#kwritersorldnet

[btsmakesmehappy]

Palate Cleanser | 3

Genre: Agent au, friends with benefit (sort of), Stranger to lover, Angst, Fluff, Light Smut

Pairing: Agent!Taehyung x Baker!reader

Word Count: 8,5k

Rating: 18+ (M)

Warning: Short makeout, Jealous-possessive Taehyung. Reader being called a slut.

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 completed

Summary: Taehyung needs something to take his mind off his broken heart. His best friend, Jimin, suggests that he should meet another woman and the first woman he met was you. Would you help him even though you have your own problem, that you hate men?

Series Masterlist: The Company

a/n: firstly, I apologize for my late update. As I explained before, I had some writter block plus I moved to a new workplace which require me to adjust more. I usually write around midnight (GMT+7) but I can’t anymore because I have my night shifts in the ER. which is kinda tiring. I don’t want to bring my laptop to ER because, ew, germs. so anyway, enjoy and please please reblog and give me a feedback!

thank you so much to @dreamystuffers for beta-reading editing my lack of grammar-fic. I will be forever thankful <3

You were only ten at the time. It was your mother’s birthday, and your father decided to bring the entire family to eat at a fancy restaurant with a multi-course meal. You were happy at first, having to eat delicious food in a beautiful dress. But when you sat at the table, you were shocked to find that the food was so little in quantity and the way they served the food one by one it was just frustrating for a girl like you. You had starved yourself for this particular dinner, and you were not enjoying it at all.

You were mad because you were hungry and the next course they served you after the appetizer was a cup of lime sorbet instead of some juicy steak. You were on the verge of crying. You thought that the sorbet, which was like ice cream to you, was a dessert. Therefore you thought that dinner had ended, and you were still hungry.

At the age of ten, you thought of yourself as a little bit more mature. You didn’t want to complain to your parents about how hungry you were, you didn’t want to destroy the happy moment. So you decided to just push your emotions and your hunger aside, as you ate the small cup of the lime sorbet in silence, hoping that it would fill your growling stomach.

You would be lying to yourself if you said that after another cup of sorbet you weren’t still hungry. You then snuck some pieces of bread from your mother’s plate while she was busy drinking her wine. The bread itself was delicious, to the point that you devoured almost 10 pieces of bread at once. You were happy, knowing that you were full. And when the waiter then served the next course, you were no longer hungry.

Your mother was obviously mad at you because you didn’t even touch your expensive steak. After all, you were already full of food that was only supposed to be a palate cleanser, but instead, you ate it like it was the main course. But still, you had no regrets.

Maybe you were bound to love that sorbet more than the steak. Maybe you were bound to love the bread more than the wine.

You are awakened by the sound of your phone just like every other morning. As your hands wander on the bed, looking for your damn phone, you feel something warm moving beside you. You open your eyes slowly, only to find Taehyung’s bare chest in front of your face.

You sit up right away, looking at your own body and then at his. Your eyes widen at your naked body. You then swiftly drag your blanket and wrap yourself with it, making Taehyung stir in his sleep at the sudden coldness.

You rise and walk to the couch, rummaging through your purse to turn off the alarm on your phone. You look at the room around you, clothes scattered on the floor. You feel a heat rushing to your face, as memories of last night filling your head.

What should I do the morning after a one-night-stand?

You can’t run away, it is your apartment after all.

You sigh and walk to your bathroom. You let a cold shower run over your body. You hope that Taehyung will leave while you are in the shower, but at the same time, you hope that he won’t.

Why did you do it in the first place? You barely know him, but you wanted him. You wanted to help him. Was it a good idea?

You wash your body quickly and turn your shower off. You then dry yourself off and cover your body with a towel. As you step out of the bathroom, Taehyung is still sleeping soundly, he somehow pulled your bedsheet off to cover his body.

You change into a shirt and new jeans, throwing your jeans from last night into the washer. You look at the mirror and grab your concealer to cover the hickeys on your neck, thanking God, that it hasn’t gone empty.

You look at the clock on the wall. You must go to the bakery in less than an hour. You then walk to the bed and nudge Taehyung softly. “Taehyung, wake up.”

He groans, feeling uncomfortable to be woken up. He stretches his body and sits up. His eyes are still shut as he tries to stay awake. You hide your smile. He looks different from yesterday. He looks intimidating in suits, and now? He just looks adorable with messy hair and a pout on his face.

You run your fingers through his hair. “Take a shower, I will make you some breakfast.” He doesn’t answer you but he stands up and walks to the bathroom with his hand rubbing his eyes lazily. “The towel is in the cabinet over the sink.” You pick his shirt and pants from the floor, smoothing them out, and lay them on your bed.

You open your fridge. You only have a bunch of eggs inside. Well, you never have breakfast. You pick two eggs and a milk carton. You crack open the eggs and put it in the bowl. You whisk it quickly until it becomes a light yellowish color. You pour some milk and put some salt and pepper inside, and whisk it again. You prepare your frying pan on the stove with some butter. As the pan gets hotter, you pour the egg and then scramble it carefully. You cook it only for a minute and then put it on the plate. You use the already buttered pan to toast a slice of bread from the loaf that you always have in your apartment.

You hear the bathroom door open and there is Taehyung with a towel wrapped on his waist, looking unnecessarily attractive. You gulp and divert your attention to your bread. Taehyung walks over to the bed and then wears his clothes.

“What are you making?” He asks while walking to the kitchen. He dries his hair with the towel lazily.

You gesture for him to sit at the table. “Just toast and scrambled eggs. I’m sorry, I don’t have anything else.” You then put the plate on the table and sit in front of him.

“I don’t mind. Thank you.” He then grabs the fork and starts eating the eggs. “It’s good.”

You chuckle sheepishly. “It’s just an egg.”

He nods. His eyes then wander to your kitchen and stop at the coffee machine in the corner. “Is that the coffee machine?” He smiles mischievously.

You pout. “Yeah.” You answer weakly. “Do you want some?”

“Nah. I’m not drinking coffee, It’s bitter.” He says as he rips the bread and puts it in his mouth.

You prop your hand under your chin, watching him eat. “I don’t drink it either.” His head tilts in confusion. “I don’t drink it anymore. I have severe gastritis. Coffee is forbidden for me.” You explain.

“It is a pity. You spent so much money on it.” He is trying hard to hold his laughter as he nods his head. The irony is funny for him. “Are you not eating?” He asks you softly. He has been watching you watch him eat, but you haven’t even eaten anything.

You shake your head. “I never have breakfast. It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

Taehyung’s jaw drops. “Nope. You eat this.” He then rips the bread and puts some of the egg on it and reaches out his hand to feed you. Just as you are trying to refuse, he glares at you, forcing you to accept the food. “That’s why you have gastritis. You should eat more regularly.”

You can feel your heart leap. This is too domestic for you. It is strange, but at the same time, you yearn for it. Taehyung rises from his seat with his plates and walks to the sink. You try to stop him, but he insists on washing the dishes. “You cook, I wash.”

Too domestic.

You decide to distract yourself by making your bed, but when you find some wet spot on it, you feel your face is getting hotter. You then remove the sheets completely and throw it into the laundry bag.

Taehyung then sneaks into your back and makes you jolt in surprise. “Let me walk you to the bakery.”

You can feel your nervousness as your hands become clammy. When he walks behind you while you pick up your jacket and your purse, when his hot breath touches your skin while you lock the door, or when his hands touch yours slightly while you walk beside him. It drives you crazy. You have never felt this way.

You both walk in silence. Neither of you want and try to talk about last night. You are grateful for it though. It’s not even that you don’t want to talk about last night, you just can’t think about it without feeling embarrassed.

Your feet stop in front of the bakery. Just as you’re about to thank him and walk inside, he calls you. “Y/N.” You turn your head towards him. Taehyung then leans into you and gives you a chaste kiss on the lips. “Thank you.” He smiles and walks away.

And there you are. Standing speechless in front of your own bakery. In the morning. With a pounding heart inside your chest. You put your hand over your mouth. You still can feel his soft lips on yours and you feel your face heating up.

Maybe it was a bad idea.

“Hey, Taehyung-ah! Finally, you’ve arrived. I almost fell asleep.” Hoseok says as Taehyung gets into the SUV. It’s Taehyung’s turn today to keep an eye on Chanyeol. Hoseok squints his eyes and looks at Taehyung from head to toe. “You had sex, didn’t you?”

“ehm. No.” Taehyung leers to the sidewalk, not meeting his gaze.

“You wore the same clothes as yesterday.” Hoseok points it out. He then leans in and takes a sniff. “And you smell different.”

“What are you? A dog?” Taehyung is flabbergasted. He then sniffs himself. He can’t smell anything weird. He does smell different though, like lavender, just like your soap. He sighs, admitting defeat. “For the record, I did all of my tasks before I got, ehm, some.”

Hoseok’s eyes lit up. “I don’t care about your tasks, dumbass. So who is she?” It’s not that the job wasn’t his priority. Taehyung is like a little brother to Hoseok. And for several weeks, hell, for several years, he has seen him hurt and sad. So if he can do anything to make him happy, Hoseok will do it in a heartbeat.

Taehyung still looks away towards the window. “I’d rather not say.”

“It was Y/N, wasn’t it?” Hoseok points his finger towards Taehyung. Seeing Taehyung move uncomfortably, Hoseok knows he hits the jackpot. “I knew it! I felt something between you two. So you’re dating now?” He chuckles.

Taehyung frowns his brows. “I am not dating her. It was just a palate cleanser, you know? Just a one-night-stand to get it out of all my system. Jimin recommended it.”

Hoseok snorts. “That’s not a palate cleanser.” Hoseok just feels it. It’s different from any other one-night-stand Taehyung’s had. And if Hoseok thinks about it that way, it must be right. If Taehyung excels in firearms, Yoongi excels in hacking, and Jungkook excels in fighting, Hoseok is good at analyzing people. He majors in psychology after all. His works usually involve people like Namjoon. If the company needs someone to assist with an interrogation, they call Hoseok. Honestly, he could stop doing what he is doing any minute now, and open a consulting therapy. But he won’t, he loves this job. And besides, the pay and the benefits are good.

“What do you mean, Hyung? Of course, it is.” He turns to see his face. “It’s just for sex.”

“Alright, fine! It is a palate cleanser by that definition.” Hoseok shrugs. “So, did you stay the night?” He asks casually.

“Uh-uh.”

“Shower? Breakfast?”

“Yep.”

Hoseok hides his smile. “Did you or did you not kiss her again before you left her?”

Taehyung’s face shows a hint of a blush on his cheeks, remembering how your lips tremble against his. “Yeah?”

“Do you have a plan to meet her again after you’ve done your shift?”

“Maybe?” Taehyung raises one of his eyebrows. Hoseok then laughs. “What is your point, exactly?” He asks impatiently.

“I don’t know, man.” Hoseok opens his door and gets out of the car. “Seems to me like you picked a whole main course instead of just a palate cleanser.” He smiles in a fatherly fashion and closes the door, leaving Taehyung in a state of confusion.

It’s been a few days since you saw Taehyung. Since your last stolen kiss in front of your bakery. Luckily for you, Hani didn’t see it, so at least, you could have a mental breakdown in the locker room without being questioned by her.

And you have been thinking about Taehyung ever since.

And the more you think about him, the more confused you are.

Hence, you finally seek help. Hani to the rescue.

“So, you just kissed him in the middle of the street and slept with him?” She yells and you hush her almost immediately. Sure, it’s one of the calmer times in your bakery, so there are no customers right now. But still, why did she talk that loud in the first place? Hani then leans in to hug you tightly. “I am so glad, Y/N! I taught you well.”

You release yourself from the hug and give her a light hit on the shoulder. “Hey, you’re supposed to scold me like my mother would.”

“For the millionth times, I am not your mother.” She puts her hands on her hips. “I am just happy that you got some, you know, furthermore, with that handsome man. So spill it! Was he good? How many did you come?”

“Hani!” You feel the heat rushing to your face, remembering the night you slept together with Taehyung.

Hani whines. “Stop being such a prude! Just tell me!”

“It- it was good.” You put your hand awkwardly on your neck. “That’s not what I want to talk to you about!”

She tilts her head to the side and then drags you to the seating area. “Fine, let me hear it.”

You clear your throat, “So, I was just thinking.” You rub your hands together. “It just feels weird, you know.”

“What is weird?”

“I am supposed to think about it as sex, a one-night-stand, and nothing more. But when we, ehm, did it, I got so comfortable and I have been thinking about him ever since.” You sigh. “Am I normal?”

Hani blinks her eyes a few times. She knows that you are a smart person and a hard worker with a passionate soul. But she didn’t think that you were this dense. Maybe your ex ruined you more than you think. “You want more, don’t you?” She asks and you nod repeatedly. “Of course you are normal.”

“Right?” You smile. “It’s totally normal to want more after you had sex once. That’s why people think that sex is addicting.” You nod proudly.

“That’s not what I mean-“

The doorbell rings, and you jerk your head to the door. “Welcome to palate cleanser!” You yell to the customer. You then turn your head to Hani. “Thanks, girl, it was messing my head for some time. I am glad I talked to you.”

You walk to the cashier as Hani eyes you. She shakes her head in disbelief, unable to believe how obnoxious you are. But she can’t do anything if you won’t realize it yourself. You need to be the one who realizes your own feelings.

The tall man walks straight towards the cash register. He has a large bag with him, maybe for a laptop or camera. His eyes are big like a deer’s, and you can see his big ears poking out from beneath his beanie. “Hello.”

You beam him a smile. “Hi! Do you need assistance? We have varieties of bread and cakes here. One of our bakery’s best-sellers this month are these cookies. Would you like to try some?”

He looks perplexed. “Ah, sure.” You open the cookie jar and with your tongs, you pick out a piece and give it to him. He then tries it. ”It is good.”

“Thank you! It is sweet and salty at the same time! So you won’t get tired of eating it. How many do you want?” You ask.

“Eh.. I am not really here to buy anything. I am here for this.” He then opens his bag and pulls out a magazine.

You receive and read it. Hani runs her way to your side, curious about the magazine. “What’s this?”

“This is a food magazine I wrote, well we wrote. We usually make a poll for some topics, and this month is for a bakery. And guess what who is in the first place?” He asks as he opens the page.

Hani’s eyes widen, she almost shrieks. “Oh my god! We are in the first place!”

You hug her. “I can’t believe it!” You then look at the man. “Wait, is this even a trusted source?”

He laughs awkwardly. “You can say so.”

“Who cares if it is a fake one! Don’t be so negative, y/n!” She hits your back playfully and walks away with the magazine. You are positive that she will post it on her Instastory.

“Y/N?”

You turn your head to him. “Yes?”

He scratches his head. “Did you go to Big Hit Culinary school?”

You raise one of your eyebrows. “Yes, I did. Do I know you?”

“I am Park Chanyeol. You may not know me, but I was in the same class as you. Do you remember? You were the one who helped me with my butter incident.” He smiles widely.

You try to remember him. “Ah! You were the one who always laughed loudly during class!”

He pouts slightly. “I was hoping you would remember me for better things. Anyway, it was nice to see you again.” He reaches his hand out to you and you shake his hand.

You chuckle. “Bad luck, man. So how are you? I didn’t think you would become a journalist.”

He laughs. “I am good. I didn’t think so either, but eating nice things was my childhood dream. If you can’t cook it, just eat it.” He then looks at Hani from the window. “So, I assume she is Hani then?”

You then knock on the window and gesture for Hani to come outside. “Yep, the one and only. I am just speechless, you remember us!”

“Why wouldn’t I remember the prettiest girl in the class?” He winks at you.

“What? Are you flirting with me?” You ask coyly.

He leans to the counter suggestively. “Why? Am I not allowed to?”

“What?” Hani interrupts. “I am just calling my mother.”

You point at Chanyeol. “He was my classmate in culinary school. Do you remember him?”

Hani puts her hand under her chin. “Aren’t you the one who followed the Lee kid around? I think I saw you sometimes in the cafeteria.”

Chanyeol lips tighten. “Yes, that’s me. Damn, I left no good impression on either of you girls.” He laughs awkwardly. “So what do you say we have dinner tonight for old time sakes?”

Hani clasps her hands together in excitement. “I think it is a good idea!”

“Sure! Barbeque sounds good!” You yell happily. It has been a long time since you have eaten with friends. Maybe you need this to take your mind off Taehyung.

Suddenly, Hani slaps her forehead. “Ah, but I can’t tonight. It is my anniversary. Jackson will cry if I miss this.”

You then remember how Jackson told you that he is going to propose to her tonight. You can’t believe you almost forget about it. “Oh, maybe another time then?”

“No! You should go without me! I am not that close to you anyway!” She says easily. “Who are you? Park Changmin?”

He laughs. “Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol.”

“Right! And for that matter, why don’t you go now? It’s almost dinner too.” Hani offers. “I will close the store.”

You then drag her to the side. “Yah, why are you letting me go alone with this man. I must say that I am not comfortable with this.” You whisper.

“Geez, relax, Y/n!” She waves you off. “And it is good for you too, you know? You can also check if you get the same feeling like you got when you were with the handsome man before.”

Your eyes widen. “What’s the matter with you? You want me to sleep with this random man? I just met him.”

Hani shrugs, “Well, you did it with that handsome man anyway.”

You pout and sigh in defeat. “Fine, I will have dinner with him.”

“Great!” She then looks to Chanyeol. “Alright, Chanyeol-ssi. Please wait there as Y/N will go change.”

You walk slowly towards the locker room. You have never won an argument with her.

The conversation itself is not that bad. You both talk about your school in the past. Chanyeol passionately explains to you how he got into the butter incident. It was summertime and he worked in the station near the window. He had just prepared his ingredients for his introduction to cookies class, and he forgot that he put the bowl of butter near the window because he was busy measuring the other ingredients. The butter melted, like all of it, and what he did next was amusing. He waited for it to become solid again. As a result, he lost some of his time.

You laugh loudly as you flip the meat on the grill. You remember it. How he waited patiently in the counter with his chin propped on it, staring at a bowl. You then gave him your leftover butter because he almost ran out of time. “The funny thing is, you should’ve just put it in the freezer to save time!”

“I know right! I was so panicked at the time!” He picks up a slice of meat from the grill and eats it.

“And sometimes, melted butter works well in some cookies. So if you’d used it at that time, maybe you could’ve gotten an A.”

“See? I didn’t know any of that! That’s why I stuck to journalism.”

You giggle. “Yeah, maybe it’s for the best.” You eat the cooked meat. It’s been a while since you have had this kind of meeting, and now with a man. And surprisingly for you, you don’t feel weird or uncomfortable. Huh. Maybe the palate cleanser thing works.

“You know...” He swallows his food. “I always thought that you were gay.”

You choke in your own saliva. “Why did you think so?”

He shrugs. “Well, you just awfully close with Hani. And I heard that you never wanted to get close with a man.”

You laugh dryly. “Well, I am not gay.”

“Then, is it okay to flirt with you then?” He says as he leans torwards your face. A mischievous smile plastered on his face.

Your eyes widen. You have never been with such an aggressive man before, and you feel your face getting hotter. “ehm... Sure. I guess?”

Chanyeol then smiles widely. “It’s good then.”

The conversation flows smoothly, you can’t even feel the vibration on your phone. By the time dinner ends, Chanyeol insists on walking you home. Still, you don’t feel the same feeling you felt with Taehyung. So you just thank him and wave him goodbye.

Just as you close the door and throw your shoes. You suddenly realize a shadow shifting on your couch. Sure the apartment has a good price, but it somehow lacks security. Like last week, there was even a break-in on the upper floor. That made your parents worried. They even offered to give you some money, just so you could move to a more secure building, which you rejected politely.

Moving swiftly, you take your umbrella from the front door and walk towards the couch trying to be as subtle as you can. You put your purse on the floor quietly and reach for the lamp switch. Quickly after you turn it on, you hit the source of the shadow with the umbrella as hard as you can.

“Ouch!” You jerk your eyes open, only to find a familiar man in front of you, rubbing his head in pain.

“What the fuck, Taehyung? Did you want to scare me or something?” You yell. Your knees go weak and you flop to the floor, your heart still racing. “How in the hell did you get in?”

He smiles sheepishly as he helps you to stand. “You keep a key under your doormat. You need to be careful, you know. You are a single woman living alone in this low-security-apartment.”

You are speechless as you sit on the couch, cursing yourself for forgetting that you kept your spare key there. Taehyung then walks to the kitchen casually. He opens your kitchen cabinet to get two mugs and fills them with water. He walks back to you and forces you to drink.

“I am sorry for sneaking into your apartment.” He says softly. He sits beside you on the couch, looking forward.

You drink it slowly, and begin to calm down. “What do you want? Do I need to call the police or something?”

“You didn’t answer your phone, so I was worried.” He puts the mugs on the table and turns to you. You look into his brown eyes, which draw you in. His eyes are unreadable.

You feel your hands getting clammy. Your heart beats faster. You can smell his cologne mixed with his sweat, and it is intoxicating. He makes it hard for you to breathe. “I am sorry, I must’ve put it in my purse.”

“Who did you go out with?” He snapped. The tone is not sweet at all, it is full of dominance. It is like you’ve been caught red-handed stealing something at a store. And when you don’t answer him, he leans into you, and corners you on the couch. His hands caging you in to stop you from running from him.

With this proximity, you can feel the turmoil inside your stomach. You feel afraid but at the same time, you are excited. You gulp. “Why?”

He hisses. “Just answer me, muffin.” At the sound of the pet name coming from his mouth in his deep voice, you close your thighs, rubbing them together. Taehyung realizes it too. He inches his lips to your ear, so close, you can feel his hot breath. “Who is he?”

“Why should I tell you?” Your breaths shorten. You can feel your underwear getting damp.

Taehyung nibbles your earlobe, making you shiver. “Because maybe he is a dangerous man.”

You gulp, trying to gain the focus. “You are the one who broke into my apartment. Aren’t you more dangerous?”

He hums, “Smart. Then you should know who is in charge now?” he licks your ear and goes down to your neck. “Hmm, do you think you can go out with another man just because my marks have gone?” He then sucks and bites your jaw, which makes you moan.

“Tae-“

Your words are cut off by his lips on yours. His soft lips dance and open yours to sneak his tongue in. As he explores your mouth skillfully, he removes your mug and puts it aside on your table. Just as you begin to melt in his kisses, he pulls away, which makes you moan in protest. “So who is he?” He looks into your eyes, piercingly.

You sigh, gaining your composure, and push him away. “My friend from school. We just ate dinner.” Why do you need to tell him that? You try to control your breath and your raging heart.

He hums. “What did you talk about?” He then pats your head softly and pushes your fallen hair behind your ear.

You shiver but lean in his touch. You begin to wonder, who he really is to make you so weak only by his hand. Who is he to make you so addicted to him? “Just nostalgic events.”

He nods in understanding. He then rises in his seat and walks to your bed. He unbuttons his shirt and let it fall on the ground.

“What are you doing?”

He turns his head to you as he plops on your bed. “I want to sleep.”

You frown as you walk to him. “And why are you doing this here? Don’t you have a place you call home?”

Taehyung pouts and whines. “Come on, Y/N! My apartment is so far away and I am deadly tired.” He casually pulls the blanket over his body and makes himself comfortable on your bed.

“Well, there is a perfect couch for you tonight.” You bend down and pick up his thrown shirt. You smooth it out and put it on a hanger subconsciously. You then go back to the bed, forcefully trying to pull the blanket off his body.

“This bed is perfect, thank you.”  He says as he tugs the blanket back.

Your jaw drops at his antics. “You seriously just kicked me out of my own bed, in my own apartment?”

He raises his head for a second and pats an empty space on the bed beside him. “I didn’t. You are welcome to join me in this perfect bed.” He smirks. “It’s not like this is our first time sleeping together.”

You feel heat rushing to your face. “I am not going to sleep with you!” You yell. This man.

He looks at you mischievously, “Are you sure? We can continue whatever we were doing on that couch before.”

You gulp. Sure, you can still feel how wet your underwear is as it sticks on your skin. And with Taehyung inviting you to the bed, it is tempting.

Seeing you waver, Taehyung then sets the blanket aside and pulls you into his hug. He then turns his body so now your body is pinned underneath him. “You know, for a woman who hates men that much, you sure love how men touch you.” He leans in and kisses your neck. “Or was it because of my touch?”

You snort but never push him away. Deep inside, you know that you want this as much as him. Taehyung then rolls his hips into you, and you can feel his hardness poking from his pants. “You said that you’re deadly tired!”

He chuckles. “I will never get tired of you, muffin.” He then leans in and takes your lips in his.

“Hello?”

“Taehyung? It’s me Hoseok.” The man on the other line answered.

Taehyung stretched his body and walked to his kitchen. “I know, man. What’s up?” He then opened his fridge and took anything inside to fill his empty stomach. He slept without having breakfast and lunch and now his stomach was growling. This job was really messing with his eating schedule.

“Do you remember Y/N?” Hoseok asked cautiously.

Taehyung hummed. “I do. What’s the point man? You really woke me up from my nap just to tease me about her? Are you that bored already?”

“No. That’s not what I wanted to do, at least right now.” He sighed. “I just saw her.”

Taehyung raised one of his eyebrows in confusion. He leaned his back on his fridge as he gulped a carton of milk. “And?”

“I just saw her with Chanyeol.”

Taehyung choked on his milk, not only because it tasted funny but also with a bomb Hoseok just dropped. He then threw the bad milk into the trash and walked back to his bedroom. “Alright, I am coming. I am hanging up!” He then put on the nearest shirt he could get and dialed your number on his phone.

He put his phone on his ear while he’s struggling to put on his pants. And after several times trying to reach you, he hissed and ran from his apartment.

You open your eyes in annoyance. You remember how Taehyung raided your bed last night, and this peaceful morning destroyed by Taehyung making a ruckus in your kitchen. You rise from the bed. Luckily, you slept well last night, but there is soreness between your legs which makes it a little hard for you to walk around.

“What the hell are you doing?” You snap.

Taehyung turns his head to you and smiles sheepishly. “I wanted to make you some breakfast. Sorry to wake you.”

You sigh, “I told you. I don’t need any breakfast.”

“No. You must eat something.” He looks at you from the corner of his eyes as he whisks the egg. “Just take a shower.”

Just when you step into the shower, Taehyung plops himself on the couch and looks for your phone. You seem like the type who showers quickly so he doesn’t have much time to look into your phone. He hisses at the lack of security on your phone, and with just a normal swipe he can access your phone. He scrolls quickly to your text messages, email, and contacts, but there is no suspicious activity regarding Chanyeol.

The water from the shower turned off and he puts your phone in the same place as before. He then walks back to the kitchen to continue his cooking. Taehyung is not good at cooking, but there’s no way he can ruin a scrambled egg right?

But unlucky to him, somehow the egg decides to make him an enemy and refuses to cook nicely. The eggs turn brownish-black instead of light yellowish color.

You sit in front of the table with a questioning look on your face. “What’s this?” You ask as you’re faced with an unknown thing on a plate.

“Scrambled eggs?” He scratches the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

You giggle. “It’s okay. I am sure it is edible.” You then grab your fork and start eating it. You almost choke at the bitterness of the egg. Never have you ever tasted an egg like this.

“How is it?” He asks carefully.

You nod your head, trying your best to chew it quickly and shallow it. “It is kinda edible.”

“Really?” He asks as he grabs some from your plate and puts it in his mouth. “Yikes. It is not edible at all. I can’t believe I made you eat it.” He then tries to grab your plate but you slap his hand.

“It’s okay, there’s nothing wrong with eating burnt food.” You quickly eat all of it and take a big gulp of water to water it down. “I am sure I will be okay.”

His jaw drops at your actions. He worries about your stomach but somehow feels happy that you ate his food so willingly. He then looks at your body, the blueish color on your neck, and the way you’re sitting uncomfortably. “Sorry, was I too rough last night?”

You choke on your own saliva. You cough hard and drink from the glass of water that Taehyung brought you. After a moment, you begin to calm down and stab the food with your fork. “I am fine.”

“I can see that you’re struggling to walk. Are you sure you can go to work? I can call Hani to tell her that you’re not feeling well.”

You jerk your head up towards him, with redness on your cheeks. “I will be fine! Geez.”

He hides his smile after seeing your red face. So cute. “Oh, right. Thank you for letting me crash here.”

“Just no more sneaking in, okay?” You watch him eating his own burnt food in disgust. “So what is your job?” You ask abruptly, remembering that you know nothing about his job whatsoever.

“I am an agent.” He answers mid-chew. He is the type who chews slowly even when it tastes horrible and you can see him struggling to eat his own dish.

You blink your eyes a couple of times as you push a glass of water towards him. “Like an FBI?”

“Yep.” He nods and drinks the water quickly, to wash down the bitterness of his eggs.

You look at him in amusement. “Sure.” You say sarcastically.

He looks at your eyes softly with a mischievous smile in his face. “You don’t believe me?” His plate is somehow cleared up. He puts his hand under his chin, studying your reaction.

“Nope.” You answer dryly. You rise from your seat and walk to the sink with the plate.

He chuckles. “Good then.” He follows you and then puts his plate on the sink. His body towering you from behind. His breath touches your skin and you jolt in surprise. You push him away suddenly, afraid that he will listen to your beating heart. He just laughs knowingly, completely aware of what he did to you. Maybe it is gonna be his new hobby, to tease you. “Let me walk you to work, muffin.”

It’s been a few weeks since the night Taehyung crashed at your apartment. He has been sleeping at your place almost every night since then. He spent the night so many times, to the point that he has spare clothes in your closet and there is his favorite cereal in your kitchen. Your key under the doormat has been long gone, and it can now be found inside Taehyung’s pocket. When you asked him to give your key back, he refused. He told you that it is safer that way. Not to mention that he told you that it is safer for you when you find him inside your apartment when you come back home.

Sure, he is great company, the sex is great, and the way he forcefully feeds you in the morning has made your gastritis better, but how he somehow just sneaks himself in as part of your nightly routine just makes your feelings for him grow exponentially.

And not just every night. He also calls you during the day too. Asking if you have eaten yet, if you have arrived home safely when he can’t go to your apartment, the recipe for the infamous cookies in your bakery (nice try!), and you can say that your days have been really cheerful lately. You don’t dislike this new addition to your routine.

You also sometimes send a bag full of bread to Taehyung and Hoseok when they work overtime, and somehow his friend named Jungkook also requests for your bread. You are getting busy. After the great review from the food magazine before, the bakery has been buzzing lately. You’ve never been this busy before.

You are in the kitchen baking continuously trying to meet the demand. You and Hani also hired a part-timer to help you with the bakery, a girl named Wendy. She has experience working in a bakery, therefore you and Hani chose her. But still, you assign her to work as a cashier and serve the customers, while you and Hani work in the kitchen.

Just after you put a batch in the oven, a knock on the glass startles you. From there, you can see a tall man waving to you. You wave him back and after washing your hands, you walk outside to greet him.

“What do I owe a pleasure to my bakery’s savior?” You shake Chanyeol’s hand. “Really! It has been a very busy day in our bakery since the magazine.”

He smiles back. “No need to thank me. It was a poll after all. If it were up to me, I would put that bakery across yours in first.” He chuckles.

You hit his shoulder playfully. “Rude!” You gesture him to sit. “So, do you need anything?”

“Ah, right.” He then pulls a big envelope from his bag. “This is for you.”

You raise your eyebrow. “You really need to stop doing that, you know.” You open the envelope and pull out some of the paper. “What’s this?”

“So, there will be a party next week. It is like a buffet, actually.”

You scan the paper. “Wow, the guests look fancy and important. There are also politicians.” You look at Chanyeol questioningly. “So do you want to invite me?”

He chuckles. “No. We want you to be one of the caterer there.”

Your eyes widen. “Are you serious? Oh my god! That will be great!” You rise from your seat and go to Chanyeol to hug him. “Thank you! Thank you!”

He pats your back and laughs. “So, do you agree?”

“Of course, we do!!” You pull away from him. “Oh my, I need to tell Hani.”

“Alright. You do that, and I have to go, unfortunately. Everything you need is written in those papers, but if you need something just call me, okay?” He rises from your seat and kisses your cheek lightly. “Talk to you soon, Y/N.” Chanyeol then waves to Hani who is inside the kitchen and walks away from the bakery.

You should be embarrassed with the sudden action, but you didn’t even care. The only thing on your mind is that you’ll have the chance to serve some important people at an important event. This is such a good opportunity for this small bakery. You run to the kitchen to tell Hani. This is like a dream!

Unbeknownst to you, Taehyung was standing in front of your bakery the whole time. He saw how friendly you were with Chanyeol, how you hugged him, and how he kissed your cheek. And Taehyung felt a weird pang inside his chest. He bites his lip and clenches his hands into fists.

Chanyeol is dangerous. He hates how you dropped your defense to that dangerous man. He hates how you smiled at Chanyeol. He hates it.

You should be hating men. Why don’t you hate Chanyeol as well?

He hates it.

He hates seeing you with another man.

After you discuss it with Hani, you both agree to close the bakery on the day of the event. It is the biggest event for both of you, and you wouldn’t let something wrong happen. You needed to prepare for it carefully.

You are busy designing the sweet corner for the party. This party is huge, so you need to make your corner more eye-catching. It is the point of doing this. You want people to know more about your little bakery.

This bakery is your precious baby.

This bakery is your dream.

You stretch your body. You have been working in the bakery for several hours now. It has closed already, Hani has left early and so did Wendy. You feel more worked up and productive if you work in the workplace, and besides, all of the designs and preparation will be done in the bakery, so there is no use to take it back and forth.

Taehyung hasn’t returned all of your calls after you accepted this event. You called him several times to give him the news but he didn’t answer it. You figured that he was busy with his job, so you don’t want to disturb him. Still, you felt a little disappointed not hearing his voice. After several days of talking to him, he became one of your friends. And you kind of miss him.

Suddenly your doorbell rings, and you turn your head to the door. There you find Taehyung walks casually to your bakery. The one you miss the most. “Hey, Tae! I’ve been wanting to call you.” Your eyes dart back to the scattered paper in front of you and Taehyung then sits across you.

“What are you doing?” He smiles as he takes and looks at one of your papers.

You snatch the paper from his hand. You smile proudly. “It is for our big event this Saturday! Can you believe it? This bakery finally gets recognized by some important people.” He hums as he sees you tidying up. You then rise from your seat with your papers to the locker room. “Have you eaten yet? I will treat you this time.”

“Sure.” He answers shortly.

You tilt your head at his antics. He isn’t usually like this. You get used to him being talkative and kinda bratty. “Okay, wait a minute. I will go to change first.”

When you arrive at the diner, you can count on your fingers at how many times Taehyung opened his mouth. He has never been this quiet before. You look at the menu and take a glance at him. He seems bothered by something.

“I will order carbonara and ice tea.” You say to the waiter. “You?”

“I- I will have the same.”

The waiter then takes the menu from you and walks away. You raise your eyebrow at him. “What happened? You look troubled.”

His face jerks to you and shakes his head. “I am fine. Just a little tired.”

“You don’t plan to crash at my place again, do you?” You squint your eyes suspiciously. “The last time you spent the night in my place, you almost set my kitchen on fire. You really should learn to cook, Tae. Wait, maybe I can teach you something. It would be fun! You won’t believe how many-“

“You should drop the event.” Taehyung interrupts.

Your eyes widen. “I am sorry, what?”

“That event that Park Chanyeol asked you to do. You shouldn’t do it.” He said. His eyes staring at yours. You look into them, finding any mischievousness in them, but there are none.

You are flabbergasted. “You do know that bakery is my dream, right? Why are you like this?” You couldn’t believe your ears. You thought of all of the people, Taehyung would be supportive, or at least, he would be happy for you. But this? “And besides, how do you know about him? Are you stalking me?”

“No, Y/N. I just-“

“Wait, are you from the bakery across mine? Do you want to sabotage my bakery?” You yell. “That’s why you asked for my recipe the other day!” You rise from your seat in fury.

“Calm down, muffin. I am not trying to sabotage your job.” He whispers as he pats your shoulder to calm you down. He forces you to sit again. He smiles awkwardly to the nearby patrons who listen at your squabble. “And we are in a public place.”

“Then explain yourself.” You cross your arms over your chest impatiently.

Your food arrives as he opens his mouth. The waiter puts your food happily, but senses the tension between you two, leaving hurriedly after Taehyung thanks her.

Taehyung sighs, “I can’t explain everything to you. I just want to tell you that Park Chanyeol is dangerous.”

“Why?”

He gulps. He really shouldn’t do this. He shouldn’t tell you. He is risking his job, he knows it. But he can’t let you be in danger. Somehow, after many nights shared with you, you became one of the most important people to him. Only God knows why. “I can’t tell you. But you should trust me.”

You snort. “Right, just tell me that. I trust you completely!” You say sarcastically. You look at him carefully, you can see that he still doesn’t want to tell you anything. “You know what, this dinner is a bad idea. I wanted to talk with Taehyung, not this Taehyung.”

You grab your purse and rise from your seat and he grabs your wrist tightly before you walk away. “Wait! I am serious, Y/N.”

“I don’t see why I should trust you. I only knew you for several weeks.”

He hisses. “Okay, that’s so unfair. You can’t just throw me away like I don’t mean anything to you.”

“Then explain to me!” you yell.

Taehyung diverts his eyes from you. “I can’t, muffin. You must trust me.”

You gulp, trying to hold yourself from breaking apart. This is frustrating for you. How come he told you to trust him but didn’t give you any explanations? You trusted him, you trusted him to give you support. But now, the trust is gone. “I don’t trust you anymore.”

Taehyung feels a stab in his chest. Suddenly the memory of your shared hug with Chanyeol clouds Taehyung’s mind. It is nauseating. It is maddening. He grits his teeth and looks at your eyes. “Oh, and you trust him? Is that why you were so friendly to him?”

You furrow your brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?” You try to jerk his hand off you but his grip tightens.

He glares at you. His eyes are full of rage and you can see the pain in his eyes. “You barely know this guy, and suddenly you trust him more than me?”

Your jaw drops. “This isn’t about you. Who are you to tell me what to do?”

He gives a half-smile and tightens his grip, so painful it makes you wince. “You know what Y/N? I really think that your ‘I hate men’ it’s not real at all. You just made it up.”

Your hands tighten into a fist. “You know nothing about me.”

He chuckles. “Oh, I know a few things, muffin.” He waits for your reply, but as he sees you bite your lips tightly, he continues. “It’s just your defense mechanism. You knew that when your ex cheated on you, you were at fault. And yet you want to blame him.”

“Stop.”

“Then you told people that so you can have better self-esteem, trying to save your own ego.”

You fight back your tears as your breath races in this humiliation. “Stop it.”

Taehyung smirks. “Oh, my bad. It’s not because of that. You are just a slut, right? You make this excuse to get men into bed. I agree that sometimes having baggage or complex is sexy bu-“

You grab your glass of ice tea and throw it to him. You are unaware of how all of the patrons gawk at your action. Your tears have fallen down to your cheeks. Your face turns red in shame and rage. You feel a sting in your heart when he looks at you back. You need to get out of there quickly. “I don’t want to see you anymore.” You release yourself from him forcefully and wipe your tears with the back of your hand. You then pull some bills from your purse and slam it on the table. “As I promise, my treat.”

You walk away in silence, leaving him wet and mad.

Taehyung tightens his hand. What the fuck did I say to her? He then slams his fist on the table, making all of the patrons who watch him look away. He sighs and runs his hand into his hair in exasperation. He didn’t want this to happen. He didn’t want to make you cry. He just wants you to stop going to the event. Sure, the vision of you hugged Chanyeol may be affecting his decision for a bit. He is doomed.

He hates how you’re affecting his actions.

He hates how you can make him lose his mind.

He hates that Hoseok is right.

He hates how you are not just a palate cleanser for him.

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