Chapter Text
The alarm only sounded one beep for Seokjin to wake up. He jumped out of bed and turned off his alarm, but not in despise. Unlike many, Seokjin loved to wake up and prepare for the day. For Seokjin, life was fun and wonderful. He cannot recall a bad day.
He hummed and swayed as if in a waltz with himself as he moved toward the bathroom. The first thing he did after turning on the lights, was check his reflection. “Good morning, Mr. Worldwide Handsome,” he greeted his reflection with a bright smile. Oh, how he loves to see his beautiful face.
After washing up, Seokjin waltzed to his closet, dressed in a white dress shirt, a navy blue blazer, navy blue slacks, and a navy blue tie.
Seokjin lived in a studio apartment. Though not the most luxurious, it was enough for him. He kept it clean and pristine, taking pride in it when his friends and family came over.
His favorite part of his studio was the terrace. It had a small table and chair and was perfect for his breakfast. After making a hearty breakfast, Seokjin came out to the terrace. As he ate, he admired the view of Seoul. The sun just rose and the clouds were nowhere in sight. Seokjin knew it would be a good day, like always.
Right on schedule, Seokjin finished his breakfast and packed for work. He was an editor for a publishing company. He liked his job because it offered a good salary and a good workplace.
Seokjin did not drive to work immediately, but he went to a cafe and got a large order of all his coworkers’ favorite drinks. He did not do this all the time, but just once, at the start of every week.
Getting coffee for the staff was an intern’s task, but Seokjin did it anyway because he liked how it made him feel—a good person. Everyone likes good people.
Upon arriving at the office, Seokjin balanced the drinks and made his way into the building.
Immediately, he was greeted by his coworkers, and greeted them as well as he went to the elevator. Everyone smiled at him and he smiled at everyone. “Good morning, Seokjin,” a group of ladies greeted bashfully as he passed them.
Though he didn’t recognize them, Seokjin returned the greeting, “Morning, ladies.” He flashed his handsome smile, causing all three to blush in unison. Seokjin was well-known, and popular even. Though he only worked in one department, everyone in the company knew him and everyone liked him.
Just as he reached the elevators, the doors began to close. However, upon seeing it was Seokjin, a coworker kindly interjected the closing doors, letting Seokjin in the already full elevator. “Thank you, Hoseok,” Seokjin thanked his friend as he squeezed in. Hoseok joined the company at the same time as Seokjin so immediately, they became friends.
“Did you get me my-“
“Expresso,” Seokjin interrupted as he grabbed Hoseok’s drink and handed it to him.
“Thanks,” Hoseok said as he took the drink and after a sip, stared at Seokjin who had a content smile. “So how’s your morning going?”
“Great,” Seokjin sighed happily and turned to Hoseok with a grin. “I just know it’s going to be a good day, like always.” To be honest, Seokjin was not always bright and positive. He would not admit it aloud, but he started to act more lively and happy upon meeting Hoseok.
Hoseok’s constant happy and loud energy attracted many people in a good way. Seokjin is the more popular one now. Back then, it used to be Hoseok. Everyone wanted to be around him and was constantly talking to him.
“Yeah,” Hoseok agreed. “I bet something exciting is going to happen today. Maybe we’ll meet a celebrity writer today.”
“Maybe…” Seokjin and Hoseok both turned to look at each other. “Kim Namjoon!” They squealed. He was a popular writer. Seokjin and Hoseok have read all of his published books. Hoseok especially was a big fan. Whatever it is that is going to happen today, it will be good.
The elevator dinged before the doors opened. Seokjin was the first to step out and handed everyone their coffees routinely. “Vanilla for Juyeon…Morning Eumji, here’s your macchiato…Hi Renjun…a mocha, right?”
As he weaved through the cubicles, Seokjin felt light on his feet. The firm smile on his lips softened to that of a real one as he received smiles from everyone else.
A chorus of “Thank you, Seokjin” could be heard as Seokjin made his way around the office. He had made a full circle when he finally finished giving out drinks.
“Seokjin, you’re the best!” someone shouted, making Seokjin’s smile permanent. It was always like this. This was why he did not mind buying coffee for everyone once a week, even though it hurt his wallet. How could he?
Just doing this gesture made everyone like him even more and who would not want to be liked? Seokjin glanced around the office at all his coworkers. He felt pride, knowing that he knew all of their names and they all knew his name. They all liked him.
Finally, Seokjin could drink his coffee. As he brought the coffee to his lips, Intern Hyunwook, rolling a cart of books, stumbled, falling to his face and causing the cart to come barreling toward Seokjin.
Seokjin quickly stepped back to avoid the cart just as the elevator dinged. He too, stumbled and almost fell but caught himself. However, the coffee in his hand had another fate. His arm had raised to balance himself, flinging the coffee backward and right onto the opening elevator doors.
Seokjin watched with enlarged eyes as the coffee did not hit the elevator doors. His jaw fell open as the newcomer’s face was engulfed in coffee.
“I am so sorry,” Seokjin apologized as he rushed toward the coffee’s victim. The newcomer’s eyes were closed and his face scrunched in disgust at the coffee that dripped down his face.
“Can someone bring me napkins?!” Seokjin asked, trying to hide the panic. The whole department was watching now. Seokjin was flustered, not because of the attention but because he had never been clumsy like this before and to this stranger too. The stranger brought a hand up to wipe his face, and his eyes opened.
Seokjin and the whole department stared. Damn. Seokjin thought, eyes wide. He was handsome, like incredibly gorgeous. Seokjin had always felt confident that he was the most attractive person in the company. Everyone believed and said it too. But for the first time, Seokjin felt a true threat to his reputation.
Unlike Seokjin, the man before them didn’t bore a pretty paleness to his face. Instead, his skin tone was almost sun-kissed, as if he spent the summers in the Caribbean. His face was not speck-free like Seokjin’s. Tiny moles littered his face. Not a lot, but enough to make him look unique. Lastly, his lips were not plump and full like Seokjin’s. They were almost heart-shaped and by themselves didn’t look that pretty. But it was different; the man looked just as beautiful as Seokjin, maybe even more.
The man’s expression settled into indifference as he scanned the room until his eyes landed on Seokjin who was off to the side. His eyes hardened as he spotted the empty coffee cup in Seokjin’s hand. Seokjin, who was so confident and proud, so loud and playful with everyone, wavered under this man’s gaze. “S-sorry,” he stuttered quietly. Then hearing himself, he repeated, “I am so sorry.” The man just stared at him.
Seokjin was so grateful at the arrival of the napkins which he grabbed and handed to the man. The man took them, and only then, did he look away from Seokjin. As he wiped his face, their managing editor, Sangyeon, stepped forward.
“My apologies,” Sangyeon apologized. “For the coffee and my lack of knowledge that you were coming in today. I thought your first day was tomorrow-“
“It is, but I had nothing else to do so I figured I could just come in a day early,” the man interrupted with a deeper voice than Seokjin’s.
There was much confusion now and sensing this, Sangyeon cleared his throat and announced, “This is our new publisher, Kim Taehyung.”
Taehyung took another glance at Seokjin who wanted to crawl away. But Seokjin forced his feet to stay standing. Everyone was watching. The corner of his lips lifted upwards. “Again, I apologize for the coffee. I promise you can throw coffee at me next time,” he joked, earning chuckles from his coworkers.
Taehyung was not amused. Seokjin ignored this and held out his hand. “I’m Seokjin. I look forward to working with you.” Taehyung’s uninterested eyes turned hard and he glared at Seokjin. Without saying anything, he turned away from Seokjin and walked away. This left Seokjin dumbfounded and he could not help but hide it as a confused expression shown on his face. His coworkers murmured in confusion too, but Sangyeon quickly ushered them back to work.
Throughout the rest of the day, Taehyung did not bother to talk to anyone but Sangyeon. It was worse that Taehyung’s cubicle was situated directly on the other side of Seokjin’s cubicle.
During their lunch break, Seokjin’s coworkers assured him that Taehyung just had a nasty attitude and that Seokjin was not at fault. But Seokjin could not forget Taehyung’s glare. Seokjin could not leave this be.
~~~~
The next day Seokjin woke up determined. People love him. Why would it be any different with Taehyung? With this in mind, he threw his covers off of him and prepared for work. He would make Taehyung like him, just like everyone else.
Yes, Taehyung is as handsome as him. But that doesn’t mean Taehyung is going to steal his reputation. Seokjin chuckled at his realization that he did not even know Taehyung yet. He should not be so quick to judge his character if he has not even had a proper conversation with him. But Seokjin would guess they could be best buddies—from one handsome man to another.
Though Seokjin was not going to buy coffee again, he decided to go early to get more time to talk and get to know Taehyung. There were barely any cars in the parking lot when Seokjin arrived. He parked his car but hesitated to step out.
It’s going to be okay. He’s going to like me. He has to like me. I’m likable so why would he not? Seokjin pulled the mirror down and looked at his reflection, where he found his brows scrunched up in worry. He took a breath and then released it, letting his face relax. Then he smiled at his reflection.
Feeling less nervous, Seokjin exited his car and headed for the building. He kept his smile the whole time as he went up to his floor. He may not even be here yet. Seokjin sighed as he waited for the elevator to go up. Since he was alone, he let his smile fall and leaned back against the elevator wall. He has to like me.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened and Seokjin stepped out with a smile. The floor was almost empty. Seokjin straightened as his eyes landed on Taehyung. So he was here after all. Seokjin kept his smile as he went over to his desk. He set his things down and threw a glance at Taehyung who was across from him.
“Good morning, Taehyung,” Seokjin said perky. Taehyung didn’t move, only glancing at Seokjin from under his lashes. Again, their eyes met and again Seokjin felt himself waver. Taehyung’s eyes were cold and hard. It seemed that at any moment he was going to snap at Seokjin. Looking away, Seokjin tried again. “How was your morning?”
Seokjin busied himself by powering on his computer so that he would not have to look at Taehyung. Upon silence only answering him, Seokjin could not help but let his eyes wander back to Taehyung typing away on his keyboard. A wave of embarrassment washed over Seokjin. Taehyung was purposely ignoring him. He heard him earlier and was now not going to reply.
Heat rushed up Seokjin’s neck and he scrambled to say anything, just so that Taehyung would say something. “Do you want coffee? I’m ordering some-“
“I don’t drink coffee,” Taehyung finally spoke.
“Oh,” Seokjin blinked. Quickly recovering, he joked, “An office worker who does not drink coffee. How can I trust you?”
Taehyung glanced at him again, but this time with a raised brow, unamused. Seokjin sunk into his seat, head lowered in defeat. This was going to be a lot harder than he imagined.
For the rest of the week, Seokjin avoided Taehyung. Though he apologized multiple times for the elevator-coffee incident, Taehyung never said anything back, which made him antsy. People always forgave him.
Seokjin had always tried to buddy up with everyone in the office, even Intern Hyunwook, though he just got here a month ago and is a bit of a klutz. Everyone always reciprocated his friendliness, even the cold ones, like Yoongi. But Taehyung was intimidating.
Taehyung did not speak to anyone unless spoken to. During lunch breaks, he did not eat with anyone. Though he joined them in the canteen, he sat alone and, when approached by others, still did not say much.
This was a relief for Seokjin at first. It meant that he would still keep his reputation as the nicest, most good-looking guy in their company. Yet, life was not that easy. Taehyung became even more popular and sought-after as the cold, mysterious, and handsome coworker. Guys wanted to become his friends and girls wanted to become something more.
Seokjin did not know what to do. At this rate, it would not be long until people stopped talking to him in the halls and his reputation, was gone.
It was another lunch break and Seokjin was eating at a full table. Their table was loud and full of laughter. It made Seokjin forget about his concerns regarding Taehyung. That was until one of his coworkers asked, “Between Seokjin and Taehyung, who would you guys pick as our company’s visual?”
Seokjin felt his breath hitch. “Are we really going to do this in front of Seokjin, himself?” Hoseok criticized.
“We don’t mean it as any offense,” Eumji commented. “Have hope in Seokjin, Hoseok. I for one, choose Seokjin over Taehyung.”
Seokjin smiled at Eumji, “Thanks.” He already feels better. “But I think Taehyung is more handsome. He’s got a charm to him that I don’t,” Seokjin lied, trying to seem humble.
“I agree,” a coworker agreed, contrary to what Seokjin truly wanted. “Seokjin has the looks for an actor. But Taehyung…he can be both an actor and idol.” Seokjin felt a slap to his face at the comment. He can be both an actor and an idol too. How is Taehyung any better than him? Despite his running, rampant thoughts, Seokjin continued to smile and eat his food quietly.
Another coworker chimed in. “I suppose you’re right. While I definitely like Seokjin’s personality more. Taehyung has an interesting look, so if we were to choose only one visual to represent our company, I would choose Taehyung. Sorry, Seokjin.”
Seokjin faked a laugh. “It’s okay. I agree with you.” He felt dread pool in his stomach and it became tough to keep eating. While they continued to eat, Seokjin’s eyes floated to the table in the corner of the canteen. The only occupant of the table was Taehyung. Seokjin sighed as he stared.
~~~~
A week passed since Taehyung had arrived. Other than the long glances Seokjin would sneak at Taehyung, Seokjin had successfully avoided all contact with Taehyung until now.
Seokjin’s eye twitched as he reread the email. The company wanted to finish a new book series this year even though there were four volumes in the series in total. Seokjin was not mad at that since he had pulled it off multiple times.
When doing such projects, the company would assign groups of four to five to work on them. His twitching eye was due to the name of one of his team members, Kim Taehyung.
Seokjin sighed and slouched in his chair. Now it would be impossible to avoid Taehyung. But wait—Seokjin sat up. He could ask to be reassigned. Then he would not have to face Taehyung and even better, others would not compare their work ethics.
As if his prayers were answered, Sangyeon got up from his desk and wandered into the break room. Bingo. Seokjin shot up from his desk and followed him into the break room. Just as Sangyeon reached for the coffee pot, Seokjin popped up beside him. He grabbed the coffee pot before Sangyeon could and, pouring it into Sangyeon’s cup, started, “Hey, Sangyeon. How has your day been?”
“So-so,” Sangyeon frowned. “I’ve got a stack of articles that I need to revise before the end of today.”
Perfect. Seokjin thought. “Oh, well you know what? I’m almost done with my work for today. I could take some of your articles.”
“Really?” Sangyeon smiled. “That would be great. You’re a lifesaver, Seokjin.”
Seokjin smiled and shook his head. “It’s no big deal.” Now was his chance. While Sangyeon is in the good mood that he created, he could ask to be reassigned to a different project. “So anyways, I was wondering if I could be assigned-“
“Sangyeon,” a deep, velvety voice barged in. Seokjin and Sangyeon turned toward the voice to find its owner, Taehyung. Seokjjn’s mind went blank and his mouth shut as he stared at Taehyung. When did he get in here? Seokjin thought in a panic.
Taehyung wore a dark gray suit. Like always, his hair was gelled to show his whole forehead. Seokjin sometimes gelled his hair, but only enough to part his bangs a little since he liked having his bangs. It made him look cuter and younger. If Seokjin had not known better, he would have thought Taehyung was some big shot, like a CEO.
“Yes, Taehyung,” Sangyeon said as he adverted his attention to him, instead of Seokjin. Seokjin ignored the slight disappointment at that.
“I turned in the final version of the paper you handed me this morning,” Taehyung told him. Show off. Seokjin thought and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Should I start the project I’m assigned today even though we haven’t met yet?”
“Oh, of course.“ Sangyeon turned his head to Seokjin, who smiled. “Seokjin’s in your team, right?”
Seokjin nodded slowly and parted his lips to speak again. “About that…”
“It’s my pleasure to work with you, Seokjin,” Taehyung said loud and clear. Seokjin’s eyes flitted over to Taehyung who smiled, and if Seokjin were a fool like everyone else, he would have believed that smile to be true. Yet having faked many smiles, Seokjin could see right through Taehyung’s fake smile.
Sangyeon could not and smiling, said, “You guys will work well together. Seokjin make sure to help guide Taehyung, okay? He may not be familiar with some of the software.”
Seokjin smiled at Sangyeon. “Don’t worry. I will~” he chirped. Sangyeon exited the break room, leaving Seokjin alone with Taehyung.
This is just great. Seokjin thought sarcastically. Now he would have to talk to Taehyung every day and work with him. This is exactly what he did not want. If only Taehyung had not walked into the break room while he was talking to Sangyeon. “Did I ruin your plan?”
Seokjin glanced at Taehyung, not sure if he heard correctly. “Huh?”
“You don’t want to work with me, do you?” Taehyung interrogated. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he stared at Seokjin.
Seokjin blinked in surprise. How was Taehyung able to read him so well? “O-of course not,” Seokjin stuttered and immediately cursed himself for doing that. “I look forward to working with you,” Seokjin lied and naturally, a smile painted his face. Taehyung’s eyes stayed on his face for a moment, longer than usual and Seokjin tried his very best to keep his artificial smile on. A look of disgust contorted Taehyung’s face and he stormed out of the break room, leaving Seokjin confused and even angrier than before.
~~~~
“You know what we need right now,” Hoseok started.
“What?” Yoongi replied, with his eyes closed.
“A company dinner and karaoke!” Hoseok exclaimed excitedly.
“Who’s going to convince Sangyeon?” Yoongi asked. At that, everyone frowned and their hope was gone.
“I know,” Eumji begun. “Seokjin can!”
In unison, both Eumji and Hoseok ran to Seokjin’s desk. “Please~” they both plead together.
“Uh…” Honestly, Seokjin was not feeling like karaoke. He also did not want to ask Sangyeon for something anytime soon, considering how his plan to be reassigned did not work out. He was still stuck in the same team as Taehyung and still had Sangyeon’s work to finish. He was also working a lot slower than usual as Taehyung’s disgusted face kept appearing in his mind.
But if everyone wanted to do karaoke and Seokjin successfully convinced Sangyeon, then it would be nice, right? People would like him even more for getting them a break from work. “Sure, I’ll try to convince Sangyeon,” Seokjin replied with an upturned lips.
“Yay!” Hoseok and Eumji cheered.
Seokjin got up from his cubicle to ask Sangyeon. As he did so, he saw Taehyung staring at him from the other side of the cubicle. His lips were pressed in a thin line and he scoffed at Seokjin before going back to looking at his computer screen.
Seokjin felt heat occupy his neck. He tried to ignore it as he walked to Sangyeon’s office. However, it was clear to him now that Taehyung disliked him. Seokjin did not know why. It was not like he said anything mean to Taehyung. The only bad thing he did was accidentally spill coffee on him. Could Taehyung really hate Seokjin just because of an accident?
Seokjin did not feel good even at the restaurant. He had convinced Sangyeon to take them out for dinner and Sangyeon had agreed to make it his treat. Seokjin was always ecstatic when free food was involved, but he was not this time.
To his disappointment, Taehyung had tagged along. He sat at the end of the table and did not partake in their conversation. Yet, his presence made Seokjin hesitant to do or say anything. He did not want to meet the wrath of Taehyung’s eyes again. So he too stayed quiet like Taehyung and tried to focus only on the food, which did not taste good even though Seokjin loved this restaurant.
“You’ve been kind of quiet,” Hoseok noted next to him.
“I have?” Seokjin looked up at Hoseok. With a reassuring smile, he said, “I guess I’m just really hungry.”
Hoseok laughed and returned to talking. At the end of the table, diagonal from Seokjin, Taehyung looked at him. Seokjin stared back. Frankly, he was getting pissed. At first, he was confused and sad that Taehyung did not like him and kept shooting him glares. By now though, he had enough. Yes, he spilled coffee on him and tried to change the team so that he would not have to work with him, but he did nothing wrong.
Frustrated, Seokjin poured himself a shot of soju and downed it. He has been nothing but friendly toward Taehyung. Yet, Taehyung can only glare at him. He poured himself another shot of soju.
When it was time to karaoke, Seokjin was not in the right state of mind to sing. He excused himself. He got to his car and as he opened the door, he heard a voice. “You shouldn’t drink and drive.”
Seokjin rolled his eyes and turned to face Taehyung. “I’m not drunk,” he smiled softly and crinkled his eyes, feigning his friendliness. Taehyung’s poker face did not change as he walked closer to Seokjin. He stopped in front of Seokjin and leaned forward. Seokjin’s eyes widened at the popped bubble of personal space. He leaned back, but his back touched his car, leaving him trapped.
Taehyung took a step back, his hands in his long blazer coat pockets. “You reek of soju.”
“I-I do not….” Seokjin denied it, secretly taking sniffs of himself. He did drink at least one bottle. Maybe more, probably more.
“If you want to show up to work tomorrow, you should take the bus home so that you don’t get arrested,” Taehyung advised. Seokjin opened his mouth to protest, but Taehyung was already walking away. “Or drive home and get arrested. Your choice.”
Seokjin felt heat occupy his neck. Most of all, he felt his lips quivering. No one has ever spoken to him like this before. He has had enough of Taehyung’s attitude. “Hey, Taehyung,” he called out, hesitantly. If it were not for the alcohol, he would not have had the guts to call Taehyung out.
Taehyung turned his head to look back at Seokjin. “What?”
“Do you not like me?” Seokjin’s eyes flickered to the ground. Everyone had to like him.
“Do you want me to like you?” Taehyung asked, blatantly.
Seokjin lifted his head and quickly defended himself. “N-no, that’s not what I-“ His eyes trailed down to look at the road again.
“Then why does it matter to you?” Taehyung interrupted him. Seokjin could not reply because it was true that he wanted Taehyung to like him. He wanted everyone to like him. “Since you asked, I don’t like you,” Taehyung added.
Seokjin’s head jerked up, his eyes enlarged. “Wow,” Taehyung breathed out. “You really do want everyone to like you.” Seokjin felt his eyes water. “Well, I’ve got news for you. Not everyone likes you so you can stop being fake. It’s annoying.” On that harsh note, Taehyung turned and walked away as if he had not just said something hurtful.
Seokjin’s vision became distorted. He did not do anything wrong to Taehyung. So what if he does want everyone to like him? There is nothing wrong with that. He does not deserve this kind of treatment. “Hey, you! You!” Seokjin called after Taehyung, who kept walking. On the side of the street was an empty soju bottle. Without thinking, Seokjin picked up the bottle and threw it at Taehyung.
He expected it to hit the ground and because of the noise, Taehyung would turn around. However, Taehyung turned around before the bottle hit the ground and instead of hitting the ground, the bottle went for the back of Taehyung’s head.
Seokjin’s jaw fell open as the bottle smashed into Taehyung’s head, causing Taehyung to go limp and fall onto the road. Quickly, Seokjin rushed to his side. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?!”
Taehyung groaned as Seokjin approached him. “A-are you hurt?” Seokjin asked, even though it was obvious from Taehyung’s scrunched face that he was uncomfortable. “Here, let me check.” Seokjin reached for the back of his head.
“Stop it,” Taehyung told him firmly, swatting his hand away. Seokjin obeyed and watched as Taehyung’s hand reached behind his head. When his hand came out from under his head, it was covered in blood.
Seokjin gasped. He messed up this time. If only he had not been drinking. He should have watched his temper. “I-I have some napkins,” he said as he searched his pocket. “Here.” He reached for the back of Taehyung’s head, but Taehyung grabbed his wrist.
“I told you to stop it…” Taehyung slurred before his eyes shut and his arm went limp.
Seokjin gasped again. He didn’t kill him, did he? “Taehyung? Taehyung?” Seokjin shook Taehyung, who was unmoving. Panicked, Seokjin quickly pressed his fingers against Taehyung’s neck to find a pulse. Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.
A relieved sigh escaped Seokjin’s lips as he found a pulse.
Any sane person would have brought Taehyung to the hospital, but Seokjin did not. This may sound horrible, but he did not want to be blamed in any way for Taehyung’s accident. It was an accident. Seokjin did not intend to hurt Taehyung. So he brought Taehyung to his apartment where he had dressed the wound instead.
While Taehyung lay unconscious in Seokjin’s twin bed, Seokjin sat on the ground by his coffee table. He could not stop repeating what Taehyung had said to him. I’m not fake. What’s wrong if I want to be well-liked? Seokjin opened the soju bottle on his coffee table and poured himself a shot.
Yet, deep inside, he understood where Taehyung was coming from. Seokjin does act differently at work. He has been Mr. Perfect Nice Guy for so long that he just assumed it was his new self. Now look at him. He threw a soju bottle at a coworker who passed out and instead of taking him to the hospital, Seokjin just took him home in fear of ruining his image.
Maybe Taehyung was right after all. Seokjin drank the shot of soju and then another one. Then another and another until he forgot everything.
~~~~
Seokjin woke up to a deep voice. “Hey, you. Wake up. Wake up.” Eyes barely opening, Seokjin lifted his head off of the coffee table. The curtains were opened and sunlight streamed into the apartment. Seokjin rubbed his eyes and when he pulled his hand away, it finally became clear to him who the owner of the voice was.
“Taehyung!” All traces of sleep vanished from Seokjin at the image of Taehyung who still had a bandage wrapped around his head. Seokjin had hoped that that was all just a terrible nightmare, but it turned out to have happened after all. A part of him was relieved though. He did not want to be charged with manslaughter and now that Taehyung is for sure alive, that will not be happening.
“Surprised to see me alive?” Taehyung asked, hostile.
“Y-yeah…I mean—I’m glad you’re okay,” Seokjin explained, flustered.
“Well, call your lawyer because you’re looking at first-degree assault,” Taehyung told him, standing up.
“What?!” Seokjin looked up at him. “You’re joking.”
“Am not,” Taehyung said, with a cold stare. “You threw the bottle at me to harm me because of what I said to you.”
“W-w-well anyone in my place would have done the same thing with your words,” Seokjin defended himself.
“Oh, so you admit that you did intend to harm,” Taehyung replied. He pulled out his phone.
“W-wait, I’m sorry,” Seokjin apologized, not wanting Taehyung to call any lawyers or police. “I shouldn’t have thrown the bottle at you regardless of what you said,” Seokjin added. It was clear that there was no way Taehyung was going to like Seokjin now. So he did not care when he let his words slip, “Even if you deserved it a little.”
“You-“
“But, please don’t press charges,” Seokjin pleaded. He does not even have a lawyer and quite frankly, cannot afford one. Besides, if word gets out about this, his reputation will be ruined. Even worse, he could lose his job. “I’ll make it up to you,” he proposed, weakly. He looked up at Taehyung and with sincerity, continued, “I’ll do anything you want. Just please don’t tell anyone.”
Taehyung stared at him for a good five seconds. He looked away. “Anything?”
Seokjin felt hopeful that Taehyung was considering his proposal. “Yes, anything.”
My, was he wrong to think that this was better than jail time.