Jungkook was finishing the last bits of his dinner, slow and reluctant, as if ending the meal would also end the warmth Taehyung had quietly wrapped around him. When he glanced up, he froze for a second. Taehyung had pulled his sweater off.
One moment he had been leaning casually against the counter, and the next he was sliding the soft fabric over his head, revealing the black vest underneath. It fit him perfectly, outlining the shape of his shoulders, the quiet strength in his arms, the lean lines that Jungkook had absolutely no business noticing. He swallowed hard and looked back at his plate, suddenly too aware of the room's temperature.
Taehyung seemed unaware of the effect, tossing the sweater lazily onto the back of a nearby chair, hair falling messily over his forehead again. His expression softened naturally without that heavy office sharpness, and Jungkook found it unfair that someone like Taehyung could look so effortlessly gentle.
Gentle was not supposed to suit him. But it did. Before Jungkook could finish processing that, the doorbell rang.
Once. Twice. Persistent. Both men looked toward the entrance.
Taehyung sighed, pushing himself off the counter as if this was a routine he expected. Jungkook did not stand; he simply sat there quietly, spoon halfway to his mouth, waiting for Taehyung to reveal who it was.
Taehyung opened the door. Jungkook could not see from where he sat, but he had ears, and the voice he heard was unmistakable.
"Evening, Tae."
English. Smooth. Casual. Familiar. Jungkook's stomach tightened.
Matt. Of course it was Matt.
Why was he here again? Why did he come so late? Why did he sound like he belonged in Taehyung's doorway?
Taehyung's tone dropped, far warmer than the way he ever spoke in the office. "You are here early. You said ten."
"I finished sooner," Matt replied with a small laugh. "Could not wait."
Jungkook stared at the table, forcing himself not to react. He should not care. He should not even be thinking about this. Taehyung was an adult, he could meet whoever he wanted. He could invite friends, old acquaintances, men who almost kissed him in his office earlier that week.
Jungkook gripped his spoon tighter. Matt's shoes clicked softly as he stepped inside, and Jungkook could hear Taehyung shutting the door behind him.
"How was your day?" Matt asked. His tone had that teasing edge people used with someone they knew well. Too well.
Taehyung hummed. "Long."
Matt laughed again, light and easy. "You look tired. Want me to help with anything?"
Help with what? Why that tone? Why was Jungkook even listening? Taehyung's footsteps moved toward the dining area, and Jungkook quickly lowered his head, pretending to focus on the last grain of rice as if it were the most important thing in the world.
Taehyung's voice carried lightly. "I have someone over."
Matt's steps paused.
"Oh?" he replied. "Who?"
Jungkook clenched his jaw, dreading the answer.
Taehyung did not hesitate. "Jungkook."
Matt's voice brightened with curiosity. "The new employee you mentioned?"
Jungkook nearly choked on air. Taehyung had mentioned him? Taehyung did not confirm or deny. Silence filled the space for a beat. Then Matt's footsteps approached the dining area, calm and confident.
Jungkook kept his eyes on the plate, refusing to look up first. He felt Matt's gaze on him. Quiet. Assessing. Interested.
"Well," Matt said cheerfully, still in English, "I did not know he would be your guest."
Jungkook wanted nothing more than to disappear into the floor. Why was Matt here again? Why did he have this level of access to Taehyung's home? Why did he sound like someone who had known Taehyung longer than Jungkook had even existed? And worst of all, why did it bother Jungkook so much?
He swallowed tightly, hands cold despite the warmth of the room. Taehyung finally stepped beside Matt and gave Jungkook a calm look, unreadable as always.
"Finish your food," Taehyung said.
Jungkook nodded, but the food suddenly tasted different. Because no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop wondering one thing: Why did Matt sound like he belonged in Taehyung's life in a way Jungkook feared he never would?
Jungkook froze with the spoon halfway to his mouth. Matt had strolled in like he owned the place, smile bright, hair soft and golden under Taehyung's warm living room lights. Jungkook noticed the details he never bothered to notice about anyone except for Taehyung recently. Matt was younger than Taehyung, probably by a couple of years. More energetic, too. His charisma filled the penthouse as if he had switched on some extra lighting just by existing.
And he was friendly. Too friendly.
"So, Jungkook," Matt said with an easy grin, leaning his hip against the dining table where Jungkook sat stiffly. "You got a girlfriend? Or…" Matt paused deliberately, eyes glinting with mischief as he tilted his head, "a boyfriend?"
Jungkook coughed on air. A boyfriend? Why would he ask him that? Why would Jungkook have a boyfriend when he was… a guy?
But the real problem wasn't the question. It was the sudden punch of memory. All those stupid thoughts he'd had. The shaky suspicion. The late night when he saw Taehyung leaving with Matt, their shoulders brushing, Taehyung not even noticing Jungkook standing frozen in the hallway. Matt smiling at Taehyung with some kind of familiarity Jungkook did not understand. The way Taehyung smiled back in a rare soft way that Jungkook had never seen directed at him.
His chest tightened. No. No, no, no. He was not having these thoughts again.
Jungkook knew he should ignore Matt's teasing. He should just laugh or say no or look away or behave normally like a normal employee in his boss's ridiculously expensive penthouse. But his brain wouldn't move past the sudden, sharp sting in his gut.
Boyfriend. Taehyung. Matt. Together? He swallowed hard, staring at his half empty plate. His appetite vanished instantly.
Matt chuckled, as if he had successfully done what he wanted, whatever that was. "What, did I make you shy?" he teased.
Jungkook shook his head quickly. "No. I just… don't have time for stuff like that."
He wasn't sure if he said it for Matt or for Taehyung. Because the moment Matt asked, Jungkook's eyes had flickered instinctively to Taehyung across the room, who had just slipped out of his sweater, revealing that soft looking vest underneath. He looked nothing like the cold boss from earlier but also nothing like the guy Matt might be here for.
Taehyung didn't look jealous or annoyed or anything Jungkook expected. He just looked at Matt with a quiet, unreadable stare.
Matt grinned again. "That's okay. You're young. You'll figure that out eventually."
Young? Of course. Everyone liked reminding him of that today.
Jungkook forced a weak smile. "Right."
But inside, the question wouldn't stop circling. Why was Matt here? Why tonight? Why when Taehyung was looking softer than usual? Why when Jungkook was eating dinner in his penthouse like some sort of… something? Why did Matt ask him that question? Why did it hit so hard?
He hated that the answer slipped in quietly, without permission. Because somewhere in him, he really did wonder what Matt meant to Taehyung. And he really hated that it bothered him so much.
Jungkook sat frozen in his chair, the fork resting lazily on the plate as Taehyung collected the dishes. He could not understand why someone like him, someone who lived in a penthouse where even the atmosphere felt expensive, was washing the very dish Jungkook had just used. Rich people did not wash dishes.
Taehyung, especially, did not look like a man who should be washing dishes, yet there he was, quiet and unbothered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His soft hair fell over his forehead and the warm lighting highlighted the gentle slope of his cheekbones. Jungkook felt something tighten in his chest, something he refused to name.
While Jungkook wrestled with his thoughts, Matt slid into the seat across from him. His posture was relaxed and friendly, but Jungkook sensed an intention behind the easy smile that rested on the man's face. It looked too familiar, the sort of expression someone wore right before asking questions that were meant to dig deeper than they appeared.
Matt leaned in slightly, his tone mild. "Your English is great, by the way."
Jungkook blinked, caught off guard. "Oh. Thank you."
"It is not as smooth as his," Matt added with a glance toward Taehyung, who was still at the sink, "but you are doing well."
The comparison made something uncomfortable stir inside Jungkook. He nodded, unsure what else to say.
Matt continued speaking with a tone that pretended to be casual. "So, what is your point of view on queer couples?"
Jungkook felt his breath catch. Out of every possible question, why did Matt choose that? His thoughts scrambled wildly. Did Matt suspect something? Was he testing him? Was this related to Taehyung? Was Matt queer? Was Taehyung?
Heat rushed to Jungkook's ears. He took a breath, staring at his hands. "I do not have anything against them."
Matt looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for more.
Jungkook swallowed and forced himself to continue. "I think gender should not matter. People fall for feelings, not for whether someone is a man or a woman." His voice dropped slightly with embarrassment. "That is what I believe."
It was honest and clumsy, but it was the truth.
Matt studied him with a sharpened interest. "Interesting. You are more open minded than I expected."
Jungkook frowned. "What does that mean?"
Matt smiled in a way that did not feel warm. "Nothing at all."
Before Jungkook could respond, Taehyung suddenly called out from the sink. "Matt."
The calmness in his voice carried an undertone that made Matt instantly straighten. He lifted both hands in a playful surrender. "I was not doing anything."
Taehyung did not turn around, but Jungkook did not miss the small, entertained smirk on Matt's face.
The questions had not been random. They had not been harmless. Matt had been testing him for a reason, and Jungkook could not shake the feeling that he was trying to figure him out. What bothered him more was the strange twist in his stomach over why any of this mattered to him at all.