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Kim Taehyung  was a Korean born actor who was used to the world knowing his name.

He had won several awards, worked with the best directors, and been the subject of more magazine covers than he could count.
His mere shadow made fans go crazy.

But now in Paris, he wasn’t Kim Taehyung, the superstar.
He was just himself, a man on vacation, seeking a break from suffocating  fame. 

The club he’d stumbled into was loud. Here, no one was whispering his name or pointing their phones at him. He could just exist.

As he walked while tipsy he mistakenly collided into someone.

“Aigo..Joesonghamnida.
Oh shit ...sorry,” the man apologized looking up at Taehyung with wide eyes.

"Gwaenchanayo." (It’s okay)
Taehyung replied as he noticed the guy.
He was younger, dressed casually in a black shirt that clung to his body. His dark hair was damp with sweat, and there was a kind of raw energy to him, like he wasn’t used to standing still.

“Wait you're  korean?” Taehyung blurted out, surprised to hear his native language.

"Ne. I didn’t expect to run into another Korean here.” The guy grinned.

“Same. It’s kinda weird hearing our language in a place like this. But since we’ve already bumped into each other, might as well drink together,” Taehyung suggested.

The guy laughed, “Sounds good to me.”

****

They slipped into easy conversation, in the comfort of speaking Korean in a foreign country. 

Jungkook, as he introduced himself,  didn’t fawn over Taehyung  mostly because, he had no idea who Taehyung was.

They laughed over spilled drinks, stole fries from each other’s plates, and shouted over the music about the weirdest things.

They also danced.
Not like how celebrities did, careful and curated for cameras, but how normal people did when they just wanted to have fun.

Jungkook was a surprisingly good dancer, moving with Taehyung in sync.
When they finally collapsed at the bar, breathless and exhausted, Taehyung ordered them another round of drinks.

“Man, I haven’t danced like that in ages.”
Jungkoook said  while stretching.

“Me neither.
So, Jungkook, what brings you to Paris?”

Jungkook took a sip of his drink before answering.
“I’m a student . Came here for a short trip.
I was actually supposed to come
with my boyfriend, but he got caught up with unexpected work, so… here I am.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow.
“Boyfriend, huh? You’re just casually dropping that in so that I don't hit on you ,right? ”

“What, should I have built up to it? Given you a dramatic backstory?”

“Maybe. I like a little suspense.”

 “What about you? What do you do?”

Taehyung smirked slyly.
“Me? Oh I act ....in movies.”

“Like an indie actor or something?”

Taehyung almost choked on his drink.
“Not... Not ...no.
Normal movies and k-dramas a little bit of both.
My name's Kim Taehyung btw, I didn't introduce myself.”

The name rolled around in Jungkook's mind. His eyes widened just a little.
“Wait. Kim Taehyung? Like… the superstar?”

Taehyung chuckled. “Yeah, you could say that.”

 “Ah, I should’ve known. The name sounded familiar. But I don’t really watch movies or dramas.”

 “Woah for real?”

“Yeah, I was always busy studying.
If it wasn’t a K-pop performance, I don’t really pay attention.”

“So, if I were an idol, you’d know me?”

“Maybe...depending on if you can sing.”

The realization that Jungkook hadn’t recognized him at all was strangely liberating. He wasn’t with him because he was a star. To Jungkook he was just a  guy he’d bumped into in a club,  who shared a language and a night of fun.

And so, they continued dancing, drinking, talking , completely detached from the world outside this night.

When dawn neared, and they stepped out into the crisp Paris air, they both knew they wouldn’t see each other again.

Jungkook stretched, yawning. “This was fun.”

Taehyung agreed. “It was.”

Jungkook grinned. “Maybe I’ll watch one of your movies someday.”

“Itd okay ...don’t bother. I think like this better.”

With one last look, they parted ways, walking in opposite directions down a Parisian street  humming with life.

***

Jungkook sighed as he settled into his window seat on the plane, plugging in his earphones. His Paris trip had been  lonely at first, but meeting Taehyung had made it… fun.

A part of him wondered if he should’ve asked for Taehyung’s number. Not because he was a star, but because he was  the guy who made him laugh over  drinks and dance like no one was watching.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. Some things were better left untouched,  in memory.
But fate had different plans.

Jungkook shut his eyes drifting off to sleep. With his phone on airplane mode, he had no idea that while he was peacefully dozing off, the world outside was exploding with rumors.

***

Jungkook hummed  as he dragged his suitcase into his shared apartment with Yoongi, his boyfriend. He was exhausted from the flight but excited to see his boyfriend.

“Hyung, I’m home!”

No response.

Jungkook walked further inside, expecting to find Yoongi in his studio or still in bed.

But instead, he found him in the living room, looking annoyed.

Jungkook’s excitement died a little.
“Hyung?”

Yoongi didn’t answer. He just  grabbed his phone from the table and tossed it at Jungkook. His voice was dangerously calm.
“Jungkook explain this.” 

“Explain what?”
Jungkook barely caught the phone, confusion evident on his face.

Then he looked down at the screen.
It was a picture from the club .Of him and Taehyung dancing now all over the internet.

KIM TAEHYUNG SPOTTED WITH A MYSTERIOUS MAN IN PARIS!

The pictures were grainy yet unmistakable. Him and Taehyung at the bar, laughing over drinks.

Them dancing, bodies close in the dim club lighting.

Even a shot of them outside the club, standing close enough to look intimate.

His heart pounded as he scrolled through the comments of  Taehyung dating a commoner? Netizens react!

“What the fuck…”

Yoongi’s eyes didn't leave him.
“Yeah. What the fuck, Jungkook?
You could’ve at least warned me before embarrassing me like this," yoongi said coldly, throwing the phone onto the table.

“Hyung, this...this is ....It’s not what it looks like.”

 “Then what is it?”

“I--I met him by accident. I didn’t even know who he was at first! We just--talked, danced, had some drinks. That’s it. I swear, I didn't’--”

“Didn’t what? Didn’t think that spending a night in a club with one of the most famous men in Korea would blow up like this?”

"This is so fucking stupid,” he muttered.

 “ Well, stupid or not, it’s already everywhere.
And now the whole world thinks you're dating him.Maybe that’s what you wanted."

Jungkooks eyes swelled with tears.

"I want to believe you, Jungkook.”
But this isn’t some dumb little gossip about a workplace fling. 

You don’t understand how big this is.
It’s a scandal now. You’re suddenly the guy who’s linked to one of the biggest celebrities in Korea.

Do you know what that means?”

 “It means nothing, because it’s not true.”

 “Do you think the internet cares about the truth?”

 Yoongi’s expression was  controlled, but Jungkook could see the doubt  in his eyes, the tension in his shoulders.
He was trying to be understanding, but this whole situation was not okay with him.

And Jungkook didn’t blame him.

Jungkook looked back down at the screen, his own face staring back at him from the articles. He wasn’t just Jungkook anymore. He was now Kim Taehyung’s mystery lover. 

The damage was already done.

****

At first, he thought the news would fade quickly.
Wherever he went, people stared and whispered. 

At his university, people who had never spoken to him before suddenly had something to say.
“Hey, mystery lover are you gonna drop out and become a celebrity now?” 

The online hate was even worse.
Some were just curious fans, but most were filled with accusations.

"Stay away from my husband." Said teenage girls.
"You think you're special? You're just a nobody." "

But the worst part was Yoongi.
Yoongi tried to ignore the situation. But as the days passed, He barely spoke.
Until one evening, he finally said “I can’t do this.”

Jungkook felt his body go cold, “Do what?”

 “Us.”

 “Hyung...”

 “No Jungkook..I tried to ignore it.
But everywhere I go, people talk about it.
Every time I look at my phone, I see your face next to his.
I know it’s not your fault, but… I can’t pretend it’s not affecting me.”

 “Hyung please trust me."

 “It’s not about trust Jungkook. You’re linked to him now. It doesn’t matter what actually happened. This is your reality.”

Jungkook shook his head, anger and frustration  “So you’re breaking up with me because of a rumor?”

 “Not the rumour specifically, but because of everything that comes with it.”

Jungkook wanted to argue, but deep down, he knew. 
He didn’t say anything as Yoongi packed a small bag and walked out the door ,taking two years of love with him.

***

Meanwhile,  in Seoul, Kim Taehyung’s PR team was handling things as usual.

For them, this was routine.

A junior PR manager  glanced at her tablet. “So, what’s the plan for this one?”

Her supervisor barely looked up.
“Standard protocol.
Deny it and dismiss it as a baseless rumor. Keep Taehyung’s image clean, make sure the public loses interest quickly.”

 “Should we acknowledge the guy? Jungkook?”

“No need, he’s not a public figure. Bringing attention to him will only make things worse. Let the internet fight amongst themselves. The news cycle will move on in a few days.”

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM KIM TAEHYUNG’S AGENCY:
"The rumors regarding Kim Taehyung’s personal life are completely unfounded. The individual in question is not someone he has any personal involvement with. We ask the public to refrain from spreading baseless speculation. Thank you."

The PR supervisor read it and approved ,“Release it.”

Kim Taehyung himself, still in Paris, was blissfully unaware of the chaos  back home.

For him, rumors were just another part of life.
For Jungkook, they had ruined his.

***

Two weeks after the scandal broke,  A new controversy took over, another celebrity got caught in a bigger mess, and just like that, Jungkook’s name stopped appearing in headlines.

But Jungkook lost his relationship, his peace of mind, his sense of anonymity.
And even though everything around him was returning to normal, he wasn’t the same anymore.

Bitterness curled inside him like a wound that wouldn’t heal.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. 
Yet, he was the one who had to deal with the consequences, while Taehyung had continued living his life like nothing happened.

Jungkook  was just a nobody in Taehyung’s story.
But in Jungkook’s story?
Taehyung was the man who ruined his life without even realizing it.

 He should at least know what happened to me because of him.

But reaching Taehyung was nearly impossible.

Jungkook was just an ordinary student, while Taehyung was surrounded by a fortress of managers, assistants, bodyguards, and a sea of fans who had been trying to reach him since forever.
Jungkook is just another name in an ocean of people trying to reach him.

Still, he tried.

He called Taehyung’s agency once.
A receptionist coldly told him, “We don’t forward personal messages to Mr. Kim. Have a good day.” before hanging up.

Once he physically went to Taehyung’s official residence.

But the moment he arrived outside the luxurious building, he realized how foolish he was.

The place was crawling with security, and more than that--fans standing around hoping to catch a glimpse of Taehyung.
Others holding signs and gifts, waiting endlessly.

Jungkook tried to push forward, but the second he got too close, a security guard stepped in.

“Step back,” the man said firmly.

“I just—I need to talk to him,” 

“So does everyone else here.”

 “No, you don’t understand, I—”

“Step. Back.”

A few fans nearby turned to look at him curiously. Someone even whispered, “Wait, isn’t that the guy from the rumors?”

It was a bad idea coming here.
Jungkook turned back and left from there abruptly.

****

Jungkook tried to move on and threw himself into his studies.
He avoided social media as much as possible, and ignored whispers that continued to follow him.

And Taehyung?
He keeps filming, keeps smiling on magazine covers, keeps living completely unaware that somewhere out there, a boy he met for just one night is still dealing with the consequences of their fleeting moment.

Taehyung's face was everywhere.
Though Jungkook had never seemed to notice earlier, now all of a sudden wherever he went , he saw Taehyung's face.

Like string theory?

Taehyung's name trended online for every new movie, every award, every public appearance.
And it haunted Jungkook's life.

****

For next few months he had no control over his life. He thought he'd never recover.
But nothing in life is permanent.

As new news and rumours emerged, Jungkook's faded away.
He slowly  started adjusting to his new life and not just that. He turned to music now.

At first it was an escape from his problems .
An outlet for his broken heart and lost will to live.
He started writing his lyrics from frustration, loneliness, the bitterness from the past.
He even uploaded some content on YouTube thinking it would be lost in a million other videos.
But some recognised him from the news and it did blow up somewhere along the way.

And surprisingly, people listened.

Comments poured in from strangers saying they related to his music, that his voice was sweet and soothing.That his vocals were absolute gold.

First, it was just a few listeners.
Then it turned to thousands and then millions.

His voice which was once just a time pass during his shower in his quiet apartment, was now blasting through speakers worldwide.

Over the next two to three years, the popularity  grew even more.

Soon, he was signing a deal. Recording in studios. Performing in front of thousands.

His face appeared on magazine covers, his name on award nominations, his concerts selling out within minutes.
It was nothing less than a dream.

Some nights, he'd stare at himself on the screens, and wonder,
How the hell did I get here?

The world had once mocked at him, roping him in unnecessary scandal.
Now, they couldn't ignore him.

 Jeon Jungkook is no longer just 'that guy from the rumors.'

Jungkook had spent the last 4 years climbing to the top.

And now, standing in this exclusive, star-studded party, he should have felt like he had finally made it.

But instead, he felt the ground shift beneath him.

Because Kim Taehyung was here too.

****

Jungkook had noticed him the second he arrived.

And then, just as Jungkook was contemplating whether or not to approach him, Taehyung made the first move.

Taehyung greeted with a charming smile, coming up to Jungkook.
"Hey, I don't think we've met before."
He extended a hand.
"I'm Kim Taehyung. I'm an actor."

Jungkook looked at the outstretched hand, then at Taehyung's face.

"Too bad I don't really watch movies.
But yeah, I've heard your name a lot."

"Haha, I don't always get that but that's refreshing.
Actually when I saw you on TV you looked... strangely familiar you know.

It's like I've seen you somewhere before, but I can't place where..."
He studied Jungkook for a while.

Jungkook took a sip of his drink,  before saying casually.
"I think I know."

"Pardon?"

"Some guy you met in a club in Paris?"

Taehyung eyes went in a way he was trying to recollect then his eyes widened, in shock ,
"Oh, shit. Jeon Jungkook-that was you?"

Jungkook  nodded.

"I can't believe this. This is insane. What are the chances?"
Taehyung laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Fate has a weird sense of humor."

"You were just a student back then, weren't you? Studying abroad? You said you had a boyfriend who didn't come with you to Paris?
See I remember that."
Taehyung looked genuinely excited.

"Yeah. But a lot has changed since then."
Jungkook's smile faded slightly at the mention of Yoongi.

Taehyung picked up on the shift .
"What happened?"

Jungkook glanced around the party, and he told him everything from the moment they parted ways in Paris, to the paparazzi photo and the scandal that wrecked his life.

His breakup , isolation, months of world  laughing at him and how he then clawed his way back up with his music.

And how the same world that mocked him was now singing his songs.
By the time he finished, Taehyung was silent but with a pang of guilt.

"You know, for a long time I resented you." Jungkook continued.

"I cursed the night we met in Paris.

If I had just left five minutes earlier, if I hadn't danced with you, if I hadn't let you buy me that drink... maybe my life wouldn't have turned upside down."

"Shit," Taehyung muttered  running a hand through his hair.
"Jungkook, I-I had no idea."

But now, standing here as someone who finally understands the industry, Jungkook realized -- it wasn't Taehyung's fault.

"Why would you? And It's not your fault.
I didn't know it then, but I know it now."

"Yeah?"

"Yes.
Now I get it that you might not even have seen the rumors.
And that your manager must have handled everything.
I used to think it was unfair, but now that I'm in it...It's just how things work, huh?
And I was the collateral damage."

"You know we don't get to control what people say about us. We just have to survive it."

"Survive is the right word."

"Let me guess-you've had your fair share of dating rumors now, too?"

"Ahh don't even get me started."

And just like that, they burst into laughter, sharing stories about the most ridiculous rumors they've ever heard about themselves.

Taehyung: "Apparently, I'm secretly married to a French heiress."

Jungkook: "That's nothing! Last week, a column said I was dating a 50 year old Australian actress."

They laughed until their stomachs hurt.
The party was still on but  on the balcony, away from the flashing cameras,
Jungkook leaned against the railing as Taehyung stood beside him.

"So, The world’s biggest pop star now, huh?"

Jungkook shook his head laughing  "I wouldn’t say that."

"Please...I literally heard three of your songs just on my way here. You’re everywhere, Jungkook.
But honestly? I'm impressed."

"By what?"

"Not everyone who gets caught in the rumor mill comes out on top.
Most people fade into nothing.
But you?
You didn't let the industry swallow you. You fought back.
And now, you're standing here--as my equal. That takes guts, Jeon. "

Jungkook shrugs, "Well,  technically, You’re the reason I went viral in the first place."

Taehyung let out a  breathless laugh.
"So... I made you a pop star, huh?"

"Mmhmm I guess you did."

"That means I should be getting royalties from your music, huh?"

Jungkook clinked his glass against his in agreement.

A year ago, Jungkook thought Taehyung had ruined his life.
But Taehyung was maybe
just the beginning of a story
that was always meant to be his own.

They clinked their glasses again , laughing on the balcony when,  somewhere in the shadows of the party, a  paparazzi takes a snap.

Neither of them noticed.

Because  in a room full of people, the only thing that mattered--was them.

***

Next morning Jungkook reached for his phone half asleep.

His head was still heavy with sleep, last night's laughter ringing in his mind.

It had been a rare, night of fun in an industry that often felt suffocating.

He blinked at the screen, adjusting to the brightness.
The headlines were everywhere.

Jeon Jungkook & Kim Taehyung: Rekindling an Old Flame?

Jungkook sat up  heart pounding as he scrolled through the articles.

The pictures.
Him and Taehyung, laughing at the bar. Taehyung leaning in close. The world saw two men lost in their own little world-and twisted the story however they wanted.

His phone buzzed. A message from his manager.
"Call me. Now."

He tossed his phone aside before realizing something even more concerning.

Slowly, he turned his head.
Kim Taehyung was lying next to him. Asleep.

Jungkook blinked, his brain still catching up. The memories of last night  came back-the event, the drinking,  Taehyung dragging him out before the night ended...
Taehyung had insisted Jungkook come over after the event, saying something about 
"Jungkookie, you have no choice, I'm kidnapping you."

Jungkook tried waking him up but with no success ,"Hyung, wake up."

He opened  the new video and  turned up the volume and kept it against Taehyung's ear.

"Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung-are they just friends, or is there something more? Netizens speculate after the two were seen getting close at an exclusive event..."

Taehyung's eyes snapped open.
"Why are you watching nonsense this early?"

Jungkook shoved his phone in Taehyung's face. "Because we are the nonsense."

Taehyung looked at the screen and flopped back onto the bed. "Oh, come on.
At least this time, you're already famous. No life-ruining scandals for you."

"Oh, thanks. That makes it so much better."

"So, how bad is it?"

"My manager wants to talk to me."

"Mine too, probably.
But it’s just a rumor. What’s the worst that could happen?"

"That’s what I thought last time, and look where we are now."

"True, true… but this time… give it two weeks, and maybe the rumor won’t be fake anymore."

Jungkook was too stunned, "What-?"

Taehyung shifted closer, closing the space between them.
"I mean... we're already in the same bed. Might as well give them something real to talk about."

Taehyung leaned in, brushing their lips together and then deepening the kiss.

He then pulled back just enough to smirk against Jungkook's lips.

The news anchor's voice played in the background-
Sources claim the two were inseparable last night, sparking rumors of a secret romance-

And then, Jungkook pulled Taehyung back in.