Mikrokosmos (Taekook)
Fake vows
Chapter 1: The Price of dirt
The morning sun over the sprawling Jeon estates was merciless, baking the dark, fertile soil of the farmlands that stretched for miles.
But inside the main mansion, the temperature was a crisp, artificial sixty-five degrees.
Jeon Jungkook, twenty-five years old and the sole heir to the Jeon agricultural empire, was asleep. It was 11:30 AM.
When he finally stirred, it was only because his latest iPhone model was vibrating relentlessly on the mahogany nightstand. Jungkook groaned, running a hand through his perfectly styled, expensive hair.
He was a creature of modern luxury, a Gen Z socialite who lived his life in a blur of neon club lights, designer tags, and fleeting hookups. The word "commitment" was as foreign to him as the word "labor."
He swung his legs out of his silk sheets and walked into his massive walk-in closet.
Looking down, he noticed a tiny speck of mud on his limited-edition white sneakers from the night before.
Jungkook yelled, his voice echoing in the massive hallway.
A housekeeper hurriedly appeared at his door.
Therese
Yes, young master?
Jungkook said casually, kicking the thousand-dollar shoes toward her.
Jungkook
They're dirty. And order me the new Balenciagas. The black ones this time.
Therese
But sir, it's just a small smudge. I can clean—
Jungkook
Did I ask you to clean them?
Jungkook snapped, his tone sharp and entitled.
Jungkook
I said throw them away. I don't wear dirty things.
Down the hall, leaning heavily on his wooden cane, stood Jungkook's grandfather, the patriarch of the Jeon family. Beside him was Jungkook’s father. Both men wore expressions of deep, exhausting disappointment.
His father muttered, rubbing his temples.
Jk's Dad
His mother is working herself to the bone managing the export logistics in Europe, and he’s throwing away a month’s worth of a farmer's wages because of a speck of dirt.
Grandfather Jeon
He doesn't know the value of a single grain of rice, let alone a dollar
His grandfather said, his voice gravelly and stern.
Grandfather Jeon
We have adored him too much. We have spoiled him rotten. It ends now.
Grandfather Jeon
We don't break him, the world will, and it won't be kind.
Fake vows
Chapter 2: Sweat and Soil
Miles away from the air-conditioned mansion, the reality of the Jeon empire was painted in sweat and sunburns.
Kim Taehyung wiped his brow with the back of a calloused, dirt-stained hand. He was twenty-six, with sun-kissed skin and eyes that carried the weight of the world.
He swung his hoe down into the hard earth, breaking the soil to prepare for the new seeds. Every muscle in his back ached, his cheap cotton shirt clinging to him in the blistering heat.
Taehyung’s father
Taehyung-ah, take a break.
His father called out from the nearby tractor.
Taehyung replied, not missing a beat. He couldn't afford to take a break.
Agriculture wasn't a romantic, aesthetic lifestyle.
It was brutal, back-breaking work. It was waking up at 4:00 AM, battling pests, praying for rain, and hoping the harvest yielded enough to survive.
For Taehyung, the stakes were even higher. His mother lay in a sterile hospital room fifty miles away, hooked up to dialysis machines. The medical bills were a mountain that cast a dark shadow over his life.
He was the pillar of his family, pouring his youth and energy into the soil just to keep his mother breathing.
It was the end of the month—payday.
That evening, Taehyung and his father washed the worst of the mud from their faces and walked to the main Jeon mansion to collect their wages.
They stood in the grand courtyard, heads bowed respectfully as the grandfather sat on the veranda, handing out envelopes of cash to the workers.
When it was the Kims' turn, the grandfather didn't just hand over the envelope. He looked deeply at Taehyung—at his blistered hands, his exhausted but determined eyes.
Grandfather Jeon
How is your mother, Taehyung?
Taehyung replied politely.
Taehyung
The doctors say she needs the new treatment, but we are saving up for it. We will get there.
The grandfather exchanged a long, meaningful look with Jungkook's father.
An idea—a desperate, crazy idea—had been brewing in the old man's mind for weeks.
Seeing the sheer contrast between the hardworking, grounded Taehyung and his own spoiled, arrogant grandson solidified it.
Grandfather Jeon
Stay behind for a moment. Taehyung, you too. I have a business proposition.
Fake vows
Inside the grand study, the grandfather laid out his plan. It was absurd. It was theatrical. But he was a desperate man trying to save his grandson's soul.
Grandfather Jeon
I will pay for your wife's entire medical treatment
Grandfather Jeon
Top doctors, private room, everything. In exchange, I need you to help me save my grandson.
Taehyung’s father
Yes. Yes, sir. My son will do anything. You just tell-
Grandfather Jeon
I need Taehyung to marry Jungkook.
Taehyung choked on the tea he was drinking.
Jungkook's father quickly clarified.
Jk's Dad
Fake documents, a fake priest, a fake registry. Everything will be an illusion. Jungkook only cares about hookups and flings.
Jk's Dad
The concept of marriage terrifies him, but more importantly, he needs to believe he has been cut off and tied down.
Jk's Dad
We will freeze his accounts and banish him to the farm quarters to live with you as your 'husband.' He needs to learn how to survive, how to work, and how to value life.
Taehyung and his father exchange look. Both were confused.
Taehyung asked, bewildered.
Taehyung
He'll tear the farm quarters apart.
Grandfather Jeon
Which is why we are giving you both the old stone house at the edge of the property.
Grandfather Jeon
It's separate from the other farmers, so he won't disturb them. Taehyung, you are the most grounded, hardworking young man I know.
Grandfather Jeon
You won't take his nonsense. Let him starve if he refuses to work. Let him cry. Just... make him human.
Jk's Dad
But.. Don't let him know anything of this. We will come back to take him when we find he is changing.
Jk's Dad
Keep informing his moves to us everyday, here have this phone.
Taehyung thought of his mother's failing health, the crushing medical debt, and the piles of bills. He looked at his own calloused hands. Then, he looked at the desperate grandfather.
Taehyung
*Its fake afterall. And a boy like Jungkook won't fall for a person like me.*
Taehyung said, his voice steel.
Two days later, Jungkook's world was flipped upside down.
He woke up groggy after a massive yacht party, expecting his usual hangover breakfast. Instead, he found himself dragged into the family estate's chapel.
Still half-drunk and deeply confused, he was forced to stand next to a stoic, broad-shouldered man wearing a simple, inexpensive suit.
Jungkook
What nonsense is this!
Jungkook
Are you both drunk and crazy?!
Jungkook
Or Am i still drunken?
Jk's Dad
Sign on these papers, Jungkook.
Jungkook
What is this? A joke?
Jungkook
Marriage papers?!
Jungkook
I, I Jeon Jungkook marry this farmer?
Jungkook
Grandpa, what is wrong with you both?
Grandfather Jeon
Shh... Don't shout. You have two choices. Marry this man or go back where your mother is.
His mother was a strict person who won't let him do anything other then business. His mother would call every hours, Home before 9pm. Wake up at 6am. That was not possible for Jeon Jungkook.
His father grabbed his arm in a vice grip.
Jk's Dad
You are getting married. Today.
Jungkook laughed, thinking it was a prank.
But the fake priest spoke the vows, and the fake papers were shoved in front of him.
Under the terrifying, furious glare of his grandfather—a look he had never seen before—Jungkook signed.
Jungkook scoffed, throwing the pen down.
Jungkook
Am I done? Can I go back to sleep?
Grandfather Jeon
In your new home.
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