Jeongguk indeed couldn't sleep when he got home. Not because he still had Taehyung's money, but because he couldn't forget that damn churning of emotions he felt when Taehyung touched him. Why was he freaking out so much over some skinship?

Taehyung, on the other hand, was able to sleep peacefully. Of course, there were some questionable moments between the two, and he couldn't help but ponder over them. But Jeongguk managed to relax him and make him forget about what had happened, so when he lay down and closed his eyes, he was fast asleep after ten minutes.

🥀

Taehyung went for his shift with a gleeful smile on his lips the next day and greeted Inguk with a perky voice.

"You look like yourself," he commented, eyes round with pleasant surprise, unable to believe that Taehyung just smiled at him on his own.

"Yes!"

"What happened?"

"Nothing, everything is great, actually." Taehyung couldn't contain the grin that popped up onto his face upon remembering yesterday's events.

"I'm glad, Tae." Inguk smiled softly at the boy and engulfed him into a hug.

They pulled back after a few seconds as Taehyung had to go change his clothes, and Inguk had to return to the kitchen.

 
It was busy as usual, but not so much that they didn't have a moment to sit down, so when both finished what they had to do, they settled at the bar.

"Hyung. You know, now that I can walk again, we haven't talked about if I'll continue here or go back to delivery."

"To be honest, you're doing amazing in both positions, and I wish I could have you do both."

"I don't mind working more hours," he said, but Inguk shook his head in an instant.

"You can't do both, Tae. It's impossible. I think I need you here more since now it's busier because I can't handle the kitchen and the bar at the same time."

"So I'll continue here?"

"If you want that too," Inguk said in a soft tone. Yes, he was the boss, and he could do whatever he wanted, but he still felt the need to ask him about his opinion.

"Is Jaebum doing a good job?"

"He takes his time sometimes and that pisses me off, but overall he does a good job."

"Okay then, I will continue here, and I can help with everything else you need."

"Thank you, Tae, you're awesome!"

"You are too." He beamed at him, feeling so lucky to have a boss like him.

🥀

Jeongguk went to the company two hours later than he should, and Yoongi scolded him fiercely since he missed an important meeting about a potential client. And since the CEO wasn't there, the client wasn't fully convinced, and he ended up backing off from the deal.

After Yoongi stormed out of his office, furious, the younger wilted on his chair and screwed his eyes shut in frustration. A minute later, he heard a knock on his door and sat bolt upright. He thought it would be one of his hyungs who wanted to scold him, but his constrained expression mellowed when he saw Yugyeom walk in with a smile.

"Hey, I heard what happened," the blonde said as he approached him. "Do you want me to make you feel better?" He placed his hands on his shoulders and massaged his tight muscles with slow moves.

To be honest, no, Jeongguk didn't want him to do that. Yugyeom was touching him, but the only thing he could think about was Taehyung's touch. And it didn't feel the same at all.

"You have been avoiding me, Jeongguk. You're always busy," he whispered. "Let me make you feel good." He peppered open-mouth kisses on his neck, moving towards his lips.

Just then, the memory of Taehyung's breath against his skin slammed into his head and his whole body tensed. He grabbed Yugyeom's shoulders and pushed him away gently, making the boy frown.

"I think we should stop."

"Why? You have something to do?"

"No. I mean stop... completely."

"What?" A pout budded on his features. "Why?"

"It's just not something I want to do anymore."

"But Jeongguk—"

"Listen, we've talked about this from the beginning. I made myself clear, no strings attached, no feelings, nothing, just us having a good time."

"So you got sick of me," Yugyeom uttered with a pained expression, causing the other to sigh.

"Yugyeom. You know I care about you."

"But not enough to actually feel something for me."

"It's just not what I want. And I'm sorry if this is something you still want. I can't do anything about it." Jeongguk felt bad for him, something that staggered him greatly. He wouldn't give a crap usually, but he found himself feeling sad about the whole situation.

Yugyeom looked at him wide-eyed at his choice of words. "It's the first time you said sorry to me. Ever," he drawled, still trying to take in what he said. "What happened to you? You've gone soft."

"I'm not soft for anyone."

"Yeah, right. Fine, I won't bother you anymore."

"We can still talk."

"But it's not gonna be the same." Yugyeom could only give him a gloomy smile before he dragged his feet to the door and disappeared.

His phone that started ringing just a few seconds later pulled him out of his saddened state. "Hello?"

"Hi! Jeongguk, right?"

"It depends on who is asking."

"I'm Seokjin, remember me? Taehyung's friend?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember."

"Can we meet up?"

"Did you consider my offer?"

"Yes, and I want to do it. Can I come today to your office with my lawyer?"

"Um, I think it's better to meet without lawyers first."

"But you said—"

"I know. I want to make a deal with you without lawyers. And it's quite beneficial to you."

Seokjin was confused at his request and a notch tentative in the thought of signing anything without lawyers. "Let's just meet up so I can hear what you have to say. I won't sign anything yet. I don't trust you that much, you seem weird now."

Jeongguk snorted at his words. "Okay, can you come by Jjang's cafe at seven?"

"Sure, see you then."

🥀

"Hyung, what are you doing here?" Taehyung exclaimed once he saw his friend enter the cafe.

"Hey, Tae!" Seokjin swathed his arms around him, patting his back twice, and drew away. "I'm here to meet Jeongguk."

"Jeongguk?"

"Yeah, remember about his offer? I think I'm ready to start my own cafe."

"But shouldn't you guys talk with lawyers and stuff?"

"We're not gonna sign anything yet. He wants to make some adjustments to the deal apparently."

At that moment, a very familiar CEO bobbed into the cafe and headed towards the bar.

"You're here," Jeongguk said with a cordial smile as he glanced at Seokjin and only him. "Shall we take a seat?"

"Am I invisible?" Taehyung questioned, irritation pouring off his words and radiating from his gaze.

The younger laid his eyes on him, a blank expression decorating his face. "Trust me, you're not."

"Then what's your deal? You didn't even glance at me."

"Because I knew you would be here."

"That's just a stupid excuse." Taehyung folded his arms over his chest as he stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"Tell Ten to bring a soju for me and whatever Seokjin is having."

"I want a beer," Seokjin voiced out, a dram uneasy by the taut atmosphere between the two.

"Yes, hyung." He solely looked at him and smiled as he returned behind the bar.

The two boys took their seats at one of the few tables that were available. "How are you, Jeongguk?" the older asked in an attempt to make some small talk to ease the awkward mood between them.

"Um, you don't have to do that. We can get straight to the point."

"Well, we will work together in a way, so I thought it would be better if we got to know each other first."

"Um, okay, I guess." Jeongguk aimed his gaze at Ten, who just appeared with only a beer on his tray. "Where's my soju?"

Ten visibly stiffened at his question, turmoil cloaking his face. "What soju?"

"I asked Taehyung to tell you to bring me a soju."

"What? He didn't say anything!"

Jeongguk heaved a long sigh as he rolled his eyes in vexation. "Get me a soju."

The server nodded in panic and scurried to the bar. "Yah, why didn't you say anything about Jeongguk's soju? Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"He acted like I didn't exist so I just did the same."

"That's childish and grab a soju before he rips my head off."

"Chill, Ten," he scoffed as he went to grab a bottle of soju and then placed it on the counter.

Ten took the bottle and a glass and hurried to their table. "I'm sorry for the wait."

"It wasn't your fault," Jeongguk said, indifferent, leaving the server shocked. He had heard about how harsh the CEO was, and he never expected to hear something like that from him. He smiled in return and left the two boys alone.

"So, what do you have in mind?"

"Whatever we say here has to stay between us. You can talk about it with your lawyer, but not with anyone else. Not even your friends."

"Okay, you're scaring me. What do you want to do?"

"The deal stands as it was, but I want to make an adjustment." Jeongguk gave a once-over to the people around them to make sure that no one could hear him. "I don't want you to give me any money."

Seokjin almost choked on his beer. "What are you talking about?"

"I will fund you, I will help with your customer base, I will do everything I said I would, but I don't want anything in return."

His proposal rendered Seokjin at a loss as he couldn't understand why would he even do it if he wasn't going to make any money out of it. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you're not a stranger."

"We don't actually know each other."

"We will from today." He preserved a placid look, hoping Seokjin would stop questioning him.

"Yeah, but why?"

But apparently, Seokjin wouldn't let it slide without an explanation. So he clutched his glass and gulped down his soju before he released another sigh. "You're Taehyung's friend."

Seokjin's brows popped apart at his plain remark, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. "And what does that mean?"

"I don't want to take any money from you because you're Taehyung's friend."

"That doesn't answer my question. Taehyung doesn't have anything to do with this."

He has everything to do with me though. This thought flashed up into his mind, but he didn't dare to voice it out. "Listen, I have money, and I'm not bragging about it. It's the truth. Helping you without making money out of it won't affect me."

"Jeongguk, you'll lose at least one million just to help me."

"And the next day, I will make an investment and earn twice as much."

"I can't accept it. If you want to help me, I have to give you something in return."

"I can drink and eat for free for the rest of my life from there. Is this enough?"

Seokjin mused over his suggestion, and although it wasn't enough, it was something at least. "I still don't understand what Taehyung has to do with this."

"He doesn't have anything to do with this, forget that I even mentioned him," he retorted in a rush. "But I don't want anyone to know about this."

"Okay," Seokjin said with a nod, a small smile sprawling on his face. "I will think about your offer."

⚜✳⚜