Chapter 1 - Jungkook
“Jungkookie!” Taehyung gasped softly as I placed an open-mouthed kiss on the crook of his neck. His breath hitched, and the quiet hum that followed was music to my ears. “Mmmh.” The sound was like a secret melody only I was meant to hear. My hands wandered beneath the soft fabric of his white shirt as I sucked on the sensitive spot a couple of times.
“Jungkookie, stop,” Taehyung murmured, though his words lacked conviction. “We’re supposed to be on stage in ten minutes,” he complained as my lips grazed up his neck. My hands roamed on his buttery soft body like a hungry artist sculpting perfection. As if to fine tune the masterpiece of his form. My obsession with his body was undeniable. I smirked into his skin as hyung’s breath hitched because of my intrusive hands. In this fleeting moment, the whole world was irrelevant…except us.
“Ten minutes is plenty, hyung,” I whispered, my lips grazing upward along the curve of his neck, toward his jaw. His protests wavered, and soon our mouths met in a slow, unhurried kiss, one that felt as if the world had vanished. His hands slipped around my neck, drawing me closer. When a quiet moan escaped his lips, it sent a ripple of warmth through me. I groaned before pulling away from his soft lips to catch breath as I expressed my admiration for my Taehyungie hyungie. “You’re so handsome, hyungie.”
Taehyung’s lips curled into a faint smile as he pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek. “And you too, my baby.”
My grin widened, but his next words made it disappear again. “You’re getting bold, Jungkookie. What if some stuff sees us?”
I shrugged, nestling my face against the comfort of his neck. He held me softly and ran his fingers in a circular motion on my back. I tightened my hold around his waist and whined, “Let them. They’re always keeping us apart. I hate it, hyung.”
He ran soothing fingers through my hair, his touch as grounding as his voice. “It doesn’t matter what they do. We know what we are. I’ll always protect you and take care of you. Always. My eyes are always on you, Jungkookie. I love you.”
For a moment, everything stilled. His words, his presence—everything felt so unwavering, like the eye of a storm. I wanted to freeze the time and take advantage of the moment. So, I asked for his consent. “Does Hyungie want me to stop now? Because I have some dirty thoughts running through my mind.”
Taehyung clearly wasn’t expecting that at this moment. His eyes widened as he gently pushed my chest. “What are you even thinking, Jungkookie? We’re about to go on stage!”
I shrugged at his playful push and eyed around the room. It was the second changing room. Our other members were in the adjacent room prepping for the next performance. We didn’t have much time backstage, and I was kind of feeling nervous. It wasn’t like I was nervous for the performance itself.
Nah, that was not me! I was perfect on stage.
It was more because we were meeting our fans after a long time. They had been waiting for this comeback eagerly, and I didn’t want to disappoint them. So, I wanted to take my mind off this worry, and Taehyung was my favorite comfort place. My other hyungs were there too. But I wanted to feel my hyungie before going up on the stage.
Taehyung gently turned my focus with a playful tap to my chest.
“Cameras, remember?” He teased, pointing toward the subtle gleam of a lens in the corner.
I groaned in exaggerated defeat, earning a soft laugh from him. He pinched my cheeks and flicked my chin playfully before pulling away to put on his black blazer. But as he was adjusting the collar, my resolve faltered. His magnetic presence drew me back in. But when he was tucking his white shirt in his pants, I couldn’t help myself anymore. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his waist, turned him around, and pulled him toward me, grinding myself against him.
Taehyung gasped and fell over on the table before him at the suddenness of my action. I pushed him more onto the table by grabbing his neck with one of my sturdy hands as he tried to push himself up.
“Not now, hyung,” I bent over and purred in his ears. “I want you in this position so bad. I can’t help it. Let’s do this.”
“Jungkookie!” Taehyung exclaimed as he used all his strength to push himself up and now was standing in front of me. Our bodies merging together, like one soul, two bodies. “You’ve gone mad! I’ll call other hyungs if you don’t behave now.”
I pouted. “But why call the hyungs?”
Taehyung turned around and reached below and grabbed the little me. I groaned. “Because of this! You can’t go on stage like this! We’re professionals, Kookie! Our fans expect a lot from us.”
At the mention of our fans, I straightened up and let go of him. “Okay, fine. But tonight, I’m not going to leave you alone.”
Taehyung blushed and shook his head. “When will you grow up? This is why they still treat you as a baby and call you cute.”
“Am I not cute then?” I wiggled my eyebrows and waited for his response as he put on the gorgeous earring on his left ear. My hyungie got his signature style, and he looked handsome in anything and everything. Taehyung had that magnetic aura that could attract anyone, and that was exactly how he was able to help me get out of my shell. I was a shy kid when I came here, but Taehyung taught me how to enjoy life while still working diligently. I loved him so much that it hurt. I couldn’t even stay away from him for a second. That was why fans named us ‘No space couple.’ I liked that.
“Of course you are. But tonight, you do not particularly look cute,” he commented.
“What do you mean?”
He pulled me toward him as we stood side by side in front of the mirror. Our reflection stared back at us. I was in my all-black outfit paired with a shiny black blazer and the new permed hairstyle.
Taehyung praised, “You look like a sexy daddy. So hot and handsome.”
I chuckled. “Is that so?”
“Of course. Fans are going to drool over this look.”
I freed my hand from his grasp and hugged him from behind. “And what about you? How do you feel about this look of mine?”
He stared at my reflection in the mirror and confessed honestly, “You’re mine. Aren’t you? I can do whatever I want with you. Can’t I?”
I grinned as my bunny teeth exposed themselves. “Oh sure, you can, hyung.”
Taehyung ruffled my hair at the front and said, “Let’s bring fire on the stage, shall we, baby?”
I nodded and let go of him. It was almost time. The opening song was Mic Drop, and the adrenaline coursing through me was unmatched. I couldn’t wait to take the stage.
Yet, as the excitement built, the persistent thought surfaced again at the back of my mind. If I hadn’t become an idol, if I hadn’t met my members or Taehyung, what would’ve happened to me?
I’d probably still be trapped in those castle walls, waiting for the coronation day.
The fear they held against me was the same fear that helped me escape the castle seven years ago. Even now, their hesitation to reach me stemmed from the memory of that night. The fear of what I truly am, of what they witnessed on that moonlit night, had become their prison as much as it was mine.
The memory of my wild, untamed, and unshackled self, had terrorized not only them but also me. The raw, unrelenting truth of who I am haunted my nightmares every single night. It had freed me from one cage but cost me a dark night of the soul.
So, I knew the life I was living now was a blessing. Every performance, every moment on stage, was a reminder of the battles I fought to earn this life and this freedom.
And I would do everything in my control to protect it.
Especially my mate, who was still unaware of what he was dealing with.
