#v blurb

The man huffed through the phone before letting out a breathless yell. “I’m coming, Peaches,” he shouted. You giggled both at the sound of him but also the image you conjured up in your head of the man zipping through crowds of people, his dark locks flowing as he yelled into a phone.

Leaning down, you tentatively took a sip of your drink, immediately wincing at the hot temperature that startled your tongue, as well as the shockingly sweet taste. Inspecting the drink, you realized it was Tae’s hot chocolate. “I told you to stop running,” you commented into the phone, Taehyung’s breathing being his only response. “Do you want me to hang up so you can have a proper go of it, Usain Bolt?”

“No,” he breathed out. “Stay on the line, I miss you,” he said cutely, you scoffing at the affection.

“You wouldn’t have to miss me if you were on time, my Dearest,” you teased him.

“I’m sorry,” he whined, dragging the word out. “Let me live,” he added in complaint, you smirking.

Watching as people walked by, the sound of your boyfriend’s struggled breathing in your ear, your focus was suddenly pulled down the street when a loud, “Peaches,” rang out in both the phone speaker and the cold winter air.

Several people looked toward the man as he waved at you, slowing to a walk, but he didn’t acknowledge any of them, his adorable gaze set on you. The mask was covering the bottom half of his face but it did little to hide the rectangular smile he was hiding underneath, his happiness showing in his eyes.

Appearing in front of you, you couldn’t help but chuckle at his winded state. “Hi,” he greeted you happily, despite his current breathing troubles, leaning in to kiss your cheek but forgetting about the mask on his face.

“Hi, Dearest,” you giggled, holding out his drink for him. “Be careful,” you pouted as he took the hot chocolate out of your hands. “That burned my tongue.”

Pulling the mask under his chin, he gave you a wide-eyed look. “Want me to kiss it better?” He asked, leaning in to press his lips to yours, you giggling into the affectionate action as you kissed him back.

“You’re ridiculous,” you told him, setting your hand on his abdomen as you held him at a distance. “You’re gonna be photographed kissing me and then we’ll be the couple of the new year,” you pointed out, the man pouting at you.

Taking a sip of your coffee, you held his gaze until he relented and took a drink of his hot chocolate, humming in satisfaction. Swallowing the drink with a gasp of content, he grinned. “You know, this is where we first met.”

“I remember,” you giggled, sliding your hand from the front of his stomach to the side of his abdomen, holding onto his coat.

Looking down to your feet, he nodded. “Your shoes are clean this time,” he commented, you rolling your eyes as you thought back to your first meeting with Taehyung, the hectic morning forever changing your life in the best way you could have ever imagined.

Missing the bus was really just the cherry on top of your shitty morning. Not to mention the iced coffee you bought just minutes prior was knocked out of your hand by a power-walking passerby, the drink falling to the sidewalk and splashing all over your combat boots.

Reaching down to pick up the near empty cup, the busy morning work crowd kicked it all about, causing you to chase it around in a hunched-over position, your gaze darting to trail the object, trying to follow it as it absolutely should be recycled. Finally tracking it down, you grabbed it quickly and stood up, your face immediately heating as you became very aware of all the people who just witnessed you chase down a to-go cup like a fucking dork.

Staring down at your coffee stained shoes, you made your way down the sidewalk, setting the cup in the recycling bin gently, your heart racing at the possibility that you were still being watched by someone. Judged.

All you wanted to do was catch your bus and go to class. It was only the second week of university and there you were, already missing lectures. After a restless night, you thought coffee was necessary for a much-needed caffeine buzz, but the line was so long and you felt awkward leaving the middle of it as your bus quickly approached on its route.

So, you missed it. And now if you went to campus, you would have to walk into that lecture hall and draw all those eyes on you, and that was just something you weren’t too thrilled about that particular morning. Being shy was one thing. You had been reserved your whole life; you knew how to manage your introverted nature. But there were days when you just felt more insecure than most, and it was definitely one of those days.

As you pondered over what to do, whether you should brave the staring eyes and go to class or just call it a day and head back to your apartment, you made eye contact with a young man, seemingly around your age, beaming brightly at you through the flow of people.

Quickly averting your gaze, you grabbed your phone out of your pocket, checking the time but mostly avoiding the man’s stare. He was cute and looked sweet, but he put you on edge. Not in a threatening way, but rather, it felt as though he saw through you. And that was intimidating. You didn’t want to be seen.

Trying to put him out of your mind but failing, you quickly realized that despite the way he looked at you as if he knew all about you, you would probably be seeing the kind face of the stranger in your dreams, forever imprinted in your memory. He was intriguing, which was saying a lot for you as people rarely made an impact on you, especially with just one glance.

But his smile was one of if not the best smiles you’d ever laid eyes on and suddenly, you found yourself sneaking a glance at the man to get one more look. However, when you peered up, he was nowhere to be seen, and weirdly, your heart dropped a bit. You just wanted one last look to ensure the image in your head was an accurate depiction.

Frowning, you scanned the crowd. On the verge of giving up and accepting that he was just a one-glance stranger, or maybe even a figment of your imagination, a voice suddenly greeted you from beside your form, your head darting in the direction, falling upon the adorable man. All he said was “hello,” but the tone of his voice took you by surprise, the timbre much lower than you would have expected from the youthfulness of his features.

“Hi,” you said tentatively, suddenly feeling shy by his presence.

“I like your backpack,” he randomly complimented, your hands instinctively gripping the shoulder straps and tugging it closer to your back. “It’s cute.”

A light, single breathy chuckle left your lips as you craned your neck to look back at the bag. What a strange compliment. “Thank you,” you spoke softly.

The man stayed silent for a moment, his smile wide and pretty as he stared at you. However, his eyes were scanning your features. Curiously. Appreciatively. Almost as if he was taking everything down in his mind so he could remember you for years to come.

“I’m Taehyung,” he told you, reaching his hand out for you to shake. Staring at the limb, feeling too shy to take it, he giggled boyishly. The sound was adorable and you were extremely fond of it instantly. Putting his hand down, he cocked his head at you. “Can I replace your drink?” He asked you, your entire body heating in embarrassment as you realized he witnessed you not only drop the coffee, but watched as you chased it around the sidewalk. “Are you embarrassed?” He asked you with wide innocent eyes, a small bashful smile forming on your lips.

“You could say that,” you said. Or you could say you wanted the sidewalk to open up and swallow you whole.

“Don’t be,” he smiled brightly. “It was cute,” he added. The compliment wasn’t spoken as a man trying to flatter you into bed or even on a date, but was rather a genuine thought that popped into his head, so he simply spoke it. His directness, and how unaware he was of it, was intriguing, and you quite liked it.

“It needed to be recycled,” you said softly, your voice quiet, due to the mortification.

Nodding enthusiastically, he beamed. “I know all about recycling, I’ve been doing it since I was born,” he spoke proudly, and though you knew he was joking, he said the comment so seriously it had you nearly bursting out in laughter. Holding it back however, you only gave him the satisfaction of your breathy chuckle.

“I’m sure it was amusing to watch me chase the cup down,” you commented with a smirk.

“I only laughed a little,” he said, lifting his hands up in mock surrender.

“A gentleman,” you teased, surprised by how quickly you were warming up to the stranger. Well, a sort of stranger. You did know his name.

Another youthful giggle left his lips as he nodded in playful confirmation to your statement. “Chivalry is my middle name. Stick by me if you want to be treated like a lady,” he joked.

“And if I don’t want to be treated like a lady?” You playfully retorted, you body heating in embarrassment at your own comment though Taehyung’s eyes sparkling in amusement, his smile only widening even more.

“Too bad,” he replied with a grin. “Now, can I replace your drink?”

“If you insist,” you nodded with a small shy smile, just before holding your hand out and telling him your name. “So you know what to tell them when you order my drink.”

“Right,” he nodded, taking your hand, his palm warm and soft against yours. As cliché as it was to believe it, it felt like his hand was meant to fit with yours. But no, that’s too cheesy. Dropping your hand suddenly, he started toward the café, leaving you standing there watching him. Turning around to face you, he gestured to the establishment. “Coming?”

And strangely, you were. Without a word, you simply walked toward him, and made your way into the café with him, shoulder to shoulder. Little did you know, you would be going with him anywhere and everywhere from that day on. Quite happily.

“And this time I’m buying you a drink,” you smirked. “Oh, how the times have changed.”

“Only because you insisted,” he frowned, the expression making your smile widen.

Bringing your hand toward his face, you booped his nose. “It’s your birthday,” you pointed out with a smile. “And I enjoy treating you,” you informed him. “Plus, I’m not a poor college student anymore, I’m a slightly less poor professional now,” you pretended to gloat, Taehyung giggling as he leaned toward you, pressing a couple quick kisses to your cheek.

“Damn straight you are,” he said proudly. Staring at each other, he watched as your smile gradually fell from your face, his eyebrows pulling together in question and slight concern. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing,” you shook your head, “I just-”

Taking a moment to gather your thoughts, you sighed. Taehyung watched you carefully but patiently, his tongue poking between his lips to wet them.

“About being a professional,” you cocked your head to the side. “What if I told you I’m not happy with my job and it’s not getting better?”

Taehyung’s expression morphed into one of consideration as he peered into your eyes. “I would say you’re young and if you want to try something else, what better time than now?”

“You think?” You asked, appreciating the way his hand found the side of your face, as his thumb gently soothed over your cheek.

“You should enjoy your work,” he told you. “You have too much passion in here,” he tapped against your temple to indicate your mind, “and in here,” he used his other hand that held the drink to poke a finger against your heart, “to not enjoy what you’re doing for a living.”

Giving him a small smile, you nodded slightly. “I’m scared though,” you whispered.

“I know, Peaches,” he told you understandingly. “But that’s ok. It’s ok to be scared.” You nodded quickly in agreement, Tae’s lips quirking up. “What’s not ok is for the most vibrant person I know to be stuck in a job that doesn’t fulfill her,” he added, locking his gaze with yours to ensure you felt how much he meant the words he spoke.

“You’re sweet,” you complimented quietly.

“I just believe in you,” he countered. “And I’ll be here through every step of the way as you’re finding what you truly want to do,” he assured you.

“I know, Dearest,” you nodded.

“You better,” he smirked, just before bringing his lips to yours and kissing you a little too passionately for the public setting. But as your fingers threaded into hair at the back of his head, you lost yourself in the affection, not giving a damn about where you were or who was watching. “I’m going everywhere with you,” he whispered against your mouth when he finally got ahold of himself and pulled back slightly.

“And me you,” you told pressing a quick kiss to his chin. Nuzzling your face against his neck, Taehyung smiled at the small pecks you left to his skin. “Happy birthday, by the way,” you giggled, lifting your head to look at him. “Sorry to be all doom and gloom on your day,” you rolled your eyes at yourself.

“You could never be doom and gloom, Peaches,” he assured you. “And thank you,” he beamed, kissing your forehead quickly. “This will be the only gift I accept today,” he held up his hot chocolate, “So don’t even think about surprising me with anything else.”

“Oh, that’s cute,” you teased. “You think you have a say in how I spoil you?” Glaring at you playfully, you scrunched your nose in response. “You’re really gonna like one of the surprises,” you noted, Taehyung’s eyebrows raising to show his piqued interest. “Want a hint?” You asked, your boyfriend nodding slowly as he wet his lips again. “It’s at my apartment and it involves lace and silk,” you whispered near his ear with a smirk, just before pulling your mask up.

“Well those kinds of surprises are ok,” he teased making you giggle at him.

“Of course they are you horndog,” you joked, Taehyung pulling his mask up as well before wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Only for you,” he continued teasing as you both started walking toward a nearby park to continue your simple date.

---------

Taehyung tightens his grip, his hand on the steering wheel and the other out the window, feeling the breeze through his fingers as he drives by. He looks intently at the road in front of him, cars starting to blur as he drives fast. He’s trying to forget about what just happened, what he just did, but your face keeps popping in his head. He keeps remembering the knowing look you gave him, how tightly you wrapped your arms around him in an embrace, the soft touch of your lips against his. He also remembers your eyes tearing up, and then closing to look away from him. He’s not sure if he did the right thing.

He didn’t mean for this to happen. He didn’t mean for this to get too far, too ugly, too broken for saving. He just wanted to be happy and to live in the moment, but he realized not all moments are happy moments. The truth and reality sets in eventually, and Taehyung realized reality was not a pretty sight to see.

But still. Whether he did the right or wrong thing, he knows for a fact he does not regret a single thing at all. He does not regret anything with you—because feeling regret would release the monster inside and consume him whole and he did not want to live a life with no soul.

He remembers the first time he saw you. Well, it was the first time he actually saw you, but after meeting you he’s realized you both have crossed paths many times already. But he never truly noticed you until that day. You were an intern at the company, specifically under BTS, which meant you were in charge of fixing all their documents, preparing coffee for their meetings and whatnot. You were too shy to strike up a conversation with any of them—because who wouldn’t be? They were technically your bosses and you were just…well, an intern—so you always avoided eye contact whenever you were in the same room with any of them and you didn’t linger any longer than you had to. It wasn’t because they were stuck up, egocentric idols—because God, they were far from that. It was because you were just really shy and it wasn’t like you had anything to talk about in the first place. The most you have said to them before that day was, “Can you sign here, please?”

But that day, Taehyung remembers clearly, he was running late to the meeting when he saw you come out the kitchenette holding a tray full of snacks—and Taehyung knew the snacks were for him and the boys because they always requested those during meetings. He didn’t think, really, because all he did was walk up to you, murmured Let me help, and got the tray from you. You stood there, a bit dumbfounded, but managed a small smile at his kind gesture. Taehyung smiled right back, as if on impulse, and he realized your smile was infectious.

“This is for the meeting, I suppose?” he asked to which you nodded. You walked side by side in silence until you reached the conference room. Taehyung tried not to stare at you during the entirety of the meeting. You were seated in front, right beside the group’s lawyer. You were taking down notes, nodding your head to what your boss was saying. Sometimes you chewed the bottom of your lip as if you were deep in thought. Sometimes you would let out a little exhale.

Taehyung always became reserved towards people he did not know or had not known for a long time, but with you, he felt like he wanted to be your friend. He also felt like he was stupid because how could he feel that way towards someone he barely talked to?

That was the first time Taehyung actually noticed you and since then, he’s been trying his best to bump into you whenever he was at the company. But the legal department and artists’ area were practically at opposite ends of the building, so he always felt a little stupid and embarrassed to be caught in your side of the building because he knew he had nothing of importance to be there anyway.

But he justified that reason by telling himself it was important trying to see you, to talk to you, to get to know you. Call it cliché, if you will, but there was just something that drew him to you. Always.

So he found himself going to the company earlier than he should be, going there even though he didn’t have to at all. He found himself wandering to the legal department almost every day. Sometimes he saw you and sometimes he did not. But the times he did see you, he would always make it a point to walk up to you and strike a conversation. He would say the first thing that came to his head really, and most of the time it made you laugh, which made his heart soar, so he always made it a point to start off with a random topic.

Months passed and you knew a lot about each other already. But those months always consisted meetings and bump ins at the hallway. There were never actual hangouts, eating lunch together, or Taehyung walking you to your desk. He knew you were an intern and if your boss ever saw you and Taehyung hanging out and would think otherwise… He never wanted to put your job at risk. He never wanted to cross that line.

Until one day. Jimin had caught on Taehyung’s unusual newfound habit of wandering to the legal department “by mistake” or Jimin-ah, I’m walking around to find inspiration and I always end up here! Jimin caught on the long looks you gave each other, the small smiles you shared, or how you and Taehyung always entered the conference room at the same time, Taehyung always, always carrying the tray of snacks.

So Jimin devised a plan. It wasn’t a special plan to begin with—Jimin just planned that he would talk to your boss as a distraction while Taehyung would ask you out. Taehyung’s eyes nearly bugged out at the idea. It wasn’t that he never thought of asking you out—because he did, almost every time he talked to you, but the words would die on his lips. He was just never brave enough to do so, because he knew the repercussions, sad as it may seem. He knew it would be hard to work things out—firstly, you worked at the same place and people would see differently and think differently if they saw an intern dating an idol, in the same company she worked at. Secondly, your safety and privacy would be jeopardized if people ever found out. Taehyung knew there were always stalkers out there and your identity would be out on the internet the second they’d know. Taehyung’s used to the hate and criticisms now but maybe you might not be able to handle it, should people ever find out. Taehyung’s thought about all this, he’s thought so far ahead that Jimin had to slap some sense into him.

“It’s just one date, Tae,” Jimin would always find himself saying. “One date won’t hurt, right?”

“But—”

“Taehyung-ah, stop it with your excuses! Stop being so scared and thinking about the what ifs,” Jimin started to say. Taehyung knows the speech that’s coming, has it almost memorized per word, but now does he truly realize the weight of what Jimin’s words mean. “You just have to live life, you know? Start living in the moment and stop fearing the future. Go out and experience things, for once! Fall in love, get drunk, get your heart broken, break some hearts… You won’t actually know what’s out there if you don’t take that step. Step out of your comfort zone, Taehyung. Nothing ever grows in comfort zones.”

Taehyung doesn’t know why Jimin always ends up talking about comfort zones, but he knows his friend has a point. Also, meeting you and getting to know you made Taehyung want to experience those things, things that spoke of normalcy but were alien to him given the kind of life he lived—he wanted to fall in love, he wanted to feel those butterflies everyone talked about during a first date, he wanted to feel nervous to hold someone’s hand, to kiss someone, he wanted to celebrate anniversaries and holidays with someone. And somehow, after all his thinking, he always pictured that someone being you. Taehyung wanted to experience and live life with you, and asking you out for one date wouldn’t hurt, right?

While Jimin started talking to your boss, conveniently standing in front of him to block his view from your desk, Taehyung walked to where you were sitting. You look up startled, of course, because you and Taehyung never talked in your work area. It was always in the halls, in the elevator, anywhere that seemed like a secret and not something planned, when actually it was always planned.

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” he asked in a rush. Taehyung kept looking at your boss’ desk which made you look too. You saw Jimin talking to him then looked back at Taehyung staring intently at you, and somehow you knew what they were trying to do. This made you smile of course, but there was a tiny voice at the back of your head saying this was a bad idea. But even if it was, what could one bad idea do, right?

“Sure,” you found yourself saying almost right away. You had been waiting for this moment of course. When you and Taehyung would cross the line.

In all honesty, Taehyung wasn’t expecting you to say yes right away. Hell, he wasn’t expecting you to say yes at all. But here you were, smile wide on your face and looking up at him. He was ready to explain why one date wouldn’t hurt, why if you declined, that it would be okay, that Taehyung was ready to apologize for crossing the line. But you said yes, and now he was at a loss for words.

“Well?” you giggled at his silence.

At that moment Taehyung swore he knew at least three words, but now, none were coming back. It was only then did you touch his hand that he snapped back to reality.

“That’s… That’s great. Wow,” he breathed out and brushed his hair back. “I wasn’t expecting you to say yes right away.” You laughed and Taehyung felt his heart soar again. In that moment he knew it was his new favorite sound and that he wanted to hear it every day of his life. “Does tomorrow sound good?”

“Yeah, tomorrow would be great,” you replied with a smile.

The date entailed a late-night dinner at the rooftop of the company building. Taehyung made sure your boss and most of the staff had gone home for the day, save for the boys who practiced late at night and their manager who stayed as long as they did.

It was nothing special, really—the rooftop was empty and well-lit so it was just a simple dining set up with that dinner that consisted of take-out from your favorite restaurant (which Taehyung found out the third time he “bumped” into you). He had to convince his manager to help him set up everything and he was glad enough that he didn’t ask Taehyung any questions about it.

The moment you both sat down was when Taehyung realized that his feelings for you were actually real and not just some made-up infatuation a high school student would get. It wasn’t just some crush because God—you were far from being just his crush. You were something more to him, something a single word couldn’t accurately describe. Taehyung just knew in his heart you would be important to him some day. Not now, of course, that you guys were just still getting to know each other and learning to trust one another, but in the future. He knew you would be in his life forever. And that made him smile.

He drove you home that night and walked you to your apartment, mostly because he didn’t want you to walk alone at night and partly that he didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. He remembered asking if he could kiss you. He remembered the way you smiled and nodded your head. He remembered the feel of his lips on yours, your fingers playing with the ends of his hair, his hands tightening around your waist. He remembered his heart clenching and soaring, doing flips and other things he couldn’t explain. He remembered feeling everything and nothing at once.

More late-night dates came after that. It was always late at night and always at the company building during the early stage of your relationship. You weren’t complaining of course because you understood the circumstances that surrounded your relationship with Taehyung. And Taehyung knew that you understood, but sometimes you could see the worry etched on his face whenever you would go to the rooftop for dinner, or hangout in his studio for drinks because you knew Taehyung wanted to do more with you. Wanted to do normal things with you.

But the secrecy and hiding around… God, was it hard.

Only Jimin knew what was going on between you both. He saw the way you both pointedly ignored each other during meetings, how Taehyung would give you a strained smile when all he wanted to do was kiss your lips. It was hard on your part trying to maintain an almost non-existent relationship with Taehyung in public. It was equally hard for him, too.

Sometimes Taehyung would think if he did the wrong thing asking you out. If your relationship was wrong. If it was a bad idea. He’d tell you of course and you’d always jokingly say, “One bad idea couldn’t hurt, right?”

But bad ideas became a thing in your relationship. Sometimes that bad idea was having a late-night picnic in a park without telling his manager when he’s always supposed to tell their manager of their whereabouts. Sometimes it would be Taehyung coming to a photoshoot late because last night the both of you were hanging out at your apartment and barely got any sleep because all you did was talk and kiss and laugh and be in love. Sometimes it would always be taking a train to the outskirts of the city, whenever Taehyung had a day off and you didn’t have work or school. During those moments he didn’t care if people would recognize him. All that mattered to him was you and that you were happy, and that you were happy with him. And sometimes, that bad idea would be skipping an early morning meeting with the music team because your most recent fight with him kept him up all night. Sometimes the bad ideas would be sermons from his manager, your boss scolding you for not paying attention, or Namjoon getting mad at Taehyung for being late and missing practice all the time. To Taehyung, it didn’t matter much because this is what living life felt like, right? Falling in love and making mistakes and saying yes to bad decisions. Being reckless. And then making things right. Taehyung just wanted to experience that with all of you.

It went on for a year and a half. The both of you have matured since then—less of saying yes to bad ideas and more of going to practice on time and attending meetings fully prepared. Taehyung couldn’t deny that you’ve become one of the most important people in his life. By then, you were already close to his family as he was to yours. The other members already knew about your relationship and it made Taehyung even happier that they’ve accepted you into their little circle.

But as time went by, Taehyung realized something was always missing. There was just something out of place, or something not working the way it should be. Just a minor nuisance, but something he couldn’t exactly pinpoint, which frustrated him to a great end. There was a shift in your relationship, but he didn’t realize what that shift was until one day.

You were smiling less, talking less, laughing less. What had become Taehyung’s most favorite sound in the world was now some sort of a distant memory. Taehyung had changed too. He was making less of an effort at work, putting less meaning into his performances and music. He was smiling less, too, and he didn’t know why. He didn’t know what changed between the both of you. Your relationship was great, close to perfect, so why did it feel like it was crumbling now?

Taehyung couldn’t tell the exact moment things shifted. But he found himself happy when you both weren’t fighting and he found himself in a bad mood when you were. And this would carry on for the whole day or until things were right again between you two. The members noticed this as well—that Taehyung’s mood always depended on yours.

Maybe it was because of that, Taehyung thought—that you depended on each other so much. Or that your bad ideas actually became bad ideas—that his world entirely revolved around you when it should include the other important aspects in his life like his career, family, and friends. Or how you would drop your studies to hang out with Taehyung whenever he had a day off. The two of you seemed to revel in each other’s love entirely which in the end, wasn’t healthy at all. It brought out all your bad habits and bad sides and it was just bad, bad, bad.

Taehyung did not expect things would go this far. He always told himself, BTS over anything, BTS over everything. But then you came along, caught his heart with just your laugh, and he knew he was a goner.

Taehyung tried to fix things, of course he would. He didn’t want to lose you at all. You tried to fix your relationship as well, but you always found yourself at the same place after talking things out.

Taehyung knew he had to make a decision before things went too bad. His career was on the line. Your career and studies were on the line. You were too caught up in each other that you were starting to forget about what really mattered. Maybe this was how first loves always turned out? Taehyung always wondered that maybe you were just the person he needed at that time in his life, and he was the same person you needed too. Taehyung wondered that maybe you were just the right person that came at the wrong time, or the wrong person at the right time? But Taehyung thought you were the right person, and he knew it was never the wrong time with the right person.

But things were starting to get ugly.

You were already living together that day. It used to feel like home to Taehyung, but when he stepped in that day it did not feel like home at all. It felt cold and different. Earlier that day he’d been practicing what to tell you and he was just about to say his speech when he saw you walk in the living room. He knew by the look on your face that you knew as well. He forgot most of what he practiced in his head, but he said all the important parts. That maybe you were just the person he needed during that time in his life, that maybe you were just some lesson, some experience he needed to live life. Some first love he needed to get over, some heartbreak to go through. You weren’t teenagers in love but adults that needed to start making mature decisions and not saying yes to bad ideas all the time.

You keep nodding through it all and when Taehyung was done talking, you said your sentiments as well. You felt the same way, thought the same thoughts—that maybe you just needed Taehyung at that point in your life to actually live life and experience things. Maybe he was just a lesson to you as well.

So the two of you said your goodbyes with tears rolling down your cheeks. Taehyung silently cried as he helped you pack your things. He cried as he loaded your belongings in your car. He cried as he kissed you goodbye for the last time, said I love you for the last time, hugged you for the last time. He cried as he watched you get in your car and drive off.

He stopped crying, though, once he got in his own car and started driving.