unknown man

The afternoon sun slipped through the thin curtains, painting soft shadows across the room.

A man sat on the edge of the bed.

Taehyung lay asleep, his breathing slow and even, one arm curled near his chest. His face looked softer in sleep-unguarded, peaceful, unaware of the world around him.

The man lifted his hand.

His fingers traced Taehyung's cheek gently, as if memorizing the shape.

Then his nose.

Then his lips.

Warm. Alive.

He leaned closer, lowering his face until he could feel Taehyung's breath brush against his skin. For a moment, he stayed there, unmoving, listening to the quiet rhythm of Taehyung's breathing.

Taehyung shifted in his sleep, letting out a small sound.

The man stiffened.

Slowly, carefully, he pulled back.

He straightened, looked down at Taehyung one last time-long enough for something unreadable to cross his face-then turned toward the window.

The afternoon breeze moved the curtains as he climbed out silently.

The room returned to stillness.

-

Some time later, the front door clicked open.

Jungkook stepped inside the house, the sunlight following him in for a second before the door closed behind him. He locked it out of habit and set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

Vegetables. Milk. Bread.

And a small cheesecake.

He opened the fridge and slid it carefully inside, placing it on the top shelf where Taehyung wouldn't miss it later.

The house smelled warm-familiar.

It was filled with snacks and sweets. Chocolate bars, chips, candies. All of Taehyung's favorites. The cupboards were never empty here.

Jungkook leaned against the counter and glanced around.

This house was nothing like his place in Seoul.

His mansion there was dark.

Black walls.

Heavy curtains.

No open windows.

Empty bottles. Smoke in the air. Silence that pressed against the walls.

More like a bar than a home.

Here, the walls were white.

Plants sat near the windows.

Light moved freely through the rooms.

Jungkook let out a low chuckle.

Maybe that was why he never brought Taehyung to Seoul.

That house was bigger. Richer. Colder.

Not meant for someone like Taehyung.

He walked down the hallway and pushed open the bedroom door.

Taehyung was asleep on the bed, curled slightly on his side.

Jungkook's steps slowed.

Something felt off.

The air in the room was cold.

His eyes lifted to the window.

It was open.

Jungkook frowned.

He was sure he hadn't opened it before going to the market.

He walked closer, standing beside the bed. Taehyung didn't move, his face relaxed, lashes resting against his cheeks.

Jungkook reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Taehyung's forehead.

"...Did you open the window?" he asked softly.

No response.

Jungkook turned back to the window and closed it, locking it carefully.

************

"Tae, wake up," Jungkook said softly, walking toward the bed.

"Let's eat something. I'll drop you home after that."

Taehyung stirred under the blanket, his face scrunching.

"I don't want to go home, Uncle," he mumbled, eyes still closed.

"Tae-Tae will stay here."

He turned his face into the pillow, trying to fall asleep again.

Jungkook sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"No, baby," he said gently.

"If you stay one more day, your father will roast me alive."

Taehyung slowly sat up.

His hair was messy, glasses slightly crooked, eyes still heavy with sleep.

Without warning, he leaned forward and hugged Jungkook tightly, arms wrapping around his waist.

"Please," Taehyung whispered, his voice soft.

"I like it here more."

Jungkook froze for a second.

Taehyung rested his forehead against Jungkook's chest, clinging to him like he always did.

"At home, Appa keeps scolding me," Taehyung continued quietly.

"Here... you don't."

Jungkook lifted his hand and placed it on Taehyung's back, rubbing small circles.

"I know," he said softly.

Taehyung tightened his hug.

"I'll be quiet," he promised.

"I won't dance. I won't make noise. I'll even study."

Jungkook let out a helpless chuckle.

"Yah," he said, tapping Taehyung's head lightly.

"You're negotiating now?"

Taehyung nodded seriously, still hugging him.

"Just one more day."

Jungkook looked down at him.

"No, baby... I'm sorry," Jungkook said gently.

"But you can't."

Taehyung looked up at him, already knowing the answer.

"I'm going back to Seoul," Jungkook continued.

"I have an interview."

Taehyung's face fell.

His lips pushed forward into the biggest pout Jungkook had ever seen.

His eyes turned shiny, lower lip trembling just a little.

Jungkook sighed.

"Aish... don't look at me like that."

Taehyung didn't say anything.

He just pouted harder.

Jungkook leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on his lips-quick, gentle, familiar.

Taehyung blinked.

Jungkook pulled back immediately, resting his forehead against Taehyung's.

"Don't use that face," he murmured.

"It's unfair."

Taehyung smiled a little now, pout fading but arms still wrapped around Jungkook.

"You always leave," Taehyung said quietly.

Jungkook's hand slid to the back of his head, fingers threading into his hair.

"I'll come back," he promised.

"Like I always do."

Taehyung nodded slowly.

"...Bring cheesecake."

Jungkook laughed softly.

"I already did."

That made Taehyung smile for real.

Jungkook pressed a soft kiss to Taehyung's cheek and lifted him into his arms.

"Yah-!" Taehyung protested weakly, arms instinctively wrapping around Jungkook's neck as he struggled a little.

Jungkook laughed and carried him out of the bedroom, through the living room, and straight into the kitchen.

"Put me down," Taehyung complained, but his grip only tightened.

Jungkook ignored him, took the cheesecake out of the fridge, and walked back to the couch. He sat down with Taehyung still in his arms, settling him comfortably against his chest.

Taehyung sniffed the air.

"Uncle... phone," he said suddenly.

Jungkook reached into his pocket and handed it over without thinking.

The phone unlocked instantly.

Taehyung's finger.

His face.

The password was his birthday.

The phone felt more like Taehyung's than Jungkook's.

Jungkook scooped a small bite of cheesecake and lifted the fork.

"Open," he said.

Taehyung leaned closer, mouth opening obediently as his eyes stayed on the screen.

Jungkook fed him the first bite.

Taehyung hummed happily and unlocked the phone fully.

The home screen appeared.

It was his face.

Taehyung blinked.

Jungkook fed him a second bite as Taehyung stared, then instinctively opened the gallery.

He didn't have a smartphone of his own.

Only a small button phone-calls only.

At school, everyone laughed.

"Vintage," they called it.

"Are you from the 90s?"

But Taehyung couldn't do anything.

His father was too strict.

So whenever he was with Jungkook, he used Jungkook's phone.

He didn't know much-

only how to open the gallery

and how to play a few games.

The first photos were all of him.

Taehyung sleeping.

Taehyung eating.

Taehyung dancing in the living room.

Taehyung pouting.

His brows knitted together.

He scrolled.

Some photos were of Jungkook-

at the gym,

on stage,

in foreign countries,

food laid out neatly on tables.

Recently taken.

From his shoots.

Taehyung scrolled again.

And then he stopped.

Jungkook was standing very close to someone.

Too close.

Another photo.

Then another.

The same person.

"Uncle," Taehyung asked quietly, zooming in on the picture.

"Who is this?"

Jungkook leaned over and glanced at the screen, lips still faintly smeared with cheesecake.

"That's Jimin," he said easily.

"My friend. We're doing a show together."

Taehyung looked again.

Jimin was slim.

Skin pale.

Pretty, doll-like features.

He zoomed in on the face.

Then the body.

Then scrolled.

More photos.

Jungkook smiling beside him.

Too familiar.

Taehyung's chest felt tight.

Without saying anything, he turned off the phone and tossed it onto the couch.

It landed beside Jungkook with a soft thud.

Jungkook frowned.

"...Tae?"

Taehyung didn't look at him.

His hands clenched in his lap.

"Let's go home," Taehyung said quietly.

Jungkook stared at him.

*****

Are you going to talk to me or not?" Jungkook asked as he drove, eyes shifting briefly toward the passenger seat.

"What happened to you?"

Taehyung said nothing.

His lips were pushed out into a deep pout, cheeks puffed full of air.

"Tae," Jungkook called again.

Taehyung finally turned his head and looked at him-still pouting, cheeks round and full.

Jungkook couldn't help himself.

He reached over and poked Taehyung's cheek.

The air escaped with a soft pff.

"Oh my God," Jungkook laughed, leaning closer.

"So cute."

He kissed Taehyung's angry cheeks, one after the other, then stole a quick peck on his lips.

Taehyung giggled without thinking.

Then he remembered he was supposed to be angry.

He immediately wiped his smile away and glared at Jungkook.

Jungkook chuckled and reached into his pocket.

"Here," he said, pulling out chocolates and placing them in Taehyung's hand.

Taehyung hesitated.

Then slowly unwrapped one.

He loved sweets.

He always had.

When Taehyung was just a baby, Jungkook used to sneak him chocolates and snacks whenever Seokjin wasn't looking. Later, Seokjin would scold Jungkook endlessly-but Jungkook never cared.

Not when Taehyung smiled like that.

Back then, Taehyung was the cutest child in the whole town.

Everyone adored him.

The elders often visited the Kim house, bringing sweets and snacks just to see him laugh. They pinched his cheeks, called him pretty, spoiled him endlessly.

That was one reason Taehyung grew up loving food so much.

Another reason was Jungkook.

Before becoming famous, Jungkook used to work in small stores around the village. Sometimes, instead of money, the owners paid him with snacks.

Those snacks always ended up in Taehyung's hands.

Jungkook had spoiled him too much.

That was why Taehyung was lazy.

Why he was chubby.

Why he expected sweetness so easily.

Taehyung chewed on the chocolate quietly, eyes still avoiding Jungkook.

"Are you done being angry now?" Jungkook asked softly.

Taehyung didn't answer.

But his pout softened just a little.

And Jungkook smiled.

"Uncle," Taehyung said softly, looking up at Jungkook.

Jungkook glanced over. Chocolate was smeared across Taehyung's lips. He reached over and wiped it away with his thumb, then licked it clean absentmindedly.

"How is this... Jimin guy?" Taehyung asked, his voice small but curious.

Jungkook kept his eyes on the road but smiled faintly.

"He's hyung for you," he said lightly. "He's older."

Taehyung tilted his head.

"He's a dancer," Jungkook continued. "We've been working together for a while now."

"Is he... omega?" Taehyung asked, almost whispering.

Jungkook chuckled.

"Yeah," he said. "You can tell from his face. Fragile, soft. Everyone in the industry seems to have a crush on him."

Taehyung stared quietly out the window, silent for a few moments.

"He looks... pretty," he said finally.

"Yes," Jungkook answered, glancing at him briefly. "The first time I saw him, I thought-damn. So ethereal. I thought someone that beautiful must be rude. But he's the complete opposite. Sweet, clumsy, soft-hearted. And, Tae, he always somehow falls whenever he sits down."

Jungkook laughed softly at the memory. "And he can't live without his phone. Once, during a shoot, the staff said we couldn't use our phones. He literally ran away, locked himself in a room with it. Said he'd rather break the rules than be away from it."

Taehyung's eyes were glued to the road outside the window, silent.

Jungkook slowed the car, parking outside the Kim house. He looked at Taehyung, about to continue. "And you know-"

But before he could finish, Taehyung opened the car door and stepped out. He didn't even look back.

"Tae!" Jungkook called after him.

Taehyung stopped mid-step and turned his face slowly toward him. His eyes were sharp, his jaw tight. The pout on his lips was gone, replaced by something fiercer.

Then, with a defiance Jungkook hadn't seen before, Taehyung raised both hands-and gave him the middle finger.

🖕🖕

Jungkook froze. His mouth opened, then closed. He had no words.

"YEAHHHH YOU BRAT"

Taehyung didn't wait. He ran up to the front door, slammed it shut, and locked it. The click echoed in the quiet street.

*******************

Taehyung huffed, a little out of breath even from running a short distance.

"Tae? Is that you?"

He froze for a second, hearing his mother's voice from the kitchen.

"Yes, Mamma, I'm home," he called back, forcing his voice to sound normal.

"Good! I'm cooking dinner. I'll make your favorite dish," Jin replied cheerfully.

"Yesss," Tae muttered, but as he entered his room, he quickly locked the door behind him.

He stood in front of the mirror and lifted Jungkook's oversized hoodie off his head. His stomach bulged underneath, round and soft, and Tae frowned. It looked so ugly-not delicate or fragile at all. He pulled the hoodie down, sighing, and stared at his own face.

His tan skin, his chubby cheeks, the glasses that always seemed to sit awkwardly on his nose. Tae pinched his cheeks, pressing them until they looked impossibly full.

He removed the glasses for a moment, only to find the world blurred and fuzzy. He put them back on with a sigh.

He lifted his arms, staring at the soft flesh there. Even his fingers didn't look right-too round, too short.

He wasn't even looking like an omega, not the fragile, elegant type that Jungkook often teased about.

And then Jimin's face flashed in his mind. Slim, pale, delicate... beautiful. As Jungkook had said, almost ethereal.

Tae sank down onto his bed, hugging his knees.

The room felt smaller all of a sudden.

Insecure thoughts crowded him, twisting around like a storm.

"I'm... not good enough," he whispered to himself.

the weight of it pressed on him so heavily, he could almost feel it in his chest.

Dinner time arrived quietly, the clinking of plates filling the room. Jin moved around the table, serving food to everyone with his usual gentle smile. Taehyung sat down last, shoulders slightly hunched, eyes avoiding everyone.

He picked up his spoon and took a small bite of the vegetables on his plate. The moment the taste hit his tongue, his face scrunched up into the most obvious pout.

Jin noticed immediately.

"Tae..." he sighed softly. "Here, eat this."

He shifted a portion of japchae-Tae's absolute favorite-onto his plate.

But Tae quickly shook his head. "No, Mamma. I don't feel like eating it." He pushed the plate slightly away. "I'll only eat veggies today."

He lifted his chin a little, trying to sound proud.

"Taetae has grown up," he added.

Jin blinked.

Tae continued, not realizing the words slipping out too easily.

"Uncle Koo said Tae is a big boy now. An adult."

The room went still.

Namjoon, who had been eating quietly, froze mid-bite. Slowly, he placed his spoon down and looked at Tae-his expression cold, sharp.

"Didn't you say you went to your friend's house last night?" Namjoon asked flatly.

Tae's eyes widened.

His heart dropped straight into his stomach.

Damn it.

He stared down at his plate, fingers tightening around the spoon. He didn't answer.

Namjoon's voice came again, firmer this time.

"I asked you something."

A pause.

"Were you at your friend's house... or Jungkook's?"

Tae's body trembled. His lips parted slightly, breath uneven.

"At... at Uncle Koo's house," he whispered.

The next second, bang-

Namjoon slammed his hand down on the table. The dishes rattled violently, the sound echoing through the room.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM?!" he shouted.

Tae flinched hard, shoulders jerking. His eyes burned instantly, tears gathering no matter how much he tried to stop them. Jin stood up abruptly.

"Namjoon!" Jin snapped. "Lower your voice-"

But Namjoon was already on his feet, anger blazing in his eyes.

"He's not a child anymore, Jin! And that man-"

Tae's hands clenched in his lap.

Uncle Koo...

His chest felt tight, like he couldn't breathe. He hadn't done anything wrong. He just... went where he felt safe.

Tae slowly stood up, chair scraping softly against the floor.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice shaking.

"Tae, sit down and finish your dinner," Jin said firmly, though his voice trembled just a little. He turned toward Namjoon, eyes sharp now. "Joonie, control your anger. There is no need to be this angry."

Namjoon laughed bitterly, the sound harsh and empty.

"Do you even understand what I'm talking about?" he snapped. "Tae is a grown-up omega now. A grown-up omega."

He took a step forward, hands clenched into fists.

"And you let him stay alone at an alpha's place-on top of that, a dominant unmated alpha. Are you out of your mind, Jin?"

Jin's jaw tightened.

"Jungkook is not a stranger," he said calmly, though his eyes burned. "He took care of Tae when he was a baby. He practically helped raise him."

Namjoon shook his head sharply.

"That was then." His voice rose again. "I told you back then itself-not to let Tae get too close to him. But you never listened."

Tae stood frozen near his chair, heart pounding, feeling like a small child again despite Namjoon's words. Every sentence felt like it was aimed straight at his chest.

"It's because of you," Namjoon continued, pointing at Jin now, anger spilling unchecked. "Because of you, Tae got this attached to him."

Jin's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face.

"Oh," he said slowly, voice dropping. "So now it's my fault?"

Namjoon didn't back down.

"You let him cling to Jungkook. You encouraged it. You pretended nothing would happen."

"And you think yelling will fix that?" Jin shot back. "You think scaring Tae will suddenly make everything right?"

Their voices clashed, sharp and loud, filling the house with tension. Words piled on words, accusations turning heavier with every breath.

Tae couldn't listen anymore.

He lowered his head, quietly stepping back from the table. No one noticed when he slipped away this time. The argument swallowed everything-the clatter of plates, the warmth of dinner, the fragile peace of the house.

In his room, Tae closed the door softly behind him.

Outside, the fight continued.

Inside, Tae curled up on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest, feeling smaller than ever-caught between two worlds, and somehow belonging to neither.

********************

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