A loud ringing noise pulled Taehyung and Jungkook out of a deep sleep. It was the communication system security used when visitors wanted to come up.

"What time is it?" Jungkook groaned, burying his face into the crook of the elder's neck.

"Too early," Taehyung huffed, grabbing his cell phone and seeing it was just after ten in the morning. He also noticed he had several unread texts and missed calls. Made sense, since many probably wanted to congratulate him on his mentee getting signed to Big Hit.

When the ringing ceased to stop, Taehyung reluctantly got out of bed and made his way to the buzzer. His feet dragged slowly, exhaustion still heavy in his limbs. The two boys had stayed out into the wee hours of the morning, celebrating with their friends and families. By the time they got home, both collapsed into bed and fell instantly asleep.

"Yes?" Taehyung mumbled into the receiver.

"I have a Kim Namjoon and Min Yoongi here for you, sir. Should I let them up?"

He heard Yoongi's voice in the background saying Taehyung better let them up before Namjoon shushed him.

It was definitely too early to deal with them. "Yeah, yeah. Send them up."

He went to the front door and unlocked it, absentmindedly realizing his two producers had never been to his apartment before. It'd be nice to show them around and maybe enjoy breakfast on the balcony.

A little too late, he also remembered how Namjoon and Yoongi didn't know Jungkook was living with him.

The door swung open, revealing the two producers with stoic faces.

"Hey, guys!" Taehyung smiled cheerfully, the excitement of the showcase coming back to him despite his sleepiness. He prayed this would be quick and that Jungkook would stay in their bedroom. "Why are you here so early?"

Namjoon sighed, running a hand through his platinum hair. "Sit down, Tae."

Taehyung arched a brow but listened to the order. "Is everything alright?"

The two elders stayed standing, looking down at their artist with a mix of disappointment and anger.

Yoongi, his hands behind his back, spoke first in a deadly calm tone. "Where is he?"

Taehyung's heart skipped a beat. "Where is who?"

The older producer whipped his hands out, slapping down a magazine onto the coffee table. When Taehyung saw the cover, his heart started hammering away in his chest.

Because a picture of Jungkook and him kissing last night backstage was displayed in clear and exact detail.

The headline below it read Secretive Manipulations? How V Promised Success to Mentee in Exchange for Affair.

A tagline was written under that, attributing the juicy details to none other than the scum of the earth - Joowon. Taehyung swore lowly. The interviewer must have been hiding in the shadows, waiting for any piece of information he could get his hands on.

To Joowon, this was probably revenge.

"Tae, is Jungkook here with you right now?" Namjoon repeated Yoongi's question while staring down at him.

Taehyung was saved from answering.

"Yeah, I'm here," Jungkook stated, walking into the living room and sitting next to Taehyung. Without hesitation, he took hold of the elder's hand.

Both producers saw the action and frowned.

"Did I not warn you," Yoongi began, looking straight at Taehyung, "that the next time you appeared in a tabloid like this, you'd lose your contract?"

"It's not his fault," Jungkook interjected quickly. "I kissed him. This one's on me."

Namjoon gave him a tight lipped smile. "That's nice of you to try and protect him, Jungkook. But you have to understand how this looks. V has a reputation. People seeing this . . . of him kissing someone in his employ . . . people are already claiming he's sexually harassing you."

Jungkook stood up angrily. "He is not! He loves me and I love him."

Namjoon and Yoongi exchanged a look with each other before turning to Taehyung.

"I explicitly told you not to touch him," Yoongi gritted out. "You could have had anyone else as long as you were discreet. Yet you choose to make a move on someone who probably knew he couldn't refuse you."

Taehyung inhaled sharply, hurt from his friend's words. "You're not giving me a chance to explain."

Yoongi shook his head. "I thought you changed. I thought there'd be no more of this nonsense. But you're the same old V."

Jungkook, absolutely livid that his love was getting attacked like this, took a step forward. "Unless the two of you sit and calm the fuck down, I'm calling security. Understood?"

A surprised Namjoon sat instantly, not wanting a confrontation. He tugged on Yoongi's arm forcefully, causing the elder to trip onto the couch.

Jungkook exhaled loudly, resuming his place next to Taehyung. He studied his face, not missing the notes of fear and apprehension coating his features.

He spoke softly into Taehyung's ear. "We need to tell them our story, Tae. Maybe they'll be able to help us once they know what we've been through."

Taehyung swallowed audibly, but nodded his head at the younger's suggestion. "Okay," he whispered.

So they both launched into their shared history, not skipping over any essential detail. The producers listened with astonished faces, never expecting their harsh pasts. Never expecting the trauma or the pain either both endured.

"Fuck," Yoongi said under his breath once he heard everything. "Tae . . . I'm so sorry."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Namjoon asked, his tone gentle with remorse. "About your past or your relationship?"

Taehyung released his lip from between his teeth, unaware he'd been biting it. "I physically couldn't open up before. Not to anyone. And Jungkook and I needed time to figure things out. We needed it to be just the two of us for a while."

Jungkook unconsciously ran a hand up and down Taehyung's thigh. "We were going to tell you eventually, we promise you that. But you have to realize how much suffering we'd been through."

"I really tried to change," Taehyung continued. "I didn't want to do stupid things anymore to protect myself. I wanted to be a better artist and to make people proud."

Namjoon sighed. "And you did, Tae. Yoongi and I both saw those changes. But this article has been circulating for hours now. Your fans . . . your fans are turning against you, Tae. They're demanding refunds for the albums they preordered and the concert tickets they bought. Everything is a real mess right now."

"Can we have some sort of press conference? Can Tae and I share our story?" Jungkook offered, trying to think of any viable solution.

Yoongi massaged his neck, trying to release the tension there. "I don't know. The public might just think it's a publicity stunt to cover up this ordeal. We can certainly run it by Big Hit, but I'm afraid a lot of damage has already been done."

"You two are going to meet with the board of directors in a few hours," Namjoon added. "Yoongi and I will go now and explain what you told us."

Taehyung shook his head violently in refusal, but Namjoon continued before the younger could try and talk him out of it.

"They have to know, Tae. If we don't say anything, they'll drop you instantly. I want to avoid that at all costs."

Namjoon and Yoongi stood up and walked to the door, the younger two trailing them. The door closed with a loud click.

"I'm so sorry, Tae. I wasn't thinking yesterday when I kissed you. I am so stupid," Jungkook apologized, his voice low with disappointment in himself.

Taehyung shook his head, stepping closer so he could cup his hand around the younger's face. "Stop. I'm not mad at you, Kook. This is not your fault."

But Jungkook wasn't listening. "I thought I killed you before and now I killed your career. What's wrong with me?"

"Baby. Baby . . . please don't say that. We'll figure this out. It will all work out, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Tae," Jungkook murmured dejectedly.

Taehyung flicked his other hand under the younger's chin before it came to rest against his cheek. "I love you, Kook. Nothing will ever change that. So please stop beating yourself up about this. We will work together to come up with a solution."

Jungkook nodded meekly and closed his eyes when he felt Taehyung's lips brush against his own.

The elder pulled him into a hug, comforting the boy by running his hand through his hair. And all the while, he prayed there would actually be a solution to all of this.

He wasn't ready to say goodbye to his career yet.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《