~ 3 ~

Jungkook snapped his head toward his cousin, eyes locking onto the beta who had always looked down on him.

The boy's face twisted in anger, humiliated by his father's disgrace.

"Jungkook, don't forget you'll always be a lowlife," he spat, stepping closer.

"What makes you think you're so important? Don't forget, my father paid for Halmoni's care. Without him, you'd be stuck at home, scrubbing floors just to survive."

Silence swallowed the courtyard.

Some villagers exchanged wary glances; others watched, waiting.

Jungkook stared at his cousin, unblinking.

Then he laughed.

A sharp, amused chuckle.

It grew louder, echoing through the air, thick with mockery.

His cousin stiffened, face darkening.

Jungkook's laughter died down, his eyes narrowing.

His cousin's smirk wavered.

"You must be joking," Jungkook said coldly. "Who gave money to whom?"

Silence.

Jungkook stepped closer, voice sharp. "Eomma pays for everything. For Halmoni. For me. She works herself to the bone while your father sits on his pride."

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"Neighbour ahjumma helps more than you ever have," Jungkook added, eyes burning with quiet fury. "Your father never gave a single penny. Not for us. Not for Halmoni."

His cousin turned red.

No words.

No defense.

Just shame.

Jungkook turned to his uncle. "Tell me, what have you really done?"

Nothing.

No answer.

Just silence.

His uncle's wife lunged forward.

"You ungrateful....!"

Smack!

The courtyard froze.

Not a slap.

A wrist caught mid-air.

Taehyung.

His grip was tight, veins flexing.

His glasses reflected the fading sun, his eyes dark and unreadable.

With a flick, he threw her hand down like trash.

She stumbled.

Shocked.

Pale.

"Don't," Taehyung said.

His voice was low.

Dangerous.

A slow burn of rage beneath control.

The weight of his words sent a chill through the air.

Jungkook stared at him, breath caught.

Taehyung stepped forward, a shield between Jungkook and his so-called family.

"Jungkook is mine now," Taehyung said, each word a quiet promise of destruction. "Touch him, and you answer to me."

The crowd buzzed in whispers.

The uncle's wife paled further, stepping back.

Taehyung ignored her, turning to Jungkook.

His hand found Jungkook's wrist, steady.

Grounding.

"Let's go."

Jungkook hesitated, heart pounding.

Then, he nodded.

And together, they walked away.

Jungkook knelt before his grandmother.

Her frail hands trembled in his.

His mother's fingers brushed through his hair.

A kiss to his temple.

"Stay happy, my precious."

Jungkook swallowed hard, nodding.

His grandmother placed a small velvet pouch in his palm.

Jungkook unwrapped it, breath hitching.

A jade pendant.

An heirloom

A symbol.

"This is yours," Halmoni whispered. "You are the heart of this family."

Jungkook clutched it to his chest. His uncle's eyes darkened but dared not speak.

"Thank you, Halmoni," Jungkook whispered.

His mother smiled, pride shining in her eyes.

This was farewell.

Jungkook turned away from the past.

Taehyung walked beside him. Silent. Steady.

Jungkook glanced at him.

Not a king.

Not a nobleman.

But strong.

Protective.

A man who had stood by him.

Maybe... just maybe... a prince after all.

But time had its own way of revealing the truth.

And Jungkook had yet to learn if fate was kind...

Or if it was waiting to break him once again.

As the cars and van were prepared for departure, Jungkook stood quietly, watching as his modest belongings were packed away.

Two carefully arranged bags packed by his mother and aunt contained everything he owned.

Clothes, a handful of books, and the small yet precious pieces of jewelry his mother had given him.

Unlike many alphas who demanded dowries or extravagant gifts.

Taehyung had asked for nothing.

That alone made him different.

But Jungkook wasn't naive enough to mistake it for affection.

Perhaps Taehyung simply didn't care enough to ask for anything.

His cousin, surprisingly, handed him a brand-new tablet. "It might help with your courses," they said, their tone indifferent.

Jungkook accepted it with a quiet nod.

He had been working tirelessly on his online lessons from SNU, determined to master English literature and writing.

His dream was clear to become an article writer at a major media company.

Money had always been an obstacle, but he had found his way around it.

Scholarships, self-study, and now, marriage.

If nothing else, this union at least ensured that his mother had one less mouth to feed.

With a soft sigh, Jungkook followed Taehyung toward the car.

He didn't know what awaited him in his new home, but one thing was certain he would carve out a future for himself, no matter the circumstances.

The car was cramped, every inch of space occupied.

Jungkook sat stiffly in the backseat, hands resting awkwardly on his lap.

To his right sat Taehyung, his newly wedded husband silent .

unreadable.

Beside Taehyung was Jimin, his twin brother, lost in his own thoughts.

In the front passenger seat sat an elder aunt, a distant relative of Taehyung's.

At the wheel, Yoongi...Jimin's husband drove with practiced ease, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Heat crept up Jungkook's skin not just from the lack of space or the inadequate ventilation.

But from the presence beside him.

Taehyung.

The alpha radiated a quiet intensity, his warmth pressing against Jungkook with every small movement.

Their shoulders brushed, barely perceptible, but Jungkook felt it.

Felt him.

It unsettled him.

He shifted slightly, trying to make himself smaller, but it was pointless.

He knew he took up more space than Jimin and Taehyung his body fuller, his hanbok layered and heavy.

Yet, no one commented.

No one even acknowledged it.

But that didn't ease the discomfort curling in his stomach.

Jungkook exhaled slowly, pressing his hands against the fabric of his hanbok, willing himself to focus on something anything other than the warmth of his alpha sitting so, so close.

Taehyung had never been the type to talk much, especially not to someone he had just married.

Obviously...I mean who does?

But he wasn't oblivious either.

He noticed how Jungkook kept shifting in his seat, his hands pressing against his hanbok as if he could will the discomfort away.

His breathing was measured, controlled, but his posture was stiff....too stiff.

Was it the hanbok?

With a subtle nudge of his elbow, Taehyung signaled Jimin, wordlessly instructing him to check on Jungkook.

Jimin, who had been staring out the window, blinked at him before following Taehyung's barely-there nod toward Jungkook.

With an exaggerated sigh, Jimin leaned in slightly.

"Hey," he whispered, just loud enough for Jungkook to hear. "You okay? You look uncomfortable."

Jungkook startled slightly, his wide eyes darting to Jimin, then flickering to Taehyung who was suddenly very invested in staring straight ahead, as if he hadn't just been caught orchestrating the conversation.

Jungkook hesitated before nodding quickly. "I'm fine."

Jimin clearly didn't believe him. His gaze flicked down to the heavy fabric of Jungkook's hanbok before shifting to Taehyung with an unimpressed look.

"It's probably the outfit," Jimin murmured before turning to the front. "Hyung, can you lower the temperature a bit?"

Yoongi hummed in acknowledgment and adjusted the air conditioning without comment.

"Better?" Jimin asked again, his tone softer.

Jungkook nodded, though the tension in his shoulders didn't completely ease.

Taehyung remained silent, but he took note of it.

This was just the beginning.

He had a lifetime to figure Jungkook out.

Jungkook fought against the exhaustion creeping over him for as long as he could.

The wedding, the emotional turmoil, the long journey it all weighed on him, heavy and inescapable.

Eventually, his eyelids fluttered shut, and his breathing evened out.

Taehyung noticed the exact moment Jungkook drifted off the way his posture softened, the stiffness dissolving into quiet surrender.

Then, slowly, Jungkook's head tilted, his soft hair brushing against Taehyung's shoulder before settling there completely.

Taehyung's entire body went rigid.

He wasn't used to this.

Wasn't used to someone leaning on him so trustingly.

His first instinct was to shift away, maybe even wake Jungkook up but he didn't.

Instead, after a moment's hesitation, he exhaled through his nose and adjusted his posture slightly, just enough so Jungkook could rest more comfortably.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Jimin smirking.

Yoongi, ever the observer, let out an amused chuckle from the driver's seat, catching the moment through the rearview mirror.

Taehyung ignored them both.

The journey continued in silence, the only sounds being the hum of the car engine and Jungkook's steady breathing.

When they finally pulled up to Taehyung's house, he hesitated.

Jungkook was still asleep, his head resting against him, his face peaceful and soft.

Taehyung frowned.

This was awkward.

He glanced at Jimin, expecting his twin to handle it.

Jimin only smirked and shook his head. "No way. You wake him up," he whispered, clearly entertained by Taehyung's dilemma.

Taehyung rolled his eyes before exhaling sharply.

After a brief moment of internal debate, he nudged Jungkook's arm. "Hey... omega... wake up."

His voice was blunt, indifferent.

Jungkook stirred slightly, brows furrowing in mild protest. He mumbled something incoherent but didn't wake.

Taehyung frowned harder.

He nudged him again, firmer this time. "Jungkook, wake up."

Finally, Jungkook blinked his eyes open, still heavy with sleep.

For a moment, he looked utterly lost, his gaze unfocused as he tried to remember where he was and why everything around him had changed.

Then his eyes met Taehyung's.

For a fleeting second, they just stared at each other.

Then, realization hit.

Jungkook immediately sat up straight, his cheeks warming as he hurriedly adjusted his hanbok. "We... reached?" His voice was thick with sleep.

Taehyung gave a curt nod. "Yeah."

Without another word, he opened the car door and stepped out.

Jungkook hurriedly followed, his heart hammering as he took in the house in front of him the place where his new life was about to begin.

Taehyung was already outside, adjusting his glasses, when he turned back toward Jungkook.

Then, without a word, he reached out his hand.

An unspoken invitation.

An awkward, hesitant, yet necessary gesture.

Jungkook stared at it.

Not out of defiance.

Not out of pride.

Just... because the weight of reality settled in at that moment.

He was married now.

This was his husband.

After a deep breath, Jungkook slowly placed his hand in Taehyung's.

Taehyung's grip was firm but not forceful.

He didn't say anything, didn't look at Jungkook directly.

But his hold was steady as he led him toward the entrance of their home.

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