Forced Marriage
FORCED MARRIAGE
it's my first story here..
i’m still learning how everything works, so please be kind with me ♡
if you notice mistakes or have ideas, tell me in the comments
I really want to improve and make this story better for everyone reading it..”
The warm morning light filtered through the parted curtains, casting golden streaks across the wooden floor. Outside, birds sang their lazy songs, and everything seemed peaceful deceptively so.
A strange wind slipped through the window, carrying both warmth and an unsettling chill. It danced across the room, stirring the dust motes in the air, before settling on the figure still tangled in his bedsheets.
The clock on the nightstand blinked the numbers, indifferent to the fact that the groom-to-be was still drowning in his dreams perhaps escaping into a world where tomorrow didn't exist.
Taehyung's lips were slightly parted, his dark lashes fanned against his cheeks. He looked almost peaceful. Almost free.
Then the door slammed open.
"YAAAH TAEHYUNG, WAKE UP!"
Jimin exploded into the room like a human firecracker, his cheeks flushed with urgency, his eyes wide as saucers.
He leaped onto the bed without hesitation, bouncing on the mattress like an overgrown child.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Wake up, wake up, wake UP!" Jimin grabbed Taehyung's shoulder and shook.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"We have to go to the mall! The wedding suits, you idiot! Your wedding suit!"
He simply peeled one eye open, glared at Jimin with the fury of a man who had been ripped from a perfectly good dream, and then slowly, deliberately turned to the other side of the bed, pulling the blanket over his head.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Oh, you did NOT just-"
Jimin's foot connected with Taehyung's backside.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"BRAT. WAKE. UP."ಠ益ಠ
Each word was its own sentence, punctuated by pure frustration.
Taehyung groaned a deep, guttural sound that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul.
He pushed himself up on trembling arms, hair falling wildly over his forehead, eyes still heavy with sleep.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"Don't scream, you shithead," Taehyung muttered, his voice rough like gravel.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
He turned his glare toward Jimin, brows furrowed.
"I know tomorrow is my wedding. You don't have to scream at me, okay?"
His eyes spoke the words his mouth didn't say: I'm already dreading it. Don't make it worse.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
Jimin rolled his eyes so hard they nearly got stuck.
"Just shut up, asshole, and go take a bath. Or so help me, I will drag you to the bathroom myself. In your underwear. In front of the entire staff."
Taehyung snatched the pillow from behind him and hurled it directly into Jimin's face.
Jimin sputtered. Taehyung didn't wait for retaliation. He swung his legs off the bed, bare feet hitting the cold floor, and shuffled toward the bathroom like a man walking to his own execution.
Thirty minutes passed. The sound of running water faded.
Taehyung emerged from the bathroom, skin still damp, hair pushed back carelessly.
He had thrown on a loose navy blue shirt the kind that draped off his shoulders like he couldn't be bothered to exist properly and a pair of simple black pants. No accessories. No effort. Just him.
Jimin, who had been scrolling through his phone while perched on the edge of the desk, looked up.
His eyes traveled slowly from Taehyung's bare collarbones down to his worn-out shoes, then back up again.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Wow," Jimin said flatly.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"You should really wear something attractive for once. You always dress like a depressed hero in an old English movie. All you're missing is a cigarette and rain.😒🙄"
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, utterly unbothered. "I'm handsome in every way. Now shut up and let's go."
Jimin opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. He sighed, grabbing his keys from the desk.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, depressed hero. Let's go pick out the costume for your funeral-I mean, wedding."
He just followed Jimin out the door, down the hallway, toward the car waiting outside.
The warm-cold wind followed him.
FORCED MARRIAGE
The mall was a cathedral of consumerism bright lights, piped music, the faint smell of cinnamon pretzels and expensive perfume. Neither of them belonged here.
Jimin walked with purpose, shoulders squared, as if marching into battle.
Taehyung followed half a step behind, hands buried in his pockets, gaze fixed somewhere on the floor tiles. His reflection glanced back at him from polished marble, and he looked away.
They passed couples holding hands. Families laughing. A group of friends trying on silly hats.
Taehyung's jaw tightened.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Wedding suits are on the third floor," Jimin said, not looking back. His voice was too cheerful. Forced.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"They have a whole section. Very fancy. You'll look like a prince whether you like it or not."
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"I don't want to look like a prince.🙄"
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Yeah, well, neither did I." Jimin finally turned, walking backward for a few steps, his eyes soft.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
Walking backward for a few steps, his eyes soft. "But the photos last forever, Tae. At least look good while you're miserable."
They took the escalator up. Then another. The third floor was quieter, more refined. Racks of suits in every shade charcoal, ivory, navy, burgundy. The sales staff stood at attention, smiles plastered on, ready to serve.
Jimin made a beeline for the groom's section.
His eyes landed on a mannequin dressed in black. All black. Jacket, trousers, shirt, even the tie. It looked like mourning.
He walked toward it without a word.
Jimin noticed. Of course he noticed.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Tae." A warning. "Tae, no."
Taehyung reached out and touched the sleeve of the black jacket. The fabric was smooth, expensive, cold.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"Why not?" His voice was flat.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Because it's your wedding, not a funeral.😒🙄"
Taehyung's lips pressed into a thin line. Same thing, he almost said. But he swallowed it.
Jimin stepped closer, close enough that his shoulder brushed Taehyung's arm. The saleswoman hovered nearby, pretending to rearrange hangers.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Listen to me," Jimin said quietly. Not a command. A plea.
Taehyung finally looked at him.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"We all know you don't want this marriage." Jimin's voice dropped even lower, meant only for the space between them.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"We're all helpless. You think I don't know? You think your parents don't know? But Tae..." He reached out and took both of Taehyung's hands.
Taehyung flinched. Just slightly. But he didn't pull away.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"I'm not telling you to be happy," Jimin continued. His thumb brushed over Taehyung's knuckles.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"That would be cruel. But try. Just... try to accept the situation. For now. For your own sanity."
Taehyung stared at him blankly.
A blank stare. Empty. Like looking into a room with no furniture.
Jimin felt his chest ache.
He let out a soft sigh one of those sighs that carries everything unsaid and pulled Taehyung into a hug. Tight. Fierce. The kind of hug that says I'm here without any words.
Taehyung stood frozen for a moment. Then, slowly, his chin came to rest on Jimin's shoulder. His hands stayed at his sides.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Please, Tae," Jimin whispered into his ear.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Make the best of it."
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Give this marriage a try. Jinwoo... he's a nice person. I've met him. He's quiet, but kind. And he's not like... he'll never be like your ex. I promise you that."
Taehyung's breath hitched.
Just once. Barely audible.
Jimin pulled back but kept his hands on Taehyung's shoulders. His eyes were glistening now, memories stirring.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Do you remember how scared I was on my wedding day?"
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"I called you at 6 AM. I was crying. I told you it was my nightmare."
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"i thought everything was going to end, b-but"
Taehyung blinked. Something flickered behind the blankness.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"I thought I was walking into a prison," Jimin said.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
I didn't know Yoongi hyung. I didn't want to know him. I was so sure..." He shook his head, a small, sad smile forming. "But after the wedding, after we started living together... I realized something."
He squeezed Taehyung's shoulders.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
There are still good people in this world, Tae, "
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"I know you've been hurt. I know you don't trust anyone anymore. But don't shut the door before you've even seen what's on the other side."
Taehyung's throat moved. He didn't speak.
Jimin let his hands fall and turned toward the rack of suits behind them. His fingers brushed through the fabric until he found what he was looking for.
Soft. Warm. Not the blinding white of a traditional groom, but something gentler. Ivory, almost. It caught the light like morning.
He held it up against Taehyung's chest.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Look," Jimin said, stepping back to admire.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"This will look perfect on you. Go change."
Taehyung looked down at the suit. Then at Jimin's hopeful face. Then back at the suit.
His expression didn't change.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"There's nothing for me to change," he said quietly.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"Whatever you choose is good. So no need."
He turned away from Jimin away from the cream white suit and walked toward the saleswoman who had been hovering nearby.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"Pack that one," Taehyung said, pointing vaguely toward the suit Jimin was holding.
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"And the black one too."
Jimin opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
Then he just sighed and handed the cream suit to the saleswoman. "Add a matching tie. And a pocket square. Something soft maybe champagne."
The woman nodded and disappeared toward the counter.
They didn't talk about it after that.
Instead, Jimin dragged Taehyung to the food court. He bought them both bubble tea mango for himself, plain black tea for Taehyung. No sugar. No pearls. Just bitter.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Disgusting," Jimin said, watching Taehyung take a sip.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Then why do you drink it?"
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
Taehyung looked at the cup in his hands. "Because it matches my mood."
Jimin laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh. More like a release of pressure. He bumped his shoulder against Taehyung's.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"You're an idiot tae"
𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠
"I know that too."
They walked through the mall slowly, aimlessly. Past a bookstore where Jimin stopped to flip through a magazine.
Past a pet shop where a litter of puppies tumbled over each other in a glass display. Taehyung stood there for a long moment, watching them. His face softened just barely.
Jimin noticed. He didn't say anything. He just stood beside him in silence.
They spent an hour like that. No rush. No agenda. Just two friends existing together in the middle of a crowd.
When the sun began to lower, casting long shadows through the mall's glass ceiling, Jimin finally spoke.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"Ready to go home?"
The drive back was quiet. The city lights blinked on one by one, orange and white, painting streaks across the car windows.
Jimin drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the center console. Taehyung stared out the passenger window, watching buildings blur past.
They pulled up to Taehyung's apartment building as the sky turned lavender.
Jimin parked. Cut the engine. The silence was heavy.
Jimin turned in his seat to face him. The dying light caught the side of his face, made his eyes look almost amber.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"You're not alone, okay? Even if it feels like it. Even if tomorrow feels like the end of something. You're not alone."
Taehyung reached for the door handle. Paused.
𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧
"I know," he said. So quietly it was almost stolen by the wind.
He got out of the car. Walked to the building entrance without looking back.
Jimin watched until the door closed behind him.
Then he rested his forehead against the steering wheel and let out a long, shaky breath.
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FORCED MARRIAGE
Taehyung stood in the middle of his apartment, surrounded by silence.
The walls were bare no photographs, no paintings, no evidence that anyone actually lived here. Just a couch. A table. A bed in the corner of the studio.
He didn't bother turning on the lights.
The evening light had faded to a bruised purple, then to black. Streetlights cast pale rectangles on the floor.
Taehyung walked to his bed and sat down on the edge. Then he leaned back, let his body fall sideways, and stared at the wall.
No blinking. No tears. Just his dark eyes fixed on a tiny crack in the plaster, the kind most people would never notice. He had noticed it the first night he moved in. Two years ago. It hadn't grown. Neither had he.
The words floated through his mind like leaves on stagnant water. They didn't stick. They didn't hurt. They just... existed.
He didn't believe in love anymore.
Not the kind they wrote songs about. Not the kind that made people do foolish things. Not the kind that was supposed to last forever.
Love was a transaction. A temporary madness. A chemical reaction that faded and left behind nothing but bitterness and the memory of someone walking away.
Taehyung had learned that lesson well.
He didn't trust anyone. Not his parents, who meant well but never understood. Not Jimin, who he loved like a brother but who still couldn't see the whole truth. Not even himself. Especially not himself.
Because if he couldn't trust his own heart the heart that had once believed so deeply, so stupidly then who could he trust?
He rolled over to the other side of the bed.
The sheets were cold. They always were.
Tomorrow was his wedding.
A big day, people would say. The happiest day of his life
Taehyung let out a breath that was almost a laugh but not quite.
He remembered every single time his parents had brought home a marriage proposal. A photo of some eligible young man. A family with good connections. A business alliance dressed up in silk and flowers.
He had slipped away every time
Not ready. Too busy. Maybe next year.
He had used every excuse. And his parents had let him. Because they loved him. Because they thought he just needed time.
The number sat heavy in his chest. Three decades. And what did he have to show for it? A hollow apartment. A closet full of black clothes. A heart that had been picked clean like a carcass.
His parents couldn't watch anymore.
They had told him last month, over dinner. His mother's eyes were red. His father's voice was quiet but firm.
They had told him last month, over dinner. His mother's eyes were red. His father's voice was quiet but firm
"We are not asking, Taehyung. We are telling. The marriage is arranged. Jinwoo is a good man. You will meet him at the altar."
He had run for ten years. He was tired of running.
Why did everyone keep forcing him?
Forcing him to eat when he wasn't hungry. Forcing him to smile when he felt nothing. Forcing him to attend family gatherings where distant cousins whispered behind their hands. "Still single? Such a shame. So handsome, but so... cold."
Why couldn't they just let him live peacefully?
He didn't hurt anyone. He went to work. He paid his bills. He called his mother every Sunday. He laughed at Jimin's jokes even when he didn't feel like laughing.
What was the purpose of marriage anyway?
Two people signing a piece of paper. Two families shaking hands over a feast. Two bodies sharing a bed until one of them got tired, or bored, or found someone better.
Taehyung had asked himself that question a thousand times.
Why get married? Why open yourself up to that kind of pain again? Why pretend that forever existed when everything he had ever loved had slipped through his fingers like water?
The wall didn't answer. The crack in the plaster didn't answer. The silence just grew heavier, pressing down on his chest like a hand.
the kind of thinks running his head
Somehow, without meaning to, Taehyung slept.
His body gave in before his mind did. His eyes grew heavy. His breathing slowed. And he slipped into a dreamless darkness the kind that wasn't restful, just absent.
The moon moved slowly across the sky, indifferent to the man lying beneath it.
No grogginess. No reaching for the snooze button. He was simply awake, as if someone had flipped a switch. He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling.
The thought landed differently in the morning light. Not sharper. Just... there. Like a fact. The sky is blue. Water is wet. Kim Taehyung is getting married today.
Swing his legs over the side of the bed. Stood. Walked to the bathroom. All mechanical. All quiet.
He took a shower. Hot water beating against his back, steam curling around him. He didn't rush. He didn't linger. He just existed under the spray until the water ran cold.
He dried himself. Brushed his teeth. Combed his hair back from his forehead. And then he opened his closet.
His fingers passed over the black suits. The grey sweaters. The dark jeans.
Then his hands pause on the white cream suit, the one Jimin chose yesterday
he let out sigh and wore that
When he was finished, he looked at himself in the mirror.
Handsome, yes. That much he could admit without arrogance. Sharp jaw. Dark eyes. Full lips pressed into a neutral line. But the eyes those eyes held nothing. No anticipation. No fear. No hope.
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