Jungkook and Taehyung didn't speak during the drive to Jin's parents' house.

Taehyung wondered if he made the younger uncomfortable after he disclosed his sexuality. He was surprised when Jungkook had asked him, especially since this particular piece of information was something Taehyung never even told the press. The public made assumptions, of course, as they saw V parading around with hordes of men and women alike. But he never once confirmed what his actual preferences were.

It was a part of his facade; it was a part of what made V the enigma that he was.

But as Taehyung thought this over, something occurred to him. He didn't reveal a part of V to Jungkook.

He revealed something personal about him, about Taehyung.

He couldn't afford to do that again. He needed to be more careful.

Taehyung sent a quick text to Jin, asking him to tell his parents not to call him by his real name tonight. In front of Jungkook, he was always to be referred to as V.

The elder responded with a thumbs up emoji, as well as a note that Jin's father was called in last minute to one of their restaurants and couldn't join them tonight.

A pang of disappointment flashed through Taehyung as their car pulled in front of a brightly lit house. He always had admired Jin's father and had been excited to see him.

"Wow," Jungkook breathed a seat over from him, looking out his window to get a better view at the house. "This place looks like a mansion."

"You can head in," Taehyung said to him. "I'll be right there."

Jungkook nodded and left Taehyung alone in the car. The elder placed a call to the club they'd go to after this, requesting more space be made available for their now larger group. Once that was settled, he walked to the house.

He let himself inside and was immediately greeted with the loud, bubbly voice of Jin's mother. She was peppering Jungkook with questions, ranging from how him and Jin met to what his favorite song by V was.

Taehyung found them in a small living room, Jin and his mother on a couch and Jungkook in one of two armchairs. The younger looked completely at ease, one leg crossed over his knee and a flute of champagne between his fingers. Taehyung had yet to see this side of Jungkook; he looked confident and powerful.

And with the first three buttons of his white shirt undone, he looked . . . sexy.

"Oh, speak of the devil!" Jin's mother exclaimed, her eyes meeting Taehyung's. "There's my darling boy."

She got up to wrap Taehyung in a hug, squeezing him tightly as she patted his head.

"I thought I was your darling boy," Jin huffed, taking a sip of his champagne.

"You can all be my darling boys," she beamed, guiding Taehyung to the couch. She looked pointedly at Jin. "The armchair, honey."

Jin let out an exasperated sound and moved to his new seat. He stuck his tongue out at Taehyung as he watched the blue haired boy sink into the plush cushions.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She asked Taehyung, hands already moving to the chilled bottle of champagne on the coffee table.

But Taehyung shook his head. "I'm all set for now, thank you."

Jungkook watched as V, Jin, and Jin's mother settled into a comfortable conversation, their jibes and jokes flowing naturally. The more the younger observed the three, the more they seemed like a family. V was still somewhat reserved, but it was easy to tell how much he loved the two. The artist listened intently to every word Jin's mother spoke and traded inside jokes with Jin.

V seemed a lot more human to Jungkook and less like a mega-superstar. The elder even smiled once, a toothy grin that took Jungkook's breath away.

He couldn't recall ever seeing V smiling like that - not in any pictures, interviews, or even in person over the last week. V had a smile that made one want to grin in return, just to share his joy with him. Jungkook wished he could see it again.

He made that his secret mission - to do whatever it took to make V smile genuinely and brightly once more.

Jungkook exhaled softly. Thoughts like that weren't good to have, especially not for someone like V. The artist was famous, successful, and coveted by everyone. His talent was evident, easily captivating people from all demographics.

And, despite V telling Jungkook not to believe every story about him, it was still difficult to outright ignore them. It was hard to stop picturing V's arms slung around so many different people and not wonder if they had all shared his bed.

He didn't know how long he'd been staring at V when Jin's mother called out his name.

"Jungkook, can you help me check on dinner?" She asked sweetly, and Jungkook turned to nod at her.

She led them into a bright kitchen, where two personal chefs were creating a feast for them to dine on. Jungkook's mouth watered as he took in all the food, his stomach grumbling audibly.

Jin's mother laughed at the sound. "I have to confess," she started, "I didn't really ask you in here to help check on dinner. As you can see, it's in capable hands."

"Oh?" He let out.

She took his arm and directed him to a cozy sitting room. "I want you to know that I consider V to be like a son of my own. He's taught me a lot about what it means to love unconditionally. But I think it's in your best interest to be careful around him."

Jungkook scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"I saw the way you were looking at him, honey," she stated directly, but not in an unkind way.

A blush crept across his face. "Oh."

There was an awkward pause as Jin's mother regarded him. "I get it. But I also know him. I don't want you getting hurt by his . . . antics."

Even though Jungkook had a hard time ignoring all the stories about V, he found himself coming to the artist's defense.

"I know I don't know him as you do. But he's already proven to me that not every article written about him is true. They all say he's cold and inconsiderate and selfish. But when I had no where to stay this summer and was about to turn down his mentorship, he offered up his guest room to me."

"You're staying with V . . . in his apartment?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jungkook replied. Jin's mother probably thought he was a free loader, only in this for the clout and maybe for V's attention. "But I want you to know this is strictly professional. On both our sides."

Her gaze was flitting back and forth between Jungkook and a spot over his shoulder. "I'm afraid you've caught me off guard. You see, as far as I know, V has never let anyone inside of his home. Not me, not Jin, not anyone."

"Really?" Jungkook asked. "Not even - ?"

Jin's mother rested a hand on Jungkook's forearm, something changing in her eyes. "He's a very private person, honey. In all my years of knowing him, I've never so much as learned his parents' names. So for him to let you into his home . . . Nevermind. I don't want to make assumptions," she finished.

Jungkook wanted to ask her to clarify. He wanted to know what it was she assumed about V's intentions.

"Alright then, let's get back to the boys," she smiled at him, releasing her grip from his arm.

"Wait, one more thing," Jungkook said, running a hand through his hair and looking down at his feet. "Do you know what his real name is? It can't just be V, right?"

Jin's mother looked tenderly at him, her gaze full of understanding. "No, it's not V. But I can't tell you what his name is, honey. Only he can."

In that moment, Jungkook amended his secret mission. He would not only make V smile again as he did earlier.

He would also learn V's real name.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《