Chapter Text
“Good morning Mr Kim, Sir, it is great to have you back.”
“Why are you here, Stefan?”
“I work here, Sir.”
“Stefan, it is 6:12am.” Taehyung says while looking at his watch.
“I know, Sir but I wanted to open up your office and make sure everything is ready for the day ahead. There is breakfast and a tea on your desk, there aren’t any changes to the schedule I sent you yesterday and I will be in shortly to run through a few things.”
The CEO couldn’t help but smile at the young man who was standing at his desk grinning, “This is unpaid time, Mr Choi.” he says as he continues the short walk to his own office.
“I know Mr Kim, Sir.” Stefan says as he watches his boss enter his office.
Taehyung removes his shoes and hangs up his suit jacket once inside, presses the button that causes his computer to beep and shakes his head as he thinks about the enthusiasm of his P.A. There is his usual purple travel mug on his desk along with a croissant and some other items that make up the continental breakfast he very much likes. He’d almost forgotten to send Jungkook the morning text while brushing his teeth, something he’d fallen out of the habit of doing and something he needed to start up again. He knew the busker would be asleep, he presumed that he would also have been asleep at 2:30am when Tae finally decided to head to bed and had been tempted to text him but decided against it.
The cockerel sounding at 4:30am wasn’t necessary because the CEO was already awake but he’d suspected that would be the case until his body clock adjusted once more and jet lag had gone. The saving grace was his full schedule for the rest of the week, three days of meetings and conference calls to prepare for the busy month ahead, a distraction from tiredness and the forlorning he felt. Tae wasn’t keen on the feelings associated with missing Jungkook, it sat like an ugly knot in his stomach and made everything feel so dreary.
There was a tapping on his office door and it opened as he said “Come in”, knowing there was only one person it could be at this time in the morning.
Stefan crossed the room quickly, small shuffling steps, his face beaming and bright as he took a seat in the chair on the other side of the desk. His hair looked to be a brighter blonde than usual as it curled in ringlets, his suit a dark grey with a pastel blue shirt and matching tie. “You look well, Sir.” the words spoken with sincerity.
“Thank you, you do too. Have you done something with your hair?”
“Yes, I went to the hairdressers and they dyed it. My hair is usually fair but this time we went a bit further and it’s almost white.”
“I can see that. It suits you.”
“Thank you Mr Kim, Sir. How are things with Jungkook? Are things still going well?”
“I think our situation has become more serious since being away. After my friends behaved the way they did, I was apprehensive but Jungkook is opening up to me now and it does feel positive.”
Stefan’s brow creases as he frowns, “What did your friends do?”
It felt like a lifetime ago, Taehyung is sure that he’d spoken to Stefan about it but everything is a blur from that Saturday evening up until he left for London, “I thought I’d informed you about the events of the meal?”
“No Mr Kim, Sir. I don’t know anything about that. We didn’t get the opportunity to talk about it before you went on your trip.” Stefan remembers how busy the Monday had been because that was the morning that the Creative Director had stormed into the CEO’S office.
Taehyung sat back in his chair, “I see, well, my friends threw around some pretty damaging accusations and made it clear that my relationship with Jungkook is not accepted by them.”
A look of horror appears on the young P.A’s face, “Was Mr Jung a part of this, Sir? I do hope he wasn’t, Mr Kim, because I have probably spoken out of line and now I will be honest and say that I am concerned.”
“Yes, Mr Jung was there. Why are you concerned?”
“Mr Jung and I had a talk when he visited the basement with his dancers. I presumed that because he is your friend that he would know Jungkook and be happy for you but obviously that isn’t the case from what you have said and I fear that I may have said the wrong things. I shouldn’t have presumed and I shouldn’t have spoken so freely in your absence, I’m so sorry, Mr Kim, Sir.”
Taehyung looked into the face of his P.A, wondering what on earth he could have said that would cause him to apologise, “What is it that you said to him?”
Stefan was nervous, for the first time recently he wished that their relationship had been kept strictly business like, “I told him that I had noticed how happy you have been since meeting Jungkook and that I hoped to meet him one day. My mind has suddenly gone blank but in the conversation he didn’t once let on that he didn’t approve of Jungkook or anything, now I think about it, I don’t think he said very much. I am sorry, Sir.”
The CEO gave Stefan a small smile, “You are apologising for saying positive things?”
“I shouldn’t have entered into conversation about you, Sir.”
“Stefan, did you tell Hoseok the truth?”
“Erm.. yes Sir, of course.”
“Then I do not see the need for an apology. Whatever it is that Hoseok said or believes is down to him. In fact, I should be thanking you for your positivity, you have been very supportive from the beginning.”
“The bottom line is that I could see your connection with Jungkook before you allowed yourself to accept it, Mr Kim, Sir. Your chance meeting has impacted positively on your life so I fail to see where the negatives are.”
“My friends think he is after my money, a hustler of sorts. Unfortunately, instead of speaking to me personally about their concerns, they made a show of it at Blueside.”
“I haven’t ever had that opinion of Jungkook from the information you have given me. I’ve always been under the impression that he isn’t bothered at all by your wealth and from the things he’s said to you, I don’t think he has cared at all about who you are. It’s sad that your friends couldn’t speak to you privately though, Sir, even if their reservations remained the same. I wouldn’t be happy if my friends did that to me.”
“There is a lot more to Jungkook and his connection with money but I will tell you about that another time. I am enjoying the fact that he is starting to open up to me, I do believe that it is bringing us closer together. Are you in a relationship, Stefan? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I am, I don’t mind you asking about my life, Mr Kim, Sir.”
Taehyung wants to tell his P.A to call him ‘Taehyung’ when they are talking personally but he has a feeling that he will end up being called all three titles at once so he doesn’t offer it, “How long have you been with your partner?”
“We have been together nearly four years now. We met when my usual hairdresser was absent and she took over and did my hair. She is the sweetest person I have ever met.”
The CEO can’t help but smile back at Stefan, he has come to admire the young man over the last couple of months, even more so now when he thinks about how he’s kept his personal life and business so completely separate that Taehyung was unaware of his relationship, “Perhaps there will be an occasion where the four of us could enjoy lunch together in the future.”
Taehyung was paying attention when Stefan told him that he’d told Hobi that he hoped to meet Jungkook. Mixing business and pleasure would be unchartered territory for the CEO but he accepts that his personal conversations with Stefan have crossed the line and for the first time in his life, he sees the situation as a positive rather than something detrimental.
The P.A can’t hide the look of surprise, “Really? Gosh, Sir, yes, Mr Kim, I would very much like that. I would really like to meet Jungkook and I know that Angel would really like to meet you, she has heard a lot about you.. Good stuff… definitely good stuff.”
“Angel? That’s your girlfriend’s name?”
“Yes. She was named because her arrival followed a particular bad time for her family and they believed that she was sent to them.”
“That is incredibly heart warming.” The irony of the name hadn’t escaped the CEO, who told everyone that Stefan looked angelic.
After having run through the day's points with his boss, Stefan left the office with a little skip in his step and Taehyung finished his breakfast as he started his day officially.
***
The world seemed to move in a blur all around him as he walked through the streets towards the diner, music drifting through his right ear. Jungkook had been in a bit of a daze since the newly downloaded cockerel woke him up at lunchtime. He very nearly fell out of his bed as he fumbled for his phone, his brain obviously still in the super king-sized bed back in London. The apartment was dead silent when he left his room, Ash already out at University and the silence felt strange. He was ecstatic that his best friend wasn't home when he saw the morning text from Tae and a big smile crept onto his face. He left for the diner a bit later than planned as he'd had a mission to tidy and clean the apartment because his best friend didn't understand the definition of either.
The diner was quite quiet when he walked through it, taking the stairs two at a time before he reached the entrance to Billy and Marie's. He didn't even get time to knock before the door was swung open and Billy was standing there with a huge grin on his face.
"You've grown since we last saw you."
Jungkook rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "I haven't because I only saw you last week."
"It's been longer, I swear." Billy says, closing the door.
Marie turns around as soon as Jungkook enters the room, "Look at you!"
"You need to stop Billy from spending time with Ash, he sounds like him too much." Jungkook says as Marie pulls him in for a hug.
"You look so well. Are you sure you feel well enough to work?" Marie asks, not quite letting him go just yet.
"You do look well, being loved up, suits you. I think your hair needs doing though." Billy has taken a seat at the table.
"Has Ash written you a script or something? He said the same thing yesterday. I feel fine to work."
"It just means that it must be true if we are both saying it."
Marie pulls back and casts her eye over his hair, tied back tightly in a small bun, "It's just the undercut that needs going over, I can do that whenever you like, it won't take me long this time. Does Taehyung like your hair?"
Jungkook feels that familiar heat flood up his neck to his cheeks, too many vivid images of his boyfriend's reaction to his hair, usually during sex come rushing to his mind. "Err… y-yeah, I think so."
"Say no more." Marie whispers in his ear.
Jungkook gives them both their gifts from London and the couple listen to his story about his time there. Marie visibly swoons when she hears all about Tottenham and everything Taehyung did for Jungkook. She coos a lot when she hears about the matching shoes and their time on the London Eye and she puts her arm around his shoulders when he tells them that he's started telling Tae bits about his past.
The late afternoon rush keeps Jungkook busy, there's no time for a break so he doesn't get the chance to ask Ash why he keeps smirking at him until things quieten down. He's at the machine making a milkshake when Ash appears, "Okay… spill it! What is with all the looks you're giving me?"
Ash laughs and nudges his friend in the back with his arm, "That alarm… at first I thought it was some stupid link to Tottenham but then I thought you've been following Spurs for ages so it can't be that just because you've been there… so, it has to be linked to KTH… or London… so which is it?"
"How do you know about that? You weren't home."
"Smiler left his bus pass so I grabbed it on my way to get lunch with him. I heard it! It's awful! Why would you have that?"
The rouge was more of a block colour on his cheeks than a tint, "I'm not telling you! And don't use the word, 'stupid' in the same sentence as Tottenham!"
Ash's laughter caused a customer to turn around and he quickly stifled it, "Oh my fucking God, you've got it bad."
Jungkook lightly punches his friend before putting the milkshakes on a tray and heading out to the table that ordered them. He knows that if he told Ash the truth that he'd never live it down so it's best that he doesn't divulge it. He considers his options for creating a story but suspects that Ash wouldn't believe him so has to hope that he drops it. With the tray in his hands and happy customers slurping their freshly made milkshakes, he looks towards the door as it opens, hoping there isn't going to be another rush with his shift ending, sooner rather than later. The feeling he gets when he sees who has entered the diner is instantaneous, his back is up and his stomach tenses. He watches as they take a seat in a booth against the wall and before going over to them he rushes towards the back to drop off the tray.
His fists are clenched and he's taking deep breaths when Ash comes over and asks, "What is it?"
Jungkook’s brows are knitted together, "That couple at table five… they are Tae’s friends."
Ash peers out quickly then turns back to his friends, "The arseholes that were here before?"
"No, different arseholes. It was Yoongi and Jimin before but that is Hobi and Emery."
"What the fuck do they want? Haven't they done enough?" Ash almost spits.
"Apparently not. I wonder what bullshit they want to create this time. I'm certainly not going to any more meals so they can fuck off."
"I finish in ten minutes but I'm gonna hang around, Kookie Monster. Hopefully they'll just eat and fuck off. Want me to serve them?"
"No, I'll serve them. I want to know what they want."
"You should phone KTH."
"Why?"
"After what his friends have done, don't you think he should know?"
Jungkook shakes his head, "They humiliated me twice, it wasn't about Tae, it was about me so I want to deal with this. I'm seeing Tae later so I'll tell him then."
"Okay but I'm staying."
Jungkook smiles at Ash, grateful for his friend, "I'm not going to argue with you."
"That's a first, can you repeat that if I get my phone to record it."
"Fuck off, Ash."
As Jungkook takes a deep breath and heads out towards the table, he hears Ash snickering behind him and he rolls his eyes. As soon as he sees the couple at the table, the feeling in his gut is caustic, he knows they can't be here just to eat or here to eat at all. Previously he's walked into situations blindly but not this time.
"What do you want?" He asks when he reaches them. He keeps his voice low so that no one hears but right now he doesn't care about professionalism and he's almost certain that Billy and Marie wouldn't be so polite to them either.
"Is that how you greet all of your customers?" Hobi retorts.
"Only the judgemental, backstabbing, self righteous arseholes." Jungkook is seething and there's no point trying to hide it.
Hobi goes to speak but Emery gets in there first, "Jungkook, we aren't here to cause trouble."
"What are you here for then?"
"We know you finish at six and we would like to order food. We were hoping you would join us after your shift because we would like to talk to you." Emery was expecting a feisty reaction, he doesn't blame Jungkook but needs him to listen.
"So you've been snooping too? Is your memory that fucking short? Two of your friends have already done this."
"That is partly why we are here. We very much want to hear your side.” this was going to be more difficult than Emery anticipated.
“Tae knows my side, he’s the only one who matters, you don’t, especially after what you did so feel free to fuck off.”
“That’s the first sensible thing you have said. Tae is the one who matters which is why we are here. If we leave now, every accusation remains or we can stay and speak with you and try to move forwards… up to you.” Hobi’s tone was stern, he was pissed off.
Jungkook thought quickly, if he lets them stay and hears them out then anything that the friends do in future, he can’t be blamed for not trying. He couldn’t care less if he never sees them again but he’s seen the look in his boyfriend’s eyes, he knows that they’ve hurt him and he suspects that he will want to see them at some point. He has every right to tell Hobi and Emery to fuck themselves and open the door for them and that is what he wants to do but Emery has shown him kindness when the others hadn’t and part of him wants them to know they are wrong about him.
“What is it that you want to order?”
The busker takes their order for food and drinks, tells them he will be back soon and confirms that he will join them when his shift finishes. His mind is like a small town in the midst of a tornado warning, complete chaos as he thinks about all the possibilities for the couple being here. He wonders if they are secretly recording it, hoping he’ll trip up and then they will play it to Taehyung as further evidence… evidence of what, he has no idea. He decides that whatever game they are playing, he’s just going to be himself because they’ve already decided that they don’t like him so there was nothing to lose.
“Hey, why are they here?” Ash whispers to Jungkook.
“I don’t know. I’m going to sit with them after my shift and see what they want.”
“I’m staying then. I’ll hang about until you’re done. I’ll take their order out, you go psych yourself up and have five minutes in the back.”
“Your shift has finished, don't be stupid.”
“Go, stop being a dickhead. I promise not to talk to them and I will be on my best behaviour.”
Jungkook concedes defeat and goes out to the back, his friend is probably right, he could do with five minutes sitting on the crates outside to gather his thoughts. When he gets out the back, he sees a text from Tae:
KTH
How is your shift going? My meeting will overrun so I will be late but I will phone you once I leave the office. Sorry.
Jungkook looks at the time and sees that Tae had sent the message before he was meant to have a break which he thinks is really thoughtful.
JK
I didn’t get a break, it was busy. Hobi and Emery are here, I will phone you when they have gone so don’t worry about being late.
He wasn’t expecting a quick response or any response so he was surprised when his phone alerted him to a message almost instantly.
KTH
Why are they there? I’m going to adjourn the meeting and will be with you on time.
JK
No! Don’t! They want to speak with me. Please, Tae, let me do this.
KTH
I do not feel comfortable about allowing you to face them on your own.
JK
I’m not on my own, Ash is sticking around and I’ve got Billy and Marie here too.
KTH
You promise to call me as soon as they have gone?
JK
Yes, I promise. Won’t you get in trouble for texting during a meeting?
KTH
No, I’m holding the meeting and told them we would have a brief coffee break, they do as I say, Jungkook.
The busker nearly drops his phone when he reads the text, he can hear Tae’s voice speaking those words. He totally understands why men expect the CEO to be the same dominant personality in the bedroom but what a contrast it is in reality.
JK
I need to go. See you later.
KTH
If they cause you any problems or you need me, you must call me.
JK
I will, I promise.
KTH
I love you.
JK
I know you do.
Jungkook slips his phone into his pocket and takes the deepest breath, expanding his lungs until he can’t fill them anymore and releasing the breath slowly. The positive right now is that at least Hobi and Emery have announced their intentions to him and let him know that they are here, unlike the last two. He sits a bit longer until it was time to leave, he’d seen Marsha arrive for her shift and Billy popped his head out the back to see if he was okay. Out of all the places to be in this situation, it was probably better that it was happening in a place where he had support should he need it. He thought that Tae’s reaction was endearing, he didn’t want to have to tell him while he was working but he also wasn’t going to hide something else from him or deceive him, he had the right to know, they are his friends after all.
When he re-enters the diner, Marie has appeared in the kitchen and mouths ‘okay?’ as he nods and walks past, he suspects that Ash has filled her in. Billy is behind the counter making milkshakes and smiles at him, so Jungkook knows that Ash has spoken to him too. He feels so incredibly lucky because when he turned his back on his family, he couldn’t have imagined to have the makeshift family that he does now. He notices that Ash has seated himself at a table close by, it’s close enough that he can see what is going on without making it obvious, his subtlety much appreciated.
“You’ve finished early?” Emery asks as Jungkook sits opposite the couple, he tries to ensure there is a smile on his face.
“Yeah. So, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been friends with Tae for years and when he told us the depth of his feelings for you, I felt that I owed it to him to make my own conclusions.” Hobi says.
“You mean that you and your friends fucked up and hurt Tae and when he didn’t believe you and followed me, you felt like you needed to be nice to me to get your friend back.” Jungkook sat with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows raised.
“Maybe? But I want to make it clear that I wasn’t involved in the decision for Yoongi and Jimin to come here. I’m not here to get more dirt to report back to them and I’m not here to add to the rumour mill.”
“Do you want a medal? It makes fuck all difference whether you were in on their plan or not. You still sat there in that restaurant and allowed it to happen, not just to me but to Tae. I also couldn't give a shit what you report back because I am me and I’m not going to change for you lot.”
Emery leans forwards, “Look, I am an outsider like you. They have known each other for years and I’ve only been with Hobi for a few months. I can speak honestly with you and say that what happened at Blueside struck a chord with me because that could have happened to me… to us. I feel that you haven’t been given a chance and that is why we are here.”
“You’re right, I haven’t been given a chance, I’ve just been judged and opinions have been made without knowing anything about me. The fact that you are here today tells me that you know I was in London with Tae?”
“Yes, we knew that. We had planned on coming in before now but I went to Purple Aura and met with Tae’s P.A, he told me that you were with him.”
“What do you want to know? You can fuck off if you think you’re getting my life story just to appease you.”
“We don’t want to interview you, Jungkook.” Emery adds.
“I would like you to answer the accusations though.” Hobi says.
“Well I can’t prove that I’m not a hustler… if your definition of a tramp is someone who busks then I can’t disprove that because I do go busking… I think it’s safe to say that I am who I am because hopefully you have brains as well as money and would have worked out that in order to go to London, I’d have needed a passport… yes I drove Tae’s Ferrari, yes I told my best friend, yes I discussed my sex life with my best friend and no I haven’t shown anyone any private photos. The conversation relayed by your arsehole friends did happen but not in the way they said. That’s it.” Jungkook wasn’t willing to divulge any more than that but he couldn’t leave them with nothing, whatever happens after today, he wants to feel as though he has attempted to meet them halfway.
While Hobi absorbs the information there is a moment of silence and Emery speaks, “Did you have a good time in London?”
“Yes, thanks. We got back about 6pm yesterday.”
“That first night is a killer for sleeping. Did you manage any?” Emery can’t dislike Jungkook, he sees something in him that he can’t put his finger on but doesn't get a bad feeling about him at all.
“I did but I woke up at lunch time so I was lucky enough to be able to sleep. I had a text from Tae at about 5am so I don’t think he had much sleep.”
“Is he working today?”
“Yeah, he is.”
Hobi reached a hand across and took hold of his boyfriend’s hand under the table, “I can’t apologise for my friends because they are responsible for their own actions but I would like you to know that if it had been down to me, it wouldn’t have happened like that. We can’t change what happened but it is obvious that Tae has feelings for you and I would like my opinion of you to be based on facts and from making the time to get to know you.”
“I don’t trust you one little bit and I don’t really like you much either. You are my boyfriend’s friend though and it is because of that, that I will let you make the effort. I do remember that you were the only one who thought my idea about naming the centre was a plausible one and voiced that and you, Emery, have always been friendly.”
Emery smiles and gives Hobi’s hand a squeeze as Hobi responds, “I did think it was a good idea and Tae looked impressed so I am sure he will sell it to Shadow Sounds when he meets with them.”
“Perhaps you and Tae could come to my place for dinner one day. We would really like to see you both.” Emery had discussed this with Hobi before tabling the offer to Jungkook. He liked entertaining and having the opportunity to cook and he is of the belief that they need to spend time with the couple together in order to start rebuilding bridges.
“Maybe.” Jungkook gives Emery a small smile.
“We won’t keep you any longer, we just wanted to meet with you briefly to start the ball rolling.” Hobi says as he stands.
Jungkook also stands, his stance defensive as the couple face him, “If you are reporting back to the others, you can tell them that I don’t want anyone else getting any ideas about coming here. They owe Tae an apology before anything else.”
“We aren’t going to be reporting back to anyone. This is something we spoke about between us, it is a decision we made as a couple because we weren’t comfortable with what happened at Blueside.” Hobi confirms.
Emery gives Jungkook a big smile as they leave, nodding their heads as they part. Once the door is closed, Jungkook takes his phone from his pocket and calls Tae, assuring him that he is okay and he will be waiting for him whenever he is able to leave the office.
“Was that KTH?” Ash asks, getting up from his table and going over to his friend.
“Yeah, I promised that I would call him as soon as they’d gone.”
“What did they want?”
“To form an opinion on me based on fact instead of the bullshit accusations spouted by their friends.”
“Is that what they said?”
“Not really, I added the last part because that’s more or less what they meant. If they believed what was said that night they wouldn’t be here asking for my side of it. Emery seems nice but he isn’t one of them so that's no surprise.”
“So they are together?”
“Yeah, been together a few months or something like that. He obviously has money though which is why he was accepted. I’d rather be broke and have nothing to do with them.”
“Is Emery the guy with the crazy coloured hair or the other one?”
“The one with the crazy hair.”
“I see. Do you think they are genuine?”
“Probably not but they’ve made the effort and I've said my bit so it’s up to them isn’t it?”
“I suppose we see what happens now. I’m gonna leave you to it then, Marie said I can have dinner here.”
“I would tell you to save me some but you won’t…. Thanks for hanging around.”
“Always here for you, Kookie Monster… I’m presuming that sexy red car outside is your ride… I want a ride in that next time.”
Jungkook looks out of the large front window, “I’ll get you a ride in it, go and eat.”
Ash nods and walks off towards the back so he can head upstairs, while Jungkook goes to the door to leave. As he approaches his boyfriend who is leaning against the car as he always does, he sees the concern on his face so he walks straight up to him and allows him to wrap him in his arms. Jungkook frowns at the tightness of the hug and pulls back to look at Taehyung, “I’m okay.”
The CEO leans in and kisses his forehead, “I’ve been worried.”
“I know, I can see that. I really am okay. I will tell you everything.”
“He had no right to turn up here, they had no right. They have put you through enough and I will be calling him tomorrow to tell him to explain himself.”
Jungkook reaches up and strokes his boyfriend’s cheek gently with his fingers, “Tae, I am okay. Let’s get in the car and I will tell you what happened.”
The busker can see the anger and tension on his boyfriend’s face and hear it in the tone of his voice. He wants to calm things and for Tae to see that he is okay and no harm has been done this time. Once seated in the car, just before Taehyung pulls out into the traffic, he reaches for his hand and leans across to kiss him. The kiss is slow and both of them melt into it, it feels like forever since their lips have met even though it has only been just over 24 hours.
‘Welcome home’ Jungkook thinks as they part and he starts to tell his boyfriend all about what just happened.