Closer Than This...(vsoo)

Taehyung sat at a corner table in Min's Cake Shop, his hands resting on the polished surface as he glanced toward the kitchen door.

The shop was quiet, save for the occasional sound of a bell jingling when a customer entered. Across from him, Seokjin was munching on churros, chocolate sauce smeared unapologetically at the corner of his lips.

"Do you always have to eat like a child?" Taehyung remarked, pushing a tissue toward him. "You're embarrassing to be seen with."

Seokjin smirked, grabbing the tissue but making no effort to clean himself. "You mean World Wide Handsome," he corrected, puffing his chest dramatically.

Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Right. World Wide Handsome... with chocolate on his face."

Before Seokjin could fire back, the kitchen door creaked open, and Chef Min poked his head out. "Sorry for the wait. Emergency at home...my youngest decided to lock himself in the bathroom," he explained with a sheepish smile.

Taehyung nodded in acknowledgment but remained silent, his thoughts wandering. Seokjin, however, leaned forward, his curiosity evident.

"So," Seokjin began, breaking the silence, "how's it going with Jisoo? You know, your fiancée?"

Taehyung's head snapped toward him, caught off guard. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Seokjin grinned. "Don't play dumb. I'm asking if there's any progress between you two. It's not every day you get engaged to someone, even if it's for business."

Taehyung hesitated, his fingers drumming lightly on the table. "It's... going fine," he said finally, his tone measured.

"Fine?" Seokjin repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's all you've got? Come on, Taehyung, I know you better than that. You're not one to settle for 'fine.' What's really going on?"

Taehyung sighed, leaning back in his chair. "She's more open with me now. Not as guarded as before. I think she's starting to... tolerate me."

Seokjin chuckled. "Tolerate you? That's a start, I guess. But what about you? How do you feel about her?"

Taehyung's jaw tightened. The question lingered in the air, and he found himself struggling to form an answer.

"I don't feel anything," he said finally, the words tasting bitter on his tongue.

Seokjin tilted his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Taehyung. "You sure about that? Because the way you're fidgeting right now tells me otherwise."

Taehyung looked away, his expression hardening. "It doesn't matter how I feel. This is just an alliance, nothing more."

Seokjin leaned forward, his tone softening. "You know, for someone who's always in control, you're pretty bad at lying to yourself."

Taehyung didn't respond, his thoughts swirling. Was Seokjin right? Was he lying to himself?

Before he could dwell on it, Seokjin shifted gears, his expression growing serious. "By the way, I heard a rumor about how this whole alliance came to be. Something about your uncle pulling strings... Care to explain?"

Taehyung's chest tightened. He should've known Seokjin would bring this up sooner or later.

"He lied," Taehyung admitted, his voice low. "He made up the story about this being a mutual agreement. It wasn't. He used her aunt stubbornness and trick her to give thirty percent of her shares and showed her he is helping her when he is the one who robbed her first."

Seokjin's eyes widened in shock. "So, Jisoo doesn't know? You're telling me she agreed to this under false pretenses?"

Taehyung nodded, guilt weighing heavily on him. "She doesn't know. And if she finds out... it'll ruin everything."