Short Stories (Taekook)
Addiction #1
“Addiction of anything can be dangerous, but his addiction for him was something else entirely.”
The Blackline Art Gala was not an event for artists.. it was an exhibition for power.
The chandeliers dripped with crystals, the wine cost more than rent, and every conversation hummed with the sound of wealth disguised as art appreciation.
Kim Taehyung, 25 Years 25-year-old man, didn’t belong there.
At least, that’s what he kept telling himself as he stood before his painting.. Solitude, an abstract portrayal of loneliness bathed in muted blues.
It was a piece born from silence, not meant for a room full of noise.
He had been invited by Blackline’s art division unexpectedly.. a letter sealed in black wax, no details except a date, a time, and the words:
“Your art deserves to be seen.”
Now, standing under the golden lights, Taehyung watched strangers dissect his feelings with shallow smiles. Then he felt it. That gaze.
From across the hall, someone was watching him. Not like a collector, not like a critic but like a man who had found something dangerous he couldn’t resist touching.
Jeon Jungkook, a 30-year-old man, CEO of Blackline Enterprises, an empire built on luxury brands, underground art dealings, and discreet power.
Everyone knew the name. Young, untouchable, and rumored to have built his empire on secrets no one dared to expose.
He was dressed in a black shirt unbuttoned just enough to reveal ink trailing down his throat, the kind of tattoos that whispered stories no one would ever hear.
When their eyes met, the room lost its sound.
Jungkook didn’t smile. He simply tilted his head slightly, studying Taehyung the way one studies a painting they’ve already decided to buy.
He walked closer, measured, unhurried, the kind of confidence that made people step aside without being told.
Jeon Jungkook
You painted this? (Jungkook’s voice was low, quiet enough that Taehyung almost mistook it for a whisper)
Kim Taehyung
Yes.. (Taehyung replied, his own voice steady despite the way his pulse betrayed him)
Kim Taehyung
Does it speak to you?
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook’s lips curved faintly, not into a smile but something darker)
Jeon Jungkook
It doesn’t speak.. (he said)
For a moment, neither of them looked away. Jungkook’s eyes were unreadable, sharp and assessing, but with an undercurrent of something raw.
He turned to Seokjin, standing behind him with a glass of wine.
Jeon Jungkook
Buy it.. ❄️
Kim Taehyung
You can’t just— (he blinked)
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook looked back at him)
Jeon Jungkook
Then let me make you an offer..
The crowd around them moved, whispered, and faded into irrelevance. Jungkook stepped closer, his cologne a mix of smoke and something expensive.
Jeon Jungkook
I want you to curate my private collection.. (he said)
Jeon Jungkook
It’s confidential. You’ll work with me directly. You’ll have full access to my archive.
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung hesitated. The invitation sounded less like a job and more like a command)
Kim Taehyung
I already have clients.. (he said quietly)
Jeon Jungkook
I’m not asking.. (Jungkook replied, his tone soft but final)
Jeon Jungkook
I’m inviting.. (Eyes sharp)
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung looked up, meeting his gaze again, those dark eyes that seemed to promise both heaven and ruin)
And something inside him, curiosity, maybe instinct, whispered that this was not an ordinary offer.
It was the beginning of something that would consume them both.
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook extended his hand, his expression unreadable)
Jeon Jungkook
Welcome to Blackline, Kim Taehyung. (his voice turned cold and stern)
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung’s hand hovered for a moment before he took it. His grip was firm, but Jungkook’s was warmer, almost possessive)
The contract hadn’t been signed yet, but the deal was already made.
And neither of them would ever be free of it again.
Addiction #2
The first time Taehyung stepped into Blackline Tower, he understood why people called it a kingdom.
Forty floors of glass, steel, and silence.. overlooking Seoul like it belonged to one man alone.
The elevator ride was wordless, the kind that stretched longer than it should.
Seokjin, Jungkook’s right-hand man, stood beside him, occasionally glancing down at Taehyung’s portfolio.
His expression stayed neutral, but his tone when they reached the top floor carried a warning.
Kim Seokjin
Don’t take it personally if he’s quiet.. (Seokjin said)
Kim Seokjin
He talks less than he thinks, and he thinks too much.
Before Taehyung could reply, the elevator doors opened.
The top floor was not an office.. it was a museum.
Walls lined with art that wasn’t public, pieces that couldn’t be found anywhere online. Some of them were priceless.
Others, he realized, were forbidden. Paintings known to be destroyed or lost to history hung here in perfect light.
At the end of the hallway stood Jungkook. He was leaning against a marble counter, sleeves rolled to his elbows, a glass of water in hand.
The morning light hit his tattoos, tracing patterns across his throat and wrist.
Jeon Jungkook
Welcome.. (he said simply)
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung nodded, trying to look composed)
Kim Taehyung
It’s impressive..
Jeon Jungkook
It’s incomplete.. (Jungkook corrected)
Jeon Jungkook
That’s why you’re here..
He motioned for Taehyung to follow him into a room that felt colder, more private. There were sketches, locked cabinets, and one large canvas draped with black silk.
Jeon Jungkook
This is my personal collection.. (Jungkook said)
Jeon Jungkook
No one touches it. No one enters without my consent. Not even Seokjin.
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung looked around)
Kim Taehyung
Why me, then?
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook’s gaze flicked to him, sharp and deliberate)
Jeon Jungkook
Because you don’t paint for money. You paint what you feel. And that makes you dangerous.
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung’s chest tightened slightly)
Kim Taehyung
Dangerous to who?
Jeon Jungkook
To people who like control over things.. (Jungkook replied)
For a brief moment, neither spoke. The tension wasn’t hostile, it was something heavier, charged.
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook’s tone softened as he gestured toward a folder on the table)
Jeon Jungkook
This is your contract.. (he said)
Jeon Jungkook
Six months. You’ll curate this floor, restore pieces when needed, and consult for my upcoming exhibits. Salary is whatever you think is fair. I’ll approve it.
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung frowned, flipping through the pages)
Kim Taehyung
You’re letting me set my own terms?
Jeon Jungkook
I’m letting you believe you have a choice.. (Jungkook said, voice low)
The comment made Taehyung glance up. Jungkook was watching him closely now, eyes dark with something that wasn’t quite amusement.
Kim Taehyung
You’re used to control, aren’t you? (Taehyung asked)
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook smirked faintly)
Jeon Jungkook
And you’re used to people mistaking kindness for weakness..
Their eyes locked, an unspoken challenge. Neither looked away first.
After a moment, Taehyung signed. The sound of the pen scratching against paper felt too loud in the silence.
Jungkook stepped closer, resting a hand on the table beside him.. close enough for Taehyung to feel his warmth, close enough to remind him who truly owned the space.
Jeon Jungkook
Good.. (Jungkook murmured)
Jeon Jungkook
Now you work for me..
Kim Taehyung
Or with you.. (Taehyung corrected, meeting his gaze)
A small pause.. then Jungkook’s smile deepened, not with amusement but with interest.
Jeon Jungkook
We’ll see.. (says coldly)
Seokjin returned with an envelope.. keys, access cards, a new phone. Jungkook didn’t say much else, just stood there, watching Taehyung as if memorizing him.
When Taehyung finally turned to leave, Jungkook spoke again, his voice calm but cutting through the air like smoke.
Jeon Jungkook
Taehyung! (he said)
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung paused at the door)
Jeon Jungkook
Don’t let the art change you..
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung’s reply came quietly, without turning back)
Kim Taehyung
Maybe it’s you I should be careful of..
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook didn’t answer but the look in his eyes said everything)
This wasn’t just a professional contract. It was a game.
And the one who broke first would lose far more than control.
Addiction #3
It had been three weeks since Taehyung joined Blackline, and the quiet tension between him and Jungkook had settled into something neither could name.
Their days were spent in long silences.. Taehyung cataloguing and restoring, Jungkook watching from a distance under the guise of “supervision.”
The dynamic was delicate. Jungkook didn’t touch the paintings, but he touched everything else, the light settings, the temperature, the rhythm of the room, always wanting control, even over the air.
Taehyung had learned not to question it. But he’d also learned to test it.
He’d leave one frame slightly off-center, one canvas uncovered. He wanted to see if Jungkook would notice. He always did.
And every time Jungkook corrected it, their eyes would meet.. a wordless push and pull neither seemed ready to stop.
That evening, the Blackline Winter Gala shimmered under the glow of chandeliers.
The event was meant to showcase Jungkook’s collection to a handful of exclusive clients. Taehyung had been asked or rather, told to attend.
He arrived in a fitted black suit, hair styled softly, silver earrings catching the light. He didn’t look like an employee, he looked like art himself.
Jungkook saw him the moment he entered.
A stillness crossed his face.. admiration hidden under restraint. He was standing among businessmen and celebrities, holding a glass of champagne, but his focus never wavered.
Taehyung, unaware of the weight of that gaze, walked toward a new installation.. one he had helped curate, a sculpture called THE WEIGHT OF DESIRE.
A man joined him there.. Leonard Choi, a wealthy collector known for his charm and his tendency to treat artists like ornaments.
???
(He leaned close, speaking in a voice meant to be intimate)
???
I heard this piece was your idea.. (Leonard said, smiling)
???
But I think the real art is the man who created it.
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung laughed politely)
Kim Taehyung
That’s flattering, but I just curated it.
???
(Leonard tilted his head, inching closer)
???
Then maybe I should commission something from you. A portrait, perhaps? Of me?
Before Taehyung could answer, a shift rippled through the crowd.. a change in air pressure that came with Jungkook’s silence.
He was standing behind them. No expression, no warning.. just eyes that had turned colder than glass.
Jeon Jungkook
Leonard.. (Jungkook said smoothly, his tone calm but edged)
Jeon Jungkook
I don’t recall inviting you to negotiate personal commissions at my event. ❄️
???
(Leonard straightened, smiling uneasily)
???
Ah, just admiring your curator’s work. Didn’t know admiration was off limits.
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook stepped closer)
Jeon Jungkook
It is when it’s mine.. ❄️
The word MINE landed heavier than champagne on silk. The people around them pretended not to listen, but every glance flickered toward the confrontation.
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung’s breath hitched.. not out of fear, but disbelief)
Kim Taehyung
Jungkook.. (he said quietly, trying to defuse the tension)
Kim Taehyung
He didn’t mean anything..
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook didn’t look at him. His attention stayed locked on Leonard, eyes unreadable)
???
(Leonard chuckled, awkward and defiant)
???
You sound jealous, Mr. Jeon.
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook’s jaw tightened)
Jeon Jungkook
Jealousy is for people who can lose something..
Kim Taehyung
Then what’s this? (Taehyung asked softly, voice just low enough for Jungkook to hear)
Jeon Jungkook
(That made Jungkook turn to him slow, deliberate)
The mask slipped for just a moment, revealing something raw beneath the calm. His pupils were blown wide, his composure cracked like porcelain.
Jeon Jungkook
Just a reminder.. (he said, voice rougher now)
Jeon Jungkook
That not everything in this room is for sale.. ❄️😠
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung stared at him stunned, angry, maybe even a little afraid of what he saw)
Kim Taehyung
You don’t own me..
The words hung between them. For a second, Jungkook didn’t respond. Then he leaned closer, his breath brushing Taehyung’s ear, quiet enough that only he could hear.
Jeon Jungkook
No.. (Jungkook murmured)
Jeon Jungkook
But you make me wish I did..
Kim Taehyung
(Taehyung froze, unable to move, his heartbeat betraying him)
Jeon Jungkook
(Jungkook straightened again, the calm mask sliding back into place)
To the crowd, it looked like a casual conversation.. two men discussing art.
To Taehyung, it felt like a warning.
Later that night, when the gala ended and the guests faded into the city, Taehyung stood alone by the rooftop terrace.
The cold air helped steady him. He told himself it was just Jungkook’s way possessive, controlling, protective of what he considered his.
But something inside him twisted, because a part of him didn’t hate it.
Behind him, the sound of footsteps. He didn’t turn.
Kim Taehyung
You scared him.. (Taehyung said quietly)
Jeon Jungkook
He deserved it.. (Jungkook’s voice came soft, controlled)
Kim Taehyung
And me? Did I? (Taehyung asked)
Jeon Jungkook
(Then Jungkook came closer, stopping just behind him)
Jeon Jungkook
You didn’t.. (he said)
Jeon Jungkook
But you’re the only one who can..
Taehyung finally turned, meeting his gaze under the moonlight. The city glowed beneath them, but neither looked away.
It was no longer about art, or contracts, or control. Something darker had taken root.. obsession disguised as desire, fascination sharpened into need.
And both of them knew.. Once you start craving something forbidden, it’s already too late to stop..
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