101 Ways to Pretend│Taegyu

Chapter 15

Taehyun loved living with Beomgyu, he really did.

Waking up to his face every morning, coming back home and seeing him, always having him just an arm's reach away. It was pleasant, knowing that Beomgyu was always there, safe and sound. Seeing Beomgyu with a puffy face and tousled hair in pyjamas instead of the perfect image that he was used to, with full makeup and an outfit decked out in designer brands, it all really made Taehyun feel like he properly knew the actor- learning his small habits and the person he was behind what he always showed on camera.

All that being said, he had one small complaint.

Beomgyu couldn't cook. The other had been trying to cook dinner for Taehyun for a week now, and although he enjoyed the sentiment, it just tasted... barely edible. He never had the heart to tell the other to stop cooking- though he tried multiple ways to subtly hint it (e.g. offering to eat out or order in every single day), but Beomgyu simply refused every single time, always offering some concoction that looked like the dollar store version of the actual image he was supposed to reproduce. So Taehyun always just shoved it down and forced a smile, happy that Beomgyu was happy.

And so when his doorbell rang, little did he know that what stood behind would be the saviour to his poor, poor stomach.

"I'll go get it," he spoke, breaking the comforting silence between the two of them as Beomgyu laid his head on Taehyun's lap while they both watched TV (though Taehyun never paid attention to the show anyway, who would when there was someone like Choi Beomgyu to look at?). Gently lifting the actor's head, he got off the couch and lightly jogged to open the door.

A soft click revealed a familiar face, and Taehyun's heart immediately warmed at the person who stood at his door.

"Mom! What're you doing here?" he exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. She was a relatively tall woman, though not taller than Taehyun. Wrinkles adorned her face as she smiled back at her son, holding a heavy weight of home-cooked meals in her hands. It had been ages since Taehyun last saw her, simply because his schedules never allowed for breaks- and even when they did, most of the time he was too tired to leave his own home.

Or, he would love to say he was too tired, but part of him knew it was just him not wanting to sit in silence for hours on end with his dad. He definitely would have visited way more often if it wasn't for the man, so he was more than grateful that his mother managed to make the time to go out of her way to visit him.

"What, can't a mother visit her own son?" She spoke up after pulling apart, pinching Taehyun's cheeks as Beomgyu shifted from somewhere behind them, finally coming to greet his mother. Turning to the actor, Taehyun could clearly tell that he was flustered considering the way he stumbled when reaching forward to shake her hand.

"And you must be Beomgyu? Nice to meet you! Taehyun didn't tell me you were staying over- hopefully there'll be enough for the both of you," she smiled even wider, raising the cloth bags in her hand.

"Oh, you really don't have to! I have a pretty small stomach. It's my pleasure to meet you, Ms Kang," Beomgyu smiled equally as wide, as they both stepped into the apartment.

--

Taehyun was pretty sure he had never seen Beomgyu eat so much in his life. The other had always chosen to take smaller portions, cut down on eating where he could or just skip meals as a whole from time to time. Though Taehyun didn't condone it and definitely tried to convince him to eat more, he understood where the actor was coming from- the industry was harsh.

But this was a whole new side of Beomgyu. For every bite Taehyun took, Beomgyu took two, revelling in the joy of a simple home-cooked meal. Side dishes sprawled out across the albeit small dining table, with Taehyun's mother smiling at the actor who furiously complimented her cooking, pushing more and more dishes forward for Beomgyu to try. The newly formed bond between the two of them wasn't surprising however- Taehyun's mother was a kind woman and almost everyone loved Beomgyu from the moment they met him, so it was only expected that the two would click almost immediately.