Seven years later.

"I drank some juice and smudged my lipstick. Could you please reapply it for me?"

You squatted down to be at eye level with the small figure who spoke words larger than her height and smiled: "It's waterproof. It won't smudge even if you drink ten glasses of juice, Clara."

"Nah! I don't believe it is." She shrugged her shoulders. "Mrs. Baek said I should look good to make Dad proud. So please adjust my lipstick and dress, too, mom."

When Mrs. Baek found out you were pregnant, she agreed to stay with you. Taehyung had told her when your morning sickness started. You had told him about your relationship with her and how you thought of her more as your own mother. So he figured if the real grandmother couldn't be with his child, then a similar figure would do.

You fetched inside your clutch for your lipstick with a smile of pleasurable defeat. The little girl had you wrapped around her little finger. You couldn't say no when her daddy hadn't gotten her used to nothing, but yes. You weren't a fan of putting cosmetics on children, as a doctor you knew that most of these products contained ingredients that weren't particularly suitable for children, but the occasion called for it. This was also the reason why you wore the same outfit, with the size being the only difference. It was a beautiful black sleeveless dress with a princess cut on the skirt. Clara loved it. She twirled around just to see the skirt flowing around her, comparing herself to all the Disney princesses she loved. Not wanting to dampen her joy, you put on her lipstick in the middle of the gallery, oblivious to the guests moving around, analyzing each painting in depth and reveling in the beauty of each piece.

"Thank you, Mommy."

Clara's small hand circled around yours as you watched the guests' positive reaction. It was fulfilling. A proud feeling that filled your heart with joy. Clara was a well-behaved child for her age. She did have a lot of questions every time she saw something new, like the gallery she was in now- but her questions were so endearing that you couldn't let them go unanswered, even if you were a little nervous about how the event would go. You wanted everything to be perfect. You had planned months in advance with the best curators and art exhibition experts to make sure everything went perfectly. And now that you saw the result of your hard work, you wanted nothing more than to see the same satisfaction on his face too.

"Clara!" Jungkook shouted. He really didn't need to. You saw him enter the gallery with Seokjin, as did Clara. But just as the years haven't changed Jungkook's looks, they haven't changed his antics. You've gotten used to them. Would feel pretty uncomfortable if he was less dramatic. Seokjin sighed in exasperation as he watched Jungkook walk towards Clara, not caring about the ethics of the place he was in, and with much more reluctance, he walked towards you. "I can't believe he finally made it."

"He did." You looked around the gallery again proudly. The paintings were beautifully hung and each one was illuminated by a small spot of light on the floor, casting light on the portrayals. God, he was really good at this. The way he depicted each scene with a hinge of sadness and hope. It was mesmerizing. If someone heard your inner thoughts and assessments, they would think you were biased, but the fact that the gallery was full and half the pieces were already sold said otherwise. He was talented. Period. "He waited so long for this."

"He has you to thank for supporting his dream." Offered Seokjin, "You're a big part of this, Doctor."

"You have to tell him this when he comes, okay?"

Whatever comeback Seokjin had for you was interrupted by the host's announcement, beeping as he turned on the microphone, drawing the attention of the visitors and critics. Clara was in Jungkook's arms playing with his tie while you focused on the podium with a glass of champagne in your hand.

"We will now introduce the main piece of tonight's show. We would like to point out to our collectionists that this piece is not for sale. Mr. Kim Taehyung will tell you more about tonight's highlight, so please welcome him with a round of applause."

You'd say you fell in love all over again at the sight of him in that beige suit and white shirt, forgoing the tie. But you never fell out of love to fall in it again. It was like a one-way trip with no means of return. A destination you considered your motherland. A country you would fight for. "Daddy!" Clara called out, smiling, and as you turned to her, you noticed how similar her smile was to her father's, whose eyes were fixed on you and her. Lord, he was happy. So happy that he wished this happiness would never leave him to sorrow again.

"Good evening everyone and thank you so much for being with me on this precious night. Those who are close to me know what painting means to me. I don't remember exactly when this love began, but I'm sure it was love at first sight. Maybe it started before I could even remember. But as in every other love story, there were difficulties that drove us apart and led to me putting down the paintbrush for years. After a long separation, I realized that although I couldn't commit to a relationship with paint and brushes, we could still be good friends who met up from time to time, which is how this collection came to live. The portrait I'm going to show you now is called The Muse. And it was the first painting I realized after years of separation from colors and brushes."

The look in his eyes as he introduced you to the work you had never seen before did not escape you. He looked at you with intention. With unspoken words. With the affection he had shown you over the years and with every emotion you had experienced together. It seemed as if you were alone in that gallery. As if his words were only meant for you. As if he only had eyes for you, and you loved being the center of his attention, even in a crowd and on a night that was all about him.

The veil was pulled up, revealing the muse, and that's when you realized where the name came from. Black and green shaded the features of his muse. Long, brown curls covered her face, mimicking the games of a playful wind as her eyes gazed at the horizon and the greenery around her, but nothing hid her identity from you, for she was you.

He had promised you long ago in your then new room that he would paint something for you when you had asked to see his work. He kept his promise. He showed you many paintings and you were usually there when he painted them, but he never showed you this one, even though he had painted it the night you rode his horse and declared it yours. He hadn't told you, and maybe he wouldn't tell you tonight either, but he also painted you riding The Khan. The portrait was safely hidden in his workshop in the Chalet, where you became his.

"This work is a gift to the person who was the reason I made up with the canvas, brush and the palette of colors. And although it is not for sale, I wanted it to be seen and appreciated the same way I appreciate it. Please give a round of applause for Kim Yunjae who organized this event and made sure that all the proceeds go directly to the students who need help to continue their studies."

The applause didn't take your attention away from the man who stepped down from the podium and walked towards you with confident steps. The man who was working hard to assuage the guilt your father's actions had left in your heart. The man who loved you with your past, cherished the honesty of your feelings, and never pushed you to erase your memory of feelings that were very tangible until fate decided to rip them from your future. He stood in front of you, enveloped you in his signature scent that had become a part of you after all these years, grabbed you by the waist, pulled you close and pressed his lips to yours in a way that was innocent and hungry at the same time. "Thank you, doctor."

Taehyung left you to the swarm of feelings that invaded your heart without waiting for your response and went to Jungkook. He fetched his daughter - his carbon copy - and held her in his arms as he chatted with her, giving her all the yeses in the world for requests you couldn't hear while you stayed in your light haze for what seemed hours. What were the odds that chess would bring the winner such a big prize? What were the odds that the game you didn't want to play would become the game that brought you the balance you never dreamed of possessing? What were the odds that the pawns would become the owners of the fortress?

What were the odds that you would find your knight on a chessboard where there were only rooks?

"Mom, Dad said we can watch the fireworks tonight."

The chances were slim, you reckoned as you turned to your husband and daughter with a warm smile adorning your face, but you were lucky. And luck, after all, is what chess is all about.

AN

Thank you so much for reading, voting, and supporting TLOC. I appreciate you so, so much.

Many readers of this book asked for another Taehyung's ff, and who am I to deny your requests? Here's the trailer for the new book, which will come out somewhere around the second half of this year. I have already started writing it, but as I'm very busy with work these days, and as I have another wip, I decided to write as much as I can before publishing to avoid making you wait.

I hope you will like the trailer. Please leave your thoughts about the last chapters of TLOC and the trailer. I would be so happy if you could drop your guesses about the new story in a comment.

Lots of love <3

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