HEARTBEAT | VKOOK - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

The soft noise of rain filled the mud-smelling air, Jeongguk leaning against the wall of the older's balcony, hands buried deep in his pockets, eyes affixed into the dark of the night. Goosebumps rose over his arms due to the cold wind brushing past him in a breeze. His thin clothing unable to fight against the cold wind. However, the younger remained still, unbothered by the freezing air pricking his skin, seemingly in a daze.
A small figure approached him with inaudible steps, that went unnoticed by him, forehead creasing at the male's absent state. Jeongguk felt a tug on the hem of his hoodie, causing him to glance down at the scowling boy, "What are you doing here, bunny?"
The male then straightened his back, shivering slightly due to the gust of wind that blew past him. His eyes flickered to the darkening sky for a moment before meeting the boy's puzzled stare, lifting an innocent shoulder, "I was. . just about to get in. Why're you here, angel? It's cold."
"I couldn't sleep without you..." The five year old mumbled, making grabby hands towards the other's direction, lips shaping to an adorable pout. A side of Jeongguk's lips quirked up as  he lifted the boy in his arms, scrunching his nose slightly as an adorable smile crept up to his princess lips. He then leaned in, softly brushing his nose against the boy's round cheeks who glanced out of the balcony, "Its raining."
Jeongguk simply hummed in return, turning towards the gloomy sky ahead of him, pursing his lips as he watched the streets get washed away by the downpour. Minjun then flickered his gaze towards the night sky, a thought soon bubbling up inside of him.
"Ggukie, can someone be a star?"
This had the ravenette turning to him and meeting his bright doe-like eyes, brows knitting at the sudden question, as he tilted his head slightly. "Yeah, like a celebrity?"
"No. . . A star in the sky,"
His frown deepened, a quizzical look evident in his gaze, "Uh. . No, that's not possible, why?"
A distraught look then settled on the boy's face, feeling deeply saddened and hurt by the fact that his father might've lied to him, which only perplexed Jeongguk further. Minjun pouted, tears clinging onto his orbs, "Dada said my mommy is a star. H-He lied to me..."
Jeongguk's eyes softened at the boy's words, the frown still evident on his face as he stared at the boy for a moment, before shifting his gaze towards the sky— that had now cleared up, the downpour eventually slowing to slight drizzling. The look of utter bewilderment then dissipated to a melancholic look, once the realisation dawned upon him. He then moved his eyes to the sniffling boy, who had his gaze lowered with teary eyes.
"Hey, hey, don't cry, little angel. Your dada didn't lie to you. She's truly a star." This had the boy darting his teary doe eyes towards him, a glint of hope sparkling within his onyx orbs, his lips shaped in a crestfallen pout, "Really?"
"Of course, you see? she's the brightest star." Jeongguk pointed to the stars in the sky, looking back at the boy who gazed towards the scintillating stars, the downpour eventually coming to an end, tranquillity embracing the atmosphere once again. "She loves you, you wouldn't want to make her sad, right?"
The boy shifted his watery doe orbs at him, shaking his head softly to his question. A saddened smile then tugged at the male's lips as he lifted his hand, wiping away the tears rolling down the boy's cheeks with his thumb, his voice soft and utterly soothing, "Then don't cry. . . it'll only make her sad."
Minjun simply stared at him for a moment, lips twitching slightly as  he then averted his gaze towards the sky, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face, "My mommy is an angel. . ." His forehead creased as he reminisced his father's words. "Which means she has wings and a halo and she can fly too. But if I'm angel, why don't I?"
The side of other's lips then quirked upwards into an amused grin, "Of course, you're an angel. But not all angels have wings and a halo, Jun. It just makes you unique and different from the other angels."
"Really? You're not lying, are you?" His eyes sparkled in sheer astonishment, a hint of disbelief evident in his tone as he affixed his orbs at Jeongguk, trusting his words. Of course, the boy began trusting him due to his comforting words and affectionate nature towards him, as only a few people have ever given him the attention he craved aside his father's friends. The media only clicked his pictures all because he was the Kim Taehyung's son.
But apart from that, he was nothing but a mere child who'd lost his mother in an accident.
And it crushed Jeongguk, due to the way the boy put all his trust in him, so much that he couldn't sleep without him, felt safe in his arms, fell asleep only when cuddled by Jeongguk. Although Taehyung was slightly irked by that at first, he got accustomed to it, allowing Jeongguk stay over at his place anytime the boy demanded his presence.
"Of course not." He grinned, placing a soft kiss over the boy's cheek, before brushing his nose with the other's, face scrunching as a bunny smile spread onto his lips, displaying his two front bunny teeth, "I love you."
"I love you too! A lot!" He squealed out in his baby voice, scintillating eyes gleaming like stars, at least to Jeongguk, who was taken by surprise. A grin of his own appearing on his lips as Minjun placed soft kisses on his cheeks.
Taehyung watched it all in silence, leaning against the doorframe of the balcony and watching his son burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter when Jeongguk began tickling him with the brightest smile on his face. The two were certainly having a great time together.
Although he hated to interrupt their moment, he had no choice. It was getting late and the two could catch a cold due to being out in such a weather.
Jeongguk haulted upon meeting a pair of sharp delinquent orbs, approaching him with silent steps. The sudden change of mood confusing the boy, who turned back to look at his father.
His lips curved into a soft smile as he ruffled the boy's hair, who was still in Jeongguk's arms, "Go to bed now, little tiger. It's time to sleep."
"Dada, no. . . I want to be with bunny." The boy whined, staring at his father with puppy eyes, lips shaping a pout, in attempts to melt his heart. Taehyung, however, let out a breathy chuckle, "You've been out here in the cold for a long time, Jun. You'll catch a cold, and it's getting late, you can't skip school tomorrow."
"Dada. . ." The boy dragged, a pleading look etched on his face, soon dissipating when an idea bubbled inside of him, "Can I get a kissie?"
Jeongguk was mesmerized by the boxy smile that broke out on the older's lips at his son's adorable request, leaning in to place a soft kiss on his cheeks without hesitation, the smile still playing on his lips. His smile widened as he recieved a kiss back from Minjun, who then kissed his nose, like Jeongguk had did to him.
The boy then wrapped his arms around his father's neck, taking him by surprise for a moment, as he lifted him from the younger's arms, Minjun whispering to his ear, "Don't be sad, you're the best dada ever!"
"Can I sleep with you today?" He queried, pulling back and staring at his father with an expected look, Taehyung simply nodding, "Of course."
"Can bunny join too?" He perked, causing Taehyung to pause for a moment, shifting his gaze towards the younger, eyes softening. Jeongguk simply stared back at him with dilated doe irises, "Please?"
"Well. . if he wants, sure." Minjun then turned to Jeongguk with a pleading look, "Pwease bunny?"
The ravenette shifted awkwardly in his place, flashing him a smile, "Okay," earning a squeal of joy from Minjun who turned to his father, grabbing his chin with his small hands and kissing his cheek with a loud smooch, "You're the best! I love you!"
Taehyung simply grinned, "Now go to bed, Jun. I'm coming." He said, setting his son down to his feet and watching him as he scurried away to his room, a little too excited to sleep with both of his favourite people. He then shifted his gaze to Jeongguk, who met his eyes for a moment before looking away.
He took a deep breath, lips twitching, "How do you feel now?"
"Better than yesterday." Jeongguk stared at him for a moment, before averting his eyes, "You know I've work tomorrow, why'd you say that?"
"So you're telling me that you don't want to be with him?"
"It's not that, you're my boss and, I'm just curious why you want me to stay, even while knowing I have work."
Taehyung sighed, looking around outside the balcony, watching as it began drizzling slightly, "He looked happy, I couldn't say no to him. I need to admit, he likes you. Maybe even more than me. And if being with you makes him happy, then so be it."
"Bullshit. Who says he doesn't like you? He loves you. What makes you think he doesn't? And that is even, he likes me more than you?" Jeongguk scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as a frown rested on his face. "Its either a pretence or you're just plain stupid if you think your son loves a stranger more than his own father."
Taehyung remained silent at that, not daring to meet the other's piercing gaze. The silence lasted for a moment before he spoke up again, seemingly calm, "He has every reason to hate me. Blame me for the death of his mother. I don't look after him, never give him the attention and affection he craves. I'm failing as a father, why'd he even love me?" He eventually met Jeongguk's eyes, "But you, he has every reason to love you. You give him everything he craves. You know how to deal with emotions, you know what he feels like just by the look on his face. And most importantly, you know how to comfort someone when they're in pain."
"I don't know any of it. Or maybe, I've just never dealt with emotions so much. And if I did, I don't know how to express it to someone who could understand me." Taehyung looked away from him, a look of guilt replacing his expression. "I guess I forgot what it's like to feel. As for the past few years, I've been numb, away from my friends and family. And maybe, I had drifted apart from my own son in those years, prioritising something that was truly useless."
Jeongguk's eyes softened, a pitiful look flashing in his orbs as his eyes locked with Taehyung's, "You're no stranger, Jeongguk. He has a lot of reasons to love you more. And maybe, I can see that too."
"But that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. You're his father, and you've done a lot for him. I bet he understands your situation, he's a smart boy." A smirk formed on the older's face at that, "And who's the one who gave me all the ideas to be a better dad?"
Jeongguk fell silent at that, cheeks turning a slight red colour as he averted his gaze for a moment, "Well, at least you followed my advices you know. That means a lot though."
A breathy chuckle fled from Taehyung's lips, Jeongguk glancing at him with a curious look, "You don't even know the emotions you strike in me."
Taehyung noticed the confused look on the other's face, smiling a little as he looked out at the sky, "You make me feel, Jeongguk. You make me feel emotions that I haven't felt in years, not even with my friends or family. There's something in you that manages to strike emotions in me. I've never been so bothered about someone as much as I am about you. But even so, I never felt so alive with anyone as I have with you. It's weird and difficult to explain, but I hope you get my point."
Jeongguk simply stared at him with a clueless look on his face, attempting to register the other's words. Does he mean that he's falling for me? Or is it that he's annoyed? "I haven't been so close to anyone, much less a stranger. But with you, it feels different, in a positive way of course."
"You make me realise a lot of things I've been doing wrong for a long time. I guess, I just like your company a lot more." He smiled a bit, scrunching his nose slightly, "Maybe it's how Minjun feels. I just want you to stay a little longer, that's it."
Jeongguk simply blinked at him, registering his words, remaining awfully silent. Is he hinting at what I'm thinking he is or is it just the opposite? I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing.
"Dada? Where are you?" A voice resonated from somewhere inside the house, Taehyung glancing out of the entrance of the balcony, "I'm coming!"
Taehyung has always hated distractions.
Yet, there were times he couldn't help it, times like this when he allowed his thoughts to get the best of him, resulting in him overthinking and stressing himself out. Perhaps, it was the only reasonable excuse to why he just had to walk out of the room occupied by people, who were his own friends and some acquaintances. As he needed sometime alone, to clear his head, instead of being bombarded by questions that only suffocated him.
Or maybe, it was the presence of a certain someone he couldn't seem to stand being with.
It'd been a few weeks since met up with his friends, due to being swamped and overloaded with work. But oh well, once he steps inside the house of his best friend, he's greeted by the person he loathed oh-so badly, too much to even endure their presence. Well, it could've been normal, if he hadn't appeared out of nowhere to bother him with his mere presence.
Taehyung had no problem with his friends, as a matter of fact, he loved them a lot more than he loved his own family. Well, he wouldn't even call it a family anyway. However, the only person who irked him with their presence, to the point where he felt his patience slipping away from the tip of his fingers, would be none other than Kim Namjoon.
Who was also the sole reason of why he was out here, in their garden, of course, being the impatient man he is.
Things would've been just fine between them, if it weren't for an accident that led to a heated fight between them, intensifying to an extent where neither of them could tolerate each other's presence. However, it seems like Namjoon had accepted the fact that he'd screwed up, being the only reason behind their broken friendship.
Perhaps, it was too much of him to avoid his friends in past, only for someone who wasn't worth his trust and loyalty. That is even, for years, and Taehyung deeply regretted his stupid decision. Yet, it couldn't be changed, for it was left in the past, sealed and locked up inside his memories forever. Memories he oh-so badly wished to forget.
How he absolutely despised reminiscing the past, yet at the same time, couldn't help but wish if things could've been different.
"I told you not to leave, why didn't you listen to me?!"
"I'm sorry. I told you, it was just a meeting. What does that have to do anything with you anyway? Why'd you want me to skip it for no apparent reason?"
"Don't tell me you don't get it, Kim Taehyung. When I told you not to go, why don't you understand that there was a reason for it? And why'd you fucking listen to him and not me?!"
"I-It was urgent. . . there was a major conflict in the company, and I had no choice. But I'm back now, safe and sound. What more do you want, Sora? And what reason are you talking about?"
Tears welled up in her bloodshot ocean eyes, soon rolling down her delicate cheeks, as she stared at him with a look of sheer disbelief, lips quivering as she then dropped her gaze to the floor, allowing a tense silence to drape over them. She then took a deep breath, trembling slightly as she strolled away from him, grabbing her coat, "I-I need sometime. . I can't talk now."
With that, she left him alone, storming out of the house with the car keys, not knowing that death awaited her the same very day. For she was an obstacle in someone else's way.
"Taehyung?" A soft voice drew him out of his trance, causing him to retrieve the cancer stick perched between his plump lips— posture relaxed and brows knitted in a grim look as a certain blonde came into his view. "What's wrong? Why're you here?"
"See for yourself," Was all he mumbled monotonously, tearing his gaze off of the male and fixating it towards the fabulous sky, painted in a combination of red and orange hue— a calming view for Taehyung who enjoyed the silence.
The blonde simply pursed his lips, exhaling deeply, a distraught look painting his features as he looked away. Knowing what exactly bothered his friend, and how bringing it up would be absolutely pointless. As Kim Taehyung was never the one to listen to others, more likely stubborn if he was being honest.
Or perhaps, blinded by lies.
Jimin then glanced at the sky for a moment, now slowly approaching the CEO and haulting by his side, collecting his thoughts. The terribly suffocating smell of smoke had him averting his gaze towards the man next to him, who seemed to be deep in thought, exhaling the puffs of smoke through his slightly parted lips. Which had Jimin averting his gaze from him with a grimace, breaking into a coughing fit as he moved away, unable to endure the suffocating stench of smoke lingering in the air between them.
Taehyung wordlessly moved his gaze towards the shorter male for a moment, who then cleared his throat after recovering from the sudden coughing fit, now standing a few meters away from the brunette, attempting to control his breath.
They exchanged some awkward glances for a moment, before the blonde looked away with a deep sigh, "I've told you enough of times already. It's pointless talking to you about it, as you'll never change your mind."
His plump lips curved into a lazy grin as he shifted his gaze to the sky, taking a short drag of smoke before parting his lips slowly, "Of course, you know me."
"I do," Jimin wondered, his lips curved into a smirk of his own, eyes twinkling with mischief, "And maybe, I know you enough to know when you're catching feelings for someone, who knows? You could say its a little guess, but I'm so ready to place bets."
The brunette's forehead creased at that, a perplexed gaze sent in his way, "I don't get your point, chim."
The smirk on his face grew even more at his words, now facing the male completely, quirking an eyebrow playfully, "Drop the act already, you know exactly what I'm talking about, Tae."
His eyes remained affixed on him for a moment, a cold look flashing in his delinquent orbs as it clicked him. He then looked away, lips turning down to a crestfallen frown, "Well, then you've been awfully mistaken. I'm not into love, or hook ups in general. . if that's what you're implying. I've dropped it a long time ago, it's in the past."
Jimin simply hummed, lips curled in a subtle grin as he nodded softly, "I can see it, the look in your eyes when you see him, it's different, Taehyung. It's the look of love, I tell you."
And as expected, a scoff of disbelief fled from the other's lips at that, Taehyung now dropping his cigarette to the ground and stomping on it, "Sounds like another dialogue from a chick flick movie, huh?"
The blonde simply chortled, eyes curling into small crescents, "How long will you fool yourself, Tae? You can't fool me,"
The aforementioned male simply rolled his eyes with a hostile look, lips pursed as he exhaled deeply, avoiding the other's keen eyes, "If you're here to bother me again, I suggest you leave before I do, and you'll never see me again this time."
"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" His face softened as he gazed at his friend's direction, who remained still like a brick, eyes cold as he stared off into the space, "I know you want him too, it's not bad to heal and move on, please just don't trap yourself in guilt and remorse."
"Its Jeongguk, I know." He released a controlled breath through his parted lips, a crestfallen expression appearing on his face, "Give him a chance, Tae, he likes you too. You guys have the chance to be a thing. Besides, Minjun would be happy too, there's nothing in your way."
A moment of silence draped over the two of them, Taehyung contemplating his thoughts, hands buried into his pockets, exhaling deeply through his nose, "You haven't told me about your father. ." He trailed off, switching the topic entirely, glancing at Jimin's direction, "How is he?"
The male simply blinked at him, now turning awfully silent. Taehyung frowned at the sudden change of mood on the other's face, signifying that it had to be bad. He pinned his gaze to the ground, taking a sharp breath, a sad smile forming onto his lips, "Oh. . Him, I almost forgot. He must be so mad, how stupid of me. H-He's no more, sadly."
Taehyung furrowed his brows for a moment, eyes softening as a dejected look claimed his face at the sight of his downhearted best friend, the cheerfulness dissipating from his tone and demeanour being a painful sight for Taehyung, "I-I'm sorry,"
"Its fine, I should've told you before but it slipped off my mind. That's so foolish of me, oh my god. He must be so mad." His voice faltered, tone laced with pain and despair, eyes glossy with tears. He bit down onto his bottom lip for a moment, attempting to keep himself together, "The sudden stress and pressure of our company was weighing him down. And I guess, it's my own fault why it all went wrong on the first place, I-I couldn't be responsible enough to fix the sudden fall in out profits, it's all my fault."
Jimin was beyond surprised, and utterly startled when Taehyung had pulled him into an embrace out of blue, unable to endure the sight of his friend suffering in pain and melancholy. The brunette's lips had turned down to a gloomy look as he whispered, "It's okay, you don't need to explain."
Tears began seeping out of his eyes at that, soaking the brunette's expensive Gucci shirt, yet Taehyung paid no mind to it— guilt forming in the pit of his stomach at the sight of his sobbing friend, "I-I could've done something, I did everything I could to stop it! It just. . didn't work." His voice broke at the end, tone laced with despair and melancholy.
"Hey, it's okay, you tried enough. It's not your fault, chim. Things just weren't in your favour." Taehyung stroke the other's back gently, his words soothing and awfully calm, working miracles to relax the blonde male, who was still mourning over his father's death. Of course, as he'd been more close to his father than anyone else. Perhaps, that was the only reasonable excuse of why he couldn't seem to bring himself to believe that he was gone.
The blonde took a moment to pull himself back together, bloodshot eyes puffy and filled with unshed tears, face a dull shade of red as he sniffled softly, now retracting himself away from the brunette, head lowered. He then wiped away the tears with the back of his hand, "I-Its fine, I'm okay now. I'll get used to it soon, I guess."
Taehyung simply watched him with a pitiful look, lips pursed as he contemplated his thoughts, allowing a moment of tranquil silence to dawn over them. The blonde swallowed harshly, the side of his lips twitching as their gazes met.
"Well. . . if you want, I could help you with you're company." Taehyung offered, to which Jimin disapproved with a shake of his head, brows drawing together.
"No, its fine. . . It's better now actually. Although our profits were dropping crazily at first, I don't know, things just turned back to normal." Jimin mumbled, uncertainty laced within his tone, forehead creasing  as he stared off into the space, calculating his thoughts. He then lifted an innocent shoulder, shaking his head slightly, "Maybe it's being messed with by someone, or it's just a coincidence."
Taehyung nodded thoughtfully, allowing silence to settle in the air again.
"Could be an enemy."
"I don't know. My dad isn't the type to make enemies, even if there are some people he doesn't  fancy, but only due to their habits, no business issue. But I could be wrong too, perhaps, a friend who betrayed him, envies him for his success." Jimin sent him a quick shrug, brows knitted slightly, "But of course, I'll figure it out."
Taehyung bobbed his head wordlessly, allowing silence to settle in for a moment, stealing a glance at the blonde, who seemed absent— lost deep in his sea of thoughts.
"Well," Taehyung broke the silence with a sigh, "Although I'm not the one to pick on advices, maybe you're just lucky I'm taking yours." He snickered, placing an arm over the other's shoulder, and glancing at him with a suggestive look, in attempts to lift his mood. A sad Jimin wasn't something he wished to deal with, as it was simply a painful sight for him. Jimin merely returned his gaze with a discombobulating look.
The brunette simply lifted a shoulder, lips twitching as he averted his gaze for a moment, "There are chances. . only if he wants to be though. And maybe, he'd be the last one I'm trying with. If it doesn't work, I'm expecting you to never speak a word about this again."
Jimin blinked at him for a moment, the realisation eventually dawning over him. His eyes grew wide in utter surprise as he stared at the brunette, seemingly speechless, "W-Wait, you're not bluffing, right?" He queried, eyes narrowing as he scrunitized the male's features.
A breathy chuckle left the other's lips at that, shaking his head softly as he dropped his gaze for a moment, "You said you saw the look of love in my eyes, was it a lie?" He met the shorter male's gaze, cocking a brow.
A slight gasp fled past Jimin's lips, a smile growing onto his lips, "Y-You mean—"
"Maybe you're right, maybe I do like him."