#taekookau where Taehyung is a world famous designer with his own luxury label. Jungkook is the overworked graduate student struggling to make ends meet. And Taehyung’s newest muse. “Him,” Taehyung says, pointing at the frumpy hoody. “He’s the one.”

— or, where it’s well-known fact that designer Kim Taehyung always centers each collection around a single model, using them as inspiration; he calls them his muses. Through this alone, he’s single-handedly built the careers of some of the most successful models in the industry.

Everyone’s waiting in anticipation for the reveal of the newest muse for Vante, speculation wild and rampant in magazines and social media alike. Perhaps it’s the beautiful nepo-baby whose been spotted hanging with celebrities recently; or perhaps it’s the newly debuted idol.

Imagine everyone’s surprise, then, when Taehyung shows up to the office one day, a random boy whose face is unrecognizable to anyone trailing behind him with wide eyes and parted lips as he takes in the gleaming windows and trendy furniture.

The boy is wearing not a single branded or luxury item, dressed in a baggy t-shirt that sways as he moves - and not in an artsy way. His pants are even baggier. An intern blinks. (She’d nearly been fired when she showed up wearing the wrong blazer with the wrong dress, once.)

The entire office is frozen as they gape in unison at the sight of Kim Taehyung, dressed to kill - as always - striding confidently down the hall, face unreadable. As though it were perfectly normal for a disheveled college kid to be stumbling behind him, wearing a /backpack/.

Taehyung occupies the massive corner office with all-glass walls, empty in a chic way save for a massive glass desk in the very center. And, currently, Park Jimin, who stands beside it with his arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently as he glares at the approaching duo.

“Sit,” Taehyung says to the boy, and spectators /gape/ as he /gently/ guides him to sit on one of the plush couches just outside his office. An employee promptly chokes when Taehyung goes as far as to offer him /water/. Kim Taehyung. Offering someone water.

Once he’s ascertained Jungkook is comfortable in his seat, Taehyung turns to walk into his office and close the door behind him. The glass walls provide enough audible privacy for conversation, even if everyone can still see the inside.

“Kim Taehyung,” Jimin grits. “You missed the marketing meeting.” Taehyung reclines himself in his chair, comfortable as anything, raising Jimin’s blood pressure. “I did.” Jimin’s eye twitches. “You know how important this meeting was, we needed to figure out the plan for-“

“What I was doing instead took precedence.” “And what, pray tell, were you doing, other than being on a college campus unauthorized?” “Finding a muse.” Jimin pauses. That, at least, resolves some of the ire from his features. “And did you?”

Taehyung’s lips curl into a lazy smirk, but there’s a spark in his eyes that’s unmistakable; the gleam that he gets when he’s found a new passion. Jimin’s eyes widen. Not many are aware, but the reason for this collection’s delay had been that Taehyung’s been /uninspired/.

He’s never gone this long without the strike of inspiration, and for a while, Jimin had even worried it might spell the end of Vante.

/ “Everyone is boring,” Taehyung had sighed, glancing disinterestedly at the throng of celebrities at the party Jimin had thrown, just to see if anyone would catch his eye. “So trite. Walking human cliches.” / To hear Taehyung has suddenly found his next muse, then, is a shock.

“Who is it?” Jimin asks, unable to help the excitement in his voice. He’s still pissed at Taehyung and absolutely will be charging an obscene shopping spree on Taehyung’s card later, but he can’t help but be interested in who had managed to spark Taehyung’s long-lost inspiration.

“Is it that new idol from S-Corp? Everyone’s been talking about how ungodly gorgeous she is, even I was surprised when I saw her in person,” Jimin says. “Or that Hyukjae kid? The influencer from New York? His look was incredible for being an amateur-“ Taehyung’s smirk grows.

Jimin pauses, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Who is it,” he repeats, slower this time. Taehyung leans his head back, eyes lidded, expression smug. “Him,” Taehyung says, tilting his chin in the direction of the boy wearing the frumpiest hoodie Jimin has ever seen. Jimin stares.

The boy is munching on a goddamn /granola bar/, spilling bits all over the one-of-a-kind designer chair that Taehyung’s declared off limits. (Had fired an employee for sitting in, even.) “Him,” Jimin repeats. Stares at his baggy cargo pants like it’s personally offended him.

“Yes,” Taehyung nods. Jimin watches as Jungkook fumbles with the plastic wrapper, before shoving it back into his own backpack - no doubt, releasing a cache of crumbs into its depths. Oh, god. “/Him/,” Jimin repeats. Taehyung smiles.

Jimin’s eyes trail down, down, to- “Oh god,” he wheezes. “Is he wearing /Birkenstocks/?” Taehyung tilts his head, glancing at Jungkook’s feet; at the way his toes wiggle endearingly under the straps. They could be a look,” he says. “With the right jacket.”

Jimin splutters. Taehyung had once vowed to burn every pair of Birkenstocks he comes across, for their heinous crimes against fashion. “Taehyung,” Jimin asks, very seriously. “Is this a quarter life crisis?” But Taehyung is busy staring at the way Jungkook’s toes are wiggling.

— to be continued!! If people are interested, lmk. Writing after so long feels so rusty, gosh haha Also - I personally am a long-time devotee of Birkenstocks from my college days, hahahaha - I own several pairs, they’re the most comfortable things!!!