"park bogum," taehyung snarled.

"i think that's park bogum-hyung to you, taehyung," bogum retorted smugly with a quirked eyebrow.

taehyung clicked his tongue. "you don't deserve any of my respect after what you did to me."

"hey hey, i came here to have a civilized talk with you, that's all," bogum claimed with his hands up in surrender. "i don't have any intentions of harming you or trying anything malicious, i promise."

"sure," taehyung grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. "as if i'd believe you."

"i mean, we do kind of need to start building that trust up between us even if you don't want to, mr. kim," bogum stated with a sinister chuckle that made the other male's stomach drop. "after all, we'll be business partners soon, won't we?"

taehyung grimaced. "excuse me?"

"park industries, does it ring any bells? that's right, taehyung — yours truly is the new CEO of park industries! that means we'll get to finally work together for the upcoming and long-awaited city development project. exciting, isn't it?" bogum answered. there was so much faux-enthusiasm in his tone that it made taehyung feel sick.

"very exciting," taehyung acknowledged sarcastically. "because that's all we'll ever be, bogum — business partners. now that i know who you are, please stay the fuck away from me because i honestly don't want to see your face anywhere unless if i must. if you're even the slightest ounce of a decent human being, you'd refrain from messaging me again and at least have the audacity to not pretend like you didn't hurt me in the past."

"ouch."

"goodnight," taehyung spat, turning on his heels and heading back over to his car.

but as he began to drive away, he didn't catch the wide smirk that spread across bogum's lips.

"you thought you could get away from me that easily, jeon jungkook," bogum muttered to himself, gaze trailing after taehyung's departing audi as a low laughter slipped past his chapped lips. "your happy hours are up."

━━━━━━━━━━

taehyung threw the door to his apartment open with a tired huff, flinging the keys away to god knows where and shrugging his shoes off.

"why do things have to be so complicated?" he muttered to no one in particular, keeping his eyes trained on the carpet below his feet.

"what is?" a voice piped up from the direction of the living room, causing taehyung to instantly lift his head and catch the confused expression of jungkook, who was perched on his couch with the television remote lazily clutched in his hand and the television itself humming softly with some thriller movie playing.

he probably dug through the movies cabinet while i was away, taehyung realized. the nerves of this guy.

"you're awake," the blond commented in mild surprise. "you... got sober quick considering how drunk you were," he finished, eyeing the bottle of painkillers which were still placed on the coffee table.

"yeah, uh, i was actually never asleep," jungkook said, sheepishly grinning. "seokjin-hyung gave me your address, by the way. t-thanks for not throwing me out or anything, and also for the painkillers and water."

"oh, don't mention it," taehyung mumbled with a dismissive wave.

the two men stood in complete silence, and definitely not the comfortable kind, with the older tapping his foot against the carpeted floor awkwardly and the younger toying with the t.v. remote in between his fingers.

"taehyung, we need to talk," jungkook suddenly decided to speak up.

the aforementioned male froze in his spot. "no, we don't."

"we do."

"we don't."

"kim."

"jeon."

jungkook let out a sharp breath. "listen, i'm sorry. i won't lie to you and say that i never intended to hurt you, but please believe me when i say that i've already stopped wanting that for a long time and that i genuinely do care for your wellbeing now."

"what makes you think i'll simply buy your word just like that?" taehyung countered. "you could've stolen anything from my house while i was away and i wouldn't know."

jungkook felt his heart lurch at the brutal accusation.

"i don't want our relationship to remain like this — broken and fueled by hatred," jungkook confessed with a small frown.

"our relationship? cut the crap, jungkook," taehyung paused to scoff in ridicule. "we're not a couple. heck, we're barely even friends."

"i know! it's just that my point is— fuck, i can't believe i'm saying this. i think i like you, tae," jungkook finally revealed, feeling a heavy weight ultimately being lifted from his chest. "please don't freak out," he squeaked.

taehyung merely blinked for a couple of seconds, and jungkook was almost sure that he's screwed up at this point until—

taehyung's face then scrunched up in anger and irritation. "is this a joke? you can't just tell me that you initially wanted to hurt me one second, then tell me you suddenly like me the next damn second. basically, so you're saying that if you didn't want to get into my pants, you would still continue on with your plan to hurt me without hesitating?" he seethed out.

"no! that's not what I meant!" the ravenet exclaimed in panic. "i thought about this non-stop for the last 48 hours. the other day, yugyeom came over and told me some things that actually made me realize that the person i've been interested in all this time was... you. i know it might sound ridiculous but—"

"you're right, it does sound ridiculous," taehyung cut him off. "i find all that pretty hard to believe, jeon, and you know that you can't blame me for thinking this way."

jungkook went quiet.

"look, jungkook. i'm sorry, but i still have feelings for bogum," taehyung admitted before he could prevent those words from leaving his mouth.

"bogum?" jungkook echoed back as his eyes steeled over to conceal the lightly flickering blaze growing in his dark irises. "as in your fucking inhumane ex-boyfriend who mercilessly tore you apart?"

"you knew bogum in the past, didn't you?" taehyung asked. "he told me about everything you did to him and your schoolmates during high school."

jungkook stayed silent once again.

"why—how could you do something so cruel to anyone?" the older questioned, clearly annoyed and perhaps a little disappointed as well. "does watching others suffer like that give you some sort of sick satisfaction, jeon? answer me!"

"you don't understand, taehyung. he didn't give you the full story," the younger murmured.

"then why don't you give me the full story? if you truly like me as you say you do, then give me the full story now, or else i'm going to have to ask you to leave my apartment."

"tae, i can't—"

"don't call me that!" taehyung snapped.

jungkook looked like he was about to cry, scream, rage, or maybe all three of those simultaneously. "i-i'm sorry, but i seriously can't tell you."

"i knew it, your so-called feelings for me are full of shit," the elder spat, missing the way jungkook immediately flinched at his harsh statement. "i'll talk to bogum about it myself if you're not willing to talk to me."

"no! taehyung, please— don't go back to him!" jungkook begged desperately.

"you don't have a say in what i should and should not do. now kindly take your leave and goodbye."

"taehyung—"

"get out!" taehyung exclaimed, roughly slamming his fist against one of the cabinets lining the walls and letting his head fall, unable to keep his gaze focused on an agonized, cracking jungkook any longer.

he heard jungkook let out a defeated sigh, followed by faint shuffling across the room, presumably from the tattooist slowly getting off the couch and trudging towards the front door. yet, he still couldn't bring himself to look back up.

"i'm sorry, taehyung. i like you, i really do; please trust me when i say that. but i can't tell you why i did those things in high school yet, i just can't," jungkook stressed out one last time before swinging the door open and stepping outside with a heavy heart, not aware of how taehyung's eyes were secretly beginning to tear up at his words and his own mixed emotions.

i don't want you to ever find out about that side of me — the side that even bogum would never tell you, jungkook inwardly said, hearing the door click shut behind him.