Still My Venus

Hello..👋

Taehyung was seated comfortably on the sofa, his bandaged ankle resting on a stack of plush pillows. Beside him, Mrs. Kim was halfway through a dramatic retelling of her morning grocery run, complete with exaggerated hand gestures and enough unnecessary details to turn a five-minute errand into a full-length documentary.

Well…

This was no longer just another lonely day for either of them.

And somehow, that made it all the more special.

Having someone by their side to talk to, joke with, argue with, annoy each other, and most importantly, heal with.

For once, the apartment didn't feel so empty.

Taehyung's pain had subsided considerably, too. The new home nurse, Yeonjun, was really good at what he did. He had been assigned to take care of both the Kims, and judging by the way he had already settled into the household, he seemed perfectly comfortable with the job.

Tae liked the guy.

He was sweet, talkative, and Korean - which, apparently, had been one of Jungkook's very specific requirements.

Because of that, Tae and Yeonjun had plenty to talk about.

And Tae didn't mind one bit.

Actually, he enjoyed it.

Everything happening to him in this strange new world felt unexpectedly comforting.

Even the sprain, which had initially been nothing but an inconvenience, had somehow become a reason to feel worthy of the care and genuine affection he had secretly longed for.

Maybe that was what made it feel so different.

He wasn't alone anymore.

He was being looked after.

And, perhaps for the first time in a long while, he was allowing himself to enjoy it.

Just then, Yeonjun emerged from the guest room, heading straight toward the sofa where they were seated.

“My shift is over,” he announced. “I’ve set out the medications you need to take tonight after dinner on the nightstand. Take them and rest well.”

He paused for a moment, his eyes dropping toward Taehyung's ankle.

“It'll take some time to get back to normal. I’ve also put your clothes away in the cupboard, along with everything else you might need. So get some proper rest.”

Taehyung rewarded him with a warm smile.

“Thank you, Yeonjun.”

Yeonjun flashed a bright smile and tossed the apartment keys onto the coffee table.

“And don't go running any marathons while I'm gone.”

“I can barely walk to the fridge!” Tae complained playfully.

“Which is exactly why he's staying right here,” Mrs. Kim declared, giving Tae's knee an affectionate pat.

“You're my official house hostage until that ankle works again.”

Tae burst out laughing and leaned back into the cushions.

“Best hostage situation I've ever been in.”

Yeonjun chuckled, bid them goodbye, and finally headed out.

The door clicked shut behind him.

And just like that, the apartment grew quiet again.

The cozy warmth remained, though.

Mrs. Kim was still beside him.

Bam was somewhere nearby, probably plotting his next snack-related crime.

And for the first time, the silence didn't feel lonely.

Yet somehow, in that peaceful little moment, Taehyung's gaze slowly drifted toward the window.

Outside, the world looked perfectly normal.

He was more than happy to have Mrs. Kim and Bam around him all the time. They filled the apartment with warmth, noise, chaos, and the occasional stolen snack.

But deep down…

He still wanted more.

More of something only one person seemed capable of giving him.

More of that ridiculous, undeniable spark that suddenly exploded somewhere inside his chest whenever he thought about the man he had encountered just the previous day.

One day.

Just one.

And somehow, Jungkook had already managed to turn his perfectly functioning brain into mashed potatoes.

Honestly, how was that even possible?

How could someone have such a ridiculous effect on another person within twenty-four hours?

Tae couldn't deny it anymore.

He got nervous around Jungkook.

Super nervous.

Embarrassingly nervous.

And it wasn't like they were dating or anything!

God, no.

They had barely known each other for a day.

But still, Tae couldn't put into words just how badly the previous day had messed with his brain.

He wanted to thank Jungkook for everything. For the care, the concern, the things he had done for him.

Simple.

Easy.

Normal.

Except Tae apparently turned into the slimmest layer of ice under the blazing sun whenever the hottest man he had ever seen entered his line of sight.

Now, he had people around him.

People who fussed over him, teased him, checked whether he had eaten, reminded him to take his medicine, and made even an ordinary evening feel a little less ordinary.

He should have felt completely content.

And he did.

Yet, as the conversation beside him slowly faded into the background, Taehyung's smile softened.

The sky outside had begun to darken.

Something about the quiet evening made his thoughts wander.

And, inevitably, they wandered toward him.

Jungkook.

Just the thought of his name was enough to make something flutter annoyingly inside his chest.

Tae frowned at himself.

Why was he thinking about him again?

He had Mrs. Kim beside him. Bam was somewhere nearby. He had a comfortable home, someone taking care of his injury, and more warmth around him than he had known what to do with lately.

So why did it still feel like something was missing?

Perhaps it wasn't something.

Perhaps it was someone.

A quiet, secret longing had taken up permanent residence somewhere inside his chest, tugging gently at his heart whenever his mind wandered back to the man he had met only yesterday.

And the most ridiculous part?

He didn't even know what he wanted from him.

He only knew that, somehow, he wanted more.

More of his presence.

More of that warmth.

More of the strange little spark that Jungkook seemed to leave behind without even trying.

Tae sighed softly and leaned his head against the sofa.

Maybe he was simply being silly.

After all, it had only been one day.

But apparently, one day had been more than enough to make Kim Taehyung miss someone he barely knew.

‘He is really handsome.’

The thought suddenly appeared in his head.

Tae froze.

Then blinked.

Once.

Twice.

God knew how long he had been sitting there completely zoned out, staring into absolutely nothing while his brain replayed the image of Jungkook like some hopelessly obsessed movie trailer.

He quickly glanced sideways.

Had she noticed?

Thankfully, Mrs. Kim was busy scrolling through her phone.

Tae silently sighed in relief and mentally scolded himself.

'Get yourself together, Kim Taehyung.'

Meanwhile…

The great Keon-hee had just secretly taken a picture of the zoned-out Kim.

And now she was low-key grinning at her phone like she had just won the lottery.

Interesting.

Very, very interesting.

To confirm her suspicions, she casually nudged Tae with her elbow.

Then came the question.

The question that immediately made him regret existing.

“Are you thinking of someone?”

Tae froze.

His eyes widened.

A lump suddenly appeared in his throat, and he gulped.

What exactly was he supposed to say?

*Yes, Auntie. I think I might already miss your son after knowing him for less than twenty-four hours.*

Absolutely not.

No way.

“N-No, Auntie…” Tae stammered. “I just… I was just thinking about…”

“About..?”

Oh.

She was enjoying this.

Way too much.

There she was, watching the pretty boy desperately search for words while his ears slowly turned red.

The stuttering.

The nervous glances.

The sudden inability to form a proper sentence.

Every single symptom screamed one thing.

Crush.

“About…” Tae swallowed. “Thanking Ju… Jungkook… for…”

“For…?”

Another round of teasing.

And just like that, Kim Taehyung officially transformed into a human red apple.

“Ehm…”

He gave her the most awkward smile imaginable before clearing his throat.

“For these crutches… the dress… and everything.”

He looked at her.

Big mistake.

Mrs. Kim was grinning like a little girl who had just received her favorite doll on her birthday.

“Fine,” she said casually, as if she hadn't just caught him mentally spiraling over her son. “Let’s call him then. You can talk to him and say thank you. Shall we?”

Tae's eyes widened.

Wait.

What?

“No, Auntie, I don't–”

Too late.

She didn't even give him a second to protest.

Before Tae could utter another word, her fingers had already found the bunny name on her phone.

And..

Ringing.

Tae stared at the phone.

Once.

Twice.

Oh God.

Tring…

His heart jumped.

Tring…

His heart jumped again.

By the third ring, his heartbeat was practically competing with the ringtone.

Then,

“Hello?”

A deep, solid voice came from the other side.

Tae's soul immediately left his body.

He slowly turned to look at Mrs. Kim with the helpless expression of someone who had just been pushed into an exam without studying.

She silently urged him to speak.

Go on.

Speak?

Right.

Of course.

Easy.

Except apparently, God knew what had happened to him.

How could one person's voice make him go so weak?

It was literally just a hello.

A normal hello.

Two syllables.

And yet somehow, those two syllables had managed to erase every single word Tae had ever learned from the dictionary.

It was as if all the words inside his head had suddenly gathered together and decided:

Actually, let's just listen to him say hello again.

“Hello? Mom…?”

Tae snapped out of his thoughts.

He had to reply this time.

He forced his brain to function.

Forced the syllables from the deepest, most unconscious corner of his mind to come up with something—anything—that sounded logical and appropriate for the current situation.

And after all that hard work…

“Hi..”

That was it.

That was all.

The entire result of Kim Taehyung's brain working at maximum capacity.

Silence.

The other side of the line went completely quiet.

For a few seconds, at least.

Jungkook hadn't expected to hear Tae's voice when his mother called.

And honestly?

He hadn't expected it to sound so beautiful either.

The moment that soft little “Hi” reached his ears, something inside him went strangely still.

It was like all the stress resting on his shoulders had suddenly disappeared.

Gone.

Just like that.

His voice was calming.

Warm.

Almost like a melody he didn't know he had been waiting to hear.

Jungkook slowly took a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden race of his heart.

‘Damn.’