Chapter 24 – It’s Over

As “House of Cards” came on for the last time, I quickly extirpated myself from the mass of bodies amidst which I was trapped, and made my way inside the deserted maze of corridors that crisscrossed the inner building until I found a staff person and showed them the “guest” pass that Tae had given me in the morning. The guy gave me a funny look, but nonetheless agreed to lead me to the backstage area.

The boys were just coming off the stage as I got there, and were bouncing off the walls with energy. The moment I stepped through the door, Tae pretty much attacked me on sight, laughing delightedly, and planting a big freakin’ passionate kiss on my lips in front of everyone; even going as far as tipping me backwards dramatically in the process. Hoseok laughed and clapped crazily, Jungkook groaned, while everybody else just kinda stared dumbfounded. I went bright red, once he put me down, but Tae had no shame at all. He sat on an empty chair, pulling me into his lap, and started talking excitedly with everybody else.

Not like the boy I knew ever lacked in energy, but it was amazing to see him like this. He and the other boys really seemed like they were on a high. Their eyes were glistening, and it was almost like he was shining with happiness from the inside. I just smiled watching him as he chatted with the staff or other people’s friends and family that had come visit. His family wasn’t there; though they had come the day before. I wondered if I would have gotten such a warm greeting if his mom and dad had been in the room today…

Anyways, a short while later, a staff came to take a group picture that I assume was meant for twitter, so other “friends of the family” and I were shooed away for a moment, and once the photo was taken and they were allowed to be free again, I reclaimed my spot on Taehyung’s lap.

I want to say that it was fun and exciting, but actually, it was a little boring since I couldn’t understand very much Korean back then, and nobody was bothering translating for me. There were too many people there demanding the boys’ attention. As the night wore on, I more often than not ended up in a corner, watching on as my baby boyfriend took pictures and chatted animatedly with long-lost friends or newfound admirers.

Maybe an hour later, one of their managers announced that they’d be leaving soon so Tae came to find me again. I couldn’t go with them since there was a huge crowd of fans waiting with cameras outside the venue doors, so we said goodbye and he promised to come by my room later.

*

When I got back to my room, I felt oddly lethargic. I was hit by a slew of emotions all of a sudden and the room felt oddly quiet and empty. The concerts were over, my time with Tae was over, and in just a few hours I’d have to go back to my real life in Japan, and I didn’t know how I was gonna deal with that. So, finding nothing else to do, I started to pack, and then once I was done, I went to bed in the hopes of catching at least a few hours of sleep before I had to leave for the airport.

Tae dropped by around 2am; sneaking into my bed fully clothed and freaking me out with his cold hands. I think he was drunk.

“Tae!” I scolded him, though he just laughed heartily in response, trying to slip his hands under my shirt while I squealed.

“But you’re so warm!” he protested, half-laughing still, as he gave up the attempt and brought his face closer to mine.

“I am not your human heater…” I grumbled, still half asleep, though my anger slowly faded as he nuzzled my neck with his entire face, making the cutest incomprehensible little noises as he did.

I smiled, automatically bringing a hand up into his hair, but all of a sudden I froze. It’s like my brain instinctively knew that we had to part soon, so instead, I just grabbed on to him, burying my face into his chest so I wouldn’t start crying.

“Ssshhh….” he whispered into my hair, pulling me closer.

“I don’t want it to be over…” I whimpered, like a 5y.o.

“It’s not over.” he said, in a reassuring voice. And then, after a moment, he lifted my chin up so I would look at him, and kissed me.

We made love one last time and then it was time for me to go. It wasn’t even 5am and there was no one in the lobby or outside, so we left together – with him carrying my suitcase because he’d insisted that’s what a gentleman should do. (1 point for the Korean boy). I checked out and then he walked me to the subway station in the darkness.

Normally I am a chattermouth – we both are – but at that moment, I couldn’t think of anything to say so we walked the short distance in silence. Before I knew it, we stood in front of the station, face to face, with him holding both of my hands in front of us an me looking away so I wouldn’t cry. Suddenly, his hands left mine and came into contact with my cheeks. The shock from the cold alone made me look up into his eyes, but he didn’t stop there. He kept on going; pressing my cheeks together until they were completely squished, and his hands had nearly come together, making my mouth form a silly pout – which he found amusing, (and I, not so much).

“Don’t be sad.” he told me, shaking my head left and right and making me look ever more ridiculous, I’m sure, pushing my lips in an even more pronounced pout that prevented me from uttering any kind of response, so I just glared at him instead, which made him laugh. Finally, he let me go and only held on to my face softly with one hand, looking down at me with a caring expression.

“Why you’re like this?” he said, but it didn’t sound like a reproach so much as something he found adorable, “I go back to Japan soon for Yokohama concerts.”

I blinked at him stupidly. Of course. The Japan concerts. How had I forgotten? He smiled, and bent over a little to give me a kiss on the nose and repeated. “Don’t be sad, ok?”

I nodded, and he bent over again, this time to kiss me sweetly on the lips. The kiss was much too short and before I knew it, he was ushering me towards the subway entrance. “Come on! You miss your plane! Go!”

I gave him one more small nod and took hold of my suitcase, heading for the escalator that was going down. I turned back 3 times to look at him and each time he was always still there, smiling and waving at me.

Once the escalator had gone down too far and I couldn’t see him anymore, I took my phone out and opened the calendar app, looking up the date of the Japan concerts. It was in exactly one week.

“One week.” I told myself, “I can do that.”