[EDITING]
When Jeon Jeongguk's sister gets engaged to his friend's brother, almost everything changes.
Desperate to hold onto a fragile friendship, Jeongguk is willing to get himself into sticky situations--even to the point of ruining his sister's...
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Chapter Twenty-Three: On Cliff's Edge
Given how long he had known Taehyung, it was weird how little he'd been at his house. There were several reasons for it. Whenever they hung out they usually were at his place as it was closer to the school––and Taehyung seemed to prefer it anyway. Even so, Jeongguk didn't understand what it was about his house Taehyung liked better than his own. For one, his family was always home, so they had less peace to do whatever they wanted. Taehyung's dad worked late hours so whenever they happened to be in his penthouse, they were alone.
Jeongguk thought it might be because Taehyung didn't like to draw attention to how rich his family really was. He lived in the better part of town, up in a penthouse, with views of the entire city. It was understandable, but it didn't really matter much, as everyone already knew how rich the Kims were. Jeongguk didn't care anyway, if Taehyung lived in a shack, he would still enjoy his company. But he had to admit, something about it was exhilarating, standing in front of a tall apartment building, looking up to see the top floors towering over the city and then being able to walk past the guard in the lobby without being stopped. The grandness of it all, made him feel almost giddy: he couldn't help but stare at the marvel floor, the golden accents on the walls and the greenery in every corner.
On the elevator ride up, he felt the strange urge to speak, to comment on the dark oak and golden handles, but as he was alone, he didn't. He wished he'd gone with Jimin and Yoongi, but they had gone to get some dinner together, and he didn't want to intrude. It was a bit later than eleven o'clock and he had no idea if the apartment would be nearly empty or jam-packed. He also didn't know what he would prefer. He was ready though, in his best clothes, some baggy jeans and a black t-shirt, and because he didn't want it to be too plain, he had his dad's necklace hanging from his neck. But underneath the shirt. He'd feel too exposed with it out in the open.
When the elevator doors opened up to the penthouse, the music jumped at him like an excited dog. He walked in, bewildered by all the noise. The music pumped through the room like a quick heart-beat and it gave him energy. Taehyung had an impeccable taste in music.
He walked through the apartment, past people doing various different things; girls fixing their hair, dresses, shoes, tights, everything; he heard a guy yell something in the living room, while the people in the hallway were murmuring in each other's ears.
He found Taehyung in the kitchen, leaning up against a counter, a cup in hand. The light in the kitchen was dim, casting a shadow over his face, darkening his eyes, sharpening his jaw, changing his hair from a brown to a black. His hair was a styled mess, curling ever so slightly. He was wearing black jeans and a striped shirt, wide vertical stripes in black and white. The top buttons were left undone, revealing his skin and a silver necklace. He was talking to Jaemin.
They didn't notice him, as Jeongguk approached, too immersed in the conversation they were having. He didn't think much of it, he didn't think they would be talking about something intimate, didn't think they had a friendship capable of that, but when he heard the exchange of words passing between them, he froze.
