PAPER HEARTS

ii| epilogue

PART TWO

to yours.

Presently, we descend to the carpets. Laughter, mirth, and joy loom over the air and the table is brimming with finality. My fingers laced through Taehyung's, Ryoko's voice booming down the rows as she quotes a few lines from her anime lists animatedly with a shy Jeongguk holding onto his reddening ears and Yoongi and Jimin laughing at her antics.

"Lipstick causes cancer." She says at one point, jabbing a finger at Taehyung.

His brows knit in confusion and he stares at her as she goes on to illustrate how she's had to drag me to the washrooms, eight times in total to fix it for me. I turn beet red, my eyes sinking to the catalogues on the table at Taehyung's smirk.

"Jaehwa is my wife," he states plainly, swooping down to steal a peck on my cheek, "I can kiss my wife whenever I want to."

If anything, I turn redder, my fingers clench a fistful of the satin from my gown and I'm staring at the words on the card. Ryoko is not too lenient on him after falling prey to his blatant remark. She takes the butter knife in one hand, holding it against him in accusation with her eyebrows sutured together and her eyes narrowing down to slits.

"You literally," she frowns, "does that mean you'd kiss her at work? When she's working?"

"Koko -"

Taehyung leans over the table, a little closer to her with his voice barely audible over the loud clatter around the hall and I'm heating on the inside as he whispers to her.

"Invest in my stocks," he drawls on purpose, "and I'll leak a few videos of how I attend to my queen -"

"Taehyung!" I strike him on the arm, waving my hands over my face, "c-can you guys let me breathe for a second?"

Ryoko aims the blade at me, a look of betrayal surfacing over her flushed face, "Jae, how many times has this dumb CEO screwed you over his desk?"

My jaw slackens, Jimin emits a random laugh and Jeongguk has his hands secured over his ears, eyes twisted shut, as he starts counting backwards from hundred in a loud voice. I purse my lips together, my head jammed with countless words but I can't come up with a proper response to her question and I release a breath. Even Taehyung looks stumped and his grip on my hand grows soft before he gives it a tiny squeeze. Ryoko smiles.

"You guys are such freaks, I'll give you that."

"It's not like you don't Netflix and chill with your boyfriend," Taehyung grins, "we know just how baby Jeonggukie is not as green as he used to be, anymore."

"Nah," Ryoko leans over to ruffle her boyfriend's hair, "we've settled for hentai and chill these past few months."

"I hope your children inherit your genes, Jeongguk." Yoongi pats him on the back, nodding in perception.

"Oh wait," Jimin interjects quickly, "do you actually watch those links I send in the group chat?"

"Jimin," I trail away weakly and he turns to me with an almost apologetic smile.