of his name. "That... boy, is no threat to me."

I saw no competition with Jungkook because I was confident that Yura loved me and only me. The amount of years that we've been together almost doubles the time she was with him. Their little measly high school sweetheart moment was nothing compared to what we have together. Jungkook and Yura was all past while Yura and I were both present and future.

"Oh," Jimin smiles. "You definitely do not know that boy if you think that Yura is safe around him. Jungkook is probably the most impulsive person I know. He acts on his emotions and that's probably why your fiancé so mysteriously entered an unbelievably profitable contract with his wife's company."

I hadn't given it much thought until now.

"I trust her," I confirm what I've always felt. "But I definitely don't trust him."

"I saw him," Jimin takes a seat. "At the gala. We didn't talk but I saw him when he looked at Yura— he still loves her."

"Yeah, I know. I was there sharing the same dinner table with him," I recalled him staring at her the entire time. I don't think he even blinked an eye. "But there's nothing I can do. It's business."

"But to Jungkook, it's personal," he reminds me.

"What do you expect me to do?" I scoff. It was like Jimin was pitting me against the idea of them two working together. I was already uncomfortable with it all the moment I found out, and if it weren't for the fact that I loved Yura, I would've made her give up this opportunity. And now that Jimin was spouting all this bullshit in my ear,

I wasn't sure what to do.

"Nothing. Just be careful, that's all."

"Thank you," I say. "For being there for her all these years."

"You were too," he shrugs.

"Yeah but, I know you guys haven't always been friends."

Jimin chuckles, probably thinking of their friendship and everything that's led up til now. I know for a fact, with all the stories they've both told me, that it wasn't easy. And I could only imagine how difficult it was for Yura to have to cope with accepting him after all he's done to her. With Jungkook, it must've been easier since she fell in love with him. And it wasn't like she knew Jimin enough before he got with Lisa, so Yura being overprotective of her was certainly the right call.

"Yeah, I suppose I did have a hand in tormenting her all these years," Jimin was now in deep regret. "I'm definitely making up for it now."

"Well, everything happens for a reason," I comfort him with a pat on the back.

My phone buzzes, a text appearing across the screen.

"What is it?" asks Jimin.

"Yura," I sigh. "She says she'll be home late."

"Did she say what time?"

"Nah, but I'll wait up. Tonight is going to be the night."

Yeji's quick feet dash into the living room followed by lengthy giggles. "Appa, look what I found," she raises a set of fluffy handcuffs.

Jimin narrows his eyes at me.

"Those aren't mine," was all I could bring myself to say. I was sure that Jimin must've gotten used to these type of situations already but I, personally, don't think I ever could.

I think someway, somehow, I would accidentally mentally scar my child. All it took was one slip up. Like a crack in the door or the drop of a towel.

Yeji's eyes begin to swell up for whatever reason and her little lips begin to quiver. "Are these for aunty? Is she in trouble?!"

"In trouble?" I accidentally laugh.

She definitely knows something.

Jimin shoots out of his seat and snatches the cuffs from her hands. He gets on both knees before his daughter and averts her attention to him. "What do you know?"

She wipes a tear away. "I saw mommy wearing these when you were punishing her," Yeji cries even harder. "I don't want aunty to get punished!"

Speechless.

That's what I was.

"Ah, your aunt is going to be okay," Jimin picks her up and starts comforting her tears away. The hard labors of the father of a daughter. He retrieves all her belongings before bidding me goodbye, insisting that he wouldn't return with her again unless I locked up my nightstand.

I told him he should take the same advice and lock his bedroom door.

Yeji waves me goodbye nonetheless, sniffing away her tears as Jimin carries her off.

I wave her back as I follow to lock up behind them.

I spend the rest of the night sitting before the cake, watching as the hours go by. Time moved even slower than it did when I was sitting in class. My phone had already ran out of battery by the time midnight rolled around so I watched a couple films to pass more time.

Eventually I just dozed off on the couch.