Archive of Our Own

"Thank you." Jeongguk smiles as he handed the book to Euna, a reader who attended his book launch today. He kept the sticky note where her name was written. It's for him to remember her name and every other reader who attended the event.

Euna smiled sweetly as she accepted the signed book and said thank you. They posed for the camera of the staff who was patiently waiting for them to get the photo. They will be posting these pictures on Jeongguk's official website and social media accounts.

Jeon Jeongguk, twenty-nine years old, is one of the well-known Korean novelists of this generation. He wrote the book Crown of the True King which was adapted into a drama that was aired at the second half of 2017. The drama garnered a lot of viewers and high ratings for KBS World, the network who aired it. It was a huge success that he was offered by a publisher, Summit Publishing House (SPH), a contract to have his work published under them. As someone who isn't in a contract that time, he accepted the offer. It is also the home of the novelist Kim Namjoon who inspired him to continue writing during college.

Almost a year after the successful launch of his very first novel, Jeongguk wrote the book The Flower Sky which earned him popularity gaining him new readers and fans. So today, a year and a half after his second novel was released, he launched another book called I Could Be Your Escape.

The book launch came with a book signing event which was opened on a first come first serve basis, only letting 200 people in. Those who availed the book after the quota will be allowed to stay inside the convention hall to see Jeongguk if they want, as he signs the book of the first 200 buyers.

"Heejin, right?" Jeongguk asked as he read the sticky note on her book. He kept it inside his box as the girl nodded quickly. He wrote a dedication message for her on her book before officially signing it.

"Jeongguk oppa.." Her voice is soft and shy as she calls Jeongguk. The author hums before he looks up to her. "I've been reading your works ever since you started. Remember when you self-published CTK when the pilot episode aired? I was really hooked up from the start and when I heard that you self-published it, I bought one."

Jeongguk smiles. It's rare for people to know that he self-published his novel but he did. During the time of the shooting for the drama, his friends urged him to publish it since they thought that it will gain popularity and people would want to read the original story, since the script has been altered a little to fit the drama's length. And that's one of the reasons he said yes in self-publishing his book with the help from his friends.

After the pilot episode was aired, he released the book and announced it in his social media accounts. He only released a hundred copies thinking that people wouldn't even buy it. Eventually, it was sold out after a month, or when the drama was already on its second half. That's also another reason why he joined SPH since self-publishing a book is difficult.

Heejin pulls out the self-published book from her bag and Jeongguk sees the familiar book cover. That was the book cover he designed himself since hiring a designer will cost him money when he can do it himself and it's free. He looks up to Heejin who's already looking back at him. "I know the rules say that you will only sign ICBYE but I brought this here hoping you will make an exception and sign this book too?"

Jeongguk nods, smiling. He was about to receive the book when a staff went closer and stopped Heejin from handing it, even blocking her with her hand so the girl won't be able to give him the book. "I'm sorry but you have to strictly follow the rules or we will be forced to kick you out."

"No. It's okay. I'll sign it." The staff frowns as she looks at Jeongguk, hesitantly withdrawing her hand. Jeongguk offered his hand as he smiled at Heejin and the girl happily handed it over. She bowed her head as she continuously said thank you while Jeongguk quietly laughed, saying that it's okay. This is the only thing he can do for her who supported him from the start.

"Jeongguk-ssi, we should follow the rules and guidelines of the event." The staff said, trying to stop Jeongguk from signing but he is already writing on the other book he was given.

"It's okay, I'm just signing it. And it's my event so I'm an exception to the rules." Jeongguk smiled at the staff before he closed the book, handing it back to Heejin. The girl thanked him one more time before they took a photo to where Heejin happily showcased her signed books. After her, the next in line gave their copy of his latest novel and Jeongguk went back to signing again, back to following the rules.

♡ • • • • • • •

It's August 2016, Jeongguk is currently organizing the books they received as a donation. He's working as a librarian in a small library in Daegu together with a man named Min Yoongi. The guy is quiet but he tends to become talkative when he's talking to Jeongguk. The guy is really kind too that Jeongguk grew close with him.

He was about to go back to his post when he noticed a man in a striped sweater and a beret just looking at the shelves. He's wearing a mask that covers half of his face so Jeongguk can't see how he looks. He's been there ever since the librarian started organizing the books on the shelves and he's still there until now that he's finished.

As a librarian, it is Jeongguk's duty to help people out in their library. Maybe he's having a difficulty in choosing the book he wants to read and borrow? So he slowly moved towards the stranger, trying to not startle him and to not creep him out that someone is suddenly talking to him.

"Hi." Jeongguk quietly said as soon as he got close enough for the man to hear him. He tried to not startle him but the man still visibly got surprised, almost jumping when he heard him. His eyes are wide as he looks back at Jeongguk, moving a little away from him.

The librarian said a quick apology before he showed his friendliest smile. He doesn't want to scare the reader so he hoped his smile can lessen the tension. "I just noticed you're standing here for some time now. Can I help you with something?"

The man shakes his head as he says a quick muffled thank you. He turns his face away from Jeongguk, looking at the top shelf. The librarian followed the direction before he nodded since he didn't want to force people out.

"I see. If you need anything then I'm just behind the counter." Jeongguk even made a quick gesture to point at the counter. The man just nods, still not looking at him so Jeongguk decided to just go back to his post.

"Who's that? He's been standing there ever since he went in here." Yoongi asked as soon as Jeongguk sat on his chair. The other was on his laptop, working on his music but he made an effort to take his earphones off as he looked at Jeongguk.

"I don't know. I offered him some help but he refused." Jeongguk looks back at the man who's still standing from where he left him. He's unmoving and he doubts he's going to move anytime soon. The librarian just shrugs before he went back on the library's computer to update their database.

It was just a quick task, not even taking an hour to do, so when he finished updating their database, he decided to draw his dog Gureum. He doesn't have anything to do anyway and he also needs inspiration. And what's the best way to keep your day going is a picture of your pet, right? So he's doing just that.

"Excuse me." Jeongguk and Yoongi heard a muffled quiet voice say. They both look up from their seats, seeing that the man they were talking about earlier is now standing right in front of the counter. "Can I ask for your help?"

Jeongguk looks at Yoongi to silently discuss who's going to help the stranger. The older nods at him before going back to working on his music again. Jeongguk stands up from his seat then, entertaining the man. "Yes. How can I help you?"

The man looks around before he slowly pulls his mask down. As soon as Jeongguk saw his face, he couldn't help but gulp, a sudden question coming to his mind. He wonders how a man can be so beautiful because the one who's right in front of him is really gorgeous. Nothing can compare to how well the stranger looks. Jeongguk even doubts that he's a human because how can a person look like an angel?

"So I'm looking for a book." Jeongguk blinked when the man spoke. He subtly cleared his throat, licking his now-dried lips. He immediately nods.

"Yeah? What kind of book? Do you know the title or the author of it?" The man slowly shakes his head. Well, that's expected. Jeongguk kind of figured it out. If the man knew about the book's title or the author's name then he could've found it right away and not ask for his help anymore. But since he's here in front of Jeongguk, everything makes sense. "Okay. I understand. How about the subject? Do you know what it's about?"

The man in front of him gazes away, looking down on the counter. That's when Jeongguk notices the small pout from the stranger. He was about to speak again to ask him another question that he may have an answer but the man suddenly looked back up to him. "I know. I need a book about history that—"

"I see. So we have a lot of history books here in the library." Jeongguk grabs his seat and pulls it in front of the computer. He sits there and typed in the keyword to search their database. Satisfied with the results he found, he looks back at the stranger before smiling. "I can recommend some titles to you depending on the grade level of the person that will use the book. Or is it for you? Do you need it for university?"

The stranger slowly walks towards the counter, resting his arms on it. He shakes his head. "No. I already graduated. Listen, I'm looking for a—"

"Then are you doing this for research or something? I think I can look for reference research here." Jeongguk says as he started clicking again on the computer to add results filters so he can provide better results for his client.

"Kind of." The man tried to move even closer to the counter. He looked around once again before he bent over it. He raised his right hand up to the side of his mouth, forming a half circle before he whispered to Jeongguk. "I need it for a project."

"A project." Jeongguk repeated. He can't help but smile, amused and curious on how the man in front of him can be so adorable and cute while saying that he's here for a project.

"Don't say it out loud. People might hear you." The man looks at Yoongi who's still working on his laptop. He really looks like he's worried so Jeongguk smiles as he waves his hand, trying to reassure him that no one heard anything.

"Don't worry. He won't hear it. He's busy working on his own project." The man stares at Yoongi for a little longer, noticing the earbuds that are plugged into his ear. That's only when he nods and looks back at Jeongguk.

"So how can a librarian help you in this project?" Jeongguk asked in a whisper. If this man doesn't want anyone to hear it then he's going to ride along with him.

"Yes. So I need a book about history that—" The man answered, going on the same volume with Jeongguk's voice. The librarian is growing more curious than ever. This man in front of him is acting mysterious and Jeongguk likes mysteries. It makes him excited.

"A book about history? Then I can recommend you—" Jeongguk was cut off when the man raises his hand, waves them in front of him, gesturing for him to stop. "That's not academically related."

Jeongguk blinked. He tilts his head as his brows furrow. He shakes his head, a sign that he doesn't understand whatever it is the man was asking him. "I don't think I understand."

"I'm trying to tell you but you keep on cutting me off. I'm looking for a book. Or a novel is a better term for that." The man bit his lip. Jeongguk blushes as soon as he realizes that indeed, he's been cutting the man off. Was he a show off? He was so focused on helping him out. And admitting that he finds the man attractive isn't reason enough for being rude.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." Jeongguk stands up to move closer to the counter, bowing his head as he does so because, well, he's embarrassed for his acts. And it's not like he can tell him that he just wanted to help him so bad. But the stranger clears his throat, smiling at him. "That's okay. I should have told you as soon as I got here."

"Thank you. But let me clarify, you're looking for a novel book in our library?" The man quickly nods, face lighting up. Jeongguk sighs. He can't help him after all. "I'm sorry. I think you're in the wrong place. Our library is small so we don't really offer books like that. We offer books that can help you in academics but not for passing time. You should go to a bookstore, maybe you can find a novel you want there."

"But I'm trying to avoid going to crowded places like the bookstore." The man sighs, his pout showing again and Jeongguk, if he isn't just curious, just wants to spend the whole day looking at the man in front of him.

"And why is that?" Jeongguk covered his mouth immediately as soon as the question came out of his mouth. He knows it's not his business to ask. He's being rude again. But the man's face showed surprise, eyes wide before he smiles once again. "You don't recognize me?"

"Uh, have we met before?" Okay. That's three strikes already. First, the cutting off, then the no business question and now, what if they really have met before and Jeongguk forgot him? He's digging his own grave.

"No. We haven't." The man laughs and for the first time, Jeongguk notices how tense he was earlier but now, he's starting to cool down. Why? Is he afraid of people, that's why he's so tense? "I'm sorry to disturb you. I came from Seoul so I expected the same with the library but I guess I was wrong."

Ah. That makes sense. Libraries in Seoul are huge and can offer any variation of reading material. You just have to be patient in looking for the book you want to read. "That's okay. I'm sorry that you weren't able to find the book you're looking for. But is that everything you need?"

"Yes. Thank you for your time and help. I appreciate your kind— Wait, what is that?" The man's eyes are focused on something behind Jeongguk's back so he turns around to look at where the man is staring. There's only one thing that is placed there, the novel he worked on for years.

"It's um… a book." Jeongguk answered quietly. It feels surreal saying that simple thing to a stranger. He's claiming it as a book, it is, but it feels weird. A good feel of weird.

"Can I see it?" The man's eyes are wide, resembling a puppy's. That instant almost made him answer yes. Almost.

"It's not really a library's property. I'm sorry." Jeongguk lets out an apologetic smile but the man visibly pouts and Jeongguk instantly regrets his words so he does what he thinks is right. "But yeah, I guess you can see it."

Jeongguk walks to the back shelf to pick up his book. No one except him and his friends has ever read this and handing it to a stranger, giving him the opportunity to read his work, made him a little nervous.

He hesitantly handed the book to the waiting hands of the stranger but the smile on his face makes the courage worth it. The man reads the title out loud before he flipped the book to its back and read the summary of the novel. When he's done reading, he realizes what it is.

"It's a novel." He said, amused like it's the first time he's seeing a novel. Or maybe because Jeongguk told him their library doesn't offer a novel before finding out that there's actually one novel present in the place.

"It is." Jeongguk bit his lip. He's growing anxious. Maybe he thinks Jeongguk is a liar now, claiming that they don't have a novel when there's one. But it's not the library's property, it's his.

"And it's written in a Silla dynasty setting." The man looks up from the book to Jeongguk and he's smiling widely. Just from the looks of it, he already knows what's coming next, making his heart beat faster. "Can I borrow it?"

"No." Jeongguk immediately answers since he already anticipated it. The man blinks, smile faltering, quickly forming a pout.

"But this is the book I'm looking for." Jeongguk shakes his head, eyeing the book that's still on the stranger's hand. He's trying to be firm, to not get affected by that pout. "You don't even know who wrote that."

The man immediately looks at the book cover,  reading the author's name out loud, his voice a little higher than how it is earlier. "I know. It's Jeon Jeongguk."

"That's—" Jeongguk clenches his fist, not knowing what to say anymore. He tries to squeeze his mind for anything, come up with something, a better excuse that he can't give a rebut. "Look. It's not a library's property, you can't borrow it."

"Then why is it in the library if it's not a library's property?" Jeongguk noticed how the man pouted as he talked. He was about to argue back but he can't think of anything to say anymore. Maybe because the man got a point or maybe because he's too cute, the thought clouded his mind.

When Jeongguk stayed silent, the man smiled again, him taking note of how the man's lips are shaped like a heart but his smile is shaped like a box. "I can really borrow it, right? I promise I'm going to take care of it."

Jeongguk sighs. He doesn't want to give it to anyone, especially to a stranger. He saved up with the money he earned as a librarian for a year and used it to have his novel get published and book bound. It's the only copy he has so it's really important to him. But is he really having second thoughts today? He doesn't want to give it out but the cutie that's waiting right in front of him made him somehow change his mind and okay. "Okay."

"Okay? You mean, you'll let me borrow it?" The light on the man's face came back and Jeongguk thinks he likes seeing it better than when he pouts. He's cute when he does that, yes, but this one feels different, warm.

Jeongguk nods, letting out a sigh. He looks directly at the man's eyes afterwards, making him promise. "But please, take care of it and bring it back as soon as you're done."

"I will! I promise! Thank you so much!" The man hugged the book like he's really happy that he got it. Somehow, it made Jeongguk feel at ease and it made him think, is this how people react when they get the book they really want? Will he be able to bring the same joy to everyone when he published his novel? Will someone become this happy once they get a copy of his work? "I'll bring this back as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

"No. Thank you so much for this. I know this can help me for my project." Jeongguk nods as the man smiles sweetly at him. Well, that helped him to not have any regret for letting his book.

"I should get going now. My hyung might be looking for me already. Thank you for this again." Jeongguk reciprocates the smile given to him. The man waves his goodbye so Jeongguk did the same. When the man was already gone and Jeongguk's back on drawing Gureum, only then did he realize that he never asked for an identification. He really gave away his book to a complete stranger.

He immediately stands up to try and follow the man but he's already gone. When he gets back inside, he notices that Jimin, a college friend that he met through his dance elective, is already there talking with Yoongi.

"Jimin, you're here? When did you arrive?" Jeongguk asked as he pulled his chair to sit down. He lets out a quick sigh as he remembers the stupidity he just did.

"Right before you gave your book to Kim Taehyung. I just sat there to watch for a moment." Jeongguk whipped his head towards Jimin's direction. Did he just hear a name? Does Jimin know him? "You really gave him your book, huh?"

"Wait, wait. You know him?"

"Who? Kim Taehyung? Of course. Who wouldn't?" Who wouldn't? Jeongguk. How in the world did Jimin know that man? Was he from the same university? Jeongguk didn't even see him there once.

"Wait, don't tell me you didn't know him?" Jeongguk stays silent, just staring at his friend, making Jimin gasp. "Are you for real? I thought you knew him and that's why you let him borrow your book. But now you're telling me that you let a stranger get a hold of your only work?"

"Listen." Jeongguk said that he even got the attention of Yoongi. He paused for a second, contemplating if he should actually say it out loud but Yoongi and Jimin are waiting and staring at him already so he just spat it out. "I find him cute, okay?"

Yoongi raises his brows and nods in agreement before immediately going back to his work. Jimin noticed it, scoffing a little before he brought his attention back to Jeongguk. "Of course you'll find him cute, he's a star."

"A what?"

"Kim Taehyung. He's in show business." Jimin pulled his phone out from his pocket and started typing out Kim Taehyung in the search bar. After getting a result, he handed his phone to Jeongguk which the other accepted willingly. Jimin gave him his phone so he could look at the star's pictures while he introduced him.

"He was a child actor but he stopped acting when he entered middle school. It was when he turned 16 that he went back to the spotlight as a model. Then a year after passing his university exam, at the age of 21, he went back to acting while also studying. He is currently working his way up to show business by receiving minor roles in different dramas that we see in the television. His recent drama was called Serenade of the Blue Bird as the younger brother of the male lead. He was a supporting role."

"How did you know a lot about him, Jimin-ah?" Yoongi pointed out. Jeongguk raises a brow to Yoongi. He was listening to Jimin this whole time. Since when did he get interested in people? He's only interested in his music.

"Because he's one of my favorite child stars that I used to watch when I was a kid and we're the same age. When I heard that he stopped acting for his studies, I was really disappointed but I understand where he's coming from. But then he went back so I thought I should do a follow up and look up at his accomplishments."

"So what did he accomplish?" Yoongi asked and it's making Jeongguk curious. Does he like Kim Taehyung? Why is he asking a lot of questions to Jimin?

"Well, aside from being a model and an actor, he also graduated from a university which makes him a degree holder. He majored in performing arts. And then there's a rumor in the online community that he's given a project as the second lead role in a historical drama. If that drama succeeds then his popularity will surely skyrocket that can finally score him a lead role."

"He said the book was for his project." Jeongguk stated, making Jimin's eyes widened as he gasped. He covers his mouth, pointing at Jeongguk. The librarian immediately swats his hand down.

"Oh my god! Then that confirms it! CTK was a historical novel, right? And he borrowed it because he needs it for inspiration so he can play his role well. I'm pretty sure!" Jimin exclaimed so loud that Yoongi had to hush him down, looking at the few other people inside the library and checking if they got disturb by the noise. "What? It's not like they know what we're talking about."

Jeongguk looks down at the phone on his hand, looking at the smiling face of Kim Taehyung. It looks different from how he smiled earlier at him. Honestly, he doesn't have interest in what Taehyung does for a living at first. He's just thankful that Jimin knows him and it relieved him that he can actually get his book back.

But when he finally introduced who Kim Taehyung is, he suddenly felt nervous. He's someone who has experience in drama, someone who used to memorize scripts and basically giving life to a written story. What if he's unsatisfied with Jeongguk's work? What if he hates it? Will he bother giving the book back to him or he'll just throw it away thinking it's just a piece of trash? Just the thought of it is already stressing Jeongguk out.

• • • • • • • ♡

"Jeongguk-ssi?" The photographer called and Jeongguk immediately cleared his throat as he apologized for spacing out. He apologized to the fan who's in front of him too.

After taking another photo, he moved on to the other fan that is waiting for him to sign their book. He took a quick glance at the line in front of him. There are five people in total, including the reader that is having her book signed. There are still more, a lot more, who are seated inside the space they provided for the first 200.

The venue is divided into two by a blue ribbon and those who are inside that ribbon has the opportunity to have their books signed. Marshals are walking around as they guard the ribbon to make sure that no one is slipping in.

Jeongguk looked at the people who were seated while waiting for him. Almost all of them are looking at him while some are on their phones or are already reading their own copy of their book. He quickly waved and smiled at them while his other hand was still writing on the book's page. Some fans squealed when they saw him while others looked up and got confused on what happened. It made Jeongguk laugh a little.

"Here you go. I hope you enjoy reading this." Jeongguk hands the book he just signed to the reader. The fan bowed a little and said thank you.

"Please look at the camera and smile." The photographer instructed. The fan raised her hand for a V sign so Jeongguk did the same, the photographer taking their photos after.

"Thank you again." The fan said before leaving the stage with her signed book. Jeongguk waves his hand as a goodbye.

"Hi—" Jeongguk greeted, receiving the book that was handed to him. He gets the sticky note from her book to read her name. He put the note on his box as he looked up to the girl and smiled. "—Jaehwa."

"Hi. Wow. You're really handsome up close." Jaehwa said that made Jeongguk laugh. He said thank you before proceeding in signing her book. "My friend once attended your book sign event and she told me you're so handsome. Now I know that she's telling the truth."

"Then maybe you and your friend should get your eyes checked." Jeongguk jokes, quickly looking up at her, immediately going back on writing a quick message in her book.

Jaehwa shakes her head. "No. It's true. You're really handsome. You even look like an actor, someone who can go with Kim Seokjin's and Kim Taehyung's level."

"That's some veteran actors right there. But I'll just stay writing stories. Still, thank you." Jeongguk smiles once more before he hands the book back to her. Jaehwa said a quick thank you too before they took a photo together. After her, Jeongguk received another book to sign as he braced his hand to write again.

He's been writing quick messages on their books and even though he wanted to make every message unique from one another, there's no way he can make 200 unique messages in one go. And there's a time limit too, only letting a reader have their book signed within 1 minute and a half. That's actually a pressure for Jeongguk since he's the one who's signing. And then everyone gets only one click from the camera so if your photo with him turns out to be blurry or you're not satisfied then you have no choice but to accept it.

The event is supposed to last for 6 hours only, with 5 hours for the signing and an hour for the final interview. Jeongguk needs to go somewhere else too so he needs to finish early or he'll arrive late at the event he'll be attending.

The pressure is now slowly sinking in and is eating him up. He hopes he could take a little break since his hand is starting to hurt from all the writing but the desire to finish early is taking a toll on him. His face is going numb from smiling from time to time too but he can't show a straight face to a reader. They've been waiting for him since morning and he bets some of them haven't had their lunch yet. Still, with that given situation, they never fail to smile at Jeongguk so he will smile at them too. That's the only thing he can do to show his gratitude.

"Hmm hmm~ Why so serious? Why so serious? Why so serious—?" Jeongguk looks up to the fan with the name Chanmi, according to her note. She was singing along to the background music and her eyes widened when she noticed that Jeongguk was looking at her. "I'm sorry. Did I disturb you? It's my favorite song from Agust D so I can't help but sing along. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I like that song too." Jeongguk says as he gets back to writing in the book. He gave half of his attention to the music that's playing in the background. It's the track called People by Agust D. Jeongguk smiled as he listened to it too while writing. He personally requested the song to be included in the playlist of the event anyway since it's pretty calming and is now helping him forget about the pressure he's feeling. "You're an Agust D fan?"

"I am. I love his music. His versatility is huge. He can do any genre, any music." Chanmi enthusiastically answered, earning a nod and a hum from Jeongguk, quickly finishing his task.

He smiles once more as he hands her the book he signed. They took a photo afterwards. When she's about to leave, Jeongguk smiled at her and said, "I'll tell Agust D I met a girl named Chanmi and that's she's a great fan of him."

"Oh my god. Really? Thank you!" Chanmi said before she was guided to exit the stage. Jeongguk then received another copy from a different reader, signing it too as he listens to Agust D's People.

♡ • • • • • • •

"What do you think?" Yoongi asked as Jeongguk removed the earbuds from his ear. He leans on his chair as he carefully places the earbuds on the table. "It's great hyung. I love it. I'm sure if you release this then people will love it too."

"That's what Jimin told me." Yoongi made his usual slurping sound, a sign that informs Jeongguk that he's either not satisfied with his music, that he's looking for feedback to help him improve it, or that he's not satisfied with the feedback at all.

"Hyung, it's really perfect, I swear."

"Thanks Gguk but I'm going to think of it more. It really feels like something's missing so I'll try to work on it again." Yoongi says as he picks his phone and earbuds up from the table and moves towards his laptop that he sets up at the table behind the counter. Jeongguk just nods at him before he continues on his work again. He doesn't have anything else to do so he tries to write a draft for an idea that came to his mind the other day. It's for another novel he wanted to write.

"Hi." Jeongguk looks up to see the person that greeted him. He immediately stands up when he realizes who the person is. "Remember me? I came here last week and borrowed a book called Crown of the True King."

"Yeah, that's you." It's Kim Taehyung. Jeongguk smiles, trying to lessen the surprise and nervousness he's feeling right now. "Why are you here? Are you going to return the book?"

"No. Not yet. I haven't finished it yet but I'm halfway there." Taehyung says as he puts his bag on the counter. He opened it up to pull the book out and show it to Jeongguk. "And I'm taking good care of it. Look."

"Yes, you do. Thank you." Jeongguk is relieved to see that his book is in good shape. It looks like Taehyung took really good care of it. It looks almost the same as when he gave it to Taehyung last week.

"But I have a question though."

Jeongguk looks back up to Taehyung's face. He immediately nods, saying, "If that's something I can help you with then go ask me anything."

"Thanks. You see, I really love the story of the book. I like how it's about the slice of life since most novels nowadays are focused on romance. And it's also well-written like whenever I read it, it feels like I'm seeing and feeling it in person. And so that made me want to read more of the author's works but when I searched him up, it returned no result. Even the book isn't showing up. So I'm just curious, where did you get this book?" Taehyung stares at Jeongguk with his wide eyes.

Well, he doesn't expect that question at all and it made him speechless. He tries to speak, say anything but he feels his mouth drying up and there's no words coming out.

"He wrote it." Taehyung looks beside Jeongguk so the librarian did so too. Yoongi is standing beside him, picking up the pen that Jeongguk was using earlier for writing.

"Who..?"

"This man." Yoongi pointed Jeongguk with his thumb. He looks at Jeongguk first before he looks back at Taehyung. "His name is Jeon Jeongguk. He wrote the book you're holding."

"Hyung—" Jeongguk was about to protest but Yoongi patted his shoulder, telling him that he's borrowing his pen for a moment before going back to his station.

"Is it true?" Taehyung asked, making Jeongguk immediately look back at him. "You really wrote this book?"

"Uh…" Jeongguk can easily say no and deny it, saying that Yoongi was only kidding and make up a lie that his friend wrote that book instead but Taehyung is still looking at him with wide eyes, shining as he stares at him. "Yeah."

"Really?" Jeongguk is surprised when Taehyung almost jumps, reaching out from the other side of the counter so he can shake Jeongguk's hand. "It's so nice to meet you Jeon Jeongguk-ssi. I'm a big fan."

"What?"

"Ever since I started reading your novel, I already fell in love with it. You wrote it so well that I sometimes just spend my time reading it rather than memorizing my script." Taehyung says without a pause. It took him a moment before he realized that he slipped up, covering his mouth with the hand that is holding the book. "I'm not supposed to say that. It's not even published in articles yet."

Jeongguk smiles a little, finally noticing that he's still holding Taehyung's hand in a hand shake position. He quickly lets go of it before he clears his throat. "That's okay. I won't tell anyone about it."

"Thank you." Taehyung says as his shoulders obviously sag in relief. He puts his hand down, laying the book on the counter. Jeongguk looks at how Taehyung gently handles the book down. He nods. "You're doing me a favor by taking care of my book so I'll do you a favor and keep your secret."

"Jeongguk-ssi." Taehyung grabs Jeongguk's hand again, now with both of his hands since he's not holding the book anymore. He raises it to level with their faces. Taehyung's smiles widely as he says, "Let's be friends!"

Jeongguk doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what to say so he just nods his head, making Taehyung smile wider. Taehyung shakes his hand once more, chanting how happy he is to have a new friend.

That day, he expected that the actor only said it out of excitement but when lunch came the next day, Taehyung was back again and he even brought lunch. Jeongguk doesn't want to admit it but he's really happy to see him again. Maybe because he actually believed Taehyung's words and he didn't disappoint him for trusting. Or maybe because Taehyung won't stop telling him how much he loves the novel or how long he stayed at night to read another chapter. Or simply because Taehyung is so cute that day that Jeongguk can't help but want to spend time with him more.

• • • • • • • ♡

"Jeongguk-oppa, is your hand still okay? You've been signing books for almost two hours now." The reader in front of him asked. He hums while he wrote a dedication message to her.

"I'm fine. I want to do this. You've been waiting for me since morning so this is the only thing I can do for you in exchange."

The girl scrunches her nose as she shakes his head. "It's our choice to line here early. You don't have to force yourself, you're already working so hard. Let your hand rest for some time too."

"Thank you, Soomin." Jeongguk looks up as he hands the book to the girl. He raises his hand, showing his palm to her. "My hand says thank you too."

Soomin giggles at the action as she happily accepts the book from Jeongguk. "Oppa, you should rest after this, okay?"

"I will." Jeongguk smiles softly. The photographer called them to have their photo taken, making a thumbs up with his left hand, raising his pen with his right hand while wearing a huge smile on his face. After that, Jeongguk proceeded with signing the books of the other readers and then taking pictures with them too.

"Oppa, can we take a selfie?" One fan asked, showing her phone to Jeongguk after the photographer took their photo. He was about to answer her when a staff went closer and reminded her of their rules. "It is strictly forbidden to ask the author for personal selfies. We will have to ask you to leave if you insist."

"Oppa, just one selfie please." The girl pleaded, clasping her hands together.

"I'm sorry but we have to follow the rules. Don't worry. I've seen the photographer's pictures and I assure you that they are all great." The girl pouts but still nods, hugging her book before she finally left. The next one in the line came forward and handed their book to him.

"Jeongguk-ssi, here is the coffee you asked earlier." Another staff handed him the coffee. He nods and says a quick thank you to her before getting back on signing books again. After taking a photo with the current reader, Jeongguk took the opportunity to get his coffee and get a sip. He still receives the book being handed to him though, leaving it on the table while he satisfies his thirst.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really thirsty." Jeongguk says as he puts his drink down back on the table. The girl just smiles and nods. He grabs his pen again and starts writing another dedication message for the reader, the taste of coffee still lingers in his mouth. Ah, he suddenly misses his favorite coffee from that cafe he often visits from the past years.

♡ • • • • • • •

Jeongguk came into the cafe just across the street from the library to meet with Taehyung. They already exchanged numbers and the actor texted him to meet him in this cafe since they were banned from staying in the library together.

The last time Taehyung came to visit and talk to Jeongguk, a library client complained that they're being too loud that he can't focus on his studies. Thankfully, Yoongi talked to the client right away and apologized. But since that happened, Yoongi said they're not allowed to be together inside the library anymore or they'll make more noise to disturb the people who're working on their tasks inside the library and he'll be forced to fix their mess again. So this is what Taehyung thought they should do to avoid the same scene to happen.

Jeongguk looks around the cafe, looking for a familiar face. His eyes landed at the table near the window, just about the corner of the place, sits a man wearing a beret that matches his sweater vest well and Jeongguk already knows that he's the one he's looking for. He immediately walks towards there. The actor notices him coming too so he waved his hand to Jeongguk.

"Hi." Jeongguk greeted him as soon as he got close to him. Taehyung greeted him back, gesturing for him to take a seat on the chair opposite of him. "I'm sorry I'm late. Jimin said I should wait for him to arrive before leaving so Yoongi hyung won't be left alone."

"I understand. He really cares for Yoongi hyung, doesn't he?" Taehyung commented. He only met Jimin once. They visited the library at the same time and even brought the same food. Jimin ended up sharing his food with Yoongi while Taehyung shared his with Jeongguk. Eating inside the library is forbidden so they went to sit at the library bench outside and eat by pairs.

"He likes him." Jeongguk spilled out, shrugging. It's pretty obvious but his Yoongi hyung can be so oblivious. "Oh! That's why he's so attentive when it comes to Yoongi hyung!"

"But don't tell him I told you, okay? He wanted to keep it a secret since hyung is too oblivious and he's waiting for his 'right' time to confess." Taehyung nods while biting his lips to stop himself from smiling. He feels giddy now that he keeps a secret with Jeongguk. "By the way, is it okay for you to stay out like this? Aren't you afraid that people will recognize you?"

"No, it's fine. This place doesn't have so many people coming in and I'm wearing my disguise so they won't see my face clearly." He's only wearing a beret and a pair of specs to cover his face. Jeongguk doubts it's helping but if Taehyung thinks it's working then he won't stop it. He looks adorable anyway.

"Okay. What do you want to have? I'll buy it for us." Jeongguk volunteered. Taehyung recited what he wanted to eat. Since lunch is already over, the both settled on grabbing some snacks only. Taehyung ordered a slice of  strawberry cake and an iced chocolate for him while Jeongguk gets his usual banoffee cheesecake and black coffee.

Jeongguk found out that Taehyung loves strawberries. As what the actor said, he can give him any strawberry flavored food and he'll eat it in one go. He also said that he's not good with bitter things and that's why he doesn't enjoy drinking coffee, that explains the chocolate match to the cake. Jeongguk also found out that Taehyung can't sleep without hugging a pillow.

"I'm a cuddler." Taehyung says in between giggles and Jeongguk is just sitting there, taking in how adorable his giggles sound.

Taehyung started sharing about his dog Yeontan, on how he trained him when he was still a puppy. He shares how big it grew for over a year after he adopted it but still being the most adorable pet for Taehyung. And when Taehyung started sharing that he loves watching anime and playing games, Jeongguk tries to take his eyes off of him. He's been staring too much at the actor, he knows, but despite looking at him for so long, his eyes don't get tired looking.

"And I love to read too because an older friend told me that if I want to learn things, I can learn it through reading." Taehyung continued on his story, basically a self-introduction that you'll never find out on any site.

"I agree on that."

"Right? So that's why I was looking for a historical novel back then. I know the role I'm given is very different from all the roles I've done before. I wanted to do good but I still have a lot to learn. So I thought, if I read a novel in the same setting then maybe I can imagine myself there and act like how it should be."

"And is my book able to help you out on that motive?" Jeongguk asked, genuinely curious. He does hope he can help Taehyung even with the simplest things.

"It did! You see, a director once told me that to be excellent in acting, you should put yourself in the shoes of the character you're portraying and be that person. But it is sometimes too difficult for me to do especially when we have opposing characteristics. But with the help of your novel, I was able to find some similarities and that helped me get more practice for my role."

Jeongguk smiles softly, his heart feeling a little giddy. Someone appreciates his work, even saying that it's helping him out. That is enough reason for him to explode with happiness. "Thank you. I'm happy I got to help you even for just a little amount."

Taehyung smiles, his usual boxy smile on display that made Jeongguk sigh softly. Right then and there, he realizes that he wants to do anything he can to help him with anything he needs. He doesn't know why but he finds himself ready to throw everything just for Kim Taehyung's happiness.

"How about you? I've been talking about myself for so long. You should tell me something about you too." Taehyung pointed out, catching Jeongguk off guard. He clears his throat because he knows he was staring.

"I'm a librarian."

Taehyung snorted, rolling his eyes. Jeongguk finds it endearing too. "I already know that! Tell me more."

"Okay. Let me think." Jeongguk puts a finger under his chin, even narrowing his eyes to act like he's thinking. "So I majored in journalism because I wanted to become a novelist."

Taehyung put his elbows on the table, resting his face on his palms as he inched a little closer to Jeongguk. He's giving him his full attention and the librarian suddenly felt shy and conscious. But Taehyung's wide eyes, his mouth in a mini pout as he stares at Jeongguk, waiting for him to speak, kept him going. "I also met Jimin there. He's basically my best friend."

"Oh. You know, we never really spent time together, like this. He looks fun. I bet I'm going to laugh all day long when I'm with him." Jeongguk smiles at the compliment for his friend. He's pretty sure if he heard everything that Taehyung said then he'll definitely rejoice. "You would. He's really funny, and at the same, reliable too."

Taehyung hums,  narrowing his eyes as he looks directly at Jeongguk. "Maybe we should stay again in the library. I promise I'll be quiet this time."

"Even if you stay quiet, I bet Jimin won't. He's not there all the time, and he's always all over hyung when he visits but if I tell him that someone famous would want to spend time with him then he's going to be ecstatic." Jeongguk shrugged as he thought of telling  Jimin that Taehyung is there to talk to him. It's already established that he's been following the actor even from the start.

"I'm not that famous. You're exaggerating things. I bet he's going to be chill like he always does whenever I see him." Taehyung answered.

"Because you only met him once and you don't know how much he adores you. He's scared he'll creep you out that's why he's acting chill. And what are you saying you're not that famous? You're pretty famous to me. And I know from this day onward, you'll only gain more and more fame because you're talented and always working hard. So trust me." Jeongguk said as he boops Taehyung's nose. The other giggled as a reaction.

Jeongguk immediately retrieved his hand when he realized what he just did. He doesn't even know what came up to him to do that. He quickly apologizes for touching Taehyung's nose but the actor just waves his hand as he tells him that it's fine. It took Jeongguk at least a heartbeat to realize how much of a humble angel Taehyung is. He's kind and lovely and—

"Anyway, so going back to what I was saying." Jeongguk cleared his throat, trying to stop the blush from creeping up his face. The way he realizes things right now in front of Taehyung is already embarrassing. If he doesn't stop it now then he'd get lost from all the words he can use to describe him.

"Being a novelist isn't that easy so I had to work as a librarian here to pay my bills and maybe help me out in publishing my book too. You might think I gave up on being a novelist because I'm working as a librarian now but I want it to be my stepping stone for my real dream."

"And I'm so happy to hear that. I know you'll be big someday too. Your novel is really good. I love it so much. I know it's going to be a hit once you finally release it to the public." Taehyung compliments again. And Jeongguk should get used to it, the actor has been very vocal about how he loves his work, but he still can't. "Thank you. But releasing it is the hardest thing to do."

"I'll help you! And I know your friends will help you too. We're going to release your novel so you will be known as a novelist. And people will read your works and help them out in their special way too. So trust me." Taehyung says, tilting his head to the left so he can support it with his left palm while his right hand reaches to Jeongguk's nose, booping it the same way he did to the actor. Jeongguk scrunched his nose and Taehyung smiled widely at the reaction.

"Was that a revenge?"

"Maybe?" Taehyung says with a laugh. He booped Jeongguk's nose again, even saying it softly. "Boop!" Taehyung did the same action again with another set of laughs. "Ooh! It's a nice button!"

"Aren't you enjoying this a lot?"

"No, I don't." Taehyung says as he lifts his head up from his palm, resting his hands on the table. It only took him seconds when he's scooping some left over icing on his plate and wiping it on Jeongguk's nose. "Now I do."

"Kim Taehyung-ssi." Jeongguk called but Taehyung only answered with a laugh. The librarian shakes his head, quickly getting some cream on his fingers so he could wipe it back to Taehyung. As soon as he did though, the actor stopped laughing, letting out a gasp. He looks surprised, his eyes wide and reaction far from happy. The actor's forehead furrows, his lips turned downward with a pout and Jeongguk suddenly feels like he's splashed with cold water. Did he offend him? Of course he did. "Taehyung? I'm sorry."

Jeongguk was quick to get some tissues to wipe Taehyung's face with it but the actor moved away, leaving Jeongguk's hand frozen in the air. "Taehyung, I'm sorry. I just got carried away."

Taehyung exhales deeply that Jeongguk hears it. Oh no, he's really mad.

"Taehyung-ssi?" Jeongguk calls but the actor is obviously ignoring him. Taehyung harshly got some tissues and wiped his sticky fingers with it, not uttering a word to Jeongguk. When he's done wiping his hands, he dumps it on the plate before he gets another set of tissues.

"Taehyung—" Jeongguk was about to apologize again when the actor glared at him. He opens his mouth to quickly apologize again but the actor quickly smiles so wide.

"Got you!" Taehyung says before laughing, even clapping as he shakes his head with his laughs.

"What..?"

"Did I make you nervous?" Taehyung asked with a wide smile, hitting Jeongguk with a realization that he was just acting earlier. Jeongguk's shoulders sagged as he lets out a loud sigh of relief. "I almost had a heart attack."

"See? That's a sign you drank too much caffeine today." Taehyung says as he reaches for Jeongguk's face to wipe away the icing. The touch was so gentle and his hand felt warm over his skin. Jeongguk opens his mouth to ask him what he's doing but he ends up not saying anything. He'd be lying if he says he doesn't like it.

Taehyung reached for his fingers, holding his hand on his own as he wipes out the cream. When he's done, he dumps the tissues on the plate as he claps and smiles. "Now, you're clean again."

"Thank you. But aren't you going to wipe your face?" Jeongguk asked, pointing at his face. Taehyung hums before shaking his head. "I don't know where the cream is. I can't see it."

Jeongguk nods. He gets some fresh tissues and reaches for Taehyung's face to wipe the cream off, his other hand still pointing at his own face, acting like a mirror to show Taehyung where the cream is. "It's here."

Taehyung just hums. Jeongguk waits for him to move away or wipe it for himself but the actor just stays there, letting Jeongguk do what he's doing. The librarian laughed a little when he realized that Taehyung is indeed letting him touch his face, like he wants it too. "You should've let me wipe this for you earlier. Doesn't it feel sticky?"

"It does but if I let you do that earlier then it will ruin my act." Taehyung says as he moves closer so Jeongguk can clean his face better. He's almost done though.

"You're such a dedicated actor, Taehyung-ssi." Jeongguk commented, making Taehyung giggle. He continued on wiping his face until there's no more mess on it, earning a sweet thank you and a wide smile from the actor.

"I think you should go back now. I've kept you out for so long." Taehyung says when Jeongguk dumped the tissue on the plate too. Then he fished for his phone out of his pocket to check the time.

"Ah, yes." He answered when he noticed that he's been out for almost two hours. He puts his phone back in his pocket while the two of them stand from their seats. They exited the cafe side by side, walking across the street to the entrance of the library.

"Tomorrow, we'll start the shoot for the drama and I don't know if I'd be able to visit you by then. But I'll try to go here when I find time." Taehyung says when they reached the other side of the street, they were standing near the gate of the library.

"Don't worry about it. You should focus more on your drama. I'm not leaving so you can go here anytime you want. Good luck on portraying your role. Your act today looked so convincing, I know you'll do good tomorrow."

Taehyung giggles as he remembers the nervous look on Jeongguk's face. He didn't know he could get that kind of reaction from him. He's so cute that he wants to tease him again. "I hope so. Let's stay in touch."

"We will. I'll text you." Taehyung's eyes turned into crescents, his smile bigger than ever. Jeongguk then notices a cab about to pass by so he hails it for Taehyung. The actor bids his goodbye as he gets inside the cab, thanking Jeongguk once more.

"Take care on your way." Jeongguk says, closing the door for Taehyung. They wave their goodbyes and Jeongguk waits until the cab has gone far enough that he can't see it anymore. That's when he decided to go back to the library.

As soon as the librarian got in, he was greeted by the looks from Jimin and Yoongi, which is new because Yoongi usually doesn't care about anything that is not music. And it only got worse when he noticed Jimin wearing a smug smile on his face.

"What?" He asked as he took a seat on his chair. He pulled out his phone and wallet, placing them on the desk. He grabs his paper and ballpen to start writing again, trying to ignore the face Jimin is giving him.

"So Gguk, how was the date?"

• • • • • • • ♡

"Oppa?" Jeongguk blinks, looking up to the girl in front of him. "Yes?"

"My name is Soyeon, not Soyoon." Jeongguk blinks, looking down on the book he was signing before looking at the sticky note he collected. He sighs, quickly noticing the mistake he made, bowing his head to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spell it wrong. I guess I'm mixing up names now." Jeongguk sighs again before he looks up to her. He doesn't know how to solve it but he'll still try. "Is it okay if I scratch on your page?"

"Yes. It's okay. Don't worry about it." Soyeon smiles at him sweetly, raising two thumbs up to assure him that it's fine.

"I'll just make a quick doodle so it won't look that ugly." Jeongguk said, quickly starting on the little doodle he's saying. He's really embarrassed and sorry for mixing things up. "I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I'm looking at it on the brighter side. At least now I get to look at you longer than the others so I guess I'm still thankful you wrote my name wrongly." 

"That made me feel a little better but I'm still sorry." Jeongguk says as he doodles on the page with a smile. He wrote her name correctly above the doodle before he finishes his message to her, once again apologizing for the mistake. Afterwards, he handed her the book and the photographer took their photo.

"Jeongguk-ah." The author was quick to look at his side, seeing Ms. Choi, the head organizer of the event who tapped his shoulder as she spoke to him quietly. "Aren't you getting tired? We can take a little break if you want."

Jeongguk shakes his head with a smile, looking at the crowd first before he looks back to her. "There's no need for that noona. They've been waiting for me for so long. I can't make them wait any longer."

Ms. Choi pursed her lips, looking at Jeongguk's hands that are now covered in little writings of ink from his pen. She then counted the numbers of the readers who are already in line before looking at those who are still seated.

"Jeongguk-ah, you can sign the remaining people in the line then you're going to take a short break. I'm sure your fans would understand that you have to give your hand a rest. And no buts, I'm going to announce it right away."

Jeongguk was about to object but Ms. Choi patted his shoulder again before walking out of the stage. She raises her thumbs up for the staff in front to let them know it's settled and for them to let the next reader come close.

"Hi. I'm sorry for making you wait." Jeongguk smiles at her as he accepts the book and reads her note, making sure that he won't make the same mistake with her name.

"It's okay. I'm sorry that I listened to your talk with the organizer too. But she's right, you should take a rest. Everyone here would understand if you give a little break to yourself. You're already working hard." The woman who looks older than Jeonguk lectured him. He nods at her with a smile before thanking her. He proceeded in signing her book, thanking her once again as he gave it back. Just like the others, they took a photo together before Jeongguk moved on to the next reader.

While he's signing the book of the next reader, he hears the voice of Ms. Choi from the sound system. She just informed the crowd that Jeongguk will be taking a little break. As soon as she's done speaking, the novelist dared to look at the people in front of him. Some are already looking at him, especially those who are now seated in front, all of them are still smiling. Some of them are raising their hands with their thumbs up, saying it's okay, while others are waving.

"Oppa, you're working so hard. It's okay to take a break too, you know. Trust me, that's what everyone here would tell you." The girl in front of him said.

"I'll take a break, I promise. Thank you." Jeongguk handed back her book before they took a photo. As what they've agreed upon and announced, Jeongguk just finishes signing the books of those remaining people in the line, afterwards taking a break.

As soon as he took a break, he asked for a mic from the staff which was given to him immediately.

"Hello." He greeted, noticing how the mood lightened up in the whole venue and it's calming his anxiety down. "I feel bad for making you wait—" But the fans started chanting no, and that they're okay so don't worry.

"Thank you. Let's all take a little break first. If you have to go to the washroom then please go. And those who will be staying, please don't take the seat of those who will go there." Jeongguk chuckles and the crowd gave different reactions from laughing, raising a thumbs up, clapping and one even shouted "How did you know?".

"Ah. I do that sometimes too. I almost got into a fight." He answered, making everyone laugh again. He smiles brightly, taking in the laughter of everyone and letting it settle down on him. He loves hearing people laugh with him.

"Now I'm going to the restroom too so if anyone tries to steal my seat then congratulations on your first book signing event." Jeongguk jokes, earning people's laughs again, before standing up from his seat and putting the mic down on the table. He went backstage, greeting people on his way to the restroom that was reserved only for him, the organizers and staff. He got his way in and quickly did his business.

He was about to go back to the stage and resume everything when a staff member came up to him, giving him his phone. "Someone was calling you earlier but I can't give it to you since you're busy on the stage."

"Ah, thank you." Jeongguk immediately opens his phone, seeing Namjoon's missed call. He smiles as he taps the name to call him back. After a few rings, he finally got connected to Namjoon.

"Hello?" Namjoon greeted him as soon as he accepted the call. Jeongguk smiles, even though he knows that Namjoon won't see it. "Hyung, you called?"

"Yes. I heard you're having your book signing event today but I didn't know the time and I wanted to check up on you but you didn't answer so I thought you were busy. Have you finished already?" Namjoon explained. Jeongguk finds it amusing how the other always tries to squeeze everything he wanted to say into one single saying.

"Not yet. I'm on a short break. I still have at least a hundred books to sign and an ending interview."

"Ah, you put your interview at the end." Namjoon repeated. He's probably wondering why so Jeongguk took the initiative to answer already.

"I did, just to be different." Jeongguk chuckles, hearing Namjoon does too. "That is different. By the way, you're going to the event tonight, right?"

Jeongguk nods. "Yes, I will. I might be a little late but I'll be there just in time for the announcement."

"Jin will be disappointed if he hears that." Namjoon stated, making Jeongguk chuckles apologetically. He does feel bad for his friends that he'll be coming late. This is a special night for them. "Well, don't let me keep you. The longer our talks are, the later you'll be late. Bye Jeongguk. Congratulations on your event!"

"Thank you hyung." Jeongguk smiles brightly before he ends the call.

"Thank you." Jeongguk says as he hands his phone back to the staff member. She accepts it with a smile as Jeongguk walks back up to the stage, announcing that he'll be resuming the event in three minutes.

♡ • • • • • • •

"And then the director told us to keep eating as much as we want so we did just that!" Jeongguk can hear Taehyung's giggles from the other line as the actor tells him how his day went.

"It's nice to hear you enjoyed the meal."

He hears Taehyung hums. "But rather than the food, I actually enjoyed being with them. We've worked for months together and I grew close to everyone. Now that we finished the shoots, I know I'm going to miss them soon."

"If you miss them, you can call me to keep you company. I know I can't give the same feeling they give off but I want to at least be there for you."

"Thank you Ggukie." Jeongguk hears a soft creak from the other line. He assumes that Taehyung shifted on his bed to change positions. "By the way, are you free on Friday?"

"Uh… I have work."

"But do you think you can... leave for a little while?" There's hesitation in Taehyung's voice and Jeongguk already knows that it isn't just a little while.

"Define a little while?"

"Ggukie~" And that signals the pouty whines from Taehyung that Jeongguk admits, he got used to. They started calling each other when Taehyung started with the shoots. They call each other at least twice per week, or if Taehyung isn't busy with the night shoots then it's almost everyday.

Jeongguk got used to hearing the actor's voice from the other line. It became a daily routine for the two of them. And spending time with Taehyung, even if it's just through phone calls, helped Jeongguk know more about him. If you ask him about Taehyung then he can answer you right away.

"I miss you already. I know it's only been a week since I went back to Seoul but I really miss you. So I thought maybe I should go back there on Friday and we can hang out?"

Jeongguk sighs. He understands where Taehyung is coming from. He misses him too. But that doesn't mean they can just do whatever they want. "Yoongi hyung will need me and you're going to tire yourself if you come here all the way from Seoul. We're talking through our phones anyway and we can see each other through video calls."

"Yes, but seeing you in person is far way better so I'm going there on Friday. Can you lend me some of your time then?" Jeongguk bit his lower lip. Taehyung can be so stubborn. You'd say no but he'll still proceed in doing what he wants.

"I'll call Jimin so he can stay with Yoongi hyung while I'm gone. Can you tell me how long is your little while so I can inform him?"

There's a long silence from the other side of the call, before Jeongguk hears a quiet hum from Taehyung. "How about.. a day?"

"A day.." He already expected it since it's Taehyung to whom hours isn't enough, but yes, he's still a little amused about it.

"Please? I just really miss you so bad." Taehyung quickly explains, not giving time for Jeongguk to complain. And the little please, of course, did a thing on him.

"Okay. I'll call him later and who knows, he might even thank you since he'll get to spend a day with Yoongi."

"OMG! Yes!" Jeongguk smiles, shaking his head. He's really weak when it comes to Taehyung that he can't say no to him. "By the way Ggukie, a friend wants to come with me and meet you. Can he?"

Jeongguk's forehead furrows as he leans on his bed's headboard. "Why does he want to meet me?"

"Oh that.. Remember when I told you last week that my friends threw a welcoming party for me?" Jeongguk hums, letting Taehyung continue. "And that they spent the night at my apartment?"

"Yes, I remember that too."

"Okay. So one of them got a hold of your novel and read it. Then after reading it, he asked me where did I get the book so I told him how I got it, right? So yeah. When he learned that I’m planning on going back there, he asked me if he could go with me to meet you. Is it okay with you?"

Jeongguk sighs. As much as he wants to say no, he really can't reject Taehyung's requests. "Okay. Just tell me the address where we'll meet."

"Really? Great! I'll text the address tomorrow! Thank you Ggukie! You're really the best!" Jeongguk chuckles. He's only the best because it's Taehyung.

The days didn't go long and Friday came by so quickly. Jeongguk finds himself entering a restaurant that he thinks is too fancy for the likes of him. But now that Taehyung's drama is about to finish, the actor despite only getting a second role started to gain popularity since then which makes it harder for him now to go out freely without anyone not recognizing him.

"Jeon Jeongguk-ssi, right this way please." The waiter gave him his ID back before he led him to the hallway. Even the place has private rooms to accompany their guests. It's probably expensive. He reminded himself to offer in splitting the bills once he meets Taehyung.

The waiter knocks on a specific door. They waited until it opened with Taehyung smiling widely at them. "Ggukie!"

"Hey." Jeongguk greeted back. The waiter went on his way while Taehyung pulled Jeongguk inside the room.

"We've been waiting for you. Hyung is really excited to meet you." Taehyung says as he pulls Jeongguk towards the table. The other was about to ask about the hyung he's talking about but his eyes already landed on the man who's seated across the table, his smile is wide, giving way to show his dimples.

"Kim Namjoon-ssi?"

"Hi. Yes, I am Namjoon. I assume you are Jeongguk-ssi?" Namjoon greeted, even standing up as he offered his hand for a handshake. Jeongguk hesitantly accepted, looking at Taehyung like he's not sure of what to do so the actor smiles at him widely as encouragement.

"I am." Jeongguk says as he bows to Namjoon while they shake their hands.

"Please, take a seat. Taehyung has already ordered for us." Namjoon gestured for them to sit down. Taehyung is right beside Jeongguk while Namjoon is sitting at the opposite side of him. Wow. He can't believe he's now seated in the same table with Kim Namjoon and Kim Taehyung.

"It's so nice to finally meet you Jeongguk. Ever since Taehyung went home, he won't let a day pass not talking about you and telling us how much he misses you even when he just got back." Namjoon chuckled and Jeongguk can't help but smile hearing those words, even turning to look at Taehyung with that wide smile. Of course, the actor is already looking back at him, shaking his head as he waves his hand off. "Don't believe him. He's lying."

"I mean, I'm not the actor here." Namjoon shrugged. Taehyung glares at the older man, but once he notices that Jeongguk is still looking at him, he smiles, gesturing at the food in front of them. "It's going to get cold. Maybe we should eat now?"

"He's changing the subject." Namjoon pointed out as he chuckled.

"I'm not. Hyung!" Taehyung even stomps his feet like a child, his brows forming a deep frown as he tries to subtly shake his head. Too bad for him because Jeongguk is still looking. If only Taehyung knows how much the librarian misses him too, he'd never be embarrassed anymore.

The meal is going smoothly. Namjoon, as Jeongguk expected, has tons of stories to tell and he's enjoying hearing them from the novelist. He also secretly pinches himself from time to time just to make sure it's not a dream because he honestly doesn't want to wake up if it is.

"So I read your book." Namjoon said after a moment of silence. They just finished talking about his first ever project on television. "It's really good."

"Ah, thank you. You're so kind."

"No, really. I love how you wrote it. It's almost perfect." Namjoon complimented him more, making Jeongguk bow his head because he's probably blushing right now. "So what do you say about airing the novel on national TV?"

"I'm sorry. What?"

"You know, turn it into a drama or a movie."

"Uh, I don't think I got your point." Jeongguk knows what he's trying to say, it's just that he can't believe hearing those words from Namjoon himself. He always had low confidence in him and in his work, thinking that no one would like it, so Namjoon offering him to turn it into something where a lot of people can watch is truly unbelievable to him.

"I know some producers from various networks since I've been working with them for years now. And I guarantee you, they never get tired of producing ideas. They need to produce more and more everyday. They sometimes even ask for my help to brainstorm. What I'm trying to say is, let's bring your story to the world. I know a trustworthy producer that can give justice to your novel. Just tell me if you want it and I can contact him immediately. It's going to be a win-win situation to the two of you." Namjoon explains.

"I don't think my work fits to be in those projects." Jeongguk bows his head again. Of course, he wants a lot of people to know about his work but he doesn't want to waste that chance. If he's going to show what he has to the world then he should show something incredible, memorable. He doubts his novel can do that.

He started writing ever since middle school, yes, but he stopped and only continued during college. He knows he doesn't have enough experience to produce a story that everyone will like and appreciate and that's what's keeping him from moving forward.

"Ggukie." Taehyung called his name. He felt the actor's warm hand ghosts over his, having second thoughts whether he should touch him or not. Taehyung settled with the first choice, enveloping Jeongguk's hand in his warmth. "Believe me, it fits to become a drama. If you're afraid that people won't like it.. Trust me, they will like it. You wrote it really well, Ggukie. People will love it."

Jeongguk gulps, his eyes wandering down, looking at where his hand is still enveloped in Taehyung's touch. He finds the warmth of his hands bring comfort to him.

The feeling of someone holding you, trying to pull you up, it's not new to Jeongguk. His friends have always supported him in things he wanted to do but Taehyung feels different from them. His hand feels warm like everyone else but the comfort it gives him is overflowing.

Jeongguk can't help but feel the warmth on his chest too. Taehyung gives off the feeling of being covered in the warmest blankets at the coldest winter night as the woods slowly burn in the fireplace, snow falling outside, as Jeongguk sips on his hot coffee. It feels as comfortable as that.

Jeongguk pulled his hand slowly, making Taehyung think that he doesn't like what he did. But before the actor can finally retrieve his hand, Jeongguk turns his hand over, palm facing Taehyung's hand as he grabs it and holds it, lacing their fingers together.

Taehyung was obviously surprised. He looks at Jeongguk with wide eyes, silently questioning what he did but the librarian just smiled sweetly at him as he squeezes the actor's hand in his before looking back to Namjoon with a newly found confidence. "Okay. But I doubt they're even going to consider it."

"They will consider it." Namjoon says. "It's really simple out there Jeongguk, you just have to know when to grab the opportunity."

Their meal proceeded with the talks about the whats and hows of the project and what Namjoon thinks would be helpful for Jeongguk, all the while holding Taehyung's hand that forced the actor to use his left hand in eating. Good thing he's ambidextrous so he can still eat with his left hand now that Jeongguk is holding his right.

The librarian squeezes his hand from time to time, making him look at him but Jeongguk just smiles while their hands get clammy. Taehyung doesn't mind since holding hands feels better. Jeongguk can even hold his hand for the whole day and Taehyung wouldn't complain.

They were about to finish their meal when Namjoon received a call so he had to excuse himself from the table, even making an effort of going out from the room as a sign of respect to the food.

"Is it okay for you to use your left hand? Isn't it difficult?" Jeongguk asked as soon as Namjoon closed the door.

"You're the reason I'm using my left hand like this though." Jeongguk chuckles, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. It's just that I love how warm it is that I don't want to let go yet."

"Then you don't have to worry about my left hand, just focus on the one you're holding. And I don't want to let go either." Taehyung says before taking a bite from his food. Jeongguk nods with a smile, squeezing Taehyung's hand again as he finishes his food too.

Namjoon came in, telling them that he needs to go back to Seoul as soon as he can since he's needed for the supervision of his on-going project.

"Are you going back with me?" Namjoon asked as he went back to his seat, getting his things while the two of them watched him pack them. Taehyung looks at Jeongguk before looking down on their intertwined hands. He looks back up to Namjoon, shaking his head. "No. I think I'll stay here a little longer. You can bring the car with you. I'll just contact my manager to pick me up so don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?" Taehyung nods his head, letting go of Jeongguk's hand to fetch the car keys from his bag. He handed it over to Namjoon before he went back to holding Jeongguk's hand again. The librarian looks at him, once again squeezing his hand that the actor suddenly feels giddy all over once more.

"Okay then, I'll go ahead. Take care on your way home."

"You too."

The older draped his coat over his shoulders, picking up his bag together with the book. He raises it to the air to show it to Jeongguk with a reassuring smile. "I'll ask Tae your number so I can contact you and tell you the good news."

"Thank you." Jeongguk bowed once more to him as a thank you. Namjoon was about to say something but opted to stay quiet, just silently looking at the two of them. He waves his goodbye to them before going out of the room.

“So…” Taehyung turned his head towards Jeongguk when he spoke. The librarian raises their hands together, tilting his head as he smiles at the actor.

“What? You’re the one who interlaced our fingers together.” Taehyung answered, speaking in pout again. He gazes away from Jeongguk knowing that he’ll start to blush anytime soon. They’re still holding hands, no one making a move to let go.

Jeongguk chuckles, resting their hands on his thighs again. “No, I was just going to ask you what you want to do this afternoon since you chose to stay?”

Taehyung bit his lips before he looked back at Jeongguk but once he did, he saw how his eyes shone. He knows the librarian holds the galaxy in his eyes. Taehyung always loved it about him. But today, his eyes are shining more brightly like there’s a new light shining onto it that he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down because who wouldn’t have their heart race when someone like Jeongguk is looking at you, just at you.

“Tae?”

“I can’t go to crowded places so maybe somewhere with a smaller crowd? Do you know a place like that?” Taehyung squeezes Jeongguk’s hand, making the librarian look where their hands rest. He looks back up to Taehyung, smiling softly as he nods. “Thank you.”

• • • • • • • ♡

“Thank you for buying my book.” Jeongguk smiles as he hands the book back to the owner. The girl made a squealing sound, making Jeongguk laugh. He gestured his hand so the girl would turn around and they could finally take a picture together. Once their photo was taken, the girl bowed her head, squealing once more as she exited the stage. Jeongguk just follows her with his eyes, his smile never fading.

“Oh.” He took the book that was being handed to him by the next reader. He smiles at her, picking up the note on her book. “Bora. That’s a nice name.”

“Thank you.” Bora answered, smiling widely as she watched Jeongguk open the book to the first page where he usually signs. Jeongguk is in the middle of writing a short dedication message to her when he noticed that Bora put a paper bag on the table, at the available space near the book. Jeongguk looks back up to her while she gives him a shy smile.

“I want to congratulate you for successfully releasing your book. I know it’s small compared to the gifts you received from some..” Bora looked over the piles of unopened gifts that are resting near Jeongguk’s table. The novelist looks over at it too. “But I still want to give something as a gift so please accept it.”

“Thank you.” Jeongguk smiles before he reaches for the paper bag and places it on his lap. He resumed writing on the book, making sure that he thanked her for the gift he received from her.

“You say this is small but I know that the thought you put in giving me this gift is huge, bigger than any gift and that’s already enough for me.” Jeongguk said while he finishes signing the book with his signature. He gently closes it before handing it back to Bora. “Thank you for thinking of me.”

Bora shyly smiles back at him as she receives the book that’s being handed to her. She turns around for the photographer to take their picture but Jeongguk asks him to wait.

He quickly untied the ribbon from the paper bag, surprising the girl and the staff watching him. He's not supposed to open gifts, that would take time and also be unfair to the people who already gave theirs.

But he really wants to show her how thankful he is. So he opened the paper bag, smiling as he pulled out a simple black tie. He raises it so he can show it to the camera when their picture gets taken. “Okay, I’m ready.”

The photographer counted from 1 to 3 to take their picture. Jeongguk smiles widely that his face almost tore into two but he doesn’t mind, as long as he can show Bora that he liked the gift she gave him. After taking the picture, Bora turns to him again to say another thank you.

“I’ll make sure that you’ll see it when I wear this.” He said before the girl can finally exit the stage. He placed the tie back to the paper bag, putting it on the stage floor. The staff volunteered to bring it to the other gifts he received but Jeongguk said that he wants to keep it near him so he won’t forget about it. The staff nods, backing away while the novelist continues to sign books again.

♡ • • • • • • •

Jeongguk’s heart is racing like crazy to the point that he's already tapping his foot according to the fast beat of his heart. Today, he’s meeting Jung PD-nim, the producer that Namjoon said will be handling the drama adaptation of his novel.

He told him that the producer is excited to meet and see him but it can't take the nervousness out of Jeongguk's system. It feels like entering an unfamiliar place without any preparation. He doesn't know anything. He doesn't have anything to offer but his work and even with that, he's still nervous. It's really nerve wracking.

"Someone's nervous today." Jeongguk looks up to the direction of the door where Taehyung is standing. His smile is still radiant as ever, making Jeongguk slowly calm down. Taehyung looks at him with amusement, chuckling. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why are you here?"

"I asked Namjoon hyung." Taehyung gently closes the door before he walks towards Jeongguk, taking the empty seat beside him. He put his bag down on the conference table as he looked back at Jeongguk. "I thought you'll be nervous so I decided to meet you to show my support."

"Thank you. This is new to me so it's really making me nervous."

"Ggukie." Taehyung moved closer to Jeongguk, reaching for his hand and enveloping it in his own. Jeongguk turns to face him. Taehyung smiled widely as he kept the novelist's shaking hands into his warmth. "You're going to be fine, trust me. If you want, I can even stay here with you during the meeting so you won't be that nervous."

"Can you?"

Taehyung snorted. "Of course. I know the producer. I can ask him that simple favor. And he's really sweet so you don't have to worry about anything."

"Then stay with me please." Jeongguk said with a shaky voice. He's embarrassed on how his voice sounded like, it's too obvious that he's nervous. But since it's Taehyung, the other just smiles at him, holding his hand tighter.

"That's what I'm planning to do anyway." Taehyung said as he let go of Jeongguk's hands. He feels cold now that Taehyung's warmth is gone around him but the actor just smiles, reaching for his bag. Jeongguk watches him as he pulls out a box-shaped gift from it. "I bought you a gift."

"A gift?"

Taehyung nods. He reaches for Jeongguk's hands once again, placing the gift on his palms. "Come on, open it. It's my congratulatory gift for you."

Jeongguk looks down on the gift on his palm before he looks up to Taehyung. "But we're just meeting today. We are not going to sign the contract yet so it's still not official even when the meeting's done."

"So? I'll just buy you another gift for the contract signing."

"Still, I can't accept this—" Jeongguk was about to hand it back to Taehyung but the actor was quick to cross his arms, not letting Jeongguk give anything back. He even leaned on his chair to create a distance away from Jeongguk.

"Ggukie, I bought that gift for you. If you won't accept it then no one will."

"But—" Jeongguk was about to object but Taehyung is already pouting. Of course Jeongguk can't resist when he does that. So he just sighs, unwrapping the gift. The moment he sees the familiar symbol on the box, he already wants to give it back again. But Taehyung is still pouting and is waiting for him to open it. Jeongguk bit his lip. He already has an idea what's inside. It's obviously a box for a watch. But it's not just any watch. The outer box has a huge crown printed on it that Jeongguk never once wore in his life.

"Go on. Open it." Taehyung said with excitement. Jeongguk slowly pulled out the green box outside of its white outer box. As soon as he opens it, he sees the expensive watch resting inside. He immediately closes it and hands it back to Taehyung.

"Tae, I can't accept this. This is too much."

"But I bought that for you. Don't you like it? I can buy you a new one, something you'd like." Taehyung still has his arms crossed. He doesn't want to accept the box back.

"No. It's just that.. It's beautiful and I like it. But it's too expensive and you don't have to spend your money for me like this."

"But I want to." Taehyung sits up, getting the box from Jeongguk's hand. He gets the watch inside before he places the box on the table top. He moved closer to Jeongguk, reaching for his left hand, removing the watch he's currently wearing and replacing it with the expensive one.

"Tae—"

"I bought this for you so you should wear it or I'll be mad." Taehyung said as he clasps the watch, having it stay in place on Jeongguk's wrist. When he's done, he tilts his head so he can get a better view on the watch. When he's satisfied, he looks back to Jeongguk who's just staring at him. He sighs as he moves away from Jeongguk. "Please? I just wanted to give you something."

Jeongguk breaks the tension away by shaking his head as he sighs. He knows Taehyung can be stubborn at times. He won't budge even if Jeongguk begged to give it back. So he had no choice but to accept it and just be thankful.

He lets out a little laugh before looking back at Taehyung. "Now how am I supposed to top this? I'm not wealthy. I can't offer you the luxury."

"But I'm not asking for anything in return." Taehyung humps, making Jeongguk chuckle.

"Yes. But I wanted to give something to you too, just like how you felt." Taehyung frowned before he bursted into laughter. He feels giddy inside so he settled on laughing out loud or he'll embarrass himself when he starts to blush. If he blushes now, he can just make up a lame excuse that he laughed too hard. It's a win.

But that made Jeongguk confused. "Why are you laughing? You think I can't buy you something?"

Taehyung's eyes widened. Okay, maybe he talked too early to call it a win. Jeongguk looks somehow offended and now, he feels bad for his horrible attempts at controlling his feelings. So Taehyung settled in hastily shaking his head. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Because you laughed."

"No! I laughed because— It's just that, I don't want materialistic things but I'd love it if you would give me something too." Taehyung says as he looks down to avoid Jeongguk's gaze. His voice is getting quieter too until it's only a mumble. "The thought made me happy that it made me feel so giddy… Ah. Explaining it is really embarrassing but I'm just really happy when you said that."

"Oh." Jeongguk stares at Taehyung who's still not looking back at him so he clears his throat, trying to catch Taehyung's attention and eyes on him again. And he succeeded. Taehyung looks back at him. "Can you tell me what you want me to give to you then?"

"Well, that's—"

"Hey. I'm sorry I'm late." The door bursts open, interrupting their talk. A man who looks like he's in his thirties came in, followed by a girl in glasses.

"Oh! Hyung!"

"Ah! Taehyung-ah!" Taehyung stands up to greet the man. He raises his hand for a fist bump, the man smiling widely as he greets Taehyung back. After the gesture, Jung's eyes landed on Jeongguk who immediately stood up to do a 90-degree bow.

"Good morning sir. My name is Jeon Jeongguk."

"Oh. Good morning. My name is Jung Hoseok. You don't have to call me sir, just hyung is fine." The producer extends his hand towards Jeongguk's direction. The writer immediately shakes it with another bow. The producer laughs, making Jeongguk look up to him. His laugh sounds refreshing and Jeongguk's nervousness is slowly fading out. "You're so respectful. You can treat me as your friend, I'm a few years older than you anyways."

"Okay… hyung." Jeongguk whispers, making the older laugh again because he finds his shyness cute.

"Let's take a seat." The producer gestured for the two to sit down before he grabbed his own chair to sit on. He leans on the table with his arms as he looks at Taehyung with his usual bright smile. "Taehyung-ah, what are you doing here?"

"Jeongguk is nervous to meet you so I'm here to support him." Taehyung answered as he sat back. Jeongguk slowly takes a seat too. Honestly, he doesn't know how to act now that he's in front of the producer so he just bowed his head. Even with the inviting aura from the man, he's still nervous about what's about to happen in the meeting.

"Ah, I see. I remember Namjoon telling me that you're really close with Jeongguk-ssi. As in, really close." Jeongguk raises his head to look at the man when he hears his name. He catches the producer looking at him already with a huge smile on his face. He eagerly claps his hand as he focuses his attention on Jeongguk. "So… Let's talk about business?"

"I'll see you next week, Jeongguk-ah!" Hoseok waves his hand before closing the door. The writer waves back until the door finally closes. When he's sure that Hoseok has left already, he lets out a huge sigh of relief before looking back at Taehyung who's already smiling widely at him. He was about to speak when the other rushed towards him to envelope him in a tight embrace.

"Congratulations!" Taehyung said as soon as he lets go of Jeongguk. His smile is blinding like the sun. Jeongguk can't help but to pull Taehyung into another embrace again, holding him tight in his arms as he rests his chin on his shoulders.

"Thank you." He whispers softly as he pulls him in tighter, not wanting to let go. He hears Taehyung’s soft laugh in his ears before he feels him hugging him back like they don't want to let go. Both of them are so enveloped in the warmth of each other’s arms that they didn’t notice Hoseok’s assistant came in. She even had to fake a cough just for them to notice.

“I’m going to close the conference now since the meeting’s done.” She quietly explained.

“Ah, yes. Thank you.” Jeongguk picks up his bag from the chair where he puts it. He looks towards Taehyung who’s already with his bag, looking back at him. The actor smiled before he went ahead, Jeongguk following afterwards. The writer pauses for a minute at the door to bow at the assistant, whispering a thank you once more, before the two of them left.

“Someone caught us.” Taehyung said with a laugh when he’s sure they’re far from the conference hall.

“I don’t think we’re acting subtle to not be caught.” Jeongguk commented, earning an elbow from the actor. He laughs at the action, asking, “Ah, is this what we're going to do next?”

“Shut up!” Taehyung giggles, making Jeongguk look at him with pure adoration. You can’t blame him, he loves his giggles so much.

Taehyung notices that the writer is already staring so he flicks his chin before walking ahead. He turns around to face Jeongguk, walking backwards so he’s still moving.

“Let’s eat lunch. Last one at the parking lot is paying. Go!” Jeongguk widened his eyes when Taehyung started running. It was an automatic reaction for him to run after him, only realizing after that he said the loser is paying so he slowed down a little as he let Taehyung win.

“I won! You’re going to have to treat me to lunch!” Taehyung said as soon as Jeongguk got closer to him. The writer nods before smiling widely. He wanted to treat him to something anyway.

“I’m not a runner.” Jeongguk commented, earning a nose scrunch from Taehyung.

“Let’s go. We’re taking my car.” The actor says as he leads Jeongguk to where his car is parked. Convenient, since Jeongguk only commuted on his way here.

Taehyung drove for them since it’s his car and because he knows Seoul better than Jeongguk does. He brought them to a small noodles shop that according to the actor, serves the best homemade noodles. He always went there when he was in middle school and until now, he goes there when he has time. It’s his favorite place to eat.

“Should I join you in your contract signing too?” Taehyung asks as he takes a huge bite from his noodles. Jeongguk hums, thinking, before he smiles and shrugs. “You’re asking like you want to.”

“Because I can be very busy, you know, so I need to squeeze it in my schedule just in case.” Taehyung defended. He puts his chopsticks down as he looks back at Jeongguk who's already biting the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from grinning.

"If it's a nuisance to you then you shouldn't have to worry about it. I'll be fine." Jeongguk shrugs once more before he takes a bite of his food.

"No. It's fine. I can always find time for you as long as there's no project—" Taehyung started, blabbering about how he can make time for Jeongguk, find time so they can meet, spend time together. And Jeongguk is amazed. Taehyung has started stuttering as he explains himself out. His mouth turned into a pout and is already frowning as he speaks. He keeps on repeating himself, telling him that again, he can always find time for him. Jeongguk laughs quietly. His smile never fading as he reaches for Taehyung's brows to flatten them.

"Are you laughing because you think I'm being silly?" Taehyung continues. He's frowning again. Jeongguk shakes his head as his laughs grew louder, making another effort to flatten the furrowed brows.

"See? It's louder now." Taehyung pouts once more. Jeongguk shakes his head again, trying to erase the frown from the actor's face with another effort. He stopped from laughing but there's still a huge grin present on his face. "Then why?"

"Because you're so cute that I can't help it." Jeongguk says as he rests his thumbs on Taehyung's brows while his remaining fingers are touching his cheeks. Their eyes meet, Taehyung blinking at him. Jeongguk puts his attention back on the actor's brows as he slowly retrieves his hand away from him. He immediately picks up his chopsticks, having another bite without blowing on it. Obviously, he burnt his tongue.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung panicked as soon as Jeongguk winced from the pain, giving him a glass of water to drink. The writer gave an OK sign as he drank his water.

"I didn't know it was hot." Jeongguk explains as he puts the glass down on the table. Taehyung tilts his head in question before he laughs out loud.

"You're an idiot! Of course, it is!" Taehyung says, shaking his head.

• • • • • • • ♡

"Thank you. Take care on your way home." Jeongguk says as he accepts the gift from his fan and hands the book back. They took a picture together before the fan exited the stage. He looks back to where the line is. There's no one left. Seeing that makes him sigh in relief. He's finally done signing 200 books.

"Jeongguk-ah." Ms. Choi called him, walking closer to him. "You can take a little break as we set up the stage for the final interview and move the barricades in."

"Okay. Thank you." He puts the pen down on the table before standing up. Jeongguk looks in front of him. The chairs from earlier are now moved out but the people, including the readers he met earlier are still there, standing outside the barricade. He picks up his mic, saying another hello and thank you before he exits the stage.

When he went backstage, he met Ms. Kim, his emcee for the interview tonight. "Jeongguk-ah! I saw you up there. You really look like a celebrity."

Jeongguk raised both his brows before shaking his head. "No, I don't. I'm just a writer."

"Your fans love your stories, but do you know what else they love from you?" Jeongguk tilts his head. Ms. Kim smiles widely, her fist closed as her thumb and forefinger remain open like a check sign. She puts it under her chin as she clicks her tongue. "Your charming face."

"Aish." Jeongguk shakes his head, laughing.

"You're going somewhere after this, right? Ms. Choi informed me." Jeongguk nods. "Okay. I'll ask the questions fast so make sure you answer them quickly."

"Ah, thank you." Jeongguk bows to Ms. Kim. A staff member went to them to inform them that the stage is ready, asking Ms. Kim to go in first to introduce herself before introducing Jeongguk.

Jeongguk came up on the stage with a loud applause from the crowd. He bows to Ms. Kim before bowing in front of the crowd. When he looks back up, he notices how the  crowd is now larger than before. Or maybe it's because the division from earlier is now gone that the space looks larger now. Still, new barricades are placed just below the stage, which Jeongguk thinks is unnecessary since he trusts his readers to maintain that space. He's not that famous anyway.

"Jeongguk-ssi, let's take a seat." Jeongguk nods to Ms. Kim. They both take their respective seats. "Jeongguk-ssi, please say hi to everyone who's here and choose to stay with us."

Jeongguk stands. "Thank you so much for waiting for me and for buying my book. I know that some of you have been waiting since early morning and I'm really grateful for that. Some of you came from far places, but you still went here to Seoul to meet me and I'm thankful for that too. I know that everyone's tired and we all want to go home and take a rest but you still waited and joined me tonight so thank you so much. Everyone, I hope you know how happy I am today to see all of you. Thank you for coming." Jeongguk bows once more before going back to his seat.

"That feels like a goodbye speech already. Jeongguk-ssi, do you want to go home already?" Ms. Kim teased. Jeongguk immediately shakes his head while waving his hands. Ms. Kim laughed once more before she looked at her cue card where all the questions for the interview were written. "Okay. Then let's not waste anymore time, shall we start with the interview proper? First, with the basic question, can you tell us about the story of this novel? What is this book about?"

"Yes. So the story revolves around two individuals who met each other at the right place, at the right time, when they needed each other the most. Of course, they didn't know that at first. But they soon realized it when they overcame the challenges together. If someone encounters a problem, the other is always there to support them. Even if they feel like it's the world against them, as long as they have each other, then they can face anything." Jeongguk explains, smiling as soon as he finishes.

"That's an interesting plot. So what urged you to name the book "I Could Be Your Escape?"

"Because I want it to give a little sense of freedom to whoever reads it. I know that everyone here has a problem on their own, and some are not lucky to find someone that they can face those problems with. So I want this novel to be a reminder that someone's ready to listen to them. That someone's there to support them. That they can pause for a little, breathe, escape from the reality for the mean time before fighting once again."

"That's so sweet of you." Ms. Kim commented. Jeongguk thanked her afterwards.

She continued with the next questions and Jeongguk answered them quickly. He made sure that he's straight to the point, only saying what's necessary. He doesn't bother adding something that wasn't asked even if they're related.

"And we're down to the final question. I know that most of the people present here today want to ask this specific question to you so I'd do the honors of asking it. Jeongguk-ssi, were you thinking of someone when you wrote this novel?" Ms. Kim made sure to emphasize every word of the question. She wiggles her brows after reading it while the crowd starts to cheer.

Jeongguk leans back at his chair, looking around because of the sudden noise. Some of his readers are squealing, some are clapping. He hesitantly brought his mic to his mouth, opening it but not saying anything so he put it down again. After a few seconds though, he grinned widely before bringing the mic back to his mouth to answer yes. The cheers grew louder.

"Everyone, please settle down." Ms. Kim pleads before she turns her attention back to Jeongguk. "Jeongguk-ssi, I know that everyone already has an idea on who that person is but can you give us the name? Even just the name?"

Jeongguk laughs, shaking his head. He scrunches his nose before bringing back the mic to his mouth. He looks around once more, smiling at the sight in front of him. Everyone is obviously waiting for his answer. "I'm sure you all have the same thoughts so... whoever is in your mind is the one."

"Ah! He didn't take the bait! Too bad!" Ms. Kim commented, earning a whine from the crowd. "But we want to congratulate you on successfully releasing I Could Be Your Escape." Ms. Kim stands up to walk closer to Jeongguk, the author standing up too. She offers a hand shake so he happily accepts it, thanking her.

"Everyone! Please give another round of applause to our favorite novelist, Jeon Jeongguk!" The crowd claps their hands as Jeongguk bows to them again. He gave his goodbye speech, thanking them once more, ending the interview and the event.

When Jeongguk came backstage, the people were already moving around. They are gathering things, organizing their equipment, etc.

"Jeongguk! You did a good job!" Ms. Kim pats his back. Jeongguk returns the compliment back to her before she says her goodbye and finds her way out. As soon as she's gone, he goes to one staff member who's struggling in carrying an equipment box.

"Let me help you." He said to the staff member. The other shakes his head, telling him that he can do it but Jeongguk insisted. He ended up helping everyone around. Even Ms. Choi can't do anything when she tells him that he doesn't need to do that.

"I want to help so please let me." He asked, showing his charming smile. Maybe he can charm his way around so Ms. Choi would let him help.

"Aren't you going somewhere?" Jeongguk nods, still wearing the same smile on his face.

"But everyone's going somewhere too. If I help, then everyone can get there earlier than expected. And I kind of missed helping around in the backstage." Ms. Choi sighed. She shakes her head as she gestured for Jeongguk to go. The novelist smiled widely as he bows, saying thank you to her before running to a staff member to help.

♡ • • • • • • •

Jeongguk almost jumped from where he's standing when he felt a hand tap his shoulder. He slowly looked back, being greeted by the warm smile of Hoseok.

"Hyung." Jeongguk whispers as acknowledgment to the older's presence. The other nods, still smiling. He then went a little closer to Jeongguk to whisper a question, asking if he was bored. Jeongguk immediately shakes his head. "I'm fine. I like watching here. It's like getting a backstage ticket."

"You are literally at the back of the camera though." Hoseok laughs a little too loud, both of them widening their eyes when they realized it. Hoseok immediately covers his mouth as they both look at the director who's sitting three meters away from them. Good thing he wasn't loud enough for the director to hear. "I should just shut up now. Let's just watch them in silence."

Jeongguk nods, his eyes immediately landing back on the person at the center of the set, a sword in his hand. He's wearing a wig that makes his hair appear longer, tied up, just like how historical warriors looked like. He's covered in layers of clothes made in the finest silks, a historical prince. He's screaming, a deep voice filled with anger as he slashes through the straw dummies that the staff placed as props. Jeongguk smiles as he watches the man in front of him pour his heart out in acting. He's really a good actor, fitting in this world.

"And cut!" The director shouts. "Good job Taehyung! Let's move on to the next scene with Sungjae and Jibin."

Taehyung bows to the director and the cameramen before he keeps the sword back to its scabbard. He slowly walks out of the set as the staff hurriedly pulls out the mess and dummies while the lighting director and the cameramen test the equipment for Sungjae and Jibin's scene.

When Taehyung is completely out of the set, his eyes immediately wander around, obviously looking for someone. Jeongguk holds his breath as he waits for Taehyung's eyes to land on him, smiling back when the actor does after he successfully spotted him. Taehyung never wastes any time, his legs moving fast to bring him to Jeongguk.

"I guess this is where I exit the scene." Jeongguk hears Hoseok say. When he looks at the older, he's already walking away, calling the director so Jeongguk didn't bother to call him back.

"Ggukie!" Jeongguk felt arms around him. The strong impact from Taehyung caused him to lose his balance for a second, and his instincts kicking in made him wrap his arms around the actor's waist. "How was I? Did I do well, hmm hmm?"

Jeongguk nods, getting comfortable in their position as he gets back on his ground again. Taehyung isn't letting him go and so is he to him, their eyes never leaving each other. "You did very well. It's like seeing a different person."

Taehyung grinned, his boxy smile on display. He slowly lets go of Jeongguk, moving back, so Jeongguk slowly drops his arms on his side again. Taehyung held his chin up, his arms crossed as he stood straight.

"Of course, I am. I won't be worthy of the crown if I am not good enough. I am, in fact, the true king." Taehyung said using his deep register, even putting a little tone to it so he'd sound like a king.

"Indeed you are, my King." Jeongguk replied, never hesitating to ride on Taehyung's act. He even knelt on one knee, placing his right arm in front of him as the other was hiding behind his back, with his head bowed down in front of Taehyung. He hears a snort in front of him, followed by a laugh. "You're such a dork!"

Jeongguk looks up to see Taehyung still laughing, his left arm is in front of his lower chest serving as a support for his right elbow, his right hand covering his whole face as he laughs. Jeongguk can't help but laugh too, slowly standing up as he watches Taehyung bends for laughing too much.

Jeongguk was the first to calm down. He's just watching Taehyung, automatically smiling, as the other dries his eyes from the tears that escaped him while laughing. Taehyung took in a deep breath to calm himself down, making Jeongguk smile wider. Even that small thing is adorable to him.

Taehyung was about to speak again when his MUA came to him, telling him that he needs to have his make up redone. Taehyung answered okay, nodding at her. The girl walked first, Taehyung following after. He was expecting Jeongguk to go with them but when he noticed that he's not with him, he quickly looked back to see him still standing in his original position.

"Noona, I'll meet you there." Taehyung quickly says before running back to Jeongguk. He reaches for the writer's hand, pulling him but Jeongguk shakes his head. "Why? It won't take so long. Let's go."

"I'm just a nuisance there."

"No, you don't. Come on." Taehyung pulled him again but Jeongguk only took just one step forward. "Ggukie, you're a close friend of mine. It only makes sense for you to be there so come on."

Taehyung turns around, intertwining their fingers together as he places Jeongguk's forearm in between his body and his arm. With their hands now interlocked and their forearms touching, it's easier for Taehyung to pull Jeongguk so he could go with him. Even if he's struggling, he never stops from pulling the writer.

Jeongguk shakes his head, sighing. He just lets the actor pull him, walking in tiny steps so it'll feel like he's being pulled when in fact, he's already following him. He can't deny Taehyung in any form, but acting stubborn can sometimes lead to greater things, like how his hands are held by Taehyung today, covering it with warmth. Well, he admits that having Taehyung's attention on him, having his presence around him, and looking at Taehyung any chance he gets, are Jeongguk's favorite things in the world.

When they got there, the MUA asked them to take a seat, Taehyung in front of the mirror while Jeongguk sat on the MUA's chair just at the back of the actor's. He watches Taehyung get his make up redone and his wig fixed too.

From time to time, their eyes meet through their reflections in the mirror. And whenever it happens, Jeongguk feels a tingling feeling in his stomach, his heart beating so fast as they exchange subtle smiles before Taehyung looks away or he'll start grinning from ear to ear.

The writer would look away too, covering his mouth with his hand as he tries to erase the grin he has on his face. But when he's finally calmed, his eyes would find Taehyung again, just looking at his reflection. Even though the actor is not looking at him anymore since he has his eyes closed, Jeongguk can't help but smile once more.

Taehyung is beautiful, he always has been, and Jeongguk is a sucker for beautiful things, and people, specifically Taehyung.

"What?" Taehyung mouthed as soon as his eyes opened and it landed back on Jeongguk, catching the writer staring at him. Jeongguk sits straight, shaking his head as he mouthed 'nothing'. Taehyung mouthed the question again, still curious, but Jeongguk gave the same response. The actor narrowed his eyes on him, earning a quiet laugh from Jeongguk.

"Taehyung-ssi?" The MUA called for his attention. Taehyung answered a yes too quickly, properly sitting on his chair like a student caught in the act of not listening to his professor. He gave Jeongguk a quick glance while the other tried to suppress the laugh that bubbled up to his throat. It was gone in an instant though because he noticed the MUA looking at him too, staring, which made it awkward so he just sits there quietly afterwards, keeping everything to himself just like what Taehyung is trying to do too.

"There. You're done." The MUA smiled as she put her makeup brush back on her kit. Taehyung stands up, thanking the MUA before he checks himself quickly in the mirror. Jeongguk stands up too but he stayed from where he is, admiring Taehyung's reflection.

They walk back to the set side by side. No one is speaking. Their ears are filled only with their footsteps and the distant noise from the crews, but having each other's presence beside each other, even feeling their warmth is already enough for them.

Their hands sometimes, accidentally, brushes with each other's though and there's this certain itch on Jeongguk to just grab it and hold it. Still, he gave the decision up to Taehyung. Not that he doesn't want it that much, but he doesn't want to force Taehyung into a scenario that he needs to explain himself. He's still an actor. They are still moving in different worlds. People will always have ideas.

Oh, but Jeongguk forgot that Kim Taehyung is one brave soul. He doesn't back down from anything, doesn't give up on something, especially if he wants it. So one bump of their hands again and they're already holding hands the next, courtesy of Kim Taehyung.

• • • • • • • ♡

"Thank you for your hard work!" Jeongguk bowed one last time to the staff as they waved goodbye to him, going on their own ways. He also thanked Ms. Choi and the people who are left for the closing before he heads to the parking lot, to where his car is.

As soon as he got in, he checked his phone that is filled with messages from his hyungs. The latest one is from Namjoon, asking him where he is, telling him that the event has started already. Jeongguk texted him back, telling him that he's on his way.

Thankfully, the traffic isn't that heavy so Jeongguk arrived there a little earlier than he expected. The said event was the annual Baeksang Arts Awards, and this year's show is held in COEX Convention and Exhibit Center in Seoul.

Jeongguk who gained fame as a novelist, working in the industry of arts and storytelling just like what the award show honors, is invited as an award presenter. He will be presenting the Best Actor and Actress of the Year, which is presented midway the show so he's still safe.

As soon as he parked his car, he immediately went out with his bag and suit on his hands, entering the venue through the back door. He recalled the details that Namjoon texted him, to where his dressing room is, though good thing that a staff member recognized him and led him to the dressing room.

Jeongguk thanked the staff member before she left him there outside his dressing room. He took a deep breath before he opened the door, getting greeted by Jin. "Finally! I thought you're not going to show up anymore."

"Hyung, you know I will never ditch this." Jeongguk says as he puts his bag down on a corner, his suit on a chair. He walked towards Namjoon who's also there, giving him a quick hug before he went closer to Jin to give the same greeting.

"Remind me again why are you late?" Jin asked after their embrace. Jeongguk pats the older on his shoulder, smiling before he takes his blazer off.

"Because I have a book launch that was already scheduled since last year so I can't resched it. And I'm not supposed to be here anyway, but someone told the organizers that I can be a replacement for Mr. Lim since he backed out. So I had to launch my book in the afternoon and present awards in the evening. That's why I'm late."

Jin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Psh. I just suggested your name. It's still the management who really invited you. And you'll be here too even without the responsibility anyway."

"Jin, don't you need to go back now? I doubt the intermission will be this long?" Namjoon said, reminding Jin of his duties as the emcee of the night, the host. "Right. Aren't you the host of the night? Why are you here hyung?"

"Because I can't believe that you're planning to show yourself looking like that so I went here to make sure you'll look decent when you go up on that stage. So go get changed and I'll call Yuna so she can do your makeup."

"Yes, sir." Jeongguk answered, even doing a quick salute. He went back to his things, getting his suit before he went inside the changing room to change.

When Jeongguk finishes changing and goes out, he only finds Namjoon there and a girl who he assumes is Yuna. Namjoon looks up from his phone. "He already left, if you're looking for Jin."

"Ah, I see."

"Jeongguk-ssi, please sit down here so I can do your makeup." Yuna instructed. Jeongguk immediately sits down on the chair she gestured to, getting comfortable in the seat. Yuna started doing her job then.

After some minutes though, they hear a knock on the door. It slowly opens, revealing a staff member. The man looks around, eyes landing on Namjoon who's still seated on a chair. "Namjoon-ssi?"

Namjoon nods, putting his phone away. He stands up, grabbing his coat from the chair. Yuna left Jeongguk for a while to help Namjoon wear his coat. When he's ready, he walks towards the door, tapping Jeongguk's shoulder as he's going to go ahead.

"Jeongguk-ssi, please be on standby." The staff member informed Jeongguk before he led Namjoon out of the room. Yuna immediately goes back to doing his makeup, rushing things a little but still doing her best.

"Here's the result. Please only open it on stage." A staff member told Jeongguk as she handed the envelope that contained the name of the winners. Jeongguk gives her a nod before he thanks her.

"Jeongguk-ssi, please get ready. Seo Yeji-ssi is already giving her speech." Another staff member says, calling Jeongguk's attention. He immediately walked towards the door he'll be entering. The staff member raises his arm in front of Jeongguk, focusing on his headset for the cue.

Not long after, the staff member dropped his arm, telling Jeongguk that he's good to go. He nods, taking a deep breath first before walking towards the stage as the familiar sound of the show went on too.

Soon after, Jeongguk finds himself adjusting to the bright lights of the stage, his smile still on display. When he reaches the mic, that's only when he finally adjusted to the lights, finally seeing the people around him, of how huge the place is and how it is filled with people supporting their favorites.

"Good evening. I am Jeon Jeongguk." He greeted, moving back a little so he could bow to the crowd.

"I am honored to be standing right here in front of everyone. Thank you so much for the Baeksang Arts Awards management for inviting me here. Before I announce the winner, I already want to congratulate our stars who were nominated tonight. I know that everyone of you has done amazing jobs and your fans who are here will always support you no matter what." Jeongguk looks around, trying to meet everyone's eyes, looking for one specific pair. He knows he's here, the person he's been remembering a lot since earlier. Too bad though, he didn't find him. "So without further ado, here are the nominees for the Best Actor of the Year."

The VCR played at the monitor above them, the lights slowly dimmed. Jeongguk tries to look around again, looking for the pair of eyes he wants to see but everyone is focused on the screen and the darkness didn't help at all.

"Kim Taehyung, The Moonlight Sonata." The VCR says and the name itself made Jeongguk turn his head to the monitor, looking up to the person he's looking for from the start.

He hears the crowd cheer as the VCR plays some of the best scenes of Kim Taehyung in his drama The Moonlight Sonata. Jeongguk lets out a sigh, feeling the nervousness and tension fade away from him. Just the image of Taehyung calms him down, just like how he did back then.

Jeongguk went back to his position as soon as the VCR shifted into another actor. He focuses on the staff member who's standing below the stage, right in front of him. His hand is held high, raising three fingers up. He waited until the countdown of the staff member started, the cue for him to talk again.

When the staff member's finger turned to one, the lights went back up and Jeongguk moved closer to the mic.

"The Best Actor of the Year Award goes to—" Jeongguk opens the envelope, pulling the card out of it. As soon as his eyes landed on the name, he felt his heart explode, and he tried hard to suppress the smile forming on his lips. Jeongguk turned the card around to show it to the crowd, to the camera, along with his announcement. "— Kim Taehyung, The Moonlight Sonata. Congratulations!"

He hears the crowd cheers and Jeongguk was quick to look at the actors, finally seeing Taehyung as he stands up from his seat. The actor was bowing to everyone before he finally walked to the stage.

Jeongguk is once again mesmerized on how beautiful Taehyung is. His long curly hair, his dangling earring on his left ear, his coat that's draped over his shoulder, little things that add up to one conclusion that Taehyung will always be mesmerizing.

"Jeongguk-ssi." He turns around quickly to look at the person who called him. He saw a lady in a mask, giving him the trophy and a bouquet for Taehyung. He thanked her after receiving it while the lady walked out of the stage.

When Jeongguk turns to look at Taehyung again, he sees him getting closer, his smile is huge as he waves to the crowd. Jeongguk clenched on the trophy he's holding. Nobody knows how much he misses Taehyung, that the only thing he wants to do now is pull him into the tightest hug. But he can't do that.

Jeongguk is so lost to his own thoughts, on how Taehyung looks like an angel descended on earth, that he didn't notice that the actor is already standing right in front of him, a huge smile still on display. He clears his throat, immediately handing the trophy and bouquet to Taehyung. He whispered a congratulations to the actor, earning a quiet thank you from him. After the exchange, Jeongguk left to get the card for the Actress category and to also give the stage for Taehyung to give his speech.

"... Jung Hoseok PD-nim, to our director, Park Hyojin-ssi, and to my fans, my little tigers, this is because of you. Thank you for always supporting me! To my friends and my family, thank you so much for believing in me. And to my fiancé… you're the reason I'm still here, that I'm still fighting. You never gave up on me. You're always there for me. I'm so thankful that I found you. I love you! Thank you so much! Thank you everyone!" Jeongguk is just standing behind the stage, watching Taehyung give his speech. And when the actor mentioned his fiancé, his smile incomparable as he raises his trophy, Jeongguk thought how lucky that person is, to marry Kim Taehyung.

When Taehyung bowed one last time and walked away, Jeongguk went back to the mic to announce the Best Actress of the Year. They played the VCR for the nominees again as Jeongguk waited so he could announce the winner. He didn't bother to look for Taehyung again, he already knew where he was anyway. And they've basically met on the stage too and that is already enough for him.

After the announcement of the best actress, Jeongguk came backstage, thanking everyone and bowing as he walked his way back to Jin's dressing room. A staff member told him they reserved a seat for him where he can sit to watch the award show but the novelist politely declined, thanking the staff member before he proceeded to the room.

The exhaustion from his afternoon activities until tonight came rushing in, and that's why he'd rather stay in the dressing room where he can rest. But as soon as he got there, he couldn't take Taehyung's image off of his mind and he, once more, drifted into thinking of their past.

♡ • • • • • • •

After the drama ended and he signed contracts with SPH, the publishing company offered to republish his book CTK under them, and with a new cover to avoid copyright issues. Jeongguk agreed, given that there's also online petitions asking him to republish it.

And today, he just finished his very first book release. After helping out with the cleaning and other things, he went on his way home. He's been trying to call Taehyung, talk about his day, about how his book launch went. The actor was there earlier to support him but said goodbye midway and now, Jeongguk can't contact him anymore.

Jeongguk literally drags himself from the lift towards his small apartment. He's tired from the event, tired from commuting on his way home, and then he can't contact Taehyung at all.

Well, that's what he thought. So when he opened the door to his apartment, flicking the switch to turn on the light, he jolted out of surprise when his friends greeted him with a loud cheer of congratulations.

"... what." Jeongguk blinks, his eyes looking up at the banner they hung on the wall that congratulates him for successfully launching his book. He can't help but smile, the exhaustion draining out.

"Ggukie, congratulations!" He immediately looks back down because right in front of him is Taehyung, holding a bottle of champagne. He handed the bottle to Jeongguk and their friends cheered for him to open the bottle, the start of the celebration.

Jeongguk accepted the bottle, facing the different direction so the cork won't hit anyone when he opens it. He unwrapped the foil and removed the cage, easily twisting the cork as he grips hard on the bottle, shaking it a little. When the cork flew out, making that popping sound, everyone cheered and urged Jeongguk to drink it on. Jeongguk chuckles before turning his head upward while pouring the drink on his mouth.

Jeongguk smiles as he watches everyone happily eating, teasing each other when someone gets the chance. It flatters him to see Jimin and Yoongi here, given that those two live in Daegu yet they came just to celebrate with him. Namjoon came with Hoseok and Jin, the worldwide actor whom Jeongguk met recently courtesy of Taehyung. But what made him prouder and happier is Taehyung being there, learning that his favorite person planned everything out for him.

"Ggukie~" Jeongguk felt Taehyung's hand on his. He quickly turns to look at him while the actor moves closer to him, getting the plate on his other hand and putting it down on the side table beside them. Taehyung raises his finger to his mouth, gesturing for him to not make any noise before he walks towards the door, pulling Jeongguk with him. When they're finally out, Taehyung closes the door behind them with a sweet smile, pulling Jeongguk towards the lift.

"Where are we going?" Jeongguk asked when they got into the lift. Taehyung pointed upward before he clicks the RF button of the lift. It's only then that Jeongguk notices that Taehyung is holding a paper bag on his other hand.

"Why are you not answering my calls?" Jeongguk asked while the two of them watched the number change, slowly getting closer to the rooftop.

Taehyung looks at him before he turns his head back to look at the number again. He's swinging their hands together as he quietly counts the floor number in his head. "Because it's going to ruin the surprise."

"Answering my calls won't expose you." Jeongguk pulled Taehyung closer to him, until their shoulders were touching. Too bad though, the lift dinged and Taehyung quickly moved away from him, pulling him out of the space and into the stairs leading to the rooftop.

"There's always sunshine after the rain. I had to make you sad first so you'd like the surprise more." Taehyung says as he leads Jeongguk up to the stairs. It's just a few steps and they're finally going to be on the rooftop.

"You know I like everything you do." Jeongguk replies while Taehyung opens the door to the open space. He soon walks backwards so he's facing Jeongguk, nose scrunching before he grins, their hands still entangled.

The author tilts his head upward, looking at the night sky, as he lets Taehyung lead him to the middle of the place. When the actor stopped walking, he stopped too. Jeongguk looks back down, looking at Taehyung. "So what are we doing here?"

Taehyung raises his hand that's holding the paper bag, showing it to Jeongguk with a smile. He hands it to him and the novelist accepts it, slightly shaking his head. "You do know you can give it to me at the apartment, right?"

"They're going to tease me if they saw me giving you that. They'd probably say I'm spoiling you."

"Well, aren't you?" Jeongguk shifts his look from the gift to Taehyung. "First, the party, and then you still have a gift for me."

Taehyung lets go of Jeongguk's hand. He raises the paper bag just below their chest level, pulling the edge of the ribbon to loosen the bow. He opened it up, showing the inside to Jeongguk. "The party is a celebration, it's not a gift. This one is."

Jeongguk looks inside the bag before he puts his hand in to pull Taehyung's gift out. He already had an idea as soon as he touched it, getting it correctly when he pulled it out. "A necktie."

"I had it customized. Because from now on, people will know you more. They're going to talk about you and they're going to read your works. People will be interested in you so you'll probably get invited to fancy parties where you have to wear a tie. And I hope this gift will be of a great help to you, someday. I'd like to see you wear it even once." Taehyung explained while Jeongguk looked at it proudly. It's a navy blue tie printed with green and white daisies. He smiles, looking back up to Taehyung. "Can you put it on me?"

"What? You mean, you're going to wear it now?" Taehyung asked, blinking at Jeongguk, throwing him a confused look. The other instantly nods, smiling. "We have a party downstairs. It's the right time for me to wear a tie."

"What? That's ridiculous. It's not even fancy." Taehyung chuckled but he still got the tie from Jeongguk's hand. He went a little closer to him so he could put the tie around his neck, even making an effort to raise his collar so he can put the tie on perfectly. "How come you asked me to put this on you? Don't you know how to tie a tie?"

"Why are you complaining? You're already on it though." Jeongguk chuckled. Taehyung rolled his eyes before he pulled on the tie, dragging Jeongguk closer. It's supposed to be a little revenge because the novelist mocked him. He didn't expect his face to be just inches away from Jeongguk though, their eyes meeting each other.

He was about to move backward but he felt the other's hand on his arm, hold firm but still gentle. His eyes then shifted downward, looking at the other's lips. Taehyung gulps as he watched Jeongguk slowly lean into him.

"Heya—!" They both jump from their positions, quickly moving away from each other as they look at the door. Hoseok is standing there, flustered.

"Hyung—" Taehyung was about to explain but Hoseok suddenly closes the door, slamming it, both are wincing from the sound.

They haven't moved on from the happening yet when the door once again opened, revealing a Hoseok that despite being bright red, he's still wearing that heart-shaped smile.

"Heya! I finally found you! Everyone's looking for you because we're starting a game and you're not there so come down quickly, okay?" Hoseok's voice was loud, too loud. And before any of them two can answer, Hoseok slammed the door again, both of them wincing once more before silence enveloped them.

The atmosphere has gone awkward without the noise and no one dares to speak. Taehyung bit his lip, trying to look anywhere as long as it's not on Jeongguk. Jeongguk clears his throat, asking for Taehyung's attention. When the actor looked at him again, he tilted his head to the door's direction, his thumb pointing at it too. "Maybe we should go back now?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Taehyung nods. Jeongguk lets him walk first, letting him lead the way. Jeongguk however didn't start walking like Taehyung. He stayed on his position, bowing his head, his eyes on the floor. He thought of how badly he wants to kiss Taehyung but now, it's plain awkward and he doubts he'd ever get the chance to kiss him again.

Jeongguk lets out a quiet sigh, shaking his head before he looks back up. There, he saw Taehyung standing just a meter away from him, looking at him. Jeongguk gulps. Was he looking at him being miserable all this time? "Tae?"

Taehyung took a deep breath before he moved his legs, feet bringing him closer back to Jeongguk. The novelist blinks to him as he slowly gets closer and when he's finally standing in front of him, Taehyung gets a hold of Jeongguk's face, pulling him into a kiss.

It felt long yet so short. Jeongguk never blinked once during the kiss, can't even close his eyes from the shock that it felt really long. But when Taehyung moved away, it suddenly felt like it was just a second then it's gone, leaving Jeongguk wanting for more.

Taehyung is looking at him though, waiting for him to speak. He knows that but he can't really find the voice to even make a sound. And so his silence meant something different to Taehyung.

"I'm sorry. I really— really wanted to kiss you, so, so bad. I'm sorry I can't control myself." Taehyung started to explain, stuttering. His eyes are filled with nervousness and Jeongguk wants to speak, reassure him that it's fine, that he wants it too but he can't find his voice. He can't even close his mouth so Taehyung continued blabbering. "I guess you're confused, aren't you? Why on earth did I do that? Right? Okay. So uh…"

Taehyung took a deep breath, his hands are restless. He is restless. He closes his hands into fists, taking another deep breath before he directly looks at Jeongguk, to his eyes. "Ggukie, I like you. I— I don't know when did it start but I just know that I like you. I've been meaning to tell you that— but I can't find the right time. I'm afraid you don't feel the same and I don't know... I don't want our friendship to go to waste." And that is another reason for Jeongguk to get shocked.

Taehyung likes him. Kim Taehyung, the actor, the star, the angel himself, likes him. And Jeongguk does too. He knows he does. He realized it a long time ago. But he's also afraid. Afraid of what people might think of Taehyung. Afraid of how he will affect Taehyung's life. Afraid that he might ruin him and his career. But most of all, afraid that he doesn't feel the same. Because who is Jeon Jeongguk compared to Kim Taehyung? He's nothing. They're not the same.

"You're not saying anything." Taehyung stated, his voice a whisper. His eyes are wide so it's easier to see that he's becoming teary eyed. Jeongguk felt like he was just slapped to get some sense in him, to speak, because that's what Taehyung wants. But when he finally found the ability to speak again, Taehyung was already brushing him off. The other is waving his hand in front of him, laughing quietly.

"Of course. Of course. Maybe you don't feel the same that's why you're so quiet. Uh… Okay, let's— Maybe we can just forget about tonight? I mean, if you'd feel awkward because of tonight then I'll pretend nothing happened. I'm an actor anyway." Taehyung ended it with an awkward laugh. His lips are shaking, he's stuttering. Taehyung lets out a heavy breath before he turns around, mouth forming downward as he walks away from Jeongguk.

Jeongguk blinks, looking at Taehyung. He was walking away and Jeongguk is just letting him, all because he's afraid that he can ruin Taehyung's life. But if the actor was brave enough to admit how he feels then why isn't Jeongguk?

So Jeongguk walked forward, following Taehyung. He walked faster so he could catch up to him quickly, grabbing his hand, pulling him back to him. Taehyung turns in a surprise as Jeongguk raises his free hand to cup his face, quickly leaning in for a kiss.

His hand felt the tears on the actor's face so Jeongguk let go of the hand he's holding, instead putting it on Taehyung's waist, pulling him closer. Their lips meet each other, trying to convey how they really feel. Even without those words, Jeongguk wants him to know, he likes Taehyung too.

Jeongguk rests his forehead on Taehyung's, eyes still closed, one hand still on his cheek. They can both hear each other's breathing but the beat of their hearts is louder for them.

When Jeongguk moved away, his hand leaving Taehyung too, they slowly opened their eyes, staring at each other. Jeongguk can see how Taehyung's eyes differ now than earlier. That afraid stare has now a glint of hope, waiting for him to say, "I like you too, Taehyung. God knows how much I like you."

Taehyung sighed, tears streaming down his face again. Jeongguk was quick to wipe them away, eyes wide with surprise. "Why are you still crying?"

"Because you should've told me that earlier. Do you know how heartbroken I was when you stayed silent and I thought you don't like me? I was so sure you like me too because you let me hold your hand and hug you but then you're just quiet earlier and I'm ashamed of myself and I'm brokenhearted." Taehyung said while sobbing. Jeongguk can't help the smile break into his face, adorably looking at Taehyung as he wipes the tears that continuously flows down from his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm just afraid. I don't want to ruin your life for being with me. You're too high up for me to reach. You're somebody when I'm nobody. We move in different worlds and I don't want people in your world to hate you for choosing me." Jeongguk explained, still wiping Taehyung's tears. If Taehyung won't stop crying then Jeongguk won't stop wiping them away. He will never get tired until he sees Taehyung smile once again.

"And do you think I care for whatever people will say?" Taehyung asked in between sobs. "Ggukie, I introduced you to my friends and the people I work with and they don't have an issue with you. They even like you. And when people see us together, when we hold hands and hug publicly and you let me, I liked that. I don't care what people say against me. They're nothing to me. Even when they talk about me.. Even when they think that you're my boyfriend, I didn't bother to correct them.. I mean, I'd want to think that too anyway."

"Then.. am I?" Jeongguk asked, making Taehyung pause. "... what?"

"Your boyfriend. Am I your boyfriend now?" Jeongguk asked. Taehyung blinks, taken aback by the sudden question, which also made the tears stop. He opens his mouth to speak but closes it again when no voice comes out of him. "So…?"

"Of all things that I said, that's what caught your attention? The boyfriend thing?"

"You already said it, you don't care. So I won't care anymore either. But that boyfriend part.. made me curious. So what are we now that we kissed? Am I your boyfriend now?"

"You're so annoying." Taehyung chuckled. Jeongguk scrunched his nose, grinning from ear to ear. He really likes it better to see Taehyung smiling.

The actor placed his hands on Jeongguk's face, pulling him closer for another kiss. This time, the kiss is gentle and soft like it's planned, well-calculated.

Jeongguk's hands rest on Taehyung's waist, pulling him closer as they deepen the kiss, until they run out of breath. Taehyung smiles widely when they separate. His hands that are on Jeongguk's face went down, arms encircling his neck so he could hug him. Jeongguk buried his face on Taehyung's shoulder, pulling him closer into a tight embrace.

• • • • • • • ♡

Jeongguk is about to fall asleep on his chair when he hears a knock on the door. He sighs, opening his eyes but still not bothering to move. Since he's tired and is already comfortable from where he's seated, he just gathered his energy so the person behind the door can hear him say, "Come in. It's not locked."

There's silence after that, no one is entering  so Jeongguk decided to close his eyes again. Whoever knocked on the door may have gotten it wrong. Maybe they're looking for another room.

He was about to drift off again when he heard the closing sound of the door, locking it, so Jeongguk was quick to open his eyes, suddenly awake and alert. He never heard the door open though.

"You look tired." The person that came in said. He slowly walked towards Jeongguk so the author sits properly, blinking up to the person who's getting closer to him, all the while admiring his beauty.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the theater hall?" Jeongguk asked softly, looking up to the person who's now in front of him. The other sighed before he sat on Jeongguk's lap. He put his legs up on the left armrest so he could face Jeongguk, his back resting on the right. The author has his hands on his waist for additional support, holding him tightly to secure him on his lap.

He cups the author's face to give him a quick peck before he answers his question. "I already received my trophy so I don't need to be there anymore."

"Oh, you already did?" Jeongguk asked, his hold is growing firmer as his legs flex so he can support the other's weight on him. He hums, nodding. "Yes. And the presenter was the most handsome man that ever lived on earth so that's another win for me."

"Hmm.. If he is that handsome then why don't you marry him?" Jeongguk tilts his head, narrowing his eyes as he leans on his chair, maintaining eye contact.

"I am. We're already planning our wedding." Jeongguk chuckled before he leans in again, planting another kiss on the actor's lips. The other giggles, his hands cupping Jeongguk's face before he kisses him once more.

After that, he encircles his arms around Jeongguk's neck, hands locking as his smile fades, quickly turning into a pout. "But why are you late? I missed you so bad. I thought we're going to walk the red carpet together."

"I'm sorry. The event went longer than expected." Jeongguk explains. "But at least I'm there when you won the award."

"Oh, that reminds me… Do you know how badly I want to run to you to hug and kiss you when you called my name? I had to pour all my self control on stage so I'd look like a professional." Taehyung whines, making Jeongguk laugh. He put his other arm around the actor's waist, pulling him a little closer since he's slowly sliding down Jeongguk's lap.

"Baby, do you know how difficult it is to present an award to your fiancé? When I saw your name on the card, I already wanted to celebrate but I need to erase that feeling because I have to announce it first. And I even have to show it to the camera so people will believe me that you won." Jeongguk explains, trying to tell Taehyung how hard it is for him to make that announcement.

First, he needs to make sure that everyone accepts the result without anyone thinking that Taehyung won because the presenter is his fiancé. Second, he had to do self control too. Just like the actor, he wanted to hug and kiss Taehyung so bad but he had to stop himself. He slipped out a little though, stared at Taehyung a little too long but that's the closest thing he's done to messing up.

"You say it like I don't deserve it." Taehyung pouts, burying his face on Jeongguk's shoulder. His hand that's placed on Taehyung's waist moved up to the actor's head. He softly ruffles his hair while his lips plants a small kiss on the actor's temple.

"You deserve it, baby. But you know how your haters are, they'll have the most ridiculous claims such as me reading the results wrong because you're my fiancé and I want you to win." Jeongguk explains, his hand going down from Taehyung's head to his nape to give it a massage. The actor was quick to move his face away from his shoulder so he could look at him directly. Jeongguk's hand stills on his nape. "Eh. Why do you know that? Are you a hater too?"

Jeongguk snorted, rolling his eyes. Taehyung playfully hits him for mocking him with the eye roll. Jeongguk can't help but laugh when the actor pouted, leaning in to gently touch their foreheads together. "Baby, you know I love you the most. Where'd you get that idea from?"

Taehyung smiles softly. He cups Jeongguk's face, for the nth time, to kiss him again. Jeongguk smiles back at him as he opens his eyes, looking at Taehyung. His beauty is already ethereal when they meet each other earlier but seeing him up close is incomparable.

Taehyung put back his arms around Jeongguk again, pulling him into a hug. "I love you, Ggukie."

"I love you too baby." Jeongguk replied, burying his face on Taehyung's shoulder. The hand on his nape went back down to his waist so he could pull him into an embrace too.

"Anyway, what were you doing before I came in? You didn't even bother to open the door for me." Taehyung asked. Despite the discomfort their position brings, Taehyung stays in the embrace.

"I was about to take a nap while waiting for the event to end. I thought you were just anyone and I'm tired, that's why."

Taehyung immediately moved away from Jeongguk. His wide eyes are filled with concern, directly looking at him. "Should we go home now?"

Jeongguk quickly shakes his head. He's still embracing Taehyung. He raises his knee to help him pull the actor once more since he slid down again. "You still have an interview later since you won. They're going to look for you. And it's about to end anyway so it's okay."

"Or…" Taehyung puts his legs down back on the floor as he lets go of Jeongguk. The author loosen his hold on his waist too so he can easily move. When Taehyung is already standing up in front of Jeongguk again, the author holds his hand, not wanting him to leave. "I could just ask Jin hyung to proxy for me so we could go home. And I'll drive so you can sleep on our way."

"Jin hyung will hate us more if you do that." Jeongguk chuckled. Taehyung waved his hand, walking away from the author. Jeongguk lets go of his hand so he can freely move around the room. "Where's your things? We're going home."

Jeongguk sighs before he stands up from where he's seated. He went to the corner where he left his things, picked it up and showed it to Taehyung. "How about your things?"

"Noona will take care of that." Taehyung answered, opening his palm, asking for the car keys. Jeongguk fetched it from the pocket of his bag to hand it to Taehyung. The actor smiles as he clings on Jeongguk's shoulder, pulling him towards the door. "Let's go~!"

Taehyung types in a quick message to send to his MUA telling her to take his things with her for the meantime. Afterwards, he texted Jin too, asking him to proxy for him since he's going home. Good thing that he's clinging on Jeongguk so he easily avoids any incidents that may happen while he's not looking at where he's walking.

"You're going to be on fire tomorrow if they don't see you at the final interview." Jeongguk said. Taehyung looked at him, shrugging before he went back to his phone. "I bet I already made it in the news, given that I gave a shout out to my fiancé in my speech."

"So are you telling me that it's my fault?" Jeongguk teased. Taehyung immediately looked at him with a slightly raised brow before he snorted, rolling his eyes when he realized that Jeongguk is only teasing. "No. I just want the world to know that I'm lucky to have you."

"I'm luckier to have you." Jeongguk replied, earning a giggle from the actor. Taehyung focuses back on his phone, typing his little speech so Jin won't have a hard time as a proxy for him. This way, all he needs to do is read Taehyung's message.

When they arrived at the parking lot, they immediately looked for Jeongguk's car. They come in a hurry since more people will notice that they're gone and Taehyung doesn't plan on dealing with those issues right now. All he wanted to do is drive themselves home, take a quick bath and rest.

"You can take a nap while I drive Ggukie." Taehyung reminded his fiancé as they wore their seatbelts on. Jeongguk thanked him, trying to get comfortable from where he's seated. It feels new to him sitting on the passenger's seat. He's always the one who drives for them ever since he owned a car. Taehyung only gets to drive when he's driving his own.

"Is it okay if I play something? Or you won't be able to take a nap?" Taehyung asked. Jeongguk answered it's okay. Taehyung said his thanks as he connected his phone to the car's bluetooth. Soon after, their shared playlist started to play as they exited the parking lot.

The drive wasn't long, or Jeongguk fell asleep quickly than he expected that when Taehyung woke him up, he realized that their car was already parked, and the only thing he wants to do now is to lay on their bed and drift off to sleep. "Come on, Ggukie. It's better to sleep on our bed."

Jeongguk takes a deep breath before he stretches a little, catching Taehyung's eyes on him. He immediately grinned at him, moving forward to plant a kiss on his fiancé's lips. "Thanks for getting us home, baby."

They walked hand in hand as they headed to the elevator. The gifts that were on Jeongguk's back seat were left there for tomorrow since they're both tired to even carry those. The only thing they have right now is Jeongguk's bag and his keys, and Taehyung's food that he ordered from a drive thru.

"Is the tie a gift too? I've been noticing it since earlier and I can't remember you having it." Taehyung asked as he clicked the up button with his free hand, waiting for the elevator to open.

"It is. It was from a girl named Bora. I made a promise to her so I wore it tonight. I just hope she watched the show to see that I'm wearing it." Jeongguk replied. The elevator opened and they both entered. Their hands are still laced together.

"I'm sure she did. And I'm sure she's happy because you fulfilled your promise to her." Taehyung assures him as he pushes the button for their floor. The actor looks back at Jeongguk who's looking at him with a wide smile and heart eyes. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? You're staring at me." Taehyung pushes. Jeongguk shakes his head, finally looking away from Taehyung but his smile, the same smile stays there. The actor pulled the hand he's holding, making Jeongguk look back at him again as he widened his eyes at him, pushing him to answer. "I just remembered something, okay?"

"And that is?"

"Our first kiss." Jeongguk answered, mighty and proud as he stared at Taehyung before he grins. The actor looks away, blush creeping up on his face.

They've been together for years now but Jeongguk always gets to him. The tickling feeling is always there, it's never gone. Jeongguk always makes him feel butterflies in his stomach, heart beating fast, blushing cheeks, it's always Jeongguk's effect on him.

They both stand there in silence as they watch the numbers move up. Jeongguk is still smiling, squeezing Taehyung's hand every second. Just feeling the presence of each other beside them is already enough. And for Jeongguk, seeing his fiancé blush is even more than enough.

When they arrived at their apartment, Taehyung headed straight to the kitchen to bring the foods he bought, pulling Jeongguk with him. "Let's have dinner first before we go to sleep."

The meal was simple. It was a takeaway anyway. They're both seated on the table, toes touching as they take a bite from their food. They're content with the silence, well, until Taehyung decided to break it. "What are you thinking? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I miss you. I realized how much I missed you. All day, I'm only thinking about you. How we met, how we started together, and now here." Jeongguk explained. He reaches for Taehyung's hand, covering the ring that is placed on his finger. He felt the cold metal on his palm, but he'd rather focus on the warmth Taehyung's hand brings. "Do you remember how we got engaged?"

"Of course. How could I ever forget?"

♡ • • • • • • •

Jeongguk takes a deep breath as he picks up the plates from the kitchen counter, moving around to go to their dining table where Taehyung is already seated. The actor claps as soon as he sees him, eyes sparkling as he looks at the meal his boyfriend prepared for him.

"Bon appétit!" Jeongguk says as he put down the plate in front of Taehyung. He earns a giggle from the actor as he puts his own plate down, taking a seat just in front of him. Jeongguk reaches for the bottle of wine he prepared for tonight, pouring the drink on their glasses.

They're celebrating tonight. The Baeksang Arts Awards nominees were announced today and Taehyung is nominated for the Best Actor of the Year. He wanted to have dinner outside as a celebration but Jeongguk volunteered to cook for them. Taehyung, he's a sucker for Jeongguk's cooking. He loves it when the other cooks for him. It makes him feel even more special so he agreed for a home cooked dinner.

"Cheers for the best actor of the year!" Jeongguk says, raising his glass. Taehyung immediately gets his and clink it with Jeongguk's. They happily sipped their wine, Taehyung's giggles filling the room. "I'm not even a winner yet."

"You already won in my heart." Jeongguk puts his glass down. He handed the utensils to Taehyung, earning a thank you from him before he gestured for them to eat. He prepared a simple pasta recipe for the night, still making sure that it matches with the wine he bought. It's not as fancy as five star restaurants are but Jeongguk wanted this, to make Taehyung feel how important he is to him.

Jeongguk watches as Taehyung takes a big bite from his pasta. He already knows this since they've been eating together for years now, but he still finds Taehyung adorable and cute whenever he eats. The actor is pouting when he chews his food and Jeongguk always makes an effort on stopping himself from kissing the other. If he could just kiss him all day then he would, honestly.

The meal went by so fast, the two of them falling deep into conversations each one of them started. Taehyung mostly came up with all the topics they were talking about. It's probably because they can easily jump from one subject to another in one go. It's like a tree, branching from everywhere, growing naturally. It's how their relationship started too, getting comfortable with each other as time goes by.

"I have a gift for you." Jeongguk says after they finished eating. He suddenly felt his heart beat faster than ever, nervous eating him up again. He wanted to delay it, maybe back out even, but seeing Taehyung lit up from the words he said made him stand from his seat and walked back to the counter. He opens one cupboard there to get the bouquet he hid inside.

"You hid a bouquet there? Why?" Taehyung asked as he followed Jeongguk with his eyes, laughing at Jeongguk.

"You might see it if I kept it somewhere else and that would spoil the surprise." Jeongguk answers, walking towards Taehyung to give him the flowers. The actor happily accepted it, all smiles, sniffing on one flower as soon as he got it. "Thank you."

Taehyung looks up to Jeongguk who's still standing in front of him. He's just staring at him, already feeling his heart in his throat, he can't speak. His head is a mess, and even though he prepared for this, he feels everything crumble.

He prepared for tonight and he thought everything's happening according to the plan but when it's time for the most important part, he felt every single detail crushed under his feet. And no matter how hard he tries to remember those words, the paragraphs he wrote, only one sentence keeps repeating in his head and it's not even the right time to say it.

"Ggukie, is something wrong?" Taehyung moved from his seat, walking closer towards Jeongguk. He reaches for the other's hand, feeling the cold. He's starting to get cold feet. He wants to run away, hide, but he knows he'll run back to him, to Taehyung. So he gulps, takes a deep breath, holding Taehyung.

"I'm fine. I'm just nervous." Jeongguk says as he holds tighter on Taehyung's hand. He's never letting go.

"Nervous for what?" Taehyung asked. His brows are furrowed, showing concern for Jeongguk. And the coldness of his hand helped Taehyung know that this is not just a simple problem, it's something big. He may have a huge problem he's nervous about, and it has Taehyung's guts churning.

"Baby, do you remember the time we met? Because I will never forget that. You're so adorable back then. I find you cute, and maybe that's why I can't say no to you. Then you kept coming back, and I kept saying yes. In no time, I'm already attracted to you but I'm always afraid that I might ruin you. That I might become the reason for you to lose everything you've worked hard for. But you're not afraid and I'm thankful that you're so brave, strong. You were the first one who fought for the two of us. You became the rope that I can hold on to. You tied us together."

"What?" Taehyung asked in confusion. He's confused as to why Jeongguk suddenly reminisced about their past. And the churning feeling inside him is making him more anxious. Is Jeongguk nervous right now because… he wants to break up?

Jeongguk smiles, but Taehyung knows it's far from his usual. It's so different, like he's hiding something. And it made Taehyung hold his hand tighter. He doesn't want to let go. He doesn't want them to break up. He doesn't even know why he's suddenly breaking up with him. But one thing's for sure, Taehyung won't let him.

"You taught me not to be afraid and to just do what I want to do. So now, I'm going to be the brave one. Taehyung, baby, this might sound so cliché but I want you to be the person I'll spend my whole life with. I want you to be the person I'll build a family with. I want us to hold hands like this until we grow old together, until we get white hairs together. Baby…" Taehyung's eyes widened as he let the words from Jeongguk's lips sink in, making him gasp for air.

He's not breaking up, he's trying to do the opposite. And the realization made his hold on Jeongguk loosen, his body running cold as Jeongguk lets go of his hand. He fetches something from his pocket, Taehyung following his every move. How come he didn't notice that Jeongguk is planning to do this?

Jeongguk kneeled down in front of him, looking up as he opened the box that holds the ring. Taehyung slowly looks down on him, his eyes going straight to the ring that's presented before him. He's really proposing. "Would you like to spend your eternity with me? Baby, will you marry me?"

Taehyung lets out the breath he's holding. His legs finally gave up, collapsing on the floor as he felt the anxiety drain out from him. Jeongguk was quick to move though, already asking Taehyung if he's fine.

"I thought you're breaking up with me." Taehyung said, breathless. He can't believe he thought of that. He was so anxious for nothing.

"What? Why would I do that?" Jeongguk asked with furrowed brows. He's genuinely confused right now.

"Because you started talking about how we met and then you praised me." Taehyung explained, earning a much more confused face from Jeongguk. "But I always praise you."

"Yeah, without talking about the past. So I realized that this one's different. I know that you praise me a lot but why would you open it with our start? That made me think that you want to end this now. And you're like really, really nervous. Your hand was so cold." Taehyung ranted.

He raises his hands to cover his face as he tries to calm himself down, doing breathing exercise. When he thinks he's finally calmed down, he moves his hand over his chest to feel his heartbeat, letting out another sigh.

"Are you okay now?" Taehyung nods at Jeongguk's question, giving him an OK sign. "… so?"

"So...?" Taehyung asked, acting innocently. Jeongguk huffs, quietly chuckling. He shakes his head, wetting his lips as he stares at Taehyung's eyes, the softest smile on display. "You haven't answered my question yet, baby."

Taehyung raises his brows, knowing well enough that Jeongguk is waiting for his answer. But Taehyung is surprised that's why he can't give an immediate answer. He never expected Jeongguk to do this so he's still in a shock. And he also enjoys teasing Jeongguk like this.

"Oh. You see.."  Taehyung notices how Jeongguk blinks, gulping, holding his breath as he waits for his answer. He knows he's making him nervous again but come on, does he really think that Taehyung will say no to him to be this nervous? "It depends. Whether you'll say yes to me, then I'd also say yes to you."

Jeongguk blinks once more. He tilts his head, a sign that he doesn't get what's happening. He's confused but still does what he thought Taehyung meant. "Uh, okay. I'm… saying yes?"

Taehyung snorted. He bursts into a laugh, watching as Jeongguk grows more confused every second. He looks adorable when he's like that.

But as much as he wants to tease him again, there's something more important right now for him to do. So he moved, getting on his knees, sitting on his feet as he looks directly at Jeongguk who's just sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, confused.

"You know that I wanted us to eat outside, right?" Jeongguk immediately nods, earning a smile from Taehyung. He's so adorable too. "I didn't want for us to do that just to celebrate my nomination. I wanted to treat you to a nice dinner, in a fancy resto surrounded by the lights where we can watch the night sky. I want it to be as romantic as possible because that's what you deserve."

Taehyung slowly pulls the necklace he's wearing  outside since it was hidden. Jeongguk follows the movement, catching a glimpse of the pendant before Taehyung grabs it, keeping it in his hand.

"But you said you wanted to cook for us and well, you already know that I love it when you cook for me, so I said okay to you. But that also means I have to put all my plans on hold. It isn't a problem since I'm not rushing things. I can always do that tomorrow or the following day." Taehyung continued by taking off the necklace. He didn't bother locking the clasp back after taking it off. Instead, he pulled the pendant out of the necklace. And they both know it's not really a pendant of a necklace.

"But now, it's different. You proposed. And before this day ends, I would say yes to you. So how am I going to propose to you tomorrow if we're already engaged?"

"You're... going to propose to me?" Jeongguk asked with wide eyes. Taehyung nods, showing the ring up for a better view. He shrugs as he looks at Jeongguk with his puppy eyes, grinning.

"I know you already did this but I still wanted to ask… Ggukie, will you marry me?" Jeongguk nods quickly, mouth agape. Taehyung grins, happy with the other's reaction. "I will, baby. Yes. Yes, I will marry you."

Taehyung got on his hands, quickly crawling towards Jeongguk. When he's close to Jeongguk, his hands come up to cup his face, pulling him into a sweet kiss. "I love you. I will marry you too. I'm ready to spend my everyday with you, Ggukie. I'm also saying yes to you."

Jeongguk's hand raised up to cover Taehyung's hands, leaning in to the warmth. "I love you too, baby."

They've decided to put their rings on each other. Jeongguk first since he's really the first to propose then followed by Taehyung. They even joke around who bought the better ring or who wore it better.

"We're so cheesy!" Taehyung said with a laugh. Jeongguk laughs too, squeezing Taehyung in tighter, enveloping him into that tight space on Jeongguk's arms. "Well, we're Jeongguk and Taehyung. It's not us if we aren't cheesy when we're together."

• • • • • • • ♡

They finished eating dinner and Jeongguk volunteered to wash the dishes, letting Taehyung be the first to take a shower. His drowsiness was already gone when they ate.

When he finished washing the dishes, he headed straight to their room. Taehyung was still in the shower so Jeongguk decided to open his blog and upload the photos they took earlier in his book launch. Good thing that Ms. Choi already sent the files to him. Since it's his blog, no one can really touch it except him so he took it to himself to be the one to upload the pictures.

"Hey, I'm done." Jeongguk turns his face to his right side, nodding to Taehyung even though his eyes are still on the screen. He's typing out a message for the caption of his blog post.

"What's that?" Taehyung asked. Jeongguk paused from typing, looking back to see Taehyung half naked. He's just about to wear his pajama top.

"It's a message for my blog post. I'm uploading the pics from earlier." Jeongguk answered, looking back to his monitor to type back again. He hears Taehyung hums, probably getting fully dressed. Jeongguk just focuses on what he's doing.

Jeongguk stands up from his seat when he's done, checking once more if the pictures are now uploading. He'll leave it for now so he can take a bath. When he turns around, he's met with Taehyung, already handing him his towel and his pj's. Jeongguk smiles, moving forward to kiss Taehyung on his cheeks before he walks towards the bathroom, saying a quick thank you to him.

It was just a quick shower so Jeongguk finishes in no time. He quickly got dressed with his pj's, brushed his teeth and applied his skin care. When he's done, he went back to their room, seeing Taehyung on their bed, holding a book.

"What are you reading?" Jeongguk asked as he walked towards his laptop, checking if the photos were finished uploading. His towel is draped over his head since he still needs to dry his hair.

"Your book." Taehyung showed the cover to Jeongguk quickly before he returned to his position earlier and continued to read again. "I'm trying to finish this today."

Jeongguk shut down his laptop before he walked towards their bed, removing the towel on his head. It dips as soon as he puts his knees on the surface, crawling to get close to Taehyung. He placed his right knee on the left side of Taehyung's leg while the other stayed in place, his legs caging in Taehyung's. He then placed his hands on both sides, his face trying to push in the little gap between Taehyung's tummy and the book.

"What are you doing?" Taehyung asked when Jeongguk successfully placed his head on Taehyung's chest, blocking his view of the book. He slowly lays his body on Taehyung's lower half, putting his weight on so the other won't be able to move away even if he tries to while Taehyung put down the book that he's holding, given that he can't read it with Jeongguk on top of him, and his hair almost wetting the pages.

"I'm trying to act cute. Is it working?"

"No." Taehyung tried to sound annoyed, but the smile on his face suddenly broke out and gave him away. Jeongguk grins at the reaction, knowing pretty well that the trick he just pulled is working.

"You know, I can just tell you the whole story."

"No. I want to read this. Now move so I can finally finish." Taehyung tried again, acting annoyed once more but he knows he really can't act like that when it comes to Jeongguk. He's whipped for the guy as much as the other is whipped for him.

"Let me offer you a deal then." Jeongguk says, looking directly at Taehyung's eyes. The other raises his brow as he waits for Jeongguk to talk.

"Kiss me and I'll move." Jeongguk said before he grins. Taehyung snorted, shaking his head as he laughed at Jeongguk's trick. The other tilts his head as he smiles softly at the laughing actor. "So?"

"Fine." Taehyung rolled his eyes, though they both know it's just an act. Jeongguk's grin grew wider before he puckered his lips, waiting for Taehyung's lips on his. When he closed his eyes, he felt the actor's body move, making him anticipate the kiss that he soon felt on his forehead.

Jeongguk immediately opens his eyes, widening as he looks at Taehyung who's already laughing at him. He has his brows furrowed, questioning the actor. "What was that?"

"A kiss." Taehyung answered with a giggle. Jeongguk huffs. It wasn't the kiss he was expecting from him.

He eyed the actor who's still laughing before he sighs. He started pouting, his eyes trying to show how disappointed he is. He looked up to Taehyung who only stopped laughing after he noticed how Jeongguk looked up at him. Taehyung snorts, rolling his eyes.

"You're not really—" Jeongguk whines. He whined. And it surprised Taehyung, his eyes almost bulging. He opens his mouth to say something but he finds himself speechless of the act. Jeongguk raises his brows like he's asking, asking if it's working.

"Why don't you try auditioning as an actor?" Taehyung commented as he cups Jeongguk's face, leaning in so he can give him a kiss on his lips, just like what his fiancé is asking for all this time. Jeongguk hums as he tastes Taehyung's lips on his. "I'm sure they'll consider giving you a role."

"Actually, someone said earlier that I could go up to you and Jin hyung's level." Jeongguk said as he pushed himself off Taehyung to fulfill what he said on their deal. Taehyung nods, following Jeongguk's every step. "The thing you showed me tonight can guarantee you a place, Ggukie."

"Thank you." Jeongguk said, getting out of the bed. Taehyung decided to get his book to read again. But his fiancé came back as soon as his hand picked up the book. This time though, he's tapping Taehyung's lower back, asking him to make space because he's going to sit behind him.

Taehyung complies, letting Jeongguk do what he wants. Soon after, he's seated between his fiancés thighs. The other's hand is encircled on his waist, keeping him in a warm embrace, as his chin rests on Taehyung's left shoulder. He slowly leans on Jeongguk while he opens his book from where he left off to continue reading.

They were silent afterwards. No one is talking, both are already comfortable with feeling each other's presence. But it's only a few minutes more when Jeongguk got bored, since he already knows what's written in the book, and decided to bother Taehyung again.

He started drawing circles on his waist but the other just ignored the move. So he quickly pinches his belly, earning a soft slap on his hand afterwards that he just laughed at. He did it again once more, earning another slap, a little harder than the first. "I'm reading."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Jeongguk chuckles. He's not really sorry. He just wants to annoy Taehyung. And maybe have his full attention on him rather than the book. But of course, Taehyung would still insist on finishing it.

Jeongguk removes his chin from Taehyung's shoulder, moving so he can lean on their bed's headboard. He pulled Taehyung with him, pressing their bodies closer, his embrace tight on his fiancé. The move didn't take away Taehyung's attention from the book even for just a bit so Jeongguk placed his lips on the back of Taehyung's head, sniffing on his hair, smelling the usual sweet scent of his shampoo.

"Did you or did you not wash your hair?" Jeongguk asked even though he knows that he washed his hair. Taehyung flipped the page as he nonchalantly replied, "I did."

"You did? Because I can still smell the hair products used on you earlier." Taehyung immediately closes his book, sitting up so he can look back at Jeongguk who's still leaning at the headboard.

"I so did. I washed my hair. I always do." Taehyung blabbed. Jeongguk burst out into a laugh as he pulled Taehyung back in, having him lean on him again. He back hugged him once more before he kissed the back of his head. "I know, I know. I'm just kidding. You always smell sweet and wonderful, baby."

Taehyung pouts, getting comfortable in his position once again. He looks at the book, opening it once more but remembering that he forgot to check the page he's reading before he abruptly closed it earlier.

Even though it's easy to find the part where he left off, he opted to close the book and focus his attention on Jeongguk now. Don't think he doesn't know that Jeongguk's doing all this for nothing, he probably wants Taehyung's attention.

"So how did the book event go?" Taehyung asked, turning his face to his left so he can look at Jeongguk. He sees the man smiles, humming as he presses their bodies once more.

"It went well. I didn't expect there would be more than 200 people there. You'd be surprised too if you saw them. The crowd was really huge. It's really different from when I first launch a book." Jeongguk answered. Taehyung can't help but smile.

Letting go of his goal of finishing the book tonight isn't a bad idea if he gets to see his fiancé be all smiles as he reminisces the events that happened on this special day. "Which reminds me, someone came with a limited edition of CTK. She asked me to sign it too."

"The limited edition? Then that means she's been your reader from the start." Jeongguk nods with a wide smile. It's time like this that Taehyung finds him the most attractive.

Yes, Jeongguk is already handsome but whenever he smiles with his eyes and not just his lips, it always takes Taehyung's breath away. It always makes his heart beat faster. Always, always makes him realize how much he loves Jeongguk.

Jeongguk went on with his story, telling Taehyung about the people he met during his book event and the memories they left on him. He mentioned everyone he can think of from the girl with the limited edition book until the time he left the venue. He mentioned getting a call from Namjoon, or when people told him to rest. He mentioned how he spaced out the whole time because he misses Taehyung.

"I missed you too. I was so ready to go to your event but our hyungs won't allow me. They said I need to prepare for the night and that I'm going to see you in the awards show anyway. They even said I'm too clingy like they never got used to it." Taehyung whined, pouting. Jeongguk chuckles as he looks at him admirably, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "But I really wish I was there to show my support. This is the first launch that I'm not able to go to and it feels weird. I don't like it."

"There's always a next time. And I'll make sure it's not going to overlap again with your schedule." Jeongguk promised, planting another kiss on the back of his head. Taehyung has his arms over Jeongguk's arms that are resting on his waist, their hands interlaced together.

"But I wasn't able to get my book signed." Taehyung grabs his book, opening it to the front page where Jeongguk used to sign. "See?"

"What do you mean? It is signed. Look." Jeongguk switched their arms positions, his covering Taehyung's now. His hand holds Taehyung's and brings it to the page of the book where it's opened. "Here."

"What?" Taehyung asked, turning his head to his left to look at Jeongguk again. The author smiles at him, tilting his head to the direction of the book, making Taehyung confusedly look back at where their hands are placed. Jeongguk finally lets go of Taehyung's hand, revealing their engagement ring.

"See? It's here. The sign that I will always be yours." Jeongguk whispers. Taehyung stares at the ring on his finger. It is already beautiful to him, but the more time and more days he spends looking at it, the beauty even gets better. It's shining, filled with love and promises that they made together.

Taehyung looked back at Jeongguk again, his right hand cupping the other's face. "That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard. And I love it."

Jeongguk grins as Taehyung moves closer to kiss him. The author has his arms encircling Taehyung's waist again. Their lips are in sync, like they have their own rhythm. The sweet taste of their lips and kisses are making them not want to stop.

But that moment got cut off when Taehyung starts giggling through the kiss and Jeongguk pulls back to look at him, confused as to why he was giggling. "I'm sorry. It's just that my position is really uncomfortable, it feels like I'm going to break my neck anytime soon."

"What? You should've told me. Is your neck okay?" Taehyung nods, telling him that he's perfectly fine but Jeongguk insisted on checking it. The actor had no choice but to tilt his head, revealing his neck on Jeongguk because he wouldn't stop asking Taehyung if he's fine.

"See, it's totally—" Taehyung was cut off when Jeongguk suddenly pecked his exposed neck. He immediately looks at the author who's now laughing because, once again, he fell for his tricks. He can't help but laugh too, matching the sound of laughter Jeongguk is making.

"You're so sly, I hate it." Jeongguk laughs before he places his chin back on Taehyung's shoulder. He makes a kissing face, sending a flying kiss to his fiancé before he smiles and says his three favorite words, "I love you."

Taehyung smiles softly, his hand cupping Jeongguk's face once more, kissing him sweetly. "I love you too."

Kim Taehyung, twenty-nine years old, is one of the well-known Korean actors of this generation. He starred in so many dramas with his big break being a lead role in the drama adaptation of the book entitled Crown of the True King that was aired at the second half of 2017. This drama earned him a nomination slot on different award shows and even though he failed to take home the trophy that time, it still became a key for him to gain success in the upcoming years. Now, projects and endorsements are lined up for him and people recognize him everywhere he goes. Talk about achievements and goals.

But the favorite goal he achieved is getting engaged to this one person, Jeon Jeongguk. He's the guy who stayed for Taehyung, the guy who loved him for who he is. He became Taehyung's shoulder to cry on, with the arms who kept him warm and made him feel safe, the person who has always supported him since then. He is his sweet escape, the run away from reality, but also his ally, partner and friend when he's ready to face everything again.