Touch Of The Poor

㉙Yes, You Do

  
Taehyung thanked the polite chauffeur upon arriving at the mansion. He unlocked the door with the key Jeongguk had given him a few days ago and stepped inside.

He scoped the living room in search of the younger but didn't spot him. He left the food in the kitchen and headed towards Jeongguk's bedroom. He paced outside of his door as he puzzled over what to do. He told him himself that he was tired, and Taehyung didn't want to disturb him, but he couldn't stop wondering if he was okay.

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without checking on him first, so he slid the door open with careful, tentative moves, not wanting to wake him up by knocking in case he was already sleeping.

The boy was tucked in his bed and didn't respond in any way to his entrance. Thinking that he was sleeping, he let out a soft sigh and tiptoed closer to him. He went to the side of the bed and kneeled in front of him as he leaned against the bed.

He observed him for a spell and felt the need to run his fingers through his hair, but he reined it back. "What happened to you?" he uttered as he extended his hand and placed it on top of his, the touch almost imperceptible.

The older stayed there for quite a while, gazing at the beautiful boy fondly and holding his hand. "I hope you're okay, Kookie." A sad smile crept over his lips as he pulled away, but he went stock still at the sudden tug on his hand.

Jeongguk peeled his eyes open and released his grasp to interlock their fingers.

"Did I wake you?" Taehyung asked in a muted tone as he peered at his drawn face through worried eyes, and he received a wan shake of his head as a response. "Are you okay?" He saw the other shake his head once more, and he couldn't help the gloom that nestled against his heart. He pushed himself off the floor and sat beside him as he cupped his hand. "Do you wanna tell me why?"

The younger sat up in the bed, leaving a tiny space between them, and rested his back against the wall. "Not really."

"If I hug you, will you tell me?" Taehyung asked cutely, trying to get even a simple smile out of him, and his face lit up once he heard a weedy chuckle from him.

"Hug me and I'll think about it."

Taehyung snorted at his words but didn't waste a second to fasten his arms around his nape, pressing his body against his side and tangling their legs together as Jeongguk's arms girdled his waist.

The younger melted into the embrace and tucked his face into the crook of his neck as Taehyung laid his chin on his shoulder. The latter caressed his nape and back in a tender manner in his attempt to remedy his saddened state and make him feel better, even though he didn't know what was wrong. He couldn't care less about that anyway — he just wanted to make him smile again.

They stayed in this position for a while, with their breathing in sync, as they enjoyed the warmth of this heart-soothing hug. Taehyung ventured to place a small, gentle kiss on his neck, a kiss that made the younger shiver lightly.

"It's my father's death date today," Jeongguk spoke below his breath, but the other was able to hear him.

He halted every movement abruptly at the sound of these words that rolled off his tongue with such sorrow they pricked his heart.

"You're probably confused since you know I wasn't so fond of him," he continued with a dry, frail chuckle.

Taehyung drew back a tad to look at him and shook his head. "He was your father," he trailed off as he cupped his cheek in a delicate hold, gazing into his sunken eyes.

"I went to his grave after my hyungs left. Probably they forgot about it. They didn't know him anyway. When I became the CEO, most of the people who were working there were old, and I wanted to give opportunities to younger people like me. But of course, for everyone I fired from the company, I helped them find another job first, and for those I couldn't find something, I kept them at their position. Anyway, that's why I didn't come to the cafe. I was too overwhelmed to meet anyone. I'm sorry, Tae."