Love Candidate | BTS FANFICTION

Love Candidate - Pumpkin - Chapter 23

Taehyung held my hand firmly as we strolled into a high-end lounge with a few of his thugs in his usual furry coat while I wore a nude slit dress and glimmering crystal heels. We were in the lobby when a woman suddenly squealed in excitement as she hurried up to us with a beaming smile. She wore a flashy red tight off-shoulder dress with a deep v-cut neck, so I glanced at her natural dark hair and beautiful eyes with a curious expression. She's really pretty.

"Taehyung! It's been a while since we saw each other!" She gasped, leaning upward to kiss Taehyung's cheek as a greeting gesture. Taehyung unconsciously released my hand to grab her shoulders, clearly taken aback by her hasty approach.

"Oh. Yuna. You look great today," Taehyung smiled at her after she pulled away. I glanced at the fresh lipstick stain on his cheek with an unsettled feeling.

"Why haven't you contacted me lately? I missed our time together," Yuna smiled at him with a beaming smile. Why is she speaking so casually with Taehyung?

"Oh. I've been busy," Taehyung nodded as I stood by his side. I've never seen any women or his thugs converse with him in such an informal manner, except for Yoongi.

"Are you free tonight then? We should spend some time together. And who is this?" She shyly giggled with her hand over her lips, glancing at me with a curious smile.

"She's Hwang Jiyoung. My girlfriend," Taehyung nodded, placing his arm over my shoulder to pull me against him.

"Your girlfriend??? That's unlike you," Yuna eyed me with a startled look and glanced at Taehyung for explanations as I stood with my arm around Taehyung's waist.

"Annyeonghaseyo," I politely greeted her. Taehyung excused us after their brief conversation, so we strolled away from the lobby as she stood staring at me with a neutral expression. I glanced at Taehyung's cheek as he rubbed the stain with an unbothered expression, so I brushed it off and entered the private lounge with him. We weren't there on a date. Taehyung had scheduled a business meeting with his rival.

A moment later.

"Don't kneel for me. Taehyung is the boss," I exhaled as his rival mafia boss knelt at my feet. The man shakily inhaled and turned to face Taehyung, who was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed without a hint of emotion.

"I will not interfere with your operations again," The man promised with his head hung low. Taehyung scoffed at the man's words and leaned forward to face the man with a scornful smile.

"I didn't think I'd live to see my rival kneel before me like this. Araso. Considering we're running the same business... I'll withdraw the promotional strategy to play a fair game with you," Taehyung chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the buzz-cut hair like a little puppy. The woman Taehyung met earlier was apparently his rival's secretary. Yuna glared at her boss's pathetic submission in irritation but said nothing as she listened to his pleas while I stood by the couch with my arms crossed.

"Thank you-"

"Taehyung will equalize the market share with you... but you'll have to pay us 10% of your total turnover. And don't bargain, or I'll raise it to 25%," I sighed, smugly sitting down on the couch's armrest.

"Yah! You wanted him to kneel, so he did! Now you're shamelessly trying to rob us of our hard work as well?!" The woman snapped at my demand in irritation.

"It's either your mafia pays Taehyung 10% of your turnover or lose all your clients and go bankrupt. We're not here to negotiate," I exhaled, emptily averting my stony gaze to her.

"Did you think you could threaten us- just because your father is a powerful man!? You know nothing about the operations-"

"I used to be an experienced client before I worked for Taehyung," I shot back at her. The woman glared at Taehyung with an upset expression before storming out of the room. I exhaled and turned back to the man on the floor. The mafia boss was forced to agree with my terms after I cornered him, so Taehyung had to discuss in-depth conditions with him afterward. I left the lounge to use the bathroom, then walked out of the stall to find Yuna washing her hands at the sink. She stared at me through the mirror with her hawk-like eyes as I placed my purse on the sink with a straight face.