#re: the one with taehyung and the rook | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eoieopda · 1 year

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Hello there... first off, congratulations for the milestone. You are loved...so much so.

If I may, can I make a request for your 2k drabblepalooza... Kim Taehyung & enemies to lovers trope.

Thank you & I don't mind if you don't do this request because I'm surely gonna love everything else you put up.

aaaaah you absolute angel! tysm 😭💕

the one with taehyung and the rook

pairing: kim taehyung x gn!reader type: drabble | wc: 1.2k | rating: 18+ genre: not truly angsty, but idk ? au: chaebol, enemies to lovers summary: while others are playing checkers, taehyung is playing chess. cw: *groans* c*p*t*l*sm, toxic family dynamic implied, resentment, reference to nose drugs/alcohol/partying (not depicted), neither kth nor mc are truly great people™️ but that’s showbiz, baby!

For twenty straight minutes, you sat in stony silence with your gaze locked on the door ahead. As you did, you gripped the pen in your hand tighter, tighter, tighter. Your brain was steeped in bitterness, and you couldn’t focus on a single thing being discussed. Just the clock ticking above you, the empty chair beside you, and the unmoving cut of oak in front of you.

It was funny, really, in a fucked up sort of way. Your absence from the boardroom wouldn’t mean dick to anyone, but your presence was still expected. So, you sat.

Like always.

Second chair.

Everyone had said — correctly and for years — that you were the best suited to assume leadership when your father approached retirement. Though you were Choi Soojin’s second-born, you were the exceedingly competent and capable one. You were the least likely to take his empire and drive it straight into cold, dead earth. Everyone but you was able to accept the way shit like this worked.

Succession plans start and stop with the eldest.

That was the trump card, always. Even when the eldest waltzes into an eight o’clock meeting at half past, wearing yesterday’s suit, sweating out yesterday’s liquor, ready and able to tank tomorrow’s acquisitions by knowing fuck all about them.

When your autonomous reaction to your brother’s appearance left you scowling, you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You were well acquainted with rage, so you knew immediately that this wasn’t that. Quickly, your narrowed eyes flicked over to your mother, whose sights were set on you. She never needed to bother with words; you understood precisely what that understated glare meant:

Excuse yourself to the restroom and wash that look off your face.

So, you did.

Halfway down the hall to your destination, you bristled for an entirely different reason. Leaning nonchalantly against the wall between two extremely rare, absolutely invaluable paintings stood one Kim Taehyung. You hated his proximity to those masterpieces not only because he could destroy either with a single wrong move, but also because he looked like he belonged there.

He belonged everywhere, even if he wasn’t welcome anywhere.

“Skipping out early?” He hummed, head lolling to the side as he flashed you a bright, white grin. “That’s not like you, sweets.”

You made the mistake of glancing at his casually crossed arms. The top two buttons of his ostentatious — silk — shirt were left out of the loop, and the weight of his forearms against the fabric left more of his obscene — sun-kissed — collarbones on display. Before he could catch you staring, you continued your downward glance until you reached the Gucci loafers pressing prints into the hand-knotted, antique rug.

“You’re wearing shoes for once,” You countered with a sharp tick of your eyebrow. With your tone as flat as your affect, your eyes flicked back up to his. “Guess we’re both acting out of character this morning.”

Taehyung snorted, more amused than anything else. To your dismay, the short list of things he was incapable of included taking a hint. He trailed along after you when you turned to walk in the opposite direction. Unable to help yourself, you continued taking potshots with every step.

“I’m surprised you showed up at all. Figured you would still be passed out in whatever bathtub Jaesang slept in last night. He was with you, wasn’t he?”

“Of course, he was.” Even without looking back, you knew Taehyung was rolling his eyes. Where else would he be?

You clenched your fists as you continued down the hall, now heading for the staircase at the opposite end. There would be crescent moons dug into your palms when you finally unfurled them, but for now, the pinch of your nails was enough to keep you from unzipping.

You didn’t get to unzip. You had to ghostwrite your family’s legacy while the future figurehead was off snorting powder off some undergraduate’s ass. You could, however, make your resentment someone else’s problem.

So, you would.

“Anyone with eyes can see that Jaesang wasn’t this much of a fuck-up until he met you,” You mused. “So, if you’re trying to ruin us, Taehyung, you should have been more subtle about it.”

It was impossible to tell which was sharper, your heels stabbing into the hardwood steps or your tone. He took it all in stride, just like he did with everything else thrown his way. For the record, you hated that about him, too. He had nothing to get worked up over because he had nothing to lose.

“That fumbling, sheep-in-wolf’s-clothing bullshit won’t get you very far, not with an international conglomerate on the line.”

As soon as you said it, you realized just how like your mother you sounded. That thought made you want to vomit, so you clenched your jaw and continued your ascent up the steps.

Taehyung took advantage of the momentary silence, albeit not in the way you expected. Suddenly, his hand flew out from nowhere and enveloped yours in warmth.

You stopped.

He started, “I’m not trying to ruin you.”

You turned, glare locked and loaded. It was gone the second you saw his expression. Under downturned eyebrows, his wide, umber eyes disarmed you immediately. Whatever was glowing behind them wasn’t the snark you were used to, and it was thawing that chunk of ice in the center of your chest.

It was funny, really, in a shitty sort of way. The person you were harshest to looked at you more softly than anyone else ever had, family included.

“I’m attempting to do the opposite.”

You swallowed, tried your best to look unaffected, and demanded, “Elaborate.”

“That thick skull won’t get you very far, not with an international conglomerate on the line.”

The corner of his mouth tugged upward as he mimicked you, and you could’ve sworn he looked almost — fond? Charming, even, like he did when you met him; long before he became the co-pilot of your brother’s tailspin.

Halfway between amused and incredulous, your instinct was to cross your arms and shift your weight impatiently from one foot to the other. You’d have to drop his hand to do it, though. Not bothering to unpack that hesitation, you simply stood still and waited.

Your inaction wasn’t lost on Taehyung, who once again tilted his head to the side. Cute, you caught yourself thinking. He looked conflicted, like he had to flip a coin in his mind before he could decide how to proceed.

Eventually, he did.

“Your brother has a longer fuse than I expected. Seriously, I thought he’d have exploded by now.” Taehyung heaved a put-upon sigh as if his own deviousness was exhausting. “It’s been months of this playboy shit — and even though I’m dragging him down as quickly as I can, he still hasn’t hit rock bottom.”

Then, he shrugged. “Hopefully, I’ll claim the knight before the king checks himself.”

You blinked because you didn’t know what the fuck else to do with this admission.

“My money’s always been on the rook.” Taehyung winked, squeezing your half-frozen heart along with your hand. “Best piece for the end game, after all. Once the board’s been cleared out a bit, they’re damn near unstoppable.”

With a roll of your eyes, you scoffed, “What, is this you flirting? Actively sabotaging the incoming chairman? My own flesh and blood?”

With a wolfish grin, Taehyung leaned in and whispered, “Depends. Is it working?”

“Yes,” You stated matter-of-factly. “Yes, it is.”

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