Chapter Text
the prologue.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife husband.
That is the reason why Mrs. Kim wakes up in a turmoil.
“Did you hear the news, Mr. Kim?”
A mumble is the only answer Mrs. Kim receives in the first instance.
“Mr. Kim, dear?”
Another mumble leaves Mr. Kim’s lips while his head is partially hidden behind the daily newspaper (“MERYTON IS READY TO WELCOME THE REGIMENT” is the main title).
“Really, Mr. Kim? You are incredible,” Mrs. Kim sounds pestered and a little bit annoyed now.
Mr. Kim lowers the newspaper, folding it in half and putting it down on the table set for breakfast.
“My dear?” he asks.
Mrs. Kim rolls her eyes dramatically. “Hush, I can’t believe it.”
“What, my love?” Mr. Kim seems genuinely surprised, so Mrs. Kim’s discontent cannot last long.
She leans on the table, wrinkling her lips. “I asked you if you heard the news about Netherfield.”
“What about Netherfield?” Mr. Kim frowns.
“Ah, you don’t know, so.”
“Looks like I don’t.” Mr. Kim smiles patiently at his dearest wife. He loves her even if she has a temper. Or maybe just because of that.
“Well, it seems that a young man bought Netherfield. Everyone was talking about it yesterday in Meryton…”
Mr. Kim nods, scratching his chin. He knows his wife hasn’t finished yet. Something else must come sooner.
“They said he is rich. Very, very rich, if you know what I mean.”
“No, I am afraid I don’t, dear.”
The woman rolls her eyes. Again. It is a typical morning conversation between them: Mrs. Kim tells her husband about the rumors and the juicy news hearing around the nearest town, Meryton, and Mr. Kim listens (or maybe not) to the majority of these interesting topics and affairs concerning their local society.
“I mean that he is a bachelor, Mr. Kim,” Mrs. Kim goes on, nodding with a knowing and skillful expression.
Mr. Kim doesn’t reply.
“A bachelor. And you have two sons and three daughters, Mr. Kim. And none of them has a real love interest as far as I know,” the woman explains, beginning to play with the edge of the cup full of tea placed in front of her on the table. “We have to invite him in as soon as possible. That is my thought about the matter.”
“Inviting him? Here? And what for?” Mr. Kim clears his throat, sitting straight on his favorite chair placed at the head of the table.
“To meet our sons and daughters, Mr. Kim. Oh, my. Sometimes I fear I did something bad in my past life…” She places a hand on her forehead, sighing theatrically.
“My dear,” Mr. Kim begins with a smile, gently touching her wrist. He caresses her thin and tender skin, and she lets him do it. “You can do whatever you want, you know that. If you want to invite this… young man… here for dinner, well, you can. I won’t stop you, you know I won’t.”
Mrs. Kim smiles, her sorrow quickly forgotten. “Really, my love?”
The man nods, tilting his head. “Sure.”
Mrs. Kim suddenly stands up from her chair then, and Mr. Kim startles, raising his eyebrows. “I am going to write him a proper invitation. I can write it, and then you can sign it.”
“Right now? In the middle of our breakfast, dear? You don’t even know if these rumors you heard in Meryton were real…”
Mrs. Kim leaves her napkin on the table, gulping down the remains of her tea. “I am starting to catch up with the job, my beloved Mr. Kim. We have to win over the Jungs. They cannot beat us.”
Mr. Kim leans his body on the backrest of his chair, sighing loudly. He doesn’t add a thing. He doesn’t stop his wife. He can’t, to be pretty honest. He loves her so much — even if she has a temper.
pride and prejudice.
I
“Father, we’re home,” Taehyung exclaims, opening the back door and leading the group inside Kim's mansion. Longburn is its name. It is a two-floored house with a porch, a yellow door in the front, and a bush of jasmine growing on the east side. The roof lacks some roof tiles, and when it rains, the water filters in the attic, and they need to put some buckets to collect it, but it is home, and it is quite enough for all of them.
A subtle grumble comes from the small parlour where the family usually sits at tea hours or to chit-chat after dinner or during the day, reading the newspapers, painting, and playing some music on the piano. Taehyung enters the room, leaving his hat on the backseat of one of the sofas. Mr. Kim raises his eyes from his book, observing his second son for a moment.
“What?” Taehyung asks, lowering his gaze on himself for a second. Well, his brown slacks are surely dirty because of the mud they have gathered from the country road they took on the way back from Meryton, and his white shirt is probably a little bit sweaty because the sun was high, but his father has never been a man of exquisite manners, or a sophisticated gentleman, quite the contrary: it has always been a countryman, in all aspects.
His father shrugs, and the second later, the rest of the family appears, shocking the quiet of the place. Mrs. Kim is bickering with Min-jeong, one of the younger sisters of Taehyung, about the scene she put on inside the ribbon shop. “You made me look so bad, Min-jeong. I felt ashamed, really,” Mrs. Kim yells, running towards her husband. She leaves a silent kiss on his cheek, and then she lets herself fall on the sofa, a hand on her eyes. Taehyung looks at his sister, rolling his eyes, and Min-jeong covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. Taehyung doubts that Mrs. Kim could ever feel ashamed somehow.
Ye-won and Da-hyun are following them. The first is talking without pause to the second, jumping from one topic to another: the tea they took at their aunt's house (“Mrs. Lee has a delicious savoir-faire, don’t you think, Da-hyun?”), the walk alongside the Main Street of Meryton (“You could almost smell the next arrival of the regiment, right?”), the beautiful dresses they saw exposed in a shop (“One day I will be rich and I will buy those dresses, Da-hyun, mark my words”). Da-hyun can’t find a way to reply to her younger sister, but she nods with a gentle smile on her lips. She has always been gentle, Da-hyun. Ye-won, on the other hand… Well, she is very similar to Mrs. Kim, and Taehyung had never found anything in common nor with his mother, nor with his sister.
The only one with whom he feels connected is entering the parlour right now. Park Jimin is not his brother, but practically he is his brother. Blonde, soft hair, hazel eyes, and a smile warming and bright like the sun, Jimin is not only Taehyung’s older brother but also his best friend. He lost his parents at the tender age of five, and Mr. and Mrs. Kim welcomed him at their house with open arms. Mrs. Kim was born Park, and her beloved brother was Jimin’s father. Taehyung was five, too. Only two months separated them, so they basically grew up together. They shared everything. They never leave each other’s side.
If Taehyung is the image of the disarray, with his dirty trousers and his sweaty shirt, Jimin is fresh like a rose as always. He wears a pair of white slacks and a light pink shirt, with a straw hat on his pale hair, useful to cover and protect his snowy skin, too. Taehyung could never be more different: dark brown hair and eyes, and a honey skin that doesn’t require particular care or attention. He is more savage than Jimin, more like a free spirit that nobody and nothing could ever bridle. Jimin is sweet where Taehyung is offhand; Jimin is caring where Taehyung is distracted; Jimin is sensible where Taehyung is adamant. They are different, but they are true, and they loved each other as brothers.
Jimin enters the room, reaching almost immediately to his father. He sits on the armchair next to him, leaving his hat on the coffee table. Taehyung follows him, taking a seat on the carpet, his favorite spot of the parlour. In winter, when they light the fireplace, the heat of the fire arrives at him in waves, warming his bones and his soul. He bends his knees against his chest, while Ye-won and Min-jeong are arguing for the best spot on the sofa placed on the other side of Mr. Kim. Da-hyun sits at her piano, tho, ready to play some aria. Taehyung notices only at that moment that a tray with two China cups and a teapot stands out at the center of the coffee table. Two cups? Who…
Taehyung’s thoughts are interrupted by Mr. Kim himself. The man clears his throat, glancing at his daughters that stop pulling at each other’s dresses to look back at their father. “I was about to tell you something about a certain young gentleman,” he begins, putting aside his book and intertwining his fingers above his stomach. “But since you keep bickering like this, I think I’ll take what I discovered for myself.”
Mrs. Kim raises his body from the sofa, eyes wide open. Taehyung glances at Jimin sitting behind him, and Jimin shrugs, surprised himself, too.
“A young gentleman, dear?” Mrs. Kim asks.
“First, Ye-won,” he calls, looking at his daughters, “Min-jeong, sit down. In silence, please.”
The two girls obey. Taehyung has never seen the two obeying the man as fast as that moment. And they shut themselves up, too. Great.
“Well,” Mr. Kim goes on. “I received the visit of a certain young man before. We talked for a while, the right amount of time that a formal visit to a neighbor requires. He told me he bought Netherfield.” Taehyung’s three sisters and his mother start to squeak and scream in delight. Only Taehyung and Jimin stay silent, still waiting for their father to complete his tale. They discovered something about the close arrival of Mr. Kim, that is the young man’s name, a few days ago, and Mrs. Kim didn’t lose time to write and send him a dinner invitation. Quite inappropriate, according to Taehyung, but he had discovered right away that his mother was the living representation of the inappropriate. “Regarding your invitation, dear,” and he addresses his wife now, “he was mortified, but he won’t be able to be here for dinner tomorrow.”
Mrs. Kim rolls her eyes. “Hush. Why not?” She waves a hand towards Ye-won and Min-jeong to shush them.
“He has to go back to London tomorrow morning, for some important affairs he has to attend there. But he will be here this weekend, for the dance gathering in Meryton, as he said.”
Ye-won stands up from the sofa, opening her arms and starting to dance in her place. She accidentally hits Min-jeong, though, producing a storm of complaints and unwanted yells from her younger sister. And the parlour is a mess all over again.
Mrs. Kim stands up, too. “Will he be there? In Meryton? Oh, my goodness. This is quite amazing news, Mr. Kim.” She begins to dance with Ye-won in the middle of the room, and Taehyung thinks that the two couldn’t be more similar than at this moment. Min-jeong keeps complaining in a whiny voice, while Da-hyun begins to rant about the music they will play on the occasion, more talking to herself than to someone in particular. Taehyung wants to cover his ears to avoid the noise, so he turns his head to Jimin to find some comfort, but Jimin is already looking at his father.
“How is he?” he asks.
Taehyung looks at his father, too, interesting to hear his answer. Mr. Kim smiles. His smile always hits differently when it comes to Jimin and Taehyung. “He seems polite and educated. Well brought up. Handsome in the right amount, as far as I can tell.” Jimin laughs with his funny and joyful laugh, and his eyes almost disappear behind his pink cheeks. “And rich. I think he is very rich if I’m being honest. Don’t tell your mother, tho.”
Jimin shakes his head. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Is he really going to come to the ball?” Taehyung demands.
Mr. Kim’s glare lingers all around the room, sighing. “He doesn’t know what he is getting into, I know.”
Taehyung nods. Ye-won and Mrs. Kim have just begun to dance to Da-hyun’s allegretto. Taehyung sighs. Yes, he doesn’t definitely know what he is getting into.
II
Everything is chaotic, the night of the ball. It has always been a normal and boring ball, this one. Well, to be completely honest, Taehyung still considers it a normal and boring ball even if the second adjective only stays in his mind or finds a way out only in Jimin’s presence. He doesn’t want to bicker with his mother about it. But still, it is not the most amusing way to spend a Saturday. But they have to go. A thing called ‘social life’ exists, and there are obligations that neither Taehyung can’t avoid.
The ambiance is not so wide. Wood panels cover the walls, and there are not enough windows that can allow proper ventilation, so the room quickly becomes too crowded, too warm, and too stinky. Good. Taehyung is standing beside his beloved friend Jung Hoseok, the first son of Sir Jung and Lady Jung, whose mansion is right next to Longburn. Taehyung and Jimin have called Hoseok ‘Hobi’ since forever. Hobi is almost as tall as Taehyung, and he is wearing a very fancy suit this evening, black and sumptuous. His black hair is pulling back on his forehead, and his smile is wide open as usual, enlightening the place and the presents' hearts. He and Taehyung are sipping a bit of beer from their glasses, even if Taehyung doesn’t like beer at all. He always finishes passing his glass to Hobi or Jimin.
“You said you met him then,” Taehyung says.
Hobi nods. “I think he is very handsome. Tall, broad shoulders, light blue hair. He is quite uncommon. Considering the standards here in Meryton, I mean.”
Taehyung is looking around in the room, and his attention is captured by the sudden arrival of some expected (but still unexpected) guests. He and Hobi were talking about Mr. Kim, that Hobi met on the road that connects Meryton to Netherfield when the man had just come back in town from London that very morning. And Mr. Kim is here now.
Hobi talked about his light blue hair, so Taehyung can recognize him among the group of people he is a part of. He is tall, Hobi was right. Very tall. His shoulders are broad, squeezed under the fancy suit he is wearing. His eyes are traveling all around the place, trying to find some known faces. Taehyung notices that both Mr. Jung and Mr. Kim reach for him and his companions on the doorframe, probably welcoming them to the ball.
“I think I have to reach my father,” Hobi says, biting his bottom lip and raising his neck, ogling at the situation. He leaves his glass on a table, and Taehyung imitates him.
“Yeah. And I think I have to go find Jimin,” Taehyung replies, looking around to catch his brother’s presence. He sees him a few meters away, busy in conversation with Mrs. Chang, an old widow hard of hearing who adores him.
Taehyung grabs Jimin by his elbow, excusing himself with Mrs. Chang, and dragging his brother to a better place where his father can see them and maybe decide to introduce them to the newcomers, as the manners dictate.
“What do you think of him?” Tae asks in a low voice, covering his mouth with his hand so the other guests cannot read his lips.
Taehyung looks at Jimin who is looking at Mr. Kim, now busy with Lady Jung and all her sons and daughters, Hobi included.
“Well, he is…” Jimin begins, tilting his head. “He seems beautiful, just like father said.”
“He seems?” Taehyung giggles. “I think he is, brother.”
Jimin doesn’t reply, though. He is glancing at Mr. Kim, and Taehyung notices that Mr. Kim has already noticed him among the crowd, because the man is looking just in their direction, and Taehyung is sure he is not looking at him, so. At that moment, Mr. Kim shifts a little, and Taehyung’s eyes move on the man behind him, who stays hidden until now. He is tall, not like Mr. Kim, but tall. His posture is a little rigid, as he doesn’t really want to stay there, but someone has dragged him to the ball without his consent. His hair is dark, the darkest hair Taehyung has ever seen. And his eyes seem dark as well. He is well dressed: his suit seems expensive and tailored, and he wears some rings on his fingers.
His right hand is full of tattoos: Taehyung has never seen a tattoo before, but he has always been quite fascinated by them. They remind him of faraway lands and adventurous places. He asks himself where this specific young and handsome man has gone, when, and why. Maybe he is an explorer. Or a pirate in disguise. Taehyung has read way too many books. The man’s eyes fall on him for a moment while his friend is talking to Mr. Kim. Mrs. Kim is with them now: she probably couldn’t wait a minute to reach for her husband and finally meet the new neighbor. Taehyung’s eyes don’t divert from the tattooed man’s until he feels Jimin pulling him from his sleeve.
“They are calling us, Tae,” he is saying. “Come on.”
Taehyung is startled, as the newcomer has just cast a spell on him with his dark, magnetic eyes. Taehyung follows his brother and they both stop beside their sisters and their parents, in front of Mr. Kim and his friends. Mr. Kim is openly looking at Jimin, Taehyung has no doubt. Taehyung, on the other hand, still feels the stranger’s look on him, but he doesn’t turn his head to look back at him.
“Oh, my jewel is here,” Mrs. Kim chants, gently grabbing Jimin and placing him better in front of Mr. Kim as he is a trophy and not her son. “This is Jimin, my precious Jimin. Isn’t he an angel, Namjoon? Can I call you Namjoon, right? Mr. Kim is my husband, it would be too strange.” She laughs, trying to involve Jimin, but Jimin stays silent, smiling shyly and glancing at the man in front of him with his full, bright eyes.
Kim Namjoon startles for a few seconds, opening and closing his mouth in front of the stream of words coming from Mrs. Kim. He looks at Jimin with his eyes open, and Taehyung can see a sparkle shining at their bottom.
“It is a pleasure, Jimin,” he says finally, bowing lightly. Jimin does the same, smiling. “Would you please grant me a ball?”
Taehyung sees that Mrs. Kim is holding her breath, while Jimin just looks at their new acquaintance with his sweet eyes wide open.
“Of course, he would,” the woman intervenes, pushing Jimin a little closer to Namjoon.
“I am afraid that he has to dance with Hoseok first,” Lady Jung exclaims, taking a step forward. “My husband is a Sir, on the other hand.”
Mrs. Kim glances at Lady Jung with fire in her eyes, but she nods, smiling at the end — probably to hide her discontent. “Oh, I am so rude, Lady Jung. Of course, Namjoon has to dance with Hoseok first. You can have Jimin for your second dance, tho, Namjoon,” she adds, turning her head to the man, who has listened to the women in front of him in silence.
“It would be my pleasure,” Namjoon replies, a little startled, looking back at Jimin.
Jimin just smiles, lowering his head. Taehyung is screaming inside. This is all so ridiculous…
“Well, this is my second son,” Mrs. Kim goes on, grabbing Taehyung by his shoulder, taking advantage of his moment of disorientation. Taehyung takes a step forward, bowing mechanically in front of Namjoon.
“Oh, why can’t you be more well-disposed, Tae?”
Taehyung ogles at his mother, and then he looks back at Namjoon, who is openly smirking, amused. “Hi, Namjoon. Sorry, I am a little bit annoying and a real pain in the ass sometimes. But it is a pleasure to meet you. Trust me.”
Namjoon really tries not to laugh while Mrs. Kim pats Taehyung’s elbow to scold him, but it is too late. Taehyung looks at Namjoon and understands that the man in front of him has a taste for sarcasm. Good.
“Namjoon, I am really sorry,” Mrs. Kim whispers, shaking her head.
“Oh, don’t worry, Mrs. Kim,” Namjoon exclaims. “I am used to this. My best friend is a sharp man, too, just like Taehyung, here,” he adds, whispering the last part and leaning towards Taehyung and Mrs. Kim. “But don’t tell him anything, please,” he giggles.
“Oh, your secret is safe with us, Namjoon,” Mrs. Kim giggles, too. Taehyung has his doubts about it, but he stays silent, smiling at Namjoon and taking his place beside Jimin again. While Mrs. Kim is chattering about her three sweet and beautiful and adorable young daughters, Taehyung can’t help but ogle at the quiet gentleman behind Namjoon. The man is already looking at him, and Taehyung asks himself if he has ever taken his eyes from him during the introductions.
“Wonderful,” Namjoon comments in a high tone, so Taehyung diverts his eyes from the stranger, smiling like a stupid. He has to admit that he is quite beautiful. Nothing to say about it. “I am glad to introduce you to my beloved sister Yul-em and her husband Ga-ram.”
Namjoon turns to indicate a man and a woman behind him: the man, Ga-ram, has a serious demeanor and dark hair; the woman, his wife and Namjoon’s sister, Yul-em, is looking at the Kims with her eyebrows raised, and the smile on her lips doesn’t reach her eyes. They bow, tho, both silent.
“Here there is my lovely and trusty brother, Min-jae,” Namjoon goes on, pointing to another man. On sthe contrary to Yul-em and Ga-ram, this one takes a step forward, putting one of his hands on his brother’s shoulder, in an over-protective way that Taehyung doesn’t lose the occasion to notice. He smiles, and his smile is cold, just like his sister’s. Min-jae has a sophisticated face, and his manners seem snobbish as well as the glance he throws at the Kims gathered in front of him. He wears a white blazer with black embroideries and lapels; a white silk shirt is half-open on his chest, and a pair of black slacks complete his outfit. He is unique, and Taehyung has never seen someone dressed like him in the whole city of Meryton. He has his style, and he is not afraid to show it to the world.
Min-jae answers politely to the bow the Kims addressed him, but without leaving Jimin’s face, not even for an instant. “We have to invite him for a tea, sometimes, Joon,” he says, pointing at Jimin with his head. Namjoon, whose brother has just been intimately called ‘Joon’, runs his glance from his brother to Jimin and returns. “Of course,” Namjoon finally stutters. He smiles. Jimin smiles back at him.
Min-jae clears his throat, so Namjoon takes a step back to turn his body towards the last member of his group. “Last but not least, my best friend. Jeon Jungkook.”
Taehyung doesn’t look away. He keeps supporting the gaze of the serious self-restrained man that Namjoon is introducing to them. Jungkook bows with a fluid movement, and Taehyung asks himself if perhaps he is a good dancer because he has the right attitude and the right posture. Jungkook’s lips wrinkle in a tepid smile, but he doesn’t say anything at all. He just stays there, his hands behind his back now, dressed in black from head to toe, without concern to talk or say something — anything — to the people in front of him. It is like he doesn’t care, and maybe it is just like that. Maybe he doesn't like to meet new people, maybe he doesn’t like them. Taehyung can’t help but find his demeanor very unpleasant, just like the other four people Namjoon was so passionate to introduce. Namjoon seems the only polite and interesting person in the ensemble. And Taehyung is already tired of Jeon Jungkook and his pretentious look.
✧
“Oh, Tae, here you are!” Hoseok joins Taehyung, sitting beside him on the little couch placed in a peaceful and secluded spot in the room. From there, Taehyung could see the presents enjoying themselves in the dances, following the rhythm of the music played by a little orchestra in the opposite corner. His sister Da-hyun also played an arietta on the piano, and Taehyung danced with Hobi for a while, laughing and yelling in the middle of the room. He was also able to observe Jimin and Namjoon becoming more and more affable and friendly towards each other. Namjoon danced his first dance with Hobi, but he reserved all the remaining dances of the night for Jimin. Jimin seems happy. He smiles a lot, and Taehyung swears to himself that he has rarely seen that one particular smile painted on Jimin’s lips in his whole life. Well, Taehyung is happy for him. Namjoon presents himself as a good man, and he is also very handsome, to be honest.
Taehyung is not having real fun, on the other hand. He danced two times with Hoseok, and with Lady Jung, and with other two gentlemen of Meryton he knows by name, but the rest of the time he has observed the others, sipping sloppy from his glass and commenting things here and there with Hobi.
“I bet you’re having fun, my friend,” Hobi adds, sipping from his glass.
Taehyung smiles at him. “Of course. Don’t you see my happy and wide smile?” he asks, pointing at his own mouth and rolling his eyes at the same time.
Hobi bursts out laughing, beating his foot on the ground. “Oh, my.”
“I didn’t think I would be so funny, Hobi. Thanks. My night has finally a purpose.”
“Sorry, man,” Hobi hurries to say, placing a hand on Taehyung’s right shoulder. “You didn’t dance so much, tho. You love dancing.”
Taehyung shrugs. “I know. Well, maybe next time.”
“Jungkook!” They hear a voice calling Jeon Jungkook’s name coming just a few meters away from them. Taehyung recognizes Namjoon’s voice. “Here you are. What are you doing pinned on the wall, my friend? Are you a wallflower or what?”
Taehyung turns his head to Hobi, and Hobi raises his eyebrows, opening his arms as saying “too late not to listen”. Taehyung wants to listen, too, so he remains silent.
“Joon,” Jungkook greets his friend. They can’t see him, but they can hear his voice very well. “I am just doing what I usually do at every party and every ball, as you know.”
“There are a lot of nice gentlemen and gentlewomen who would be delighted to dance with you, I am sure. And there are a lot of them who aren’t dancing right now.”
“You know I can’t dance with anybody.” Taehyung can hear Jungkook’s reluctance from where he is sitting. “I have to know very well, or at least moderately well, the partner whom I am dancing with, Joon. And you’re dancing with the only well-behaved person of the entire gathering if I am being honest.”
Taehyung gulps. He turns his head to Hoseok, and his friend seems startled. Jungkook is talking about Jimin. Of course, he is talking about Jimin. Jimin is the perfect incarnation of everything a man or a woman could ever desire, in every aspect. It is fully comprehensible why Jungkook considers him “the only well-behaved person of the entire gathering”. Taehyung cannot disagree with him, especially since he is not well-behaved, so he cannot be considered as such.
“Oh, man. I know, Jimin is amazing, right?” Namjoon replies. Taehyung can feel the warmth spreading in his voice. “But I think his brother is amazing, too. Don’t you think so?”
“Who? Taehyung?”
Taehyung immediately stiffens. They are talking about him now. He feels Hoseok’s hand squeezing his knee, but he doesn’t turn his head to look at him.
“Yes. He has a temper. He can handle you, in my opinion.”
“I’m not interested, Joon.”
Hoseok’s squeeze on his knee increases. Taehyung wrinkles his lips in a thin line, raising his eyebrows without even realizing it.
“You better go back to Jimin,” Jungkook adds without leaving his friend time to reply. “Or somebody out there is gonna steal him from you.”
Namjoon doesn’t answer, tho, because Taehyung doesn’t hear anything else. But when he raises his eyes, he meets Jungkook’s. They look each other in the eyes for a while, and Taehyung suddenly knows that Jungkook knows he heard him talking with Namjoon. Taehyung holds the other’s glare until Jungkook doesn’t shift on his heels, disappearing among the crowd. Taehyung doesn’t blink. He hears Hoseok’s voice calling his name, but it is distant, as it is coming from another galaxy.
The fact is he is not upset, or shaken, or offended because of Jungkook’s disinterest. He doesn’t even know him, and maybe he won’t ever see him again. The fact is Jungkook didn’t hurt Taehyung himself, but he did hurt his pride.
✧
That night, when they all returned home after the party, Taehyung could finally talk to Jimin far from prying ears. They started to sleep together when Jimin arrived at Longburn. He had nightmares, and Taehyung always heard him crying from the bedroom next to his. Since Taehyung had always hated sleeping alone, he hadn’t lost time to sneak inside Jimin’s bedroom and inside his bed, too. They haven't stopped sleeping together since then. Even now that they are two grown-up men.
They are both wearing their pajamas and they are sipping some hot chocolate curled on their bed, and Taehyung thinks it is the perfect moment to give the third degree to his brother.
“Well,” he begins, putting aside his mug for a moment. “Let’s talk about Namjoon.”
Jimin rolls his eyes, but he smiles cunningly. He surely knows that Taehyung will ask him about the man sooner or later. “What do you wanna know, Tae?”
“I don’t know…” Taehyung replies, shrugging. “Everything?”
Jimin laughs, trying not to wake the entire house, tho. “Okay. Well, first thing first, he is so gentle.”
“I would have said handsome, brother.”
Jimin shakes his head. “Of course, he is handsome. I’ve just taken it for granted.”
“Fair enough.”
“So, he is gentle and handsome. We didn’t talk too much, we were so into the dance that we didn’t find the time, but by the few words we exchanged, I can say he is very polite and educated, and smart, too.”
“It seems that yours Mr. Kim Namjoon doesn’t have flaws,” Taehyung comments with a grin.
“He is not mine,” Jimin protests, kicking Taehyung’s leg with his foot. Taehyung laughs. “Anyway, maybe he does not have flaws, maybe he is the perfect human being every man and woman on earth intimately desires.”
Taehyung scrunches his nose. “I don’t.”
“I know you don’t, Tae, but you don’t desire anyone at all, it’s different.”
Taehyung reflects on his brother’s words. “I think you’re right.”
Jimin nods, wide opening his eyes. “I know, right?”
It is Taehyung’s turn to kick the other with his foot. “I think you’re starting to have a crush on him, am I right?”
The other man shifts his body under the blankets, pressing his fingers on the sheets as he is taking some imaginary creases away. “Maybe a little.”
Taehyung imitates him, laying his body down on the mattress beside his brother, and pinning his elbow on his pillow. “Don’t be scared, Jimin. I heard Namjoon saying to his beloved friend Mr. Jeon that you are amazing. You can have a good sleep.”
“You what?” Jimin exclaims, turning his head to him.
“Shhh,” Taehyung shushes him.
Jimin pinches Taehyung’s left arm, giggling softly. “You’re a menace.”
“But I am honest with you, Jimin. He really said you are amazing.”
“Okay, I believe you. And when would you have heard it? I’m curious.”
“I was sitting with Hobi, and we heard Namjoon talking with Mr. Jeon. Just that,” Taehyung replies, laying down on the mattress and fixing the blankets above him.
“Oh, you didn’t have to overhear, Tae.”
“What is done, is done, brother.”
They stay in silence for a while, and Taehyung, thinking that Jimin has fallen asleep, stretches his body to blow out the candle, but Jimin talks again. “Did you hear something else? Did they talk about something else, I mean?”
Taehyung hesitates, his body leaning between the bed and the bedside table. He is giving his back to Jimin and his brother cannot see him in the eyes.
“No, they didn’t,” he finally replies, blowing out the candle.
III
The nights at the Jungs are always enjoyable. They usually met after dinner — the Kims took a walk from Longburn along the country road — and they drank and talked and spent some quality time together with some other selected guests from Meryton. At some point, someone started playing cards or chess or dancing in the middle of the living room while Da-hyun played the piano. They are informal gatherings organized in the intimacy of the Jungs’ house.
That particular night, Lady Jung invited Colonel Park Seo-joon, the chief of the regiment that had recently arrived in Meryton. Seo-joon comes with his wife, Min-young, and they make a quite beautiful and well-matched couple. Seo-joon is a tall man with dark hair combed backward, and he is very handsome with his red uniform with the stars and the decorations attached to his jacket. Min-young has a nice face, but her words are determined, and Taehyung understands she must be a tough woman for staying beside a Colonel all these years.
Hobi told Taehyung that his mother wanted to invite Namjoon, so Taehyung arrived at the Jungs fully prepared to see Kim Namjoon there. What he was not prepared to see is that Namjoon came accompanied by Mr. Jeon and his brother Min-jae. Taehyung entered and saw them immediately, gathered beside one of the big windows, looking outside or at the fireplace. He caught Jungkook’s glance first, and they both didn’t turn their eyes from one another for a long time. Taehyung decided to ignore him, tho, turning his head to Hobi and smiling at him widely. He chose not to give Jungkook the power to ruin his night.
✧
During the night, Taehyung escaped many times from Jungkook. He ran away every time the man approached the group whom Taehyung was with, not giving him time to open that fucking mouth he had. But now he can’t escape: they both find themselves side by side next to the table with the refreshments Lady Jung’s households prepared. The two bow politely, waiting for their drinks in silence. Taehyung ordered some strawberry soju, and Jungkook a beer. It is like an underground tension is running between the two of them. Taehyung can feel some kind of strange electricity coming from the body beside him, and he can’t quite know how to get rid of it. He doesn’t want anything coming from Mr. Jeon, not when his words of disinterest still burn inside Taehyung’s chest like a fire unable to be tamed.
“Are you having a good time, Taehyung?”
Taehyung turns his head with a jerk, surprised to hear Jungkook’s voice addressing him. And calling him by his birth name. He realizes he has heard him talking only a few times, and he still needs time to properly swallow the somersault that Jungkook’s voice provoked inside his guts. Why? God, he hates himself so much.
“Excuse me?”
Jungkook turns his head to him. “I asked you if you’re having a good time. Taehyung.” His voice trembles on the last notes, and Taehyung’s eyes flicker. He diverts his eyes from Jungkook, tho, looking at the rings he put on for the occasion. He glances at Jungkook’s hands, and he notices that he wears some rings, too, just like the first time he saw him.
“It could be better,” Taehyung replies, raising his head and looking at Jungkook again. He regained some confidence, the right amount to sustain his look without stuttering. Jungkook is looking at him with his eyebrows raised and his big eyes wide open, and fuck, he seems quite young, seen by this new perspective, and Taehyung asks himself how old he might be, what his favorite color is, what he liked eating for breakfast. For God’s sake, Tae.
“Your strawberry soju, Mr. Kim,” the voice of the household wakes Taehyung up. He turns to grab the glass, and he thanks the woman with a polite smile and a bow. “Your beer is coming, Mr. Jeon.”
Jungkook nods towards the woman, but he doesn’t speak. He prefers turning to Taehyung again. He frowns this time. “Why? You’re not feeling well? Can I call someone?”
Taehyung really, really would like to laugh. What the fuck Jungkook is blabbering? Feeling unwell? Calling someone? Why the fuck is he so caring now? All of a sudden? What happened to his ‘I’m not interested, Joon’?
“I’m feeling quite well, don’t worry,” Taehyung replies, and his voice comes out harsh. “It could be better if only the party wasn’t so crowded. I think that a couple of people less would ameliorate the gathering a lot. Excuse me now, Mr. Jeon,” Taehyung adds, without leaving the other’s eyes, “Hoseok is calling me.” Taehyung bows to the other man one last time, and then he leaves, passing beside Jungkook with his head up. He doesn’t even bother to check the man’s expression. He doesn’t even care if he acted impolitely. He can’t stand Jeon Jungkook, and this is a fact.
✧
Taehyung has the proper time to study Jimin and Joon, in some dead times during which he sits on a couch or an armchair or simply stays on his feet beside the fireplace, drinking from his glass and observing the other people around. The two men never leave each other’s sides. They seem glued. Taehyung is very happy. Of course, he is. Jimin seems so serene, and he is laughing a lot. But Taehyung is concerned at the same time.
He notices the glances Min-jae sends to the ‘couple’ during the night, and Taehyung comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t like Min-jae. His eyes are too subtle and mean, the way he is ogling at Jimin hides something. Taehyung realizes that maybe Min-jae doesn't like Jimin, as well as Taehyung doesn’t like Min-jae, or maybe he is just too overprotective with Namjoon; or maybe he has other plans and ideas concerning the man or the woman who must marry his brother, instead of a simple man like Jimin, coming from a gentry family. Namjoon’s family is very rich, they own a mansion Taehyung doesn’t remember where, exactly, but they bought Netherfield, so they must be really rich. He heard someone saying that Mr. Jeon is even richer than Namjoon, and Taehyung can’t quite imagine how rich he has to be.
Anyway, Taehyung is sure that Namjoon likes Jimin, he can read it all over his face even if he meets him only recently. His genuine interest and his already strong affection are clear for everyone who has eyes to see. On the other hand, Jimin’s demonstrations of interest are not so crystal clear. Taehyung knows him, he is his lovely brother, and maybe he knows him better than he knows himself — as many recent occasions have demonstrated. Jimin is another person when he is with Namjoon, he literally sparkles. But it is not a sparkle that blinds the world. It is an intimate light that only the closest people who really know and love Jimin can notice. And Taehyung is afraid that Namjoon won't notice it. Not because he is not fond of Jimin, because he clearly is. But because Jimin is not easy to read, he is shy and close in himself, he shows only a few aspects of his soul and heart to the others, and he needs time to open up with someone, even if this someone is a caring and a gentle, friendly guy as Namjoon.
Taehyung’s neck tickles. He turns his head to discover that Jungkook is looking at him from where he is standing, next to the window with Min-jae. The latter is talking about something with excitement, throwing his hands up to emphasize the matter. Taehyung is curious to know what Min-jae seems so passionate about, but then he thinks it might probably be a critique to someone in the room, and he understands it isn’t worth it. But Jungkook isn’t listening, or at least, isn’t listening with attention. He is looking at Taehyung, and he keeps looking at him even when Taehyung catches his glance. Why? Why is he acting like this tonight? What happened to him? Maybe he fell and hit his head. Maybe he woke up with a different foot that morning. Maybe he ate something strange at dinner. Maybe maybe maybe. Taehyung doesn’t know what to think, so he just turns his head and closes his eyes, sighing.
✧
“I hope you’re enjoying our little town, Colonel Park.”
“Oh, Taehyung, I really am. I like Meryton. I came here when I was younger and I just started to serve in the Army. I have so many sweet memories of this place…” Park Seo-joon turns his head to search for his wife, and he finds her not so far away from him, chit-chatting with Ye-won, who is probably overwhelming the poor woman with questions and other petty things typical of Ye-won. Poor Min-young.
“I met my wife here,” Seo-joon explains, turning his head back to Taehyung.
Taehyung smiles. “Really? What a coincidence then!”
“Yeah, it is. A good one. That’s why Meryton is so caring to me. Min-young practically grew up here with his mom. She lost her dad at a tender age, and she and her mom lived with Min-young’s uncle.”
Taehyung doesn’t really know why Colonel Park is sharing this story with him, but he is flattering about it. The man seems firm and smart, and a very good acquaintance.
“What a sad story. I am sorry to hear that.”
“Min-young wouldn’t be the woman she is now without this story. She is the brightest star of my universe, and the smartest woman I know, for sure.”
Taehyung smiles again. He can’t help but smile in front of Park Seo-joon and his limpid manners and words.
“You two seem so in love… You are a very good match, I think.”
“Oh, thanks,” Seo-joon replies, brushing the back of his neck, suddenly shy. “Anyway, yes: we are very much in love. I hope you can find a love as much stronger as ours, Taehyung, with all my heart,” he adds, putting a hand on Taehyung's left shoulder in a friendly way.
Taehyung giggles, shrugging. “I am not interested in love, I fear.”
“Why not?” Seo-joon seems sad. He pouts.
“Because I think something so strong can’t even exist, at least for me. And I am too rational. I can’t imagine myself loving another person in such a total way as you love Min-young, for example.”
“You’re talking this way only because you haven't met the right person yet,” the man replies with a smirk. “The one who makes your heart beat faster if you know what I mean. Wait, my friend, this person will come. And then we will talk again, and you will tell me if you changed your mind or not.”
Taehyung laughs. The people around them turn to him, curious, but he doesn’t mind. He shakes his head, tho, glancing at his right side only to see Jungkook looking at him — again. What the fuck. Why is he always looking at him? God. This time his eyes are two thin lines, and Taehyung sees again the distant and cold Jungkook he met at the ball in Meryton.
He looks at Seo-joon again, who is waiting for his reply. “Well, I have nothing to lose, so deal,” and he stretches his hand to the man.
Seo-joon grabs it and squeezes it, smiling widely. “You’re gonna change your mind about love, Kim Taehyung. Mark my words.”
Taehyung doubts Park Seo-joon is right, but he decides to give him at least the benefit of the doubt.
✧
“Come on, Tae, please.”
“I said no, Hobi.”
“Please please please.”
“Hush, are you deaf or what?”
“I am not. Please, play the piano. Just a little. You know I love you, right?”
Taehyung rolls his eyes. Hoseok is practically hanging on his arm, pulling and squeezing, eyes wide and pleading. And he can play his cards so damn well.
“Okay, okay, but just a song or two, right?”
“Yeah! Thanks, Tae, I love you.”
“Stop being so cheesy, for God’s sake.”
Hoseok leaves Taehyung’s arm, but he escorts him to the piano in the corner. Taehyung sits with a sigh, stretching his fingers a little before choosing the song. In the meanwhile, Hoseok clears his throat to draw the attention of the presents.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my friend Tae honored me by accepting to play a song for us,” the man says. He puts a hand on his heart, closing his eyes for a moment, theatrically. Taehyung rolls his eyes.
He plays then. He can’t consider himself a good player and musician, but he has a good sense of the rhythm and his fingers are agile and quick and long, the perfect mix for a pianist. While he is playing, the other people are dancing. He sees Jimin dancing with Namjoon — of course. Hoseok is dancing with Min-jae — poor Hoseok. His sisters are scattered here and there: Ye-won is dancing with Colonel Park — how the fuck she could catch him is a mystery for Taehyung; Min-jeong is dancing with her father — she is not very happy, in fact; and Da-hyun is just sitting in a corner, beating her heels on the ground and mimicking Taehyung’s hands’ movements in the mid-air — Taehyung promises himself to leave her the instrument when this song will end. His eyes land on Mr. Jeon, tho. He is right in front of the piano, his elbow pinned on the marble shelf above the fireplace, his glass of beer still half-full in his right hand.
He can’t divert his eyes from him. And Taehyung, neither. He asks himself what malia Jeon Jungkook can cast with his dark eyes all over again. And why does Taehyung feel so flustered and so feeble? Why does Jeon Jungkook have this effect on him? Taehyung doesn’t even like him, so why? The song ends with a stuttering note, and Taehyung closes the instrument with too much force. Then he meets Da-hyun’s glance, and he calls her with a gesture. The girl suddenly stands up from her chair and reaches for her brother.
“Play something for us, Da-hyun, please.”
She nods with a bright smile. She doesn’t reply, so Taehyung leaves his place to her, standing up and stumbling a little on his feet. He asks for something to drink, a glass of cold water, while Da-hyun starts an adagio.
He swallows the water in a gulp, sighing. He doesn’t know what happened. And he can’t try to find an explanation because Mr. Jung — Hoseok’s father — approaches him with a benevolent smile.
“Taehyung!” The man exclaims. “Why aren’t you dancing at my party, ah?”
Taehyung didn’t even notice that everyone was dancing again. He was too focused on himself. He smiles at Mr. Jung, tho. “Don’t worry, Mr. Jung. I just needed some water.”
“Well, well, it seems to me that a certain gentleman is free for a dance at the moment, right Mr. Jeon?”
Taehyung freezes. He turns around on his feet. Jungkook is right behind him, hands in his pockets.
“Come on, Mr. Jeon, don’t tell me you don’t dance, either.”
“Oh, no, I dance. In fact, I can dance now.” Jungkook’s reply startles Taehyung. He turns to look at him, with thin eyes and wrinkled lips. Jungkook is looking at him, too. It seems he is waiting for something, but Taehyung isn’t so sure about what.
“See, Taehyung?” Mr. Jung exclaims with a smile, patting Taehyung’s left shoulder. “I found you a good partner.”
“I am afraid I can’t dance, Mr. Jung,” Taehyung replies. He notices Jungkook tensing beside him.
“Why not?”
“I am feeling a bit dizzy at the moment.”
“Too bad, Taehyung. Take a seat then, my dear boy,” Mr. Jung frowns, concerned.
“I am going to feel fine again very soon, don’t worry about me.”
“If you’re going to feel better, you surely have to dance with Mr.Jeon then. I can’t stand that two young men like you are standing on their feet like two puppies while the rest of the people are dancing. Not at my house.”
Taehyung laughs. He can’t help but laugh even if it sounds impolite. “It wouldn’t be the first time, Mr. Jung. Or the last.”
He feels Jungkook’s eyes on him, fixating on his profile. They burn.
“Promise me you’re going to dance together before leaving,” Mr. Jung is so stubborn. Just like Hoseok.
“I am sorry, Mr. Jung. I am not interested in dancing tonight.”
Mr. Jung shakes his head, and it seems he has surrendered this time. “I tried. I really tried. Enjoy the rest of the night then.” He smiles paternally at Taehyung and bows to Jungkook, and then leaves, mumbling something that sounds like “these young men of today”.
“Don’t you want to dance then?”
Taehyung turns to Jungkook, eyes wide open in surprise. “I don’t. As I said, I am not interested. Have a great rest of your night. Mr. Jeon,” Taehyung adds coldly, bowing his head and leaving.
IV
My dear friend Jimin,
Yul-em and I would be delighted to have you for tea here in Netherfield. Come as soon as you can. Namjoon, Jungkook, and Ga-ram are dining with Colonel Park and some other officers. We are waiting for you.
Yours ever,
Kim Min-jae.
“Mom, Jimin needs the carriage,” Taehyung immediately says at the end of the letter his brother has received from Min-jae.
Jimin raises his head from the page, looking at his mother with expectations, biting his bottom lip, waiting.
Mrs. Kim is thinking, Taehyung can almost see the wheels inside her brain working hard.
“Mom?” Taehyung calls her, starting to realize what is about to come.
“I don’t think he needs the carriage, nope,” the woman finally replies, shrugging.
“What?” Taehyung exclaims.
“The horses are very needed here at the farm, Taehyung.”
“No, they aren’t.”
Mrs. Kim thins her eyes. “Don’t start, Taehyung!”
“I’m not starting anything, I am only telling the truth,” he protests. “Jimin needs the carriage, it is about to rain, look at the sky,” and he points to the closer window. In fact, the sky is purple with big clouds.
Mrs. Kim ogles at the window absent-mindedly. “This is my last word, Taehyung. He can go on foot. A good walk is the best.”
She exits the living room, and Taehyung turns his head to his brother, who assists at the scene in silence.
“Don’t worry, Tae,” Jimin says with a gentle smile. “I’ll survive.”
✧
My dearest Tae,
I find myself very unwell this morning. I think it was all yesterday's rain’s fault. Min-jae insisted so kindly to host me here for the night, and this morning he called Doctor Choi to make me check. I woke up with a headache and a sore throat. Min-jae also made me promise to stay here at Netherfield until my cold is gone. Don’t worry too much about me, I’m going to feel better, I am sure.
Yours, J.
“Are you happy now?” Taehyung tosses the letter to his mother, sitting at the breakfast table with the rest of the family.
The day before, Jimin left Longburn on foot, as Mrs. Kim said. After a few minutes, a pouring rain started to fall from the sky. Jimin surely arrived at Netherfield all wet and trembling. It kept raining all afternoon, and all evening, too, so they all imagined that Jimin would not come back home with weather like that. That morning, a letter for Taehyung arrived from Netherfield, announcing the bad news.
Mrs. Kim takes the letter, reading it out loud for all of them.
“Very well!” She squirts. “Jimin would stay there for a long time, and in Namjoon’s company. I am thrilled.”
Taehyung is nauseated. He doesn’t believe his ears. “I can’t fucking believe you’re serious, mom.”
“Taehyung,” Mr. Kim intervenes, lazily raising his eyes from the newspaper. “Language.”
Taehyung bites his tongue. His sisters are listening to the conversation without talking. It is strange they have nothing to say.
“If he ends up married to Namjoon, it would be only by credit.”
“Mom, Jimin got a cold.”
“My dear,” Mr. Kim says, putting the newspaper on the table, “if your son should have a dangerous fit of illness, if he should die, it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Kim, and under your orders.”
“Nobody dies because of a cold, Mr. Kim,” she pants, rolling her eyes.
“Well, I need to go to him,” Taehyung exclaims, standing up from the table and putting his napkin down. “I won’t let him alone in a stranger's house.”
✧
Taehyung walks up to Netherfield. Mrs. Kim refused him the carriage, and when Mr. Kim offered him a horse, Taehyung said no, choosing to take a walk. He didn’t greet anybody, he was way too angry with them for what happened to Jimin.
When he arrives at Netherfield, the panorama hits him. The palace is sumptuous, with neoclassical architecture and a big, green garden with a fountain. The facade is symmetrical, with a group of Corinthian columns right in the center. Taehyung has seen the mansion before, but just on one occasion, and only by far.
A butler welcomes him, escorting him in silence alongside the corridors and to the little room where Min-jae and the rest of the group are having breakfast right at this moment.
Taehyung bows politely, and Namjoon stands up from his chair. His face is pale, and Taehyung thinks that maybe he is concerned about Jimin.
“Taehyung,” he greets him. “How are you?”
“Fine, Namjoon, thank you.”
Taehyung turns his glare around to meet Jungkook’s one. He is dressed casually, and his hair is ruffled. He seems more savage than ever. Taehyung diverts his eyes, tho.
“Did you walk, Taehyung?” Yul-em asks, wrinkling her nose.
He nods. “Yes. I like walking.”
“It is a long walk, tho, am I right?” Min-jae intervenes, ogling at his sister for an instant.
“Can I see my brother, please?” Taehyung replies, ignoring Min-jae’s question. The man’s face shadows, but Taehyung doesn’t care.
Namjoon nods. “Of course. I will escort you upstairs.”
Taehyung bows lightly, and he follows Namjoon outside the room. Namjoon dismisses the butler and leads the way to Jimin’s bedroom.
“I am sorry about your brother, Taehyung,” the man says. He seems mortified. “Nothing would have happened if Min-jae had not invited him here.”
“It’s not your fault, Namjoon. Don’t distress yourself.”
Namjoon smiles, and Taehyung can’t help but smile back at him. He has a cute smile, Namjoon, all dimples. When he smiles, his eyes become two crescent moons. Taehyung understands why Jimin falls for him. It seems easy, falling for Namjoon. Easy and light and warm.
“The doctor is coming this morning,” Namjoon goes on, stopping outside a door. “He is the best in town.”
“I know. We have known him since we were kids.”
Namjoon nods. Then he knocks. A feeble voice comes from inside, so Namjoon opens the door. He lets Taehyung enter the bedroom, where a pale Jimin is lying on a bed full of soft blankets and big pillows.
“Tae,” Jimin exclaims, raising his back against the headboard.
Taehyung takes a seat on the mattress beside his brother, searching his face and trying to understand if he is more ill than what he wrote in his letter.
“How’s doing?” he asks, grabbing one of his brother’s hands. His skin is burning.
“I think I have a fever,” Jimin replies, tilting his head.
“Yeah, I think so. Namjoon said that the doctor is coming, so don’t worry, okay?”
Jimin turns his head to the door, where Namjoon is standing, awkward, and in silence. Jimin smiles at him. “Thanks again for your kindness.”
“Don’t say that, Jimin. I felt somehow responsible for what happened to you…”
Jimin shakes his head. “You don’t have to feel this way. It’s not your fault.”
“As I told him,” Taehyung intervenes.
Namjoon smiles again, brushing the back of his neck. “I leave you two alone. If you need something, ring the bell.” Bowing one last time, he leaves, closing the door behind him.
“So,” Taehyung begins. “It’s all our mother’s fault. I hate her.”
“Don’t, Tae. Please.”
Taehyung rolls his eyes. “Okay. You’re gonna feel well, right?” he adds, tho. “The doctor is coming and he will know what to do.”
Jimin nods. He smiles. His eyes are starting to close.
“Are you sleepy?”
“A little. I slept badly all night.”
“I leave you, then.”
But Jimin grabs his hand, avoiding Taehyung to stand up from the bed.
“Can you stay a little longer? Please…”
“Of course. Of course, I can.”
Jimin closes his eyes, shifting a little on the mattress, embracing the sleep. Taehyung stays here, observing him. He doesn’t leave his hand.
✧
They spent the day like that: Taehyung sitting beside Jimin on the bed, reading a book (sometimes he read it out loud to entertain his brother a little) or talking quietly. The doctor came and diagnosed a light fever, but nothing alarming, and a cold that, on the contrary, would need more than a few days to heal. Namjoon decided that Jimin would stay in Netherfield, under his care and attention, as long as it is required to fully recover. Taehyung insisted on taking him home, but Namjoon was quite adamant, so Taehyung had to surrender. The doctor would come every two days to monitor the patient. The invitation to stay had been extended to Taehyung, and Taehyung accepted because the prospect to leave Jimin there, even if under the caring supervision of Namjoon, was quite unthinkable for him. So, they would both stay in Netherfield for an imprecise number of days. Taehyung wrote a letter to his father that very afternoon, announcing to him the news and telling him to stay serene and not to worry for Jimin, because he was in good hands.
After dinner, Taehyung goes upstairs to Jimin, but he finds him already asleep, probably because he was too tired after the long day. So, he fixes the blankets around him, ensuring that he is warm, and goes back downstairs, where the rest of the group is gathered in the living room. The room is elegant and fancy, just as the rest of the mansion, with comfortable couches covered in blue velvet, a grand piano in a corner and a mahogany desk in the opposite one, a library covering three walls, a large window that overlooks the garden, and a beautiful arcade all around the perimeter. The library continues on the second floor above the arcade, where you can have access with a wrought iron spiral staircase placed just beside the main door.
Taehyung enters and Namjoon turns his head when he hears his footsteps on the marble floor.
“How is he?” he asks. He keeps asking Taehyung how Jimin is every time Taehyung enters a room after being upstairs.
Taehyung smiles. “He was asleep. I didn’t wake him up.”
Namjoon nods. “Of course. Take a seat, Taehyung. My house is your house, so make yourself comfortable, be free to read a book from my collection or play the piano, if you want. Anything, right?”
Taehyung nods, smiling and pointing his look around.
Ga-ram and Yul-em are nowhere to be seen, and Taehyung thinks that maybe they just went to bed. Min-jae is sitting in the center of one of the couches, a book lazily bent between his gracious hands. He stopped reading when Taehyung entered, and now he is looking at him with his glasses pinned on the tip of his noble nose. He doesn’t say a word to him. And Taehyung doesn’t need a word from him, either. Jungkook is sitting at the piano, tho. Taehyung startles a little, seeing him here. Right, of course, he knows how to play the piano. He is an aristocrat. They exchange a glare, and then Taehyung sits on the couch closer to the window and far away from Min-jae and his look, opening the book he took with him from upstairs.
Not a minute has passed and Jungkook is already in front of him, standing tall and shadowing the pages of the book. Taehyung raises his head, sure to find Namjoon in need of a chit-chat about Jimin, and instead, he encounters the dark eyes of Jeon Jungkook.
“Mr. Jeon,” he only says, coming back to his lecture.
Jungkook clears his throat, so Taehyung is obliged to look at him again.
“Can I sit with you for a moment, please?”
Even if the temptation and the desire to say ‘no’ to him is a lot, Taehyung cannot. He is not so impolite, at the end of the day, and Jungkook asked him gently.
Taehyung nods without talking and Jungkook sits beside him, the right amount that allows him to talk in a low voice, but not so much to touch Taehyung’s knee with his.
“I just want to ask you how your brother is,” Jungkook begins, playing with his fingers in his lap.
Taehyung puts down the book, confused not by the question, but by Jungkook’s sudden interest in Jimin. And by his gentle voice, too. Since Taehyung doesn’t answer, Jungkook raises his head, looking at him.
Taehyung nods quickly. “He is doing better. The medicine the doctor gave him this morning helped him a lot. I am positive he will be fine very soon. And we will get out of your way very soon, too,” Taehyung adds, diverting his look from the man sitting next to him.
Jungkook has been kind, but Taehyung cannot forget his words. He probably never can.
“Just be sure he takes all the time he needs, please. A cold must not be underestimated,” Jungkook replies, ignoring Taehyung’s last words.
Taehyung is visibly shocked by Jungkook’s caring words, but he tries not to show it, tho. “I’ll check on him. And Jimin is a responsible guy, he knows his limits.”
Jungkook stays silent for a while, playing with his rings, and Taehyung doesn’t dare to take his book and start reading again. He looks around, and he meets Min-jae’s gaze: he is observing them from his couch. Obviously.
“How are you, anyway?”
Taehyung’s book falls on the ground, slipping away from his hands. Namjoon, sitting on the desk with some documents and papers he is reading and signing, turns his head towards them.
“Everything’s fine,” Taehyung murmurs to the man.
He leans to grab the book, but Jungkook has been quicker: he has taken the book before Taehyung, lowering his head on the ground just in the middle of Taehyung’s ankles. Taehyung can see his nape from where he is standing. He seems so smooth.
He diverts his look, tho, when Jungkook hands him the book with an uncertain smile. Fuck. Nope, Taehyung must not give up to a stupid smile on a likewise stupid face. Just because Jungkook has been polite to him, it doesn’t mean he has good intentions or he doesn't think those things about Taehyung anymore. He probably still considers Taehyung and Jimin and all the Kims a bunch of silly people living in a country town far away from the real world and the real life, far away from the richness of his ambiance, and his good manners, and his palaces, and his clothes, and his horses. Taehyung always remembers where he belongs — and he doesn’t belong to the same place of all the Jeons and the Kims of this world, even if he would try and try, and try. And, to be really and completely honest, Taehyung still doesn’t like Jeon Jungkook, and he doesn’t know what to do with his stupid attempts of being polite. He is too late.
“Jungkook,” Min-jae calls him with an imperious tone. Jungkook turns his head to the man. Taehyung keeps looking at his hands squeezing the book. If he stops to hold it tight, he would probably start to tremble. And he cannot afford it. “Play that song for me, please. That one song you played yesterday night… I can’t remember what it was…”
Jungkook looks at Taehyung one last time, his gaze hovers on Taehyung’s hands, and then he stands up, approaching the piano without talking. While passing in front of Taehyung, he leaves behind his perfume: bergamot, clean sheets, and fresh grass.
✧
The following morning, another occasion to ridicule their family comes in the form of Mrs. Kim and Ye-won. The two women come to Netherfield to see Jimin, and Taehyung finds them already in the living room, sitting side by side in one of the sofas, dressed with laces and crochets.
“Oh, Taehyungie,” Ye-won calls him when he enters. “Here you are.”
Namjoon and Min-jae are sitting on the couch in the front, the latter with his arms crossed on his chest, silent but internally amused by the scene. Taehyung feels the sudden desire to punch him in the face.
“Hi, sister. Hi, mother,” he greets them. He sits in the armchair in the middle, wishing to disappear.
“I was asking Namjoon about your brother, Tae,” Mrs. Kim exclaims.
“You can go upstairs if you want,” Taehyung replies. “He is awake.”
“Later, later…” the woman waves her hand.
Taehyung stays silent. His mother is always the same, and she has her priorities very clear in her mind.
“Let’s talk about the ball, Namjoon,” Ye-won almost yells, leaning forward from where she is seated, crossing her hands in desperation.
“Oh, yes,” Mrs. Kim nods. “You promised us a ball, Namjoon, remember?”
“Mom!” Taehyung intervenes, wrinkling his lips. He moves his gaze on the other two men: Namjoon is embarrassed, while Min-jae keeps smiling like a big, fat cat. It is hard not to jump to his throat.
“What, Taehyung? Don’t rain on my parade, please.”
Taehyung wants to say something else, but Namjoon precedes him. “When Jimin would be finally better, he would choose a date himself. What do you think?”
Mrs. Kim squirts in ecstasy, and Ye-won claps her hands like she is attending the carnival. “You are so gentle and so noble, Namjoon. Waiting for my sweet Jimin to recover… And he can even choose a date! Marvelous!”
Taehyung thinks all this fucking situation is everything but marvelous. Jimin is upstairs, hill and feeble, and his mother thinks only about that stupid ball. He can’t believe she is family. He can’t even believe she gave birth to him. He really feels ashamed at this moment. He isn’t even able to talk.
“We have to choose the theme of the ball, Namjoon,” Ye-won begins.
“The—” Namjoon stutters. “The theme of the ball?”
“Of course. It could be a masquerade ball or a red party… Anything you want.”
Namjoon nods, scrunching his nose. “Well, I will think about it.”
“We will evaluate the details a second time,” Min-jae says, breaking the silence.
“Jimin will choose everything,” Namjoon adds, smiling. “We will do as he wishes.”
Taehyung notices that Min-jae looks at his brother with thinner eyes, surprised and a little bit annoyed by the words that surely sound new to him.
“I escort you upstairs,” Taehyung hurries to add, standing up from his armchair.
The women look at him with annoyance, as he has just bothered them. Taehyung grins. All he wishes is to escape from this room as soon as possible. He can’t stand Min-jae's look and judgment a minute longer.
✧
Taehyung goes downstairs after dinner. He acquires a new routine there in Netherfield: he dines with Namjoon and the others, then he goes upstairs to check on Jimin and stay with him until he falls asleep, to finally go back in the living room and spend the rest of the evening with the landlord and his guests. This time is not different, except for Jungkook sitting at the desk and Min-jae at the piano. Namjoon is lazily half-laid on the couch while Yul-em and Ga-ram sit on the opposite couch, reading and commenting on the evening news. They all turn their heads when Taehyung enters the room. But Taehyung doesn’t say a thing as usual, and takes a seat in the armchair, with Jungkook and Min-jae right in front of him, next to the windows.
He meets Jungkook’s glance one time before he takes his book and opens it where he left it. He and Jungkook haven’t talked anymore since that evening when the man asked him about Jimin — and Taehyung himself. They have exchanged just a few courtesy words that sounded only cold and distant and nothing else. Taehyung doesn’t regret it, of course, he doesn’t. He still considers Jeon Jungkook a piece of ice, stubborn and detached, attached only to his close world and snobbish, full of prejudices, and able only to judge. It isn’t exactly a flattering picture, the one Taehyung paints, but it is true and sincere.
Taehyung is reading, but he can’t quite ignore the voices around him, especially when the voice is coming from Min-jae.
“How is your sister So-yeon, Jungkook?”
Sister? Jungkook has a sister?
“In the last letter she sent to me, she wrote she was fine. Thanks, Min-jae,” Jungkook replies.
After a moment of silence, Min-jae goes on. “Are you writing her a letter, perhaps?”
Since an answer doesn’t come, Taehyung shifts his eyes up and over the borders of his book to look at the scene in front of him: Jungkook is still sitting at the desk, but Min-jae is now hovering on him, trying to catch a glimpse of the letter Jungkook is writing.
“How happy So-yeon will be to receive such a splendid letter.”
Jungkook does not reply — again.
“You write strangely fast, Jungkook.”
“Oh, I think you’re wrong. I write slowly, on the contrary.”
“I can’t imagine how many letters you must write throughout a year! And letters of business, too! How bored they are!”
“You’re lucky then, that your brother has to write them instead of you, Min-jae.”
“Tell your sister I really long to see her, please, Jungkook.”
“I already told her, not a long time ago, as you wished.”
“I think your pen has something wrong. Let me fix it for you. I am quite able.”
“Thanks, but it is not necessary. I can do it myself.”
“How can you write in such a way is a mystery to me.”
“Oh, tell your sister I can’t wait to listen to her progress with the harp. And I am sure she improved a lot with the design of that table she showed me last time we saw each other…”
“I can’t do justice to all these sweet compliments, Min-jae, this letter is full. I will include them in the next one I’ll write to her.”
“I will see her in January, never mind. Anyway, do you always write these charming, long letters to your beloved sister, Jungkook?”
“They are always long, yes, but charming… I can’t quite say or judge myself.”
“You’re so different from my brother… His letters are always a mess. Just like him.”
“Hey,” Namjoon exclaims from where he is, still laying down on the couch. “What did you just say about my letters?”
“That they are a mess, Namjoon. That’s a fact,” Min-jae repeats.
“The fact is I can’t properly express my genius through letters, so they are a mess, not because I write them messily.”
“I am not so sure about it.”
“You are so humble, Namjoon,” Taehyung can’t help but comment, giggling.
He has followed and listened to the conversation from afar, and the words have now slipped past his lips. They all turn to them, except for Yul-em and Ga-ram, too focused on their news to mind them and their silly matters. Taehyung finds Jungkook’s eyes already looking at him.
“Sorry, Namjoon,” Taehyung adds, smiling.
“Oh, no, it is true,” Jungkook intervenes. “You are not so humble when it comes to your brain, Namjoon.”
Min-jae laughs and Taehyung realizes he has never seen him laugh like this before. He is strange when he laughs.
“I don’t know why,” he begins, “but I’ve always thought that So-yeon and my brother would make an excellent match, Jungkook. What do you think?”
Oh, that’s the thing. Taehyung understands everything all of a sudden. Min-jae wants to see Namjoon married to Jungkook’s sister, So-yeon. And, a roll of drums, see himself married to Jungkook. Obviously. It is so crystal clear now that Taehyung can see all the matter in front of his eyes. He must have imagined before, just by judging the way Min-jae always searches for Jungkook’s approval and compliments, always ready to please him, and demonstrate his interest towards So-yeon, and be physically next to him in every possible way or occasion. Taehyung can almost picture them: sitting in an expensive living room, dressed in silk and velvet, with a multitude of households and servants running around, ready to pamper them.
Min-jae sits at the piano again, beginning to play an Italian song. Probably bothered by the music, Yul-em and Ga-ram wish good night to the others and go to bed, leaving behind their newspapers. Namjoon stays on his couch, his eyes closed, not fully abandoned to sleep but not fully awake either. He wanted to spend some time with Jimin that afternoon and stayed in his room upstairs for hours. Taehyung took advantage of Namjoon’s presence to rest a little in his own bedroom. Min-jae plays for a while, and Taehyung returns to his book. He thinks Jungkook has come back to his letter, so when Taehyung finds the man in front of him, he is startled.
The book doesn’t fall from Taehyung’s hands this time.
“This song,” Jungkook begins, scratching his chin in a pensive mood. “It makes me think…” he pauses. His eyes fall on Taehyung. “The music does encourage people to dance, right? What do you think, Taehyung?”
Taehyung is startled. He doesn’t know what to say. Really. Where does this question come from? And why does Jungkook bother himself standing up from his chair to ask such a nonsense question to Taehyung? Taehyung, among all.
“Don’t you feel a sudden desire to dance, Taehyung?” Jungkook adds. His eyes are full and well opened. Deep and questioning. Expecting something, maybe? But it is still hard to read.
“I can see where you want to land here, Jungkook,” Taehyung finally replies. He puts the book aside. He is done with his bullshit. “You are trying to provoke in me a reaction. You’re waiting for me to reply that ‘yes, I’d really like to dance a reel with you, Mr. Jeon, please invite me to dance’, to finally despise my choices and throw shit on my tastes.”
Jungkook’s eyes flash, if with rage or amusement, Taehyung cannot say.
“I don’t like this kind of experiment or challenge, call them as you want. So no, I don’t feel a sudden desire to dance. Thanks but no.”
Jungkook lets a laugh escape from his lips. Taehyung notices just now that his lips are full and pink. Soft and tender. Kissable. Fuck, no. What does he have in mind?
“You have quite an interesting brain, Taehyung,” is the only comment Jungkook makes on the matter. He shrugs, and then he comes back to the desk.
Taehyung follows his movements, the measured steps he takes, the perfect line of his clothes, his hands closed in two fists alongside his hips. Taehyung diverts his eyes, meeting Namjoon’s. The man smiles at him, rolling his eyes a bit, amused but quietly unaware of what is happening inside Taehyung’s stomach: a tempest. In the meantime, Min-jae has stopped playing.
✧
The following morning, Yul-em drags Taehyung out for a walk in the beautiful gardens of Netherfield. They eat breakfast, and when Ga-ram reminds her wife that he has an appointment in Meryton and he will leave right after breakfast, Yul-em starts whimpering, so the man asks preys Taehyung to escort her out for her usual morning walk around in the gardens. Taehyung consents to his request, he can’t say no, it would be too impolite, even for him, even if walking around with Yul-em is the last thing he could have wished.
Yul-em turns out to be like a female version of Min-jae. She tells Taehyung that they are twins, her and her brother, to Taehyung’s surprise. But everything becomes crystal clear after this revelation: all their similarities, their glances exchanged without talking, the same rude and sarcastic expressions. Yul-em is a little sweeter than Min-jae, but only because she marries Ga-ram, and Ga-ram mitigates her bad temper, as she personally tells Taehyung during their walk. Taehyung listens to her, politely, and in the meantime, he has the chance to observe the gardens and enjoy their quiet beauty. Netherfield is a really enchanted place, Taehyung understands why Namjoon decided to buy it and live there as a refuge away from the chaos and the confusion of London.
While Yul-em is ranting about how much she misses London and the society she is used to hanging out with there, Taehyung sees Jungkook and Min-jae walking on their same path, coming towards them with slow steps. Taehyung doesn’t know that the two gentlemen were outside, too, and the sight startles him at the first moment. He thinks they both went to town with Ga-ram and Namjoon, but it looks like he made a mistake.
“Oh, brother!” Yul-em exclaims. “With Mr. Jeon. What a vision you are!” She lets go of Taehyung’s arm to reach the other two on the path.
Taehyung follows her with small steps, not particularly longing to meet them.
“I didn’t know you two would go out for a walk…” Yul-em is saying to her brother, squeezing his arm. “You should have let me know. How rude! I had to disturb Taehyung and drag him along the garden with me against his will for all this time…”
Taehyung reaches for them, eventually, hands inside his pockets, acting nonchalant in front of Jungkook and Min-jae, who doesn’t lose time to study and observe him from head to toe with clinical attention, like he really wants to find a flaw in him, a crack in his persona.
Taehyung, on the other hand, doesn’t want to give them the satisfaction of thinking that he is bothered. He is bothered, but none of them need to know. “It wasn’t a problem at all, Yul-em,” he says then. “I love walking.”
Jungkook is looking at him, so Taehyung looks back. The man opens his mouth to talk, but Yul-em anticipates him. “Let’s go on all together then! It would be fun.”
Taehyung would certainly not consider walking with Jungkook and Min-jae, both of them, in addition, ‘fun’, but he doesn’t say anything.
Observing Min-jae’s annoying and pestered face, Taehyung understands that the man would probably want to stay alone with Jungkook, and he giggles with himself, secretly thanking Yul-em for ruining her brother’s projects. A strange sting of bliss hits Taehyung’s guts.
Yul-em, in the meanwhile, has taken Jungkook by his right arm, since Min-jae was already squeezing Jungkook’s left one. They are ready to go on with their walk then, but the path is narrow, so Taehyung has to stay back, walking behind the others. Jungkook turns his head, flustered. He meets Taehyung’s eyes.
“Taehyung is all alone like this… We should take that avenue instead of this path…”
Taehyung stops in the middle of the little road then. “Oh, don’t worry about me,” he says, shrugging. Yul-em and Min-jae are looking at him, too, now, both of them holding Jungkook’s arms. “I wanted to check on Jimin anyway. Go on without me, please.”
Jungkook is about to say something, Taehyung can tell. His big eyes are wide open, and Taehyung notices that his hair is a bit messy.
“Are you sure?” Min-jae asks, raising an eyebrow.
Taehyung nods. “Of course, I am. And you form such a charming group, together, I don’t want to ruin it in any way, to be honest. Have fun!” He bows lightly then, turning his back on the little group and trying not to laugh.
He walks quickly along the path, feeling three pairs of eyes pointed in the middle of his back. After turning a corner, he dares a glance: the three are walking again, but Jungkook’s head is still bending behind his shoulder, and his eyes are on Taehyung. Taehyung stops abruptly, curious, surprised, and incapable of leaving. Why can't Jungkook leave him behind? Why can’t Jungkook take his eyes away from him? But, the most important question is: why can’t Taehyung take his eyes away from Jungkook? He doesn't even like him. He despises him and all his snobbish and pompous manners. Reminding himself this, and all the things that happened, Taehyung diverts his eyes and starts walking again, leaving behind him the garden, Min-jae and Yul-em, Mr. Jeon — and all the stars painted in his eyes like a night sky.