Present

13| "Unwanted fame." 

Nina's heart was floating out of her chest. 

The feeling was surreal anger.

The rush of adrenaline was potent and the bitterness coating her nerves was unbearable, her hands turned clammy as she scrolled her Instagram feed that was flooded with her and Taehyung's latest pics.

And what her colleagues were thinking when they kept sending the posts related to her and the model that his fans were uploading non-stop? Nina couldn't understand why they were so overjoyed? 

Nina and Taehyung were all over social media and news reports. It was scary for Nina, she was extremely happy in her private cell. It was comfortable and Nina felt like the cell was turning fragile and could crumble down any minute. Thanks to one of the golden-eyed, bratty asshole.

Taehyung's fans were showcasing their happiness and some were not ready to believe in this news. The pictures, the fanarts, the videos, everything was too much for her to withstand. 

The cluster-fuck situation was like a punch on Nina's guts— it was painful. That's why she hated the internet, people believed whatever they saw, they judged just by a minor clip, they weren't aware of the whole story behind it. They concluded just because of a picture. No one knew that Nina and Taehyung shared an unbreakable hating bond; even Taehyung didn't know how badly Nina wanted to stick a knife right through his chest for his absurdity.  

For a minute Nina thought she should deactivate her Instagram because she never bothered to post anything, it was extinct. Why would she waste her time on social media when she could read a book? Books were much more fun and the books never judge you like people. 

Yet the crisis was stark raving, making her lose her damn mind, she couldn't ignore it.

It was hard to believe, hard to get convinced by the thing that Kim Taehyung, the supermodel, the douchebag heartbreaker, the cunning seducer, the human form of Lucifer was in a romantic relationship with a non-celeb woman and he actually went to visit her workplace to surprise her or more like declaring his love openly to the world? 

Out of Taehyung's jerk-ish character— tough to swallow— and unimaginable. 

Whenever he was around Nina, her first instinct was to run and just run away because he was a dark storm cloud that would just show up without her realizing it.

It was hard to digest, but somehow Taehyung's fans did, even people created a fan page about them, showing their ultimate love and support for the couple who hate each other to death. Nina watched the post, she gasped, then she laughed, the sound was dry and sarcastic, lashed in malice one. 

The lady in red, they called her. 

Who thought she could be famous like this? To the outsiders, they seemed like a perfect couple, she was under his arms, appearing like they were a match made in heaven and the way Taehyung acted, cleared the doubts. For the onlookers, he was like a love-sick puppy but for Nina he was an apathetic, hungry wolf, waiting to be unleashed to claw out her heart. 

Now, the whole world was in a complete calamity, rattling in profound shock.

Yes, she wasn't pleased by the spicy and juicy news lingering around the internet but the innocent people were unaware of the red-haired dilemma. Nina hoped that she could dislike their post about her and Taehyung. No hate to the fans, but the pictures and videos were unnerving, and that mawkish captions were like fuel on the fire, heating her blood. Unfortunately, Instagram didn't have the dislike button. At that moment Nina felt like the whole universe loathed her.

The red-haired had shut herself in her apartment and made an excuse to Jungkook that she was sick and took some days off. Nina wasn't in a mood to interact with anyone, not her aunt, not even her best friends, especially Talia who was out of the country for her shooting yet the rows of missed calls and hectic messages exploding in Nina's screen expressed that Talia got the news. 

Nina had no energy to talk about all of these again, she had this 'I don't want to trouble anyone'  bone in her body, she couldn't stress anyone. Nina just had this critical urge to slither in the darkest corner, and die in a fetal position there. 

"Leote, I'm so depressed baby." Nina mumbled, stroking the black fur of her cat who purred, curling into her lap. 

"Meow." She smiled when her other two cats caressed their bodies against her to bless their mommy with some sort of comfort. The big, orange fluff ball cat name was jellybean and the other shy white cat name was pearl. Nina lived alone in her small apartment with her cats, they were her family— Yes, she was a cat lover with no social life and two months ago she had broken up with a dentist guy. 

Nina still wondered why suddenly her ex-boyfriend decided to end things with her. What suddenly occurred to him? In three months of the relationship, everything was going okay between them, the casual bedding and make outs sessions were smooth and they were good with each other, super understanding. 

The guy didn't give her any good explanation, he just wanted to end their meetings and he did in the phone call. Strangely, Nina didn't feel a tinge of sadness voiding her insides. She didn't feel that bad, the breakup trauma didn't hit her. Maybe because she was never in love with him, he was a funny guy with a charming smile yet her heart— that deceiving heart didn't aspire to fall for him or any other guy that she collided with. 

"Aw, thank you for understanding your momma." Nina stroked their backs as she exhaled out. Every muscle of her body tightened when Taehyung's elusive voice ringed in the shell of her ears to taunt her as she dared to peek at his sweet offer. 

Her Aunt was facing the end-stage of heart failure, and she was in terrible need of money yet she didn't want to ask anyone. Talia or Jungkook could easily help her if she asked them but she decided not to do that. 

She didn't want to appear like she was taking advantage of their friendship, and the last option was Taehyung but marrying him means stepping into hell with a broad smile, bowing in front of him against her will and she would be stupid enough to believe that Taehyung would let her live peacefully. The amount of hatred he held for her was maddening, she shuddered by the idea of imagining her life with him. 

"I need to be careful around him for my own sake." Nina mumbled, a weary glimmer in her gloomy voice as her eyes caught the glance of the time, 7:38 pm. 

Today was Saturday, the day when he told her to come to the house to get her pendant. He sounded so fishy. Taehyung couldn't be more annoying, he knew the tactics to get into her nerves. Nina couldn't take the risk to stay alone with him in his territory for more than one reason. Once upon a time, Kim Taehyung had split her soul open, left her heart in tatters and stomped on the remains and he wouldn't even fucking blink— she would not let him do that again.

Nina read the comments as her jaw ticked and an unladylike laugh clashed her gritted teeth. 

Kim Taehyung was clingy to his girlfriend, he is in love, homies

Her cats flinched, watching her with wide eyes at her odd behaviour, Leote was quick to get off her lap. The red-haired had this strong impulse to yell to the world, to the clouds, to the people that Kim Taehyung was a devil with the face of an angel, he was brilliant at pretending to be everything that people wanted to see— that was his trick, never show people the real side of his. Taehyung's crooked and selfish part was hidden behind that nobility, that charm-the-nation smirk, only she knew how hideous he could go. 

"Oh please. Kim Taehyung is too crazy to be in love, his mind is twisted, so is his heart. He is nothing but a fiendish jerk." Nina grumbled, glaring at the screen with ruddy lips curling into a sneer as she tied her mass of red hairs in a bun, thick strands cascading down to her shoulders.

Nina was desperate to know what was galloping through Taehyung's heinous brain, what ideas he was creating and why he was so adamant about this marriage thing? Why did he want her so badly? It was futile to tire out her mind with the outlandish questions, Taehyung would not answer her oh-so-easily. 

They look good together

"We don't look good together, we just. .  . can't. He is a wrong person with sadistic tendencies, he loves the idea of humiliating me, inflicting pain on me." Nina didn't want to believe in these words, no matter what, she would not let Taehyung step into her life. 

Nina was not the woman she used to be, not the naive girl anymore who used to believe in fairy tales, white knights, prince charming. No, not that stupidity again. She would not let her feelings be treated as a playground, her dignity wasn't dirt and her heart wasn't his toy that Taehyung could play with whenever he wanted.

He is so hot for what, cut my heart open sir.

"He is—" Nina started, then paused as her narrowed eyes traced Taehyung's pic. He was smokey hot, the real embodiment of perfection and dominance as Nina felt her heart exploding and entirely opening by some dippy reason. 

"Yes he is hot and very gorgeous but when you get close to him, you will understand he is nothing but a monster." Her reverie shattered by the ceaseless knocks on her door, Nina frowned, she took Jellybean in her arms and walked toward her door, getting annoyed by the noise. 

"Oh God, wait!" Her other free hand went to grab her pendant, but it was not there to ease her rippling tension spewing in her veins. Nina was disturbed, she wanted her pendant back, she grimaced at Taehyung's thoughts as in a swift motion she opened the door only greeted by the model who was towering over her with a cold sneer curling his lips.

"I was waiting for you princess, you love to test my patience huh?" Taehyung stepped toward her as she stumbled back with rounded eyes. Jellybean tossed a stung eye at Taehyung and he kicked the door behind him and shut it. 

"What are you doing here? And what kind of improper behaviour is this, just get out!" Nina placed Jellybean on the floor as she braced her both palms on Taehyung's broad chest and tried to shove him away but being an adamant jerk he didn't shift.

"Shh." Taehyung mumbled, his eyes were glinting with desperation. Something was off, Nina could see he wasn't one of his smug temperament. 

"Taehyung, what?" Her lips parted as she fluttered her worried gaze all over his face.

"It won't hurt, baby." Taehyung's lips curled for a wicked smirk, her scowl melted into a  panic when Taehyung pulled out the duct tape and slammed it on her lips.

"Mhmmm!" Nina tried to get the tape out of her mouth yet Taehyung was quick to wind his vital arms around her waist and hauled her closer until she was smashed against him. Nina shook her head, gawking at Taehyung who was pulling out the injection from his pocket, she whipped her gaze at him and the injection proudly presented in front of her eyes. 

"Now, it will put you in 15 minutes of sleep." Taehyung pecked her tape cover mouth with a boyish smile yet the crude glint in his eyes obstructed his charisma.

"Yes Red, I'm going to kidnap you." 

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Important A/N: Kindly understand, you are not going to read about a soft hero who is too kind for this world, who is so perfect. 

Taehyung's character is flawed, he has villainous qualities inside him, he is stubborn and selfish and he will do anything to get whatever he desires. I just want you to don't complain about his character, at some point you will hate him but at some point, you will love him too, you are already warned. He is an anti-hero, be aware ;)