— Part I —

Taehyung

 

I cross my arms and sigh impatiently. Regretfully I'm wasting my time like this again. A boy who apparently attends the same Chemistry class stares at me with timid hope-filled eyes. I glance at him suspiciously, still unable to recall his face—or his name for that matter, despite him having just introduced himself. 

I purse my lips and put on my polite voice, in hopes of at least sounding sympathetic. I’ve had quite enough of these experiences already.

"I'm sorry but I'm not really looking for a relationship right now," I reason, whether it's true or not I'm not sure—maybe I'm just picky, after all he isn't my type.

He continues to fidget nervously and his eyes have still yet to stop wandering. He opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. He lowers his head and hums in thought for a moment before his head shoots back up.

"Give me a chance, y-you won't regret it!" he offers in determination. His eyes hover over mine, struggling to not break contact. 

I refrain from rolling my eyes. ‘How many times have I heard that line?’ 

I turn to leave. "Sorry," I mumble over my shoulder. The only bitterness I taste is in the knowledge that I'll probably have to deal with him in Chemistry. 

"So who was it this time?" Taehyung asks as he leans slightly over the lunch table. He a small plastic spoon clean before meeting my eyes. He snorts at my displeased expression and leans back in his seat, eyes wandering the cafeteria as he waits for the story.

"Some guy from Chemistry," I grumble before biting into a slice of apple. I stare at my food as I chew but I can feel his amused glare gnawing at me.

"What's that?" The spoon dangles on the side of Taehyung's mouth as he balances on the back feet of his chair. He suddenly sits back up, the front feet slamming the ground. Several students jolt, their heads snapping in our direction. He plays with the spoon like a lollipop, taking it out of his mouth and waving it in the air as he thinks. 

"Jongin?" he chirps with widened eyes, lightly tapping the spoon to his temple. He sighs loudly in satisfaction upon noticing something click in my memory. "Number 7 not lucky either?" he adds smugly as he finally places the spoon in an empty bowl which I came too late to know of its contents. 

"He's not my type," I mutter, threatening to throw something at his smug face. I notice an unopened juice box in front of Taehyung and begin eyeing it.

Taehyung leans over eagerly with a dumb smile. He rests his chin in his palm and flutters his lashes mockingly. "Tell me then, what's your ideal type?"

I smirk and kick him from under the table. There's a thud as his knee hits the table's underside.

"Definitely not you," I snicker as he scowls at me. I go to snatch his juice box but he immediately slaps my hand away. 

"Who would fall for you?" he retorts with equal disgust, irritably poking the straw into the carton. "They are only confessing since they don't know the real you."

I smirk. "You must really love me to still be here then," I throw my hair over my shoulder, "Sorry, I'm not interested."

"I just pity you." Taehyung grins as he sips his juice. His eyes haughtily gaze at me, slowly crawling up my skin. I frown. I reach out squeeze the box of juice. It spurts into his face.

Taehyung chokes and cusses. He coughs as he stares down at dampened his shirt. Wiping his face with the back of his hand, he glares at me intensely. I don't know why but I'm momentarily drawn in by his eyes. I'm snapped out of the phase when he flicks orange juice in my face. 

"Bastard," I hiss as I wipe my face.

Taehyung smirks then gets up from his seat, juice still in hand. "I have practice so I'll catch you later," he says as he ruffles my hair. I grumble whilst trying to keep my hair in place. “Oh right, and think about that road trip I mentioned last time.” He clicks his tongue and nods his head in satisfaction, placing the remaining juice in front of me before leaving. 

"See you later, idiot," he snickers over his shoulder.

I groan to myself and stare at the empty seat in front of me, Taehyung's empty bowl and spoon still there. I glimpse at the orange juice—the end of the straw in particular. I sigh and sink to the table top. ‘What's wrong with me?’

 

I finish the juice and get up to throw the carton out. Taehyung and I have known each other since we were young and not once has this happened. ‘Am I sick?’ I think to myself as I wander to the rubbish bin. ‘Did I eat something?’ I stare at the three disposal options and drop the carton into the recycling, hoping it’s the correct choice out of the three.

“Yuna?” a voice from behind me calls.

I look over my shoulder and find Areum standing behind me. At first I’m shocked to see she is not with Hoseok the boy she’s—apparently—‘just friends’ with, but then I realise he must be at practice too.

“Only trying to find me now?” I say in faux annoyance.

The edges of her lips curl as she avoids answering the question. “Hoseok told me that you’re organising a road trip,” she sounds dubious, making the statement more like a question rather than hard fact.

I nod my head in confirmation as I suggest we take a walk since the cafeteria was beginning to get much too loud and stuffy for my liking. Taehyung had been pestering me about going on a road trip for the past few months but whenever I asked for details he would simply shrug and say he doesn’t mind. He might be thinking he’s being courteous leaving the decisions to me but it was actually just a bother.

“Any ideas on where we’re going?” Areum asks as we wander the hallways.

I sigh, the amount of times Taehyung has asked me the same question—I wonder how many times it’s been. I squeeze my lips in thought. Nothing comes to mind.

“Don’t you have a beach house?”  Areum points out.

I lift a brow, “Are you inviting yourself over?”

She replies with a well-you-had-no-better-ideas look and just shrugs her shoulders.

 

“I like that idea,” Hoseok beams when Areum brings up what had been suggested earlier. We had decided to greet the boys just before the lunch break would end. Fortunately they were finishing practice by the time we arrived.

Hoseok dabs the sweat off his jaw with the back of his wrist. He laughs at something I didn’t quite catch that Areum said and I begin to wonder why they’re so oblivious of each other’s feelings—then again Areum is pretty thick skulled when it comes to these kinds of things.

Someone suddenly bumps me from behind, two heavy, long arms dangle by my shoulders, a water bottle in one hand. I can feel slick sweat and a hot breath stick to the back of my neck before I throw him off.

Taehyung stumbles back laughing. The water bottle in his hand almost splashes on him. He grins in amusement and returns to sling his arm around my shoulder. I look up at him as he lifts the bottle to his lips, tipping his head back he gulps down the fluid, sweat hesitantly trickling down his jaw and neck, Adam’s apple hitching with every gulp. I feel a lump in my chest. I swallow. He looks down at me when he finishes the bottle, grinning triumphantly at my dumb expression.

“I look cool right?” he smiles haughtily.

I snap out of my second daze for the day, fixing a frown on my features. “I was just thinking how much you stink,” I grumble whilst shaking his sweaty arm off. Suddenly the room began to feel more and more humid. The air is suddenly hard to breathe.

The other boys go by their business, subtly jealous of the girls who persistently come to chat with two of their members. Our short exchange of insults is then interrupted by Hoseok and Areum who appear to be diligently discussing the road trip and waiting for our input.

“Are you two free next week?” Areum asks, “We can go after exams and graduation.”

I blink and take a minute to think through my plans. “Yeah, I think so,” Taehyung and I say in close unison.

“You’re okay with us staying at your beach house, right Yuna?” Hoseok verifies.

I sway my head in reluctant agreement. “I guess we should put it to use.”

After all the examination stress and excited nerves of graduation, the trip was fast approaching. The weather for the weekend was said to be sunny and at a perfect temperature for a dip in the ocean. By the time I took a step out of the exam hall for the last time, I could already feel the warm sand tickling my toes.

 

Hoseok being the oldest out of us was to be the main driver. Surprisingly, he’s horrible at driving.

Areum and I sit at the back, desperately clutching on the sides of the car, our knuckles now white and fingers locked shut around anything we could grab. I grasp my mouth as the large waves of fluid inside my stomach gradually settle into the entrance of my throat. Fortunately for all of us it doesn’t go any further.

“I’ll drive! I’ll drive!” Taehyung demands insistently as we finally pull over.

We’re in the middle of nowhere, barely an hour into the four hour drive. The gravel road, far from the city, is rough and beaten from the sun. The long dried grass that surrounds it, brushes against our vehicle.

Taehyung impatiently gets out of the front seat and pats the driver’s door until Hoseok unenthusiastically pushes open the door and gets out. He appears to be cussing under his breath, his eyes narrowed and upper lip lifted while he trudges to the other side of the car.

“Ah!” Taehyung chirps with an extended arm just as Hoseok is about to get into the seat beside him.

“What?” he replies in a nark tone, irritation growing more and more evident in his voice and facial expressions.

Taehyung then swivels in his seat to look behind him, he points at me, who is still trying to control the sickness in my stomach, and gestures for me to sit shotgun.

Hoseok meets my eyes. He sighs, still offended for being called a bad driver, but quite willingly swaps seats with me. At least he gets to sit with Areum. And I get to sit with Taehyung.

I take the front passengers seat, the scent of Taehyung’s cologne had already sunken into the worn out fabric. I exhale silently as I do my seat belt.

“Am I really that bad of a driver?” I hear Hoseok mumble. From the rear view mirror I see the question is directed to Areum. Her head rigidly turns away from the window and robotically nods.

“You ran two red lights in a row,” she reasons to his brooding expression.

“I thought we could make it,” he whines.

“Oh shut it,” Taehyung scowls as he moves the car back onto the road.

As soon as the car starts up again, I’m no longer sure if the feeling in my stomach is motion sickness or something else, either way I’m left feeling uneasy and nervous for the next few hours ahead.

 

I’m more than relieved once the journey ended. Taehyung was just the slightest bit better at driving than Hoseok. As in, he ran only one red light at a time. We were even pulled up once with the police thinking it was a drunk driver but we were lucky to get away with only a warning. He would have had more opportunity to flaunt his bad driving skills if we were still in the city. Fortunately for all of us we weren’t. And fortunately for all of us, we were alive.

I fling the house’s door open. I drop my bags and immediately rush to the couch and throw myself on it.

“Finally!” I gasp as I sink into the comfort of immobility.

Taehyung clicks his tongue in annoyance but nonetheless picks my bags up from the door and moves it beside the couches.

The beach house is larger than I remember—then again we were cramped in a tiny car for four or so hours that could have shattered any time on the rockier roads. The living room is a spacious spread of velvety cream couches that smelt close to newly cleaned duvets, seated on it are various neutral coloured cushions; a mahogany coffee table sits in the middle of the couches, lavished with small shells, a dried starfish and a round vase full of sand; the carpet is cream tinged with the pink of dawn, soft and fluttery between tired toes.

I reach out for a pillow and turn over onto my back. Taehyung stands above me staring out the large windows that escaped into the scenery. Seeing the opportunity, I throw the pillow into his face. His eyes widen then lips lift into a gentle smile, a bit too weary to properly retaliate, he just drops the pillow onto my stomach.

Footsteps sound on hard wood and I prop my body back up to analyse the rest of the space. Right beside the living room was the dining table and beside that, behind the slide away glass doors, a beautifully laid out open porch.

Hoseok, closely followed by Areum, wander into the kitchen opposite the dining room. I can hear the clings and clangs of pans and cutlery as they open each drawer. The fridge opens and there’s a disappointed wail from the both of them as they close it. They both plod back and slump into a long couch adjacent mine.

“There’s no food,” Hoseok grumbles when they meet our questioning looks.

Taehyung ‘Ah’s as he takes a seat beside me. His eyes flutter down and his body melts into the sofa as he lies down on his side, facing the coffee table. 

There’s a little silence as the lag kicks in. Areum wearily pats Hoseok with the back of her hand and says something a bit too quiet for the rest of us to properly hear. Hoseok nods and announces to the two of us that they were going for a walk.

“Do you two want to come?” Areum asks softly as they get up and approach the door.

I look down at Taehyung whose head was beside my lap. The tip of his nose meets his lashes while he stares distantly in front of him. He looks so tired. I look back up at the two of them and shake my head with a smile, insisting they go on without us.

 

When the door clicks close, Taehyung rolls onto his back with his eyes shut. He clears his throat slightly, eyes gradually opening to look up at me. We stare at each other for a moment. He doesn’t say anything but I don’t question him since he looks too tired to disturb. Taehyung lets out a soft growl from the back of his throat before squirming his head onto my lap, his tousled brown hair tickling my bare thighs. I tense. I don’t breathe. He continues to stare up into my eyes, the fogginess in his gaze washes over me until it intensifies with intent, demanding every inch of my attention. I don’t avert my attention in fear I’ll lose whatever challenge this is but I feel something brew in my chest, a fluttering lust and eruption of nervousness as his eyes look deep into me. I’m unsure if this really is a challenge. Taehyung slowly props himself back up, eyes still on mine, a hand beside my other leg so that he’s leaning across me, looking straight at me—there’s no way I can hide or run away. I take in his gaze, indulge in it, his eyes flicker over my features, analysing every detail so carefully that a crease begins to form between his brows. My breath begins to quicken. I can hear his own breaths mix with my heavy heart beats as he leans closer, eyes back on mine; his lower stomach presses against mine, his leg grazing my fingertips. I feel a sensation flicker in my chest as his lips part. With my breath held, all I can hear is the outside noise, the call of the waves, the call of his breaths, the call of his lips.

“You know,” he breathes, tapping me out of my thoughts.

Without knowing my eyes had wandered down to his lips, I look back up into his stare. I swallow. ‘What—‘

The ends of his lips curl up. “You’re really ugly.”

My eyes widen in shock as he immediately pulls out of the moment. He stands up and pats his clothes down then lifts his head to take one last look at my disbelieved expression. He grins smugly before picking his bags up and walking off towards the bedrooms without another word.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I’m now embarrassed to have actually held my breath. My face burns red with a mixture of anger and humiliation—I can’t believe I got excited just then. ‘What was I expecting??’

 

I'm still on the couch fidgeting with my bottom lip when Hoseok and Areum return. I jolt out my hole of thought when they're cheery voices and knocks sound on the door. I stumbled to the door and hastily fling it open, an unnecessary adrenalin pounding my head.

"Are you okay?" Areum asks, tipping her head to better inspect mine.

I put on a smile and insist I'm alright as I move aside to let them in. Making their way towards the rooms, Hoseok stops as his eyes catch on my bag still perched against the couch.

"You still haven't unpacked?" he asks as he picks up his own bags that he left propped against the wall. He slings it across his chest and picks up Areum's too, he gives her a smile before she can complain. 

"Nah, I fell asleep," I lie. I bite my lip, nervous for no reason.

"Oh sorry did we wake you up?" he immediately apologizes, his attention momentarily taken away from the girl beside him who was still insisting she could carry her own bag.

I laugh wryly and shake my head. With two bags thrown across him, Hoseok, being the kind of man he is, goes to pick mine up too.

"No, it's okay!" I exclaim as he waddles towards the rooms.

"Where's everyone sleeping?" Hoseok asks, completely ignoring my previous statement. 

Just like Areum, I give in with a sigh. I point to the room I had seen Taehyung walk into earlier and explain that it be their room, I point to the one further down the hall. "Areum and I will share that room," I say.

Hoseok nods and walks towards the furthest room to kindly drop our stuff off as if we couldn't have hauled our belongings down the hallway ourselves. Areum lags behind with me, casually walking behind Hoseok, watching his back before turning to me with a cheeky expression.

"What did you and Taehyung get up to?" she whispers under her breath to ensure Hoseok not hear. Hoseok was sweet but we both knew he had a loose jaw.

I lift a brow and chuckle mockingly. "What about you and Hoseok?" I bite back.

She rolls her eyes, fully aware of the change of topic. We halt our conversation as Areum reaches out to open the door of the room.

"Where do you want the stuff?" Hoseok asks as we step in. 

The minute we step in and I remember this room being the one with the two identical beds, I realise the boys have been left with the one-bed room. I hold back a chuckle. "Just by the door is fine."

We thank Hoseok after he excuses himself to his own quarters, unaware of the snug night waiting for him.

"Taehyung probably thought he was lucky to get a big King sized bed by himself," I hum as I my bag.

Areum smiles though she doesn't seem to fully grip the situation since last time she came here we still didn't have the beds and only stayed a day. That was a few years ago.

"So," she pretends to cough into her fist, "Taehyung?" she starts again.

I sigh knowingly. She wasn't going to let this go. "You left me with him on purpose!" I accuse.

She grins but doesn't deny it. "Is that a 'thank you' I hear?" she says smugly as she pulls out comfier clothes to change into.

"He just stared," I mutter, more to myself than for my best friend to hear.

Areum freezes, her expression saying that that was more progress than she had anticipated.

I click my tongue and hurl a garment I was folding to her. "He's just an idiot," I mutter before inevitably spilling the minute of eye contact in a two hour long gossip session with re-enactments.

We had arrived late afternoon so it wasn't until later in the evening that we had all freshen up enough to do anything. We agreed prior the journey that we would save the full second day for the beach then leave late morning of the following day so we didn't really have anything planned for this evening.

The four of us gather around the living room after assumedly all taking short nap. Everyone's dressed into at least a clean shirt and washed up, the smell of soap drifting softly between us.

"What should we do?" Hoseok grumbles as he stares outside. It had suddenly become so dark that the howling of the stormy winds and the biting chill of the cold was too haunting to fight.

Areum looks around the room searching for something to do. There was no internet or television since my parents had decided it was 'unnecessary' with ‘the nature surrounding us.' We would have hiked or something but not in this weather. I begin to worry about tomorrow’s weather forecast since today was supposed to be sunny.

Taehyung is acting as if nothing had happened between us and that would make sense because it probably was nothing to him, but why do I want to convince myself that that isn't the case and there might be a chance—a chance that what though? I find myself frowning and having to shoo away my friends' concerns about me once again. Areum gives me a sympathetic look. Now informed of the situation, she also darts a glare at Taehyung who's startled at being given the blame.

"How about a game?" Taehyung suggests in an effort to escape Areum's lecturing expression.

Hoseok's eyes light up enough to guide the way into the darkness outside. He overly-excitedly beams up with joy, all-in for whatever game.

"A paper scissors rock tournament," Areum says blankly. 

Hoseok gives her shoulder a light push. His childish expression reading ' no.’ 

"I'll pick rock, everyone else do scissors," I add and receive the same unamused expression from Hoseok.

"Truth or dare?" Taehyung proposes. He looks to each of us in affirmation, saving me for last, staring hard as if he was asking for a fight.

"Fine!" I hiss confidently. This is my chance to humiliate him back. 'Just you wait Kim Taehyung.'

"Dare!" Hoseok exclaims after being taunted for picking 'truth' each time.

"Go out on the porch alone for three minutes," I say mercilessly.

This may sound like nothing but our game had dragged on far longer than expected. It was close to midnight and by now it was pouring. 

Hoseok feigns a courageous smile as he stiffly slips into his slippers and shuffles across the room towards the glass doors. He gives us one last look over his shoulder and waves before being engulfed into the darkness. He doesn't close the door so that he may rush back inside if required.

Taehyung's grin grows as he puts a finger on his lips and creeps towards the porch. A few moments later we hear a high pitched scream and a drenched Hoseok is stumbling back inside.

We're all laughing as Hoseok recomposes himself.

"Let's get you a towel," Areum giggles as she gets up after her share of laughter. 

Hoseok follows after her hoping there would be less ridicule with her.

"Yuna," Taehyung calls after they had gone. He reclines in his seat, his hair and clothing speckled with rain. "Truth or dare?" 

I lift my brows, "Truth," I respond.

Taehyung's grin broadens again as he leans over his knees, fingers laced together, eyes on mine. "Did you want it to happen?"

My breath hitches in my throat. ‘Want it to happen?’ "Wha—"

"Taehyung!" Hoseok interrupts loudly after he returns with a towel over his head. "You rascal—"

I stumble eye contact with Areum who gives me a worried look in return for mine of shock.

 

I lie in bed for a moment pondering, maybe I did want something more from him but was he even thinking the same thing as me? Does that mean he was considering it too? I sit up in my bed, the crinkling of the stiff sheets crackle with the light rain.

“Did I just admit I wanted to kiss him?” I murmur in disbelief.

In the other bed, Areum groans and turns on her other side. I purse my lips and beg my mind to sleep. I lie back down. I still had the rest of tomorrow with him and the whole ride back.

The idea of his sleeping in the next room suddenly sent my heart to tap frantically at my chest. I shut my eyes and sink under the sheets. ‘What is this?’

We all wake up much later than expected after falling asleep no earlier than four in the morning. By now the sun was already hung up on the sky, shining its heavenly rays down in streaks through the blinds. All awake but too lazy to cook food we get changed and eat lunch at a nearby cafeteria before heading for a stroll on the beach.

I stretch my arms and breathe the salty air of the sea. I tug my cardigan snug around me. The sand is still damp from last night’s rain and the weather is still a bit too cold to actually wear swimming attire. Nonetheless it was getting warmer and hopefully later in the afternoon the weather forecast could prove itself right.

Hoseok and Areum walk ahead of us, strides slightly faster and chirpy than Taehyung and I who opt for a casual stroll.  We watch as the two of them try to get closer to the water, running back and forth with the tide. Two boys, two girls; you’d think there’s a love story for both but as the two of us walk side by side and I’m probably the only one who wants to close the gap.

I feel Taehyung’s clothing graze my arm and I look up to see him walking tighter by my side.

“We should have brought the dogs,” he sighs regretfully.

I press my lips together, urging my eyes off him and ahead of us but it’s so much more difficult than I expected. The way the sun outlines his side profile—the dip of his eyes, the bridge of his nose and curves of his lips— it’s all so mesmerizing.

Taehyung glances at me. The sun creates a halo over his billowing tuffs of hair. He smiles fondly and returns his gaze to the sea. “They probably wouldn’t have liked the car ride anyway,” he reasons.

I didn’t notice at the time but by now Areum and Hoseok were merely dancing specks in the distance. I could no longer hear them. My senses were indulging in the sight of Taehyung and how his breaths washed over me like the waves. I sigh a ragged heavy breath, catching myself off-guard.

Taehyung’s eyes flicker back to me and give me a lazy smile. His eyes create dreamy moons for the cool afternoon.

 

We walk on for hours, sometimes in silence, sometimes in full-fledged conversation. The sun timidly takes a dip in the sea. I hug my arms as the temperature continues to steadily drop. By now we were aware of having lost track of our two other friends. We were alone and I was savouring every moment of it.

Taehyung hums lowly as the sun becomes a smear of luminous orange across the gradient of the sky. His voice comforts me and hugs me with indescribable warmth. ‘When did I fall so hard?’

After a long few minutes of silence, Taehyung turns to me. His eyes glazed with emotion. Our footsteps slow until we’re standing face-to-face in quiet gaze.

My heartbeats race, eyes dawdling over his. I can’t help but think this may be another joke. I feel a cool prick on my nose and flinch, looking up to be greeted with more rain. I pull away from his gaze and go to run for shelter. Taehyung stops me. He pulls me by my forearm with a tug, causing me to stumble into his chest.

I shelter my face as the rain suddenly pours down just as it did yesterday. “Taehyung, hurry up let’s go find shelt—”

“Do you have an answer for your ‘truth’ yet?” he interrupts.

I squint my eyes as the rain flutters past them. “What?”

I’m cut off as he presses his lips against mine. My eyes widen. His remain a lustful gaze before slowly shutting. I feel the rain drench my clothes, my hair clinging to my face. His hands move to my face, pushing back my hair, thumb gently my cheeks before a hand trails down my neck, a finger trickling down like the rain. His touch sends a sweet sensation through my whole body— his wet lips devouring my bottom lip. I feel my breath quicken as his tongue begins exploring mine. He tastes of traces of his afternoon coffee and the cool saltiness of the sea. Our lips break apart as I gasp for air.

“Yes,” I sigh in reply to his question.

He immediately cups my face and brings my lips back on his, hungry for their contact. He bites my lip, tongue colliding and twirling with mine. His fingertips send pulses through my veins as they slide across my cheeks, cold and wet from the rain. I feel the ends of his lips curl up as my hands find their way around his waist. He soon pulls away, his breath a cold mist as he presses a kiss on my forehead.

I tighten my arms around his waist as he pulls me closer, our drenched bodies pressing together. Taehyung hums as he kisses the top of my head and gently rests his chin there.

“Yuna,” he mumbles, “I need you.”

I look up just as his icy fingertips tickle my shoulder, moving the damp strands of hair aside, he slowly tips his head into the nook of my neck. He plants another kiss on my neck, teeth lightly grazing the sensitive skin.  

My hands clamp around his went clothing. I feel him smile against my neck. He sighs, his hot breath sticking to the wet and probably bruised skin.

“I’m not going to do anything,” he teases with a gentle growl.

Taehyung pulls away and suddenly my body feels alone in the rain. He looks around with squinted eyes, the rain so heavy it was difficult to see far. He presses me against his side as he points out the harbour.

“Run!” he exclaims as he grabs my hand and rushes forward. Our bare feet smack the hardened sand, sandals in hand as we race towards the harbour.