#kiyeol

There had only been perhaps a half hour between when Taejin had watched Byungchul scurry back into his dorm, and when he’d headed back to his own, hoping against hope that Taechul wouldn’t still be there. Against his luck, his brother had been home, and had promply freaked out. Taejin knew it was bad, just by the way he felt the skin warm, throbbing beneath the surface. He groaned when his brother placed an ice pack on his face, and Taejin closed his eyes, hoping the ice pack would cool the mark enough to lower some of the swelling. He also asked for some pain killers, because his entire head was pulsing with the feeling of blood rushing around inside of it. 

After having taken the pills, he was able to try to focus on ignoring the pain. He closed his eyes and just listened to the silence of the room. He wasn’t sure where his brother had run off to, but he’d said that he had an idea, and Taejin wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but the ice pack had warmed just enough to where it was finally making the spot where he’d been punched feel better. He squirmed slightly where he lay on the couch. There was something about fighting that made him feel a rush of need, for a solution to the problem, he assumed. Today, however, had not been a solution. Sure it was a victory, of sorts. Byungchul had run away, but somehow, it still felt like a loss and that made his brain and body keep running on the same wavelength. He was antsy, but he didn’t like the feeling of being dizzy when he sat up, so he lay back down, trying to listen to the quiet once more. 

Keke hadn’t been able to nap like she’d wanted, so she sat, quiet and alone in her living room. The day had been uneventful, and she’d been mildly disappointed not to see Jaehwa yet. Although, she thought to herself, You don’t even know what time it is, so the chances of it being so late he’s not coming are slim. She tipped side ways on the couch, laying out, looking up at the ceiling. Why was she being such and idiot about this. It’s not like he promised, he just said tomorrow... which was now today. She sighed again, and rolled over onto her stomach, closing her eyes, her face in the cushions. What was she doing like this on her birthday? 

There was a part of Ahn Taejin that was still completely blown away by the fact that that he and his brother were signed to the same label that had signed and produced (in his opinion) the best k-pop music ever to be created. Sure, A.C.E. were simply musicians and sunbaes now, but any time they were mentioned in the context of work, or if he saw them in passing, he was jittery with extra energy. Maybe he enjoyed that feeling too much for his own good, because it was the search for that feeling that caused Taejin to wander down the hallways where he’d seen the A.C.E. members most often, perhaps in search of the electricity that ran through him when he spent even the most fleeting moments around them. It was as he was thinking about this, staring awkwardly at his hands, trying to figure out yet again, what excuse he’d use if he was asked why he’d been headed in this direction, that he ran headlong into someone who had just exited a practice room. 

Taejin’s eyes widened and nervous energy crackled through him as he bowed rapidly to ninety degrees. “Sorry... oh I’m sorry I should have been watching where I was going Kiyeol-ssi.”