The Orphanage Visit
The day started with Jisoo practically dragging Taehyung out of his usual rigid routine. She had told him to keep the day free, insisting on dressing casually, much to his annoyance.
Taehyung, used to his structured days of meetings, schedules, and crisp suits, found himself in dark jeans and a light sweater, an attire he hadn't worn in years.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" he asked as he slipped into the passenger seat of her car, raising a brow.
"Nope," Jisoo said with a sly smile. "You'll find out soon enough."
"Jisoo," he began, his tone clipped, "I don't like surprises."
"Well, it's a good thing I am not asking for your permission, then," she shot back, grinning.
Taehyung sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. But as the car sped toward the outskirts of the city, something in him softened. Jisoo's lighthearted energy was infectious, even if he didn't want to admit it.
When they arrived at the orphanage, Taehyung's first reaction was confusion. The building was modest, its paint slightly faded, but it had a charm that spoke of warmth and love.
Children's laughter echoed from the small garden out front, where a group of them played tag.
"An orphanage?" Taehyung asked, turning to Jisoo.
"Yes," she said, her tone lighter than usual. "I thought it would be a nice change of pace for you. These kids could use some joy, and so could we."
"I am not sure I am the right person for this," Taehyung said, hesitating as Jisoo stepped out of the car.
"You're more right than you think," Jisoo said, walking around to his side and pulling open the door. "Come on, Taehyung. Trust me for once."
Reluctantly, he followed her inside.
The children were quick to surround Jisoo, their faces lighting up as if she were an old friend. She knelt down, chatting with them effortlessly, her laughter filling the room. Taehyung hung back, watching her with a mixture of admiration and unease.
"You must be Mr. Kim," said an older woman, the orphanage's director, who approached him with a warm smile. "Your wife told us you'd be visiting today. The children have been so excited."
Taehyung nodded politely, unsure of what to say. Before he could respond, a little boy tugged at his sleeve.
"Do you want to play soccer with us?" the boy asked, holding up a slightly deflated ball.
Taehyung blinked, glancing at Jisoo, who gave him an encouraging nod from across the room. Slowly, he crouched down to the boy's level. "Alright," he said, taking the ball. "But don't expect me to go easy on you."
The boy grinned, and within moments, Taehyung found himself outside, surrounded by a group of children eager to play.
Jisoo watched from a distance as Taehyung gradually warmed up to the kids. At first, he had seemed stiff and unsure, but as the game went on, she saw him laughing, even joking with them. It was a side of him she hadn't seen before, a softer, more human side that made her chest tighten unexpectedly.
By lunchtime, Taehyung had fully immersed himself in the children's world. He sat at a small table, his long legs awkwardly folded beneath it, listening intently as a little girl told him about her dream of becoming a doctor.
When she finished, she shyly offered him the small chocolate bar she had been saving. "For you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Taehyung stared at the chocolate for a moment before taking it gently. "Thank you," he said, his voice softer than Jisoo had ever heard it.
From her seat nearby, Jisoo smiled, her heart swelling at the sight.
Later that afternoon, as the children played in the garden, Jisoo and Taehyung sat together on a bench. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the scene.
Taehyung leaned back, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I didn't expect this," he admitted quietly.
"Expect what?" Jisoo asked, turning to him.
"This... peace," he said, gesturing toward the children. "They have so little, yet they're so happy. It's... humbling."
Jisoo nodded. "Happiness isn't about material things, Taehyung. It's about the people you surround yourself with. Family doesn't have to be blood...it's about love, trust, and loyalty."
Taehyung's jaw tightened, her words striking a chord. For so long, he had been bound by the idea that loyalty to his family-specifically Taehwan, was his duty.
But Jisoo was showing him another way, a way that didn't involve manipulation or pain.
"I don't know if I can break away from him," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's been in my head for so long... it feels impossible."
Jisoo reached out, placing a hand over his. "You're stronger than you think, Taehyung. You don't owe loyalty to someone who hurts you. You deserve better than that."
He looked at her, something raw and vulnerable in his eyes. "Why do you care so much?"
"Because I see you," Jisoo said simply. "I see the man you are, not the man Taehwan wants you to be. And I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself."
For a long moment, they sat in silence, her words sinking in.
The drive home was unusually quiet. The hum of the engine and the faint melody from the radio filled the silence, but Taehyung's mind was anything but still. He found himself stealing glances at Jisoo as she sat in the passenger seat, her gaze focused out the window.
She was humming softly, a tune he didn't recognize, and the sound seemed to tug at something deep within him.
Taehyung tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his chest constricting in a way he couldn't quite explain.
The day they'd spent at the orphanage replayed in his mind like a film reel. He saw her laughing with the children, her eyes lighting up in a way that seemed to make the whole world brighter. He heard the warmth in her voice as she comforted a child who had scraped his knee. And he felt the quiet strength in her words as she spoke to him on that bench, reminding him that he wasn't bound to a family that sought to destroy him.
When had she become this important to him?
He exhaled sharply, annoyed at his own thoughts. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Their marriage had been a contract, a business arrangement born out of necessity, not emotion.
Yet somewhere along the line, Jisoo had become more than just his wife in name. She had become his confidante, his ally, and, though he hated to admit it-his solace.
The realization hit him like a freight train, he was in love with her.
Not in the superficial, fleeting way he had once believed love to be. This was deeper, rawer, and infinitely more terrifying. He was deeply, irrevocably in love with Jisoo, the woman who was more than a decade younger than him, the woman who had stepped into his life with her fiery determination and her stubborn heart.
Taehyung's gaze flicked to her again. She had tilted her head slightly, her profile illuminated by the soft glow of the dashboard. Her features were delicate yet strong, her beauty understated but undeniable.
But it wasn't just her appearance that drew him in. It was everything about her-the way she challenged him, the way she cared so fiercely, the way she saw through his walls and refused to let him push her away.
It scared him.
He wasn't supposed to feel this way. He had spent his entire life keeping people at arm's length, protecting himself from the vulnerability that came with love. Love made you weak. It gave people power over you. And yet, with Jisoo, he didn't feel weak.
He felt... alive.
As they pulled up to their apartment, Jisoo turned to him, her expression soft. "Thank you for today," she said quietly. "I know it was out of your comfort zone, but it meant a lot to me."
Her words were simple, but they carried a weight that Taehyung felt in his chest. He wanted to say something, to tell her that she had done more for him than she realized. But the words caught in his throat, too heavy to voice.
Instead, he nodded, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. "You're welcome," he said finally, his voice low.
As they stepped into the apartment, Jisoo disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Taehyung alone in the dimly lit living room. He sank onto the couch, his head in his hands, the weight of his emotions pressing down on him.
How had he let this happen? How had he, Kim Taehyung, fallen for the young and beautiful wife who had entered his life when he least expected it?
But as he thought of her smile, her laughter, and the quiet determination in her eyes, he realized that it didn't matter how or when it had happened. What mattered was that it had happened, and there was no going back.
Taehyung leaned back, staring at the ceiling as a faint smile tugged at his lips. For the first time in years, he didn't feel alone. And for the first time, he didn't mind.