Chp 33- Underneath his silence
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Taehyung stormed out of his room in anger and marched downstairs, loudly yelling for J-Hope. His voice echoed throughout the entire mansion, making the atmosphere even more chaotic than before.
Meanwhile, Jihyo, Dadi, Jiya, and Eunchae were all sitting together in the living hall, talking amongst themselves, when their attention suddenly shifted toward Taehyung.
"Why is he screaming for jhope like that?" Dadi asked in confusion.
Taehyung walked straight toward them, his face still dark with irritation.
"Maa, have you seen jhope anywhere?" he asked Jihyo directly.
But Jihyo simply shook her head.
"No, beta, I haven't seen him. Leave that aside first did you drink the ginger-honey water bahu made for you? Once you drink it, your health will-"
Before she could even finish, Taehyung cut her off sharply.
"Nothing is wrong with my health, Maa!" he snapped, clearly losing patience now.
"I'm completely fine. I do not need ginger-honey water."
"But bahu said that-"
"Your bahu believes everything too easily!" Taehyung groaned in frustration. "This is all jhope's doing. He's the one who spread this ridiculous rumor that I'm sick, and your innocent daughter-in-law came and told all of you about it seriously."
"But she was only worried about you" Jihyo defended softly.
"I know she was worried about me" Taehyung replied, calming only slightly at the mention of Jungkook.
"But I'm not sparing jhope for this. Is this even the kind of joke someone makes? Look at the situation in this house already, and he still thinks this is the right time for nonsense. He's not five years old anymore. He's twenty-seven now, old enough to get married yet he still has no maturity."
At that moment, Jiya suddenly spoke up.
"Leave it, beta. We all know how he is" she said dismissively. "Let him come in front of me once, I'll personally slap him twice myself. You should just go rest now. You must be exhausted."
Then, after a brief pause, she added with a pointed tone,
"And tell your wife to take proper care of you too. Ever since you got married, you've only been getting thinner."
That comment immediately irritated Taehyung again.
"My wife takes very good care of me" he replied coldly. "Maybe instead of worrying about us, you should go look for your husband. Who knows which corner he's lying drunk in right now."
And with that, he walked away angrily before anyone could stop him.
The moment he disappeared, Jiya exploded in outrage.
"Did you hear him, Maa?!" she complained dramatically while looking at Dadi. "I was talking to him so nicely, and look at the way he talks back! So what if he's the eldest son of the house? Does that mean he can disrespect elders now?"
Dadi sighed tiredly.
"Let it go. Why are you taking his words to heart?" she said calmly. "That poor child already carries so many responsibilities on his shoulders. And after what Woojin did, the burden of this family has fallen even more heavily on Taehyung now."
Jihyo nodded in agreement before speaking up herself.
"Maa is right," she said firmly. "My son takes care of everyone in this house. He worries about every single person here. And if you speak badly about his wife right in front of him, then why would he quietly listen to it?"
Jiya rolled her eyes dramatically.
"One son of the house was already a henpecked husband and now look, another son has also become a henpecked husband."
Still grumbling under her breath, she walked off toward the kitchen in search of food.
Once she left, Dadi turned toward Jihyo and Eunchae thoughtfully.
"By the way," she began slowly "Tzuyu is getting older now. She's already twenty-five and the eldest daughter of the house too. Don't you think we should start looking for marriage proposals for her?"
Jihyo immediately looked hesitant.
"Maa... it's better if you don't involve me in this matter" she said carefully.
"If I say even one wrong thing, Minjun will blame everything on me again. Besides, the condition of this family isn't stable right now. And Woojin is Tzuyu's real brother, who would send a proposal during a time like this?"
Dadi nodded thoughtfully.
"That's true" she admitted. "But I'm not saying we should get her married immediately. We can wait a few months. I'm only talking about starting to look for a suitable match."
"Then you should discuss this directly with Sana and Minjun" Jihyo replied sensibly. "I can't interfere in this matter. Wherever my presence is needed, I'll fulfill my responsibility and stand there."
Eunchae looked between the two women before speaking gently.
"Actually, bhabhi is right, Maa. Minjun bhaiya and Jihyo bhabhi already don't get along well. But maybe... if you talk to them personally, something might work out."
Dadi hummed thoughtfully before nodding.
"You're right." she said at last. "I'll speak to Minjun about this today itself."
Taekook's bedroom
Inside their room, Jungkook was quietly gathering the pile of clothes scattered across the bed and sofa.
She carefully folded some, separated the dirty ones, and placed them neatly inside a laundry basket so she could wash them later.
The room was peaceful, filled only with the soft rustling of clothes and the faint sound of bangles clinking against her wrist.
After placing the last shirt into the basket, Jungkook lifted it into her arms and started walking toward the door.
Just then, the bedroom door suddenly opened.
Taehyung walked inside, still visibly annoyed from earlier. His jaw remained tense, and irritation lingered clearly on his face. Without saying anything, he moved toward the wardrobe and started changing his clothes.
Jungkook silently paused near the door and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.
Taehyung casually removed his shirt and tossed it onto the nearby chair, completely unaware of the effect he had on his poor wife.
Jungkook's face instantly warmed.
"Does this man seriously have no shame at all? Every time I see him, he's either changing clothes or roaming around half naked" she complained internally while quickly lowering her gaze in embarrassment.
Just then, Taehyung spoke without even looking at her.
"Biwi... where are you going with all those clothes?"
Jungkook tightened her grip on the basket and quietly walked toward the door. She was still a little upset because of how harshly he had spoken to her earlier, though she was trying her best not to show it.
"To wash them" she replied softly.
The moment her fingers touched the doorknob-
Thud.
Taehyung's arm suddenly appeared beside her head, shutting the door closed again before she could open it.
Jungkook's breath hitched.
Before she could even process what happened, Taehyung stepped closer, completely trapping her between his arms and the door behind her.
The laundry basket nearly slipped from her hands.
"And who told you to do all this?" he asked quietly while staring straight at her face.
Jungkook's heart instantly lost control inside her chest.
Being this close to him was already dangerous enough... but standing inches away from his bare chest while his scent surrounded her completely? That was even worse.
She couldn't even look him in the eyes properly.
"Look at me and answer" Taehyung said again, his voice lower this time.
Slowly, nervously, Jungkook lifted her eyes toward him.
"W-What did you ask?" she whispered.
"I asked," Taehyung repeated patiently
"who told you to wash these clothes?"
Jungkook blinked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean? They're our clothes... so obviously I'll wash them."
"Our clothes" Taehyung repeated softly, taking another small step closer. "Which means my clothes are there too."
Jungkook nodded innocently.
"So tell me" he continued, his gaze fixed on her flushed face, "did I ever ask my wife to wash my clothes?"
Jungkook's fingers tightened around the basket.
"If I don't wash them... then who will?"
she asked timidly.
"I will."
The answer came instantly.
"You?" Jungkook stared at him in disbelief. "You'll wash clothes?"
Taehyung gently took the basket from her hands and placed it aside before looking back at her seriously.
"Yes. Me."
Then his expression softened slightly.
"I didn't marry you to make you spend your life doing chores for me."
Jungkook's cheeks turned bright pink at his words.
"I-I'm not doing this because I'm forced to," she mumbled shyly. "I'm doing it because... I'm your wife. At least let me take care of you this much."
For a second, Taehyung simply stared at her.
And then something in his eyes changed completely.
"So now you've started arguing with me too?" he asked softly, though there was no real anger left in his voice anymore.
Jungkook quickly shook her head.
"No ji... but I can't let you do my work. Whether the clothes are yours or mine, washing them is my responsibility."
The moment those words left her mouth
Taehyung suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her straight into his chest.
Jungkook gasped softly.
The basket slipped completely from her hands onto the floor.
"H-hubby!"
Her entire body froze the moment his warm hand rested against the bare skin of her waist. A shiver ran through her instantly, making her grip his shoulders unconsciously.
Taehyung looked down at her trembling form with a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"What?" he murmured teasingly. "Can't a husband hold his own wife?"
Jungkook's face turned so red she looked seconds away from combusting.
"N-No, but suddenly... why are you acting like this?" she stammered breathlessly.
Instead of answering immediately, Taehyung slowly leaned closer.
"Are you upset with me?" he asked quietly.
Jungkook immediately looked away shyly.
"No..." she whispered. "Why would I be upset with you?"
"I shouted at you earlier" Taehyung admitted, his voice unusually gentle now. "I shouldn't have done that."
Then, to Jungkook's complete shock, he softly added
"I'm sorry, biwi."
Jungkook's eyes widened instantly.
"A-Arre... no!" she panicked adorably.
"Please don't apologize to me... I really don't like it."
Taehyung smiled faintly at her reaction.
"But if I hurt my wife, then I should apologize, shouldn't I?"
Jungkook shook her head quickly, her hands instinctively clutching his arms tighter.
"I'm not upset at you," she whispered honestly.
Something warm flickered in Taehyung's eyes after hearing that.
His thumb slowly brushed against her waist lovingly.
"Then stop doing all this work alone."
Jungkook's heartbeat completely betrayed her at the softness in his voice.
"O-okay, b..but now let me go,i h..have to cook dinner too" she said shyly trying to break free from his grip.
Taehyung let out a low chuckle as he finally loosened up his grip and the moment his grip loosened, Jungkook immediately opened the door and ran away from there shyly.
Taehyung chuckled looking at the door
"Why does she always run away from me?"
Saying that he closed the door and walked back towards the wardrobe and saw the bag sitting right in front.
__________________________________
Late at night, after dinner was over, the noisy mansion slowly fell silent as everyone retreated to their respective rooms. The long exhausting day had finally come to an end.
Inside their bedroom, Taehyung stood in the balcony, leaning lightly against the railing while talking to someone over the phone. The cool night breeze played softly with his hair, and the dim moonlight falling over his sharp features somehow made him look even more dangerously handsome than usual.
Just then, Jungkook quietly entered the room.
The moment her eyes landed on him, her heartbeat instantly lost rhythm again.
Ever since the evening incident, she hadn't been able to look at him properly. Every time she remembered how suddenly he had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest, her entire body heated up in embarrassment.
And the way he had looked at her while calling her "biwi"
So softly.
So lovingly.
As if the word was made only for her.
Just remembering it was enough to make her cheeks turn pink again.
Jungkook quickly looked away before Taehyung could catch her staring and hurried toward the cupboard instead, acting busy for no reason at all.
She nervously took out a simple short kurti and pajama for herself before almost fleeing into the bathroom with tiny hurried steps.
Inside the bathroom, she stood quietly for a moment, pressing her warm cheeks with both hands while staring at herself in the mirror.
"Why is my heart beating like this" she whispered to herself shyly.
Trying to calm down, she quickly removed her saree and freshened up before changing into the soft cotton clothes.
A few strands of damp hair clung to her cheeks as she stepped out of the bathroom while lightly drying her hair with a towel.
But the moment she lifted her eyes toward the bed
She stopped walking entirely.
Taehyung was already lying there comfortably, one arm resting beneath his head while the other lazily played with his phone.
But the second Jungkook walked out, his attention shifted completely toward her.
As if he had been waiting only for her.
Jungkook immediately lowered her gaze again, suddenly feeling too aware of his eyes on her.
Trying to ignore the strange nervousness blooming inside her chest, she quietly walked toward the mirror and began removing her jewelry one by one.
First, the heavy earrings.
Then the bangles decorating her wrists.
Then the necklace and the remaining ornaments.
The soft clinking sounds echoed gently through the quiet room.
One by one, she placed everything carefully inside the jewelry box.
Soon, nothing remained except the black-beaded mangalsutra resting beautifully against her neck and the vermilion filling the parting of her hair.
No heavy bridal jewelry.
No makeup.
No fancy decorations.
Just her.
Simple. Soft. Pure.
And breathtakingly beautiful.
Taehyung watched her silently from the bed, his gaze slowly softening without him even realizing it himself.
There was something dangerously beautiful about seeing Jungkook like this, standing in front of the mirror in simple clothes, her damp hair falling over her shoulders, her cheeks naturally pink, looking more like his wife than the heavily dressed bride she used to be.
And somehow....
Taehyung felt like she looked far prettier this way.
Real.
Comfortable.
His.
Jungkook dried her hair making a bun and just as she was about to put on a clutcher, tae's voice stopped her.
"Don't put that, i have to remove it every night, it might hurt you" tae said in his deep voice.
Jungkook nodded, deciding to make a braid of her long hair, she picked up the comb and combed her hair and just as she was about to tie her braid, again tae stopped her.
"Don't put on a braid, your hair is still wet" At this point Jungkook was annoyed but she said nothing, she simply made a bun of her hair without using a clutcher and layed down on the bed facing her back towards taehyung.
Taehyung stared at her back and smiled.
"Are you mad at me now?" Taehyung asked
"I'm not" Jungkook replied in a soft yet sleepy voice.
But taehyung knows better, then it clicked in his mind, the surprise he brought for his wife.
He got down from the bed and walked towards the wardrobe and brought the bag with him on the bed.
Jungkook just curiously looked at him
"Get up" taehyung said making Jungkook confused
"H-Huh? Why?" Jungkook asked softly, blinking at him in confusion.
Even then, she obediently listened and slowly sat down on the bed beside Taehyung, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of her kurti.
For a moment, Taehyung simply looked at her quietly.
The room was dimly lit, the soft yellow lamp beside the bed casting a warm glow across Jungkook's face. Her damp hair rested over her shoulders, her cheeks naturally pink, and the tiny black beads of her mangalsutra shone faintly against her skin.
And suddenly, Taehyung felt strangely nervous.
"I told you this morning, didn't I..." he said in a low voice, "that I brought something for you?"
Jungkook immediately nodded like an innocent child remembering something important.
Taehyung reached toward the bedside table, picked up the small gift bag, and placed it gently into her hands.
"Open it."
Jungkook looked at the bag curiously before slowly taking out a dark velvet box from inside it. The moment she realized it was a jewelry box, her eyes widened slightly.
"What's this?" she asked softly.
Taehyung leaned back against the headboard, pretending to stay calm even though he was secretly watching every expression on her face carefully.
"Open it and see" he replied. "It's nothing much... just a small gift."
Then after a tiny pause, he added quietly
"And if you don't like it, we'll return it tomorrow. You can choose whatever you want instead."
Jungkook slowly opened the box.
And instantly-
Her breath stopped.
Inside the velvet box rested a delicate pair of golden anklets, shining beautifully under the soft room light. Tiny intricate details were carved into them, elegant yet graceful... exactly the kind of thing a newly married bride would treasure forever.
Jungkook stared at them in complete disbelief.
"T-this.." Her voice trembled.
"A-Anklets...?"
She slowly looked up at him, her eyes already glistening
"And gold ones too... for me?"
Taehyung's gaze softened seeing her reaction.
"If you don't like them, we can exchange them" he said almost immediately, misunderstanding her silence. "We'll buy something else instead."
But Jungkook wasn't silent because she disliked them.She was silent because nobody had ever gifted her something with this much thought before.
Something chosen so lovingly.
Something bought only for her.
Before she could stop herself, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
And the moment Taehyung saw them
He panicked completely.
"H-Hey... why are you crying?" he asked quickly, instantly moving closer to her.
Without hesitation, he gently cupped her face between his palms and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, his expression filled with pure concern.
"Did you really dislike it that much?" he asked softly. "It's okay, biwi... we'll get another one tomorrow. Don't cry over something this small."
The cold, intimidating man everyone feared in the mansion was now sitting in front of his wife, anxiously wiping her tears like they were the most precious thing in the world.
Jungkook immediately shook her head no.
"N-No" she whispered tearfully while clutching the velvet box carefully against her chest. "I loved it..."
Her lips trembled slightly.
"It's beautiful."
Then her watery eyes lifted toward him again.
"And... you're really very good to me."
Something warm flickered inside Taehyung's chest hearing those words.
Before he could even respond
Jungkook suddenly leaned forward and wrapped both her arms tightly around him.
Taehyung froze.
Completely.
For a brief moment, he simply sat there motionless, as if his mind had stopped working.
Because this hug felt different.
It wasn't forced.
It wasn't formal.
It was soft. Genuine. Full of trust.
And somehow... it reached the parts of him nobody else ever could.
Slowly, Taehyung's expression softened completely.His arms instinctively moved around her waist, pulling her closer against his chest as he hugged her back.
Jungkook melted into his embrace instantly, her face resting near his heartbeat while Taehyung held her like she was something fragile and precious.
His chin rested lightly against her head, and for the first time in a very long while... the constant heaviness inside him felt quieter.
The world saw Kim Taehyung as a cold, strict, emotionless man.
A man with sharp words and an even sharper silence.
Someone difficult to approach.
Difficult to understand.
Difficult to love.
But the truth was
Taehyung had a heart too.
A heart that had simply forgotten how to soften for anyone.
Yet now, while holding Jungkook in his arms, he found himself wanting impossible things.
He wanted to stay beside her longer.
He wanted her to slowly become comfortable with him.
He wanted to let her see the heart he hid from everyone else.
He wanted to stay close to her a little longer every day.
He wanted to hear her laugh freely around him.
He wanted to protect the innocence in her eyes from the cruelty of the world.
And perhaps most dangerously of all-
He wanted to make a permanent place for himself inside her heart... while unknowingly handing his own heart over to her completely.