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Taehyung feels antsy. There’s nothing wrong, he knows there’s nothing wrong, but something is itching his brain. As if there was something he’d forgotten. He feels like Neville Longbottom - he can’t remember what he’s forgotten. He flits around the house, opening cabinets and overturning pillows, trying to jog his memory. Something is not right. Something in the universe feels off, and he’s determined to figure out what it is. He’s in the middle of doing this when the front door opens, and a familiar tenor voice calls out, “ Aegiya! I’m home!”
Glaring at the drawer he’s just opened to no avail, Taehyung slams it shut and shuffles out of the bedroom and into the living room. Seokjin beams at him when he enters, all pearly white teeth and sparkly eyes, and as Taehyung envelops the elder in a hug, his anxiety takes a step back. How could anything be off in the arms of the man he loves?
“Hi, baby,” Seokjin murmurs lowly, as if they were in a public space, not their private home. “How are you? How was your day?”
“Terrible,” Taehyung says with a sigh. “I’ve felt on edge for hours now, hyung. I feel like my body is trying to tell me something, but I don’t know what it is.” Seokjin kisses Taehyung’s petulant pout.
“I’m sorry, angel. Maybe I can help you figure it out,” Seokjin offers. But Taehyung only shakes his head.
“Don’t want to think about it anymore,” he declares. He eyes the bag in Seokjin’s hand with a smirk. “Did you bring me something?” When he goes to take a peek, Seokjin bats his hand away.
“Yah, leave that alone. What if I have a surprise?”
“A surprise?” Taehyung gasps, purposefully putting extra weight on the elder to make him teeter. Seokjin tries to swing the bag behind his back, away from Taehyung’s greedy hands. “A surprise for me?”
“No, for my other boyfriend that lives here,” Seokjin deadpans before leaving a sloppy, wet kiss on Taehyung’s cheek. “Are you going to keep being silly or do you want dinner?”
“Dinner, please,” Taehyung hums, finally releasing him.
“Good, I brought whiskey and beef.”
Seokjin grills the meat and prods Taehyung, trying to find the source of his stress, but the investigation unveils nothing. Through the line of questioning Taehyung ends up sharing a story about one of his new clients — a woman in her thirties who just inherited a large sum of money and is finally able to buy the clothes she’s always wanted — and the itch in his brain gets pushed to the side. Seokjin says very little about his work day, which is unusual, but Taehyung just assumes there is nothing noteworthy about it.
“Do you have a big day tomorrow?” Seokjin asks casually, eyes trained on the cooking food.
Taehyung shakes his head. “Not really. Iseul needs a bridal shower gift by the weekend, so I suppose I’ll have to find that tomorrow, but there are no other urgent needs.”
Seokjin brings the meat to the table, setting it between the rice and vegetables, before going to the cabinet for the highball glasses. “The weather is supposed to be perfect tomorrow,” he says, still nonchalant. “I thought maybe I could take a personal day, and we could enjoy it together.”
Warmth blossoms in Taehyung’s chest. He smiles at the elder, endeared by Seokjin’s relaxed tenderness. “Okay,” he softly agrees. When Seokjin returns to the table with the whiskey, Taehyung tugs his arm until he’s seated beside him, instead of on the bench across the table.
“We have this whole table for just the two of us,” Seokjin teases, pouring a finger of alcohol. “Can you really not stand a three foot distance?”
“It’s unbearable,” Taehyung replies seriously. “God made me left-handed so I could eat next to you, hyung.”
“When did you become so religious?”
“If your dick isn’t proof that God exists and loves me, then no proof exists.”
“Yah!” Seokjin exclaims, batting Taehyung’s thigh. “Don’t be vulgar at the dinner table.”
“Sorry, hyung,” Taehyung replies, not sorry at all. He slips his right hand into Seokjin’s left and leans his head on his shoulder. Unsurprisingly, the elder does not even try to push him away. Instead, he feeds Taehyung beef straight from his chopsticks and leaves the occasional kiss on his head.
Lighthearted conversation carries them through dinner and the cleanup. By the time all of that is done, Taehyung is down two glasses of whiskey. The world feels fuzzier; a thin sheen of sweat is developing on his forehead, and he swears Seokjin looks even more handsome than usual with his long black hair and lavender sweatshirt, no shirt underneath. “You’re staring at me,” Seokjin accuses with a smile as he scrubs the last dish.
“You’re so boyfriend material right now.”
“Am I?” Seokjin removes the rubber gloves swiftly, plopping them down on the counter with a thwap . “Are you going to take a picture for Instagram?”
Again, Taehyung shakes his head. “Have to keep that content all to myself,” he declares, crowding Seokjin now that his hands are free. The elder rests his arms on Taehyung’s shoulders, hands playing with the ends of his hair. “I don’t want to make the whole world jealous.”
“So generous,” Seokjin whispers before kissing Taehyung sweetly, first on the lips, then on his nose, followed by his cheek. “I have another surprise for you.”
Taehyung beams. “Really?”
“Really. And I was thinking, why don’t we change into that matching set you got us last week, hm? Then I’ll get it set up.”
Taehyung nods enthusiastically, peppering a few more quick kisses onto Seokjin’s plush lips before dashing towards the bedroom. He leads his boyfriend there by the hand. Once there, he quickly locates the matching brown sweatsuits and throws Seokjin’s at him.
It takes longer than necessary to change because Taehyung insists on dressing Seokjin himself. The endeavor is infinitely more difficult when the younger refuses to stop touching the elder long enough to pull the sweatshirt over his head. Eventually, they both manage to exit the bedroom, fully dressed.
“Okay, what’s the surprise?”
Seokjin chuckles and points at the couch. “Sit there, close your eyes, no peeking.”
Taehyung pouts but does as he is told. Clearly, Seokjin doesn’t trust him because he soon feels the familiar silk of a blindfold sliding over his eyes. “Oh, it’s that kind of surprise?”
Seokjin lightly pinches his arm. “No, you little demon, I just don’t want you to cheat.” Taehyung giggles, pleased by the scolding. He waits patiently in silence. Around him, he can hear Seokjin shuffling around. His footsteps retreat, then return less than a minute later, and judging by the distance of the sound, he starts messing around with the tv.
There’s the familiar cascading soundscape of the Nintendo Switch home screen, which quickly cuts off when Seokjin selects something. After the tell-tale click of a selection screen, a much subtler melody fills Taehyung’s ears. It’s serene, soothing, and cheerful.
The couch dips when Seokjin takes a seat beside his boyfriend. He slips the Nintendo switch remotes into Taehyung’s hands, then wraps one arm around his waist. Tugging Taehyung close to him, Seokjin kisses his cheek and whispers, “Are you ready?”
“Mmhm,” Taehyung hums, already grinning like a fool. Seokjin gingerly removes the blindfold. Taehyung’s eyes adjust to see the television screen lit up with a landing page. The animation is pixelated, like Stardew Valley, but all lovely muted tones. The background is a cupboard filled with painting supplies covered by text reading “KIM SEOKJIN’S GUIDE TO LOVING KIM TAEHYUNG.”
Taehyung gasps. He turns to Seokjin with big eyes and sees that his cheeks and ears are already turning red, accompanied by a bashful smile. “Hyung?” He says, not really sure what he’s asking.
Seokjin does not answer the non-existent question. Instead, he smirks, looking like the cat who got the cream and says, “Go on. Hit start.”
Taehyung does as instructed. The home page melts away to a cartoon exterior of their front door. A small text bubble appears at the bottom. It reads:
This game is a real guide on properly bestowing love upon Kim Taehyung by his partner Kim Seokjin. It is for his eyes only. If you are not Kim Taehyung, please kindly exit. You are not welcome to the tips and tricks in this game. He is taken.
Chuckling, Taehyung presses next. There’s a lag, and, at first, Taehyung thinks he’s done something wrong, but then another chunk of text appears.
I’m serious. Kim Taehyung’s eyes only. Last warning.
“I take it this isn’t for mass distribution,” Taehyung quips.
“Nope, one of a kind.”
Taehyung hits X , prompting the game to continue. The screen fades away from their front door into what is unmistakably their bedroom. It’s the view from their dresser. The headboard against the west wall, the bathroom door just across from the bed, the tv mounted above the bookshelf, and the armoire beside the entrance to the hall. On the bed, facing the player, someone is curled up under the covers. A tuft of unruly dark hair pokes out at the top. Taehyung recognizes it immediately as himself.
He hits X again, and another bubble pops up at the bottom. Kim Taehyung hates waking up in the morning .
Game Taehyung’s speech bubble rises from his head. “ Zzzz .”
Game Seokjin exits in the bathroom. Taehyung barks out a laugh. In the game, Seokjin’s lips are red and pouted, an exaggeration of his regular sleepy expression.
There’s only one way to wake him up , the bottom text reads.
Game Seokjin shuffles forward, moving to his side of the bed. Then, he crawls in beside Game Taehyung, disappearing behind him except for his wider shoulders.
A speech bubble reappears above them.
“ Taehyung-ah ,” Game Seokjin says. “ You have to wake up .”
Game Taehyung doesn’t stir. A tiny, round hand appears on his side. Game Seokjin gently shakes him. “ Jagiya, you need to get up. ”
Wake up?
Yes
No
The game asks Taehyung. He chooses yes.
When Taehyung does wake up, he’ll want to cuddle some more, the game informs him. Always leave extra time in the morning for this part. Otherwise, Taehyung is very grumpy.
The scene fades as Taehyung pouts at his boyfriend. “I am not grumpy,” he insists, trying to be stern. Seokjin only coos at him.
“You are,” he corrects plainly. “It’s very cute.”
“Well, you’re grumpy when you haven’t eaten. You’re like a toddler,” Taehyung retorts with a huff.
Seokjin flutters his eyelashes cutely at him. “And aren’t I adorable?”
Taehyung tries to scowl, but the smile twitching on the edge of his lips betrays him. “Yeah, you are,” he relents. “Fair enough.”
A new scene begins. Game Taehyung is sitting at their kitchen table. The chibi’s hair is still messy, hanging over his eyes, and he still looks sleepy. As he pushes away a steaming mug, the following text pops up: Taehyung does not like coffee, not even in the morning. Game Taehyung yawns. Game Seokjin walks in with a bowl in his hands. He sets it down in front of Taehyung and sits next to him.
Taehyung hates cooking. But he loves when you cook for him! Taehyung’s avatar cheers. A delighted smile makes his eyes disappear. The game prompts Taehyung to make a choice:
Kiss Seokjin
Eat the Food
Taehyung selects the first one without hesitation. The game version of him leans over and kisses Game Seokjin’s cheek, which sprouts a tiny heart between them. Then, his character starts eating. Seokjin chuckles beside him and mimics the action, planting a sloppy kiss on the apple of Taehyung’s cheek.
“Is this what you’ve been doing at work?” Taehyung queries. “And your boss is okay with it?”
The elder shrugs. “As long as I get all my work done, he doesn’t think anything of some side projects.”
The scene transitions again. This time, the avatars are out of the house. The game portrays the two at the grocery store, pushing a cart together down an aisle. Game Taehyung ambles ahead. A series of jars pop up for Taehyung to select from, all unmarked. He picks a green one at random. It gets tossed into the cart. Then, more narrative appears.
Taehyung cannot eat spicy food. And he doesn’t like reading the ingredients at the store.
Seokjin’s avatar picks up the green jar previously discarded in the cart. With an exaggerated stroke of his chin, he thinks for a moment, then a green check mark appears above him.
This kimchi is a-okay! Taehyung laughs, instantly brought back to the time he threw a jar of pickles in their cart only to find out they were hot pickles once they got home. Seokjin had graciously returned them on his behalf.
The shopping scene continues, but now in a clothing store. Taehyung can sometimes get jealous , the screen reads. Another man pops up at Game Seokjin and Game Taehyung’s side.
“ Hey, that shirt would look great on you!” the man says. Taehyung frowns and as if mimicking him, his avatar does the same. The tiny game character shuffles closer to Seokjin and puts a possessive arm around him as he smiles and politely thanks the man.
He likes everyone to know that you are taken.
Another prompt appears. It seems like a few men here have their eye on Seokjin. What would you like to do?
Back off, pal! Sneer at them.
Dangers everywhere! Better keep Seokjin close.
“Okay, I don’t think that,” Taehyung corrects, shooting Seokjin an incredulous look. “I’m not that bad.”
“It’s not a bad thing, jagi ,” the elder assures him. He leans closer and drops his voice. “What if I like it?”
Taehyung blinks at him, the proximity of Seokjin’s handsome, chiseled features too much to process, then selects the latter option. The two cartoon characters walk out of frame, still connected at the hip.
The game progresses through a series of everyday activities. Seokjin packs Taehyung lunch, sits for a portrait, brings home fresh flowers, and puts on a jazz record. Taehyung giggles like a lovesick fool after each gesture. His heart swells with fondness as he continually glances over at his boyfriend, content to watch with a tender smile. Taehyung wonders what miracle leads to a man like this - what is the secret formula to someone so kind, so full of goodness, and so willing to share it with the people he loves?
The ambient background music grows slightly louder, a signal that the game is almost at an end. Game Seokjin and Game Taehyung sit on their little cartoon couch, where Seokjin hands Taehyung a controller. A big chunk of text appears.
Now you have nearly reached the conclusion of Kim Seokjin’s Guide to Loving Kim Taehyung. I hope Kim Taehyung, who should be the sole player of this game, has learned a bit about how lovable he is. There is only one more piece of advice the creator would like to give The secret ingredient to loving Kim Taehyung as much as you possibly can.
The text fades away, refocusing the game on the two characters on the couch. Game Taehyung plays with the switch in his hands, oblivious to Seokjin’s avatar, who reaches into his pocket. The text at the bottom of the screen reads:
Spend your life with him .
And then Game Seokjin withdraws a silver ring.
Taehyung takes a sharp breath. Rapidly blinking at the screen, he re-reads the bubble to assure himself that he’s not hallucinating. His thoughts turn to static. He turns to Seokjin, a question on the tip of his tongue, but that also melts away when he sees the matching silver ring — this one all too real — poised in Seokjin’s hand. Looking at the game is like looking into a mirror.
“I - what?” Taehyung stutters. “Hyung?” He asks, now unsure of his question.
Tears gather in the corner of Seokjin’s eyes, but his voice is unwavering as he says, “I have thought about a million different ways to do this. I imagined a hundred different scenarios with grand gestures in romantic settings. But none of them felt right,” he confesses. Taehyung tentatively reaches out and threads his hand with Seokjin’s free one. “And then one day we were sitting here, just you and me, arguing about our farm in Stardew Valley, and I realized that this ,” he gestures at their sweatpants, their shared apartment, and the video game console, “is when I love you the most. Not on special occasions, but in the everyday moments that should be mundane but, with you, are so precious to me. And I don’t ever want to lose them. I want to spend my life in a million more moments just like this one with you.”
Seokjin extends the ring towards him. Taehyung takes a selfish moment to admire how gorgeous it is — all shiny silver accented small, inset rubies that look like roses on a vine. Wetness on his lips forces him to realize he is crying. He misses the prompt box on his screen reading “ Yes ” or “ No ”. His focus is poured entirely on Seokjin, who looks prettiest when he’s shy and bearing his soul like this.
“I want that, too,” Taehyung whispers, so quietly he fears he may have only imagined it in his head. Seokjin nods, understanding.
“Will you, then? Spend your life with me?” Practically catatonic, Taehyung offers his hand without saying anything else. Seokjin clearly understands. He chuckles at Taehyung’s dumbfounded expression and begins to slip the ring onto Taehyung’s fourth finger. He guides the hand to his mouth, kisses the base of his finger just below the ring, and adds, “Will you marry me?”
Instead of verbally answering, Taehyung grabs Seokjin by the wrist and yanks . The elder falls onto him, but Taehyung catches his waist just as he seals their lips. Seokjin sighs into it dreamily, gripping Taehyung tightly at the hips.
Every ounce of anxiety melts away. Reality clicks into place: he wasn't forgetting anything. His brain was mentally preparing him for this moment, which, upon reflection, was obviously coming. He and Seokjin had been openly discussing marriage for months. Jimin took him out for manicures earlier this week. Seokjin had been oddly quiet about his projects at work. All the signs were there — Taehyung merely failed to interpret them. He was right: there’s nothing wrong.
In fact, things are undeniably right .
Taehyung holds Seokjin close with his iron grip, unwilling to allow even an inch of space between him and his fiancé. Seokjin gives right back — loves him back exactly as he needs, exactly how he knows best. In the background, the abandoned control hovers over, ”Yes .”