The Cupid Complex

21. Music Royalty

"So let me get this straight..."

That seemed to be Ruby's mantra as she tried to wrap her mind about everything that had been happening to her in such a short span of time. She and a disguised Taehyung were walking side-by-side after she had clocked out of work for the day. She only had a bit left of her shift after they had talked, so Taehyung had hung about at the table waiting out the last thirty or so minutes. As they walked, she reached out her hands to run the tips of her fingers along the bushes that were off to one side of the sidewalk to convince herself that she was actually awake and that this was real.

"...You're trying to tell me that Jungkook thinks Ame - my older sister - is this woman he keeps seeing in his dreams?"

She made sure to keep her voice low. There wasn't anyone around them, but she wanted to be careful just in case, especially since Taehyung trusted in her.

"It's crazy, I know. Trust me," said Taehyung, "but I had to help Jungkook chase this down. He hasn't been sleeping well the last while with these thoughts in his head."

"He's lucky to have you," said Ruby. "It always looked like the seven of you were close, but now I can see just how close."

Taehyung didn't say anything for a moment as they continued to walk. Taehyung had invited Ruby back over to his place after she had agreed to help. They needed to hash out some sort of game plan to get Jungkook and Ame to meet.

"So your older sister..."

"She's only older than me by a year," said Ruby quickly. "I'm twenty-four while she is twenty-five. We may as well be twins though since we do everything together."

Ruby didn't want Taehyung to see her as someone who was young and immature.

"Well...right," he said, "but your sister...you're saying she's a hard one to crack?"

"She has a hard time believing in love because of how badly her fiancée crushed her. She's firmly of the mind that she doesn't need any sort of Prince Charming, and that she could live happily through life as a spinster."

"As a spinster?" asked Taehyung with a soft laugh.

"Her words, not mine."

"I see we have our work cut out for us," said Taehyung as they arrived outside the apartment.

"Wait a second. How do you know where I live?" asked Ruby as she turned to look at Taehyung; her eyes suddenly widening. "Wait...you're our new neighbors, aren't you? I thought for sure it was you and Jungkook moving in, but I didn't believe myself."

"Wait. You and Ame live here too?"

Ruby nodded her head as she moved past Taehyung to hold the door to the building open.

"I should be the one holding the door for you," said Taehyung, but Ruby kept holding the door and refused to let him switch places with her.

"Music royalty first," said Ruby with a mock bow which got Taehyung smirking behind his mask as he led the way upstairs.

- - -

Jungkook had moved from his spot by the sliding glass door when he heard Taehyung's voice followed by the sound of the apartment door opening. Standing beside him was the woman that had saved them in the grocery store.

"Kookie, say 'hi' to Ruby," said Taehyung as he entered, shutting the apartment door behind him. He began to take off his disguise, handing the bag of groceries to Jungkook. "Careful when you put that down. Ruby put cookies in there."

Jungkook listened to Taehyung's directions as he moved towards the kitchen to put the bag down. Ruby meanwhile was trying to come to terms with her current reality. When she woke up this morning, she certainly didn't expect to end up in Jungkook and Taehyung's apartment.