All That Sparkles (02)
Pairing: Taehyung x reader
Genre: Fluff, angst (mayhaps future smut 👀)
Au: Arranged marriage, CEO Taehyung.
Warning: mentions of alcohol, curse words (so far).
Rating: 18+
Summary: you are married to Kim Taehyung; the ever charming, dashing, smart and rich CEO of Divine Diamonds. He’s sweet, kind and polite, unlike anything you’d ever expect from someone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Only problem; you don’t feel a connection. Your marriage feels dull. However, the day you bring him home for a family dinner with your parents, things change.
Word count: 4K+
If you enjoy my work, continue supporting me on my patreon!
Main Masterlist | Chapter One
The drive back home is silent.
You are used to silent rides. More than accustomed to it. But today, for some reason, you cannot make peace with it.
You want to break it.
You have so many questions you want to ask. How does he know you were offered jobs from MNCs? How does he know the exact number? And most importantly what just happened back at the dinner?
But instead, you stay quiet. There is just so much going through your head. And perhaps a much larger part of you is concerned with how this was the first time you saw the perfect facade of his slip.
No longer was it the flawless and charming Taehyung you were so used to seeing all the time. There was something much colder lurking behind his orbs. Something that would probably run a shiver down someone’s spine.
That paired with the dangerous gleam in his eyes, simply refuses to leave your mind.
Does he talk like that with his employees, when they mess up or fail to meet a deadline?
It would make complete sense though. If he were to be as gentlemanly as he is with you or in front of the camera, while at work, his company would have surely shut down by now. In the business line, you need to be cut-throat. He’s the CEO, at that!
Does that mean the people who work with him, get to see a much realer version of him, than you—his wife—does?
You have never seen him at work. He’s always in his office—whether at home or at the building. You don’t even recall him switching on his laptop in front of you.
A part of you wonders if it is coincidental or intentional on his part.
Just as your mind starts to wander about it, the car comes to a halt.
“Thank you,” you mumble the moment the both of you are inside the house and suddenly, you realise just how chilly it was outside.
“For what?” Taehyung asks, ever so gently.
You look away from him, a sense of awkwardness taking over you. “For defending me back there.”
He smiles. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I want to.” You have gotten quite used to the taunts and not-so-subtle remarks your parents throw your way. They might still hurt, but you have given up on arguing with them. You have now learnt to silently sit through their verbal assault.
However, Taehyung standing up for you, somehow does mean a lot to you.
“In that case, I accept your gratitude,” he hums, hands neatly tucked in his pockets. “You’re welcome.”
You nod and awkwardly turn around to head towards the bedroom.
The rest of the night passes as usual. You two change into comfortable night clothes and lay on bed as you read a book and Taehyung scrolls through something on his phone.
You’re first to feel sleepy. You close the book and put it on the bedside table. Eyes closed you are about to drift off to sleep when Taheyung calls for your name.
“Y/N?”
You open your eyes to look at him. “Hmm?”
“I know you are more than capable of defending yourself and I am assuming you didn’t stand up against your parents because you are used to their behaviour. But if they do this again, you can just let me know.”
You open your mouth to respond. But before you can get a word out, he’s speaking again.
“Good night, Y/N.”
“You can just let me know.”
The next morning, you find these exact words echoing in your mind, over and over again.
You can just let me know??!!!
Are you thinking too much into it or did it somehow sound like a threat? Something like all you have to do is to just let him know and he will deal with it? As if one word and he will handle the rest?
You can’t even tell for sure. You don’t know him enough to be able to tell what meaning his words might hold.
You shake your head. Why are you even thinking so much into it? He probably meant it in a manner wherein he wanted you to know that you can talk to him about it if anything like that were to happen again.
But that thought only makes you wonder more.
Could Taehyung be someone who would comfort you if you were to ever talk to him about your emotions? Could he smile—not one of those practised ones—but a real genuine smile? Could he be someone who would listen and make an active effort to understand you?
Would he ever be someone who would allow you to do the same for him?
You shake your head to yourself again. There’s no point in building castles in your mind. Kim Taehyung is an incredibly difficult person to get a read on. And while yesterday did mean something to you, you do not want to start hoping and dreaming on the basis of it.
If six months of living under the same roof is what it took to get one glimpse of the real Kim Taehyung, you do not want to imagine how long it might be for you to form any sort of genuine connection with the man. If it ever comes to that, that is.
For all you know, it might just have been a matter of his ego. He probably wanted to establish his dominance because no one can talk down to his wife.
Yeah, that sounds more likely.
However, more than the cause of his actions, you are more intrigued by the gleam in his eyes you saw. Everything else is open to assumptions and interpretation. But the cold look in his eye is something you saw for yourself and the message it conveyed, was as clear as the day.
A warning.
But for what?
That look, that sheer dominance, something about it just refuses to leave your mind. It makes you curious. A kind of curiosity that albeit comes with a little bit of thrill of its own. Like a mystery that is teasing you, asking you if you would want to unravel it.
Huh. That was funny.
You get up from the bed and walk towards your closet. Because clearly you are in need of some fresh air before you become the next famous mystery novel writer.
“Good morning.” “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?” Taehyung asks with a soft smile as he motions you to take a seat at the breakfast table. “I did,” you nod, sitting exactly opposite to him. “Did you?”
Taehyung hums, pouring cereal into your bowl. “Do you want cold or warm milk?”
He knows the answer to this. You have always preferred cold milk with your cereal. Yet he never fails to ask. Ever the gentleman.
“Cold.”
“Alright.”
You are more than capable of pouring yourself some cereal and milk. But you have learnt by now that Taehyung prefers doing it for you. After the first few tries of insisting, you have given up.
A gentleman, indeed. You sigh mentally.
The rest of the breakfast goes in silence. You skim through the newspaper, while Taehyung scrolls through his mobile. He waits for you to finish your portion, and only then do the two of you get up and leave the table.
“I am not needed at the office today. I do have some work, I'll be at my desk.”
You nod. “I am thinking of going out for a walk. I'll be back soon.”
Taehyung nods with a small smile.
And just like that, your breakfast comes to an end.
The weather today is pleasant, you think.
The roads are busy, but just the right amount for it to not feel chaotic. You can hear the birds chirp and sing. A few metres away from you, you can see a man, probably around your age, walking his dog—a cute golden retriever. There's also the feel of the slightly chilly wind on your skin.
You love taking walks. They have always helped you in some form or the other.
Sometimes, they help you think and feel better. Sometimes, they make you realise that there is so much more to the world than just your problems and crises. Other times, it just acts as an escape.
Whatever the reason, walks are always a good idea.
You stroll with a small smile on your lips and with a weird sense of contentment. You gently hum along with the music playing in your earphones and walk till you reach your intended destination.
The Reading Nook
“How are you, young lady?” The shop owner, Mr. Yeon asks with a wide warm smile.
“I am doing just fine, how are you?” You chirp. “How was your trip to Singapore?”
“Oh it was one of the best experiences ever. I probably shouldn't have waited this long to cross it off my checklist.”
You and Mr. Yeon engage in a conversation as he tells you about his experience in detail. You cannot help but feel excited at his stories. It must be so amazing to visit a new place and meet so many new people. Experiences like these probably change who you are as a person and gives you a much better understanding about how things are.
You two chit chat for lord knows how long. Food, culture, the people,nothing is left aside by the time you are done.
“Oh by the way, the book you were looking for last week has finally arrived. You can go check it out.”
“It has?” Your excitement doubles. Oh you are having one good morning, that's for sure.
“Yes, it has. Go check it out. You will find it in the new arrival section.”
And so you do.
You head towards the new arrival section, and let your eyes skim through the other books that you pass on your way.
Once you find yourself standing in front of the new arrivals book shelf, your eyes move quickly, a sense of excited hurry taking over you.
Ah! There it is!
You spot the book a few seconds later. It wasn't really hard to discover it, if you were to be honest. The cover being a bold mix of red and golden, managed to stand out from the others. You open the book and subtly look to make sure no one's around. And then take a sniff of the smell new books always seemed to have.
A small smile breaks out on your face, at the weird sense of comfort it brings you. You are not quite sure if this even has a logical explanation. But you assume it has something to do with the childlike joy you always felt while smelling the fresh pages of your books at the beginning of each academic year.
Just as you close the book and hug it lightly to your chest, you feel something brush against your leg.
You freeze.
Slowly, you look down.
Two curious brown eyes stare up at you.
The golden retriever from earlier.
“Oh!” you whisper, surprised.
The dog tilts its head slightly, tail wagging enthusiastically as if it has just discovered the most interesting person in the room.
“Well hello there,” you chuckle softly, crouching down to pat its head.
The dog immediately leans into your touch, clearly pleased with the attention.
“Bori.”
The voice comes from somewhere behind you.
You turn around to see the man you noticed earlier during your walk standing a few steps away, one hand loosely holding the leash.
“I’m sorry,” he says, though there’s a hint of amusement in his voice. “She tends to introduce herself before I can.”
You shake your head quickly, still smiling as the dog nudges your hand again.
“No, no. She’s adorable.”
“She knows that,” the man replies with a quiet chuckle.
You stand up again, brushing your hands together lightly.
“What’s her name?”
“Bori,” he says. “She likes bookstores. I suspect she believes they exist solely for her entertainment.”
You laugh softly.
“Well, she certainly has good taste.”
His eyes briefly move to the book in your hands.
“Good choice,” he comments.
You glance down at the cover before looking back up at him.
“You’ve read it?”
“Not yet,” he admits. “But the author usually writes interesting characters.”
Bori sits down between the two of you as if fully understanding the conversation and intending to contribute to it.
“Have you read other books from the author?”
“I have read the ones from the Theo series. I have always wanted to try out other books by the author,” he adds, almost like an after thought. “Any suggestions?”
“You should totally try Red Grass. The book had me hooked. Whether you like the story or not, is a different matter but I think it's inevitable that you'd like the writing style and the way the plot progresses.”
“Huh, Red Grass is now added to my to-read list.”
You feel a spark of excitement at his words. “You won't regret it, I promise.”
You realize then that neither of you have asked the other’s name.
“I’m Y/N by the way.” You introduce yourself, offering him your hand to shake.
The man looks like he wants to say something but withholds. “I'm Namjoon.”
“It is nice meeting you Namjoon.”
Namjoon smiles a dimpled smile. “Likewise, Y/N.”
Before either of you can get another word out, there is a whine coming from below, seeking attention.
Namjoon looks down and his mouth forms a small “oh”. “Looks like she needs to pee.”
You giggle, for some reason finding Bori’s restless state cute. “You should probably take her to do her business before she decides this a good place.” Bori huffs in agreement.
“Fair enough,” Namjoon chuckles. “We shall get going then.”
“It was nice meeting you,” you smile. “You too,” he gives you a genuine smile before taking his leave.
You watch as Bori looks back at you, wagging her tail, almost as if saying bye in her own style. You can’t help but smile.
Oh it is so good to just talk to people!
When you make your way back home, you expected that the house would be silent. That it would be again just you, and this unnecessary big house you never knew what to do with. And Taehyung would have either left or be locked away in his home office.
However that was not the case.
You found Taehyung sitting relaxed on the couch, watching some stockmarket channel.
He smiles politely when he sees you. “How was your walk?’
“It was good,” you reply. There is a part of you that wants to talk about the trip Mr. Yeon had gone to and how much it made you want to go somewhere. Anywhere. Just away from everything for a few days. You want to talk about Bori, about Namjoon and the latest book you got for yourself.
But like always, it always seems easier to keep all of that to yourself than to talk about it to your husband.
Your eyes take a quick glance at the time.
Huh. It has been hardly two hours since you had been out. There is no way he is just done with his work? You know him to be someone who is all locked up in his office all; day.
“You don’t have work today?” A part of you cringes the moment the words leave your mouth. You do not remember how many times you have asked about his work. You never felt that you had the space to do so.
Taehyung looks at you and there is a brief pause before he speaks. “Not really. A major deal fell through. I have decided to have a chill day.”
His words catch you off guard. Firstly, that is more information than you had expected. Secondly, a major deal fell through?
“Is everything okay?” Concern drips through your voice. “How big was the deal?”
Taehyung watches you for a moment, as if weighing how much to say.
“Big enough,” he replies simply.
The answer is vague. Almost deliberately so.
Your brows knit slightly. “And you’re just… taking the day off?”
A faint smile tugs at his lips. “I said I’d have a chill day,” he corrects lightly. “That doesn’t mean the problem stops existing.”
You blink.
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“It’s not meant to be,” he says calmly, reaching for the remote and lowering the volume of the television.
He leans back against the couch, entirely at ease.
“I’ll handle it.”
There it is again.
That quiet certainty. No frustration. No stress. Not even mild annoyance.
As if problems like these are simply… routine. As if nothing shakes him enough to make him restless. Or panic. Or worry.
You study his face for a second longer than necessary.
The same composed expression. The same polite calm.
Nothing like the man you saw last night.
And yet, this feels like another new side of his being revealed to you.
