Taehyung stepped into the grand lobby of his company, the familiar hum of activity surrounding him. Employees scurried about, pausing momentarily to bow or greet him with cautious respect. His tall, commanding figure exuded quiet authority, and no one dared break his focused stride as he made his way to the private elevator.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kim," the receptionist greeted with a polite bow.
Taehyung gave a curt nod, saying nothing as he stepped inside the elevator. The doors slid shut, and he leaned against the cool wall, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His mind still buzzed with the memory of what he had seen and heard earlier—Jungkook and Eunwoo, standing far too close in that empty hallway. And Jungkook's words, "Because I'm with someone," echoed louder than anything else.
The elevator dinged softly as it reached the top floor. Taehyung's mask of composure returned as he walked into the sleek, minimalist executive suite that reflected his personality—controlled, precise, and cold.
"Mr. Kim," Ms. Kang greeted, approaching with a tablet and a neat stack of papers. "You have a board meeting at 2 p.m. to review quarterly reports, a project pitch from R&D at 3:30, and the legal team wants ten minutes regarding the Choi contract."
He skimmed the digital schedule and gave a short nod. "Make sure legal comes prepared with a summary. I don't want to waste time."
"Understood, sir," she replied smoothly before stepping away.
Taehyung moved to his desk, pushing aside the lingering thoughts of Jungkook as he immersed himself in projections, graphs, and numbers. But every now and then, his eyes drifted toward the window, his mind haunted by the words he had overheard.
"He's the man my mom wanted me to be with."
His jaw clenched involuntarily.
Am I just that? A duty?
Shaking off the creeping bitterness, Taehyung returned to his documents, locking away the emotion behind his usual walls.
The board meeting passed in a blur of sharp questions and commanding presence. Taehyung dissected figures, challenged departments, and made demands that kept the executives alert and scrambling to impress. His words were clipped, efficient, his tone brooking no nonsense.
"Push the Q3 forecast up by five percent," he said after a detailed revenue report. "I want tighter collaboration with marketing. No excuses."
The executives nodded, some scribbling notes, others just nodding in grim agreement. He was ruthless, but they respected him. They had no choice.
Night fell.
The office slowly emptied, yet Taehyung remained behind, still going through contracts and emails. The city lights gleamed outside the towering windows, but he didn't look up.
It wasn't until after midnight that he finally leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. He exhaled and stood, gathering his things without a word.
"Good night, Mr. Kim," Ms. Kang said as she packed up her own work.
He offered a rare, quiet nod before leaving the office.
The drive home was silent. The roads were mostly empty, the city a blanket of quiet lights beneath the night sky. When he finally pulled into the driveway and stepped inside the house, the air felt unusually still.
Loosening his tie, Taehyung walked through the quiet home. He passed by the living room, the soft hum of the fridge the only sound. On instinct, he found himself walking toward Jungkook's room.
The door was slightly ajar.
Inside, Jungkook lay fast asleep, curled on his side, lips slightly parted and hair messy against the pillow. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was calming. His features, usually tense in class, were soft, serene, vulnerable.
Taehyung stood in the doorway, motionless.
Something unspoken stirred within him—warmth, ache, confusion. He wanted to step in, to pull the covers over the boy, to brush back the strands of hair on his forehead.
But he didn't.
You're his professor. His guardian. Not his… anything else.
His chest tightened.
"Don't get distracted," he murmured to himself, almost like a warning.
Quietly, he pulled the door shut and walked away.
In his own room, Taehyung shed his coat and shirt, laying stiffly on the bed. The ceiling above felt endless, and yet it boxed him in.
Jungkook's voice replayed over and over in his mind. "I'm with someone."
Was it true? Was he referring to Taehyung? Or was there someone else his mother had forced him toward?
His heart pounded. The uncertainty gnawed at him.
I shouldn't care, he told himself.
But he did.
And it scared him.