Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Deal with a Manager: Deciphered

Hoseok practically stormed Yoongi's room once the demon gave the go-ahead.

Taehyung sat against the bed's headboard, posture slouched as he looked imploringly at the nooks and crannies of the room. He instantly smartened his back when the door slammed open, eyes locking onto Hoseok's with apparent shock before his gaze melted into molten relief.

"Hoseokie...!" he exclaimed breathlessly, reaching his hands out listlessly. Hoseok hurried to the bedside and kneeled onto the floor as he craned his neck up to meet Taehyung's hesitant, gentle caress. "Are you okay?" Taehyung asked as he brought his hands into his lap. "You didn't get injured or anything?"

Hoseok laughed as he pulled himself from the floor, steadying his balance as he stumbled away from the bedside. "I should be asking you that, Taehyung-ah; you've only been resting for a few minutes. Are you sure you should be sitting up?"

Taehyung dismissed Hoseok's concern with a flippant wave of his hand. "I've been through worse. A little fever's not gonna keep me down."

"You say that, but Jungkook was the one who had to carry you from Timbuktu while you spent the entire ride passed out," Yoongi said after dragging Jungkook through the doorway.

Taehyung startled at the information, eyes wide with worry. "Oh, really? I'm so sorry, Jungkook-ah! Are you okay? I know I'm not the lightest thing to carry..."

Jungkook hesitated on his words, looking from Taehyung's worried gaze to Hoseok's taut form. He averted his eyes when he realized he'd been caught and muttered to the floor, "It's no big deal."

"I've raised such a modest subordinate," Yoongi bemoaned. "Truly unbecoming of a demon."

Taehyung laughed along with Yoongi, but Hoseok couldn't join them. His focus was trained on Jungkook as the demon tried to make himself as small as possible against the bedroom wall. It might have worked had he not developed a fully fleshed-out human body, not a single trace of his original shadowy husk left in his build.

It was pathetic. It made Hoseok want to vomit. Because he was the reason Jungkook looked like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin, to go back to the bygone days of arrogant shadows and baseless deals.

"Oh!" Taehyung exclaimed, effectively snapping Hoseok out of his thoughts. "I don't think I've introduced myself. My name's Kim Taehyung, and I'm Jungkook-ah's and Hoseokie's companion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I wish I could say the same," Yoongi sighed. "You're not supposed to be down here, but that's not your fault—the blame all goes to Jungkook. And judging by your nonchalant attitude, I'm guessing you aren't aware of your situation."

Taehyung blinked. "What situation?"

Yoongi explained to Taehyung how he used to be an angel and how the Underworld was affecting his body, Taehyung growing less and less reactive as he went on.

"I...used to be an angel? And what I thought was a birthmark was actually a holy mark this entire time?" Taehyung said after a moment of consideration, uncertainty and doubt heavy in his tone.

"Sounds ridiculous, right?" Hoseok said sympathetically.

"Don't listen to the non-believer," Yoongi said. "I've seen plenty of people exactly like you in my time. It's not some life-changing fact or fascinating truth. You just don't have to deal with regretful mistakes or greedy demons common people often encounter."

"Really? Because I can count two of those so-called greedy demons hidden in this room," Taehyung said with mirth.

"Oh, you picked a funny guy, Jungkook."