Chapter 1: Dual Nature
It was one of the few times the Aiharas and Iries were able to have dinner together. Naoki was able to leave work early that day and Mr. Aihara forced Kotoko to leave the diner in Kinnoske's hands for the night. The atmosphere during dinner was tense and filled with unspoken words and regret. However, this was broken by a ringtone blaring out a song, indicating that someone was calling. The song was not in Japanese, oddly.
Naoki recognized the words as Korean almost immediately and wondered who at the table would understand the language. His mother and father were both too busy with fantasies and work respectively to dabble at a new language. Yuki was too focused in his traditional Japanese studies to bother learning something he would deem unnecessary. And both Aiharas, he thought, were too dull-minded to even consider learning a foreign language. At least, that was what he thought.
All the occupants at the dinner table noticed Kotoko freeze at the seemingly unfamiliar ringtone. The Iries, excluding Naoki who seemed not to notice, looked at her with concern. Her father, however, had a strange gleam in his eyes. Mr. Irie slid his eyes to his best friend, who had leaned back in his seat with a grin, arms folded across his chest.
"Kotoko, sweetie," Mr. Aihara called out to his daughter, diverting the attention to him momentarily. "Aren't you gonna answer that? You haven't spoken to him in a while."
Mr. Aihara's last statement caused the Irie family to whip their heads back towards Kotoko, who was turning a very vivid shade of crimson, in various forms of shock and interest. Mrs. Irie looked ready to start frothing at the mouth from the newly discovered information. Mr. Irie stared at Kotoko, mouth hanging open. Yuki did not particularly care who the dunce could have been talking to, but he was slightly interested in what boy could possibly want to associate with the airheaded girl. And if he wanted to scout out any possible competition for his onee-san, well, that was his business, now wasn't it. Naoki, however, gave no outward indication of his surprise except for the slight widening of his eyes. In all the time he had known Kotoko, she had never once mentioned another close male friend other than Kinnoske. The slight tightening of his sternum at the sight of Kotoko's reddening face was just worry, he told himself.
The words from her father seemed to snap Kotoko out of her daze. "Ah," she exclaimed jumping up from her seat at the table. "You're probably right, Dad! Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Irie, but I need to grab that real quick!" Kotoko quickly bows and runs to the living room to answer her phone, almost tripping multiple times in her haste.
As soon as Kotoko leaves the kitchen, Mr. Aihara feels the stifling presence of eyes watching him. He slowly turns in his seat and is met with four curious and slightly astonished gazes of the Irie family. As Mrs. Irie opens her mouth to, no doubt, demand answers from the man, he only smiles and places one finger to his lips in a quieting manner. He then grins and tips his head in the direction Kotoko ran off to and taps his ear. The Irie family settles down and strains their ears to hear the conversation.
Kotoko stares at the phone for a moment, gazing at the handsome face of her best friend. The corners of her mouth tip up slightly, giving off a small but genuine smile that has only ever graced her features for him. She grabs the phone and presses accept.
"Yes?" she questions in Korean, the small smile still evident on her face as she lowers her body onto the couch. The eavesdropping family still at the sound of foreign words leaving Kotoko's mouth. Naoki frowns, wondering how and why a girl like her could have learned Korean. She had never seemed interested in learning anything before, and, yet, he could tell just from her accent and the skillful use of one word that she was above proficient in the language.
Kotoko pauses for a few moments, relishing in the deep baritone of her friend. It had been a couple months since Taehyung was able to call her due to their world tour and promotions, but she couldn't complain. She was so proud of her best friend, the once farmboy now international star and Handsomest Man in the World. He was currently telling her of his latest prank with Jungkook, Jin hyung as their unfortunate victim this time. She laughs quietly and just enjoys his voice.
The Iries jump slightly then still at the sound of the gentle laugh. Kotoko was a rambunctious girl who never showed any signs of elegance or class, but she was cheerful and earnest in everything that she did. It was odd for the Irie family to hear such a laugh from Kotoko, a laugh full of tenderness and care for the caller. Naoki lowered his head slightly, bangs casting an erie shade over his eyes. His hands clenched in his pockets, but he couldn't understand what could've prompted this response. All he could feel was this overwhelming anger, one he had only felt once before in his life. It was the day of the celebration for those who had been accepted into universities, the day Kotoko said she would give up on him…
No one saw this reaction, of course, the others too absorbed in their shock of this completely new side of Kotoko that had just been discovered. No one but one Mr. Aihara, who watched the kid with a sad sort of understanding. Pain always came with the realization that a person you thought you knew was full of unsaid secrets. Mr. Aihara knew that Naoki was about to storm away from the table and lock himself in his room until who knows when, so he decided to take action. It has been a while since he'd spoken to Taehyung himself.
"Kotoko, sweetie," he calls out. Kotoko shoots up at the sound of her dad's voice, hand covering the phone to stop Taehyung from hearing the conversation and eyes widened in a questioning manner. "Why don't you put Tae-kun on speaker and ask him to speak Japanese for us. It's been so long since I've talked to the kid!"
"Dad, do you want me to ask if he could video chat with me on the laptop?" she questions, switching to the Japanese language. "I think it'll be much easier for him." To be frank, Kotoko did not want to have to share Taehyung with her father or the Iries. She rarely had any time to speak with her best friend, and she would prefer to have all his attention on her and vise versa during those scarce times both were able to call or see each other. Nonetheless, she couldn't refuse her dad anything after all that he had done for her.
At Mr. Aihara's enthusiastic nod, Kotoko removes her hand from the phone and once again transitions smoothly into Korean. "TaeTae, can you video chat right now," she asks, desperately wishing he would refuse. "Dad wants to talk to you and introduce you to the family we've been staying with since our house got destroyed."
"TaeTae?" Mrs. Irie gasps quietly at her spot at the head of the table. She is shocked by the familiarity in which Kotoko addresses the unknown boy. Even Naoki, who Kotoko's known for years and has had a crush on for just as long, is addressed as "Irie-kun." And they've lived together for years, as well! Naoki must have been thinking along the lines of her thought process and seems to become even more tense.
"Hey, stupid," Yuki suddenly exclaims, fuming inwardly for his older brother. "Don't name a boy so familiarly, people may get the wrong idea. Then poof," he makes an exploding gesture with both hands, "there goes your already tarnished reputation."
"What did you say, you little brat," Kotoko explodes into action, jumping over the couch and running into the kitchen with every intention of ripping Yuki to pieces. A deep, rich chuckle stops her, however. She stands in the kitchen, halfway to the table, looks down to the phone clutched in her hand and notices that she must have accidentally pressed the speaker button. Yuki freezes in his position, half-standing from his chair in order to run for his life from the wrath-filled girl. The remainder of the Irie family are in similar positions, frozen stiff at the unfamiliar baritone. "Ah, Tae," Kotoko laughs nervously, "don't mind them. Are you still up for that video chat?"
"Well," the disembodied voice had taken on a teasing tone. "I'm not so sure I'd be welcomed, KoKo. But you know I love meeting people, so why not! Let me go grab one of Jungkookie's laptops." Rustling could be heard from the abandoned phone as Kotoko also dashed up the stairs for her laptop. The remaining people still in the kitchen, excluding Naoki, only stared at the phone in slight confusion due to their lack of knowledge in Korean.
With only a slight squeak, indicating that Kotoko had decided to slide down the stair railing to reach the bottom floor of the house quicker, Kotoko was back in her seat at the kitchen, laptop turning on.
"Hey, I managed to snatch one of Jungkookie's laptops, you good to go?" Taehyung questions, slightly out of breathe.
"Yup, I'm all set here," Kotoko replies, once again in Korean. Suddenly, she grins, body morphing to take on a more mischievous tone. "Why so out of breathe, TaeTae? Did Jungkook catch you taking his laptop or something?"
"Ya, Kotoko," Taehyung exclaims in indignation, cheeks heating up in embarrassment, though no one could see, "that's not something to laugh about, okay? You haven't met him yet, but Jungkookie's a fricking muscle pig that will crush you if you ever anger him, I swear!"
Kotoko dissolves into uncontrollable laughter. Of course, it was only a joke, but she knew Taehyung was absolutely frightened of Jungkook in some situations. The Iries could only gaze at Kotoko, this laugh was much louder than her previous one but not as obnoxious or loud as the laughs she is usually known to emit. Once again, this one held a kind of tender care and control that she never seemed to possess before.
"Aish, don't laugh at me, KoKo!" Taehyung despairs. "I'm still older than you by three years! You should be more respectful. I swear, it's something about you younglings that never seem to learn the proper respect for your elders." Though his tirade may have seemed harsh to any outside listeners, like Naoki, Kotoko could only grin as she heard the faint tones of theatrical despair and teasing in Taehyung's voice. She would know when he was seriously upset by the sound of his voice alone, after all, they have known each other for nearly 20 years. Taehyung sighs, already visualizing his best friend's grin. "Ah, let's just start video chatting! I want to meet these people you're staying with! Do you need me to switch to Japanese or can they speak Korean?"
"Japanese, please," Kotoko responds as she accepts Taehyung's online request to video chat. She ends the call on her phone and turns her laptop over so that the whole table could see Taehyung.
Bright blue hair and a boxy grin obstruct the Iries' view. Mrs. Irie gasps quietly once again, hand coming up to cover her mouth in shock of the boy's beauty. Her Naoki was undoubtedly handsome with his rugged features, perpetually wavy brown hair, and tall frame. However, the boy on the screen was beautiful. The light from the laptop made his pale skin and shockingly white teeth shine! And as he bowed in respect for them, his bright blue hair ruffled adorably at the movement.
"Hi, it's nice to finally meet all of you! My name is Kim Taehyung," the boy exclaims happily, bowing in his chair so low that he had accidentally slammed his head on the table. "Aish!" Taehyung quietly yells, clutching onto the reddening spot with his hands. His hands were quite large, the Irie family duly notes.
Kotoko tsks slightly at Taehyung's carelessness. "TaeTae, pay more attention, please? You're too careless sometimes!" The irony of the statement was lost to no one.
"You should practice your own advice before trying to advise someone else," Naoki grumbles, looking away from the image of the blue-haired boy and crossing his arms across his chest. What was up with the neon blue hair anyway, Naoki internally critiques. He acts like some wannabe K-pop idol or something.
Taehyung beams through the screen, his joy was contagious, making the corner's of Yuki's lips twitch up and the Irie parents to smile. "Ah, see KoKo!" Taehyung flaps his arms about in excitement. "You're just as bad as I am!"
Kotoko could only close her eyes as she grins and shakes her head at her best friend's cuteness. "Lucky me," she laughs. "I'm similar to the Kim Taehyung in his adorable blunders." The onlooking people could only tilt their heads in confusion at the odd emphasis to Taehyung's name and the laughter the two shared. Naoki steadfastly glued his eyes to his plate, refusing to look at the obvious joy that would have been reflected on the two's faces. Yuki and Mr. Aihara could only gaze at him in pity and concern, though neither knew the other was also doing it.
Kotoko feels the area around her mouth ache, indicating that she smiled and laughed much more than the muscles were accustomed to. She only widens her grin at the feeling and wipes off a stray laughter tear with the back of her hand. Kotoko snaps her head up in realization and snaps her fingers. Taehyung immediately focuses on her, knowing she had just come up with some sort of idea or plan she wanted to complete. "TaeTae, are you free from promotions and touring for a little bit," she questions with her eyes shining full of hope and delight. At his hesitant nod, a slow smile begins to grace Kotoko's lips. "You've visited Auntie and Uncle already?" The smile grows at his hum of affirmation. "Well, then," the grin is now at its highest capacity of shine and charm, "why don't we hang out Tae?"
Mrs. Irie, who had been in a daze at the titles Kotoko had given Taehyung's parents, immediately snapped to attention at the question as well as the devious smirk that now occupied Kotoko's lips. "Do you mean alone," she practically screams. At Kotoko's confused nod, the mother makes a sound of extreme discomfort and surprise. "Kotoko-chan, you can't," Mrs. Irie wails.
Kotoko only scrunches her eyebrows together in confusion. She glances back at the computer screen to Taehyung, who only shrugs his shoulders at her questioning and slightly panicked gaze. Mrs. Irie had pushed away from the table and had begun to pace in the kitchen, occasionally muttering to herself and letting out sobs. Yuki sighs at Kotoko's ignorance in annoyance and speaks up, "She means that it's considered scandalous for a boy and girl to meet alone, especially for long periods of time."
"Wait," Naoki abruptly interrupts. "What do you mean promotions?" He had internally deducted that the boy must have been working for some sort of entertainment company in order to be having "promotions," as Kotoko called it. In all honesty, the genius didn't know how the boy had gotten a job so early in life, Naoki was about the same age as him!
The boy tilted his head slightly and placed a finger on his bottom lip in thought. Glints of metal can be seen through the screen from the boys multiple rings. Kotoko only sighed as Taehyung snapped his fingers in realization and looked at her questioningly. "You didn't tell them anything about me, KoKo?" At her nod of affirmation, Taehyung threw himself back on the chair he was sitting on and clutched his chest in mock pain. "Some best friend I have," he exclaims dramatically. "The guys know all about you and can't wait to meet the person to my stories. I guess it isn't like that for all of us."
Kotoko had stiffened slightly at the mention of the other members of Bangtan Sonyeondan but relaxes just as quickly. She huffs a laugh and only shakes her head, "I'm sorry, TaeTae, I'll make it up to you!" She turns to the matriarch of the Irie family and fixes her best puppy eyes on her pseudo-mother. "Mrs. Irie, is it okay if TaeTae comes to visit and maybe stay a couple of nights? Since we'll mostly be here, we won't be alone together for long period of time, if at all!"
Mrs. Irie silently steeled herself to refuse her daughter in all but blood but chanced a glance at the computer screen and was ambushed by another pair of pleading eyes. Though this gaze was from a male, it held every bit as much pleading and sorrow as Kotoko's famous puppy dog eyes. She sighs regretfully and allows her head to fall into her hands in defeat.
"Alright, alright," Mrs. Irie agrees weakly. The two best friends share almost identical grins through the computer screen and proceed with a silent celebration that went unnoticed except for Naoki's constant monitoring gaze.
As Naoki closed the door to his room, he could still hear the laughter downstairs and the boy's voice regaling yet another childhood adventure of his and Kotoko's. The genius could not for the life of him understand where this resentment and annoyance was stemming from. Taehyung had been nothing but smiles and laughter and, yet, Naoki still burned with this inexplicable desire to prove he was better than Taehyung in every possible way.
He collapses onto his bed with a sigh and props his head up with one hand, closing his eyes to contemplate his current predicament. All his problems recently had to do with Kotoko, the girl just could do him the favor of staying both out of his line of vision nor his mind apparently. He shakes his head and heads off to the bathroom to shower and change into his night clothes. Once he returns, he sighs and decides to sleep off his worries and frustrations. After all, Taehyung would be coming to the house and possibly staying for a few days. It would only be a nuisance if he deprived himself of sleep over such frivolities, especially with all the work he had and his recent engagement and upcoming wedding. With that, he turns off his lamp and falls into a restless sleep.
*WHEW! Yaaaay my first chapter done! Please RR, constructive criticism is always welcome!:)*
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN BTS OR MISCHEVIOUS KISS!!!!