Archive of Our Own

So many people move to Los Angeles every year to chase their dreams—specifically actors; Hollywood’s fame is renowned all around the world. Not just actors, though. Singers, influencers, models—people from every profession imaginable move to Los Angeles every day of every week of every month, because there’s this very wrong idea that it’s the city where dreams become a reality. Taehyung has kind of been a victim of that idea; he did think the same of the city, although he never came chasing a dream.

He came chasing a man, which is even worse.

Five years ago, Taehyung lived in Seoul and worked as a sexologist and sex therapist. He had been practicing in this profession that he had spent years in university to become—a licensed therapist. As expected, there have been plenty of times where he’s been victim to people misunderstanding the importance of his profession, making it into something sexy or perverted instead of what it is: an aid for people whose sexual experiences need professional help in some sort of way. Nothing sexy about it if you ask him.

But love is blind, and love is stupid. Taehyung fell in love with a man who worked as an actor, and when said man left for Los Angeles following a dream, Taehyung left following love. And that brings him to now: no longer a sexologist, no longer even a therapist, and no longer in a relationship.

Admittedly, it was Seojoon, his ex, that helped Taehyung find another job. He pulled his connections in the acting scene and somehow managed to land Taehyung a job that sort of aligns with his previous one. Taehyung is an intimacy coordinator for Hollywood movies now.

Before he started working as such, Taehyung didn’t have the slightest clue of what an intimacy coordinator was. Now, after three years of experience in his position, he must admit he’s good at it. His role is to essentially prepare the steamy scenes; to make sure the actors involved aren’t just thrown into a scene with vague directions, which is usually when the situation turns awkward, or worse, traumatic for any of the parties involved.

He’s in charge of choreographing the scene, as they say in his guild. Even more than that, it’s also his job to talk to everyone involved and make sure that boundaries and limits are respected, that it doesn’t turn violent for anyone. Basically, he needs to make sure he creates a scene that is hot on camera, but within a safe and comfortable working environment, following the code of ethics.

And, well—Taehyung enjoys his job. He must admit there’s something exciting about working in Hollywood, about getting to work alongside all the famous and familiar faces on screens and in the daily papers around the world. He likes to see how movies that he’s worked on turn out, how the scenes that he has helped create translate onto the big screen. Taehyung likes his job, even if being a crew member is a modest profession when compared to what he used to do—and what he used to make—when he practiced as a therapist in Seoul. But that’s life.

He honestly has no complaints. Especially because he has come to learn how important the presence of someone who does what he does can be on film sets. So every time he gets called to participate in a new project, he’s thrilled. Even if filming ends up being exhausting by the time wrap-up comes around, the initial stages are always exciting.

Today marks the start of a new project. He’s had a meeting with the producers, director, and scriptwriter of A Supplementary Story, a new movie that is now in pre-production. The story revolves around a love triangle, the vortex being a woman who is stuck in a boring marriage and encounters an old lover of hers, unable to stop herself from thinking about him. The movie intends to explore intimacy and the frustrations of a married woman whose sexual life pales in comparison to what it once was. There are inevitably a lot of sex scenes, which means there is a lot of work for him to do.

Of course, he’s just been called in to give his opinion—he has no say in what makes it to the final script and what doesn’t, but he likes to think that if he’s been asked to meet with the rest of the crew, his thoughts must be of some value to them. So he doesn’t hold back from speaking his mind, telling the writers what he thinks is repetitive or redundant, or what he believes is missing. By the end of the meeting, there are three fewer sex scenes in the script than there were originally, but Taehyung would like to believe that the script is better off now.

“Thank you so much for coming today,” the director, a short middle-aged woman with her ink-black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, says as she shakes his hand. “It’s an honor to count on your help. I’m really looking forward to working alongside you during production.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Taehyung replies, giving her a small smile. “I was actually wondering if I’d ever get to meet you.”

Anna Song is nowhere near one of the biggest names in the industry, but after a highly commercially successful romantic comedy a few years back, she was definitely on the radar of everyone who worked in Hollywood. Being Chinese-American herself, she’s known for working with all-Asian casts, which is one of the things that caught Taehyung’s attention after his arrival in the States. Taehyung has been curious about her since he first started working here, and it wouldn’t be a lie to say he’s been looking forward to meeting her.

“Well, it looks like it’s our time now,” she says with a grin, clasping her hands together and rubbing them excitedly. “I can’t wait to start, either. I’m sure you will do an amazing job along with our cast.”

Now, that piques Taehyung’s interest. He’s heard some rumors of possible names that could be cast for the main three roles in the movie, but there’s nothing confirmed as of yet. He’s nosy, so maybe he can pull Anna’s tongue and find something out. After all, whoever it is that they’re casting will become his coworkers, too.

“I was wondering who we’d be working with,” Taehyung says, trying his best to be subtle. “Anyone I have experience with?”

“I don’t think so, actually,” Anna replies, narrowing her eyes at him as if she’s trying to remember the movies listed in Taehyung’s resume. “Maybe you can tell me yourself—we have Park Bogum playing the role of the husband, the only one we have confirmed as of yet.” Bogum—Taehyung tries to keep his expression as neutral as possible, but of course he’s heard of Bogum, even if they’ve never worked together. He’s Korean, much like Taehyung and, of course, like Seojoon. They were never friends, but they were in the same circle, unavoidably. Taehyung has met him a couple of times but that’s all. “Then we have Diana Tan playing the lead, and Jeon Jeongguk taking on the role as the ex. We're still in talks with those two, though, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.”

Taehyung has to hold himself back from raising his eyebrow, impressed because Park Bogum and Diana Tan are two of the biggest names on the scene right now. Jeon Jeongguk has recently surged to fame here, too, after landing a role in one of Marvel’s latest productions, but he’s nowhere near as established as his—rumored—co-stars. Still, the cast overall is impressive so far. Taehyung is past the initial feeling of being starstruck that he couldn’t shake when he started working in this profession, but he can’t deny he still likes to meet celebrities. Therefore, this is exciting news.

“Sounds really promising,” he says, Anna nodding along. “I’ll be looking forward to hearing more from you when you get the confirmations.”

“If everything goes okay, we should know in about two weeks for certain,” Anna informs him. “We’ll be in touch, Taehyung.”

“Of course,” Taehyung replies softly, giving her one last tight-lipped smile as his hand finds the knob of the door. “I’ll see you soon.”

Anna gives him one last wave, already back in her chair, too preoccupied with her coffee to say another word, but Taehyung doesn’t take it to heart. After all of his time in LA, he’s already learned how people work, and how valuable everyone’s time is. There’s not one minute to spare or to freely give to someone once you’re done with them.

Taehyung lives by that rule, too. So without any delay, he makes his way out of the building and back to his car. After all, he has his own things to do once he gets home.

≋

Jeon Jeongguk, as Taehyung discovers later that day on Google, has far more titles under his belt than Taehyung was aware of. Taehyung sort of lost track of the drama and movie scene in Korea after moving to Los Angeles, so he missed when Jeongguk’s first main role in a television series for SBS catapulted him into stardom. Similarly, he was also unaware of the many successful projects he’s had ever since, both on the big and small screen, and both in Korea and Japan.

His first, and so far only, American project as the Marvel film that Taehyung knows him from. It was a very minor role, but Jeongguk quickly gained people’s attention. It was kind of hard for him not to when you add up both his good lucks and talent, plus the fact that he usually does his own stunts, making producers fall in love with him.

It confuses Taehyung because Jeongguk is popular. The number of titles in his filmography, as well as the huge followership he has on his social media accounts, attest to that. How come Taehyung never paid attention to him until this very second?

He’s almost angry at himself as he types the name of Jeongguk’s most popular drama into the Netflix search bar and discovers that it was available for him all along. Taehyung frowns, drumming his fingers against the surface of his desk, thinking, fuck it, as he clicks on the show, waiting for the screen to load.

After all, this is work. He has seen Park Bogum, has seen Diana Tan; he knows how they work. But Jeongguk’s acting, other than in some superhero movie that didn’t include any romantic plots concerning him, is unknown to him. Watching some of his work counts as research, Taehyung thinks. Or at least, that’s what he tries to convince himself as he picks up his laptop and moves to his couch, ready to binge-watch the entire drama as fast as he possibly can.

≋

“I can’t believe you’re going to meet Diana Tan,” Jimin almost whines as the two of them wait in the queue at Jimin’s favorite overpriced coffee shop in downtown Los Angeles. Taehyung lets out a breathy laugh, which only seems to encourage Jimin to add, “Are you sure you can’t like, slip my name in? Maybe she needs a fitness trainer or something. I’m offering.”

“I really doubt she doesn’t have a personal trainer already,” Taehyung says, earning himself a groan from his best friend. “Plus, you have enough as it is. I really don’t think moonlighting is for you.”

Jimin tuts, advancing when the man ahead of them—dressed in a suit from head to toe, leather briefcase hanging from one of his hands—takes his coffee and goes. “Morning. Can I get a honey almond milk cold brew, and for him... an iced guava black tea lemonade,” Jimin says, reciting both their orders by memory.

When Taehyung first arrived in America, he was too embarrassed to order anything with a name more pretentious than iced green tea. He’s grown a lot since then; and, once you try guava black tea, you never really go back.

The barista takes both their names, writing them onto two plastic cups before turning around and moving to prepare their orders. Only then does Jimin turn back to him, saying, “If I was to be her personal trainer, my life would be far more exciting than it is now. I would travel everywhere, I would be hanging out with a celebrity every day—I don’t even want to think about it. Instead, I’m stuck at a smelly gym.”

“You love your job,” Taehyung reminds Jimin, who lets out a scoff. “You would never call the studio a sweaty gym.”

“Not as much as I love Diana,” he says, making Taehyung huff out a laugh. The barista comes back with their orders soon after that, Jimin reaching into the gym bag slung over his shoulder for his wallet, but Taehyung beats him to it and steps forward, credit card in hand. “Hey! I told you I had it.”

“Be faster next time,” Taehyung says over his shoulder, hearing Jimin complain under his breath. “Consider it compensation for not introducing you to Diana.”

“Oh, boy,” Jimin says, turning around once the payment has gone through, after saying their goodbyes to the barista. “It’s gonna take a lot more than one iced coffee to make it up to me for that.”

“Ten?”

“How about during all of the production?” Jimin asks, Taehyung letting out a sarcastic laugh. “You know what? You should suggest SoulCycle to her. Maybe she’ll come to one of my classes.”

“No way in hell am I going to do that. Do you know how bad that’d look?” Taehyung says, and this time it’s Jimin’s turn to chuckle lightly. “You know there’s nothing I would like more than to invite people onto the set, but—”

“And you know I’m kidding,” Jimin interrupts, Taehyung effectively shutting his mouth mid-sentence. “Please, you should have known the moment I said sweaty gym. I fucking love my job.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes, not bothering to tell Jimin that he did bring that up. He just walks ahead of his friend, who follows him closely behind as he sips on his coffee.

“What about the rest of the cast?” Taehyung asks, stealing a glance at Jimin. “Don’t you want to meet them, too?”

“You know I’m not a fan of Bogum,” Jimin replies, wrinkling his nose as he speaks. Taehyung finds it amusing, but doesn’t comment on it as Jimin carries on and adds, “Who did you say the other guy was? Someone from the Avengers or something.”

“Not the Avengers, no. A different Marvel movie,” Taehyung clarifies, Jimin just shrugging—he doesn’t know much about the franchise, nor does it seem like he wants to learn more about it. “Jeon Jeongguk. He’s Korean.”

“Oh? I don’t think I’ve heard of him before,” Jimin says. Taehyung isn’t surprised by that—Jimin has been here for even longer than Taehyung himself, since he was just eighteen, so the fact that he’s not up to date with the celebrities and actors that are popular back home nowadays doesn’t really shock Taehyung. “Is he any good?”

“Oh yeah, he’s good. I’ve been watching some of his stuff recently, and I think we have material to work with,” Taehyung says. Material to work with because as far as he’s seen, there aren’t really any spicy scenes in Jeongguk’s resume so he can properly make judgments on his performance. However, he does see potential in him.

“Nice,” Jimin says, drinking up some more. He deadpans, asking, “Is he hot?”

Taehyung should have known this was coming—Jimin asks this every time he’s not familiar with a name, the answer usually being yes. After all, sometimes looks seem to weigh more than talent in an industry like theirs—much to the dismay of Taehyung and pretty much every other crew member involved, who have to work with actors that don’t have much of an idea of what they’re doing.

“He’s nice to look at,” Taehyung replies. Jimin waits, almost like he’s waiting for him to say something else, and so Taehyung finds himself forced to add more. “He’s handsome. Has a nice body, too.”

Jimin stays quiet for a second, cheeks puffed out before he swallows the coffee in his mouth and turns to Taehyung, asking, “Do you think he’d like to join SoulCycle?”

Taehyung just laughs at that, once again walking ahead and leaving Jimin behind, who has to speed up his pace to catch up to Taehyung.

“You’re impossible, Park Jimin.”

≋

It’s not too long until Taehyung receives an email from Anna’s assistant again, asking him if he’s available to come to the studio the following morning to meet the members of the cast that he’ll be working with. Taehyung replies as soon as he sees it, chewing on his morning cereal while still half asleep and rereading over it at least five times to make sure there are no mistakes. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s carelessly sent something, just to then be mortified upon spotting several errors.

He’s thrilled about it, even if he tries to pretend like he’s unbothered about meeting all of these famous actors by now. No matter how much you’ve seen someone through a screen, it’s vastly different from meeting them in flesh, from working with them. Over the years, Taehyung has developed techniques and methods to do his work that he uses with most, if not all actors he works with. But not everything is like that—some parts of his coaching experience need to be tailored to each person. It depends on their experience, both personal and professional, on their level of comfort with nudity or sexuality, and their level of boldness.

None of those are things that Taehyung can assess before he properly meets all of them. Not even through watching their performances, since sometimes the work in the editing room can be deceiving.

(And, well—they’re celebrities. Taehyung is used to it by now, but he’s still human.)

The following morning he gets to the filming site five minutes before he’s agreed to be there, something unusual for him. He used to be one of those people who always made it late to everything until that got him in trouble. Now, he’s turned the time back by five minutes on all of his devices and watches to ensure that he’s always where he needs to be at the agreed time, but his excitement gets the best of him on this occasion.

He finds Anna there, but she’s not alone when Taehyung finds her, after her assistant guides him to her. There are two people there: the first that Taehyung lands eyes on is Diana Tan, whose long, brown wavy hair and perfectly manicured nails make her look like she’s come straight from the beauty salon. Next to her, almost a head taller and even more unfairly handsome than the cameras were able to capture him, is Jeon Jeongguk.

“Oh, Taehyung—you’re here,” Anna says as she spots him, waving a hand in his direction and gesturing at him to approach them. Her words bring the attention of the two actors to Taehyung, who doesn’t let himself shrink under their gazes “Allow me to introduce you—this is Kim Taehyung, our intimacy coordinator. He’ll be taking care of the sex scenes throughout the movie. As soon as Bogum comes, he’ll talk to you guys and explain his job far better than I ever could.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Diana says, the first of them to speak. She offers a hand to Taehyung, who shakes it firmly as he gives her a smile. “Looking forward to working with you. I’ve only ever heard good things.”

“Oh?” Taehyung says, unable to conceal his surprise. He’s been working at this for a while now, knows he’s somewhat made a name for himself, but it’s still shocking when people like Diana-fucking-Tan state they know who he is. Never fails to give him whiplash. “Likewise. I’m really excited, too.”

He lets go of Diana’s hand then, turning to look at Jeongguk. Up close, Taehyung can see that the 5’11” that the internet said he was is a bit of an embellishment—he’s just as tall as Taehyung is, and he’s definitely not an inch over 5’10.

“Jeon Jeongguk,” he greets. “It’s really good to meet you.”

“Same goes to you,” Taehyung says, taking Jeongguk’s hand into his and giving it a light squeeze. Jeongguk gives him a small smile as he does so—lips pressed together in a polite, forced grin that Taehyung reciprocates. “I’ve been watching lots of your work recently. Loved Still With You.”

Jeongguk groans at that, his expression turning into a slightly horrified one as he says, “God, don’t say that. I’ve been trying to forget that one ever happened.”

The comment makes Taehyung laugh a little, amused, although he does know where Jeongguk is coming from. The drama wasn’t bad, but it definitely was a lot cheesier than Jeongguk’s most recent works. It seems like he’s trying to steer his career into a completely different direction now, so Taehyung gets Jeongguk’s embarrassment.

It’s right then that a door closes behind Taehyung, right in the direction where he came from a few minutes ago. He looks over his shoulder, seeing the figure that approaches them in calm yet long strides. With his black hair parted to the side, perfectly styled so that there’s not a single strand out of place, and a tailored designer suit, Park Bogum looks every bit the superstar he’s come to be. Taehyung feels his eyes scan over him before moving to the other people gathered with him in the room, and faintly wonders if Bogum remembers him. After all, when the two of them met, Bogum was already a name in their home country, and Taehyung was literally no one.

“I hope I’m not late,” Bogum says instead of a greeting. If the big, obviously expensive watch that’s hanging from his wrist is there for anything other than decoration, he must know he’s not.

As it turns out, Bogum is acquainted with everyone in the room; Anna and Diana speak to him warmly, with familiarity. Jeongguk is nowhere near as friendly as they are with him, but it’s obvious by the lack of introduction that they know each other.

Taehyung is the last person in the room that he turns to face, at the same time Anna starts, “This is our intimacy coordinator, Kim—”

“Taehyung, yeah. I’m familiar,” Bogum interrupts gently, flashing Anna a grin before he looks back at Taehyung, who is trying his best to not let his surprise show on his face. “We know each other. It’s good to see you again.”

“Oh?” Anna lets out from Taehyung’s right, as he quickly shakes Bogum’s hand. “But you haven’t worked together before, right?”

“No, no. A friend introduced us,” Taehyung says, purposefully keeping it as vague as he can. Truth is, Seojoon’s and his relationship never made it to the media, or to the ears of the public, so Taehyung would prefer to keep it that way. Especially now that they’ve been split up for ages. “It’s been a while.”

Luckily, Anna quickly takes over the reins of the conversation, bringing it back to what they’re really here for—the movie. Taehyung has already told her all about his way of working with actors, so she quickly explains to them how they’ll be operating: he’ll have the first session with the three of them together, then individual meetings with each of them so they can discuss boundaries and limits in private. After that, and depending on what he learns during the first sessions, they’ll start working on the scenes for the movie, be it in pairings or alone with him, in case they need more preparation before the filming begins.

“Any questions?” Anna asks once she’s done explaining, silence reigning for a couple of seconds as she waits for someone to speak up. When no one does, she quickly adds, “Then I think we’re all set. Maybe you could have your first session today?”

“If everyone’s available,” Taehyung says, stealing a glance at Bogum and Diana from the corner of his eye, the two of them standing to either side of Anna. Jeongguk, who’s right across from him, just nods as he keeps his expression blank. “We could get started now, yeah.”

“That’s fine by me,” Diana says, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. “Bogum?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“Then let me take you to one of the meeting rooms,” Anna says, not wasting a single minute before she starts walking towards one of the wide hallways to their right. The four of them follow close behind, stepping into the room that Anna unlocks for them after she’s opened the door and turned the lights on. “You know to talk to me in case you have any questions about the scenes or the script overall. Any of you,” she says, standing by the doorway. She then addresses Taehyung, saying, “We’ll talk later so you can update me on where we are.”

“Sure thing,” Taehyung says, giving Anna a soft smile as he sits down on a chair at the table. He’s chosen the side, not really a fan of the head of the table, but the trio of actors all sit on the other side, straight across from him. He’s not a fan of this positioning, but he’ll live. The door clicks shut softly, Anna disappearing behind it, and so Taehyung starts, “So… okay, let’s begin. You’ve all received the final version of the script, right?”

“A couple of weeks ago, yeah,” Bogum says, the other two nodding along.

“That’s great. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but there are some differences between the first version and this one,” Taehyung starts, making small talk with them. “I want you guys to tell me how you feel in regards to it. Especially the sex scenes—are you nervous about them?” There’s a pause, and so Taehyung adds, “If there’s something you wouldn’t like to say now and would prefer to keep for the private sessions, that’s alright. But I believe it’s best for there to be communication between everyone involved in filming. We’re all professionals here, right?”

It’s a couple of seconds before Diana speaks. She drums her fingernails on the glass surface of the table, then says, “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, but it’s not what I’m looking forward to most, to be completely honest. And, well—there’s a lot of it, so…”

“It can be awkward sometimes. Hopefully, we can make it as painless for you as possible,” Taehyung says. “You’ve done a couple of sex scenes before, right?” Diana nods. “That’s great, then. Anyone else have any experience?”

Of course, Taehyung knows—he doesn’t need Bogum to tell him about the few he has under his belt, but he still listens attentively as he lists the titles of the movie he’s filmed scenes like this for before. Similarly, he knows about Jeongguk’s lack of experience, about how the couple of scenes that he’s been involved in before are pretty tame in comparison to this movie: just some kissing, never requiring for him to go below the waist. He does a good job at hiding his hesitance or nerves about the matter. His voice doesn’t quiver, his fingers don’t fidget. Taehyung can still tell, though; the way he looks over at his other two co-stars when he’s done talking, checking for reactions. It’s a dead giveaway.

“I was shocked at first when I read the script and saw how many intimate scenes there were,” Jeongguk admits, as Taehyung keeps pulling his tongue. “I agree with Diana—it’s not nerves I’m feeling per se. At the end of the day, it’s just acting and I’m sure you will prepare us well, but it’s definitely a bit of an awkward experience to mimic having sex in front of an entire crew, you know?”

“I understand that. The first time that I had to stand by the sidelines and watch one being filmed I was mortified, too,” Taehyung says, thinking back to the old days when he was still learning from more experienced coordinators, just a trainee in his agency. “How about the nudity? How do you feel about that?”

“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Jeongguk says, dismissively waving a hand over his shoulder. “I don’t think I mind it too much. I’m not shy about that.”

“Have you been preparing your body for the shots?” Bogum pries, leaning forward in his chair so he can take a look at Jeongguk. His arms are crossed over his chest, but his tone is teasing as he adds, “I saw there’s a lot of you being naked in this movie.”

“Oh, no—I like taking care of my body regularly,” Jeongguk explains. That much is obvious, Taehyung thinks to himself, but he of course, keeps his mouth shut. “I don’t mind being shirtless on camera. Or butt-naked. I just haven’t done anything other than back shots before, and I always had pants on during those scenes.”

“We can discuss more of what degree of nudity everyone is comfortable with during private meetings. I’m sure your agents have already handled part of that, but we’ll go over everything once again,” Taehyung explains. “And after that, we’ll start working on making you comfortable with the scenes, since they’re a bit more explicit than what you guys have done before. We’ll have to work on your chemistry together, too.”

“That’s exciting,” Diana says, leaning back in her chair and running her hand through her fingers. “I always like pre-production more than the actual filming. I’m surely not the only one, right?”

For a couple of minutes, the three of them fall into easy conversation, discussing what their favorite and most dreaded parts of the entire filming process is. Taehyung uses that time to check his calendar, as well as the schedule that Anna’s assistant sent to his email earlier this week. They have some time to prepare before production is set to start, but the last thing that Taehyung wants to do is slack off and end up running tight on time.

“Are you guys free this week?” Taehyung interrupts, making the three of them look at him. “It shouldn’t take too long, just an hour or so.”

The trio looks back at him, briefly exchanging looks between each other.

In the end, it’s Jeongguk who speaks first. “Tomorrow?” he asks.

Taehyung nods, happy that they can at least start working properly. “Tomorrow is perfect.”

≋

The first person that Taehyung meets up with is Diana. She has the most scenes considering she's the main character, shooting with both Jeongguk and Bogum, but luckily she’s the most experienced out of all of them. She’s also familiar with the equipment they will be using for filming, including patches like shibues, and prosthetics, so their meeting goes by quickly and smoothly.

Then comes Bogum, who doesn’t take very long either. Like he told Taehyung the other day, he's never really done scenes as explicit as in this movie, but he seems confident—or at the very least, relaxed. He’s also done fairly fast, after replying to all of Taehyung’s questions that he considers mandatory before starting to work with someone.

And lastly, there’s Jeongguk. Taehyung purposefully scheduled for him to be the last one since there’s a lot he wants to talk about with him. Not because he thinks Jeongguk is unprepared or will ramble a lot due to nerves. Just in case. After all, he’s the least experienced of the three of them, so there might be more questions.

“Afternoon,” Jeongguk greets as he comes in. Taehyung nods, giving Jeongguk a smile as he takes a sip of his bottle of water and gestures towards the chair across from him, inviting him to sit down. There are a couple of seconds of silence as Jeongguk hands his jacket on the back of the chair and Taehyung puts the cap back on his water. But then, once the two of them are looking at each other, one at each side of the table, Jeongguk says, “You don’t have to coddle me.”

Now, that’s not at all what he was expecting to hear.

The words make one of Taehyung’s eyebrows arch, an amused grin making its way to his face as he asks, “Excuse me?”

“Since I have no experience with this,” Jeongguk says. “I don’t want you to go out of your way to give me extra attention or anything. Just what I need to learn.”

“It’s a good thing I don’t coddle the people I work with, then,” Taehyung says, hitching an elbow on the table and resting his chin on his raised palm. “You said it yourself. I’m just here to teach you, right?”

“Right.”

“So let me do that,” he says, taking in Jeongguk’s stern expression. From what he’s seen, Jeongguk is extremely polite and professional. He’s also the youngest among the main cast, two years Taehyung’s junior. Being not only the one with the least experience with intimate scenes but also the least established of the three, Taehyung can kind of understand Jeongguk’s need to prove himself to be just as good of a professional as his co-stars. He’ll keep this in mind—but regardless of Jeongguk’s wishes, if Taehyung thinks Jeongguk needs more help, he’ll make that happen either way. “Korean or English?”

“Korean,” Jeongguk replies, swiftly changing to their mother tongue in his answer. “I wasn’t sure which one you’d prefer, so English seemed like the safe option to go with. Also—I didn't know how long you had been here for. Maybe your Korean was a bit rusty.”

Taehyung can’t help but let out a cackle at that, amused by Jeongguk’s words. “Not that long, just five years. But—as if,” Taehyung replies, now in Korean as well. The words flow from his mouth easily, almost as if he wanted to prove to Jeongguk how wrong he was; he was kidding, of course, but Taehyung is still determined. “I talk to my parents regularly and surround myself with people from home.”

“I can see that,” Jeongguk says, a small grin on his lips. “Hyung?”

“That’s right,” Taehyung says, leaning back on his chair. “C'mon, we’re getting sidetracked.”

Not looking at all apologetic, Jeongguk says, “Sorry, sorry. Should we begin, then?”

“First of all, now that we’re alone, I want you to tell me if you have any reservations or doubts that maybe you weren’t comfortable bringing up yesterday morning,” Taehyung starts, stirring the conversation in the same direction as earlier with Diana and Bogum. “Anything—nudity, the gadgets used during recording, your boundaries. I’m here to ensure the filming process will be as easy and professional as possible for everyone involved.”

“I can’t think of anything right now,” Jeongguk replies. “Like, I’m sure I will need help as we start working on the specifics of it, probably lots of it. But as of right now, there’s nothing troubling me. You’re gonna have to tell me about the modesty patches, though.”

Taehyung scribbles that down into his notebook, pen quickly sliding over the paper as he says, “That I can do.” He then looks up, meeting Jeongguk’s eye once again as he says, “You can always come to me, at any point during production. And hopefully, I’ll be able to help.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s what I’m here for, right?” Taehyung asks, giving Jeongguk a kind smile. “Now, let’s talk about your boundaries.”

“Overall?”

“One thing at a time,” Taehyung says. “First of all, tell me where on your body you’re okay with being touched during scenes, and what’s strictly off-limits.”

Jeongguk’s eyes move away from Taehyung then, and for a few seconds, he seems to give the question some thought, ponder his answer before he speaks. “Crotch is off-limits,” he starts, Taehyung nodding along as he starts to write that down. “I think pretty much everywhere else is fine. Well—not on the insides of my upper thighs. That’d be pushing it.”

“Noted,” Taehyung says, writing it down. He only lifts his eyes from the paper to ask, “What about your butt?”

“My butt is okay,” Jeongguk replies, giving Taehyung a lopsided smile. “It makes me a bit jumpy when it catches me off-guard, but I’m good with it if there’s a warning.”

Taehyung can’t help but crack a smile at that, shaking his head as he says, “You’ll know if there’s any ass-touching involved. Everything else is a green light, right?”

“Yeah—wait,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung’s eyebrows raised questioningly. “No feet.”

“I can assure you right now that I don’t intend on appealing to the foot fetishists,” Taehyung says, earning himself a groan from Jeongguk in response. “Anything else? Armpits, maybe?”

“Yes, armpits. How could I forget,” Jeongguk complains, Taehyung writing that down right under feet. He wasn’t planning to include any of that, but still. At least the conversation has helped break the ice. Things weren’t particularly tense or anything before now, but it’s always better to work in a comfortable environment. “Now, I think that’s about it.”

“That’s perfect, then,” Taehyung says. “On to the nudity, then. You said you’re okay with nude shots, right?”

“They’re fine with me,” Jeongguk says, leaning forward a little. “As long as it’s not the front.”

“I’m asking because as you’ve seen, there’s a shower sex scene,” Taehyung says, watching as Jeongguk nods. It wouldn’t be the first time that he’s brought up a specific scene to an actor just to discover that they were completely unfamiliar with it, much to Taehyung’s dismay. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Jeongguk, who nods unfazed. “We won’t be needing a body double for that then, yeah?”

“No way. I look too good to use a body double,” Jeongguk jokes. Taehyung is almost tempted to look at Jeongguk then, as if he wanted to check whether it was true or not by himself, but holds himself back from doing so. Inappropriate, he reminds himself. “Are the others using doubles?”

Taehyung is surprised Jeongguk is asking him this instead of asking his co-stars, but he guesses they aren’t friends. He knows through Anna that Diana and Jeongguk met the very morning that Taehyung met the two of them, when they both arrived minutes before Taehyung. He did know Bogum before, probably from having met at events back when they both worked in Korea, but Taehyung doesn’t think they’re friends.

So he decides to humor Jeongguk, whose curious answer doesn’t really qualify as gossiping—not when it concerns work, and it’s something he’ll see for himself eventually.

“Neither of them, no,” Taehyung confesses. “Of course, you—or any of them—can change your mind. But the sooner you let me know, the easier it will be to find someone suitable.”

Jeongguk scoffs at that, saying, “As if. Maybe Bogum is chickening out but I’m not.” At that, Taehyung can’t stop himself from raising his eyes from the notebook and giving Jeongguk a funny look. “He’s ten times more likely than me to need a body double.”

“I highly doubt that since all that’s required from him are shots from the waist up,” Taehyung tells him. Jeongguk nods slowly, looking almost surprised, and so Taehyung explains, “Your scenes are a lot steamier than his. His are… I would say, a progression from boring and routinely, into emotional, but you have the hot ones.”

“Good to know,” Jeongguk says, and maybe Taehyung is misreading his demeanor, but he almost seems too pleased with himself by the information. “Anything else?”

“Oh, boy—there’s a lot more to go over,” Taehyung says, drumming his pen over his notebook. “Let’s talk about kissing.”

Almost an hour goes by before the meeting ends, during which they go over the rest of Jeongguk’s boundaries, what he’s comfortable with and what he’d rather refrain from doing. But not only that—Taehyung also uses that time to give Jeongguk some pointers to remember every time he and Diana have a scene that involves any sort of intimacy, even if it’s just some kissing. For example, to always check with each other what’s within limits during every cut. After all, there are some things that might have been marked down as safe from the get-go; even though, during the filming, someone might not be comfortable and will change their mind.

By the end of their first one on one session, Taehyung’s initial idea of Jeongguk has shifted. During their first meeting, Taehyung thought that Jeongguk was simply professional, serious—he had come here to get his job done, and wasn’t particularly chatty. But now, when it was just the two of them, Jeongguk’s personality could shine more. He’s introverted, sure, but that doesn’t stop him from being charming nonetheless. He’s confident, determined, and so far he seems like a funny guy.

He’s interesting, Taehyung decides. Easy to talk to, especially once he became comfortable around Taehyung and the two of them slipped into an easy back and forth. And well—there’s his undeniable good looks.

As soon as his mind goes there, Taehyung forces himself to stop. Maybe in another world, where Jeongguk wasn’t an actor or they had met in circumstances completely different as these ones, Maybe then Taehyung would let himself acknowledge the fact that Jeongguk is stupidly attractive, and his type down to a T.

But that’s not the case. Because in this world, in the universe they have happened to find themselves in, they’re working together. Taehyung has been nothing but professional throughout his career which is something that he takes pride in, so that is not about to change now.

Plus, he’s an actor. Been there, done that. Taehyung isn’t setting himself up for something like that again.

≋

Working with some of the most famous faces in the industry has made Taehyung come to many realizations: celebrities are far from glamorous half of the time, it is very possible to seem like the most delightful person during interviews and appearances and be a fucking asshole in person, and the most simple things happen to be the best in life. Luxury and excess are good every once in a while, but they’re not something that Taehyung would exchange for nights on Jimin and Namjoon’s couch, having take out with them. Not now, not ever.

Especially if that comes accompanied by a little gossip.

Now, there are many things that Taehyung witnesses while on set. But he’s also learned that people whose tongues are let loose are found out fast, and once discovered, nobody wants to talk to them. For that reason, the thought of ever revealing anything that he learns about the famous people he works with to the public has never crossed Taehyung’s mind. The only exception to the rule is Jimin, who is trustworthy; the one person that Taehyung would trust with his life. When his best friend started dating Namjoon, he sort of was added to the list.

They’re the two people Taehyung vents to about pretty much everything—the entitled names who think just because they’re famous they’re above the rest of the crew, the ones who are always late, the ones who make so many demands, the ones who forget about their appointments.

And, in this case, the ones that Taehyung tells about his first impressions of the cast of A Supplementary Story.

“They all seem really easy to work with so far,” Taehyung says, bringing some noodles to his mouth with his chopsticks as he sits cross-legged on the couch, Jimin sitting right next to him. Namjoon, who doesn’t trust himself to not drop his food over the sofa or on his clothes, is sitting on the floor by the coffee table. He chews, swallows enough food so he can add, “Not big-headed which is nice.”

“I always thought Bogum seemed a bit like a dickhead,” Jimin says, never one to sugarcoat his words. “Wasn’t he friends with Seojoon?”

“Kind of, but—”

“Oh, that’s why,” Jimin says. Namjoon laughs, but Taehyung just huffs in faux annoyance. “He’s a dickhead by association.”

“Seojoon is not a dickhead,” Taehyung interjects. He has no loyalties to his ex-boyfriend anymore, as the two of them haven’t talked in ages and didn’t really leave things on the best of terms, but Seojoon was not a dickhead. Obsessed with his work to a point it’d always come before Taehyung? Sure, but other than that he was a good boyfriend. Good enough for Taehyung to move continents for him. “And neither is Bogum. He’s been nice.”

“Not even a bit big-headed?” Namjoon asks, Taehyung shaking his head as he hums in negation. “Damn. How about the rest of them?”

“They’re all lovely. Diana is a sweetheart,” Taehyung says, Jimin muttering under his breath something that sounds a lot like of course she is. “And Jeongguk is really nice as well. Very easy going. He’s actually very like…” Taehyung trails off, gesturing with his hand as he tries to find a fitting word, but it doesn’t come to mind. Namjoon and Jimin looking at him expectantly, so in the end, he adds, “Charming? I don’t know.”

“Oh, god,” Jimin says, shifting close on the couch so he can nudge Taehyung’s knee with his own. “Did he charm you?”

Taehyung looks at Jimin, just to find him staring with his eyebrows raised in question. He’s looking a bit too excited about it, and Taehyung knows exactly why—ever since he broke up with Seojoon a year and a half ago, Taehyung hasn’t been on any dates. Zero. He did his mourning for the relationship, then gave himself time to heal, and despite having had a couple of flings and one-night stands in that period of time, he hasn’t been back on the dating scene ever since. Now, every time Taehyung refers to a guy as attractive or handsome, Jimin has the same reaction.

“I didn’t say he charmed me,” explains Taehyung, calm. “Just that he’s charming. There’s a difference.”

Jimin groans at that, as frustrated as he is disappointed, and flops back against the back of the couch. Taehyung watches Jimin’s box of takeout dangerously tilt on his lap, heart almost stopping as if it was his own couch they’re sitting on and not Jimin’s.

“Of course not, you damn ice prince,” Jimin says. “Why not? Especially if he’s charming as well as hot.”

Taehyung looks over at Namjoon, arches an eyebrow and asks, “Are you hearing this shit?”

“It’s okay,” Namjoon replies calmly. “We’ve discussed it.”

“And he agrees. We watched that damn three hours long Marvel movie just for him,” Jimin carries on. “I’m just saying, if I were you and Namjoon wasn’t a person, in a hypothetical world, I would let myself get charmed. Maybe even flirted with.”

“He’s a co-worker,” Taehyung says. Jimin rolls his eyes. “And I’m a professional.”

“You’re missing out on a lot of hot celebrities for sticking to a standard of professionalism that no one else other than you respects,” Jimin says. “Everyone is fucking everyone in Hollywood. And it’s not like you’re in a position of power or anything.”

“I still wouldn’t feel comfortable with it. Plus, given what I do,” Taehyung says, gesturing with the hand that he’s holding his chopsticks with. “It’d be awkward.”

“But—”

“Babe,” Namjoon interrupts. Jimin’s shoulders deflate even before Namjoon adds in a gentle tone, “That’s a valid reason.”

“I just want you to get laid… and to get a boyfriend,” Jimin says. “My life plan doesn’t work out if you stay single for much longer, Taehyung-ah.”

Taehyung steals a glance at Namjoon, whose dimples make an appearance as he smiles down at his food. “And what do I have to do with your life plan?”

“We’re best friends. We’re supposed to hold each other’s hands the rest of the way,” Jimin replies. “And I want to be married before I hit 32. Hurry up, babe—the clock’s ticking now.”

“Don’t rush me. These things are meant to happen organically, otherwise, they’re not gonna last,” Taehyung says, leaning forward to leave his takeout box on top of the coffee table, now empty. He leans over then back, placing one hand on his now bloated stomach. “That was fucking epic.”

“You might wanna drop by SoulCycle tomorrow,” Jimin says, tone teasing. “Burn that dinner off.”

“Oh, fuck you, you damn—” Taehyung starts, reaching forward and throwing a pillow to Jimin’s face, muffling his laughter.

And just like that, Taehyung thinks he’s been proven right once again. The simpler, the better.

≋

There are not many occasions where Bogum, Diana and Jeongguk have to film together. Just a few of the scenes, most of them towards the end. Among all of them, only one of them requires Taehyung’s assistance—it’s one where Diana’s character, Erin, and Bogum’s, Eugene, are lying in their bedroom together, after having sex. They kiss, the director panning the camera around their bodies so that when Bogum appears back in sight, he’ll be replaced with Liam, played by Jeongguk. It’s not particularly steamy—just some kisses down Jeongguk’s neck and chest, a lingering hand down his arm, but that’s about it. Still, the purpose of it is for it to be intimate, almost flustering for the spectator to watch. That’s why Taehyung is needed.

They’re going over that scene today, which is why Taehyung is once again working with the three of them. Most of his sessions after the initial first meetings have been in pairings. Some private ones, especially with Jeongguk, who Taehyung has chosen to give more pointers to.

“It’s not coddling,” Taehyung had assured him when Jeongguk had brought up that he was the only one having private sessions with him. “I just need to make sure you’re ready.”

Truth be told, Taehyung has been pleased with what he’s been seeing so far. He’s been working mostly on building the chemistry between them—Jeongguk and Diana need to be explosive while on camera. And then there’s Bogum, who is very much in love with Diana’s character, despite how unsatisfying their sex life might be.

Seeing how the three of them work in tandem is a joy. For this specific scene, they need to be fast and sneaky, Bogum and Jeongguk quickly switching places when the camera pans closer to Diana, so Taehyung uses his phone camera as preparation, so they can have some sense of direction once the filming process properly begins. He’s following Anna’s instructions after having asked her how she wanted this specific scene to look.

They’re practicing in an empty rehearsal room, and since there’s obviously no bed available, they’re using a table to practice. Taehyung watches wordlessly, watching Diana lean down to where Bogum is, her mouth hovering over his clavicle. It’s right then, as Taehyung brings the camera closer to Diana, that Bogum quickly scurries away from the table and Jeongguk takes his place. It doesn’t take more than a couple of seconds, but by the time Taehyung steps away Jeongguk’s body comes into view. It’s then that Diana fully leans down, pressing her lips against the fabric of Jeongguk’s hoodie, hand moving to his arm.

Of course, when filming comes, nudity will be involved, but this is just some rough rehearsing.

The same process is followed soon after, with Bogum taking back his place for the end of the scene. After that, Jeongguk steps away and watches alongside Taehyung, Diana and Bogum reciting their lines for the closing of the scene.

“That’s good, guys,” Taehyung says, once they’re both done, nodding along. All three of them have been acting since they were young—including Jeongguk, even if his claim to fame didn’t happen until recently. They know what they’re doing, and so the scenes come together easily. Taehyung is pleased with what he sees, especially considering they’ve been working together for so little time. “Okay—I say, let’s take a break for now. We can do this a couple more times, then you can go, Jeongguk. You two stay. We have some things to go over.”

“Thank god,” Diana says, sitting up on the table, her legs dangling over the edge of the table as she pulls her hair up into a high ponytail, wrapping a scrunchie around it. “I badly need a cup of coffee.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jeongguk announces, from where he’s standing next to Taehyung. Diana gives him a smile, striding towards the door as Jeongguk says, “I’m starting to get a little brain fart now, anyway.”

That leaves Taehyung and Bogum alone, Taehyung reaching for his copy of the script so he can use the small break to pick which one of Bogum and Diana’s scenes he’d like to work on next. The script is completely marked up—there are sticky notes and post-its all over it, as well as tons of pages highlighted, with Taehyung’s own annotations in the margins. If anyone saw it, they could easily mistake it for the copy of an actor who has marked all their lines.

“You’re not joining them?” Taehyung asks absent-mindedly, going through the pages until he finds the one scene he was looking for. It’s nothing too exciting, just some bedroom sex that Bogum’s character is not all that invested in—exactly the point.

“No, I’m good. I can function pretty well without coffee,” Bogum says, moving so he can sit on the chair to Taehyung’s right. He’s sitting on the end of the table, humming in acknowledgment. “You?”

“Oh, it’s not for me. I hate coffee,” Taehyung replies, lifting his eyes from the script momentarily so he can give Bogum a fleeting look. “And the tea they have here isn’t good.”

Bogum chuckles at that softly, staying quiet for a couple of seconds. Taehyung’s attention goes back to the screen, but then Bogum speaks again and says, “Heard you were a therapist before you got into the industry.”

It’s exactly then that it becomes obvious Bogum is in a chatty mood, and therefore there’s no chance for Taehyung to get much done. He doesn’t blame him—they’re on their break and there isn’t much else to do. It’s only normal for him to want to talk, to unwind a little. So he leaves the script back on top of the table, and replies, “Yeah, I worked as a sexologist back in Seoul. That’s why when I moved I—Seojoon thought this would be a suitable position for me.”

He corrects himself after remembering that Bogum knows about Seojoon, probably able to put two and two together and figure out how Taehyung got introduced to the industry.

“Ah. That makes sense,” Bogum says. “I’ve worked with some intimacy coordinators before—a couple of them, for some of my other projects. They usually had previous experience as stunt coordinators, though.”

“Ah—that’s common among people like me, yeah. Most of the people in my agency, including the ones that trained me, worked as stunt coordinators before. But I think knowledge in my field is just as important.”

Bogum looks up at him, from where he’s still sitting to his right, and wordlessly holds his gaze for a couple of seconds. Then, eyes still on Taehyung, he says, “I’m not quite sure what a sex therapist does, but I kinda wish I needed one right about now.”

At that, Taehyung is stunned. His eyebrows furrow in confusion, mouth gaping open as he looks for the right words to say. Bogum is still facing him, giving him a pointed look, and Taehyung can’t get a single sound out. However, before he manages to say anything, there’s a sharp knock on the door.

“We’re back,” Jeongguk announces, walking into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand. Taehyung can hear Diana laugh in the hallway, someone else saying their farewells before she enters the room as well, another paper cup in her hand.

If Taehyung was to say he doesn’t feel relief wash over him upon seeing the pair walk into the room he’d be a filthy liar. He takes that as the perfect chance to flee from the conversation, walking away from the table and Bogum after picking up his copy of the script.

“Right—let’s keep going,” Taehyung says. “Finish that fast and let’s get back to work. We have no time to lose.”

Jeongguk groans in complaint, but he still obliges and gulps down his coffee, as does Diana. After that, they get back to work, picking up their rehearsal from where they left it. However, something has shifted in the air. Taehyung avoids Bogum’s gaze for the remainder of the day.

≋

Jeongguk looks down at the object in his hand, almost horrified, like the garment is the most offensive thing he’s seen in his entire life. Taehyung would be offended by his reaction were it not this funny—he’s been working with actors for years now, and never has he seen anyone react so strongly to modesty garments.

“What did you say the name was, again?” Jeongguk asks.

“Hibues,” Taehyung repeats, unable to keep a lopsided smile away from his face. “We put a silicon guard right under, directly on the skin. And that goes on your crotch area.”

“Jesus.”

It’s not that bad, at least Taehyung doesn’t think so. The Hibue is a strapless, skin tone coloured thong that goes all the way from the front of the crotch to the back. There’s space in the front to accommodate everything, which seems to be what Jeongguk fixates on. Quite frankly, Taehyung finds it funny.

“And it doesn’t fall off,” Jeongguk says.

“I promise it doesn’t. Everything will be secured properly so you don’t need to worry about that,” Taehyung reassures. “You have my word.”

“I believe you. I just—” Jeongguk starts blabbering, interrupting himself. Taehyung looks up from the Hibue to look at Jeongguk instead, endeared when he realizes the tip of his ears have flushed bright red. “It looks a bit small.”

At that, Taehyung can’t help but laugh loudly. It makes Jeongguk look at him almost alarmed, eyes wide as the blush spreads to his face as well. He’s so mortified, which Taehyung finds terribly adorable for some reason.

“I mean, there are bigger sizes if you need them. But I’ve never had anyone need bigger—it looks deceivingly small,” Taehyung instructs. He nods his head in direction of it, says, “How about you try it at home and tell me how it fits? Let me know if you need a bigger one, and I’ll get it for you.”

“God—I. Okay. I’ll let you know,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung just smiles at him, hopefully reassuring. He’s not here to judge Jeongguk. He understands how new and nerve-wracking filming something like this can be, and his job is to help Jeongguk ease into it. “Anything else?”

“You should shave before using it,” Taehyung says. “It’s secured to your skin with some adhesive, so it’s probably more comfortable for you if there’s no hair in the area, or if it’s trimmed at least.” Jeongguk nods, still looking mortified, but says nothing. “This is the closest one to your skin tone, but I’m sure there will be some differences. We’ll even it out with some body makeup.”

“I can’t believe this,” Jeongguk says, sounding a bit choked out. Taehyung grins. “Isn’t it weird?”

“Isn’t what weird?”

“To have this conversation, over and over again,” Jeongguk says. “I’m so embarrassed, hyung.”

Jeongguk buries his head in his palms, Taehyung unable to keep himself from reaching for Jeongguk’s shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. “It’s my job. I don’t think it’s embarrassing,” Taehyung replies. “If you wanna reconsider the body double offer, I—”

“No, no. I don’t want to. I want to do this, I just get shy at first, but I want to,” Jeongguk says, lifting his head to look at Taehyung. At that, he lets his hand fall from Jeongguk’s shoulder. “What else is there?”

“In terms of equipment, you mean?” Taehyung asks. Jeongguk nods, wordlessly, and Taehyung says, “Well, there are a lot of things I keep on hand for filming. We have nipple shields, other kinds of modesty pouches or pads, even knee and elbow pads for certain positions. You know how long it can take to film a scene sometimes.” At that, Jeongguk nods again. “And then there are some other things like mints for kissing, wet wipes and baby oil to remove adhesive. That sort of stuff.”

“And you take care of all of that?” Jeongguk asks, earning himself a nod from Taehyung. “That’s… yeah.”

Of course, it’s not the first time that Taehyung has worked with someone who has no experience with intimate scenes, just like Jeongguk. He’s seen this hesitance before, this embarrassment. In some cases, the lack of experience was a big problem during filming; in some others, the actor quickly learnt. Taehyung still finds himself empathizing deeply with Jeongguk, who is determined to make it work all by himself.

If he’s honest, Taehyung has high hopes for this one.

“Just try the Hibue soon, just like I told you earlier. And tell me how it looks on you, if you need a different size,” Taehyung instructs, Jeongguk takes a deep breath before humming in acknowledgement. “Any questions?”

“No—well, not about this,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung’s eyebrows raising in question. “It’s about something I heard yesterday.”

“Something you heard?” Taehyung asks, feeling himself frown in confusion.

Jeongguk bites down on his bottom lip, then says, “From Bogum. Yesterday during rehearsal.” At that, Taehyung stiffens. “When Diana and I were coming back from a coffee break.”

“I think I know what you mean,” he starts, moving a little so he doesn’t have to meet Jeongguk’s eye. They’re sitting side by side, so it’s easy for him to avoid his gaze. “But I can guarantee you it wasn’t…” Taehyung is about to say not what it looked like, but he doesn’t even know what it looked like to begin with. Hell, he doesn’t even know what it really was. “Inappropriate. It wasn’t anything inappropriate.”

“I’m just asking because what I heard was ambiguous. And you didn’t seem too comfortable with how the conversation was going,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung takes a deep breath, right as Jeongguk adds, “I’ve heard some things.”

“What kind of things?”

“About Bogum and crew members.”

Taehyung groans, now wishing he could be the one to bury his face in his palms and pretend none of this is actually happening.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but whatever it is, it’s not the case here,” Taehyung rushes to say. Truth be told, he’s never heard any of those supposed rumors, but he doesn’t need to. There’s absolutely nothing going on. “I’m a professional, and Bogum and I are co-workers. I don’t mix business with pleasure. And anyway, as far as I know, he’s not into men.”

Jeongguk shrugs at that, and when Taehyung dares to steal a look at him, he doesn’t see him looking too convinced. “I just know that what I saw seemed really tasteless, not at all smooth flirting.” Taehyung has to bite down on the inside of his cheek to stop the corner of his mouth from tilting up into a smile at that, amused by Jeongguk’s words. “And I know what I’ve heard.”

Usually, Taehyung stays away from gossiping about people he’s working with. Especially if it’s with other people involved. But he’s too curious, especially after Jeongguk mentions it once again and the perfect opportunity arises.

And, okay—he’s professional. He swears he is. But he’s also human. “What are the stories?”

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a talented guy to work with. I’m learning a lot from him,” Jeongguk says, almost to make himself feel better about talking about him behind his back. “But he’s always getting involved with people he meets on the sets of movies—crew members, co-stars… I’ve heard it from so many people.”

That’s not at all weird. Jimin said it himself—they’re in an industry where everyone fucks with everyone. Taehyung is not at all unfamiliar with rumors like this, even if he’s never taken part in anything of the sort.

“Still don’t see what that has to do with me,” Taehyung says. “Isn’t he straight?”

“Allegedly. But that wasn’t very straight, was it?” Jeongguk asks. Taehyung pursues his lips, knowing he can’t really deny that. “Plus, wouldn’t be the first closeted man in Hollywood.”

Taehyung looks away from Jeongguk, facing straight ahead as he clicks his tongue. “I don’t know. I don’t care—I’m not interested,” he resolves, shaking his head as to snap himself out of it. The more he thinks about it, the more he dwells on it, the worse. The last thing he needs is for things between him and Bogum to become awkward, considering they have an entire movie ahead of them to film.

“Of course you’re not,” Jeongguk says with a small smile. Taehyung looks at him, eyebrow arched.

“You’re so amused by all of this, aren’t you?” Taehyung asks, Jeongguk chuckling lightly and flashing him a deceivingly angelic smile. “C’mon—get your ass moving. Diana is most likely waiting for us in the rehearsal room now.”

“That’s on her for always being early,” Jeongguk complains, albeit starting to move now, dragging his chair away from the table. “What is it that we’re doing today, anyway?”

“Oh, today is an exciting one. You get to finally put into practice everything you and I have been learning together,” Taehyung says, standing up as well and picking up his jacket from the backrest of the chair. When Jeongguk looks at him, questions written all over his face, Taehyung smiles deviously. “Today I’m going to teach you how to have pretend sex.”

≋

“I have a few questions.” Taehyung looks up from his copy of the script, meeting Jeongguk’s eyes.

They’re on what Taehyung thinks will be their last session alone. Jeongguk has been making progress, which can be seen in the way he carries the scenes Diana and him have together. He’s more confident than he was at the start, and so Taehyung thinks that soon there won’t be a need for any more of their one on one sessions. Unless, of course, Jeongguk requests some more.

“Which questions?” Taehyung pries, expectant. Jeongguk seems almost hesitant, like he doesn’t know whether to voice his doubts out loud or not, and so Taehyung offers, “You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“I know. It’s kind of stupid one, though,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung, who is nothing if not patient, waits for a couple of seconds until Jeongguk asks, “What if I get hard?”

Taehyung tilts his head to the right, giving Jeongguk a cautious look as he does his best to fight a small grin. “That very rarely happens. You know how many people are there on set, and there’s also a lot of pressure during filming,” Taehyung starts, knowing he’s not telling Jeongguk anything that he doesn’t already know. “But if you do—that’s okay, it can happen sometimes. If you’re too uncomfortable, or if Diana is uncomfortable, just let me know and we can take a short break so you can take care of it.”

“Okay. Okay, yeah. I just wanted to know in case that, you know…” he says, trailing off. “It’s not like it’s because I’m attracted to her—”

“I know,” Taehyung tries to reassure him, but it’s not enough to cut Jeongguk’s babbling.

“She’s a very pretty girl, but I’m not… I’m gay, you know? I mean, why would you know,” Jeongguk says, shrugging his shoulders. “Point is, it’s not because I want to do anything with her. If something happens, I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.”

“Hey—I get you. You don’t need to explain anything to me,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk biting down on his lip. “As I’ve been telling you all, the key aspect during filming these scenes is communication. If you have any concerns about it, you can always tell her beforehand.”

“I don’t think you realize how incredibly mortifying that is, hyung.” Taehyung grins at that, now unable to hide his amusement. “Stop laughing! I’m not about to approach her and talk to her about my dick.”

“Why not? It’s your dick, yeah, but it’s a work-related matter,” Taehyung says. “And anyway, both you and Diana are old enough to be able to talk about that. C’mon, big boy. Act your age.”

Jeongguk tuts. “It’s not so much about age. But to me, it’s a bit embarrassing to bring this up in a professional setting,” he explains. Taehyung’s expression softens up. “Some of us are introverted.”

“Think about it this way,” Taehyung says, leaning forward so he can give Jeongguk’s knee a squeeze. “Diana has been filming intimate scenes for a long time now. She’s more experienced than you, so let her help you. I know it can be a bit embarrassing to address, sure, but she’s professional—she’ll understand and she’ll help you out.”

“Could you bring it up to her?”

Taehyung looks at Jeongguk for a couple of seconds, debating. “Fine,” he says in the end, giving in. “But you also have to, okay? You guys have to talk to each other. We’ve gone over this.”

“I know. I listen to you, hyung,” Jeongguk says, giving Taehyung a look. Taehyung just raises his eyebrows, unimpressed.

“Anything else?” he inquires. “You said questions.”

“Oh—yeah, well. This one is, um…” Jeongguk starts. “It’s about the shower scene, where Liam goes down on Erin.”

“What about it?”

“I’ve never been with a girl. Sexually, I mean,” Jeongguk explains, Taehyung nodding along to indicate for him to carry on. “The other scenes I can like, improvise easily, but I’m worried I might not be able to pull this one off.”

Taehyung hums at that, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Shouldn’t be a big problem with the way that it’s gonna be shot. You just have to, you know, bob your head a little,” he says, moving to illustrate his words. “But I can have Diana guide you. Hand on your hair and everything to sort of give direction.”

“Sounds good.”

“At the end of the day, it’s all just acting,” Taehyung feels the need to remind him. Jeongguk carries himself with confidence—he’s good and he knows it, but in their sessions, it has become apparent he’s also a little insecure in regards to his performance in these specific scenes. “It’s all about practicing and rehearsing. I’ll make sure you do it well.”

“That’s kind of you, hyung,” Jeongguk says.

“Oh, it’s so my name isn’t attached to a subpar sex scene,” Taehyung replies, making Jeongguk let out a loud cackle. That’s good—Taehyung notices the way some of the tension on his shoulders seems to disappear, how he’s more relaxed.

“And here I was thinking you were doing me a favor,” Jeongguk laments. “You think I can do it?”

“Of course you can do it, Jeongguk,” Taehyung rushes to reply. “You’ve been coming along really well. I’m pleased with your work—and you know I call things out how I see them. If you were doing badly, I’d say.”

“I’m just worried because Diana’s character and mine are supposed to have this amazing chemistry, right? I mean—I’ve had roles based on romance before, but never with so much sexual tension. I’m worried I might not be able to pull it off since I’m not really into girls,” Jeongguk says. “But at the same time, I want to prove to myself that I can do this. After all, it is acting.”

“Exactly that,” Taehyung says, nodding along. “Attraction might help but it’s not a requirement. There are tons of good sex scenes out there where the actors had no attraction to each other so don’t stress about it. You’re a good ass actor.”

“You’re just stroking my ego at this point,” Jeongguk says, now Taehyung’s turn to laugh. Maybe there’s some truth to that—he does believe Jeongguk is good, but he also wants to cheer him up. Still, it’s all true. Taehyung doesn’t do fake flattery. “But I’ll take it. Thank you so much, hyung.”

“Nothing to thank me for,” Taehyung says, flashing him a smile. “Anything else you need or are you all good to go?”

“I think I’m good for now,” Jeongguk says, standing up from where he’s sitting, stretching his arms over his head. It makes his t-shirt ride up, Taehyung catching a glimpse of his toned and defined abdomen before he forces himself to look away. “Am I dismissed?”

“Yes. Go now,” Taehyung says, mimicking Jeongguk and standing up as well. “You’re dismissed, Mr. Jeon.”

Jeongguk grins a little, nodding his head at Taehyung as a farewell. “I’ll see you soon, hyung.”

“See you,” Taehyung says, weakly waving him goodbye.

After that, Jeongguk just turns around on his heels and goes for the door, clicking it shut behind himself as he exits. Taehyung sighs, watching him go. It’s refreshing to work with Jeongguk—not just because he’s hard-working and dedicated, but also because they get along well. It’s not very often that Taehyung finds himself enjoying someone’s company so much on set.

After all, it’s nice to have a friend.

≋

“We’re back,” Diana announces as she walks back into the room, Jeongguk standing by her side. The two of them have coffee in their hands—it has become a custom of theirs, to go on their coffee runs together. It gives Taehyung some time alone whenever he’s working with the two of them, some very much-needed calm before filming carries on.

“No need to rush. Just enjoy your drinks,” Taehyung points out. “Can’t push you too much, can I?”

Diana snorts at that, taking a seat by Taehyung’s side. It’s just a matter of seconds before Jeongguk sits to his other side.

Today they’re rehearsing the shower scene, the very same one that Jeongguk found himself worrying over the other day. For that reason, Taehyung came to rehearsal thinking that maybe the mood would be stiff, that Jeongguk would find himself acting awkward. Luckily, that was not the case.

Diana, just like how Taehyung said she would, was accommodating. She gets along well with Jeongguk, which also helps. The mood wasn’t in the slightest bit awkward as Jeongguk knelt in front of her while they rehearsed, one of her hands buried in his hair like Taehyung told her to do. They found themselves laughing at the end of the scene, even amidst it when Diana involuntarily kneed Jeongguk in the ribs.

It looks good, too. It looks realistic—Taehyung doesn’t have any personal experience to judge from, but he does have a professional one. He’s seen enough scenes—both good and bad—to know that Jeongguk is doing a good job.

Of course, there’s still work to be done. They’re still missing some naturality, still not fully comfortable with the scene, but they’re on the right track, and they’re in tune with each other.

The more they rehearse, the more demanding that Taehyung is. And so when they go back to rehearsing after the break, Taehyung starts pointing out more details. At first, all he asked of them was to recite their lines while following the choreography of the scene that Taehyung taught him. Now, he has his hawk-eye on and is paying attention to the details that really make the scene, the ones that make the difference between just alright and near-perfect.

“Diana, arch your back a little more. And tug at his hair—” he says, Jeongguk letting out a low sound of complaint. Diana snorts. “Okay, maybe not that hard.”

“I was just caught off-guard,” Jeongguk says. “Let’s go again, starting from the previous line.”

Jeongguk is about to start, taking a deep breath, but the moment he looks up at Diana, who’s doing a terrible job of holding back her laughter, he cracks up as well. Taehyung shakes his head, grinning a little himself.

≋

Generally, Taehyung is someone who enjoys being around people. He’s an extrovert, and so he’s good in social settings and thrives on them, finding them refreshing. But still, sometimes he needs some alone time. So when after rehearsing with Bogum and Diana all morning the two of them go out for lunch to the salad bar near the studio, as much as Taehyung enjoys socializing, he declines the offer to join. He simply buys a half-decent sandwich from the vending machine down the hall and returns to the room he’s been assigned to for rehearsal.

He could have gone home since he has nothing else to do at the studio today, but he’s hungry as fuck, and exhausted. He’d rather eat something here than drive back to his apartment to cook, even if it’s not the greatest meal ever.

He’s in the midst of eating his sandwich, silently scrolling down Twitter as he chews, when suddenly there’s a knock on the door. Taehyung frowns, not knowing who would come to see him during lunchtime—probably Anna. So he swallows down his food, calling, “It’s open, come in.”

His surprise is evident once the door is pushed open and it’s not Anna he sees. Instead, it’s Jeongguk, peeking his head inside to look at Taehyung before he properly comes in.

“Jeongguk,” Taehyung says, sounding a little more stunned than he intends to. “What are you doing here?”

“I had a miscalculation. I thought it was an hour later than it actually is,” Jeongguk explains, Taehyung unable to hold back a smile at the admission. “I have rehearsal with Diana later, and I’m too far from my place to go back now for lunch.”

“Damn,” Taehyung says, doubts about why Jeongguk is in the studio finally cleared. What he doesn’t understand is why he’s here. “Did you need something from me?”

“Huh? No, no. Nothing like that,” Jeongguk says, shaking his head. “But I ran into Bogum and Diana on their way out, and they told me you stayed back, so I figured we could keep each other company for a bit since we’re both alone.”

Taehyung cocks his head to the side, giving Jeongguk a curious look. Despite that, he says, “Fair enough. How’s everything, then?”

“It’s all good. Starting to feel a bit more confident but I’m also getting nervous as filming approaches,” Jeongguk confesses. It’s funny because when they first met Jeongguk was so shy that Taehyung had to coax confessions out of him. Now, it’s obvious that Jeongguk has grown to trust him a lot more. “But I’m glad I got this role in the end.”

“How do you mean?” Taehyung asks, not following along.

“You don’t know?” Jeongguk inquires. When Taehyung gives him a blank look, speechless, he carries on, “I originally auditioned for Bogum’s role. I didn’t get it, obviously—but they offered me this part so I said yes. But, yeah. I wanted the other one.”

“I had no clue,” Taehyung says. It’s not like he’s been shown Jeongguk’s audition tape or anything like that. After all, he has no say in casting. His input is important in his area of expertise, but that’s about it. “If it’s worth anything, I’m glad you got this one.”

“I’m glad I did, too. I mean—I was nervous because of the sex scenes, but I think I’m more comfortable with all of that now. All thanks to you.” Taehyung gives him a small grin at that before he takes another bite from his sandwich. “But it sucked at first because it’s not the first time that Bogum has gotten a role I want.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows raise at that, and he places a hand before his mouth so he can ask, “Really?”

“Yeah, so it kinda stung to begin with, but I’m over it now,” Jeongguk replies.

Taehyung laughs at that, trying—and failing—to imagine Jeongguk and Bogum playing the other’s roles. He knows they’re both good actors, that they’d be able to adapt and play a different role, but he’s seen the two of them in these roles for long enough now that imagining the opposite simply feels wrong.

So, in the end, he admits, “I think they did a good job with casting.”

“Oh, I agree,” Jeongguk says, eyes big and honest. “My role is sexier, anyway. He can be the boring husband and I can be the exciting ex-boyfriend.”

“That much is very true,” Taehyung says. This much is objective; it’s the plot of the movie, after all. “Liam is much sexier than Eugene.”

“Exactly,” Jeongguk says, smiling pleased. “And I’m sexier than Bogum so it’s only fitting, right?”

Taehyung can’t help but laugh at that, but that’s it—that’s where he draws the line. Even if Jeongguk looks at him expectantly, like he’s waiting for Taehyung to agree with him. He looks down with disappointment after a couple of seconds when it becomes clear that Taehyung isn’t saying anything else.

It’s one thing to talk about a character, but this is different. This is about Jeongguk and Bogum, real people who he works with. The opinions he has in regards to their attractiveness aren’t for him to share, especially when he’s in charge of helping them navigate acting in the area he does.

So no, Taehyung doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t tell Jeongguk that he agrees with him. And he certainly doesn’t let Jeongguk know that he’s in fact one of the most attractive men he’s ever seen. After all, that’s just for Taehyung to know.

≋

If there’s one thing that Taehyung isn’t used to, it’s unexpected visitors when he’s at home. In the world they live in today, where no one steps outside of their home without a cell phone in their pocket, Taehyung doesn’t really go anywhere by surprise—he’s always letting his friends know when he’s coming over, be it to give them a warning or to make sure they’re home. And so of course, he is used to the same treatment.

So when his doorbell rings that afternoon without him really expecting anyone to come over, Taehyung is shocked. He frowns a little, standing up from his sofa and making his way to the front door. And then, when he pulls the door open—

“Hey,” says Namjoon, waving a hand at him. Hanging from his hand is a tote bag, Taehyung arching an eyebrow at it. “I come running errands.”

“I can see that,” Taehyung says, as he steps away from the door. He nods his head inside, and so Namjoon steps in, kicking his shoes off at the entry. “Jimin sent you?”

“Well, who else,” Namjoon says, looking over his shoulder and giving Taehyung a dimpled smile as he crosses the few meters that separate him from Taehyung’s living. His apartment is that small—not that he can afford much more. Los Angeles is expensive, and despite working in Hollywood, his job as a coordinator doesn’t pay as much as one would expect from productions as big as the ones he works in. “You forgot some things at ours.”

“Did I?” Taehyung says, stalking in the direction of the living room after closing the front door. When he approaches he sees the contents of the tote bag that Namjoon has emptied on top of the backrest of his sofa—some clothes, a steel bottle, a towel. Stuff Jimin took to his apartment after Taehyung joined him in one of his classes, when he had to run back to the studio afterwards. Except he was just meant to give them back to Taehyung, not wash everything. “He shouldn’t have.”

“You know him,” Namjoon says, and to that Taehyung can’t argue. He watches as Namjoon neatly folds the tote bag until it’s small enough for him to shove it into one of the big front pockets of his flannel. “How’s the movie, anyway?”

“It’s all good,” Taehyung replies. He hasn’t seen Namjoon in a while, since that time when the three of them were having takeout at their apartment, but he figures that Jimin keeps Namjoon up to date with these things. “Rehearsals are going well and the cast is nice. It’s been good so far, but we’ll see once the stress of filming begins.”

“Hopefully all goes well,” Namjoon says. For a second there he looks doubtful, like he’s hesitating about whether he wants to say something or not. Taehyung waits patiently, and in the end, Namjoon says, “Jimin told me what Bogum said.”

Taehyung doesn’t really need to ask what Jimin told him—his mind goes straight to the short conversation they had when the two of them were alone during their coffee break. Taehyung bites down on his lips for a second, then says, “I’m sure he also told you about what Jeongguk said about Bogum, too.”

“He did, yeah.” Taehyung tuts, not knowing what to say. After all, it’s all rumors. He hasn’t seen or heard of anything else inappropriate that Bogum has done, so he still is unsure of what to believe. “I think you should ask Seokjin.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows raise at the mention of him. Seokjin happens to be one of his oldest friends in LA, for the mere fact that they were introduced by Seojoon when the two of them first arrive in the States. Taehyung and Seokjin hit it off well from the start, and so after the breakup happened, Seokjin stayed closer to Taehyung than to Seojoon, even if the two of them share the same profession. Of course, Seokjin’s schedule is hectic—there’s a lot of travelling, be it for filming or events, so they don’t see each other as much as Taehyung sees Jimin or Namjoon. Despite that, he’s still one of his best friends.

“I don’t want to bother him with any of this.” Namjoon gives him an incredulous look, and so Taehyung feels the need to add, “I don’t want to call for gossip.”

“It’s not just gossip, though, is it?” Namjoon asks. “It’s not like you’re asking to tell other people or anything like that. It’s so you can find out more about the rumors to help clarify the intention behind his comment. Hopefully to help you feel more comfortable working with him. I know you’ve been stiff ever since it happened.”

“I’m not stiff.”

“But you have your guard up,” Namjoon points out. Taehyung can’t argue with that, so he just presses his lips together into a thin line. “I think you should ask. Don’t think of it as gossip, but as something work-related.”

Taehyung sighs. He guesses it wouldn’t hurt to ask, and Seokjin would know he’s not asking for the sake of being nosy or anything of the sort. Still, he doesn’t want to bring it up to yet another person. He’s fine with Jimin and Namjoon knowing. Jeongguk found out himself, so there’s not much that Taehyung can do about it anymore. But a fourth person added to the mix? He’d rather it stay a secret, and keeping a secret becomes increasingly harder when more people know about it.

“I’ll see what I do,” Taehyung says in the end, still not convinced. Seokjin wouldn’t tell anyone else, but Taehyung doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it. “Thanks for the advice, hyung.”

“Of course,” Namjoon says. “I just think it’s the wisest thing to do.”

After some more chit-chat, it’s not long before Namjoon leaves. He leaves the pile of clean clothes on top of Taehyung’s sofa, more wrinkled from being carried in the bag than Taehyung knows they were when Jimin folded them. But that’s not the only thing that stays with Taehyung after Namjoon’s departure. Now, the idea of calling Seokjin and asking about Bogum lingers in his mind.

Maybe, maybe. He’ll give it some thought.

≋

Most of Jeongguk’s intimate scenes in the movie happen to be flashbacks—memories that Erin replays in her mind after encountering Liam again, as she’s struggling to find balance in her sex life with her husband. The movie isn’t a story about infidelity, rather about how Erin and Eugene eventually fix their relationship, to the point where she ends up forgetting all about her previous sex life. This means none of Jeongguk’s scenes are in the present timeline.

But there’s one that isn’t a flashback. Instead, it’s a fantasy. Erin, who finds Liam again after she takes her car to the mechanic who happens to be her ex, imagines herself going down on him.

The scene is brief—fast camera work, so it shouldn’t take too long to rehearse and film. Aside from Jeongguk’s fingers in Diana’s hair, or his collarbone which will of course glisten with sweat as he’s in his work clothes, Jeongguk’s face will be the focal point of the shot. And that’s where it becomes complicated.

Because Jeongguk’s—fake—orgasm face is making Taehyung laugh.

“Okay, okay, stop,” he says, barely managing to contain a smile. As funny as he finds Jeongguk’s exaggerated expression, he’s here to help him, not laugh at him. So he has to put on his professional face and not laugh. “We need to work on that face.”

“On my face?” Jeongguk asks, pointing his index finger towards his chest. Taehyung nods. “What’s wrong with my face?”

“It’s a bit exaggerated,” Taehyung says, picking his words carefully so he’s not harsh. So he lets Jeongguk know it’s something easily fixable. “We want something a bit more… understated. Overly exaggerated expressions and moans belong in porn, not sexy cinema.”

“I don’t know how else to fake an orgasm,” he says, which makes Diana laugh. “Not my field of expertise.”

“So you learn now,” Taehyung says, voice teasing. “We don’t have much time left this session, and I’d rather go over your last scene, but here’s what you’re going to do—I’ll give you some pointers, and you can practice the expressions and sounds at home. Film yourself to see how it looks.”

Jeongguk groans at that, pained. “No way you’re asking me to film myself like that.”

At that, Taehyung raises his eyebrows and settles a hand on his hip. “You’re an actor, big boy,” Taehyung says, humored. “You should be used to this by now.”

“Not to this. Not to faking an orgasm and rewatching it,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung snickering.

“Practice makes perfect,” Taehyung says. When Jeongguk doesn’t say anything, Taehyung adds, “Remember that word—understated. Don’t frown as much, open your mouth less. You’re almost there, you just need to polish it up.”

There’s a moment of quiet, neither of them saying anything. But then Taehyung asks, “What if that is my orgasm face?”

That prompts both Taehyung and Diana to burst into laughter, the corner of Jeongguk’s own mouth tilting up into a lopsided smile at his comment.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Taehyung answers, “but if that’s the case, I’m so sorry for basically calling you a pornstar.”

“I don’t know if I trust your apology,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung still grinning as he looks down at his script, starting to flick through the pages in search of their last scene of the day. “You’re gonna have to help me do it.”

“And how would I do that?” Taehyung says, looking up momentarily to meet Jeongguk’s eyes.

“You’re gonna have to help me reach the perfect orgasm expression,” Jeongguk says, eyes on Taehyung.

And, fair enough—the words are not out of line. In the context of the conversation, they make perfect sense. They’re not at all uncalled for. But there’s something about the way Jeongguk looks at him then, eyes dark and big as they bore into Taehyung’s, that has a shiver running down his spine.

He looks at Diana, who is too busy going through her script and reciting her lines to herself to notice the two of them. When he looks back at Jeongguk he’s still looking at him, eyes no less intense than they were seconds ago.

Taehyung is at a loss for words, which is rare of him. He’s used to working with the cockiest, most arrogant people in the industry, who often make far bolder and flirtier comments than this. Never has he let it get to him the way he is right now. There’s something about Jeongguk that gets to him, and Taehyung doesn’t know what it is.

He just shakes his head. “Get back to work. Last scene in three minutes—go,” he instructs.

Slowly, almost like in slow motion, a smirk spreads across Jeongguk’s lips. Taehyung has never in his life felt as much like an open book; it’s like Jeongguk can see right through him, despite how badly he wants to hide whatever it is that Jeongguk woke in him just now.

So at that, Taehyung does what any reasonable adult would do: he turns around, grabs a chair, and doesn’t look at Jeongguk for the next few minutes, attempting to clear his head.

He doesn’t even know what this is, but it’s a problem. And as such, Taehyung’s going to have to nip it in the bud.

≋

In the end, Taehyung does call Seokjin. As it turns out, he’s pretty free this week, so the two of them end up agreeing to go to one of Jimin’s classes together. Seokjin, much like Taehyung, is more a fan of weight lifting than the cardio that Jimin offers at SoulCycle. For a friend, however, they’re both willing to compromise.

They’re on their way there, gym bags slung over their shoulders as they walk. Taehyung thinks he can spy in the distance someone taking pictures at them—at Seokjin, let’s be real—but his friend doesn’t pay them any mind, so neither does he.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask,” Taehyung ends up saying, not being able to hold back. Part of him wants to know because, like Namjoon said, knowing Bogum’s intentions would give him a clue about how to handle the situation. But part of him is also terribly curious. “About someone I’m working with.”

“Someone I know?” Seokjin asks. At that, Taehyung hums affirmatively. “Who is it, then?”

“Park Bogum.” Seokjin clicks his tongue, Taehyung seeing him nod from the corner of his eye. “You know him, right?”

“I’m very familiar,” Seokjin says, although Taehyung already suspected so. After all, Seojoon introduced Taehyung to both Bogum and Seokjin. “What is it about him?”

“There’s just some… rumors that I’ve heard about him. I wanted to know if they were true because of an incident that happened,” he says, Seokjin listening attentively. “Is it like—is it true he sleeps around on set?”

“That’s what people say,” Seokjin says, looking hesitant. “I mean—I’ve heard things. I don’t know first-hand, though, because I’ve never worked alongside him, but…”

Taehyung bites on the inside of his cheek, archiving the information. It’s all still rumors, but they’re starting to pile up now. “With co-stars?”

“Not only,” Seokjin replies, Taehyung feeling him steal a glance at him from the corner of his eye. “Why? He and the girl…?”

“No—not that I know of, at least.” Seokjin nods at that. “I think he tried to hit on me.”

Seokjin makes a choked-out noise at that, craning his neck to give Taehyung a look. Taehyung hopes the guy he spotted earlier was in fact not taking pictures, or these will make some funny internet headlines. “He did what?”

“It was a weird comment. We were talking about how I got into intimacy coordination, and he said something like oh, I wish I needed a sex therapist right now,” Taehyung says, cringing internally at the mention. The truth is, he’s endured comments similar to that for a long time now, with people vastly misunderstanding his former profession and what it entailed. Doesn’t make it any better. “I’m still trying to figure out if he meant anything by it or if I’m looking too much into it.”

Seokjin doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, like he’s trying to process the information to come up with a proper reply. In the end, what he says is, “But you aren’t into him or anything, right?”

“What? No way,” Taehyung says, wrinkling his nose at the suggestion. “It’s not like that. I just don’t know how to handle the situation.”

“It shouldn’t really matter, though, right? If nothing’s gonna happen, just act normally,” Seokjin says, which—easier said than done. Of course, nothing is going to happen between them, but if Bogum has any hopes of anything of the sort, Taehyung wants to know so he doesn’t feed into that hope.

“I just hate not knowing,” Taehyung says, making Seokjin laugh.

“Who would have thought,” he says. “You and another actor.”

“As if, hyung,” Taehyung says, hoping his cutting tone dissipates any possible doubts Seokjin might have about the matter. “He’s not even the hottest member of the cast, anyway.”

It almost feels like his mouth works on its own accord, Taehyung not remembering giving it the order to say any of that. His brain to mouth filter usually works pretty well. Today doesn’t seem to be one of its best days, though.

His admission seems to pique Seokjin’s interest, though. “Oh?” he asks, as Taehyung pushes open the door to the spinning studio. He feels himself tense up, knowing he’s fucked up. Seokjin won’t drop this. “Who else is there?”

Taehyung clenches his fists, reminds himself this is just commenting on someone’s appearance. He’s done this before—with co-workers, classmates, strangers, celebrities, acquaintances. Jeongguk is just another person.

“Jeon Jeongguk,” Taehyung says. “I don’t know if you know him.”

“I know of him but we haven’t met,” Seokjin says, following Taehyung as heads to the changing room. “He’s pretty.”

Pretty is an understatement, Taehyung thinks. Jeongguk is gorgeous, one of those people that cameras do absolutely no justice to. It’s only natural that Seokjin doesn’t understand the extent to which Jeongguk’s attractiveness goes, since he hasn’t seen him in the flesh. But that face, in addition to his body—so taken care of, with endless legs and a small waist—make him easily one of the most stunning people Taehyung has seen.

But he’s not about to say all that out loud. He just says, “Yeah, he really is.” Seokjin hums, and Taehyung takes the momentary silence as they enter the changing room as his chance to change the topic. “Are you ready to be destroyed? Jimin has been kind of ruthless lately.”

Seokjin laughs at that, suddenly forgetting all about Jeongguk as he says, “Doubt he’s any worse than my personal trainer, anyway. Let’s see who lasts longer. Loser buys the other drinks.”

Taehyung doesn’t comment on how thoroughly disappointed Jimin will be at the prospect of them going for drinks right after a workout. He just extends one hand towards Seokjin, and says, “Deal.”

≋

Taehyung’s theory that Jeongguk has become more comfortable around him sees itself confirmed as Jeongguk starts confiding in him more each time, but that’s not the only way. It also shows in the way Jeongguk also starts approaching Taehyung with his own questions. Some of them being not at all related to the movie.

“So,” Jeongguk says, grabbing a chair and sitting back, arms folded on top of the backrest as he looks at Taehyung, “how much bad sex must a person have in order to decide to save everyone else from that fate?”

Taehyung can’t help but crack a smile then, almost choking on the water he was drinking as two droplets spill from the sides of his mouth. He wipes his chin clean with the back of his hand, then asks, “Is that what you think I did? Help people from having bad sex?”

“Isn’t it what it was?” Jeongguk asks. Taehyung lifts his hand, tilting it from one side to the other—more or less. “What was it, then?”

“It’s about helping people reconcile themselves with their sexual experiences,” Taehyung explains, Jeongguk giving him a blank look. “I helped people improve their sex lives, but also their quality of life overall. Not just sex.”

“I know that part,” Jeongguk says, ducking down so he can rest his chin on top of his folded arms. “But how did you become one?”

Taehyung shrugs—he’s not exactly sure what pushed him to pursue this specific area. “I don’t know,” is what he replies. “I was a little lost and didn’t know what I wanted to specialize in for the future. And I really enjoyed my courses on sexuality, so that’s why I chose that path.”

“And did you like your old job?” Jeongguk inquires.

“I loved it. It was sometimes challenging since you want the best for your clients, and often, a lot is out of your control and it leaves you feeling powerless, but I did,” Taehyung explains, cracking a smile.

Jeongguk seems deep in thought for a moment, then says, “Did you like it more than this one?”

“They’re just different,” Taehyung answers. “I like what I do here as well. It’s entirely different from working as a sex therapist, and I definitely miss my old salary at the clinic, but I have no complaints.”

“Of course you’d say that,” Jeongguk laughs then, running a hand through the ink-black strands of his hair. “Can I ask something else, then? A little more personal.”

“Shoot. I’m all ears.”

“Has working either of these jobs changed your perception of sex?” he ventures. “Do you see it differently from how you did before?”

“Well—yeah, I have a different understanding of it. But, doesn’t mean it’s affected my sex life,” Taehyung clarifies, Jeongguk raising an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“I didn’t laugh. I’m happy your sex life is still going well,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung just grins. “So why don’t you work as a sex therapist anymore, then?”

“I’m gonna be honest—it’s because the requirements to work with a degree from another country can be hard to meet. I had to get an additional license and all, and the process was just too tedious, so I decided to go a different way,” he explains. Before Jeongguk can reply, Taehyung says. “I moved here with my now-ex boyfriend. He works in the industry so he’s the one who introduced me to it.”

“Oh?” Jeongguk says, surprised. “What does he do?”

Taehyung’s tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip. He knows Seojoon never intended to keep him a secret—it just never transcended, which Taehyung was happy for since he does appreciate his privacy. Still, he always gets nervous telling people about Seojoon since he is relatively well-known. Jeongguk, however, he feels like he can trust.

“He’s an actor,” Taehyung replies, watching as Jeongguk’s eyebrows shoot up. “Park Seojoon. Do you know him?”

“Holy—what do you mean if I know him? Of course I know him,” Jeongguk says, sounding almost distressed. “He was your boyfriend?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Jeongguk shakes his head, still seeming in utter disbelief. “So that’s how you know Bogum,” he says, a confirmation rather than a question. Taehyung still nods, confirming. “You must know a lot of famous people then, huh?”

Taehyung laughs, something about the question amusing him. Sure, this is only Jeongguk’s second project in Hollywood, but the first one was a Marvel movie, one a lot of big names in Hollywood were featured in. The fact that Jeongguk seems still stunned by celebrities is sort of endearing to Taehyung. Like Jeongguk, it also took some time for Taehyung to shake the feeling away after he first arrived.

“I know people. I have some friends from the industry still, but most of my close friends aren’t celebrities,” he says. “My best friend, for example—he’s an instructor at SoulCycle.”

Jeongguk chuckles at that, saying, “No way.”

“Yes way,” Taehyung says, unable to hold himself back from mimicking Jeongguk’s grin. “And he’s merciless, I’ll have you know.”

“That is the most infuriatingly LA thing I have ever heard of.” Taehyung snickers, not saying anything but agreeing wholeheartedly. “Is he from here?”

“He’s Korean as well, actually,” Taehyung explains. “He moved here way before me, though. But yeah—most of my friends are. Totally unintentional, but…”

“I get you. I haven’t been here for as long but I’m the same,” Jeongguk confesses. “I find myself more drawn to people with who I share a background if that makes sense? I think my friends and I just remind each other of home, so it’s easier.”

“Who are they?” Taehyung asks, momentarily forgetting about their boundaries. “Your friends, I mean.”

That prompts Jeongguk to tell him about his two best friends here in Los Angeles, Hoseok and Yoongi. Yoongi was born and raised in Korea; meanwhile, Hoseok is the kid of immigrants.

For a moment there, as the two of them spend their lunch break getting to know each other better, Taehyung wonders if something else will come out of this after filming. He feels like Jeongguk gives him that very sense of familiarity that Jeongguk mentioned when talking about Hoseok and Yoongi. It makes Taehyung wonder if maybe they will end up becoming friends, too.

And if so—he should maybe loosen up then, right?

≋

Taehyung doesn’t exactly know what he was expecting after his conversation with Jeongguk the other day, but one thing is for sure: he wasn’t expecting to run into him at SoulCycle a mere two days later.

He has to do a double-take, freezing after he walks through the door and spots a familiar silhouette making its way to the men’s changing room. After getting past his shock, he bolts after the person, half-power-walking and half-jogging, just so he can come close enough to ask, “Jeongguk?”

And at that, the person ahead of him stops. Once he turns around, hair pulled up into a bun, Taehyung can see that his assumptions were right. There stands Jeongguk with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Oh, hey there. Fancy seeing you here, hyung.”

Taehyung clutches the strap of his gym bag tighter, walking closer as he says, “What are you doing here?”

“I had to come to see if Park Jimin is as bad as you made him out to be. I must say, you created some hard-to-meet expectations,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung scoffing softly in response.

“And what if Park Jimin isn’t working right now?” Taehyung asks. After all, he didn’t once mention to Jeongguk when Jimin works, nor has he ever mentioned what time his sessions are.

“You’re here now so something tells me I got it right,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung just stares, one of his eyebrows raising. “Am I wrong?”

“Not entirely,” Taehyung says. “You just got lucky, I guess.”

“I’ll have you know I have very good instincts. I must have sensed you were coming at this time or something,” Jeongguk says, pushing the door to the changing room open with one hand and nodding his head toward it, inviting Taehyung to come in.

“Should I be worried you’re following me around?” Taehyung teases as he steps inside, feeling Jeongguk walk close behind him. “I’m not a big believer in coincidences, Jeongguk.”

He stops by one of the lockers as he says that, turning and giving Jeongguk a pointed look.

Jeongguk, who is still facing him, tilts the corner of his mouth into a half-smile as he rests his shoulder against the lockers. “I don’t really believe in coincidences, either,” he says. “I’m more inclined to believe in fate.”

Taehyung lets out a laugh at that. As cheesy as it was, it was also sort of smooth, he’ll give Jeongguk that. Taehyung doesn’t reply, though—he just shoves his bag into the locker, starting to peel off his jacket.

“You better hurry up,” he says to Jeongguk, who’s still staring at him; Taehyung can feel his eyes on the side of his face. “Jimin’s class is about to start.”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

From the corner of his eye, Taehyung spies Jeongguk copying his actions; he puts his backpack in the empty locker next to Taehyung’s and starts to get rid of the hoodie he has on. It’s only a matter of minutes before the two of them are heading to the studio where Jimin is holding his class, Taehyung leading the way.

The moment Jimin sees him come in accompanied by Jeongguk his eyebrows shoot up high into his forehead, not bothering to conceal the fact that he recognizes them. He gives the two of them a mischievous smile, adjusting his mic against his cheek.

Well, Taehyung thinks. At least this should be an interesting session.

≋

In the end, both Taehyung and Jeongguk make it through the entire session, despite the fact that Jimin did not hold back, and Jeongguk confessed this was his first spinning class ever.

“I do cardio sometimes, though,” he tells Taehyung as the two of them walk out of the building, Jeongguk’s hair still damp from the shower. Taehyung’s is about the same, but with how hot it is in LA, it will be no time until it dries completely. “Nothing like spinning, but I do boxing. My thighs are kind of screaming at me in agony right now, though.”

“Get ready for the ache tomorrow. I always feel like a train ran me over, and he forces me to come here more than I wish I did,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk laughing in response.

Truth is, Taehyung likes coming to SoulCycle, as torturous as it is. But he also likes the dramatics, so he likes to call Jimin a sadistic prick for doing what he does.

“Some aches and pains are nothing I can’t handle,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung rolling his eyes slightly. “Hyung—before you go. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?” Taehyung asks, stopping in his tracks so he can turn to face Jeongguk.

“Can I have your number?”

Taehyung’s eyebrow raises at that, his hand tightening around the strap of his bag. Now, maybe he should have seen this coming given Jeongguk’s comments earlier, but—

“My number?”

“Well, you know—filming is starting soon, so in case I’m rehearsing my lines at home and have any doubts or need advice,” Jeongguk clarifies. At that, the knot that was starting to form in Taehyung’s throat slackens, but it’s not relief that he feels. Shock? Maybe even, disappointment? No, that can’t be. He has absolutely no reason to feel disappointed.

“Oh—sure, yeah. That’s actually a good idea,” Taehyung says. Like the rest of the cast, Jeongguk has his work email, but texting or even calling might be a far quicker way to contact him. Also more personal given the context, if Taehyung says so himself.

They quickly exchange numbers, after which they part ways and Taehyung turns to head to his car. As he walks there, and later as he drives home, he can’t help but wonder if Jeongguk will text, and if their conversations will stay strictly professional or stray towards other topics like they do in person.

There’s something, however, that he doesn’t let himself dwell on: his reaction when Jeongguk told him what he wanted his number for. That one topic, Taehyung makes sure to avoid at all costs.

≋

No matter how much he’s worked with his actors to prepare them, the countless hours of rehearsals they’ve done, or the fact that he isn’t the one that will be in front of a camera, Taehyung always gets nervous when filming comes. Today, the first day of the process, he feels it as intensely as ever.

They aren’t doing any sexual scenes today, but there’s a fair share of kissing, which he also likes to be around for. Not only that, but Anna has also invited him to observe and oversee pretty much the entire filming process—as Anna said, he’s the one who has helped the leads build the chemistry between each other. In a movie like this, so character-driven where it’s the relationship between the characters that makes things progress, it’s important to make sure the dynamic is right in every scene. Even in the ones that aren’t necessarily sexual.

So there he is, early in the morning. The fact that it’s six and he’s already at work reminds him of what Diana had said once, about preferring pre-production to the actual filming process. Taehyung is inclined to agree right about now.

He drags himself to the makeup trailer, bumping into and greeting some of the crew members that he’s familiar with. As soon as he walks inside he’s greeted by the sight of Jeongguk, who is sitting on a chair as one of the makeup artists dabs foundation onto his skin.

“Taehyung,” Jeongguk greets as soon as he spots him. It’s almost weird to hear Jeongguk call him by his name instead of hyung, even though that’s what he always does when they’re around people and speak in English. Maybe it’s because lately most of his conversations with Jeongguk have been between the two of them alone. “Good to see you so early.”

He flashes Taehyung a dashing smile, so unfairly awake and handsome at such an ungodly hour.

“Good morning, Jeongguk,” Taehyung greets back, his hand wrapped around a cup of take-away tea so he can wake himself up. Coffee is more effective, or so he’s always heard, but he’s not willing to subject his tongue to such bitter torture. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. A bit nervous, but mostly excited,” Jeongguk replies, staying still as he lets Nadia, the makeup artist, keep doing her job. “Did you know I get smiley when I’m nervous? My mom says so.”

“I was wondering what was making you this happy at six in the damn morning,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk tutting in response. “Some nerves are good, though. Most people perform well under some slight pressure. I trust you to be able to keep them under control.”

“Of course,” Jeongguk says, softly. “And I expect you to coddle me.”

It makes Taehyung laugh, as he very vividly remembers Jeongguk asking him the exact opposite not that long ago. Things seem to have changed ever since.

But Taehyung ignores the comment. “Have you seen Diana and Bogum yet?” Taehyung asks.

“Not Bogum, no, but I did see Diana—she was here before me, but she’s done with hair and makeup so she’s getting dressed now,” Jeongguk informs him. “She’s a bit nervous, too, but not as much as me.”

“Oh, the little baby,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk wincing as Taehyung baby-talks to him. “Do you want some back rubs to help you calm down, little one?”

Nadia cracks a smile at that, moving now so she can fill in Jeongguk’s eyebrows a little darker. Jeongguk, on the other hand, makes a disgruntled noise.

“Please, don’t do that ever again,” he complains. “I don’t think I was ready to hear that.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be coddled, though?”

“I did,” Jeongguk admits, meeting Taehyung’s eyes through the mirror. Taehyung’s eyebrows raise, and Jeongguk clarifies, “Just in other ways.”

There’s nothing particularly suggestive about the words, nor anything inappropriate about his body language. But his eyes are on Taehyung’s, brown and intense and warm, and for some reason it makes Taehyung’s throat go dry. He’s left speechless for a couple of moments, all while asking himself if he’s imagining this. If his own perceptions of Jeongguk—of his physique, of his charming personality, of his attractiveness—are making him imagine that Jeongguk is making moves on him when he actually isn’t.

Maybe it’s the same as the other day, when they left the spinning class and Jeongguk asked for his phone number, Taehyung completely misreading the situation and Jeongguk’s intention. He’s probably doing it again.

So before he can let it turn into more, Taehyung forces himself to shake it off. He looks away from Jeongguk, and announces, “I’m going to look for them, then.”

If Jeongguk notices the sudden change in his demeanor, he doesn’t say anything—both he and Nadia simply mutter a goodbye as Taehyung turns around and leaves.

It’s only when he’s out of the trailer that he finally feels like he can breathe again.

≋

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after Jeongguk asked for Taehyung’s number the day they ran into each other at SoulCycle, but Taehyung still can’t deny he’s shocked when he gets a text from Jeongguk a couple of nights into filming. He knows he’s there to help Jeongguk out with all of these matters since it's part of the job description. It doesn’t make it any less shocking, though.

Taehyung, are you there? I need to ask you something, the text reads. Taehyung lets himself look at it for a few seconds, reading the notification on the locked screen of his phone as he brushes his teeth.

Of course, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Jeongguk is filming his very first sex scene tomorrow morning; it’s not the steamiest one in the movie, and Jeongguk was doing a fantastic job when they went over it in rehearsals, but Taehyung understands Jeongguk’s nervousness and where it’s coming from.

For that same reason, he doesn’t take too long to message back, holding his toothbrush in his mouth as he quickly writes back, saying, Sure thing, what’s up?

Jeongguk doesn’t take too long to reply, but Taehyung makes sure he’s done in the bathroom before he lets himself check his phone again. It’s only a couple of minutes later, once he’s settled in bed, that he opens Jeongguk’s message. Is it okay if I call you?, he asks. Taehyung looks down at it, biting down on his bottom lip.

He worries as he’s out of his typical work hours, and doesn’t really give clients his personal number, so this is unknown territory for him. But he likes Jeongguk, and he wants to help him out. He’s not sure this will be a precedent, but maybe it can be an exception.

There are two minutes of silence, Taehyung pondering what to do. Before he can bring himself to overthink too much, he taps over Jeongguk’s contact, opens the contacts app, and calls Jeongguk.

It’d be a lie if he said he doesn’t have enough time to regret it, but Jeongguk is fast enough that he doesn’t have time to back down. Jeongguk picks up, his voice soft as he says, “Hey, hyung. Thanks for calling.”

Taehyung swallows down, the familiarity of the words in Korean almost helping ease his worries about it. Almost. Still, his voice sounds a little too strained as he says, “Hey there, Jeongguk. What’s up?”

Jeongguk sighs, sounding stressed, which automatically makes Taehyung feel slightly guilty for considering rejecting the call.

“I—I don’t know. I think I’m getting too in my head about things, so I thought it’d maybe be a good idea to talk to you before I ended up making myself more worried than I should be,” Jeongguk says, babbling more than usual. “I’m nervous, hyung. I’ve been watching so many stupid Top Best Sex Scenes in Hollywood videos—I’ve lost count. I don’t know—fuck.”

“Hey, hey—it’s okay, try to calm down,” Taehyung says, sitting up on the bed. “Breathe in and out, and tell me what’s worrying you so much.”

“It’s what we’ve been talking about. I’m sorry I’m nagging you with all of this again, I really thought I was over it,” Jeongguk replies. “But it’s all come back to me today. I’ve never done this before, and I don’t know if I can.”

“Of course you can, Jeongguk. You’ve proven yourself during the weeks we’ve been working together. You’re incredibly good at what you do, and perfectly capable of pulling off tomorrow’s scene, and the rest of the scenes in the script,” Taehyung reassures.

“I hope so,” Jeongguk says, still sounding uncertain. Taehyung is about to say something else, but Jeongguk beats him to it as he adds, “My mom goes to see my movies, god.”

Taehyung pauses for a second, then asks, “Is that what’s worrying you?”

“Partially, yeah?” Jeongguk says, voice tilting up at the end like it’s a question he’s asking. “I should have thought about this way earlier.”

“True that,” Taehyung concedes, a small smile climbing to his lips. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. Your mom will know it’s just a part of your job, and you can tell her all about the specifications and the non-sexy parts.”

“Oh, yeah—I’ll show her the Hibue, and then she’ll never want to see any of my movies ever again,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung laughing in response. “I shouldn’t be bothering you with this, but—”

“You’re not bothering me,” Taehyung finds himself interrupting Jeongguk to say. “Look—how about we have a small warmup tomorrow before filming with Diana begins? I’ll go over to your dressing trailer, and the two of us can go over the scene one last time.”

“Would you really do that?” Jeongguk says, something so hopeful about his tone that it warms Taehyung’s chest.

“Of course I would,” Taehyung says in response. “I’m here to help you out, you know this.”

“I know you are, and I really appreciate it,” Jeongguk says, the two of them falling quiet for a couple of seconds. “Come find me after hair and makeup?”

“I will,” Taehyung promises, clutching the phone tight in his hand. “See you tomorrow, Jeongguk.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, hyung. And thanks again.”

Taehyung is about to reiterate Jeongguk doesn’t have to thank him, but he’s not fast enough; Jeongguk hangs up then, the line going dead. Taehyung takes the phone away from his face, looking down at the screen as it shifts from the call back to Jeongguk’s contact.

In all honesty, he’s done this a million times before. He’s had private rehearsals with actors since he got into this line of work—this is nothing new.

So then, why does it feel different this time? What’s making him nervous?

≋

Taehyung has been in dressing trailers such as this one plenty of times before, sometimes with almost a dozen people, but Taehyung swears none of them have ever felt as tiny and stuffed as Jeongguk’s does, even if it’s just the two of them. Alone.

Jeongguk, just like always, is a vision. The hair and makeup team are already done with him, the differences subtle—his eyebrows are filled in darker, there’s both highlighter and foundation on his face, they’ve concealed a few acne marks. Taehyung is so used to seeing Jeongguk’s bare face by now that he can’t help but notice. He finds himself even missing the sight of Jeongguk’s cheek scar, once again quietly wondering how he got it. Maybe someday he’ll ask.

But now they’re tight on time, and they have things to do. So Taehyung pushes his thoughts aside, as well as the uncharacteristic and unfamiliar awkwardness that’s hanging between them, and gets to work.

“So—the scene you’re filming today is the kitchen sex one, correct?” Taehyung asks, even if he already knows he’s right—it’s his job to know. But it’s easier to start off like this, as Jeongguk nods in confirmation. “Come on, then. I’ll sit on the table over there.”

Maybe that’s why they’re both suddenly feeling awkward, even if the shift in their relationship from professional to friendly was never filled with this kind of awkward atmosphere. Because they’re not supposed to rehearse this together—not as thoroughly as he would with Diana, given that Taehyung isn’t an actor, but still. The two of them wordlessly move around the trailer, Taehyung sitting up on the table and parting his legs for Jeongguk to settle in between them.

Jeongguk looks at him before he takes a step forward, eyes hesitant. “Are you sure you’re okay doing this?”

“Positive,” Taehyung says, swallowing down. The two of them hold each other’s gaze for another silent second, then Taehyung gently encourages, “C’mon. Let’s practice.”

Taehyung really isn’t an actor, and throughout his relationship with Seojoon and then his work in the industry, he’s felt nothing but admiration for how they can memorize pages and pages of scripts—not just lines and words, but also the actions, chemistry, moods, and all of the other factors that go into making an actor good. Still, he’s the one in charge of choreographing this scene. He’s been present in so many rehearsals that Diana and Jeongguk have had together. So when Jeongguk steps forward, Taehyung knows what to do. His hands go to Jeongguk’s shoulders almost on instinct.

They agreed they won’t go over the dialogue since there’s not much, just a couple of lines before a ton of making out. What they will work on is the physical things other than the kissing. It’s hard to, but Taehyung manages to suppress a flinch when he feels Jeongguk lean forward, his arms caging Taehyung’s body on the table.

“Remember to hold eye contact all through this part,” Taehyung says in almost a mutter, reciting the words he’s told Jeongguk and Diana so many times so the scene goes just as he envisioned in his head. Now, sitting on the table with Jeongguk standing right across from him, Taehyung starts to understand why it can be so hard to hold someone’s gaze sometimes. Jeongguk’s dark brown eyes feel almost abrasive as they stare at him, Taehyung holding back the urge to look away.

Still, he knows his place. Knows what he’s meant to do. So just like he’s told Diana to, Taehyung slowly slides his hands over Jeongguk’s shoulders, bringing them closer to his neck and letting his fingers brush the skin exposed above the hem.

At the same time, he feels Jeongguk’s hands lightly touch the outsides of his knees, slowly trailing up his legs. He was expecting them, and unlike Diana during filming, his skin isn’t exposed. Despite that, it still makes him shiver, still raises his skin into goosebumps. When he arches forward, he’s not so sure it’s just because the script required him to.

“Slow,” he instructs, finding it almost hard to keep his head where it’s supposed to be as Jeongguk leans forward, burying his head in the crook of Taehyung’s neck and nosing at the skin as he makes his way up. Taehyung’s eyes squeeze shut, his fists clenching tightly, and fuck.

It doesn’t help that Jeongguk’s so, so unfairly attractive, exactly the kind of man that Taehyung would find himself looking at across a crowded room, were they not co-workers. It doesn’t help that he’s been running around Taehyung’s mind despite his best efforts to keep thoughts of him away, because he knows this is something he can’t and doesn’t want to get into. It doesn’t help that Jeongguk is kind and gentle, makes him laugh and genuinely seems into him. And god, it definitely doesn’t help that Taehyung can feel his warm breath fanning against his skin, making Taehyung feel things as Jeongguk noses up his neck, across his jaw.

Jeongguk pulls back a little then, and so the two of them look at each other—just as scripted. Taehyung looks at him, and the command that was about to leave his lips dies on his throat when he looks at Jeongguk’s eyes once again, the two of them sharing a look. He’s not supposed to be clutching the back of Jeongguk’s t-shirt tightly in his fist now, wrinkling the fabric. The wardrobe team won’t be pleased.

Taehyung feels his heart thumping inside his chest, wondering if Jeongguk feels the same way he does right now. He’s being so unprofessional—the eye contact lasts for a little long, way longer than the two seconds he told Jeongguk and Diana they had to hold it for. This isn’t what he’s meant to do.

And what he’s not meant to do either, what was in the script but they agreed to avoid, was kissing Jeongguk. Yet when Jeongguk leans forward, crashing his lips against Taehyung’s into a kiss which is rough from the start, Taehyung doesn’t push him away. Instead, he kisses back.

A choked out noise leaves his lips, and Taehyung can tell that it’s right at this moment that the two of them start giving a fuck about the script, about what they’re meant to do, about what’s supposed to happen. Jeongguk wraps an arm around Taehyung’s waist and brings him closer, both swallowing the noises that leave each other’s lips.

Taehyung’s hands climb to Jeongguk’s face, cupping his jaw in his large palms as their lips slot together messily. The kiss is anything but refined; it lacks finesse, with both of them hungrily licking into each other’s mouths as Taehyung locks his legs around Jeongguk’s waist. He feels like his heart is about to beat its way out of his chest, but fuck. The feeling of Jeongguk’s hands on him like this, one clutching at his waist and the other holding onto his thigh, is enough to make him feel dizzy.

“God, hyung,” Jeongguk says then, Taehyung unable to stop himself from kissing at the corner of Jeongguk’s mouth as he speaks. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this for.”

“Fuck, I—” Taehyung says, feeling a confession teetering on his lips. He’s about to tell Jeongguk that he feels the same, that he’s wanted to kiss him for far longer than he’s proud to admit, but that’s too many words. And right now, he’d rather have his mouth preoccupied with something else. “Kiss me again.”

And so Jeongguk does—he kisses him, so hard and for so long that Taehyung feels his toes curl inside his shoes, sitting on the edge of the table so he can keep his body as close to Jeongguk’s as possible. Taehyung can’t keep his hands off him either, feeling the hair at the back of Jeongguk’s head with his fingers. He’s tempted to run his hands through it, feel Jeongguk’s dark locks between his fingers, but he knows the stylists would kill him for that.

It’s that thought, the realization that there are stylists on the filming crew for the movie that they’re both working for, which violently pulls Taehyung back to reality. He finds himself moving away from Jeongguk abruptly, shuffling back on the table so the two of them can share a look. Jeongguk looks so painfully confused that Taehyung feels his chest ache.

“What—?”

It’s cruel timing because right then there’s a sharp knock on the door and someone whose voice Taehyung isn’t in the right headspace to recognize calls, “You’ve got fifteen minutes, Jeongguk!”

And then realization seems to wash over Jeongguk’s expression too, his face turning into an aggravated one as he takes a step back, allowing for Taehyung to jump off the table and get back on his feet.

“Got it!” Jeongguk calls, loud enough for the other person to hear him, and hopefully leave. As Taehyung scurries past him, Jeongguk asks in a softer tone, “Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom,” Taehyung says, hoping it’s not too rude of him to barge into Jeongguk’s restroom without permission, but he needs to be away. He can see in Jeongguk’s face that he’s about to say something else, so Taehyung hurries to add, “You need to get your makeup fixed. It’s all messed up.”

“Oh,” Jeongguk says, his hand snapping up so he can lightly touch his lips and the skin surrounding them with the tips of his fingers. “I’ll head there now. I’ll see you later, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there during the filming,” Taehyung says, to which he gets a nod from Jeongguk before he moves to the door, ready to exit the trailer. “I’ll be right out there.”

“Okay, hyung. See you,” is all Jeongguk says before he pulls the door to the trailer open, hopping down the step and closing the door behind himself.

Taehyung is left alone, yet he still finds himself locking the door to the trailer behind him before he bends down in front of the sink and splashes his face with some water, thankful he’s not the one with a face full of makeup. He stares at his reflection, taking in the slightly swollen lips and blown pupils as he fixes his hair.

He needs to compose himself, and he needs to do it fast.

Not only that, though. He also needs to snap out of it—whatever it, this is. It’s unprofessional and irresponsible, and it’s not him. He doesn’t do this with people he’s working with, not even if they’re as stupidly attractive and charming as Jeon Jeongguk.

≋

“I don’t know, Tae,” Jimin says, sunglasses perched on the tip of his nose and sweat dotting his hairline, the two of them not slowing down their pace despite the merciless heat. “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

It’s Sunday, meaning that SoulCycle isn’t open in the evening, so when Taehyung wanted to release some steam after what was one of his most stressful days of filming to date, he had to get inventive. Which is why he asked Jimin to go hiking, his friend immediately knowing something was off since the moment Taehyung presented the idea to him. Of course, he still said yes.

“It is a big deal,” Taehyung explains, running a hand through his hair that his headband is doing a poor job of keeping out of his face. It’s getting too long now—he needs a trim. Maybe after fixing his hair he’ll also stop acting like a fucking fool, despite the lack of correlation between the two. “I’m asking you to see Jeongguk as my co-worker instead of an actor.”

“People get involved with their co-workers all the time. Plus, you’ll only be working together for so long,” Jimin points out. “It’s a few months. If you’re into him and he’s into you, I don’t see what the harm is.”

“It’s not professional.”

“You’re, like, the only person who seems to care about that in all of Hollywood—no offense,” Jimin says, not sounding anywhere near as out of breath as Taehyung is. “You need to relax.”

“But Jimin, I—”

“Taehyung, stop,” Jimin says, stopping in his tracks. Taehyung comes to a halt too, turning around so he can see Jimin lift his sunglasses off his face and give him a serious look as he asks, “So what if you kissed him? You went and helped film the scene afterwards, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Taehyung says, recalling the morning’s events. “Of course I did.”

“And did the kiss make you act in a way that was anything but professional?” Jimin asks, to which Taehyung doesn’t reply. “Were you distracted? Were you feeling jealous or sloppy as you did your work afterwards?”

Taehyung bites on the insides of his cheeks, in the end admitting, “It didn’t, no.”

“Then I don’t see why you think it’s so unprofessional of you. If you’re not going against any rules and you’re doing your work well, then what’s the issue?” Jimin asks, giving Taehyung a pointed look. Taehyung can’t argue with that, and Jimin knows it—that’s why he gives Taehyung a satisfied look then, his plump lips curling into a mischievous grin as he puts his sunglasses back on. He starts walking again, going past Taehyung as he says, “You need to cut yourself some slack, Tae-yah.”

At that, Taehyung just sighs through his nose as he resumes walking, trailing after Jimin. He’d be lying if he said he hasn’t heard this one from Jimin before, and he’s always attributed it to the fact that Jimin is far too lenient with him. But maybe this one time he’s right, and he’s saying it from a place of rationality rather than affection.

Maybe what Taehyung has done, what he’s been feeling, isn’t so wrong after all. Maybe, this one time, he should allow himself some fun.

≋

Unsurprisingly enough, Taehyung ends up ignoring Jimin’s heartfelt advice and doesn’t cut himself any slack at all. The next few days at work are strange—Taehyung still goes to filming as planned, still is as helpful as usual and all that, but he runs away from any alone time with Jeongguk as much as he can. He doesn’t show himself around set before he’s meant to, and as soon as the cameras stop recording he’s out of there. During lunch breaks, he goes away and hides to eat in his car. Anything so he doesn’t have to face Jeongguk.

And it works. For a few days.

Because his avoidance is blatant, and it’s not long before Jeongguk trails after him one night when they’re finished filming for the day, stopping Taehyung’s sudden evasion. He calls, “Hyung!” Taehyung pretends not to hear him, rushing away, but he’s stopped by fingers around his wrist. “Taehyung, hey—wait up.”

It’s late, well past three in the morning, and Taehyung is tired as fuck. This is the worst part about filming night scenes—having to stay up until ungodly hours. But it’s not just his exhaustion that makes him wince as he turns around, no; more than anything, it’s the fact that he and Jeongguk are alone for the first time since the kiss. And he doesn’t know what to say.

“Is there anything you need, Jeongguk?” he asks, trying his best not to sound too cold; he fails miserably, which is obvious by the way Jeongguk flinches at the words.

“No, no. I don’t need anything,” Jeongguk clarifies, tone sounding dejected. It makes Taehyung feel awful. If his day has been long and tiring, Jeongguk’s must have been about as stressful, if not more. That, added to the fact that Taehyung has been very obviously ignoring him, is probably what’s bringing his mood down. “I just wanted to apologize.”

“Oh, Jeongguk,” Taehyung says, not bothering to play dumb and ask what he wants to apologize for—they both know what this is about. “There’s no need to. We both played a part in it.”

“I still want to apologize. I’ve never done anything like that before with a member of the crew, I promise. I just felt comfortable and got carried away,” Jeongguk explains. “But I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

It makes Taehyung frown in frustration, because god. It’s his own fault that Jeongguk feels this way, as he chose to avoid him instead of speaking to him about it as an adult should do, but he didn’t want to complicate things. He didn’t think Jeongguk would be feeling upset, either. Clearly, his assumptions were wrong.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable at all. If anything, I’m the one who is sorry,” Taehyung rushes to say. “I don’t want you to think I was trying to seduce you in the workplace.”

Jeongguk’s eyebrows furrow at that, a crease appearing between them when he hears Taehyung’s words. “I don’t think you were trying to seduce me.”

“I’m just saying,” Taehyung says, feeling like all the sense this made in his head suddenly evaporates, “I don’t want you to feel like there’s some weird power play going on here, especially since my work is so heavily related to sex. I—”

“Hyung,” Jeongguk interrupts firmly, his tone never ceasing to be kind. “There’s absolutely no power play here. You might have been the one to teach me about sex on screen, but I can assure you that off-screen, I don’t need any aid. I’m just attracted to you.”

Taehyung almost feels himself blush at that, trying to tame his head from dwelling too much on the implications behind Jeongguk’s words. “Still,” he says, not commenting on Jeongguk’s lack of need for help. “I don’t want to be unprofessional.”

“I don’t think it’s unprofessional of us,” Jeongguk says slowly, almost like he’s picking his words carefully. “But if you do, and you don’t feel okay with us having anything in this current situation, then it’s me who doesn’t want to make things uncomfortable for you.”

Taehyung feels his head spinning, the weight of the decision that should have already been made crushing him. As it turns out, he seems to be the only person who sees that it’s not okay to get involved with co-workers, with both Jeongguk and Jimin telling him they don’t find it unprofessional. But despite that, this is a rule that Taehyung has always played by.

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable,” Taehyung explains, because he’s not. It’s quite the opposite, and that’s exactly the problem. “But I just prefer not to get with people who I’m working with. That’s all.”

“That’s fine,” Jeongguk says, with a nod. Taehyung feels a jab in his stomach, probably the regret already kicking in, but he ushers it away. He has to stay firm in his decision. “But we’re still friends, right? This hasn’t ruined that, I hope.”

“No, of course not,” Taehyung replies, maybe a little too fast. The corners of Jeongguk’s mouth still lift into a small smile. “We can be friends. Nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s good, then,” Jeongguk says, taking a step back. It’s only then that Taehyung realizes Jeongguk is still in his filming attire. “I’ll see you tomorrow, friend.”

Taehyung grins, small. “See you tomorrow, pal.”

“Not pal,” Jeongguk says, walking backwards. “Too much, hyung.”

Taehyung just laughs and turns around, resuming his walk to the door feeling a lot better about the whole thing now. Could have gone a lot worse, couldn’t it?

≋

Things at work after that turn less awkward between Taehyung and Jeongguk, almost to the point where Taehyung feels like the kiss didn’t happen. But there’s always something that brings the memory back—maybe a look from Jeongguk that lingers for a second too long, or a brush of their fingers whenever Taehyung is handing him something.

It’s stupid because Taehyung was the one who rejected him. Yet he still can’t get the feeling of Jeongguk’s lips on his out of his head, or how his hands felt as they trailed up Taehyung’s thighs while they kissed. He knows it’s unfair of him, but still wonders if Jeongguk thinks of that one morning in this dressing trailer every once in a while.

However, he manages to push that aside during work and focus. Work isn’t awkward, Taehyung putting on his best professional front and doing what he’s getting paid to do. It’s a completely different story when he runs into Jeongguk at a later day that week, both of them leaving SoulCycle at the same time.

“Hyung, I didn’t see you in there,” Jeongguk calls as they pretty much bump into each other at the door of the changing room. Just like Taehyung’s, Jeongguk’s hair is wet from the shower—it’s obvious he’s on his way out. He holds the door open for Taehyung, who scurries past as Jeongguk inquires, “Were you in a session just now?”

“I was at Amanda’s,” Taehyung replies, looking briefly over his shoulder so he can see Jeongguk following behind him. “Jimin’s day off, you know.”

“I thought so. I was looking for him but couldn’t find his name in the schedule so I went to some guy named Dylan,” Jeongguk tells him. Taehyung recognizes the name, mostly from Jimin’s stories about his work, but he’s never met the guy. “Definitely prefer Jimin, I must say.”

Taehyung laughs at that, replying, “I will make sure to let him know.” There’s a pause, the two of them crossing the hall in silence before Taehyung asks, “Are you gonna head home now?”

“Actually, I was planning on grabbing something to eat before heading back,” Jeongguk says, running a hand through his damp hair and sending a few droplets flying in Taehyung’s direction. “How do you feel about an acai bowl? Would you like to have one with me?”

Taehyung bites down on his lips, an excuse already on the tip of his tongue. But then he realizes he doesn’t have to reject Jeongguk’s invitation—after all, Jeongguk has never been anything but respectful with Taehyung and his boundaries, and there’s nothing wrong with the two of them grabbing something to eat after a workout. It’s what friends do, right?

So Taehyung says, “That sounds good.” Jeongguk’s eyebrows quirk up a little, and so Taehyung smiles mischievously and says, “Don’t be looking so surprised.”

And that’s how the two of them end up going to the acai bowl bar together, which is conveniently placed right across the street from the studio, packed with people who look just as one would expect a fitness influencer to look.

It’s when the two of them have their bowls with them, about to dig in, that Jeongguk comments, “If you told me three years ago I would be here, eating a fucking acai bowl in LA, I would have laughed my ass off.”

Taehyung bites down a smile because he can relate to that. He never had any desire of moving to Los Angeles; it was only ever Seojoon that he came for. Los Angeles was the last place he ever envisioned himself residing in. Jeongguk, however, pursued acting from a young age, so it’s a surprise that moving here never crossed his mind.

“Isn’t this, like, the ultimate goal?” Taehyung asks curiously, Jeongguk’s eyes dragging from the bowl to Taehyung. “Hollywood—isn’t it the ultimate destination?”

“It kind of is,” Jeongguk admits with a shrug. “But I don’t want to think of it that way. Hollywood isn’t the goal—it’s acting. Always has been.”

“Still passionate about it, huh?” Taehyung asks, although it doesn’t come as a surprise.

It shows in the way Jeongguk acts and works. Taehyung has worked with plenty of people during his years in Hollywood, many of whom had lost their passion. Some were older and had long careers, but many were also Jeongguk’s age or even younger. Maybe they never even enjoyed it to begin with, never had the same passion Taehyung sees in Jeongguk.

“I always told myself that if I stop enjoying what I’m doing one day, I’d quit,” Jeongguk explains. “Life’s too short to do shit you don’t like, anyway.”

“Even if it pays well?”

“Even if it pays well,” Jeongguk retorts with a smile, Taehyung unable to stop himself from grinning back.

“How did you know you wanted to pursue acting, anyway?” Taehyung asks, resting his chin on a propped-up palm. “I never asked.”

Jeongguk smiles sheepishly even before he replies, letting out a small groan. “God. It’s embarrassing to say,” he starts, although said embarrassment doesn’t deter him from telling Taehyung. “Whenever we’d watch movies as a family, I would always end up convincing them to reenact them with me. Same with TV shows,” he says. “I was in every school play I could get a role in, bombed the first couple of them because I was so fucking shy. I don’t even know how they let me in the next few after that. Probably because nobody else wanted to be in them.”

Taehyung laughs at that, interjecting, “Maybe because you were good.”

“Oh—I definitely wasn’t good back then.”

“By kid standards,” he says, Jeongguk tutting. “And what happened next?”

“Then, when I was a teenager, my parents took me to Seoul and I started training under an agency,” Jeongguk says, the story starting to line up with what Taehyung has seen online. “And I’m pretty sure you know the rest from there, don’t you?”

“I do. I’ve done my research,” he says, grinning at Jeongguk across the table. They share a fleeting look, then Taehyung averts his eyes. “Do you feel accomplished? Like you’re achieving your dreams?”

It takes a few seconds for Jeongguk to reply, seemingly deep in thought before he speaks. “I do. I’m pretty damn proud of myself for what I’ve done.” Jeongguk is humble, his recent success hasn’t gone to his head, but he’s still confident nevertheless. “And you?”

“What about me?”

“This isn’t your dream,” Jeongguk says—confirmation, not a question. Taehyung wets his lips as Jeongguk adds, “Do you regret coming here with him?”

“I don’t regret it,” Taehyung says, eyes flickering down as his fingers play with the wooden spoon they’ve been given. “But yeah—I never wanted to come here. I just wanted to be with him. But by the time we broke up, I had a few friends here. I had a job, I had a life. Plus, moving continents is a pain in the ass. I’m sure you know that.”

Jeongguk laughs lightheartedly, nodding along. “Oh, I know that,” he agrees. “Why did you two break up? If it’s not too much to ask.”

Taehyung bites down on his bottom lip. He doesn’t mind talking about Seojoon, but it’s never nice or easy to articulate this part. “It just wasn’t working out,” he replies, honest. “He was traveling a lot, we weren’t really communicating properly, didn’t have much time for each other—well, he didn’t have much time for us. But I don’t hold it against him, it’s just that life got in the way.”

“That sucks,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung clicking his tongue. “You deserve someone to make time for you.”

There’s something so earnest about Jeongguk’s expression as he says that, so much utter conviction that Taehyung feels something tug at his heartstrings, and fuck. It’s the same feeling as when he lets himself think about Jeongguk and their kiss. The same pang of regret that he doesn’t want to let himself feel.

Taehyung still isn’t sure of what Jeongguk’s intentions were—casual or actually romantic—but what he does know is that he’s the one to have put a halt to where their relationship was heading. For that reason, he should be keeping things strictly friendly. Platonic.

Still, he can’t stop himself from saying, “Would you make time for me?”

Jeongguk looks at him in silence for a couple of seconds, almost like he’s trying to decipher Taehyung’s words and the real meaning behind them. He looks puzzled, but it’s soon replaced by the slightest of smirks as he replies, “Of course I would. I’ll have you know I’m a good lover. Can get some references, if you’d like.”

And god, it shouldn’t, but the flirting feels so nice. Taehyung throws his head back as he laughs, the tips of his fingers tingling in a way they haven’t in years. It’s like he’s twenty again, meeting boys he liked and having back and forth that had him walking home with butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He’s missed that feeling.

“It won’t be necessary. I’m going to believe you,” Taehyung says, “but I’m not sure I’m the person you need to convince of this.”

Jeongguk takes a breath, wetting his lips before he asks, “How come? Is it unprofessional?”

“Exactly,” Taehyung says, drumming his fingers over the surface of the table. “That, and you’re an actor.”

“Wow. Are we all banned?” Jeongguk asks, a hint of a smile in his expression as he raises one of his eyebrows at Taehyung. When he nods, he mutters under his breath, “Fucking Park Seojoon.”

“I’m sorry, Jeongguk-ah,” Taehyung replies. “I’m supposed to learn from my mistakes.”

Jeongguk leans forward a bit, resting his chin on a closed fist as he stares at Taehyung, lowering his voice as he says, “I’ll prove myself to you.”

Taehyung doesn’t reply right away; he looks away, aware that Jeongguk can probably see how his cheeks heat up, but still not giving him a reply. He doesn’t think he’s capable of staying firm right now.

Jeon Jeongguk, it seems, will be the death of him.

≋

On Taehyung’s first free weekend in a while, considering he’s been busy for most Saturday and Sunday evenings this month, he meets up with Seokjin. The two of them are having drinks at some very exclusive lounge bar in LA, the type of place Taehyung can only gain entry to when he’s in Seokjin’s company.

They’re surrounded by well-known faces, some of whom Taehyung recognizes both from seeing them all over the media and from working alongside them. Still, Taehyung doesn’t let that make him feel out of his element; he’s there to have fun, and the presence of celebrities has long ago stopped intimidating him.

Which is why when Seokjin leaves him alone to go to the restroom, Taehyung isn’t too bothered. He’s sitting on a stool by the bar, distractedly watching as the bartender rushes to tend to customers and make their drinks, when he feels someone approach, seeing a figure appear next to him by the corner of his eye. It doesn’t become obvious who it is until they open their mouth, though.

“Hey there.” Taehyung looks up upon hearing the familiar voice, his eyes landing on Bogum. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Bogum looks as good as he always does; he’s wearing a black satin shirt and a blazer in the same color, hair styled and looking so put-together it feels almost surreal to look at him. However, there is some color to his cheeks and a slight slurring to his words. That, added to the lopsided smile plastered on his face, tells Taehyung all he needs to know about Bogum’s current state.

Since their conversation that Jeongguk overheard, Bogum hasn’t been Taehyung’s favorite person to be around for a while, especially when it’s the two of them alone. Still, he’s always been pleasant to him, so Taehyung is just as polite back. He stands up when he sees Bogum, greeting him as warmly as he would anyone else.

“Hey,” Taehyung says, grinning. “Didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

“Needed a night out,” Bogum replies at that, a feeling Taehyung can relate to. “Must take advantage of a free night not followed by early filming tomorrow morning.”

“So you’ve planned to get a hangover?” Taehyung inquires with a quirked eyebrow, earning himself a bark of laughter from Bogum.

“I’ll have you know I’ve found an unbeatable cure for hangovers. I can let you in on the secret if you’re interested,” Bogum says, now Taehyung’s turn to laugh before taking another sip of his whiskey on the rocks. There’s a pause there, Bogum’s eyes lingering on him, almost too long for comfort. “You look beautiful tonight, Taehyung.”

And there it is, that same feeling of dread Taehyung has been feeling when around Bogum for the past few weeks. Until now, he hadn’t made any more inappropriate comments since the first time.

“Thank you,” Taehyung says, eyes flickering to the door where he saw Seokjin disappear minutes ago. Much to his disappointment, his friend is nowhere to be seen.

He’s about to change the topic to something safer, maybe asking about the film they’re working on, maybe even about whose company Bogum is in tonight. Before he can another word in, though, Bogum beats him to it.

“I suppose you’re not here alone,” Bogum says, Taehyung shaking his head in response. He leans in closer then, Taehyung feeling himself stiffen as his personal space is invaded. “Such a shame. Do you think whoever you’re with would mind if I steal you for a couple of hours?”

Bogum’s cologne is strong and pungent, the smell almost enough to mask the alcohol on his breath as he shifts closer. In another situation, had he not been feeling as uncomfortable as he is right now, Taehyung would have perhaps found it attractive.

“I’m here with Seokjin,” Taehyung says, watching as Bogum’s eyebrows raise in surprise when he hears the name. Taehyung feels the need to clarify, “We’ve been friends for a while.”

“Through Seojoon?” Taehyung nods at that, and so Bogum insists, “Still, you haven’t answered my question. Do you think he’d mind?”

Taehyung’s fingernails scratch against the smooth surface of the bar’s countertop, having to suppress the urge to take a step back.

“I don’t think he would. I’m just gonna have to decline your offer regardless,” Taehyung says, trying to keep his tone hushed, even if the odds of bystanders understanding the two of them speak in Korean are low. “I’m sorry.”

“I take it you’re not interested, then?” Bogum asks, Taehyung unsure if this means he’s finally taken the hint or if he’s always known and has tried regardless.

“Not quite. I just don’t get involved with co-workers,” Taehyung says, the excuse rolling off his tongue with ease. Even if they weren’t co-workers, Taehyung can’t really see himself with Bogum. There’s something else, too. “Much less the straight ones.”

Taehyung sees the corner of Bogum’s mouth twitch at that, an uncomfortable silence reigning between them for a few seconds. “It’s just sex,” Bogum says in the end. Taehyung feels the already-existing knot at the base of his throat tighten. “I believe you’re overthinking it, Taehyung.”

Taehyung presses his lips into a thin line, not bothering to share with Bogum the knowledge that life has given him about how it’s never a good idea to get himself involved with the straight ones; those who will have sex with men—because sex is just sex, right?—but are too scared to face the truth about themselves. The last time he gave a man like that the time of the day was in college, and after a bad experience he vowed to himself to never go there again. And Bogum, out of all people, isn’t the one person who’ll make him reconsider.

“I’m sorry, Bogum,” Taehyung says, lifting his chin and looking at Bogum straight in the eye. “I’m not something to regret in the morning when you’re sober.”

The pair share a look for a few seconds, but they’re interrupted when Seokjin finally returns from the restroom. Taehyung isn’t sure if this is the best or worst time for him to come back; the conversation is at its most uncomfortable point, so that means he’s been saved by Seokjin. But it also means that Seokjin gives the two of them a very curious look, asking “Is everything okay?”

Luckily, Bogum doesn’t seem to be very good at handling rejection, so he quickly replies, “Not at all. I was just about to get going.” Taehyung swallows down, just as Bogum finally moves away from him. “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course,” Taehyung says, giving a quick nod. “Enjoy your evening.”

“Likewise,” Bogum says with a quick inclination of his head. He then turns to Seokjin, says, “It was good running into you again, Seokjin.”

A few more pleasantries are exchanged between the two, Taehyung now allowing himself to sit back down on his stool and take a long sip of his drink, zoning out until Bogum finally leaves. It’s then that Seokjin sits back down next to Taehyung, rotating on the stool so he can look at him.

He doesn’t say anything, too aware of the people around them. Albeit subtle, though, there’s still a hint of worry on his face—Taehyung knows him far too well for him to overlook him. Taehyung is alright, he swears he is; as uncomfortable as it was, that’s all it was. Nothing to worry about.

He just has one concern, though. How’s he meant to face Bogum for the rest of production?

≋

Taehyung isn’t hungover when he wakes at noon the following day, but what he is is late—late enough that he barely has time to quickly get himself ready and rush out of his apartment, his stomach rumbling as he drives to work. Once he’s on set, he quickly grabs something to eat from the staff’s catering before making his way to the hair and makeup trailer, where he’s supposed to find Jeongguk and Diana.

She’s not in sight, the makeup artist informing him that she’s already gone to the wardrobe trailer to get changed. But Jeongguk is still there, eyes glistening with something Taehyung can’t quite pinpoint as he asks, “Can I have a minute with you after I’m done? I want to go over some lines with you.”

The request has Taehyung’s stomach twisting, especially after what happened the last time the two of them took rehearsals into their own hands, but he can’t bring himself to deny Jeongguk. He should have known, as he and Jeongguk walk to his dressing trailer once he’s all ready, that Jeongguk didn’t want to go over any lines.

“So,” Jeongguk says, the two of them walking side by side, “you’re two-timing me with my co-star?”

Taehyung takes a second too long to react, scoffing softly before he says, “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m just saying it’s a bit ironic,” Jeongguk says, sounding far more amused than Taehyung can comprehend as he fishes for his phone in the pocket of his sweatpants and gives it to Taehyung, screen unlocked. “Especially considering our current roles.”

Taehyung feels his eyes widen as he takes the phone in his hand, recognizing himself on the screen. The pictures are from last night, featuring him and Bogum talking by the bar. In a later one, Seokjin can be seen as well, but most of them are of Taehyung and Bogum alone. They’re grainy and dark, obviously taken using a cellphone in a bar not very well lit, but it’s obvious who they are. Thankfully, none of the pictures were taken as Bogum leaned in close to him, the distance between them quite decent.

“What the hell,” Taehyung says, almost to himself, unable to scroll down to the text of the article and check what’s being said. Instead, he just lifts his eyes and asks Jeongguk, “They’re not spreading any stupid rumors, right?”

“No, no,” Jeongguk laughs, Taehyung not knowing whether to feel relieved or offended that Jeongguk is laughing at his obvious distress. “They just said actors Park Bogum and Kim Seokjin were spotted last night in a bar in downtown LA with an unknown man, but they’re not linking you romantically.”

“Thank fuck,” Taehyung says, now feeling more glad than ever that his and Seojoon’s relationship never really made it to the press. Otherwise, knowing how fast these tabloids work, he suspects the headlines this morning would be very different. “You scared the shit out of me with that two-timing shit.”

Jeongguk laughs again, and this time around Taehyung finds himself smiling slightly at it. “Excuse me? Just because the tabloids aren’t linking you two together doesn’t mean I’m not in my brain. Especially after what I’ve heard from him.” Taehyung arches an eyebrow, giving Jeongguk the most skeptical look he can manage. “You guys went there together?”

Jeongguk’s tone is lighthearted, clearly joking throughout the entire conversation, but Taehyung thinks he can hear a hint of genuine curiosity in his tone, especially in regards to his last question.

So he replies, “I was there with Seokjin hyung. Bogum spotted me and came to say hi.” Jeongguk’s expression changes at that, Taehyung swearing he sees something akin to relief take over his face. It makes him wonder whether it’s a good idea or not to say what next leaves his mouth. “I think he was trying to take me home.”

“Is that so,” Jeongguk says, not asking a question. He doesn’t seem shocked in the slightest, but yet utterly unimpressed. “I told you that’s how he rolls, didn’t I?” Taehyung nods. “What did he say?”

“He asked if I was alone, then when I said I wasn’t he asked if who I’m with would mind him stealing me for a few hours,” Taehyung quotes, Jeongguk scoffing in response as he mutters a tacky as hell. “In a way, I’m almost glad he brought it up. I just clarified I didn’t want anything with him, so hopefully, he’ll stop making advances now.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he will,” Jeongguk agrees. He’s quiet for a second there, tongue sucking his teeth before he asks. “So then you’re not two-timing me, right, hyung?”

The change in tone, back to easy-going and joking, lifts a weight off Taehyung’s shoulders. He feels more comfortable like this, slipping back into the usual dynamic he and Jeongguk usually move in.

“I’m not sure how exactly I could be doing that,” Taehyung retorts, “I wasn’t even one-timing you in the first place”

He earns himself a choked-out noise from Jeongguk, who mutters, “You’re ruthless.”

“I like to live up to my reputation,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk tutting.

“Not sure that’s the reputation you withhold. Everyone says you’re a sweetheart, hyung,” Jeongguk says.

“I better start keeping you on your toes so you can spread the word, then,” Taehyung says, giving Jeongguk’s shoulder two light taps before taking a step back. He then switches to English, raising his voice as he says, “Get ready. We’re on a schedule here, Jeongguk.”

“Yes, sir,” Jeongguk says obediently, walking towards the dressing trailer. “Try not to walk right into Bogum’s arms in my absence.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen at that, frantically looking around himself just to discover that no one around seems to have heard Jeongguk’s comment judging by their passive expressions. He then looks back at Jeongguk, who blows him a kiss right before disappearing into the trailer.

Taehyung just stares at the closed door for a few seconds, letting out a sigh and forcing himself out of his daze. He has work to do, he says to himself as he hurries to the filming location. He can’t afford more thoughts about Jeon Jeongguk right about now.

≋

After that first time, Taehyung absolutely refuses to check the tabloids in case the pictures of him and Bogum end up being posted again, but he doesn’t need to—Jimin and Namjoon do a good enough job of keeping him up to date, sending him the link every time pictures appear.

The problem is that, as it happens more often than not, pictures from the set eventually leak. And Taehyung isn’t there in most of them since he’s not as present during the filming process as most of the members of the crew are, but he’s in some.

People are fast to make the connection, and after that, it’s only a matter of days until someone speaks and his name is released. Taehyung wakes up to Jimin texting him a screenshot of a news report one morning, where they announce they can finally put a name to Park Bogum’s and Kim Seokjin’s very attractive friend—in their own words. His name is listed there, as well as the agency he works for. Taehyung groans as he reads it, not wasting any time before he calls Jimin.

His friend tries to calm him down, reassuring him that it’s not a big deal. Taehyung knows it’s not yet—his socials are not flooded with people, he’s only gotten a couple of requests or follows, and all publicity is good publicity when it comes to work, as Jimin points out. But there is just something troubling Taehyung.

“What if they find something related to Seojoon at some point?” he asks over the phone, worried.

Now, it’s not like Seojoon ever tried to hide him from the public, or tried to hide the fact that he’s into men. It’s just that it never surfaced, so it’s not a bridge he had ever bothered to cross. His privacy was respect back in Korea, and the two of them didn’t last for too long after moving to Los Angeles—seemingly, not enough for it to make it to the press.

So no, it’s not like Seojoon ever tried to hide Taehyung. But now that there’s nothing there anymore, there’s no point in people ever finding out. He doesn’t want Seojoon to see himself involved in any predicaments over a relationship that is no more.

“There’s nothing in your public profiles that relate to him, anyway. And even if there were any pictures of you two floating around and someone recognizes you, people will just assume you’re a friend just like with Bogum and Seokjin,” Jimin says, always the voice of reason. “Just try to relax. You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s not your fault you got pictured out with him.”

“You have no idea how fucking weird it is to see my face and my name out there in TMZ,” Taehyung groans, making Jimin giggle on the other end of the line. “I’m never going anywhere with Seokjin hyung ever again.”

“Most people would enjoy leeching off their friend’s fame, you know,” Jimin says, to which Taehyung scoffs lightly. “How about you get famous so I can leech off yours?”

“Fuck right off,” Taehyung says, Jimin laughing once again. “It just makes me nervous to see pictures of me like that. You know I’ve been friends with Seokjin hyung for ages, but nothing like this ever happened before. Don’t think I can get used to it, so I hope it dies down soon.”

“Hopefully the Kardashians pull a stunt soon so people can forget about your gorgeous face,” Jimin says, Taehyung just making a weak noise in agreement—about the forgetting, not the gorgeous part. “I guess it’s a lucky thing that you and Seojoon didn’t work out in the end. If you guys lasted you’d have been in the tabloids eventually, I suppose.”

Taehyung bites down on his bottom lip, unable to refute Jimin’s words. But it’s not Seojoon and their failed relationship that his mind goes to right after—it’s Jeongguk, a rising star here in Hollywood, who promised he’d prove himself to Taehyung. Taehyung didn’t exactly stop him, did he?

“I suppose so,” Taehyung says, not feeling enough strength to tell Jimin that the issue isn’t as much of a matter of the past as he’s making it out to be. He and Jeongguk are in a situation—even if he tried to stop it, even if he told himself he couldn’t, he’s still managed to end up here. Again.

It’s not too long before the two of them hang up, Taehyung’s mind still not fully in the conversation since he’s still thinking of Jeongguk. The worst part is that he shouldn’t even be thinking this. It means his will is weaker than it’s meant to be. He told himself to be firm about this one thing, and even if nothing else has really happened ever since, the fact that he’s having thoughts like this is enough of a sign that he’s not quite as strong as he should be.

Like this, Taehyung can’t help but wonder. He’s probably making things out to be more complicated than they ought to be, sabotaging them even before they can happen. He’s been so adamant about staying firm from the beginning. But maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be so terrible to let go.

≋

During the last couple of weeks, it became abundantly clear that the scene that worried Jeongguk the most was none other than Erin’s fantasy—the one where Diana’s character would go down on Jeongguk’s. They spent all that time going over it, over the expressions and sounds, and Taehyung has to admit that Jeongguk has improved a lot. None of the exaggeration and fakeness from the start is there anymore, and now he doesn’t seem as embarrassed as he was the first time they rehearsed. He acts the scene out just like he would any other.

But Jeongguk, Taehyung has come to discover, is a perfectionist. And despite Taehyung’s constant reassurance that he’s doing a good job, and that he’s more than ready for filming day, Jeongguk requests one last rehearsal the evening before. Just the two of them since Diana is busy filming something else at the only time the two of them have available. Taehyung, of course, can’t bring himself to refuse.

He’s not late by any means, but Jeongguk is still there when he arrives. He lifts his eyes from his phone when he hears the door click open, immediately locking the device and leaving it on top of the table as Taehyung walks in.

“Good evening,” he greets, leaving his bag on top of the table as he starts peeling off his jacket. He feels Jeongguk’s eyes on him, scanning him up and down; it brings some heat to his cheeks, but he doesn’t let himself act any differently because of it.

“Hey, you,” Jeongguk greets, the plastic of the chair creaking as he leans back on it. Taehyung meets his eyes then, as Jeongguk adds, “I’m surprised you even have some spare time to see me.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows raise at that, something clearly going over his head. “How do you mean?”

“You know, since you and Bogum are just so close according to the articles,” Jeongguk says, a mischievous smile painted on his face. Taehyung groans at that, which only makes Jeongguk grin wider. “I’d expect you to be out there hanging around with him or something. You seem inseparable.”

“Piss off,” is all Taehyung says, earning himself a choked-out chuckle from Jeongguk. He knows he doesn’t need to explain to Jeongguk because he has eyes and knows he and Bogum are nothing more than co-workers. Not even friends. Jeongguk is out to tease him, it seems. Little does he know, two can play at that game. “You’re sounding a little jealous right about now.”

“Ha!” Jeongguk exclaims, the one-syllable dripping with so much sarcasm Taehyung can’t stop himself from staring at him with an inquiring, lifted brow. “I have no reason to be jealous of him, do I? Unless you go kissing him in his trailer behind my back.”

“I can guarantee you that’s not the case,” Taehyung says, unable to keep a small smile away from his lips as he balances his weight with one hand pressed against the surface of the table, hip popped to the side. “But if you’re not, then you’re doing a shit job of proving so. You keep bringing him up and all that.”

Jeongguk clicks his tongue, silence following for a couple of seconds. Then he drums his fingers over the table, and not even then does Taehyung push him to say anything. He waits until, almost a full minute later, Jeongguk speaks up again and says, “It’s only normal.”

“How so?”

“Because I’m into you, and you keep being linked to him. Bet there are tons of on-set pictures of you and me as well, but no one cares to share those because we weren’t seen together at a bar. Like that means something,” Jeongguk says, mumbling the last part almost to himself. “It’s just—him, out of all people.”

“So it’s not really about me, but about him,” Taehyung says, hand splayed on his chest as he feigns offense.

Jeongguk shrugs at that, the look he gives Taehyung borderline apologetic. “I’m not a very jealous person. I mean—I have my moments, but he gets on my nerves,” Jeongguk explains. “So he doesn’t have enough with getting the roles I audition for, he’s also trying to get his face next to yours all over every single outlet in the media. I’m tired of him.”

Taehyung chuckles at that, partly amused and partly endeared by Jeongguk’s antics. He’s also known Jeongguk to be competitive, but the way it manifests in almost childish annoyance is near-adorable to see.

“Are you done sulking about your one-sided rivalry? We have things to do,” he says, tone playful so his words don’t sound harsh in the slightest. Jeongguk just stares up at him, lips pursed together in silence. “What?”

“You’re supposed to say you like me more than him. To make me feel better,” Jeongguk says, looking stern.

Taehyung cackles at that, but it doesn’t make Jeongguk look any less serious, or embarrassed in the slightest. If anything, it’s Taehyung who feels the most flustered, feeling something similar to nerves bubble up in his stomach.

Had this been a few weeks ago, maybe he’d be able to keep his composure. But with his resolve breaking little by little every day, he can’t help but give in and say, “I like you more than him. Obviously.”

He feels almost immature giving in to his request, but Jeongguk smiles widely as he hears the words, only then reaching forward for the script resting in front of him on the table. “Very good,” he says, opening the booklet on a page that has been marked by a dog-ear. There are annotations all over the place, most of them made right in front of Taehyung after he gave Jeongguk advice over the course of their lessons. “Let’s get to work, then.”

Taehyung snorts and shakes his head, but he does oblige, taking a seat across from Jeongguk as he gets ready for this last rehearsal. He flips through the pages of his own copy of the script, trying to will away thoughts of Jeongguk and to focus on work. And he will, he swears. But as Jeongguk gets ready to start, Taehyung lets himself indulge a little.

Because I’m into you, Jeongguk said, so bluntly and unabashedly. If he notices the small smile painted on Taehyung’s lips right then, he says nothing about it.

≋

Rehearsal ends up lasting for longer than anticipated—for no reason other than Taehyung getting too distracted by conversation and letting their break go on for too long—so by the time they’re done with things, it’s late. Luckily for Taehyung, he drove to work, so now he just has a thirty-minute long drive back to his apartment, which is much better than taking the bus back. Taehyung learned that the hard way after his first few months in the city.

Jeongguk, however, doesn’t have the same luck.

“I’ll just call an Uber. It’s fine—I never drive here, anyway. LA traffic gives me a headache,” he confesses when Taehyung frowns at him. “What’s the look for?”

“I’ll drive you instead,” Taehyung says, watching as Jeongguk’s expression shifts. “Ubers are a scam. I’ll drive you for free.”

“That is a very generous offer,” Jeongguk snickers, “but it’s not necessary.”

“My god, just say yes,” Taehyung says, exasperated. “I swear you can tell me your address. I won’t leak it to the press if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“What—it’s not like that,” Jeongguk starts, but Taehyung just gives him a silent, pointed look. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“It’s not an inconvenience,” Taehyung reassures. “Plus, I’d expect you to want to spend some more time alone with me. Since you’re oh so into me.”

And that does the trick. Jeongguk laughs and ends up nodding along as he accepts Taehyung’s offer for a ride. The two of them make their way to Taehyung’s car together, which Taehyung is sure is much less fancy than whatever Jeongguk is used to. Especially as Jeongguk gives him his address—it’s not like he lives in a private mansion community, but the area is fancier than the district in downtown LA where Taehyung’s place is located.

The two of them talk a bit on the drive there, but when they eventually fall quiet, the soft sound of music playing on the radio filling the car, Taehyung finds himself not feeling even close to uncomfortable. There’s something almost soothing about Jeongguk’s presence, and the way he lowly hums along to the sugary-pop song they’re listening to.

It takes them a little longer to get there than Taehyung’s usual drive home, but luckily there’s an empty parking spot right in front of the apartment complex that Jeongguk points out as his. Jeongguk stays seated even after the car stops, Taehyung killing the engine.

He’s the one to break the silence, twisting his neck so he can look at Jeongguk and ask, “Are you feeling worried about tomorrow?”

“Worried? Not so much anymore, no,” Jeongguk says, after taking a deep breath. He makes a small pause, then says, “I’m a bit nervous, but that never really goes away. I think It’s a good thing to feel, anyway. Keeps me on my toes.”

Taehyung smiles at that, nodding along to Jeongguk’s words. “You’ll do great,” he encourages. “You improved a lot over the past few weeks, I hope you’re aware.”

“Oh, trust me—I’m aware,” he says. Taehyung raises an eyebrow, not expecting the cockiness, but it all starts to make sense when Jeongguk adds, “Remember how you told me to record myself while practicing the orgasm? Well, I listened to you. You should have laughed in my face the first time.”

“It wasn’t that bad!”

“It was. I have evidence,” Jeongguk says, lifting the hand holding his phone and waving it around. “I was watching over the videos I recorded just yesterday, so no need to lie.”

“I can’t have you being mean to yourself. Wouldn’t make me a good mentor,” Taehyung teases, earning himself a snort from Jeongguk. “You never showed me the videos.”

“Was I meant to?” Jeongguk asks, stealing a glance at Taehyung. Something about his expressions gives away that he knows the answer—no, he didn’t have to. Taehyung evaluated him and his progress during rehearsals, so there was no need for him to see those.

“Not really. But I want to laugh, too,” Taehyung says. Jeongguk makes an incredulous sound to his right, followed by a chuckle.

“You know what? Fine,” he says, undoing his seatbelt and leaning closer as he quickly unlocks his phone.

Taehyung watches with curious eyes as he opens his gallery and scrolls back a little, then taps on a video. From the preview he can see that it’s Jeongguk sitting in what Taehyung presumes must be his bed, holding his phone to his face.

The video, if Taehyung is completely honest, is hilarious. He thought as much the first time he rehearsed the scene with Diana and Jeongguk, and from that point to the video that Jeongguk shows him, there’s no improvement. He didn’t laugh at Jeongguk back then, aware that he was learning and it was the first time he had done something like this, but now he allows himself a small chuckle. Jeongguk, of course, doesn’t take it to heart—instead, he keeps showing Taehyung more of the videos that show his progress. Until he gets to the very last one.

He’s seen this for himself when they’ve rehearsed, including less than an hour ago, but Jeongguk has improved. Lots. From the fake and exaggerated moans and expressions from the start, he has reached something more subtle, something more sensual. Taehyung watches the slight creases that form between his eyebrows, the way his pink lips turn into the shape of an ‘o’ as he lets out a deep exhalation. And then he lets himself wonder the absolute last thing that he should think about—is this what Jeongguk sounds and looks like in real life, when…?

Thoughts like these are easy to ignore when he’s in work mode; over the years, he’s been programmed to see all of this as part of the job. It definitely helps that he never had to work with anyone that he’s actively attracted to in the way he is to Jeongguk. But now they’re in Taehyung’s car, relaxed and chatting, and Taehyung has his guard down. So much that he can’t stop his mind from wandering.

Taehyung stiffens up then, sitting up straighter in his seat and leaning back to put some more inches between him and Jeongguk. He clears his throat, giving Jeongguk’s phone back. But of course, the change in his behavior doesn’t go unnoticed by Jeongguk, who asks, “What?” Taehyung doesn’t reply right away, instead looking away. “I… I’m sorry. I thought it’d be okay to show you those, but I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

His tone sounds a little deflated then, which makes Taehyung feel like shit. Jeongguk hasn’t done anything wrong or anything remotely uncalled for. At the end of the day, the videos have to do with their work together. It’s Taehyung’s lack of self-control that’s made him feel like this, not Jeongguk.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he rushes to say, looking at Jeongguk who is properly back in his seat. He exhales deeply, shoulders shrugging, and Taehyung feels another acute pang of guilt. “You’ve done a great job.”

“Thanks. You’ve told me as much,” Jeongguk says, one of the corners of his mouth lifting just enough to reveal the smallest of smiles. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, then asks, “Does it look real?”

“Yeah. I mean—I don’t know what you look like,” Taehyung says, fists balling up in his lap. “But it does look pretty real to me.”

“That’s good, then. I’m glad.” There’s silence again for a few seconds, until Jeongguk shifts in his seat, reaching for the door handle, and saying, “I better get going.”

“Wait, no, Jeongguk,” Taehyung says, reaching forward and wrapping his fingers around Jeongguk’s wrist. It’s only when Jeongguk looks at him, eyes round and big and inquisitive, that Taehyung realizes he has no idea what he wants to say. He just knows that there’s a weird mood between them right now and that he doesn’t want Jeongguk to leave when things are like this.

He bites down on his lip. Jeongguk just blinks, waiting.

“Is everything okay, hyung?” he asks eventually, tone cautious.

Taehyung meets Jeongguk’s eyes, which are staring at him with such firmness that they almost make Taehyung feel envious. He knows Jeongguk likes him—he’s made it abundantly clear. And Taehyung knows that he likes Jeongguk back. Hell, Jeongguk probably is aware too. The one thing missing is Taehyung being able to voice it just as Jeongguk does. He wishes he did.

“It’s all good. I just—it’s hard to stop myself. From thinking,” he says.

“Thinking about what?” Jeongguk asks with a frown.

“Thinking about you.”

“Oh,” Jeongguk lets out. He exhales, shaky, then says, “I wish you didn’t have to stop yourself.”

Taehyung swallows down thickly, thinking of how many people he’s seen hook up on set for years without any real repercussions. He thinks of Bogum who seems to sleep around without it affecting his job. He thinks of Jimin pointing out he’s about the only one who holds back. And then he thinks of Jeongguk, and how badly he wants him and how badly he wants to let go.

Jeongguk, who is right there, light from the street lamp going up the right side of his face. Jeongguk, who looks at Taehyung with frank eyes, and hasn't even once seemed upset or bitter about Taehyung pushing him away. He’s right there, and he’s always been so honest that it makes Taehyung’s ache because he wants to be honest with Jeongguk and with himself too.

And his resolve, which was already crumbling, disappears into thin air just like that. Taehyung shifts in his seat, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaning forward, and Jeongguk doesn’t look away for a single second. There’s confusion flashing in his eyes for a split second, but it’s gone right away.

I wish you didn’t have to stop yourself, Jeongguk said. Maybe he doesn’t have to, after all.

Jeongguk’s lips part for Taehyung’s the moment they touch, like he had been waiting for him to close the space between them and pull him into a kiss all along. And maybe they had because the way they move under Taehyung’s is eager, hungry. It hasn’t been that long since the first—and last—time they kissed, but god, it felt like ages. Having their mouths touch again makes Taehyung feel relieved in part, but it also makes him more and more impatient.

He cradles Jeongguk’s jaw with one hand, all while Jeongguk’s palm presses against his thick neck, then slowly climbs its way to his hair. The kiss grows more hurried then, Jeongguk’s mouth more insistent until Taehyung parts his lips for their tongues to touch. It wakes something inside of him, making him just want to touch. The armrest of his car digs painfully against Taehyung’s stomach when he tries to get closer to Jeongguk, making him let out a pained groan.

It’s only then that Jeongguk pulls back, already looking disheveled despite the fact the kiss hadn’t been that long. Taehyung guesses that he looks about the same; hair messy, eyes wide, lips red and shiny.

“Do you want to come up?” Jeongguk asks then.

No, should have been the immediate answer. But by now, Taehyung is too far gone to care.

“Yes,” is what he says instead, watching Jeongguk’s chest puff out. He looks almost surprised, but Taehyung doesn’t give himself too much time to study his expression before he’s turning around and opening the car, stepping into the street.

It’s impossibly hard to keep his hands to himself while they make it to Jeongguk’s apartment, but the amount of cameras out there manages to keep them apart until they’re safely away from anyone’s eyes. The moment the door to the apartment closes behind them, Jeongguk is right there, kissing Taehyung once again as he presses him back against the door.

And god, it feels good.

He’s too preoccupied with kissing every patch of exposed skin on Jeongguk—his mouth, his jaw, down his neck—to pay any attention to the inside of Jeongguk’s apartment as he guides him to his room, but what’s for sure is that it’s luxurious. As is the bed, the mattress feeling like a cloud under Taehyung’s body as Jeongguk pushes him down on it, crawling over him.

“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to see you like this,” Jeongguk mutters, sitting up so he’s straddling Taehyung’s thighs.

Taehyung sits up, balancing himself on one elbow as he watches Jeongguk slip out of his shirt. He lets his eyes wander down Jeongguk’s body, his defined chest and the toned planes of his abdomen. He’s seen Jeongguk shirtless before, but only through a screen. Having the real thing in front of him is infinitely better, as is the possibility to touch.

And touch he does. He presses his big hands against Jeongguk’s stomach, wraps his palms around his waist and kisses him again, and again, and again. They end up tangled together in the bed, mouths barely ever parting as they slowly strip each other, one piece of clothing after the other. Taehyung can feel Jeongguk’s erection press against his stomach as they make out, which only makes Taehyung’s cock twitch inside his boxer briefs.

Eventually, even those come off. It’s only then that Jeongguk pulls back from Taehyung’s lips, reaching over to the bedside table and opening a drawer. Taehyung is not at all surprised when Jeongguk drops a condom wrapper and a small tube of lube next to his leg on the bed.

Taehyung sits up on his heels then, looking down at them. He’s the one to ask, “How do you want to do this?”

“I don’t mind,” Jeongguk says, shrugging his shoulders. “You could fuck me.”

Taehyung lets out a soft scoff as he asks, “You’re prepared?”

“Of course I’m prepared. We have some tension going on,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung laughing in response.

The idea alone is enough to make Taehyung’s cock throb in interest. “I could fuck you,” he repeats. “I should fuck you.”

“Go on, then,” Jeongguk says, leaning back on his elbows and looking up at Taehyug. His tone is almost teasing, the smirk he has plastered on his lips both ridiculously stupid and ridiculously hot at the same time. “Fuck me.”

And really, that’s all the invitation Taehyung needs. He leans down and kisses Jeongguk again, except this time he’s also reaching for the lube as he does so.

Jeongguk moves onto his hands and knees once Taehyung lets go of his lips, and as he does that, Taehyung squirts some of the lube on the palm of his hand, warming it up in his fingers. It’s not too long before he’s moving forward, one hand on the small of Jeongguk’s back as he pushes one finger inside him, then a second.

He fucks his fingers in and out of Jeongguk, watches him come slowly undone as he picks up his pace, then adds a third. It’s only when he wraps his free hand around Jeongguk, jerking him off in tandem, that Jeongguk eventually wraps his fingers around Taehyung’s wrist, stopping him.

“Don’t wanna—fuck, don’t wanna come like this,” is all he grits out.

“That’s fine.” Taehyung can’t help but let out a grin, but he obliges and moves back, not before giving Jeongguk’s small waist a light squeeze. “Give me a second.”

Taehyung wastes no time before he puts on the condom, squirting some more lube on his palm for good measure. Jeongguk’s looking back at him over his shoulder, eyes flickering down to Taehyung’s cock before they go to Taehyung’s face again. His face, already flushed, gets even redder after being caught staring.

“Shut up,” he blurts out.

“I haven’t even said anything,” Taehyung complains with a chuckle, shuffling closer on the bed.

“You don’t need to. I can see it in your face.”

“I mean, if you want a good look at it I can—”

“I want it up my ass,” Jeongguk says, somehow less embarrassed by voicing that than by enduring Taehyung’s teasing. He lets out a snicker. “Like, three minutes ago.”

“So damn bossy,” Taehyung says, using his hand to guide himself to Jeongguk’s entrance. Jeongguk sucks in a breath then. “Gonna slide in.”

If Jeongguk was going to say something in response, it dies in his throat just then as Taehyung starts pushing forward. He goes slow, inch after inch of his cock burying itself inside of Jeongguk. It’s so hot to have him beneath him like this, to see the muscles of his back contract as his body tenses up. Jeongguk is without a doubt one of the hottest people Taehyung has ever been with, just by looks alone, and his demeanor and the way he carries himself do nothing but add to it.

“Feels so fucking good”, he says then, head between his arms once Taehyung’s fully inside. Taehyung, on the other hand, has to grit his teeth together to stop himself from moaning because of how tight, warm and perfect Jeongguk feels around him. It’s especially hard to stay still, give Jeongguk time to adjust to the intrusion, so it feels like a blessing when he calls, “Move, hyung.”

He starts off slowly, giving a tentative thrust, but he’s so turned on that his patience doesn’t last for long. Eventually, his pace picks up, as does the strength of his thrusts. He holds Jeongguk by his hips, keeping him in place as he fucks into him.

Taehyung’s one regret is the fact he’s not facing Jeongguk. He wishes he could see him slowly come undone under him, see his face contort in pleasure with Taehyung’s cock buried deep within him.

“Wanna hear you,” he says, one of his hands leaving Jeongguk’s hips and climbing up his back, just so he can grip at his shoulder. “Want to hear how good this cock makes you feel.”

And god, the sound that Jeongguk lets out at that is fucking obscene. It becomes clear that he was holding himself back then, low moans now falling from his lips non-stop. And as that happens, he becomes mouthier and mouthier—tells Taehyung how big he feels in him, how good it feels. It makes Taehyung’s face burn up even hotter, his cock pulsating inside of Jeongguk.

He relentlessly slams his hips into him now, Jeongguk lowering himself down and holding himself up on his elbows rather than his hands. The new angle makes it so Taehyung is thrusting right into his prostate, something that becomes obvious by the long, drawn-out moan that Jeongguk lets out then, walls clenching around Jeongguk’s cock. It makes Taehyung swallow down thickly, letting out a low curse as his hips falter.

“You look so fucking hot like this,” he can’t help but praise, his hands moving on Jeongguk’s sides—they move from his waist to his hips, then travel down his ass until he reaches his thick thighs, giving a squeeze.

Jeongguk has mentioned before that he likes to take care of his body, which is obvious by the way his entire body is toned. Taehyung has known for a while that he’s total eye-candy; it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that he feels this good under his hands. Around his dick, even.

“Keep fucking me like that,” Jeongguk calls, his voice strained and deeper than usual. “God, you—right there, hyung. Don’t stop, don’t fucking stop.”

As if he could. Taehyung fucks into him with renewed vigor, Jeongguk’s moans growing in volume as he gets closer and closer. Taehyung isn’t too far from coming himself, either—proof of that is the erratic pace his hips have picked up now, far from the controlled rhythm from the start. Far from stopping, what he does is lean over Jeongguk’s body, balancing his weight on the mattress with one hand and circling the other around Jeongguk’s thick cock. He starts stroking him, fast and messy.

Taehyung is the first one to come, the tightness of Jeongguk’s walls around him becoming too much. He spills into the condom, hips stuttering as he bites down lightly on Jeongguk’s shoulder, who moans at the feeling.

“Holy fuck, Taehyung,” he pants. “God, I’m gonna—”

Taehyung lets out a cry of Jeogguk’s name, muffled against his shoulder. His mind goes blank for a couple of seconds, and despite feeling a bit too sensitive, he fucks Jeongguk through his orgasm, his hand still working on him fast until he eventually comes as well, painting Taehyung’s hand white.

“Shit,” Taehyung says, stroking Jeongguk slowly as writhes under him. He pulls back slowly, cock slipping out just as Jeongguk collapses under him, burying his face in the mattress. Taehyung can see the way his body moves up and down with each deep breath he takes.

As for Taehyung, he only has enough strength left in him to take the condom off and tie it, leaving it on top of the bedside table, before he has to flop onto the bed next to Jeongguk. He’s on his back, chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath.

They’re silent for a couple of minutes then, until Jeongguk eventually rolls on his side and looks at Taehyung. Taehyung, who is experiencing a severe case of sleepiness after sex, lazily blinks his eyes open when he feels Jeongguk move beside him.

“Hey,” Jeongguk calls, looking down at him with an amused expression. Taehyung blinks. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Fancy seeing you here, too,” Taehyung say, only now realizing how gravelly his voice sounds. He must have been louder than he thought, which makes him silently pray Jeongguk’s neighbors were not on the other side of the wall. He reaches out with one hand to Jeongguk’s shoulder, squeezes lightly as he says, “Sorry about that.”

“That? Please, it didn’t even hurt,” Jeongguk says, twisting his neck to steal a glance at his shoulder. “You’re good, baby vamp.”

Taehyung laughs at the pet name, finding it endearing for some reason.

Jeongguk is more than a hook-up, that much he’s known for a while, but he’s still surprised by the fact that he doesn’t immediately want to leave once the deed is gone. He looks up at Jeongguk, whose hair gently flops over his forehead as he looks at Taehyung with adoring eyes. For some reason, that makes him far shyer than the sex did.

“I have a question,” Jeongguk announces then. Taehyung just hums inquiringly, waiting until Jeongguk says, “So, did it look realistic?”

He doesn’t need to specify what it was—Taehyung knows right away what he means, mind going instantly back to the video. He laughs a little, finding it funny Jeongguk would bring it up straight after.

“Well, I don’t know what it looks like yet,” he says, Jeongguk’s eyebrow raising at the last word. “But it does sound good.”

“Might have to give you some more knowledge on the matter, then,” Jeongguk says, dropping down so he can press a kiss to Taehyung’s lips.

“Oh, really?” he asks, Jeongguk humming in response. “How would that go?”

“I think you need a visual next,” Jeongguk says. “Soon. How does tomorrow morning sound?”

“You’re asking me to come back tomorrow before work?”

“Nope. I’m asking you to stay,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung swallows down, but he forces himself to hold Jeongguk’s gaze. “What do you say?”

Tempting, that’s how it sounds. Reckless, dangerous, like everything Taehyung should be avoiding.

“You know what?” he says, in disbelief of the words coming out of his mouth. “I think I’m gonna have to take you up on that offer.”

≋

Without a doubt, the highlight of Taehyung’s morning the following day is Jeongguk keeping to his word when the two of them wake up. Followed closely would be having breakfast with him, as he discovered Jeongguk is a decent cook unlike him. But after that, everything just goes downhill.

He has to rush home to shower and get changed, a walk—drive?—of shame that he’s grown unfamiliar with over the years. After getting to work just in time he has one of the busiest days of filming ahead, including multiple scenes with Bogum and Diana and then, in the late evening, the blowjob scene that’s been driving Jeongguk up the wall.

It doesn’t seem like much, but even a handful of scenes can turn into long, long hours of filming. Taehyung isn’t used to having his presence be required for more than one scene a day and a couple of days during filming, but the amount of intimate scenes in this movie has been keeping him busy, both during the rehearsals and actual filming.

It doesn’t help that Anna is a perfectionist. She does take after take, even after she gets one she deems as perfect, just in case there’s a chance of a better one.

The day ends up being as insufferably long as it seemed. It gets to the point that Taehyung feels like he’d rather die than film the very last scene of the day. He drags himself to set with the most realistic fake smile he can muster up, seeing in the eyes of the rest of the crew that they’re all just as tired as he is. His messenger bag, full of all of the supplies he’ll need during filming, is heavy on his shoulder.

He’s about to take a seat and let himself rot for the next few minutes, until it’s time to get back to work, when he hears a voice happily greet the crew. And there he is, the one person who could make this last bit of Taehyung’s workday a little less painful: Jeon Jeongguk.

Of course, Taehyung was more than aware that he’d end up seeing Jeongguk today. What he wasn’t anticipating was to feel as stupidly happy to see him as he does, unable to keep the grin off his face as he watches Jeongguk appear. He politely greets everyone gathered there, but ultimately it’s Taehyung that he approaches.

“Good evening,” he chirps in English, as he always does when they’re on set. “How has your day been?”

“Dreadful,” Taehyung deadpans, eliciting a chuckle from Jeongguk. “How about yours?”

“Very relaxed,” he replies, Taehyung narrowing his eyes at him. “Jealousy is not a good look on you, Taehyung.”

“I won’t comment on that,” he says, giving Jeongguk a pointed look. He hopes that he can read through the lines, know that Taehyung is referring to the Bogum situation. There are too many people around them to say it explicitly, but judging by Jeongguk’s unapologetic grin, he must have gotten it. “I see you have some fake sweat situation going on.”

“You like it? I thought the overalls with the sweaty chest was a bit of an overkill, but I’m actually looking a lot less tacky than I anticipated,” Jeongguk says, looking down at himself. He’s obviously shirtless underneath, only one of the straps holding up the garment, so half of his chest and part of his lower abdomen is exposed.

Taehyung likes it, of course. But he’s not going to admit that, so he completely ignores that part.

“I mean, you’re meant to look a bit tacky,” he points out, teasing. “It’s Erin’s cheap porno-fantasy. You look the part.”

“Will you let me have this? Please,” Jeongguk protests, Taehyung laughing a little. “I was feeling good about myself. Don’t come ruin it.”

“Not my intention. Sorry,” he says, grin on his lips. Jeongguk rolls his eyes playfully. “Feeling nervous?”

“Nah. I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Jeongguk says. “I’ll do well.”

It’s easy to talk to Jeongguk, so easy that Taehyung is almost deflated when Diana and Anna eventually join them a few minutes later, ready for the filming to commence. Taehyung can’t help but feel proud as he watches the scene unfold—proud of Jeongguk for his improvement, but also proud of Diana for the chemistry they managed to create between the two of them. A little bit proud of himself, too, also for scripting the scene and helping to bring it to life.

Anna also seems pleased, but as it was to be expected, it takes a few takes for the actors to bring their full potential. And after that, of course, Anna wants to do a few more takes. Taehyung doesn’t know how long goes by until Anna calls for a five minutes break, calling Nadia, the make-up artist so she can reapply some foundation on both Jeongguk and Diana’s faces.

“We’re gonna need some more sweat,” Anna also instructs, as she stands from her chair. She fishes into her pocket, rescuing her phone and groaning as she looks at the screen. “God—I’ll be right back, my husband is blowing up my phone.”

Taehyung watches as Nadia works, first fixing the foundation on Jeongguk’s face before she moves to Diana, with whom she takes a little longer. She looks stressed, with barely enough time to fix her hair and make-up all by herself, so Taehyung takes matters into his own hands and reaches for the can of fake sweat—which is just a mixture of glycerin and water—that’s peeking out of her make-up bag.

“I got Jeongguk’s sweat,” he says, Nadia stealing a glance at him. “Take your time.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Nadia says, giving him a grateful look. “I’ll buy you a snack from the fancy machine just for this.”

“No need to,” Taehyung says with a laugh, approaching Jeongguk. He stands right across from him, Jeongguk giving him a funny look as Taehyung nods towards his overalls and says, “Gonna need you to take those off.”

“As you wish,” Jeongguk replies. Taehyung arches his eyebrow—not only is Jeongguk talking to him in barely a whisper, but he’s also speaking in Korean. Taehyung doesn’t comment on it, watching as Jeongguk takes the overalls down and fully exposes his chest and collarbones. “You’re so generous.”

“I am, right?” Taehyung says, playing along and speaking to Jeongguk in their mother tongue. “Such a kind soul.”

“Bet it was nothing to do with wanting to see me shirtless,” Jeongguk says. Taehyung lets out a snort, starting to spray the fake sweat at a safe distance from Jeongguk’s skin.

“You flatter yourself too much,” Taehyung says, but he still smiles at the words.

“You weren’t saying that last night when you—”

“Don’t you dare,” Taehyung says, lifting his eyes to see Jeongguk give him a satisfied look. “You’re the least discreet person I know.”

“I think you have no room for talking, Mr. I-Got-Jeongguk’s-Sweat,” he points out.

“Believe it or not, I was just being helpful,” Taehyung says, taking a step back. “Put that back on.”

Jeongguk obliges, putting the overalls back on. Taehyung reaches forward and fixes the strap that’s falling down—it didn’t look quite right. But Jeongguk, judging by the look he gives Taehyung, seems to think Taehyung just wanted an excuse to touch him.

Maybe he’s not that wrong.

Before he can do anything else he’ll regret, Anna comes back and Taehyung takes it as his cue to go back to what he’s always been—a professional. He steps away from Jeongguk, both him and Nadia going back to their positions away from the cameras.

Anna is talking, giving instructions both to Diana, Jeongguk and the crew. As Jeongguk gets ready to start filming again, he steals a quick look at Taehyung and gives him a wink.

And Taehyung, who has turned out to be far weaker than he deemed himself to be, can’t stop his heart from skipping a beat. He looks down at his hands, avoiding looking at Jeongguk until Anna calls action!, when he knows Jeongguk won’t even spare him a glance.

He hates to admit it, but there’s no denying it anymore. Jeongguk has him in the palm of his hand.

≋

The rest of filming goes by in a blur of late nights, endless hours on set and the occasional sneaking around with Jeongguk, whose interest hasn’t wavered after Taehyung finally gave in. Eventually, the last day of filming for Taehyung comes; just for him, because the rest of the cast still have a couple of weeks to go before they’re finished. All of the intimate scenes, however, will be done by the end of the day—if all goes well that is.

Taehyung is happy about it, of course. He has some more projects in the works, having a meeting scheduled for next week for a TV show. And it’s always good to finalize a project. But at the same time, he can’t help but feel a little sad. He enjoyed being around this cast and crew for the last few months, so he’s going to miss that part after it becoming routine to him.

He’s going to miss seeing Jeongguk every day at work, too. But when it comes to him, Taehyung knows he’ll be seeing him out of work hours.

The one scene they have to film today is the only one of his where all three of the main cast members appear. It’s not a particularly intense one, nor should it take long.

They’ve rehearsed this a few dozen times: how it starts with Jeongguk and Diana lying in bed, as her character imagines she’s with her old ex instead of her husband, and then Bogum switches places with Jeongguk as the camera pans over Diana’s body. Other than that, there’s nothing too remarkable: just cuddling, some kissing. It’s pretty tame compared to previous scenes.

But despite it not being complicated, as usual, they end up doing countless takes, so it’s unavoidable for Taehyung’s attention to wander.

He looks at Jeongguk, who is now off-shot as Bogum and Diana deliver their lines. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to him when he’s met with Jeongguk’s eyes already staring at him. Taehyung raises an eyebrow questioningly. Jeongguk simply grins, the two of them looking at each other for a while longer.

The entire exchange couldn’t last more than a minute, so Taehyung’s taken aback when he looks ahead again, just to find Diana and Bogum looking at him. And not just the two of them—most of the people in the room, Anna included, have their eyes on him.

“Sorry? I zoned out,” he admits, feeling his cheeks heat up.

Anna doesn’t seem bothered, just explains, “We were asking what you think. Diana and Bogum said it came out better during rehearsal, so we were wondering what you think.” Taehyung’s mouth parts, trying to come up with some sort of excuse, but it’s useless. “I think it’s best we take a small break. Come back in full force and all that.”

“That’s—yeah, thank you,” Taehyung says, still feeling embarrassed. “And I’m sorry.”

“No problem,” Anna says with a kind grin. “Go get some air, yeah?”

Taehyung nods, mumbling a thank you before he’s scurrying out of the tent with a deep breath. It’s dark outside now, but fortunately, it’s not too chilly. He can see some more crew members leave, some of them walking further away to have a cigarette, some of them staying nearby. It’s not too long until Nadia comes out, too, approaching him.

“Hey, Taehyung,” she calls, making Taehyung turn around to look at her. “You good, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just a bit zoned out. Tired and all,” he explains, hoping it’s enough to sate her curiosity.

“I mean, I do get it. Half the time I end up zoning out as well. It gets boring after the first four takes, or so,” she says, making Taehyung chuckle. “I would zone out with him right across from me, too.”

“Huh?”

“Jeongguk. He’s fine,” Nadia explains with a giggle, Taehyung suddenly feeling his heart drop at that. Maybe it was too foolish of him to hope people didn’t notice why he zoned out, especially considering he was looking at him. “You two get along well, right?”

She doesn’t seem to think too much of it, but Taehyung still feels his voice a little strained as he replies, “Yeah—I mean, he’s a very easy-going person. And we have similar backgrounds, so I guess it made it easier to bond.”

“I thought so. I mean, you two are always together when you’re free, so it wasn’t hard to guess,” Nadia says. “Don’t go telling him I said he’s hot, though. I’d be mortified.”

Taehyung forces out a smile, says, “I won’t. My lips are sealed.”

The two of them make small talk for a while after that, conversation thankfully steering away from Jeongguk as Nadia tells him she’s going to miss seeing him around set during the coming weeks. They only go head back when they notice the rest of the crew start to return, following them inside.

Taehyung feels Jeongguk’s eyes on him, boring holes in the side of his face, but he forces himself to avoid looking for as long as possible. Getting caught distracted like that was one too many times, and is far from the professional that Taehyung has worked for years to become.

For the rest of the evening, Taehyung only looks at Jeongguk when he’s reciting his lines in front of the camera. Nothing less, nothing more.

≋

Much to Taehyung’s dismay, he has to admit something: he’s a coward. He’s not proud of it, but his first instinct once they’re done with filming and it’s finally time to go home is to flee as fast as he can, avoid Jeongguk who still has to get himself cleaned up and change back into his own clothes.

On a normal day, he would have managed to do so. But on his last day of filming, when everyone wants to say goodbye to him, it turns out to be impossible.

Taehyung makes it to the parking lot before he hears a familiar voice call, “Taehyung, wait!”

His stomach churns uncomfortably when he hears Jeongguk, but despite being a coward he’s not an asshole, so he forces himself to stop and turn around. Jeongguk rushes over to him, bag slung over his shoulder as he approaches him.

“Hey, Jeongguk,” he says, finding it hard to even meet Jeongguk’s eyes.

“You left so damn fast. Thought you said you were gonna drive me back.” Taehyung’s eyes widen upon hearing that, only now remembering the promise he made Jeongguk earlier in the day. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s good. I forgot about driving you home, sorry,” he says, Jeongguk just shrugging. “Let’s go, then?”

Jeongguk’s eyes linger on him for a little longer, looking both concerned and unconvinced, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just nods, walking towards Taehyung’s car ceremoniously.

The car ride is almost strange, Taehyung would say. Over the past few months, they managed to make silences between them feel comfortable, but that’s not how it feels today. Jeongguk tries to fill the silence with some chit-chat, both about the crew members and the movie, but it doesn’t get too far.

It’s not that Taehyung is mad or upset with Jeongguk. The one person to blame here is no one but himself—he’s the one who broke the rules he set for himself, and also the one who got distracted and couldn’t do his job properly. He’s mad at himself and no one else.

Eventually, they make it to Jeongguk’s apartment, Taehyung parking a few meters away and turning in his seat to look at Jeongguk, who makes no move to leave.

“Hyung,” he says, enunciating slowly, “are you sure it’s all good? Because you’ve been off with me since we were on set, and I—”

“I’m just really tired today,” Taehyung interrupts, not in the mood to elaborate. Jeongguk gives him a disbelieving look. “That’s all.”

“I don’t believe that,” he insists. “If I’ve done something wrong or I’ve upset you, I would like for you to tell me.”

“You didn’t,” Taehyung repeats. Jeongguk still isn’t convinced, so Taehyung just clicks his tongue and says, “It’s not you who did. It’s me.”

Jeongguk seems puzzled for a moment, like he doesn’t know what Taehyung is referring to, but realization quickly washes over his face. “You mean because you got distracted?” Taehyung stays silent. “Hyung, that isn’t a big deal. It happens to everyone sometimes, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”

“It’s one thing for it to happen due to reasons I can’t control, but it’s a different thing entirely if it’s to do with me not acting the way I should. Getting distracted by a man because I can’t keep it in my pants.” Jeongguk clicks his tongue, about to say something, but now that Taehyung has started he can’t bring himself to stop. “I—I should be a professional, I should act like one.”

“I think you’re beating yourself up over it too much.”

“It’s easy for you to say that. But my job is a lot more precarious than yours—people will tolerate actors with stinking attitudes, but when you work behind the scenes everyone expects efficiency from you. That’s the way the industry works,” Taehyung says. At that, Jeongguk stays quiet. “I shouldn’t have—god, this was all a mistake.”

Jeongguk frowns at that. “You mean that I was a mistake?” he asks, hurt dripping from his tone. When Taehyung shakes his head he asks again, “That getting with me was a mistake?”

“No, Jeongguk. You’re not a mistake. The mistake is letting my personal affairs affect how I do my job. It’s not because I’m with you,” he tries to explain. Jeongguk doesn’t reply right away, but the hurt expression doesn’t leave his face. “It’s because I can’t separate the two as I should.”

“Wasn’t your ex also an actor?” Jeongguk brings up.

Taehyung tenses up at the mention of Seojoon, as this is the last thing he was expecting for Jeongguk to bring up. “It’s different. I never worked with him on a movie, so there was no interfering,” Taehyung says, watching as Jeongguk tongues the inside of his cheek. “And even so, after we split up, I told myself I wouldn’t get with any other actors because our schedules—”

“I’m right here, Taehyung,” Jeongguk interrupts, tone stern. Taehyung’s mouth clams shut. “If you don’t even want to try to make it work out just say that, but don’t give any excuses like the one you’re giving now before we even start.”

Taehyung holds Jeongguk’s gaze, feeling all the turmoil he’s felt for the past few months come back to him, after thinking he was over it. It’s fucking ridiculous because as much as he likes Jeongguk, getting with him would imply breaking every rule he’s set for himself. What if it works out? is what he asks himself sometimes when he tries to make himself feel less guilty.

But what if it doesn’t?

“I’m trying,” is all he says.

“If this is you trying, I don’t even want to know what it’d be like if you didn’t,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung wincing at the words. “What if we get cast in another movie together in the future, eh? Would you push me away? Would we have to pretend we don’t know each other so you can do your job right?”

“Jeongguk, I—”

“Maybe you’re right,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung swallowing down thickly as he hears the words. “Maybe you really can’t separate the two, and this was all a mistake.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But maybe it’s true,” Jeongguk says. “I should have taken the hint after the first time we kissed, shouldn’t I?”

Taehyung looks down at his hands, wondering how the conversation turned out so incredibly wrong. “Is that what you want, then? To break it off?”

Jeongguk’s expression is blank when Taehyung looks back up, and he just shrugs his shoulders. “I think it might be for the best.”

It feels like a kick to the stomach, Taehyung clenching his fist in his lap. All he can bring himself to do is nod. “Alright,” he says after a few seconds. “I hear you.”

“Thanks for the ride,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung nodding once again. “Bye, Taehyung.”

“Bye, Jeongguk,” he says, as Jeongguk unbuckles his seatbelt and leaves the car.

He probably should drive off right away, aware that Jeongguk doesn’t want him to stay behind, but Taehyung doesn’t even move in his seat until he sees Jeongguk disappear inside his building. Not even then does he turn the engine on—he leans forward, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

It’s for the best, he tells himself. It’s better this way.

Still, it’s hard to believe his own words. After all of these months, Jeongguk’s indifference feels like the worst possible end to what they had.

≋

For the next couple of days, Taehyung is lonely. Years have taught him that the unhealthiest, most counterproductive way to deal with a problem is to isolate, so naturally, that’s precisely what he does. Call it self-punishment, call it masochism or even idiocy. He locks himself inside his apartment and replies just enough to his friend so they don’t worry and think he’s dead.

But they definitely feel something is off. Why else would Jimin show up at his place on the third day, if not because he knows something’s wrong with Taehyung?

He doesn’t look pissed when Taehyung opens the door, finding his best friend standing on the other side, but he looks worried—there’s a furrow in his brows, lips lightly pursed out as he watches Taehyung appear before his eyes.

“Thank god,” Jimin says, sounding almost relieved. “Can I come in?”

“Not even a hello?” Taehyung asks, stepping aside so Jimin can step into his apartment. It earns him a pointed look from Jimin, who seems somewhere between disbelieving and annoyed as he kicks his shoes off. “What’s up?”

“Funny you ask,” Jimin says, fully stepping inside the apartment. Taehyung closes the door behind him, watching as Jimin twirls on his heels and asks him, “Taehyung-ah, how well do we know each other?”

It’s a trick question, Taehyung knows. He still replies, “Quite well, I’d say.”

“Exactly,” Jimin says. “So I find it even insulting that you think you can fool me. What’s wrong?”

Taehyung holds Jimin’s gaze for a couple of seconds, looking for the words to verbalize the ugly feeling eating him from the inside. What can he say? That he and Jeongguk had an argument? That they broke up? Nothing feels fitting—it was far more than an argument, and they were never even together in the first place.

He doesn’t really need to say anything, though. His shoulders slouch then, and that’s all Jimin needs before he’s stepping forward and pulling Taehyung into a hug. Jimin’s smaller than Taehyung is, both in height and in width, but he’s for sure the best hugger that Taehyung has ever met. He can’t help but curl into it, wrapping his arms around Jimin’s body.

“Do you want to talk about it or would you prefer we do something else?” Jimin asks. Taehyung being left alone is out of the question from the start, given that Jimin knows—and disapproves—of Taehyung’s tendencies to close off from the world when upset.

“We can talk about it,” Taehyung says, starting to pull back. “I think I need to or I’ll end up going crazy.”

“C’mon, then,” Jimin says, nodding his head towards the living area. “Let’s make some tea and sit down.”

That they do, the two of them quietly shuffling around the kitchen and leaving the talk for once they’re sitting on the couch, drinks in their hands. And once Taehyung starts talking, he finds it hard to stop.

He had told Jimin briefly about when he got with Jeongguk, of course, but now he goes into full detail—about how hard it was to resist, about how he ended up giving himself a chance to manage a relationship while working on set just to royally fuck up. He tells him about the incident the other day while filming, and about the entire argument. How Jeongguk concluded that it was actually better for them to not be together.

Talking doesn’t make it better; it doesn’t hurt any worse, but the pressure in his chest doesn’t lessen either. He ends up tearing up, both because he’s upset and because he’s incredibly frustrated—at himself, mostly.

“You need to stop putting so much pressure on yourself all the time,” Jimin tells him by the time he’s done. “You got distracted—so what? It was late in the evening, you had been working the whole day and you lost focus for a moment. It doesn’t make you a bad professional.”

“It wasn’t a big deal because Anna is understanding, but not everyone is,” Taehyung says. If only he could explain. “Just—I can’t keep doing that.”

“Doing what?” Jimin asks with a frown.

The words eat away at Taehyung, who bites down on his bottom lip. For a few seconds, he debates on whether he should say it or not, but it’s Jimin. If there’s someone he can admit this to, it’s him.

“Putting guys over my job,” Taehyung says eventually, watching something in Jimin’s expression shift. “I did it for Seojoon—I left the job I had for years and went to school for, completely changed career paths and moved halfway across the world, and for what? And then I was with Jeongguk, and being with him made me start to fuck up at work, and I—”

“Hey, hey—breathe, c’mon,” Jimin interrupts, gripping Taehyung’s shoulder with one hand. He lets out a sigh, muffled as Jimin says, “Is this what’s worrying you? How things went with Seojoon?”

Taehyung’s fists clench in his lap, unsure of how to answer Jimin. Ever since he and Seojoon broke up, the truth is Taehyung’s dating life has been stale. He hadn’t met anyone who interested him until Jeongguk, so in the past few years, it’s not like he had anything serious. Not that he was seeking it—he had other things to worry about, and at first, didn’t think he was ready for another relationship.

And then, after some time, he just… didn’t bother seeking anything. He couldn’t see it working out.

“We were going to break up before he moved here,” Taehyung confesses. “He asked me to come with him and at first I said no, so we were going to break up, but I—I loved him. I wanted it to work out. But even if I moved continents and left everything behind for it to work, it didn’t.”

So how am I supposed to make something else work, he wants to add. He doesn’t, but he thinks Jimin can read between the lines.

“Do you regret coming here?” Jimin asks after a pause.

The question is loaded—is something Taehyung has thought about a lot, though, so he does have an answer. “I wouldn’t say I regret it. I’m happy here, and LA has brought me great things—you, for starters. And I do like my job,” Taehyung says. “But I also left so much behind. Sometimes I can’t help but think maybe I made a mistake, leaving everything I had for a relationship that I ended up ruining.”

“Tae. It’s not your fault,” Jimin says, voice gentle as he shuffles closer on the couch, giving Taehyung’s knee a squeeze. “Sometimes things don’t work out between two people no matter how much we want them to. But it’s unfair to pin it all in yourself.”

“I’m to blame too, though.”

“No one’s to blame. It just didn’t work out and that’s it. It’s no one’s fault,” Jimin says. “C’mon—you know this. And you know it definitely doesn’t mean that you’re bad as a lover. You’re sabotaging yourself.”

“You think I’m looking too much into it?”

“I think you’re scared because of what happened with Seojoon. I think you’re scared of risking too much, risking your job and losing it and then potentially losing Jeongguk, too,” Jimin says. “But Tae, it’s not the same at all. You getting momentarily distracted doesn’t mean you’re unprofessional, or that you’re putting your relationship before your job. You can reconcile your private and personal lives—you’re not giving yourself enough credit.”

Taehyung closes his eyes, trying to let Jimin’s words sink in until he starts believing them, but it doesn’t work out. Sabotaging himself, he said. Is it possible that he ruined things between him and Jeongguk before they could even properly begin?

“He said himself that maybe it was for the best that we weren’t together,” Taehyung mumbles in response, thinking back to the words Jeongguk said to him in the car.

“It could be that he felt like he was the only one trying, and didn’t feel like you were as invested in making things work between you two. You know, with you being so reluctant and reacting so strongly the other day,” Jimin offers. Taehyung sighs. “You like him, right? You want to be with him?”

It’s not really a question, more so a confirmation that Taehyung can’t bring himself to refute. It’s been years since someone made him feel the way Jeongguk does—since someone made him nervous, made it so he couldn’t wait to see them again and got startled by every notification in his phone, wishing it was them. After everything that’s happened, Taehyung thinks that liking him is even a bit of an understatement.

“I do. I like him a lot,” he admits, watching as the corners of Jimin’s mouth lift into a small smile.

“I don’t think it’s unfixable,” Jimin says. “Try to talk to him, maybe? You can explain things to him like you have with me, and I’m sure he’ll understand.

Taehyung sinks back against the couch, exhaling through his nose as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I hope you’re right,” he says, feeling a pang of guilt as he thinks back to the other day. “He seemed really upset when he thought I meant us ever getting together was a mistake.”

“So clarify,” Jimin says, leaning forward so he can pull Taehyung into a loose hug. “You’re good at apologies. Who could resist a face like this?”

He says that last part pinching Taehyung’s cheek, which makes him tut as he tries to slap Jimin’s hand away. When he doesn’t let go, Taehyung can’t help but smile a little.

“I’ll make puppy eyes at him,” he jokes. “And if that fails, then I’ll simply give up.”

“No giving up, oi,” Jimin says. “But I’m glad you know what your best assets are and that you’re using them to your advantage.”

Taehyung takes a deep sigh at that, just as Jimin leans forward a bit more and hooks his chin over Taehyung’s shoulder. Taehyung shifts a little, allowing Jimin to hug him more comfortably.

In a way, he does feel better. Jimin always helps him see things from a different point of view, giving him a gentle nudge in the right direction when he struggles to see where that is. Or more so, when he gets too stuck in his head to see that the solution is right in front of him.

He doesn’t know what’s going to happen with Jeongguk. He’s going to try to explain and properly apologize for hurting him, even if that was the last of his intentions. But the rest is completely up to him.

≋

In the end, Taehyung decides to listen to Jimin’s advice and, in his own best friend’s words, grow some balls and apologize. He’s tempted to text Jeongguk to ask him to meet up somewhere, but he’s unsure about whether that’s a good idea; there’s a chance Jeongguk won’t even get back to him, not wanting to hear him out.

So instead, Taehyung decides to go and find Jeongguk himself without any warning. That very same evening, after Jimin leaves, he gets in his car and drives to the film set. He had a peek at the schedule for the rest of the week before leaving, so unless any drastic changes were made after he left, Jeongguk should still be there.

Taehyung waits in his car, parked right outside the exit. The good thing about a place like LA is that people usually don’t care to pay much attention to others; none of his former co-workers ever paid too much attention to Taehyung’s old car, so no one seems to recognize him or approach him. Taehyung looks through the rearview mirror, waiting until he sees Jeongguk’s familiar form appear. He doesn’t know how long he spends there, just sitting and waiting, but it’s so long that he’s about to give up. Maybe some adjustments were made and Jeongguk didn’t have to film this evening, and that’s why he’s taking so long.

Taehyung is about to give up and drive away, giving himself five more minutes before he leaves, when it happens. He sees Jeongguk appear, clad in a big bomber jacket and a pair of black jeans. Immediately, Taehyung opens the door to his car and gets out, calling, “Jeongguk, wait.”

Jeongguk seems almost startled as he turns around, his eyes falling on Taehyung with a hint of confusion and surprise. He doesn’t approach Taehyung, but he doesn’t move back when Taehyung walks to him, either. He just stands there, frozen in place.

“Taehyung,” he says, tone almost tentative, like he’s not quite sure it’s actually Taehyung standing across from him. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” Taehyung says, watching Jeongguk’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallows down. “Can we?”

“Depends,” comes Jeongguk’s answer. “What do you wanna talk about?”

Taehyung almost finds it hard to get out his words, but he replies, “About us, if that’s okay. About the other day.”

It makes him nervous to see how Jeongguk’s lips part silently for a few seconds, as if he’s not sure what to say. In the end, he says, “I don’t know what there is to talk about.” Taehyung feels himself wince a little. “I thought we had come to an agreement.”

“I just—I want to apologize,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk silently holding his gaze. “I’m not happy with how we left things. I’m not happy we left things. So if you could please let me explain.”

Jeongguk’s nose flares then as he takes a deep breath, and Taehyung feels like there’s a fist around his heart, squeezing tightly. Those seconds feel endless, until Jeongguk finally says, “Okay. Let’s talk, but not here.”

There are still some people coming out of the studio, a couple of them looking curiously at Jeongguk and Taehyung, so it’s probably better that they leave. No one has come close enough to hear them, probably not even enough to recognize them with how dark it is in the parking lot, but it’s better to go elsewhere if they want to have a conversation like this. So Jeongguk follows Taehyung to the car, just the faint smell of Jeongguk’s cologne in the limited space of his car enough to remind Taehyung of the other day.

They don’t drive far, just a couple of blocks away until Taehyung parks so they can talk. He turns around a little, just to find Jeongguk already facing him, a stern look on his face.

“So…” Jeongguk starts, an invitation for Taehyung to start talking.

“So,” Taehyung repeats, stopping to take a breath. “I just—I should have probably prepared what I want to say beforehand, so I’m sorry if this is all over the place, but I guess I should start by saying that I really like you, and that I really want to be with you.” Jeongguk’s mouth twitches a little at that, but Taehyung doesn’t let that stop him. “And I know it’s not easy to believe when you’ve seen me hesitate so much, and I’ve been so worried about everything except how my doubts made you feel. But I want you to know that I wasn’t holding back because I didn’t want to be with you.”

“Then why was it you were holding back?” Jeongguk asks. “Because Taehyung, the other night it felt like I was the only one who actually wanted us together, meanwhile you were just looking for excuses to put an end to everything.”

“I was worried about my job, and—listen, I know you think maybe I’ve been overreacting with that whole thing. Now that I look back at it, I can see I was too in my own head about it, but there’s a reason why,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk waiting patiently for him to elaborate. “You know I moved here with Seojoon years ago, and that I quit my job as a licensed therapist in order to do so. So many times now, I’ve questioned if I should have done that, if I really should have put a relationship before my job only for it to end up failing anyway. I guess I was scared of that happening again.”

“Of quitting your job or of us breaking up?”

“Of both, kind of?” he says, watching Jeongguk quickly avert his eyes. “Not exactly quitting, but of not acting the way I should. So the other day I panicked because I thought I was already messing up my priorities again. But like I said, I realize I got too in my head about it and overreacted.”

Jeongguk nods at that, pursing his lips like there’s something else he wants to say. It’s a couple of seconds before he asks, “And about us not working out? You really think that?”

“It’s not that I think we won’t work out,” he tries to explain. “I’m just scared of it. And of what it says about me.”

“Because of what happened with your ex?” Jeongguk asks, earning himself a quick nod from Taehyung. “It says nothing about you, hyung. Relationships end.”

“I know that. And the rational part of me knows that, but when you’ve sacrificed so much for a person and a relationship just for it to end up not working out, it’s hard not to blame yourself,” Taehyung says with a shrug, looking down at his hands, fidgeting in his lap. “I guess I’m just scared of ending up lonely.”

There’s a beat of silence after that, Taehyung unable to look up at Jeongguk during it. He doesn’t lift his eyes again until Jeongguk gently calls, “Hyung.” He bites down on his lip, then adds, “I’m sorry about what I said the other day. About how maybe you were right and you weren’t able to separate—I didn’t mean it. I was just upset.”

“It’s okay,” Taehyung says with a slight nod. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I just—it’s what I said earlier, I just felt like I was the only one who had any interest in things working out because you were not all that interested in me. In us,” Jeongguk says. “But I get why you were worried. I understand, and I accept your apology.”

“You do?” Taehyung asks, more shocked by the revelation than he’s proud to admit. For some reason, he wasn’t expecting Jeongguk to give him the time of the day.

“I do. And, like—if you want, we can try to make it work,” Jeongguk says then. “But you need to let me in. And if you have doubts, about anything, I’d rather you tell me instead of letting it fester into something worse like it did this time.”

Taehyung blinks at Jeongguk, then says, “I—I’ll work on that.” Jeongguk gives him a pointed look, eyebrows raised. “I’ll do that.”

“Much better,” Jeongguk says, and for the first time that night, his mouth curls up into a small smile, his teeth peeking out from behind his lips. He offers his hand to Taehyung, who doesn’t hesitate before reaching forward and taking it in his own. “Because I’m crazy about you, Kim Taehyung.”

Taehyung’s heart skips a beat, long fingers curling around Jeongguk’s hand over the console. He feels almost shy looking in Jeongguk’s eyes, never been too good at voicing his feelings or handling confessions.

Still, he’s trying to prove to Jeongguk that he can do this. That giving him another chance isn’t a mistake.

So he says, “And I’m crazy about you.” Jeongguk gives him a funny look, eyebrow quirked as he grins. “I really like you, Jeongguk-ah.”

Jeongguk doesn’t reply to that—instead, he leans over the console and cradles Taehyung’s cheek in one hand, pressing a kiss against his lips. His lips are tender and gentle, making the tips of Taehyung’s fingers tingle as he reaches for Jeongguk’s jacket, holding it as he kisses back.

And in that moment, Taehyung realizes. It’s not worth it to worry about the future, or about what will happen in a month, or even in a year or two. Not when he has Jeongguk right here, right now.

≋

Jeongguk proves himself to be, in Taehyung’s humble opinion, the best boyfriend that anyone could ask for. Not only is he handsome and attractive as hell, but he’s also incredibly affectionate, attentive and one of the kindest people Taehyung knows. And on top of that, as if it weren’t enough, he’s also a very good lay. So really, the positives outdo the negatives.

The negatives—well, the negative, singular, is that Jeongguk is a smartass. A smartass that likes to throw Taehyung’s own words back in his face. And at the worst possible times, too.

“Hyung,” he calls then, body covering Taehyung’s as he kisses him down onto the bed, one hand on Taehyung’s hip. Taehyung has both his arms around Jeongguk’s neck, dragging him closer and trying to shush him with another kiss because this is not the time for talking. It doesn’t work, though, as Jeongguk asks, “Remember what you told me during one of our first sessions?”

“I don’t know, Jeongguk-ah,” Taehyung says. “I’ve told you so many things.”

He tries to surge forward again, tries to kiss him, but Jeongguk just pulls back a little and laughs. Laughs at him.

“But this is something that stuck out to me,” he says, moving down and pressing a kiss against Taehyung’s neck. Taehyung sighs at the feeling, throwing his head back so Jeongguk can kiss more of his skin, but instead, he carries on saying, “You said, the key to a good intimate scene is showing vulnerability.”

“Hmm? Yeah, I did say that,” Taehyung says, finding it hard to focus on the words when Jeongguk’s mouth starts working on the column of his throat once again. He can’t help but arch his body against Jeongguk’s, the semi growing in the front of his boxers pressing against Jeongguk’s body.

“So I figure it’s pretty much the same in real life,” Jeongguk says, both of his hands moving and settling around Taehyung’s waist, giving a squeeze. Taehyung is doing his best to follow along, he really is, but it’s so hard when Jeongguk’s touch on his bare skin is making him feel like he’s in flames. “So you should follow your own advice.”

Taehyung lets out something that was intended to be an ironic chuckle, but it comes out far too hoarse and strained to be considered so. He says, “What exactly do you mean by that? I am vulnerable.”

“Not true. You always gotta have some sort of control over the situation,” Jeongguk observes, words muffled against Taehyung’s skin as he kisses down his collarbone, down his chest. They make Taehyung frown. “So I want you to let me take care of you.”

Right as he says that, Jeongguk lowers himself a little and presses his tongue against Taehyung’s nipple, the bud hardening under Jeongguk’s mouth. As Jeongguk grazes his teeth against it, sending a shiver down Taehyung’s spine, he concludes he doesn’t have it in him to deny Jeongguk of anything he asks right now.

“So do it,” Taehyung says, Jeongguk looking up at him with a devious grin as he says that. “Take care of me, Jeongguk-ah.”

It’s almost as if those words were the green light Jeongguk was looking for, as if he didn’t know Taehyung would put himself in his hands at any given time. He keeps kissing down, down, down, teeth nibbling softly at the patch of skin on Taehyung’s navel before he moves further down, nuzzling his face against the tent of Taehyung’s underwear. It makes him sigh, but nothing compared to the groan he lets out when Jeongguk presses his tongue against the garment, licking up the print of Taehyung’s cock.

It’s so easy to become putty under Jeongguk’s hands, so easy that Taehyung is almost offended Jeongguk thinks he doesn’t let himself be vulnerable in bed with him. So Taehyung just lets himself be at Jeongguk’s mercy, lets him strip him off his boxers, and go down on him, pink lips wrapping around his cock as he takes him in his mouth.

He can’t help but grip onto a fistful of Jeongguk’s hair, his hold tight enough to hurt. But Jeongguk doesn’t complain—it makes him moan, the vibrations of his throat feeling like heaven around Taehyung’s dick. His hips buck up into Jeongguk’s mouth when he reaches down and fondles his balls, making Jeongguk choke a little as he hits the back of his throat.

“Fuck—Jeongguk-ah, don’t make me come like that,” he says, his words sounding more like a plea to his own ears than anything else.

Jeongguk pulls back at that, grinning up at Taehyung with his lips looking red and slick, drool down his chin. Messy, but that’s how Taehyung likes it. “I got you, baby,” he says, and Taehyung’s face burns even hotter—if that’s possible. “What do you want me to do to you, then?”

He starts moving already, like he already knows the answer, so he’s face to face with Taehyung by the time he replies, “I want you to fuck me.”

And it’s not the first time Jeongguk has fucked him, not at all, but it still makes him smirk like it’s his first time he hears the words. “Your wish,” he says, ducking down and pressing a kiss against Taehyung lips, “is my command.”

He pulls away too soon, leaving Taehyung unsatisfied and waiting for more as Jeongguk leans over to the bedside table and retrieves the lube. It’s not more than a few seconds, but by the time Jeongguk is back, Taehyung reaches for his face, kissing him slow and deep.

Jeongguk is the one who pulls back, breaking the kiss and starting to make his way down Taehyung’s body once again. He lets him go reluctantly, but he guesses it stops feeling like such a bad idea to let him go once Jeongguk is back between his legs, a palm pressed against the inside of his thigh as he presses two slicked-up fingers against Taehyung’s rim.

It feels good to be taken care of, especially as Jeongguk wraps his lips around the head of his cock once again, taking him in his mouth as he pumps two fingers in and out of him. It makes him come undone little by little until he’s nothing but a writhing, moaning mess, unable to keep himself from asking Jeongguk for more—asking him for his cock.

“I got you, beautiful,” Jeongguk says, one of his hands moving to Taehyung’s hip as he says that. The words make Taehyung’s heart rattle in his ribcage.

His jaw falls slack the moment he feels the head of Jeongguk’s cock press against his entrance, Jeongguk’s hands keeping a sturdy grip on his hips. He slides in slowly, giving Taehyung time to savor every inch of him that slides against his walls until he’s fully in. And god, it feels so fucking good—he feels so out of it already, his heart beating wildly as he watches Jeongguk tower over him, as he rejoices in the slight burn of the intrusion.

And then Jeongguk starts moving, and Taehyung feels like this is the closest he’s ever getting to heaven. He lets out a low, gravelly moan, eyes squeezing shut as he feels his entire body jolt with pleasure.

“Eyes on me, baby,” Jeongguk calls. His voice is gentle as always, but Taehyung still finds himself compelled to oblige, blinking his eyes open. “That’s right. I want you to look at me when I fuck you.”

“Fuck, Jeongguk,” Taehyung says, feeling so affected by those few words that it’s almost embarrassing. “You feel so thick.”

Jeongguk fucks him deep and slow, eyes on Taehyung the entire time. It’s not long until he’s moving, readjusting the position so he’s lying over him, now able to lean down and kiss him languidly. Taehyung thinks he likes it even more like this—with his legs wrapped tightly around Jeongguk’s waist, moaning into his mouth as he makes him feel this good.

Taehyung has always been babbly, but right now, he doesn’t find it in himself to string a single sentence together. His hands grip at the bedsheets with so much force he’s sure his knuckles must be white, the feeling of Jeongguk’s body on top of him as he fucks him becoming too much for him to keep a clear head.

All he can manage to get out is Jeongguk’s name—he calls it over and over, like a chant, going from small whispers to loud moans the closer he gets to the edge. The room feels hot, headboard banging against the wall as Jeongguk’s thrusts become rougher, messier. He pulls back a little then, looks at Taehyung through half-lidded eyes.

“You feel so good around me, hyung,” he says, dark locks of hair falling over his forehead. His face is covered by a thin layer of sweat, face flushed and pretty. “I could—I could fuck you like this all day.”

It makes Taehyung mewl, clenching around Jeongguk as he hears the word. “Just like that,” he calls, his hands leaving the bedsheets, going to Jeongguk instead. One of them buries in Jeongguk’s hair, the other grips at his shoulder, tight. “I’m gonna come so soon, Guk-ah.”

Jeongguk moans then, surging forward and pressing his mouth against Taehyung’s neck. The new angle is perfect, hitting all the right spots inside of Taehyung that have him jolting up, body stopped by Jeongguk’s on top of his. “C’mon then, baby,” he says. Taehyung gasps then, feeling Jeongguk’s hand curl around his cock, starting to stroke him in fast motions. “Come for me.”

And it becomes almost too overwhelming, the feeling of Jeongguk’s deep thrusts in tandem with his hand around Taehyung’s cock. It’d be embarrassing how loud he’s getting if not for the fact that he’s too far gone and this is Jeongguk. Jeongguk, who takes care of him, and makes him feel good, and who’s making him come harder than he remembers doing in a while. Taehyung’s mind goes blank when he reaches his orgasm, spilling white over his and Jeongguk’s stomachs, over his hand. His body tenses up momentarily, feeling the euphoria of coming almost in every cell of his body before he goes limp under Jeongguk.

It’s only then that Jeongguk pulls out, muttering a curse under his breath as he removes himself from Taehyung, who lets out a sound at the feeling. Their eyes are on each other right after that, as Jeongguk gets rid of the condom and takes his cock in one hand, starting to jerk himself off fast and hard.

It’s only a matter of seconds before he’s coming, too, Taehyung watching as he paints his hand white. He’s not sure what possesses him then, but he finds himself sitting back up, taking Jeongguk’s hand in his own and taking it to his mouth, licking it clean of come.

Jeongguk watches, eyes big and dark and wide, but all he says is a muttered, “Fuck.”

The two of them look at each other, their chests heaving and their pants filling the room, which suddenly feels so quiet without the sound of their moans bouncing off the walls. It’s not uncomfortable, though—Taehyung enjoys the quiet. He likes it so much that he doesn’t say anything as Jeongguk leans forward, cupping Taehyung’s face and giving him a slow, tender kiss.

Taehyung’s the one who pulls back this time, asking, “So, well?” Jeongguk gives him a confused look, and so Taehyung insists, “Vulnerable enough? Do I get the seal of approval?”

“Oh, god,” Jeongguk says with a chuckle, the confusion being replaced with a smile. “I mean—you were kind of bossy still, making demands and all. But it was great nevertheless.”

“I was not bossy,” protests Taehyung, allowing for Jeongguk to push him down onto the mattress with a hand splayed across his chest. “When have I ever been bossy?”

“You’re bossy in every single aspect of your life,” Jeongguk retorts. Taehyung makes an offended sound. “Your job is bossing actors around. It bleeds into real life.”

“I’m not bossy. I just know what I want,” Taehyung retorts, making Jeongguk snort as he lies down too, kissing his shoulder. “That’s called being assertive.”

“You know what, that’s kind of hot,” Jeongguk mumbles. “You’re really hot, hyung. And I really like you.”

Taehyung finds himself grinning impossibly wide at that, cheeks almost hurting. “Good to know, because I really like you back.”

It’s a bit of a lie, though. Not because he doesn’t like Jeongguk. It’s just—these days like doesn’t seem to cover it. He hasn’t told Jeongguk just yet, but he will eventually. After all, they have plenty of time.

≋

Oddly enough, Jeongguk grew extremely fond of Taehyung’s apartment, despite its shoebox size. There was no trace of the high ceilings and the minimalistic decor that characterized Jeongguk’s place; instead, this was a too-small and overpriced space where Taehyung struggled to make all of his belongings fit. He had grown fond of it eventually, though. And apparently, so did Jeongguk.

So they ended up spending a lot of their time there, be it watching a movie or simply enjoying each other’s company. The beginning stages of dating feel almost foreign to Taehyung, who’s now rediscovering the joy of being in someone else’s company without any purpose other than spending time together.

Tonight, Jeongguk is over and the two of them have ordered some take-out from Jimin and Taehyung’s—and now Jeongguk’s too, it seems—absolute favorite Chinese restaurant. They put on a random film they found on Netflix, neither of them paying too much attention to it as they prefer to mindlessly chat.

They got a lot of prawn crackers with their food, which Taehyung is grateful for because they might as well be his favorite thing to eat—not the food he likes the most, a very important distinction that not many people seem to get. But he does love himself some prawn crackers.

So when he runs out his own, probably far faster than he should have for such a big amount, he sneakily reaches over into Jeongguk’s pile and steals one. Jeongguk doesn’t seem to notice, still looking at the TV and showing no signs of having caught him. That makes him feel confident—it’s only a couple of minutes after the first time that he’s reaching out again, about to steal one more.

“Hyung,” Jeongguk calls. Taehyung’s arm freezes in place, almost as if he had gotten caught committing an unspeakable offense. “I saw you the first time, you know.”

He turns around then, his expression more amused than anything else. Taehyung still withdraws his arm slowly, pulling the most innocent expression that he can manage as he explains, “I just really like prawn crackers.”

“So do I,” Jeongguk says, eyebrows raising.

“I ran out of mine already,” Taehyung keeps explaining, hoping he hits a soft spot. “Could I have some?”

“I keep telling you, you should leave the food you like most for the end of the meal.” Taehyung groans at that, remembering the conversation Jeongguk and him have had more times than he can count now. It’s proof of how different they are; Taehyung always eats his favorite things first, impatient, while Jeongguk always leaves them for last so he can enjoy his last bite the most. As of now, neither of them has been able to convince the other that their technique is better.

“Please, Jeongguk-ah,” Taehyung calls. “You know I love prawn crackers.”

“And you know I love you,” Jeongguk says, almost nonchalantly. “But these are sacred.”

Taehyung swears he feels his heart jump out of his chest now, as the cork of a bottle of champagne would. He sits up straight on the couch then, unable to stop a wide, shit-eating grin from creeping to his face as he says, “I know what?”

It seems like it only hits Jeongguk what his words were right then, the tips of his ears getting red as his shoulders tense up. “Oh, my god,” he says with a groan. “I can’t—Jesus, I can’t believe I just said that.”

“Are you regretting it already, huh?” Taehyung says in a teasing manner, shifting closer so he can bump his shoulder against Jeongguk’s. “Is this like post-nut regret?”

“Not regret, and I do mean it,” Jeongguk says, avoiding meeting Taehyung’s eyes by entertaining himself with looking everywhere but at him—the carpet, the TV, the food on the coffee table. Everywhere. “I just didn’t want to tell you over crackers out of all the possible ways.”

“So you loooove me,” Taehyung says, dragging out the syllable until Jeongguk groans. “And you—”

“Enough,” Jeongguk interrupts, sounding more embarrassed now than Taehyung thinks he’s ever heard him. “Unless you’re gonna say it back, I don’t want to hear another word on the matter.”

And that makes Taehyung smile, really. He stays silent then, leaning forward so he can leave his food and chopsticks on the table. Then, he reaches for Jeongguk’s face and holds it between his palms, making him look right into his eyes. “Jeongguk,” he enunciates slowly. “I love you, literally so fucking much. Good?”

Jeongguk stares back, eyes wide like this is the least likely scenario that he ever saw happening. He blinks at Taehyung, then says, “Good.”

“Great,” says Taehyung, letting go of Jeongguk’s face and reaching forward once again, rescuing his take-out. He feels Jeongguk’s eyes following his every movement, watching him as he asks, “So can I have some more crackers, then?”

“It was all a scheme to get me to give them to you, wasn’t it?” Jeongguk asks, tone lighthearted.

Taehyung could deny it, say he’s serious. Or he could play along. “It might have been, yes.”

“Fine, then,” Jeongguk says, no bite in his voice. “Take them all, you fucking dick.”

Taehyung smiles to himself, pleased with Jeongguk’s answer. He’s so going to get them, but before doing so, he leans closer and presses a kiss to Jeongguk’s cheek. His lips are a bit oily, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem to care too much.

“Thanks, babe,” he says. “Love you.”

He reaches forward, getting another cracker, and while doing so he steals a glance at Jeongguk just to see him rolling his eyes. Odd, Taehyung thinks. Odd, and very different from the huge smile plastered on his face.

≋

Taehyung is drunk by the time he and Jeongguk stumble into Taehyung’s place; both on the champagne he had earlier tonight at the premiere—that he swears he can still feel fizzing in his veins—and the copious kisses they shared in the elevator.

He trips over something, nearly falling and taking Jeongguk down to the floor with him, as he has his arms wrapped around his neck, but the two of them just giggle. Jeongguk kisses him again, arms tight around Taehyung and clearly not bothered at all by Taehyung’s chronic clumsiness, highlighted now in his tipsy state.

“So,” Jeongguk starts, words hushed against Taehyung’s lips, “did you like it? Was it what you expected?”

He’s talking about the premiere. When Jeongguk asked him to accompany him to what would be their very first public outing as a couple, Taehyung felt nervous. It was a step he and Seojoon never took, and one that he was unsure about until today. He wasn’t sure he was ready to see himself again in media outlets after the Bogum ordeal, and didn’t want Jeongguk to think he’d use their relationship to further his own career, by name dropping Jeongguk or anything. He was reluctant, to say the least. But it was important to Jeongguk.

So in the end, he agreed. And now he doesn’t regret it.

See, when he was with Seojoon, Taehyung never felt bad about not going public. He knew he wasn’t a secret—things were different over in South Korea, and after they moved to the States, with how short they lasted after, it never really came up. But tonight, as he stood next to Jeongguk, who had the absolute biggest of smiles plastered on his face, he realized just how good it feels to be open like this. How good it feels to be loved in the open, even.

He says, “I loved it.” Jeongguk smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he looks at Taehyung with adoration. “So much, Jeongguk-ah. And I’m so happy you asked me to go with you.”

“I’m so happy you agreed,” Jeongguk says, Taehyung feeling his thumb rub circles on the small of his back even through the fabric of his suit. They share a look for a couple of moments, then Jeongguk says, “C’mon, let me give you some water. Champagne hangovers are a bitch.”

Taehyung laughs at that, not bothering to tell Jeongguk that he knows that well. Instead, he just lets Jeongguk take his hand and guide him over to the kitchen, taking a seat on the high stools by the island as Jeongguk gets cold water from the fridge. He rests his face on his palm, cheek squished against it, and just stares as Jeongguk pours two glasses of water—looks at his hair, some strands that were carefully styled away from his forehead starting to fall back after so many hours. Looks at his tie, the one Taehyung loosened in the elevator while they were kissing. Looks at his Jeongguk.

“There you go,” Jeongguk says, pushing the glass towards Taehyung over the counter, who wordlessly takes it and gulps it down fast. Jeongguk doesn’t move, though. Taehyung doesn’t have a chance to ask what’s wrong before Jeongguk says, “I hope people like it.”

Taehyung feels himself soften up at that, replying, “They’re gonna love it.”

“I hope they like me.”

“Jeongguk-ah,” he calls, tone gentle. Jeongguk’s eyes meet his, and for a split second Taehyung sees a hint of the Jeongguk that he got to see sometimes during their sessions. Jeongguk, who is usually confident and carries himself with ambition and trust in himself, but has some insecurities, too. “They’re gonna love it. You were brilliant.”

Jeongguk grins at that, and although it’s small one, Taehyung can see the truth in it. He doesn’t say anything—just reaches over the counter, takes his hand to Taehyung’s and links their fingers together.

He doesn’t say thank you. And he doesn’t say I love you, either—but he doesn’t need to. Taehyung knows well how to read between the lines.

≋

Something that Taehyung and Jeongguk had to work out when they moved in together, about a year after they made things with each other official, was space. Not in the physical sense, at least not per se. Taehyung, when preparing things for work at home, needed silence and no distractions. Needless to say, Jeongguk was the biggest distraction.

That’s why when Taehyung is working, Jeongguk busies himself with something else—sometimes with gaming, other times with working out. Whatever it is, he knows to leave Taehyung on his own for a bit.

So when Taehyung hears a knock on the door, halfway through scripting a scene for his next project, he figures it must be something important. He looks up from the paper he’s been scribbling on, seeing Jeongguk leaning against the frame of the door.

“Hey,” he says, smiling a little. “What’s up?”

“Do you have a minute?” Jeongguk asks, sounding almost unsure.

They’ve both been busy lately—in a good way. A Supplementary Story was a box-office hit, catapulting Jeongguk into one of the most demanded actors for leading romantic roles. It took some time away from him, but Taehyung was happy to see both him and his career flourish the way they did.

As for Taehyung, he can’t really complain, either. He’s seen so many of the intimate scenes he helped create for that movie be praised, which would be enough of a reward. But he also got an interview for a big online news portal, as well as some film magazines, where he could discuss the work he did in the movie, and the importance that a job like his can have to create a safe, comfortable environment on set. That’s the most important part of it, of course, but the added publicity doesn’t hurt. Definitely doesn’t hurt his agenda, which is now more packed than ever before.

Life’s been good lately. In every sense.

Taehyung nods with a hum, watching as Jeongguk steps into the room and asks, “Do you remember that audition I had a couple of weeks ago?”

“Of course I do,” Taehyung says, almost offended Jeongguk even asked. He remembers these things, as a good boyfriend would. “Did you hear back from them already?”

“I just got a call. I got the part,” Jeongguk says, a smile spreading across his face as he tells him.

Taehyung’s reaction is immediate—he gets out of his chair and pulls Jeongguk into a hug, arms around his shoulder. “Congratulations, baby,” he says, as Jeongguk’s arms loosely wrap around his waist. “I mean, not that I had any doubts. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you, hyung,” Jeongguk says, as Taehyung starts to pull back. “Do you know who else apparently auditioned?”

“Who?”

And honestly, from Jeongguk’s expression right before announcing, Taehyung should have known.

“Bogum did,” he says, watching Taehyung, almost waiting for a reaction.

Taehyung takes a second, but in the end, he bursts into laughter. “Bet you’re cheesing about that, aren’t you?”

“I kind of am, I can’t lie to you,” Jeongguk says, smiling alongside Taehyung. “But mostly, I’m just happy I got it. I’m really excited about this one.”

That, Taehyung knew—from the moment Jeongguk learned about the project, a thriller revolving around a detective trying to solve a series of murders with little to no connection to each other, he had wanted in. It was different from everything he had worked on so far, a new side of himself to explore. And now, he had done it. He got the role.

“I’m so happy for you, baby,” Taehyung repeats, giving Jeongguk a sheepish smile as he reaches forward and touches his cheek. The two of them look at each other like that, both grinning; Taehyung swears he shouldn’t be feeling butterflies over something as simple as this, a year and a half into their relationship, but he’s not complaining. Not when he’s this happy. “I hope there aren’t any sex scenes because I don’t know if I want you falling for some other intimacy coordinator who shows you the ropes.”

Jeongguk laughs at that, his hand creeping up to his face and covering Taehyung’s, his touch gentle and warm. “Not even in my wildest dreams, hyung.”