A MYSTERY TO ME | TAEKOOK

chapter twelve

It had been one week since Jungkook had officially moved to New York. Like Tae had promised, he had set him up with a realtor who found him an apartment long before his plane even touched down. He allowed Jisoo to pick the furniture out, he would be fine with whatever since he assumed he'd spend a majority of his time at the office anyways.

It all seemed too easy so far, the way he had walked into a fully functioning and decorated apartment, an office that was expectant of his arrival- it was like they had gone back in time five years. He had even grabbed lunch with his Dad who seemed barely present but was there none the less. They discussed quarterly numbers and he mapped out intentions for the future- intentions he wouldn't be a part of.

They say that each person has a unique reaction to their inevitable end. Some fear it, some accept it, hell, some do it to themselves. His Father seemed strangely at peace with it. Like he wasn't surprised that all the years of stress, smoking, poor eating habits, and all the other bad habits had taken a toll on him

Jungkook's Mother did not seem to be coming to grips with it. Every time she had stopped in with brownies baked by the personal chef- her way of trying to win back her son- she seemed like she had been crying, distraught, and distant. It was an odd sight, to see both parents so fragile. In a way, it had made it much easier to come home.

Home. What did that word even mean?

He had barely heard from Jimin since returning. Partially his own fault since he was the one that had left but that had been home and like New York had been stripped so suddenly, the same had happened with California. Jungkook wondered if he was fated to forever lose things far quicker than a normal person. If he would never be granted the gift of time to react and adapt.

"You made it!"

Jungkook had finally glanced up from his phone where he had been scrolling through e-mails ever since he stepped in the cab at his apartment. The restaurant he was at was quiet, quaint, and overtly formal. It looked like the type of place that somebody proposed at- generic and simple; it was the type of eatery where new money came to spend big bills and impress the in-laws. It seemed like an odd choice for Taehyung who was cultured, lived here his whole life, but he had insisted they had the best seafood within a fifteen-minute radius of work so Jungkook would hold his judgement.

"You cut your hair!"

Jungkook shoved his phone in the pocket of his work slacks, peeling out of the blazer and setting it on the back of his chair, "I did. People don't react as nicely to long hair when you work in a more corporate environment. Odd, isn't it?"

Taehyung smirked, his own hair flopping about in large curls, "Are you saying that people don't like my hair?"

"Your hair doesn't make you look like you're the lead singer of a folk band; your hair is organized and styled. Curly, not wavy!" Jungkook felt his hand reaching out to run through it, each tuft looked so soft and malleable. He was quick to retreat before he did, "Sorry!" His cheeks were the color of beets.

"No worries! You can touch them if you'd like." Taehyung was such a tease, the cheeky grin that adorned his lips when he spoke was enough to drive any man or woman mad but Jungkook had learned to ignore it, and control himself. This was his sister's fiancé after all, "How was work though? You're settling in?"

Jungkook nodded, "As best I can. It still feels weird and different but it also feels as though I took a time machine back to five years ago and just stepped right off where I left off before the.... rift..." With the recent reconciliation amongst his family he was no longer sure what to call the outburst that had occurred. Although it was clear that it was a homophobic display, physical abuse at the hands of a grown man, and verbal abuse from all parties, it felt odd to claim it as such, "Either way, how is your work?"