Work Text:
"Ladies and gentleman, the man that we are all waiting for ... I present you the Man of the Hour - Kim Taehyung."
Massive cheers were heard throughout the whole room. Your avid supporters and fans, friends, people working in the same industries, reporters were all gathered to witness the face reveal of the most famous writer who earned himself an award by writing an emotional and romance book, 'The Truth Untold'.
Many women and men were either shock or amazed when you went to the front, shake the hands of your editor that is currently the emcee for the night and sit to the long table and chair that the publishing house prepared for your first fan's signing.
It almost took an hour and a half to finish all the signing of the books that your fans brought with them and although your tired, you are happy to meet the fans face to face.
All in all, it ended with you bowing to everyone who attended the event and thanking them for giving support to your first ever published book. The editor get yoyr attention that the boss called earlier to talk about a matter that's needed to be discuss. You gave the editor a boxy smile and nod, and he also lead the way to the car to the publishing house that you currently works with.
+++
When you arrived, you saw the boss looking at some tabloids maybe reading what the media were going to say to your first ever appearance.
"Congrats, Taehyung!" the boss looked up from what he was reading and smiled, showing his dimples. "It was a success! Your first appearance."
"You should thank your boyfriend for that, hyung." Tae smiled knowingly to his editor - who was currently making coffee for the three of them - when his editor jolts, he gives a small chuckle.
"Don't worry about that, I've given him the best reward ever, that is to be my boyfriend." Namjoon said proudly.
"Oh, come on, Namjoon. You're the who's begging to be my boyfriend, remember?" Jin defended himself while blushing, already finished making the coffee and giving the other two to them, sit besides his boyfriend side and take a sip on his own coffee.
"I know you're all lovey-dovey but I'm still here." Taehyung rolled his eyes to his friends show of affection but also feels jealous at the same time. "Jin-hyung told me you need to say something to me."
"Oh yeah," Namjoon's face go back to business like face and voice, "about the break that your asking for I" - he heard a cough to his side - "we decided to give it you."
Shock was evident to Tae's face when he heard it. Why wouldn't? He just started publishing one book and it granted him already a break.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, since the book was already a success why can't we give it to you? You exceed our expectation."
"You deserved it." Jin added.
"Wow, just wow guys thank you."
"No, it's alright since you give your best shot and I know from experience ideas will not come to you unless you rest well." Jin reassured him.
+++
Namjoon told him to take a two to three months break but strongly warned him to make another best selling. When the meeting finished, Jin walked him to the elevator and while waiting he keeps looking at him until Tae can't take it anymore.
"Spill it, hyung,"
"Yah, I'm just looking at you."
"No, hyung. You literally want to ask something."
"Ok, ok. I'm also your fan, okay?"
"Oh, I'm sorry I don't have a pen with me" he answered sarcastically.
"Sorry to pop your ego mister, I just want to ask you something about the book..."
Tae hummed waiting for his hyung to say the question.
"We all know it was based on your story, is that how you really feel in the end of the book?"
Tae stopped breathing for a moment, his fans didn't know that his book was based on his "love story" where only a few people knew. One of these persons is the one right next to him since he was with him through that time when he experienced his first and last heartbreak.
"I don't know - it's just a good ending after all."
"Tae, you know that I'm here for you right?"
He looked at his hyung and hugged him, "I know and I'm thankful", as if on cue the elevator ding and he immediately steps inside.
"Tell Namjoon-hyung I will also do my best to my next book", and he smiled.
"Yeah." Jin just waved and when the door closed he goes back to his boyfriend's office.
"Took you long enough." Namjoon said while still reading the news.
"I'm still anxious about, Tae. I ask him about the ending of the book but he didn't answer me."
Namjoon sighed and put the tablet on the table, "Sit here with me." Jin complied. "You already done your part, Princess. It's up to Tae if he want to move on or not." Namjoom kissed Jin's forehead.
+++
When Tae exits the elevator he didn't noticed a person rushing to his path and they bumped to each other.
"I'm sorry." he hear a familiar voice and looked up. "Hobi-hyung, morning!"
Hobi was working as a delivery man on their building and mostly deliver books that was published from them.
"Tae tae so sorry. I didn't see you." he said while gathering the packaged books that he needed to deliver.
"Oh let me help." Tae said as he also crouched down to help Hobi when a noticed a particular package. It is his book and the name of the customer really took his interest. He cleared his throat and pick up the package and look at Hobi.
"Hobi hyung can I deliver this one?"
Hobi tilts his head - his mannerism when he is not sure, "I don't know if that's allowed."
"Please hyung! I promised I will give your number to my cousin, Yoongi. You like him right?" he asked excitedly and cutely.
"Wahh! How did you know that?"
"Oh come on, I totally saw how you check him up when he visited me."
"Ok ok but please sure to deliver it Tae ok? It should be today." he said with urgency.
"Why all of you! First Namjoon hyung then you? Why no one believes in me?" Tae pouted as he crossed his arms.
"Okay, okay. Your cute and I need to deliver this now."
"Take care, hyung."
++++
Since it's still early Tae decided to visits all the places that were included on his book. He first went to a small playground that was near to his parent's home. He didn't know why he still wants to visit all the mentioned places - since he knows he can't stop himself for reminiscing the past.
= Kids Days =
Tae knows that all the kids in the neighborhood likes him, they all wanted to play with him and since he was a kid - he loves attention. He's making friends to everyone and currently playing hide and seek with them. That's the first time that he saw him. There playing alone in the sand box making a castle. He unconsiously leave his hiding place shouting to his playmates that he don't want to play anymore and gets close to him.
"Hi, my name is Tae. You?" he asked cutely with a boxy smile.
But the kid just looks at him and continued what his doing, Tae feels rejected but he will not give up, he decided to also make a castle just to riled up the boy. He made a bigger one until the boy noticed and that's when the competition started that ended up the two kids brawling in the sand box. It didn't end well and their parents grounded them. It somehow made a spark of hate to them thay when they see each other it turns to a competition - who can runs faster, who can catch who - this is how they spend their childhood.
Tae smiled at the memories and entered his car to go to his next destination.
+++
He arrived to his middle school, and the students were happy to see him since he's also an active alumni helping the principal to promote this school.
"Taehyung!" he searched for the person who call his name.
"Jimin-ah" he shouted as he hugged the man.
"I heard about you in the news, now I know why you can't come in here everyday. Your already a celebrity." Jimin pouted.
"I really want to, Jimin-ah but Namjoon-hyung wants me to focus first on my book." he said while flailing his hands." and Jin-hyung constantly reminding me of deadlines."
"I know it's tough but you can do it. Your strong." Jimin emphasizing his last sentence.
"Thank you, Jimin-ah. I want to see your students, I miss them."
"Sure."
++++
While walking to the corridors you can't help but feel emotional, this is the place when you started to feel different. When you notice that your heart beats faster when you saw that certain person - your rival. And this is also the place when you learned that your rival is bi. When you saw him and Jimin kissing, you remember that shock on his face when he saw that you caught him. After that you start avoiding him, not because you feel disgusted but also to refrain yourself by telling your feelings.
And then one night came, you're the only person in the house at that time when you heard a knock, you opened it and saw him in there in your front door drenched in rain and crying.
You remembered making hot chocolate while letting him borrowed your clothes.
"He cheated on me.." he started when you put the chocolate on the table and sit on the other side of the sofa.
You didn't know when it started but he just started telling you how he met Jimin, how much he loves him and apparently Jimin fall in love to another guy. It seems he knows that your neighbors and immediately went to you since he knows that you know about this secret of him. But you still didn't have a name for this guy.
You can't handled it anymore and decided to hold him, he flinched thinking that you're going to hit him but you keep him in place and let him rest his head to your chest then he started crying again and after a few hours he need to go home now, he looks at you in the eye when you walk him out.
"Jungkook" he said and walks out immediately.
Now, you already have name on this point, but it still give you butterflies on your stomach when you remembered the first time that you met.
+++
"Tae." he jolts when he felts a pair of hands shaking him hard to wake up.
"I don't know if you have work but you accidentally fell asleep."
You look at the clock and nearly cursed it's already 12 pm. "Thank you for waking me up and I still need to deliver a package." you said as you popped up some bones and stretch.
You smiled at Jimin, not knowing that this guy you hated before for cheating on Jungkook was actually a nice guy and a person who become your friend through out the years and the lesson that you learn at that phase is that people gradually changes also with their feelings. People change.
Since you forgot to eat lunch you went to the cafe that both of you frequently visited when both of you are still in high school. You ordered a cake and hot chocolate. While waiting for the food you look out to the window and saw the school in the front of the cafe.
= High School Days =
In this phase you remembered that you have a bestfriend and the name of that person, Jeon Jungkook, yes the same kid who ignored you the first time you met. Who always challenge you when you were kids. There were not days that you didn't hang out to each others home - playing games or studying - you were always at each other side after that day and since Jungkook hit puberty his appearance changes and become more attractive, making him the heartrob in your campus. Jungkook being your bestfriend confess that he's bi, and since people learn about it. He received confession from both guys and girls, he dated a lot in your high school days, goofing around with guys and girls. While you, in his side watching him switching to different people others lasted for day - others weeks. He became a playboy which any hearthrob image had. Your the only constant person in his life but it all change when a certain guy confess to you. You remembered him watching in the side with his girlfriend when he confess and since you want to move on - because this is when you also know to yourself that you like your bestfriend more than what you should feel - and decided to finally have a relationship.
When you accepted that confession, Jungkook suddenly stop seeing people he's always on your side he didn't want you to have an alone time with your boyfriend. Usually he make sudden requests like going to arcades and ditch your date, you unconciously followed him until your so called boyfriend break up with you. You remembered crying not because it hurt you because you learn that you are wrapped under a person's finger, where you can't resist him and you can't do anything about that.
Jungkook stayed over to your room that night, consoling you that he will knock that guys teeth for making you cry, you remembered laughing at that. When Jungkook didn't move you look up to him and then without further ado, Jungkook lowered his head to you and kiss you fully on the lips.
And that night, while forcing yourself to quiet down the moans and whimpering that can make your parents up, you lose your virginity to him. When both of you wake up the next morning you tried to play it cool, waited for what he will say on this because Jungkook doesn't have anyone aside the only person that he has right now is you and you don't want to ruin it.
But what really break your heart was when Jungkook says, "Sorry, Tae. It will not happened again."
And then you responds, "No big deal." and smiled at him.
+++
When the food came you almost lose your appetite from remembering the past but you still decided to finish the food. After you finish eating your food, you went to a nearby park when you remembered a certain turning point to your life.
= College Day =
You were waiting for him in this park for almost an hour. A freaking hour!
You massage your temple since you feel headache coming to it. That's when you heard it, "Tae!"
You look behind and almost gasped, he became more mature and started to have sharp features that you wished to have.
"Seriously, Kookie. I need to file an absence leave to my work to come in here and your late. Jin hyung will kill me." You gave a huffed as you finished. Since your two years older than him, your already working while he's currently an intern waiting for his graduation in college.
"Yeah, sorry about that." he scratched his head from his embarassment and hand out an invitation.
You didn't think much about it and read what was it all about and froze.
"Say your going to be my bestman okay?" Jungkook asks to you while your showing his doe eyes and smile.
You tried - really tried - but it seems you're already used it and it comes naturally to you. You smiled at him and give your boxy smile. "Off course. Why wouldn't I and how?"
"Thank you, Tae and it is actually an arranged marriage though." Jungkook look at you directly in your eyes. "I don't want you to miss this moment in my life."
But you can't. You can't watch him getting married to someone, you just learn that this girl was Jungkook's classmate, the person who replaces you when you are away. You can't accept, resulting to not attending the wedding and cutting your communication to your bestfriend.
+++
After visiting the place. You end up parking to a front of a nice house and placing the package at the door. You rang the bell and casually walk to your car. When the door opened you were wishing it is him - How is he now? Did he look more mature?
You turn your head and a tear suddenly make a way to your left cheek, you saw a beautiful woman with her child in her side, since the kid is a good girl. She's the one who pick up the package since his mom is pregnant.
'He's happy. Why I can't let go? Jungkook is your magic is still on me?'
You get in the car and drive away.
+++
When Jungkook came home that night, he hugged his wife and his kid. He's quite tired so he decided to go to their bed early when he entered the room and saw a book that caught his attention. He heard that this book is good and that the author received an award despited being his first work. It seems your wife took an interest on it and ordered one. He loosened his tie and decided to relax on his bed while flipping the page. It caught his interest since he feels like this scenario's were familiar to him.
Until he reach the end of the story, when the protagonist decided to take his life without telling anyone and about the truth that he keeps holding,
"That night is not mistake for me, it's the moment that kept me for living, remembering and telling to myself that maybe you will look back to me, having me with you even just for a night was the best thing happened to me. I know we can't be together. I can't give you a future, being with me will be the end of you. But eventhough I can't have you. I'm selfish, I can't give you up.
I'm still thinking what if that morning I took up my courage, will it change? Were you going to say that maybe you will like me too? But I guess not, your happy right now. Who am I to take that away to you? I guess this is the truth that I can't say to you but I still want you.
Kim Taehyung"
Jungkook immediately stand up went to the living room where his wife sitting and watching news on TV, "Lisa, I need to go some-"
"Breaking News!"
The recently award winning author Kim Taehyung had a car accident and the rescuers did their best to save him but he was proclaimed dead on arrival.