Book 3 of the undone series. Kim Taehyung is the best , the best at his job at head of security for the Kim SongDae startup, best at seduction. But a forced vacation leaves him adrift and questioning his life choices and direction. Then he stumble...
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Tae drug his weary body to his apartment. The space that should have been welcoming was cold and lonely.
Out of habit he checked his fridge. He only had a couple of bottles of beer Jimin left last time and the remnants of the food Dae had brought over. He walked away.
He made a mental note to go to the store. He stopped inside his bedroom door, peeling off the clothes Jungkook had loaned him. He caught sight of himself in the mirror. He still looked haggard and paint still dotted his hair from his quick shower in the loft. He grabbed his silk robe and FaceTimed Dae to keep his promise.
He started the deep tub as they talked, subconsciously telling her he needed more time alone. She told him she would chat until he was naked, earning a weary smile from him and a growl from the lump in the covers beside her.
True to her word she told him good night when he turned off the water and sat on the edge of the steaming tub. One more “I love you" and “see you tomorrow promise?” and he was alone again.
He turned on old jazz and dropped the silk in the floor, slipping into the deep bath.
He scrubbed his body, cleaning away the paint and most of the aftereffects of the liquor. He allowed the few tears that slipped down his face but then washed them away with honey infused soap.
After the water cooled, he left the tub and forced himself to do his nightly routine. He found comfort in the familiar ritual.
He padded into his closet and selected a black, very chic, very expensive suit to wear the next day. Kim Taehyung, armor firmly in place, mask tightly secured, would be ready to walk into his workplace like nothing ever happened.
And that is exactly how it went.
Day after day, dressed to kill, perfect in every detail, turning every head he passed, Taehyung showed up for work. He did his job relentlessly. He coordinated with NamJoon over some concerns at iNovis. He even offered to help JK at KimCom.
Finally, JK pulled him into a conference room and told him to stop, that he was working himself into exhaustion and it had to stop.
After a couple of weeks, he could feel the vice easing. He had gone home every night, pretending that he had plans, or work or any other excuse he could think of to avoid his friends.
But actually, he would sit in the dark and go inside the world in his head. The only thing that soothed him was the small book of Poems. More than once he caught himself writing and illustrating a particular line or passage. It always seemed to comfort him.
This night he had just finished a sketch when his phone rang. He cursed because he had forgotten to turn it off.
It was Nev asking when was he coming to do the orders. In that minute, he could not think of an excuse not to go. Maybe it was time, maybe he could do this.
So, he did. He went back one evening and waited for Nev to close. He remembered some of the things he had liked about the place.
He caught himself sneaking glances out the courtyard doors. He only felt emptiness then. He knew without a doubt she was not there. He shook his head at even thinking she might be.
In the next couple of weeks, he stopped by when Nev needed him and he stopped ignoring his friends.
Jimin and Hobi took him out clubbing and even goaded him into dancing with a couple of beautiful girls. He drank enough to appreciate them, but not enough to stop him from comparing them to Sky's sun-kissed beauty.
Lyra invited him to a “family" dinner and he could not refuse.
All of them were gathered there and they had invited three women from the office. Tae stood alone at the bar. He did not want to give any of them false hope.
He ended up taking to one sweet girl from the Paris design branch and found he enjoyed it more than he expected. He felt, then dismissed guilt at having a good time.
He wandered over to the large windows overlooking the city. It was a lovely sight and he intended to mentally escape there, hide himself away in his secret world were things were not so complicated and his heart was not still tightly bound.
Before he made his escape, he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Lyra looking up at him.
“JK is in deep trouble. Those eyes could persuade a man to do anything she asked,” he thought.
He watched as she drew a deep breath and collected herself. He just then thought that the two of them were more alike than he first thought. There was a depth to her, a reserve that hid her true self, the real person very few people saw. He was truly jealous of his friend.
“Taehyung,” she started,” I…..I don’t know what has happened. JK is worried about you. So is Dae, but they keep their confidences. I know ….I feel...like things are hard for you now. I am here if you want to talk.”
He nodded his appreciation at her.
“But…..” she paused. Her caution made him tense.
“But….I would like to ask something. I am not sure if your concerns are tied to the gallery, or how it fits in, but I would like to ask you a favor.” She paused to gauge his reaction.
He blinked. He had not thought of the gallery space since he walked out that night. His mind flitted to the canvas leaning against the wall, the paint splattered drop cloth, and he felt emotions rush at him.
He would have to sort those out later. He nodded at her to continue, not trusting his voice.
“I would like to do a party there for the holidays, a celebration of our business this year. I thought maybe we could exhibit a couple of artists then an intimate dinner for just the group after. But I don’t want to if it makes you uncomfortable,” she explained.
Tae thought of all the hard work she had done, the care and planning on her first big project.
He made the mistake of catching Jungkook’s eye across the room and saw how anxious he was for her, how he was rooting her on and willing Tae to say “yes" to her.
He looked for Dae and saw her pretending not to notice them talking.
He looked at Lyra again and smiled, that slow smile he had not used in too long, the one that had JK stalking their way even now.
“Lyra….how can I tell you no? Do whatever you please,” He said, the last words muffled as she threw her arms around him in a happy hug.
He gave his devil's smile over her head at Jk as he hugged her back. Then he stepped away before he got punched.
“Plan whatever you want. Use the space freely. I am sure it will be stunning,” he said, his smile genuine at her happiness.
He turned and walked away whistling. It felt good to make her happy, even better to piss off JK.
It mattered not to him. He had already decided he was never stepping foot in that space again.
