Taehyung is late.

Well. He's usually late, but not to this extent. He'd gotten distracted by a small puppy at the coffee shop and knocked into the owner. There's a white dress shirt laying somewhere on his apartment floor now, with a cappuccino stain right in the middle.

He's not too torn about the shirt. It's the Kermit the Frog printed tie that he's currently be as he half sprints through the security in his office building, throwing himself into the elevator right as it's about to close.

Inside, it's him and the pretty secretary from the fifth floor. He smiles wide, nodding his head politely, and the girl blushes. He doesn't even spare a moment to wonder why, because he's looking down at his plain black tie, and on the inside, he's crying, because it's so boring, but that's what he gets for throwing on whatever he could find as he ran out the door this morning.

Taehyung takes a deep breath, exhaling quite loudly and startling the girl, and he's about to apologize when his phone beeps. It's his best friend Park Jimin.

J: where the r u?

He sighs, adjusting his bag on his shoulder to type out a response.

T: elevator

J: did u get distracted by a dog again?

J: i swear to the based gods kim tae i will end u

Taehyung smirks.

T: says the guy who doesn't go past my shoulders

He can almost hear Jimin screeching at his phone.

J: you talk a lot of for someone who wears cartoon printed ties

Taehyung scoffs.

T: it has character

No one really cares much for Taehyung's eccentric wardrobe. It's not like he was ever seen by any of the important people, besides his boss, but when Taehyung had brought it up, he had just shrugged, said he didn't care, and that was it. Taehyung's feeling rather bold. Maybe it's the adrenaline.

T: unlike u

J: say that 2 my face er

And Taehyung lets out a deep, throaty chuckle. He looks up to see if he startled the girl, and realizes that he'd passed the fifth floor a long time ago. He didn't even notice her leave.

J: ill beat u up later. theres an emergency

T: whats going on?

J: we've got a level five

Taehyung's mood switches from relaxed to tense so quickly he almost drops his phone. .

T: i need ten seconds

He types rapidly, and stares at the numbers flashing on the screen above the door, willing them to move faster because if he doesn't get to the top floor soon, heads are going to roll.

"Fifteen seconds." Jimin drawls, and Taehyung isn't even surprised to see his (short) best friend standing right by the elevator doors, waiting.

Taehyung rolls his eyes and they fall into a quick, deliberate stride to their offices.

"What's happened this time?"

Jimin sighs, shaking his head. "I don't even know, man. Like, one minute he's chill, the next he's going off at Yugyeom for not catching a typo in the rough draft of the earnings report."

Taehyung lets out a sharp exhale from his nose, steeling himself up for potential confrontation. When he enters the office space, the air is tense, completely silent, and he pats Yugyeom's shaking frame sympathetically as he passes. Everyone's eyes are on him, and he salutes them before turning the corner for his boss's door.

Into the lion's den.

"Morning boss!" Taehyung chirps, striding into the office like he owns the place. As he expects, Jeon Jeongguk, CFO of Bangtan Incorporated, is pacing the length of his large office, with broad, heavy strides.

Taehyung can practically see the steam coming off of the man, face set into a dark scowl as he looks up, pausing his movements to watch Taehyung set his bag down on his desk, adjacent to the large oak one that belongs to Jeongguk.

"You're late," Jeongguk bites, but there's no venom in his voice.

Taehyung rolls his eyes, and wonders whether, in any other setting, he would be fired for his informality. "Am I ever late?"

"Yes," Jeongguk deadpans, and Taehyung clicks his tongue.

"Okay, yes, I've been late once or twice before but I always have a good reason.

Jeongguk raises an eyebrow, some of the tension in his face receding."Was it a small domestic animal at the coffeeshop?"

Taehyung gapes. "Am I that predictable?"

Jeongguk lets out a huff of breath in irritation. "No. It's just happened before."

Taehyung splutters for a moment, before sighing, shaking his head, and plopping down in his ergonomic office chair. One of the perks of working for the boss.

"Tardiness is not tolerated in the company," Jeongguk reminds sternly, and Taehyung wonders whether it was meant to sound like a threat. He knows Jeongguk would never actually fire him. Despite this, now seems like an excellent point to change the subject.

"Is everything okay?" The swiftness with which Jeongguk's face turns dark is alarming.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Jeongguk practically growls, and Taehyung realizes it's probably a bit too soon. He needs to do damage control, quick.

"No reason, just wondering. You know. Just checking up on you. That's my job, right?" Taehyung shrugs, starting to fiddle around with the contents of his bag as he places files on his desk, alleviating some of the pressure of attention, and he doesn't look up until he hears Jeongguk sighing, before sinking down into his own chair.

Jeongguk's rubbing his temple with his fingers, eyes closed and face contorted into a mix of pain and irritation. Taehyung would think his boss has a hangover, except that he's too professional to drink on nights before work. Whatever illicit things he gets up to is reserved for the weekends, the one part of his schedule Taehyung doesn't have to keep memorized. There are only two things that can irritate Jeon Jeongguk, Taehyung has come to realize. First is incompetence in the workplace- some people think Jeongguk is a perfectionist, but Taehyung knows it's because Jeongguk cares too much- and the second is family. Taehyung resolves to find out which of the two it is before he clocks out for the day. Any later, and heads will definitely roll. "I'm going to make you some coffee," Taehyung says aloud, and Jeongguk doesn't make any indication of acknowledgement but it really doesn't matter- he doesn't need to say anything. It's a tricky balance, being Jeongguk's assistant. The man is nothing less than complicated- cold and detached, the perfect model of a professional businessman, but Jeongguk is also still young, and sometimes the ice cracks, and suddenly he's a crackling fire. Taehyung wonders how he does it. It seems like Jeongguk has the weight of the world on his shoulders- one of two prodigal sons, taking over the family business with his older brother Namjoon when their parents passed. It's strange, when Taehyung says he works for the company, and everyone he knows recognizes the name He wonders how Jeongguk and Namjoon managed to do it, building a sprawling manufacturing empire, considering Taehyung isn't much older than Jeongguk, but he can't even make a trip to the coffee shop and come out in one piece. So Taehyung doesn't blame Jeongguk when he frays. And no one at the company really does, either. Everyone respects Jeongguk, he's a good boss, but Taehyung thinks that Jeongguk is more like a volcano, dormant until something small happens and it erupts, leaving no mercy to anyone in it's vicinity. The one person who has never been a victim of the flames is Taehyung, remarkably so. Despite his potentially aggravating nature, Jeongguk is surprisingly mellow when it comes to Taehyung, never raising his voice like he would with other employees, always letting things slip, like Taehyung's ties, or his disregard for formal language. Maybe he'd just managed to dodge the bullet the last few times. Next time, he might not be so lucky. Usually things at Bangtan are uneventful. But days like today- level fives, as Jimin likes to call them- leave everyone diving into their cubicles when Jeongguk walks past, and only Taehyung knows how to cool him down. Even Taehyung doesn't know how he does it, but something from the torrent of words that constantly spill from his mouth must be working, because for the last year of working for Jeongguk, he feels like he's saved countless innocent lives by talking down the man when he's angry. "I added an extra sugar in there because I know you said you didn't like it, but secretly you do," Taehyung explains, placing the mug decorated obnoxiously in bright red letters that spell "#1 BOSS!" on Jeongguk's desk as the man goes through paperwork. "And the hazelnut creamer. Little things, right?" Jeongguk looks up in mild surprise, and nods. He ducks his head down, before looking up again, startled, lips quirking down as he stares at Taehyung's chest. "Your tie is black," He says it like a statement but Taehyung knows it's a question. He looks down at the black piece of silk, frowning. "I got coffee on the Kermit the Frog one," he explains. Jeongguk frowns. "The printed one where he's sipping the tea?" Taehyung nods sadly. Jeongguk makes a small noise of sympathy. "I liked that one." "Me too." Taehyung sighs, and Jeongguk nods again, before returning his attention to the files he's currently looking through. "You should drink it before it gets cold." Taehyung says, voice softer this time. Jeongguk is good at taking care of the company. But he's horrible at taking care of himself. It had taken two months on the job to understand that there were certain parts to Taehyung's job that weren't part of the description when he was first hired. "Let me finish going over this first," Jeongguk says dismissively, voice terse and focused, pen hovering above the stack of HR reports. "You should drink it now." Jeongguk looks up, the corners of his mouth tugged down into a small, annoyed frown. "I sign your paychecks, Taehyung." Jeongguk makes a lot of empty threats. Despite this, he reaches over to pick up the mug, taking a sip, lips curling over the ceramic rim, humming out what might be a noise of thanks. Taehyung just winks, doing a mock salute, before turning on his heels and heading back to his desk. Another day, another crisis averted. "Seokjin worries about you, Guk." Jeongguk exhales sharply through his nose, and he hears it crackle over the phone. "I'm fine, hyung, you know that. I'm not in a rush to be in a relationship." Namjoon chuckles. "You're a menace, Jeongguk. Anyone who ends up with you is gonna have their work cut out for them." Jeongguk opens his mouth to refute this, just as Taehyung walks in. His skin tightens, and Taehyung's eyes widen when he realizes Jeongguk is on the phone, before nodding and tip toeing in an exaggerated manner all the way to his desk. Jeongguk rolls his eyes, a small smile threatening at the corners of his mouth. "But really… Seokjin worries. You know how he is. He feels guilty getting married, knowing you're still single." "It's not something he should have to worry about, hyung." "Try telling him that. He's already making a list of people to set you up with when you come home." Jeongguk can't help the small groan that works its way out of his mouth at that. He doesn't want a repeat of last Christmas. He can feel Taehyung's worried eyes on him. He looks up, and, as expected, his assistant's eyes are wide and fixated on him. Jeongguk shakes his head as if to say I'm okay, and Taehyung, although unconvinced, returns to his work. But Jeongguk is still staring at him. Suddenly, an idea dawns upon him. "Hyung, I have a boyfriend," he says before he can even think about the repercussions of it. "What?!" Namjoon bellows over the line, and Taehyung's head snaps up. Jeongguk's eyes widen, suddenly realizing what he's just said. "Why didn't you tell me? Do you know how many times I had to listen to Seokjin whining about how he can't be happy if you aren't dating? Unbelievable, Jeongguk." "Uhm… I didn't really tell anyone…" Jeongguk says slowly heart hammering in his chest. Because I don't ing have a boyfriend that's why. "Why don't you bring him with you when you come home next week? Seokjin would be so happy, and I won't have to keep stopping him from registering you on or something ridiculous." "Uh… I just. He's… really busy, you know? With… work. And everything," Jeongguk stammers out, and he gulps, hoping Namjoon will buy it. When he hears his brother sigh over the line, his shoulders slump in relief. "Fine. But Seokjin is going to demand to meet him at some point, you know that, right?" , Jeongguk didn't think about that. He drags his palm across his face. "Yeah. I'll. Uhm. See what I can do." "You do that. Guk, Seokjin is going to be so happy," Namjoon says, voice lighter than Jeongguk's heard in a while. "I'm happy for you." Jeongguk gulps. "Thanks, hyung." They exchange their goodbyes, and Jeongguk puts his cell phone down, leaning back in his chair to let out a shaky exhale. "Coffee?" Taehyung asks, out of the blue, and Jeongguk jolts up, having forgotten that his assistant was still in the office during the whole debacle. "No… thanks, Taehyung." Jeongguk manages to choke out, and Taehyung nods, before settling back into his chair. There's an odd, thick silence for a moment, before Taehyung opens his mouth. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend," he blurts. Jeongguk's eyes widen. "Oh. You heard that." Jeongguk is oddly disappointed when Taehyung nods enthusiastically, before getting out of his chair and bounding over to sit in the one across from Jeongguk's desk. He rests his chin on his hands and waits expectantly. "What," Jeongguk deadpans, suddenly panicked. "Well? Tell me!" Taehyung prompts. Jeongguk scoffs in disbelief. "Isn't that a bit personal, Taehyung?" The man only shrugs. "I feel like we're past that point, don't you?" Jeongguk thinks that maybe he passed that point a long time ago, but that's something he'd rather keep to himself. But there's something about Taehyung that makes Jeongguk lower his guard, even just a little. He considers telling Taehyung about the situation. It can't hurt, right? "I… don't. Have a boyfriend," Jeongguk says slowly. Taehyung's eyes widen in surprise. "You don't?" Taehyung's voice is mildly accusatory, and Jeongguk bristles. "So you lied?" "Yes. I suppose I did," Jeongguk squares his shoulders defensively, and Taehyung scrunches his face in distaste. "But I had a good reason." He's not sure why he feels the need to explain himself. "Oh?" Taehyung waits expectantly for Jeongguk, and he realizes the basis for his fibbing seems a bit ridiculous. "My hyung's fiance, Seokjin, has been trying to set me up. For maybe, the past… I don't know, two years?" Taehyung considers this for a moment, drumming his fingers on his cheek. "That doesn't seem too bad. Everyone wants love, right?" Jeongguk gapes at Taehyung for a moment, and it makes him shrug his shoulders. "I mean, I'm just saying." "I… Not everyone has time for love, Taehyung. Not everyone wants that." And Jeongguk doesn't know why it's so hard to say those words. They're both silent for a moment, Jeongguk stewing in his own thoughts. "But you lied, right?" Taehyung asks suddenly. Jeongguk nods, frowning. "So what are you going to do now?" "What do you mean?" Taehyung sighs, rolling his eyes like Jeongguk is the daftest person on the entire planet, and Jeongguk would be mildly offended if not for the nervousness swirling in his gut. "I mean, what are you going to do to get a boyfriend?" Jeongguk splutters. "Get a boyfriend? Why do I need a boyfriend?" "Jesus, Jeongguk. You're really oblivious for someone so smart," Jeongguk presses his lips into a thin line at the back-handed compliment. "You can't just… pretend to have a boyfriend and not actually have a physical person there." "Why not?" Taehyung rolls his eyes. "Trust me. I tried doing that in high school once because some creepy guy was stalking me. He was on some sort of Sherlock Holmes , and found out I was lying and I didn't have anyone to back me up on it." He shakes his head solemnly. "It's not that big of a deal, right?" Jeongguk's beginning to second guess everything at this point. He'd never been in this position. How was he supposed to know? "Are you kidding me? Of course it's a big deal!" Jeongguk leans back slightly at the outburst. "If your Seokjin hyung has really been trying to set you up for two years, he's not gonna let this go easily. He'll want pictures, a phone call, dinner, the works." Oh. Jeongguk hadn't thought about it, and Taehyung's hit the nail on the head. Seokjin wouldn't stop pestering Jeongguk when he finds out (Jeongguk is expecting a call at any moment now). "So what do I do?" In the back of his mind, Jeongguk wonders whether this is work-appropriate, asking his assistant for life advice like this. "You have to get a boyfriend, obviously," Taehyung says like it's the simplest, most logical answer. "Find someone who knows you really well, and ask them to pretend for a bit." "It's not that easy…" Jeongguk murmurs, raking his fingers through his hair. Taehyung frowns. "Why not? Don't you have friends?" Jeongguk flushes with embarrassment. He'd never really thought about his social life before. Perhaps because he didn't have one. He wasn't a fan of going out. And if he ever wanted , he'd just go to a bar, and picking someone up would be easy. But he didn't like keeping people around for long. "Oh… so you're one of those y lone wolf types, huh?" Taehyung nods to himself, eyes narrowed like he's considering. "I mean. It doesn't have to be a friend friend. Just someone who knows you really well." Jeongguk frowns at his desk for a moment, before sighing. "Besides you, there's no one that I can think of." Taehyung stares at Jeongguk for a full minute, processing the words, before his whole face lights up. "No," Jeongguk says. "I know that face. You have an idea, and I'm not going to like it. Keep it to yourself, Taehyung." "You haven't even heard what I was thinking!" Taehyung pleads. "Do I even want to know?" Jeongguk asks miserably. Taehyung pouts, and opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, the sharp trill of Jeongguk's ring tone cuts through the air. Jeongguk curses under his breath when he reads Seokjin's name on the screen. "Give me the phone," Taehyung says, holding out his hand. Jeongguk gapes at him for a moment. "What? Why?" Taehyung clicks his tongue in annoyance as the phone continues to ring. "Just trust me, okay?" Jeongguk can't see another choice in the matter so he hands the phone to Taehyung, who swipes the accept button and puts it on speakerphone. "Jeongguk! My precious little brat! I can't believe you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend! Do you know how many times I've had chest pains from thinking about you, all alone in your big apartment, my poor little baby-" Jeongguk clears his throat, ears turning scarlet as Taehyung raises his eyebrows. He makes to say something, perhaps along the lines of stop talking hyung, you're embarrassing me, but Taehyung beats him to it. "Hello Seokjin hyung!" Taehyung sings, and Jeongguk swears his heart stops beating for a moment from sheer panic. "You don't know me, but I'm Kim Taehyung, Jeongguk's boyfriend!" "Oh- oh my god! Oh my god, hi Taehyung!" Seokjin scrambles to say. "What are you doing?" Jeongguk hisses, low enough that the phone speaker can't pick it up, and Taehyung waves his hand in the air dismissively. "I'm sorry for interrupting the call. I've just heard so much about you, and I was wondering when Jeongguk was going to finally let me talk to you," Jeongguk just stares, eyes wide, watching everything unfold. "Oh, gosh no! I'm so… beyond happy to hear your voice, Taehyung, you have no idea. I'm just…" There's sniffling on the other end of the line. "...so… emotional." Jeongguk resists the urge to bash his head on the table in mortification. "Jeongguk wanted to keep it a secret, because he didn't know how to tell you," Taehyung fibs, and Jeongguk mouths thanks for throwing me under the bus. Taehyung, of course, ignores it. And that's how it continues for a few minutes, as Taehyung and Seokjin chat like old friends, and Jeongguk just stares between the phone and Taehyung, dumbfounded, and he can't quite process what's happening Taehyung looks beyond smug throughout the whole thing, and Jeongguk knows he's going to lord it over him for the rest of the day. Maybe ask for a day off next week because I saved your , Jeongguk. Don't I deserve a break? Jeongguk can just imagine it now, and he won't have a choice because everyone thinks he's got a ridiculous soft spot for his assistant, this won't make it any better and- "I know Jeongguk said you were busy, but it would mean everything to me if you came to stay with us for the wedding in Jeju." Taehyung's smile slides off his face, and he looks at Jeongguk in alarm. Help me! he mouths, and Jeongguk doesn't know what to say. He shrugs helplessly, and Taehyung's eyes dart back nervously to the phone. "It would make me so incredibly happy to meet you face to face." And Taehyung's eyes widen, face scrunching with sadness. Oh no. Jeongguk knows that look. Taehyung's good at sassing Jeongguk. But when it comes to other people… he's a goner. He's too inherently kind to say no. Jeongguk needs to intervene before things get worse. "H-hyung, Taehyung is really busy these days, and-" "Oh shush Jeongguk, I'm not asking you. I'm asking Taehyung." Jeongguk's mouth snaps shut and he shakes his head vehemently at his assistant. "Don't break my poor old heart, Taehyung." Jeongguk gapes at his phone, because that's low, and now Taehyung's bottom lip is trembling. "Say no," Jeongguk hisses, covering the mic of his phone. "B-but… he's so nice? What if I break his poor old heart?" "Oh my god Taehyung don't tell me you're falling for that. He's like, 30." "B-but…" And then Taehyung's eyes light up again, and Jeongguk has to brace himself for the idea that's no doubt going to end in disaster. "What if… what if we both go and act all in love? And then I like… break your heart or something? And then you can pretend to be all sad for a while and if he tries to set you up you can say you're not ready? And they'll have to believe you!" Jeongguk takes a moment to process it. That doesn't sound too bad, thinking about it. Maybe then Seokjin will leave him alone for a while longer. Otherwise he'd be trying to visit Seoul every chance he gets, just to meet Taehyung. And that's the last thing Jeongguk needs. "Okay fine," Jeongguk says, and just saying those two words is painful. But Taehyung is positively beaming, and the idea doesn't sound so bad after all. "Okay hyung! I'll be there!" Taehyung says, and Jeongguk cringes as Seokjin squeals over the line. He wishes he had half as much enthusiasm. They exchange goodbyes, Taehyung's voice bubbly, and Jeongguk cringes, but the minute the call is over, Taehyung's shoulders sag with relief, before he leans forward, cupping his face in his hands again, and wiggles his eyebrows. Oh no. "What?" Jeongguk snaps. Taehyung's smirk grows. "I just saved your ." "I didn't ask you to," Jeongguk clarifies. "But I did." Jeonggguk sighs heavily. The smug look hasn't left Taehyung's face. "What do you want?" Tae thinks for a second. "Okay. How about this. Since I'm taking two weeks off to help you, I get two weeks pay, plus time and a half, plus three additional paid days off of my choosing. In return, I pretend to be your loving and doting boyfriend, will rub your shoulders when you need it, give you kisses when it seems appropriate. Some hand holding, maybe I'll even sit on your lap, big guy." Jeongguk pinches the bridge of his nose. If this wasn't so sudden he would think Taehyung had this all planned. He's not sure why, but that doesn't... sit well with him. He desperately grasps onto the nearest most plausible excuse. "That's not enough. Seokjin will see right through that." Taehyung frowns, momentarily stumped. "What do you mean?" Jeongguk can't quite meet his eyes. "I mean we're going to have to be a bit... more hands on than that," He wishes he didn't have to say it, but Seokjin had the eyes of a hawk, especially when it came to relationships. He would be able to read them from a mile away. Taehyung's eyes go wide, a scandalized look crossing his face. "This isn't some nudist colony freak show event is it? Because I did not sign up for-" "God, keep your voice down, would you?" Jeongguk hisses, eyes darting warily to the door and momentarily thanking god that his office is sound proof. "Of course this isn't some nudist colony- Where do you come up with these things?" Taehyung visibly calms. "Netflix." Jeongguk just stares at him for a moment. "I just mean we probably need to be a bit more loving. Like... put more effort into kissing and hugging is all," He waits with baited breath, hoping that sounds plausible. "I guess," Taehyung finally says. He shrugs "Okay! So we add in a little face on top of everything else. And I will, out of the goodness of my heart, allow you to put your hands on my ." Jeongguk places his head down on his desk and prays for strength. "Okay, so let me get this straight," Jimin starts, swallowing a bite of his chicken salad sandwich and placing it down, before brushing off his hands and resting his chin on his clasped hands, eyes narrowed. "You, Kim Taehyung, assistant. Are going to pretend to be Jeon Jeongguk, CFO of Bangtan Incorporated's boyfriend? "It sounds ridiculous when you say it like that," Taehyung grumbles, reaching for Jimin's chips, but he just slaps his hand away. "But it's only for two weeks." "This is ridiculous. Remind me again why this is happening?" "Because he needs help," Taehyung bites out. "Also, because you still have feelings for him?" Jimin used to tease Taehyung about his crush all the time. It was only natural, at the beginning. Jeongguk is painfully handsome, intelligent, and has never been anything but nice to Taehyung. "Liked. As in, past tense," But Jeongguk is also Taehyung's boss. And carrying feelings like that around the workplace was unprofessional and also just… hard. So Taehyung had stamped down the feelings. And life overall is better that way. Jimin clicks his tongue, propping his feet up on the table in the employee break room. "I hope you're getting paid for this." Taehyung feels something odd wrench in his gut. "Of course I am. Do you think I'd just waste two weeks of my life out of the kindness of my heart?" "At least get some of that while you're at it," Jimin suggests, and Taehyung splutters. "No, what? We're just pretending. Jesus," But Taehyung's face is hot. Jimin shrugs. "Just saying. Even if I was faking, I would go 100%, you know? Wouldn't mind a nice big slice of that hot man cake." "Oh my god this is why you're single, this is why Jaebum will never notice you," Taehyung plants his face on the table surface. "I'm just saying, Taehyung. I can sense good from a mile away," Jimin nods solemnly, as though contemplating it, and Taehyung makes a choked sound at the back of his throat. "And besides, it's not like you're gonna be here much longer. Enjoy it while you can." Taehyung exhales sharply, and the spot on the surface near his nostrils fogs up. Jimin pats him on the back. "Just… try not to get too caught up. We've all seen the movies, right?" "Yeah. We've all seen the movies."