4

 It was only a few days later when Jeongguk found himself freaking out. He had invested in a car, only for the whole thing to turn out as a scam. Because of the long hours of work and poor self-care, he didn't check the car himself and signed the papers for the transfer. And the car was nothing like the other businessman had shown to him.

He had just lost €550,000. Not that it affected him or something, he was a billionaire anyway. But even though he was the CEO and had complete control over everything, his hyungs scolded him. A lot.

"Can't we just retrofit this piece of shit?", Jeongguk asked, frustrated.

"Even if we do that, it won't cover up the money we invested. And who is even gonna buy that? We work only with rich people just like ourselves", Namjoon said with a faint shrug.

"Well, we could look for other clients", Hoseok suggested.

"Low-class? I don't work with low-class people", Jeongguk said decisively.

"You should have thought about that before you signed those papers. All of this is happening because of you", Yoongi snapped at him, making Jeongguk flinch at his sharp tone. "How many times did I say get some fucking sleep? How many times did I tell you to take care of yourself?"

Silence spread in the room as Jeongguk lowered his head, and the other two boys didn't dare to say anything.

"Sorry", the younger uttered after a moment with a sigh.

"Okay, let's just go outside to eat today and forget about what happened", Namjoon proposed, and the others nodded except one.

"I have work, I can't just--"

"Jeongguk", Yoongi called with a booming voice. "We are going to Jjang's to eat and you're going to go home afterwards."

"But hyung--"

"I don't care about what you have to say. After we eat, go home and sleep early. You're overworking yourself", although Yoongi's tone was firm at the beginning, it softened as he glanced at his dongsaeng.

"I'll call to cancel our order for today", Namjoon said as he grabbed his phone.

  

  

🥀

      

    

"Hey, Tae, you don't have to deliver to Jk Auto today. They canceled", Inguk said to the boy who was sitting on a stool.

In the past few days, when Taehyung was delivering to the strict CEO, he would always feel uneasy under his intense and surprisingly captivating gaze.

 

They weren't talking much; he decided to follow his stupid rule and only talk when Mr. Jeon would talk to him or ask him something. And he did neither of these things in the last few days.

It was like a routine. Taehyung would knock on the door, and Jeongguk's 'come in' would be heard from inside. He would enter and place the package on the table, and the CEO would only stare at him without saying anything.

After a moment, he would walk towards him and give him €50 as always, and Taehyung would bow politely and say thank you Mr. Jeon. They would look at each other for a few seconds again, both of them completely still, and then Taehyung would turn around and leave the office.

 

Taehyung couldn't understand what his deal was. Why couldn't he greet him as the other customers did? Why couldn't he say a simple thank you? It was really bugging him for some reason. He didn't want Jeongguk to befriend him or something, he just wanted to hear a hello and a thank you. But apparently, that was too much to ask from a ridiculously rich CEO.

"Okay", Taehyung said with a nod, not even bothering to ask why. He didn't want to see his face anyway. His stupid face with his deadpan expression and his piercing eyes. Why did that CEO have to make him feel so uncomfortable?

Taehyung went to mama's house for the usual delivery and took his time to return to the cafe since he didn't have to deliver to JK Auto Company. His poker face altered into a surprised one as he strode into the cafe and his eyes fell on a group of people who were being a tad loud with their banter.

 

He halted then, and he didn't even know why. Maybe because it was the first time he failed to see the usual stoic expression on the strict CEO's face. Instead, he saw a broad smile, followed by a throaty laugh as he tilted his head back from cracking up.

He snapped out of it seconds later and resumed his way to the bar with his head ducked, hoping they wouldn't see him.

"Taehyung!", Hoseok's cheery tone dissipated every fragment of hope he had and caused him to still again.

 

The boy didn't venture to go closer; he just awkwardly waved at Hoseok and then trod to the bar.

"Come say hi!", Hoseok said in a high-pitched tone, making him stop yet once more.

Taehyung nipped at his bottom lip as a sigh forced its way out of his throat, and he reluctantly approached them. "Hello."

"How are you? You look troubled", Hoseok cocked his head to the side as he scanned the boy's face.

"Just a little tired, I guess. Don't tell my boss", Taehyung whispered at the end, something playful was laced in his tone that made all of them chuckle except one.

"I won't", Hoseok answered him in the same way, a blithesome smile decorating his face. "This is Namjoon, Yoongi, and I'm sure you know Jeongguk", he pointed to each one as he said their names, and Taehyung glanced at each boy except one. He knew who he was anyway.

 

"So you're the new delivery boy?", Namjoon asked with a smile.

"Yeap, that's me."

"Such an upgrade from the last one, right?", Hoseok asked, his eyes glued to Taehyung's now embarrassed face.

But what caught Taehyung's attention was the CEO, who shot a glare at Hoseok at light speed. His brows clumped together at his action as he peered at him for a few moments.

"That's true though", Yoongi said with a nod, and the others chuckled except two this time. One who had a faint scowl all over his face, and one who was twiddling with his hands, eyes now on the floor again.

"Taehyung, have you eaten? Do you wanna join us?", Hoseok asked with his perky voice.

His inquiry rendered Taehyung in a daze. Why a rich businessman would ever invite Taehyung, a normal worker, to eat with them? "No, no, it's okay, I'm o-okay--"

 

"Please?", Hoseok pouted with doe eyes, and Jeongguk rolled his eyes skywards before he slunk a little lower in his seat.

"I have work, sorry. Maybe another time", Taehyung uttered, but he just wanted to be polite. Of course, he would never sit at the same table and eat with a bunch of millionaires. He knew he would feel completely out of place, and only the thought of that horrified him.

"Tae, come here", Inguk called him at the best timing ever, as Taehyung thought at that moment. He sighed in relief as he bowed to them and hurried to the bar.

"Hyung, what was that?", Jeongguk spat out as he looked askance at Hoseok.

"What?"

"How do you know him, why are you talking to him so casually and why are you inviting him to join us?"

"Wow, why do you even care so much?", Hoseok snickered.

"I don't. It's just weird."

"He seems like a cool guy. And he's beautiful, I mean look at him", Hoseok glanced towards the bar where Taehyung was.

Jeongguk didn't even bother to turn his head to look at the boy. He knew quite well how beautiful he was.

 

"And it's fun flirting with him. He gets all flustered and stuff. It's cute", Hoseok chirped and giggled afterwards.

"Just leave him alone", Jeongguk hissed at him, taking Hoseok by surprise.

"Why?"

"Um, nevermind", Jeongguk mumbled as he sank even lower in his seat.

The others shrugged it off and continued chatting about an array of things until their food arrived. By their table stood not only Ten, but Taehyung too with a tray in his hands. That was why Inguk called him. He wanted Taehyung to help Ten serve them since they had ordered a lot of food.

Taehyung was beside Jeongguk, and as he placed the plates on the table, the dark brown-haired boy glanced up at him. "Are you serving too?", he asked, rather indifferent, and the others weren't able to hear him since they were still chatting.

Taehyung stiffened at his unexpected question. "When it's too much for Ten to handle it and I don't have work, yes", he answered in a whisper while he set the last plate on the table. As he pivoted to leave, he didn't take notice of the close proximity with Jeongguk, and his tray bumped against his shoulder.

A terrified gasp jumped out of his mouth as shock swept over his traits. "I'm so sorry!", he frantically said as he bowed to him. "I'm really sorry."

Jeongguk placed his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back gently, instructing him to stand up straight. "It's okay", he muttered, his gaze stuck on his food.

 

Taehyung laid his now questioning, puppy eyes on him, feeling horrible about what happened. Remembering the 'I do the talking, I ask the questions' rule, he shut his mouth that was ready to blurt out something and slouched off.

"Someone bumped into you and you said it's okay? What the hell happened?", Yoongi sneered in disbelief.

"Just eat, hyung", Jeongguk scoffed at his words and started eating.

    

  

"I thought he was gonna curse the shit out of you with everything I have heard about him", Ten said to the black-haired boy.

"Yeah, that makes two of us", Taehyung sighed as he plopped down onto a stool. He was once again outright baffled by the CEO's behavior. Why didn't he yell at him? Why did he instruct him to stop bowing?

He went for his next delivery to Jihan Enterprises a while later. Although his mind was returning to the events that took place before, he tried his best to ignore it and focus on his job. With everything going well, he made his way back to the cafe soon enough.

As he walked inside, his eyes traveled to the CEO's table, and he couldn't help but glimpse at him. What took him off guard was that Jeongguk was already staring at him. Once they locked eyes, Jeongguk kept the eye contact for two seconds and then returned his gaze to his hyungs.

    

After about half an hour, the four boys finished their food, and Ten went to take their plates. Taehyung just returned from another delivery and rushed towards the table to help him.

"Tae, it's okay, you just came back, go rest or something", Ten whispered, but Taehyung managed to hear him. And since Jeongguk wasn't conversing with the others at the moment, he was able to hear him too.

"I don't mind", Taehyung said with a smile as he took as many plates as he could. He heard someone snorting then and his gaze shifted to Jeongguk in a flash. He stared at him with raised eyebrows, not really knowing the meaning of his snort.

Jeongguk looked back at him with a blank face. "What?", he snarled, attracting the others' attention.

The black-haired boy whipped his head down, clearly agitated by his stark tone, and disappeared towards the kitchen to leave the dirty plates.

"How are my favorite customers?", Inguk neared their table then and asked with a jocund voice.

"Everything is good", Namjoon replied with a reassuring nod.

"Dessert?"

"No, we should head back to the company", Yoongi said.

"Yes, we should", Jeongguk nodded, hoping they would have forgotten about what Yoongi said before.

"Not you", Yoongi said strictly, making the younger huff in annoyance.

"Why not Jeongguk?", Inguk asked with an amused chuckle.

"Because he's overworking himself to the point where he makes mistakes. He needs sleep."

"The Jeon Jeongguk making mistakes? That's new", Inguk chuckled once again.

"You should worry about your own employees. Don't make them overwork themselves", Jeongguk said with a deadpan expression.

"I don't make them do anything. I'm the best boss they could ever have."

"If you have the boy delivering and serving tables, you should at least pay him more", Jeongguk found himself uttering nonchalantly.

"Did Tae complain about me? Am I giving him too much work?"

"No, no, Inguk hyung, don't listen to him", Hoseok said with a shake of his head. "I don't know what's wrong with him today."

"Nothing's wrong with me, I'm just stating the facts", Jeongguk shrugged vaguely.

"Don't worry about it, Inguk hyung", Namjoon added with a smile.

The four boys paid their bill and left soon after that; the three of them returned to the company as the one unwillingly headed to his house.

5

The next day, Taehyung went to his job at his usual hour, and he was met with an Inguk who had swollen, red eyes, and overall a weary expression on his face. "You didn't sleep well?", he asked, concerned.

"Not really. It was my cousin's birthday and I had to go, although all I wanted was to drop dead in my bed."

"You're here all day, huh?"

"Kind of, yes. Thankfully, my house is just down the street so I can get there quickly."

"Aren't you tired of the same routine every day?", Taehyung tilted his head to the side as he asked that.

"Well, sometimes yes, but I love my job. I worked hard to start this business and it was my dream since I was little. I shouldn't be complaining if it's tiring sometimes."

"It's okay to complain sometimes, you know", Taehyung said, raising a smile from the older.

"You never complain though", Inguk uttered in a soft tone as he offered him a warm smile.

"I don't have a right to complain", Taehyung murmured as he glanced away.

Inguk was about to reply when the phone started ringing. He took the order and immediately went to prepare it as Taehyung waited for his first delivery of the day.

 

   

As the next few hours passed by quietly, it was time for his delivery to JK Auto Company. He pedaled there at an unhurried pace as he had time, and once he arrived, he took his helmet and mask off before entering.

"Hello, Jisoo."

"Hi, Tae!", she chirped. Since the two of them were seeing each other every day, they were comfortable enough to talk casually. "You're early today."

"Yeah, it's a slow day. We don't have much work", Taehyung said as he received the money. "I'll come to say goodbye later", he saw her nodding and then trod to the elevator. Once he got to the 8th floor, he sauntered to the CEO's door and knocked.

He heard a muffled sound, and assuming it was his usual come in, he slid the door open and walked into the office, only to freeze in his spot when he lifted his head and glimpsed at the sight in front of him.

"Did I say come in?", Jeongguk bellowed in a fit of rage as he was seated in his chair with a boy on his lap, his hair was in a mess, his lips reddened, puffy.

"I'm so sorry", Taehyung breathed out, all out petrified, and then burst out of the office. What the fuck was that? He thought to himself as he hazily stared at an empty spot in the air.

Should I just leave the package here and disappear from this hell? He pondered over it for a while, and after 10 seconds, he was ready to place the package outside of the door when it was swung open, causing him to bounce back in surprise.

The unnamed boy stepped outside with a pouty face and slammed the door behind him, making Taehyung flinch by the loud bang. He thought that the boy was sulking because he interrupted them, so he didn't give it much thought.

He clenched his hand into a fist and ventured to knock on the door again. It was silent for a moment, but then the door was suddenly yanked open by a furious Jeongguk.

"Get in", he growled, the cords in his neck had tightened, as well as his jaw. The boy obeyed with wary moves and placed the package on the table, keeping his head bowed. "Did you hear me say come in?", he asked, vexation pouring off his words as he stood right in front of him.

"No, but I heard--"

"Stop talking! It's a yes or no question. Or are you that stupid to understand it?"

Taehyung dug his fingers into his palms, his body lightly shaking as he strove to contain his temper. "I get it."

"Did you hear me say come in?", he asked again, his voice much more demanding than before.

Taehyung felt his insides blazing with outrage by now. "No."

"Then you shouldn't have. It's that simple. Why can't you follow a simple rule? Is that too much to ask from a dense boy like you?"

"I heard wrong, people make--"

"Shut up!", Jeongguk barked at him with a fierce scowl.

"Mr. Jeon!", Taehyung ventured to raise his voice, taking the other by surprise. "I get it. I walked in when I clearly shouldn't have. It was a mistake, I know, I'm sorry. You yelling at me now and telling me to shut up won't take back what happened", his voice was trembling and his eyes roamed around the room as he was talking, unable to keep the eye contact.

"I don't care who you are, I don't care how much money you have. I won't let you talk to me like that", Taehyung said with a low strict voice. "I don't wanna deliver your stupid food anymore", he murmured as he stared at the floor. "Keep your stupid money", he sighed heavily at the end.

Jeongguk, maybe for the first time in his life, didn't know what to say.

Without wasting another second, Taehyung stomped past the stock-still boy and left the office. He didn't bother saying goodbye to Jisoo, and he made his way out of that goddamn company. He was mad. No, he was infuriated. So much that he felt tears in his eyes.

He took a moment to cool down before he put his helmet and mask on and returned to the cafe.

Although he endeavored to hide that something was wrong when he arrived, Inguk was able to notice. "What happened?"

"Nothing", Taehyung muttered and continued his way to the bathroom without waiting for an answer.

He splashed a few handfuls of cold water on his face and drew in a series of deep breaths, trying to ease his already frazzled nerves. Whatever happened, happened. You have work to do, he said to himself and exited the bathroom a few moments later.

"Hey, Tae, what's wrong?", Inguk questioned with a frown the moment he saw the boy walking outside.

"Nothing, hyung", Taehyung concealed his lie with a lackluster smile.

"Come on, I can see that something is troubling you."

They sat at the bar then, and Taehyung stayed muted as he contemplated what to say. "Nothing. It's just that when I ride the bike, I can't help but think about my problems and stuff. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, I feel you, Tae. When you're busy, you don't have time to think about anything."

"Exactly", Taehyung smiled, relieved that Inguk believed him, although he knew he had to talk to him at some point since he really didn't want to deliver to JK Auto Company anymore.

   

  

🥀

 

     

The end of his shift came a while later, and the boy headed home. He took a cold shower as usual since he didn't want to turn on the boiler. He was trying to save money as much as he could.

When he finally flung himself into the bed, his phone rang, making him open his tired eyes. "Hey, Jimin."

"Hi! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm good, just busy with work. But I missed you, Chim", a long sigh passed through his lips with his last remark. With whatever happened that day, he truly needed a friend to hang out so he could take his mind off everything. And maybe he needed a hug as well.

"I missed you too. Do you wanna meet up? Seokjin had a morning shift just like me, and he can join us this time."

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Let's meet up at Jjang's?"

"You love that place, huh?", Taehyung asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, and you get to be there every day. So lucky!"

"Fine, let's meet up around six? I want some time to rest."

"Great! I'll see you later", after saying bye, they hung up the phone.

Taehyung had about two hours to rest, and that was what he did. He stayed in his bed, watching random videos on YouTube since, although he was tired, he couldn't fall asleep. He couldn't even fall asleep that easily at night when he would be throughout exhausted.

   

Once it was time, he picked a dark blue sweater and his black trousers from his closet, finished getting ready, and trudged to the bus stop. After a rather boring ride with the bus, he reached his destination, only to see that his friends weren't there yet.

"Tae? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you want to quit? That's why you came? Taehyung, please--"

Taehyung shushed his rant with a hearty giggle. "Hyung, relax. I came to meet my friends."

"Wow, I think I almost had a heart attack", Inguk threw a hand over his racing heart as he sighed in relief.

"I like this job and you. You're the best boss I ever had."

"Thank you, I get that a lot", Inguk said with a smug face as he lifted a playful shoulder.

"Well, aren't you cocky now", the black-haired boy sneered, eliciting soft chuckles from the older.

As the conversation quieted down, Taehyung thought it was a good time to talk about his deliveries to JK Auto Company. "Um, Inguk--"

"Hey, Tae!", Jimin chirped then as he draped his arms over his figure, squeezing him in his hug.

"Hi, Chim", Taehyung chuckled at his adorable friend as he turned around and fastened his arms around him as well.

Drawing away a few seconds later, Taehyung glanced at the boss. "I'll talk to you later", he whispered, and the two boys strolled to an empty table to sit.

"Where's Seokjin?"

"He'll come later. His mother found out about his plan for the cafe he wants to open and now he's explaining everything to her."

"Wait, she didn't know?", Taehyung asked, and at that moment, Ten appeared to take their order. "Hey, Ten, meet my friend Jimin", the two greeted each other, and once they let him know what they wanted to drink, Ten took off.

"No, she didn't know", Jimin continued. "It's a risky plan if you have barely enough money to start a business."

"You're right. Oh! He could talk to Inguk. He told me he started this business himself, so apparently, he knows about these things."

"If he could help, that would be awesome!"

They continued bantering, and it must have been an hour later when Seokjin finally joined them.

"How did it go?", Jimin asked after greeting him.

"Not so well. She was trying to talk me out of it and I told her that I'll think about it again. But I don't want to think about it, I want to open a cafe!"

"We can ask my boss for advice. He started this business himself so he could help you", Taehyung gave him an encouraging caress on his shoulder.

"Yes please, let's do that!"

Taehyung scoped the cafe in an attempt to find Inguk, but he couldn't locate his target. "Probably he's busy now. We'll talk to him later."

The three boys chatted blithely about various things for a little while longer, but then Taehyung's smile dropped in a heartbeat when a certain someone bobbed into his vision, heading towards the bar.

Seokjin peeked at Taehyung and then at the boy he was shooting daggers at. "You know him? He seems rich, you hate rich people."

Taehyung darted his gaze at his friend once his voice came to his senses. "Um, he's a customer, I deliver his food every day", he explained with a small voice as he sank in his seat. It was a desperate attempt to hide, but he knew it was pointless; if Jeongguk was to turn around, he would easily spot him.

"He's hot", Jimin said as he eyed him.

"You can only see his back, Jiminie", Seokjin snickered as he shook his head.

"I saw him when he walked in. But even his back is hot", Jimin said with a smirk on his face.

"He's the devil", Taehyung murmured as he glanced away.

"What was that, Tae?"

"Uh, nothing."

At that point, Jeongguk rose from his seat and trod towards the bathroom. Although Taehyung knew he would see him when he would return, he shrugged it off. It wasn't like he would go to their table and greet him or something.

And he was right. When Jeongguk appeared again, his eyes fell straight to Taehyung who was already looking at him warily.

Jeongguk kept his stoic expression and didn't stop staring until the moment he took his seat at the bar. He raised a brow a second later as Inguk walked out of the kitchen. "I've been waiting for some time."

"I was busy, Kook", Inguk tsked with an eye roll. "What will you have today?"

"Surprise me", the younger said with a taunting smile.

"You don't like surprises."

"Of course I don't. Make me a generous portion of japchae."

"Okay", Inguk snorted at his scornful tone and then passed the order to the chef before he joined him again. "Did something happen today?"

"What do you mean?"

"With my delivery boy, I mean. He was weird when he came back from your company."

Jeongguk stayed muted for a moment, suddenly feeling the need to take a glimpse of the black-haired boy, but he suppressed it. "He walked inside without me saying come in."

"And because you're a little asshole you had to scold him, right?"

"He has to know his place."

"Why can't you be nice for once?"

"Because I can't and stop pestering me about it", the dark brown-haired boy spat out, annoyed. "And since he didn't even let me pay for my takeout, here", he fished €30 out of his wallet and placed the money on the counter.

6 

"He doesn't look busy now", Jimin said as he glanced back at the dark red-haired boy.

"Yes, Tae, go and tell him to come here", Seokjin said eagerly.

"You want me to go there now?", a deep frown settled on his features as he didn't want to be anywhere near that CEO.

"Yeah, why?"

Taehyung heaved a sigh and pressed his lips together. "Nothing, I'll just go", he said, defeated before he dragged his feet to the bar. "Um", he cleared his throat once, attracting Inguk's and Jeongguk's attention.

"Tae, everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask if you could help us with something?", Taehyung tried his best to ignore Jeongguk's piercing stare.

Inguk nodded his head and made his way out of the bar as Taehyung waited for him. When he was ready to follow Inguk who was heading to his friends, Jeongguk's voice impeded him from taking another step.

"Not even a hi?", his voice was smooth, subdued, and a faint chuckle accompanied his derisive inquiry.

Taehyung glared at him stony-faced, unamused at his provocative behavior. "Why would I say hi? I don't know you."

Jeongguk tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Just because I deliver your food doesn't mean I know you. And I won't be delivering your food anymore so", Taehyung shrugged an idle shoulder and spun around.

His hand was snatched then, bringing him to an abrupt halt, but he wrenched his hand away a second later as he scowled at him. "Don't touch me", he hissed, not wanting to make a scene in front of his friends, boss, and other customers.

Jeongguk was taken aback by his words but didn't focus on that. "And what are you gonna do? Are you gonna quit?"

"No, I'll ask Ten to deliver your food and I'll do the serving."

"Inguk won't accept that", Jeongguk uttered with a dry chuckle, making the other scoff.

"Then I'll quit", he sneered, but of course, he didn't mean it. He would never quit for that stupid, obnoxious CEO.

"You wouldn't do that. You need the job."

"But I don't need you yelling at me for a simple mistake, and I'm not having it anymore", he pivoted on his heel and trudged to his friends, leaving Jeongguk once again without knowing what to say.

"Everything okay?", Inguk asked, concerned since he saw the little scene between him and the CEO.

"Yes."

Inguk didn't seem convinced but decided to talk to him later about it. "So as I was saying, it is a risky move when you don't have enough money in case something goes wrong. But you have to start small. Find the perfect place. When you find a good location, you can start making plans. You can either build the cafe from scratch or find an empty building. I suggest you go with the second option because it will take a lot of time and a lot of money otherwise."

The three boys were engrossed in what Inguk was saying and didn't notice that a certain someone was standing close to their table, listening to their conversation.

"You need someone to fund you?", Jeongguk's indifferent tone made them jerk their heads to him.

"Um, what?", Seokjin asked, bewildered.

"Hello, Jeon Jeongguk, CEO of JK Auto Company", he introduced himself smoothly.

"Auto meaning cars so why would you fund him?", Jimin asked.

"Well, may I have a seat?", the cold CEO didn't seem so cold at that moment to Taehyung's eyes. The others nodded in response and Jeongguk smiled faintly as he sat with them.

"Jeongguk, your order is ready", Inguk said once he felt his pager buzzing.

"Have Ten to serve it here."

Inguk huffed at his words and got up to prepare his food since they had already wrapped it up.

"So yes, my company is all about cars, but we have many connections in literally everything."

Taehyung snorted and lowered his head in an attempt to hide his small sneer. It felt like that stupid CEO, as Taehyung thought at the moment, was bragging to them and couldn't help but get annoyed.

"Something you'd like to say?", Jeongguk raised an eyebrow at his little action.

And Taehyung cast him a disdainful look. "You sure know how to brag."

"I'm just stating the facts. If the truth sounds like bragging to you, it's your problem", Jeongguk shot back, contempt was laced in his tone, something that made the other tsk.

"What is happening exactly?", Jimin asked with furrowed brows as he glanced back and forth at the two boys.

"Nothing", Jeongguk gave him a kind smile. "Our company helps people who want to open their own business. We just ask for half of the earnings of the first year only. And of course, it's a win-win situation because we will help you build your customer base."

The boys took a moment to let what the CEO just said sink in. "Isn't half of the earnings a little too much?", Taehyung asked.

"Good question", his sneering tone only fueled Taehyung's distaste for him. "We will invest a lot of money. If something goes wrong or if it turns out to be a flop, we will lose all the money we invested. Your friend won't lose anything", he explained in a serious tone.

"But why is your company doing that?", Jimin asked, still confused.

And Jeongguk just shrugged. "It's boring only dealing with one thing. We have enough money to make investments in everything we want. And if things go well, we will make a lot of money out of it. You can think of it as charity."

"We don't want your charity", Taehyung lowly growled, irritated, startling the other a tad.

"Wait, I want his charity", Seokjin said with a small voice. "I mean, half of the earnings is a little too much but since you'll help me build my customer base and I won't lose money then I'm in."

"And think that it's only for the first year", Jeongguk added with a slight smile.

"Have you done this before?"

"Of course. Many times since I started handling the company", Jeongguk's food finally arrived then.

"Why would I trust you?", Seokjin questioned, still doubtful about the whole thing.

The CEO looked at him with a bored look. "I'm a billionaire, why would I waste my time talking to you if it was just a scam? I don't need your money. But you need mine."

"Well, he has a point", Jimin said with a light chuckle.

"Relax, we won't sign anything yet. Just think about it and come to my office with a lawyer if you want to. My lawyer is going to be there too and explain everything in detail. Don't make any rash decisions."

Seeing how smooth and nonchalant he was with his speech, Seokjin could tell it wasn't the first time he had a conversation like this. "I'll think about it."

"Everything good?", Inguk sat at his previous spot as he didn't have a lot of customers at the moment.

"Yeah, Jeongguk helped us understand some things", Jimin smiled as he glanced at him.

"Really? No formalities, nothing at all?", Jeongguk asked scornfully.

"I'm probably older than you anyway", Jimin scoffed, making the others chuckle.

"Still, I'm a CEO at my big company and I'll probably help your friend with his business."

"You're not gonna help me though", Jimin lifted a teasing shoulder, eliciting a snort from the other.

"You're all a bunch of kids who don't know their boundaries huh?", Jeongguk snickered.

"Jeongguk, you're only 23. You shouldn't be saying that", Inguk whispered with a chortle, but everyone was able to hear him.

"Are you kidding!?", Jimin asked, completely shocked. "Seokjin is 27 and you call us kids? We're all older than you."

"All?", Jeongguk questioned as his eyes subtly traveled to the black-haired boy across him.

"Yes, we are 24", Jimin pointed at himself and Taehyung.

"And I'm 29 as you know", Inguk said. "You're surrounded by hyungs, Kookie."

"Kookie? That's cute", Seokjin cooed.

"Let's not forget that I have more money than all of you have combined", Jeongguk said huffily.

"Who cares if you have more money?", Taehyung snapped his gaze at him in a flash. "That doesn't make you more of a person than us", his tone was dripping with annoyance.

"Tae", Jimin cut in before the CEO could say anything. "Chill, it's okay."

His two friends knew about his issue with rich people. He disliked them because of how they acted and the things they said. Things like what Jeongguk just blurted out.

Seokjin noticed the tense look on Jeongguk's face and offered him a soothing smile. "Don't take it personally, rich people were never his forte."

"Inguk hyung, can I talk to you?", Taehyung asked in a hushed tone.

Inguk wordlessly rose to his feet and headed to the bar with Taehyung trailing behind him.

There was a moment of silence at the table the three boys were sitting. "Well, that was awkward", Jimin scratched the back of his neck as an uneasy giggle flew off his mouth.

"Taehyung seems to be quite short-tempered", the CEO stated in a quiet tone.

"Tell me about it. He really needs to get laid", Jimin murmured at the end but the others were able to hear him.

"Jimin!", his hyung hissed at him.

"I'm eating here", Jeongguk said with a scowl.

"I didn't say anything!"

"I don't need to picture the boy who delivers my food having sex with others", Jeongguk threw his chopsticks on his plate. He was done with eating.

"Who told you to picture him though?", Seokjin asked as he narrowed his eyes on him.

"Well, if I talk about people getting killed, wouldn't you think about that even if you don't want to?"

"Why would you talk about that?"

"Why would you talk about Taehyung having sex?"

"Why are you talking about me having sex exactly?", Taehyung asked with a shocked expression as he heard what Jeongguk said at the end.

The three boys lowered their gaze, not really knowing what to say to the now pissed off black-haired boy who loomed over them.

Jeongguk cleared his throat before he stood up. "Well, I have to go", he murmured and trod towards the bar, sensing Taehyung's sharp gaze boring into him.

"Kook, you're leaving?"

"Yeah", he took his wallet out and paid for the food, not forgetting to leave a tip. "So, um, what did Taehyung talk to you about?"

Inguk shot him a loaded look as he snorted. "Like you don't know already."

"Don't let him stop delivering my food."

"Why do you want him to continue though? Obviously, you're not satisfied with his services."

"I am satisfied with his services."

"You literally told him to shut up today."

"Irrelevant", Jeongguk snapped back. "Just don't let him."

Inguk shook his head as a sigh emitted from his mouth. "I didn't, don't worry. He will give it another chance. Stop being an asshole to him!"

"Whatever", Jeongguk mumbled. "See you tomorrow", after Inguk said bye, he made his way to the three boys. "I thought I should say goodbye before I leave."

Taehyung's eyes popped in sheer disbelief. He's such a hypocrite. He has never greeted me, he has never said thank you, but now he thought he should say goodbye.

"Taehyung. A word?", Jeongguk asked as he set his gaze on him.

"No thank you, I'm good", he sneered at him.

Jeongguk arched an eyebrow at his words as he gave him a contemptuous look.

"Just say whatever you have to say here", the black-haired boy mumbled as he glanced away.

"I expect to see you tomorrow."

"And I expect you to treat me like a human being, even though I'm a poor little boy in your eyes", Taehyung hissed in a taunting tone; he didn't care if Jeongguk was one of his customers anymore. He would talk to him as he deserved from now on.

Jeongguk could get mad at his inflammatory behavior, but he chose not to. "Well, if you want to start a business and become rich, you know where to find me", he answered him in the same way, adding a mocking smile and another quirk of his brow.

"I would never accept your help even if I wanted to start a business", Taehyung gritted out, the muscles in his face clearly tensed in irritation.

"Don't get all worked up", Jeongguk let out a throaty chuckle. "It was just a suggestion anyway", he resumed talking with contempt, something that brought Taehyung on the brink of lashing out at him. "Well, goodbye, guys", he gave them a genuine smile at last and left the cafe soon after that.

7

Jeongguk went to the company the next day at 8 sharp as usual. After two long, draining meetings, he wilted on his chair and hung his head back as an exasperated sigh jumped out of his mouth. Just a few seconds later, there was a knock on the door, but he remained unfazed.

"Come in."

"Missed me?", the blonde boy asked as he walked closer to his desk.

"I need to relieve some stress so how about you suck me off, huh baby?", Jeongguk said with a low voice as the other boy sat on his lap.

"Sure", Yugyeom said with a sly smile as he started kissing his neck.

No, they weren't dating. They would just fuck sometimes because as Jeongguk was saying he wanted to relieve his tension and Yugyeom was never complaining about it. Who wouldn't want to have sex with a ridiculously hot young billionaire anyway?

After Jeongguk came in his mouth, he instructed the boy to sit on his lap. He placed a few wet kisses on his neck, educing faint moans from him, but they both flinched when they heard three knocks on his door.

Yugyeom floundered to get off his lap and stood beside his desk as Namjoon made his way inside the office. His hyungs didn't bother waiting for his permission to enter; they made it clear that they would just knock and then open the door. His little rules didn't apply to his hyungs.

Namjoon sighed heavily as he watched Yugyeom leaving his office in a haste, and then he laid his eyes on the younger. "You still haven't stopped fucking whoever I see", he shook his head in disapproval.

"I'm just trying to have some fun", Jeongguk murmured with a shrug.

"At least stop messing with our employees. We had already 6 of them quitting because you messed with their feelings."

"It's not my fault. I always make clear what I ask from the beginning."

"Jeongguk. You're a CEO in your own company. You might be only 23, but you have a lot of responsibilities. Outside of here, you can have as much fun as you want. But when you're here, I expect you to be focused", Namjoon scolded him in a soft tone, making the other sigh.

"I'll try."

After talking with Namjoon about a new investment for some time, Namjoon returned to his office and the younger stayed in his as it was almost time for his food to be delivered. He went through some documents but stopped when he heard a few knocks on his door.

"Come in", he said loud enough for the delivery boy to hear. His brows clumped together in a scowl, and he exploded out of his seat as in front of him stood an unfamiliar boy. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jaebum."

Jeongguk rolled his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "Yeah, whatever, where's the other boy?"

"Oh, he had an accident", Jaebum stated casually.

His reply brought an agitated expression on the CEO's traits as his eyes enlarged a tad. "What kind of accident?"

"I don't know, Inguk just called me and said to help him out for a week or something."

"For a week?", Jeongguk questioned as he tensed up even more.

"Or more, he doesn't know yet."

Jeongguk sighed as he slipped his wallet out of his pocket and gave him €30 for his package.

"You're very generous, Mr. Jeon. Thank you", Jaebum accepted the €10 tip without questions and then walked out of the office.

The dark brown-haired boy reached for his phone right away when the boy left and called Inguk.

"Hey, Kook."

"What happened?"

"Oh, I assume you mean what happened to Tae? The poor boy had an accident this morning. Someone hit his wheel with his car and knocked him off his bike. Thankfully, he was wearing his helmet and he wasn't injured severely but he almost crashed his right leg. I'm just returning to the cafe from the hospital."

Jeongguk was left in a mild state of shock at the news. "Did they find out who did it?"

"No, whoever did it, didn't even stop to check what happened. They can't find them."

"How is Taehyung?"

"He's still somewhat shocked. I left because I had to return to the cafe but his friends are there now. He's okay, he needs to wear a cast for some time now though."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later", Jeongguk said and hung up after Inguk said bye.

   

  

🥀

  

 

   

"Tae, oh my God", Seokjin exclaimed worriedly once he surged into his hospital room with Jimin.

"Are you okay?", Jimin edged closer, only to see a river of tears rushing down his face, and he gasped as he cocooned him in his hug.

"I'm okay, I was just scared", Taehyung said in a hushed tone as he hugged his friend back.

"It's okay, you're safe, Tae", Seokjin took his turn and hugged the scared boy gently.

"What happened?", Jimin asked as he sat on a chair near his bed with Seokjin mirroring his moves.

"I don't know", Taehyung rubbed his face, preventing his tears from falling again. "I was riding the bike at a normal speed, and all of a sudden, something hit me and I fell off my bike. The people who saw what happened called an ambulance for me and said to the police that someone hit my bike's wheel. They didn't have time to get the number plate because the car sped up afterwards", his voice trembled at all times as he had to recall what happened.

"Oh my God, Tae", Seokjin uttered with sorrowful eyes as he held his hand.

"Is your leg broken?", Jimin asked once he noticed the cast.

"It's a second-degree sprain. I need to wear this for a damn long time. How am I gonna do deliveries now?"

"That's not important, Tae, the important thing is that you're okay", Seokjin said in a comforting tone.

"But it is. How am I even gonna pay the hospital bill? I don't have insurance."

"Tae, we can help you--"

"No", Taehyung said strictly. "I don't want you guys to help me with the bill."

"Don't be stubborn. You don't have a choice", Seokjin stroked the back of his hand with his thumb.

"I'll figure something out", Taehyung sighed for the nth time. "Can you guys get my papers ready so I can leave? I already explained to them about my situation and they agreed to let me pay the bill in installments."

When everything was ready, he took his crutches and trudged outside with his friends. "At least let us pay for a cab for you. Don't take a bus like this", Jimin rubbed his back as he offered him a sympathetic smile.

"It's okay."

"We'll come with you then", Seokjin said as he didn't want to leave him alone, but he already knew his answer.

"You guys have work. Don't worry, I'm fine", Taehyung reassured them, although he was anything but fine. The two boys tried to convince him to let them help him, but every effort came to nothing, and so they reluctantly left their friend alone.

Taehyung took a long time to get to the bus stop, and even a longer time to arrive at his studio apartment. Why did that have to happen to me? The boy thought to himself as he buried his face in his hands and released a stream of suffocating sobs in the depths of despair.

Nothing was going right. He was working his ass off for years now and this is what he got in return? How was he supposed to survive now if he couldn't even work?

  

 

After an hour of lying in his bed and with no more tears left to cry at the moment, he hopped on his one leg as he didn't want to use his crutches and went to the kitchen. He took a sandwich out of the fridge and hopped back to his bed.

His phone started ringing then, and he eyed the unknown number for a few seconds before he answered. "Hello?

"Taehyung", a low voice that Taehyung was quite familiar with was heard through the phone.

"Mr. Jeon?", Taehyung asked in disbelief.

"I heard what happened. How are you?", the CEO sounded quite indifferent.

"Um, I'm okay I guess", Taehyung said somewhat awkwardly as he was confused to the max about why Jeongguk called him.

"Do you need anything?"

Taehyung took a moment before he replied. "Why do you even care?", he murmured, almost inaudible, but the other was able to hear him.

"I just thought that given your state, you might need some help."

"Given my state? As in my poor state? As in I'm poor and I obviously need help?", the black-haired boy snapped at him huffily.

A loud sigh was heard from the other line of the phone and a moment of intense silence reigned over them.

"I don't need your help", Taehyung spat out and then hung up the phone. Why and how the hell does he have my phone number anyway? He thought to himself as he took a bite of his sandwich, an annoyed frown was engraved on his features.

After eating, he hived in his bed, scrolling through youtube and watching some random videos. That was what he was doing even an hour later when a knock on his door was heard, startling him as he wasn't expecting anyone.

He hopped his way to the door and asked who is it multiple times, but he was met with silence. He wrapped his fingers around the door handle and cracked the door open with tentative moves, only to see a bag in front of his door.

His brows pulled together as he eyeballed the hallway, but he didn't spot anyone. He then picked up the bag and closed the door before he returned to his bed. He took a look at the items in the bag and his confusion only waxed. There were two ice packs inside, various kinds of pills, and a note. He grabbed the small note first and read it.

Give your stubborn ass a rest and use whatever you need from this bag

It didn't have a name, but Taehyung was sure about who left the bag outside of his studio apartment. "Why would he even...", he soughed as he examined the medicines. The doctor who treated him told him to buy anti-inflammatory drugs, but he couldn't afford them, especially now that he had to pay for his hospital bill as well.

He mooned over it for a long, long time. I will just pay him back, he settled on this thought and opened the small box. He took a pill and swallowed it with water before lying in his bed again.

8

aehyung was on edge the moment he woke up the next day. The thought of not working, meaning not earning money, drove him crazy and terrified him, to be honest. He couldn't survive otherwise. So he crawled out of his nest of misery and got ready to head to Jjang cafe-restaurant.

     

"Taehyung!?", Inguk exclaimed, shocked by his appearance.

"Hi, hyung. I'm here to work", Taehyung stated with a smile.

"What are you talking about? Tae, you can't work like this and you need to rest. Go home."

"Hyung, please", Taehyung pleaded as he cupped his hand, his desperation was apparent in his sunken eyes. "I can be behind the bar, I can be here all day and help you with something. You don't even have to give me my full payment. I can't just stay in my apartment and do nothing."

"You should, Tae. You should do that", Inguk heaved a long sigh as he patted his back in a comforting way.

"Please, hyung. I will do anything."

"Okay then. Is it okay if you work from 3 to 8? I could use a hand in the bar."

"Yes, hyung! Thank you, thank you, thank you", Taehyung's previously gloomy face lit up in a flash, and he would be jumping up and down from joy right now if he wasn't wearing a cast.

"You should go home and rest now. It's still early", Inguk chuckled at how cute the boy was at that moment.

"Since I'm here, you can teach me what I have to do and where everything is."

"Okay, stay here, I have to prepare an order, and I'll come to find you", and with that, Inguk disappeared towards the kitchen.

A hopeful smile dangled on the corner of his lips as he perched onto a stool. He felt extremely lucky for having a boss like him, although Inguk was more of his hyung now.

After Inguk showed everything the black-haired boy needed to know, he sat at a table to have lunch.

"You know, many of our customers called me to ask what happened to you. They like you", Inguk said as he served him his meal.

Taehyung broke into a wide smile at his words. "That's nice."

"And maybe you won't believe it, but Jeongguk called too."

"He even called me", Taehyung muttered with a sigh. "Wait, did you give him my number?", he asked, eyes narrowing on him.

Inguk glanced away as he tittered. "He was pestering me for ten minutes straight. With everything you said, I didn't want to give him your number, but he literally wouldn't shut up, so I did. I'm sorry."

"Whatever the rich CEO wants, he gets it anyway, right?", Taehyung said with a taunting chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you."

"Nice", Inguk sighed in relief. "I was feeling kind of bad."

"It's okay", he reassured with a warm smile and then started eating as Inguk headed back to the kitchen. He didn't want to tell him that not only Jeongguk called him, but he also bought him some of the things he needed and left them outside of his door. It was already weird, and maybe a little creepy as well, so he decided to keep this to himself.

 

Taehyung started his shift a while later. He had to use his crutches to walk, but because the space behind the bar was narrowed, he chose to hop around as subtly as possible.

A lot of customers asked what happened to him and why was he working in that condition, and when Taehyung explained what happened to each one of them, they gave him that look of pity he detested. He chose to brush it off though and smile back at them in return.

At some point, the door opened once again, and the one person he deeply didn't want to see sprang up in front of him, staring at him with wild eyes.

"What are you doing here?", Jeongguk questioned in a dour tone.

"What does it look like?", Taehyung retorted with disdain, raising a snide brow at him. "Working."

Jeongguk tsked as he rolled his eyes. "I can see that, the question is why."

"That's a rather stupid question", Taehyung sneered as he shot him a derisive, rather incendiary smile. "To make money."

"You can't possibly work with a broken leg."

"First of all, it's not broken, and second of all, as you can see, I can", Taehyung said with a smug face, making the other scoff.

"That's not something you should be proud of. You should be home doing nothing and not be here working."

"Well, given my state", he said mockingly, mimicking his voice from yesterday, "I can't just stay home and do nothing. I need to work so I can survive."

Every trace of annoyance or scorn fell from Jeongguk's face then as he glanced away for the first time since he walked into the cafe. "If you're working, why don't you have enough money to rest for a week or something?"

"Why do you even care? Just leave me alone", Taehyung snarled in a quiet tone as vexation cloaked his entire face. Why would he sit there and talk to Jeongguk out of all people about his debt and hospital bill? The only thing that would happen was for the rich CEO to give him the same look of pity as everyone else.

"Jeongguk, sorry, I was busy", Inguk emerged from the kitchen then. "What are you eating today?"

Jeongguk kept the ferocious scowl that flashed up onto his traits by Taehyung's words and tone as he darted his gaze at him. "Bibimbap."

"What's wrong with you?", Inguk asked warily as he handed his order to the chef.

"Just having a bad day", Jeongguk murmured with a faint shrug as he peeped at Taehyung who was just sitting behind the bar, staring at his hands.

"I feel you. Do you want a beer or something? It's on the house", Inguk said with a small smile.

"Yeah, thank you. And I'll eat here too."

"No, he won't ", Taehyung blurted out as he shot him a glower.

"Why not?", the CEO questioned with a snicker. "And since you're working", his voice was cram-full of derision, "get me a beer."

Taehyung was beyond furious at that moment and truly strove to tame his boisterous nerves. He was ready to move when Jeongguk's low, guttural voice rang in his ears. "Inguk, get me my usual."

Inguk was outright baffled about what was happening, but he grabbed a beer from the fridge and placed it in front of the CEO before going back to the kitchen.

Taehyung rose from his seat when a customer neared the bar. "Hello, what would you like?"

"How about your number?", the seemingly young boy asked with an alluring, flirty tone, making Taehyung's eyes pop in astonishment.

He wasn't used to people hitting on him, even though it was happening more often than he could even believe. He never thought he was that beautiful; he thought he was just average and that was why he wouldn't flirt back usually.

But to be honest, this boy in front of him was quite handsome. Just his enticing, persistent gaze on him brought a tinge of red on his cheeks, and he had to glance away.

With a deep pull of fortifying air, he chose to flirt back just for once. "The cast didn't scare you off?", his voice was scarcely audible and a dram faltering as well, but he at least managed to say what he wanted.

"This cast doesn't stop you from being unbelievably gorgeous", the boy said with a smirk as he leaned against the counter, inching closer to him.

The boy giggled as he tossed his head down, timid, and the dark brown-haired boy who was observing the scene intensively, rolled his eyes skywards at his behavior.

"Tell me your order and I'll see what I can do about my phone number", Taehyung uttered after a second, making the other boy chuckle softly.

"Two beers and three bottles of soju."

Taehyung nodded and hopped his way to the fridge. He placed the items in a bag and returned, passing it over to the boy with a sheepish smile.

"Thank you", he fished his wallet out of his pocket and gave him €20. "Keep the change", he cast him a playful wink and stood there, eyeing the blushing boy for a moment, confusing him with his intense stare. "I still need your number."

With a soundless gasp, Taehyung reached for a piece of paper and a pen that was on the counter. He wrote down his number as Jeongguk gaped at the scene with owlish eyes. He didn't think he would actually give him his phone number.

"Your name?", the boy asked as he took the piece of paper in his hands, his smirk unyielding.

"Taehyung."

"Beautiful, just like you."

The statement was made with great confidence and allure, something that had Taehyung blushing even harder, and although he tried his best to hide it, he failed.

"I'm Baekhyun. And now that I got what I wanted, and I'm talking about your phone number and not the drinks, I'll leave. I'll call you, Taehyung", Baekhyun winked at him once more, educing a shy giggle from him.

"Bye", he said with a sheepish smile, completely unaware of Jeongguk's penetrating stare.

The CEO poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue multiple times while he watched the scene that took place right in front of his eyes. At that moment, Taehyung met his rowdy gaze, causing his smile to wither in a heartbeat.

"Your food will be out in two minutes", Inguk informed then.

"I changed my mind, I'll eat home", Jeongguk said as he rose to his feet, and Inguk tsk while he went back to the kitchen to prepare his package.

The CEO stamped towards the bathroom, leaving Taehyung with a deep frown on his face. What's his deal? I will never understand what he's thinking, he thought to himself as he plumped down on a stool.

He was gone for quite a while, so long that even Inguk walked out of the kitchen with his takeout first.

"Where's Jeongguk?"

"Um, he went to the bathroom."

Jeongguk only went to the bathroom to have a moment to himself. For some reason, he felt peeved, outraged, he could say. He mellowed his steamed-up state with some drags of calming air and went back outside. He paid for his food then, giving him a tip as well.

"Thank you, Kook!"

Jeongguk took the bag and presented a lackluster smile to Inguk before he whirled around and bundled off without even glancing at Taehyung.

And the black-haired boy couldn't help but pout at his behavior. Was it so hard to say goodbye? A long sigh slipped out of his mouth, drawing Inguk's attention.

"What's wrong with you now?"

"I hate Jeon Jeongguk", the black-haired boy hissed, making the other giggle.

"He's not a cold-hearted guy. He's been through a lot actually and he ended up with massive responsibilities at a young age. For example, at the age of 17, you should be going out with your friends, talking about girls or boys, caring about where to go for vacation, and overall living your life. Not becoming the CEO of your dad's company because your dad died in a plane crash."

Taehyung's jaw hung open at his words as he stared at him moon-eyed, unable to say anything.

Inguk noticed his shocked expression and immediately regretted what he said. "I shouldn't have said that to you or anyone actually. Please don't say anything to him, he will kill me."

"His father died?"

"Yes", Inguk said with a sigh. "He hasn't lived his life as a kid should. He was always surrounded by older people and businessmen. Don't say anything please."

"Yeah, don't worry", Taehyung mumbled after a moment as he dropped his head, still unable to take in what he just heard.

9   

Wearing a cast was awfully frustrating for Taehyung, and it had only been a day. He was plunged into a pitfall of depression by the whole situation, but he always plastered an affable smile on his face when he talked to someone, and mostly to his customers.

And with that fixed, gentle smile, he limped into the cafe with his crutches the next day and greeted Inguk who was sitting behind the bar.

"Hey, Tae! How are you?"

"I'm okay. The cast is a little annoying, but what can I do", he uttered with a faint shrug.

"You can only be patient."

"I hate that", Taehyung grimaced, evoking a hearty chuckle from the other.

"I know", Inguk patted his shoulder and receded to the kitchen as Taehyung went to change his clothes.

   

It was rather busy that day, he had double the customers than yesterday, and frankly, it was grueling to hop on one leg all the time. But it was just as tiring to use his crutches.

   

Hours went by, and Taehyung just found a minute to sit down and take a break. "Why is it so busy today?", he asked Inguk who just sat next to him.

"I don't know. We have double the customers today for some reason. I'm not complaining though. More customers mean more money, and more money for you too", Inguk offered him a soft smile at last.

Taehyung felt a flutter of something pleasant, placating, rippling through him when these words reached his ears. More money for him meant that he could pay the next installment for his hospital bill sooner than expected.

   

  

It was already after 19:30, and Jeongguk hadn't come to take his food as usual. Taehyung couldn't help but notice his absence, and he wanted to ask Inguk about it, but after contemplating for some time, he decided against it.

Just yesterday was when he said that he hates Jeon Jeongguk. Asking about why he wasn't there yet would be rather odd.

He still had 10 minutes to finish his shift, and right then, the door was swung open, and a quite familiar figure barged into the cafe.

"Inguk?", was all Jeongguk said once he was in front of the black-haired boy.

Taehyung scoffed at his behavior and rolled his eyes. Not even a hi huh? He thought to himself as he went to call Inguk.

"Hey, Kook. What would you like today?"

"Two portions of japchae", Jeongguk said as he took his seat. "To go."

"Sure", Inguk headed back to the kitchen then.

Taehyung's mind unwittingly traveled to what Inguk told him yesterday as he peeped at the CEO. To be honest, he felt a pang of unexpected sympathy for him. He had indeed gone through a lot, and even though he was rich, he was just rich. He knew Jeongguk wasn't happy, he could tell just by looking at him.

He forced his lips together and held whatever wanted to fly out of his mouth back as he began cleaning around the bar. The cafe would be open for three more hours, but he wanted everything to be neat for Inguk after his shift.

"Tae, can you please take this tray to the kitchen? I need to take an order", Ten pleaded as he left a tray with a pile of empty dishes on the counter.

"Um, sure", Taehyung breathed out with a brittle smile. Well, it was kind of tricky for him to hop on one leg and carry a tray with a heap of dishes on it. He pressed his lips together, determined to accomplish Ten's request, and rose from his seat.

"You're not really gonna do it, right?", Jeongguk's scornful tone made him stop in his tracks.

"Of course I will", Taehyung murmured as he reached for the tray.

"You can't carry that and hop on your leg, Taehyung."

"Ten asked for my help."

"He asked you to do something you can't possibly do, so take your hands away from that tray", Jeongguk's voice was sharp and rigorous.

"I can do it", Taehyung hissed at him and moved the tray, almost picking it up.

"Inguk", Jeongguk called loud enough to attract a few customers' attention as he snatched the tray, keeping it in place.

"What?", Inguk made an appearance soon enough. "What are you guys doing?", he peered at the two boys who were holding the tray, baffled.

"Take this inside", Jeongguk said as he pushed the tray to him.

"Taehyung, were you planning to bring this inside?", Inguk frowned as he looked at him.

"Yes", the CEO answered before the other could say anything.

"Tae, you can't do that with one leg", Inguk said softly as he picked up the tray and went to the kitchen.

"Why are you always meddling in what I do?", Taehyung snarled as he crossed his arms, a peevish pout was painted on his lips.

"So what, I should just let you do stupid things in front of my eyes and stay quiet?"

"It's my life anyway."

"Whatever, I don't care", Jeongguk said in a huff as he sighed.

Taehyung stayed muted while he finished what he had to do. "I'll leave if you don't need anything else", he said to Inguk who just walked out of the kitchen.

"Go rest, Tae", Inguk gave the boy a small hug which the other accepted happily.

"Thank you, hyung", he offered him a soft smile before he dawdled towards the exit without sparing a glance at the CEO.

"Why do you even let him work?", Jeongguk found himself asking under his breath.

"He needs the money, Kook. And why do you care so much anyway?"

Jeongguk darted his gaze at him. "I don't care", he murmured with a faint shrug.

"Sure", the dark red-haired boy said with a snicker. He felt his pager buzzing and went to take his package. Soon enough, he returned, and Jeongguk paid for his takeout. "Thank you, Kook."

"See you tomorrow, hyung", Jeongguk said before he strolled off. The moment he exited the cafe, his eyes caught a glimpse of Taehyung who waiting to cross the street. He stood still and spectated as the boy traipsed with his crutches towards a bus stop.

With a deep sigh, he made his way to his car and got inside. He started the engine and drove in front of the bus stop Taehyung was at. He rolled the window down and laid his eyes on him, his expression somber.

Taehyung noticed the fancy car right away, and once he saw who the driver was, his eyes popped in surprise.

"Get in."

The black-haired boy blinked repeatedly at his command. "What?"

"Are you deaf? I said get in", the CEO said with a cold tone.

"No, go away", Taehyung spat out in a burst of annoyance as he whisked his gaze away.

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you? I said no."

"Why can't you accept someone's help?"

"I don't want to accept your help. There is a difference", Taehyung shot back in a rather taunting manner, eliciting another frustrated groan from the younger.

"It's nothing for me to give you a ride."

"And it's nothing for me to throw my crutch straight to your stupid face."

"Why is my face stupid?", Jeongguk questioned, huffy, a scowl adorning his features.

"It just is."

The younger drew in a mouthful of air as a moment of silence rolled by. "Can you just get in?"

"Will you shut up if I do?"

"Yes."

And with that, Taehyung uttered a few profanities as he walked towards the car and got inside. "Happy?"

"Very", Jeongguk sneered, and the other could only grunt at his provocative behavior. Well, not that he was any better than him in that matter, but that wasn't important.

It was silent for a while between the two as Jeongguk drove towards his apartment. He didn't have anything to say to him. All he could think was about Jeongguk's dad. Although he never had parents, he could understand how hard it must have been for him to lose a family member.

"You didn't have to, um, get me those things", Taehyung whispered after 10 minutes of pure silence.

Jeongguk maintained his blank expression, his eyes glued to the road, and his lips firmly shut.

"I'll definitely pay you back, it might take a while though", Taehyung added as he peeked at the boy who was driving.

Jeongguk clutched the wheel, irritated by what the black-haired boy just said, but still not a word left his mouth.

"I have other things to take care of first. I hope it's okay", his brows were knitted in a confused frown by the other's silence. He fixed his gaze on him and waited patiently for a while, but it didn't seem like Jeongguk was gonna say anything. "Why aren't you answering me?", he asked through gritted teeth, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

"You told me to shut up."

"And since when are you listening to me?"

Well, Taehyung was right. Jeongguk only obeyed his hyungs' words. It was unusual even for him to actually obey someone else's request.

"You want me to answer you?"

"Yes."

"No, it's not okay because I don't need you to pay me back. I have enough money to buy a damn hospital, why would I care for €50?"

His fueling, arrogant words reshaped Taehyung's pout to a vicious scowl. "Rubbing your money to my face is really petty, you know", he growled in a stew.

"You're asking for it", Jeongguk replied in the same way.

Taehyung huffed at his remark and crossed his arms as he averted his gaze outside the window. "Why can't I see anything?", he murmured after a while.

"It's tinted glass."

"Then open the window."

"No, it's cold."

"And what, are you afraid you'll catch a cold?"

"Just look straight ahead and stop nagging me, we're almost there anyway", Jeongguk snapped at him, causing the other to scoff.

"I know that", he hissed almost inaudibly, but Jeongguk was able to hear him.

The rest of the ride was deadly silent between the two. Taehyung couldn't help but dwell on why was that CEO such an obnoxious person. Did money turn him into a cold, curt person?

Once they arrived, Jeongguk parked outside of the building and exited the car, leaving Taehyung puzzled by his actions. He shrugged it off and opened his door a moment later, holding his crutches in one hand. He attempted to get out of the car, but that didn't seem to work as he fell in a heap in his seat.

"Give me your crutches", Jeongguk said with an eye roll as he stood in front of him.

"I can do it, I just need to--", he piped down once Jeongguk stormed at him and wrenched the crutches out of his grip. Taehyung cast him a death glare as he squeezed his lips into a thin line in vexation. He didn't want to strike as a helpless kid in front of that rich CEO, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Taehyung tried to get up once more, and he succeeded by holding onto the door to balance himself on one leg. The dark brown-haired boy passed him his crutches then, and Taehyung reached for them hesitantly.

Jeongguk locked the car and trailed behind Taehyung who had already started heading towards his studio apartment. "This neighborhood doesn't look so safe."

"It's not, but it's not like I can afford anything else."

"Is Inguk not paying you enough money?"

Taehyung paused for a moment to rest his hands and leg once they got into the building. "The money is good, I get a lot of tips too. Not only from you", he added in a rush at the end, earning a snort from the other.

"I didn't say anything", a small smile stretched on his lips as Taehyung resumed his way.

Silence ticked on after that as they stood in front of the elevator. Taehyung's eyes roamed around as a surge of awkwardness sprawled through him. "Are you gonna come upstairs?"

Jeongguk's brows drew together at his question. Why was he even following him in the first place? "Um, no, why would I do that?", he mumbled with a rather nervous chuckle.

"I asked because you're following me", the black-haired boy said quietly as he peeped at him.

"I was just waiting for an answer."

"About what?"

"If your payment is good and you get a lot of tips, why can't you rest for a week? Why can't you afford a new place?", his voice was mild, and maybe a drop softer than usual, something that caught Taehyung off guard.

He brushed it aside, settling on the thought that he just heard wrong, and he mused over his inquiry for a few seconds. "I just have a lot of bills to pay. Plus the hospital bill now", a faint sigh accompanied his last remark. He glanced at him thrice, not sure if he should say it or not, but the words rolled off his tongue eventually. "And a debt."

Jeongguk cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why would a 24-year-old boy have a debt?"

"It's not really my debt, it was my grandmother's debt and I'm stuck with it now."

"What kind of debt?"

"Jeongguk", the black-haired boy blurted out, raising an amused smile from the other.

"What happened to Mr. Jeon?", a shred of lighthearted teasing was sensible in his question.

"You're not my customer anymore. And I'm older than you", Taehyung said with a shrug, although he surprised himself as well when he called him by his name. "Anyway, I should head upstairs. I can't feel my left leg."

"I'm not surprised since you were hopping on your leg all day."

"You're right", the boy chuckled as he fixed his gaze on him. "Thank you for the ride, even though you didn't have to do that."

His last statement soured Jeongguk's slight smile and effaced it a second later. "Just say thank you and goodnight, why do you have to ruin the moment?"

"What moment?"

"You being nice."

"Says the one who hasn't been nice to me even once!"

"I just drove you home, isn't that being nice?"

"You were like an obnoxious Uber driver", Taehyung said with disdain.

"You can't afford an Uber driver", Jeongguk snapped back at him sneeringly.

Taehyung pouted deeply as a frustrated grunt spewed out of his mouth, and he pressed the elevator button multiple times.

"Have a good night", Jeongguk said with a jeering, sweet smile.

"Oh bite me, you coconut head", Taehyung gritted out, stirring the CEO to chuckle in delight as he continued his way out of the building.

Taehyung snapped his gaze at him once he heard his laugh. It was the second time he heard it and he would be lying if he said that it wasn't one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. Beautiful just like him.

10

A week went by as if the time was moving at a glacial pace for the black-haired boy. With the cast on his leg, everything felt like it was in slow motion for him. He was sick and tired of using his crutches, his arms were aching, and his left leg was extremely weakened. He felt like crying every day, and he did most of the days. Not at work, of course.

One good thing that happened to him was that Baekhyun texted him. They started talking through texts and arranged to meet sometime this week.

Jeongguk stopped going to the cafe every day for his takeout. He only went three days out of seven, something that caught Taehyung's attention, but he didn't question anything to Inguk or him when he would see him.

That week though, their clientele had increased significantly. That meant more fatigue but more earnings too. That was why Taehyung managed to gather enough money for his next installment sooner than expected. He even had enough money to pay Jeongguk back for the medical supplies he got for him. Although the CEO said that he didn't need the money, and there was no doubt that he didn't need it, Taehyung still wanted to pay him back.

   

 

He had a gleeful smile on his face as he entered the hospital to pay off his next installment. "Good morning. Kim Taehyung, I'm here to pay the next installment."

"One minute please", the lady at the reception said with a smile and checked something on the computer.

Taehyung noticed her eyebrows furrowing as she continued clicking here and there.

"Mr. Kim, your bill has been paid off."

"What?", Taehyung asked, completely baffled. "That's not possible."

"It is, your file has been closed. You don't owe anything."

"Paid by who?"

"Please wait a minute", she said as she made a call. "Hey, Sejin, do you know who paid off Mr. Kim Taehyung's bill?"

The black-haired boy tapped his foot against the floor, feeling his curiosity skyrocketing.

"Oh okay, thank you", she finally hung up and looked at the boy. "It was in the donation from JK Auto Company."

"Donation?"

"My fellow told me that the CEO of that company came here a few days ago and made a donation to the hospital for the pediatric department. He said to pay off Mr. Kim's, meaning your hospital bill too."

Taehyung was left dumbfounded. Why the hell would Jeon Jeongguk pay for my fucking hospital bill? He thought to himself as he pressed his lips together in annoyance.

"Thank you", he uttered after a moment and headed out of the hospital. He checked the time, and seeing that he had plenty of time before his shift, he took a bus towards JK Auto Company.

  

He arrived soon enough and walked into the building, his stern expression softening upon seeing Jisoo waving at him with a grin.

"Taehyung, oh my God, it's been so long!"

"Hi, Jisoo."

"Are you okay? What brings you here?"

"I'm hanging in there", he said with a faint chuckle. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you give this to Jeongguk?", he took an envelope out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.

Jisoo creased her brows as she opened the envelope since she was obligated to check everything before it was handed over to the CEO. Her confusion deepened once she saw that the envelope was full of money. "Why are you giving this to Mr. Jeon?"

"He paid off my hospital bill. I didn't ask for it, so I'm giving him the money back."

"Tae, I'm sorry. I can't give this to him", she smiled apologetically as she gave him the envelope back.

"Why?"

"When Mr. Jeon pays for something, he doesn't accept money back. If I walk into his office with this envelope, he will rip my head off."

Taehyung groaned as he shoved the envelope in his pocket again. "Is he in his office?"

"Wait until I check if he can see you now."

"Don't bother, I'm going anyway", Taehyung murmured and headed towards the elevator, ignoring Jisoo who was calling his name. When he arrived outside of his office, he didn't even bother knocking on the door.

"What the hell?", Jeongguk bellowed the moment he heard the door opening. He quickly pushed the blonde boy away and fumbled to pull up his pants. He whirled around then, only to see Taehyung standing there with a wild scowl, shooting daggers at him. Yugyeom heaved himself to his feet and made eye contact with the furious boy too.

"Oh, what a surprise", Taehyung exclaimed, his tone dripping with derision. "Are you paying him to suck your nonexistent dick? Because you sure love to spend your money", he didn't even think about the words that rolled off his tongue. He was beyond infuriated to care about anything.

He heard a gasp from the blonde boy then and saw a shocked expression taking over his face.

Jeongguk felt his insides flaming with outrage at his words, a storm of menaces emanating from his eyes. "Yugyeom, get the fuck out", his voice was dangerously low, his feral gaze was riveted on the black-haired boy.

Yugyeom didn't have to be told twice. In a matter of seconds, he vanished from the office, leaving the two boys throwing glowers at each other.

"What the fuck did you just say?", Jeongguk barked at him as he neared him, each step slow, ominous.

"I said what I said."

"Who do you think you're talking to? Who do you think you are to walk into my company and talk to me like that?", he was now standing right in front of him, eyes blazing with fury.

"And who do you think you are to pay off my hospital bill, huh? Did I ask you to do it? Do I look like I want your help? Like I want your pity? What am I? Just a charity case in your eyes? You had to be the hero and save the little poor orphan boy who can't even pay for his hospital bill! Who the fuck told you to do that?", he lashed out at him, sunken in a frenzy of wrath so profound that brought tears to his eyes.

Jeongguk's scowl drained away from his face as the boy was yelling at him, and his clenched fists and jaw relaxed towards the end of his outbreak. "Orphan?"

Only then Taehyung realized what slipped out of his mouth. His mind was void of any thought by his extreme rage that led him to share something so personal with the person he loathed the most at the moment. "Yes, I'm an orphan, I'm sure this adds up to your list of reasons to pity me."

"That's what this is all about? You're so riled up because I paid your hospital bill?", Jeongguk decided to put aside the new information for now and asked instead.

"Obviously! Why did you do that?"

"Is it so bad that I wanted to help you?"

"Why would you even help me?"

"Because that's what you do when you have money. You give as much as you can and to whoever needs it", Jeongguk replied with a calmer tone this time.

"You do that out of pity! You do that so you can feel good with yourself, so you can feel superior from us who have nothing!", a few teardrops escaped his strained eyes as he continued to holler at the CEO.

"Fine! You want to think that I do it out of pity? Suit yourself. I paid your bill because you're just a little poor boy and I pitied you. I paid your bill because I wanted to see you fall on your knees and thank me over and over again. You're only just a charity case in my eyes, that's why I helped you. There, I said it. Happy?"

Silence. Taehyung dropped his head as a waterfall of tears gushed out of his eyes, his choked sobs booming across the room while he endeavored in vain to breathe properly. Words were poor to describe the poignancy that nestled against his heart at the CEO's short speech, and the flutter of emptiness that swallowed him whole.

Jeongguk felt ruefulness trickling through his system as he watched the boy crying his heart out right in front of him. Of course, he didn't mean a word he said. He only did it because he wanted to prove that this was what Taehyung wanted to hear.

He didn't expect that his words would have such power over him, especially these words he didn't believe or mean in the slightest. And now he was left gazing at him with a vacant expression, not knowing what to say or do.

After what felt like hours, Taehyung lifted his quaky hand and wiped his tears with his sleeve, but he gave up rather soon as another stream of tears rushed down his cheeks. He held his crutches instead and spun around, wanting nothing else than to get the hell out of there.

"Taehyung", he whispered, but the boy didn't stop, impelling Jeongguk to take some steps closer. "You know I didn't actually mean anything from what I said."

"Go to hell, Jeon Jeongguk", he choked out as he opened the door but froze in his tracks. He reached for the envelope that was in his pocket and turned sideways, keeping his flooded with tears eyes on the floor, and threw it at his feet. "You and your money", he uttered before he left the office for good.

Jeongguk stood there at a standstill for a moment as he stared at the now closed door. He averted his gaze to the floor then and grabbed the envelope, a deep sigh seeping through his lips once he realized that there was money in there. He dropped his hands to his sides as he dragged his feet to his desk and reluctantly placed the envelope in the drawer.

Taehyung's tears were still falling from his eyes as he arrived at the lobby, paying no mind to the people who shot him questioning glances on his way out. His only wish at that moment was to vanish from there and never come back again.

He still had one hour before his shift and decided to go to the cafe since he didn't have enough time to go home. Before he entered the cafe, he rubbed his face, collecting any remains of his tears, and fixed his hair a tad. He didn't want Inguk to question him anything, but he knew just by glimpsing at him he would notice his bloodshot eyes.

"Tae", Inguk chirped, but the smile on his face faltered once he took a closer look at him. He threw the wet cloth he was holding since he was wiping the counter and scuttled out of the bar. "What happened?", he asked as he muffled him in his hug.

"I'm okay, hyung, don't worry", Taehyung mumbled as he hugged him back, feeling a wave of comfort by his sweet gesture.

"You were crying", he uttered as he pulled back and placed his hands on his shoulders, peering at his puffy, drained eyes.

"I got in a fight with Jeongguk", he decided to tell him the truth as there was no need to hide it anyway.

"Why?", he helped the boy sit on a stool and then sat by his side.

"He paid off my hospital bill without me knowing."

Inguk waited for him to continue but he didn't. "And?"

"What and? He did that because he pitied me. I don't want his pity. I'm not a charity case."

"Tae, I'm sure he doesn't think you're a charity case. He had helped me too when I was having a hard time with the cafe. He helps because he can. Wouldn't you want to help people if you had plenty of money?"

"You can't tell me that he helps people because he's a kind-hearted person. He's anything but that", Taehyung frowned as he thought about it.

"I told you, he helps because he can. Maybe he's being an asshole sometimes, but he's always helping people."

"He should help if he's asked to. I didn't ask him to pay off my hospital bill."

"I agree, he didn't handle it right and I'm sure it was because you wouldn't let him do it otherwise."

"If he knew that, he shouldn't have done it in the first place", Taehyung spat out as the CEO's stinging words from before infiltrated his mind.

A sigh escaped Inguk's lips as he gave him a soothing caress on his shoulder. "If one thing his father taught him right, was to help others when they're in need even if they don't ask for it. You know, he had never heard one good word from him until the very day he died. Maybe he's cold because he doesn't want to get attached to people. He's still cold towards me sometimes too."

Taehyung remained muted as he pondered over what he just said, a deep pout playing on his lips as he rested his chin in his palm.

"Come on, tell me what you want to eat. You start your shift in a while", Inguk offered him a palliative smile and another pat on his back.

"Japchae", Taehyung drawled with his unyielding pout, making the other chuckle at his cuteness.

"Coming right up", and with that, he strode towards the kitchen, leaving the younger boy in a sulk and constantly thinking about the events that took place that day.