The penthouse door opened quietly. Tae sat exactly where Jungkook left her, curled miserably on the couch, eyes swollen and vacant. She flinched at the sound, shrinking back instinctively. Then she saw him. "*Gguk?*" Her voice was a fragile whisper, thick with tears.

He crossed the room in three strides, dropping to his knees before the couch. "*Baby,*" his voice was thick, choked. He reached out, cupping her tear-streaked face with trembling hands. "*I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry.*"

Tae recoiled slightly, confusion warring with the raw pain in her eyes. "*Why?*" she whispered, the word breaking. "*Why did you push me away? Did I… did I ruin us?*" Her lower lip trembled violently.

Jeongguk flinched as if struck. "*Never,*" he rasped, pulling her stiff body gently against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her familiar scent—vanilla and salt tears. "*I ruined it. Me.*" His arms tightened, crushing her to him, desperate.

"*Last week… seeing you and Kook laughing… holding each other… it looked…*" He choked, struggling. "*…real. Like you belonged with him. Like you’d found something better.*" A harsh sob escaped him. "*I was terrified. Terrified you’d choose him.*"

Tae froze against him. Then, a choked gasp. "*Gguk… no.*" She pushed back just enough to stare into his anguished eyes. Her small hands framed his face. "*Never.*" Her voice gained strength, fierce and absolute. "*You’re my husband. My heart. My everything.*" Tears streamed anew, but hers were different now—relief mingled with furious love.

"*I chose YOU. Forever. Kook is…*" she searched for the word Jeongguk needed, "*…just heat. Fireworks. But you…*" She pressed her forehead hard against his, her breath warm on his lips. "*You are my home. My safe place. My soul. Don’t you ever forget that.*"

A shuddering breath ripped through Jeongguk. He crushed her mouth to his in a kiss that was desperate, seeking, and bruisingly deep. It wasn't gentle; it was a claiming, a reassurance poured from his soul into hers. Tae melted into it instantly, her lips parting, welcoming the fierce slide of his tongue, her fingers tangling in his hair to hold him closer. They breathed each other, tasted salt tears and a lifetime of tangled love and fear. When he finally broke the kiss, both gasped for air, foreheads pressed together again, eyes locked.

"*Do you like him?*" Jeongguk whispered, his thumb tracing her swollen lower lip. "*Kook?*"

Tae stiffened slightly. The raw vulnerability in his gaze pinned her. She couldn't lie. Hesitantly, she nodded, a single, small movement. "*Yes.*" The word was barely audible. "*He’s… wild. Exciting. He makes me feel… dangerous.*" Her eyes pleaded for understanding. "*But it’s different, Gguk. So different from you.*"

Jeongguk’s grip tightened, not possessive, but anchoring. "*I asked him too,*" he confessed softly. "*Just now. In his office.*" Tae’s eyes widened. "*He likes you. So damn much, baby.*" Jeongguk’s voice thickened. "*And I realized… I know you. I know your fierce heart. I know you will never leave me.*" His gaze burned with newfound certainty. "*I know Kook, too. He’s my twin. He’s arrogant, possessive… but he respects us. He wouldn’t take you away. He wouldn’t try.*"

Jeongguk took a deep, ragged breath, the words tumbling out, raw and honest. "*I won’t be insecure anymore. You both… you both mean so much to me.*" He cupped her face, forcing her to see the conviction blazing in his dark eyes. "*So why can't it work? With Kook? Not just as a fuck buddy. As… family. A permanent part of our life. You belong to me… but you could belong to him too, Tae. You could love us both. Equally.*" His voice cracked with hope. "*And I know… I know Kook wants that too.*"

Tae gasped, a sound of pure shock punched from her lungs. Her eyes searched his face frantically—no sign of doubt, only love and a startling acceptance. "*Oh GOD!*" The sob tore through her, pure, unadulterated joy exploding inside her chest. "*YES!*" she screamed, flinging her arms around his neck. "*Forever! Both of you! Forever!*"

She buried her face against his shoulder, crying uncontrollably, her body shaking with the sheer, overwhelming force of the future he’d just offered—a future brimming with the terrifying, perfect heat of both twins. "*I want that! Want you both! Always!*"

Jeongguk held her fiercely, kissing her hair, her temple, her swollen eyelids. "*Okay,*" he murmured, voice thick with emotion. "*Okay, baby.*"

When her tears slowed, he gently pulled back, pulling out his phone with trembling fingers. He pressed a button, holding Tae close against his chest as it rang. "*Kook?*" Jeongguk’s voice was rough but steady. "*Come to the penthouse. Right now.*" He paused, listening. "*No. Now.*" He hung up without another word.

Tae clung to him, heart hammering against his ribs, the silence thick with anticipation. Ten minutes later, the penthouse door clicked open.

Jungkook strode in, eyes instantly scanning them—Tae curled tightly against Jeongguk on the couch, faces tear-streaked but eyes shining. He stopped abruptly, brow furrowed, tension radiating from his stiff shoulders. "*What happened?*" he demanded sharply, gaze flicking between them. "*Is she okay?*"

Jeongguk gestured calmly to the armchair opposite them. "*Sit down, Kook.*" His tone held an unfamiliar command, devoid of anger. Jungkook hesitated, suspicion darkening his eyes. Slowly, warily, he sank into the plush chair, leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees. "*What’s this about?*" he asked, voice tight. "*Did you both decide… to end things with me?*" His jaw clenched, bracing for the blow.

Jeongguk met his brother’s guarded look directly. "*No,*" he stated, his voice resonating with quiet conviction. He tightened his arm around Tae’s shoulders. "*The opposite.*"

He took a deep breath, his gaze unwavering. "*Tae and I talked. We want you permanently in our lives, Kook. Not just… occasionally. Not just physically.*" Jungkook froze, utterly motionless. "*We want you… as family,*" Jeongguk continued, his words deliberate. "*As hers. As ours.*"

Tae nodded frantically, tears welling again. "*Forever,*" she whispered fiercely, locking eyes with Jungkook. "*We love you.*"

Jungkook stared. His breath hitched audibly. The arrogant mask shattered completely, replaced by stunned, raw disbelief. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. His knuckles, gripping the chair arms, turned bloodless white.

Slowly, a tremor ran through his powerful frame. "*You…*" he choked out, voice thick and unrecognizable. "*You want me… permanently? With her? Like… like I’m…*" He couldn’t finish. The words seemed to lodge in his throat. He looked utterly shattered—vulnerable, exposed, and profoundly shaken. His eyes, wide and disbelieving, flickered between Jeongguk’s steady gaze and Tae’s tearful, hopeful face, searching for any hint of mockery. Finding none, he simply stared, the reality crashing over him like a tidal wave.

Tae couldn’t bear the fragile agony in his eyes a second longer. She scrambled off Jeongguk’s lap, stumbling slightly on unsteady legs. Crossing the short distance felt like an eternity. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the impossible joy flooding her. She stopped directly in front of Jungkook, who remained frozen in the chair.

Without hesitation, without a shred of doubt, Tae leaned down, her soft hands gently cupping his stunned face. She looked deep into his bewildered, dark eyes—eyes so like her husband’s, yet uniquely Kook’s. "*Yes,*" she breathed, the word a sacred vow.

Then she kissed him. Not the desperate, frantic kisses stolen in secret or forced in violence. This was deep, claiming, and profound. Her lips pressed against his with fierce tenderness, pouring every ounce of love, acceptance, and belonging she felt into the connection. Her tongue gently sought his, sealing the promise.

When she finally pulled back, just enough to see his face, a radiant, tearful smile bloomed across hers. "*I love you, Kookie,*" she whispered, the nickname slipping out, natural and right. "*So much.*"

Jungkook gasped—a ragged, broken sound. His composure shattered. Tears, hot and unchecked, spilled over instantly, tracing paths down his cheeks. His hands flew up, trembling violently as they clutched hers against his face. "*Tae…*" his voice cracked, a raw sob escaping. "*Taehyung…*" He buried his face against her stomach for a heartbeat, shoulders shaking violently with silent cries.

Then he lifted his head, looking up at her, his expression naked, stripped bare of all defenses—pure, overwhelming emotion. "*I love you too,*" he choked out, the words thick with tears, rough with disbelief and relief. "*God, I love you too. Forever.*" He surged upward, wrapping his arms around her waist in a crushing embrace, burying his face against her neck, his hot tears soaking her skin. "*Our Tae,*" he murmured brokenly against her skin.

Jeongguk watched them, his own eyes suspiciously bright. He saw the raw vulnerability in his twin, the absolute surrender in Tae’s embrace. Without a word, he rose.

He walked over, his steps firm and purposeful. He placed one large hand on Tae’s trembling shoulder, the other on Jungkook’s bowed head. He squeezed gently, anchoring them both. Then, slowly, deliberately, he wrapped his strong arms around the two people he loved most in the world, pulling them tightly against his chest.

Tae nestled into one side, Jungkook leaned heavily against the other. They clung together—Jeongguk, Tae, and Jungkook—a tangled knot of limbs and tears and fierce, unbreakable belonging. Silence settled, profound and peaceful, filled only by their mingled breaths and Jungkook’s quiet sobs gradually softening into sighs of profound relief. Jeongguk rested his cheek against Tae’s hair, his fingers threading gently through Jungkook’s short strands, holding his new-found family impossibly close. The penthouse, once echoing with pain and uncertainty, now hummed with the quiet, perfect resonance of home.