Chapter 3
For several long seconds after Jungkook realized whose name Taehyung had used, neither of them spoke.
The silence hanging over the apartment felt unusually heavy, made worse by the fact that Jungkook was staring at him as though he’d personally committed a crime.
Taehyung, meanwhile, had never been more aware of how ridiculous the entire situation sounded.
Looking at it from Jungkook’s perspective, it probably was ridiculous.
One moment he was bringing fried chicken to comfort his exhausted best friend after another family gathering. The next, he was discovering that said best friend had accidentally informed an entire family tree that they were dating.
It sounded insane, because it was insane.
“You used my name,” Jungkook finally repeated.
Taehyung winced, “Yes.”
“My name.”
“Unfortunately.”
Jungkook slowly leaned back against his chair and dragged a tattooed hand down his face.
The gesture was familiar.
It was the same thing he always did whenever Taehyung created unnecessary problems. Which happened often enough that Taehyung immediately recognized the warning signs.
“You could have used literally anyone else.”
“I panicked.”
“There are eight billion people in the world.”
“I know.”
“You chose me.”
“It wasn’t intentional.”
Jungkook looked completely unconvinced. “Taehyung.”
“It wasn’t.”
“It absolutely was.”
“It wasn’t.”
Jungkook pointed at him.
“You’re the one who constantly talks about how handsome I am.”
Taehyung stared.
“That is not true.”
“You literally told me last week that my new haircut made me look expensive.”
“Because it did.”
“Exactly.”
“That isn’t flirting.”
The conversation dissolved into another argument before either of them could stop it. Unfortunately, it was the sort of argument they had been having for years.
Pointless.
By the time they finished, both of them had forgotten why they were arguing in the first place.
Then reality returned.
Specifically, the reality that Taehyung’s family wanted to meet his boyfriend. Jungkook’s expression immediately flattened.
“No.”
The response came so quickly that Taehyung almost admired it.
“What?”
“No.”
“You didn’t even think about it.”
“I don’t need to.”
Jungkook reached for another piece of chicken.
“I’m not pretending to be your boyfriend.”
Taehyung stared, then stared harder. Then slowly set down his drink.
“Jungkook.”
“No.”
“Jungkook.”
“No.”
“Please.”
“No.”
Taehyung felt genuine panic begin to settle in his chest. His family wasn’t joking. His aunt had already begun making plans. His mother wanted introductions. His grandmother wanted details.
If Jungkook refused, the entire lie would collapse immediately. And then he would spend the rest of his life being mocked.
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Taehyung.” Jungkook pointed at him again. “This is your fault.”
“I know.”
“You created this.”
“I know.”
“You lied.”
“I know.”
“So you deal with it.”
Taehyung groaned loudly. The sound echoed through the apartment.
Jungkook ignored him.
Unfortunately for Jungkook, Taehyung wasn’t above using unfair methods. After ten years of friendship, he knew every weakness Jungkook possessed. And Jungkook’s biggest weakness had always been Kim Taehyung.
Specifically, Kim Taehyung looking sad.
It had been that way since high school. Back then, whenever Taehyung wanted something, he would simply look disappointed. Jungkook always folded within minutes.
Sometimes seconds.
Ten years later, absolutely nothing had changed. Taehyung slowly looked up. Then he activated the expression.
The one Seokjin called his ‘illegal puppy eyes.’
The one that even had convinced teachers to forgive missed assignments. The one that had convinced relatives to buy him gifts. The one that had consistently defeated Jungkook since they were fifteen.
Jungkook froze immediately.
“No.”
The confidence from earlier disappeared.
Taehyung said nothing. He simply continued looking at him. Jungkook pointed a finger.
“Don’t do that.”
Taehyung blinked innocently.
“Do what?”
“That face.”
“What face?”
“The face.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re manipulating me.”
“I would never.”
“You absolutely would.”
Taehyung continued staring. Jungkook looked away then looked back, then groaned. The sound carried the exhaustion of a man realizing he was losing a battle he had no chance of winning.
“I hate you.”
The words lacked any real heat.
Taehyung immediately brightened. “You’ll do it?”
“No.”
The smile vanished. Jungkook sighed heavily, then sighed again. Then closed his eyes as though preparing for immense suffering.
“I’ll think about it.”
Five minutes later he agreed. Mostly because Taehyung had refused to stop looking hopeful. Jungkook would later claim he had been emotionally blackmailed. Taehyung would later claim he simply asked nicely.
Neither version was entirely accurate.
Once the agreement existed, however, reality began settling in.
They actually had to make this believable.
For the next two hours, their apartment transformed into what Seokjin described as ‘the worst acting workshop in history.’
They discussed details.
How long have they supposedly been dating?
Why did they keep it secret?
What did they like about each other?
Every answer needed to be convincing. Unfortunately, their biggest problem became obvious almost immediately.
“We already know everything about each other.”
Jungkook frowned.
Taehyung realized he was right. Most fake couples struggled because they didn’t know enough. Their issue was the opposite, they knew too much.
They knew their favorite foods.
Favorite movies.
Favorite colors.
Favorite childhood memories.
Family histories.
Embarrassing stories.
Medical information.
Passwords.
At one point Jungkook correctly identified the exact day Taehyung had broken his arm when he was eleven. Normal people didn’t know things like that.
“Maybe this won’t be difficult,” Taehyung admitted.
Jungkook stared.
Then laughed.
“That’s because everyone already thinks we’re dating.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong. The realization made both of them pause because it was true.
Painfully true.
Their families had been convinced for years. During university, Taehyung’s mother had practically celebrated every time Jungkook visited.
Jungkook’s parents were even worse. His mother adored Taehyung. She absolutely adored him. At one point she had openly informed Jungkook that if he ever dated anyone, she hoped it would be Taehyung.
The memory still made Jungkook cringe.
When both families eventually realized there was no secret romance, the disappointment had been almost comical.
Even their friends had gone through similar phases. Every single person who met them eventually reached the same conclusion. Then received the same correction.
No.
They weren’t dating.
No.
They had never dated.
No.
They weren’t secretly in love.
They were simply best friends. Apparently nobody believed friendship could look like theirs.
Two days later, the performance officially began.
Taehyung hadn’t felt nervous while lying. He hadn’t felt nervous while planning. Yet somehow standing outside his parents’ front door with Jungkook beside him made his stomach twist.
This felt different.
Real.
Jungkook adjusted the sleeves of his black sweater before glancing down.
“Nervous?”
“A little.”
“You teach classes with hundreds of students.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“They don’t know me.”
Jungkook laughed softly. The familiar sound helped.
Then the front door opened, chaos immediately followed. Taehyung’s mother gasped, the sound echoing throughout the hallway. Behind her, two relatives nearly tripped over themselves trying to get a better look.
Seokjin appeared first.
Then Aunt Mina.
Then his grandmother.
Then the most unexpected people emerged from behind everyone else.
Jungkook’s parents.
Both Taehyung and Jungkook froze for a split second before slowly turning toward each other with identical expressions that practically screamed, Where the hell did they come from?
Apparently, both families had decided this was an event important enough to attend together. Honestly, Taehyung shouldn’t have been surprised. Their families had practically become one over the years.
The exact same Taehyung and Jungkook they had known for years stood at the entrance now. The same pair that had spent birthdays together, holidays together, graduations together, and even family vacations together.
The only thing that had changed was the title attached to them.
Boyfriends.
And somehow that one word had altered the entire atmosphere.
“Oh my God,” Aunt Mina whispered dramatically.
Seokjin, meanwhile, looked absolutely delighted. He looked like a man witnessing years of predictions finally becoming reality.
“You were actually telling the truth.”
Taehyung immediately looked offended.
“Why would I lie?”
Several people gave him identical looks. He immediately regretted asking.
Jungkook, meanwhile, remained surprisingly calm. Perhaps it was because he already knew everyone. Perhaps it was because he’d practically grown up inside this house. Taehyung’s parents had fed him countless meals over the years, and his grandmother treated him like another grandchild.
The environment itself wasn’t unfamiliar.
The situation was.
That became painfully obvious when Taehyung’s mother suddenly stepped forward and wrapped Jungkook in a tight hug.
“We thought this would never happen.”
Jungkook nearly choked.
Taehyung quickly looked away to hide his smile, but that smile disappeared almost immediately because Jungkook’s mother walked over and pulled him into a hug next.
“Oh, Taehyung,” she said happily, gently patting his back. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.”
Taehyung blinked.
“…What?”
His question was completely ignored.
The adults had entered an entirely different dimension.
Taehyung’s mother immediately turned toward Jungkook with sparkling eyes. “When did this happen? How long have you two been dating? Why didn’t you tell us?”
Jungkook opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
“We… wanted to make sure things were serious first.”
The answer came surprisingly smoothly. Taehyung almost looked impressed. His mother’s eyes softened immediately. “Oh, that’s actually very thoughtful.”
Then she gasped again. “Wait. Was that why you’ve both been extra busy lately?”
Jungkook looked at Taehyung for half a second before nodding. “Something like that.”
“Oh my God,” Aunt Mina whispered for the hundredth time that day.
Meanwhile, Jungkook’s mother had already grabbed Taehyung’s hands. “Taehyung, tell me everything. Who confessed first?”
Taehyung’s brain immediately malfunctioned. Everything? Everything? There were details involved now?
He forced an awkward smile. “We kind of… happened naturally.”
Jungkook’s mother immediately clasped her hands together, “See? I knew it.”
His father nodded proudly beside her, “I’ve been saying this for years.”
Taehyung blinked, “You have?”
“Of course.”
Jungkook’s father laughed warmly. “Nobody drives across the city at midnight just to deliver soup to a friend with a cold.”
Taehyung immediately looked at Jungkook. Jungkook looked equally offended, “That was because he was sick.”
Taehyung nodded, “Exactly.”
Nobody looked convinced.
Seokjin burst into laughter, “You two are unbelievable.”
Taehyung’s mother suddenly pointed at Jungkook, “And you! Do you know how many times I almost asked you if you liked my son?”
Jungkook nearly froze, “Really?”
“Yes. But every time, one of you would insist you were just friends.”
His mother sighed dramatically, “Do you know how disappointed we were?”
Jungkook stared.
Then slowly turned toward Taehyung. Taehyung was already staring back. Neither of them knew what to do with this information. The adults, however, seemed thrilled.
Jungkook’s mother nodded enthusiastically, “We even talked about it together once.”
Taehyung’s eyes widened.
“You what?”
“Oh yes,” his mother replied casually. “We were absolutely convinced you two were dating during university.”
Jungkook nearly coughed.
“What?”
“Well, obviously.”
His mother smiled. “You spent every day together.”
Jungkook’s mother nodded beside her, “You celebrated anniversaries.”
“We celebrated friendship anniversaries,” Taehyung corrected.
Nobody cared.
“You took trips together.”
“As friends.”
“You remembered every little thing about each other.”
“Because we’re best friends.”
“You bought each other gifts.”
“Friends do that.”
The adults simply smiled. Seokjin looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. “Do you hear yourselves?” he asked.
Both Taehyung and Jungkook immediately pointed at him.
“Don’t start.”
Seokjin only laughed harder.
Around them, everyone continued smiling with expressions ranging from excitement to smug satisfaction.
Not a single person looked surprised.
And for the first time, Taehyung truly understood how obvious their friendship must appear from the outside. Because nobody questioned this. As far as their families were concerned, this wasn’t shocking news.
It was overdue.
Grandma was ultimately the one who brought everyone back to reality. She gently placed her teacup down and shook her head with amusement.
“All of you are so excited that you’ve forgotten something important.”
Everyone turned toward her.
She smiled, “Perhaps we should let the boys come inside first.”
The entire room went silent for a second before several adults burst into embarrassed laughter.
“Oh my goodness,” Taehyung’s mother said immediately. “You’re right.”
“We’ve been blocking the doorway this whole time.”
Jungkook’s mother laughed too. “Look at us. We completely forgot our manners.”
Taehyung and Jungkook exchanged another look. This time, however, the expression between them said something much simpler.
We’re doomed.
Because if this was everyone’s reaction on day one, they had a terrifying feeling that keeping this fake relationship under control was going to be much harder than either of them originally thought.
After all, they weren’t trying to create a believable relationship. They were trying to live up to one everyone had already believed existed for years.
TO BE CONTINUED
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