BROMANCE | VKOOK - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Taehyung's father had chosen an italian restaurant off campus for their dinner tonight. He sent him the location and told him to be there around 6pm, so of course Taehyung was there on time. Even ten minutes earlier, he stood there and nervously fiddled arond with his shirt. He regretted not having brought something more elegant to America. His father preferred seeing his sons being dressed up and looking good at all times, and now he had to have dinner with his son looking like a typical teenage boy. Wide T-Shirt and loose pants, a cap on his head and rings on his fingers.
He missed Jungkook already and regretted not taking him here. The way he ran off just because he got annoyed was childish and he had to apologize for that immediately once he got back to the room they shared. Jungkook didn't deserve to be treated like this when all he did was worrying about him and his father's intentions.
As expected, Mr Kim appeared exactly on time, not a minute early or late. Serious expression covering his face and a black suit on his body. "Good evening", he patted his son's back as his way of greeting him, then coughed slightly and walked inside, not showing much more affection. That was more attention Taehyung had gotten in weeks though, so a big smile made its way on the boy's lips and he followed his father inside, trying to seem a little broader and taller while walking after his father who was still everything Taehyung wanted to be someday. A strong man, rich and knowing what he wanted in life-, he had done it all.
Taehyung was just at the beginning and even there, he struggled with the simplest things like finding a loved one or understanding his feelings.
A part of him hoped that he could someday talk to his father about all this, maybe ask him how he learned all the things he knew about life. The advice a father gave was something every child craves at some point if they never had their father's attention.
But then again, was there anything someone who is never there can teach you?
Doubt so.
They got taken to the table the restaurant had reserved from them, got the menus handed and then were left alone for now. Mr Kim instantly opened up the card, looking through the wine they had here. Taehyung who didn't know much about expensive wine just looked a little lost while looking through the pages, eyes going big at all the prices.
Not that he wasn't used to all this, but his parents usually wouldn't even let them choose, they had their meals reserved beforehand and Taehyung never actually saw the amount of money his parents paid for having one meal out.
"Do you want some wine, kid?", the man asked, pulled out his glasses and put them on his nose so he could see better. Taehyung hated wine, he couldn't stand the bitter taste it left in his mouth. He nodded though, "Yes, wine is the best thing", he smiled and avoided eye contact with his father.
The man nodded and waved the waiter over, "A bottle of your best wine, please"
The guy rushed off after bowing and Taehyung didn't even know what to say. He felt so small next to his father. Mr Kim was a real man and Taehyung was nothing but a stupid boy with no clue of how the world worked. Or at least that's how he felt.
Once the guy came back with the wine, they also ordered food. Taehyung couldn't decide so he just took the same his father decided for. Which was some pasta with beef. Sounded good to him.
When they were alone again, Mr Kim looked at his son for a while, "So, how do you like university?", he asked, voice so calm and reassuring that Taehyung felt shivers down his spine as he looked up from the table and shyly watched his father's every movement.
"I love it, I really would love to come here to study", Taehyung said in a small voice, "Princeton is just what I imagined it to be."
His father nodded, "To be honest, I didn't think you'd be the type of guy to go to college one day", he said sharply, "Your mother and I thought it'd be Jimin who would want to go for an Ivy League university."
Taehyung gulped dryly, not sure what this meant. Was it a good thing he wanted to go, or was it a bad thing? He could never understand what the meaning behind the things his father said were.
"But I'm proud of you, son. Maybe you will finally get on the right track", Taehyung could swear when his father said that, there was a tiny little smile on his lips.
"I'll work hard!", Taehyung bit his lips.
"It's quite surprising, with y'know. The people you choose to spend your freetime with, they are not exactly what I'd consider Ivy league people." Mr Kim let out a sigh.
"My friends don't define me", Taehyung said quietly. "And they're all smart. It's just that-"
His father waved his hand a little, cutting the boy off from talking. "Whatever. So, when will you graduate? So I can arrange everything with the principal?"
"Dad", Taehyung said a little disappointed, "I'm a senior, you should know that."
"Yeah, yeah. I do", the man said awkwardly. "And you just turned 19, so it's time to become an adult", he added.
"I turned 18", Taehyung corrected his father quietly, expression dropping more and more, along with his shoulders with everytime his father proved how he didn't care at all. He didn't even know the boy's age.
"How's the girl doing-, ah what's her name again. The one you're dating-, Lydia? Lili? Lia? Lia, right it was Lia", his father said and blushed a bit. He got embarrassed himself by how he didn't know anything.
"We broke up", Taehyung hummed, staring down on his lap.
"Oh, did you find a new one already?", his father asked interested, "The girl wasn't good enough anyway. I don't want a girl like this in my family, her father might be rich but his company is in no way a coorpator for mine", he man hummed.
"Why does my partner has to be good for your business?", Taehyung asked in disbelief.
"Well, if you're about to go to an Ivy league college, then I'd say you're worth to take over my company one day. You're my eldest son, so. Of course, only if it's with the right wife."
Taehyung gulped, "You think I'm worth that?", he asked, voice sticking to his throat because he could not believe his ears.
"Well, we will see if you graduate college with good grades, but if you do I think we can keep that option open for you", his father smiled, "I'd love to keep my company in the family, y'know?"
Taehyung nodded, "Mr Jeon has a company too", he started slowly, "I'm sure his business would match ours pretty well-"
"Mr Jeon?", his father lifted his eyebrows. "His daughter is way too old for you. Get that off your mind."
"I-", Taehyung sighed, "I'm dating Jungkook, not the daughter", he corrected his father's assumption.
"Who's Jungkook?! What a weird name to name a girl", Mr Kim rolled is eyes.
"Jungkook? Jimin's best friend? He's at our house all the time? Goddamnit, Dad! Do you even know my name?", he groaned out and got a little angry by now. Fists balled he sat on his seat and eyed his father madly.
"Oh, that one", Mr Kim shrugged, "Right, you brought him here with you, I remember."
Taehyung crossed his arms. "Yeah, I'm dating him by the way. A boy. I date a boy, Dad. Don't you care at all about that?"
His father looked a little startled, "Wait, you're serious about this? I thought it's a joke", his father started laughing loudly. "Stop with this nonsense, boy."
"I love a boy", Taeyung let out again, "And I'm going to come out once we go back home."
His father just kept laughing and laughing, slammed his fist on the table and couldn't stop himself at all.
With every passing minute more and more people looked at them, confused why the man couldn't stop laughing. Taehyung who sunk down in his chair had his face red as a tomato and wished to die in the spot. This was the most embarrassing thing ever, the worst being that he didn't understand what it was that made his father laugh so much.
Once he finally caught his breath, he said loudly, so everyone could hear, "I can't believe this", he shook his hand amused. "I raised a faggot", he slammed his hand on his own leg and laughed out again, "My wife gave birth to a faggot who thinks dating a boy would get him anything"
Taeyung felt like crying.
The eyes of everyone were on him, some filled with pity, others looked worried and then there were a few people who looked rich and arrogant like his father and just had disgust written all over their faces.
"You didn't raise me", Taehyung let out in the smallest voice.
His father stilled and looked at him, "Correct, I raised a man, not a fucking pussy."
"You didn't raise me", Taehyung repeated. "You were never there", he added as tears filled his already watery eyes. "You didn't raise me", he then said again and balled his fists so he wouldn't snap at his father in public. He knew how that would end.
The man laughed again, "Oh really, under which roof did you live for the past 19 years then?"
"18", Taehyung corrected with a shaking voice. Everyone still listened.
"Anyway", his father said, "Now that we got over this nonsense, I have this friend here in America, he's a leader of a huge company I always wanted to corporate mine with. Per coincidence I found out that he is about to send his daughter to Korea over summer, to find a husband there. They're korean as well, so of course the good man is looking for someone of our blood."
Taehyung didn't get why his father said all that, he just sat there and listened while he pushed down the urge to cry.
"I came here to pick her up, she'll stay at our place over summer, from next week on. And you're the one we have in mind to become her husband. She's a sweetheart. You'll like her."
"I like Jungkook", Taehyung said bluntly, "And I will come out as bisexual when we're home-"
Now his father looked angry, he slammed his fist to the table madly and then yelled out, "Would you finally stop with this? You're not coming out as anything, you're heterosexual, normal and marrying a girl. For fuck's sake."
Taehyung didn't know what to say so he just kept quiet. He worked so hard to get himself to a point where he wanted to stand up for himself and for the ways he felt towards Jungkook. And all that work got crushed within seconds by his father telling him how he had to feel.
"Is it not normal to like a boy?", he asked a little insecure.
"It's delusional and not true. Men are made for women." His father shrugged.
"That's homophobic", Taehyung commented.
"Would you shut up now?", Mr Kim groaned, "You're being irrational right now."
Taehyung looked down, "I'm 18, I don't want to think about marrying yet."
"I didn't ask", Mr Kim cut him off, "I'm thinking about getting you married and now that you started this weird nonsense, I'll make sure you get married even faster."
"I won't", Taehyung let out quietly.
"We will see about that, boy."
The rest of the dinner ended up with no talking.
After bringing the food, the waiter gave Taehyung a worried look but then rushed off and no one dared to interrupt their meal.
His father had enough of the whole drama and went on a business call halfway through the dinner and headed to the bathroom to talk there.
So there Taehyung was, once again all by himself as always. Because the thing his father was best at, was leaving. How comes the boy was still surprised by that?
It had never been different.
The worst of all that though, was that he really hoped this time it would be different. That he had come here for his son and to spend time with him. Obviously that was just as delusional as the feelings he had for Jungkook in his father's opinion.
His father came back and paid the bill, walking out without even caring for Taehyung.
As so often.
*
"Seriously?", Jungkook looked at Taehyung in disbelief after he had told him everything. "He's making you date a girl?"
The older nodded numbly, the tears finally dryed after all the crying while he told the happenings of this evening. "He wants me to find the woman I'll marry", he corrected to show how serious this whole situation was. "And he just laughed when I told him I like boys."
Jungkook rolled his eyes, "So what you're gonna do?"
"What choice do I have?", Taehyung let out in a small voice, "I'll date this girl and make my Dad proud. I have no other choice."
"There's always a choice", Jungkook said, "You could give a fuck on what your father wants for you and just date me."
"He won't let me do that", Taehyung hummed. "Trust me."
"We could try."
"Jungkook", Taehyung raised his voice a little bit, "It's dangerous not to do what he wants."
"Why? Don't tell me he's abusive or some other shit, I'll go straight to the police", Kook said madly. "He won't hurt you, I swear."
"He won't hurt me", Taehyung chuckled, "But he'll hurt you."
"Sure, let him try that", Jungkook giggled.
"The last company who denied to work with his business, got their leader found dead one week later. Shot in the head in his own office", Taehyung said with a bitter smile on his face, "My mother cheated once and the guy she did it with, left the country only two days after he caught them. Just saying, I wouldn't mess with my father. He's a monster."
"Coincidences", Jungkook shrugged, "He can't be that dangerous."
"You're naive if you really think that the richest business man in town isn't a cruel man who goes above dead bodies for his company."
"And you're stupid for letting your life be planned out by someone else", Jungkook said sharply. "You go on one fucking date with this girl and I'm out, let me tell you that. I'm not going to be the one you come running back to because she's not the one you actually want."
"Don't be like that", Taehyung whispered. "You said you'd stay with me forever.."
"And I will", Jungkook said calmly and put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder, "I'm not leaving you", he said when he saw how Taehyung's chest started moving rapidly and his breath hitched, fingers grasping onto the blanket they sat on.
"But only as a friend, a bro", he completed his sentence, "Nothing beyond that."