The Prince Makes His Move

Say Goodnight To My HOPE World
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"I'm going to make her mine." -Kim Taehyung

 

 

 

Chapter 7: The Prince Makes His Move

 

 

About twenty minutes ago, Namjoon and Hoseok had finished visiting and inspecting the malls displaying their most recent game. And like Namjoon had proposed, they decided to walk around the area to find a place to eat. It wasn’t easy though, since it was their first time exploring this part of town.

 

 

“Hey isn’t that Ms. Park?” Namjoon pointed when he spotted a familiar figure. Hoseok immediately looked to where he was pointing. 

 

 

Narrowing his eyes, he took in the sight of a girl in a green dress holding hands with a tall man in a beret. Her smile and her little bounce as she walked could be recognized even from miles away: it was Park Hamin indeed.

 

 

But who is the guy? Hoseok thought, a little curious and well, bothered.

 

 

“Who is that next to her though?” Namjoon read his thoughts before looking at him with a smile, “Let’s go say hi.”

 

“Hey wait,” Hoseok began but already Namjoon was waving at the couple, calling Hamin’s name. Hoseok took a deep breath before following his friend.

 

Although he didn’t say, he was rather interested in knowing whether the man standing next to Hamin was really her boyfriend.

 

 

 

And then when Hamin started blabbering about his “convenience” and “comfort,” all Hoseok cared about at the moment was the fact that her hand was placed on another man’s arm as if it belonged there. He felt his face grimace and he had to cut her off, telling her that he’d be just fine with eating at the same table.

 

 

So here they were now.

 

 

“...” 

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

 

It was an odd combination of people sitting together in awkward silence, waiting for their food. Hamin gulped her water sitting next to Taehyung, and Hoseok eyed her across the table as he sat beside Namjoon, who was looking around the restaurant fascinated.

 

 

“This place reminds me of my actual grandma’s place,” Namjoon said. Hamin looked at him.

 

“Soony Halmeoni?” she asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Namjoon smiled but his eyes seemed sad as he continued, “Before she fell ill and had to live in the hospital, she used to live in a hanok like this by the countryside.”

 

“Oh I see,” Hamin said, returning his smile in hopes of small comfort, “How is she? I haven’t been able to visit her since that day we first met.”

 

“She’s doing better,” Namjoon responded with a nod, “Although I think she misses you. She mentions you a lot.”

 

“I’ll be sure to visit her soon sometime,” Hamin said, and another round of awkward silence followed.

 

 

 

Hoseok and Taehyung had been silently listening to the two talk with different thoughts going through their heads. 

 

 

 

After Hamin introduced to him that the two men about to eat with them were the co-CEOs of Hope’s World, Taehyung had been silently wondering who it was out of the two that Hamin read for. And when he heard Namjoon talk about his grandma Soony, he immediately realized Hoseok was the imsonic one. He scanned him and took in the typical, cold demeanor Hoseok usually displayed, but when he saw Hoseok’s eyes solely on Hamin, his protective oppa side came out. He furrowed his eyebrows and scooted closer to Hamin, which didn’t go unnoticed by Hoseok whose already cold face became colder.

 

 

Hoseok, on the other hand, had been constantly questioning in his mind who Taehyung was when he heard Namjoon and Hamin discuss their relationship to Soony Halmeoni, someone Hoseok knew personally as well. He was surprised a bit, as it was the first time he heard the story of Namjoon’s first encounter with Hamin and almost glared at Namjoon for not telling him about it.

 

But then again, he never asked.

 

 

“So,” Namjoon broke the silence again after a minute. “I didn’t know you had such a fine boyfriend, Ms. Park.” He looked at Taehyung with a warm smile.

 

“No, he’s not my boyfriend,” Hamin quickly explained with round eyes. Namjoon’s smile faded and he froze, not knowing what to say. Taehyung just smiled weakly, his heart slightly sinking from Hamin’s answer. Hoseok crossed his arms.

 

“He’s actually my brother’s friend, and we’ve known each other ever since we were kids,” Hamin kept explaining. Namjoon nodded and apologized to the two, who both shook their heads and said, “It’s fine.”

 

 

Is it common for you to hold hands with your brother’s friends? Hoseok grumbled at Hamin internally.

 

 

He should have been glad at the fact that Taehyung wasn’t Hamin’s boyfriend, but he found himself far from fine. He couldn’t really understand why the sight of Hamin and Taehyung bothered him, but it just did.

 

 

 

“Here is the food you ordered,” a waitress came by with a large tray holding their food.

 

Finally, Hamin thought. Food meant less awkwardness if another silence should follow.

 

 

All four of them had ordered different noodle dishes: Hamin ordered a bowl of Naengmyeon, Taehyung a bowl of Jajangmyeon, Namjoon a bowl of Kal-guksu, and Hoseok a bowl of Jjambbong. The four dishes were quickly laid in front of their owners and displayed a wide variety of colors, looks, and smells.

 

“Alright, dig in everybody!” Namjoon smiled as he lifted his chopsticks. Hamin did the same when Taehyung naturally swooped in in front of her to remove the cucumbers laid on top of her noodles. He silently picked them up with his chopsticks and took them to his own bowl before giving her his egg.

 

Hamin smiled.

 

“Thanks oppa,” she gave him a pat on the arm as he grinned back. He knew she didn’t eat cucumbers (but loved egg) and she appreciated the fact he did.

 

 

“Eat up Min-ah,” he said, his deep voice quiet and full of care. It was as if they were in their own little world again and this greatly annoyed Hoseok, who saw everything.

 

 

“Hoseok-ah, aren’t you gonna eat?”  Namjoon asked in between slurps when he saw Hoseok just sitting there. Hoseok responded by picking up his own chopsticks and dipping them into his bowl.

 

“Oh that’s right, did you sleep well last night Mr. Jung?” Hamin asked when she heard the mention of Hoseok’s name. She had been wanting to start a conversation with him since this was their first time meeting outside of work. She hadn’t imagined Hoseok to even be willing to eat with them in the first place so she wanted to make the most out of it. But she had been distracted by Namjoon and Taehyung, who were relatively easier to start talking to, compared to the prickly Mr. Jung Hoseok. 

 

Hoseok almost flinched when he realized Hamin was talking to him, her bright round eyes staring into his. He thought about last night and how it was another night of Hamin’s reading...which meant of course he slept well. He nodded briefly, “Yeah.”

 

“Oh good,” Hamin responded, and when she thought there was no hope for an ongoing conversation, she continued to eat. 

 

 

“Did you?” Hoseok asked after a moment, startling Hamin. She didn’t expect him to ask her whether or not she slept well back.

 

And Namjoon hadn’t either. He looked at Hoseok with large eyes.

 

 

“I did,” Hamin managed to smile. Hoseok took in her smiling face and gave her a small, toothless smile in return. Namjoon coughed. Taehyung’s jaw clenched.

 

It was utterly shocking to Namjoon to see Hoseok like this and immediately he thought, Hm, Hoseok must really appreciate Ms. Park for giving him restful nights. It only makes sense for him to be so...nice to her.

 

 

“We really appreciate you Ms. Park, for all you’re doing and giving Hoseok the sleep he needs,” Namjoon spoke up his thoughts, “He’s doing really well these days and so is our company, thanks to you.”

 

“Oh no, I’m glad I could be of help,” Hamin smiled politely, and glanced at Hoseok who was picking at his food, a bit irritated that Namjoon interfered his little moment with Hamin.

 

 

But Namjoon had no idea as he continued to make conversation and soon, Namjoon and Hamin’s talk went back to the subject of Soony Halmeoni, making Taehyung and Hoseok once again sit in silence. 

 

 

There seemed to be an ongoing thread of tension between the beast and the prince though, and they both felt it. It made Taehyung care for Hamin more, filling up her cup often or giving her a napkin whenever she needed one, as if to prove to the black-haired man sitting in front of them that he knew her very well. And all Hoseok could do was eye the two of them uncomfortably. 

 

 

 

“Are you guys done?” Namjoon looked around and saw that everyone had stopped eating. It had been a good half an hour of eating and talking (at least only to him) and now he was ready to go. 

 

“Yes, let’s go,” Hamin said as she collected her bag and stood up. Taehyung followed, and so did Hoseok, with his hands in his pocket. 

 

“Let me pay for the meal,” Namjoon offered and immediately Hamin shook her head, “No, that’s alright.”

 

“No, I want to really thank you and this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please let me pay Ms. Park,” Namjoon insisted and before Hamin could stop him, he walked over to the cashier and handed the worker his card. 

 

 

“Thank you,” Hamin bowed to Namjoon when he had finished paying and walked over to them. He smiled, “It’s my pleasure.”

 

“Thank you sir,” Taehyung thanked Namjoon next to Hamin as well, and Namjoon smiled again, “Nah. It was a real nice meeting you...wait a minute.” Namjoon laughed embarrassedly, “I don’t think I even asked for your name all this time.”

 

“Kim Taehyung sir,” Taehyung smiled back and Namjoon put out his hand, “Mr. Kim Taehyung. A real pleasure meeting you.”

 

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Taehyung took his hand. 

 

 

Hoseok, who had once again been standing silently beside Namjoon, thought about shaking hands with Taehyung too, but decided he didn’t want to after seeing him stand so close to Hamin.

 

 

“Well then we’ll get going Mr. Kim...and Mr. Jung,” Hamin said as she bowed goodbye and pulled Taehyung along. 

 

“Alright. Have a good day,” Namjoon waved. And just as Hamin and Taehyung were about to exit the restaurant, Hoseok finally opened his mouth.

 

 

“See you tonight Park Hamin,” he said, his eyes following her. He didn’t know what it was that made him all of a sudden speak up, but it seemed as though his inner beast popped out to indirectly tell the whole world that he was her boss.

 

That he was someone (important, he hoped) she served each night.

 

And at least he was that, even if he wasn’t a “brother’s friend that grew up with her.”

 

 

 Hamin stopped, surprised at his voice and turned around with a smile, “See you tonight Mr. Jung.”

 

 

Hoseok nodded, pleased to have seen her smile one more time, before he watched them walk out. Namjoon nudged him, “Hoseok-ah, you’re finally becoming a decent human being; I’m so proud of you.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Hoseok scoffed.

 

“You’re actually being nice to the people who work for you man. It’s great,” Namjoon shrugged with a smile. He wasn’t used to seeing Hoseok greet or say anything close to “see you” to his employees.

 

Hoseok remained silent.

 

“Well, I guess you should be nice to her, since she is quite special, isn’t she? Being your sleep remedy and all,” Namjoon continued. He smiled at Hamin and Taehyung walking away, their figure now tiny from where the two co-CEOs were standing. 

 

“I’m glad she has someone nice like Mr. Kim Taehyung by her side too. They say they’re not a couple, but they look so good together don’t they?” he nudged Hoseok a second time and Hoseok nearly growled.

 

 

He wanted to hit his friend.

 

 

Look good together? Says who, he bit his lip.

 

 

He was no longer pleased.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Oppa, you okay? Sorry about all that. I didn’t want to turn them away so I just allowed them to join us…” Hamin began to explain when Taehyung walked in silence beside her. His solemn face made her worried. 

 

 

Did I make him too uncomfortable? she thought nervously.

 

 

“Oppa?”

 

“Yeah no it’s fine. They seem nice,” Taehyung responded when he realized Hamin had stopped walking, staring at him with concerned eyes.

 

“Yeah they are,” Hamin said and began walking again, alongside Taehyung.

 

 

Taehyung didn’t reply as a hundred thoughts went through his head. He had felt it, seen it—the way Hoseok looked at Hamin—and although it wasn’t as lovey dovey as his own gaze towards her, it was definitely fiery. The way he subtly smiled at her but immediately narrowed his eyes when he looked at Taehyung was...threatening.

 

Almost as if Hoseok was...bothered or even...jealous.

 

And that made Taehyung himself bothered.

 

Because why would a boss, a client look at their sleep therapist as if they meant something more..?

 

Why would he be bothered she had another man sitting next to her?

 

 

Taehyung concluded that he didn’t like Hoseok. And that was a fact.

 

 

“So are we going the right way?” Hamin broke his thoughts as she looked around.

 

Oh that’s right. The art exhibition, Taehyung thought, almost forgetting about it due to his intense contemplation.

 

“Um, yeah. It’s this way,” Taehyung pulled her towards the right direction, his arm holding her close to him. She jumped at his strong touch but followed him closely as another swarm of people came by. 

 

 

They walked in small chatters, even though Hamin did most of the talking, and soon reached their destination. Taehyung opened the door for her and she thanked him as she walked into the large building where the exhibition was held.

 

 

 

The art exhibition displayed over a hundred works by more than fifty artists that included mediums such as paint, graphite, colored pencil, digital graphics, and photography. Hamin’s eyes twinkled as she ran about the whole place, ooh-ing and ah-ing over all the aesthetically pleasing works. Taehyung watched her like a parent watching his excited child with a chuckle. 

 

 

“Oppa I love this!” Hamin pulled him over to a bunch of displays showing colorful canvases. As an art major, she enjoyed looking at all kinds of art and was busy taking in all the color schemes and details regarding composition. 

 

“Here, let me take a picture of you. Go stand by the paintings,” Taehyung said as he took out his phone. Hamin blushed, feeling a bit shy since there were quite a lot of people in the room, but slowly made her way towards the canvases. 

 

“Alright look at me,” Taehyung commanded and Hamin posed with a bright smile. She waited.

 

“Beautiful,” Taehyung said with a smile as he took her picture. Hamin ran towards him, still feeling shy at having posed in front of people she didn’t know, and asked if she could see the picture he took of her.

 

 

“Whoa, oppa you’re so good,” Hamin gave him a thumbs up. She had always considered herself to be the least photogenic person in the world but Taehyung had proved her wrong. Well, it was mostly due to the fact that he was an outstanding photographer—a magician, able to play with angles and composition to create an Instagram-worthy photo. He had always loved photography, and it was easy for him to skillfully capture what he considered beautiful and turn them into masterpieces. It was therefore not hard for him to make the Hamin inside his phone gallery look absolutely stunning. She was more than impressed, but Taehyung just shrugged.

 

 

“Let’s keep looking,” he said as he began to walk around. Hamin quickly followed him and the two made their way around the whole exhibition with more photo sessions and expressions of admiration.

 

After a good hour of walking around, Hamin suggested they stop by a cafe, which Taehyung agreed to without hesitation. It wasn’t until early evening when both of them decided to call it a day and head back home.

 

 

 

It was a fun day full of impressive art and good food, but despite how perfect everything should have been, something seemed off. Something was off indeed, and it seemed to have started ever since lunch.

 

Ever since the Prince Kim Taehyung met the Beast Jung Hoseok. 

 

 

 

And it showed. Hamin noticed Taehyung frequently lost in thought, with less smiles and less laughter. She thought maybe he was tired and decided it was best not to ask him about it. She was unaware of the fact that Taehyung’s now blush-less face meant that he was seriously thinking about something...that completely had to do with her.

 

 

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Comments

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sisdels #1
Chapter 18: This story really was the cutest. I'm a little sad to see it go. Hamin proposing was a plot twist, but I am here for it!
Thank you so much for creating this adorable story for us to enjoy. It was such a fun and endearing read. I'm excited to read your new story. ?
SmartiesGirrl
#2
Chapter 18: I can’t believe it is the end T.T
Thank you so much for this story, I’m sure I’ll keep it and re read it sometimes ^^
I hope you will write the sequel for TH, I’m curious what kind of a person Min Ah is ^^
In the meantime take care xxx
SmartiesGirrl
#3
Chapter 17: And the trick worked again, really !!!
I re read the whole story and pouf... 2 days later a new chapter xD

Wow I can't believe it's already ending T.T

I'm so happy Jimin finally made a move with Cindy, I think it was worth the wait how he acted with her ^^
And Hamin being all jealous, so cute !!
Also hopefully Namjoon will have a happy end too, as well Taehyung :)

See you for the final chapter !!! :D
MimogaJK #4
Chapter 17: I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER???
SmartiesGirrl
#5
Chapter 16: You know I love you don’t you ? ;)

And I know how to make you post a new chapter: it’s re reading the whole story xD (though I still don’t understand why you choose Korea vs France when we all know that we are the Champions :D)

I’m really curious about Hoseok, did he lie to Hamin or is it something else ? Well I’ll see next week if you post ;)

And FINALLY Jimin made a move, it was time !!!!!!!!
Can’t wait to see how the date is going :D

Thank also for the shoutout I really appreciate and I will keep commenting as long as you continue the story ^^

Take care and stay safe xxx
SmartiesGirrl
#6
Chapter 15: Thank you thank you thank you !!!!
I was getting desperate to have a new chapter that I re read the story twice (I’m not kidding). And I totally agree with the comment below you have one of the best fic I’ve read.
I’m so sorry for Taetae but I’m so happy we finally have our Hamin/Hobi together *_*
See you on the next chapter (and I hope I won’t have to read it twice again ;) ) xx
MimogaJK #7
I LOVE LOVE LOVE you so much! I am a fan. I wish to meet you someday in person and get an autograppphhhh!!! Seriously the best fanfic i've ever read
SmartiesGirrl
#8
Chapter 14: Still here !!! Thank you so much for updating, I really really love this story so as long as you finish it I will be happy ^^ Fighting ~
Cutiedoki #9
Chapter 11: Will, Jimin that’s what you get for playing hard to get lolz ?