The Puppet Prince

The atmosphere in the penthouse was thick with cold silence after Jungkook’s outburst. Everyone had stormed off to their corners — licking their wounds, rethinking their positions.

But not Taehyung.

No, Taehyung sat on the velvet settee, a glass of wine in one hand, legs crossed, eyes gleaming.

He wasn’t broken.

He wasn’t confused.

He was planning.

Later that night, the first one to come to him was Seokjin.

Always polished. Always the calm one. But tonight, his facade was cracked just enough. He stepped into Taehyung’s room without knocking, gaze cool.

“You’re playing dangerous games,” Jin said simply.

Taehyung looked up from his book, blinking slowly. “Am I?”

Jin walked closer. “You’re driving them insane. And you’re enjoying it.”

A slow smile curved Taehyung’s lips. “Is it working?”

Jin paused, looking down at him — and for a split second, Taehyung let his vulnerable side show. His eyes softened, his voice barely a whisper. “They want to control me. But none of them see me.”

And that was Jin’s weakness — he always wanted to be the one who understood what others missed.

“I see you,” he said, kneeling in front of him. “You’re not a toy, Tae. You’re more dangerous than all of them combined.”

Taehyung reached out, touching his face with soft fingers. “Then don’t protect me. Use me.”

Jin froze, breath caught — and in that moment, Taehyung knew he had him.

Two nights later, it was Yoongi who came.

He found Taehyung on the rooftop, smoking something sweet, the wind tugging at his robe. Yoongi didn’t speak at first — just lit his own cigarette and stared out over the city.

“You look like you’re waiting for someone,” he said finally.

Taehyung exhaled smoke slowly. “Maybe I was waiting for you.”

Yoongi looked at him, eyebrows raised, skeptical. “You think I don’t see what you’re doing?”

Taehyung turned to him, smile razor-sharp. “Of course you do. That’s why you’re here.”

Yoongi narrowed his eyes. “You want chaos.”

“I want power,” Taehyung replied softly. “And I know exactly how to get it.”

He stepped close — too close — and whispered into Yoongi’s ear. “Namjoon thinks I’m his. Hoseok thinks I’m weak. Jungkook thinks I’m breaking. Jimin just wants to keep me happy. But you…”

He leaned back, meeting Yoongi’s eyes with a dare.

“You want to ruin them with me.”

Yoongi didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to.

The smirk on his lips was enough.

Behind the scenes, the brat prince was no longer just toying with their hearts — he was turning brother against brother, planting seeds of doubt and lust and rage.

Because Taehyung knew the truth:

To rule the Seven Thrones… you don’t need strength. You just need to be the one they’ll burn the world for.

And they already would.

Taehyung is now whispering into the right ears, and Yoongi and Jin are slowly falling into orbit around him. But power always comes at a cost… and not everyone’s blind.

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