✵ taehyung.

@✻ ⋰ taehyung k. Ryujin smiled as Taehyung tapped his glass against hers and offered his sympathy for her work-related stress. His encouraging words were appreciated, but she knew what she came for. Placing her glass down after gulping it down, along with her things, she replied, wiping her lips with her thumb. "Actions do speak louder than words, I'm leaning more towards the latter."

As he finished his glass of wine and playfully about being a gentleman, Ryujin chuckled and shook her head, enjoying the playful banter. When he moved closer, she could feel the warmth of his presence. His fingers tracing her waist sent a shiver down her spine, and she looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Well," she purred, "I'm curious to see just how many other things you have in mind." She leaned up closer, having to stand on the tip of her toes, lips grazing his earlobe as she whispered, "Why don't you show me?" Ryujin's playful tone and the hint of a challenge in her eyes made it clear that she was more than ready for whatever he had in store for her.

@✻ ⋰ ryujin s. “you’re right, i am very lucky.” taehyung reinstates with a quiet chuckle. he quickly reaches out to lightly tap his glass against the one he’d previously handed to her before having a sip of the wine. his bodyweight is leaning back against the countertop behind him, arms crossed against his chest as his eyes follow the swirling of the wine that he’s quick to consume. “i am sorry to hear that you’re stressed with work, i hope it lightens up soon. you can tell me about it, or.. i could just give you a nice distraction.” he nods encouragingly, the curvature of his glass riding along his bottom lip.

the glass was quickly emptied, most likely because he was impatient and invited her over for a reason – that is, unless, she really did want to talk about whatever was on her mind. “oh yeah? you think so? I mean, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t welcome you in?” he nudges himself up with a widening grin, footsteps leading him to stand before ryujin. he was so close that he could smell her, but not too close for comfort due to their height differences. though he does tilt his head downward a tad, overlooking her body once over with a low hum, the tip of his right index finger running up the left side of her waist as he continues. “I’m sure i could look much better doing many, many other things for you.”

@✻ ⋰ taehyung k. Ryujin had been scrolling through her phone, waiting for the door to open. Once it finally did, a smile made its way to her lips, gaze looking up from the screen, slowly making its way up to take him all in until it finally reached his face. "You're lucky i'm stressed with work." She teased, making her way inside as she shoved her phone back in her bag, following him to the kitchen.

She's been in his place a few times to know where most things were, but she wasn't one to overwelcome her stay. Leaning against the kitchen counter, the girl watched him prepare the drinks, humming softly to herself before she reached for the glass, muttering a soft thank you. "It's only polite that I do, also, it's nice to see you looking all fine while welcoming me you know." she shrugged a bit, lifting up the glass to her lips and taking a small sip. Just as she did, her eyes continued to look him up and down, already thinking of ways to free his body from its constraints.

@✻ ⋰ ryujin s. taehyung had never been the type to sit around and mope, always busying himself with something productive to do to keep his mind off of facing the misery that made up his life. but, right now, he was indeed moping. he lays flat on the sofa of his apartment, staring at the ceiling whilst fidgeting with the 14k gold wedding ring dressing his left ring finger. it’d become a habit to keep it on, but it was also just a good idea. he didn’t want the drama of hearing from his coworkers if he (god forbid) forgot, or even worse, his parents. so, the ring stayed on. actually, he liked the ring and how it looked on his hand, just not the broken promise attached to it.

his head perked up the moment his phone vibrated, and he reaches over to lift up the top of the device for him to read the message of ryujin’s arrival. a smile is quick to taint his visage and excitedly, he’s nudging himself off of the sofa and hurrying to the front door. her arrival was highly anticipated, and he’d even prepared two glasses of wine for them.

swiftly, he extends a hand to unlock the door and swing it open, grinning at the sight of her. his bodyweight leans entirely against the door frame, eyes overlooking the entirety of her body almost hungrily.

“ah, just who i needed to see.”

it almost feels like he took a hit. /almost/. widening the door, he tilts his head as if it was an invitation and began walking towards the kitchen to collect the two glasses. “you know, I’m starting to think that you can just come in when I invite you over. like, you don’t have to knock or anything.” he returns to her shortly after, extending the second glass in his right hand. “some wine, ‘my lady?”

@✻ ⋰ taehyung k. It had been a long day for Ryujin. Dealing with a young couple really took it out on her. The annoying squeals her client would give every now and then when her fiancee would do something sweet, or something along those lines. The mushiness that seemed a little too overdramatic, making the woman sick to her stomach at the display. The "look of love" the couple always seemed to be going for in every pose, even when Ryujin directs them to do something else, show a different angle. Everything just made her feel icky, but it was finally done, she had been compensated well for her photos, and now she can finally relax, focus on the results of the pictures and maybe think about what else she's going to do once she finishes hanging all the pictures.

Just as she made her way out of the darkroom, she heard her phone buzz slightly against the countertop, signaling a text, followed by another text, which made her all the more curious as to who was messaging her. A small smile made its way to her lips when she saw the name that popped out.

[ 2 new messages ]
[ text from: Taehyung Kim ]
hey, are you busy?
come over.

Ryujin didn't even need context. She grabbed her handbag containing her keys and wallet then shoved her phone inside. "I'm heading out, i'll be back at dawn maybe." She called out to one of her co-workers as she made her way out, managing to grab a cab just as she did and telling the address to his place.

Taehyung was one of her clients way back, someone her parents knew, along with his wife. They didn't really keep in touch, just happened to get together one night in a bar, and ever since, became each other's go-to calls, a stress reliever for each other.

Once she was nearing the place, she fished her phone from her bag and sent out a quick text, announcing her arrival.

@✻ ⋰ ryujin s. [ tw: abortion, manipulation, mentions of miscarriages ]

it was a good thing that taehyung was self-aware of his depression, and also recognized that he needed help. the downside is that he'd become dependent on and to feel /something/, even if the feeling lacked that of a title. he just wanted to feel, rather than wallow within his own self-pity.

the tips of his fingers are calloused, much different than the smooth glass of the picture frame that they held between them. his eyes overlooked the two adults in the photo: it was one of himself and his wife on their wedding day. come to think of it, he'd never looked at this photo joyfully or with a smile on his face whilst reminiscing about what could have been the most important day of his life. perhaps it was due to the pain his eyes held, or the way his tux was a tad bit too short for him because it wasn't even his own. the wedding festivities had been thrown together so quickly upon the proclamation of his girlfriend's pregnancy, and maybe it could have been a good thing if she weren't ing crazy.

it seemed to be a plan she had from the start to lock him in for the money, but she didn't even know he knew. she came to him weeks later, hysterically crying and pronouncing how they had lost the baby. he couldn't attend her supposed doctors appointment due to an important meeting at work, so he held her up as she tightly gripped onto him for support. she found a new job a few months after abroad, and he received the call from the clinic in regards to unpaid billing from the clinic - a clinic that he had never heard of before - who had confirmed the abortion that his wife had received.

all of it, from the start, was a lie.

and now? he was stuck, considering he has no way to get her to sign the divorce papers.

with a tightened jaw, he drops the frame into the cardboard box on his floor with a sigh and reaches into his back pocket to fetch his phone. it was too close to the time he had his last hit, so he needed something else.. someone else, to distract him. he pulled up the contact information for the female that popped into his head, immediately sending her a text.

[ text to: ryujin :camera_emoji ]
hey, are you busy?
and not giving her time to answer, another:
come over.
he then sets the device down on his side table and loosens the black tie around his neck but leaves it in place. her hands would be better taking it off, anyway. and, well, she'd look pretty with it covering her eyes.