Chapter Text
Taehyung had spent most of his life watching other people fall in love. He saw it in real life, in movies, and in the countless books. He had always imagined what it would be like to find someone of his own, but love and finding the right person had never come easily to him.
Part of it was his own fault.
He had always been focused on school and work. Not that he went out much anyway. Taehyung was a homebody through and through. Most nights he preferred staying in with a book, a blanket, and a cup of hot chocolate rather than going out to parties or bars. It wasn't as if he was actively trying to meet people. And honestly, after watching his friends navigate relationships, the effort they required, the arguments, the heartbreak....he had convinced himself he was better off alone. Most days, he was perfectly content, but there were moments.
Moments when he saw couples holding hands on campus. Moments when his friends disappeared for date nights. Moments when he came home exhausted after a long shift and wished someone was waiting for him.
Taehyung was thirty, for crying out loud.
Thirty. Single. And still a virgin.
He joked about it often enough. With his friends. With his parents; his mother, who would roll her eyes every time he dramatically declared that if things didn't improve soon, he'd just find himself a sugar daddy. The joke always earned laughter.
For a while, Taehyung laughed too.
Until recently.
The truth was, life was hard. He was a broke college student barely making ends meet. Between attending classes and working two jobs, he was running on caffeine and stubborn determination. Let’s be clear, he didn’t like coffee like that.
Taehyung was also fortunate enough to share an apartment with his two best friends; Jimin and Hoseok. However, he still had rent to pay, along with car insurance, gas, groceries, and an ever-growing mountain of credit card debt fueled by his unfortunate love for expensive things.
So, when he overheard a conversation between two coworkers during a break, he couldn't but listen.
"So, what's the man's name?" one man whispered.
"I don't know, Minho. It's all very private. They even have you sign an NDA and everything,"
Taehyung glanced up from his phone.
"But if the money's as good as they're saying?" the man continued. "Honestly, I get it,"
"What's the catch?" Minho asked.
The other man shrugged, "Apparently not much. He just wants company."
"So, when are the interviews?"
"Tomorrow. It's not exactly public information. A friend told me about it," The man lowered his voice even more. "Just bring a résumé. Shouldn't be too hard."
Taehyung pretended not to listen after that, but the conversation followed him for the rest of his shift. Hell, it even took his attention away from what the fanfic he was reading. By the time he finished closing the store and headed home, he was still thinking about it.
The money.
The debt.
The bills waiting to be paid.
He thought about it all night.
And somewhere between staring at his bank account and figuring out how many hours he'd have to work just to stay afloat, he made a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret. Earlier that day, after the conversation ended and his coworkers had tucked away the flyer in one of their lockers, curiosity had gotten the better of him.
Maybe he had been a little sneaky.
Maybe he'd waited until nobody was looking.
Maybe he'd pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture before walking away.
Now, sitting on the edge of his bed, the image filled his screen.
His thumb hovered over it as he read the bold letters at the top.
Sugar Baby Needed...
As Taehyung stared at the screen, he thought long and hard about it. He kept going back and forth. One minute he was convinced this was a terrible idea. The next, he was trying to figure out how many bills he could pay off if the money was as good as his coworkers claimed. But what did he really have to lose? The worst that could happen was the interview going horribly wrong and them taking one look at him before saying, Sorry, you're not what we're looking for. That wasn't exactly the end of the world.
He'd survived worse.
Besides, it wasn't as if he was guaranteed to get the sugar baby ‘job’. For all he knew, hundreds of people would show up tomorrow. Maybe the mysterious man would take one look at Taehyung's thrift-store blazer and nervous smile and send him home. Honestly, that was probably what would happen. And if it did? Well, then he could tell Jimin and Hoseok about it later. The image alone made him laugh. Jimin would choke on his coffee and Hoseok would probably fall out of his chair. And Taehyung would spend the next decade hearing jokes about the time he almost became someone's sugar baby. At least, it would make for a good story.
With a sigh, he tossed his phone onto the bed and rubbed his face.
"Yep," he muttered to himself. "I'm really doing this."
The words sounded ridiculous out loud.
Thirty years old.
College student.
Virgin.
And apparently interviewing to become a sugar baby. His younger self would be horrified, but his current self was too tired and too broke to care. Taehyung reached for his phone again, opening the picture one last time. The address stared back at him.
Tomorrow.
Ten in the morning.
Bring a résumé. It was all he needed, it was all it said to bring.
Taehyung swallowed hard. Tomorrow, he would walk into that interview and see what all the fuss was about. And maybe, just maybe, his life was about to become a whole lot more complicated.